Saturday, April 19, 2014

Recap of the last week's posts 4/13/14 to 4/19/14

A little blue sky opens up amongst the grey.  Spacex could be close to perfecting the reusable rocket.  This is of such significance that it could go down in history as a milestone in human history.  I don't think that is an exaggeration.

The "grey" clouds continue however, as Ukraine seems to be destabilizing.  The Bundy situation is still brewing and may be spreading to other states.  The Democrats want to rig national elections and immigration "reform" just won't die.  Maybe the market will crash, or maybe it won't.  It does appear to be stuck in a rut at the moment.


Symbolism over substance

Anybody remember that phrase?  It came from Rush Limbaugh back in the nineties and it was a description of the Clinton Administration's use of symbolic gimmickry to govern.

Now you've got Nancy Pelosi using this type of gimmickry in washing the feet of a couple children.  I suppose the people are supposed to be impressed with the former speaker washing a couple kid's feet.  But the real reason she's doing it is not to actually help these kids, but to use them as political props.

Only a politician would try such a gimmick.  I suppose there are plenty of gullible people who will fall for it, too.  Otherwise, the politicians wouldn't try such gimmicks.  Keep in mind how the left wants to destroy Christianity and boos when God is mentioned at their political conventions.  It is not sincere at all.


Government is taxing no matter where you live



These Are America's Most And Least "Taxing" States (And Everything In between)


Elon Musk is going to need an Iron Man suit to get to Mars

Now that Musk may be on his way towards success in getting down the costs of space flight, he may encounter a completely new problem that isn't exactly old--- space radiation.

The way towards that was included in this post in my mining an asteroid series.  Looks like you're going to need a thicker suit, though.  A 400 lb suit may need to be upgraded to a 800 lb suit.  That might be enough shielding to bring down the radiation absorbed by the body to levels that are seen in some terrestrial locations.

It turns out that Mars isn't much better than the Moon as far as shielding out cosmic radiation.  The atmosphere is too thin.


Cosmic Consciousness - RobertRinger.com

Cosmic Consciousness - RobertRinger.com



...if you raise your energy level high enough, you may, on occasion, find yourself in a heightened state of awareness — “cosmic consciousness” — that could forever change the way you view life.
comment:



Yeah, and some wags might have it that you've been smoking those funny cigarettes.



Just kidding.




SpaceX Makes Strides Towards 1st Stage Falcon Rocket Recovery during Space Station Launch

universe today

SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk reported at a post launch briefing and later tweeted further updates that the Falcon 9 first stage actually made a good water landing despite rough seas, with waves swelling at least six feet.--- Ken Kremer

Looks good.  If it sticks, it's great news.

Why Are The Poor, Poor?

Townhall, John C. Goodman

Goodman says that it comes down to marginal tax rates.  It actually pays to be poor.

I think he is right.  There's a mindset in this country's leadership that is downright opposed to prosperity.  They wouldn't have devised such a tax structure if they wanted people to prosper.


Friday, April 18, 2014

Next Big Future: Spacex launch went well and awaiting word on first...

Next Big Future: Spacex launch went well and awaiting word on first...: The Spacex launch of a resupply mission to the International space station is perfect so far. The first stage has retractable landing legs...



This could be a big day in history.  Just imagine getting the price down to 100 bucks per pound.

Update:

Another rocket concept will compete with Spacex if they get funding.





Scientists Report Advance in ‘Therapeutic Cloning’

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/business/scientists-report-advance-in-therapeutic-cloning.html?from=science&WT.z_mob_rel=1

A way to immortality?

Reid calls Bundy supporters ‘domestic terrorists’

reviewjournal

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid on Thursday called supporters of Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy "domestic terrorists" because they defended him against a Bureau of Land Management cattle roundup with guns and by putting their children in harm's way.

He's just mad because they lost that round of this fight.  But you can bet that they won't give up.

Incidentally the leftists like Reid are harping on the fact that the rancher hasn't paid taxes on the land.

I wanted to comment a bit on that.  My view is that land should not be taken away for the failure to pay taxes of any kind.  If you own land, it should be very difficult for anybody, including the government to take it away from you.

