Split Rock

Happened upon this new painting of Makonikey Head's Split Rock yesterday at the Granary Gallery in West Tisbury.  It's by Kenneth Vincent, a multi-generation islander.

Split Rock and the Makonikey bluffs are features of the terminal moraine of the cape and islands.

Last Sunday there were people standing on top of the rock, something I haven't seen in nearly 20 years.  Some say the rock's two halves moved apart a bit more this spring when a couple tremors hit the nearby Elizabeth Islands.

The Notes

Last February 6, the United States Postal Service commemorated the centennial of President Ronald Reagan's birth with a "forever postage stamp." 

The centennial was also celebrated at the Reagan Library with the release of the book Ronald Reagan - The Notes, a published collection of the 4 x 6 note cards of quotes and one liners Reagan used over the years as GE spokesman, California Governor and President.

I was the first to check the book out at the West Tisbury Public Library where it has been gathering dust since going into circulation last spring.

Given our current President's recent penchant for quoting Reagan, I thought I'd suggest a few more for him to consider:

"When government doesn't know what to do, it tries to do everything."

"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, the gospel of envy.  Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."

"We will never get anywhere with our finances till we pass a law saying that every time we appropriate something we got (sic) to pass another bill along with it stating where the money is coming from."

"I place economy among the 1st and most important virtues and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared."

"Every time the government shifts to the left the decimal point in taxes shifts to the right."

"Strike for the jugular.  Reduce taxes and spending.  Keep government poor and remain free."

"Some people are so addicted to exaggeration they can't tell the truth without lying."

That last one reminds me of this quote below from then Senator Obama in 2006:

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure,” he said. “It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.”

Got Debt?

This is what a pallet of $1 million dollars in $100 dollar bills looks like.

This is what our current national debt looks like.

And this is how fast it's growing.

Rounding East Chop

"Mission complete, Houston?"

I was born under Sputnik 1's orbit and have followed America's exploration of space with fascination and wonder.

42 years ago today, Neil Armstrong made man's first step on the moon.  Now, with today's landing of STS-135, the final Shuttle mission, I worry this is the end of America's leadership in space.

From nasa.com:

"Since STS-1 launched on April 12, 1981, 355 individuals from 16 countries flew 852 times aboard the shuttle. The five shuttles traveled more than 542 million miles and hosted more than 2,000 experiments in the fields of Earth, astronomy, biological and materials sciences. The shuttles docked with two space stations, the Russian Mir and the International Space Station. Shuttles deployed 180 payloads, including satellites, returned 52 from space and retrieved, repaired and redeployed seven spacecraft.  STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis, which spent 307 days in space, orbited Earth 4,848 times and traveled 125,935,769 miles."

 

As reported in today's Wall Street Journal, we've outsourced our future space travel to the Russians:

"NASA officials have repeatedly emphasized in recent months that the U.S. will continue venturing into the cosmos. "There's a lot of emotion today," said Mr. Ferguson, moments after bringing Atlantis to a stop on the runway. "But one thing is indisputable. America is not going to stop exploring.

"NASA plans to replace its shuttle fleet with a commercial space-taxi service developed and operated by the private sector, but it won't be ready before 2016 at the earliest, experts said.

"In the interim, the U.S. and other nations will have to rely on the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos to ferry crews to and from the space station aboard its Soyuz spacecraft. So far, NASA has purchased 46 seats for astronauts on missions scheduled through 2016."

Great, we'll be flying coach with Russians at the helm.  Somewhere, Khrushchev is smiling.

Pendulum

Last night's Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society performance at the Chilmark Community Center featured a new work by Philip Glass, Pendulum for violin and piano, with Tim Fain on violin and Delores Stevens on piano.  An absolute delight.

Vineyard Cup Regatta

Crewed today aboard the Red Admiral, a Morris 46, with the McConnels in the Vineyard Cup Regatta.  Life is grand!

 

 

 

De-rek Je-ter, De-rek Je-ter

New York Yankees captain and shortstop Derek Jeter got his 3000th career hit in style, homering the eighth pitch of his third-inning at-bat into the centerfield seats.

Jeter is the 28th major leaguer to hit 3000, and the first to do it in Yankee pinstripes.

July 4

Edgartown Harbor

Edgartown Lighthouse

Ooh

Aah

Bloomberg's Paternalism

Delightful to see The New Yorker magazine, long a politically liberal voice of government munificence, poke fun at New York City Mayor, scold and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg's paternalistic "nanny state" legislation and "sin" taxes.

Moral Guidelines - Bruce McCall

The Holy Trinity - Roz Chast