After all the effort we spend trying to tell folks about the whole picture in Prepping, so many times we find the talk falling on deaf ears!
However, sometimes events all mesh together to make perfect sense of the whole concept. I'm pretty sure that's what happened in the case of Baby Sis and her hubby!
Here is a guest post written by her explaining what lead her and her family in this direction!
My Big Brother, Hermit Jim, asked me a few weeks back if I would be interested in doing a guest blog. Now, I was an English major in college, and much preferred essay tests over multiple choice, but blogging??? I’m a reader – not a writer.
Lately though , I’ve become more interested in prepping, or at least considering the possibilities. Yes, Bubba has shown me his ideas, and I’ve experienced multiple tastings of his wares, but the expediency of being self-sufficient just sorta just hit me in the face in the last few weeks. Partly because of the current economic atmosphere, partly a book I’m considering buying, and a good bit from a movie I recently saw…………………Contagion, with Matt Damon and Gwenyth Paltrow, came up and slapped me, and was quite an awakening for hubby, too. Shows how a minor event, close to home, could easily become a world-wide disaster, and the chaos that could result. Very interesting, and thought provoking.
I’m looking at several different books for some guidance in my little corner of the woods. The Ultimate Suburban Survivalist Guide seems to be what I might need to start, as I’m the stay-home-in-my-comfort-zone type, not the run-for-the-hills type. Unlike Bubba, I like living in the city, and am quite comfortable here, along with my trees and golf course views. During Hurricane Ike, we were without power for 15 days and nights, in some hot and humid gulf coast conditions. We were lucky enough to bunk on the fan-cooled floor of neighbors who had a generator, and spent days at our own home, or I went back to my A/C office as soon as the water receded. But, I cannot count on those neighbors again, nor do I want to. So, I am looking to take care of me and mine.
Thanks to some of the Hermit’s followers – Daily Good, Daughter of Texas, and Unsheltered Life (Where Do I Begin?). Gave me good thought fodder, and Food Storage & Survival – I’ll be watching for the Nat Geo special, thanks for the heads-up!
Enough of my ramblings and thought sharing. I’m open to suggestions and advice (why do we often listen to strangers rather than those we know and love?). Thanks for your attention, and Big Hugs to Bubba for the opportunity.
See you at Hermit Jim’s house, behind Mom’s –
Baby Sis
My thanks go out to Baby Sis for sharing her thoughts with us, and for taking the time to actually read the blogs of some of my followers! Good folks, all!
Coffee on the patio this morning! Supposed to go back up to the high 70's today again!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
A Bold Move For Texas...!
Sam Houston did not want this to happen!
If you read up on it, Sam was a dedicated Unionist! He believed that Texas was making the wrong choice, but right or wrong...it happened!
On this day in 1861, Texas becomes the seventh state to secede from the Union when a state convention votes 166 to 8 in favor of the measure.
The Texans who voted to leave the Union did so over the objections of their governor, Sam Houston. A staunch Unionist, Houston's election in 1859 as governor seemed to indicate that Texas did not share the rising secessionist sentiments of the other Southern states.
However, events swayed many Texans to the secessionist cause. John Brown's raid on the federal armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in October 1859 had raised the specter of a major slave insurrection, and the ascendant Republican Party made many Texans uneasy about continuing in the Union. After Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency in November 1860, pressure mounted on Houston to call a convention so that Texas could consider secession. He did so reluctantly in January 1861, and sat in silence on February 1 as the convention voted overwhelmingly in favor of secession. Houston grumbled that Texans were "stilling the voice of reason," and he predicted an "ignoble defeat" for the South. Houston refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy and was replaced in March 1861 by his lieutenant governor.
Texas' move completed the first round of secession. Seven states--South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas--left the Union before Lincoln took office. Four more states--Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas-- waited until the formal start of the Civil War, with the April 1861 firing on Fort Sumter at Charleston, South Carolina, before deciding to leave the Union. The remaining slave states--Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri--never mustered the necessary majority for secession.
Yes sir...ol' Sam was a stubborn man right up to the very end! One thing about folks like Sam Houston, they always tried to do what they thought was right and they stood by their decisions...no matter what! For that, you have to give him credit!
