…is up.
Science Versus Religion
A fascinating debate. I haven’t had time to read it yet, but I’m going to, and I’ll let my readers have at it anyway. I have great respect for Dennett as a scientist and philosopher, but I think that his (and Dawkins’ and others) war against religion quite misguided, even though I myself am a skeptic. Or perhaps because I am.
[Via Jonah]
Obama’s Worst Appointment?
Andy McCarthy thinks so. If what he says is true, it’s hard to disagree.
Administrator Isakowitz?
Given all the previous “front runners,” I’m taking this latest rumor with at least one grain, and maybe half the shaker, of salt. Some of the comments are encouraging, and Steve is undoubtedly a smart guy, but my recollection of him from OMB was that he was a pretty traditional thinker when it came to launch and didn’t think that costs could be reduced much from where they were. But if Griffin chased him out with Steidle, that’s definitely a point in his favor. And commenter “Major Tom” (who I think is “anonymous.space” under a new pseudonym) is pretty impressed, which seems like a good sign to me.
[Update a few minutes later]
“Major Tom” weighs in in comments with more info (of which I had, surprisingly, been unaware). Any negative impression I have of Steve Isakowitz is from back in the nineties, and may be based on a single (perhaps even out-of context) quote that I saw from him somewhere (perhaps Space News). So don’t take my opinion over the majority (and particularly “Major Tom”‘s) in this matter.
The British Civil War
Luring jihadist Brits overseas and killing them in Afghanistan is certainly a swifter response to the problem than having them sitting at “home” plotting to blow up Glasgow Airport while the government makes ever more desperate efforts to appease them. But no doubt some obliging judge will soon rule that it’s in breach of the European Human Rights Act for British troops in Afghanistan to shoot at British passport holders.
Move along, folks, nothing to see here.
The Alternate Reality
…in which the administration lives, that results in their selling out of Israel:
I would sum it up as a growing administration belief that solid U.S. support for Israel is probably the reason for radical Islamic anti-American terrorism; and, secondly, the Palestinian issue can be best resolved with the return of Israel to the 1967 borders. Apparently, this thought stems from the assumption that there has been a radical reappraisal about Israel on the part of the Arab nations, and Islamic world at large, who in toto have now accepted Israel’s right to exist. Therefore, with the casus belli removed, in the future we should expect no more wars — like 1948, 1956, and 1967, when Israel did not hold the Golan Heights or the West Bank. Accordingly, the withdrawals from Lebanon and Gaza were positive first-steps and left stability in their wake.
I suspect that Netanyahu knows that he’s on his own now.
What Does The Tea Party Mean?
Some sobering thoughts. I was discussing this with a very pessimistic friend at dinner last night.
[Late morning update]
Some reports from protests around the country, and thoughts about the implications.
Back From Mojave
But unsurprisingly, it wiped out the whole day. Blogging may be light tomorrow, too, as I have several deadlines, and then back to Florida on Saturday. Be nice in comments.
All Hail Prehistoric Fish
…inventors of s3x. I suspect that it’s been somewhat refined since then, though.
In Praise Of Large Payloads
Joseph Friedlander discusses BFRs over at Next Big Future.
Absent a dire need (e.g., an asteroid heading right at us), I don’t see these vehicles being developed with the current market or political environment. They’re just too damned big, and they’d have too low a flight rate. I think that, barring some huge tech (probably nanotech) breakthrough, the path to space lies in small reusable chemical vehicles that grow in capability (suborbital, then on to orbit, with perhaps point-to-point in between), then size as their markets grow with them.