Connected my recent post about the Internet’s Official Birthday in January 1983. In answer to the above prompt a historical event that fascinates me is the birth of Elon Musk.
I had to Google his birth date,so I’m assuming it’s correct.
Googling
Elon was 12 when the internet had its official birthday. By 21 he was well on the way to joining the super rich fraternity as the developer and owner of Pay Pal,which without the Internet would have been a non-starter.
PayPal a global payment process which revolutionised money transfers and gained Worldwide acceptance.It made the Big Banks look foolish and slow.
Elon,I do wonder if that’s his real name,went on to start Tesla ,an electric car manufacturing Company and also Space X.
He, rightly or wrongly (from a financial view ) bought out Twitter which he unbelievably rebranded as “X”.
His concerns seemed related to Social Media Freedom. He’s now trying to change “X” into Instagram,and gradually us Twitterers are losing our ability to tweet.Still unclear on his business logic with that one,but I don’t hold it against him.It is Social Media afterall.
Now Space X is a different matter.Elon Musk rocket has saved astronauts lives.Without his vision and tenacity,the Space Station would be a coffin in Space.
Space X has come to the rescue of Boeing,the great American conglomerate whose project “Starliner ” was deemed ” too risky “by NASA to bring astronauts safely back from the Space Station.
Elon proudly X’s about the rockets returning to their reusable launch pads and it is impressive and if rockets can be environmentally friendly then certainly reuse is key.
Personally I think rockets are nasty and smelly though I suppose if you have Elon Musk’s vision,perhaps the only way the human race will survive.
It strikes me that the media figure who is Mr Musk is like any Media figure ;a creation. It’s hard to know what he’s really like or what he believes in .
At heart Elon Musk is a little boy who did well starting his own business and went on to make his dreams about Cars and Space Travelling Rockets a reality and his birth date certainly is a fascinating historical event.
Updated 18/03/25 : May the two astronauts who are returning today after 9 months in space return safe and sound to Earth and their families.
The smile and laughter of a young girl in a wheelchair that I played badminton with.
We were in a large games hall and we didn’t use the net.My objective was to keep the shuttlecock close to her so she could return it,which she did It was great fun and very rewarding to me to see how much she enjoyed it.
Her happiness was the biggest compliment I could ever have.
You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus , car or bike?
Well , Travel can be an education, but it can also be an escape. It’s sad that the human race have many avenues to escape. Travel, Drugs , Constant Entertainment on multiple devices, constant gossip about other people.
Supposed you just stayed still and dealt with what is around you. You see someone suffering , you help them. The downward economy wants to make you feel useless, without any power. The elite in their Ivory Towers look down on those who are trying to get by. The Elite don’t just get by, they have everything, they look after their own and they’re success is based on using others.
Yes, escape would be nice , but it’s not the answer. The journey is to make things better and for that you just don’t need any of these:
Airplane– Polluter of the Environment, Airports use up valuable land and ruin the environment and for Who?
Train– Overcrowded and Expensive if you live in the UK.
Bus – Quite sociable , but diesel engines are horrendous polluters and bus routes are inadequate for a lot of people
Bike – Don’t get me started on bikes, it’s not just a bike anymore , it’s a fashion statement, it’s a health monitor, it’s a purveyor of energy drink and hydration requirements. You stay at home and practice on your Peleton Software, so you can do a circuitous route on Country roads, avoiding potholes and eating your energy bar at your midway Cafe stop.
So before you travel, think what is around you and see if you can make it better.
Meanwhile the dogs and Tommy made good progress, fortunately Tedi’s navigation brought them through two Country Parks, they were called Langley Country Park and Black Country Park. They were safe places for the dogs to be , the weather was pleasant and not too cold even though it was night time, there was good ground coverage of trees and shrubs that they could all hide when necessary.
Bruno kept watch all the time, he was wary of people , however as they walked through the woodland and across the heathland of South Buckinghamshire, the only thing they could hear and see was the nocturnal wildlife that surrounded them. There were many bats flying around , the dogs listened as they whizzed through the air. Tommy wasn’t frightened as the dogs didn’t seem bothered by them and increasingly as Tommy’s eyes became accustomed to the dark, he began to see more and more.
There were lots of voles wandering around, they smelt the dogs and would move back into their little burrows, but the mice seemed oblivious and scurried around in the twigs and moss underneath their feet. Tommy heard and saw frogs and toads, and the air was full of insects, which buzzed around them and drove the bats crazy. Hedgehogs wandered back and forward scurrying along and sometimes you could hear them crunching on the shells of snails and munching on slugs.
