An Ounce

It will probably help our conversation if we make clear we are not talking about the disagreement you might be thinking of right now. Did we get there on July 30, 1969? We'll leave that to others to argue. There is another unanswered question: Was it, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind", or "That's one small step for A man, one giant leap for mankind"? On July 20, 1969, one of the most monumental events in the history of humans took place. That day, the first astronaut set foot on the surface of the moon. Yep - Neil Armstrong exited the moon lander and put the very first boot print ever in the dust of the lunar surface. However, there are some differing opinions on what really happened… a little controversy concerning the event. Interested amateurs, experts, professionals, and scholars have reviewed the audio and video recordings of this remarkable achievement. And they don’t all agree on what really happened. Let's take a look at the argument... References: https://bestlifeonline.com/true-urban-legends/ https://www.space.com/17307-neil-armstrong-one-small-step-quote.html https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/07/13/armstrongs-famous-one-small-step-quote-explained/ https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/one-small-step-man-or-man https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-okay#:~:text=John%20%22Shorty%22%20Powers%20popularized%20it,States'%20first%20crewed%20space%20flight. We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

A little examination of Lady Bugs, Elephants, Dinosaurs, Whales, Redwood Tress, and the Humungous Fungus (Armillaria Ostoyea) in Malheur National Forest. Pretty crazy that something, so incomprehensibly big, can sometimes go so completely unnoticed. And with other things they can appear so enormous that we can’t see anything else… but in fact are of little real consequence. It seems that -big and small - really are qualities that are defined by perspective. So, when you find yourself overwhelmed by what seems to be a really big deal – well, It’s not always easy - but perhaps you can find hope, strength, peace, and even solutions by working to find a different perspective. Reference: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev3_033146.pdf https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/07/29/fact-check-claim-worlds-largest-fungus-uses-altered-images/8059686002/ https://www.britannica.com/animal/elephant-mammal https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/sea-life/10-blue-whale-facts/ https://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibitions/maximo-titanosaur We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

Link to Eugene Lazowskis writing: https://dokumen.pub/private-war-memoirs-of-a-doctor-solder-1933-1944.html One of the big killers in war throughout history and pre-1940’s was not what you might expect. It was not the ever-increasing genius and lethality of the weapons of the enemy. It was disease. 1939 Dr Eugene Lazowski, a polish physician, had just finished medical school, and was a Lieutenant in his country’s military. The Germans had just conquered Poland with their Blitzkrieg invasion, and he was captured and placed in a POW camp. From which he promptly escaped. Simultaneously, Typhus was taking the lives of 750 people every day in Poland. The red cross was doing everything they could to help the victims and refugees of war. Dr Lazowski, now 26 years old, was hiding in plain sight working with the red cross in Rozwadow. Having escaped there with his little family, they were doing their best to help others and to survive themselves. The Jewish ghettos were well established, and though the need was great, the Nazi’s would not allow the Jews to receive medical care from outside the ghetto’s. Typhus was a common killer – along with many other diseases. If there was a breakout of typhus amongst Jews, the Nazis would shoot them on the spot, leave them lay, and then the home and belongings were burned. Conversely, there was no quick execution for the non-Jewish Poles. They were quarantined – until the disease ran its course, and they either survived or they didn’t. Noticing this difference in the Nazi’s treatment of victims of Typhus, Dr Lazowski and a college from school, Dr. Matulewicz, realized they might have an opportunity. And, maybe, they might save some lives. Lazowski and Matulewicz had learned a little secret. One that was not well known in the medical community as a whole. They had found that by injecting individuals with a dead strain of typhus, they would then test positive for the disease. Though quite risky to attempt, they chose to use this knowledge to their advantage. Suddenly, 12 villages in the area were taken by the scourge of typhus (wink, wink), and one household or another had to be quarantined. https://www.lowellmilkencenter.org/programs/projects/view/the-weapon-of-intelligence/hero https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-a-faked-typhus-outbreak-spared-8000-poles-from-the-nazis/ NOTE: Eugene Lazowski story has been portrayed and promoted as a one about saving 8,000 Jews during the second world war. An article by Barbara Necek disputes this. Her research found that the story is true in that about 8000 people were saved, but there is no direct evidence that any of these were Jewish. https://k-larevue.com/en/investigation-on-a-fake-polish-just/ We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