Of course, the problem would be putting that into practice.  Not too many years ago, someone ran for governor of Texas who ran on the proposition to eliminate property taxes.  She lost because it was feared that it would usher in a state income tax.  If I had to choose between an income tax and a property tax,  I'd take the income tax.


Beans and Peas Lower Cholesterol

NY Times via Instapundit

But it doesn't help much with the fight against greenhouse gases.


From Troy (2004)

Today is Good Friday.  Although it isn't a Christian scene, I'd thought this might be interesting to see and contemplate today.



Thursday, April 17, 2014

Cal Thomas' New Book: "What Works"

Interesting.  I wanted to make a note here to look into this book a bit further.


Cal Thomas' New Book: "What Works", Really Works
By DICK MORRIS
Published on DickMorris.com on April 17, 2014

Printer-Friendly Version

For all the talk about data mining in our technology-addled world, we often neglect to mine the most important vein of all in our pursuit of good policies: The past.  In his new book, What Works: Common Sense Solutions for a Stronger America, columnist Cal Thomas pleads that we look to the programs, policies, and ideas that have worked in the past as we confront the problems of today.

At the start of his book, he quotes from Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."
  
In his data-mining of the past, Thomas looks to past tax cuts which have leveraged huge economic growth.  The spread of STD?  He suggests we revisit the quaint idea of virginity.  Those mired in poverty?  He urges us to consult Horatio Alger on how to overcome obstacles.
Click Here To Purchase A Copy of "What Works" By Cal Thomas
Are our schools failing?  School choice is working all over the country.  Are states slipping behind?  Try what Indiana, Louisiana, and New Jersey have done -- cut taxes and spending.
   
It is Thomas' contention that the solutions are out there, in other states and in our own past, but we fall for "innovation" instead.
  
In his back-to-the-future plea, Thomas rises above ideology, party, and rhetoric and adopts a single pragmatic criterion instead:  Did it work when it was tried?
  
That's the real contribution of Cal Thomas' new book.  It elevates pragmatism over dogma.  When Felix Rohatyn was serving as ambassador to France, he said "the French value ideas over facts.  Americans value facts over ideas."
  
He meant that the French are forever concerned whether an idea comes from the right or the left.  Their dozen or so political parties each occupy a carefully defined sliver of the electorate on the right to left spectrum.  The source of the idea and its ideological forebears matters more than whether it works or not.
   
But Americans value what works regardless of its place in the ideological spectrum.  Hence the genius of welfare reform in coupling more day care and job training from the left with mandatory work requirements and time limits from the right.  If it works, do it.
   
For America's most widely syndicated columnist to emerge from the right to embrace an agenda of pragmatism, based on actual outcomes, is refreshing.
  
Fortunately for Thomas, he does not have to wander far from the conservative agenda in his pursuit of what works.  Usually, conservative solutions are the more time tested and realistic.  But sometimes they are not, as when he urges alternative to incarceration for some crimes.
   
These variations from conservative, hard right dogma only serve to strengthen the credibility of the rest of the work.
   
"What Works", works.
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Net Atlantic

Kepler exo planet

http://www.cnet.com/news/how-a-sunset-might-look-on-new-earth-cousin-kepler-186f/

Seems like useless daydreaming to me.  How can anyone ever get there?  You need tech that may never be invented.

Mars terraforming possible?

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/5705/20140417/meteorites-hint-that-we-cant-call-mars-our-second-home-heres-why.htm

Article seems to say no, but you don't need to do that anyway.

ParaPundit: Ukrainian Security Service Trying To Take Back A Police Station

ParaPundit: Ukrainian Security Service Trying To Take Back A Police Station



comment:



I've been saying all along that Ukraine is jodido and that's all there is to it.




Billy Joel - the good die young With Lyrics

Always looking at the other side of an argument.

What do I get from this song?  People will really die young if they don't lighten up!  A real pity since it isn't necessary and it doesn't do any good.





