Russian space designer Boris Chertok dies at 99
R.I.P.: Russian space engineer Boris Chertok has died at 99.
R.I.P.: Russian space engineer Boris Chertok has died at 99.
Category: Points of Information
Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.
Russian space designer Boris Chertok dies at 99
Testimony at a Senate hearing about the theft of customer funds at MF Global revealed today the Jon Corzine did know of the theft, contrary to his own testimony before Congress.
Testimony today at a Senate hearing about the MF Global scandal revealed that Jon Corzine, the former Democratic New Jersey governor and a fundraiser for President Obama, was aware of the theft of customer funds, contrary to his own testimony before Congress. More here.
Testimony today at a Senate hearing about the MF Global scandal revealed that Jon Corzine, the former Democratic New Jersey governor and a fundraiser for President Obama, was aware of the theft of customer funds, contrary to his own testimony before Congress. More here.
Scientists have built the world’s smallest steam engine, only a few thousandths of a millimeter wide.
Scientists have built the world’s smallest steam engine, only a few thousandths of a millimeter wide.
Scientists have built the world’s smallest steam engine, only a few thousandths of a millimeter wide.
Walking through a doorway does make you forget what you were doing
Scientists have found that walking through a doorway does make you forget what you were doing.
Though the research seems robust for proving the power of doors to make us forget, their theories as to why this happens strike me as nothing more than guesses.
Scientists have found that walking through a doorway does make you forget what you were doing.
Though the research seems robust for proving the power of doors to make us forget, their theories as to why this happens strike me as nothing more than guesses.
Rutan, Allen, Musk, Griffin team up to develop an air-launch rocket system to fire hardware and humans into orbit.
Superstars of space: Rutan, Allen, Musk, and Griffin have teamed up to develop an air-launch rocket system to fire hardware and humans into orbit.
Their concept calls for Rutan, a noted aircraft designer, to create a carrier jet with a 385-foot wingspan and six engines to ferry a liquid-fueled, 120-foot-long rocket built by SpaceX and outfitted with five main engines to altitude where the winged booster will be released for launch into orbit.
Superstars of space: Rutan, Allen, Musk, and Griffin have teamed up to develop an air-launch rocket system to fire hardware and humans into orbit.
Their concept calls for Rutan, a noted aircraft designer, to create a carrier jet with a 385-foot wingspan and six engines to ferry a liquid-fueled, 120-foot-long rocket built by SpaceX and outfitted with five main engines to altitude where the winged booster will be released for launch into orbit.
President Obama is trailing against both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in 12 swing states that Obama won in 2008, according to a poll released today.
More evidence that the 2010 landslide was a trend, not an event: President Obama is trailing against both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in 12 swing states that Obama won in 2008, according to a poll released today.
More evidence that the 2010 landslide was a trend, not an event: President Obama is trailing against both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in 12 swing states that Obama won in 2008, according to a poll released today.
Obamacare to kill 100,000 jobs in January
Repeal it: Obamacare to kill 100,000 jobs in January.
Repeal it: Obamacare to kill 100,000 jobs in January.
Chained and in tears: Children found in basement as police raid Islamic school thought to be a “Taliban training centre”
Islamic education: Children found chained in basement as police raid Islamic school thought to be a “Taliban training center.” With video.
Islamic education: Children found chained in basement as police raid Islamic school thought to be a “Taliban training center.” With video.
State Department meeting with Islamists to discuss free speech restrictions
The Obama State Department is meeting today with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss ways to limit criticism of Islam.
The Obama State Department is meeting today with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss ways to limit criticism of Islam.
Environmental scientist caught agreeing to ignore her own data and to make up new claims
Follow the money: An environmental scientist is caught on film, agreeing to ignore her own data and to make up new and unproven claims, in order to win big cash in an environmental court case.
Follow the money: An environmental scientist is caught on film, agreeing to ignore her own data and to make up new and unproven claims, in order to win big cash in an environmental court case.