Bruno signalled to Tommy that he wanted to go off alone, so Tommy untied himself. Tedi understood and stayed close to Tommy, they were both at the front. They heard a scurrying and snuffling sound that was near them as they approached some woodland. They had came across a Badger Sett, which had a few families of badgers within it, all the families were out , looking for food and getting some fresh air, the cubs were playing and although the parents heard the approach of Tommy and the group , they were not frightened. To the badgers, the little group were part of nature, they smelt just like them. So Tommy gleefully looked on as he walked by and saw the cubs wrestling and playing and screeching and squeaking.
Tedi though kept up the pace, and Tommy kept going, as they walked through the woodland they noticed picnic tables where food had been dropped and apart from Tommy who had a rucksack with fresh food in it, the dogs scavenged a little, but it was not the best of food and they were wary of getting sick. As Tedi explained to them, it wouldn’t be long before they’d have the best of food and a nice bed to lie in.
They reached the end of the wood and Tedi looked up in the sky and checked the stars against his internal GPS.
” Yes, we are heading in the right direction”. He thought to himself.
The terrain they came to after the forest was known as the Carr, it was a landform that is a type of waterlogged wooded terrain, that is a precursor to the formation of land. The land became marshy and there were a lot of shrubs. The dogs sensed the wetness and tried their best to find a way that wasn’t too marshy.
It was then that a group of Roe Deer appeared in the distance being chased by Bruno. Tommy watched fascinated as Bruno ran around them and chased them backwards and forwards. They were getting tired and Bruno was going at full pelt. Tedi and the other dogs looked in awe, however , they all stood still as they knew what was coming next.
One of the deer slipped in the muddy ground and fell and within moments , Bruno , being the Podenco he was , jumped on him and the other deer ran even faster away from the inevitable fate of one of their own.
“What is he doing?” Tommy asked. Tedi looked at him , he couldn’t explain it , it was nature, it was a natural instinct in hunting dogs. The deer would make a good meal for the dogs and then they would be on their way.
By the time they reached Bruno , the deer was dead and Bruno signalled to the dogs to have their fill. Tommy wandered off to a nearby stream so he wouldn’t see them eat and then joined the other dogs. The meat was delicious and by the time they had finished there was nothing left apart from the bones. There was no denying it , it was the best meal any of them had ever had.
It gave them energy for the next phase of their journey and Tommy had understood the importance to them and that it was natural. However, he was certainly put off when he saw the faces of the dogs all covered in blood and led them back to where he had been sitting to have a drink and he helped them clean up. As soon as this was done they continued on their journey, the dogs with renewed energy. Bruno dutifully linked up with Tommy as before. It was going to be hard for the little boy and he needed all the help he could get.
They walked through the marshy area and through more forest until eventually they came to a car park at the end of the Country Park. The moon had disappeared and the first birds were beginning to sing. They would need to find somewhere to shelter as Tedi and the other dogs could smell rain in the air. Bruno thought that it would be best if they followed the road, there weren’t many cars at this time of night. So they padded along gently heading West. Whenever they saw the lights of a car or a delivery van they hid in the undergrowth beside the road.
They came to what looked like an abandoned farm, there were many buildings that looked disused. It was three hours since they left the Country Park and they were all tired and it was getting light. Tedi and Bruno , said to the others to wait while they checked the farm out. Luckily quite near the road was an old barn, which had straw in it , but no sign of any other animals.
” This will do” Tedi said,” We can stay here until it’s dark again tonight and tomorrow we will be home.”
Bruno went off to get the others. They were all ready for a sleep, but it was agreed that one dog would stay awake and be on guard to listen out for anything untoward. So they lay down together, while each dog took turns guarding to protect the others while they were asleep.
Tommy was exhausted and after having some of the juice he had in his rucksack and a sandwich, he fell asleep almost immediately and slept soundly. Bruno lay beside him to keep him warm.
What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?
To have realistic plans is good.
To realise that not everyone has your best interests at heart,but that doesn’t mean they are bad people.It just means they are not the right people for you .
Where possible try and maintain your freedom from banality and impossible goals or targets.
Negativity is not all bad,sometimes you can call it reality.Life is many shades of colour.
Totally unaware of the kidnapping rendezvous and the capture of the kidnapper , Tedi , Tommy and Bruno and his friends continued their journey.
Tedi and Bruno had developed a very close bond. Tedi knew he could rely on Bruno to help him get back home safely with Tommy. Bruno was originally from Spain and was a type of hunting dog called a Podenco. He was mischievous and knew the ways of the world.
As dogs, on their first meeting within seconds they both knew everything about each other, their health , their history and also their honesty. As they travelled together Tedi picked up on the hard times Bruno had been through. There was a sadness about Bruno that was always present.
