Buckyballs in space
Buckyballs in space. And they’re solid too!
Year: 2012
GOP front-runner Mitt Romney said Tuesday that cutting government spending would hurt the economy.
Shooting himself in the foot: Mitt Romney said Tuesday that cutting government spending would hurt the economy.
Though Romney clearly was trying to make a more subtle point, this is the kind of statement that is killing him with Republican voters.
A Jewish congregation’s letter to George Washington welcoming him to Rhode Island in 1790.
On Washington’s birthday: A Jewish congregation’s letter to George Washington welcoming him to Rhode Island in 1790.
Washington had come to Rhode Island in celebration of that state’s ratification of the Constitution. This paragraph, written by these immigrant Jews, speaks directly to today’s far less tolerant government and society that now believes it has the right to squelch religious freedom:
Deprived as we heretofore have been of the invaluable rights of free Citizens, we now with a deep sense of gratitude to the Almighty disposer of all events behold a Government, erected by the Majesty of the People ~~ a Government, which to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance ~~ but generously affording to all Liberty of conscience, and immunities of Citizenship: ~~ deeming every one, of whatever Nation, tongue, or language equal parts of the great governmental Machine.
One private religious company explains why it can’t go along with the Obama administration’s mandate on contraceptives.
One private religious company explains why it will refuse to go along with the Obama administration’s mandate on contraceptives.
The administration’s supporters say that by opposing the rule, religious employers like EWTN are guilty of trying to coerce our employees and impose our values on them. But we are simply choosing not to participate in the use of these drugs. Our 350 employees, many of whom are not Catholic, freely choose to work here and can purchase and use contraception if they want to. They are aware of the values we practice, and I hear regularly from Catholic and non-Catholic employees alike how much they love working for an organization that is defined by its Catholic beliefs — beliefs that we think result in a better workplace and more expansive benefits over all.
Instead, it is the government — which does not accept EWTN’s religious choice and can punish that choice by imposing fines — that is coercing us. But under the Constitution and federal religious liberties law, we cannot be forced to give up our beliefs as the price of participation in the public square. That is why the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has filed a lawsuit on our behalf seeking to overturn this illegal mandate.
Once again, whether or not you agree with the Obama administration’s policy, the mandate is unconstitutional. The federal government is expressly forbidden from imposing its will in this manner by the 1st Amendment.
Documents show Obama’s FCC used regulatory muscle to destroy LightSquared’s competition
A culture of corruption: Documents show that Obama’s FCC used its regulatory muscle to destroy LightSquared’s competition.
On the way to Albuquerque
I’m on the way to Albuquerque this morning, on the real Washington’s birthday, to give a lecture on the history of the Hubble Space Telescope before the Albuquerque Section and student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics tonight. Though I do expect however to be able to post throughout the day, there might be some gaps.
An inherited comic book collection is expected to fetch $2M at auction tomorrow.
Don’t throw them out! An inherited comic book collection is expected to fetch $2 million at auction tomorrow.
A New Hampshire man was arrested for firing his gun into the ground in order to catch a suspected burglar.
The world turned upside down: A New Hampshire homeowner was arrested for firing his gun into the ground in order to catch a suspected burglar.
Parahawking
An evening pause: Training a Harris’s hawk to fly with a paraglider. Or maybe vise versa.
Russian scientists have resurrected a plant from 30,000 years ago, using fruit tissues that had been frozen in the Arctic.
Russian scientists have resurrected a plant from 30,000 years ago, using fruit tissues that had been frozen in the Arctic.
The streets of Rome — in Jerusalem
The streets of Rome — in Jerusalem.
More than 2500 religious leaders released a letter yesterday condemning the Obama administration’s healthcare mandate as ““a severe blow” to religious liberty.
More than 2500 religious leaders released a letter yesterday condemning the Obama administration’s healthcare mandate as ““a severe blow” to religious liberty.