Trucking can be like a bad marriage...

Hey, thanks for those kind words!

That song partly sums it up! Having a free-spirited nature is what I strive for. We are given a short amount of time in this world, and I don't want to be bound by negative things, or much of anything for that matter!(cough*marraigeandrelationshipscomestomind*cough)

Me, intolerant? I tolerate much, and am willing to lend an ear or two to anyone! You don't give yourself enough credit. Even through the many posts that you've submitted on this thread alone, one could see how intelligent and thoughtful you are. You think about much in this life, and are able to portray a detailed account through your writing of the how's, the when's, the what-if's, etc. Not many people possess the ability to do what you do. Especially me since I have a bad habit of getting straight to the point with everything. For me to meticulously describe something in detailed writing tends to be a chore, so my brain subconsciously avoids my efforts. So, consider yourself blessed!

Don't ever forget that there are always people watching, even if you get the feeling that no one is!

 

I really haven't been paying attention to Japan, so it came as a shock to me when I found out that Japan had a few nuclear power plants. I used to serve in the Navy and read Navy related news. In one of those papers there was much talk about the USS Kitty Hawk, a ship powered by diesel, being replaced by the USS George Washington, a behemoth nuclear powered aircraft carrier. The article below is from an older Asian news source.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20080921-89058.html

The citizens of Japan were against having nuclear weapons and nuclear powered ships on their soil. There were protests and many demonstrators. So, that it why it came to me as a shock that Japan had reactors. Contradicting and controversial this is.

Nuclear energy is supposed to be clean. In a very basic nutshell, highly pressurized steam is created to turn turbines, which produce electricity. While this is supposed to be clean energy, what about the dark "dirty" side of nuclear energy? What about the waste generated and the radioactivity from the fuel source (uranium rods)? Now the world sits by and watch an out-of-control reactor that can't be shut down due to a potential reactor melt-down.

There is too much environmental destruction going on in the world no thanks to mankind's interventions.

 

I remember reading a story from Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles in my earlier years. The many countries on Earth were on the verge of an all-out nuclear war. In the story when the war broke out, it was stated that there were many bright flashes on earth that could be seen from Mars (don't remember the exact wording since it's been 18 years since I've read the book). Before I go off on a tangent, the point that I'm trying to make is that I highly doubt that mankind will last another 500 years into the future. Natural resources are constantly being depleted from the earth, the ecosystem is either being ruined or completely destroyed slowly (deforestation, over-fishing), etc. Maybe this will occur 20 years in the future, or 100 years in the future, but I can imagine the power-hungry and selfish nature of mankind obliterate themselves in an all-out war with super-weapons that are stronger than our current nuclear weapons.

After every river has been dried up, every tree and fruit-bearing plant has been uprooted or destroyed, after every animal disappears from the face of the earth, after everything is just gone....only will mankind realize that money can't be consumed.

There must be many hoodlums where you live! You stay safe out there.

 

Good descriptive language; I really like the post and the "souless being" description.

I too know of the type...

I grew up in the inner city about 2.5 miles north of downtown Boston. Don't get me wrong, the inner city "vibe" was strong - depressed looking area, run down propert, over crowding, drugs, crime, etc. The typical northeastern USA big city vibe (NYC, Boston)...but I never felt like my life was in jeopardy
.
Over time, the lower class pushed the middle class out; I don't necessarily mean strictly "poor" lower class, I mean the lower class who have no respect for community, society, themselves or others.

The city just changed...

I knew a kid from high school that lived up the street. We weren't really friends, more so acquaintences; we'd talk here and there. Anyway, he was shot in the face one summer night for $20....

$20 DOLLARS...

A person who would shoot someone for $20 dollars truely must be a hellbound, souless being like Ghostchild described...

You could barely buy a decent meal in Boston for $20, but there are people out there who will end your life and throw away theirs for pennies.

Five people I knew were killed in a 5 month span during this past summer.

Be safe out there this summer - especially the drivers. Long distance truckers can become an easy target since..

A: People assume your are unfamiliar with the area and naive.

B: Would take family longer to realize you are missing since you are generally gone for long periods of time anyway...

Be safe out there.

 

Unfortunately, most big cities are like this. The solution that I keep hearing about is something called "gentrification". I don't know if it's going to work, but it's a controversial solution to cleaning up these cities.

When I was growing up in Chicago, many people were murdered over name brand clothing; specifically "Starter" jackets. I'll never know why monsters would go out of their way to murder others over material things.

Just another reason for me to mostly keep to myself while driving over the road. Too many shady people with evil intentions are out here, and I would rather not be a part of it.