Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Current Events

Rodeo Season

Bowman Rodeo Grounds

On our way up to the Wickenburg Sportsmen’s Club shooting range today, we passed the Everett Bowman Rodeo Grounds where a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls were warming up for one of the upcoming rodeo events here in town. During the winter months (and to a lesser extent the rest of the year), we see a lot of horse trailers on the roads and in the downtown and outlying arena parking areas.

We like the fact that the rodeo brings a lot of welcome commerce to our little town, even if it means more traffic on the road and more competition while grocery shopping. Both of us, although we aren’t rodeo participant types, enjoy seeing good horses and riders. We have been known to go to rodeos in the past and may do so again.

26 Feb 2016 by Arizona Critters Current Events People

Islamic Terrorists in Europe and Beyond

solidarity.jpgOur neighbor with French ancestry flew this display of colors today, apparently in solidarity with France after the recent Islamic terrorist attacks in Paris. We noticed it this afternoon and I took this image from our driveway using the telephoto lens. Click on the image to enlarge.

With regard to solidarity, I’m not a Francophile by any stretch of the imagination, but if French President Hollande goes through with his resolution to fight terrorists, then I’m all for it and believe the US should help. I also believe that the terrorism in France is not a local problem and will soon spread to other places in Europe and, sadly, to America.

The Executive Branch of the US Government, on its own accord and without permission of the Congress has ordered the relocation of “refugees” to New Orleans and other places stateside. That is just plain wrong. I read that Ted Cruz wants to stop Obama’s illegal importation of terrorists, but I don’t know how he expects to do that. I support the notion since there is clear evidence that some of the French Islamic Terrorists were originally “refugees.”

Many of the pro-gun websites I frequent advise that wherever we go, we should all be carrying our guns all the time. That is nothing new for Damsel and I, but we will have to be especially vigilant for anything that smacks of potential terrorism. Unlike TSA and other politically correct government entities, we always have, and always will, profile people we encounter.

14 Nov 2015 by Current Events International Islamic Terrorism

The Sky is Falling

Here’s the latest report from NASA regarding UARS, the enormous satellite that will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere sometime today or tomorrow.

chicken-little.jpgNASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere late Sept. 23 or early Sept. 24 Eastern Daylight Time, almost six years after the end of a productive scientific life. Although the spacecraft will break into pieces during re-entry, not all of it will burn up in the atmosphere.

The risk to public safety or property is extremely small, and safety is NASA’s top priority. Since the beginning of the Space Age in the late-1950s, there have been no confirmed reports of an injury resulting from re-entering space objects. Nor is there a record of significant property damage resulting from a satellite re-entry.

It is still too early to say exactly when UARS will re-enter and what geographic area may be affected, but NASA is watching the satellite closely and will keep you informed. Visit this page for updates on the satellite’s orbital track and predicted re-entry date.

Update #10

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 07:45:08 AM MST

As of 10:30 a.m. EDT on Sept. 23, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 100 miles by 105 miles (160 km by 170 km). Re-entry is expected late Friday, Sept. 23, or early Saturday, Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time. Solar activity is no longer the major factor in the satellite’s rate of descent. The satellite’s orientation or configuration apparently has changed, and that is now slowing its descent. There is a low probability any debris that survives re-entry will land in the United States, but the possibility cannot be discounted because of this changing rate of descent. It is still too early to predict the time and location of re-entry with any certainty, but predictions will become more refined in the next 12 to 18 hours.

23 Sep 2011 by Aerospace Current Events Rocket Science

A Moderate Shake in Virginia

intensity.jpg

According to the shake map above (click to enlarge – sorry about the crappy quality, but this is the original resolution), Washington DC is about 80 miles northeast of the epicenter of the 5.8 magnitude quake. It surprised me to hear that the quake caused officials to evacuate the Capitol and other government buildings. According to the color code, the DC area would have experienced “weak” to “light” shaking and no damage to structures.

As a former resident of a very seismically active area, I can attest that most of us who experienced that amount of shaking would simply have said “Hmmm – a little temblor.” And would go on with whatever we were doing. Some of us nerdy types would go to the USGS Earthquakes website to see the epicenter and magnitude. Maybe even look at the shake map.

23 Aug 2011 by Current Events Environment

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