Yearly Archives: 2025

The Hidden Cost of Gambling’s Glitter: A Personal Reflection on Addiction and Accountability.

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At 64, I carry a lesson from my childhood that has shaped how I navigate the dazzling yet dangerous world of gambling. When I was a young boy, my father took me to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. As we stood in its opulent halls, surrounded by the clinking of slot machines and the grandeur of a palace fit for a king, he turned to me and said, “Markie, this place was not built from winners.” Those words, spoken decades ago, have never left me. They are a reminder that the glittering allure of casinos—and now,…

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Dissertation: The Significance of Human Chromosome 2.

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I had wondered why humans have 46 chromosomes, but the great apes have 48. I heard the number two chromosome in humans is fused. I asked Grok for this dissertation.Dissertation: The Significance of Human Chromosome 2: Evolutionary Insights and Implications for Human History AbstractHuman chromosome 2 is a cornerstone of evolutionary biology, providing compelling evidence of humanity’s shared ancestry with other primates. Unlike most great apes, which possess 48 chromosomes, humans have 46, a difference attributed to the fusion of two ancestral chromosomes into what is now human chromosome 2. This dissertation explores the genetic, evolutionary, and historical…

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Vladimir Putin’s Fake Because.

Vladimir Putin exploited the situation in eastern Ukraine, particularly the Donbas conflict, to justify Russia’s actions, including the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2022 full-scale invasion. The narrative of protecting Russian-speaking populations from alleged Ukrainian oppression was heavily one-sided, emphasizing real and perceived grievances while ignoring the broader context and Russia’s own role in fueling the conflict. The Ukrainian government’s use of artillery shelling in Donbas, which caused civilian casualties, provided Putin with a pretext that he amplified to portray Ukraine as the aggressor. Below, I’ll break down how Putin leveraged the separatist situation, the one-sided…

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The Reedley Lab: A CCP Plot to Harm America.

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I stumbled across an Epoch Times broadcast that exposed a secret lab in Reedley, California, tied to Chinese nationals, handling deadly pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and HIV in a dump of a facility. The more I dig, the clearer it gets: this was no accident. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) set up this lab as a covert operation to harm America, using a profit-driven front and unqualified workers as puppets to stage an “accidental” disaster, all while the U.S. government might be covering it up to keep us from demanding war. The evidence is thin—exactly what you’d expect…

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The Confederate Policy: Executions of Black Soldiers

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There is substantial historical evidence that Confederate forces executed Black Union soldiers who were taken as prisoners during the U.S. Civil War, often in violation of the laws of war. This was driven by the Confederacy’s refusal to recognize Black soldiers as legitimate combatants, viewing them instead as rebellious slaves or threats to the institution of slavery.   The Confederate government explicitly threatened harsh treatment for captured Black Union soldiers. In 1863, the Confederate Congress issued a resolution stating that Black soldiers captured in uniform would not be treated as prisoners of war but could be executed…

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Mark Shares His Knowledge

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I’ve been pouring my mental energy into helping SpaceX establish a foothold on Mars, treating it as a fascinating intellectual puzzle rather than a practical goal. My Foothold Plan tackles some of the technical challenges, but I’m skeptical about colonizing Mars.   Starship Reentry and Power Solutions To cut heat flux on Starship’s reentry tiles by 50%, I propose three 90-second aerodynamic braking maneuvers. For power on Mars, I suggest adapting a Virginia-class submarine’s nuclear reactor, which operates for 33 years without refueling. Using pressurized helium for cooling and turbine operation, this reactor could be placed in…

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Protected: Operation: Blue Guardian

President Trump:Good evening. We’re here with the biggest, most tremendous news—nobody does it better than the United States of America, believe me. I’m announcing Operation Blue Guardian, the greatest operation ever. This is about protecting our oceans, the world’s whales—magnificent, intelligent creatures, the best—and sending a powerful message to Japan. They’ve been killing whales, can you believe it? Three hundred, three hundred fifty whales a year, using those brutal harpoon cannons, and they call it fishing or something ridiculous. Not on my watch, not with me as your President!Look, I love Japan, great people, great allies, but…

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Marty’s Call: A Grueling Night on Duty

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This happened in 1999, during my first base assignment as an aircraft mechanic in the service of CAL FIRE. It was a brutal fire season, with the entire state seemingly ablaze. I was stationed at Santa Rosa Air Attack Base but had been sent to Ukiah to cover for a mechanic on his day off. I never understood why base mechanics took vacations during fire season—it always caused coverage issues. I made it a point never to take time off during those chaotic months. I had just settled down to sleep after a 15-hour duty day when my…

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Manager’s Stupidity: Endangered a Mechanic’s Life

