tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55837782011-09-22T08:28:15.099-04:00Politics and general interest, with a specialty in space issues and astronomy.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comBlogger10311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-48364120526795187272010-06-12T09:04:00.002-04:002010-06-12T09:06:02.623-04:00

Paul Mirengoff lays out what is pretty close to my opinion on the matter of the oil spill and the President's proper role in the response.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-55394892210358894612010-06-12T08:33:00.004-04:002010-06-12T08:39:22.744-04:00

This kind of thing just makes my blood boil! Terrific job by Snodgrass (the rafting guide & rescuer), and thank goodness for Bradford (the outfitter) having a backbone and standing up for his man!

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-74640195023301145202010-06-01T08:00:00.002-04:002010-06-01T08:07:37.666-04:00

Daniel Drezner makes the analogy. Like Glenn Reynolds, I don't buy it.Ahh, those peaceful peace activists organizing a peaceful blockade run: They're financed by a terrorist-linked group. Their supporters are just as peace-loving as they are. And of course, there's only one side worthy of reporting. No need to read Israel's side in this.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-70415088776994581192010-05-17T15:40:00.002-04:002010-05-17T15:45:30.296-04:00

Fascinating and eerie description of the evolution of a sophisticated computer worm, and the hunt for its mysterious controller. Whoever this is has got millions of computers under his control...whenever he decides to activate the worm.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-86610163907566923522010-05-16T20:24:00.003-04:002010-05-16T20:27:14.915-04:00

Well, it worked for the Russkies, at least with gas well fires. The nuclear bomb: the Swiss Army knife of mineral exploration!

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-32334964671785726892010-05-16T19:42:00.002-04:002010-05-16T19:56:17.277-04:00

Well, according to Liu Chenshan, a Chinese historian writing in an officially-sanctioned Chinese publication. According to his claim, during a 1969 border war, the Soviets told the United States that they wanted to stop the Chinese threat with a nuclear strike, and they wanted the US to remain neutral.The US responded that we'd launch a nuclear strike of our own against the USSR if they did so,

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-2084221786562142282010-05-04T22:47:00.002-04:002010-05-04T23:03:22.856-04:00

From Popular Science. That seemed a bit too far out for me at first, but...It's been thought for a while that birds navigate using the Earth's magnetic fields. One molecule that's a candidate for their magnetic sense is called "cryptochrome." Here's my reading of their idea how this all might work: When exposed to certain colors of light, cryptochrome can become "activated," producing a pair

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-26330195489659109332010-04-09T10:21:00.003-04:002010-04-09T10:28:00.662-04:00

Or at least the part of the Left M.J. Rosenberg represents. He's a “Senior Foreign Policy Fellow” at Media Matters. When speaking at a New America Foundation panel recently, he had this to say about Southern support for Israel:The whole south shifts to the Republican Party over one issue, they don’t like black people…so you have the racism thing, the fact that we’ve eradicated the separation of

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-51898813199188342112010-03-28T08:12:00.001-04:002010-03-28T08:14:17.468-04:00

"Looking Down": Ultimately, it is not the “healthcare for all” proposal I am against, it is the importation of the European idea of prolonged adolescence to America. It is the legitimization of the idea that the government should take care of me, that it is my “right” to be provided with a safety net from cradle to grave. The idea of the nanny state is very seductive–I can feel the siren call

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-46267802394558787162010-03-24T20:44:00.003-04:002010-03-24T20:46:57.545-04:00

This brings the count to four! Us, Neanderthals, the "Hobbits" of Flores, and now this new species from Siberia. The ones on Flores were alive as recently as 14,000 years ago. This new species is known from a sample 40,000 years old, but the surprising thing is that it's not from an isolated place like that island is. They would have had more interaction with our ancestors. Interesting!

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-65350243988684134382010-03-21T22:57:00.001-04:002010-03-21T22:59:12.897-04:00

Via NRO: Stupak video from 2009

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-56917172456873399062010-03-21T22:46:00.002-04:002010-03-21T22:47:37.662-04:00

Well, away we go... Last one out of the free world, turn out the lights.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-10883218996848196502010-02-12T07:27:00.002-05:002010-02-12T07:30:04.412-05:00

It's a little out of my area, but I'm posting this because (1) I like trains, or anything on rails, and (2) I went to grad school in Pittsburgh, where these ran until 1999. (The Car Lust blogger is from Pgh. himself, and he has a whole history of the city's streetcars.)