Fresh coffee in the kitchen this morning. It's still raining outside and that's a good thing!
If you read up on it, Sam was a dedicated Unionist! He believed that Texas was making the wrong choice, but right or wrong...it happened!
Feb 1, 1861:
Texas secedes from the Union
The Texans who voted to leave the Union did so over the objections of their governor, Sam Houston. A staunch Unionist, Houston's election in 1859 as governor seemed to indicate that Texas did not share the rising secessionist sentiments of the other Southern states.
However, events swayed many Texans to the secessionist cause. John Brown's raid on the federal armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in October 1859 had raised the specter of a major slave insurrection, and the ascendant Republican Party made many Texans uneasy about continuing in the Union. After Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency in November 1860, pressure mounted on Houston to call a convention so that Texas could consider secession. He did so reluctantly in January 1861, and sat in silence on February 1 as the convention voted overwhelmingly in favor of secession. Houston grumbled that Texans were "stilling the voice of reason," and he predicted an "ignoble defeat" for the South. Houston refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy and was replaced in March 1861 by his lieutenant governor.
Texas' move completed the first round of secession. Seven states--South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas--left the Union before Lincoln took office. Four more states--Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas-- waited until the formal start of the Civil War, with the April 1861 firing on Fort Sumter at Charleston, South Carolina, before deciding to leave the Union. The remaining slave states--Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri--never mustered the necessary majority for secession.
Yes sir...ol' Sam was a stubborn man right up to the very end! One thing about folks like Sam Houston, they always tried to do what they thought was right and they stood by their decisions...no matter what! For that, you have to give him credit!
Fresh coffee in the kitchen this morning. It's still raining outside and that's a good thing!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
A Warehouse Of Useless Information...!
Sometimes I worry that I might be a little disturbed.
That's alright, though, because others have been thinking that same thing for years! I have often said that I am a vast warehouse of almost useless information, and here are some of those facts to prove my case!
You might know some of these (I did), but others you may not have heard of until now! See? I can be of some use...some of the time!
A group of unicorns is called a blessing.
Twelve or more cows are known as a "flink."
A group of frogs is called an army.
A group of rhinos is called a crash.
A group of kangaroos is called a mob.
A group of whales is called a pod.
A group of geese is called a gaggle.
A group of ravens is called a murder.
A group of officers is called a mess.
A group of larks is called an exaltation.
A group of owls is called a parliament.
After reading this list, I have to wonder if some of these group names came about because of how the group acted, ya know?
I also wonder if the owls resent their particular group being named after a part of the government! Could be that's the reason they stay pretty much out of sight during the day!
Just a thought!
Coffee inside today! It's supposed to rain, so I'm thinking a pot of chili might be just the thing!
That's alright, though, because others have been thinking that same thing for years! I have often said that I am a vast warehouse of almost useless information, and here are some of those facts to prove my case!
You might know some of these (I did), but others you may not have heard of until now! See? I can be of some use...some of the time!
A group of unicorns is called a blessing.
Twelve or more cows are known as a "flink."
A group of frogs is called an army.
A group of rhinos is called a crash.
A group of kangaroos is called a mob.
A group of whales is called a pod.
A group of geese is called a gaggle.
A group of ravens is called a murder.
A group of officers is called a mess.
A group of larks is called an exaltation.
A group of owls is called a parliament.
After reading this list, I have to wonder if some of these group names came about because of how the group acted, ya know?
I also wonder if the owls resent their particular group being named after a part of the government! Could be that's the reason they stay pretty much out of sight during the day!
Just a thought!
Coffee inside today! It's supposed to rain, so I'm thinking a pot of chili might be just the thing!
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Lone Ranger Rides Again...!
Remember some of your favorite radio heroes?
I'm talking about the guys that rode into your living room on the radio, then finally on the television! I can remember hearing so many of them, Boston Blackie, The Shadow, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and one of the most remembered...the Lone Ranger! Maybe it's because he had one of the best theme songs ever!
With the stirring notes of the William Tell Overture and a shout of "Hi-yo, Silver! Away!" The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit's WXYZ radio station.
