The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Space, the final frontier' Edition...
Star Trek opened this weekend with strong reviews and grossed 76.5 million dollars.
Obviously, there is no lack of support for the Sci-If movie genre..
Set Phasers To "Ka-Ching" - CBS News
Meanwhile, with little notice or fanfare, the space shuttle Atlantis was launched Monday on what has been said is a critical and dangerous mission to repair the Hubble telescope in order to keep it operation for 5 more years until its replacement is ready. NASA's 2010 budget is 18.7 billion dollars which includes a 5% increase under Obama's stimulus plan.
High stakes in NASA's last visit to Hubble
Do you support continued space exploration programs?
Warp Factor Nine, Mr. Sulu!... Engage!
Adam in NoHo pessimistically supportive says...
Yes, yes I do. If nothing else, so that maybe some remnant of the human race will survive when Earth is no longer capable of supporting human life.
(Hmmm... Thinking of my grand-daughter, Maddie Muffin, that would be my hope, too)
Issaquah John enthusiastically wrote...
A great big yes to space exploration! It provides far more positive benefits to human kind in the form of science, medicine, and technology than war does. If we had spent the sum of money that was spent in Iraq on space, we would have been that much better off.
(Yeah! Velcro! I love it! Tang, though, not so much...)
Alaska Vic "I am Dyslexic of Borg...Prepare to have your ass laminated!" advocates the 'Rise of the Machines'...
I am not a fan of "Manned" space flight...with the age of autonamous machines upon us (thank you Cyberdyne!),there is really no need to put a meat bag that requires %98 of the mass of his craft be dedicated to keeping him sucking air, on a journey that we machines can do much more precisely and efficiently . Let's get more bang for our buck and send Smaller Smarter Cheaper...and MORE!
We should make it our goal to find life somewheres other than Earth so we can STICK IT in the face of the Fundies...can I get an AMEN???
PS I was just reminded of something I saw on one of them wadjacallits.... Documentaries... This one was about the Mars Pathfinder and it ends with the Rocket Surgeon dude from JPL explaining that every Martian morning the lil Rover Sojourner who is incapacitated still sends out a signal intended to reach Earth, asking in simple terms "What can I do for you today?How can I help you?" and an answer is never going to come back...there he sits, face tilted up , looking towards Earth...till some day wayyy in the future when a storm knocks him out or the Martians strip him for parts..The guy from JPL said they want to put "Nighty Night" Switches on every lander thingy they send out, so they can use the built in Clapper to shut them down and let them Go Gently into that Good Night...that is until they return as our vile overlords...but by then..who can blame them? (are you like me and wonder whether the 'Borg' Seven of Nine is any relation to Ernest Borgnine?...eh Bob?)
(Actually, no, I never have. Ol' Ernie's bulldog mug is the LAST thing I'd think of when watching her, if'n ya know what I mean. But, that doesn't mean that I'm not like you in some ways, though, I'm tellin' ya!...)
Joe S. cynically short said...
At a time long, long, ago in a land not too far from here Pete Seeger wrote a very short little song. It goes something like this. "Here we are, knee-deep in garbage shooting rockets to the moon." That's it. The only thing that has changed is we are probably hip-deep in garbage now.
(Speaking of garbage, it sure pisses me off, Joe, that our state of Michigan imports Canadian trash to our landfills because it's a money maker. How' bout you?)
Charlie recommends...
Though I haven't found it on the web, there is an essay by the great physicist Max Born (1882-1970), contained in his book My Life and My Views (New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968), called "Blessings and Evils of Space Travel". This essay, written during the early years of the Soviet and American space programs, expresses Born's skepticism about the benefits of space missions, whether of the human piloted or strictly automated sort. Born felt that the scientific knowledge gained would be of real interest to only a few specialists (including himself), that the human colonization of the solar system was unfeasible given the harsh conditions outside Earth, that the technical efforts involved would best be directed elsewhere, and that the space programs as then conceived were overly tied into the Cold War military rivalry. In February, 1958, Born said: "Space travel is a triumph of intellect but a tragic failure of reason." and in June,1961, he added:
"Intellect distinguishes between the possible and the impossible; reason distinguishes between the sensible and the senseless. Even the possible can be senseless."
