Author: Robert Zimmerman
Out of Ideas, Governments Try a Bank Heist
A Chinese scientist who worked as a contractor for NASA was arrested yesterday on a plane about to leave for China.
A Chinese scientist who worked as a contractor for NASA was arrested yesterday on a plane about to leave for China.
Agents learned Friday that Jiang was to return to China on a one-way ticket Saturday, the affidavit said. He flew from Norfolk to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, where he boarded a plane bound for Beijing. Federal agents pulled him off the flight and searched his belongings. During what they called a “consensual encounter,” the agents asked Jiang what electronic media he had with him. He told an agent from the Department of Homeland Security that he had a cellphone, a memory stick, an external hard drive and a new computer.
But during the search, according to the affidavit, agents found an additional laptop, an old hard drive and a portable memory chip called a SIM card. He was arrested, and made his initial court appearance Monday.
It appears that the restrictions Congress placed on hiring foreign nationals had some merit. Moreover, it appears that the accusation by one congressman that NASA has been trying to circumvent those restrictions is true.
A Chinese scientist who worked as a contractor for NASA was arrested yesterday on a plane about to leave for China.
Agents learned Friday that Jiang was to return to China on a one-way ticket Saturday, the affidavit said. He flew from Norfolk to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, where he boarded a plane bound for Beijing. Federal agents pulled him off the flight and searched his belongings. During what they called a “consensual encounter,” the agents asked Jiang what electronic media he had with him. He told an agent from the Department of Homeland Security that he had a cellphone, a memory stick, an external hard drive and a new computer.
But during the search, according to the affidavit, agents found an additional laptop, an old hard drive and a portable memory chip called a SIM card. He was arrested, and made his initial court appearance Monday.
It appears that the restrictions Congress placed on hiring foreign nationals had some merit. Moreover, it appears that the accusation by one congressman that NASA has been trying to circumvent those restrictions is true.
Another computer glitch has put Curiosity back in safe mode.
Another computer glitch has put Curiosity back in safe mode.
The problem this time appears to be different from the previous computer issue that shutdown Curiosity’s A computer. Since it occurred on the backup B computer now in use, however, it is a problem that cannot be taken lightly.
Another computer glitch has put Curiosity back in safe mode.
The problem this time appears to be different from the previous computer issue that shutdown Curiosity’s A computer. Since it occurred on the backup B computer now in use, however, it is a problem that cannot be taken lightly.
According to a federal report, businesses nationwide remain reluctant to hire because of Obamacare.
According to a federal report, businesses nationwide remain reluctant to hire because of Obamacare.
Earlier this month, the Fed released its latest “beige book” – a monthly report on economic conditions across the country. The book noted that employers across the country have “cited the unknown effects of the Affordable Care Act as reasons for planned layoffs and reluctance to hire more staff.”
And it is only going to get worse. Read the whole article. The new taxes imposed by Obamacare are going to crush the healthcare industry.
According to a federal report, businesses nationwide remain reluctant to hire because of Obamacare.
Earlier this month, the Fed released its latest “beige book” – a monthly report on economic conditions across the country. The book noted that employers across the country have “cited the unknown effects of the Affordable Care Act as reasons for planned layoffs and reluctance to hire more staff.”
And it is only going to get worse. Read the whole article. The new taxes imposed by Obamacare are going to crush the healthcare industry.
Sinead O’Connor – Thank You For Hearing Me
More fraud in climate science
Steve McIntyre, the man who had demonstrated that Michael Mann’s hockey stick graph was a fraud, has now demonstrated that the work of a group of climate scientists attempting to resurrect it is even more fraudulent. It seems that in order to recreate the illusion of warming in the past four hundred years, the scientists, led by geologist Shaun Marcott, changed the dates on a series of ocean cores in order to get the results they wanted.
McIntyre found that Marcott and his colleagues used previously published ocean core data, but have altered the dates represented by the cores, in some cases by as much as 1,000 years.
Most significantly, the scientists made no explanation for changing these dates. It is as if they wanted to hide this decline, y’know?
The chart on the right, by McIntyre, illustrates the fraud. The black line shows the temperature numbers of the ocean cores used by Marcott. The red line shows the temperature numbers, as originally published in the scientific literature, for these ocean cores.
The discrepancy here is so egregious that it screams at you. More important, as John Hinderaker says,
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Google Street View now includes views from four of the world’s seven largest mountain peaks.
Google Street View now includes views from four of the world’s seven largest mountain peaks.
More here.
Google Street View now includes views from four of the world’s seven largest mountain peaks.
More here.
Curiosity takes a panorama of Mount Sharp.
Curiosity takes a panorama of Mount Sharp.
A white balanced version, which isn’t as much like true color but looks better, can be found here.
Curiosity takes a panorama of Mount Sharp.
A white balanced version, which isn’t as much like true color but looks better, can be found here.
The space junk collision in January never happened.
The uncertainty of journalism: The space junk collision in January never happened.
The data instead shows that the Russian satellite merely broke up in orbit. The data shows that nothing ever came close to it or collided with it.
The uncertainty of journalism: The space junk collision in January never happened.
