Rusted Sky

Obama shifts, says he may back offshore drilling - Yahoo! News

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that's what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.

Shifting from his previous opposition to expanded offshore drilling, the Illinois senator told a Florida newspaper he could get behind a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy.

J.

FOXNews.com - Report: Al Qaeda No. 2 Zawahiri Injured, Possibly Killed - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

Al Qaeda’s second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, may be injured or even dead, according to a CBS News report based on an intercepted letter that urgently requests a doctor to treat Zawahiri.
CBS News says it obtained a copy of the letter from sources in Pakistan, where Zawahiri, second only to Usama bin Laden, is thought to be hiding.

The letter, reportedly written by a local Taliban leader and dated Tuesday, says Zawahiri is in "severe pain" and his "injuries are infected," according to the report.

Lingering, painful death... somehow, that seems appropriate.

J.

Cross Country - WSJ.com

If there is an energy crisis in this country, it is because too many states and too many lawmakers in Washington are too timid about allowing entrepreneurs to bring to the surface what is buried right below us. In Texas, we're not timid. Thanks to longstanding public policy encouraging responsible production, 18% of all the oil and 30% of all the natural gas produced onshore in the U.S. is produced in this state. That makes us the No. 1 energy-producing state in America.

If you can drill for oil safely in semi-populated areas - why can't you drill safely in a wasteland like ANWR?

J.

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation - SpaceX will be attempting the third launch of their Falcon 1 spacecraft.

In about 45 minutes, if the timer on the above webcast is correct.

Good luck, guys!

J.

Fifty years back, a launch from Kwaj atoll would have to be filmed, then the film brought back stateside to be put on the news. You'd need a fairly robust infrastructure to get it out to people on the news. For sure it wouldn't have been live without a MAJOR effort by the networks.

Now, it's available over the internet in a webcast. Picture quality, pretty decent (for a webcam) - and it's being done as pretty much an afterthought by the SpaceX folks.

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation - SpaceX

Update - just had a launch abort, apparently a parameter (didn't specifiy which) went 1% over limit, and caused an automatic shutdown. Everything else looked good, engine started and ran just as it should.

You know, sometimes I think computer monitoring might be just a tad too twitchy in some cases...

They've pushed the countdown back to 11 minutes and holding - we'll see if it goes off tonight or not, There's 50 minutes left in the launch window...

Webcam's zooming in on the encine mechanism.... no, it looks like they're examining the hold-downs No audio feed for explanation.

Looks like a nice day out at their test stand...

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation - SpaceX

10 minutes to go. Light breeze at the launch site. The missile support system (strongback) is dropping down now, and things are proceeding.

6 minutes to go. It's good to see private-enterprise space attempts - I'd be even happier if they were doing a DC-X sort of effort, but I guess you can't have everything. Lockheed VentureStar croaked - they tried to load too many new technologies into it and the system couldn't support it. Don't know if the aerospike engine concept is dead yet - but it seems a bit ailing...

2 minutes to go - LOX topped off, battery chargers ending - now they're showing a shot down the rocket - lot of vapor down at the bottom, LOX dump perhaps?

1 minute to go - it's on internal sequencing now. Helium closed off.

30 seconds to go - water deluge on - got my fingers crossed - launching --- flying!!!!!!!! Falcon cleared the tower, it's looking good - lot of water going across the camera lense on the rocket - 1.4 KM at 20 seconds - good shot of the atoll - interesting view there! Approcing Mach one - water's cleared off the lens, clear view of the entire atoll ring. I do believe this is gonna go all the way....

Whoops - cut of feed from rocket cam... and now they're reporting an 'anomaly'. Hmmm? Check back for more information?

That happened right about 140 seconds, at an altitude of 35km. The last blog entry is 'vehicle switching to inertial guidance mode."

Now they're rolling credits? Wha' happened?

J.

NASA had the NanoSail-D - a solar sail prototype.

Well - I'm not going to hold my breath for this one. Still no update from SpaceX - it could be a com problem, or the rocket may have gone off in unexpected directions... or several different unexpected directions.

Darn.

Update - it's been about an hour with no further info. That's not a good sign.

J.

The Fairy Tale Revisited - TalkLeft: The Politics Of Crime

But a whole lot of supposed nominal democrats commenting at the above site are quite upset with Obama over his pre-emptive racism strike on McCain.

Obamafans already achieved their main goal: (5.00 / 8) (#195)
by pluege on Sat Aug 02, 2008 at 11:07:59 AM EST

beating the Clintons.
Obama's primary was run as if they had no intention of winning the GE - after all Obama is young, a loss this year doesn't hurt his future.

