In 1979 the Three Mile Island nuclear plant station had a potential leak. It was the most serious accident in American Nuclear power’s history.
The island is located on the Susquehanna River near the city of Harrisburg, PA.
The accident occurred at 4:00 AM on March 28, when an automatically operated valve in the Unit 2 reactor mistakenly closed, that shut off the water supply to the main feedwater system (the system that transfers heat from the water actually circulating in the reactor core). This action caused the reactor core to shut down automatically, but then a series of equipment and instrument malfunctions, along with human errors in operating procedures, and mistaken decisions in the ensuing hours led to a serious loss of water coolant from the reactor core. The result of these series of events would cause the core itself to be briefly exposed. The Ziconium cladding reacted to the superheated steam, causing a hydrogen gas that would marginally escape the core and filter into the plant itself. Thankfully, very little of this and other radioactive gases actually escaped into the atmosphere, and they did not constitute a threat to the health of the surrounding population. In the following days adequate coolant water circulation in the core was restored with no issues.
Though small in nature, this would cause a wave a change in how we saw Nuclear power. In fact 7 of the reactors at 3 Mile Island were quicky shutdown, but the shutdowns were temporary. However, the public’s negative views on it would cause a pause on American’s urge to invest in development of more Nuclear power plants down the line.
C.J Tudor’s debut had me wondering if I was going to read an exciting thriller, or a Stephen King retread.
The Chalk Man is the debut of its author, and for a new writer I was expecting some hiccups or mistakes.
To be honest I didn’t find either and was impressed with the story Ms. Tudor’s presents.
The story bounces back and forth between 1986 and 2016. It involves 5 kids on the verge of adolescence who find a body. The main protagonist is Eddie Adams. He is the narrator of the story and also is the leader of this rag tag group of kids.
The kids spend their time hanging out, bike riding, and looking for any kind of adventure in their small, sleepy English village. To toss a little excitement in there the kids also use “Chalk Man” drawing as their code for messages that only they can understand. However, it becomes apparent that someone is also using the code for their sinister means. The kids choose to follow this “Chalk Man” code from the stranger and discover the body of a young girl mutilated in the woods. Their lives would never be the same. Flashforward to 2016 and Eddie and his now adult friends discover that the past is still with them.
Eddie receives a letter in the mail with a stick figure in it. His friends would also get the same message, but they each chose to ignore it thinking that it was just a childish prank. That is until one of them ends up dead. Eddie realizes that in order for this to stop and to save himself. He and his friends much venture back to that small village from their childhood, confront their past, solve murdered girl’s mystery., and avenge their friend.
While the author was clearly influenced by Stephen King’s “IT”, and “Stand by Me”. I had to confess that I kept wondering if one of the characters were going to ask, “You want to see a dead body?”
Ms. Tudor is still able to weave a very simple story with the material she is working with. While I admit I don’t know if I will read any future works by her. I will say that this is a very good novel if you are a King fan, or just like the good thriller/horror story. If you meet those items I listed, then this will be a good book to read.
I recently saw this, and I enjoyed reading it that I wanted to share it.
The peom is called “Look Back to Move Forward” by Tanner Olson I believe.
Road and landscape in rear vision mirror through Arizona long straight roads highly colored landforms
Look Back to Move Forward
I’m learning that looking back helps me move forward. I can’t stay in the past, but I can learn from it and move on.
Moving on is the important part. The hard part. The part that takes courage and trust and faith. Most days I’d rather be in what was, rather than what is, but that’s not living.
And I want to live.
Maybe like you, I am good at moving from one thing to the next without pausing to be grateful for the change.
3, 2, 1 the ball drops, we clink glasses and I am done with what was without ever giving it a moment of reflection.
But what if we paused for a second to reflect on where we once were to where we now are? What will we find? What will we uncover?
There are things I need to sit with either to celebrate them or lay them to rest. There are moments I need to hold, either to life up or put down. There are dreams and fears and goals and relationships I need to reflect upon before I move forward.
Because I am moving forward.
As we open up the calendar to a new year and new decade, I want to encourage you to sit and be for a moment.
Sit and be.
Hope everyone had a good weekend and that they have a good week
Merriwether Lewis and William Clark began their trip to the pacific to explore the land from the “Louisiana Purchase.” The trip would be to see what purchased and what was out there. The deal almost went south when Pres. Jefferson questioned if what he was doing was legal at all.
James Cameron’s “Titanic” won the Oscars for Best Picture. I freely admit I still have never seen the movie in its entirety.
In 1775 Patrick Henry gave his epic quote at, “Give me liberty, or give me death” at the St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia.
The follow up to his hit Album “Piano Man” falls flat but does show an early glimpse of the Piano Man’s potential.
Released on October 11th, 1974, Billy Joel set out to follow up on his success after his hit single and moderately successful album “Piano Man”. Though the album sold a million copies and did reach #35 on Billboard’s top 200, it did fall somewhat below expectations.
The album is collections of some stories and rare instrumentals by Mr. Joel.
“The Entertainer” which would be Joel’s biggest hit on the record was a song that was written in a satirical manner addressing the fleeting fame and audiences’ fickle fascination with its star. Lyrics such as, “Today I am your champion / I may have won your hearts / But I know the game / You’ll forget my name / (And I won’t be here / in another year) / if I don’t stay on the charts“. The same style of lyric and the actual theme applied here would also appear on his 1980 hit single “It’s still rock’n’roll to me from the album “Glass Houses”.
