.....But Joe, disarming law abiding citizens is how you stop violent crime!

You could have asked him why he wasn't knocking on doors on the south side of town where the gun violence actually is. But I love the way you responded.

While dealing with the paperwork needed to have my father's ashes interred in the specific spot in Miami where all of the remains of that generation of the Perez family are being steered towards, I've been having some interesting conversations both with my uncle who is my father's twin brother and also the last remaining brother of the four, as well as my cousins who are his descendants.

Background: I shouldn't exist. Lots of really wacky shit happened during the Communist Revolution in Cuba, and now I'm learning that it was happening on both sides of the Iron Curtain. And they were moving back and forth between NYC, Havana, PR and Spain a lot more fluidly than I previously understood.

And, yes, of course rifles and ammunition were making the same trips.

Such as my cousin Ana, who has been digging through boxes of records, coming across a Chilean passport with a photo in it who looks a hell of a lot like Tío José. And some letters which very strongly imply that he, and also my father, were on the payroll of the CIA in 1960-61.

My family confuses the hell out of me. Nobody will talk about anything, and the more of them die, the weirder sifting through the records becomes.

I mean your avatar is for the Ministry of Truth. If you were not a CIA plant, then no way you would be in charge of the TRUTH!

Our last engineering co-op was from RIT. A racer and friend of an employee, we had high hopes. But ultimately she was disappointing. I'm still finding work I have to redo.

But the RIT staff and portal where you grade the intern and give feedback was nice.

Maybe he's trolling you. Ultimate troll move if you ask me. Looking down (or up?) and laughing at you now.

Wouldn't surprise me either way.

The family was involved in all sorts of shady stuff around the time of the communist revolution. Money and guns flowing in various different directions, private airplanes being used to drop homemade bombs on police stations, disappearances, and that's just the shit that people have admitted to.

Wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if they were involved in the Bay of Pigs situation. Or Watergate, for that matter.

My father was in the Bay of Pigs
He was flying a EC121 Super Constellation (early EWACs bird).
This was the single scariest time in his career.
The MIGs would come up and the F4s would chase them off...

This got a neg cat!?! :dunno: OK maybe they weren't F4s, but that seems like hard marking to me!
(F4 entered service in 1961, the year of the BoP. Maybe there were enough operational F4s to patrol over Cuba for the BoP attempt, but 'entering service' and 'becoming operational' are usually separated by some time. Exigencies may have cut that to a bare minimum in this case though.)

My Dad is still with us, and I questioned him about his participation this morning...

He did NOT participate in the Bay of Pigs incident, it looks like very few aircraft were in this.

He did fly in the Cuban missile crisis as a RIO in a RC-121 not an EC (earlier model with far more simple electronics).
He did 4 or 5 12 - 14 hour sorties during the crisis.
They were supported by the Navy out of Key West.
At that moment in time the Navy used the F8 Crusader and the brand new F4 Phantom.
They commonly launched Phantoms as the Crusaders had less range and often required air-air refueling.
He actually never saw what was in the air but the Cuban's had Mig 15 and 17 aircraft as their primary fighters.
All he saw were bogies that launched from Cuba followed by friendlies launched from Key West.
As soon as the Cubans realized that American fighters were inbound they headed back home.
He flew in other war zones (South East Asia) but this was the only time enemy fighters were specifically coming for his aircraft.
He was 22 years old and had just started dating my mother...

I had some of it wrong, Sorry.

Gee Emm, thank you for having my back.

Dad later flew for United Airlines and his very favorite route to bid was to Australia.
These always included a 3 day layover.
The Australians are so friendly that he often spent his layover with folks he met at the airport.
Flying to Australia was not work, it was a mini vacation.

Thanks for that story. Reminds me of my grandfather.

He learned to fly in the Army Air Corp in a Stearman Biplane. Flew for the RAF in WWII as a training pilot. I think he flew the Republic Thunderbolt, but that is a very hazy memory. After the war, he flew for American Airlines, mostly in the DC-3. If you go to the AA museum in Fort Worth there is a DC-3 in the lobby that he flew. He was the lead instructor for AA and did most of his time in the co-pilot's seat. He also loved the trans-pacific routes since he only had to do it twice a month. He took me to "fly" the 737 simulator, where I discovered that I am too tall to be a commercial pilot. At least comfortably.

