I'll add more as I come across them, for now though, duty calls, and I'm off.
--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 2:52 PM | Comments (1)

January 19, 2005

The Russian Bear isn't hibernating anymore

In a move that shocks many in the Western world, the Russian government has announced that they will construct two new monuments to the former Soviet Premier, Joseph Stalin.

This is an distressing move by the Russians. It unequivocally signals that some elements of the Russian government are embracing the past and in particular, the tenents of authoritarian Soviet centralized power, or does it?

No figure in world history, not even Lenin or Mao, exemplifies the oppressive and brutal nature of the Communist system. Stalin is vilified by most of the world, but as with all things, he is also hailed as a hero by many; and it part, rightly so.

The man's accomplishments cannot be denied. Without Stalin, it's doubtful that Hitler's Germany could have defeated in World War 2. Stalin's almost omnipotent control over the Soviet directly challenged the spectre of Nazi Facism. His ability to marshall the individually weak Soviet forces into a virtual meat grinder for the German war machine gave the Allied forces in Europe and those assembling in America much needed time to prepare for a liberating invasion of Europe.

It's ironic that in order to save Europe, Western Democracies put all their hopes in a Communist regime to split the fronts and draw the Nazis into a winter wasteland for which they were not prepared. Coupled with the awesome wartime production power of the United States and the Lend-Lease program, the Russian Bear was able to draw in the Nazi Stormtrooper, then crush him with the aid of the severe Russian winter and the seemingly never-ending supply of Soviet soldiers. Soviet losses were severe to say the least, but the Bear's contribution to the Allied victory cannot be denied.

Nor can Stalins role in building the USSR into a world power be denied. It's not politically correct to say this, but Stalin did bring the USSR up to the level of a super-power to rival the United States. In Russia, Stalin can rightly be considered a hero. However at the same time, he can rightfully also be considered to be one of the most evil human beings to ever walk the planet. His creation of what has been often referred to as a "cult of personality", his slaughter of millions of his real and imagined enemies, his brutal suppression of "undesirable elements", his "collectivization" efforts which almost starved a nation and the expansion of the Siberian Gulag system are all elements of this man's legacy that should rightly be decried as an affront to humanity.

So why exactly are the Russian leaders building monuments to a man who most of the world views as one of the great monsters of history?

The Russian Federation is facing a distinct and very real identity crisis. The heart of what was once the U.S.S.R., a world superpower, is now reduced to a nearly bankrupt nation, barely able to feed and clothe itself. A nation that once fielded a grand navy to sail the oceans of the world, to strike fear and project power is now seeing it's grand fleets rust at their moorings. The nation which once held a controlling presence in nations around the world is now having trouble defending it's own capital from terrorist attacks and sees it's territory fractured along, ethnic, political and religious lines. A nation who's every move prompted a swift and strong response from the United States and who's every sabre-rattle struck fear into Presidents and Prime Minister's world wide is now barely able to host a state dinner that impresses even minor diplomats. A nation that once controlled economies in far away lands with decrees from Moscow, now sees it's economic influence on it's closest neighbors gone in favor of the US Dollar or the upstart Euro.

Russia is dying. It's dying politically, economically and spiritually. The nation is gripped by a despair that it can't seem to shake. The defeat of a nation that considered itself to have toppled Hitler was defeated in the Cold War by Western nations. The Russian Bear now relies on the graciousness of those nations that were once considered to be arch-enemies.

The Russian people are a group who have repeatedly re-written their own history. They've denied who they are time and time again in the name of political expediency. They've been been beaten down from the inside, by their own people. People have been conditioned to not believe what they know, they've been led to believe that events that undoubtedly did happen, didn't. In a word, the people of Russia are but one thing, confused.

The Russian government claims that the statues of Stalin will be part of a greater tribute to the Russian heros that defeated Nazi Germany. Perhaps they are just that. However I expect that they are much more. I would suggest that the creation of the new monuments to Stalin are more a device to elicit Russian pride and a rediscovering of their history than they are a tribute to a great authoritarian. I would hope that by placing the tributes to Stalin in a greater context of WW2 memorials that people will realize that while Stalin was indeed evil, he did have a large part in saving the world from the Austrian Corporal turned megalomanic; and Stalin did bring the Soviet State into the modern world (albeit it slightly behind the Western powers).

It's difficult to support this move by the Russians because the motives and consequences are so unclear. Likewise it's difficult to patently oppose the tributes because of the context they will be placed in and the historical realities. For all his faults, Stalin is a central figure in the history of the Russian people.

Do his good deeds outweigh the bad? I can't answer that. For if we take just the bad and magically make the good go away, we all might be speaking German and marching along in goose-step to purge the world of all non-Aryans. If we take just the good and ignore the bad, we deny the oppressed and the fallen their voice in history.

If this move is a genuine examination of history and an attempt to honestly give recognition to the role of Russian leaders in WW2, then I support it. If it's an attempt to clarify the role of Stalin and others in defeating Nazism, then I support it.

However, if this is a more subtle and insidious attempt to garner support for the old Communist regime, if it's an attempt to pay homage to a man as a savior of the Russian people, I must deny it. I must condemn it and give a resounding objection on moral as well as historical grounds.

I have no problem with honestly discussing history in it's most brutal and painful reality. I feel it's necessary to remember the good and the bad of our historical experience. I believe that we cannot honor the good without also remembering the bad. To do so would be a disservice to those that come after us, a denial of our collective history and by denying history, we're doomed to repeat it.

In closing, I'll say I'm disturbed by this move on a personal level. I think it's dangerous to the people of the Russian Federation and Russian nation. Yet I'm not ready to outright condemn it because I believe that it's important that people be remembered for both the evils that they've committed, but also their positive contributions to mankind.