The data instead shows that the Russian satellite merely broke up in orbit. The data shows that nothing ever came close to it or collided with it.
The 6 most ridiculous science experiments ever funded
The 6 most ridiculous science experiments ever funded.
I especially like the one that definitively proved “there is absolutely no difference between a college student and a horny chicken.”
The 6 most ridiculous science experiments ever funded.
I especially like the one that definitively proved “there is absolutely no difference between a college student and a horny chicken.”
Sooner or later progressives will get around to you
Sooner or later progressives will get around to you.
You can call them liberals, leftists, socialists, communists, do-gooders, busy-bodies, or fascists, but no matter what, the bottom line is that they want to use the power of government to tell you how to live your life, even if it makes life not worth living.
Sooner or later progressives will get around to you.
You can call them liberals, leftists, socialists, communists, do-gooders, busy-bodies, or fascists, but no matter what, the bottom line is that they want to use the power of government to tell you how to live your life, even if it makes life not worth living.
Orbital Sciences has now set April 16-18 as the launch window for its first test launch of its new Antares rocket
The competition heats up: Orbital Sciences has now set April 16-18 as the launch window for its first test launch of its new Antares rocket.
The competition heats up: Orbital Sciences has now set April 16-18 as the launch window for its first test launch of its new Antares rocket.
Sarah Brightman’s visit to ISS in doubt.
Sarah Brightman’s visit to ISS in doubt.
Soyuz taxi flights normally visit the International Space Station for a period of about eight days. NASA and Roscosmos are considering extending a 2015 visit to one month, however. If that happens, Brightman would have to give up her seat to a scientific researcher, who would perform some short-term experiments aboard the space station.
Roscosmos manned space flight director Alexei Krasnov had previously indicated that Russia might consider carrying two paying customers on the 2015 taxi flight. So, it would be theoretically possible for Russia to fly Brightman and the researcher. It’s unknown whether Brightman would want to spend that long aboard the space station, however, and pricing policy to longer-duration stays have not been worked out.
Sarah Brightman’s visit to ISS in doubt.
Soyuz taxi flights normally visit the International Space Station for a period of about eight days. NASA and Roscosmos are considering extending a 2015 visit to one month, however. If that happens, Brightman would have to give up her seat to a scientific researcher, who would perform some short-term experiments aboard the space station.
Roscosmos manned space flight director Alexei Krasnov had previously indicated that Russia might consider carrying two paying customers on the 2015 taxi flight. So, it would be theoretically possible for Russia to fly Brightman and the researcher. It’s unknown whether Brightman would want to spend that long aboard the space station, however, and pricing policy to longer-duration stays have not been worked out.
Building a lunar base by baking lunar dust and shaping it with a 3D printer.
Building a lunar base by baking lunar dust and shaping it with a 3D printer.
Building a lunar base by baking lunar dust and shaping it with a 3D printer.
Judy Garland – It’s a Great Day for the Irish
Cinque Terre
An evening pause: I am actually not in Italy, but off in southern Arizona this weekend on a cave survey project. But I must admit, this video makes this part of Italy very tempting.
Paul Speer – Gobi
Visiting a nuclear missile silo
A fuel line for the Titan missile.
Last week my oldest friend Lloyd and his wife Denise came to visit Diane and I here in Tucson. One of Lloyd’s requests was to visit the Tucson Missile Museum. This museum is built at the site of one of the now disabled missile silos built in the 1960s as a means for launching nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union. Fifty-four silos total had been built and operated, with eighteen of those silos scattered around the Tucson, Arizona area. When the U.S. signed a nuclear arms treaty with the Soviet Union in the 1980s these silos were then shut down and sold. Some became private residences. Others remain buried and abandoned.
One silo, however, was kept as intact as allowed by treaty and made into a museum in order to preserve this artifact of history. Because Diane and I happen to know Chuck Penson, the archivist at the museum, we were able to arrange an augmented tour of the facility. Below are some of my pictures as Chuck took us down into the deepest bowels of the silo.
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A federal judge has ruled against the Obamacare contraceptive mandate imposed by the Obama administration on private businesses.
A federal judge has ruled against the Obamacare contraceptive mandate imposed by the Obama administration on private businesses.
A federal judge has ruled against the Obamacare contraceptive mandate imposed by the Obama administration on private businesses.
“[We] don’t think there’s a problem.”
The Democratic Party leadership: “The debt is not endangering us a bit — not at all.”
And then there’s this comment on Wednesday from President Obama: “We don’t have an immediate crisis in terms of debt.”
The Democratic Party leadership: “The debt is not endangering us a bit — not at all.”
And then there’s this comment on Wednesday from President Obama: “We don’t have an immediate crisis in terms of debt.”
The return today of three astronauts from ISS has been delayed due to an ice storm in Russia.
The return today of three astronauts from ISS has been delayed due to an ice storm in Russia.
The return today of three astronauts from ISS has been delayed due to an ice storm in Russia.
The first Democratic Party budget from the Senate in four years calls for a 62% increase in federal spending over the next ten years.
Fiddling while Rome burns: The first Democratic Party budget from the Senate in four years calls for a 62% increase in federal spending over the next ten years.
