How Close to the Sun could we get?
How close to the Sun could we get?
Author: Robert Zimmerman
Congress freezes NASA’s budget until March
The space war will continue until March: Unable to pass a real budget, Congress has instead passed a continuing resolution that, among everything else, freezes NASA’s budget at 2010 numbers through the spring.
Winter Solstice in the Arctic
An evening pause:
Giant Mars Pits Revealed in Sharp Detail
NASA Might Merge its Exploration and Operations Directorates
More evidence that the American government manned spaceflight program is dying: NASA is considering a merger of its Exploration and Operations directorates. Without a shuttle, there really is no need for Operations.
New Scientist story: Expect Earth’s twin planet
According to a statistical analysis, scientists predict the discovery of Earth’s twin in 2011.
Note that I reported this story three months ago, on September 13!
So What Happens When California Goes Bankrupt
So what happens when California goes bankrupt?
Ten Years On the way to Pluto
Alan Stern, project scientist of NASA’s mission to Pluto, New Horizons, gives his perspective ten years after the start of the project.
How Obamacare is Hastening the bankruptcy of state governments
Repeal the damn bill! How Obamacare is hastening the bankruptcy of state governments. Key quote:
If state Medicaid spending increases by 41 percent as projected by [the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services], then by next year Medicaid could end up consuming nearly 30 percent of the average state budget. Medicaid would greatly exceed all other state priorities, including education, which tops state budgets at about 22 percent. In fact, state spending on education would experience certain cuts next year. [emphasis mine]
Flight to test the taste of beer in microgravity delayed until February
The first flight to test the taste of beer in microgravity has been delayed until February due to poor weather.
Automakers Sue EPA Over E15 Fuel Blend
Resisting the power grab: Automakers sue the EPA over its new ethanol regulations allowing the sale of gasoline with 15% ethanol.
FCC Votes 3-2 to Regulate Internet via Net Neutrality
Power grab! FCC votes 3-2 to regulate the internet via net neutrality.
There’s a mini ice age coming, says man who beats weather experts
There’s a mini ice age coming, says a man whose predictions the last few winters have been better than the British weather service.
Obama administration to review all health insurance rate increases
Who says the healthcare bill didn’t nationalize the healthcare industry? Under the new law, the Obama administration will be reviewing all health insurance rate increases next year, approving only those it agrees with.
Repeal the damn bill!
Eight former park superintendents are pressing the U.S. and Canadian governments to expand government control over lands adjacent to Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park.
Power grab! Eight former park superintendents are pressing the U.S. and Canadian governments to expand government control over lands adjacent to Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park.
Twenty Of The Craziest Things The U.S. Government Is Spending Money On
Your tax dollars at work: Twenty idiotic things the U.S. government is spending money on. My favorite, #8, also happens to be one of the most expensive:
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spent $175 million during 2010 to maintain hundreds of buildings that it does not even use. This includes a pink, octagonal monkey house in the city of Dayton, Ohio.
Christmas Sweater Club Punished At Local High School
Ho! Ho! Ho! The members of an informal high school “Christmas Sweater Club” have been punished by their school for spreading Christmas cheer. Key quote:
Mother Kathleen Flannery said an administrator called her and explained “not everyone wants Christmas cheer. That suicide rates are up over Christmas, and that they should keep their cheer to themselves, perhaps.”
TSA Worker Avoids Prison After Stealing Travelers’ Laptops
A TSA worker gets probation after being convicted of using TSA surveillance equipment to steal travelers’ laptops.
Federal paychecks one third higher than private pay
Want to trim the federal debt? Here’s a place to start: Federal paychecks in the San Diego area are one third higher than private pay, according to census numbers. The pay raises were also more than three times higher.
Last night’s lunar eclipse
Last night’s lunar eclipse, as photographed by Jeff Bliss in Pleasanton, California.