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-24169861658220484292010-02-04T09:53:00.003-05:002010-02-04T09:57:54.025-05:00

Figulus recommends this blog: Quodlibeta. Excellent mediaeval/classical studies by knowledgeable guys. Nice emphasis on the intersection and compatibility between science and religion.I'm going to add it to our Blog Roll when I have some time. Until then, enjoy it from this link.P.S: check out their post on Oresme and the moving earth!

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-58954885791678504582010-02-04T09:53:00.000-05:002010-02-04T09:53:29.640-05:00

Launching NASA on a Path to Nowhere: AnalysisFormer astronaut Tom Jones (whom I've had the pleasure to meet) also wants us to break out of Low Earth Orbit. This is a knowledgeable article by a NASA insider.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-5179688452033815812010-02-04T09:18:00.000-05:002010-02-04T09:18:08.112-05:00

Giving up on the Moon?I've disagreed with Rand Simberg on space policy for a while. After some time I finally realized that he wasn't anti-manned space travel, but rather anti-NASA. He wants a strong private space industry, as do I. But in the near future, the big manned space projects are simply going to be NASA projects. And so Obama's cutting the Constellation project and the Aries rocket

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-16018745711422297742010-01-27T22:20:00.002-05:002010-01-27T22:23:18.280-05:00

My Administration has a Civil Rights Division that is once again prosecuting civil rights violations and employment discrimination. We finally strengthened our laws to protect against crimes driven by hate.Once again, a dirty slam at Bush. I'd like to ask him how his administration's dropping the case against the Black Panthers squares with this.He's really classless.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-47365581298531621312010-01-27T21:56:00.002-05:002010-01-27T22:00:40.821-05:00

9:53 PM: Takes bold stand on freezing the Federal budget. [Yay! Reign in spending! ...after printing money for the last year...]9:55 PM: This freeze will take place next year...after our economy is stronger. [....awkward pause...giggling by Republican side...] [Oh, like, "I'll start that diet next month...after Thanksgiving...]

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-29960198712451947852010-01-27T21:50:00.002-05:002010-01-27T21:52:16.466-05:00

9:49 PM: Blaming Bush for the deficit. Classy. And the snide, defiant attitude you get out of a 13-year-old girl while doing it.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-87336145391660049412009-12-14T15:27:00.004-05:002009-12-14T15:34:40.605-05:00

Not in favor of believing it exists (which I already do, although I'm skeptical of details), but in favor of it happening. As in: I want more of it!Take a look at this record of historical temperatures from ice core samples in Greenland and Antarctica and quake in fear. Good GRIEF we're lucky to be living in one of those warm, terribly-short interglacial periods! And from the Antarctic data,

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-5096070812872877282009-12-14T08:09:00.002-05:002009-12-14T08:19:40.500-05:00

Two items from Rumania today: news and music. A Rumanian friend told us about the pianist Florin Chilian, whose beautiful song "Zece" ("Ten") I've linked to. And for keeping up with the news, there's the foreign broadcast of Rumania's public television network, TVRi, which functions a bit like the BBC World Service. It broadcasts online for expatriate Rumanians, and I just noticed the news

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-91101353361071821562009-12-14T08:06:00.002-05:002009-12-14T08:09:36.988-05:00

Oddee compiles a picture tour of the 20 most amazing libraries around the world. Fascinating to look through. I'm most intrigued by the private library of Jay Walker, described in much more detail in this Wired article from last year. I've got a friend with an extensive private library in his apartment--something as large as many high school libraries, in fact--but it's still got nothing on

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-317282357151541412009-12-14T07:55:00.002-05:002009-12-14T08:06:31.740-05:00

I shouldn't be able to care less, but I have some reluctant interest in how succession works in monarchies. In the early days, succession wasn't a matter purely of inheritance, and you could have several competing claims to the throne. This often resulted in battles and hacking and poisonings and the Norman invasion and such, so eventually, the British and other monarchies started clearer rules

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-8559272062644288452009-12-14T07:28:00.001-05:002009-12-14T07:55:44.951-05:00