The European Space Agency will make two more attempts to contact Phobos-Grunt
The European Space Agency will make two more attempts to contact Phobos-Grunt.
The European Space Agency will make two more attempts to contact Phobos-Grunt.
An open letter to Eric Holder from an ATF agent in Mexico
Truth to power: An open letter to Eric Holder from an ATF agent in Mexico.
So this is the “Most Transparent Administration” in history? Well, on that issue, that’s right. With your performance in front of the Committee, and your obstruction of justice and obfuscation of the issues, you were completely transparent. Everyone could see right through you. And you’re refusing to release any more documents? What could be more transparent than that? Wow!
It seems to me that Holder and anyone else involved in Fast and Furious should be prosecuted as accessories to murder, whenever one of the guns they allowed to go into Mexico is used to kill someone.
Truth to power: An open letter to Eric Holder from an ATF agent in Mexico.
So this is the “Most Transparent Administration” in history? Well, on that issue, that’s right. With your performance in front of the Committee, and your obstruction of justice and obfuscation of the issues, you were completely transparent. Everyone could see right through you. And you’re refusing to release any more documents? What could be more transparent than that? Wow!
It seems to me that Holder and anyone else involved in Fast and Furious should be prosecuted as accessories to murder, whenever one of the guns they allowed to go into Mexico is used to kill someone.
Southwest orders 208 Boeing 737s valued at $19 billion
Some good news: Southwest Airlines has ordered 208 of Boeing’s 737, a deal valued at $19 billion. Plus this:
Last month, Boeing said Indonesia’s Lion Air committed to pay $21.7 billion for 230 Boeing 737s. Lion Air also has options for 150 more planes, valued at $14 billion, bringing the deal’s total potential value to $35 billion. But the Lion Air deal is not a certainty; it still has to complete the order. Also in November, Emirates Airlines ordered $18 billion worth of 777s.
Maybe Boeing should pump some of those profits into building the CST-100 manned space capsule and thus win more profits in the space tourism industry.
Some good news: Southwest Airlines has ordered 208 of Boeing’s 737, a deal valued at $19 billion. Plus this:
Last month, Boeing said Indonesia’s Lion Air committed to pay $21.7 billion for 230 Boeing 737s. Lion Air also has options for 150 more planes, valued at $14 billion, bringing the deal’s total potential value to $35 billion. But the Lion Air deal is not a certainty; it still has to complete the order. Also in November, Emirates Airlines ordered $18 billion worth of 777s.
Maybe Boeing should pump some of those profits into building the CST-100 manned space capsule and thus win more profits in the space tourism industry.
A Maryland post office bans Christmas carolers
A Maryland post office bans Christmas carolers.
“He told them that they had to leave immediately because they were violating the post office’s policy against solicitation,” Duffy said. “He told them they couldn’t do this on government property. He said: ‘You can’t go into Congress and sing and you can’t do it here either.’”
I like this from the comments:
So our freedom of speech is suspended upon entering government property?
A Maryland post office bans Christmas carolers.
“He told them that they had to leave immediately because they were violating the post office’s policy against solicitation,” Duffy said. “He told them they couldn’t do this on government property. He said: ‘You can’t go into Congress and sing and you can’t do it here either.’”
I like this from the comments:
So our freedom of speech is suspended upon entering government property?
Hurricane predictors admit they can’t predict hurricanes
Now they tell us: Hurricane predictors admit they can’t predict hurricanes.
We are discontinuing our early December quantitative hurricane forecast for the next year … Our early December Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts of the last 20 years have not shown real-time forecast skill even though the hindcast studies on which they were based had considerable skill.
Now they tell us: Hurricane predictors admit they can’t predict hurricanes.
We are discontinuing our early December quantitative hurricane forecast for the next year … Our early December Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts of the last 20 years have not shown real-time forecast skill even though the hindcast studies on which they were based had considerable skill.
