Ain’t this the truth!

A belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are
quite capable of every wickedness. -Joseph Conrad, novelist (1857-1924)

Lift to the Stars – Is there an “Otis” out there?

It appears that no one has won the 07 “Elevator 2010” challenge.  If interested, drop by www.elevator2010.org  .  The prize next year will close in on $1,000,000.  Yes, folks one million dollars.  All one has to do is get a team together and build a working space elevator.  Obviously, not a piece of cake.  —  Actually, I’m surprised, more teams don’t enter and compete.  this would be a real challenge for university engineering departments.  Oh well, maybe they just want to build garage door openers.  Pity!

Albany Weyr

G’day,  —  Albany Weyr is slowly getting itself set up for the coming Thread fighting season.  —  The hotel and dates are now locked in.  We should have the hotel booking forms up on the web site by the end of the week.  —  I can’t stress just how important it is to book your hotel room EARLY!!!  The hotel will have other groups in it during the convention.  If you don’t book early, you may be walking a block or two from an overflow hotel.  —  While I can’t say just now what it is, I’m working on getting folk who book early something nice.  This is besides, of course, the Freihofer’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.  We like to take care of our guests.  —  Below is a copy from our “mini-flyer.”  —  We are looking forward to welcoming you to “Albany Weyr!”  —  finder, Harper formerly of Ruatha Hold, now at Albany Weyr.

 ALBACON 08

10-12 October 2008

Crowne Plaza, Albany, NY, USA

GOH: ANNE & TODD MCCAFFREY

[Anne’s appearance conditional upon her health]

AGOH:

FGoH:

SPECIAL GUEST: Travis Tea

Millennia of Guests, well, at least dozens! A Real Banquet, Panels, Art Show & Auction, Gaming, Filking, Dealers – Lots!

Memberships: $35 until 31 March 08

Gaming only: $15 until 10 September 08

ALBACON, P.O.Box 2085, Albany, NY 12220-0085, USA

http://www.albacon.org/  YF  committee@albacon.org

Why the Japanese should be thankful we dropped The Bomb

I note that BG Tibbets died today.  Once again, we will see ignorant folk decrying the dropping of The Bomb.  —  I say “ignorant” because they are more or less unaware of WWII, its leadup and it actuality.  —  IMHO if we hadn’t ropped The Bomb, then probably 25 million Japs, as we called them then, would have been killed.  It is not beyond any stretch of imagination that most of the Japanese then living in Japan might have been killed.  When little kids, little old ladies & men try and blow you up, you tend to shot to kill anything that is Japanese.  —  Sure, a lot of people died.  Probably a  million Americans and many allies would have died in invading Japan in 45 & 46.  The surviving solders would not have been in a very tolerant mood as they moved thru Japan to occupy it.  —  Please remember the “kindly” Japs were responsible for 300,000 murdered civilians in Nanking.   Look at how the kindly Japs treated Americans on the Batan Death March.  Oh yes, can you say “Comfort Women?  —  No, Sweetheart.  Dropping The Bomb on the Japs was the best thing that could have happened to them back then.   I’m glad Truman had the balls to do it.

Interesting!

Perfect order is the forerunner of perfect horror. -Carlos Fuentes (b.
1928)