PAXALLES

NASA's Columbia Report Documents Final Minutes of Brave Astronauts

"New NASA report details final minutes of Columbia" from AP reports on the final tragic minutes of the demise of the space shuttle Columbia.  The report is available HERE.

Remembering shuttle Columbia's 7 astronauts from AP

A new NASA report released Tuesday details the chaotic final minutes of Columbia, which disintegrated over Texas on Feb. 1, 2003. The point of the 400-page analysis is to figure out how to make NASA's next spaceship more survivable. The report targeted problems with the spacesuits, restraints and helmets of the Columbia crew.

Many of the details about the astronauts' deaths have been known - they died either from lack of oxygen during pressure loss or from hitting something as the spacecraft tumbled and broke up. However, the new report paints a more detailed picture of the final moments of the Columbia crew than the broader investigation into the accident five years ago.

Astronaut Pam Melroy, deputy study chief, said the analysis showed the astronauts were at their problem-solving best trying to recover Columbia, which was starting to crack up as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere with a hole in its left wing, damage that had occurred at liftoff. "There was no way for them to know that it was going to be impossible."

Film From Columbia crash:

Global Warming - Science Fiction? Could Be An Inconvient Truth

"Global warming: reasons why it might not exist" from the UK Telegraph follows up on a piece by Christopher Booker who suggested that manmade causes of global warming were proven false in 2008

.  Now the Telegraph goes out on a further limb and discusses why global warming might not even exist - an inconvenient truth for all the Goracles out there?

Temperatures are falling, not rising

As Christopher Booker says in his review of 2008, temperatures have been dropping in a wholly unpredicted way over the past year. Last winter, the northern hemisphere saw its greatest snow cover since 1966, which in the northern US states and Canada was dubbed the "winter from hell". This winter looks set to be even worse.

The earth was hotter 1,000 years ago

Evidence from all over the world indicates that the earth was hotter 1,000 years ago than it is today. Research shows that temperatures were higher in what is known as the Mediaeval Warming period than they were in the 1990s.

The earth's surface temperature is not at record levels

According to Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies analysis of surface air temperature measurements, the meteorological December 2007 to November 2008 was the coolest year since 2000. Their data has also shown that the hottest decade of the 20th century was not the 1990s but the 1930s.

Ice is not disappearing

Arctic website Crysophere Today reported that Arctic ice volume was 500,000 sq km greater than this time last year. Additionally, Antarctic sea-ice this year reached its highest level since satellite records began in 1979. Polar bear numbers are also at record levels.

Himalayan glaciers

A report by the UN Environment Program this year claimed that the cause of melting glaciers in the Himalayas was not global warming but the local warming effect of a vast "atmospheric brown cloud" over that region, made up of soot particles from Asia's dramatically increased burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

Temperatures are still dropping

Nasa satellite readings on global temperatures from the University of Alabama show that August was the fourth month this year when temperatures fell below their 30-year average, ie since satellite records began. November 2008 in the USA was only the 39th warmest since records began 113 years ago.

DVD Star Nathan Noseblow of "Tissues to the Rescue" Teach Students How To Blow Their Noses

"Primary school brings out DVD to teach students how to blow their noses and control sneezes" from UK Daily Mail reports that with the character of Nathan Noseblow in "Tissues to the Rescue" students are learning the finer points of nasal care.   

The youngsters, aged between five and 11, are first shown a DVD which tells them what to do when they have a cold.

They are then asked to discuss their 'feelings' on hygiene and are encouraged to look at a Kleenex-sponsored website, Sneezesafe, at home with their parents.

 

Pro-Palestinian Salma Hayek, Sharon Stone, Whitney Houston, Halle Berry, Drew Barrymore, Brooke Shields, Andie Macdowell, and Lucy Liu Demand Pics Out of Diamond Sotre

"Hollywood stars shun pro-Israeli diamond store" from al-Arabiya reports that some Hollywood actresses are making the ultimate huge sacrifice (in their eyes) and making a bold statement - by having their names disassociated with an allegedly pro-Israeli settlement and South African human rights violating diamond stores. 