During the American revolution, the lives of many were in chaos. It was a world of chaos for those who were present. Many were called upon – many responded, and some gave their all. That revolution – and those people - made a difference. Being present in this world means that you will “Make a difference”. You will have an impact – one way or another – you will contribute or not. You cannot avoid it. But, it is your choice – What difference will you make? We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

Sometimes things break perfectly. So perfectly that if there is some intervention (well-meaning or not) that perfect result of brokenness becomes a tragedy. For example: The little chick struggling to break free of the egg as it hatches. It is truly a fight for life – but if we intervene, and “help” by pulling away the shell it fights against away, and freeing it – we also kill it. That struggle to emerge from the egg is necessary in order for the chick to gain the strength it needs to thrive. It’s important to struggle, stretch, learn, and grow. The tough expenses bring wisdom, understanding, and comprehension of greater things. Challenges make us better. And think twice before you take any action that removes an important learning opportunity from someone else. We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

Ever heard of Shawmut, or Pigs Eye Parrat? There are - or were - real places. But, with the march of time, it seems everything is changing. Robots are replacing doctors. Mail has been usurped by email… and text… and tweet. The 5 and Dime, became Kmart, and then Walmart – then who knows what’s next? Heck… it seems in some ways that the gladiators of the past have been replaced by Professional Wrestling, which has further morphed into Politics, with its showmanship and to-the-death enemies. Even the ever-trusted paper map has been replaced by GPS, and the encyclopedia has been booted into obscurity by Google. And where are you from? https://www.ranker.com/list/us-cities-renamed/tracey-graham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_city_name_changes https://languagecentre.sun.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/List-of-City-Name-Changes-Wikipedia.pdf We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

Have you ever had one of those days when everything goes wrong? You know, the kind of day when your toast is burnt; and on top of that you are out of butter and somebody finished off the OJ. So, you toss the toast, head for work, and stop for a breakfast sandwich - and your credit card won’t work – and you used the last of the free-floating change in the car yesterday to get a soda. What are the odds? It does happen, but it’s not going to end you. It might make you a little warry –but, you probably won’t be taking any ‘death defying’ chances today, as the odds are obviously not in your favor. However, for many of those things we fear, have nightmares about, and might worry might take us out, the actual likelihood is actually quite low. References: https://www.ksl.com/article/26336838/florida-man-bitten-by-shark-punched-by-monkey-twice-struck-by-lightning-bitten-by-snake https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/death-cheater-us-man-survives-lightning-strike-snake-and-shark-bites-113080700416_1.html https://www.npr.org/2013/08/10/210759508/man-survives-attack-by-shark-snake-lightning Different Man - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43858481 (Snake, Bear, Shark) Another Man Roy Sullivan - https://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/history/2016/08/07/park-ranger-struck-lightning-7-8-times-history/88377364/ (8 times with lightning) Statistics: https://ourworldindata.org/causes-of-death#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20causes%20of%20death%20globally%20%E2%80%94%20shown%20in%20blue,and%20aren't%20infectious%20themselves. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

Some things are easily observable in the desert. The unobstructed vistas can stretch out for tens and even hundreds of miles. It can be very tough to guess just how far away – or how close – things can be. And, whenever there is something going on, dust gets thrown up into the air – you can see it for miles. And the dust cloud is carried downwind. The column of a little dust devil can be visible for miles. The dust from a pick-up driving along a dirt road, a construction site, and even a dirt bike zipping along on a trail miles away – can be seen. You may be so far from the source you have no idea what is kicking stuff up. Looking out to the rest of the world, it is true that activity kicks up dust, that drifts about until somewhere downwind it again falls to the ground. This happens literally and figuratively. But you can’t always see it. Everything that happens has an impact on whatever is downwind – downwind in geography, and in time. A large portion of the New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah deserts were subject to the nuclear fallout that drifted downwind of the ongoing tests. Tests that continued for decades. Back then, people were assured if they stayed out of the fallout, and brushed it or washed it away, it was perfectly safe. However, specific cancers became much more common throughout those regions in the years that passed after that first, and the subsequent years of testing of nuclear weapons. Today we know, through formerly classified documents, that the United States Government knew the situation was not at all benign. And that hundreds of thousands of lives of downwinders (Down Winders) had been, and yet will be, impacted. https://www.nti.org/atomic-pulse/downwind-of-trinity-remembering-the-first-victims-of-the-atomic-bomb/ https://thebulletin.org/premium/2023-07/collateral-damage-american-civilian-survivors-of-the-1945-trinity-test/ https://www.history.com/news/atomic-bomb-test-victims-new-mexico-downwinders We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

