I have learned to use the word ‘impossible’ with the greatest caution.
– Wernher von Braun
– Wernher von Braun
Recent Posts
- Day 14: Louisiana Senator Approvingly Compares Trump to Stalin
- Day 13: Elon Musk Flexes His Muscles
- Day 12: While Elon Musk Takes Over, We Podcast With Driftglass and Blue Gal
- Day 11: Harm of Fascist Regime’s Foreign Aid Freeze Comes Into View
- Day 10: The Fascist Regime Blames a Plane Crash on Nonwhite People
Beware mainland China bearing gifts…Newsweek
Jumps on the SD abortion bandwagon: Rapid City Journal
Family friendly? You’ve got to be kidding me.
Shall we start a pool to guess which state is next?
via bayprairie’s Reproductive Rights Week in Review at Our Word
Check out the link…the RRWiR is excellent.
I my opinion (admittedly just based on gut instinct) I think South Dakota did us a huge favor by overreaching on this abortion ban. I think it serves as a big slap in the face to people who have complacently sat back and ignored the chipping away of reproductive rights.
Missouri has banned provison of birth control to poor women, or referring them to anywhere that offers it, or abortions, and Texas has cut not only birth control to poor women, but also regular tests like pap smears.
I dont’t think either allowed poor women to get abortions in the first place.
shit in my neighborhood!
family-friendly? Good=bad; black=white; up=down _ss=hole in the ground.
Afghanistan’s Human Rights Disaster
Wow, that ‘US spread of democracy’ thing is really working out well for all involved, isn’t it? </snark>
Bomb kills 30 at U.S.-Iraqi base in Mosul
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See my new diary ::
● Iraqi Police Find 30 Bodies, Most Beheaded
● At Least 40 Dead in US-Iraq Base Blast – Updated
● Many Dead in Baghdad Mosque Raid
● Governor and City Council Suspend Cooperation with U.S.
“But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
for the downfall of society and feminism in the UK: Guardian
Hmm, what about that equal pay problem? But I digress…
So women are responsible for the death of feminism because they’re choosing careers other than teaching, nursing, or motherhood? Nice. Maybe the fundies can get her to do a similar report here in the US?
Oh, I’m sure. Maybe the discussions should start with this quote from the end of the same article:
Yep.
There was a post in the Guardian that agreed with the Observer article which was then followed with a number of replies taking apart both the post and the original article. Some British feminist bloggers I read have pointed out that the Observer has a pretty sexist attitude so it was no surprise it would publish such a poorly reasoned article in the first place.
Belarus protesters go on trial as new rallies loom
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Where democracy rings – Kurds’ Northern Iraq ::
IRBIL, Iraq, March 26 — An Iraqi-born Kurd with Austrian citizenship was sentenced to a year and a half in prison Sunday for defaming a Kurdish leader, in a case that has raised questions about press freedoms in postwar Iraq.
Kamal Kadir Karim was arrested in October after writing articles that accused Massoud Barzani and his Kurdistan Democratic Party of corruption and abuse of power. Karim was convicted by a state security court in Irbil after an hour-long trial Dec. 19. He was originally sentenced to 30 years in prison but was retried.
● Cyberdissident still in prison despite release announcement
● Western democracies slip back, with the US falling more than 20 places
Eh … speaking about lacking democracy and rigged elections!
“But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
This story from the Raleigh News & Observer is interesting on a couple of different levels…
Here’s what caught my eye…
A homeless computer programmer. Are we all really that close to catastrophe…just a layoff and a couple of missed mortgage payments?
And that’s in RTP. Not exactly what I would think of as an economically depressed area…scary.
I have learned to use the word ‘impossible’ with the greatest caution.
– Wernher von Braun
If only Wernher had used as much caution in actually trying to do the impossible.
link
…Then a mortar shell landed near the house in Najaf of Muqtada al-Sadr, the nationalist Shiite cleric whose followers are already upset with Sunnis over the blowing up of the Askariyah Shrine in Samarra. There were casualties, but Muqtada wasn’t harmed. Everyone just dodged a bullet along with Muqtada, since if the mortar had killed him, Iraq would have been thrown into even greater chaos.
