March 3, 2005
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THURSDAY WHATEVER
Steve Fossett
Just happened to catch the landing today at 1:50 p.m. CT (in Salina, Kansas of all places – because it has a VERY long runway) of the bizarrely beautiful plane bearing Fossett home from his first-ever 3-day solo non-stop journey around our planet. As he climbed out of the nasty-looking compartment where he had been crammed without standing the whole time, I wondered who is this wingnut anyway? Okay, I knew billionaire (some say millionaire but who’s counting) and friend of Richard Branson (looking fabulous as usual for the photo-op) and that he had done a balloon flight awhile back and most interesting to me, 60 years old. He’d only been able to doze for moments with the plane on autopilot and eat power milkshakes and basically unload the results in a collection bag in his pants the entire time, but he looked pretty damn perky. Branson’s company Virgin Atlantic made the Globalflyer plane and helped finance the mission and the two have been longtime friends. I have to tell you that I could care less about power adventures in general, but as the plane touched down I did get a lump in my throat. Apparently, a lot of other folks did too as the Globalflyer Web site had 76 million hits as of Wednesday as it sent out data. Back in 1933, Wiley Post made the first solo around-the-world flight, but it took 7+ days and lots of stops. In 1986, Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan made the first nonstop global flight without refueling in 9 days. Dick Rutan’s brother Burt designed the Globalflyer, the Voyager, and the SpaceShipOne (first private craft to make outer space last year). But back to Fossett. Found a page that tells pretty much everything about his accomplishments here but I wanted to know more about what made him the character he is. And while I was looking I also discovered he has articulate critics for spending all his $ mainly on his own pleasure. But darned if I could find what I was looking for – who were his parents, where did his drive come from, what was his childhood like? Couldn’t find much of anything about his personal roots except that he loved scouting when he was growing up in California. That’s about it. Don’t you kind of wish people with this much go-for-the-gusto would tackle issues like poverty, disease, peacemaking, the environment, etc.? Now that would really give me a lump in the throat.
Deep Thought: “Some folks say it was a miracle. Saint Francis suddenly appeared and knocked the next pitch clean over the fence. But I think it was just a lucky swing.”
Today I am grateful for: Spring
Guess the Movie: “I’ve passed the point of no return. Do you know what that is, Beth? That’s the point in a journey where it’s more difficult to go back to the beginning. It’s like when those astronauts got in trouble. I don’t know, somebody messed up, and they had to get them back to Earth. But they had passed the point of no return. They were on the other side of the moon and were out of contact for like hours. Everybody waited to see if a bunch of dead guys in a can would pop out the other side. Well, that’s me. I’m on the other side of the moon now and everybody is going to have to wait until I pop out.” Answer: Falling Down, 1993.
Winner: thenarrator.
Vermont Votes No to War
by John Nichols
Congress may not be prepared to hold an honest debate on when and how the United States should exit the Iraq imbroglio, but the town meetings of rural Vermont are not so constrained. Declaring that “The War in Iraq is a Local Issue,” citizens in communities across the state voted of Tuesday for resolutions urging President Bush and Congress to take steps to withdraw American troops from Iraq and calling on their state legislature to investigate the use and abuse of the Vermont National Guard in the conflcit. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 8:40 pm
+ = Mowed back lawn and did yard work first time this Spring!
- = Hideous dentist visit this morning, jaw still sore.
Comments (15)
The Vermont action could be just a precursor to undercutting the Federal powers and that is a good thing. I agree Fosset could have spent his money and his time in more noble ventures…
I like great adventures, especially ones the push technology, so while ballooning doesn’t dazzle me, shifting towards far more fuel efficient planes, getting us back to the accomplishments of space, are all great stuff to me. Because, you know, there are rich people who try solutions in the social realm: I’d argue FDR and Bobby Kennedy are two of those. For all his awful crap, Lyndon Johnson was another who truly tried to solve things. Hillary Clinton could have been a super-rich corporate lawyer but chose to devote most of her time to the Children’s Defense Fund. I watched, up close, the efforts of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, and back when I was a rookie cop, Yoko Ono bought every NYPD officer their bulletproof vest. We just don’t write histories that celebrate that: If we did Henry Ford would be more famous for the $5/8hr day than the assembly line, Alexander Graham Bell for deaf education than the phone.
Falling Down?
oh yeah, Yay! Vermont!
Falling Down is a winner.
I know what you mean. I don’t begrudge people wanting to have adventures or even Fossett choosing to spend his life this way. I just wish there was more pizzazz like this in the political and social sector – more people we could rally around. And of course it would take the cooperation of the media (like its coverage of Fossett) to let us know about them. And by the way, I’m getting more and more disillusioned with Hilary.
For some reason, I thought someone in the military did this ages ago. Maybe in-air refueling doesn’t count.
Yep, this flight was without refueling.
My husband was involved with one of Steve Fossett’s competitors during the ballooning event (which was a challenge by a major corporation, I don’t remember what company). Very few people who were involved in that challenge liked Steve Fossett.
Cool that he accomplished that, but let’s encourage him and others to donate to worthy causes, without having their egos bloated, and patting themselves on the back.
As for Vermont–GOOD news! Hope other states pick up on this.
I was ‘surprised’ when I looked at an article in the NY Times, that said that 50 or 51% of Americans think that the Democrats would be more able to solve the social security issues. Where were they at election time?
Wiley Post…what a name from the past that is…read a good deal about him when I was a child…he was quite a dashing hero, eyepatch and all…unfortunately, he was the pilot on Will Roger’s fatal flight in Alaska. Will would certainly be a welcome commentator in these days…but, such gentle humor and wisdom as his is gone and the laughter fades into memories.
That’s amazing. I was just reading about Fosset this morning.
Good for Vermont. Now if several other states could be convinced to follow suit, we may just have something. Although I seriously don’t think that would change Bush’s mind. My personal belief is that he is in it for the all mighty crude oil dollar. Got to save those oil refineries doncha’ know.
Thanks for the subscription!(and the compliment!)
Don’t look for TX to take the steps VT did. Even if our legislature saw the list I put up at: http://www.mizbee.net/military.htm
Thanks for coming by and leaving a note.
Sir Richard is an attention whore, isn’t he?
An amazing accomplishment to add to Steve Fossett’s amazing list of accomplishments. At 60-years old he is pretty incredible. But I suspect: Weird.
It would be really amazing if they took on serious world issues but in some ways I think these tasks are much easier then the environment and poverty, I am guessing that is part of why they take on these things.
I did notice that Virgin will be offering into space in a couple of years… privatizing space flight will eventually make it grow and that is exciting even if they are doing it for the attention! Wouldn’t mind a little space trip myself. Now if only we could get them on the environment..