The creation of station-owner George Trendle and writer Fran Striker, the "masked rider of the plains" became one of the most popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century. Joined by his trusty steed, Silver, and loyal Indian scout, Tonto, the Lone Ranger sallied forth to do battle with evil western outlaws and Indians, generally arriving on the scene just in time to save an innocent golden-haired child or sun-bonneted farm wife.
Neither Trendle nor Striker had any connections to or experience with the cowboys, Indians, and pioneers of the real West, but that mattered little to them. The men simply wanted to create an American version of the masked swashbuckler made popular by the silent movie actor Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro, arming their hero with a revolver rather than a sword. Historical authenticity was far less important to the men than fidelity to the strict code of conduct they established for their character. The Lone Ranger never smoked, swore, or drank alcohol; he used grammatically correct speech free of slang; and, most important, he never shot to kill. More offensive to modern historical and ethnic sensibilities was the Indian scout Tonto, who spoke in a comical Indian patois totally unrelated to any authentic Indian dialect, uttering ludicrous phrases like "You betchum!"
Historical accuracy notwithstanding, the radio program was an instant hit. Children liked the steady stream of action and parents approved of the good moral example offered by the upstanding masked man. Soon picked up for nationwide broadcast over the Mutual Radio Network, over 20 million Americans were tuning into The Lone Ranger three times a week by 1939. In an early example of the power of marketing tie-ins, the producers also licensed the manufacture of a vast array of related products, including Lone Ranger guns, costumes, books, and a popular comic strip.
The Lone Ranger made a seemingly effortless transition from radio to motion pictures and television. The televised version of The Lone Ranger, staring Clayton Moore as the masked man, became ABC's first big hit in the early 1950s. Remaining on the air until 1957, the program helped define the golden age of the TV Western and inspired dozens of imitators like The Range Rider, The Roy Rogers Show, and The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. Although the Lone Ranger disappeared from American television and movie screens by the 1960s, he lived on in a popular series of comic books well into the 1970s.
I'm just thinking that we could sure use a few more heroes of this kind again. One thing about it, it sure wouldn't hurt!
Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Fresh biscuits with butter and honey OK?
I'm talking about the guys that rode into your living room on the radio, then finally on the television! I can remember hearing so many of them, Boston Blackie, The Shadow, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and one of the most remembered...the Lone Ranger! Maybe it's because he had one of the best theme songs ever!
Jan 30, 1933:
The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit radio
With the stirring notes of the William Tell Overture and a shout of "Hi-yo, Silver! Away!" The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit's WXYZ radio station.
The creation of station-owner George Trendle and writer Fran Striker, the "masked rider of the plains" became one of the most popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century. Joined by his trusty steed, Silver, and loyal Indian scout, Tonto, the Lone Ranger sallied forth to do battle with evil western outlaws and Indians, generally arriving on the scene just in time to save an innocent golden-haired child or sun-bonneted farm wife.
Neither Trendle nor Striker had any connections to or experience with the cowboys, Indians, and pioneers of the real West, but that mattered little to them. The men simply wanted to create an American version of the masked swashbuckler made popular by the silent movie actor Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro, arming their hero with a revolver rather than a sword. Historical authenticity was far less important to the men than fidelity to the strict code of conduct they established for their character. The Lone Ranger never smoked, swore, or drank alcohol; he used grammatically correct speech free of slang; and, most important, he never shot to kill. More offensive to modern historical and ethnic sensibilities was the Indian scout Tonto, who spoke in a comical Indian patois totally unrelated to any authentic Indian dialect, uttering ludicrous phrases like "You betchum!"
Historical accuracy notwithstanding, the radio program was an instant hit. Children liked the steady stream of action and parents approved of the good moral example offered by the upstanding masked man. Soon picked up for nationwide broadcast over the Mutual Radio Network, over 20 million Americans were tuning into The Lone Ranger three times a week by 1939. In an early example of the power of marketing tie-ins, the producers also licensed the manufacture of a vast array of related products, including Lone Ranger guns, costumes, books, and a popular comic strip.
The Lone Ranger made a seemingly effortless transition from radio to motion pictures and television. The televised version of The Lone Ranger, staring Clayton Moore as the masked man, became ABC's first big hit in the early 1950s. Remaining on the air until 1957, the program helped define the golden age of the TV Western and inspired dozens of imitators like The Range Rider, The Roy Rogers Show, and The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. Although the Lone Ranger disappeared from American television and movie screens by the 1960s, he lived on in a popular series of comic books well into the 1970s.
