Just another small step

I was sad to hear last night of the death of one of the great heroes of the last century.  That's an odd sensation really, considering that Neil Armstrong was such an unknown hero to most of us.  We knew what he achieved, but since then he has kept out of the limelight very effectively.

The passing of another hero, Neil Armstrong.

I asked two 14 year-olds who Neil Armstrong was.  One of them knew the right answer, but only revealed it after the other said "is he that guy who was on steroids?"

On an even lighter note, read the amusing urban myth about Neil Armstrong and Mr Gorsky here.

Snake-handling pastors

In some of the more bizarre strands of the pentecostal and charismatic Christian movements in North America, there is a surprising tradition of preachers dicing with death, handling venomous snakes as part of their ministry.  The tradition of snake-handling began in USA only about a hundred years ago and it has been made illegal in several states because of the danger posed to members of the public, attending a service.  Amazingly it is still permitted in West Virginia.

A deadly practice - Mack Wolford has met his maker
(Picture by Lauren Pond for the Washington Post).

The precedent comes from the words of Jesus himself.  In the story of his ascension into heaven he is said to have specified five signs by which true believers can be recognised.

And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17-18)

Snake handling preachers are sometimes bitten and suffer the consequences.  For many of them, it is a matter of faith that they shun medical intervention and rely on God to heal them (or not).

In the news last week, it was revealed that flamboyant Pentecostal pastor Mack Wolford died in West Virginia after being bitten by one of his own snakes.  His own father had died in the same way in 1983, and he himself had survived several previous injuries.

Three of the other signs from those words of Jesus can be recognised in many churches around the world, but I wonder whether there are other pentecostal traditions that encourage the drinking of poison in order to complete the set.

preacher Mark Randall “Mack” Wolford, who was one of the last serpent-handling preachers of his kind in the U.S., passed away on Sunday after being bitten by one of his snakes

Source: Raw Story (http://s.tt/1d7z1)

preacher Mark Randall “Mack” Wolford, who was one of the last serpent-handling preachers of his kind in the U.S., passed away on Sunday after being bitten by one of his snakes

Source: Raw Story (http://s.tt/1d7z1)flamboyant

What a strange world we live in!

Build the Enterprise

Frustrated by the lack of manned space exploration during my adult life, I was delighted to come across a web site called "Build the Enterprise".

Someone called "Dan" has spent a huge amount of time on this, producing not only a visually pleasing web site, but a pretty well-reasoned business and engineering analysis of what it would take to put a craft resembling Star Trek's USS Enterprise into operation.

As he says:

Personally, I have found working as an engineer to be very rewarding. The work is interesting, the pay is good, your co-workers are bright and enthusiastic, and the unemployment rate in engineering typically runs under 3% – far below the national average for all workers. For these reasons I hope that some young people find a bit of inspiration in this website, and that this might even help motivate some to study engineering in college.

and in spite of the frustrations of working life and having to deal with unenthusiastic and over-bureaucratic managers, in general I would agree with him.

Just build the Enterprise!  (Credit unknown)

OK - they haven't quite perfected all the details of warp drive yet, but I think they can be forgiven for that.

They claim that this whole project could be completed in just 20 years, at the very reasonable price of US$1 trillion.  At the end of that time the ship would be able to carry a crew of 1000 people on voyages around the solar system.

To quote from the page about the mass and cost of the ship:


For researching, developing, constructing, testing, and supplying the USS Enterprise, along with putting in place the infrastructure on earth and in space needed to support the Enterprise, the cost goal for the Gen1 Enterprise is this: it will cost no more than $1 trillion spent over twenty years.

The Enterprise will be built entirely in space. Thus each component must be launched from earth. This is expensive, and around 35% of the Gen1 Enterprise program budget will be to pay for heavy lifter launch costs (when including both non-recurring costs and recurring costs). These launches will transport not only the Enterprise components into space but also test hardware, Enterprise supplies, and various items needed for space infrastructure.