I don't like that Stalin is being honored, I think it may be misconstrued (especially by the West, and certainly by the young) as a return to the glorification of communism. I fear that coupled with the rise in popularity of the Soviet Flag and Anthem as current icons, those who do not remember the evils of Stalin will only see him as a savior of the motherland from German aggression. I fear that the Russian people will begin to forget the evils of Stalin and only remember the might and power and prestige that he brought to the Russian people (however misplaced).

I'm torn between two Stalins. I'm torn between two histories. I'm torn between two possibilities for a Russian future. I guess we'll just have to wait and view the statues in their greater context. Then we can pass judgement and examine honestly whether the legacy of Stalin is being treated fairly, or merely re-written yet again.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2005

More Commercial Space Flight Rumblings

Following on the heels of Space Ship One's first private space flight, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com has announced bits and pieces of his plan to develop a private commercial space flight company.

Bezos is planning to locate his venture in West Texas near the town of Van Horn. He also believes that commerical flights could begin in as little as six or seven years. He's calling the new project Blue Origin, and he's developing his own private Cape Canaveral on a property known as the Corn Ranch.

Hmmm, I wonder if he'll sell tickets through Amazon?

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 6:36 PM | Comments (0)

The Ice Dance - Collision of B15A

I've blogged twice now about that wayward havoc-wreaking iceberg, B-15A, first when it was menacing penquins and researchers in the McMurdo Sound, and again when it was threatening to put on a show by colliding with an "ice tongue" extending from a larger glacier. Well the "show" has commenced, and I've pulled some satellite images down an put them into a format where this extraordinary event is easier to witness, please follow on into the extended entry to see the "Ice Dance".

Oh yeah, don't miss the animation at the end, I contacted a photojournalist down at McMurdo and he was gracious enough to put it up for us.

The "Collision" as viewed from space.
All Images courtesy of NASA's MODIS Rapid Response System.

The first image we have was taken on January 3rd, B15A is clearly visible and looks remarkably like a very large American-style Aircraft Carrier.

UPDATE: It should be noted that in reality, no "collision" has taken place. Rather the presense of B15A is altering currents, which is, in turn, causing this activity. Thanks Brien Barnett.

Images from Jan. 4-8 are obscured by cloud cover and don't really give much indication of what's going on, but I won't leave you hanging, if you want to see the raw images from NASA, here they are, Jan. 4, Jan. 5, Jan. 6, Jan. 7, Jan. 8.

Then on the 9th there's a break in the cloud cover and we can see that the show has begun, through the clouds at the top left edge of the berg, you can see where it's altered the currents in the area and is busting up the "fast ice" or "sea ice" that forms in the winter. I've been told that this is not the ice shelf, which is thousands of feet thick but rather this "fast ice" that's ten's of feet thick. This ice forms every winter and breaks up in the Antarctic summer (now) it's possible that B15A has altered the currents in the region keeping this ice close to shore in the sound.

More cloud cover on the 10th, but you can still see more of the "fast ice" is breaking up.

Clouds on the 11th, but here is the raw image.

On the 12th we get a break in the clouds, and the picture is quite stunning.

On the 13th, we see the "tongue" more clearly and the fractures beneath the tongue as B15A approaches.

Clouds move in on the 14th, but luckily, the snapshot from space is just before the clouds obscure the site. Keep in mind that B15A is 80 MILES LONG.

Images from the next three days shows further break up of the "fast ice". It also shows part of the ice tongue beginning to break off.

January 15th

January 16th

January 17th

Finally, today's image looks as if the currents are changing and B15A is starting to move away a bit. The majority of the tongue seems to have dodged a rather big bullet for now. It should be noted that the smaller round berg that is breaking away from the tongue has been named B16J.

The danger to this ice structure isn't over yet, and I'll keep watching it. NASA says that the currents in the area will cause this process to repeat itself as B15A moves away only to circle back. I guess B15A is just eager to give this tongue a lashing (horrible pun, I know).

B16J

I'll update this entry over the next few days or until the action is over. Ain't it cool tho'!

UPDATE: Brien Barnett, a photojournalist down in Antarctica and I have exchanged a few brief emails and he's providing a Quicktime Video of the MODIS images and the journey of B15A. Click here for the movie.

PLEASE ALSO VISIT HIS SITE AT WWW.BRIENBARNETT.COM
--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 1:26 PM | Comments (2)

North Korea yearns for freedom

Now THIS has to be the best news I've seen in quite a while coming out of North Korea. Just a few short weeks after we hear of North Korea telling it's citizens to begin moving underground and to construct shelters, restaurants, living quarters and manufacturing facilities underground, the first concrete visual evidence that North Korean citizens are chafing under the Kim Jung Il regime. Funny that the portrait in the picture was one of the ones that was supposed to be taken down and moved underground.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 12:57 PM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2005

Il Divo

Here ya go mom!

Il Divo

Posted by JasonColeman at 6:13 PM | Comments (0)

The Racism Thimble

Trying to discuss racism on a blog would be similar to trying to fill a swimmingpool one thimble-full at a time. It simply can't be done effectively. The motivations, activity and solutions to the problems of racism are so complex and far reaching that people spend their entire lives just trying to grasp the totality of the issue.

That being said I just thought I'd give a few quick hits about current racially charged issues running through the American stream.

First, the IDIOT OF THE DAY award has to go to Rob Blair of KTNV-TV in Las Vegas. Blair, the ABC affiliate's weekend weatherman, made the following statement on-air.

"For tomorrow, 60 degrees, Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Day, gonna see some temperatures in the mid-60s."(Underline added)

Do you think there was a collective "Oh shit!" muttered in the control room followed by blank looks among colleagues as the import of the happening was realized. I wonder if the Station Manager was sitting at home sipping a cup of coffee watching his crack weekend news crew when he suddenly blew coffee out his nose and raced for the telephone?