I'm just thinking that we could sure use a few more heroes of this kind again. One thing about it, it sure wouldn't hurt!
Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Fresh biscuits with butter and honey OK?
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Remember These Guys...?
Growing up when I did, we were fortunate to have a lot of folk singers.
Besides the obvious harmony and easy beat of the music, there was often a message in the lyrics. I miss those old groups! Not many groups have their pleasing and soothing way of singing! This group was always one of my favorites!
Peter, Paul and Mary didn't revolutionize folk music the way Bob Dylan did. Dylan's songwriting fundamentally altered and then ultimately transcended the folk idiom itself, while Peter, Paul and Mary didn't even write their own material. They were good-looking, crowd-pleasing performers first and foremost—hand-selected and molded for success by a Greenwich Village impresario named Albert Grossman. Yet in their good-looking, crowd-pleasing way, Peter, Paul and Mary helped make Dylan's revolution possible, both by popularizing his songs and by proving the commercial potential of "serious" folk music in doing so. They took a decisive step on their path to success on January 29, 1962, when they signed their first recording contract with Warner Bros.—the label they still call home nearly half a century later.
Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers ran in the same Greenwich Village circles, but had never performed together before Albert Grossman came along. Grossman, a co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival, was a controversial figure on the New York folk scene—a man openly seeking to commercialize a movement that wore its self-serious leftist political roots on its sleeve. Grossman recognized commercial potential in the "message songs" he was hearing in famous Village venues like Gerde's Folk City, if only he could combine the music of brilliant songwriters like Pete Seeger with the non-threatening appeal of singers like the Kingston Trio.
Pete Seeger's former group, the Weavers, had enjoyed enormous success in the early-1950s with hits like "Goodnight Irene," until their leftist background derailed their career during the Red Scare. The downfall of the Weavers led to a split within the nascent folk revival—a split between political folk that had no chance for commercial success and entertaining folk that was utterly apolitical. Grossman believed that he could span that divide with a group whose youthful good looks and non-threatening demeanor would make subtly political folk music acceptable within the popular mainstream. Enter Peter, Paul and Mary and songs like "If I Had a Hammer" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," both from their debut album in 1962. In 1963, Peter, Paul and Mary would release their biggest hit ever: "Blowin' in the Wind," written by a new client of Grossman's named Bob Dylan. It was the first sample of Dylan's work that most of the world would ever hear.
Mary Travers passed away in 2009.
Man, now I'm really feeling my age! Let's get some fresh coffee and go sit in the kitchen. I'll put on some oldies but goodies!
Besides the obvious harmony and easy beat of the music, there was often a message in the lyrics. I miss those old groups! Not many groups have their pleasing and soothing way of singing! This group was always one of my favorites!
Jan 29, 1962:
Peter, Paul and Mary sign their first recording contract
Peter, Paul and Mary didn't revolutionize folk music the way Bob Dylan did. Dylan's songwriting fundamentally altered and then ultimately transcended the folk idiom itself, while Peter, Paul and Mary didn't even write their own material. They were good-looking, crowd-pleasing performers first and foremost—hand-selected and molded for success by a Greenwich Village impresario named Albert Grossman. Yet in their good-looking, crowd-pleasing way, Peter, Paul and Mary helped make Dylan's revolution possible, both by popularizing his songs and by proving the commercial potential of "serious" folk music in doing so. They took a decisive step on their path to success on January 29, 1962, when they signed their first recording contract with Warner Bros.—the label they still call home nearly half a century later.
Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers ran in the same Greenwich Village circles, but had never performed together before Albert Grossman came along. Grossman, a co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival, was a controversial figure on the New York folk scene—a man openly seeking to commercialize a movement that wore its self-serious leftist political roots on its sleeve. Grossman recognized commercial potential in the "message songs" he was hearing in famous Village venues like Gerde's Folk City, if only he could combine the music of brilliant songwriters like Pete Seeger with the non-threatening appeal of singers like the Kingston Trio.
