Month: February 2011

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STS-133 Final Discovery Launch in Person!

I didn’t get to see STS-133 launch at the end of October last year.  I was rather disappointed.  I have been working in the aerospace industry for 13 years now and all in the Shuttle side even.  In that time, I had never gone to see a live Shuttle launch in person!  So when I won the Space Flight Awareness Honoree Award, I was sooo excited!

Then the launch got delayed.  And it got delayed big!  It was December, then January.  And then it had moved to February.  It was on my son’s birthday even!  No matter… I was so determined to see it in person especially since the award involved seeing it as close as one can get!  (Unless you are the president or something!)

So two of my co-workers wanted to see it as well and we drove out to see it.  16 hours of driving.  Each way.  It was long but totally worth it.

It will be sad to see them all retire… I sure hope NASA and humanity doesn’t let go of the dreams…

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So Many Dictators Around the World

MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images

AP News

In case you’ve been living in a cage past month, there’s been a protest and uprising in countries like Tunisia, Egpyt, and now Yemen.  What I hadn’t realized due to my own ignorance is that those countries, in addition to other countries, have been under a totalitarian ruling for several decades.

What makes it even worse is that many of those are backed by our own government!  How the hell did that happen?!  In short, it’s because of our “interest”.  We don’t want to pay for $5/gallon gasoline price.  We have patrolled a bit too much out of our own interest.

There are so many countries that suffer under dictator rule.  I thought only Cuba and North Korea were dictatorial countries (except for Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s rule).  Not so.

If you google to see how many are under dictatorship, it’s 11.  77 countries are under “pseudo democracy“.  People are beyond miserable around the world.  Sure there is some sense of “stability” under dictatorship.  But would you call that freedom?  Would you call that democracy?  I immediately think of 1984 by George Orwell where freedom no longer exists and communist/totalitarian ruling.

When we trade comfort and our selfish needs at the cost of freedom and people, we are no longer fit to be human.  I am waking up from my own Matrix.  I must resist too much comfort and fight for others’ freedom.  Down with dictators!!!