Sir David Attenborough admits to shooting fake polar bear footage for a BBC documentary
Another global warming activist who fakes it: Sir David Attenborough admits to shooting fake polar bear footage for a BBC documentary.
What’s worse is that he sees nothing wrong with what he did!
But wait, there’s more! The BBC, also in the tank for global warming, has also now admitted that a great deal of the footage in its nature documentaries is staged.
In a further blow to wildlife fans, corporation bosses yesterday confessed that staging footage was standard practice in natural history programmes. They insisted such editing tricks were necessary to create the documentaries, and added the programme met the expected editorial standards.
A spokesman said: “While the great majority of footage for Frozen Planet is filmed entirely in the wild, on occasion certain sequences need to be filmed in controlled conditions – otherwise we wouldn’t be able to bring these stories to our audiences. “This type of filming is standard practice across the industry when creating natural history programmes.”
Another global warming activist who fakes it: Sir David Attenborough admits to shooting fake polar bear footage for a BBC documentary.
What’s worse is that he sees nothing wrong with what he did!
But wait, there’s more! The BBC, also in the tank for global warming, has also now admitted that a great deal of the footage in its nature documentaries is staged.
In a further blow to wildlife fans, corporation bosses yesterday confessed that staging footage was standard practice in natural history programmes. They insisted such editing tricks were necessary to create the documentaries, and added the programme met the expected editorial standards.
A spokesman said: “While the great majority of footage for Frozen Planet is filmed entirely in the wild, on occasion certain sequences need to be filmed in controlled conditions – otherwise we wouldn’t be able to bring these stories to our audiences. “This type of filming is standard practice across the industry when creating natural history programmes.”
Rifts in the Congressional Black Caucus over the investigation of Fast and Furious and the calls for Holder to resign
Putting skin color above all: Rifts in the Congressional Black Caucus over the investigation of Fast and Furious and the calls for Holder to resign.
Putting skin color above all: Rifts in the Congressional Black Caucus over the investigation of Fast and Furious and the calls for Holder to resign.
CERN announces an update on the search for the Higgs Boson
Not there yet: CERN announces an update on the search for the Higgs Boson.
The main conclusion is that the Standard Model Higgs boson, if it exists, is most likely to have a mass constrained to the range 116-130 GeV by the ATLAS experiment, and 115-127 GeV by CMS. Tantalising hints have been seen by both experiments in this mass region, but these are not yet strong enough to claim a discovery.
Not there yet: CERN announces an update on the search for the Higgs Boson.
The main conclusion is that the Standard Model Higgs boson, if it exists, is most likely to have a mass constrained to the range 116-130 GeV by the ATLAS experiment, and 115-127 GeV by CMS. Tantalising hints have been seen by both experiments in this mass region, but these are not yet strong enough to claim a discovery.
Deal reached on Defense authorization bill that had included language allowing the military to hold U.S. citizen indefinitely
A deal has been reached on a Department of Defense authorization bill that had included language allowing the military to hold U.S. citizens indefinitely without charge, both in and outside the U.S.
Not surprisingly for a modern journalist (who routinely miss the lead in their own stories), this article really doesn’t tell us whether that language is still in effect.
A deal has been reached on a Department of Defense authorization bill that had included language allowing the military to hold U.S. citizens indefinitely without charge, both in and outside the U.S.
Not surprisingly for a modern journalist (who routinely miss the lead in their own stories), this article really doesn’t tell us whether that language is still in effect.
“For a moment, Newt Gingrich succeeded in making me feel sorry for President Obama.”
Jazz Shaw on tonight’s Gingrich-Huntsman debate: “For a moment, Newt Gingrich succeeded in making me feel sorry for President Obama.”
Jazz Shaw on tonight’s Gingrich-Huntsman debate: “For a moment, Newt Gingrich succeeded in making me feel sorry for President Obama.”
