“Six minutes of terror.”
Ronald Jenkees – The Fast Song
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon, any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
In Honor Of Andrew Breitbart, 20 Examples Of Liberal Hatred On Display
In honor of Andrew Breitbart, twenty examples of liberal hatred.
Sadly, this list is far from complete. But then, who cares? The left must be allowed to say and do anything because they are blessed with perfect knowledge and the only true path to righteousness. Anyone who disagrees with them is obviously evil who should be destroyed.
In honor of Andrew Breitbart, twenty examples of liberal hatred.
Sadly, this list is far from complete. But then, who cares? The left must be allowed to say and do anything because they are blessed with perfect knowledge and the only true path to righteousness. Anyone who disagrees with them is obviously evil who should be destroyed.
Scientists: Know your budget process!
Now available in hardback and paperback as well as ebook!
From the press release: In this ground-breaking new history of early America, historian Robert Zimmerman not only exposes the lie behind The New York Times 1619 Project that falsely claims slavery is central to the history of the United States, he also provides profound lessons about the nature of human societies, lessons important for Americans today as well as for all future settlers on Mars and elsewhere in space.
Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space, is a riveting page-turning story that documents how slavery slowly became pervasive in the southern British colonies of North America, colonies founded by a people and culture that not only did not allow slavery but in every way were hostile to the practice.
Conscious Choice does more however. In telling the tragic history of the Virginia colony and the rise of slavery there, Zimmerman lays out the proper path for creating healthy societies in places like the Moon and Mars.
“Zimmerman’s ground-breaking history provides every future generation the basic framework for establishing new societies on other worlds. We would be wise to heed what he says.” —Robert Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society.
All editions are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all book vendors, with the ebook priced at $5.99 before discount. All editions can also be purchased direct from the ebook publisher, ebookit, in which case you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
Autographed printed copies are also available at discount directly from the author (hardback $29.95; paperback $14.95; Shipping cost for either: $6.00). Just send an email to zimmerman @ nasw dot org.
The X-37B marks one year in orbit
The X-37B marks one year in orbit.
More importantly, the Air Force has indicated that a third X-37B mission will launch this fall.
The X-37B marks one year in orbit.
More importantly, the Air Force has indicated that a third X-37B mission will launch this fall.
Pendulum waves
Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, and the Quest for Interplanetary Travel, can be purchased as an ebook everywhere for only $3.99 (before discount) at amazon, Barnes & Noble, all ebook vendors, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big oppressive tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
Winner of the 2003 Eugene M. Emme Award of the American Astronautical Society.
"Leaving Earth is one of the best and certainly the most comprehensive summary of our drive into space that I have ever read. It will be invaluable to future scholars because it will tell them how the next chapter of human history opened." -- Arthur C. Clarke
Play offense
Instead of bowing and scraping to the Islamic supremacists and feebly protesting that we’re not really racists and hatemongers and all the other calumnies and canards they throw at us, we should be taking the fight to them, and standing up and saying, “You are fronting for the most oppressive ideology on the face of the earth. You are fronting for evil. You are carrying water and running interference for the denial of free speech, the denial of the freedom of conscience, the institutionalized oppression of women, the subjugation of non-Muslims, and worse. You’re fronting for stonings, amputations, the murder of apostates, the treatment of women as possessions of men, the madness and senseless violence that we see in this furor over the Quran-burnings, and more. You shout us down on campuses and do everything you can to make sure we are not heard in the public square. And you call us fascists? You are the quintessence of fascism.”
Instead of bowing and scraping to the Islamic supremacists and feebly protesting that we’re not really racists and hatemongers and all the other calumnies and canards they throw at us, we should be taking the fight to them, and standing up and saying, “You are fronting for the most oppressive ideology on the face of the earth. You are fronting for evil. You are carrying water and running interference for the denial of free speech, the denial of the freedom of conscience, the institutionalized oppression of women, the subjugation of non-Muslims, and worse. You’re fronting for stonings, amputations, the murder of apostates, the treatment of women as possessions of men, the madness and senseless violence that we see in this furor over the Quran-burnings, and more. You shout us down on campuses and do everything you can to make sure we are not heard in the public square. And you call us fascists? You are the quintessence of fascism.”
The last transit of Venus across the face of the Sun for the next century is only three months away.
Set your calendar: The last transit of Venus across the face of the Sun for the next century is only three months away.
Set your calendar: The last transit of Venus across the face of the Sun for the next century is only three months away.
Boycotting the boycotters.
I’ve said little about the Rush Limbaugh kerfuffle this week, mostly because I consider the whole thing to be a manufactured scandal created by the Democrats to distract everyone from their effort to squelch religious liberty. However, this fake scandal has now morphed into a campaign to destroy Rush Limbaugh, which when you consider it is quite consistent with the Democratic Party’s general lack of respect for freedom and personal liberty. First they came after the church, now they are going after one of the more important commentators in the conservative movement.
It doesn’t matter whether you agree with Limbaugh. What matters is that this effort to destroy him is really an effort to silence any criticism of Obama and the liberal/leftwing agenda. Such attacks cannot be supported under any condition. These cowardly businesses that are fleeing Limbaugh, and thus are supporting a leftwing form of McCarthyism, should be made to suffer for this cowardice.
I’ve said little about the Rush Limbaugh kerfuffle this week, mostly because I consider the whole thing to be a manufactured scandal created by the Democrats to distract everyone from their effort to squelch religious liberty. However, this fake scandal has now morphed into a campaign to destroy Rush Limbaugh, which when you consider it is quite consistent with the Democratic Party’s general lack of respect for freedom and personal liberty. First they came after the church, now they are going after one of the more important commentators in the conservative movement.
It doesn’t matter whether you agree with Limbaugh. What matters is that this effort to destroy him is really an effort to silence any criticism of Obama and the liberal/leftwing agenda. Such attacks cannot be supported under any condition. These cowardly businesses that are fleeing Limbaugh, and thus are supporting a leftwing form of McCarthyism, should be made to suffer for this cowardice.
2011 was the first year since 1984 in which no new banks were chartered in the U.S.
A Democratic triumph: 2011 was the first year since 1984 in which no new banks were chartered in the U.S.
A Democratic triumph: 2011 was the first year since 1984 in which no new banks were chartered in the U.S.
Gagarin was first. Here’s why.
Clouds inside a room.
What next for the X-37B?
Today the second X-37B celebrates the completion of a full year in orbit, with no indication from the Air Force that the mission is to end soon.
Today the second X-37B celebrates the completion of a full year in orbit, with no indication from the Air Force that the mission is to end soon.
Leftwing protesters try to shut down Santorum rally while ripping up the signs of his supporters.
Leftwing civility: Protesters try to silence Rick Santorum while ripping up the signs of his supporters.
Leftwing civility: Protesters try to silence Rick Santorum while ripping up the signs of his supporters.
One of the many reasons I am no longer in the movie business.
Mirusia Louwerse and André Rieu – Ave Maria
How did Jon Corzine’s MF Global company lose $1.2 billion in customer money? This tale of how another investment company misused investor funds might give a clue.
How did Jon Corzine’s MF Global lose $1.2 billion in customer money? This tale of how another investment company misused investor funds might give us a clue.
How did Jon Corzine’s MF Global lose $1.2 billion in customer money? This tale of how another investment company misused investor funds might give us a clue.
A massive fireball was seen by countless observers yesterday as it streaked across the United Kingdom.
A massive fireball was seen by countless observers yesterday as it streaked across the United Kingdom. With video.
A massive fireball was seen by countless observers yesterday as it streaked across the United Kingdom. With video.
The Iranian government today executed a Christian pastor because he refused to renounce his religion and convert to Islam.
Updated and bumped: As noted by one of my readers, Pastor Nadarkhani is still alive. The hanging reports are false. Not that this really changes anything. The man is still in prison and threatened with death simply for being Christian.
The tolerance of Islam: The Iranian government today executed a Christian pastor because he refused to renounce his religion and convert to Islam.
Updated and bumped: As noted by one of my readers, Pastor Nadarkhani is still alive. The hanging reports are false. Not that this really changes anything. The man is still in prison and threatened with death simply for being Christian.