Bruno was fascinated by the images of the Big House, the Countryside and the Fields, in turn Tedi picked up on Bruno escaping off a boat that was being used by drug dealers to land drugs off the coast. He had made his way to London, and lived rough for about seven years. He had loads of friends and loads of adventures, but he was getting older and wanted to find a “safe” home.
So that’s how Bruno and his mates, accompanied Tedi on their journey back to the Big House.
After crossing under the M4 motorway. They made their way cross country, following Colne Brook while it was still dark and found a road which pointed in the direction that Tedi wanted to travel. Bruno said that roads were “good” as they always led somewhere , usually shelter and food. Bruno showed everyone how to keep out of sight and even found a bit of rope for Tommy to attach himself to Bruno. Tommy would be able to keep up with the dogs and no one would get lost.
Tommy was relieved to reach the road, it was getting light and he was wondering if there would be any shops or garages in Iver to get something to eat. They followed the road, walking on the grass behind a hedgerow so no one could see them and they came across a brightly lit petrol garage that had just opened. Some of the dogs headed for the bins at the back, when no one was looking they rooted around in the darkness, and ran away as soon as the doors opened with people bringing out cages of empty cardboard.
Tommy though knew what he was looking for, and entered the shop unseen and left the shop unseen. He had untied himself from Bruno and Bruno watched as the automatic door slid open and Tommy entered the shop. Everyone was too busy setting up the tills tidying, restocking and cleaning to notice the little waif of a boy who quietly gathered something for breakfast ,some drinks and some bottled water and some fruit and then left.
Bruno was impressed when Tommy came out again without being noticed. To be truthful, having some fresh food was a real treat, so he called to the other dogs, to leave the bins alone and to move on . The little group went back behind the hedgerow and walked a bit further on and then they stopped when they found some shelter under a tree and beside a small bridge crossing. They were all tired and they had the cover of some trees and thick bushes and were able to feast on what Tommy had brought and drink fresh water , they could then have a well deserved sleep. The day was just beginning but for the little group of dogs and Tommy it was time to rest. They all snuggled up together.
Tedi’s head was racing as he lay among the warm bundle. He was dreaming of home and he could almost smell it. He reckoned 60 miles or so. Three days travel if they kept up this pace. He was trying to keep a note of the shops that Tommy had taken items from and planned to settle up with them once they had got back home. For the moment it was necessary , but he didn’t want Tommy to get into trouble or the shops to be out of pocket.
So far they had got on quite well sleeping outside, but it wasn’t what Tedi was used to. They would rest for today and then head out again when it started to get dark.
Dogs don’t think in terms of days, but it was going to be Saturday night when they set off again. Cross and Letitia had been given the go ahead , as the kidnappers were now behind bars, to launch a Publicity Campaign to look out for Tedi and the other dogs as well as the little boy. They had used the CCTV images that the Police had gathered and the plight of the Dogs and the little Boy was all over TV and Radio. They concentrated their efforts on the area where the dogs were travelling through, so everyone was on the lookout for them. Bruno though knew how to keep out of sight , so despite the coverage there were no reports of sightings, which frustrated Cross and Lettie who couldn’t help but wonder where they were.
It was seven o’clock at night when the dogs and the little boy all woke up. The weather had been kind to them, it had been warm with no rain and it was just getting dusky and turning into a pleasant evening. They had all slept soundly and had eaten and drank. Tommy put some bowls of water out for the dogs and they had some snacks and soon it was time to go.
Bruno was up and ready , snuffling at the others to get a move on .In truth Tedi was a bit stiff and did some stretches as he always did. Downward Dog and Upward Dog which was his way of limbering up and getting ready for the long walk. Tommy meanwhile was refreshed and put his little rope leash over Bruno’s head and tied it to his own waist. Bruno seemed to understand the pace that Tommy could go at so they both walked together. Tedi was always at the front.
Tedi sniffed the air for a few minutes after doing his stretches. He let the dogs know his plan and with Bruno’s help they began the penultimate stretch of their journey back to the ” Big House”.
Meanwhile back at the Big House it was all stations go. Lettie was making and taking telephone calls, and putting out Publicity to search for the little dogs and the boy. The villagers now knew the full story and were on the look out for any sign of the dogs and the local Police Forces were notified.
“Surely they would be spotted soon” .Lettie and Cross thought. They were worried but hopeful and now the news was out, it was easier to keep everyone informed. Mr and Mrs Graham now knew what had happened, and just hoped that Tedi was safe, and they said if there was anything that they could do let them know.
” It’s a waiting game now” Cross told Mrs Graham on the phone ” We’re doing all we can.”
thenotsomightyom 