We’re not number one:
A new study by the World Bank and the International Finance Corp. found that the U.S. ranks well behind countries like Rwanda, Belarus and Azerbaijan in terms of how easy it is for an entrepreneur to start a new business. The U.S. did narrowly beat Uzbekistan, though.
So we have that going for us.
Why oh why do reporters imagine that cosmologists know anything about spacecraft?
Dr Xing Li, an Aberystwyth University expert on astrophysics and cosmology, said as a scientist it would be “beautiful” to be one of SpaceShipTwo’s privileged passengers.
But SpaceShipTwo travels at a super-sonic 2,500mph – more than four times faster than a passenger jet – and Dr Li believes it’s difficult to imagine anything that goes at that speed becoming affordable.
He said: “Now we don’t have supersonic flights because of the cost issue. At the moment I don’t see that it will be possible even in 30 or 40 years. It will only happen if we have some technological advance that would bring down the cost.”
Ask a frickin’ engineer, not a scientist.
Graphically depicted. Funny stuff.
I’ll let Mark Steyn explain, without comment.
[Thursday-morning update]
Jonathan Adler (from his new digs at the Washington Post) provides his take.
Down with the LA Times.
It really is embarrassing that we have such an awful newspaper in the second-largest city in the country. Of course, the one in the largest city is pretty bad, too.
Resolved: It is now beyond rescue.
The question is, will what replaces it be even worse?
Doug Messier analyzes.
Though I’d like to be, it’s hard to be optimistic about Virgin getting to space this year.
Some more thoughts on just how awful a candidate Mitt Romney was.
Part of the problem is that the Republican establishment allows the press (who largely want the Republicans to lose) to pick the candidate. They should never again allow a Democrat operative with a byline (like George Stephanopolous) to moderate a primary debate.
The proposed rule, ‘Guidance for Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Organizations on Candidate-Related Political Activities’ does not impact labor unions or the Chamber of Commerce, but does impact the Tea Party and other conservative groups.
Can’t have people who actually favor limited government have any political influence.
How it’s like national gun registration.