Well to make a long story short, Blair has been fired, and gave an on-air apology; he'll probably be working as a weather assistant in some backwater burg or possibly get a job with the USMS as far away from cameras and microphones as they can probably get him. More than likely, his career as a weatherman is completely over and he'll be simply staring up at the sky rather than reporting on it.

Yep, he's definately the IDIOT OF THE DAY.

Next, we can move on to the VILLIAN OF THE DAY, and this award has to go to Sheriff Victor Hill of Clayton County, Georgia. Apparently, Sheriff Hill was planning for some time his moves on the day he was to take office, because in one of his first official actions, he took the extreme step of firing 27 of the County's senior officers without notice of cause. To add insult to injury, the new Sheriff had the newly unemployed peace officers escorted from the premisis under SNIPER COVER FROM THE COUNTY SWAT TEAM. Of course this was AFTER they had been stripped of their firearms and badges. He then had the former officers loaded into inmate transfer vechicles and driven home.

Now I know that there seems to be more to this story and I'm sure there is. Here's a short list of what we know so far.

1. The officers fired were white.
2. The officers were replaced with new black officers.
3. The firings did not follow standard dismissal procedures for the county.
4. Sheriff Hill, if you hadn't guessed already, is Black.

Now had this been racially reversed, the public outcry would be horrific. I'd imagine that in nearby Atlanta there would be rioting in the streets and cry's from Florida to Washington state of the horrible state of race relations in the South. There would already be calls for Congressional inquiry and you can bet dollars to donuts (pun intended) that the Governor, Georgia Senators and Representatives, the Georgia Legislature and any other elected official the media could get ahold of would be paraded in front of TV cameras far and wide to decry the situation.

But NO, not in this case. In fact, the story "broke" over a week ago. Most Americans today haven't heard a peep. The New York Times covered the story (buried), and so did the Washington Post (on the back page of the news section). CNN put it on their website but didn't broadcast a story about it. Basically the main stream media has been quiet as a mouse on the story.

Since first reported on January 4th, a judge has ordered that the officers be reinstated to "status quo" and Sheriff Hill is being tight lipped about why the firings took place. Needless to say his motives for the "sniper cover" have not been sufficiently explained either. He does point to the assassination of another Sheriff that occured 5 years ago in a nearby county (in that case, the Sheriff who was voted out of office shot the incoming Sheriff, no deputies were involved) to try and give some credence to his actions, but that excuse is tenuous at best.

There are more curious questions here as well, where did these "new" black officers come from? They were obviously hired prior to Hill's first day because they had uniforms, guns and badges. How did Hill hire these officers before being sworn in? How did he authorize the uniforms, guns and badges; what policies and vetting procedures did he bypass to amass this personal squad of black officers to replace the white veterans?

Needless to say, this story won't get legs in the main stream media. Personally, I'd be willing to give Sheriff Hill the benefit of the doubt if any of these officers could be said to be under investigation for anything. I'd be willing to listen if Sheriff Hill was out there saying that these guys were bad eggs, or accused of some malfeasance. Noteably, none of this is coming out. Hill stands by the dismissal and even in the face of judge's rulings to the contrary, he hasn't returned the officers to duty, he's put them on "administrative leave" (some status quo).

On the surface this seems like an extreme case of "reverse racism". The 27 officers have all had their careers effectively ruined, they will always carry this damage inflicted by a racially motivated attack. No matter what the outcome, these officers will never be able to carry the law with them and will always be subject to some doubt as to their legitimacy as deputies.

But lets be honest. In America, the only people that can be racist, apparently, are white.

(Full disclosure: I am white. Yet had this situation occured in the same way as this is playing out, and Sheriff Hill was white, I'd be just as outraged. I'm outraged at the actions of the Sheriff, the so-called "keeper of the peace". I'm also outraged at the media for not bringing this issue to the light of day. I'm outraged at the Congress of the United States and the Legislature of Georgia. I'm outraged at the black community that is supporting this, and I'm outraged at the white community that isn't screaming "holy hell" because they are afraid of being branded as "racist" for opposing this. How's that some irony for you.)

Yes, the VILLIAN OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY, is quite ironically, Sheriff Victor Hill of Clayton County, GA.

I'd love to have something more positive to report today. I wish I could say that Jesse Jackson and Jerry Fallwell met on the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church here in Birmingham and proclaimed the Civil Rights Struggle over, that black and white in America are living in harmony. I wish I could report that today we judge a person on the value of his acts and deeds rather than on the color of his skin. That's what MLK wanted. That's what Harry Truman wanted (yes, Harry Truman, ya'll probably forgot that he got what we call the "Civil Rights" movement rolling with the integration of the US Army). I think that's what all Americans want.

I believe in the equality of man, I believe that "all men are created equal" that they all are endowed with "certain unalienable rights", and I truely wish we could have an honest discussion of the issue of race in America today. I wish we could come together and talk about what's happening today with some intellectual honesty. We can't though, at least not without someone screaming about slavery and reparations; we can't without someone screaming that Affirmative Action is actually "reverse discrimination". We can't without someone screaming about how the South is to blame for all the ills of Black America (nevermind that Vermont kept slaves until well after the Civil War ended). We can't discuss it because the two sides can't come together and realize that it's 2005, and what happened yesterday isn't necessarily going to be repeated tomorrow, unless we continue the denial we're wrapped in today. We can't because there are people that believe that because I'm white, that my ancestors must have been holding their ancestors in bondage and that somehow I'm guilty for that.

We can't discuss it because just discussing it if you're white and not willing to accede to any black accusers charge or demand, you are branded racist. We can't because just by writing this piece, there are many people out there that will call me racist.

I wish we could discuss things with honesty, but that requires that we open our eyes to the excesses of both sides. We can't because any deviation from the Politically Correct line on racism supposedly invalidates the argument. I charge that being Politically Correct in this discussion invalidates it. To have any real progress in this issue requires that we be HONEST FIRST and politically correct second (or not at all).

