Google Geo Developers Blog: Fab Friday is How We Like It

Google Geo Developers Blog: Fab Friday is How We Like It

Why de Havilland DH 106 Comet Crashed - British Airline Disaster 1954

de Havilland DH 106 Comet

In 1954 an Entire fleet of de Havilland passenger jets were fatally flawed, causing Britain’s status in passenger jet transportation to be internationally questioned. The then Prime Minister of UK, Sir Winston Churchill, pulled out all of the stops to get to the bottom of the terrible aviation disasters that rocked the nation of Britain and the entire world. It was a post war time and de Havilland had made British Mosquito fighter bombers during the war - they had a famed reputation and were now trying to lead the way in large passenger jet transportation.

During the month of January 1954 the de Havilland DH 106 Comet took off from Rome on the final leg of its long distance flight from Singapore to London. On board were 35 passengers and crew. The design of the plane had manufacturing defects from repeated pressurisation. What followed was horrendous and brought about the eventual decline of de Havilland aircraft and was a disaster for British Overseas Airways Corporation.

 

 

Why UK Can't Blame Germany For Euro Crisis and EU Can't Blame UK for Referendum Desire Due to Inforced Fiscal Union and Growth of UKIP

Germany Successful

Germany is one nation in the EU that has worked hard to keep her house in order. Her economy is good and her manufacturing industry is fine. Unlike other EU countries, Germany is very successful. This is despite the fact that other nations in the EU are now in a crisis over the Euro currency which is causing a lot of hardship among countries inside the Eurozone. This is not Germany's fault. It is the responsibility of the countries that got themselves into the mess in the first place. A harsh thing to say, I have no doubt, but all I hear in my country of Britain; is that Germany is trying to control Europe.

Germany does not want to do such a thing. Collectively Europeans are at fault for steam rolling these changes of fiscal union through. The one Innocent country is Germany. She kept strong and spent what she could afford. Other debt ridden nations are now in trouble and need Germany to financially help them out. This is unfair on Germany because she is condemned if she does not help. Therefore she needs to make sure debt ridden nations implement strong austerity to pay back the loans. Again, Germany is being condemned for telling nations what to do. This is most unfair on the German nation. After all, Germany got her act right in the first place.

It is not Germany's fault

This cannot be blamed on Germany and this crisis will get sorted out - one way or another, despite what all the doom merchants across the planet are preaching. It might get worse before it gets any better, but I firmly believe it will put itself right. In the meantime, the UK is in danger from its volatile electorate who see the EU as developing from a Common Market of free trade into a federal United States of Europe steamrollered in through the back door. A great number of Brits fear this as do other European nations.
 
Danger of British Referendum

Pro European British Politicians are trying to ride the storm while anti-European Brits are trying to capitalise as the Euro Crisis storm rages. The anti-Euro can't afford to loose any opportunity to exploit this and get a referendum on British participation within the EU. The UKIP see their moment has come and they continue to feed Euro scepticism to the British electorate who might vote to withdraw if a referendum can take place at this time.

After the problems of the Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992, the British wisely stayed out of joining the Euro currency, but this has rebounded on her. She probably wants to join the Euro in the future when other nations have sorted out their problems - problems the UK did for see. This has left the UK in a catch 22 situation concerning future Euro currency membership. Her fears were proved very right in the short term, but even more damaging then UK politicians could predict. This will make it difficult for Britain to convince people to join the Euro one day in the future. In a strange way; the British were too correct in their fears and this could have an unwanted and lasting effect on the British electorate. One that anti-European British political parties enjoy and try to exploit.

 

UK Should Look at Joining Euro Currency in Future
 

The UK must seriously look at the future within the Euro currency. I can understand our reluctance to join the European single currency now, but in the long run, I feel sure it would be better for us to integrate more with our European neighbours. We must also help preserve the Eurozone from outside too. I'm not sure if the being alone aspect, outside the EU, will work in the world of today if the referendum comes and Britain leaves the EU. I think most of our politicians know this too but the anti-Euro referendum vote is in real danger of appealing to UK voters during a time of maximum fickleness. (for want of a better word)

Pro Euro Brits are correctly worried about a referendum vote at an inappropriate moment when the Eurozone is in real crisis. Millions of British voters could be persuaded to abandon the EU. In the long run this could ostracise the UK from all the benefits of what the real EU can achieve for us. The Unity of Europeans as got to be a dream for most people, but because Britain is an island race; it is hard to convince most that we are still Europeans. She has not witnessed or seen her boarders changing for many hundreds of years.

