David Gilmour Wish you were here live unplugged

I've been reading today. A lot about Roman history, at the end of the Republic. Quite fascinating.

Thanks for coming by and have a great evening.

Zomblog: Death Threats Against Bush at Protests Ignored for Years

published Wed, Aug 19, 2009

• On Wednesday, August 12, a man holding a sign that said “Death to Obama” at a town hall meeting in Maryland was detained and turned over to the Secret Service which will likely soon charge him with threatening the president.
• Bush was threatened frequently — but no arrests
• "I’m not trying to claim that death threats against Bush in the past justify threats against Obama now."
• "No — I am not calling the Secret Service incompetent."
• "I contend that the media is aggressively reporting on, highlighting and pursuing any and all possible threats to President Obama — and even hints of threats — but they purposely glossed over, ignored or failed to report similar threats to President Bush."
•  but part of it is almost certainly due to an increase in threats which get reported by the media and are therefore brought to the Secret Service’s attention.
• After scanning the pictures below of death threats against Bush, ask yourself: Holy cow — why was I never aware of these at the time? The reason: Because the media intentionally failed to report on them.
• The key question is: Were any protesters ever arrested or questioned for displaying threatening messages about President Bush at a protest? And the answer is: No
• The most famous case was that of Brett Bursey, who was arrested in 2002 outside a Bush speech. The media dishonestly implied that he was arrested simply for carrying a sign that said “No War For Oil”
• At last: The pictures

This was a factual post about media bias with respect to the reporting of politically inspired threats of violence.  The evidence was provided and it is quite conclusive.  The media is in bed with the Democrats and almost everybody knows it.   There is nothing new about this fact.  It has been reported on here and just about anywhere you can mention more times than can be recounted.  Yet is continues apace.

The point I am making is not that this is something new and shocking.  Everybody knows this.  The point is what to do about it?  It isn't enough, evidently, to point it out.  It seems that those who are pointing it out are like the lamb who gets into an argument with the wolf- an Aesop's fable.  We all know who wins those kind of arguments.

Who owns the media?  It isn't the poor, my friends.  The Democrats like to claim that they are for the poor, but how can that be when they are not one of the poor themselves?  Or, if they are slavishly serving the interests of the powerful?  They lie to and deceive the poor, but do not serve them.  You lie to and deceive your enemy, do you not?  For the poor to listen to the media is like the lamb who takes advice from the wolf.

My Country, My Ass

Here is a bit of music that is, shall we say, irreverent. But I agree, we are heading in this direction, and may well be most of the way there already.

Fascinating video

Hand machined model Flathead V8 engine. It runs and sounds like a V8 motor. It is only a tiny little thing, but it sounds mean!

I checked out the links. It doesn't look like you could buy one, but it isn't practical anyway. And, besides, I'd never do that myself.



Well, that's all she wrote for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Islam Is Not Part of Our Civilization

Right Side News

"Obama said at the latest White House Iftar dinner:

Like so many faiths, Islam has always been part of our American family, and Muslim Americans have long contributed to the strength and character of our country, in all walks of life. " 

"These words have no basis in fact. Islam is not part of our civilization because its foundational principles are opposite to ours. Our civilization is built on the foundation of critical thought (how we think) and the Golden Rule (ethics). Islam is built on submission (authoritative thought) and ethical dualism." 

You know, Obama does act a lot like a Muslim.  Supposedly, he is a Christian, but he doesn't seem to act that way.

Deja Vu all over again

Countdown to $100 Oil - Deja Vu?

Seems like I wrote something like this myself on this blog.  At over 2000 posts now, it may be hard to find the post.  I will post this and then look for it.

Note: the basic point is that high oil prices are stunting economic growth.  But guess who is stopping any production of fossil fuels, which may alleviate this condition?

Update:  I found a post right here.  Amazing for me to read that in light of the way things actually developed.  I get the impression that I have wasted my time.   I don't like to do that.

Giant Harpy Eagle grabs the Sloth (video)

Disclose.tv - Giant Harpy Eagle grabs the Sloth Video

Chance of Recession Is as High as 80%: Study

cnbc

• according to modeling by Bank of America Merrill Lynch released Wednesday, reflecting the toll the U.S. debt downgrade, Europe’s woes and stock market volatility has taken on economic activity.
• The Philly Fed puts a recession probability at 85.7 percent, while the consumer survey puts contraction chances at 80 percent
• According to their data, the Philly Fed has accurately forecast four of the last seven recessions.
• “This morning’s jobs numbers pushed my odds to 60/40 in favor of recession.”

I think that the inverted yield indicator is the best. But that has been trashed by all of the monetary stimulus. It is hard to get an accurate feel for this given all of the intervention. These indicators will have to suffice in this environment.

Giant rat killed by pitchfork in Marcy Houses is believed to be Gambian pouched rat

It sounds like an urban legend: giant mutant-looking rats roaming a city housing project.

Only there's a picture.

Will: Liberals’ Wisconsin Waterloo

Democrats furiously oppose Walker because public employees unions are transmission belts, conveying money to the Democratic Party.

• In 2005, Indiana stopped collecting dues from unionized public employees; in 2011, there are 90 percent fewer dues-paying members. In Utah, the end of automatic dues deductions for political activities in 2001 caused teachers’ payments to fall 90 percent. After a similar law passed in 1992 in Washington state, the percentage of teachers making such contributions declined from 82 to 11.

We haven't seen the end of the liberals just yet. But they are wounded. The more truth about them that gets out there, the less their chances are at a recovery.

Neal Boortz says

Illinois increases taxes, loses jobs

Illinois voters need to get their brooms ready.

WSJ: Obamanonics vs. Reaganomics

One program for recovery worked, and the other hasn't.

• The Keynesians in the early 1980s assured us that the Reagan expansion would not and could not happen.
• Mr. Krugman was, for once, at least partly right. How could Reagan not look good after four years of Jimmy Carter's economic malpractice?
• In any case, what Reagan inherited was arguably a more severe financial crisis than what was dropped in Mr. Obama's lap. You don't believe it? From 1967 to 1982 stocks lost two-thirds of their value relative to inflation, according to a new report from Laffer Associates.

They had their big chance in 2008 and have failed miserably.  Time to get out the broom!

PJTV: The Government Caused the Financial Crisis, Not Greed

"Capitalism is a moral system." comment: And the Soviet Union was the Evil Empire.



That does it for today. Have a great evening.

The Universe is a big place

FuturePundit: Travel Between Stars?


A lot of doubt being expressed there. I agree that it would make no sense to go the stars when there are so many reasons not to go right now.


Hey, I got some news. There are people out there who would just as soon forget about going anywhere at all, much less the stars.


I agree that space enthusiasts are getting ahead of themselves. But to go to the opposite extreme?


We could use a sensible space policy for some modest goals that we could reasonably be expected to make. As of now, we aren't going anywhere, anytime soon.

Behind the Black: Capturing an asteroid into Earth orbit

by Robert Zimmerman

“a two kilometer-size metallic [near Earth object], for example, may contain rich metals and materials worth more than 25 trillion dollars.”

This might even pay for our massive debt.  But we have bigger problems on the ground.

 

Kinky for Perry

via The Daily Beast

It seems sincere.  A quote:

"So would I support Rick Perry for president? Hell, yes!" 

Another:

"Three days later Rick called to give me a gracious little pep talk, effectively talking me down from jumping off the bridge of my nose. Very few others were calling at that time, by the way. Such is the nature of winning and losing and politicians and life. You might call what Rick did an act of random kindness. Yet in my mind it made him more than a politician, more than a musician; it made him a mensch."

This is not to say I'm pushing Perry.  I didn't know all that much about him before he declared.  I just don't pay that much attention to state politics.  It is interesting that someone who you would think would be in the Democrat corner doesn't talk bad about Perry, but the opposite.

 

With respect to Warren Buffett, should anyone listen to his politics?

A great comment on Free Republic, which I will summarize here:

• Berkshire's origins lie in manufacturing, which was phased out when Buffett took over.
• Berkshire's acquisitions were structured in such a way as to minimize taxes. 
• Buffett would boast about his ability to foil the tax man.
• Carlos Slim said Buffett and Gates should increase [manufacturing] jobs instead of giving away money.  [comment: I should point out that it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.] 

What more do you have to say?  Buffett is only saying "tax me more" in order to curry political favor.  He is not interested in paying more taxes.  Actions speak louder than words.

The nature of the problem

According to the poster on Free Republic, this video was taken down by YouTube. It is being routed through Canada so now it can be seen (for now).

The nature of our problems is that you can't get any truth out there. Since the economic crisis began in 2007, the bad economy has been a millstone around George W. Bush's neck. But is that an accurate charge? Is what we hear from the accepted sources accurate, or has it been corrupted? And is the corruption suppressing the truth?

You have the left arguing that the two Bush wars took down the economy, but on the other hand, you got Paul Krugman wishing for a war to bring the economy back. Well, which way is it? Are wars good or bad for the economy?