“Great Surburban Showdown” was another interesting hit that addressed his attitude to his rising fame and popularity. Though he wouldn’t hit is peak until 1977’s “The Stranger”. It was becoming clear he knows the direction he was heading on.
The song “Los Angelenos” reflected his views of the city. Coming from New York must’ve been massive scenic change to inspire this song. It also seemed to show that Joel was beginning to be a little homesick.
His other songs I won’t really dive into. I will leave that up to you as the reader to decide that. However. with a couple of instrumentals such as “Root Beer Rag‘, and “The Mexican Connection” this is such a horrible album. My favorite song other than the title song the name this album is named after is “Last of the big time Spenders“. It’s an interesting track but one worth listening to.
If you don’t have this in your record connection, then no worries. It’s on Spotify, but if you enjoy it, I can assure you will find it for sale online or at your record store for a cheap price.
Smoke covers the presidential palace compound in Baghdad 21 March 2003 during a massive US-led air raid on the Iraqi capital. Smoke billowed from a number of targeted sites, including one of President Saddam Hussein’s palaces, an AFP correspondent said.
In 2003 we were deployed in Afghanistan for to dispose of Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. When we also decided to invade Iraq on the questionable pretext the Saddam and Osama had been in correspondence and there was a possible link between them and 9/11.
We now know that it wasn’t the case. Some scant communication but nothing more. We then decided that we needed to eliminate their mass weapons of destruction. We found out that there wasn’t much and wouldn’t be for several years if they were successful. All of this in hindsight but at the same time I wonder how it wasn’t caught sooner when we went in.
I was a young Airman at the time and believed that we were doing the right thing. Not really intertwined into the details of why we were invading to being with. The year before I was in Kyrgyzstan in support of the operations that were going on in Afghanistan. Now, a year later I was in Qatar in support of this “liberation” or “invasion” depending on how you felt looking at it.
WASHINGTON – MARCH 19: U.S. President George W. Bush addresses the nation March 19, 2003 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. Bush announced that the U.S. military struck at “targets of opportunity” in Iraq March 19, 2003 in Washington, DC
I remember watching Pres. Bush explaining what was going to happen if Saddam didn’t comply, and when he announced we were going in. I also remember him flying in a plane and explaining how the operations were over with this “Mission accomplished” banner hanging behind him later that April. I also remember the insurgency rising and violence escalating probably not seen to US troops since Vietnam.
A U.S. soldier watches as a statue of Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein falls in central Baghdad April 9, 2003. U.S. troops pulled down a 20-foot (six metre) high statue of President Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad on Wednesday and Iraqis danced on it in contempt for the man who ruled them with an iron grip for 24 years. In scenes reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Iraqis earlier took a sledgehammer to the marble plinth under the statue of Saddam. Youths had placed a noose around the statue’s neck and attached the rope to a U.S. armoured recovery vehicle.
We thought it would work out. Little did we know that we were wrong, dead wrong. This war would drag on for years. It would kill an estimated 500K to 1 Mil civilians. Over 4000 Us troops would also die. 32K Us soldiers were injured, and their lives would never be the same. It would take well over a decade before Iraq would have any kind of stability. The Anbar awakening, and US surge that helped it paved the way for some kind of stable Iraq. Yet I find myself sometimes wondering. Was it worth it? Did we do the right thing going in. Were steps that would have been taken to avoid it or was it right to go in, but we handled in in the most ignorant way.
These questions keep popping in my head as each year goes by in regard to this war. Regardless, it happened and whether the Iraqi’s are better off for it, that is something for historians to decide in the next decades. Yes, the Iraqis have freedom, and yes, their economy is continuing to expand. However, the flaws of our politics and capitalism have also been passed on to them as well.
We still have a troop presence in Iraq. About 2,500 that were left for smaller operations and embassy protections. The Iraqis have been receptive to it but also have reason to handle our intentions and security with skeptism.
Below, I posted some links that offer what is going on in Iraq and what’s changed. I also posted some links about us as country looking back on what happened.
This shot is rather interesting and have been meaning to try it again.
It involves 6 balls, and a rack.
Once you line this up, you will need to use extreme draw on the ball. It will pull the ball back towards the single ball lined at the side pocket. The impact to the rack will create enough force that it will send all 4 balls into the side pocket without interruption.
Video below to demonstrate.
My attempt during the Pandemic
Follow for shots, and more. I will post as time goes on.
On this day in history, the planet Uranus was discovered in 1781 by a French astronomer named Pierre Charles Le Monnie. Here are some known facts about our 7th planet.
Structure and Surface
Uranus is surrounded by a set of 13 rings.
Uranus is an ice giant (instead of a gas giant). …
Uranus has a thick atmosphere made of methane, hydrogen, and helium.
Uranus is the only planet that spins on its side.
Uranus spins the opposite direction as Earth and most other planets.
In Kentucky on this day, Breonna Taylor, an African American EMT, was killed by Louisville, Kentucky, police officers as they burst into her apartment during a botched raid; her death led to massive protests by Black Matter Lives activists and others who called for police reform. Some more information in the links below.
Portrait of the founder of Scientology Lafayette Ronald Hubbard. 1960s (Photo by Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
In 1911 L. Ron Hubbard was born. He would found the Scientology church that is followed by celebrities such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Val Kilmer.
My life so far 