British Political Parties Fear UKIP
  

I think most of our politicians want the Eurozone to succeed, but dare not openly show  commitment to this for fear of giving more votes to the UKIP party led by Nigel Farage. This party can sit back and criticise without offering real alternatives to the situation; except to abandon ship and leave the EU. Their criticisms are often right, but their selfish solutions of cutting and running are not. Our much criticised British MPs, who are trying to help, behind closed doors, are up against all sorts of odds at the moment, in this tricky European political climate. Never have our politicians had to do politics on such an intricate level. They are walking a tightrope trying to avoid a British referendum upon a fickle population that can only see a few inches in front of their faces and help a Europe in deep crisis - one they expected, yet not nearly as disastrous.

EU Structure Needs To Change

 

The bureaucracy of the EU is not helping either, because it is developing and is in infancy, where EU presidents are concerned. The whole EU package is unfolding at a fast pace, while the UKIP party rightly points out the unfairness. The flaws being; the lack of electoral processes concerning an unelected EU president. However, at this moment in time; how many of us Europeans would even study EU manifestos and things? If the EU is going in the direction I think it is; fiscal and federal union, then the bull had to be taken by the horns and a president had to come. The rights and wrongs of President Van Rompuy being an unelected president are clear now. Europeans are taking interest in this matter. Perhaps it is time to tweak the mechanism and start forming European parties for election across Europe, where by European citizens get a say in who they elect as president? This President of the EU matter, is a good topic of conversation to come to light and could be good for Europeans as a whole if we tackle the situation positively. We (Europeans) are not fond of this unelected situation (Even though President Van Rompuy is surely a very decent person) so lets hope something constructive is done about it. Not pull out of Europe as Nigel Farage and the UKIP party want us Brits to do.

Much of what UKIP criticise about concerning the EU might be correct, but discontinuing Britain's membership is completely wrong. We can join other Europeans and change these things for the better. There must be loads of French, German, Italian, Spanish and other great European peoples who have the same view concerning unelected presidents. We don't quit and run! We look for alternatives within the EU and make it better. This is progress and we British must look at things from this perspective rather then leaving the EU because we don't like the way it is being run at present.  

UKIP Point Out Flaws in EU but have Negative Solutions
 

It is a real swings and roundabout issue for all of the EU, and organisations like UKIP can just sit there and point out all the EU shortcomings without solutions. As a European tool, perhaps the UKIP might have an inadvertent roll to play by pointing out the bad policies of the EU, but they are only a tool - not a real alternative for the UK.

UKIP will not want the EU to have time to get its act together and they fear the idea of Europeans getting electoral manifestos because Europeans (including British people) might begin to look at Europe as a whole - something that destroys UKIP aims - to cut and run - be ostracised with no say in world affairs.

I think UKIP want their British electorate nice and fickle for a British Referendum - fed on the criticisms of the EU crises and the idea of unelected presidents. They will only offer one solution; cut and run - leave the EU. There will be no other vote concerning changing the inner political mechanism of the EU which many other European peoples want to do. That would bring about stronger fiscal union which UKIP can ill afford.

In this tv interview Nigel Farage says so many things that are correct. He even massages other nations egos. He is a very clever man, but he has one aim: Pull the UK out of the EU.

I strongly believe UKIP solutions are less well presented then their correct criticisms. I have heard Nigel Farage say that Germany is dominating Europe. Then when Chancellor Merkel appears to listen to reason and softens slightly to Spanish and Italian needs; Nigel Farage begins to present Germans in a different light. He is suddenly condescending to ordinary German voters. Again, what he says is right, but it is easy to be observant of these issues and criticise them. Putting these things right is much more difficult and again; UKIP's only option is; cut and run - leave the EU.

Is EU Moving too Fast?

