Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black., You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
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You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Shell gas plant to be biggest floating object ever
AARP the latest to receive Obamacare break
Finding out what’s in it: AARP, which campaigned for Obamacare, is getting an Obamacare exemption from the Obama administration.
Finding out what’s in it: AARP, which campaigned for Obamacare, is getting an Obamacare exemption from the Obama administration.
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
Recent college grads sour on Obama, surveys say
Reid rejects Boehner proposal for $2 trillion in spending cuts
On Thursday Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) rejected House Speaker John Boehner’s call for “trillions” in spending cuts.
Once again, I must note that while we can be rightly skeptical of the Republicans expressed desire to cut the budget, we can have no doubt that the Democrats are against it entirely, and will resist spending cuts on all fronts.
On Thursday Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) rejected House Speaker John Boehner’s call for “trillions” in spending cuts.
Once again, I must note that while we can be rightly skeptical of the Republicans expressed desire to cut the budget, we can have no doubt that the Democrats are against it entirely, and will resist spending cuts on all fronts.
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.
Love and hate in Florida
The unintended irony here is priceless: “you are all mean, evil and selfish. i wish you all bad luck.”
The unintended irony here is priceless: “you are all mean, evil and selfish. i wish you all bad luck.”
The next Moon probe
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
Seeing the Planets for the Trees
A storm ten times bigger than Earth
Fleet Foxes – Mykonos
Three Reasons That Obama’s Speech Will Worry the Jewish Community
Three reasons that Obama’s speech today will worry the Jewish community.
I especially liked this particular comment in the comments section:
Americans,and to a lesser extent Israelis, need to stop treating renouncing terror as a concession from the Palestinians. For most societies it is a prerequisite to merely being considered worth talking to as human beings. If Palestinian society is not willing to condemn beheading a three month old and shooting an anti-tank at a school bus, then they are savages who should be treated as such.
Three reasons that Obama’s speech today will worry the Jewish community.
I especially liked this particular comment in the comments section:
Americans,and to a lesser extent Israelis, need to stop treating renouncing terror as a concession from the Palestinians. For most societies it is a prerequisite to merely being considered worth talking to as human beings. If Palestinian society is not willing to condemn beheading a three month old and shooting an anti-tank at a school bus, then they are savages who should be treated as such.
EPA has given millions to environmentalist activist groups
Our tax dollars for partisan politics: EPA has given millions to environmentalist political activist groups.
Our tax dollars for partisan politics: EPA has given millions to environmentalist political activist groups.
New data provides further confirmation of dark energy
TSA does a security drill, and forget to tell the police
Obama and ignoring the War Powers Act
Obama and ignoring the War Powers Act.
If nothing happens, history will say that the War Powers Act was condemned to a quiet death by a president who had solemnly pledged, on the campaign trail, to put an end to indiscriminate warmaking.
The point here has nothing to do with whether the military operation in Libya is wise or foolish. The point is that Obama has now committed American troops to a war without legal authorization.
Obama and ignoring the War Powers Act.
If nothing happens, history will say that the War Powers Act was condemned to a quiet death by a president who had solemnly pledged, on the campaign trail, to put an end to indiscriminate warmaking.
The point here has nothing to do with whether the military operation in Libya is wise or foolish. The point is that Obama has now committed American troops to a war without legal authorization.
Diagram of Titanic used during 1912 official inquiry to be sold at auction
The 32-foot-long diagram of the Titanic used during 1912 official inquiry is to be sold at auction later this month.
The 32-foot-long diagram of the Titanic used during 1912 official inquiry is to be sold at auction later this month.
NOAA predicts an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season
NOAA today announced its prediction for 2011, calling for an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season.
NOAA today announced its prediction for 2011, calling for an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season.
Senate Democrats reject Republican bill to expand and speed up offshore drilling
Senate Democrats on Wednesday rejected a Republican bill to expand and speed up offshore drilling.
So was Obama just kidding when he proposed expanding our energy production on Saturday? Note that he also opposed the Republican bill. Which is it?
Senate Democrats on Wednesday rejected a Republican bill to expand and speed up offshore drilling.
So was Obama just kidding when he proposed expanding our energy production on Saturday? Note that he also opposed the Republican bill. Which is it?
Archaeologists uncover oldest mine in the Americas
“The mood was less than cordial.”
Boehner meets with tea party activists from his district. “The mood was less than cordial.”
Surely, there are Tea Party activists with unreasonable expectations of what Republicans can accomplish with control of the House. However, the major beef Tea Partiers have with Republicans is not their lack of accomplishment. It’s their unwillingness to stand and fight, their apparent lack of principle, and the resulting impotence toward shifting the narrative in Washington.
Boehner meets with tea party activists from his district. “The mood was less than cordial.”
Surely, there are Tea Party activists with unreasonable expectations of what Republicans can accomplish with control of the House. However, the major beef Tea Partiers have with Republicans is not their lack of accomplishment. It’s their unwillingness to stand and fight, their apparent lack of principle, and the resulting impotence toward shifting the narrative in Washington.
A 135-year-old scab launches a smallpox scare at a Virginia museum
Test drive a Peugeot, win a trip to space
Using a black hole as your starship engine
Gouges and dings found on the tiles on Endeavour’s belly
Seven damage sites, mostly small gouges and dings, have been found on the tiles on Endeavour’s belly.
“This is not cause for alarm, it’s not cause for any concern,” said [LeRoy Cain, chairman of NASA’s Mission Management Team]. “We know how to deal with these things in terms of how to assess them. We know that if we get to the point where we need some more data for our assessment, we have a plan for going and doing that.”
Seven damage sites, mostly small gouges and dings, have been found on the tiles on Endeavour’s belly.
“This is not cause for alarm, it’s not cause for any concern,” said [LeRoy Cain, chairman of NASA’s Mission Management Team]. “We know how to deal with these things in terms of how to assess them. We know that if we get to the point where we need some more data for our assessment, we have a plan for going and doing that.”
First feathered test flight of SpaceShipTwo
An evening pause: Video of the May 10 test flight of SpaceShipTwo. “Now we can come back from space.”
Endeavour has docked with ISS
Testing beer in zero gravity
Social Security deficits now “permanent”
More thrilling budgetary news: The Social Security deficit is now “permanent.”
Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund is now slated to run out of money in 2024, or five years earlier than last year’s projection, while Social Security’s trust fund will be exhausted by 2036, a year earlier than the prior projection.
More thrilling budgetary news: The Social Security deficit is now “permanent.”
Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund is now slated to run out of money in 2024, or five years earlier than last year’s projection, while Social Security’s trust fund will be exhausted by 2036, a year earlier than the prior projection.
Netflix now uses 29.7 percent of the peak internet traffic in North America
White House shuts out Herald scribe
Obama transparency: The White House has shut out a reporter because it disliked the slant of the newspaper’s news coverage. In the administration’s own words:
“I tend to consider the degree to which papers have demonstrated to covering the White House regularly and fairly in determining local pool reporters,” White House spokesman Matt Lehrich wrote in response to a Herald request for full access to the presidential visit. “My point about the op-ed was not that you ran it but that it was the full front page, which excluded any coverage of the visit of a sitting US President to Boston. I think that raises a fair question about whether the paper is unbiased in its coverage of the President’s visits,” Lehrich wrote.
Obama transparency: The White House has shut out a reporter because it disliked the slant of the newspaper’s news coverage. In the administration’s own words:
“I tend to consider the degree to which papers have demonstrated to covering the White House regularly and fairly in determining local pool reporters,” White House spokesman Matt Lehrich wrote in response to a Herald request for full access to the presidential visit. “My point about the op-ed was not that you ran it but that it was the full front page, which excluded any coverage of the visit of a sitting US President to Boston. I think that raises a fair question about whether the paper is unbiased in its coverage of the President’s visits,” Lehrich wrote.
Eric Clapton – Tears in Heaven
An evening pause: “Written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings about the pain Clapton felt following the death of his four-year-old son, Conor, who fell from a window of the 53rd-floor New York apartment of his mother’s friend, on March 20, 1991.”