Independence Day (or something like that)

[Seth Milner]

45 Year-old Bethenny Frankel Barbecues Burgers in an Itty Bitty Blue String Bikini



I love a shiny stainless-steel gas grill . . .
they're great for helping you forget about Trumps, Clintons, elections, and all other worldly and depressing distractions.

[O Really]

Nice rack she's got on that thing, too.

[Seth Milner]

Nice rack she's got on that thing, too.

I wonder if they're the non-stick variety?

[rstrong]

Happy Independence Day, America!

For added awesomeness, the Juno probe is arriving at Jupiter today. It's now inside the orbit of Io! Waiting for the orbit insertion burn to begin....

[Seth Milner]

I'm willing to bet that my thoughts on "probe insertion" is better received than your thoughts on insertion . . . and that's a real burning thought.

[rstrong]

I'm willing to bet that my thoughts on "probe insertion" is better received than your thoughts on insertion . . . and that's a real burning thought.

Your obsession with is well-established. I on the other hand am talking about the Juno spacecraft.

[Seth Milner]

I'm willing to bet that my thoughts on "probe insertion" is better received than your thoughts on insertion . . . and that's a real burning thought.

Your obsession with is well-established.
That photo got you all flustered too? I'm not obsessed with women sporting beautiful bodies; I only think of them when I think.
I on the other hand am talking about the Juno spacecraft.
I got your drift. You choose your fantasies, and I'll choose mine. Mine's still a hell of a lot more interesting.

[O Really]

Didn't rain out the festivities on National Mall. Spectacular, with not any election signs, shirts, hats in sight.

[rstrong]

American independence from Britain is usually celebrated by launching things into the air and watching them explode. Hopefully Juno doesn't explode as it fires its main engine in two hours. But that engine is made in Britain, and they may hold a grudge.

Jupiter: Into the Unknown (NASA Juno Mission Trailer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgEsf4QcR0Q

[rstrong]

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Live Stream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=093iAM-7gWU
Just started.

[Seth Milner]

A lot of hungry stomachs could have been filled and affordable housing built with what that shit cost.

Who really gives a rats ass what's on Jupiter?

I'll still be content with looking at the heavenly bodies found here on Earth; the REAL ones, that is.

[O Really]

A lot of hungry stomachs could have been filled and affordable housing built with what that shit cost.

.

Could have, sure. But there's nothing to lead to a conclusion that if the money weren't spent on space that it actually would be used for hunger or housing. In fact, there's a lot to indicate it wouldn't.

[rstrong]

A lot of hungry stomachs could have been filled and affordable housing built with what that shit cost.

Could have, sure. But there's nothing to lead to a conclusion that if the money weren't spent on space that it actually would be used for hunger or housing. In fact, there's a lot to indicate it wouldn't.

Just so. And all that money spent "on space" is spent here on Earth, circulated right back into the economy. It'll be used to buy those houses anyway.

The amount spent on missions like this is utterly insignificant compared to the money Americans spend each year on alcohol. (More than $154 Billion / year, back in 2006.) It's utterly insignificant compared to the money spent on organized sports. Even compared to the *tax* dollars spent on organized ($billionaire-owned and mega-millionaire-played) sports.

And of course not even measurable compared to the money spent bailing out Wall Street and countless banks since the mission was green-lighted.

But Palin/Huckabee/Tea Party acolytes like Milner squeal only when money is spent on science and education.

[Vrede too]

Americans Spend $61 Billion on Pets Annually

Juno costs $1 Billion. Maybe Seth Milner will give up his dog in favor of filling hungry stomachs and promoting affordable housing.

[rstrong]

Burn complete, Juno is in orbit!

Google has changed their doodle to celebrate!

Sometimes America can seem like an unhinged Ferris wheel rolling toward the sea, still lit up, music still playing, awesome to behold.

And sometimes, like this, it's just simply awesome.

[Vrede too]

Alternatively, US annual military and military-related spending is around $1 trillion, 1000 times the cost of Juno. A lot of hungry stomachs could have been filled and affordable housing built with what that shit cost.

[rstrong]

Americans Spend $61 Billion on Pets Annually

Juno costs $1 Billion. Maybe Seth Milner will give up his dog in favor of filling hungry stomachs and promoting affordable housing.

To be clear, Juno costs that over it's 13-year lifetime. (Planning, construction, launch, flight, science operations)

So, $793 Billion spent on pets in that time.

[Vrede too]

Good point, and $13 trillion spent on the US military, 13,000 times the cost of Juno.

[Seth Milner]

Americans Spend $61 Billion on Pets Annually

Juno costs $1 Billion. Maybe Seth Milner will give up his dog in favor of filling hungry stomachs and promoting affordable housing.
Spook isn't going to live forever; and if it came to deciding between replacing him or feeding him or a starving child, the child wins.
My dog is my pal, but he doesn't get the pampering bullshit like people with Walmart-induced intelligence give their dogs.

Alternatively, US annual military and military-related spending is around $1 trillion, 1000 times the cost of Juno. A lot of hungry stomachs could have been filled and affordable housing built with what that shit cost.
It appears that once again, you and I are dancing to the same tune.

But Palin/Huckabee/Tea Party acolytes like Milner squeal only when money is spent on science and education.
You really ought to see a psychiatrist about that nagging obsession you have with Palin/Huckabee. I'm betting you're their biggest fan, and you're secretly wishing you could be by their side every waking moment. We know you're there mentally.

[Vrede too]

Where no Lego has gone before ...

Aboard Juno are three Lego figurines. These represent Galileo Galilei, who discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter in 1610, the Roman god Jupiter and Jupiter’s wife Juno, who according to Roman mythology, could look through clouds.



:thumbsup: