is about to get a major boost. The Astronaut Farmer comes out next month:
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Saturday, January 13, 2007
Private-Sector Spaceflight
Looking Into the Future
In Great Britain, grade inflation at all levels has gotten so bad that they have now introduced a 'supergrade' - 'A*' - to set some students apart from all the others that get A's:
The scale of "grade inflation" in schools and universities since Labour came to power is laid bare in official figures today.
The number of A grades at A-level and top honours degrees has soared more than 50 per cent since 1997.
The trend at GCSE is almost as marked, with pupils now passing 36 per cent of exams at the top two grades of A and A*...
In a tacit admission of the problem last year, ministers pledged to toughen up A-levels with an A* supergrade and a return to traditional open-ended questions.
It has also backed a review of the degree classification system amid claims by the official university standards watchdog that it is little better than a "lottery".
A Daily Mail analysis illustrates starkly the extent to which grading has drifted upwards at the three most crucial stages of the education system.
At GCSE, top grade passes have risen from 14 per cent in Labour's first year of office to 19.1 per cent last summer.
The brightest pupils now find the exams so undemanding that huge hauls of passes are becoming standard...
Meanwhile sixth-formers now pass a quarter of A-levels at grade A - up from just 15.7 per cent nearly a decade ago.
And figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency have shown how first-class honours degrees have rocketed 55 per cent.
More than one in ten undergraduates now achieve the highest university accolade while more than half achieve the top two grades - either a first or upper second.
Out of 289,200 undergraduates awarded degrees last year, 172,000 were awarded one of these degrees...
Is it that bad in the US?
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North Korea Solves Food Problem
They are looking into breeding giant rabbits. Seriously:
A German pensioner who won a prize and worldwide fame for breeding his country’s largest rabbit — Robert, a 10.5kg (23lb) bruiser the size of a dog — has been offered an unusual opportunity to exploit his talents overseas.
Karl Szmolinsky has been given a contract by North Korea to supply giant rabbits to help to boost meat production in the reclusive Communist country, which is suffering severe food shortages. The only problem is that such huge rabbits consume vast quantities of food themselves as they grow.
Szmolinsky, from Eberswalde, in the east of Germany, was contacted by the North Korean Embassy in Berlin in October after Robert attracted press coverage. “They want to boost meat production. They’ve arranged for me to go to Pyongyang in April to advise them on setting up a breeding farm,” Szmolinsky, who is 68 next month, told The Times...
He has also received a request for rabbits from a Chinese buyer. He said he believed that the monster bunny program — one rabbit yields 7kg (15lb) of meat — was aimed at feeding the North Korean people rather than the “Dear Leader”, Kim Jong Il, who is said to favor lobster...
Hhhhmmm... giant rabbits, huh?
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To the Victor Go the Spoils
If you win a hotly-contested race, you can be a jerk and say things like this:
"You recognize me? My name's Dr. Multimillionaire and I kicked your ass."
And if you are a colossal boor who also insults a popular first lady, and plagiarizes transparently, it guarantees that you become the opposition's number one target the next time around.
Update: Riehl World View has much more on this, including Congressman Kagen's lawbreaking and lying.
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The Damaged GOP Brand
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire looks at the 'damaged GOP brand:'
GOP pollster Glen Bolger explains: "We’re still good on taxes and values, but have big problems on 'less spending' and 'less government,' and there are cracks in the wall of our strong national security fortress. The other tarnish is that for a long time, Democrats were the party of the professional politicians, while Republicans came to Washington to fix the mess and go home. The scandals and the way Republicans ran the House mean that we have been more interested in power than in doing what is right -- which means we are no different than that which we replaced in 1994."
One reason that it took the Democrats 12 years to reclaim the image of the party most prepared to 'fix the mess' in Washington is that Republicans were perceived after 1994 as having actually changed things in Washington. Will the public decide in a year that Democrats have really changed how Washington works? So far, I think the answer looks like 'no.'
A big question will be what they do with the ethics process. Will they finally reject the system that leaves Members in charge of protecting - rather than policing - their own, or will they create an independent body? I think that will go a long way to determining if they are seen as continuing business as usual.
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China's Problems
People often underestimate the problems that China faces in years to come. QandO catches a big one: 30 million more men than women 'of marriageable age' by 2020.
What will be the result of this - apart from a dramamtic drop in population, soon thereafter?
The other thing is, there's no 'solution' for this. You can't import 30 million women, and you can't just create them - now that they've already been killed. The only way to correct an imbalance like this is to get rid of 30 million men.
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Friday, January 12, 2007
'Hey! We're Not Irrelevant!'
As far as I can tell, that is the central message sent by the announcement that the jokers behind the Doomsday Clock are getting ready to move the hands forward. Either that or they need a reason to send out a fundraising letter.
Except whoops - they didn't say which way they're turning the hands! I'm just guessing the direction, based on the cryptic statement that the change was based on 'worsening nuclear, climate threats.' When the rationale is that elusive, who can really predict which way they're going to go?
How reliable is the clock? As far as I know, it has hovered around '7 minutes to midnight' since it was created in 1947. So far, there has not been a nuclear holocaust. According to Reuters, the hands have been shifted 17 times. So with 17 opportunities to correct the apparent error, they believe we've been on the Eve of Destruction for 60 years. Guess we've been really lucky!
Don't you think at some point in the last 6 decades they could have tinkered with 9:30pm or so? That way, we would all realize that planetary extinction was not that far off, but we probably had time to go make a sandwich.
Editor's Note: It is my considered opinion that the Barry McGuire version of 'Eve of Destruction' is far inferior to that of Joey Scarbury from the fantastic series 'Greatest American Hero.'
Stephen J. Cannell - you're a genius!
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The Shape of the Surge
The specific U.S. Army brigades expected to participate:
1st Brigade of the 34th Infantry Division (The Red Bulls)
This may help explain why Sen. Coleman (R-MN) publicly condemned the surge. The 1st Brigade is a National Guard unit stationed in Stillwater, MN.
The 4th Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One).
This may help explain why Sen. Brownback (R-KS) publicly condemned the surge. The 1st Division is stationed at Ft. Riley, KS.
The 4th Stryker (Dragoon Raider) Brigade, 2nd Infantry (Indian Head) Division, based at Fort Lewis, WA, will deploy early;
The 2nd Brigade (Spartans), 3rd Infantry (Rock of the Marne) Division, based at Fort Stewart, GA, will deploy early;
And the 3rd Brigade (Sledgehammer), 3rd Infantry (Rock of the Marne) Division, based at Fort Benning, GA, will deploy early.
The 2nd (Falcon) Brigade of the 82nd Airborne (All-American) Division, based at Ft. Bragg, NC, has already started deployment.
More Minimum Wage Hypocrisy...
Why are Democrats trying to raise the minimum wage in the Northern Marianas, but not in American Samoa?
Wizbang has the story.
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Rangel Disses Nancy; Dems Break Another Promise
The New York Post reports that Ways and Means Committee chairman Charlie Rangel is 'miffed' that Speaker Pelosi is suggesting tax policy without consulting him, and bypassing his committee's jurisdiction on major legislation:
January 12, 2007 -- WASHINGTON - Powerhouse New York Rep. Charles Rangel is butting heads with fellow Democrat Nancy Pelosi just a week into the new Congress controlled by their party, The Post has learned.
Rangel yesterday swatted down a tax hike that Pelosi has floated, and he made an end run around her decision to bypass House committees in a rush to bring bills to a vote.
"There's a lot of tension there," one Democratic lawmaker said of the relationship between Rangel and Pelosi.
Rangel, who took over the powerful Ways and Means Committee after 36 years in Congress, smacked down the idea Pelosi raised on Sunday of repealing tax cuts for those earning more than $500,000 per year.
"We haven't gotten that far to be talking about tax increases," Rangel told The Post. "She hasn't discussed it with me . . . We haven't gotten into tax policy."
Pelosi had said nixing tax cuts for half-million-dollar earners "might be more important to the American people than ignoring the educational and health needs of America's children."
But Rangel, whose committee handles tax policy, dismissed Pelosi's idea as unlikely to happen, since the speaker didn't bother to vet it with him in advance.
"Saying it to me in private is far more important than whatever she says nationally," he huffed, referring to her weekend TV appearance.
By calling out Pelosi, Rangel, a liberal firebrand himself, has emerged as the first old-school committee "baron" with the political juice to spar with the ascendant speaker.
In another swat at Pelosi, Rangel sided with Republican lawmakers by opposing his leadership's high-profile push to jam through legislation in the first 100 hours of Democratic rule.
Pelosi decreed that none of the early legislation would go through the normal committee process, hoping to keep her party in lockstep to enact key agenda items and boost her own and the party's national image.