Intellectual dishonesty has become the new standard, which has been appropriated by the Democrats. They keep blaming private enterprise for a problem that had its genesis in one of their own favorite programs, as this video shows. And it appears that the truth of this is getting suppressed by a refusal to discuss causes and effects, which this video points to. The truth doesn't favor the left, but that doesn't matter as long as they have control over the media.

The financial crisis started with a freezing of the credit markets. This was caused by too lax lending standards, and a practice of spreading out the risk amongst the many. The trouble is that, once that the mortgage problem became severe enough, no one really knew where the trouble was. Lenders stopped trusting borrowers, and the wheels of commerce came to a halt. That continues to this very day. If anything, it is now worse, as the government's own credit reputation has now been downgraded.

The political connection cannot be clearer.

In 2008, Obama ignored the spending limits put in place during the Watergate years. During that time, money was seen as a corrupting influence upon politics. So, why wasn't that the case in 2008? This coming election cycle promises the same, with the Obama machine ready to destroy any opponent who emerges from the contenders amongst the Republicans. If money is power, and power corrupts, then the system is now corrupted. The corruption cannot stand the light of truth be shined upon it. It will attempt to drown out any other message that emerges with a tsunami of money.

The nature of the problem is the incestuous relationship between the media and the Democrat party. This extends into the corporate world as well, amongst the biggest players in the Democrat fold- such as Soros and Buffett. The political field is being shaped by their influence, but should it continue? If so, towards what end? If not, then how to change that?

7 Faces of Dr Lao

I saw this movie many years ago and I liked it. So, I looked it up and there's a copy of all of it on YouTube. It probably won't take long for it to be taken down, though.

The main point of the movie is redemption. Something needs to be redeemed. Maybe it is you, while you read this. Maybe you don't think you need it, hmm? Everybody does. That's the point.



Good evening. Until next time.

Moon Express Gets Thumbs-Up from NASA for Developing New Lunar Landing Technology

via SpaceRef.com

excerpts

•  The Moon Express Mini-Radar System promises to radically reduce the cost and mass of the company's commercial lunar landing system.
• Radar systems have also been historically very expensive in terms of dollars, mass and energy.
• For more information, please visit: www.moonexpress.com

US Marines Serving In Afghanistan Warned Not To Fart So Audibly

via Deadspin

So here's the news: audible farting has been banned for some Marines downrange because it offends the Afghans.

Yes, you have to wonder who is the more advanced country.

 

The trouble with Keynes

source: No safe havens

• Keynes' milieu was that of the "Cambridge Apostles," a once-Christian debate society that changed under Keynes' leadership
• Keynes said that the chief benefit of Moore's atheism was that "we entirely repudiated a personal liability on us to obey general rules.
• Part of the traditional wisdom that the Keynes circle repudiated was classical economics, which emphasized work and savings in an environment of economic freedom and sound money.  [emphasis added]

This is how you get an economic model that says digging holes and filling them up again is a job, which is better than nothing.  Actually, in my view, it is worse than nothing.  Because when that same money, you can pay someone to get trained in something useful.  By doing something completely useless and worthless, you have wasted resources which could have been put to work more productively.

I'm not against all spending all the time.  I am against wasteful and useless spending which this type of mentality encourages.  It is without scruple and lends itself to corruption.  It seems to me that this must be purged from our system before it does us in.

Zero Hedge: US Government Asset Seizures On The Rise

by Tyler Durden
 excerpts:

• The Wall Street Journal published a disturbing article earlier this week entitled “Federal Asset Seizures Rise, Netting Innocent With Guilty.”
• It’s truly staggering to think about how much can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye, all without any judicial oversight or right to a hearing. 
• This is really just a form of cannibalism

 How many people actually pay attention to this and feel any outrage about it?  Probably not many.  They are busy watching CNN or MSNBC and think that they have been informed.

The National Debt Road Trip

Another in the series of what has gone wrong. But does anybody really intend to do anything about it?

We got bigger problems than climate change

I read an article that says people are laughing at Gov. Perry for doubting climate change. But remember, who laughs last laughs hardest. Unfortunately, when you laugh last on this issue, you will be laughing at your own doom. It won't be satisfying in the least.

The economic model being followed has a rendezvous with disaster. Look, the spending is 10% plus of GDP, but it is only generating modest growth. Anytime that anyone tries to cut back on spending, shrieks of protest emanate from the defenders of this model. This is proof positive that the model itself is unsound. The model of deficit spending should not be one of permanence, but of a temporary measure, that will allow growth to return. Once growth returns, spending should stop. But if you have to spend this much for this long, you have admitted that there isn't anything that can restore growth. It is implied in your protest of spending cuts.

What could restore growth? Development of our energy resources. But this is also being blocked by the same people who insist upon all this excessive spending. Now, let's set aside this argument about what causes climate change and just consider this fact alone. What kind of position will we be in if there is no growth and our debt becomes too crushing to service, yet we still have fossil fuels running our economy? I think the answer should be obvious. We will be too weak economically to change what we are doing. So, the argument is meaningless. You have to be strong enough economically to do something about climate change before you can actually do it. We won't be if we continue on the current path we are on. Our current problems are bigger than climate change.

Where will be research dollars come from if there isn't anybody who has any more money? When it comes to bare survival, who will care about climate change? The movement to combat climate change implies economic security. What if there isn't any such thing? The worse environmental damage that is occurring in the world today is in the developing countries. What if that becomes the norm? How will the environment fare in that circumstance?

If the current policy prevails for the years after the next election, it may not be satisfying to say "I told you so". By that time, no one will have a sense of humor anymore and we will be lucky if anyone will ever be in the mood to laugh again.

If that seems too dire to you, just keep in mind what has happen in history. The collapse of civilizations is not a gentle and easy thing. There will be massive disruptions and great misery. No one will escape its effects.

DC has a glass jaw

I was expecting to see more about the Washington Monument. By the way, I used this "glass jaw" reference because the media used that on Houston when we had a hurricane. This wasn't even a big quake.

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

What jungle animal are you?

It is a short quiz and I doubt that it means anything.  Take it and have a little fun with it.  Here's the results from mine.

You Are a Lion

You're very self-reliant and apt to do your own thing. You know what you want out of life. You are a total visionary. You have your own idea about utopia, as impractical as it may be. You have sharp senses and a heightened awareness. Very little escapes your notice. Decision making is easy for you. You have a spot on intuition that's been with you your whole life.

What Jungle Animal Are You?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

Stossel: Almost Everything We're Taught Is Wrong

via Townhall.com

excerpts

•  What I love about economics is that it can show that what seems harmful is actually good for society.
• This is all covered in the eye-opening book "Defending the Undefendable" by economist Walter Block.
• In fact, studies show that in at least one country where child labor was suddenly banned, prostitution increased
• Also, if prices rise during an emergency, that's a signal for people to buy only what they most need. [comment: with respect to the charge of "price gouging"]
• Most people say that selling body parts is wrong.
  "It also seems wrong to have people dying because they can't get a kidney," Boaz said.

I heard it through the grapevine - Creedence

I remember the original by Marvin Gaye. It was a late sixties hit, if memory serves.  This cover by Creedence Clearwater Revival was remarkable in its own way because of the long instrumental with the guitar wailing away.  I'd say this is actually a better version than the original.

With that, I bid you goodbye.  Thanks for visiting.

Gold takes a hit

Here's a link to a video which discusses what happened with gold today.

Market is expecting stimulus.  Not necessarily this week, but sometime in the future.

comment:
Central banks and the government are really hooked on easy money and spending.  But this doesn't address the real issue, which is a lack of growth.

Until they address that, these policies will only push inflation higher.  The official fiction is that there isn't any inflation, but I am not fooled by that.  Gold hasn't seen its top yet.

From the looks of things, a top won't happen anytime soon.

Frances Fox Piven vs. Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell

There is an emotional component of this discussion. Piven and her companion tended to interrupt and get emotional. Would that emotionalism be more persuasive than a calm, logical argument? Friedman and Sowell seemed to have won the argument then, in the early eighties.

The same argument is being revived today. Who will win this round?

C-17 Globemaster

a model C-17



a real C-17 Globemaster

If the trial lawyers hate Rick Perry, maybe I should reconsider him

ProfessorBainbridge.com

pickings are slim?

• dog abuser Romney 
• You've got people like Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry who seem more interested in running for President of the Southern Baptist Convention than POTUS.
• I sort of like Huntsman, but I figure he's got about as much chance as the proverbial snowball in that proverbial Hell that Perry and Bachmann seem to think 90% of us are going to. [ hardy har har]

If he likes Huntsman, I'd better take a closer look at Bainbridge.

Computer Reads Facial Expressions

via FuturePundit:

comment:  I wonder if the computer will know if I have to use the john.  Or if the lady in the miniskirt in front of me has, shall we say, gotten my full attention.

The Lunar Orbiter Camera at George Eastman House

via Current Affairs post Like No Other View On Earth

"On August 23, 1966, NASA's Lunar Orbiter 1 took the first photo of Earth from the moon's orbit, and it forever changed how we see our home planet." 

