Aliens vs. Robots in Short Film ‘R’ha
Toddler helps his twin brother who is in trouble
A two-year-old boy in Utah is being hailed as a hero after he somehow summoned the strength to move a dresser that had toppled over and trapped his twin brother.
The incredible incident occurred last week when the two rambunctious toddlers, Bodie and Brock Shoff, were climbing on top of the set of drawers and their combined weight caused it to fall to the floor.
In the process, Brock became dangerously wedged under the dresser, much to the consternation of his brother Bodie.
Rather than run and get help, the level-headed youngster simply regains his bearings from the fall, assesses the situation, and then sets about rescuing his brother.
Although the first few attempts prove futile, eventually Bodie seems to muster a miraculous level of force and actually moves the dresser from atop the struggling Brock, allowing him to squirrel out from the predicament.
Amazingly, the boys’ parents were completely unaware of what had happened until they spotted the downed dresser on the nanny cam monitor and rushed into the room.
Initially uneasy about sharing the video with the world, the Shoff’s ultimately concluded that the frightening scene should be seen so that other parents could be more aware of such dangers in the home.
Fortunately, in this instance, young Brock was up and running moments after being freed from the dresser, seemingly no worse for wear from the jaw-dropping misadventure.
NASA launches study seeking clues about UFOs
The effort is scientific in nature and isn’t related to a Pentagon task force also investigating the phenomena.
Clouds are seen behind the NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center on February 7, 2008 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images
NASA announced Thursday that it’s launching a scientific study of reported sightings of UFOs, the latest in a wave of federal agencies trying to understand the nature of a series of unidentified aircraft flying in protected airspace in recent years.
The goal of the study, which is due to be wrapped up in nine months, is meant to improve aircraft safety while gaining a better overall understanding of the aircraft, which the government refers to as “unmanned aerial phenomena,” or UAPs.
“NASA is uniquely positioned to address UAPs,” said Daniel Evans, the agency’s assistant deputy associate administrator for research. “Who other than us can use the power of data and science to look at what’s happening in our skies?”
NASA plans to recruit some of the nation’s leading scientists and aeronautics experts to participate in the study.
“There are phenomena we don’t understand,” said David Spergal, leader of the study and president of the Simons Foundation, a New York-based academic organization. “How do we start to make progress on a very limited set of observations? We start by trying to figure out what data is out there.”
The project is separate from the Pentagon’s effort, which is gathering information from a host of federal intelligence agencies on the phenomena over the past few years. NASA plans to share its findings publicly once the study is complete.
“It’s extremely important to us that this remains a fully-transparent, open and therefore unclassified study,” Evans said. “We’re going to have public meetings about this, too.”
NASA stressed the project will be conducted no differently than any other scientific investigation the space agency undertakes, and will cost no more than $100,000.
The announcement comes amid soaring interest in UFOs by Congress, the administration and the American public. In May, Defense Department officials testified before a House Intelligence subcommittee on the progress of the Pentagon’s Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group.
Scott Bray, deputy director of naval intelligence, testified that the group has received more than 400 UAP reports, noting that the stigma for reporting incidents has been reduced.
Bray also testified that the Pentagon observed an increasing number of UAP sightings since the early 2000s, a fact that has puzzled lawmakers as questions emerge whether the phenomena present a national security threat by a potential adversary.
Like the Pentagon, NASA also hopes its efforts will help reduce the stigma associated with reporting UAPs. While the findings may also help in the agency’s search for alien life, more data likely will be needed to draw those conclusions as the organization has no evidence UAPs are extraterrestrial in origin.
Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science, said he believes the possibility of the sightings representing extraterrestrial life is a high bar to reach and that a better understanding lies in the data used in the study, some of which already exists in public archives.
“We have demonstrated over the past years our interest in the overall question of finding life elsewhere and also finding intelligent life elsewhere using the tools of science,” Zurbuchen said.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has already made public comments about the sightings, emphasizing their mystery may be cause for concern.
“We hope it’s not an adversary here on Earth that has that kind of technology,” Nelson said at an October virtual discussion at the University of Virginia. “But it’s something.”
Politico.com
Funny Wrestler Names
The Crusher, Mad Dog, Macho Man, Grizzly Smith, Man Mountain Mike and The Brooklyn Brawler are all typical names for wrestlers. But some names are just hilarious. Hopefully some of the names below will make others chuckle.