As it is, Muqtada implied that the US was responsible. He called on his followers, according to al-Hayat, to “exercise self-restraint and to remain calm, so as to foil the plots of the Occupation authorities to provoke armed conflict, and rather to practice political resistance in order to expel the foreigners from Iraq.”
Then the US and Iraqi forces say they raided a terror cell in Adhamiyah. Adhamiyah is a Sunni district of Baghdad and is still Baath territory.
But somehow the joint US-Iraqi force ended up north, at the Shiite Shaab district. They say that they took fire from Mahdi Army militiamen. But there aren’t any such Mahdi Army men in Adhamiyah. I have a sinking feeling that instead of raiding a Sunni Arab building in Adhamiyah, they got disoriented and attacked a Shiite religious center in nearby Shaab instead. Iraqi television angrily showed twenty unarmed corpses on the floor of the religious center, denouncing the US for killing innocent worshippers. The US military is now saying it did not enter any mosques and that anyone killed was killed by Iraqi special ops.
Go read Juan Cole’s take on this latest US blunder. Apparently, Iraqi Shiites are wildly angry over this. I wonder if the US will try to fix this by planting more stories in the Iraqi press. They can pay for fake news, but they can’t seem to keep the Iraqi media from reporting the truth now and then.
link
March 27, 2006 — Baghdad provincial Governor Husayn al-Tahan said he is suspending all cooperation with U.S. forces until an independent investigation is launched into the killing of 20 Shi’a, allegedly in or near a mosque.
Speaking to reporters in Baghdad, al-Tahan said, “Today we decided to stop all political and service cooperation with the U.S. forces until a legal committee is formed to investigate this incident.”
He said the inquiry panel should include representatives from the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi Defense Ministry, but not the U.S. military.
Trouble in that Republican Paradise that is Iraq.
When we see things like this in the Times international, it just makes one wonder where their minds were at,..oh lets say about 3 1/2 years ago…so sad…..They are just now reporting things such as this….
truly disgusting so late to report
Any ideas as to what’s new in this story that makes it newsworthy at this late date? is it just the greater level of detail?
…is that it has been printed in the NYT. A reporter covered it, and the paper published it. That is what stands out to me.
me too Olivia. I find it rather telling as to the timing in the reporting too. In the year of 06 and right before the campaigning gets started for congress. I find it hard to believe that they haven’t known about such for sometime. Why now? I am like knoxville….why now….I find this a rather telling action. I think if we all knew the reasons for their actions, we would not have to question anything they do and when they do it. It seems more fun for them to keep us guessing as to their demeanor, mindset and professionalism.
ps: I find it funny to see them try to play make up for time lost..and no pun intended. ;o)
I’d think maybe the political situations in both the UK and US have gotten to a place where the NYT feels that it’s unlikely there’ll be serious repercussions to their staff or sources from printing the story. The right doesn’t have that much credibility any longer; any significant revenge would be called out and would only add credibility to the reports and tarnish the Blairites and the Shrubberies even more… and they can’t handle much more at this point.
And, too, from a public relations / marketing viewpoint, it’s probably smarter to have been against the war from the beginning, and it’s never too early to start the rewrites…
Olivia, I have been meaning to tellyou how much I enjoy your site. It is absolutely amazing on how you have ascertained the views. You are so good at what y ou do. I missed seeing your wonderful white rose with the dew drops from the photo fair last year. That is without a doubt my very favorite. hugs…
In 1995, Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 did something unexpected: it fell apart. For no apparent reason, the comet’s nucleus split into at least three “mini-comets” flying single file through space, and now there are several more pieces. Astronomers watched with interest, but the view was blurry even through large telescopes. We’re about to get a much closer look. In May 2006 the fragments are going to fly past Earth closer than any comet has come in more than twenty years. But it’s still pretty far: 25 times as far as the moon. Amateur astronomers will be able to observe the mini-comets as they file through the constellations Cygnus and Pegasus on May 12, 13 and 14. The largest fragments are expected to glow like 3rd or 4th magnitude stars, only dimly visible to the unaided eye. But if you’re away from city lights and have binoculars, it should be worth checking out.