"Deployed one after the other, five Lunar Orbiter spacecraft produced a medium-detail map of 99 percent of the moon."

"The Lunar Orbiter's mission may have been accomplished long ago, but its first image of the Earth continues to inspire."

http://www.insidescience.org/current-affairs/like-no-other-view-on-earth

Regarding belief

by john6912, Cold Fusion Now

• a new movie coming out soon on the cold fusion scene called ‘the Believers,’  [ comment: Uh, oh.  I smell some bashing ahead ( with regards to the movie). 
• "I see there as being two different ways of looking at belief. “Belief that,” and “belief in“." [ comment: A worthwhile distinction, but will anybody think about it that deeply?]
• "Philip K. Dick said that, “reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”" [ comment: Dick provided the ideas that went into the blockbuster movies Blade Runner and Total Recall.]

For me, it is a matter of "believe that" as opposed to "believe in" when it comes to "cold fusion".  I believe that something is there, but I don't necessarily believe in it.

With respect to this blog, I believe that the mastery of energy will raise civilization to a higher level.  However, I don't believe in that either.  There's a subtle difference that is aptly described in the post as having somewhat a religious nature.  If I were to believe in that then, then utopia will be achieved if only energy can be mastered.  But there's a problem,  which is because human nature, being what it is, may produce an outcome that I don't anticipate.  This is always possible.  Therefore, I can't believe in it like it was something of a religion.

 

Web Series Today: Rocketboom

Well, not exactly.  There was a video about animals that they had featured there.  Instead of that, I decided to check out Rocketboom's channel and found one on politics.  That's a bit more germane to this website, so I'll post that one.  It is actually a bit dated, because Pawlenty is out of the race now.  Well, here it is, which is about the candidates for Prez in 2012:




Update:

As long as we're talking 2012 politics, and since this video is a little out of date, here something from today to digest:

Althouse: When you think about Rick Perry, The New Yorker wo...: From From "comment" in The New Yorker by Lawrence Wright: Perry is the first graduate of Texas A & M to govern Texas. When he was a freshma...

Morning Summary, 8/23

Good morning.

I had a bunch of thoughts rattling around my noggin this morning, but as soon as I start writing, they vanish into thin air. Well, not really. It just seems that way sometimes.

I made the usual rounds to catch up on the news, nothing much that's new in the news. There's a hurricane out in the Atlantic, or soon will be. As a matter of fact, here's a photo of it in space.





Which reminds me of a story about space, which I came across earlier in my peregrinations about the web. It seems that NASA wants to improve upon its technologies so that it can do space travel better. It would be even more helpful if they could actually get off the ground.

The solar sail idea is pretty good, but these things need to be BIG. That would be a neat trick if you can pull it off. Here's a suggestion, build the thing on the moon. Yeah, the moon. There's no atmosphere on the moon, so you could even launch it from the surface. A solar sail wouldn't weigh much, it can't weigh much, or it won't work. So, it won't need a lot of help getting off the lunar surface. So, there's another reason for going back to the moon.

The trip from the moon on your solar sail could be like your Crystal Ship,  which I wrote about yesterday.  The mention of it allows me to segue into one of the thoughts that was rattling about my noggin.  You see, that song is in my mind at the moment.  So, let me explore that a bit.  I wrote that the song was probably about his alter ego, which was his inebriated self.  In other words, the song could be about escapism.  In this case, it was about escapism through substance abuse.

The thought that rattled around my mind is that escapism is a common thing.  To get a little closer to home, this blog is about my own escapism.  To get away from the pain of the world as it is.   From the song:  "The day is bright and filled with pain, enclose me in your gentle rain."  The "crystal ship" could be a space ship, which could escape the world with all of its troubles.  There are a million ways to escape the world as it is, one of them is through substance abuse, another could be in traveling here and there.  Also from the song: "Oh tell me where, your freedom lies, the streets are fields that never die."

I must be escaping from the world which is filled with pain.  Hoping to find a way to the stars which has streets that never die and where my freedom lies.  Sounds crazy I'm sure.  But escapism is just another form of insanity.  Maybe the world makes maniacs out of us all.

The Doors - The Crystal Ship

I spent some time with this song this afternoon. Then I studied the lyrics and checked out the web for the song's meaning.

There was a pretty good interpretation, but it fell a little short. Then I came across the idea that he is actually singing to himself and about himself.

Without going too much deeper into it, I'd say, at the very least, that he's singing to an alter ego. It could be himself, while he is high, or to someone he is still in love with. But the last line in the song messes up that interpretation, so I think the song is about himself while he is high and while he is straight.