Billy Jean Beanblossom
Dick ‘The Eliminator’ Trickle
Scott ‘The Canadian Genius’ McMurray
‘Trucker Norm’
‘El Gigante’
‘Tazmaniac’
‘Cryme Tyme’
‘Johnny B. Badd’
‘Scotty 2 Hotty’
‘The Headshrinkers’
‘Psycho Sid’
‘Psicosis’
‘Chainsaw Charlie’
‘Pain Stewart’
‘Battle Kat’
‘Krusher Kruschev’
‘El Phantasmo’
‘Ruffy Silverstein’
‘Stupefied’
‘Franky The Mobster’
‘Ron Killings’
‘Dylan Postl’
Midget Wrestlers names
‘Sky Low Low’
‘Little Beaver’
‘Lord Littlebrook’
‘Fuzzy Cupid’
‘Bam Bam Bigelow’
‘Dink The Clown’
‘Short Sleeve Sampson’
‘Max Mini’
‘Little Guido’
A Situation Where American Gun Culture Actually Came in Handy
I do consider the widespread and easy acquisition of assault weapons in the United States to be a major problem. Tighter controls have to be implemented.
German airline unveils candy-striped aircraft
(CNN) — Most airplane exteriors look more or less the same — white backdrop, bold lettering, company logo — but every now and again, an airline unveils a livery that stands out from the pack.
Take All Nippon Airways’ “Flying Honu” A380s, designed to resemble bright colored turtles, or the stunning indigenous art that adorns one of Qantas’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
German airline Condor is the latest carrier to step up its livery game with a simple yet stylish paint job. Condor’s fleet is tricked out in candy-colored bold stripes, inspired by “parasols, bath towels and beach chairs,” according to the airline.
Condor was owned by British holiday company Thomas Cook, which collapsed in 2019. Now the leisure airline is striking out on its own, with a new look to celebrate. The colorful stripes, designed by Berlin creative agency Vision Alphabet, aim to evoke nostalgia for vacations past and excitement for vacations of the future.
There are five color options: Condor says the blue stripes represent the sea, the yellow stripes recall sunshine, red represents “passion”, green represents “island” and a beige-gold stripe should make travelers think of a sandy beach.
The airline suggests the stripes also represent “the diversity of Condor’s guests, employees and the multitude of opportunities to discover the world with Condor.”
Ralf Teckentrup, Condor’s CEO, said in a statement that the colorful stripes are the airline’s “new trademark.” Accordingly, it’s not just Condor’s exterior that’s been reimagined. Condor’s logo on its social media account is now emblazoned with stripes, while boarding passes and inflight items like blankets are being reimagined. Condor promises crew uniforms will also “shine in the new design,” with more details and photos to come.
Condor has over 50 aircraft in its fleet, and promises the majority will be painted by 2024. Expect to see six of the striped aircraft in operation by this summer, with these aircraft flying to destinations including the Canary Islands, Greece and Egypt.
The Little Jets That Can
The BD-5 Micro is a series of small, single-seat homebuilt aircraft created in the late 1960s by US aircraft designer Jim Bede and introduced to the market primarily in “kit” form by the now-defunct Bede Aircraft Corporation in the early 1970s.
In total, only a few hundred BD-5 kits were completed, although many of these are still being flown today. The BD-5J version holds the record for the world’s lightest jet aircraft, weighing only 358.8 lb (162.7 kg).
With the demise of the Bede Aircraft Company, the BD-5 entered a sort of limbo while builders completed their kits. The early safety problems and the challenge of adapting a suitable engine exacerbated delays. Over the next few years, however, solutions to most of these problems arrived in one form or another. Many other changes have also been incorporated to improve the original design. Today the BD-5 is a rewarding, if demanding aircraft.
General Characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
- Length: 12 ft to 13.5 ft w/stretch kits (3.88 m to 4.11 m)
- Wingspan: 14 ft to 21 ft 6 in (4.26 m to 6.55 m)
- Height: 5 ft 2 in (1.6 m)
- Wing area: Depends on wing used (-5A, -5B or -5J)
- Empty weight: 167 kg and up
- Loaded weight: 407 lb to 809 lb
- Max. takeoff weight: 1,100 lb (530 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Various reciprocating engines, from Rotax to Turbo Honda; turboprop with modified Solar T62; jet with Microturbo Couguar or TRS-18,
Performance
- Maximum speed: 200+ mph (320+ km/h) recip, 300 mph (500 km/h) jet
- Range: 720+ miles (1,152+ km) recip, 300+ miles (500 km) jet
- Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,700 m) recip, 23,000 ft (7,000 m) jet
- Rate of climb: 1,900 ft/min (579 m/min) recip, 4,000 ft/min (1,219 m/min) jet
- Wing loading: Varies depending on wing selected and aircraft weight
Top 50 countries by number of business jets registered
The table below presents the top 50 countries by the number of business jets in operation. It will come as no surprise that the number of aircraft registered in the US is far greater than anywhere else in the world. Out of all of the 50 countries below, the US alone accounts for 67 per cent of business jets and 63 per cent of the global fleet.
