APW

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  2. Posted · Edited by admiralpeewee

    Wonder Why He Thinks The War Would Be Intergalactic? You may have heard about the interesting ideas of former Canadian Defence Minister, Paul Hellyer

     

    A former Canadian Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister under Pierre Trudeau has joined forces with three Non-governmental organizations to ask the Parliament of Canada to hold public hearings on Exopolitics -- relations with "ETs."

     

    By "ETs," Mr. Hellyer and these organizations mean ethical, advanced extraterrestrial civilizations that may now be visiting Earth.

    . . .

    Mr. Hellyer went on to say, "I'm so concerned about what the consequences might be of starting an intergalactic war, that I just think I had to say something."

    . . .

    Hellyer warned, "The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning.

     

    There's nothing surprising about a member of Canada's Liberal party worrying about the United States getting everyone into a war. But the scale of war that Hellyer fears does surprise me.

     

    Let's review the terms for his benefit. A war in which the earth is attacked by beings from another planet would be "interplanetary". A war in which the earth is attacked by beings from another stellar system would be "interstellar". So, when Hellyer says he fears an "intergalactic" war, he is saying he fears an attack by beings from another galaxy.

     

    The closest galaxy (not counting some small satellite galaxies) to our own Milky Way is Andromeda. It is, according to this answer, almost 3 million light years away. (If your mind needs boggling, work out what that would be in miles.) By way of comparison, the closest star system to our own, Alpha Centauri, is about 4 light years away. So Hellyer is worried about a truly long distance attack.

     

    Sadly, nothing in the article explains why he is worried about an intergalactic attack instead of an interstellar attack, or even a mere interplanetary attack. Nor does he say anything about how other intelligent beings in our own galaxy — if there are any — might react to an attack from Andromeda, or some other galaxy. Hellyer wants the United States to release data on UFOs. Fair enough, but I think he should release his own data first and explain why he fears an intergalactic attack.

     

    (Fun fact: You can see the Andromeda galaxy on a clear dark night without a telescope or even binoculars.)

     

    Being serious for a moment, I have always thought that those who want to ban war from space have things backward. Instead, we should bar war from everywhere except space, which should cut down sharply on the casualties.)

     

    LINK

  4. Posted

    I'm thankful to have gotten through one of the darkest years of my life. Caring for my mother as she slowly succumbed to advanced colon cancer really tore me apart these past few years, and maybe, hopefully as this year closes I can find some closure/peace of mind and look forward to the rest of my life positively.

     

    It's also been trying raising two special-needs kids without the support of the huge family I could once depend on (after mom's passing, all my brothers and sisters basically just scattered across the country to new jobs/new opportunities....)

     

    Today was hard. I put on a brave face for the kids, as I could tell they were on the verge of tears celebrating Thanksgiving ("The" Holiday in our house for many generations) without their grandma,mom....but inside I was depressed a large part of the day.

     

    I'm resolved, however, that 2006 will be the beginning of the greatest chapter in my life. I'm thankful I'll have the love and support of two special people here at home. I'm not sure I'd be here if not for them. And I thank God for them.

     

    :(

  5. Posted · Edited by admiralpeewee

    Now that I've thought about it some, I guess the manner of my death doesn't really matter.

    Not so long as I live long enough to see my little nieces and nephews grown and happy with kids of their own. I'm pretty sure those kids (my nieces/nephews) will be the closest I ever come to having children of my own, and I already love them all like my own kids anyway. So, If I can do that I'll be happy.

  8. Posted

    I love country music, and Johnny was great. I wasn't a huge fan of his, but the man was a legend. I'll watch this film when it becomes available on DVD.

     

    And yeah, Punks love Johnny because of his rebel status. I first heard that on a VH1 show about the history of Punk, and Punk culture. Johnny's even big amongst some Gangsta Rappers, believe it or not. :(

     

    Johnny's music, the darker-themed stuff creeps me out. But his more traditional songs are wonderful.

