Where's the Outrage?

When this whole presidential hoopla started, more than a year ago, I was surprised when Newt Gingrich announced that he was running for president. I figured that his time had passed. He had been out of Washington for more than a decade, during which time he started multiple enterprises. All of his enterprises seem to be tied into his former political life as a US Congressman and Speaker of the House. Upon further reflection, all of these enterprises seem to require rich businessmen handing money over to Newt Gingrich, because, and this is important, he still had access to power. These enterprises seem to require that Newt Gingrich is still important in Washington. Therefore, I concluded that he really wasn’t running for president, but was running so that he could prove to his benefactors that he was still extremely important person.

Over the first several months of his campaign, my theory held up. He never really spent money on infrastructure or campaign personnel. Instead, Newt Gingrich seemed to go from city to city selling books. He had a lot of early upheaval with turnover in his extremely small campaign staff, but this did not seem to faze him. Then, somewhere in Iowa, it seemed that he began to believe the press. It seemed that he was beginning to become serious about running for president. In South Carolina, his stop seemed to be more about campaigning and less about selling books or any of his other products. Newt Gingrich was serious.

Now, Newt Gingrich was a front runner. I don’t know whether he lost his mojo or whether he did not know what to do with his front-runner status, but Newt Gingrich seemed to lose focus. He is in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out fight with Mitt Romney. He needed to sharpen his message. How is he going to improve the country? How is he a better Republican candidate then Mitt Romney? How could he turn the economy around? Can someone explain to me how a “major” Republican candidate in the middle of a tight primary can even suggest America going to the moon? He said it with a straight face. Did he just say this to please a Florida space crowd? Did he think through this lunar colony?

I think that this is yet another example of how Newt is not a serious candidate. This isn’t the 1970s, where the sky was the limit. Our economy is struggling to make jobs. Europe is on the brink of implosion as Greek debt seems to be an unsolvable problem. Yet, Newt is talking about spending billions of dollars not just to go to the moon but to build a colony. Wow. I can’t wrap my mind around how irresponsible a statement that was.

Tags: Elections, NASA by ecthompson md
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The space shuttle has landed for the last time. Great mission. Great story.

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I’m running late this morning. Will update my news roundup later on this afternoon.

I love the Shuttle. I’m sad that we couldn’t figure out a way to update it and keep it going.

From TP:

Michele Bachmann became the first presidential candidate to sign a pledge created by THE FAMiLY LEADER, an influential social-conservative group in Iowa. By signing the pledge Bachmann “vows” to “uphold the institution of marriage as only between one man and one woman” by committing herself to 14 specifics steps. The ninth step calls for the banning of “all forms” of pornography. The pledge also states that homosexuality is both a choice and a health risk. You can read all the details of the pledge here.

The Labor Department reports that employers added only 18,000 jobs last month, the fewest monthly total in the past nine months. “Hiring has slowed sharply in the past two months. The economy added an average of 215,000 jobs per month in the previous three months.” The unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent; 14.1 million people are unemployed.

In an op-ed published in the Jakarta Globe, Brookings Institution researchers Laurence Chandy and Geoffrey Gertz note that 70 million people annually are escaping global poverty, a gain that has been little-noticed. The researchers note, however, that most of these gains are being experienced in China and emerging economies, not in countries in the African or Latin American continents.

As President Obama presses to reduce the deficit by closing tax loopholes, “a small but powerful group” of jet manufacturers and users are fighting to protect their corporate jet tax breaks. These industry officials have contributed millions to lawmakers from both parties over the years, and have launched an effective counterattack to Democrats’ attempt to use it as a symbol of a tax system skewed toward helping the rich.

A bipartisan group of senators announced Thursday that they have reached an agreement to end ethanol subsidies. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and John Thune’s (R-SD) plan would take effect at the end of July, saving $2 billion over the rest of the year. The group wants to attach the plan to the debt-reduction package that is currently being negotiated.

Treasury officials are discussing ways in which they could avoid default if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling, even as Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says there are no contingency plans if the limit is not raised. Among the options they are studying is whether the government candelay or prioritize payments and if the Constitution allows Treasury to continue to issue debt without raising the limit.