Dawn has now lowered its orbit to 130 miles above the asteroid Vesta
Dawn has now lowered its orbit to an average elevation of 130 miles above the asteroid Vesta.
Expect lots of close-up images in the weeks to come.
Dawn has now lowered its orbit to an average elevation of 130 miles above the asteroid Vesta.
Expect lots of close-up images in the weeks to come.
New poll shows the same thing as 83 previous polls: a solid majority wants Obamacare repealed
A new poll shows the same thing as 83 previous polls: a solid majority wants Obamacare repealed.
This is clearly not good for Obama’s reelection chances. If a majority is eager to trash his most significant legislative accomplishment, how can anyone expect those same people to vote for him in the election?
A new poll shows the same thing as 83 previous polls: a solid majority wants Obamacare repealed.
This is clearly not good for Obama’s reelection chances. If a majority is eager to trash his most significant legislative accomplishment, how can anyone expect those same people to vote for him in the election?
Canada is expected to pull out of Kyoto on Monday
It appears that Canada will announce on Monday that is it pulling out of the Kyoto climate treaty.
It appears that Canada will announce on Monday that is it pulling out of the Kyoto climate treaty.
Long faces in Durban
They might have cobbled together what they call a deal, but nonetheless (and for good reasons), there are long faces in Durban.
I like this quote best:
The leading alarmist among American scientists, James Hansen of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has been as spectacularly wrong as Mr. Gore. Mr. Hansen said in a 1988 interview the sea level off Manhattan would rise 10 feet within 40 years (if atmospheric CO2 doubled). In the 23 years since, the sea level has risen just 2.5 inches. Sea levels fell over the past year.
But alarmism has been good for his pocketbook. Mr. Hansen failed to report $1.6 million in outside income, much of it in violation of NASA’s rules, according to Power Line’s John Hinderaker.
They might have cobbled together what they call a deal, but nonetheless (and for good reasons), there are long faces in Durban.
I like this quote best:
The leading alarmist among American scientists, James Hansen of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has been as spectacularly wrong as Mr. Gore. Mr. Hansen said in a 1988 interview the sea level off Manhattan would rise 10 feet within 40 years (if atmospheric CO2 doubled). In the 23 years since, the sea level has risen just 2.5 inches. Sea levels fell over the past year.
But alarmism has been good for his pocketbook. Mr. Hansen failed to report $1.6 million in outside income, much of it in violation of NASA’s rules, according to Power Line’s John Hinderaker.
Orbital Sciences has renamed its Taurus II rocket the Antares rocket
Orbital Sciences has renamed its Taurus II rocket the Antares rocket.
To clear up any marketplace confusion and provide clear differentiation between this new launch vehicle and our Taurus XL rocket. Antares is significantly different – it serves the medium-class space launch market and its liquid fuel first stage technology is major departure from previous Orbital space launch vehicles. In addition, a project of this scale and significance deserves its own name like Orbital’s Pegasus®, Taurus® and Minotaur rocket programs that have come before it.
I think they have also realized they needed to distinguish Antares from the Taurus XL rocket’s recent problems, failing twice to put NASA climate satellites into orbit.
Orbital Sciences has renamed its Taurus II rocket the Antares rocket.
To clear up any marketplace confusion and provide clear differentiation between this new launch vehicle and our Taurus XL rocket. Antares is significantly different – it serves the medium-class space launch market and its liquid fuel first stage technology is major departure from previous Orbital space launch vehicles. In addition, a project of this scale and significance deserves its own name like Orbital’s Pegasus®, Taurus® and Minotaur rocket programs that have come before it.
I think they have also realized they needed to distinguish Antares from the Taurus XL rocket’s recent problems, failing twice to put NASA climate satellites into orbit.
Doug Ross notes the fawning lack of any real questions to President Obama during an interview by a CBS journalist.
Pravda reborn! Doug Ross notes the fawning lack of any real questions to President Obama during an interview by a CBS journalist.