"I don't think the chairman [Rangel] likes the idea that there were no hearings on a lot of the bills that were coming up in the 100 hours," said the Democratic lawmaker.
And if you continue down a little further in the article, you find that the 'open process' promised by Ms. Pelosi and the Democratic leadership seems to have been a casualty, as well:
Rangel got around her by setting up closed-door committee forums that were essentially hearings anyway.
Yesterday, the Republican and Democratic committee members met with health experts on the drug bill, and an energy meeting is set for next week
Guess the 'open Congress' thing wasn't an important promise. I really wish they'd tell us which ones are important!
Last comment: I noted a while ago that Ms. Pelosi's fight for Murtha over Hoyer might be the sort of proxy vote that showed she was unable to control the Democratic conference. I warned that that that loss might presage a Congress where she was unable to rein in Committee chairmen, much as was the case in the last Democratic majority. Well, post hoc, ergo propter hoc.
And Philo has chronicled the rivalry between Rangel and Pelosi, and Pelosi's past dissing of Rangel on Murtha and policy matters. Guess payback can be a... pain in the neck.
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Open Letter to Fred Dalton Thompson
Glenn points to Stephen Bainbridge, who wants Fred Thompson to run for President. It's something I've suggested before. It's something Mary Katharine Ham has suggested before (although I can't find the post right now). I'm sure many others have suggested it independently.
So Senator Thompson, if you google your name (like the rest of us do), and you want come across this post, feel free to either announce, or dash the hopes of your nascent campaign in waiting. The E-mail address is at the left. (Plus, it would sure drive up my traffic).
And FWIW, a fellow I know who worked closely with Senator Thompson says that he is aware that there are many folks who would like to see him get in the race, and the chances are nil.
Oh well. Next thing you know someone will tell me there's no Santa Claus.
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Thursday, January 11, 2007
Tracking the 100 Hours
Just in case you were wondering, the 110th Congress first met one week ago, at noon on Thursday January 4th. At the time of this posting, that means the Congress is about 178 hours old.
How far are we into the first 100 hours? Seventeen hours and fourty-eight minutes.
Must be the new math.
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Good News on Tim Johnson
Senator Tim Johnson has been transferred out of ICU and has started to speak again:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 (AP) — Senator Tim Johnson has been transferred out of intensive care and has started to speak, nearly a month after suffering a brain hemorrhage, his doctor said Thursday.
The senator’s neurosurgeon, Dr. Vivek Deshmukh, said an M.R.I. on Tuesday showed that the speech centers in his brain were spared injury in the hemorrhage on Dec. 13.
“This is confirmed by the fact that he is following commands and has started to say words,” Dr. Deshmukh said in a statement from the office of the senator, a South Dakota Democrat.
The senator is to have “aggressive therapy” in inpatient rehabilitation at George Washington University Hospital, the statement said.
On Monday, Mr. Johnson’s condition was upgraded to fair from critical, and his doctors said he no longer needed a ventilator. He was being weaned off the tracheotomy tube in his neck, his office said Wednesday.
Mr. Johnson’s office has said that recovery is expected to take several months...
Our prayers remain with Senator Johnson and his family.
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Senate Democrats vs. House Democrats
Andrew Roth is providing great coverage of the move by Senate Democrats to defang the earmark reform proposed by House Democrats. It comes complete with Harry Reid insulting Nancy Pelosi's ideas.
And while we're at it, let's get ready for the coming showdown between House and Senate Democratic leaders over whether to do the politically shrewd thing, and allow the President to have his surge, or whether to take part ownership of Iraq by not allowing the President to do what he thinks best.
Bet on the Senate Democrats - at least in that latter dispute.
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Democrats Go Off the Deep End
A friend of mine who used to work on Capitol Hill said it was critical to ask whether what you are about to do passes the 'bull**** test.' Someone needs to explain the test to David Wu.
And as long as we're picking on David Wu, is it worth asking whether he knows what the word 'ideologue' means?
Check out Ace of Spades, who's treating Wu with the respect he deserves.
I am less deferential; I think David Wu is a faux fraggle.
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Partial Victory for Speaker Pelosi on Stem Cells
The allegedly Catholic leader of the "humans-have-inalienable-rights-when-we-say-they-do" party notched an incomplete win on increased federal funding for embryonic stem cell research today, offering a partial fulfillment of the third item on Speaker Pelosi's 100-hour agenda. The 253-174 vote passes the bill but falls 37 votes short of the 2/3 majority needed to ensure passage of the bill in the face of President Bush's promised veto.
