Pay Attention To Space Force

We’re not paying close enough attention to the new U.S. Space Force.

It was signed into law by President Trump on December 20.

Space Force is the U.S. military’s 6th service branch (separate from the Air Force).

While it is currently the smallest branch with 16,000 personnel and just a $40 million budget, I would look to this branch to move over time to one of the largest (if not the largest) branch of the military.

Let’s face it, Earth is small potatoes in the realm of the Universe.

We will be expanding into outer space and colonizing it–we have to!

In addition, the weapons in space will be high-tech and costly relative to their earthly counterparts, and  our dominance in space will not come cheap either in terms of aerospace and engineering talent or in terms of the systems and weapons that will assure our superiority.

In January, the new Star Trek aired on CBS, and as is long said on that preminiscent science fiction show, “Space is the final frontier” and the U.S. Space Force will become front and center in our defense.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Sucking It Up

Here we are sucking up leaves in January. 

It almost looks like we’re sucking up the whole ground with it!

After the warmest decade on record, we seem to be having the warmest year on record. 

It’s 52 degrees out, and we’ve been reaching up into the high 60’s so far this month.

Global warming or the big fires in Australia or action with Iran are heating things up here in Washington, D.C. 😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

The Apollo 11 Mission: 50 Year Anniversary

Remembering the Apollo mission that landed a man on the moon on July 20, 1969 (50 years and 1 month ago yesterday…sorry, I’m late on this post). 

Thought this model (scale 1:48) of the command ship and lunar lander in the NASA store was perfect. 

It truly is miraculous that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldin made this journey.

In just 8 days, they made the round trip between the earth and the moon, traveling about 240,000 miles each way. 

And they walked on the moon for about 3 hours–I want to try that!

Even until today, the U.S. remains the only country to have actually put men on the moon (total of 12). 

“One small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind.”

Now it’s high time that we get ourselves to Mars already and colonize it!  😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Oh Baby, It’s Warm Outside?

I love when people can communicate through pictures effectively. 

Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words–probably more. 

This was a simple drawing to depict I assume global warming. 

– 2000 some nice mountain glaciers.

– 2020 the snow is melted.

It’s like the person didn’t have to say a word. 

But I get it. 

Also, I know there is supposedly a lot of scientific evidence for global warming.

But for me personally, I don’t see it or feel it.  

The summers, if anything, feel cooler and the Winters feel colder to me. 

I know that is anecdotal and not representative of the world. 

However, it is hard to reconcile what the scientists say, when your own eyes aren’t seeing it. 

Granted, I’m not in Alaska where, for example, the glaciers are melting, 

Still wouldn’t we be feeling something here?

Maybe a few degrees really isn’t perceptible. 

I guess time will tell us for certain. 

Hopefully, by the time we do see it, we won’t get run over by the speeding train.  😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Smell The Flowers

Beautiful flowers. 

G-d made them for us. 

Soft petals. 

Magnificent colors.

Fresh sweet smells. 

The sound of rustling in the wind. 

Absorbing the rays of sunshine.

Drinking the rain water. 

Planted in the soil of the earth. 

Magical flowers of life, love, and peace. 

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Sizing Fashion And More

So it was interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today…

There is an obesity problem in the U.S. 

But the statistics in terms of the typical sizes of fashion (for women) has been “largely” overlooked.

The biggest size most fashion brands even bother to sell is: 12

“Only 7% of womenswear stocked at multi-brand retailers is a size 14 or above.”

But the average American dress size is between between 16 and 18!

The typical runway model is size 2.  

BTW, I think men have the same problem with sizing.

There was another thing about measurement in the WSJ today having to do with measuring time. 

Day is measured by the earth rotation (on its axis). 

Year by the rotation around the sun.

Month by rotation of the moon. 

Earth, Sun, and Moon…give us time. 

Now we need to take all the wonderful time we have measured and not spend it all eating.  😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal @Ripley’s Believe It or Not)

Reaping What You Sow: Adam and Adamah

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel, Sukkot: A Time of Man and Earth. 

“In celebrating Sukkot, we compare Adam and Adamah. Just like a man is dependent on seeding his teachings and good deeds which then leads to reaping his personal life harvest, so too the earth is dependent on seeding and watering which leads to harvesting its produce.”

Hope you enjoy and Chag Sameach.  😉

(Inspired by a movie of a farmer in Bishvil-Haivrit)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal) 

Upside Down Flower On Stairs

Thought this was an interesting picture to take. 

It’s an upside-down pink flower bent over a concrete stair. 

And the stem is sticking straight up and out. 

The contrast of the live soft pink flower and the cold hard grey of the concrete stairs is astounding to me.

Life can so easily be bent over, squished out, and left for dead in the cold harsh realities of this world 

We are alive, but life can be hard. 

We fight to go on, but life is sometimes unforgiving.

The bright spark of life seeks to illuminate the hard grey block.

Breath, beat, live…good health is unbelievably precious.

Arise flower and once again stand tall in the glowing sunshine and the pouring rain. 

Nourish yourself in the soil of the Earth, give praise to the L-rd as only life can do. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

What’s It’s Like To Be A Bag

It’s funny, like most of us, my daughter stuffs the shopping bags in the draw or into another “bag of bags” to reuse. 

My son-in-law joked about feeling bad for the bags all crinkled up and thrown in with all the others like that. 

He drew this little sign on a paper towel, and put it on the fridge:

Bag’s life

This is what a crying creased up bag looks like. 

Maybe even inanimate objects have feelings too. 

As human beings, we can learn to treat everything in the world kindly and with appreciation. 

Bye bye baggy. 😉

(Source Drawing: Itzchak Ochayon)

Flower Petals In Water

Just wanted to share these absolutely beautiful flower petals floating on the water. 

G-d’s creations are so wondrous and marvelous.

Frankly, I find it hard to comprehend how He made everything so gorgeous. 

There are plenty of challenges for us in this world to keep us learning and growing. 

But truly, I love that there is some Garden of Eden paradise in this world too. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)