Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams.
How many people recognize much less know those names? However central, actually, indispensable to this massive story, they have been relegated to occasionally mentioned “bit-players” in that “story.”
And will remain so until Elon Musk sends his intergalactic Tesla-taxi to fetch them from the space station where, at this publication, they have been stranded for 278 days.
Hopefully Musk will be dissuaded from driving that livery vehicle himself. As much as he likely wants to, he has other things to occupy his time me and immense intellect. Some twenty hours each day.
Speaking of the illustrious Mr. Musk, his GROK cautions me to “cool it” with some of my “observations” lest I incur the displeasure of some, the ire of many, abject hate from some and kudos from few. Including my own children.
OK. I write about the spellbinding GROK somewhat in jest. I am absolutely blown away by it [more and more just about daily as it continues to “grow” exponentially], albeit I use is strictly as a research aid. And do not allow it to intimidate me in any event.
As to my children, fantastic and really successful adults, they think independence is a bloodsport. They turbo-boosted the whole independence thing they were raised with. I do not have to write anything controversial to “engage” them. We can stand in front of a large digital clock and argue over what time it really is. Happily.
In the US, we are witnessing universally debilitating political theater, worthy of a poorly written Shakespearean tragi comedy. So much about the body-politics’ self-interest, rather than serving the economic and social benefits of the constituencies they purport to represent.
I ponder the indelicate balance between economic and altruistic goals and benefits in world conflicts. While people die in some fifty shooting wars around the world. The mighty US checkbook perpetually called on and stressed to mitigate some. The increasing reluctance of Americans to expand treasure and blood in the name of, well, just about everything that is not immediately existential to them.
Perhaps of interest is a piece I published on March 17, 2024: Sustainability. An Intellectual Concept As Old As Fossil Fuels. The intellectual beating I was dealt for suggesting that rare earth minerals drive the geopolitical truck…
But for their obvious impact, illegitimate trade imbalances become political tussles of global scale; ultimately with potential to escalate to imbecilic trade wars at the expense of a billion or two bystanders. Obvious realities and ultimately equity, anyone?
Perhaps chaos-in-chief Trump essentially has likely solutions in hand. People: you have better ideas? Now would be a good time to come forward! People are dying!
Perhaps there is some genuine light at the end of that tunnel. My Euro friends might just act to styme war in Europe. No matter if entirely just in self-interest. Act rather than engage in more haughty, supercilious rhetoric and lecturing their poor and unenlightened cousins on this side of the pond.
Would it not be an amazing thing if we all, we in the US and all our friends in Europe would get together and … People are dying!
Thanks for reading and listening. As always, your feedback is as valuable as it is welcome.