Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.
Dutch prosecutors have recommended acquital for Geert Wilders on all charges. Though this is a vindication for Wilders, it is tragic that government officials thought they had the right to put Wilders on trial to begin with, merely because of things he said. Moreover, the trial is still scheduled to go on next week, despite these recommendations.
Via Clark Lindsey, amateurs have spotted the X-37b again, in what appears to be a lower orbit.
The soaring bypass bridge over Hoover Dam is finally finished, and will open next week.
Whoa! A Republican is leading by 6% in a traditionally Democratic district in northern California.
A South Carolina man has been ordered by his local county government to remove religious signs on his own property or face fines. He is suing.
According to this Nature article, competing political interests spell a troubled future for NASA, despite Obama’s signing of the authorization bill on Monday. Didn’t someone already predict this, months ago?
The last Chilean miner has reached the surface safely. Key quote from one of the miners in answer to a question about their future as media stars:
“The only thing I’ll ask of you is that you don’t treat me as an artist or a journalist, but as a miner. I was born a miner and I’ll die a miner.”
How stupid do they really think people are? MTV and Viacom deny that a one hour Obama telecast only three weeks before the election, A Conversation with President Obama, is not political and does not require them to give equal time to Republicans. Note that the White House came up with the idea, and that the audience is being pre-screened in advance.
Surprise, surprise! The healthcare bill passed in March will result in increased out-of-pocket costs for seniors, according to Medicare officials.
More details about SpaceShipTwo’s test flight, this time from one of the pilots.
Something’s coming: According to the generally leftwing Huffington Post, the Democrats now face a 60 to 70 seat loss in the House on November 2.
Journalists trample the family tent at the Chilean mine rescue.
Proof that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has more to do with propaganda and politics than regulation: “EPA funnels taxpayer money to dozens of liberal community activist groups.” I especially like this one:
A grant recipient in Appalachia — the heart of coal country — will teach households in Franklin County, Ky., how to reduce household greenhouse gas emissions. The project called “Lighten Up, Frankfort!” will use the book “The Low Carbon Diet” to guide households through a series of actions to reduce their household energy use. The actions include “empowering” people to “lose unwanted pounds.”
More details about the Chilean mine rescue. Updated and bumped. The first few miners are up on the surface, safe and sound, with the rescue operation continuing.
The first powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo could come before year’s end.
The uncertainty of science: The extrasolar planet discovered orbiting Gliese 581 in its habitable zone might not exist, according to other scientists.
The world’s first everything-proof underground luxury community. Fun quote:
The Barstow bunker was built to withstand a 50-megaton nuclear blast 10 miles away, 450mph winds, a magnitude-10 earthquake, 10 days of 1,250°F surface fires, and three weeks beneath any flood. Vicino says that a soon-to-be-installed air-filtration system will also neutralize any biological, chemical or nuclear attacks. The Barstow branch will stock enough food and clothing to sustain 135 people for at least a year, and in a lifestyle that Vicino describes as compact but luxurious, like being on a cruise ship.
The first trapped Chilean miner is expected to be hauled from the mine sometime before midnight tonight.
The possibilities for China’s Chang’e 2 lunar probe include travel far beyond the Moon.
Based on the pace of discovery, scientists expect to discover the 500th extrasolar planet by the end of October.