An apple a day will keep anyone away...


...if you throw it hard enough.

Idea for amusement:

Anyone who lives in Texas / Oklahoma / Arkansas / etc., the next time you are at a pharmacy, Walmart, etc., should go up to the checkout line carrying two items: a pregnancy test and a single wire coat-hanger (or the smallest multi-pack of hangers available.)

That's it. Make eye contact with the cashier, but say nothing.

Joe, you are a wicked, evil person who has way too much time on his hands coming up with stuff like that. :bowrofl:

So, this is interesting.

Downtown Chicago is closer to an AutoX course than a NASCAR road course. Except that the cones are 100 year old iron beams which support the elevated train tracks.

Still, I wonder if it means they'll finally fix some of the road surfaces. You'd think that the US recently discovered that Chicago has huge oil reserves and decided to bomb the hell out of it by the condition of some of these streets.

Also, light-bulb: the street grid down in the Loop is actually three-dimensional. In other words, there's a full grid on the surface, then a nearly identical grid one level down, and a partial mirror of that grid two levels down. (You see this in one of the recent Batman movies, where the Joker is in a truck which is chasing / being chased by The Batman.) It'd be amazing if the course involved transitioning between the levels.

ㅤ
ㅤ

NASCAR Racing Through Chicago Streets? City Endorses Downtown Street Course, Report Says

NASCAR would create a temporary course on Downtown streets, with the first race held in 2023.
Kelly Bauer
9:41 AM CDT on Jul 7, 2022

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6b4f5ccf17.png

CHICAGO — The city has agreed to let NASCAR hold a race through Chicago’s streets, according to a new report.

The city has not yet come to an official agreement with NASCAR for the race, but it has endorsed the plan and a partnership is expected to be announced soon, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi.

The agreement is expected to outline a three-year partnership where NASCAR would create a temporary course on Downtown streets, with the first race held in 2023, according to The Athletic.

The Athletic obtained a letter from Erin Harkey, commissioner of the city’s special events agency, endorsing the potential event.

“I am thrilled about the potential opportunity to host the NASCAR Street Course events here in Chicago,” Harkey wrote in the letter, according to The Athletic. The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events “is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy, and our strong partnership with the Chicago Sports Commission ensures that NASCAR fans would be treated to a diverse and unforgettable experience.”

The deal could still fall through, but an announcement is expected this month, according to The Athletic.

It’s not known where the race course would be set up, but it would be temporary, with one race expected per year as part of the three-year deal. A virtual NASCAR race in Chicago has been done near Buckingham Fountain.

Word of the potential race has been in the air for weeks — and the city’s bicycle advocates have criticized the proposal.

“Quick question … ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND, @LORILIGHTFOOT?” bicycle group Bike Lane Uprising about the proposal.

Advocates have said they’d protest a race and would prefer the city focus on making streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists — especially since traffic-related deaths and injuries are at their highest point in years.

Calls to make the roads safer have taken on renewed urgency in recent weeks, as drivers killed a number of pedestrians and bicyclists — including two toddlers, an 11-year-old and a 15-year-old — in June in Chicago.

On Wednesday, Lightfoot was at a Chicago Department of Transportation news conference when she urged drivers to take note of the recent losses and go slower on the roads.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/07...se-report-says

Fuck no i wanna see this shit. Get rid of the barriers and let the crackheads on the track too.

My son, who is not quite 18 and recently graduated high school announced last night that he does not want to go on our annual camping trip. Fine.

He does, however, want to go on a trip with 3 of his close friends (2 boys, 1 girl) to, of all places, Puerto Rico.

4 teenagers in Puerto Rico. What could possibly go wrong?

Are they planning to just stay at a beach resort near Condado or Isla Verde (which is fine), or is this more of a "we want to see the REAL Puerto Rico" thing (which... can be not fine)?

The girl's family has an apartment in Maunabo, which is on the southern coast, slightly east of San Juan (which is on the northern coast). Her grandfather gave her a pretty big cash gift when she graduated, so she is paying for half the flights. Sort of a bribe to get the guys to agree to go down there. They will be avoiding the nightlife (they are all nerds) and doing "typical tourist stuff" during the day.