  9. Posted

    For me it would be more about tradition than money (no lie). I'd want to play for a team with a lot of history behind it, and firm community support, so Green Bay, Detroit, Chicago all would be good picks, as would the NY Giants, Cleveland Browns or the Phila' Eagles.

     

    I suppose I'd select one of the great old Midwest teams, since their rivalries are such a storied part of NFL history. I've read all about the grudges between Minnesota/Greenbay, Chicago/Greenbay, and Minnesota/Chicago (and don't forget the Lions). My uncle Dan in Indiana loves all that.

     

    I'd pick Cleveland or Chicago. Can't really decide between the two. :laugh:

  10. Posted · Edited by admiralpeewee

    Texas accent may be an asset when job hunting....

     

    :laugh: So, has anyone here ever won or lost a job because of an accent?

     

    In school I got ribbed pretty bad for a number of years for my accent which I inherited from my parents (I tended to say things like "Worsh" instead of "Wash")....which considering my bad temper was a fairly dangerous thing to do, picking on my accent. :laugh:

     

    Now that I'm older I no longer try to mask my natural manner of speaking. I just go with it. Can't say it's lost me any jobs or won me any. Maybe I should talk like a Texan?

  12. Posted · Edited by admiralpeewee

    I have a lot of cats. Their names:

     

    Miss Kitty

    Francine

    Ryu-Ohki (named for a Tenchi Muyo character)

    India

    One-Eyed Jack (he lost his left eye as a kitten)

    Tommy

    Willie (female)

    Purrdy

    Princess

    Mindy

    Templeton (named for the rat in Charlotte's Web)

    Spider Monkey

    Purrsy

     

     

    ........get the cat fixed. At one time I had one cat, Miss Kitty. I didn't bother getting her fixed. See what's happened? :laugh:

    This time next week I'll be giving away Purrsy, Purrdy, Templeton, and Tommy to my mail carrier. She lives in the foothills and has a lot more space. After that if I can find homes for the others (except, Miss Kitty, Francine, and Ryu-Ohki) I'll be happy. :laugh:

  16. Posted

    I used to have a country there. But most of the issues I was given to deal with as a leader were ridiculous. So I stopped playing along. Also, I took exception with the fact that simply because I chose a conservative government, my nation's description was "authoritarian nation with few freedoms". When in fact, I actually approved of many individual freedoms and rights in the questionaire prior to registering my nation-state.

     

    I may just be paranoid, but it seemed as if every leader with a libertarian or liberal country had a wonderful description for their nation-state, while more conservative leaders were all treated like Joseph Stalin.

  18. Posted

    Old West Tech

    Mail Call with R. Lee Ermey

    Mythbusters

    Dog, the Bounty Hunter

    The Jeff Corwin Experience

    Venom E.R.

    National Geographic Explorer

    Haunted Travels

    Iron Chef Japan (Chen Kenichi rules!)

    Lakewood Church with Pastor Joel Osteen

    The Potter's House with Bishop T.D. Jakes

    Sports programs (NBA,NCAA Football & Basketball),MLB,NFL,Tennis)

    News (local at 5 and 10/ Fox and CNN later at night for World & U.S.)

  20. Posted

    I just wonder if George is telling the truth.

     

    In Hollywood if you want media attention you either say (1) I was abused/molested as a child (preferably by a parent or close relative), (2) I need rehab, or (3) That you are gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/transsexual,etc....

     

    I personally don't care about George's lifestyle choice. Just like I could care less about celebrities' politics, eating habits, or wardrobe. They all bore me, pretty much unless they are on stage/on screen acting.

  22. Posted

    I'm not sure how much more could be done with Animal Women.

     

    I know all of the TAS aliens aren't technically canon, but I wanted to see the Tzenkethi....I always had the suspicion they were TAS's Kzinti. I also thought they'd look like the alien enemy from Wing Commander (Kilrathi).

     

    I would've liked to see BEM's race as well.