The tolerance of Islam: The Iranian government today executed a Christian pastor because he refused to renounce his religion and convert to Islam.
We should all cheer SpaceX’s success
Why do cats run the internet?
Under Pressure – David Bowie and Annie Lennox live performance
An evening pause: Yesterday I showed the rehearsal. Here’s their live performance of “Under Pressure” at the Freddie Mercury tribute, April 20, 1992.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops is issuing a flyer to be distributed at Masses over the March 3-4 weekend that asks their congregation to voice their opposition to the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate.
We’ve only just begun: The U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops is issuing a flyer to be distributed at Masses over the March 3-4 weekend that asks congregations to voice their opposition to the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate.
We’ve only just begun: The U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops is issuing a flyer to be distributed at Masses over the March 3-4 weekend that asks congregations to voice their opposition to the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate.
The Coming Persecution
And then there’s this: Fighting the next war now.
I don’t think Obama or the Democrats or the elite community that supports them really understand the firestorm they have unleashed against them. I think they are going to be very surprised come November.
And then there’s this: Fighting the next war now.
I don’t think Obama or the Democrats or the elite community that supports them really understand the firestorm they have unleashed against them. I think they are going to be very surprised come November.
Because of Obamacare, child-only health plans have been discontinued nationwide.
Repeal it: Because of Obamacare, insurance companies nationwide have stopped offering child-only health plans.
Jared Wolfe, executive director of the Texas Association of Health Plans, said it is not because insurers do not want to cover children. The federal health care overhaul [Obamacare], and in particular the pre-existing condition language, has been interpreted to mean that insurers must write a policy for any child who applies, Mr. Wolfe said. That effectively ensures that only sick children will apply for benefits, he said — an unworkable financial scenario for insurance companies.
This happened in New York state back in the 1990s. The state legislature decided to help everyone by mandating that no insurance company could deny insurance to anyone, no matter how sick they were. The result: there was no point buying insurance until you were sick, which meant there was no way the insurance companies could make any profit at all. Instantly the insurance field shrunk, with many companies (including my own) abandoning the state.
But then, who cares? We live in amazing times, when a President can simply order — on his personal authority and without any basis in law — that insurance companies must provide free contraceptives, without anyone having to pay for their manufacture. Who knew what things were possible before Obama was President?
Repeal it: Because of Obamacare, insurance companies nationwide have stopped offering child-only health plans.
Jared Wolfe, executive director of the Texas Association of Health Plans, said it is not because insurers do not want to cover children. The federal health care overhaul [Obamacare], and in particular the pre-existing condition language, has been interpreted to mean that insurers must write a policy for any child who applies, Mr. Wolfe said. That effectively ensures that only sick children will apply for benefits, he said — an unworkable financial scenario for insurance companies.
This happened in New York state back in the 1990s. The state legislature decided to help everyone by mandating that no insurance company could deny insurance to anyone, no matter how sick they were. The result: there was no point buying insurance until you were sick, which meant there was no way the insurance companies could make any profit at all. Instantly the insurance field shrunk, with many companies (including my own) abandoning the state.
But then, who cares? We live in amazing times, when a President can simply order — on his personal authority and without any basis in law — that insurance companies must provide free contraceptives, without anyone having to pay for their manufacture. Who knew what things were possible before Obama was President?
A federal judge has ruled that an elderly couple can sue police and federal agents over an illegal house raid in which $200,000 disappeared.
Theft by the police? A federal judge has ruled that an elderly couple can sue police and federal agents over an illegal house raid in which $200,000 disappeared.
Theft by the police? A federal judge has ruled that an elderly couple can sue police and federal agents over an illegal house raid in which $200,000 disappeared.
The cracks that have been found on the wings of the new Airbus A380 jumbo jet have now been traced to a company in the United Kingdom.
The cracks that have been found on the wings of the new Airbus A380 jumbo jet have now been traced to work done by a company in the United Kingdom.
A senior industry expert told The Times: ‘The issue is around the type of aluminum being used and the fitting which, as a result of the assembly, creates the crack’, with a source close to the problem adding, ‘It is a design and process engineering failure’.
The cracks that have been found on the wings of the new Airbus A380 jumbo jet have now been traced to work done by a company in the United Kingdom.
A senior industry expert told The Times: ‘The issue is around the type of aluminum being used and the fitting which, as a result of the assembly, creates the crack’, with a source close to the problem adding, ‘It is a design and process engineering failure’.
The March 9 launch of Europe’s cargo freighter to ISS has been delayed two weeks so that engineers can climb inside and tighted two straps holding two cargo containers in place.
The March 9 launch of Europe’s next cargo freighter to ISS has been delayed two weeks so that engineers can climb inside and tighten two straps holding two cargo containers in place.
I suspect the reasons behind this problem are quite embarrassing, which is probably why the press releases are so vague about why the straps were loose and how the Europeans discovered the problem.
The March 9 launch of Europe’s next cargo freighter to ISS has been delayed two weeks so that engineers can climb inside and tighten two straps holding two cargo containers in place.
I suspect the reasons behind this problem are quite embarrassing, which is probably why the press releases are so vague about why the straps were loose and how the Europeans discovered the problem.
Under Pressure – David Bowie and Annie Lennox rehearsal
After spending $130 billion on solar power subsidizes, Germany has found the effort to be a monumental waste of money.
After spending $130 billion on solar power subsidies, Germany has found the effort to be a monumental waste of money.
Despite the massive investment, solar power accounts for only about 0.3% of Germany’s total energy. This is one of the key reasons why Germans now pay the second-highest price for electricity in the developed world (exceeded only by Denmark, which aims to be the “world wind-energy champion”). Germans pay three times more than their American counterparts.
Moreover, this sizeable investment does remarkably little to counter global warming. Even with unrealistically generous assumptions, the unimpressive net effect is that solar power reduces Germany’s CO2 emissions by roughly eight million metric tons – or about 1% – for the next 20 years. When the effects are calculated in a standard climate model, the result is a reduction in average temperature of 0.00005oC (one twenty-thousandth of a degree Celsius, or one ten-thousandth of a degree Fahrenheit). To put it another way: by the end of the century, Germany’s $130 billion solar panel subsidies will have postponed temperature increases by 23 hours.
Using solar, Germany is paying about $1,000 per ton of CO2 reduced. The current CO2 price in Europe is $8. Germany could have cut 131 times as much CO2 for the same price. Instead, the Germans are wasting more than 99 cents of every euro that they plow into solar panels.
Rather than invest in the pie-in-the-sky pipe dreams of politicians, wouldn’t it be smarter to let the market figure out the most efficient form of energy? At first glance that efficiency might not appear “green-friendly”, but if it is more efficient I suspect it is almost certainly going to have the least overall effect on the environment.
After spending $130 billion on solar power subsidies, Germany has found the effort to be a monumental waste of money.
Despite the massive investment, solar power accounts for only about 0.3% of Germany’s total energy. This is one of the key reasons why Germans now pay the second-highest price for electricity in the developed world (exceeded only by Denmark, which aims to be the “world wind-energy champion”). Germans pay three times more than their American counterparts.
Moreover, this sizeable investment does remarkably little to counter global warming. Even with unrealistically generous assumptions, the unimpressive net effect is that solar power reduces Germany’s CO2 emissions by roughly eight million metric tons – or about 1% – for the next 20 years. When the effects are calculated in a standard climate model, the result is a reduction in average temperature of 0.00005oC (one twenty-thousandth of a degree Celsius, or one ten-thousandth of a degree Fahrenheit). To put it another way: by the end of the century, Germany’s $130 billion solar panel subsidies will have postponed temperature increases by 23 hours.
Using solar, Germany is paying about $1,000 per ton of CO2 reduced. The current CO2 price in Europe is $8. Germany could have cut 131 times as much CO2 for the same price. Instead, the Germans are wasting more than 99 cents of every euro that they plow into solar panels.
Rather than invest in the pie-in-the-sky pipe dreams of politicians, wouldn’t it be smarter to let the market figure out the most efficient form of energy? At first glance that efficiency might not appear “green-friendly”, but if it is more efficient I suspect it is almost certainly going to have the least overall effect on the environment.