There have been a few really excellent articles lately that probe "Mike's Nature trick" in good depth. Anthony Watts has cross-posted this article from The American Thinker, which is the best one I have found for understanding just what "Mike's Nature trick" really is. We've been wondering if there was any outright manipulation of the data to reach a predetermined conclusion, and I believe Marc

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-624574431170195592009-11-23T07:43:00.002-05:002009-11-23T08:09:58.799-05:00

In the area of politically-sensitive science, the big news this weekend has clearly been the hacking of e-mails from East Anglia University's (UK) Climate Research Unit (CRU). About a decade's worth of e-mails were posted online by the hackers, including e-mails from some of the world's most prominent promoters of the idea of manmade global warming (anthropogenic global warming, or AGW). These

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-23330150989382755052009-11-19T12:31:00.002-05:002009-11-19T12:37:49.264-05:00

That's my reaction to reading about this new regulation on the sale OR ACQUISITION of any unlabeled wood or wooden products.This is so incredibly broad, it seems that being given (note--not just buying, but even acquisition!) a toothpick could subject you to prosecution, if that toothpick does not carry a label as to the genus and species of wood it's made from. Or paper--the regulation even

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-52246629395251335772009-11-06T11:48:00.001-05:002009-11-06T11:49:14.162-05:00

Again, from Commentary's "Contentions" blog.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-27619824390393725122009-11-06T09:35:00.003-05:002009-11-06T09:37:43.079-05:00

Jennifer Rubin discusses the deal on their blog. She thinks the State Department realized they were out on a limb with the ridiculous threat not to recognize this month's presidential elections, and this is their way of stepping back from the edge.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-20217592010850969732009-11-06T06:50:00.003-05:002009-11-06T07:32:10.745-05:00

The other day, I had been disappointed to read that Honduras had been bullied into accepting a US plan to reinstate Zelaya, contrary to their constitution. But now the practical meaning of this deal is getting worked out, and it doesn't seem too bad. Apparently, the US has taken back its threat not to recognize the Nov. 23 presidential elections, even if Zelaya is not back in power. That was

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-38295310591857988722009-10-17T09:31:00.001-04:002009-10-17T09:32:59.547-04:00

No, not that kind of black hole, but something that simulates its effects on microwaves. They've been working on making acoustic analogues of black holes lately, but this is one that works with microwave beams. Interesting.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-41156540980091608582009-10-17T09:30:00.002-04:002009-10-17T09:31:10.932-04:00

Via Instapundit: Still, pretty exciting, because of the applications you might be able to do. Step one: Magnetic currents.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-78929010433358899422009-10-17T09:20:00.004-04:002009-10-17T09:22:59.060-04:00

Reading this article, I'm wondering if we've finally lost Turkey altogether. If so, the only things tying it to the West are its membership in NATO and its desire to join the EU. We ought to use these as leverage to restrain Turkey's anti-Western and anti-Israeli actions.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-74865692115015564852009-10-09T06:54:00.003-04:002009-10-09T06:54:57.852-04:00

The Mrs. just put it this way. Perfect!

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-18491483491878002602009-10-09T06:33:00.004-04:002009-10-09T06:53:42.730-04:00

Obama just won the Nobel Peace Prize.For what, exactly?! Teddy Roosevelt is the only other sitting President to earn a Nobel Peace Prize, to my knowledge, and Roosevelt thought it would be wrong to accept it while in office, so he waited four years to go and actually pick it up. What did Roosevelt do to earn it? He brokered the end of the Russo-Japanese War of 1905.What did Obama do to earn it

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-17509287567983386092009-09-02T07:07:00.003-04:002009-09-02T07:31:23.027-04:00

I keep seeing this described in the press as an address to "all" public school children. But since the Federal Government can't actually require any school to put this program on, I hope that "all" simply expresses their hope as to who will tune in.I've read through the Ed. Department's teacher's guide for the address several times (this is the pre-K through 6th grade guide) and am left

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-294296103499521232009-09-01T09:43:00.002-04:002009-09-01T09:45:27.145-04:00