Tortoise Ranching In The Old West

Transterrestrial Musings


Back in the old West a lot of the toughest codgers tried tortoise ranching, but it died out because it took years to drive the herds up to Kansas City or Chicago. On a good day they might cover a mile and a half, but most days they could only drive them about a mile because a herd has to graze. There was no use bringing skinny turtles to market.---George Turner

Salute!

A little humor is needed.  Things are looking a bit bleak.

Next Big Future: Financial Impact and Opportunity of Silex Laser En...

Next Big Future: Financial Impact and Opportunity of Silex Laser En...: Levis Kochin writes at SeekingAlpha. Levis is an investor in Silex and Terrestrial Energy. Nextbigfuture has covered the Silex process for ...



comment:



Another big deal that could make a difference.  The world needs some good news.




Spaceflight Now | Falcon Launch Report | Recovery crews positioned to retrieve Falcon 9 first stage

Spaceflight Now | Falcon Launch Report | Recovery crews positioned to retrieve Falcon 9 first stage



Liftoff from Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad is set for 4:58 p.m. EDT (2058 GMT). The mission will boost a Dragon supply ship into orbit with 2.4 tons of cargo and equipment heading for the International Space Station.---Stephen Clark


This could be a big deal, particularly if successful.

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | SpaceX's mega-rocket to debut next year at pad 39A

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | SpaceX's mega-rocket to debut next year at pad 39A



comment:



The "mega-rocket" is the Falcon Heavy, which will lift a little over 50 tons into orbit.  The Saturn V rocket that sent astronauts to the moon was much bigger.




Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Blood moon and religion

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/14/blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-john-hagee-end-of-world/7694331/

Reminder to me to comment upon this when there's more time.


Update:

Well, there's a LITTLE more time, so here goes.  I'm having to recall something here from memory about what they are saying ie.  that the sun will darken and the moon will turn red, or something to that effect.  Now, there's a possibility of those two events occuring simultaneously.  If an asteroid big enough to wipe out humanity comes in a blood moon, then it could qualify.  The odds of that have to be really low, but not impossible.

Consider an asteroid about 5 miles in diameter.  Such an asteroid would be capable of ending civilization.  There's no doubt that near the point of impact that it will blot out the sun because it will be freakin' huge.

So the sun could be darkened during a blood moon and it would be the end of days.  Not impossible at all.

After that, you can believe what you want to believe about a second coming.  But somebody a long time ago did predict something that could happen, so you have to wonder about that second coming thing...

On the other hand, maybe you wouldn't wonder at all.  You'd just say, come on Greg!  You don't really believe that do you?


Houston schools ditch 'Indians,' other mascots - State - ValleyMorningStar

Houston schools ditch 'Indians,' other mascots - State - ValleyMorningStar



Political correctness wins again.  What harm was there in a mascot name?


Drat! I thought I was on to something

That post about the state of California having a right to counsel related to the this amendment in the Bill of Rights

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Ooops!  This is a right to counsel for criminal cases.  This wasn't a criminal case, so that's out the window.  Yet, if an individual who is accused of a crime has a right to representation, why can't the people of California be represented?  Although that is not in the Bill of Rights per se, it would surely seem to be a gigantic hole in the law, which the governor of California just waltzed right on through.

If the people's representatives won't represent them, who can speak for them?  Should the Court have said that the people have no right to representation in the Court just because their own representatives won't do that which they swore to do?


Has Rush Limbaugh Finally Reached the End Of The Road?

Forbes via Free Republic

The article says that Rush is trying to pull the wool over his audience's eyes.   For that reason, he is running on empty.

I think I had some negative things to say about Rush not too long ago.  Actually, Dick Morris is catching up to Rush, and may be passing him.   That may be a bit much since Morris was an adviser to Slick Willy.


Ben Carson: White House wanted apology for ‘offending’ Obama

Free Republic

He did not appear to be hostile or angry,” Carson writes of Obama, “but within a matter of minutes after the conclusion of the program, I received a call from some of the prayer breakfast organizers saying that the White House was upset and requesting that I call the president and apologize for offending him. I said that I did not think that he was offended and that I didn’t think that such a call was warranted.”---quote from Daily Caller
Yeah, I'd say it was unwarranted to expect an apology.  Anybody ever heard of the First Amendment?  But one of the Supreme Court justices thinks that the First Amendment isn't an individual right.  So, one of these days, somebody might be jailed for what Carson said.