Pete Seeger's former group, the Weavers, had enjoyed enormous success in the early-1950s with hits like "Goodnight Irene," until their leftist background derailed their career during the Red Scare. The downfall of the Weavers led to a split within the nascent folk revival—a split between political folk that had no chance for commercial success and entertaining folk that was utterly apolitical. Grossman believed that he could span that divide with a group whose youthful good looks and non-threatening demeanor would make subtly political folk music acceptable within the popular mainstream. Enter Peter, Paul and Mary and songs like "If I Had a Hammer" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," both from their debut album in 1962. In 1963, Peter, Paul and Mary would release their biggest hit ever: "Blowin' in the Wind," written by a new client of Grossman's named Bob Dylan. It was the first sample of Dylan's work that most of the world would ever hear.
Mary Travers passed away in 2009.
Man, now I'm really feeling my age! Let's get some fresh coffee and go sit in the kitchen. I'll put on some oldies but goodies!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Not A Pretty Sight...!
Ready for some really strange plant pictures to go with your breakfast?
This is one strange looking plant, being both pretty and ugly at the same time! Mother Nature is a master at this sort of handiwork! Let me introduce you to...
The bleeding tooth fungus looks kind of like a wad of chewing gum that leaks blood like a rejected prop from The Shining.
They're also called the strawberries and cream, the red-juice tooth, and the devil's tooth. Whoever is in charge of naming scary bullshit seems really insistent that this thing looks like a tooth, while mostly skirting over the fact that it freaking sweats blood.
Oh, and they are listed as "inedible," which implies that someone attempted to eat one at some point. On the other hand, the bloodlike substance has anticoagulant and antibacterial properties. It's nature's next penicillin! All you have to do is lick it. Go ahead.
Read more: 10 Creepy Plants That Shouldn't Exist | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist.html#ixzz1kila04dx
I'm all in favor of some fresh coffee in the kitchen this morning. Got some home made fried pies with apple butter!
This is one strange looking plant, being both pretty and ugly at the same time! Mother Nature is a master at this sort of handiwork! Let me introduce you to...
Bleeding Tooth Fungus
The bleeding tooth fungus looks kind of like a wad of chewing gum that leaks blood like a rejected prop from The Shining.
They're also called the strawberries and cream, the red-juice tooth, and the devil's tooth. Whoever is in charge of naming scary bullshit seems really insistent that this thing looks like a tooth, while mostly skirting over the fact that it freaking sweats blood.
Oh, and they are listed as "inedible," which implies that someone attempted to eat one at some point. On the other hand, the bloodlike substance has anticoagulant and antibacterial properties. It's nature's next penicillin! All you have to do is lick it. Go ahead.
Read more: 10 Creepy Plants That Shouldn't Exist | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist.html#ixzz1kila04dx
I'm all in favor of some fresh coffee in the kitchen this morning. Got some home made fried pies with apple butter!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Let's Get Bombed...!
Actually, we already did...and we did it to ourselves!
That's right! We actually dropped a bomb on ourselves, and it wasn't just any bomb either! This bad boy was a thermonuclear bomb! That's the kind that could make a real big impression on anyone within range! Here is the story behind this...taken from the archives of Now I Know!
The Mark 15 hydrogen bomb, pictured above is a thermonuclear bomb weighing a relatively light 7,600 pounds. It is roughly twelve feet long and three feet in diameter. Like most nuclear weapons, it can cause a great deal of destruction upon its detonation. Unlike most nuclear weapons, we managed to lose one.
On February 5, 1958, a B-47 bomber carrying a Mark 15 took off from Homestead Air Force Base near Florida’s southern tip. The B-47 was on a training run off the coast of Tybee Island, on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia. But the mock mission went awry, as the bomber collided with an F-86 fighter jet also involved in the exercise. The F-68 was disabled and its pilot immediately ejected and survived. The B-47 was able to remain airborne, but was greatly damaged. Unable to guarantee a safe landing — a critical concern, given the plane’s payload — its pilot, Colonel Howard Richardson, proposed a solution: drop the bomb in the ocean.
And that is exactly what happened. Richardson, with permission from command, dropped the bomb from a distance of about 7,000 feet above sea level while traveling at over 200 miles per hour. The bomb landed in the ocean just off Tybee Island and, per Richardson, did not explode. The B-47 made an emergency landing at Hunter Army Air Field, and no one, miraculously, died. Richardson earned a medal for his cool-under-pressure performance in the skies.
