Your life — slow down and soak it up
I stumbled across this very good article and supporting animated videos that offer a very good degree of understanding at how nuclear power works and what the issues Japan is dealing with.
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2011/03/world/interactive.nuclear.japan/index.html
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
My Dad sent me the interesting story below from the perspective of a Delta pilot flying into Japan during the earthquake.
I’m currently still in one piece, writing from my room in the Tokyo/Narita crew hotel. It’s 8am. This is my inaugural trans-pacific trip as a brand new, recently checked out, international 767 Captain and it has been interesting, to say the least, so far. I’ve crossed the Atlantic three times so far so the ocean crossing procedures were familiar.
By the way, stunning scenery flying over the Aleutian Islands. Everything was going fine until 100 miles out from Tokyo and in the descent for arrival. The first indication of any trouble was that Japan air traffic control started putting everyone into holding patterns. At first we thought it was usual congestion on arrival. Then we got a company data link message advising about the earthquake, followed by another stating Narita airport was temporarily closed for inspection and expected to open shortly (the company is always so positive).
From our perspective things were obviously looking a little different. The Japanese controller’s anxiety level seemed quite high and he said expect “indefinite” holding time. No one would commit to a time frame on that so I got my copilot and relief pilot busy looking at divert stations and our fuel situation, which, after an ocean crossing is typically low.
It wasn’t long, maybe ten minutes, before the first pilots started requesting diversions to other airports. Air Canada, American, United, etc. all reporting minimal fuel situations. I still had enough fuel for 1.5 to 2.0 hours of holding. Needless to say, the diverts started complicating the situation.
Japan air traffic control then announced Narita was closed indefinitely due to damage. Planes immediately started requesting arrivals into Haneada, near Tokyo, a half dozen JAL and western planes got clearance in that direction but then ATC announced Hanenada had just closed. Uh oh! Now instead of just holding, we all had to start looking at more distant alternatives like Osaka, or Nagoya.
One bad thing about a large airliner is that you can’t just be-pop into any little airport. We generally need lots of runway. With more planes piling in from both east and west, all needing a place to land and several now fuel critical ATC was getting over-whelmed. In the scramble, and without waiting for my fuel to get critical, I got my flight a clearance to head for Nagoya, fuel situation still okay. So far so good. A few minutes into heading that way, I was “ordered” by ATC to reverse course. Nagoya was saturated with traffic and unable to handle more planes (read- airport full). Ditto for Osaka.
With that statement, my situation went instantly from fuel okay, to fuel minimal considering we might have to divert a much farther distance. Multiply my situation by a dozen other aircraft all in the same boat, all making demands requests and threats to ATC for clearances somewhere. Air Canada and then someone else went to “emergency” fuel situation. Planes started to heading for air force bases. The nearest to Tokyo was Yokoda AFB. I threw my hat in the ring for that initially. The answer – Yokoda closed! no more space.
By now it was a three ring circus in the cockpit, my copilot on the radios, me flying and making decisions and the relief copilot buried in the air charts trying to figure out where to go that was within range while data link messages were flying back and forth between us and company dispatch in Atlanta. I picked Misawa AFB at the north end of Honshu island. We could get there with minimal fuel remaining. ATC was happy to get rid of us so we cleared out of the maelstrom of the Tokyo region. We heard ATC try to send planes toward Sendai, a small regional airport on the coast which was later the one I think that got flooded by a tsunami.
Atlanta dispatch then sent us a message asking if we could continue to Chitose airport on the Island of Hokkaido, north of Honshu. Other Delta planes were heading that way. More scrambling in the cockpit – check weather, check charts, check fuel, okay. We could still make it and not be going into a fuel critical situation … if we had no other fuel delays. As we approached Misawa we got clearance to continue to Chitose. Critical decision thought process. Let’s see – trying to help company – plane overflies perfectly good divert airport for one farther away…wonder how that will look in the safety report, if anything goes wrong.
Suddenly ATC comes up and gives us a vector to a fix well short of Chitose and tells us to standby for holding instructions. Nightmare realized. Situation rapidly deteriorating. After initially holding near Tokyo, starting a divert to Nagoya, reversing course back to Tokyo then to re-diverting north toward Misawa, all that happy fuel reserve that I had was vaporizing fast. My subsequent conversation, paraphrased of course…., went something like this:
“Sapparo Control – Delta XX requesting immediate clearance direct to Chitose, minimum fuel, unable hold.”
“Negative Ghost-Rider, the Pattern is full” <<
I don’t think I would have been that calm.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Today is Diabetes Awareness Day. Below is a link to a test you can take to determine your risk for diabetes. Because of our American diets, we are at a much higher risk for this disease. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent or delay its onset (exercise, diet). Unfortunately, many of us are so engrained into our current bad habits and are resistant to change that we won’t do anything about it.