Experts from 140 nations are meeting in Germany to see how far the world has come with tsunami early warning systems in the 15 months since the devastating Asian tsunami. The UN’s Third International Conference on Early Warning will look at how countries in the Indian Ocean rim have prepared to raise the alarm to warn residents and tourists if killer waves again approach their coastlines. Are we ready? No. Are we working on it? Yes.
Farmers who plant more crops, increase irrigation coverage and till the land less can have a profound effect on climate. Climate scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory found that when they included recent changes in agricultural practices, such as more irrigation, higher yielding crops, and less tillage, their models predicted lower temperatures than models that ignored these factors.
Onshore wind farms are being built ahead of predictions and will provide 5% of UK electricity by 2010, half of that nation’s total goal of 10% energy from renewable sources in 2010.
The U.S. Geological Survey says eastern North America is having snow melt and runoff into rivers earlier than it did in the first half of the 20th century. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, says flows in many rivers in the northern United States and Canada are occurring earlier by 5-10 days.
It’s not just chemical plants where security is lax: According to a recent study, an accident or terrorist attack involving a single railcar of chlorine near a densely populated area could kill as many as 100,000 people. Yet rail depots remain unlocked and unguarded. Story in the NY Times.
From grand pronouncements small results doth flow: Three years after he first announced it, the centerpiece of President Bush’s plan to produce electricity from coal without adding to global warming is finally getting under way. But it’s off to a small start. Like the war in Iraq, success will come to the billion-dollar project, if ever, long after Bush leaves the White House. Critics say the effort, known as “FutureGen,” is too little and too late.
Kinder, gentler frankenfood: Scientists using genetic engineering techniques have produced pigs rich in omega-3 fatty acids — a kind of healthful fat abundant in fish but not naturally found in meat. “They don’t smell fishy,” researchers said, but no one has tasted them yet to see if they still taste like pork. Transgenic chickens, cows and fish are in the planning stages, but since FDA treats transgenic food as if they were new drugs it will be a long time before these products show up at the supermarket. Researchers say the transgenic pigs may be useful for research into heard disease even if not approved for consumption, however.
Bird flu defies control efforts The spread of avian influenza to at least 29 new countries in the last seven weeks is prompting a sobering reassessment of the flock-culling strategy that has guided efforts to contain the disease so far Experts are shocked by the speed with which the virus is spreading, and concede, “Nature is in charge.” They hope to buy enough time to develop a virus, even as they admit the virus will soon be everywhere.
There is growing evidence of a link between global warming and natural disasters such as droughts and flooding, the head of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Friday. “We know for certain that there is an intensification of the hydrological cycle, which translates into greater risk in some areas of a rain deficit and accentuated problems of drought linked to climate change,” the head of the WMO said. “There is not yet a consensus in the scientific community on the link between hurricanes and global warming, but there are leads. I am fairly confident that in two or three years we will have more credible answers.” Research into the link between climate change and El Nino could take five years, he added.
The Ceres investor coalition has issued a study that analyzes how 100 leading companies are addressing the growing financial risks and opportunities from climate change – whether from expanding greenhouse gas regulations, direct physical impacts or surging demand for climate-friendly technologies. Altogether, 76 US companies and 24 non-US companies in 10 business sectors are profiled and ranked in the report.
Barack Obama chats with Grist about energy independence and ethanol.
Follow-up to our moonquake story last week: Cool photo of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin next to a lunar seismometer, here.
I’ll break out the Dobsonian reflector to try and see it.
Not named after the evangelical dobson of course.
It’s 10 X 50’s for me 🙁
How big is your light bucket?
8″ mirror I got it the year of Shoemaker – Levy hitting Jupiter. Binoculars are better for comets I need to get a good pair before May.
I once started grinding a mirror for a 6″ f/10 newtonian, but never finished the polishing. I tried to set up my own foucault “knife-edge” tester for checking for the proper curvature but could never get it to work. So I have carted around this half polished 6″ round piece of pyrex and the crown glass grinding tool for thirty years, everywhere I move…sigh, someday maybe I’ll finish it… or turn it into a coaster for large beer mugs 🙂
However, I can say that I used a 60″ Cassegrain as a research assistant when I was in college. I never looked straight thru it though, it was loaded with a spectrograph and I only saw the image on a monitor screen for fine guiding purposes during data gathering.