Commentary by Investor's Business Daily here. They bring up the 1799 Logan Act and ask if Kennedy violated it, even though the Soviets didn't take up his offer of help.I'm still amazed this man wasn't drummed out of office for his behavior.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-21842667425695143742009-09-01T09:17:00.002-04:002009-09-01T09:18:36.248-04:00

Caught on tape. A "Health Care for America Now" guy tells people how to drown out opposing questions and block the camera's view with signs.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-91299807335242985862009-09-01T07:08:00.002-04:002009-09-01T07:12:50.863-04:00

O'Grady investigates the lengths to which our administration will go in pressuring Honduras to take back their would-be dictator.One thing I'm curious about: Honduras has presidential elections coming up this November. Once they elect and inaugurate a new president, will our sanctions and threats against them cease? If any of these measures last a day past the beginning of their new

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-8565793218226221502009-08-30T07:43:00.002-04:002009-08-30T07:48:20.546-04:00

"The British government decided it was 'in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom' to make Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal." These letters were sent two years ago by minister Jack Straw to Kenny MacAskill, the man who made the decision this month to release the bomber. Originally, Straw opposed

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-86245758350582751642009-08-30T07:34:00.002-04:002009-08-30T07:36:21.571-04:00

Article about lights and sounds observed in the sky last week. I got a call from this reporter, asking what it might have been. No major meteor showers going on, he noted. Probably space debris, and I had a student see these the same night.So does US Space Command have a public information number?

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-85323773563795968772009-08-30T07:31:00.002-04:002009-08-30T07:34:04.640-04:00

Article here. This is astonishing. A Soviet memorandum from 1983 documents how Ted Kennedy tried to make a deal with the Russians to undermine Reagan's foreign policy and give the Soviets the advantage in nuclear negotiations...and to help Kennedy run for president.It's a tribute to our free and open system that this man was still walking around free, despite having done this.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-28139244343439560612009-08-30T07:27:00.002-04:002009-08-30T07:31:05.927-04:00

Real questions come up, noted here. The idea that his release was part of a deal to get the Libyans to make an oil deal with Britain is getting some documentary evidence now. I'll link to that story when I find it again.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-47888964276872310162009-08-25T23:35:00.002-04:002009-08-25T23:37:12.874-04:00

Cowards. Idiots. Weasels. Unwilling to stand up to real tyrants but bullying democratic countries committed to the rule of law. This administration is turning hard Left in its foreign policy. (%*(!!

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-83626495130830953982009-08-25T08:21:00.006-04:002009-08-25T08:23:57.672-04:00

I think I'm using that word correctly. Anyway, Foud Ajami at JHU puts Obama's failure to rule by personality into context very nicely here.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-23643926624913882142009-08-25T08:21:00.002-04:002009-08-25T08:21:51.533-04:00

OK, something more substantial in the next one, but I couldn't let this go by when I saw Blogger note that I had 999 posts.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-62903801152286112152009-08-22T17:44:00.001-04:002009-08-22T17:45:25.191-04:00

Story summarized on Slashdot here.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-29268290841058298842009-08-22T17:30:00.002-04:002009-08-22T17:32:22.661-04:00

"The federal government does not have the power to regulate Americans simply because they are there." Finally! I'm seeing somebody with real knowledge of the Constitution write what I've believed for a long time. Why am I not seeing more conservatives make these points?

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-53559634995153410432009-08-05T11:09:00.002-04:002009-08-05T11:12:48.614-04:00

Mark Baulerlein takes down Stanley Fish's (old) defense of Social Text in the 1996 Sokal hoax. Fish essentially says that those post-modernists were taken in by Sokal's hoax because they relied on his credentials and didn't evaluate the truth of his paper's claims. Surprisingly, he means that as a defense.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-82728365195226429522009-08-05T10:20:00.003-04:002009-08-05T10:21:57.959-04:00

Article here. He starts with Bastiat's "Parable of the Broken Window," of which this is a wonderful example. I was explaining this to our older daughter the other day, and she picked up on the reasoning very quickly.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-38300957745273920012009-08-04T07:39:00.002-04:002009-08-04T07:40:27.490-04:00

Appropriately enough.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-49369421852066712732009-07-30T10:44:00.001-04:002009-07-30T10:45:44.484-04:00

