Month: July 2005

Contributed by: filbert Wednesday, July 27 2005 @ 05:03 PM CST

Kansas City’s WDAF-TV reports that after the current Shuttle flight ends, the spacecraft will again be grounded due to external tank insulating foam which again broke off during launch of Discovery.

NASA will go back to the drawing board again.

Remember way back, early in the Shuttle program, the external tanks were all painted white? After a few launches, they decided they didn’t need to paint them any more, in order to save weight.

I’m not saying that painting the tanks again would fix the problem, I’m just saying it’s something to think about.

Contributed by: filbert Wednesday, July 27 2005 @ 08:12 AM CST

#10: Special to my university pals: The Edu-jargon drinking game.
Because just working at a university will drive you to drink[*1] . Via Michelle Malkin[*2] .

As always, click on the article title above or on “read more” below to get the entire list. #9: Shuttle
Shuttle blasts off[*3] , hits a bird[*4] , drops a tile or two[*5] , now in orbit.

#8: Nude sailors rapped for jolly rodgering.
I really can’t improve on The Mirror’s headline[*6] . Couple rescued after lovemaking cries from their dingy misunderstood as pleas for help. No, really.

#7: Parrot swears at zoo patrons, gets time out in the naughty spot.
Nanny 911 dispatched to animal park to deal with potty-mouthed parrot[*7] . No, not really, but it seems as if this is one foul-mouthed fowl.

#6: Royals 7, White Sox 1.
Lima effective starting pitcher, Royals exploit White Sox errors[*8] in 6th inning. Royals need to go 44-18 to finish .500, 26-36 to avoid 100 losses.

#5: Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Federalist Society?
Democrats fixate[*9] on organization which, according to its web site[*10] , promotes

the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be.

A truly radical agenda which all right-thinking Americans should oppose. Yeah, right. Hat tips: Reason Magazine[*11] and OpinionJournal[*12] .

#4: Why the New York Times is considered “liberal”
This New York Times article[*13] accused the Bush Administration of refusing to turn over Abu Gharib pictures to a judge. Well, guess what? The article was utterly, completely, totally wrong[*14] . (Article linked to sfgate.com because the NYT wants everyone to pay to get biased, slanted, inaccurate news.)

#3: “They make us look like idiots. We’re not idiots.”
Seattle Post Intelligencer[*15] interviews actual veterans about FX’s “Over There” TV show.

#2: Iran continues working on nukes, advertising for terrorists
Iraninan magazing advertises for jihadists[*16] , elsewhere Iran says it will continue its nuclear program[*17] .

#1: Amnesty International discovers that terrorists are not nice people
After castigating the civilized West, AI turns around and lo and behold! finds that Islamic militants do not respect human rights[*18] . Their recommendation: stop doing it and play nice. Yeah, that’ll work.
Hat tip: Faces from the Front[*19] .

Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, July 26 2005 @ 06:41 PM CST

On the way off of Pad 39B, STS-114’s external fuel tank hit a bird, a little over two seconds into the launch.

Launch video here[*1] (bird strike not visible, unfortunately). NASA TV did however show a still photo just before the unfortunate demise of the bird in a briefing this afternoon. If they post anything more on Shuttle-bird-gate, I’ll link to it.

Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, July 26 2005 @ 06:49 AM CST

#10: We’re gonna die (in 2036)–Asteroid strike
NASA considers what to do[*1] about asteroid that will come way too close to Earth.

As always, click on the article title above or on “read more” below to get the entire list. #9: Payola Lives!
New York Attorney General settles with Sony BMG[*2] for $10 million over payments to radio stations for playing Sony artists’ songs.

#8: Denver and the Sun Belt Conference wrestle with geography
Denver University is in the far-flung Sun Belt Conference, which is starting to reconfigure itself as a Southeastern-U.S. based conference. So, where does that leave Denver[*3] ?

#7: Royals pummeled by White Sox
Sure, KC fans got their doughnuts[*4] , but they sure suffered for it[*5] .

#6: Top ten reasons to privatize public broadcasting
One top ten list deserves another. From David Boaz at the Cato Institute[*6] .

#5: Kelo decision blowback continues
The Supreme Court’s profoundly wrongheaded eminent domain Kelo decision continues to have New Hampshire activists gunning for Justice Souter’s N.H. home[*7] .

#4: Plame Game
In a stunning and unexpected development, the Blogosphere[*8] is actually calling for . . . justice to run its course?

#3: Bolton headed for recess appointment
Tiring of Democrat intransigence, President Bush considers a recess appointment[*9] of John “Big Meanie” Bolton to U.N. Ambassador.

#2: Give our soldiers a cup of coffee!
Kansas City area coffee shop[*10] asks patrons to buy coffee to send to troops overseas. Via Faces from the Front[*11] .