At the bottom of this webpage is a table showing the detailed cost goals for all components, supplies, infrastructure, and heavy lifter launches for deploying the Gen1 Enterprise. Also included are detailed mass goals for everything making up the operational Enterprise spaceship. But before going into these details, first the overall mass of the ship and its most basic systems needs more discussion.
For the overall wet mass of the Gen1 spaceship Enterprise, a goal is needed. For setting this goal, it’s desirable to be able to tie the goal to some reference point, to something concrete and easy to keep in mind. So we will set the goal as this: Its wet mass (meaning that when the propellant tanks are fully filled) will be no more than the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise back here on earth which weighs 187 million pounds (84,822 metric tons).

The 187 million pound goal may seem arbitrary, but this is not really so. Early roll-ups for estimating the Gen1 Enterprise’s mass were coming in around 200 million pounds. The amount of propellant needed was nearly 100 million pounds of this. As a goal it is very desirable to reduce the amount of propellant needed as a percentage of total ship wet mass because this saves cost and ship mass. Also, reducing propellant as a percentage of the total ship mass frees up room in the mass budget for other ship components. This desire to reduce propellant as a percentage of the ship’s mass creates a program goal for engines to use propellant more efficiently meaning that each engine should have a much higher high specific impulse than typical ion propulsion engines today. So after removing some propellant from a 200 million pound ship mass, 187 million pounds seems like a reasonable goal.

To gain some perspective on a mass of 187 million pounds, consider that a Saturn 5 rocket had a wet mass before launch of 6.6 million pounds. Thus the Gen1 Enterprise will have a wet mass equivalent to 28 Saturn 5 rockets. This is quite large, but it’s also comprehendible [sic]. The Enterprise is a big ship, and if its mass is the same as 28 Saturn 5 rockets, that seems about right.

Good luck to the Enterprise.  Can I book a ticket please? Wouldn't a project like this be just the sort of thing that could encourage an upsurge in the economy and make humanity believe in itself again?

I for one would trade in the Olympic games for the next 20 years as a contribution towards it!

What a way to retire!

I always enjoyed watching snooker, even in the days when I had to watch it on a black and white television.  (My family adopted colour TV quite late due to the much higher cost of a colour license!)  I remember being surprised by the unusual style of a great new young professional called Stephen Hendry.  He used the centre pockets much more than most other players at the time.

At last it seems that he has decided to retire from the professional game, but I can only admire the way he did it.  As he was defeated for the last time this evening, he repeatedly demonstrated great sportsmanship and humour, smiling wryly when the run of the balls went in favour of his opponent.

I think the audiences will miss him and we all wish him well in his future career.

What a way to retire though!  Only last week he score his 11th maximum break of 147 points, equalling the world record.

I think the highest break I ever scored in snooker was about 8!  Understanding the principles is not enough!

Small note: That surprised you didn't it! I never talk about sport!

Olympic strikes

Was there Olympic hysteria in 1912? No no!  I'm not talking about the Olympic games!  I'm talking about RMS Olympic, the older sister of the Titanic.

Just imagine the situation 100 years ago.  The whole world was still reeling in shock after the loss of the 'unsinkable' Titanic, and White Star Line had made no secret of the fact that Titanic was the second of its Olympic Class liners.  There is no way that anyone boarding Olympic would have done so without a measure of concern for their own safety.

Olympic and Titanic - sister ships

White Star Line was obviously aware of this too.  When Olympic arrived back in England they hurriedly arranged for an additional 40 lifeboats to be provided in case of another disaster.  Good for them!  Except this did not actually satisfy everyone.

Strike reported in New York Times, 25th April 1912

The reason for the dis-satisfaction was that these additional lifeboats were not brand-new seaworthy craft like those that were already in place.  In reality it would not have been possible to procure so many, let alone immediately to fit the ship out to launch them swiftly.  In fact these new lifeboats were hurriedly purchased, second-hand, collapsible, and in some cases rotten and nonfunctional.  The men who worked in the engine rooms of the ship were not convinced that they added sufficiently to their safety and the sent a delegation to the owners.