Have you ever seen some new gadget and thought to yourself. “I should have thought of that! Somebodies gonna make a fortune on that!” But great ideas – everybody has them. Those bright flashes in our brains that illuminate some fantastic new concept in a new way. You know, the better mousetrap. “We’ll be selling them like hot-cakes! Man, I need to get a patent on this.” Well, some newfangled mousetraps are better than others. Novel ideas can be hard to judge at the moment. Some things seem like a good idea at the time – and then time passes. Some folks have call them Vampire Ideas. They seem totally genius – until the light of a new day rises, and they melt – like a vampire in the sun. Here are 7 examples of stellar inventions, that, upon further review – didn’t work out as one might have thought – or maybe they did. We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

This is one of those episodes that might freak you out a bit. If you don’t like to hear about some of the lesser known, but kind’a yucky realities of life. You might want to skip this one. Some really smart biologist stated that humans are massively outnumbered and out gunned by a presence right here on our own planet, right now. In fact, they out number us 1.4 billion to one. It is a presence we’ve already been at war with, on and off, for eon’s. Sometimes we’ve been seriously decimated by the enemy. They’ve attacked with disease, chemical warfare, and wiped-out crops, and destroyed homes. But, it’s not like humans haven’t gotten in some licks of their own. We have employed everything from close quarters combat to chemical warfare, and even genetic engineering. The Enemy – insects: Like fleas, mosquitos, ants, bees, aphids, termites, and so many others. They have been eating our crops, spreading disease, stinging and biting us – even drinking our blood. And they won’t be stopping anytime soon. Ewe – But a new day has come. And, well, some, understandably, are not completely comfortable with it – including me. Here’s the latest - Now they are talking about adding even more bugs; and doing it on purpose. In fact, they have already been doing it for quite a while. Want to know more? Check out the video. Also See: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-bugs-of-the-world-could-squish-us-all/ https://www.boredpanda.com/people-freak-out-about-processed-foods-include-bug-ingredients-after-app-goes-viral/ https://www.miragenews.com/foods-you-didnt-know-are-of-insects-1005795/#google_vignette https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43786055 https://academic.oup.com/af/article/13/4/16/7242408 We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

Your life, our world, is filled with analogous examples of ‘test pancakes’. You can learn a lot from a test pancake. It is an unavoidable and irreplaceable part of breakfast – and most of life. What can you learn from a Pancake? Stick with me and check it out. Have you ever made pancakes? For breakfast… or any other meal? They are a most definitely a delectable staple of our culinary repertoire in the United States. A true and hearty breakfast is not complete without a hot cake or two. However, properly made, a simple pancake is fully capable of standing on its own. Hot off the griddle, there is a comfort to their texture and guileless flavor that is both pleasant, peaceful, and re-assuring. A certain familiarity that is a like a never changing foundation of flavors. All of us will get the opportunity for numerous ‘test pancake’ events in our lives. They happen all the time. They can also be referred to as “firsts”. And, they might be hard or sweet experiences; and at the same time immediate revelations. Each one will generate experience; experience provides learning, perspective, and understanding; and hopefully wisdom. We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

Have you ever noticed that most folks (including ourselves) like to pretend we will beat the odds of a bad outcome when making a foolish choice. Most every time anyone who chooses a bad path figured they’d be the exception too. That they had a plan, an angle, an advantage, that would give them the edge. Just like everyone else, most criminals are also to trying to game the system and beat the odds. Seems most who have chosen that path has found their expectations of glamour and excitement go unfulfilled. And they just end up exposed and humiliated. Have you ever considered a life of crime? You will want to reconsider after hearing about these 7. And, if you’ve never wanted to attempt crime as a career choice, here are 7 perfect examples of why you should feel good about your choice. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-29-mn-100-story.html https://www.newson6.com/story/5e3616132f69d76f6203e137/sneeze-helps-osage-nation-police-find-suspect https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6431303/Dumb-American-criminals-attempt-robbery-with-permanent-marker-pen-disguises.html https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/oddities/stupid-criminal-of-the-day-pay-stub-bank-robber/1851933/ https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/31/bank-robber-left-behind-photo-id-police-say/ https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1997/03/21/accused-hiking-boot-thief-pleas-non-compos-footsis/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2602238/Burglar-left-hanging-upside-down-after-trapping-shoelace.html We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