Gulfstream G650. Highest rated business jet
In sixth position with 264 aircraft, the Isle of Man, located off the coast of the UK, opened for business in May 2007 and is continuing to be seen as a popular and quick place to register aircraft.
Latin American occupies three places in the top 10, with Brazil and Mexico in second and third Venezuela at number 10. Brazil, in particular, is a vast country that takes time to travel across, so the number of smaller aircraft provide businesses with vital links between towns and cities. Although no age analysis is available, the number of older aircraft in both Mexico and Venezuela is noticeable and with little official information available, it is proved difficult to obtain true numbers of aircraft that are still currently active.
Austria’s position at number seven is partly due to a number of aircraft with Russian owners. Russia’s own import duty and tax payable on aircraft placed on the Russian register makes Austria a very attractive alternative country to register aircraft – something that also benefits the Isle of Man.
The number of business jets registered in China excludes aircraft registered in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, each of which appear under their own entries. If we were to consolidate the three countries, China would jump two places in the list to number seven. Hong Kong, in particular, has a large number of aircraft registered and appear at 35th place with 32 business jet on the register.
Most popular private jet registries
| Position | Registered Country | No. of Aircraft |
| 1 | United States | 12,051 |
| 2 | Brazil | 764 |
| 3 | Mexico | 704 |
| 4 | Canada | 483 |
| 5 | Germany | 387 |
| 6 | Isle of Man | 264 |
| 7 | Austria | 244 |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 241 |
| 9 | China | 203 |
| 10 | Venezuela | 168 |
| 11 | South Africa | 160 |
| 12 | Australia | 154 |
| 13 | Argentina | 142 |
| 14 | India | 140 |
| 15 | Portugal | 138 |
| 16 | France | 132 |
| 17 | Switzerland | 123 |
| 18 | Bermuda | 117 |
| 19 | Cayman Islands | 114 |
| 20 | Turkey | 110 |
| 21 | Spain | 100 |
| 22 | Italy | 99 |
| 23 | Denmark | 62 |
| 24 | United Arab Emirates | 61 |
| 25 | Saudi Arabia | 56 |
| 26 | Russian Federation | 53 |
| 27 | Luxembourg | 48 |
| 28 | Belgium | 45 |
| 29 | Aruba | 45 |
| 30 | Nigeria | 41 |
| 31 | Japan | 36 |
| 32 | Sweden | 36 |
| 33 | Malta | 35 |
| 34 | Czech Republic | 34 |
| 35 | Hong Kong | 32 |
| 36 | Philippines | 32 |
| 37 | Indonesia | 27 |
| 38 | Netherlands | 27 |
| 39 | Finland | 26 |
| 40 | Morocco | 26 |
| 41 | Thailand | 25 |
| 42 | Ukraine | 24 |
| 43 | Egypt | 23 |
| 44 | Chile | 20 |
| 45 | Serbia | 17 |
| 46 | Bulgaria | 16 |
| 47 | Kazakhstan | 16 |
| 48 | Colombia | 16 |
| 49 | Greece | 15 |
| 50 | Pakistan | 15 |
Most popular business jet: Cessna Citation series with over 7000 built
Looking for a smaller aircraft, the Honda Jet
A highway passing right through a highrise building! Only in Japan.
In Japan where space is at a premium strange things happen.
One of the most curious buildings in Japan is the Gate Tower Building in Osaka, Japan. The 5th, 6th and 7th floors of this 16-story office building is occupied by an express highway – passing right through the building. On the building’s floor information board on the ground floor, the tenants for the three floors are listed as the Hanshin Expressway. You realize this as the elevator skips from the 4th floor to straight to the 8th.
The Gate Tower Building is actually the result of an unusual compromise between the land owner and the Japanese government. The land has been occupied by a wood and charcoal processing company since the early Meiji period, but the gradual move to other sources of fuel resulted in the deterioration of those company buildings. In 1983, the redevelopment of the area was decided upon, but building permits were refused because the highway was already being planned to be built over this land. The property rights’ holders refused to give up, and negotiated with the Hanshin Expressway corporation for approximately 5 years to reach the current solution.
Aside from the intrusive highway, business at the Gate Tower Building is almost normal. The highway does not make contact with the building, and a structure surrounding the highway keeps noise and vibration out.
The MarkoZen Blog 