“You don’t have the power, Droneboy!”

Many of us Apollo 13 fans remember the exchange between the young lead engineer played by Loren Dean and Gene Cernan (Ed Harris) during heated discussions about how to get the astronauts of that mission back to earth safely. Basically, the plans everyone had for moving and navigating the ship, maintaining radio communications, powering the instrumentation, hydraulics, lights, and life support, etc. presumed an amount of power that simply wasn’t there… i.e. “we don’t have the power, Gene!” Continue reading →

Obamacare vs. Omamacare
Don’t throw Mama off the dialysis machine
By Brian Wright (originally published 2009-09-07)

You can look at this story as a continuation of “Don’t Throw Mama off the Turnpike.” That’s when she and I caravan my 2002 “Free State Audi” with her 1997 Mercury Villager into the middle of New York State for the purpose of selling said Audi to an unlikely buyer. (Note Omamacare has become a series of columns.)[a]        [Go to Omamacare II]

Roughly 10 days ago, Mama Bear went in for a checkup with the kidney doctor.[1] Whoops! Blood pressure is far too high, other symptoms conclusive of renal failure. [Now I’m kicking myself for pressing her into duty as my “wing man” on the long-range, Continue reading →