I'm pointing out Born's essay because it and others in the book aren't as well-known as they should be. He was also skeptical about the value of satellite communications, and one can only imagine what he would have thought of cell phones. That aside, my own view is that space exploration by unmanned instruments is a worthy activity, that Hubble, Voyager, and other such programs have vastly enriched our understanding of the Universe, and that the cost of such programs isn't that great if compared to the amount we spend on purely military ventures. I do have doubts, despite the mission to repair Hubble, about the value of human space flight; we should be instead investing more heavily in more advanced instruments. These instruments need not all be space born, I am reminded of the Superconducting Super Collider, squashed by the Senate as too expensive, even though, compared to many military programs, it involved pocket change.
This is a topic which is difficult to give a short response to.
(Not to worry, Charlie, cuz it's a great one! Thanks fer bringing up Max Born. I'd never heard of him and now I know about his remarkable life from doing some research on him after reading your missive. You have improved my knowledge)
SallyP(al) surprised me with this...
I reply, "Absolutely!"
I know you will find this surprising, but I am a BIG fan of the radio show, "Coast to Coast," with George Noory. This show was formerly know as the "Art Bell Show," and all-in-all, I have been listening nightly for a good 15 years now. The show started by following the paranormal, but has morphed into many, many wonderful and informative subjects and guests. When it comes to NASA (and the Space Program) their ongoing guest is Richard C Hoagland, former museum space science Curator; a former NASA Consultant during the historic Apollo Missions to the Moon. (This is his great website: The Enterprise Mission.)
Richard, and other guests have shared the computer information, environmental impacts, industrial and technology advances, and health and medical discoveries that have come directly out of the space program!
Just taking the latter, in a manned space mission, the objective is to keep the astronauts well and alive under severe and often unknown conditions. So, if you can keep one of them alive and well, that technology translates to the rest of mankind as well.
I'm sure many folk's first though is, "Why go into space when we have so many problems here on Earth?" But in fact, applications on Earth of technology needed for space flight, have produced thousands of "spin offs" that contribute to improving national security, the economy, productivity and lifestyle. It is almost impossible to find an area of everyday life that has not been improved by these spin offs. Collectively, these secondary applications represent a substantial return on the national investment in aerospace research dollar-for-dollar. Of course, we would be spending more on these programs, were we not funding unwinnable wars with billions of throwaway dollars... As you can see, I am BIG on the Space Program!
(Yes, Pally, ya shocked me! I honestly thought you'd be in the camp of those "Why go into space when we have so many problems here on Earth?" naysayers... Jeesh! Just when I thought I had ya figured out! Haha)
Well, Poll-fans, I do support space exploration, although I'd rather that humanity would do it as a combined effort instead of nationally. I worry about the militarization of space, particularly by our 'good friends' the PRC.
Not that any of the other 'Players' wouldn't be above that if they could get away with it, dontcha know... and that includes the good Ol' US of A...
That's it then! Thanks to all and as I always say, "Boldly go where one has gone before"...
BadToTheBoneBob
New Question
The 'Pay it Forward' Edition...
Michelle Obama, in her debut as a commencement speaker, encouraged graduating students at the University of California - Merced to use their newfound skills to help lift up those around them.
She said, "...Remember that you are blessed. Remember that in exchange for those blessings, you must give something back. You must reach back and pull someone up. You must bend down and let someone else stand on your shoulders so that they can see a brighter future."
Do you volunteer your time and/or donate from your resources to help those less fortunate than yourself?
Send your response to
Darenet
WTF, Olbermann Kills the Acronym
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: The Perfect, the Good, the Planet (nytimes.com)
The climate change legislation now on the table isn't the bill we'd ideally want, but it's vastly better than no bill at all.
Froma Harrop: Oversharing, Exhibitionism, Loneliness (creators.com)
Some things are best left private. Elizabeth's book and "Oprah" outpouring drag the public under the couple's covers - offering disclosure with no socially redeeming value. Anyhow, John's most troubling betrayal wasn't to her, but to his many followers, who took him seriously.
Susan Dominus: Suze Orman Is Having a Moment (nytimes.com)
Consumer spending may be down, but desire apparently isn't. Americans still want, they crave, they have to have. They want $8,000 sewing machines and $2,800 custom closets and $5,000 minitractors, and sometimes they reach out to Suze Orman, the ubiquitous, telegenic personal-finance expert and beg her for permission to indulge.
Neal Broverman: Dissing DADT, Jon Stewart-Style (advocate.com)
Leave it to The Daily Show's Jon Stewart to eviscerate "don't ask, don't tell" with a laugh.
Andrew Harmon: NPR's Terry Gross Speaks Out (advocate.com)
Gay bloggers were up in arms when NPR's Terry Gross declined to air the names of alleged closeted politicians in an interview with Outrage director Kirby Dick. Now, Gross is speaking out.
the linster: The Incredibly True Adventures of Francine and Katchoo (afterellen.com)
I can't believe that two years have passed since we said goodbye to 'Strangers in Paradise.'
Trish Bendix: Dance Yourself to Death Come Alive (afterellen.com)
Susan and Jen of the edgy queer pop rock band Dance Yourself to Death talk about their history together, their first album, and their new hit song "Sea of Love."
KATIE PEOPLES: Von Iva Turns Up the Heat (curvemag.com)
They've got a feature film and an expanding tour. What's next for this up-and-coming synth rock band?
Christopher Borrelli: Why Michael Cera appears to be everywhere onscreen (Chicago Tribune)
What is the meaning of Michael Cera? For as long as there have been movies, the leading man has not been Michael Cera.
Desperately seeking Ethan (guardian.co.uk)
Ethan Hawke has spent his career cast as the perpetual slacker student. Now, at 38 and part of Sam Mendes's latest theatrical outing, does he finally feel grown up? Laura Barton finds out.
Kathie Lee: Photographs
replied:
Alan J A-18 | L-18
Charlie A-17 | L-18
DC Madman A-1 | L-1
Gary G A-0 | L-1
Jim from CA A-2 | L-2
Joe S A-18 | L-18
José-Ariel A-2 | L-3
MAM A-18 | L-18
Maria in Chicago A-12 | L-12
Marian the Teacher A-15 | L-15
Sally A-18 | L-18
Tom B A-1 | L-1
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Still sunny and 30° cooler than inland.
The Hotmail account is acting up again. I can see the headers but can't open anything.
Acknowledges Plagiarism
Maureen Dowd
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd has admitted to using a paragraph virtually word-for-word from a prominent liberal blogger without attribution.
In the original column, Dowd wrote: "More and more the timeline is raising the question of why, if the torture was to prevent terrorist attacks, it seemed to happen mainly during the period when the Bush crowd was looking for what was essentially political information to justify the invasion of Iraq."
Marshall last week wrote virtually the same sentence. But where Dowd's column used the phrase "the Bush crowd was," Marshall used "we were."
Dowd, who won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1999, told The Huffington Post that the mistake was unintentional. She claims she never read Marshall's post last week and had heard the line from a friend who did not mention reading it in Marshall's blog.
Maureen Dowd
Engagement News
Nixon - Marinoni
"Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon announced her engagement to girlfriend Christine Marinoni at a gay rights rally over the weekend, celebrity web sites reported on Monday.
Nixon, 43, told the crowd at a "Love Peace and Marriage Equality" rally in New York that she and Marinoni got engaged last month and planned to marry, Access Hollywood said.
Nixon and Marinoni, an education activist, have been together for about 5 years since the actress split with long-time companion Danny Mozes, with whom she had two children.
Nixon - Marinoni
Space Station Screening
'Star Trek'
"Star Trek" has been beamed aboard the International Space Station.
Paramount Pictures said they transferred director J.J. Abrams' sci-fi franchise reboot to NASA's Mission Control in Houston. The movie was uplinked to the space station on Thursday.
NASA astronaut Michael Barratt watched the film on a laptop Friday inside the Unity module.
The 50-year-old astronaut said he remembered "watching the original 'Star Trek' series and, like many of my NASA co-workers, was inspired by the idea of people from all nations coming together to explore space."
'Star Trek'
Canceled By ABC
"Samantha Who?"
It will indeed be "Samantha Who?" next season as the Christina Applegate amnesia comedy will likely not return for a third year.
Sources said ABC decided to cancel the series after it couldn't reach a cost-cutting deal with corporate sibling ABC Studios, which produces the show.
"Samantha Who?"