We have another year until we hit Martin Luther King Jr. (Civil Rights) day. Perhaps in that time each and every white person out there can find a black person to sit down with and discuss the situations and problems of race relations in the country honestly. Hopefully they can get past the cries of reparations and bigotry and affirmative action and get down to what people really are. JUST PEOPLE. Brown, Black, Yellow, Red, White, and Purple (Goths are people too) people, perhaps we can begin to "recognize" that without having to "react" to it.

I'm doubting it, but at the very least I will try to do my part.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 4:44 PM | Comments (0)

Last Titan Post - For now

Since the ESA and NASA sites seem to have stabilized over the weekend as demand to see the Titan images decreases and the images themselves get spread around to numerous sources. I'm going to stop posting the ESA/NASA images. I'm not abandoning you completely though, if new revelations become apparent or something drastic happens I'll probably post about it. For now though I'm going to leave you with the links to:

The Official ESA Cassini-Huygens site (images can be found here)

The Official NASA Cassini-Huygens site

I'd also like to give you a link to private Titan image processing, as reported by Saturn Daily. With the transparency of the various space agencies in giving out the raw images, scientists and hobbyists around the world are taking the raw data from the mission and processing it themselves. While this is not "official" data, alot of it is quite valid and all of it is informative. So if you're interested in the Huygen's Titan images and views from this new world, check out the private efforts to process the data.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2005

More Images from Titan

I don't have time to make a post right now, but they are going to be releasing new images from Titan all day so I'll post them here as they release them.

NOTE: Images are getting bigger as they crunch the data, so you may have to wait a bit for them to load.

A boundary between high, lighter-coloured terrain and and darker lowland area on Titan.

Raw image of Titan's surface with scale captions added

First colour view of Titan's surface

Composite of Titan's surface seen during descent

Images Courtesy NASA/ESA

I've posted sounds from Space before, but here is the Audio from the Huygens' descent. Keep in mind this is a composite of the sounds heard by the probe's orbiter, so the audio levels vary. Essentially though, you're listening to the weather around the probe and the air passing by it as it descends. Here is the Radar Echo conversion of Huygens descent. The earlier returns are radar waves bouncing off cloud formations and strong wind/weather bands in the distance, as the clip continues, you begin to get ground echos leading up to touchdown.
Audio Courtesy ESA.

You can also visit the ESA Gallery page, but with the heavy traffic it may be hard to download the new images.

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2005

The Huygens has landed.

That's the word from the European space agency. The little probe "that might" has become the little probe that "could and did."

"The baby is alive." Was the official first word from the Cassini-Huygens mission manager as the small probe beamed it's first message back from Saturn's moon Titan, indicating that it had entered the atmosphere, shed it's various heat shields and was descending on it's 2-stage descent parachute.

The tiny probe deployed as part of the tandem Cassini-Huygens mission sampled the Methane and Nitrogen rich atmosphere on it's way down to the planets surface. Huygens will conduct about two scheduled hours of sampling and recording of the distant moons atmosphere, which is believed to be similiar to the early stages of our Earth's own atmosphere. Video is also being recorded, compressed and beamed back to Earth along with the atmospheric data.

The plan at this time is for the Cassini mother ship to collect and store the full data broadcast from the Huygens probe. Cassini will create 4 simultaneous copies of the data as it's received, then rotate in space to turn it's main antennae array our way and begin cycling the full data set back to Earth.

Given the hostile nature of the moon's atmosphere, grabbing the full data set is more important that streaming real time data back to us. Once the Huygens probe shuts down, the relay will begin.

Given the 1.7 hour lag in communications from half-way across the solar system, the data set should be almost complete and broadcast back of the should begin shortly.

UPDATE: Following the successes of the Mars rovers that are operating far beyond their scheduled life-span, the little Huygens probe is transmitting beyond it's scheduled timeline. The batteries still seem to be going strong (remember the 1.7 hour lag). Cassini has recorded the expected block of information, but Huygens is still transmitting new data that our ground and satellite receivers can pick up and collect. Unfortunately, Cassini is speeding away from Titan, but we'll still get this extra data from Huygens, just without the redundant recording from Cassini.

All in all though, the Cassini-Huygens mission is a RESOUNDING SUCCESS!!!!

CLICK HERE for the NASA/JPL/ESA page giving video updates of the mission.

The Little Probe That Could!
Image Courtesy: NASA/ESA

UPDATE:
First Images from Titan

This is one of the first raw images returned by the ESA Huygens probe during its successful descent. It was taken from an altitude of 16.2 kilometres with a resolution of approximately 40 metres per pixel. It apparently shows short, stubby drainage channels leading to a shoreline.
Image Courtesty: NASA/ESA

14 January 2005
This raw image was returned by the ESA Huygens DISR camera after the probe descended through the atmosphere of Titan. It shows the surface of Titan with ice blocks strewn around. The size and distance of the blocks will be determined when the image is properly processed.
Image Courtesy: NASA/ESA/University of Arizona

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)

Politically Correct Education Strikes Again

Great news from the PC folks in Newton, Massachusettes. It seems that they've overcome one of the greatest hurdles in the battle for Political Correctness. They've successfully created an "anti-racist multicultural" math.

"WOW! We really needed that." Is the only thing I can say.

Personally, I was never aware that math was racist, but then again, I guess all those round curvy numbers (oh wait, that's sexist, so I guess the new math has farther to go).

There's only one problem with the "anti-racist multicultural math" it simply DOESN'T TEACH MATH. That's of little concern to the guardians of political correctness in Massachusettes. It's far more important that students be protected from the racial oppression that positive and negative integers inflict upon our youth, and certainly lets not forget about the cultural damage that numerators and denominators create.

