Cindy Sheehan won’t be running against DiFi (whose intellect I’m also unimpressed with, though she’s nowhere near the moron that Cindy Sheehan is). Too bad. It would have been an entertaining self-immolation among CA Democrats.
Imminent Test Firing?
The count is back on (if you can believe the blog–he says not to, probably to cover his keister). If there were no problems, the test should have occurred by now.
[Update at 4:05 PM EST]
Close, but no cigar:
A few seconds before the engine ingited [sic], the count was held.
They are now safing the vehicle and we will find out soon if they will restart the count and take it all the way to ignition.
It’s sounding like a good thing that they did this test before launch. I think they’re finding out how hard building and flying rockets is.
[Update about 4:30 PM EST]
They’ve recycled the count to T-15 minutes.
I find the fact that they can take the engine all the way to ignition and recycle to a fifteen-minute count a testament to the simplicity of the system (none of this having to empty tanks and recycle to the next day stuff). I’m not sure what it says about reliability at this point, though.
[Update at 4:50 PM EST]
They’ve stopped the count again, but this latest post expands on my comments above about repeated launch cycles, and how far the technology has allowed us to come in that regard. It also provides some explanation of the issues they’ve been encountering today.
Once again, though, it points out that they weren’t ready for prime time when it came to launching (and that these test firing rehearsals were a good idea). That’s what test flights are for, and so far, while they haven’t launched, they haven’t lost anything, either, except some time. Hopefully, this “shakedown cruise” will reveal a lot of things that will give them better schedule reliability in the future.
[Another update a couple minutes later]
It really is a family affair. Note the last name of the commenter to this latest post.
[Update a few minutes later, for those not following the Kwajrocket blog]
They’ve emptied the propellant tanks and are analyzing data, but it doesn’t sound like they’ve yet given up on an engine firing today.
[Late night update]
Two to four weeks (sorry, no permalink–just click on the link to “New Launch Date Update.”)
To Increase Demand For Chicken Soup?
Syria accuses Israel of creating the bird flu:
An article published by the newspaper argues that Israel spread the virus in the Far East to mislead the world.
Yes, those Jews are quite tricky that way.
The newspaper backed its suspicions by citing a 1998 report in the Sunday Times that Israel is developing a biological
Problem At Kwaj?
They were supposed to have their engine test a few minutes ago, but they’re on a hold at T-1.
[Update a few minutes later]
They haven’t restarted the count, yet, but Kimbal has some pictures up. Keep checking the main page of the blog for updates.
[Update at 4:05 PM EST[
Close, but no cigar:
A few seconds before the engine ingited, the count was held.
They are now safing the vehicle and we will find out soon if they will restart the count and take it all the way to ignition.
It’s sounding like a good thing that they did this test before launch. I think they’re finding out how hard building and flying rockets is.
Darwin Award Attempt
What kind of idiot would have a pet lionfish and not know how dangerous it is?
Shut Up, He Explained
That’s what the head of Hezbollah says that President Bush and SecState Rice should do:
In Beirut, Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah urged Muslims worldwide to keep demonstrating until there is an apology over the drawings and Europe passes laws forbidding insults to the prophet.
The head of the guerrilla group, which is backed by Iran and Syria, spoke before a mass Ashoura procession. Whipping up the crowds on the most solemn day for Shiites worldwide, Nasrallah declared:
“Defending the prophet should continue all over the world. Let Condoleezza Rice and Bush and all the tyrants shut up. We are an Islamic nation that cannot tolerate, be silent or be lax when they insult our prophet and sanctities.”
“We will uphold the messenger of God not only by our voices but also by our blood,” he told the crowds, estimated by organizers at about 700,000. Police had no final estimates but said the figure was likely to be even higher.
You know, people who talk about upholding things with their blood often get an opportunity to do so (and often futilely).
This Will Make Her Even More Angry
Hillary’s presidential poll numbers at Rasmussen are at a low:
…just 27% of Americans say they would definitely vote for the former first lady while 43% would definitely vote against. Still, 59% of Americans believe it is somewhat or very likely that she will be the Democrat’s nominee in 2008.
Among Democrats, the number who would definitely vote for Clinton dropped 11 percentage points over the past two weeks.
This is a microcosm of the Democrats’ problem. Their base won’t allow them to nominate anyone who can win a general election, whether Hillary (who is a powerhouse of the party but politically unappealing to much of the electorate) or someone who will have to tack too far left to win the nomination to find their way back to the center in the fall.
The Roots Of Democracy
A long, but useful and timely (given our attempts to create new ones in seemingly unfertile soil) essay over at Public Review.
Gargantuan
Even brobdingnagian. Lileks comments on the latest federal budget:
You can expect the news stories to fasten on that 5.5 percent cut, since the media seem to operate with three unspoken and largely unexamined assumptions: We don’t spend enough on education; conservatives don’t want to spend anything on education anyway since it leads to godless rational beliefs like “the Earth is round”; and a reduction in the overall rate of increase is tantamount to a reduction in funds.
Really? If you find two $5 bills and lose one, are you $5 ahead or $5 behind? The latter, if you work in Washington.
A reduction in the projected rate of growth is always a cut. Note the headlines about the `07 proposals: “Bush’s $2.77 Trillion Budget Plan Calls for Medicare Cuts,” said The New York Times. The Washington Post had the same idea, and graciously upped the budget total: “Bush’s $2.8T Budget Proposal Cuts Domestic Programs.”
To which Democrats say: But of course. To which Republicans say: If only.
Conservatives will still, for the most part, vote Republican, even if they weep and rend their garments before checking off “R.” Why? Because they see Democrats as the ones more likely to tax everything that isn’t nailed down, levy “gravity user fees” for things that are, take away private health care, strangle school choice and want SpecOps to get a warrant before sabotaging Iranian nuke factories.
Cool Toy
I’d sure feel bad if I crashed it, though. I wonder if they have a scale T-38 to train with?