Friday, July 18, 2008

Sensor Fuzed Weapon

Every once in awhile I run across one of these videos from Future Weapons, a show on the Military Channel. That's the BLU-108 Sensor Fuzed submunition. It's the business end of the CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon. In the video it says the CBU-105 has only been used one time. If you were the enemy and even if it didn't get you, it would make you want to give up just for having seen it.

Watch the video but before you do you should know that this is a kind of humanitarian futuristic molten copper killing machine. If some part of it somehow makes it to the ground without detonating (not likely), it has a redundant self-destruct program so it blows up anyway. That's so it doesn't accidentally get some guy walking his donkey through there two years from now.

The Corn N' Clam Slam!

This week the D&W Small Town Tour returned to Mayfield for the William Walker Hose Co. annual "Corn N' Clam Slam"! It's a great group of folks who work hard on this, their major fundraiser every year. The clams are great (we had them for breakfast), they gave us a nicely framed Certificate of Appreciation for being there, and they happen to have the largest beer tent in northeast PA! Check it out, it's on Penn Avenue in Mayfield and runs thru Saturday. Here's some pictures from this morning.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Getting Interesting

Before primary season, Hillary was the Democrat presidential nominee "sure thing". A done deal, a fait accompli. And of course, it didn't pan out. She was to be the Annointed One but Barack Obama took that title away from Hillary and to be sure there are many people who support him or at least support anyone who's not "the Republicans".

But even before the conventions roll around, is the Obama campaign getting a taste of things to come when the opposition is someone who was never married to Bill Clinton? An ABC News/Washington Post poll shows that 72% of those polled said John McCain would be a good Commander-in-Chief while only 48% thought Obama a better choice to lead the American military. On Obama's plan to withdraw troops from Iraq according to a sixteen month timeline, 50% like the idea. But John McCain's "stay as long as we need to" gets a 49%, statistically a tie.

Draw your own conclusions or draw none. I can't wait until the conventions are over.

Monday, July 14, 2008

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Karen, the kids and I spent a week in Portland, Maine. It's a beautiful place and we enjoyed heading north on vacation for a change. Here's a LOT of pictures.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Back from Vacation

Just back from a great week in Portland, Maine where it's tough to take a bad picture. Talk about scenic!

My wife (who organized the whole extravaganza) and kids and I had never been as far north so it was an adventure a little bit out of the ordinary for us as we usually head for tropical climes when we get the chance. The weather was just outstanding every day. We had rain just one evening. It poured for a half hour and that was it.

We spent most of the week in Portland where lobster is free! (I'm exaggerating. The price is about the same as it is here, hey I guess they figure tourists have money even if the lobsters are practically growing on trees!), took in a Sea Dogs baseball game, and made a few side trips to Freeport, "The Home of L.L. Bean" and Old Orchard Beach.

More details when I get unpacked and organized and get some time to post more pictures including the ones I took at Shipyard Brewing, Gritty McDuff's, and Bull Feeney's. Hey, it was hot. I got thirsty!

Friday, July 04, 2008

D&W STT: Clarks Summit

Clarks Summit was our last stop before the 4th of July and a week's vacation. A great morning in the Village Square Plaza parking lot right outside Manning's Ice Cream & Milk. Free D&W STT t-shirts, free ice cream sundaes from Manning's and free coffee from Electric City Roasting Company. And I tried on some handcuffs.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

College

Happy 4th of July! We're on vacation. But that's not important now.

Remember Kevin Covais? He was the kid I was voting for (he never had a chance) on American Idol two seasons ago?




I kind of looked like him when I was a kid which is pretty much why I took Ryan Seacrest's advice and texted my vote for Kevin, in the end to no avail. (Thanks by the way, to my pal Leo for the Photoshop on my picture and for this info!)

Well, Kevin's got a movie coming out!

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

This Is Not an Ad

The Ford Motor Company is introducing a new vehicle this week. It's a fullsize crossover vehicle called the 2009 Ford Flex.

I got one today. I didn't buy one. My local Quality Plus Ford Dealer invited me to take one home and try it out. The one I'm driving is the white platinum tri-coat Ford Flex Limited. It has every conceivable bell and whistle. Top of the line model. Rear view camera. SYNC voice-activated cellphone, navigation, and music pumping through a Sony 390 watt system. It has Sirius Radio and a music "jukebox" that you can put your favorite 2300 songs into then you can just ask for them by name!

The engine is a 3.5 liter V6 that generates 262 horses. 19 inch wheels. Seats seven and they all fold flat if you need the room to move stuff. 24mpg highway. It has a backseat DVD player which can also handle any videogame system you care to plug into it.

There's a refrigerator.

Programmable interior ambient "mood lighting" in seven colors. And this is just stuff I discovered by looking around! Wait until I open the Owners Manual!

Anyway, I have it just a few hours now and it is a blast to drive. It's distinctive in appearance I think you'll agree. I took it to Honesdale where my wife works to show it to her this afternoon. Then I did some running around to Sam's Club and a few other places. It is definitely turning heads and I get to play with it for the next couple of months. I'll be telling you about it on commercials and I'm sure it'll come up in conversation because it's a fun car to drive and it's loaded with toys and I like me some toys!