Obamafans are a combination of stupid as hell and egomaniacal. Their arrogance is sickening. They did great damage to the democratic party and the country.

pleuge (5.00 / 6) (#236)
by tek on Sat Aug 02, 2008 at 12:53:30 PM EST

I would agree with what you say except that I don't think it's just "Obama fans." Unfortunately, I believe the Party leaders are the people most responsible for this fiasco, they even came out themselves and repeated that the Clintons are racists and that the Clintons were "attacking Obama" in a shameful way. All lies.
This and the corruption of the entire primary process is what makes me think twice about supporting the Democratic ticket this time around. It isn't revenge or a grudge. It's that I don't think this bunch of Dems have enough sense to run the country any better than Bush, and they seem just as corrupt.

Talking about race in this way. . . (5.00 / 3) (#27)
by LarryInNYC on Sat Aug 02, 2008 at 09:16:55 AM EST

is bad for him. Discussion of "race cards", "entitlement", etc is bad.
But there is a racial narrative that I think would work for him, and that's the idea that middle-of-the-roaders have the opportunity to vote for this candidate who is centrist, masculine, Christian, etc and to receive some form of absolution for their own personal histories and the national history of racism.

I don't know how Obama gets this idea across (you can't state it baldly, obviously) but that kind of narrative works for him, I think.

Really? (4.69 / 13) (#14)
by JimWash08 on Sat Aug 02, 2008 at 09:08:19 AM EST

If Obama loses the election, it will be because of this.
C'mon! I think you have to give the people who don't care for Obama (a majority of them, at least) the benefit of the doubt.

I don't care whether Obama is black, white, red or blue. He is just not what I want to see in a future president. If he wasn't inexperienced, incompetent in several aspects, and just plain NOT-ready for the job, he'd have my vote.

I could overlook his questionable associations with a few people of his past; and while it'll be difficult, I also could overlook his horrible behavior during the Primary season ... but he just isn't ready, or proven to be ready, to take this country on a new road.

----

But coming back to the topic of the "race card." YES, he DID play the race card in the Primaries, and has continued to play the race card since he became the presumptive nominee.

Also, Axelrod admitted on Good Morning America that the "dollar bill" remark had to do with race.

I don't think it's racist to say if it weren't for his skin color, Obama wouldn't be where he is today. As is pointed out so clearly, he's inexperienced and incompetent in several aspects and just plain not ready for the job. If Obama were white, he'd still be a junior Senator from Illinois - if he'd even gotten that far. If McCain were black, I'd still be voting for him in November. Skin color doesn't MATTER - qualifications do.

J.

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation - Updates

lan Going Forward
It was obviously a big disappointment not to reach orbit on this flight [Falcon 1, Flight 3]. On the plus side, the flight of our first stage, with the new Merlin 1C engine that will be used in Falcon 9, was picture perfect. Unfortunately, a problem occurred with stage separation, causing the stages to be held together. This is under investigation and I will send out a note as soon as we understand exactly what happened.

The most important message I’d like to send right now is that SpaceX will not skip a beat in execution going forward. We have flight four of Falcon 1 almost ready for flight and flight five right behind that. I have also given the go ahead to begin fabrication of flight six. Falcon 9 development will also continue unabated, taking into account the lessons learned with Falcon 1. We have made great progress this past week with the successful nine engine firing.

As a precautionary measure to guard against the possibility of flight 3 not reaching orbit, SpaceX recently accepted a significant investment. Combined with our existing cash reserves, that ensures we will have more than sufficient funding on hand to continue launching Falcon 1 and develop Falcon 9 and Dragon. There should be absolutely zero question that SpaceX will prevail in reaching orbit and demonstrating reliable space transport.

J.

Don't believe me?

Take a look at what Pelosi and Reid have done. They've managed to both make energy a vital issue which must be addressed - and completely blown off any attempts to do anything about the problems we have with it. I know that the people inside the Beltway have differing priorities - but why did they shut down the debate?

So they didn't have to delay their vacation!

Gateway Pundit's got the Republican reaction. Even though Pelosi had the cameras turned off - the Republicans still kept talking about the issue.

Pelosi's determined and deliberate refusal to address an issue that directly and seriously affects the entire country is the action of a political class (IE the Democrats) that has figured out that no matter WHAT it does their own constituency will not hold them responsible for the end result. They understand their obligation to the people who have elected them is NEVER going to be anything more than a vapidly theoretical concept, which can be ignored at their leisure.

So with energy so important, why not just go on vacation? THEY have enough money, after all - and so what if their average constituent needs to cut back due to high energy costs? It just means all the good places will be less crowded!

It's not like the PEOPLE they represent are actually important, after all.

Is that not the actions of royalty? That their desires are paramount, and all us little peons exist to serve THEM?

J.

YouTube - 水の落ちる絵

Bet someone had a fun time programming this stuff!

J.

Global Warming Did It! Well, Maybe Not. - washingtonpost.com

We're heading into the heart of hurricane season, and any day now, a storm will barrel toward the United States, inspiring all the TV weather reporters to find a beach where they can lash themselves to a palm tree. We can be certain of two things: First, we'll be told that the wind is blowing very hard and the surf is up. Second, some expert will tell us that this storm might be a harbinger of global warming.

Somewhere along the line, global warming became the explanation for everything. Right-thinking people are not supposed to discuss any meteorological or geophysical event -- a hurricane, a wildfire, a heat wave, a drought, a flood, a blizzard, a tornado, a lightning strike, an unfamiliar breeze, a strange tingling on the neck -- without immediately invoking the climate crisis. It causes earthquakes, plagues and backyard gardening disappointments. Weird fungus on your tomato plants? Classic sign of global warming.

Sheesh.

One of the real problems with a 24-7 news cycle is that a lot of fluff is thrown in to pad out the real news items. And the object of ANY news channel isn't to dissemenate information - it's to sell ad time. It's the old story - to get ratings, you have to get people to watch. People watch bad news - they ignore good news because it doesn't affect them. So you get a steady drum beat of bad, bad, bad news - and if it ISN'T bad, they'll spin it in a way you THINK is bad, because you'll keep checking on the bad stuff... and ignore the good.

I don't expect it to change, unfortunately. Every weather event will be spun as a catastrophe, worse than the one before. Sooner or later, we'll start tuning the news folk out - which means that eventually a normal rainstorm on the Gulf Coast will merit Katrina-like news coverage...

J.

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 08/03/2008 | Iraqis no longer ask, 'Are you Sunni or Shiite?'

BAGHDAD — For years, when she approached Iraqi Army checkpoints and produced an identification card for soldiers to study for clues about her sect, Nadia Hashim used a simple formula to signal the mostly Shiite Muslim force that she, too, is a Shiite.

"I am one of you," she'd say.

The soldiers would harass Sunnis, but they'd simply wave Hashim through.

Now her pat line gets her an official reproach.

When a relative used it recently, a soldier admonished the driver and the passengers. "'We are Iraqis, and you shouldn't say such a thing,' " recalled Hashim.

The 35-year-old mother of three said that for her and countless other Iraqis, the fact that soldiers are now using nationalist rather than sectarian language is a significant change. Being a Shiite is no longer key to her survival.

With violence subsiding throughout Baghdad, residents said that sectarianism is becoming less pervasive. They're starting to think of themselves as Iraqis, not as hostages to hyphenated, sectarian identities.

But it may be the truth, come to think of it.

J.

Reading "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch" gave me an appreciation of our freedoms here in the US. James Lileks read his way through "The Gulag Archipelago" - and has the following...

LILEKS (James) :: the Bleat

In the summer of ’78 I was back home in Fargo between college years – exiled from the civilized world, cast into barbarity. During the day I labored under the hot sun painting giant fuel tanks in the hot sun, next to an auto-body shop that exhaled poison and Eagles all day. A sensitive soul, cast into such grim circumstances. A noble soul, a poet, reduced to living on the gruel of hometown “culture,” almost unable to stir himself each day to face the hopeless allotment that stretched forth until the sun turned its face away.

Naturally, I was in the perfect mood to read the entire Gulag Archipelago. I got all three volumes from the drugstore – which should have told me something about the land in which I lived, that one could buy this work from a creaky wire rack at the drugstore – and it taught me much about the Soviet Union and the era of Stalin. After that I could never quite understand the people who viewed the US and the USSR as moral equals, or regarded our history as not only indelibly stained but uniquely so. Reading Solzhenitsyn makes it difficult to take seriously the people in this culture who insist that Dissent has been squelched. Brother, you have no idea.

Thank you, Mr. Solzhenitsyn. You opened the eyes of a lot of people, and exposed a corrupt system. Sadly, there's still people who insist it wasn't all that bad...

J.

SpaceX blames rocket loss on bad timing - Space.com- msnbc.com

Based in Hawthorne, Calif., SpaceX — short for Space Exploration Technologies — launched its third Falcon 1 rocket late Saturday ET from the U.S. Army's Reagan Missile Test Site on Omelek Island in Kwajalein Atoll, which sits about 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers) southwest of Hawaii in the central Pacific Ocean.

Musk said SpaceX would be releasing video of the staging event that clearly shows the first and second stages separating as planned about 2 minutes and 20 seconds into the flight. The video also shows that unanticipated residual thrust from the redesigned Merlin engine caused the first stage to bump the second stage just as it began to fire, he said.