A longer excerpt of that Voinovich quotation:"We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.). It's the southerners. They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr.' People hear them and say, 'These people, they're southerners. The party's being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?'," Voinovich said.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-92141865077858961142009-07-29T09:39:00.002-04:002009-07-29T10:12:04.855-04:00

Convergences (a blog I'm not familiar with, aside from this article) tackles the issue, "Can Science Rule Society?" Some interesting discussion, but I find it hard to identify the author's point, if there is one. There's a lot of on-this-hand/on-the-other-hand, without coming to a clear conclusion. But I think the author is wary of rule by scientists.If that's the point, I agree, although

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-41383928713504350292009-07-28T21:56:00.003-04:002009-07-28T22:00:41.242-04:00

Story here.I don't get this. I mean, I'm eager to hear the reasoning for the other side, but I just don't hear any justification that isn't patently superficial and brief. I really thought we wouldn't go this far against Honduras. This is the option they were left with, given that they don't have the impeachment process in their country (which would be a good thing to add, really). There's

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-2039218815099917082009-07-28T21:30:00.002-04:002009-07-28T21:33:15.845-04:00

Bill Maher on whether Sarah Palin has a political future: "You never know with this stupid country."I actually thought Obama's election would make liberals more "patriotic," in a sunshine-patriot's sort of way. Interesting that it hasn't been true for Maher, anyway.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-75133955246142761352009-07-28T21:18:00.001-04:002009-07-28T21:20:37.542-04:00

Next exhibit: Sen. George Voinovich, "Republican" of the damnyankee state of Ohio.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-10928684063262207152009-07-21T12:37:00.002-04:002009-07-21T12:40:56.529-04:00

Probably a mistake, but here are my two replies to commenters regarding Whoopie Goldberg's lunar landing denialism:Post one.Post two.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-53830010896699326022009-07-20T08:46:00.002-04:002009-07-20T08:51:34.281-04:00

Story here. Nice. I hope this really picks a fight. Instapundit says the ATF is on solid legal grounds but that it won't play well.I know the past 70 years of Federal behavior has been to ignore Washington's limitation to regulating only interstate commerce, so Glenn might be talking about precedent, but I've still got to think the state is the one on solid legal ground by both the meaning and

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-65892796547624645092009-07-14T23:50:00.002-04:002009-07-14T23:54:16.669-04:00

See Powerline for the letter. The former Chief of Staff to the Counselor to the Secretary of State (say that three times fast!) writes to defend Obama for not appointing more Foreign Service Officers to ambassadorships.I've got family and family of family and friends of family who are career FSOs, and I have an admiration for what they've done, but I've also gotten the same impression this

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-50423140511645967402009-07-14T21:27:00.003-04:002009-07-14T21:33:13.119-04:00

Mary Anastasia O'Grady reports in the Wall Street Journal. He'd used thuggish tactics earlier this year in fights with the congress for things outside presidential powers. Not surprising, and perfectly in keeping with his being a Chavista.Conrad Black has an article on Honduras in National Review. One thing that surprised me in this, if I understand correctly, is that Honduras doesn't have

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-26211739250445123782009-07-14T13:28:00.003-04:002009-07-14T13:33:47.216-04:00

Commenting on the theme by Neal Peirce in my previous post, George Mason's Bob Nelson manages to forget an explicit Constitutional protection in this post: "Is the U.S. Senate Obsolete?".As far as I can tell, he's annoyed that small-population, rural states get the same representation in the U.S. Senate as, say California and other overgrown states. I appreciate that the Federal government has

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-11441411811975288802009-07-14T13:16:00.003-04:002009-07-14T13:25:39.031-04:00

Exhibit A. Neal Peirce, of the Washington Post Writers Group. He asks, "Are States Obsolete?" and shows a profound ignorance of the governmental origins of the United States. He seems to think (this appears to lie behind his thinking--it's not stated explicitly) that the Federal government created the states (the original 13 as well as the rest), and thus that the borders are arbitrary

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-56276852763725401012009-07-13T22:36:00.001-04:002009-07-13T22:40:04.612-04:00

Jennifer Rubin in Real Clear PoliticsMary Anastasia O'Grady in the Wall Street Journal.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-3072683858028690072009-07-12T17:52:00.003-04:002009-07-12T18:06:47.960-04:00

Story here. I'd feel better if there were some Democrats on our side on this. So far, I haven't seen any substantive defense of Zelaya, and I'd really like to read one. A relative sort of sympathized with my opinion but said the rest of the Honduran government had made bad PR moves. Well, I agree, but that doesn't justify our government's response.Of all people, our State Department's job

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-46210979821455678362009-07-12T17:42:00.002-04:002009-07-12T17:48:13.616-04:00

Story here. Best line, delivered with (I believe) a totally straight face: "I believe at various times the Venezuelan government has been supportive of a process that would lead to President Zelaya's return."Ya think?!

