Monday

                          Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“Its amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper.”

                                                    Jerry Seinfeld

Here is some things to consider:

How does an aircraft tell how high it is? It is done with an altimeter. This devise is set at the atmospheric pressure on the surface and as the aircraft climbs the pressure is reduced and the difference is displayed as altitude. Commercial aircraft can fly over several areas with different pressures making them have to climb or descend slightly to maintain their prescribed altitude...that is until they reach 18,500 feet and above then they all set their altimeter to 29.92. This means that all aircraft above 18,500 have the same altimeter setting and there is no climbing or descending. Not only that, all airspace above 18,500 in the continental US, Canada and Alaska is a PCA or Positive Controlled Airspace. This means if you are flying above 18,500 you will be required to be at an assigned altitude and route of flight designated by an air traffic control facility and in radio contact at all times. If not, you will be paid a visit by fighters sent by the Air Defense Command.

What about flights that cover several time zones? Do they have to keep changing their clocks? To avoid all of this confusion every clock in every long range commercial, private and military aircraft and all air traffic control facilities worldwide have the same time on their clocks. It is known as Greenwich Mean Time or as it is known in the business “Zulu time”. Greenwich mean time is based on the zero meridian which runs through Greenwich, England...and now you have the rest of the story.

This Date in History May 22

1843 On this date one of many wagon trains departed near Independence, Missouri headed for Oregon to take advantage of free lands. There were over 1,000 settlers and 1,000 head of cattle. They followed the Santa Fe Trail for about 40 miles and then turned right and followed the Platte River to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. From there they went through the South Pass across the Rocky Mountains. The South Pass was courtesy of that famous mountain man/explorer Jim Bridger who discovered this wide and shallow rising meadow making it easy for heavily laden wagons. From there they stopped at Fort Hall in present day Idaho for a rest and supplies in preparation for the final push across the Cascades into Oregon. In October of this year they arrived in Oregon. It had taken them five months to make the 2,000 mile trip. This trail was used many times by several wagon trains until the advent of the coast-to-coast railroad. The last wagon train into Oregon was in the early 1870’s. There are still wagon wheel ruts visible to this day along the famous Oregon Trail. What a thrill it would have been to make such a trip. Let me change that to an exciting trip because I would be crossing the lands of the ferocious Pawnee, Sioux, Cheyenne and Blackfoot among many others who did not take kindly to us honkies, or anyone else for that matter, encroaching on their lands. I went to Oregon a few years ago to do some salmon fishing in the breathtaking Rogue River near Medford and Apple Valley. The guys I met and provided guide service were rough and ready, y'all. They were just what I imagined the pioneer spirit to be like. Most of the guides that I met guided for salmon fishing in the summer and elk hunting in the winter.

1455 Today was the first battle in what was called the War of the Roses. It was essentially a power struggle between the House of York and the House of Lancaster for control of England. In this particular battle the victory went to the soldiers of the House of York which forced the Lancastrian King to accept the rule of his cousin Richard of York. A great many of the Lancastrian royalty were killed in this battle which diluted the power of this House. House of York and Lancaster were closely related. Both were blood kin to the late King Edward II and claimed the throne because of it. It was called the War of the Roses because the symbol of the House of York was the white rose and it was the red rose for the Lancastrians. These two groups squabbled for 30 years over who would be King until finally a marriage between a York and Lancaster essentially ended the war. But the marriage began another powerful succession kings and queens with the origination of the House of Tudor. Henry VIII was a Tudor as was Queen Elizabeth I.

1781 On this date Patriot General Nathaneal Greene (Greenville, SC is named for him) attempted to take the British encampment of Star Fort in the village of Ninety-Six, South Carolina. Greene soon realized that he cannot take the Fort with an assault so on this date he surrounds the fort and begins a siege. The Fort and 550 Loyalists were under the command of British Lieutenant Colonel John Crugar. Greene sustained the siege until he found out on June 18 that British reinforcements commanded by British Colonel Francis Rawdon were on the way. Greene tried one more assault which failed and he was forced to withdraw. Star Fort held great importance because it controlled most of northwestern South Carolina. But in response to this the other Patriot leaders in South Carolina, Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter captured five other British forts in South Carolina which isolated Star Fort. On July 1 the British pulled out of Star Fort of their own volition. Star Fort was the last Loyalist fort in South Carolina. This was the beginning of the end of British in America. The war was over two years later thanks to Greene, Marion, Sumter and thousands of other dedicated lovers of freedom.

2002 On this date the remains of 24 year old Chandra Levy was found by hikers in Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC... The significance of this discovery is that it had been found that she had been having an affair with California congressman Gary Condit, a 53 year old grandfather. Chandra was an intern working for the Bureau of Prisons and was from Modesto, California which was in the constituency of Condit. Chandra’s remains were gone over with a fine toothed comb looking for clues but no reliable clues were found and the case remains to this date a “cold case”. Congressman Condit was not re-elected because of the scandal about his affair with Chandra. I haven’t heard a word about him since, but I almost can assure you that his wife (or maybe ex-wife) has. Since I wrote this item the murderer of Chandra has been found and arrested...it wasn't Condit.

Born today:

1802 US first lady Martha Washington. When speaking of the White house she said “I have a very dull life here, I feel more like a state prisoner than anything else.”

               Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow