New Memorial

For nearly 100 years, Robert E. Lee's 10,000-pound monument rode high over the city of Charlottesville, Virginia. Now, it's been melted into bronze slabs and another memorial in town has risen to national prominence.

It's on the University of Virginia campus, titled the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. It stands as the antithesis to the Confederacy, honoring the slaves forced to work at the university in the 1800s as carpenters, blacksmiths, roofers, stone carvers and other back-breaking trades.

"All these men, women, and children lived with dignity, resisted oppression, and aspired for freedom. For more than four decades, the entire University was a site of enslavement," according to the UVA President's Commission on Slavery. "Now, we’re confronting our past, uncovering new knowledge, and using that knowledge to teach, heal, and shape the future."     READ MORE...

Backyard Photography of Galaxyk

In the summer of 2020, the world was enthralled with the Comet Neowise, which only makes an appearance every 6,800 years. Brennan Gilmore was so enthralled that it kicked off a passion for astrophotography that continues today. 

Two years after beginning his journey photographing the stars, he has accomplished a major goal: photographing the Andromeda galaxy.

Our neighbor in the sky, Andromeda is a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way. Sitting 2.5 million light-years away, it remains a bright spot in the atmosphere and was something that Gilmore first photographed two years ago. 

However, it took him some time to build up the skills and acquire the equipment to achieve an image he was happy with. The final result was well worth the wait, as the image went viral after he posted it online and even ended up in Newsweek.

Gilmore captured the stunning image from his backyard in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the course of several nights. Using a four-inch telescope and astronomy camera, he took hundreds of photos of Andromeda. 

From there, he carefully culled his images, using only the very best for the final photograph.

In the end, all of his efforts paid off. The final photo, created from 290 individual frames, is incredibly detailed. Many of Andromeda's one trillion stars are visible through its gas halo. 

Gilmore thought of every detail, including the exposure so that even the core of the galaxy isn't overexposed. This allows viewers to drink in the stars and ponder on this far away neighbor, which is actually headed toward our own galaxy.  READ MORE...

Nowhere But Here

 

I was born in Raleigh, NC but shortly afterwards moved to just outside of Alexandria, VA, then high school in Cairo, Egypt and back to Elon College, NC for college and to live until 1989.  However, there was a brief stint of 2 years in Norfolk, VA when I served in the US Navy.  In 1990, I moved to East TN where I lived in Greeneville, Morristown, Chattanooga, Dandridge, and Jefferson City...  I have been in Jefferson City, TN since 2001 and will more than likely remain here for the rest of my life...

Every morning, I watch FOX NEWS and every morning I am not just thankful but grateful for having the motivation and the good sense to move to East TN and have no desire to live anywhere else.

FOX NEWS shares with me about all the violence and crime that is taking place in California, Oregon, and Washington including Chicago, New York City, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Atlanta just to name a few states and cities.

FOX NEWS shares with me about all the LOCKDOWNS that are going on around the country and the fact that many states and cities are mandating not just facemasks but requiring people to show PROOF of VACCINATION...  now, while I have had both my Moderna vaccinations including a Moderna booster, I resent and reject the idea that I should have to show PROOF of what I have done.

 FOX NEWS shares with me about all the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS that are coming across our southern borders, none of these immigrants are being tested for COVID nor are they being required to show proof of vaccination...  WHY NOT?  But...  I am still very much thankful that very few of these illegal immigrants  are being shipped to East TN.

As a Vietnam Veteran, I am embarrassed by the way we left Afghanistan, not just the lack of leadership that was on display but because all of our allies now question our ability and desire to protect them and stand with them against their enemies...

East TN State University

Not only is the weather in East TN very mild during the winter months, but there is no state income tax...  and, on average, East TN is 10-12% cheaper to live than anywhere else in the US...  for example, a couple can live very comfortable on $3,000 to $3,500 per month without debt, but this includes an apartment rent or mortgage of $1,200/month.

Why in the hell would I want to live somewhere else?

HOWEVER...  I do not have...

• the broadway plays of NYC
• the expensive restaurants of NYC
• the subways of NYC
• the expansive public transportation
• the volume of people of large cities
• the smog of large cities
• the crime and violence of large cities
• the cold winters of the north
• the high constant humidity of the south
• the problem that illegal immigrants bring with them

Of course...  I am retired...  so, there may not be the needs that I would have were I still working...  but, I worked here in East TN for 25 years, and while my salary was less that what I might have earned in other places, I still live a comfortable middle class existence and had very little in terms of wants and desires...

One of the key things that I encountered when I moved from NC to TN in 1990 was the fact that in NC my skills and abilities were a dime a dozen but in TN, I was in very high demand because of my skills and abilities...  that is a good feeling to have professionally.

I am glad that I want to live NOWHERE BUT HERE...

Inside a Cargo Ship

A merchant marine gave a tour of a 958-foot cargo ship in 2019 that showed the intricacies of hulking freighters that haul 90% of the world's goods.

In the video, second mate Bryan Boyle records the vast array of machinery that keeps the ship moving, as well as the crew's and officers' living quarters on the Maersk ship, which was built in 2006.

Though the video was taken in 2019, Boyle told Insider it provides insight into the lives of shipping crew today as hundreds of cargo ships wait to dock in US ports.

In the ship's voyage, it sets out from Norfolk, Virginia, making several stops in the US before heading toward Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, to name a few destinations.

"I've had the opportunity to work on some interesting vessels," Boyle told Insider. "I've gotten to go to places that the average person wouldn't even know about. It's one of the most appealing aspects of the job."

Boyle said that there's a thrill to arrive at new destinations, remembering how he spent over a month in Africa on one trip. But the amount of time that crews get to explore new destinations has dwindled over the years, he said, as ships rush to get in and out of ports as fast as possible and early COVID-19 restrictions set limits to crew excursions.

The video shows Boyle's living quarters, as well as a movie locker that holds hundreds of titles. READ MORE...