Well, that is all for today. Thanks for coming by and have a great evening.

P.M. Kitco Metals Roundup: Comex Gold Soars to Another New Record-High on Continued Strong Safe-Haven Investment Demand

By Jim Wyckoff

"Comex gold futures prices came within a whisker of $1,900.00 an ounce Monday, and closed the day session sharply higher and near the new all-time record high of $1,898.60 an ounce."[ comment: In spot market trading, it has crashed through 1900 and has traded as high as 1913. 

"Bulls' next near-term upside technical objective is to produce a close above major psychological resistance at $2,000.00."

These price moves are scary.  Something must be up, and that is what is moving the market.  I smell something out there that hasn't been disclosed, but is getting close to being disclosed.  Whatever it is, I think it must be bad.

 

Yahoo Breakout: Can Fed Chairman Bernanke Restore Confidence?

• Friday, when looking at Benanke's going to do
• Not likely to mention QE3
• Out of ammo?
• Bernanke is "astute" about Great Depression
• didn't fall into deflation, don't abandon tools too early
• will have slow growth, but no recession
• politics are an issue, need a creative plan
• politicians paying attention, don't want to lose jobs [comment: Uh oh!]

CNBC: Bernanke May Have to Go for 'Shock and Awe': Strategist

via Yahoo Finance

• Russell Jones, Global Head of Fixed Income Strategy at Westpac Institutional Bank told CNBC on Monday
• "The problem from Bernanke's point of view is that, really, he is beholden to price action in equity markets, which is not something really where any central bank wants to be."[ comment: yeah? why is he beholden, and how did that happen?  If so, that needs to end.  Soon.  Perry was right.]
• "Aggressive or dramatic weakness in the stock market probably trumps any fears about inflation, and that would dominate," he said [ comment: so, the stock market drives inflation/deflation?]
• Jones says the Fed should launch a much bigger quantitative easing program than the previous two rounds

My God. If I could, I'd ask him this: How can you be so stupid, did it take a lot of practice, or were you born that way?

Carafano: America is forfeiting its place in space

via Washington Examiner
excerpts

• A satellite orbiting the Earth contains absolutely no critical parts made in the USA.
• How has this happened? 
• During the Cold War, Congress enacted the International Traffic in Arms Regulations Act...
• enacted a sweeping set of new rules that served only to punish American companies that were playing by the rules.
• Many of our universities, for example, have simply stopped teaching courses related to satellite technologies
• it is past time to shed irrational regulations
• The U.S. is on the verge of ceasing to be a space superpower. And most of the damage that has brought us to this point has been self-inflicted -- by our own excessive laws and regulations.

The fear of being prosecuted under this law seems pretty real to me.  Evidently, it is counter productive.

Who's to blame?  Who cares.  If it is broke, fix it.

Shuttle videos

Orbiter flips



External tank



STS-29 ET External Tank Re-Entry explosion destruction disintegration

Somebody's is worried about Gov. Perry

A few indications of that here:

1. Was Texas jobs expansion due to government growth?
2. Trial lawyers prepare for war against Perry
3. Messing With Texas 
4. Rick Perry and the plaintiffs' bar 
5. Liberals and the Texas Unemployment Miracle 

The Oil Drum: Keeping Michele Bachmann Honest on Gas Prices

Yeah? What is the real point here, higher prices?

"In fact, those production increases are a function of high oil prices"

Looks like it.  What does Bachmann say?

"“What Barack Obama has done is lock up America’s eneregy reserves. We’re the No. 1 energy-resource-rich nation in the world. We have more oil in three Western states in the form of shale oil than all the oil in Saudi Arabia. That doesn’t include the Bakken oil field in North Dakota or the eastern Gulf region or the Atlantic or the Pacific or Anwar or the Arctic region,” she said.

“We also have a brand-new natural gas find in Pennsylvania with over a trillion cubic feet of natural gas. We also have 25 percent of all the coal in the world. We just aren’t accessing or utilizing our energy. Energy could be one of the most stable, accessible forms of resources for business in the United States. …And we would create millions of high-paying jobs instantly,” she said."

Hmm.  So, what is wrong with that?  Maybe she can't bring back $2 a gallon gas, but that isn't the point.  This dude (the author) is getting lost in the words,  not the spirit.  The spirit is one of free enterprise v the spirit of command economy.  Which side do you prefer to be on, sir?  Methinks you protest too much.