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-81845557468246418782009-07-10T23:28:00.004-04:002009-07-10T23:31:39.704-04:00

But according to the New York Times, "Pick to Lead Health Agency Draws Praise and Some Concern." Well, how even-handed of them. There are two basic objections to Dr. Collins. The first is his very public embrace of religion.Those two sentences have an eerie sound to them.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-23324742560672052902009-07-10T11:12:00.002-04:002009-07-10T11:17:11.562-04:00

Read it here.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-16377539837516395082009-07-09T10:47:00.003-04:002009-07-10T11:17:34.704-04:00

From Reuters, which kind of takes the pro-Zelaya line as a given. But it's clear in reporting how Chavez has been acting in this situation, both in public and behind the scenes. Maybe we should be more worried that he's taking a less-public role all of a sudden. It might mean he's got devious plans going on.In related news, Hillary Clinton has given an interview with the last free television

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-27271967969068309302009-07-08T23:10:00.003-04:002009-07-10T11:17:55.419-04:00

Some of these are a few days old, but I want to archive the links here so I don't have to keep the browser tabs open:The DC ExaminerOpen MarketDonald SensingDonald Sensing, again

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-52472240064925258202009-07-08T22:44:00.001-04:002009-07-08T22:46:03.052-04:00

They've detected lightning on Mars caused by dust storms. Pretty neat.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-29204255264960602882009-07-08T22:08:00.003-04:002009-07-08T22:12:12.005-04:00

Let me introduce you to Section 304 of the "Cap and Trade" bill (Waxman-Markey).This will be the law that forces you to make your home much, much more energy efficient. Wait--did you think you owned your house? That how you lived in it was your business? That the kinds of appliances and the windows and the furnace and whatnot were all matters for you, a free man, to decide?Hah, hah, hah...

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-2080464674025682962009-07-08T21:43:00.002-04:002009-07-08T21:45:30.436-04:00

As far as I can tell from this story, a private pool in Philadelphia just kicked out a day camp that had its black children swimming there (which it had permission to do). The club even seems to have given this as the reason.Outrageous. Hopefully there's another explanation, but this is really surprising.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-46418883562022948692009-07-08T10:52:00.002-04:002009-07-08T10:57:58.214-04:00

Interesting article from Space.com on using distributed computing (like SETI@home and Einstein@home) applied to biology. The idea is to simulate the conditions and constituents of Earth's early oceans and see if you can get simple cells evolving from pre-biotic material.The headline is entirely wrong, though: there's no toy model of the "universe" being simulated, but rather a toy model of an

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-69160733964722893782009-07-06T10:54:00.002-04:002009-07-06T10:55:05.504-04:00

What could possibly go wrong?

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-72809085875348920112009-07-06T10:31:00.003-04:002009-07-10T11:18:17.009-04:00

Good summary of the events so far in Honduras. It seems that two pro-Zelaya protestors were killed in clashes at the airport yesterday. Those police have got to restrain themselves: they're on a thread as far as foreign opinion goes, and maintaining a light hand on the population is necessary to hold on to any chance of legitimacy in the eyes of other governments.Of course, I can't understand

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-14570754155201097032009-07-06T10:21:00.002-04:002009-07-06T10:27:47.600-04:00

It's not a code Thomas Jefferson created (and he did make some), but rather one a friend sent to him in a letter. It's lain unsolved from 1801 until now. Robert Patterson, math professor at U. Penn and a friend of Jefferson's, sent it to him as a challenge, while they were discussing code and cipher techniques. Jefferson didn't solve it and was clearly impressed.Now another mathematician, Dr.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-63276507832161465502009-07-04T00:19:00.003-04:002009-07-10T11:18:40.351-04:00