Perhaps the EU is moving too fast where fiscal integration is concerned. The European Parliament seems to think all the different peoples are of the same mind set. They are not, and sometimes the steam rollered policies move too quickly. True - the Eurozone crisis of the Southern European nations has not helped, but the introduction of a currency, not properly revised, is the cause of much of this. Maybe the dominating nations expected all other countries to be like them. The differences were not taken into account. Maybe the 'car crach' policies being introduced are the only way forward - grabbing the bull by the horns - so to speak. If it works in the long run then it might be correct. However, I can see the UK breaking away from the EU if the politics of this (car crash) method are not considered more intricately. The UK needs to be considered because of the volatile electorate and the political gains of UKIP. Pro-Euro Brits are having a difficult time trying to walk this tightrope, which I believe will come good in the long run.

I'm not trying to say that the EU is wrong either - all this is for a later long term good. It does need to take other countries into account and ostracising the UK for veto using is dangerous in the long run too. The UK contribute the second largest amount of money to EU after Germany. France contribute a greater amount but claims back much more in subsidies (Giving with one hand and taking back a huge chunk with the other.) The over all net gain from UK remaining inside the EU treasuary of contributions, is second most and, again; in the long run, this is something the EU should not dismiss lightly.


 

 

Could There Be Life On Other Planet "Full Documentry"

Great documentary that stirs the imagination and tells of exciting projects of the future. One that wants to find planets in the 'Goldilocks Zone' of a star system. Not too hot - not too cold. Just right for carbon based life forms.

What Theories and Questions About Life on Mars Remain

Theories

Scientists and Theorists will not give up on the Martian question of life. Many cling to the notion that Mars might be a dead planet that once sustained life. Gradually ideas are eliminated only to be replaced by new ones. The hope of 'once there was life.' remains and so many explorations and experiments remain. Unmanned space craft are sent to scratch the surface and find evidence of 'once there was life.'

Questions

Some of the rock formations puzzle geologists and pose questions that once water might have been there. Why did it all end if the planet was once on the journey to evolve carbon based lifeforms. Perhaps a violent ecological disaster might be the reason for the sterile landscape that teases of 'once there was life.'

Why Eunuch Bob Loves Hareem Lilly



Lilly and her Bodyguard
Eunuch Bob

Hareem Lilly always wants to respond to the big Tabby Tom’s Meowing now that she is a big girl, but her bodyguard, Eunuch Bob, stands sentinel over the Kingdom of our Garden, ferociously driving off poor Tom, who is dying to get better acquainted with Hareem Lilly - the forbidden fruit.

Hareem Lilly

Lilly Loves and plays with Eunuch Bob, but he can’t quite do the things that she might want Tom to do with her, because poor old Eunuch Bob was doctored before we got him.  We would love Hareem Lilly to get out a bit, but Bob follows her and herds her back to the Kingdom of our Garden every time she tries to get next door.

Tabby Tom might have the things necessary for Hareem Lilly to one day hear the patter of tiny paws.  Sadly, when it comes to displaying them before confronting Eunuch Bob; he is extremely lacking on this front. In fact, he has no front at all. I sometimes think that Tabby Tom lends them to Eunuch Bob, because he sounds off like he has a pair whenever any Tom gets anywhere near the Kingdom of our Garden.

Eunuch Bob

Eunuch Bob must let Lilly go out and let her hair down a bit. She needs to kick up her paws and live a little so that we can all rejoice over the patter of tiny paws. Eunuch Bobs takes things very seriously, but he is a very big fat lovely cat with Hareem Liliy’s interests at heart.

Why Pussy Riot Russian Girls Went Too Far.

There is nothing wrong with criticising their President if they want to express this and there was nothing wrong with their stage act. However, the Cathedral was not their venue. They did not have permission to do such a thing in this place and they are showing disrespect for the religious people who use the place.

I'm not religious, but if I wanted to protest or speak out against someone; why would I choose someone elses home or property to make such a statement. Why break into a church, mosque or synagogue to have a whinge at a political leader. They played into the hands of the person they had a pop at. They are so stupid to do things in this way. What would you, the reader, do if they set up shop in your garden? 

There is nothing wrong with protesting and voicing an opinion, but if you want to disrespect everyone else, while making a point, and ride rough shod over their property to do this, then I believe you are very wrong indeed. The prison sentence is correct in my opinion, though it has given these silly ladies much fame. Perhaps their protest deserves to be heard, but the people who worship and take their belief to this Russian Cathedral deserve to be heard too. They should enjoy the liberty of their belief without fools violating it. Go somewhere else and protest - the venue the Pussy Riot Girls chose was extremely inappropriate.