Tri-Alpha Energy - A Well-Confined Field-Reversed Configuration Plasma Formed by Dynamic Merging of Two Colliding Compact Toroids in C-2

via Next Big Future

 excerpts

• "Tri-alpha Energy nuclear fusion C2 experiment looks a lot like what Helion Energy has been doing" 
• Helion Energy work has been described in detail.
• 19 page presentation by Tri-alpha Energy (H/T Talk Polywell) 

I skimmed through the pdf.  It is way over my head, so I won't discuss it here.  It may help if the explanation was such that an ordinary Joe Blow like me can read it and understand it.

Web Series Today contest

Saw this via Web Series today: Audition for Tube Trials Season 2!

I won't be entering, thank you very much.  Perhaps this post can alert someone who might be interested.

CarylCake: My New Friend, My New Band

New Band? Hmm.



The bit about the LaCroix got my curiosity going, so I clicked on the link and found this



Is this a collaboration between the two? A wild guess.

6 Things Bloggers Can Learn From Dr. Seuss

by Matt Krautstrunk

"Dr. Seuss is perhaps one of the most pronounced authors of all time. He wrote short stories that not only captivated the minds of our younger generation, but taught us valuable life lessons."

This reminded me of the new epic rap battle of history- Dr. Suess vs. Shakespeare!

Substances more valuable than gold

Number 9 on the list of 10, anti-matter, which comes in at 62.5 trillion dollars per gram.

Too expensive to make, but maybe not too expensive to collect.

Did you know that there are several currencies that have outperformed gold this year?  But according to the official fiction here in the US, there is no inflation.  But, even more, the great fear is of deflation.  If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that you can buy- real cheap!

Wayne Hale's Blog: After the Barn Burned Down

Churchill never wavered in reminding his people what was important.

Comment:  POTUS took Churchill's bust and sent it back to England.  Evidently, Obama doesn't get much inspiration from Churchill.

•  Then, as now, a number of folks propose that the current administration reverse the old administration’s decision to stop flying the shuttle. But even in the summer of 2008, it was too late. Not technically impossible, but already past the point of financial feasibility to resurrect the program. Then I wrote “the horse has left the barn”. Now the barn has burned down. 
• What we all agree is lacking is a clear expression of why space exploration is important to the nation, to the economy, and to the future of humankind. Just why the nation should care about the manifest destiny of space when there are so many problems surrounding us. [ comment: Why not challenge the notion that there is a tradeoff of any kind?  Why can't space help us with our problems on the ground?] 
•  The leadership of our country just doesn’t seem to care. [ comment: Don't look for leadership from the leadership.  Just take the bull by the horns yourself.]
• The commercial guys can’t seem to sell it. [ comment:  It would seem that if NASA won't support what commercial interest that already exists, then all we have are the commercials.  If the commercials can't support it either, there is no hope whatever.  May as well shut it down, if what he says is true.  Is the situation really that dire?]
• So I will repeat Churchill’s question: what are we made of? Sugar candy? [ comment:  It isn't courage that we need, but a better attitude.  We are all acting like cavemen, so we will get cavemen results.  You don't have to bash skulls in order to get things done.]

 That's what my blog is about:  there are solutions, but not if the problem is seen as being other people.  In that case, it becomes caveman mode, and we are all bashing each others' skulls in.  If we all would just put our heads together, we can get a solution.  It may sound too naive, but there it is.  You can change your attitude, or you will run a far greater risk of failure.  The choice is yours.

Update:

One more thing about the blog, "We have a solution" relates to Apollo 13.  Everybody has heard the phrase "Houston, we have a problem."  The astronauts at that time and the people on the ground at that time didn't bash each other heads in blaming and pointing fingers when things went wrong.  They pulled themselves together and got out of the mess they were in.

If such an analogous situation exists today, everyone will have draw inspiration from that.  Unless everybody pulls together, we won't get through this.  That is all I am trying to say by turning that phrase.  The solutions are out there.  You can make the square peg fit the round hole when you have limited time and materials provided that you are willing to work the problem through as if your very life depended upon it.  Which, in terms of the space program, that may well be the case.

Update:

I pulled up this video of the mission:

George Will: 'You Couldn't Build the Hoover Dam Today Because' Environmentalists 'Would Stop It'

via NewsBusters



Not only does this expose bias, but it also shows why the left can't possibly grow the economy- they don't know how!!!

You need energy for economic growth, yet there isn't an energy project, including so called renewables, that they will support unequivocally.

Well, that's all for today. Thanks for coming by, and have a great evening.

Seeking Alpha: Recession Is Not in View but Economy Is Ugly

by Steven Hansen

• As readers know, we focus on the transport sector, which we consider a coal mine canary for the economy.
• The economy may be ugly, but there is little evidence (yet) it will be recessing.
• The data released this week confirms the economic soft spot is continuing. 