But what ever happened to the bomb? No one knows. The day after the mid-air collision, Air Force and Naval recovery crews took to the seas to recover the jettisoned hydrogen bomb, but after a nine week search, they came back empty handed. Another recovery effort was made in 2001, but it, too, was unsuccessful. More recently, in 2004, another Air Force colonel asserted that he has narrowed down the location to an area roughly the size of a football field, by triangulating off heightened levels of radioactivity in the area. But to date, the bomb still sits somewhere in the ocean, unrecovered.
This may be by design. The Air Force asserts that the bomb is safer there than it would be if jostled, as they assert, the weapon lacks a plutonium trigger, which is requisite to creating an explosion. However, prior testimony from W.J. Howard, an Assistant Secretary of State suggests that this may be incorrect, and that the lost Mark 15 is, in Howard’s words, a “complete bomb.”
Now, doesn't that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling all over? Not only did we have to drop a nuclear bomb just off the coast of Georgia, but no one can find the blessed thing! Even with all the tech toys at the government's disposal, it still remains lost to this day!
I don't know about you, but I don't think I want to be living anywhere around Savannah, Georgia! Call me crazy, but I figure why take the chance, ya know?
Coffee on the patio this morning. Don't worry about the weather, it's cool but dry!
That's right! We actually dropped a bomb on ourselves, and it wasn't just any bomb either! This bad boy was a thermonuclear bomb! That's the kind that could make a real big impression on anyone within range! Here is the story behind this...taken from the archives of Now I Know!
The Mark 15 hydrogen bomb, pictured above is a thermonuclear bomb weighing a relatively light 7,600 pounds. It is roughly twelve feet long and three feet in diameter. Like most nuclear weapons, it can cause a great deal of destruction upon its detonation. Unlike most nuclear weapons, we managed to lose one.
On February 5, 1958, a B-47 bomber carrying a Mark 15 took off from Homestead Air Force Base near Florida’s southern tip. The B-47 was on a training run off the coast of Tybee Island, on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia. But the mock mission went awry, as the bomber collided with an F-86 fighter jet also involved in the exercise. The F-68 was disabled and its pilot immediately ejected and survived. The B-47 was able to remain airborne, but was greatly damaged. Unable to guarantee a safe landing — a critical concern, given the plane’s payload — its pilot, Colonel Howard Richardson, proposed a solution: drop the bomb in the ocean.
And that is exactly what happened. Richardson, with permission from command, dropped the bomb from a distance of about 7,000 feet above sea level while traveling at over 200 miles per hour. The bomb landed in the ocean just off Tybee Island and, per Richardson, did not explode. The B-47 made an emergency landing at Hunter Army Air Field, and no one, miraculously, died. Richardson earned a medal for his cool-under-pressure performance in the skies.
But what ever happened to the bomb? No one knows. The day after the mid-air collision, Air Force and Naval recovery crews took to the seas to recover the jettisoned hydrogen bomb, but after a nine week search, they came back empty handed. Another recovery effort was made in 2001, but it, too, was unsuccessful. More recently, in 2004, another Air Force colonel asserted that he has narrowed down the location to an area roughly the size of a football field, by triangulating off heightened levels of radioactivity in the area. But to date, the bomb still sits somewhere in the ocean, unrecovered.
This may be by design. The Air Force asserts that the bomb is safer there than it would be if jostled, as they assert, the weapon lacks a plutonium trigger, which is requisite to creating an explosion. However, prior testimony from W.J. Howard, an Assistant Secretary of State suggests that this may be incorrect, and that the lost Mark 15 is, in Howard’s words, a “complete bomb.”
Now, doesn't that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling all over? Not only did we have to drop a nuclear bomb just off the coast of Georgia, but no one can find the blessed thing! Even with all the tech toys at the government's disposal, it still remains lost to this day!
I don't know about you, but I don't think I want to be living anywhere around Savannah, Georgia! Call me crazy, but I figure why take the chance, ya know?
Coffee on the patio this morning. Don't worry about the weather, it's cool but dry!
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