COME ON PEOPLE!!!! GET A LIFE!!!! Or, at the VERY least, make sure that you're own warped world view that everything is somehow racist and sexist and wrong needs to be replaced with a kinder and gentler multiculturalism. IT'S MATH for goodness sakes. 2+2=4 is no more racist than my coffee table, but on the OTHER hand a pure, accurate understanding of MATH is important for the future of our children. TEACH THEM MATH AND LEAVE YOUR OWN RACIST MULTICULTURAL HANG-UPS OUT OF THE CLASSROOM AND TEACH THE TOOLS OUR STUDENTS NEED TO SUCCEED.

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:27 AM | Comments (0)

She's Gonna Blow!!!!!

If you don't have one eye on the major news channels today, you may want to. The Prado dam in California is threatening to burst. Should it decide to let go, there are 500 homes immediately affected and the pictures will be quite incredible (and of course, tragic).

So flip on the news and hold a good thought for our brothers and sisters in Corona, Ca.

On the bright side? At least the California drought is over.

-Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:24 AM | Comments (0)

January 13, 2005

Where are the doomsayers

Of course they won't come out and say that they were wrong. In fact, most are going to stick their head in the sand and deny it. But facts are facts, and our economy is doing better and better everyday. Even with the horrific events of 9/11, two wars, and tax cuts, government revenues are going up.

Even with a weak dollar and a Euro screaming out of control across the pond (mainly driven by um. . NOTHING) our trade deficit is rapidly shrinking. So where are the naysayers, doomsayers and the chicken littles from the pre-election period??? Oh yeah, they're hiding from me.

Read John Kudlow's views on some economic movements.

Posted by JasonColeman at 3:33 PM | Comments (1)

January 11, 2005

This will change EVERYTHING

Harvard Center for Astro-Physics Press Release

The implications of this discovery will open up a whole new strain of scientific thought and could possibly lead to a whole new branch of physics, not to mention the possibilities for energy production, matter synthesis and of course, destruction.

The discovery of complex matter (in this case the Iron Gas) existing in a stable form riding along a ripple in the very fabric of space time could very well be the key to Faster Than Light (FTL) travel.

Until now, this little understood phenomenon was merely theorized by Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. Now that we have an actual example of a ripple in space time that can be observed and analyzed, a whole new understanding of the underlying fabric of the universe can be theorized and explored.

The revelations that light can in fact escape the regions surrounding a black hole also will force a new examination of the forces that hold the universe together.

Coupled together, the discoveries can only be described with one word - Incredible.

Artist's Conception 1
Artist's Conception 2
Artist's Animation of the Phenomenon

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 1:26 AM | Comments (2)

January 10, 2005

B15A Causing problems again

Back on Dec. 16th I mentioned an iceberg that was terrorizing penquins and causing some difficulties for our Antarctic researchers.

Well, B15A is at it again, this time it's threatening a glacier (actually the ice tongue of a glacier) with catastrophic destruction.

Ok, Ok, I'm putting too much dramatic emphasis on this event. However, it's kinda cool to watch this huge iceberg running amok around down there wreaking havoc, terrorizing penquins and giving everyone what could prove to be a spectacular show, again and again. It seems that if the model holds true and the collision does occur it'll probably happen again and again, until B15A is obliterated.

Click the links above, watch the animated GIF's and marvel at the intricate Antarctic dance. The big .tif files at the bottom of the article are cool too.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 6:52 PM | Comments (3)

Rathergate AGAIN

Well, the "independent" (read: hired by CBS to investigate CBS) panel has released their report and pink slips have been handed out to 4 CBS News staffers over CBS's new "false but accurate" reporting style and the Rathergate memos.

The report stops short of saying that the "documents" were fake. However as John Hinderaker of Powerline says:

I should add that I don't attach great significance to the authors' failure to state a definite conclusion that the documents were fakes. The report does an excellent job of marshalling the evidence as to content, format and typography. No one (except, perhaps, Dan Rather) can read that evidence without concluding that the documents were a hoax. Whether the authors stopped short of the obvious conclusion in order to help CBS, or out of an excess of caution, I have no idea. But the evidence arrayed by the authors against the CBS documents is the last nail in the coffin of those who have continued to argue that they might, after all, be genuine.

While no one can say definately and without a doubt that the documents are indeed forgeries, there's no evidence out there at all to say that they are real. Unless you want to take Dan Rather's word for it.

There is however THIS, which I feel demonstrates quite conclusively that the documents are indeed forgeries. (Please give it time to load, it's worth it.)

None of this really matters anyway. CBS News will recover, Dan Rather will get his gold watch and retire peaceably. There's no crime to prosecute and we'll only be able to say that it's widely believed the documents are forgeries put forward in an attempt to influence the election. Those that are supporters of Rather and Mapes will say that the documents may be "false, but accurate".

Today the main stream media will continue to use "false but accurate" reporting simply because IT SELLS. It's now easy to go out there and make bombastic claims, throw out forged documents and make connections where none exist. The media has failed us completely with this issue and it's only the first outward indication of what we're sure to see come up time and time again.

Quite frankly, the entire episode is quite depressing. Journalists, who were once the "guardians of the truth" have merely become entertainers, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves out there in the wasteland.

Complete Independent Panel report on CBS News

Exhibits for reports and Appendices

CBS Official Statement Regarding the Report

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 5:17 PM | Comments (1)

January 8, 2005

Blogging the DNC

Not quite livebloggin'

So here I am, in the belly of the beast, the DNC Southern caucus meeting. I came here on the pretense of meeting Donnie Fowler, who's running for DNC Chair. (Don't we look like a couple of drunkards at an insurance salesmen's convention????)

At first they didn’t want to let me in the meeting. Of course this is completely understandable, after all, I’m a Southerner, but I’m not a Democrat, and I can understand why they didn’t want to give me access to their inner party workings, but I am an American after all, and I’m entitled, aren’t I??

Well, apparently they think so, because after a considerable hemming and hawing, brief attempts to say that the room was full, they gave me a “Special Guest” pass. I’m wondering if the saw me get off the short bus.