There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. Yet figures don't lie, although liars figure.

Here's a number that should stand out, but seems to get ignored- trillion dollars deficits. With this amount of borrowing, all of these other numbers should be called into question. Indeed, if you were to attempt to cut this deficit, you would have politicians howling in protest. That's because they know that all of this is being floated on a tsunami of debt. Tsunamis are known to be destructive, as this will be. It has not hit yet, but it will.

Articles: Republican Delusion is Obama's All-Too-Secret Weapon

Articles: Republican Delusion is Obama's All-Too-Secret Weapon

Comment:  This article plays up the role of the media, and maybe they have a point.  It looks as if the media actually got Obama elected, and it may well get him reelected.  But is the media invincible?  Why do people even listen to the media anymore, anyway?  I don't.  Polls have shown that the public thinks the media is biased, but why do they listen anyway?  It would seem that the current economic situation cannot be blamed entirely on the previous administration.  After all, Obama does have a record to run on.  No, I think that if a competent campaign is conducted, Obama can be beaten by any of the Republican candidates regardless of what the media says.  It is hard for me to believe that people will knowingly choose someone who is a failure at what he does.  Yet, I wouldn't count that possibility out either.  After all, this guy got elected without anything but the media recommending him.

Update:

I would agree that Romney appears to be the most electable.  But McCain was "electable" too.  He ran a weak campaign.  It won't matter so much who wins, but how the winner runs the general election.   If anyone could have been run out of a race, it was Obama.  If anyone who could have beaten, it was him.  You can't win if you won't at least try to win.

I would look for someone who has the "want to" about him/her.  Whoever has the "want to" factor will have the best chance.

New Frog Crossing Signs Creating Controversy

New Frog Crossing Signs Creating Controversy




The one comment I saw here was pretty good: "I'm hopping mad."

How To Make Dreamy Creamy Lemon Pie

unleashed videos: That's vegetarian


How To Make Dreamy Creamy Lemon Pie from That's Vegetarian!? on UnleashVideo

Hanson: Atlas Is Sorta Shrugging

via Pajamas Media, Works and Days

Excerpts

• “They Did It!” [ Everybody but Obama, that is]
• Where Are They Now? Austan Goolsbee, Peter Orszag, Christina Romer, Larry Summers
• Start Hiring, Stupid!...The employers of America have taken a time out
• The Slurring and Smearing...He clearly does not like private businesses
• Play Money...the private sector has concluded that this guy loves trillion-dollar debt
• Regulations Are Not Just Right-Wing Talking Points...Obama has unleashed the NLRB to shut down a billion-dollar plant. Ideology trumps reality every time.
• Energy Matters...Businesses really have concluded that Obama was once serious when he warned that energy prices would “skyrocket” and coal companies would be “bankrupt” trying to generate electricity under his new proposals.
• Taxes Are Not Investments...Those who hire finally got it into their collective heads that they were...to be further taxed as well
• Academics Don’t Know a Hammer From A Wrench, a W-2 from a 1040...without a CEO, farmer, or small businessperson in the bunch?
• A Thankless Job...“I’m hoarding cash, hunkering down, and am going to wait this bad bunch out.”

 If you listen to the left, they blame what happened in 2008 on free enterprise.  Now free enterprise is realizing it under attack and the left wants to up the ante.  How far can they push this and not push us over the edge?  The most recent election should have been a warning to them, but they are still pushing full steam ahead.

Is the answer to heavy-lift rocket cost issue bringing back Ares I?

By Lee Roop, The Huntsville Times

"Ironically, the budget pressures being put on the program right now would in my mind argue for returning to the previous plan," Pace said, "which was launch and build Ares I first and build Ares V later."

Ares I would also "provide a backup option in case the commercial crew guys run into problems," Pace said. "And it's a foundation to be able to return to the moon with the international partners at some point."

But there would be hurdles in reopening a debate both the Congress and White House thought was behind them.

I had some thoughts on that subject not long ago.

Broken Promises

I got this tidbit from Ann Barnhardt's site.  It seems that Obama promised to honor all warranties on GM after the bailout.  Guess what?  They (  the "new GM" ) are trying to get out of honoring that promise.  It would seem that Obama has made a guarantee of his own and if the "new GM" won't honor it, then he must.  I think, according to Texas law, if you make such a promise, even if it isn't in writing, it is a binding contract.  Now, Texas law may not apply here, but other states may have similar laws.  The repairs must be made, so who pays?  Why, we do, of course.