Start now by taking the simple test — http://stopdiabetes.diabetes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SD_alert_main
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I am on the road — first for business travel Monday and Tuesday, and yesterday and today for personal business. Between yesterday and today I will have driven 20 hours and over 1000 miles.
I enjoy road tripping and was able to spend all yesterday with a dear friend of mine in wonderful conversation while seeing our great country. Today I am on the way home and currently at a Chick-Fil-A in Arkansas. I love this company not only because of their great food, but because of their values and their unashamed claim of Jesus. Because I was road tripping, in each Chick-Fil-A men’s room I have been in I have heard Christian music. What a simple way to reach those who need the message and encouragement (which is all of us). Additionally, I have been listening to K-LOVE. If you don’t know, KLOVE is a Christian radio station that is nationwide through a network of local radio stations. Throughout my driving I have been able to jump from radio station to radio station listening to encouraging words and uplifting music. Again, what a simple wonderful way to get the message out to those who need it. Go check it out yourself at www.klove.com — you can even stream what I will be listening to for the next 10 hours and 3 states.
THANKS Chick-Fil-A and K-LOVE for being lights to our dark world!
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I blogged about this before but every time I see this video I am in awe. In 10 years, once my job rearing my youngest is closer to completed, I am going to go do this. I have to because it is my Norwegian heritage. And then I would have my “E” (as in B.A.S.E. jumping which stands for Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth).
wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Marriage is a very important gift given to us by God. Through it He ordained the commitment of a man and a woman to join together as one for love and for the raising of a family. In this healthy union, joy, empowerment, and fulfillment are experienced by both the wife and husband.
If you are lucky, like me, you have several successful models of couples to follow. I can count my grandparents, my folks, my in-laws, and many treasured friends as role models of support and encouragement. I know what marriage should look like and what I, as a man and husband, need to contribute to my marriage for it to persevere, flourish and produce fruit.
If you are someone whom marriage has had a negative impact — your folks were divorced, or you have been through a divorce — get out there and find a role model couple whose marriage has withstood the test of time. You will also benefit if you surround yourself with marriage committed couples. I can tell you that in my day to day living it is nice to be in the midst of great family and friends who have the same marriage ideals as I do (and will hold me accountable to them).
Here is the link to http://www.nationalmarriageweekusa.org/
Additionally, last year I wrote a post on marriage and aggregated quite a few online marriage resources. I am regurgitating them below because of the importance of the topic.
Christian Counseling of Mansfield
Focus on the Family – Free Marriage Booklets
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
There are many great Christian ministries out there. One that I get a daily email from is Parenting Today’s Teens. Below is their radio spot / podcast from yesterday. It describes the classic parent enabler — one that, understandibly, wants to “rescue” their teen or child and prevent them from pain. However, in doing so repeatedly, sets up a cycle of enabled bad behavior and delayed or reduced consequences.
It’s hard for some parents to allow their child to feel any form of pain from consequences, so they rescue them. But for teenagers, inappropriate behavior changes only when the pleasure received from wrong choices is overridden by the pain of consequences. I’m not talking about physical pain, but the loss of certain freedoms for a time.
So, parents need to learn to allow consequences happen, and not lessen them, or they’ll start a cycle of having to rescue their child again and again, from ever increasing wrongdoing, for their entire life.
They say it much better than I do. Go check out their website for some great resources and insight.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I love Christian radio! 88.5 FM WJIE is my first radio love. Recently, I have also been listening to K-LOVE at work. (Both radio stations can be streamed from their respective web pages.) Today while listening to K-LOVE I stumbled across one of their interesting news story links about “How to Spot a Healthy Church”. It was written by a pastor/cartoonist from Louisiana who also has a blog. And while perusing his blog I came across one of his postings that I thought summed up a true relationship with Jesus…..which is so crucial not only for salvation, but for true living the way He intended.
Here is his original post. However, I am quoting the end part which impacted me.
Two things need to be said about knowing the Lord.
1) It involves a dual relationship. The individual comes to a personal acquaintance with Jesus Christ and in the process the Lord Jesus comes to know that person and enters his/her life. From that moment on, the two are intertwined in a spiritual way that defies most attempts to categorize it.
2) It results in a different way of life characterized by fair-thinking and honest-dealing, by compassion toward others and a love for God.
Anything less may be religious, it may be impressive to the world, and it might even be said to be miracle-working. But it will not stand up at Judgment.
To sum it up, Jesus wants your heart, not your actions.
I think I am going to enjoy reading through some of Pastor Joe’s blog archive.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
In my life, I have seen many times where God alone provides for his faithful. He has done so for me — sometimes miraculously, other times mundanely — and he has done so for many of those who touch my life.
I haven’t heard of HeartCry Missionary Society. However, take a look at the video. Their mission and story is an amazing one.
God’s Extraordinary Provision for HeartCry – Paul Washer from HeartCry Missionary Society on Vimeo.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