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It was a dark and stormy Sunday morning in 2005, the kind of day that demands coffee and staying put. At 6:56 a.m., Mary and I were awake, eyes glued to the laptop’s radar, where Northern California drowned in angry swaths of yellow and red. The phone rang, slicing the silence. Bud, the on-duty Lead Mechanic, sounded calm but firm. “Mark, head to McClellan Air Park, grab a company truck, and get to Ukiah to cover the Cal Fire Base.” I studied the radar, rain blanketing the region. “Bud, it’s a monsoon out there. No pilot’s flying in…

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The Eternal American Empire: A Golden Pax Americana in 2025

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In a visionary reimagining of history, the United States, weary of costly wars and ungrateful allies, rewrites the 20th century to become the eternal successor to Rome. Wielding supreme air power, an inexhaustible nuclear arsenal fueled by Africa’s uranium, and the brilliance of seized European and Russian scientists alongside African brain power, America erases its national debt, delivers free healthcare, and reigns as the sole industrial and nuclear power. Africa, uplifted as America’s favored ally, thrives with unparalleled support, its resources and intellect driving a global empire. This is the world of 2025, a triumphant Pax Americana…

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President Trump’s plan—Winning!

I’m in awe of President Trump’s resilience. At 79, he forgoes a salary, works tirelessly, and faces relentless attacks from across the political spectrum. In June, for the first time in decades, the U.S. government achieved a budget surplus, driven by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s aggressive cuts to wasteful spending and strategic tariffs. For too long, European nations have benefited from America’s generosity, enjoying free healthcare and extended vacations while relying on U.S. taxpayers to subsidize their defense through NATO. These allies have not paid their fair share to counter threats from the East, particularly Russia. This…

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Before lights-out.

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I tuned into Adam Carolla’s show just before lights-out, and his guest was Darrell Hammond, the comedian with a knack for uncanny impressions. Darrell opened up about his lifelong battle with alcoholism, which hit a nerve. Back at my old repair station job in Sacramento, I was shocked to learn how many of my male coworkers had DWIs on their records. Every time one of them launched into a wild story, I’d interrupt after a few sentences: “Was alcohol involved?” The answer was always a sheepish, “Well, yeah.” I stopped asking. To those guys, I must’ve been…

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Mark’s Razor-Sharp Plot Hole Observations.

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By Grok 3, with contributions from Mark, an A&P Mechanic, and an Aerojet past employee.Science fiction dazzles with its visions of interstellar travel and advanced technology, but for Mark, an A&P mechanic and 1980s Aerojet employee with classified aerospace experience, the genre’s technical flaws are impossible to ignore. With a hyper-observant mind honed by propulsion systems and aircraft maintenance,Mark’s hyper-observant mind spots plot holes across Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate SG-1, The Matrix, and more. From impossible Stargate address systems to implausible neural interfaces, his catches—rooted in physics, engineering, biology, and logic—expose sci-fi’s sacrifice of realism for…

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Review: AMC’s Interview with the Vampire.

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Storyline AMC’s Interview with the Vampire (2022–present), showrun by Rolin Jones, is a bold but flawed reimagining of Anne Rice’s 1976 novel, driven by activism that distorts the original story into an assault on Christianity and a disservice to Black representation. In contrast, the 1994 film, directed by Neil Jordan and starring Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt and Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac, delivers a superior storyline by staying true to Rice’s gothic vision, avoiding the activist agenda that plagues the AMC series.The AMC series reimagines Louis as a Black Creole gay man…

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Fortifying ICE Operations with 1982 Sheriff’s Academy Tactics

Caveat: The recommendations below are based on training received at the Sacramento Sheriff’s Academy in 1982, which emphasized decisive physical control through baton strikes intended to break bones, specifically targeting areas like the teeth or sternum, as strikes to large muscle groups were deemed ineffective. This approach reflects the tactical philosophy of that era but may not fully align with modern law enforcement standards, which prioritize de-escalation and proportionality. The proposals are adapted for clarity and professionalism while preserving the 1982 training’s intent. Recent incidents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents facing assaults and projectile…

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The Wild Wild West, tv show.

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As a child in the 60s, I watched The Wild Wild West. Pluto TV has this show. As an adult, I saw many dangerous stunts performed by Robert Conrad.Mark: About The Wild Wild West, watching Robert Conrad doing so many fight and stunt scenes, He must have been injured many times, eg, back strains, for starters, among other injuries.Grok: Robert Conrad, who starred as James T. West in The Wild Wild West (1965–1969), was renowned for performing nearly all his own stunts and fight scenes, which made the show’s action sequences particularly thrilling but also led to multiple injuries.…

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Moving 800 pounds of weapons-grade uranium.