This is my first attempt at liveblogging, so we'll see how it goes.

So first they want to explain how the 5 vice-chairs are going to be elected. Apparently they will distribute ballots, people will mark them and then "if a woman is elected" (yes, this immediately made my ears stand up), they will go on and validate the election and move on to the other 4 vice-chairs.

Oh hell it's all too complicated, and trying to describe it is just too difficult. I'm confused, so is everyone else. She says that if you don't understand to see here after she's done speaking. Apparently I'm not the only one confused, cause she's done now and she's being mobbed by people waving papers and cards at her in a fultile attempt to understand a process that's far too difficult for a mere mortal to figure out.

Oh, here's a picture of Me and Al. (Links aren't working at the moment, WHAT'S UP WEBSTRIKE.)

--JC

Bah, the wireless connection is buggy, keeps dropping in and out, just lost a bunch of stuff. Oh well. . . .

--JC

Simon Rosenberg is not a fan of Bob Schrum.

"listen to the people. Not Bob Schrum."

Ouch, Oooooohhhh, here comes Dean.

--JC

Dean, not much in the opening statement, he lamented a bit about how there were more Democrat governors when he took office than there are now. He didn't even touch on the South in his opening remarks. No screams either. Bummer.

--JC

Donnie Fowler - "A Democrat party without the south is like greens without cornbread." Woo Hoo, go Donnie Go. Only candidate so far that got spontaneous laughter and applause in his opening statement. Maybe he's got a chance after all. He's got my vote. Oh, wait, I'm a republican. Shucks.

--JC

Dean:

“What this country wants is a Liberal Demcratic adgenda.” Wha Wha What???? Didn’t we just have an election?????

Wellington Webb –

“We’re not going to let George W. Bush dance on FDR’s grave by privatizing Social Security”

Donnie Folwer –

“We lost because John Kerry couldn’t convince American families that he could keep America safe.” Yep, this kid’s got it dead on!!!

--JC

Donnie’s wiping the floor with these guys. I thought Dean would do better. He admitted that the Presidency wasn’t a 50 state race, and Donnie fired right back.

“…. The Democrat party has to be a 50 state party”

I think everyone up there visibly winced. Now they’re all rushing to use the “50 state” affirmation.

--JC

It's shaping up to be a three way contest here at the DNC Southern Caucus, Donnie Folwer, Howard Dean and Simon Rosenberg.

--JC

UH OH! Apparently the Democrat Party Chair from the US Virgin Islands is here and he's ranting that it need to be a 56 state strategy. Everyone is trying to be polite, but um. . . he's ranting. Apparently he did the same thing in Orlando.

--JC

Donnie –

“Some states and territories don’t want to be admitted as a state.” Well, in truth, he’s right. He’s the only one that has the cojones to stand up and say that though. Everyone else is giving the Virgin Islands guy lip service.

--JC

Donnie won the Affirative Action part of the debate. Rather than talk about how he'd "find new ways to spend money in black areas", he nailed it dead on by talking about how he's walked the walk in Michigan by increasing African American turnout and supporting African-American candidates. He's letting his record speak for him.

Rosenberg is making some inroads now. Maybe he's the sleeper in this race. Dean said something, but it was so bland and without substance, that I honestly can't remember what it was. And he just got done?? Go figure. Oh wait, I do remember one thing:

"I agree with Donnie."

Wellington Webb (gotta use the whole name when it’s such a fun one), is getting a pass on this one, after all, he IS African American. He did give everyone a good laugh though by saying:
“Uh, what was the substance of your question again?”

(For the record, the question was “What will you do to increase the numbers of successful African-American candidates.)

--JC

Donnie wins again with the question:

"What will you specifically do to help those of us elected officials that are closest to the people in terms of organizing?"

His Reply:

"I'm the only person on this panel who's been on the ground, organizing at the local level in a major national campaign."

--JC

OH no they got to the abortion question.

Lots of rehashing the same ole, same ole. Donnie gave a brief appeal for a moderate approach (makes sense).

Unfortunately, the line that got the applause:

“The Republicans are all about the delivery room, then nothing else. I will bring a Democratic party that will care about that child, for the long term, with WIC programs, and protecting a woman’s right to choose.” What???? Wait a minute. Long term? WIC Programs? Is that “long term” isn’t there anything more involved in the long term than WIC programs. Why’d this line get applause??? I’m confused. But that’s par for the course when anyone except Rosenberg and Donnie are speaking. No one else is saying anything.

--JC

Dean keeps going over time, he says he’ll stop, and that he’ll concede time later, but then he does it again, and again, and again. Poor Wellington Webb can hardly get a word in edgewise. However he did have a winner with:

“We need to have a conversation with white voters as well as black voters about their REAL economic interests and concerns.”

I think this is the first time I’ve heard an African-American politician actually say he was going to reach out to white voters. Webb’s credibility just went up with me, but unfortunately I lived in Colorado too long (Webb is Denver’s mayor) to overlook his shortcomings there with a few sound bites in this meeting.

--JC

Donnie hit another winner with sensible Americans and summed it all up with X words.

“The Democrat party doesn’t get it.” There were looks of shock throughout the room, but actually, he’s right.

--JC

Dean-
“I don’t believe that the Democrats will win the Presidency in 2008 unless we make the changes necessary in the Party.” Funny, that’s what Donnie’s been saying all along, in fact that’s his whole issue “changetheparty”

--JC

Things are wrapping up so I’m gonna shut down the puter and see what I can glean out of the “handshaking” rounds.

--Jason - Signing off.

UH OH, glad I stopped. They just figured out I’m not press and sicced the coppers on me. Seriously, they did. He just came over and told me that I have to stop typing or I’ll be removed. Funny, huh.