Dallas Auction
'Golden Age' Comics
As a kid, Ralph Chicorel was careful with the comic books he faithfully bought for 10 cents at the drugstore in his Detroit neighborhood.
"I loved the artwork so much that I took real good care of them. I turned the pages very carefully," the 78-year-old said. "I relished, treasured them."
Chicorel's diligence will likely pay off when 110 or so of the comics he started collecting as an 8-year-old go up for auction soon at Heritage Auction Galleries, an offering that's expected to bring in about $500,000.
Experts say most comics from the "Golden Age" - the late 1930s through the 1940s - were thrown away or fell victim to World War II era paper drives. And most of those saved were read until they were in tatters or stored in places where light, moisture or heat got to them.
'Golden Age' Comics
American Apparel Settles Suit
Woody Allen
Woody Allen agreed Monday to a $5 million settlement in his lawsuit accusing American Apparel of using an image parodying him as a rabbi without his permission.
Both sides announced the settlement - to be paid by American Apparel's insurance company - on the morning a trial was to start in federal court in Manhattan.
Reading from a statement outside court, Allen said he hoped the outcome "would discourage American Apparel or anyone else from ever trying such a thing again."
American Apparel president Dov Charney told reporters it wasn't his decision to settle. The company's insurance company "controlled the defense" in the case, he said.
Woody Allen
Settlement Reached
'The Passion of the Christ'
A settlement has been reached in a screenwriter's lawsuit against Mel "Catholic Family Values" Gibson over "The Passion of the Christ."
A notice of settlement filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court stated that an agreement had been reached and was being put into writing. The filing asked a judge to cancel a trial scheduled for June 3.
Benedict Fitzgerald sued Gibson and several film companies for $10 million in February 2008, claiming that Gibson and others vastly understated the budget for the 2004 blockbuster. The screenwriter's suit claimed Gibson told him the budget for the movie would be in the $4 million to $7 million range, but that it was significantly higher.
Fitzgerald also claimed that Gibson told him he would not receive any money from the film, but considered it a gift of his faith.
The Passion of the Christ
Pleads Not Guilty
Kanye West
Kanye West has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from a scuffle with a paparazzo last year.
Los Angeles City Attorney's spokesman Nick Velasquez says West entered the plea through his attorney on Friday. The 31-year-old was not in court.
City prosecutors charged the rapper with misdemeanor battery, grand theft and vandalism. West was arrested on Sept. 11 after an incident in which he was shown breaking a paparazzo's camera flash at Los Angeles International Airport.
West's attorney, Blair Berk, declined to comment on the plea.
Kanye West
Court Rejects Appeal
John Steinbeck
The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a son of author John Steinbeck over the publishing rights to "The Grapes of Wrath" and other early works.
The court said Monday it won't disturb a ruling by the federal appeals court in New York that the rights belong to Penguin Group Inc., and the heirs of John Steinbeck's widow, Elaine. Author John Steinbeck died in 1968; his wife in 2003. The heirs include her sister, four children and grandchildren.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a lower court judge misapplied copyright law in awarding the rights in 2006 to the son, Thomas Steinbeck, and granddaughter Blake Smyle. Both already receive a portion of the proceeds of sales.
John Steinbeck
Gibsland Celebrates
Bonnie and Clyde
When lawmen eager for revenge used a field near this tiny town to set the trap for Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, they wrote Gibsland into a macabre love story that's fascinated generations.
Local officials expect visitors to quadruple the population of the town for a festival this weekend marking the 75th anniversary of the bank robbers' bullet-riddled demise. Interest in the couple remains strong here and elsewhere, with two books on them being released this year and actress Hillary Duff signed on for a new movie about their violent, ill-fated romance.
"They knew they would die, but they would die together. It was a love story that shamed Romeo and Juliet," said L.J. "Boots" Hinton, 75, who runs the Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum. He is the son of Deputy Sheriff Ted Hinton, one of the lawmen who gunned down the duo.
A granite marker, chunks gouged out by souvenir seekers, marks where Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker - who robbed and murdered their way around six states - were killed on May 23, 1934. Traffic was sparse on a recent day along the two-lane hardtop that replaced the gravel highway that Barrow and Parker followed to their deaths at ages 25 and 23, respectively.
Bonnie and Clyde
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