On 25 April a deputation of strikers witnessed a test of four of the collapsible boats. Only one was unseaworthy and they said that they were prepared to recommend the men to return to work if it was replaced.  However, 54 of them were arrested when they left the ship, and charged with mutiny!  The court found them guilty but imposed no punishment and most of them returned to work in time for the ship to sail on 15th May.

Less than 5 months later, the ship was withdrawn from service for a refit, which included fitting 64 'proper' lifeboats and improving the double hull.  When she re-entered service with a gross tonnage of 46,359 tons, she was again the largest ocean liner in the world - at least for a few months!

At least in 1912, Olympic hysteria achieved something useful!  It won't be the same in 2012.

May be gone some time

We might all know a version of the famous phrase uttered by Lawrence 'Titus' Oates as he left the tent for the last time, in an heroic act of self-sacrifice, attempting to save the rest of his party at the tragic end of Scott's disastrous mission to the South Pole.

Scott's crew - on a day without a blizzard

One hundred years ago this week, Oates, who had been suffering terribly from the effects of frostbite and exhaustion, quietly told his companions "I am just going outside and may be some time."  His companions survived only a few days longer as the Antarctic winter closed in around them.

I have known the story of Captain Scott since I was a boy and I have always been saddened by it.  When it was first told to me, I wasn't aware that anyone had begun to question Scott's skills as a leader, or the wisdom of some of the decisions that were made during the journey.  Somehow we were meant to praise the efforts of a famous Englishman, battling against impossible odds in an under-funded attempt to reach the South Pole first.  Somehow we were being taught that the success of Amundsen's team was due to the way that they had 'cheated' by using dogs to haul their sleighs, whereas Scott's (failed) attempt to use mechanical methods were not considered to constitute cheating.  (See this comparison between the two missions.)

A century after the death of Robert Falcon Scott and his crew, I think even the English have the perspective to recognise weaknesses in his leadership skills, and yet still to respect him.  In particular I would question his fateful decision to attempt the last stretch to the pole with five team members, even though they had only planned the resources for four.  We can still recognise the great qualities of a man who was driven by his passion to succeed and to keep his team happy.  At the same time I completely respect his competitor's use of the best equipment and arctic experience available at the time, to succeed and to survive.

Amundsen successfully reached the South Pole - without 'cheating'.

I mentioned last year in 'Tears and Heroism' that I do feel a certain empathy with Scott.

One of the things I found that I have in common with Scott was an inability to organise things properly.  Yes - I am indulging in another bout of self-deprecation as a dear friend sometimes reminds me.  But I fear that I could organise things no better than Scott did.

The other was that he has a tendency towards lacrimosity, both in sad situations and (surprisingly) in happy occasions.  He found that it was embarrassing to him and to the other men around him .

Perhaps at the time I had been having a bad day and was feeling less confident about my organisation skills than I am now.  Tears in happy moments are still a daily threat though.  Thank goodness for the happy moments!



Small note: Don't worry - Something Surprising will continue on schedule tomorrow in spite of the title!

Car jumping for real!

Some famous basketball player's Youtube video has gone viral recently.  He appears to jump over a speeding car.  You can find that for yourself - it shouldn't be difficult and it has been viewed over 5 million times.

On the other had this guy, Aaron Evans from Milwaukee, does it for real as you can see from the fact that Youtube has plausible videos from different angles.



Even my darling daughter thought it was 'really cool'!

Ayaan Hirsi Ali - victim of Islam

Described by Time magazine as one of the hundred most influential women in the world, Ayaan Hirsi Ali has established herself as a notable critic of Islam.  She speaks with an insider's insight into the religion of peace, and as such those of us on the outside can learn a lot from her.

Her life has not been free of controversy.  After she was elected to the Dutch House of Representatives in 2002 it emerged that her initial application for asylum in 1992 had been flawed.  She had given false information about her date of birth and in some sense about her full name (although some argue that this might have been due to a nuance of Somali culture).  Whether or not it is true, the claim that that she was trying to escape from a forced marriage to her cousin was not disputed, and after an investigation into the affair her Dutch citizenship was confirmed.

So - none of us is perfect.