#1: Boy Scout leaders die in Virginia jamboree accident
Four adult leaders die in electrical accident[*12] . Jamboree to go on.

Contributed by: filbert Monday, July 25 2005 @ 04:05 PM CST

From the Daily Kenoshan[*1] .

The scammer is basically after your credit card’s security code (the one printed on the back of Mastercard/Visa/Discover, or just above your main number on American Express.

If anyone calls you and for any reason asks you for this number, hang up immediately and call your card’s 800 number to report a probable instance of credit card fraud.

Never, ever, ever give this number to anyone unless YOU have initiated the conversation.

Contributed by: filbert Monday, July 25 2005 @ 07:43 AM CST

Due to some recent annoyances with spammers posting in the comment areas of some articles, I’ve now required users to log in to post.

Getting a login id is easy…just click on the New User link on the left side of the page.

Using the login id is easier. If you’ve got cookies turned on, your id/password should automatically fill the spaces, and you just hit the login button. (Some browsers make you type in your id before populating your password–sorry about that.)

Contributed by: filbert Monday, July 25 2005 @ 07:16 AM CST

#10: Plame Game
We need to fill out another slow news day. Sigh. Apparently Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (gasp!) was informed of the Plame investigation[*1] (gasp!) by the Justice Department (gasp!) and waited twelve hours before notifying the White House Staff (gasp!) after asking Justice if he needed to keep it confidential or not (gasp!). Gonzales did however inform White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card immediately (gasp! Heat up the tar! Get the feathers ready!). Obviously Gonzales is guilty of obstruction of agenda! Off with his head!

As always, click on the article title above or on “read more” below to get the entire list. #9: Noodling: “You just get a fever for it”
Kansas City Star article[*2] reports:
“I wouldn’t want to stick my hand down in a hole under the bank knowing fish this big are down there,” said Missouri biologist Nathan Woodland.
Related: Noodling becomes legal in Georgia on Friday[*3] .

#8: Royals 6, Blue Jays 5
D.J. Carrasco gets the win[*4] . Royals need to go 46-20 to finish .500, 29-37 to avoid 100 losses.

#7: Lance Armstrong takes seventh Tour de France
Armstrong goes out on top[*5] .

#6: Hawaii teen recovering from barracuda attack
19-year-old Tonga Loumoli[*6] suffers attack to his stomach while fishing in the Pacific.

#5: Guy who owns vista.com unhappy with Microsoft
John Wall thinks Microsoft is infringing[*7] on his copyright. Wall runs vista.com[*8] , a software company.

#4: Teamsters, Service Employees, two other unions to leave AFL/CIO
Union solidarity unravels[*9] as four major unions leave the AFL/CIO.

#3: Shuttle on track for Tuesday launch
Weather is the main threat[*10] to the launch, chance of weather problems put at 40%.

#2: The Declining Terrorist Threat (New York Times, July 10, 2001)
There’s wrong and then there’s this[*11] . Oof.

#1: Iraqis defy thugs, flock to recruiting stations
The Telegraph[*12] reports long lines of young Iraqis wanting to volunteer to join the new Iraqi army.

Contributed by: filbert Sunday, July 24 2005 @ 07:11 AM CST

#10: Missouri settles with college students
According to report from ksdk.com[*1] , Missouri law from 1872 said “youths, resident of the state of Missouri,” should be admitted to the states university “without payment of tuition.”. Suit results in $500 from state to each of almost 5,000 University of Missouri students. Oops.

As always, click on the article title above or on “read more” below to get the entire list. #9: Blue Jays 9, Royals 4
Kansas City[*2] needs to go 47-20 to finish .500, 30-37 to avoid 100 losses.

#8: Lance Armstrong is about to do it again
He beings his last ride in the Tour de France[*3] .

#7: Shuttle countdown starts anew
Launch scheduled for Tuesday[*4] .

#6: Return of the drive-in theater
Back to the 1950’s[*5] .

#5: Sioux Falls continues to boom
Housing prices up[*6] . Sprawl continues to head south[*7] .

#4: Bankrupt Si Tanka College bought by creditor bank
Bank hopes to find a buyer[*8] to re-open Huron, S.D. college.

#3: An ideological war, not a military one
From Belmont Club[*9] , required reading in this Age of Terrorism.
. . . current commanders face a more basic problem: getting recognition that their nation and much of the world is at war against an enemy which cannot — witness Mr. Annan’s difficulties — actually be named.

#2: Sharm el-Sheik resort in Egypt is bombed
At least 88 dead[*10] as three bombs explode in Egyptian resort town.

#1: British admit they shot the wrong guy
British police gun down Brazilian electrician.[*11]