In an associated item earlier in the week, Sen. Casey (D-PA), through a spokesman, announced that he would oppose the bill as well, which passed last year in the Senate by a less-than-2/3 majority of 63-37. I admit I entertained suspicion that Sen. Casey would in fact demonstrate pro-life sensibilities only when the votes were already in place to accomplish the will of the Democratic Party's paymasters, but it seems that there may be actual conviction left in the Casey political DNA. Credit where it's due to the freshman.
Now let's see if he can resist the tendency of Catholic Democrats "to grow in office" the way Gephardt, Dodd and the Kennedys did into a form more pleasing to Emily's List. Time will tell.
Touching Story of the Day
British veteran of World War II, and survivor of the sinking of the Gloucester, has his ashes committed to the deep near Crete, where his comrades died 65 years ago:
A survivor of one of Britain's worst wartime Naval disasters has had his dying wish carried out.
Ken MacDonald's ashes were committed to the deep over the wreck of the cruiser Gloucester, sunk by enemy action in 1941 with the loss of 723 lives.
Mr MacDonald, a marine bandsman, was one of just 82 survivors when the cruiser was dive-bombed by German Stukas off the coast of Crete as it helped defend the island from occupation.
Gloucester, which saw so much enemy action it was nicknamed "the Fighting G", was a grievous loss, having won five battle honours in less than a year's service.
On 22 May, having fought off several raids with no air protection and almost out of ammunition, it was hit four times and set ablaze.
Mr MacDonald, who was manning one of the cruiser's massive guns, managed to scramble to safety through a hatch. He was picked up by a German ship and was a prisoner-of-war for four years.
Returning to Britain, he vowed that, when his time came, he wanted his ashes to be scattered where his comrades had perished.
After his death a year ago, aged 88, Mr MacDonald's ashes were kept while the Navy made arrangements to carry out his wish.
Last month the present-day Gloucester, a destroyer, set off on an anti-terrorism patrol to the Mediterranean. With its crew gathered on deck, a cask containing his remains and draped in the Union flag, was committed to the deep.
The ship's captain, Commander Mike Paterson, said: "It was a great honour for us to be able to commit his ashes to the sea over the previous Gloucester..."
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Dodd Laces up the Gloves for a Title Shot
More interesting to me than Sen. Chris Dodd's commonplace senatorial delusion that he could be elected President, is the trajectory his family's considerable political career traces of the distintegration of the Democratic Party from the default national ruling party of the 1960's to its role today of dyspeptic national scold, pushed into a reactive posture which offers only opposition rather than positive vision or constructive engagement with its opposition.
Sen. Chris Dodd's father, as is increasingly the case for today's ruling elite in both parties, also served two terms as Senator. Sen. Thomas Dodd, though, was a former FBI agent and prosecutor at Nuremberg who worked his way up through the Democratic machinery of post-war Connecticut. A firm Catholic and staunch anti-Communist, he was a prominent member of the Senate Internal Security subcommittee during the height of the Cold War. Problems with alcohol and campaign finance improprieties ferreted out by Jack Anderson in one of the many CIA-related stories that made Mr. Anderson's career, seriously damaged Sen. Thomas Dodd's political fortunes, and he lost re-election in 1970 as an independent after losing his own party's primary.
Sen. Chris Dodd, while maintaining pious support of his father's reputation, has come to embody the hard shift that occurred within the Democratic Party in the late 1960's and early 1970's. In stark contrast to his father's support for covert activities around the globe, Sen. Chris Dodd has throughout his career been one of the foremost opponents of CIA involvement in such matters as Nicaragua and Cuba. On matters of concern to Catholics, as well, he has been more reliably Leftist than Catholic, as his support for the partial-birth abortion veto override and support of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research unfortunately demonstrate.
The transformation of the Dodd political appeal from a blue collar ethnic base oriented around patriotism and family into an engine of suspicion of American power and preference for social transformation and engineering rather than traditional norms mirrors the transformation of the Democratic Party at large, and, after the collapse of the Progressive movement in the squalour and social disintegration of the 1970's, goes far to explain why Democrats today much prefer to explain why they oppose Republican policies rather than proposing their own hidebound retreads from the Summer of Love.
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