Author: Robert Zimmerman
Alan Grayson returns to Congress and immediately calls Republicans terrorists.
Leftwing civility: Democrat Alan Grayson returns to Congress and immediately calls Republicans terrorists.
That Democratic voters were willing to re-elect this vicious hateful guy back into Congress is proof to me that these voters really have no good will, are eager to demonize the opposition, and would possibly even approve violence against that opposition to achieve their ends. (Among Grayson’s many offensive acts, he once appeared uninvited at an opponent’s rally and refused to shut up, closing the entire event down. I just can’t find the link at this moment.)
Leftwing civility: Democrat Alan Grayson returns to Congress and immediately calls Republicans terrorists.
That Democratic voters were willing to re-elect this vicious hateful guy back into Congress is proof to me that these voters really have no good will, are eager to demonize the opposition, and would possibly even approve violence against that opposition to achieve their ends. (Among Grayson’s many offensive acts, he once appeared uninvited at an opponent’s rally and refused to shut up, closing the entire event down. I just can’t find the link at this moment.)
10 Most Common New Year’s Resolutions as Illustrated by Cats
Curiosity spots a Martian “flower.”
Curiosity spots a Martian “flower.”
Actually, Ian O’Neill notes, it isn’t really a flower but a very interesting geological formation embedded in the rock.
Curiosity spots a Martian “flower.”
Actually, Ian O’Neill notes, it isn’t really a flower but a very interesting geological formation embedded in the rock.
“I am not your peasant.”
The Byrds – Turn. Turn. Turn.
An evening pause: The words, except for the very last line (inserted by Pete Seeger), are from the book of Ecclesiastes.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
Read it all, especially the King James version. It is one of the most profound and beautiful poems ever written.
To avoid Obamacare, companies are turning more employees into part-timers while also cutting back on hires.
Surprise surprise! To avoid Obamacare, companies are cutting back, turning more employees into part-timers while also refusing to hire new employees.
And we’ve only just begun. The cost of this bad law is so high it will squelch everything it touches.
Surprise surprise! To avoid Obamacare, companies are cutting back, turning more employees into part-timers while also refusing to hire new employees.
And we’ve only just begun. The cost of this bad law is so high it will squelch everything it touches.
Swift demonstrates what a small 11-inch telescope can do in space with an spectacular gallery of images.
Swift demonstrates what a small 11-inch telescope can do in space with an spectacular gallery of images. The complete gallery can be seen here.
Swift demonstrates what a small 11-inch telescope can do in space with an spectacular gallery of images. The complete gallery can be seen here.
The origin of the dark material on Vesta.
The origin of the dark material on Vesta.
I actually reported on this research result in detail back in August.
The origin of the dark material on Vesta.
I actually reported on this research result in detail back in August.
Astronomers have discovered that a large number of dwarf galaxies are orbiting Andromedea in a flat plane, like our solar system, contrary to all predictions.
The uncertainty of science: Astronomers have discovered that a large number of dwarf galaxies are orbiting Andromedea in a flat plane, like our solar system, contrary to all predictions.
The study reveals almost 30 dwarf galaxies orbiting the larger Andromeda galaxy in this regular, solar system-like plane. The astronomers’ expectations were that these smaller galaxies should be buzzing around randomly, like bees around a hive. “This was completely unexpected,” said Geraint Lewis, one of the lead authors on the Nature publication. “The chance of this happening randomly is next to nothing.” The fact that astronomers now see that a majority of these little systems in fact contrive to map out an immensely large – approximately one million light years across – but extremely flattened structure, implies that this understanding is grossly incorrect. Either something about how these galaxies formed, or subsequently evolved, must have led them to trace out this peculiar, coherent, structure.
The uncertainty of science: Astronomers have discovered that a large number of dwarf galaxies are orbiting Andromedea in a flat plane, like our solar system, contrary to all predictions.
The study reveals almost 30 dwarf galaxies orbiting the larger Andromeda galaxy in this regular, solar system-like plane. The astronomers’ expectations were that these smaller galaxies should be buzzing around randomly, like bees around a hive. “This was completely unexpected,” said Geraint Lewis, one of the lead authors on the Nature publication. “The chance of this happening randomly is next to nothing.” The fact that astronomers now see that a majority of these little systems in fact contrive to map out an immensely large – approximately one million light years across – but extremely flattened structure, implies that this understanding is grossly incorrect. Either something about how these galaxies formed, or subsequently evolved, must have led them to trace out this peculiar, coherent, structure.
The good, bad, and (mostly) ugly of the fiscal deal.
The good, bad, and (mostly) ugly of the fiscal deal.
And then there is this: Six idiotic things included in the fiscal cliff deal that will add to the national debt.
The good, bad, and (mostly) ugly of the fiscal deal.
And then there is this: Six idiotic things included in the fiscal cliff deal that will add to the national debt.
The deindustrialization of America.
The deindustrialization of America.
But don’t worry. Congress has delayed dealing with the debt for another few months!
The deindustrialization of America.
But don’t worry. Congress has delayed dealing with the debt for another few months!