The worst aspect of this story is that this is what the voters requested in the November elections. Bankruptcy, here we come!
Fiddling while Rome burns: The first Democratic Party budget from the Senate in four years calls for a 62% increase in federal spending over the next ten years.
The worst aspect of this story is that this is what the voters requested in the November elections. Bankruptcy, here we come!
Water and carbon monoxide detected in the atmosphere of a super-sized exoplanet 129 light years away.
Water and carbon monoxide have been detected in the atmosphere of a super-sized exoplanet 129 light years away.
Water and carbon monoxide have been detected in the atmosphere of a super-sized exoplanet 129 light years away.
Sierra Hull – Tell Me Tomorrow
For the first time in 25 years the U.S. has begun producing plutonium, to be used in future planetary space missions.
For the first time in 25 years the U.S. has begun producing plutonium, to be used as a power source for future planetary space missions.
For the first time in 25 years the U.S. has begun producing plutonium, to be used as a power source for future planetary space missions.
The top ten organizations slashing jobs and hours in order to deal with Obamacare.
The top ten organizations slashing jobs and hours in order to deal with Obamacare.
And we’ve only just begun!
The top ten organizations slashing jobs and hours in order to deal with Obamacare.
And we’ve only just begun!
Europe today inked a partnership deal with Russia for its two spacecraft ExoMars mission, planned to launch in 2016 and 2018.
Europe today inked a partnership deal with Russia for its two spacecraft ExoMars mission, planned to launch in 2016 and 2018.
Russia essentially replaces the United States, which backed out of the deal last year when the Obama administration eliminated the funding for most of NASA’s planetary program.
Europe today inked a partnership deal with Russia for its two spacecraft ExoMars mission, planned to launch in 2016 and 2018.
Russia essentially replaces the United States, which backed out of the deal last year when the Obama administration eliminated the funding for most of NASA’s planetary program.
Astronomers today celebrate the official turning-on of ALMA, the world’s largest telescope.
Astronomers today celebrate the official turning-on of ALMA, the world’s largest telescope.
ALMA is an array of 66 dishes tuned to wavelengths in the millimeter to submillimeter range of the electromagnetic spectrum, between the infrared and radio frequencies.
Astronomers today celebrate the official turning-on of ALMA, the world’s largest telescope.
ALMA is an array of 66 dishes tuned to wavelengths in the millimeter to submillimeter range of the electromagnetic spectrum, between the infrared and radio frequencies.
China says it will by 2015 do a re-entry test of the spacecraft it will use to return a lunar sample from the Moon by 2020..
The competition heats up: China says it will by 2015 do a re-entry test of the spacecraft it will use to return a lunar sample from the Moon by 2020..
The competition heats up: China says it will by 2015 do a re-entry test of the spacecraft it will use to return a lunar sample from the Moon by 2020..
Physicians fight back against Obamacare.
Physicians fight back against Obamacare.
Dr. Ryan Neuhofel, 31, offers a rare glimpse at what it would be like to go to the doctor without massive government interference in health care. Dr. Neuhofel, based in the college town of Lawrence, Kansas, charges for his services according to an online price list that’s as straightforward as a restaurant menu. A drained abscess runs $30, a pap smear, $40, a 30-minute house call, $100. Strep cultures, glucose tolerance tests, and pregnancy tests are on the house. Neuhofel doesn’t accept insurance. He even barters on occasion with cash-strapped locals. One patient pays with fresh eggs and another with homemade cheese and goat’s milk. “Direct primary care,” which is the industry term for Neuhofel’s business model, does away with the bureaucratic hassle of insurance, which translates into much lower prices. “What people don’t realize is that most doctors employ an army of people for coding, billing, and gathering payment,” says Neuhofel. “That means you have to charge $200 to remove an ingrown toenail.” Neuhofel charges $50.
Neuhofel is not alone in this. The article describes other doctors who have done the same. As the bureaucratic mess from Obamacare expands and becomes increasingly impossible for anyone to handle, we are going to see this happen more and more.
Physicians fight back against Obamacare.
Dr. Ryan Neuhofel, 31, offers a rare glimpse at what it would be like to go to the doctor without massive government interference in health care. Dr. Neuhofel, based in the college town of Lawrence, Kansas, charges for his services according to an online price list that’s as straightforward as a restaurant menu. A drained abscess runs $30, a pap smear, $40, a 30-minute house call, $100. Strep cultures, glucose tolerance tests, and pregnancy tests are on the house. Neuhofel doesn’t accept insurance. He even barters on occasion with cash-strapped locals. One patient pays with fresh eggs and another with homemade cheese and goat’s milk. “Direct primary care,” which is the industry term for Neuhofel’s business model, does away with the bureaucratic hassle of insurance, which translates into much lower prices. “What people don’t realize is that most doctors employ an army of people for coding, billing, and gathering payment,” says Neuhofel. “That means you have to charge $200 to remove an ingrown toenail.” Neuhofel charges $50.
Neuhofel is not alone in this. The article describes other doctors who have done the same. As the bureaucratic mess from Obamacare expands and becomes increasingly impossible for anyone to handle, we are going to see this happen more and more.