The diamond stores owned by Jewish-American billionaire Lev Leviev had to remove pictures of several actresses after they complained of being linked to a company that funds settlements in the Palestinian occupied territories, a statement issued by the pro-Palestinian human rights group Adalah- New York said.

The actresses include Salma Hayek, Sharon Stone, Whitney Houston, Halle Berry, Drew Barrymore, Brooke Shields, Andie Macdowell, and Lucy Liu. The celebrities were contacted by the rights group Adalah and the New York based 'Jews Against the Occupation' and asked them to distance themselves from a corporation that supports the Zionist project. The organizations sent letters to the actresses and held negotiations with their representatives to inform them of the human rights violations Leviev is involved in in Palestine and South Africa. As a result the actresses demanded that pictures of them wearing his diamonds were removed from the company's website.

Weak Real Estate Markets Even Hit Inaugural Properties

"Inaugural rentals still on the market" from Politico reports that despite all the hype about thousands that could be made by renting one's property in the DC environs for the inauguration of Barack Obama, local listing agencies and sites as well as Craigslist indicate weak demand for such rentals.

And other residents who posted their properties on Craigslist are finding the market weak. They attribute it to the sluggish economy, the rush of the holidays and the fact that many would-be Inauguration attendees remain uncertain of their plans because most of the 240,000 tickets to the swearing-in ceremony won't be distributed until early January. 

Blago May Circumvent Obama Machine To Make Senate Seat Appointment

"Report: Blagojevich to appoint Senate replacement" from AP reports that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is going to appoint 71 year old former Attorney General Roland Burris to Barack Obama's Senate seat.  The Senate said they won't seat anyone that Blagojevich appoints.

One has to wonder when the Senate has gotten so high and mighty, given their recent records of taking taxpayer money and giving away without transparency or accountability - it would seem they are far worse than Blago and certainly no worse than Caroline Kennedy sniffing around for a Senate seat appointment in return for her alleged fundraising and influence skills.

And certainly Barack Obama's machine has its own cast of characters of question - including slum developer Valerie Jarrett whom he wanted to hand the seat to until caught in the Blago web. 

Roland W. Burris, a Low-Key Groundbreaker 

"Degrees of Separation? Not in Illinois Politics" from Washington Post

"Blago's surprise - here comes his Senate replacement"

Governor Rod Blagojevich appoints Roland Burris to fill the Senate seat vacted by Barack Obama:

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Personalized Medicines Hold Far Off Promise

"Patient’s DNA May Be Signal to Tailor Drugs" from the New York Times reports that there is a dirty little secret for patients - that half of those taking drugs for many conditions find they are ineffective and in some cases harmful, causing hospitalizations and harm, as well as expense.  Thus there has been great hope for genetic testing that would help health care professionals titrate drugs and their dosages to each patient for optimal results.  However, such niche treatments may be as much as 20 to 30 years off - and there will be formidible obstacles to overcome - mainly costs for drug companies as well as the complexities of developing protocols.

Experts say that most drugs, whatever the disease, work for only about half the people who take them. Not only is much of the nation’s approximately $300 billion annual drug spending wasted, but countless patients are being exposed unnecessarily to side effects.

No wonder so much hope is riding on the promise of “personalized medicine,” in which genetic screening and other tests give doctors more evidence for tailoring treatments to patients, potentially improving care and saving money.

Many policy experts are calling for more studies to compare the effectiveness of different treatments. One drawback is that such studies tend to be “one size fits all,” with the winning treatment recommended for everybody. Personalized medicine would go beyond that by determining which drug is best for which patient, rather than continuing to treat everyone the same in hopes of benefiting the fortunate few.

