Space tucker

What?  No Tang?

We've got some hard facts about that Mars mission simulation that NASA wants to run on a lava bed in Hawaii.  Apparently, the purpose is to find the ideal menu for Mars-bound astronauts.

Doesn't seem that hard a task to me.  Lay in some ship's biscuit, bully beef, a few wheels of cheese, dried peas, sauerkraut, jam, tea, bacon, porridge, Bovril, tinned butter, tinned milk, powdered eggs, lime juice, beer, and an ample supply of rum* and and you're set.

Oh, and the shrimp cocktail, of course.

*Pemmican, cocoa and Kendal mint cakes will also be available for landing parties on Mars.

Blessed Gaia hates recycling.

From the sun-kissed islands of Hawaii (known to anyone who's been there for more than a year as the Rock) comes this tale of eco-pointlessness.  Hawaii imports a large amount of crude oil, which it refines in-state.  This is needed mainly to a) run the electrics and b) provide aviation fuel.  These two needs are so dominant that if Hawaii were a closed economy, the oil companies could literally give away the petrol produced as a by product. It's a recycling dream; use the leftovers from oil refining to run cars.  Also, the islands are blessed with an open-plan geography and constant trade winds that waft away any pollutant like half-forgotten dreams upon waking, so exhaust fumes are never a problem.

So, with this marvelous confluence of good fortune, what is Hawaii up to?  Why, promoting electric cars in a major push that, if by some bizarre black miracle is effective, will cripple the electricity industry and leave the oil companies wondering what the blazes to do with all that petrol?

I guess Hawaii doesn't believe in recycling.

Hai'ku stairs

Here's something I didn't know existed when my boat was based in Hawaii.  It's a flight of stairs that run up the spine of one of the mountains that bisect the island of Oahu.

It's probably a good thing I didn't know about it because if I did, some silly bugger would have wanted me to climb it.

Beaches & Burkas

Throwing the US Constitution's establishment clause to the trade winds, the Hawaiian state legislator has declared 29 September 2009 as "Islam Day"to celebrate "the rich religious, scientific, cultural and artistic contributions" of the Mohammedan faith.

If you're wondering when Christianity Day is going to be established, I'd advise against holding your breath. It's a long wait.