The White House will propose new steps on gun safety in the next several weeks, six months after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). The proposal is “not expected to involve legislation” or take on banning assault weapons, but “could include executive action to strengthen the background check system.”

“The map of Africa will be redrawn” tomorrow when southern Sudan becomes an independent nation after years of civil war that culminated in a U.S.-backed peace treaty and independence referendum. Many questions remain — including how to fully demarcate the border and divide oil revenue — but U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice called it “a remarkable [moment]nonetheless.”

Yesterday evening, Texas put to death a Mexican man despite pleas from the White House to stop the execution — a potential violation of international law. The Supreme Court denied a stay of execution, after defense lawyers argued Humberto Leal was denied help from his home country that could have helped him avoid the death penalty. In his last minutes, Leal apologized for raping a killing a teenage girl in 1994, and said “Viva Mexico!”

Leaders of the House Congressional Progressive Caucus yesterday sent a letter to President Obama demanding that there be no cuts to Social Security or Medicare in a debt ceiling deal. The lawmakers also called for tax increases on the very rich. “Tax breaks benefiting the very richest Americans should be eliminated as part of this deal,” they wrote.

We aren’t Greece and we never will be. As I say it, Greece has two problems. One is overspending. As I showed a couple of days ago, our problem is not overspending. Secondly, Greece has very little industry. What do they make? What do they provide?

We need 11 million jobs. We need them now. President Obama stated, “we still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do.”

The final launch of the shuttle program went off without a hitch. I’m deeply saddened that we are closing this down.

Tags: Domestic Issues, Economy, NASA by ecthompson md
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Tags: NASA, Science by Neil Aquino
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I love NASA. I know that Representative Gifford’s husband is on this mission and the media will try to play this up. I’m happy that Gabby is improving but this is about the shuttle.

From WaPo:

Less than 10 minutes before the launch, Kelly could be heard from the cockpit, saying: “It is in the DNA of our great country to reach for the stars and explore. We must not stop.”

Endeavour, which was originally scheduled to launch in November, blasted off 1 ½ weeks after its highly anticipated April 29 launch was scrubbed because of problems with the ship’s hydraulic system.

The scrub — just moments before astronauts were to board the shuttle — came as Giffords looked on. President Obama, with his wife and daughters, had also flown in for the launch. This time, the president is headed to Tennessee to survey flood damage and speak at a high school graduation.

On Monday morning, Kelly and the other five members of the crew, each clad in orange flight suits, boarded the “Astrovan” bound for Launch Pad 39A. Endeavour, riding piggyback on a huge orange fuel tank, waited for them, glowing brilliantly under the influence of powerful spotlights.

Tags: NASA by ecthompson md
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So, these two dudes were in a plane and… Just watch the video. Totally cool.

Tags: NASA by ecthompson md
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This is just cool. I love watching the Space Shuttle take off.

I’m deeply saddened that we “can’t” afford to build another updated Shuttle. If we quit giving tax breaks to the wealthy we could afford a few things around here.

From MSNBC:

Space shuttle Discovery arrived at the International Space Station on Saturday, making its final visit before being parked at a museum.

“What took you guys so long?” asked the space station’s commander, Scott Kelly.

Discovery should have come and gone last November, but was grounded by fuel tank cracks. It blasted off Thursday with just two seconds to spare after being held up by a balky ground computer.

“Yeah, I don’t know, we kind of waited until like the last two seconds,” said shuttle commander Steven Lindsey.
The linkup occurred 220 miles above Australia.

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This pic was taken by an Air Force jet that was patrolling the area when the Shuttle Atlantis took off.

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Tags: 9-11, Domestic Spying, House of Representatives, NASA by ecthompson md
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From AP:

The space shuttle Discovery and its seven astronauts took a cross-country detour and landed safely in California on Friday after stormy weather kept them from returning home to Florida for the second day in a row.

Discovery swooped through the sky and touched down at Edwards Air Force Base an hour before sunset, ending its delivery trip to the international space station.

“Welcome home, Discovery,” Mission Control radioed. “Congratulations on an extremely successful mission.” (more… )

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The Shuttle Endeavour has been in space for over 12 days and the final spacewalk has been completed.