Posted by JasonColeman at 3:31 PM | Comments (1)

January 7, 2005

More about Gonzales

John Hinderaker of Powerline is talking up the Gonzales confirmation. He agrees with me that:

All of this heavy breathing is grotesquely misplaced. The two "offenses" with which Gonzales is charged are: 1) he received a memo written by the Justice Department on the question of what conduct would violate a statute that prohibits torture and other cruel and inhumane activity. The Justice Department's analysis of that statute appears to me to be sound, but, in any event, it was their analysis, not the nominee's. 2) He received from the Justice Department, and passed on to the President, a memo from the Justice Department on whether the Geneva convention applies to al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners. The Justice Department concluded, and Gonzales agreed, that the Geneva convention does not apply to those prisoners.

The whole article is a great read, check out the whole thing here.

What saddens me most is that it's journalist's quest to find negative news about any and every little thing that create great misconceptions about the motives and activities of people in the world today.

Whether it be Gonzales reading a DoJ memo or Bush following the law of the US with regard to pledging tax dollars for tsunami victims' relief. The news becomes the fight to discredit rather than the fight to report the events.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 4:35 PM | Comments (0)

January 6, 2005

Canadian Drugs

Ok, so now I get to rant. Why? Just because I can.

Canadian Drugs -- The Canadians DO NOT want us buying drugs from them. They're about to cut off the ability of Americans to buy drugs from Canada. People are beginning to scream that this is because of some pressure that the Bush administration has put on the Canadians.

ANYONE WHO THINKS THIS IS AN IDIOT!!!!!!!!!

The Canadians are about to cut off the drug pipeline to the US because the Canadian government is SUBSIDIZING the cost of drugs in Canada. It does absolutely NO GOOD for the Canadian citizen to subsidize American drug purchases.

Get the reality of the situation straight people. The Canadian government TAXES THE HELL out of the Canadian people. They then in turn use these taxes to subsidize prescription drug costs in Canada. When we (Americans) go across the border or use the internet to buy Canadian drugs, it's costing Canadian citizens their tax dollars that are meant to benefit Canadian people. When we buy their drugs, we are using Canadian money to subsidize our prescription drug costs.

NO WONDER the Canadians are pissed. And NO, it's not Bush or any American administration that's cutting off the suppy, it's the Canadians acting in their own best interests. They're getting taxed, those taxes are getting them cheaper drugs. They don't pay taxes so that Americans, or anyone other than Canadians, can get cheaper drugs.

We'd be pissed as all hell if our taxes were going to provide the Canadians with season tickets to NFL games wouldn't we??? Of course we would.

So stop this BULLSHIT about the Bush Administration cutting off the supply of Canadian prescription drugs. Canadians do not want, nor should they be asked, to subsidize our prescription drug costs.

NOW, DO NOT SEND ME EMAIL saying that we should have cheaper drugs. NO WE SHOULDN'T! The Canadians made the choice to have the hell taxed out of them and they made the choice to have those tax dollars go to subsidizing their prescription drugs. We have not made this choice. We DO NOT WANT to have the hell taxed out of us. It's a question of fundamental differences in how we view our healthcare system.

We want cheaper drugs, so we're trying to get those drugs from Canada. The Canadians want better access to healthcare so they stream over our border to see our doctors. It's Yin and Yang, give an take, it's the choices we make. However, taking advantage is taking advantage. Canadians coming here to use our doctors and our hospitals are not using our tax dollars when they do it. We should not be using their tax dollars by buying their subsidized prescription drugs.

Stop pissing off the Canadians by stealing their drugs, and their taxes. They are our neighbors dammit, show them some respect. After all, from time to time we borrow their tank. (Ok, I'm sorry, and yes, I know their military isn't THAT small.)

--Jason

PS I could have used another source for the link, but I've taken so much shit for being in Alabama lately that I thought I'd start to use more Alabama websites and news sources in my blog. Ya'll furgit folks, us redneks have a damn sight lotta smart folks down here an we'sa got us more rocket sci'tists heer in 'bama than any dang place ellst.

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:40 PM | Comments (1)

The Objection

The debate over the objection to count the votes of the electoral collge is underway. It's rapid fire debate, and it's just great. So far my favorite is from

Rep Keller - Fl. "Get over it."

I can't wait until "Thomas" has all the comments posted.

It's over, and I'm really looking forward to reading through the "official" remarks.

Nothing important was really said; there were complaints that people had to stand in the rain; there were complaints that people had to take time off work. Of course there were the claims that "people were disenfranchised" but no real evidence was presented.

In the end, 31 House Dems objected to the Ohio count, and 1 yep, 1 Senator objected. What's this tell me? That Barbara Boxer is a political HACK!!!! She knew she had NO support, but rather it was a good opprotunity for her to get some camera time, get her name in the news, but in the end she couldn't convince 1 other Senator to stand up with her. Even in principle, she should have been able to get ONE more to stand up, but she didn't really try. This was a dog and pony show for some of the House Dems that wanted to get up and make statements like "I came to this country a slave. . . " (I missed who said it, but I damn near broke my neck trying to get to the tube to see who did, I'll get it from Thomas tomorrow.)

It was a worthless debate, for a worthless cause and just another example of any little thing the "opposition party" can do to try and throw some semblance of illegitimacy to the Administration. In the end, it was a slam dunk, done deal and over before it began.

Total waste of time. Maybe now we can move forward. There was however, a great moment when another Representative from Ohio asked why it wasn't Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Wisconsin or Michigan that were challenged. I know! I know! Because those states went to Kerry.

It should be noted that 25 Senators didn't bother to show up, and over 100 House Representatives didn't bother either.

I wonder what ever happened to the big DemocraticUnderground protest where tens of thousands of people were supposed to descend on Washington to disrupt the proceedings.

--Jason

PS, Sometimes the Google Adsense Box can be so much fun, look, it's showing an ad for a Democrat matchmaking service now. Funny stuff.

