A tale of true horror: Night of the Living Democrats. Of course, Bob Hope beat them to it, by decades.
Making It More Explicit
Apparently academia is no longer satisfied with marinating students in a politically correct on-campus environment. Now they’re being sent to the reeducation camps.
[Evening update]
John Leo has further thoughts:
The indoctrination program pushes students to accept the university’s ideas on politics, race, sex, sociology, moral philosophy and environmentalism. The training is run by Kathleen Kerr, director of residential life, who reportedly considers it a “cutting-edge” program that can be exported to other universities around the country. Residential assistants usually provide services to residents and have light duties, such as settling squabbles among students. Kerr and her program are more ambitious. She has been quoted as saying that the job of RAs is to educate the whole human being with a “curricular approach to residential education.” In this curricular approach, students are required to report their thoughts and opinions. One professor says: “You have to confess what you believe to the RA.” The RAs write reports to their superiors on student progress in cooperating with the “treatment.”
The basic question about the program is how did they think they could ever get away with this?
Good question. But maybe, given the history of the past thirty years or so, it’s not really surprising that they thought they could. And the depressing thing is that they still may.
The deeper follow-on question is: where are the parents, who are paying the bills for these atrocities against the Enlightenment? Maybe if the word gets out, they’ll show up…
A Modest Proposal
Ron Silver has some suggestions of things we can do to make the world like us more.
Cancer On The Universe, Take II
Andrew Smith is worried about “plundering the moon.”
It’s a theme that I’ve discussed (and shot down) in the past. And read the comments section in his Guardian piece–it’s chock full of anthrophobic moon battery.
Wretchard comments:
Today, for the first time in human history, man can look forward to spreading into truly virgin territory. To go where no man has ever gone before; and consequently where no man ever need be displaced from his abode. The words “we come in peace for all mankind” may have fallen unheard upon the lunar rocks. But the words still have meaning to a mankind trapped not only upon Earth but within his history. If Marxism was a project to bring History to an end in the near future, Environmentalism is an attempt to freeze History in the distant past. Not for the benefit of mankind, nor even when you come to think of it, for Nature — unless man is excluded from the account — but for the sake of having the power to end history on their terms.
They will not succeed and man will go on. No less than the trees and stars we have a right to be here.
Speaking of Marx, here’s an interesting theory on how he came up with such an inhuman philosophy:
Sam Shuster, professor of dermatology at the University of East Anglia, believes the revolutionary thinker had hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in which the apocrine sweat glands — found mainly in the armpits and groin — become blocked and inflamed.
“In addition to reducing his ability to work, which contributed to his depressing poverty, hidradenitis greatly reduced his self-esteem,” said Shuster, who published his findings in the British Journal of Dermatology.
“This explains his self-loathing and alienation, a response reflected by the alienation Marx developed in his writing.”
Of course, it doesn’t explain why so many less dermatologically challenged people bought (and continue to buy) into it.
[Via Thomas James, who has some additional thoughts]
Keep An Eye Out
Someone let me know when they see the first instance (and it’s when, not if–I can almost guarantee that there will be one) of a Global Warmmonger making the claim that this year’s mild hurricane season is evidence of climate change. I’m fearless in my prediction, because I haven’t yet seen any meteorological phenomenon for which this hasn’t occurred.
[Update at 1 PM EDT]
Speaking of hurricanes (or hurricane shortages), here’s an article that says that “scientists” (I use the scare quotes, because I think they’re really planetary engineers–many people confuse science and engineering, most notably in “rocket science”) are getting closer to being able to steer hurricanes. But this is an interesting dilemma:
…the hurricane modifiers are fighting more than the weather. Lawyers warn that diverting a hurricane from one city to save life and property could result in multi-billion dollar lawsuits from towns that bear the brunt instead. Hurricane Katrina caused about $41 billion in damage to New Orleans.
At first glance, this might be a problem for people who want to divert asteroids. It would be ironic if we went the way of the dinosaurs over fear of lawyers…
But the situations aren’t quite the same. The earth is big, but it’s not that big, and the Caribbean and Gulf are pretty small places when it comes to herding hurricanes. They have to go somewhere, and almost anywhere you send one is likely to encounter someone with the phone number of an ambulance chaser.
But (as Douglas Adams once noted) space is big. As long as you ensure that the rock (or dirty snowball) misses the planet entirely (which shouldn’t be that hard if you catch it early enough), there should be no fear of a day in court.
[Mid-afternoon update]
Is climate too complex to make accurate predictions? Color me shocked.
“This finding reinforces not only that climate policies will necessarily be made in the face of deep, irreducible uncertainties,” says Roger Pielke, a climate policy expert at the University of Colorado at Boulder, US. “But also the uncomfortable reality
Looking For God
…in the brain. I think my brain is broken, in that regard.