An inventor by the name of Gustave Whitehead claims to have achieved flight in August 1901. This claim predates the generally acknowledged first-in-flight achievement of Orville and Wilbur Wright in December 1903, by 2 years. Since then - Historians have worked very hard to try to prove or discredit the claims that Gustave Whitehead was truly ‘first-in-flight’. Are Gustaves claims legitimate? But, is it true? Did an immigrant and inventor, and a great storyteller, who arrived in the United States in 1894 from Leutershausen, Bavaria, really fly first? It seems two points of view can seem to completely contradict each other. Meaning, if one is true, the other must be false... Right? Also See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Whitehead https://web.archive.org/web/20010217000744/http://airsports.fai.org/jun98/jun9805.html https://www.wright-brothers.org/History_Wing/History_of_the_Airplane/Who_Was_First/Gustav_Whitehead/Gustav_Whitehead.htm https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-debunks-claim-gustave-whitehead-was-first-in-flight/ https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/flight-claims-gustave-whitehead We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

(Just a quick note: If you are a little paranoid, this little commentary will only make it worse. You have been warned.) Have you ever had a brief conversation about something you're interested in, in the privacy of your own home? Then, a few moments later while you are wasting time on Facebook, an add pops up advertising just what you were talking about? I recently mentioned to my wife that it was time to replace the furnace air filter. That evening, several Google Ads started showing deals on air purifiers and filters for my HVAC system. Most of us are already suspicious of our smartphones, smart speakers, and smart TVS. “Ya, I already know about that stuff. And if they want to snoop, they are going to get really board”, you might say. I get that, my lifestyle is pretty boring too. However, as they say on the late-night infomercials, “But Wait – There's More” It is not just the obvious suspects snitching on you. Oh, No!! There is more! https://listverse.com/2019/04/29/10-things-you-wont-believe-can-spy-on-you-but-do/ https://www.wired.com/story/strava-heat-map-military-bases-fitness-trackers-privacy/ https://www.cpp.edu/cyberfair/poster-information/documents/vacuum-robot-abstract.pdf https://www.fastcompany.com/90291265/reminder-all-those-smart-devices-are-a-growing-security-threat https://securityaffairs.com/74592/hacking/hacking-smart-vacuums.html We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

The human creature, in spite of its enormous brain power, can often glitch just a bit. For Example: looking for your car keys and realizing they are in your hand. Or, the moment you walk into a grocery store, you forget what you were planning to get. Some street hustlers and politicians use this tendency we have to hyper focus on one thing to cause us to miss something else. Like a pickpocket team – while one bumps into the mark from the front, the one in the back lifts the wallet – the mark doesn’t have a clue that soon they will be canceling all their credit cards. Or sometimes there is the one who is in - head over heels – in so much that they can’t see that the other is just not that into them. Everyone else can see it – how did they miss it? There are times when distraction grabs us, and then we miss something critical. It can be a genuine problem. This little parable comes from personal experience as a firefighter. The time I found myself standing in a tornado of fire - and not having a clue. We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

In the late 1980s, a shocking discovery was made. What was found was north of Kansas City, about 45-to 50 feet below a corn field. A mule. A mule in its harness and still tied to a rail. Due to the depth of the find, and the lack of oxygen, the deceased mule was quite well-preserved. Along with this mule was found about 200 tons of various supplies. Food items of all types, clothing, simple farm equipment, and even fine and intact China. Was this poor mule responsible for transporting 200 tons of cargo? Nope – that would be ridiculous. The Mule was a passenger n the Steam Boat Arabia when she sunk in the Missouri River in 1856. The steamboat, the mule, and the supplies were lost for over 130 years. But how did they all end up 1/2 mile from the river and 45 feet under a corn field? Also See: https://www.1856.com/arabia-story https://www.messynessychic.com/2015/12/01/what-was-found-and-still-edible-inside-a-150-year-old-sunken-steamboat/ https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/travel/2010/02/23/treasures-of-steamboat-arabia-which-sank-in-1856-displayed-at-kansas-city-museum/ We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

