Political Commentary, Space

What Are The Chances?

5 Comments

A piece of the Meridian satellite hit a street named after cosmonauts. But this is the troubling part:

The loss of the Meridian satellite caps a disastrous 12 months for Russia that has already seen it lose three navigation satellites, an advanced military satellite, a telecommunications satellite, a probe for Mars as well as the Progress.

“This again shows that the (Russian space) industry is in crisis,” admitted Vladimir Popovkin, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, in comments broadcast on state television. “It is deeply unpleasant.”

Acknowledging that the jobs of the Roscosmos leadership were at risk, he added: “I think it is possible that the organisational conclusions will be quite severe, right up to including myself.”

I don’t think that this is a problem that will be solved by changing out personnel. It’s just rearranging deck chairs.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary

The Problem With Ron Paul

38 Comments

It’s not racism, or anti-semitism — it’s the foreign policy.

I have to say, though, that while the word “homophobic” is vastly overused (for instance, it is not “homophobic” to oppose gay marriage, at least not intrinsically) the congressman does seem literally homophobic to me, based on this description of his behavior. On the other hand, one can be a homophobe, and still support gay rights.

[Update a few minutes later]

The trouble with Ron Paul’s defense on the newsletters.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!