Quotation - Truth

“There are only two mistakes one can make on the road to truth;  not going all the way, and not starting.”

Buddha

Aerospace 9 - Bombardier CSeries

“Okay;  Now, pay attention”.  The head master said at this morning’s assembly.

“John;  What are you doing?  Don’t do that”.  There was a slight smile.

“It has come to my attention ....”  He looked down at his notes.

I have received some comments regarding the potential success of Bombardier’s new CSeries aircraft, and I should point out that, since the aircraft’s first flight on the 16th September, 2013, (See my Blog of the same date) four CS100

http://berniesblazon.blogspot.ca/2013/09/aerospace-6-its-innovation.html

flight test vehicles have been built and are happily flying down in Wichita, US.  In fact, about 850 certification test hours have been amassed on the aircraft to date.  Another, larger, CS300 version has been completed, and should fly within the next few weeks, following various ground tests.  The final CS300 flight test vehicle is in construction and should be available soon.

http://cseries.com/cs300-all-fired-up/

There are still concerns that that orders are below the numbers anticipated at this stage which is making many financial analysts concerned, but as this is a totally new technology for the industry as a whole, that shouldn’t be too surprising

It will be a somewhat tense year.

Aerospace 8 - Flight Tracking

I read the following in an aerospace journal this morning:

"An International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) working group is recommending that new aircraft delivered after 2020 come equipped with a tracking data broadcast system that sends regular position updates to airline operators, a flight data recorder that automatically deploys (and floats) after a crash and a tamperproof distress reporting unit that will transmit aircraft position and identification to a global network of rescue coordination centers (sic) when unusual attitudes, speeds or accelerations or other triggered events occur." 

 Considering that this equipment is already available, do you believe that there is industry pressure against mandatory installation?

Politics 13 - Je Accuse

It seems that today is about ‘Free Speech’.  Therefore, I wish to take the opportunity to say something controversial but, in my opinion, very true.

Fundamental Islamic extremism is the result of the Israel/Palestine hostility.

It is as simple as that.

Religion 5 - A Question of Hypocricy

I have just written a comment in a well-known magazine and, for the first time, cannot resist posting that same comment here.

Two, seemingly well-organized, French terrorists are on the run (At the time of writing).  But, usually, every criminal makes a mistake, and it is likely that these two will also have made a mistake (Assuming that the police have identified them correctly).

Enough (almost) has been written about the fanatical belief of most Muslims to adhere to the assumed words of their Prophet.  Therefore, it seems quite obvious to me that many (more than we imagine) know the two men concerned, but will sympathize with their terrible actions, and will not reveal their whereabouts.

Yet, every time there is a murderous terrorist incident, most Muslims around the globe, from the Imams to the small man and woman in the street can be heard to say, "We do not condone these terrorist actions".  Yet, I repeat, many know the two men involved.  Therefore, are they actually saying, "We do not condone these specific terrorist actions ... but infidels must be eliminated somehow".

It will be interesting to discover, when (if) these men are caught, if it will be the result of information from the tight-knit Muslim community.  Otherwise, the word hypocrite must be applied ... in the form of satire, perhaps.

Politics 12 - Vladimir Putin, A Question

Ukraine, An Answer

If I could ask Vladimir Putin a question, it would be, why is it important to invade Ukraine, when Russia has so much more land in the East to develop.  Of course, you know that’s a rhetorical question (He is terrible at returning my calls).

While Crimea has been annexed by Russia with, apparently, little opposition by the Crimean people, most of the world still considers it part of Ukraine.  But the country, as a whole, has little wish to rejoin Russia and become part of Putin’s obvious desire to reconstruct the union of socialist republics, in a way that Napoleon Buonaparte would admire.  Nevertheless, we must be cautious about his egotistical czarist ambitions.

It is worth mentioning here that Ukraine is made up of 78% ethnic Ukrainians, and 17% of ethnic Russian immigrants.  According to the Constitution the Ukrainian language is the official language, although the Russian language is spoken by most people, due, in my opinion, to the past dominance of the USSR.  In February 2014, the Ukrainian Parliament voted to repeal the law on regional languages, making Ukrainian the sole state language at all levels; however, this was vetoed (for the moment) by the acting President in March.

In my view, the weak standoff between the government in Kiev and a few Eastern provinces has only one answer, with many parts, the main two are:  1.  Repeal the language law, after all, it was fine for Nikita Khrushchev (Russian President) to speak Ukrainian for most of his life.  2.  Remove dual citizenship.  Those who choose not to be Ukrainian shall be given short-term (but renewal) resident visas and, if possible, encouraged to return to their country of origin (This should include those born in [the] Ukraine who refuse to take Ukraine citizenship).  The country will not develop, in my opinion, as a harmonious entity while there is a destructive ‘underground’ ethnic opposition.

By the way, I have studied the complicated history, and you may too.

I am sure (and hope) that this subject is controversial, and welcome your views.

Click 'Comments'

2015 - New Year's Resolution

I shall be very brief;  my infrequent resolution for this year is a piece of extraordinary advice ... perhaps, a warning to some.

I spent most of last year overseas, enjoying myself and giving very little thought to events at home.

Having travelled throughout my life, last year was different.  I mean that I was not setting up a home, or just visiting somewhere for a short restful vacation.  I was travelling back and forth, as a volunteer teacher at universities that had uncertain periods of employment ... and doubtful promise of financial gain.

Thus, it seemed at the time, that plastic cards with titles such as Visa and MasterCard would ensure that any need for financial wellbeing was satisfied.  Normally, this was a practicable policy;  When living abroad, there was always my overseas bank to draw from, and on short vacations, one would return home to settle credit accounts.  But it was very different last year.

I started the year with the usual wallet full of US dollars, but these soon dwindled.  Nevertheless, why worry, because there were those comforting credit cards.

Therefore, still trying here to be brief, I became totally ignorant of sensible banking practices.  Remember, these were places of affective midday sun.

Yes, you've guessed it, I spent most of the year, obtaining cash from ATM's with my credit cards, without any care about the minimum payment requirements ... or the resultant compounding interest.

Thus, upon my final return, and seeing the catastrophic bank statements, I have just one important piece of advice:  Even though using a credit card to pay for a short hotel stay or a nice meal, never use a credit card to obtain cash ... unless the monthly statement is paid in full.

Please allow me to repeat;  NEVER USE A CREDIT CARD AT AN ATM.

Happy New Year.