Using data from a solar system detected by the Kepler space telescope, astronomers now extrapolate that there are at least as many planets as stars in our galaxy.
Billions and billions! Using data from a solar system detected by the Kepler space telescope, astronomers now extrapolate that there are at least as many planets as stars in our galaxy.
Billions and billions! Using data from a solar system detected by the Kepler space telescope, astronomers now extrapolate that there are at least as many planets as stars in our galaxy.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Man on Fire
The House passed legislation Monday proposing to rename the Dryden Flight Research Center in California after Neil Armstrong.
Don’t they have better things to do? The House passed legislation Monday proposing to rename the Dryden Flight Research Center in California after Neil Armstrong.
As much as I think Armstrong should be honored in as many ways as possible, it seems cheap and inappropriate to take the honor away from Hugh Dryden, whose work helped make Armstrong’s lunar mission possible. Moreover, Armstrong, being a very modest man himself, would likely be quite appalled by any action that would rob someone else of a memorial in order to give it to him.
Don’t they have better things to do? The House passed legislation Monday proposing to rename the Dryden Flight Research Center in California after Neil Armstrong.
As much as I think Armstrong should be honored in as many ways as possible, it seems cheap and inappropriate to take the honor away from Hugh Dryden, whose work helped make Armstrong’s lunar mission possible. Moreover, Armstrong, being a very modest man himself, would likely be quite appalled by any action that would rob someone else of a memorial in order to give it to him.
Neil Diamond – I Am, I Said
Six of the most isolated places on Earth.
Six of the most isolated places on Earth.
Six of the most isolated places on Earth.
New research suggests that the high radiation experienced by astronauts on interplanetary journeys could accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s.
New research suggests that the high radiation experienced by astronauts on interplanetary journeys could accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Some caveats: This research was done on Earth with mice. It also assumes that it will be impossible to protect astronauts from all types of radiation while on their journey.
New research suggests that the high radiation experienced by astronauts on interplanetary journeys could accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Some caveats: This research was done on Earth with mice. It also assumes that it will be impossible to protect astronauts from all types of radiation while on their journey.
The federal government has reached its debt limit today.
The day of reckoning looms: The federal government has reached its debt limit today.
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner told Congress that the U.S. hit its statutory debt limit, necessitating emergency steps announced last week as a way to keep funding the government and avoid default. Geithner said he had issued a “debt issuance suspension period” for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, effective today and to last until Feb. 28, 2013. The letter said the Treasury was taking similar action for the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund.
This is only a temporary solution that solves nothing. And the fake negotiations over the fake “fiscal cliff” are doing even less than nothing to deal with the debt situation. We are bankrupt and worse, we are continuing to refuse to face that reality.
The day of reckoning looms: The federal government has reached its debt limit today.
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner told Congress that the U.S. hit its statutory debt limit, necessitating emergency steps announced last week as a way to keep funding the government and avoid default. Geithner said he had issued a “debt issuance suspension period” for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, effective today and to last until Feb. 28, 2013. The letter said the Treasury was taking similar action for the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund.
This is only a temporary solution that solves nothing. And the fake negotiations over the fake “fiscal cliff” are doing even less than nothing to deal with the debt situation. We are bankrupt and worse, we are continuing to refuse to face that reality.
Julie Andrews – Auld Lang Syne
Another federal judge has ruled that a private company does not have to follow the Obamacare contraceptive mandate.
We’ve only just begun: Another federal judge has ruled that a private company does not have to follow the Obamacare contraceptive mandate.
We’ve only just begun: Another federal judge has ruled that a private company does not have to follow the Obamacare contraceptive mandate.
Skeeter Davis – the End of the World
An evening pause: I gotta tell ya, this song is far more believable than those Mayan calendar tales.
The Seven Samurai – Kyûzô the Swordsman
An evening pause: A short clip from one of the best films ever made, Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai (1954).
Is the recently discovered Imperial tomb in China too dangerous to enter?
Is the recently discovered Imperial tomb in China too dangerous to enter?
After discovering a secret palace hidden in China’s first emperor massive burial complex, Chinese technicians are nervous. Not because Qin Shi Huang’s tomb is the most important archeological discovery since Tutankhamun, but because they believe his burial place is full of deadly traps that will kill any trespassers. Not to talk about deadly quantities of mercury.
The secret courtyard-style palace tomb is a mind-numbing discovery. Situated in the heart of the Emperor’s 22-square-mile (56-square-kilometer) mortuary compound guarded by more than 6,000 (and counting) full-size statues of warriors, musicians and acrobats, the buried palace is 2,263 by 820 feet (690 by 250 meters). It includes 18 courtyard houses overlooked by one main building, where the emperor is supposed to be. The palace—which has already been partially mapped in 3D using volumetric scanners—occupied a space of 6,003,490 cubic feet (170,000 cubic meters). That’s one fourth the size of the Forbidden City in Beijing—for just one tomb.
Experts believe that the 249-foot-high (76-meter) structure covered with soil and kept dry thanks to a complex draining system, hides the body of the emperor and his courtiers. Nobody knows what’s the state of their bodies, but one of the leading archeologists believes that they are most likely destroyed by now.