“Oligarchy, not democracy: Americans have ‘near-zero’ input on policy – report”

Protein Wisdom

This is a link to a Russia Today report, that itself links to a report done by some universities here.

Well, I don't know.  Do we have a bit of propaganda or do we have a bit of truth?

Seems to me that there was a poll somewhere that said that most people don't think we are governed by consent.

The other side of that is that way too many people don't bother to vote.  Although it may seem pointless, there's really nothing preventing people from going to the polls and making themselves heard.

You don't have to vote for the two major parties, either.  There are other choices.

Could it be that people just want to complain and not actually do something about their situation?  How many people actually try to inform themselves and make themselves heard?  How many?  I'd like to see a major poll taken to determine that.

I do think that the rich have too much power.  But that doesn't excuse apathy or indifference.


The Bundy situation isn't going away

Now we've got Harry Reid's son out there looking for Bundy's scalp.

Rory Reid gives this big statement that there's a "rule of law" that must be obeyed.  Okay, that would be nice if it applied to everybody.  Evidently, Rory Reid doesn't seem to think it applies that way.

RORY REID, SON OF SEN. HARRY REID: We believe in a country in which we are subject to laws and you can’t just ignore the laws we don’t like.---Hotair
Well, let's see.  The President can just ignore laws he doesn't like and not enforce them.  But this one, no siree Bob, this law must be enforced or else throw the book at the guy.

The hell of it is this:  Reid may actually be wrong on the law.  Somewhere along the line, Bundy may have been wronged.  At least, I think it may be so.

I think what we could have here is a contest of wills.  The left wants to impose its will come hell or high water.  They are going to have to be opposed firmly.

Actually, Harry Reid said it isn't over.  Whatever he says must be true.

Update:

An example of how laws are selectively enforced:

You may recall last year's Supreme Court decisions on same-sex marriage.  There was a Proposition in California that the Governor didn't want to enforce, so he didn't send a state representative to the Court in order to defend the case.  Since there was no state representative, somebody else decided to come in their stead.  But the Court ruled that they didn't have standing, so the law was successfully circumvented.

So what do the Reids have to say about that one?  Same-sex marriage is one of their favorite causes of the moment and this law passed by the voters of California went directly against that.  But one of their own, Governor Moonbeam himself, wouldn't enforce it.

And the Court may not have ruled justly, either.  The Constitution says everyone has a right to representation.  In this case, the Court said okay if the Governor won't represent the people, the people lose.  Some decision they made there.  Some rule of law, eh?  Some democracy, eh?


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

No Bypassing the Electoral College





White is not right: Campus admins ask for help weeding out white people

Free Republic

Western Washington University sent a questionnaire to students asking them for advice on how the administration could succeed at making sure that in future years, “we are not as white as we are today.”---Daily Caller, Robby Soave

I guess academic standards don't matter, huh?  Just as long as you've got the right number of the right colored faces, everything is peachy.  Liberalism is ruinous.

It's all a rig



Things That Make You Go Hmmm... Like Rigged Markets (All Of Them!)


I've got a bad feeling about this

That phrase was worked into just about every Star Wars flick.

Guess what?

When it comes to some of the things happening today, "I've got a bad feeling about this...".

There's a crap load of stories about the Bundy situation.  It may not be over.  Actually, it isn't going to be over until the government gets what it wants.  But there's enough people getting excited over this that there could be a confrontation.  Now the thing that bothers me is that the government will win this thing, and be stronger as a result.  The last thing we need is for the government to get stronger.

Also the Ukraine thing is bubbling up again.  Obama is making "warnings" to Putin about this.  Now, the thing that bothers me here is having Obama as commander in chief if there's a war.  He could use the extraordinary circumstances of a war to enhance his own power.  We don't need a war, but he may have acted in such a way that a way that war will be likely and he would be the beneficiary of it.