I turned out to not be an astronomer, but I still love to watch the skies and I try to make photos of meteors during the perseids every year. As for comets, I saw Halley’s and I remember Hyakutake several years back, but I missed Shoemaker-Levy.
I am an official member of the Messier Club, having recorded and reported observations of all the Messier objects. What are your fave objects? Planets are fun, so are double stars (how bout that blue and gold pair in cygnus (albireo)? There are so many beautiful objects to be seen thru a good small scope I can hardly choose…
Hyakutake – That was a comet!
You have seen every Messier object that would be 100+ wow. I’ve seen quite a few but never did an actual count of the ones I’ve seen. Planets definitely Mars every two years and Jupiter and Saturn. I think jupiter and saturn and the challenge of finding galaxies,globular clusters and nebulae using the Messier and the NGC listings. Tracking asteroids is fun if your doing a lot of observing.
I’m thinking about moving up to a ten inch Dob this year. For about $600 0r $700 its a lot of mirror for a low price.
I have never even attempted to grind a mirror. Sounds like it can be pretty tough.
Hyakutake was very large and visible…I enjoyed tracking it. I’ve not since or before seen anything like it.
I always like to see the Ring Nebula, it really tells you how good your scope is and how good the night is for viewing. If you can see any color at all, you’re doing great. It usually looks like a gray smoke ring.
The planets can be very spectacular, especially Jupiter and Saturn, as most people don’t realize that even a small telescope can reveal the red spot on Jupiter or Saturn’s rings. I’ve never been much for asteroids, but I have seen a few, just to say I did it.
When you get to a ten or twelve inch scope you are really taking a step up, and I think that if you enjoy the scope you have, you’ll really get a kick out of moving up to the larger sizes.
Grinding a mirror is not as much work as it would seem, but it is tricky. I still want to finish mine someday…
Anyway, it’s fun to find another amateur astronomer here in the pond. It never ceases to amaze me how diverse and deep the interests are among the folks who frequent this site. 🙂
Ditto enjoy the skies! 🙂
this just about says it all, so stupid for us as a society
Now my son is a cop in Memphis and he had to take criminal justice in college before he was elected to go to the academy. It just lowers expectations for the overall policeman. Things are getting serious in the US. It is not the way we want our departments of justice to be, is it??!!
nor have I seen figures anywhere else, is how many policemen and women have been called up for the war.
Also many firefighters. There are only local rumors as to these numbers.
NDD, that and from time to time, my son has had to do overtime or work days off to fill in for those who are gone to Iraq or elsewhere. It is just that way. I havent talked to him yet to see if there is anything about this article that is baring on his dept. I have heard him say tho, t hat there are many who do not need to be on the force. He just clams up as to why on much of this. Just rumor now is what the article is leaning towards but like everything else , I would nto put it past them to do such. Just like lowering the standards for joining the military to fill the billets of need.
Not a magic bullet after all…
Turning the Taps Back to the States
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ALEXANDRIA, Va. Mar 27, 2006 (ABC/AP)– Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified today that he and would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid were supposed to hijack a fifth airplane and fly it into the White House as part of the attack that unfolded Sept. 11, 2001.
Moussaoui’s testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom. His account was in stark contrast to his previous statements in which he said the White House attack was to come later if the United States refused to release a radical Egyptian sheik imprisoned on earlier terrorist convictions.
This artist's rendering shows Zacarias Moussaoui, left, telling his defense attorneys Edward MacMahon, right, and Kenneth Triccoli, second from right, that he wants to testify during his sentencing trial, at U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va.AP Photo/Dana Verkouteren
On Dec. 22, 2001, Richard Reid was subdued by passengers when he attempted to detonate a bomb in his shoe aboard American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami. There were 197 people on board. The plane was diverted to Boston, where it landed safely.
“But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
is feeling the heat
Boston Herald (via E&P) reports Justice Scalia Gives the Press the Finger, caught in photo, He denies it.