From AP:

Astronauts completed the last spacewalk of their shared shuttle and station mission Monday, breezing through some rewiring, camera setups and other outdoor chores.

Christopher Cassidy and Thomas Marshburn got so far ahead on the flight’s fifth spacewalk that they even took on extra work, a welcome change from earlier excursions that were bogged down by balky equipment and other obstacles.

“We’re out of tasks,” Mission Control finally called up. (more… )

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July 20, 1969.  Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon.

This video is the short version:

This is a longer version.  Note the computer simulation (graphics).  My five-year-old grandson can do better than that now, but then… it was the greatest.

From AP:

Neil Armstrong moved slowly down the ladder. Getting to the moon had been a long time coming.  He was an Ohio pilot who came from the same soil as Orville and Wilbur, who ejected from a crippled jet fighter over Korea just after turning 21, who flew seven test flights in the X-15 rocket, who saved himself and a crewmate in Gemini 8, who ejected from a lunar landing trainer a split second before it crashed.

In the 1950s and ’60s, he flew about every propeller, jet, rocket and helicopter built by his country. To say that this Midwestern farmboy was the best test pilot in an emergency ever was an easy argument. That’s why chief astronaut Deke Slayton chose Neil Armstrong to take the first step on a small world that had never been touched by life. A landscape where no leaf had ever drifted, no insect had ever scurried, where no blade of green ever waved, where in the silence of vacuum even the fury of a thermonuclear blast would sound no louder than a falling snowflake.

More than 200,000 miles away, billions of eyes stared at the black-and-white TV picture.  They watched Neil’s ghostly figure move like a spacesuited phantom, closer and closer, planting his boots in moondust at 10:56 p.m. ET, July 20, 1969. (more… )

Tags: NASA by ecthompson md
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I love watching the Shuttle take off and land. I just think that the whole idea of space travel is so neat. But what would really be neat would be if Obama were to tell NASA to scrap the Shuttles and build something new. Wouldn’t it be outstanding if companies like Microsoft and Hewlett-Packerd were asked to help with the new project? A new shuttle. Now that’s a neat idea.

Tags: NASA, Obama administration by ecthompson md
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Tuesday Evening News Roundup

Probably the biggest news of the day was that Governor Rod Blagojevich has appointed former Lt. Gov. Ronald Burris to replace Barack Obama in the Senate. One thing I can say is that I would not want to play poker with this guy. This guy has nerves of steel, no doubt. (The other possibility is that he’s too stupid to understand that no one is going to accept this appointment.) The only winners here, seems to me, are the Republicans in the state of Illinois.

Mychal Bell, the teenager involved in the Jena Six debacle, has reportedly tried to commit suicide. Just last week, he was allegedly arrested for stealing clothes worth about $370. As you may recall, this young man was at the center of a media storm 18 months ago. The whole tale is so sad and so tragic.

Remember John Bolton, the really crazy guy in President Bush’s State Department who was appointed to the UN but never could get certified by the Senate? He stated yesterday on FOX’s Hannity and Colmes that we should attack Iran right now. At least John Bolton is consistently crazy.

I’m not sure that there is anything that Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson has done that has “fixed” our ailing economy. I guess the widespread panic we saw in late September and early October has somewhat subsided. Was that worth over $350 billion? (Note that this does not include what the Fed handed out in cash, which came out to over $1 trillion.) The Treasury Department is injecting $6 billion into GMAC. GMAC is being allowed to restructure the company so that it will now be a bank and able lend to a larger variety of customers… in theory. All of this is theoretical. We thought that infusing the banks with cash would “in theory” loosen up banks’ lending and it didn’t happen. GMAC should be able to lend more money to auto customers. That might help the auto industry.

Home prices dropped in 20 major US cities. It was the fastest drop on record. This kind of drop it has only been in the picture since 2001. The index dropped 17% from October last year to October of 2008. More details here.

Remember the lobbyist who was rumored to have had an inappropriate relationship with Senator John McCain? Vicki Iseman. She appeared in a New York Times article which I’ve mentioned occasionally. I considered the important thing about the article to be that John McCain was still extremely close to lobbyists. Well, Vicki has just filed a $27 million defamation suit against the New York Times. Where’s Judge Judy when you need her?