Posted by JasonColeman at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)

Confirmation fun

Well, unless you're living under a rock, you probably know that Gonzales is being confirmed today. I say "confirmed" because I'm sure he'll go forward. There's really no reason to block his appointment.

WAIT A MINUTE? Isn't he that guy that said the Geneva Convention was outdated and quaint. Didn't that lead to torture and beheadings and burning in oil of those Iraqi prisoners at Abu Grahib???

Ok, that's my moonbat alterego popping up, but it's just rehashing the cries of the ABB crowd that will oppose anything and everything in the Presidents administration.

So let's take some time and look at the situation.

The Geneva Convention is a TREATY. Signed by multiple parties. Al-Queda has not signed this treaty, will not sign this treaty and will not agree to this treaty. The primary purpose of the Geneva Convention is to prevent attacks upon CIVILIANS. Al-Queda targets civilians specifically. That's their stock and trade.

Here's what people are upset about --

". . . the new paradigm renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of it's provisions requiring that captured enemy be afforded such things as commissary priviledges, scrip (i.e. advances of monthly pay), atheletic uniforms, and scientific instruments."

So? Hmmm. That's what people are upset about???? I thought I'd get some good writing time out of that, but, um. Yeah, that all makes sense to me. I would have to say yes, we can question them, and no, we don't need to get them scrip, soccer cleats and microscopes.

Welcome to the Attorney General's Chair Mr. Alberto Gonzales. Hopefully your time will be more pleasurable that Ashcroft's.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)

January 5, 2005

A Treasure's Trove

Here's an interesting book with an even more interesting concept.

Buy this Book

Posted by JasonColeman at 5:58 PM | Comments (0)

Venezuela Chavistas

Communism in Venezuela is on the march. Their first destination is a British owned farm that they will expropriate this coming Saturday. In clearer language, the Venezuela government and the Communist Chauvistas are going to seize the 13,000 hectare farm "for the people" because of what the Venezuelan government describes as a dispute over 3,000 hectare's land title.

This is disturbing on SO many levels. The farm in question is some of the most productive land in the country, the seizure is obviously directed to take the best for the government. The Venezuelan governement already owns a majority of undeveloped land in the South American country, but rather than redistribute that land to the people, they Chauvistas are going to seize foreign assets in a model similar to Zimbabwe's Mugabe government, and we know how successful that was.

The British say they will fight the expropriation, but it's doubtful that they will be able to successfully challenge the move. Time will tell on this one, but it's a sad sign for the future of Venezuela as they move further down the road to communism.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 5:47 PM | Comments (1)

January 4, 2005

Yay for the Dutch

One of my favorite reads is The Diplomad. Mainly because of posts like this.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 4:48 PM | Comments (0)

Captured, not captured, captured -------

Scoop artist extrodinaire Drudge is reporting that Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi has been caputred. Happy New Year.

Not so fast! Two hours later, he's posting a denial by military officials.

What to think? Probably a "fog of war" issue, but I've still got my fingers crossed, hoping that he actually has been captured and the military is embarking on a disinformation campaign until they can get him secured out of the country.

Hey? I can still hope, right.

Great news if he is captured, if not, we still gotta keep trying and anyone with a brain knows that this was never going to be easy.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)

The Blog is Fixed!!!

Woo Hoo, the blog is fixed. I have to really hand it to the great folks at Webstrike Solutions. They have been a great hosting company to work with and BY FAR they are the most responsive internet business I have EVER dealt with.

Now I just have to organize my thoughts up again to make up for all those posts I wanted to make but couldn't. Expect a flurry of activity. Woo Hoo, I'm stoked.

While I'm here, lemme give some props to Donnie Fowler and specifically his efforts to "changetheparty". I think Donnie is possibly one of the brightest stars in the political landscape today. If he's able to "changetheparty" the way he seems to hope to, I'll probably have some mid-term endorsements going to Democrats as well as Republicans. Good luck Donnie. For the record, I'm hated by a few of their far left visitors and members inhabiting their forums. However, I firmly believe that we need a two party system and Donnie's efforts to bring the Democrat party back into the game by working on their issues and infrastructure is valuable to country. I do respect their opinions even if they don't respect mine. Here's my introductory post over there.

On the other side of the spectrum, there's ConservativePunk, I've played over there a little bit over the last week or so and while dealing with the Punk subculture on their forums is sometimes a very frustrating experience. There are some real gold nuggets of truth to discover there. Check it out, just remember that dealing with the Punk subculture is not a PC experience and they'll jump down your throat whether your liberal or conservative. Read this first!

Oh yeah, the MSM has finally begun to expose the Philly 11 issue. I blogged about this over a week ago, today I finally caught stories about it on C-span and Fox.

Finally, remember this guy? Now read this. Sweet Irony!!!

More to come.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 12:30 AM | Comments (1)

January 1, 2005

New years gift for me

A surprising New Year's gift for me was delivered by The Truth Laid Bear. You may notice my TTLB ranking in the lower right of this blog.

Like everyone else, I started out as an Insignificant Microbe. Well today, as you can see, I've graduated up to Slimy Mollusc, and "boy howdy", am I stoked or what.

Yes, to be completely honest, it's not some great honor, and I've got a ways to go before I can give the likes of Instapundit or Little Green Football's a challenge. At least a few people are reading this little rant and rave space I set up. It was nice to see today and it's certainly encouraged me to put a little more effort into this thing.

Thanks to you all for stopping by to take a look and those of you that are linking to me and moving me up the blogosphere food-chain.

Even better was that I made the jump from Insignificant Microbe straight to Slimy Mollusc, I was able to skip right over Multicellular Microorganisms, Wriggly Worms, Crunchy Crustaceans and Lowly Insects.

--Jason

NOTE: For some strange reason, I can't put links into this entry. I'll have to figure it out later when I get home. Must be something toggled funny on this computer I'm borrowing.

NOTE:

Posted by JasonColeman at 8:02 PM | Comments (0)