I don't like the way things are going and what is being done about it.  The GOP is counting on elections to change all this, but elections can be manipulated.  This isn't looking good.  I'm in a funk.



Monday, April 14, 2014

Watch the markets

Awhile back, about the beginning of the year, I thought I'd prove myself with a prediction about the markets.  I figured we had reached a high water mark that wouldn't be breached again.  In fact, I figured we may see a new bear market.  Alas, it didn't turn out that way.

But the last week hasn't been kind to the market, so maybe I was just a little premature.

It should be noted that this market weakness is coinciding with the taper.  If the market does prove to be as fragile as I think it is, then the market's behavior will have demonstrated that the only thing holding it up is the QE.  Well, QE cannot last forever, dependence upon it or not.  All good things must come to an end.

But an outright collapse in the markets may not be in the cards.  It was described as such on certain places that I don't recall at the moment.  Collapse means collapse.  A seven percent drop is not a collapse.

The Russian bear still seems hungry and hasn't gotten its fill.  This is destroying Obama's credibility.  You can't make "warnings" if you haven't got the wherewithal to back it up.  You cannot destroy the nation's capability to wage war and then turn around and threaten war and expect to have any credibility.  His warnings will most likely not be heeded because there's no reason to heed them.  So, this is not likely to be good for the markets either.  It sort of destroys the notion of growth through international trade---aka globalism.  If there's a significant threat to the dollar as reserve currency, then watch out below!

The American public may regret its foolishness in making this man its President.  This little dog and pony show may be over soon.


Recap of the last week's posts 4/6/14 to 4/13/14

The Bundy situation, con-con, psychopaths, and the Gramscian coup.

The most significant event during the week was a bit of an epiphany about the Democrats---they really are evil.  Up until now, I gave them some credit for being decent.  I still think that it is mostly the fault at the top of the food chain.  Both parties bear some responsibility for this.


Sunday, April 13, 2014

The Liquid Fluoride Thorium Paradigm

The Nuclear Green Revolution

Many of the Oil Drum comments, did not raise the usual objections to nuclear power. Rather it was the consequences of a successful Thorium paradigm that bothered the commenters:---Charles Barton

Precisely!  They don't like it because it will work, not because it won't work.  They are committed to the objective of Limited Growth.  Limited Growth implies conflict over limited resources.  It is inevitable then that the conflict will eventuate into wars over these resources.  The solution, therefore, is not limitations upon growth, but the improvement in access to resources.  But this is what they have dedicated themselves to preventing.  The conclusion must follow:  these people are dedicated to the destruction of mankind.  There can be no other conclusion.  They are enemies to mankind.  They are Satanic.


“‘This is our heaven’: Colorado couple fights to save land from eminent domain”

“‘This is our heaven’: Colorado couple fights to save land from eminent domain”





Another example of government abuse.




Charades - RobertRinger.com

Charades - RobertRinger.com

The Progressive View of the First Ammendment

Coyote Blog

The only thing you need to know about "progressives" is that they are self-serving.  For whatever it is that they are for, it is in their best interest primarily even if it isn't in any else's best interest.

Now for this "court opinion"

And here's how Breyer sums it all up: "Accordingly, the First Amendment advances not only the individual's right to engage in political speech, but also the public's interest in preserving a democratic order in which collective speech matters."---James Taranto
No such thing as "collective speech".  It is a construct that was created out of thin air---sort like social quantitative easing.  The construct is to aid in suppressing speech that the "progressives" find unwelcome and inconvenient.


Global Warming Loon: “I’d Like Nothing Better Than If Thousands of Middle-Class White People Died In An Extreme Weather Event”

via Instapundit


But of course.  It's a movement designed to do just that very thing.

Really.  What are these people after?  Isn't what they really want is your money?  Or to drive you into extreme poverty?

What is their solution?  Raising taxes?  Ending industrial production?  Driving people back into caves?

One possible "solution" ( provided that carbon dioxide is a problem )  is to commercialize molten-salt nuclear reactors.  But they'd never go along with that one.  Probably because it would work.