Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.
Real civility from the left: “Burying the death threat story is a clear example of intellectual dishonesty and journalistic bias.” Read the whole thing.
Treasures from the Soviet Union’s space history.
Now for some squealing from planetary scientists: Funding for new unmanned planetary missions under threat.
Note that I agree with Squyres: money spent for planetary research is worth it. However, considering the state of the federal budget, we all have to recognize that nothing is sacrosanct, until that budget gets under control.
You can’t make this stuff up! Iran is claiming it has built a working flying saucer.
The new civility: A Wisconsin Republican lawmaker has canceled public meetings due to vandalism and death threats.
After an almost seven year journey, Messenger has successfully entered orbit around Mercury. More here.
This is a good sign: The Senate vote on restricting the power of the EPA has been postponed by Harry Reid as he struggles to get Democrat votes.
The spring rains (of methane) have arrived on Titan.
The Wisconsin assembly’s bold leap. Key quote:
It was these freshman legislators who stood on the assembly floor following Knilans’ speech that day, while their orange-T-shirt-clad Democratic colleagues shouted “SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!” in their faces. They could feel the ambient rumble of the thousands of pro-union protesters that stood mere feet outside the assembly chamber. Newly elected representative Michelle Litjens had earlier been the target of a threat from a Democratic assemblyman, who pointed at her and said, “You’re f***ing dead.”
Knilans himself felt the intimidation. In his capitol office one day, he heard a group outside his door say, “We know where you live.” Picketers showed up at his house. He said he didn’t personally feel threatened, but he was anxious about the safety of his wife and two small children at home. One day, his five-year-old son asked him, “Do they hate you, Dad?”
Yet they stood together, endured the insults, and passed the bill on to Walker, who signed it the next day.
After years of travel, the probe Messenger finally goes into orbit around Mercury tonight.
Two Democrat leaders in Michigan are facing nine felony charges for election fraud.
It’s okay to murder Jews.
Sour grapes: Satellite builders express contempt for MDA’s refueling plans for Intelsat orbiting satellites.
No surprise here. If Intelsat can extend the life of its satellites, than it won’t have to buy them as often from these builders, something the builders clearly don’t want.
The new civility: The windows at Republican headquarters in Washington, DC were shattered by small caliber pellets last night.
And you think we aren’t spending our way to obliviion? Mandatory spending now exceeds all federal revenues, fifty years ahead of schedule.
More please! In special recall election voters oust Miami-Dade mayor for raising taxes.
Three astronauts return safely to Earth in Soyuz capsule.
The strange tale of the Lebanese space program.
A boxing gym, fighting its state’s eminent domain proceedings for being “blighted”, gets its day in court.
The strange link between samurai swords and Japan’s nuclear reactors.
The budget wars: Winning the future three weeks at a time. To me, this says it all:
The Obama White House on Tuesday endorsed the Republican House-passed federal spending extension bill and urged the Democratic-controlled Senate to pass it and avoid a federal government shutdown Friday.
The X-37B – what its first two flights have been about.
Violence and unions: It’s in their blood.
The truth at last! The nation was left reeling yesterday by the revelation that the presidential election of 2008 was a hoax. Key quote:
O’Keefe said he also expected the ruse would be unmasked when Obama said that “under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket,” and again when Obama claimed, “I’ve now been in 57 (U.S.) states,” with “one left to go.”
“We modeled the 57-states gaffe on Dan Quayle’s ‘potatoe’ mistake,” said O’Keefe, referring to a 1992 incident at a Trenton, N.J., elementary school in which then-Vice President Dan Quayle added an “e” to “potato.” “We figured Obama would become a national laughingstock like Quayle, (but we) underestimated the tendency of the press and the public to forgive mistakes by people they like.”
Read the whole thing.
Time to stop the nuke hysteria. Key quote:
It’s not bad enough that thousands of people may be dead from Japan’s earthquake and devastating tsunami. No, the media is instead obsessing over a nuclear reactor that has killed no one and probably never will.
A college student who was arrested for stripping down at airport security to reveal the Fourth Amendment written across his chest is now suing the U.S. government.
Two dogs defy the wave. This is the key quote, however:
Mr. Kikuchi and his daughter said they will come back every day to look after the dogs, but they are not going to bring the dogs to the shelter. “There are lots of people dead and it’s too much to ask to bring the dogs,” said Mr. Kikuchi. “It would be inconsiderate to other people’s sadness.”
Intelsat signs MDA to perform in-space refueling of its communications satellites.
The concept of refueling geosynchronous satellites has been lurking about the aerospace industry for years. According to this deal, we should see an actual mission in about five years.
