Tomorrow, Jan. 27, is the 50th anniversary of the launch pad fire that killed the Apollo 1 crew, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. What was supposed to be a routine systems test became a funeral pyre when a flash fire fueled by the pure oxygen inside the Apollo roared through the capsule interior. Subsequent investigations revealed significant design flaws and faulty procedures. This resulted in a complete redesign of the Apollo capsule and revamped rules and regulations.

Transgender Suicide Hotline Founder Detained At Border

The founder of a transgender helpline has been detained in Arizona at a random immigration checkpoint. When the van was stopped last Wednesday night, TransLifeline founder Nina Chaubal was detained.

John Glenn passed away today.

All the heros are getting old and dieing, and I don't see people to take their places. Each generation should have heros, real bonafide heros.

Stories without endings. I live in a city with a major state university. Listening to my scanner today there was a call for a welfare check. People were reporting a girl on the parking garage at the union that seemed out of it. She wouldn't respond to people and she had 'an odd look in her eyes'.

The university police responded to the garage and the first one on the scene reported she was standing on the top rail of the top deck of the garage. A fall from there would be three stories down to concrete.

I just wrote a six paragraph comment, took me a good 15-20 minutes and several tissues. Rechecked and ready to go, I hit Preview. What I got back was that damn 503 error. When everything came back it goes without saying (but I'm going to) my piece was gone. As I wrote it from the heart and in the right mood I know I won't be able to rewrite it.

It was just after midnight CST, and if my memory serves me correctly it happened at about the same time a couple of days ago.
Is there a set time for this to happen?

Reading about an accident locally where a little boy was run over while riding his bike and dragged under the car. It reminded me of a story about a little boy that was run over by an elderly neighbor. He's in bad shape but docs have to wait for his parents to return from England to get permission to basically perform SRS on the boy. The parents are caught up in the 9/11 aftermath with no flights being allowed in or out of the country. But it seems our little boy has some ideas of his own!

Anybody?

For anybody is interested I have had my stories reposted. I was planning on reworking some to correct flaws and mistakes readers pointed out, but I just decided "Hell with it!" and asked Erin to make them available. Feel free to look them over and post a comment asking for clarification or to report problems.

I recommend these stories to start with. They best reflect where I'm at currently. Warning! These are not feel-good stories and may upset some. I urge you to exit right away if you find them upsetting.

Saw this the other day and thought it might be of interest.

New honorfic

Can you accurately draw a bicycle? Here's an artist that took drawings and built bicycles according to the drawings. Great Piccys!

Bicycle Art

Karen Taylor shared Steve Rudner's post.
Just now ·

A friend on FB sent this to me, and I thought I'd pass it on.

Steve Rudner
April 14 at 5:03pm ·

I've run across some articles that may be of interest to everybody. Apparently this last year saw a record number of murders of transgender people.

The Transgender Murder Crisis: Why Were There So Many Killings in 2015?

There are days like today I wish I could pick up the phone and call my mother, just one more time.

If somebody has already posted this I apologize, but listening to this has become a Thanksgiving tradition for me. So without further adieu, follow this link to hear Alice's Restaurant Masacree by Arlo Guthrie, with the lyrics as video.

Alice's Restaurant

Trying to find a story I read several years ago. Mom wants son to get a haircut, son refuses. Mom makes a deal, if he can keep his hair off his collar for 30 days he can keep it. Son learns a variety of updos with his mom's help. But one evening he and his mom are seen at a drive-in by two of the really popular girls when he has his hair in a Gibson Girl style. They recuit him to help them get away from their abusive boyfriends.

Ran across this on the Hello Giggles website, co-sponsored by Zooey Deschanel. Its about coping with yours and other's feelings.