[Early afternoon update]
Derb has some related thoughts:
People like TD and myself understand that the universe is a deeply mysterious place, and the human personality likewise. (In reference to which, by the way, I refuse to let anyone get away with using the word “materialist.” either positively or negatively, unless that person can demonstrate to me that he has at least attempted to understand modern theories
Back To Florida
Just in time for Noel, though it looks as though it’s going to curve around and miss us. Actually, though, if it remains just a tropical storm, I wish it would come up and cross the lake, which is still five feet below normal after they drained it last year for the hurricanes that didn’t happen.
So much for the dire hurricane predictions for this year, and the notion that global warming means that they’ll be bigger and more frequent, and that it’s already happening. So far, it’s 2004-2005 that look anomalous.
Biggest Mistake If Hopes Realized
EADS repeated that it is hoping to close funding for a suborbital rocket in early 2008. I’ve decided I wasn’t harsh enough with my last post. For $1.3 billion, one could probably buy at least seven of the following companies: Rocketplane, XCOR, The Space Ship Company, Armadillo Aerospace, Masten Space Systems, Benson, TGV and Blue Origin. That would leave enough money to send all their suborbital vehicle programs through test flights. One might even be able to use the left over money to also pick up Virgin Galactic, Incredible Adventures and Space Adventures. If you are funding the EADS suborbital rocket, consider putting out an RFP instead. Even if you are a government. You might get seven to ten local new space companies with more than one successfully entering a viable vehicle into commercial service for the price of one old-space program.
No Lunar Lander Challenge Winner This Year
See previous post.
We’re expecting a statement from Brett Alexander of the X-Prize Foundation shortly.
[A few minutes later]
Brett has arrived.
No injuries or fatalities, so safety was good. John Carmack: “Today was officially a bad day.” John could have made a Level 2 attempt but chose not to. Couldn’t do it tomorrow because no insurance–Cup over. Doesn’t know what happened, other than explosion at ignition. Quite violent, not just a crack. Fire on the pad, cabling disconnected, called Level II Safety Emergency. Wanted fire trucks, etc., but were able to approach and safe vehicle. Went out on its own after LOX ran out, though still some ethanol in the vehicle. Doesn’t know what their plans are other than to return to the hangar.
How close are other contenders? None of them have done an untethered flight, but he expects that next year there will be more than one team competing, and the two million still on the table will provide an incentive. Considers weekend a success. Two successful flight attempts, and a good long flight even with a cracked chamber. Demonstrated safety and abort ability. Static displays showed a lot of innovation, and hope for future. NASA hasn’t put out any money yet, but has gotten many many times the two million in effort, and ultimately this will still provide technology for lunar landers. Had 6000 students here on Friday, and this is about education and inspiration. Preliminary number is 80,000 people here on the weekend. Expected only 60,000. Only had 15,000 last year for the Cup alone.
Doesn’t know what will happen next year. LLC doesn’t have to be at a show. Would be much cheaper to do it without public for safety reason. Northrop Grumman was only committed for two years, but are pleased with results to date, despite lack of win. No commitment yet. Wirefly having financial difficulties of their own, so doesn’t think their pull out of sponsorship has anything to do with Cup.
Thinks that merging of aviation and space is “fantastic.” Makes a good combination.
Can change rules next year, but has no plans to. Not sure how to do concurrent ops or schedule with more contenders. Only two slots are required–if there had been a competitor, they would have gotten the other two.
Vehicle not totally destroyed, still standing up, tanks looked intact. Has no particular insight.
Second Sunday Attempt
Apparently the hard starts have only been occurring on the return leg. The current theory is that it’s due to a change in the injector design. Jeff Foust has the details.
Phil Eaton and two other Armadillo staff are removing the engine from the spare Mod.
I think that they’re looking over the injector they just pulled to check it out before installing it into the flight vehicle. Phil Eaton on the left, Matthew Ross in the middle, not sure who’s on the right.
Here’s a modified “Mod” ready to try again.
As I type this, I think they’re heading back out to the launch site for another attempt in forty-five minutes or so. I’ll be heading back out there shortly. Hopefully I’ll be back with pics of a successful flight.
[Update about 2:30 PM MDT]
Well, you may have heard, but there will be no winner this year. All the money remains on the table. I think that’s a good thing, actually, because there are a lot of competitors out here who look almost ready to compete, and in another year many of them should be able to.
The post briefing hasn’t occurred yet. All I know was that when the ignition was supposed to occur, I only heard a bang, followed shortly after by an announcement of a declaration of emergency to put out a fire. Apparently it was yet another hard start, and it ended Armadillo’s chances for a win this year.
Neil Milburn reportedly stated at an 11 AM briefing that prior to this weekend, they had never turned the vehicle around in the time necessary to win the prize, which kind of blows my mind. All this time I had been hearing that they were confident because they had flown the profile many times, but apparently that didn’t mean that they had flown the full profile, which requires a return in a fixed time period.
Well, lessons learned. Good luck to them (and all the others) next year.