Perfect or not, most people in the west believe that they have an absolute right not to have our lives threatened for any reason at all, let alone due to religious bigotry.  After she escaped marriage and fled she was already under threat from her extended family.  Had they found her there is little doubt that they would have murdered her for damaging her family's reputation.  But things moved on when she worked with Theo van Gogh to make a film about her experiences.  The movie Submission brought to the public view the treatment of women in Islamic society.  Passages from the Qur'an were displayed alongside scenes of actresses portraying Muslim women suffering abuse.

Van Gogh was a friend and supporter of the (somewhat controversial) politician Pim Fortuyn and his last film was a fictional account of Fortuyn's murder in 2002.  Controversial or not - surely it is wrong that Fortuyn was apparently killed 'to stop him from exploiting Muslims as "scapegoats" and targeting "the weak members of society" in seeking political power'. 

Having established himself as a leading critic of islam, in the early hours of 2nd November 2004, Theo Van Gogh was murdered by  - you guessed it - another supporter of the religion of peace - Dutch-Moroccan, Mohammed Bouyeri who is now serving life in prison with no hope of parole.

Now Ayaan Hirsi Ali is living with the threat of murder from a larger proportion of the muslim world - not only from her close family.  She continues unabated to campaign against islam, claiming to have become an atheist in 2002 while drinking a glass of wine and wondering why such an action would condemn her to eternal damnation in hell.

She is the founder of the AHA Foundation which campaigns for womens rights in cultures all around the world.

You can hear her speak (among other places) in a Point of Inquiry podcast episode from 2009 or read the episode notes at this link.

I find her to be inspiring, interesting and courageous, standing up for the rights of people who may not even realise that they need support or that there are other ways to live.

Related posts this weekend:
7/7 - Imagine no religion
Geert Wilders - Innocent
Ayan Hirsi Ali - victim of Islam -- this post

Previous related posts:
Look out! Sharia about!
Adam and Eve featured
Draw Mohammed Day
Discrimination in Afghanistan

Learning from Islamic History 

Tears and heroism

Having recently read "The Birthday Boys" by Beryl Bainbridge, which was given to me as a birthday present by a dear friend, I discovered that I had two things in common with Scott of the Antarctic.  Of course he had qualities  - sheer heroism and the ability to lead a team - that I could not aspire to emulate, but two little things might be considered to be a start.

Bainbridge's approach was an interesting one, even if the title of her book was a little puzzling.  Each chapter was written in the words of a different crew member, starting off with Petty Officer Taff Evans, and ending up with Captain Lawrence Edward (Titus) Oates who's famous words "I'm just going outside, and I may be some time" were uttered on his birthday.

It is amazing to think that 100 years ago, nobody had ever been to the South Pole.  Two expeditions were in Antarctic, poised to make an attempt.  The world has moved a long way in the last century.

Of course the story does not end well for Scott and his companions.  Bainbridge's description of the whole 'adventure' was consistent with other accounts that I had previously read.  The organisation and resourcing of the expedition were meticulous and yet misguided, more like a boy-scouts' outing than a scientific expedition to one of the most hostile parts of the world.  They were brave men, but with the bad weather that they experienced they had little chance of success.  This was compounded by the strange and fateful decision that a team of five men would attempt to reach the pole, when the resources had been gathered for only four to do it.

In a strange English way they also felt cheated by Amundson who reached the pole before them, and survived the return journey.  How could he be so unsporting as to say that his expedition was going North, and then to go South instead?  How could he use dogs when man-hauling was the only 'proper' way to do polar exploration?  And yet Scott's use of mechanised equipment was not unsporting - even though it worked against them in the end due to unreliability of the machines.

One of the things I found that I have in common with Scott was an inability to organise things properly.  Yes - I am indulging in another bout of self-deprecation as another dear friend sometimes reminds me.  But I fear that I could organise things no better than Scott did.

The other was that he has a tendency towards lacrimosity, both in sad situations and (surprisingly) in happy occasions.  He found that it was embarrassing to him and to the other men around him. 

My female friends never seem to find my tears difficult to cope with.  Male friends and colleagues have looked very uncomfortable.  I ought to be accustomed to it by now but I am not!