There are many things in our natural world that should be feared – or at least respected. But then, there are those things which are feared – and probably don’t need to be. And then, there is the stuff that looks harmless, but you find out it is lying to you. The one you really need to look out for. The true torturer of man and beast. It is the ‘Southern European Puncture Vine’. This nasty little bit of fauna is a cute, low-lying, green, succulent looking, and kinda leafy little sucker, with small bright yellow flowers. Looks kind, nice, sweet, inviting even – but do not be deceived. This is no harmless little plant, it is noxious, poisonous, and mean. And it’s packing a concealed weapon. And its entire purpose for existence is to puncture your skin, inflame the entry would with a little caustic poison, and hold on as long as possible. Out here in the desert southwest, we’ve given it a dis-affectionate nickname: Goat head. The Goat Head also carries several other names, including: Southern European Puncture Vine Devils Thorn Tribulus Terrestris Also see: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/puncturevine.html https://nazinvasiveplants.org/goathead https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=57203 We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

In the 14th century, as soon as someone complained of a headache, they became suspect. This might be accompanied by fever and chills. Then the tongue might begin to swell, and turn a white-ish color. The lymph nodes would swell. Finally, black and purple spots began to appear on the skin. And when they did, the outcome was all but certain – death would follow in a week or less. This was a very real and agonizing reality for those who contracted the Black Death, and those who lost loved ones to it. The reason, according to scholars at the university of Paris at the time, was because of what happened in the sky on March 20th, 1945. That was the night that Saturn, Jupiter and Mars came together in an alignment. This triple conjunction within the 40th degree of Aquarius was the event that created a horrible plague. But perhaps… that planets in alignment thing might not have had a thing to with it. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/black-death-is-created-allegedly https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/plague/causes/treatise.php#:~:text=The%20celestial%20cause%20was%20the,and%20Jupiter%20would%20bring%20disaster. https://astrosociety.org/news-publications/mercury-online/mercury-online.html/article/2020/09/03/the-black-death-scapegoat-conjunction-of-1345 https://www.cloverleaflocal.org/Downloads/Plaguebooklet.pdf https://www.learningleaders.com/insights/correlation-vs-causation We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

It is impressive the volumes of information we have on history. The history of our Nation, our civilization, and our world. Incredible that we can look back hundreds of years and identify, with genealogical records, a single precious but unremarkable person. But sadly, even in our contemporary world, there are those who have lived and died – and there is no record…no one knows they ever existed. Recording the now, and holding on to it for reference – looking back on the documentation of the past… well, accuracy in the record is a precarious thing. And when it comes to things like history, stuff gets a little fuzzy (kinda like new math). There are those who have declared that 97% of history is lost. It seems a large but believable number, and is probably just an arbitrary guess. What do you think? https://www.infinityexplorers.com/the-lost-human-history-97-of-human-history-is-lost/ https://mysteriesrunsolved.com/lost-human-history/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earth-lost-25-billion-years-worth-evolutionary-history-just-130000-years-180970558/ https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxdzzb/a-billion-years-of-time-are-mysteriously-missing-scientists-think-they-know-why https://www.archivesfoundation.org/newsletter/missing-history/ We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!

Inspired by the 1873 Jules Vern fiction novel, Around the World in 80 Days, Bly decided to make a quick trip around the world herself – with the goal of besting that 80 day benchmark. In 1889 Bly set out from Hoboken, New Jersey. She traveled light. Her only luggage was a small bag – and no change of clothing. Throughout the journey she used the transportation modes of the day as they were available; including trains, ships, horses, the rickshaw, sampan, and even a burro. Finally, she arrived where she began, In Hoboken – and set a world record. Snatching the glory from the fictional Phileas Fogg - who had held for 16 years the ‘fictional’ record of 80 days. Nellie Bly completed the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 14 seconds. Also See: https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/nellie-bly https://wams.nyhistory.org/modernizing-america/modern-womanhood/nellie-bly/ https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-nellie-bly We've Got A New YouTube Channel - Watch, listen and most definitely subscribe and share!