Octavio Sanchez, a lawyer and former Honduran government official, explains the Honduran constitution to the rest of us and points out why the congress didn't just impeach Zelaya:According to Article 239: "No citizen who has already served as head of the Executive Branch can be President or Vice-President. Whoever violates this law or proposes its reform [emphasis added], as well as those that

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-11239832073145421242009-06-30T22:47:00.004-04:002009-07-10T11:19:10.749-04:00

Joshua Muravchik has a masterful article at the Wall Street Journal analyzing the Obama Doctrine in foreign policy, such that there is. It's an eye-opener. Obama and his administration are apparently downplaying the promotion of democracy and, to some extent, human rights. These are at the expense of laudable (but, in my mind, secondary) issues that promote a livable, civil society, once

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-84475994700171709892009-06-30T13:36:00.002-04:002009-06-30T13:42:16.795-04:00

Rush Limbaugh is talking about the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill the House passed last week. He has said that hidden within it is a nationwide home energy-efficiency standard for new buildings. One, that's unconstitutional. The Federal government can't legislate how you build your house, although your state can. Second, according to Rush, it is based on California's standards. That's to

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-27657335317093229052009-06-30T09:42:00.003-04:002009-07-10T11:19:16.887-04:00

Hillary Clinton, speaking about the Iranian elections:Obviously, they have a huge credibility gap with their own people as to the election process...And I don't think that's going to disappear by any finding of a limited review of a relatively-small number of ballots. But clearly, these internal matters are for Iranians themselves to address. And we hope that they will be given the opportunity

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-22730072494972476842009-06-30T09:36:00.004-04:002009-06-30T09:41:12.086-04:00

If constituents threaten to vote against their representative because of that representative's votes in the legislature, that's "terrorism" and shouldn't be allowed (or, if it's free speech, "it's extremely unfair").Thus sayeth the Speaker of the California Assembly, Karen Bass. Wow, talk about your stereotype of a self-serving politician

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-44899171516564879332009-06-30T08:51:00.003-04:002009-07-10T11:19:22.419-04:00

How does Obama treat these two situations? Legal Insurrection says, "We speak softly to our enemies, but use a big stick against our friends."

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-67945087638371242132009-06-27T15:51:00.002-04:002009-06-27T15:57:51.523-04:00

This just makes me angry. Not only could the lawmakers voting on the awful cap-and-trade bill last night not possibly have read the whole document in the time given, but there is no complete copy of the bill in existence! The 300+ page additions (to the 1000+ page bill itself) that were slipped in at 3:00 AM Friday aren't even simple additions. They're instructions for revising the rest of the

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-80153663351307955412009-06-17T22:47:00.003-04:002009-06-17T22:58:44.280-04:00

The University of Colorado's Di Achille has announced the discovery of a dry lake shore on Mars, found with the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. "Shalbatana Lake," as they're calling it, was down in a deep valley and about the size and depth of Lake Champlain. Funny thing, though--this lake seems to have formed when Mars was already cold and dry. The warm, wet period

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-65729392444603382302009-06-05T10:01:00.002-04:002009-06-05T10:09:35.586-04:00

Propose that an independent advisory commission propose laws and have the Congress simply vote up-or-down on them. That's what the Obama administration wants Congress to do with some changes to Medicare. Have the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission write the bills and require Congress to vote on them as-is. Of course, even that wouldn't require Congress to approve; they could still vote them

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-17435487417201863382009-06-05T09:48:00.002-04:002009-06-05T09:50:38.831-04:00

Put the stock certificates in individual taxpayers' names. Interesting. Get it out of the hands of the government and back into private hands. It's certainly better than what's going on now, anyway.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-6148054344675818532009-05-29T09:11:00.002-04:002009-05-29T09:19:21.088-04:00

This is a thought-provoking article by Sam Schulman on how homosexual marriage would clash with the kinship system. This is not exactly where I come down on the issue; my objection is primarily moral and only secondarily social, while his is mostly social. And I am not entirely sure about the primacy of the kinship system, which he seems to place as the root justification for marriage.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-80993351902724235642009-05-27T23:51:00.002-04:002009-05-28T00:02:32.948-04:00