Senator John Cornyn (Republican, Texas) has suggested that the Republican Party intends to obstruct the seating of Al Franken in the Senate. Senator Cornyn, a George Bush protégé, sent out a inflammatory statement, basically accusing Al Franken of trying to steal the election. As this long recount continues Al Franken appears to be closer and closer to victory. Currently, it appears as if Franken is ahead by 4950 votes. There is still a dispute, though, about how to count some of the previously discounted absentee ballots which probably should not have been discounted. Question: Shouldn’t we have an election system where all of this would have been worked out a long time ago? Shouldn’t we know which ballots to count and which ballots not to count? We been electing people for local, statewide and national office now for over 250 years. Why don’t we have standards?

On a sad end note, the final report on the Space Shuttle Columbia was issued by NASA today. The most surprising thing in the AP account of the report was that “the spacesuits, restraints and helmets of the Columbia crew were not equipped to handle such an extreme catastrophe.” I find such a statement mind-boggling. Even the most novice of scientists (this includes me) knows that the two most dangerous times of the whole shuttle flight are takeoff and reentry. The fact that their protective equipment did not really protect them makes me sick to my stomach. The full report can be found here. MSNBC has a nice interactive of the whole disaster here.

Tags: Civil Rights, NASA, Obama administration by ecthompson md
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From AP:

Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts safely returned to Earth on Sunday, taking a detour to sunny California after storms hit the main landing strip in Florida.

Endeavour wrapped up a 16-day trip that left the international space station freshly remodeled and capable of housing bigger crews. The shuttle dropped off all kinds of home improvement equipment, including a new bathroom, kitchenette, exercise machine, two sleeping quarters and a recycling system designed to convert astronauts’ urine and sweat into drinking water.

But the mission wasn’t without its problems. Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper let go of a $100,000 tool bag during the first spacewalk, muttering “Oh, great” as it floated away. (more… )

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Space shuttle takes off.

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A NASA probe says the planet Mercury is more lively than people imagine.

It’s more than just a dusty black and white place. That’s been the image of Mercury over the years. Now we know that there is blue stuff (Above) on Mercury and that it was once a volcanic hotbed—

“Astronomers used to dismiss Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, as mere “dead rock,” little more than a target for cosmic collisions that shaped it, said MIT planetary scientist Maria Zuber. “Now, it’s looking a lot more interesting,” said Zuber, who has experiments on the Messenger probe. “It’s an awful lot of volcanic material.” New images of filled-in craters — one the size of the Baltimore-Washington area and filled in with more than a mile deep of cooled lava — show that 3.8 to 4 billion years ago, Mercury was more of a volcanic hotspot than the moon ever was, Zuber said. But it isn’t just filled-in craters. Using special cameras, the probe showed what one scientist called “the mysterious dark blue material.” It was all over the planet. That led Arizona State University geologist Mark Robinson to speculate that the mineral is important but still unknown stuff ejected from Mercury’s large core in the volcanic eruptions.”

Maybe as we learn that Mercury is more than we imagined, there are people in our lives that we need to reconsider. People may have previously unknown talents or insights that we have missed over the years.

Think about somebody you know and give them a new look. 

Here is the web home of the Messenger mission to Mercury. 

Here is information about Mercury.

Tags: NASA, Science by Neil Aquino
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Cassini has been photographing Saturn and it’s moons for some time now. It appears that scientists have evidence of liquid on the surface of Titan. The liquid is ethane. It’s not drinkable, but the discovery is interesting nonetheless.

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Sweet.

Tags: NASA by ecthompson md
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I have a soft spot in my heart for JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratories). There was a time when out best and brightest went there to develop rockets. Now, JPL is responsible many of our unmanned missions. Unfortunately, they are on tight budgets but they do remarkable work.

Wow, who knew? DailyKos has more.

From MSNBC:

A NASA spacecraft plunged into the atmosphere of Mars and landed in the Red Planet’s northern polar region on Sunday to begin 90 days of digging in the permafrost to look for evidence of the building blocks of life.

Cheers swept through Mission Control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the touchdown signal from the Phoenix Mars Lander was detected after a nail-biting descent. (more…)

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