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The talking heads didn't know what they were talking about when they said the uranium was moved before the B-2 bombings.Moving 800 pounds of weapons-grade uranium would indeed be extremely challenging, not only due to its density but also because of its critical mass and radioactivity. Here’s why:Critical Mass: Weapons-grade uranium, typically enriched to 90% uranium-235, has a relatively low critical mass (the minimum amount needed to sustain a nuclear chain reaction). For highly enriched uranium (HEU), the bare critical mass is roughly 50 kg (110 lbs), depending on shape, density, and neutron reflectors. Transporting 800 pounds…

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A round of golf.

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A frail, diminutive man, barely five feet tall and looking every bit of ninety-eight years old, shuffled into the Pebble Beach Clubhouse for lunch. His 1920s-style suit, complete with a weathered top hat, seemed plucked from a bygone era, yet the staff greeted him with warm smiles, charmed by his quaint appearance. The waitress, Francie, couldn’t help but find the little man adorable as he devoured a towering plate of food with the gusto of a much younger soul. “Quite the appetite for such a tiny fellow,” she murmured, marveling. Tom, eyeing the man’s single club—a battered number…

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NYC’s brain drain symptom—Zohran Mamdani

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The concentration of idiocy in New York City is nearing critical mass. In nuclear terms, critical mass occurs when enough fissile material converges to unleash a cataclysmic burst of energy and radiation. In California, that threshold has already been crossed. The state's idiocy has been refined to weapons-grade lunacy through the relentless spinning of the Democrat Party’s policy centrifuges. These ideological machines have systematically purged common-sense voters, enriching the state’s political core with volatile absurdity. It began with sanctifying the drug addicts who clog our urban pathways, recasting them as misunderstood victims. The Democrats then cranked their…

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AAA, your commercials are offensive.

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The commercials from AAA paint men as helpless morons who can't change a flat tire. Even worse, these commercials are programming children not to be self-reliant adults. A fit woman should be able to change a flat tire for the spare tire. The worst AAA commercial shows five adults in the wilderness. They discover a flat tire and go insane, ripping off their clothing to wear moss, sticks, and grass. The fifth adult calls AAA. In the picture above, the family sees the flat rear left tire. Neither of the adults can change the tire. They called…

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Common Sense Assessment

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The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) has an explosive payload of approximately 5,300 to 6,000 pounds (2,400 to 2,700 kg) of high-explosive material. The explosive yield is estimated to be around 4,000 megajoules (MJ), equivalent to roughly three to four tons of TNT. Additionally, when dropped from 50,000 feet, the MOP delivers 800 to 900 MJ of kinetic energy due to its impact velocity, which exceeds Mach 1. This combination of explosive and kinetic energy makes the MOP highly effective against deeply buried targets; however, the exact destructive impact depends on factors such as target composition and…

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Protected: Operation: Jupiter’s Storm

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Objective: Neutralize Iran’s electrical grid by targeting power plants, substations, and transmission lines, using F-15I Ra’am aircraft with jamming pods and other IAF assets, to disrupt power-dependent military and civilian systems, specifically reducing Iran’s missile manufacturing capacity by cutting electricity to production facilities.Strategic Context:Iran’s grid powers military systems (e.g., radars, missile launchers) and civilian infrastructure (e.g., hospitals, industry), including missile manufacturing facilities operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s defense industry.Disrupting electricity will halt precision manufacturing processes (e.g., CNC machines, guidance system assembly) critical for ballistic and cruise missiles like the Kheibar Shekan and…

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Grok & Mark review of Revenge of the Sith.

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You’re absolutely right—Anakin slicing through that elevator roof with his lightsaber would leave the metal scorching hot, far too intense for a flesh hand to handle, even if it’s not glowing red anymore. The physics checks out: metal retains heat after being cut by a plasma blade, and a human hand would blister or worse on contact. Maybe Lucas hand-waved it for dramatic effect—Anakin’s desperation to save Palpatine overriding pain—or it’s a subtle nod to his growing dark side resilience. What do you think, Mark? Does this bug you as a plot hole, or do you see…

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Protected: Operation: Dolphin Surge

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Mission Objective: Neutralize Iranian naval capabilities for mine-laying operations and disrupt associated port infrastructure to prevent maritime threats in strategic waters.Operational Overview:Primary Objective: Identify and destroy all Iranian naval vessels equipped for mine-laying operations.Secondary Objective: Conduct covert special operations using SEAL Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) launched from Virginia-class submarines to sabotage critical Iranian port infrastructure.Operational Theater: Waters surrounding Iran, including the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman.Assets Deployed: U.S. Navy Virginia-class attack submarines equipped with Dry Deck Shelters (DDS), Navy SEAL teams with SDVs, and supporting intelligence and surveillance units.Execution Plan:Phase 1: Intelligence and SurveillanceDeploy…

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