Lots of blogging being done about this. The dealers who've been closed are overwhelmingly GOP donors.But one basic statistic that must be found is the percentage of GOP donors among the dealers remaining open. For instance, what if Chrysler car dealers in general tend to be GOP donors? Then having a high percentage of Republicans among those that are closed would be what we'd expect, all other

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-43326204150196400852009-05-25T07:46:00.003-04:002009-05-25T07:47:38.677-04:00

To quote Gomer Pyle, Surprise, surprise, surprise! Actually, the surprise for me is that Russia has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-6512827599111395632009-05-25T07:19:00.002-04:002009-05-25T07:26:59.601-04:00

Trying to break the tradition of Presidents sending wreathes to the Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. It's a tradition I was unaware of, although as a member of the D.C. camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, I have taken part in several activities there. I just don't remember a wreath from the President. Southern Senators, Congressmen, etc., yes.Interesting that they say

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-36648753217542612822009-05-23T10:15:00.002-04:002009-05-23T10:56:01.341-04:00

The British Parliament is going through an expense-account scandal this week. Members of Parliament have been claiming all kinds of things as reimbursable expenses (especially house-related items) , and the public is getting absolutely outraged. Some MP's are claiming that these are within the rules, but if so, the rules themselves are a scandal. Sounds like the House banking scandal back

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-28471215510107889072009-05-19T10:39:00.002-04:002009-05-19T10:45:42.575-04:00

that Turner Classic Movies wouldn't ruin the channel with this disgusting pandering to ethnic grievances. They're running grossly heavy-handed interviews with hispanic actors about hispanics in film. It's non-stop whining and complaining about the roles hispanics get or got in movies. Please, please, PLEASE stop! Come on--you've got a respectable reputation, but you're ruining your image.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-54412051997736362672009-05-19T08:59:00.002-04:002009-05-19T08:59:43.719-04:00

Congratulations and deep thanks to the STS-125 crew for such a great mission.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-91050907134575338532009-05-19T08:55:00.001-04:002009-05-19T08:55:25.688-04:00

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-80865940203747348182009-05-19T08:42:00.002-04:002009-05-19T08:45:36.115-04:00

The astronauts are preparing to release the Hubble Space Telescope in just 15 minutes! As I see the screens now, they've got it detached from the docking ring and are holding it with the Canada Arm.All has gone well in this final servicing mission, and we can only pray our telescope holds up for several more years.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-77255181455343234732009-05-14T15:57:00.002-04:002009-05-14T16:00:07.803-04:00

"I'm ready for a hot shower and a good meal."--John Grunsfeld, on finishing up his EVA for today.(The other astronaut laughed and replied, "We'll...uh...see what we can do.") Actually, they do have halfway decent facilities on board, and the food's improved a lot since the '60s. No more freeze-dried meals.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-80367106589744678602009-05-14T15:31:00.002-04:002009-05-14T15:33:35.747-04:00

I'm watching John Grunsfeld (whom I've met a few times) do some repair work on the Hubble right now. It's funny how an ordinary thing like operating an electric screwdriver can become so exciting when you see it done in space.I was sad to have the camera I used for my grad school work (WFPC2) finally be removed after 15 years of service. I feel like holding a memorial service for it.

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-83342675984003040502009-05-11T14:12:00.002-04:002009-05-12T08:29:43.304-04:00

Unsurprisingly, it's exacerbating religious tensions. The oppressed minority Coptic Christians are the only ones raising pigs, of course. So even if Egypt's Moslems weren't intending to take an anti-Christian measure, it has been felt that way. Of course, there's no reason to cull pigs anywhere because of the swine flu--it's already made the jump to people, and the person-to-person

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-48429229198424147892009-05-11T14:04:00.001-04:002009-05-11T14:04:48.698-04:00

Solid Rocket Boosters have separated successfully

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-91756014907181014782009-05-11T14:00:00.000-04:002009-05-11T14:01:15.529-04:00

T-2 minutes

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5583778.post-7655808220623333402009-05-11T13:55:00.001-04:002009-05-11T13:56:33.712-04:00

T-7 minutes and counting! I can't wait to see the new instruments (COS and WFC3) installed. My old camera, WFPC2, is being retired, though...

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818012642535201815noreply@blogger.com