J.

Miscanthus can meet U.S. biofuels goal using less land than corn or switchgrass

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In the largest field trial of its kind in the United States, researchers have determined that the giant perennial grass Miscanthus x giganteus outperforms current biofuels sources – by a lot. Using Miscanthus as a feedstock for ethanol production in the U.S. could significantly reduce the acreage dedicated to biofuels while meeting government biofuels production goals, the researchers report.

The new findings, from researchers at the University of Illinois, appear this month in the journal Global Change Biology.

Using corn or switchgrass to produce enough ethanol to offset 20 percent of gasoline use – a current White House goal – would take 25 percent of current U.S. cropland out of food production, the researchers report. Getting the same amount of ethanol from Miscanthus would require only 9.3 percent of current agricultural acreage. (View a narrated slideshow about Miscanthus research.)

J.

Obama Salute Creator Hits Back at Critics - Washington Whispers (usnews.com)

At first, Rick Husong was stunned by the overwhelming wave of negative and sometimes crude reactions to his bid revealed in Whispers last week to build a pro-Sen. Barack Obama movement around a hand salute dubbed the Big-O. Among the hundreds of comments posted on the Whispers site were those comparing it to a gang gesture, a Nazi salute, or worse. "This is how Sieg Heil got started. And, no I'm not saying Obama is Hitler. I just think people should be careful about slipping into a personality cult for a charismatic leader," wrote Jake of Tennessee. Husong tells me that he was pretty depressed by the reaction to his idea and free design offered on the website of Loyalty Inc., his California creative company. That is until he heard of a fan walking on Venice Beach wearing a T-shirt displaying the artwork. In fact, despite the tsunami of criticism, the artwork has been downloaded 7,700 times and his site has been hit 214,000 times since the first Whisper went live. "I would call that a raving success," he says, adding that he plans to make his Big-O the "peace sign of our generation."

You just gotta wonder - what IS it about Obama that seems to draw the nuts?

J.

CPUSA Online - Editorial: Eye on the Prize

Barack Obama is not a left candidate. This fact has seemingly surprised a number of progressive people who are bemoaning Obama’s “shift to the center.” (Right-wingers are happy to join them, suggesting Obama is a “flip-flopper.”) It’s sad that some who seek progressive change are missing the forest for the trees. But they will not dampen the wide and deep enthusiasm for blocking a third Bush term represented by John McCain, or for bringing Obama by a landslide into the White House with a large Democratic congressional majority.

A broad multiclass, multiracial movement is converging around Obama’s “Hope, change and unity” campaign because they see in it the thrilling opportunity to end 30 years of ultra-right rule and move our nation forward with a broadly progressive agenda.

That Obama's been endorsed by the CPUSA... somehow I'm just not terribly surprised.

(One of the commenters says even Cynthia McKinney would be better than Obama... well, guess that shows how far gone THEY are...)

J.

The Corner on National Review Online

With the Obama campaign saying McCain's statements about Georgia are "aggressive" and "belligerent" and "very aggressive" and "very belligerent" at that, it might be time to remind ourselves of Harry Jaffa's words, written for Barry Goldwater once upon a time: "Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."

I think it should be noted that nothing McCain has said is as aggressive as the actions of Russia. It strikes me odd right now to complain of aggressive words in the defense of democracy rather than condemning aggressive actions against a democracy.

I think we can pretty well rule out any UN action on this one - since Russia sits on the Security Council.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few days. But don't you find it odd that you're not supposed to say anything that might be construed as belligerant or agressive against Russia? You'd almost think that it was holy ground or something...

J.

Space Weather - Latest Flux Report

Still bangin' around 60 or so. The Flux Table is showing that it didn't start getting into the '60s until last June or so - and aside from a one month blip in Dec 07 -Jan 08, the solar flux has been mid/high 60s to very low '70s.

What does it all mean? You tell me. But I think I'm getting a new winter coat...

J.

The 'annexation' of Georgia was likely intended to remind the old Soviet satellite states (along with a land grab) that Russia was still a neighbor and still powerful, and willing to bide its time until a proper takeover could be orchestrated.

However, Poland has extended a middle digit in Russia's direction.

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Aug. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and Poland signed a preliminary accord today that will allow for 10 U.S. interceptor missiles to be based in the eastern European country, completing a defense system that Russia opposes.

The U.S. has agreed to Polish requests including modernization of its armed forces in exchange for the location of the missiles, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in an interview with private broadcaster TVN24 this evening.

J.

Could be...

DOHERTY: NEW SCIENTIFIC DATA JUSTIFIES REPEALING GLOBAL WARMING RESPONSE ACT | Politicker NJ

Responding to various new scientific reports questioning the concept of global warming, Assemblyman Michael Doherty today called on Governor Corzine to hold off on proposing any new regulations associated with the state’s Global Warming Response Act and urged the Legislature to repeal that act when it returns to legislative business after Labor Day.

“There are many credible members of the scientific community who have questioned the theory of global warming, and now we have some scientists actually suggesting the earth’s temperatures may be entering a period of dramatic cooling,” said Doherty, R-Warren and Hunterdon. “With this growing level of scientific uncertainty, it makes no sense to enact a new set of economically damaging regulations prompted by the global warming hysteria of recent years.”

But then, the diehard AGW believers are in good company...

FOXNews.com - Believers in Flat Earth Not About to Change Minds

J.

But here's something a bit new.

Next Big Future: Blacklight Power follow up and other claims

According to the chart, the installed cost on a 1000 KW plant would be about $500 per KW, as opposed to $2700/KW for coal, $4700 for nuclear. This would make it VERY competitive indeed - if true.

I'm still of two minds on this whole BLP/Hydrino thing... IF it pans out, it'll be revolutionary. The SF reader in me wants it very much to be true. But the part of me that knows some science doesn't really see how it CAN be true.

However - if BLP is really ready to ship 50 KW prototypes, then I'll just have to go with the flow.

J.

wbztv.com - Senator John Kerry For Vice President?

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Barack Obama has yet to name a vice presidential nominee and some are wondering if he might turn to Massachusetts to round out the ticket.

John Kerry for vice president?

Don't dismiss the notion just yet.

Some political insiders are telling WBZ it could happen.

So why would Obama reach out to Kerry as his choice?

Kerry brings more money and name recognition to the table than any other name on the Obama list so far. Americans do tend to love a comeback kid and this would be the most amazing political comeback since Richard Nixon came back from the dead forty years ago.

You've got Do-Nothing Kerry. And Done-Nothing Obama. Between the two of them, it's quite possible the next 4 years would see our government at a complete standstill.

Assuming, of course, you think that's a GOOD thing.

But if such a matchup happens, I don't really care how the Democratic Party will try to spin it - I think it'd show their rank and file just how little any sort of actual accomplishment means when it comes to who they're gonna nominate for the top job. Do they really think they can get by on just image and fantasy?

And I guess it also shows just how much Kerry depends on being someone else's sock puppet...

J.

But as a parent, the missing Caylee Anthony is at least somewhat concerning to me. The mom's apparent indifference and bizzare stories and behavior just doesn't make much sense, and I'm thinking that there's pretty much no chance the little girl is still alive. But some tend to think otherwise...

FOXNews.com - Bounty Hunter, Bondsman to Spring Missing Florida Toddler's Mom - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

A uncle-and-nephew bondsman and bounty hunter team plan to bail Casey Anthony out of jail because, they say, the Florida mother could be more help in finding her missing toddler if she is free.

The bounty hunter, Leonard Padilla, told FOX News’ Greta Van Susteren that Anthony, who has been the Orange County jail since last month, might supply more information on the outside – and he thinks Anthony's 3-yaer-old daughter, Caylee, is still alive.

"I somewhat believe that, in her own mind, the mother has given up some truths in the statements she has made," Padilla told FOX News on Friday, and keeping her in jail hasn’t helped. "It hasn’t worked for 30 days so let’s try something different."

I think the only one who really knows is the mom, and she ain't tellin'...

J.

They'd rather sit in the dark than light a candle.

FOXNews.com - Environmentalists Prompt Nuclear Power Wake-Up Call - Opinion

Environmentalists Prompt Nuclear Power Wake-Up Call
Thursday, August 14, 2008
By Steven Milloy

What did the nuclear power industry get for playing footsie with the "greens" on global warming? A knife in the back, it looks like. The greens now are saying that emission-free nuclear power may actually contribute to climate change.

After decades of having its growth entirely stymied by anti-nuclear environmentalists, the industry decided to help the greens lobby for global warming regulation in hopes of easing opposition to the expansion of nuclear power. Companies like Exelon, FPL Group and NRG Energy, for example, helped the greens form the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) — a coalition of big businesses and green groups that has been leading the charge on Capitol Hill for global warming regulation.

But as the saying goes, when you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

A case in point is the proposed addition of a third reactor at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in southern Maryland. The greens formed a group euphemistically called the Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition (CSEC) to oppose the new reactor. Members of the CSEC are hardcore anti-nuclear activists including the Sierra Club, Public Citizen, Maryland Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the Maryland Green Party and the Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility.

A June 2007 report by Maryland PIRG lays out the standard anti-nuclear objections against the proposed reactor, including that nuclear plants are expensive to build, radiation is inherently dangerous, uranium mining is environmentally destructive, and that nuclear waste "remains dangerous for thousands of years and no nation on earth has developed an acceptable solution for safely disposing of it."

But in this era of global warming hysteria, the standard arguments apparently aren't working.

The governor's picking nukes over wind must have sent the greens into meltdown. So in response, the desperate greens came up with a bizarre new argument: nuclear power causes global warming.

That's right, nuclear is the latest form of "dirty" energy. How can that be, you ask? Nuclear power doesn't produce greenhouse gases, does it? Well, not directly, the greens argue. But nuclear power "worsens climate change," says prominent environmentalist Amory Lovins in a new paper, because it diverts money away from alternative energy and efficiency efforts that would otherwise reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Adding insult to injury, Lovins also says that nuclear power is "grossly uncompetitive, unneeded and obsolete" and "weakens electric reliability and national security."

The head of Maryland PIRG picked up on Lovins' line of thinking, telling Carbon Control News (Aug. 8) that "efficiency programs and renewables such as wind and solar can provide more carbon-abatement per dollar while avoiding the downsides of nuclear power."

By the way, you know that Global Warming stuff? The Denver Airport reported a 128 year LOW temp on the 15th of August - 59 degrees.

Anecdotal cold weather news from around the world ｫ Watts Up With That?

And I checked a place I used to live - Cheyenne, Wyoming...

Yesterday's high was 49 degrees. Normal is 80. The minimum record was set in 1893, at 38.

If this is 'global warming' I think someone flipped their thermometer.

J.

Thanks to Nature, a Large Atmospheric Sulfur Dioxide Experiment is Now Underway in the Pacific -- Watts Up With That?

With the current cooling trends, the next few years ought to get interesting. The sulfur dioxide released by the volcano on theisald of Kasatochi in the Aleutian Islands ought to prove out the theory that sulfur dioxide can cause significant cooling...

Hmmm. Maybe I need to add long underwear to the new coat...

J.

For a transciript of the Obama/McCain questions that were held aqt the Saddleback Church, you can find them here.

You ever notice Obama can't come out and actually give an opinion about something controversial? It's always hedged, always cloaked in bafflegab. Part may be his legal training - but it's really getting old. Nuance or no - some things deserve clear, straight answers, and here was his chance... and he failed.

I think the man's already operating way above his pay grade. I don't believe I want to see him as President as all.

J.

Video: Lifelike animation heralds new era for computer games - Times Online

Go take a look at the video at the above link - it's VERY good.

In fact - I wouldn't think it long before they start using this process to get rid of some of the overpriced 'talent' in Hollywood...

J.

Turoa claims largest snow base ever - 19 Aug 2008 - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news

Mt Ruapehu is claiming the biggest snow base ever recorded for a New Zealand skifield with over 4.5m of snow on the ground.
Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, operator of Mt Ruapehu ski area, was celebrating what it called a major milestone today.

The snow measuring stake at Turoa previously only stood at 380cm so had to be extended to measure today's 455cm snow base.

The Whakapapa side of the mountain also had 350cm of snow, the biggest since 1995.

J.

RealClearPolitics - Electoral Map

Awful lot of red there... enough to give McCain the win.

And consider - they haven't even announced their VP picks yet.

Man, I'm so tired of the Eternal Campaign I could scream. And it's only going to get worse over the next couple of months. Only thing is - the more we see of McCain, the more it's apparent that Obama isn't thoughtful and nuanced so much as he is really, really bad at making actuall ethical decisions and then sticking to them. You can dress up his noncomittal attitudes all you want - but the job of President is to make decisions, and it looks like Obama's spent most of his Senate career avoiding them like the plague.

And with all the exposure he's getting - unlike a Clairol commercial, the closer you get the worse he looks. I don't see him improving things at all.

J.

NO₂O - Misc Sticker (Oval) - CafePress

Heh.

J.

Starship Troopers 2 -

When you can't even make it to the opening credits, it's a bad movie.

J.

Might be. Question is - will it be a fatal one?

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - CNN poll: Post-Biden poll shows dead heat « - Blogs from CNN.com

It's a dead heat in the race for the White House. The first national poll conducted entirely after Barack Obama publicly named Joe Biden as his running mate suggests that battle for the presidency between the Illinois senator and Republican rival John McCain is all tied up.

In a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Sunday night, 47 percent of those questioned are backing Obama with an equal amount supporting the Arizona senator.

This looks like a step backward for Obama, who had a 51 to 44 percent advantage last month, says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

But it doesn't make me think he's a viable candidate, or someone I'd want to see as President. After all, Biden will be the VP - and unless he goes all AlGore on Obama, he's going to have essentially no power.

So - why Biden? Personally, I think the Democratic Party's gone suicidally insane. Could this be the equivalent of standing on a building ledge, threatening to jump off if the Democrats don't get handed the Presidentcy?

J.

One can hope.. I don't expect this to get far, though... the union has too tight a hold.

Dems rally against unions! - By Mickey Kaus - Slate Magazine

Things We Thought We'd Never See: Democrats Rally Against the Teachers' Unions! I went to the Ed Challenge for Change event mainly to schmooze. I almost didn't stay for the panels, being in no mood for what I expected would, even among these reformers, be an hour of vague EdBlob talk about "change" and "accountability" and "resources" that would tactfully ignore the elephant in the room, namely the teachers' unions. I was so wrong. One panelist--I think it was Peter Groff, president of the Colorado State Senate, got the ball rolling by complaining that when the children's agenda meets the adult agenda, the "adult agenda wins too often." Then Cory Booker of Newark attacked teachers unions specifically--and there was applause. In a room of 500 people at the Democratic convention! "The politics are so vicious," Booker complained, remembering how he'd been told his political career would be over if he kept pushing school choice, how early on he'd gotten help from Republicans rather than from Democrats. The party would "have to admit as Democrats we have been wrong on education." Loud applause! Mayor Adrian Fenty of D.C. joined in, describing the AFT's attempt to block the proposed pathbreaking D.C. teacher contract. Booker denounced "insane work rules," and Groff talked about doing the bidding of "those folks who are giving money [for campaigns], and you know who I'm talking about." Yes, they did!

And "For the Children" would take on a real meaning...
J.

This ought to give you a laugh or two. Ran across it a couple of years back - and spotted it again.

Catchy tune, incomprehensible lyrics, you'll be humming it for days. Enjoy!

J.

So - we're in the mids of the worst economic period since (fill in the blank)... but...

Average U.S. Income Showed First Rise Over 2000 - NYTimes.com

Americans enjoyed higher average income in 2006 for the first time since 2000, when the last economic expansion ended, the latest tax data show.

Adjusted gross income reported on tax returns in 2006 averaged $58,029. In 2006 dollars that was an increase of $739, or 1.2 percent, from the $57,289 average in 2000, analysis of Internal Revenue Service data showed.

J.

Former head of CSIRO division of space science says global cooling may be on the way - Watts Up With That?

Makes you wonder sometimes, doesn't it? Inside the article is the following...

The main point of disagreement was McCracken’s view that the rate of global warming could be eased or reduced by a fall in solar activity. ”I have never seen a credible paper published using a climate model that shows this,” Jones wrote.

He points to recent data which indicates that global temperatures are probably rising faster than previously thought, raising the urgency of calls from climate scientists for political action to reduce emissions. Yet any uncertainty over the sun’s influence creates a lever that climate sceptics and developing nations will seize upon to stall such action.

But it's really warming?

Man, I'm REALLY thinking someone flipped the thermometer, or just plain flipped their lid.

J.

When you consider his meteoric rise to prominence (I mean, not even on the radar as a Presidential candidate in 2004, and now at the top of the heap) it makes sense to ask "How did this guy get where he is?"

Global Labor and Politics: Who "sent" Obama?

Also, apparently any criticism of Obama, or even uncomfortable questions, is NOT to be tolerated and must be silenced.

This doesn't make me think kindly of the DNC. If the Republicans were doing it, you'd be hearing "Jack-booted facist" remarks all over the place. But Obama's party? Hey, it's fine and proper...

More info on the 'anti-smear' actions here.

J.

Next Big Future: Inertial electrostatic confinement completes WB7 test, results are under review

The results of the first-phase test are now being reviewed by the funders and experts in the fusion energy field. The lead researcher Dr Nebel said “we have had some success" in the effort to reproduce the promising results reported by the late physicist Robert Bussard. "It's kind of a mix," he said.

A couple of months ago, Nebel told Alan Boyle that he'd love to ramp up the size of the machine to generate 100 megawatts of electric power. If the technology could actually produce power on that scale, it could offer a quicker route to commercially viable fusion reactors, as well as new propulsion systems for space travel.

J.

Grim's Hall - Unions for McCain?

Dad29 says that there is some trouble among the unions for Sen. Obama:

A prominent union leader on Tuesday blamed racism for Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) failure to build a big lead over GOP rival Sen. John McCain.

Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), said many workers are considering voting for McCain (R-Ariz.) because of his military service and status as a hero of the Vietnam War.

AFSCME is one of the strongest of the Democratic Party's support bases, because it's about public sector unions. Public sector unions are all about bigger government, so the establishment of new massive Federal bureaucracies to oversee health care or "a civilian national security corps" are right up their alley. If they're having trouble with the rank and file in AFSCME, they've got trouble indeed.

But it could be the union members are looking deeper than the hopey-changefulness message, and thinking that Obama's ideas would end up hurting THEM. So why should they vote for someone who'll take a bite out of their wallets?

Nah - it's gotta be racism. Because who doesn't want a candidate with no real experience?

J.

Michael Moore: Hurricane Coming During GOP Convention 'Proof There Is a God in Heaven'

Sometime you really have wonder at what cost some are willing to see their political ideology advanced.

To liberal documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, the bounds are seemingly endless. Moore has made a recent career out of attacking President George W. Bush, bashing conservatives and criticizing business. His latest outrage occurred on MSNBC’s August 29 “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” and when he commented about the coincidental timing of an unfortunate disaster – the potential for Hurricane Gustav to make landfall at the beginning of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

“I was just thinking, this Gustav is proof that there is a God in heaven,” Moore said, laughing. “To have it planned at the same time – that it would actually be on its way to New Orleans for day one of the Republican Convention, up in the Twin Cities – at the top of the Mississippi River.”

You know, I somehow don't see conservatives taking quite so much joy in the potential misfortune of others as the 'progressives' do.

J.

So it looks like Sarah Palin is the VP pick. My initial thought on looking over her resume was that McCain just won the election.

You've got the Hillary supporters who were nominal Democrats because Hillary's a Democrat - they won't really need an excuse to jump ship, so to speak.

As RNB pointed out - "Gee, I understand Gov. Palin's husband is a union guy. Wonder what that's going to do to the mix?"

I think it's going to get a lot of Union folks who've been looking askance at the Democrats for a while, but have felt bound to vote the Dem ticket, to vote for Republicans. Let's face it - business growth is good for unions, and Obama's current 'thoughts' on the economy aren't going to be good for business... and thus, not good for the union worker.

Add in the fact that Palin's a Washington OUTSIDER, and has been seriously working on eliminating corruption in Alaskan government (instead of just using the promise of eliminating it as a talking point, to be forgotten immediately after the election) is going to be seen as a positive by folks who will be seriously expecting reform inside the Beltway.

The Babe Factor's going to have a bit of play here - seriously, given the choice between Hillary and Sarah Palin, it's no contest.

RedState has a comparison between Sarah Palin and Barack Obama. Obama doesn't come off the winner.

Yes, the next couple of months just got a LOT more interesting...

J.

The essense of the liberal/progressive platform is that they know better than you (or conservatives, or independents, or, well, anyone except them) how everything should be done. Economics? Tax the job producing, give it to those who don't work, and if you gripe you're being 'unfair'. Social issues? Throw money at them, demand tolerance, and if you suggest otherwise, you're intolerant. Government corruption? Make a big stink about it for elections, forget it at all other times. Military issues? Use diplomacy, more diplomacy, and as a last result instruct your diplomats to take a firm line then capitulate reluctantly. Education? The meme of the month/year deserves lots'o'dough, and don't even SUGGEST trying to go back in time to stuff that worked, because the current crop of teachers believe that's SO old fashioned!

And if anything doesn't work - it's because someone or something isn't cooperating. (Like reality, hint-hint?)

Now - one of the really nasty things about reality is that it's not amenable to threats of lawsuits, doesn't care about public opinion, and could care less if there's a demonstration protesting it. And for all the massive self-esteem the 'progressives' seem to have, and their great talent for putting their ideas out, and getting people to (nominally) sign onto them, their actual ability to get something/anything done really doesn't seem to be... all that great.

Same thing with conservatives on some issues, lately. The illusion that words, concepts and ideas are more important than results has taken hold in our government - and it's not to our benefit. Perhaps the number of lawyers in public office has something to do with that? If you're in a job where all your professional training as been on new ways to twist and interpret wording, you're not going to see reality as being anything other that an annoyance to be circumvented if at all possible.

But sometimes, it just isn't possible.

I'm looking at the selection of Sarah Palin as being very good for the Republican party, and the Democratic party also. First off - she understands reality isn't exactly amenable to legal schemes. (Just try to tort your way out of a heavy sea on a fishing boat, or stay warn with a lawsuit in an Alaskan winter.) Second - she knows that without gas and oil the economy will collapse. Third - as a mother of 5 she understands conflict resolution in a way that lots of the folks in Congress wouldn't have a CLUE on.

Will a McCain/Palin presidency be good for the US in the long run? Hard to tell - but I'm thinking yes. It'll be a hell of a lot better than an Obama-Biden ticket, I think. Your mileage, of course, may vary on that - but the more the left screams and hyperventilates about McCain's choice, the more I think it was the best possible one he could have made.

Hmmm. Wonder what her take is on the Fair Tax?

J.