Birth of the space age
The “Astronaut from the County” story caught my eye and reminded me how I listened in on the birth of the space age, probably before anybody else except the Russians.
On Oct. 4, 1957, I was a newly minted and very young Army intelligence analyst stationed in Germany. The old warrant officer in our section gathered a few of us into the com section, turned up the speakers and told us to pay attention.
He told us young guys (the night shift) that we might not appreciate what we were listening to, but someday we would. About an hour later, our intercept stations picked up the now famous “beeping” as the Soviet satellite named Sputnik I settled into an earth orbit and “stayed” up there.
It was the birth of the “Space Age” and the launching of the space crisis events of the Cold War. The Soviets had beaten us to space. The subsequent panic within our government to “catch up” motivated Congress to create the National Defense Student Loan Program that helped finance my college education following the Army. The Stafford Student Loan Program is still a legacy of Sputnik I all these years later.
Peter Duston
Former Russian Linguist
US Army
Cherryfield
The dress code
I have worn a beard and a mustache most of my adult life, and have had a beard for 45-plus years. I had to be clean shaven and couldn’t have sideburn halfway down while I was in high school. That was the dress code.
I know times have changed, but I don’t think a middle school or high school student should have a beard or mustache, or provocative clothes. I know someone will say that, well it’s their right, but I don’t think wearing a beard or mustache for boys or provocative clothes for girls should be a right. Sometimes we have to draw the line. It might not be fair, but guess what, life isn’t fair. Get over it.
When you get out in the world, you might have to wear a uniform, suit, safety equipment or hairnets (if you are around food), get there at prescribed hours, take orders, do work you don’t like, not get paid what you want, work with people you don’t like. You get the idea.
Wearing a beard or mustache in middle school or high school is not respecting a dress code that most of us had to go through. That’s what I think, and I’ll bet a lot of parents agree. Stop coddling your kids; raise them to be adults, not whiners.
Gary King
Howland
A free ride?
The April 18 BDN article on electric vehicles makes them sound idyllic, but doesn’t address any of the down sides of owning or operating them.
There’s no mention of the effect on the environment caused by the manufacture or disposal of the batteries those vehicles use. The story notes that “electricity is cheaper than gas”, but makes no mention of the effect on the environment of the sources of that electricity.
If the source is solar, hydro or wind energy, that’s great; but what if the electricity is from coal or oil-fired generators? Then there’s the consideration that those driving electric vehicles aren’t buying gasoline at all or as much as they would otherwise buy, so they’re not paying gasoline taxes. Those go to support road construction and maintenance — so the drivers are literally getting a “free ride” on Maine’s highways, leaving everyone else to maintain them.
Michael P. Gleason
Bangor