The K Spot’s Neighbors

Pierced Heart Maneuver

nobody@vox.com(Redzilla) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:26:38 -0700

Twenty years ago today, the Frecce Tricolori demonst

rated how fine is the line between perfection and catastrophe. In preparation for the annual Ramstein Air Base Flugtag air show, the Italians performed their 'pierced heart' maneuver perfectly. At the event, however, a slight miscalculation resulted in tragedy. Three of the jets collided, sending flaming fuel and debris into spectator stands. Seventy people died and another 346 were severely injured. It was the last air show ever held at Ramstein Air Base.

That same year, 8 commercial airplanes crashed, killing a total of 886 people*. In 1989, people all over the world continued to get on commercial aircraft and fly. That year, there were 11 commercial airline crashes, which killed 983 people. Since then we've had some light years and some heavy years, but the death toll continues. People still fly into and out of the same airports where tragedies occurred, they fly the same carriers, ride in the same types of planes.

My point is this: we make tragedy where we want it. Where it's convenient to go maudlin and sentimental. Elsewhere, we sweep it under the rug and consider it the daily cost of modern convenience.

So when 3,000 people die in a terrorist attack, the country comes screeching to a halt in its mourning. Those 3,000 deaths change the way we live our lives, send us into jingoistic hysteria. They are the raft upon which we launch invasions and the catalyst for hundreds of thousands more deaths**. Three thousand dead in one catastrophic pierced heart terrorism maneuver, and we're willing to burn our Bill of Rights and color-code our sense of safety.

Conversely the 40,000 people who die in automobile crashes every year in the United States, they are a mountain of bleeding corpses that we disregard in our calculation of Life-Changing, nay, World-Changing Tragedies. We go on driving at high speeds, some of us without seat belts, others of us drunk, many of us fiddling with radio knobs or talking on our cell phones. Year after year, city commissioners and state legislators vote against "expensive" public transportation efforts, and citizens rebel against any suggestion that they ought to change the way they travel.

As for the 10,000 gun deaths a year in the U.S., they are a statistical smudge. There is no monument to those dead. No spotlights glinting into the night sky to say, "Never forget." Nope. We'll wake up tomorrow, the little individual tragedies already forgotten. If ten thousand Americans died in a massive gun battle in one day, perhaps we would consider our obsession with free-wheeling gun-ownership, but when those ten thousand die one at a time, we don't notice. We're willing to perform the pierced heart maneuver over and over for an audience of one.

*These numbers include Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which was brought down by a pound of plastic explosives in the forward cargo hold, and Iran Air flight 665, brought down by a missile fired by the US Navy. Total number killed in these two crashes: 270 and 290 respectively.
**Ramstein Air Base happens to be one of the logistical air support hubs for the war on Iraq.

Rammstein

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Link of the Day!!! The Training Station's Animated Exercises

nobody@vox.com(Smilin' Joe) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:43:42 -0700

As I scour the Internet (thank God for Stumble), I come across certain things that need to be shared. Today's link comes to us from somebody who has mad Paint skills. How else can you explain the awesomeness of simple animated gifs?

What is this site? The Training Stations' Animated Exercises

This site has actually helped me immensely. I am swapping in a circuit training route on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I don't run and I wasn't really sure how to do some of the exercises that were called for in my training plan. Upon exploring the internet, this is what I found. It is exercise instruction nirvana minus the condescending looks from people with 1% body fat.

Want to know how to do a "flat cambered barbell press"? This site has you covered. How about "dumbell crossface"? Yep. The Tootsie Roll? Nope, sorry.

How cool is that!

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Yuba!

nobody@vox.com(Jemma) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:34:35 -0700

Took a quick day trip to Yuba last Saturday. Been a couple years since Ive been there, and the water is still lower than it was in my childhood, and seemed colder than I thought it should be, but all in all a good trip.

Brandon is kind of like a vampire. He says the sun is not nice to him, so he wore his hat and put lots of sunscreen on his feet, managing to completely burn his knees and legs and leaving what looks like an ankle sock line on his unscathed feet.

No trip to the beach is complete without a sand castle, and luckily we had Scott along so that he could coordinate the castle construction. Nathan was in sand castle heaven, having a buddy to build with.

Scott built a very special moat for NATE. Nathan is lucky to have such cool uncles. He LOVES the beach and the water, so living in an inland state is a cross Nathan has to bear throughout his life. Poor kid.

You wouldnt think these are grown men the way they were whipping each other with Funoodles and squirting water.

Micheal has an adult moment

Amanda and April chow and relax. It was about time to wrap things up and we were all getting sunned out at this point. It felt a lot hotter than the 87 degrees it was supposed to be that day.

It was a good trip and Im really glad we went, especially for Nathan's sake, but I forgot its quite the drive. Next time I vote we go to Jordanelle instead.

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A good POINT

nobody@vox.com(Smilin' Joe) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:17:09 -0700

Yesterday was a bit of a bomb in the points department. I am too embarrassed to write down my horrible food choices from last night.

But, I didn't go over my weekly allowance, so that is good. Now, onto the good POINT. On one of my posts, a fellow WW and voxer asked me about protein/vegetables and why there weren't any in my daily log for yesterday.

She had a great point. I have been so busy focusing on going over my points total that I have lost site of what I should be eating. My focus has been the points value not the quality of food. I need to focus on maintaining a good balance and not all carbs. I am going to spend the next two weeks focused on what I am eating, with a secondary focus on the points.

Thanks for the help Runnergirl!

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Eyecandy: At the Bar

nobody@vox.com(Red Pen) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:50:11 -0700

At the Bar by Nathan Rohlander

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Thought for the Day

nobody@vox.com(tom) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:26:11 -0700

If you are going to try cross-country skiing, best start with a small country.

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kiLian - VStyle friDaY.mp3

nobody@vox.com(kiLian) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:40:50 -0700

[rock n rolla] introducing VStyle Friday sessions, video coming up (likely on a Friday).

VStyle Fridays

kiLian

FREE DOWNLOAD HERE

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QotD: How You Doin?

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:16:23 -0700

What's the best pick up line you've ever heard?

"I'm not like every other guy at the bar."

No, I kid.

Actually, I'm a sucker for a guy who appreciates the fact that I can be somewhat articulate.
Tell me/show me you like me for my mind and I'm yours.
'Cause, you know, I'm an intelligent little bugger.
'Tis true.

I like it when one can appreciate my utter dorkiness.

And as you can tell, I'm answering the QotD, so I'm trying to avoid working for as long as I possibly can.

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Zomg. A gift from the gods!

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:56:09 -0700

My last day is Friday.
Ms. Boss Lady... has a vacation day marked in her calendar.

Thank you, universe.
Thank you.

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Tweets for Today

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:02:17 -0700

12:19 @branchero I love mad men, i watched the last 2 episodes yesterday! #
18:00 why is cable so damn expensive. almost miss working for comcast #
18:40 Watching: Some like it hot. Never seen it before #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

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