Is the recently discovered Imperial tomb in China too dangerous to enter?
After discovering a secret palace hidden in China’s first emperor massive burial complex, Chinese technicians are nervous. Not because Qin Shi Huang’s tomb is the most important archeological discovery since Tutankhamun, but because they believe his burial place is full of deadly traps that will kill any trespassers. Not to talk about deadly quantities of mercury.
The secret courtyard-style palace tomb is a mind-numbing discovery. Situated in the heart of the Emperor’s 22-square-mile (56-square-kilometer) mortuary compound guarded by more than 6,000 (and counting) full-size statues of warriors, musicians and acrobats, the buried palace is 2,263 by 820 feet (690 by 250 meters). It includes 18 courtyard houses overlooked by one main building, where the emperor is supposed to be. The palace—which has already been partially mapped in 3D using volumetric scanners—occupied a space of 6,003,490 cubic feet (170,000 cubic meters). That’s one fourth the size of the Forbidden City in Beijing—for just one tomb.
Experts believe that the 249-foot-high (76-meter) structure covered with soil and kept dry thanks to a complex draining system, hides the body of the emperor and his courtiers. Nobody knows what’s the state of their bodies, but one of the leading archeologists believes that they are most likely destroyed by now.
The twelve most useless research papers of 2012.
Science discovers the obvious: The twelve most useless research papers of 2012.
I especially like #10: Driving when drunk is unsafe. Who wudda known?
Science discovers the obvious: The twelve most useless research papers of 2012.
I especially like #10: Driving when drunk is unsafe. Who wudda known?
“2012 was the worst year for fabrication and plagiarism since I began collecting data in 2005.”
The sad state of modern journalism: “2012 was the worst year for fabrication and plagiarism since I began collecting data in 2005.”
Silverman runs the website Regret the Error, cataloging journalistic errors and misconduct. This is his summary of this past year, and it ain’t pretty. The worst part is that there were a number of journalists on this list — CNN host and Time magazine editor Fareed Zakaria being the most prominent — who were caught either faking their stories or plagiarizing the work of others who were let off with a mere slap on the wrist. Consider that the next time you listen to Zakaria on CNN.
The sad state of modern journalism: “2012 was the worst year for fabrication and plagiarism since I began collecting data in 2005.”
Silverman runs the website Regret the Error, cataloging journalistic errors and misconduct. This is his summary of this past year, and it ain’t pretty. The worst part is that there were a number of journalists on this list — CNN host and Time magazine editor Fareed Zakaria being the most prominent — who were caught either faking their stories or plagiarizing the work of others who were let off with a mere slap on the wrist. Consider that the next time you listen to Zakaria on CNN.
A very impressive bike ride
An evening pause: This one way to get from the top to the bottom of a city, which I think is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Thank You, David Gregory
Then there’s this: Laws are for little people.
To Howard Kurtz & Co., it’s “obvious” that Gregory didn’t intend to commit a crime. But, in a land choked with laws, “obviousness” is one of the first casualties — and “obviously” innocent citizens have their “obviously” well-intentioned actions criminalized every minute of the day. Not far away from David Gregory, across the Virginia border, eleven-year-old Skylar Capo made the mistake of rescuing a woodpecker from the jaws of a cat and nursing him back to health for a couple of days. For her pains, a federal Fish & Wildlife gauleiter accompanied by state troopers descended on her house, charged her with illegal transportation of a protected species, issued her a $535 fine, and made her cry. Why is it so “obvious” that David Gregory deserves to be treated more leniently than a sixth grader? Because he’s got a TV show and she hasn’t?
Then there’s this: Laws are for little people.
To Howard Kurtz & Co., it’s “obvious” that Gregory didn’t intend to commit a crime. But, in a land choked with laws, “obviousness” is one of the first casualties — and “obviously” innocent citizens have their “obviously” well-intentioned actions criminalized every minute of the day. Not far away from David Gregory, across the Virginia border, eleven-year-old Skylar Capo made the mistake of rescuing a woodpecker from the jaws of a cat and nursing him back to health for a couple of days. For her pains, a federal Fish & Wildlife gauleiter accompanied by state troopers descended on her house, charged her with illegal transportation of a protected species, issued her a $535 fine, and made her cry. Why is it so “obvious” that David Gregory deserves to be treated more leniently than a sixth grader? Because he’s got a TV show and she hasn’t?
Orbital Sciences will do a hot fire launchpad test of its Antares rocket in January, followed by a test launch to orbit in February, and a first flight of the Cygnus capsule in April.
Schedule update: Orbital Sciences will do a hot fire launchpad test of its Antares rocket in January, followed by a test launch to orbit in February, and a first flight of the Cygnus capsule in April.
Schedule update: Orbital Sciences will do a hot fire launchpad test of its Antares rocket in January, followed by a test launch to orbit in February, and a first flight of the Cygnus capsule in April.
The most intolerant religion, persecuting all others.
The most intolerant religion, persecuting all others.
The most intolerant religion, persecuting all others.