Kroft apparently had a brief case of amnesia and forgot about a few mildly important issues:
- The increasing calls for Eric Holder’s resignation and/or impeachment for Operation Fast and Furious, etc.
- The newly revealed Obamacare emails that appear to show Elena Kagan lied under oath
- The catastrophic failure of MF Global, headed by none other than one of Obama’s leading fundraisers, John Corzine
- The billions in “green energy” funds that went to Obama’s fundraisers and political cronies, Solyndra being only the most visible example
- The “historic” $4.2+ trillion budget deficits thanks to Obama’s disastrous stimulus debacle and the Democrats’ failure to pass a budget for 1,000+ days
Ross provides links to each of these scandals, none of which are trivial and all of which are true.
Sadly these kinds of pointless how-can-I-make-a-Democratic-President-look-good interviews are the rule from the mainstream almost-exclusively-Democratic press.
Pravda reborn! Doug Ross notes the fawning lack of any real questions to President Obama during an interview by a CBS journalist.
Kroft apparently had a brief case of amnesia and forgot about a few mildly important issues:
- The increasing calls for Eric Holder’s resignation and/or impeachment for Operation Fast and Furious, etc.
- The newly revealed Obamacare emails that appear to show Elena Kagan lied under oath
- The catastrophic failure of MF Global, headed by none other than one of Obama’s leading fundraisers, John Corzine
- The billions in “green energy” funds that went to Obama’s fundraisers and political cronies, Solyndra being only the most visible example
- The “historic” $4.2+ trillion budget deficits thanks to Obama’s disastrous stimulus debacle and the Democrats’ failure to pass a budget for 1,000+ days
Ross provides links to each of these scandals, none of which are trivial and all of which are true.
Sadly these kinds of pointless how-can-I-make-a-Democratic-President-look-good interviews are the rule from the mainstream almost-exclusively-Democratic press.
A thoughtful analysis as to why tea party supporters are breaking to Gingrich
A thoughtful analysis as to why tea party supporters are breaking to Gingrich.
Much of what Bill Quick writes parallels what I have said previously: Gingrich might have said or done some disagreeable things, but he was able to win Congress and force the spendthrifts from both parties to produce a balanced budget. And when it comes time for him to face Obama in the debates, Gingrich alone among these Republican candidates appears capable of handing the situation strongly, with skill. To me, that combination appears to be a winning combination, both for the election and the nation afterward.
A thoughtful analysis as to why tea party supporters are breaking to Gingrich.
Much of what Bill Quick writes parallels what I have said previously: Gingrich might have said or done some disagreeable things, but he was able to win Congress and force the spendthrifts from both parties to produce a balanced budget. And when it comes time for him to face Obama in the debates, Gingrich alone among these Republican candidates appears capable of handing the situation strongly, with skill. To me, that combination appears to be a winning combination, both for the election and the nation afterward.
The CEO of LightSquared might face SEC fraud charges
The CEO of LightSquared, a big time Democratic party donor, was threatened with fraud charges by the SEC yesterday.
The CEO of LightSquared, a big time Democratic party donor, was threatened with fraud charges by the SEC yesterday.
The enormous bones of what is believed to be the biggest dinosaur in the U.S. have been unveiled by university researchers.
The enormous bones of what is believed to be the biggest dinosaur in the U.S. were unveiled by paleontologists this week.
The enormous bones of what is believed to be the biggest dinosaur in the U.S. were unveiled by paleontologists this week.
Deal struck at Durban
Bad news: A deal has been struck at Durban.
The proposed treaty sounds so complicated and obtuse that I can’t see how it can be enforced. More importantly, I don’t see the U.S. Senate ever agreeing to it, even today’s Democratically controlled Congress.
Bad news: A deal has been struck at Durban.
The proposed treaty sounds so complicated and obtuse that I can’t see how it can be enforced. More importantly, I don’t see the U.S. Senate ever agreeing to it, even today’s Democratically controlled Congress.