 

What Recession? Pink Rooms, Lemon Scents To Calm Young Thugs

"£125,000 to test whether pink rooms can calm the thugs" from UK Daily Mail is another example of academic lunacy at taxpayer expense.

Academics have been given £125,000 to pain the bedrooms of violent young thugs in prisons to see if it calms them - as well as piping in lemon and other fragrances for similar purposes.

Professor Charles Spence of Oxford University and Professor Hilary Dalke of Kingston University are carrying out their project at young offenders' institutions and prisons.

 

Treasury Doles Out $6 Billion More For GM, GMAC

"Treasure antes up in auto bailout" from Politico reports that taxpayers are on the hook a few billion more as of Monday night as the Treasury added $6 billion more to the $17 billion already okayed to mainly help out General Motors' GMAC, its vaunted financial arm.

Using financial markets rescue funds, Treasury will purchase $5 billion in senior preferred equity from GMAC LLC, and up to $1 billion more will be lent to GM itself so the automaker can participate in a rights offering at GMAC, which has wanted to reorganize itself as a bank holding company.

GMAC won approval from the Federal Reserve last week to become a bank holding company, but that was contingent on the auto and home loan provider raising at least $30 billion in capital. Treasury’s announcement would appear to move GMAC closer to that goal, and a GM spokeswoman was optimistic Monday night.
 

Caroline Kennedy: Most 'Know'ledgeable Senate Candidate?

"Caroline Kennedy botches debut interview with 'you know' attitude" from Times of London piles on the bandwagon that has sought to derail the coronation of Camelot's own HRH Caroline Kennedy. 

In one sequence, lasting 2 minutes and 27 seconds, Ms Kennedy, 51, revealed that she had inherited none of the eloquence, energy or charisma associated with other members of America’s foremost political dynasty: she used the phrase “you know” no fewer than 30 times.

Asked to justify her candidacy – after days spent with handlers advising her on how to fill Hillary Clinton’s vacant New York Senate seat – she began in a dull monotone: “Um, this is a fairly unique moment both in our, you know, in our country’s history, and, and in, in, you know, my own life, and um, you know, we are facing, you know, unbelievable challenges, our economy, you know, healthcare, people are losing their jobs here in New York obviously um, arh, you know. . . ”

Ms Kennedy’s justification for getting the seat was not a tour de force. “You know, we want to have all kinds of different voices, you know, representing us, and I think what I bring to it is, you know, my experience as a mother, as a women, as a lawyer, you know, I’ve been an education activist for the last six years here, and, you know. . . ”

The More You Know: Caroline Kennedy

Windows XP Gets New Life And License

"Windows XP allowed to live again" from BBC News reports that Microsoft has been forced by public demand to extend the life and license of Windows XP - at least as the klunky Vista gets gussied up.

The cut off date for PC makers to obtain licenses for the software was 31 January 2009.

But now Microsoft has put in place a scheme that will allow the hardware firms to get hold of XP licences until 30 May 2009.

Previously Microsoft extended XP's life until 2010 - provided it was installed on netbooks and low-cost laptops.

Arab Street, Authorities Put Out Gaza Jihad Call

Not surprisingly, the Arab press is covering the call to arms by both governments and various groups to rush to Gaza to join arms with Hamas.  To wit:

Al Arabiya (Dubai):

"Religious leaders call on Muslims to punish Israel"

"Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood calls for jihad"

 "Iranian students head to Gaza to fight Israel"

Sosin, Rackson and Goldman's "Beautiful Machine" of Horrors

"The Beautiful Machine" from the Washington Post is the first of a three part series on the economic crisis by  Robert O'Harrow Jr. and Brady Dennis.  They tell the tale of AIG Financial Products, stoked by whiz kids named Sosin, Rackson and Goldman.

They would find a partner for their venture. They would create an elegant and powerful system that earned billions of dollars, operating in the seams and gaps of the market and federal regulation. They and their firm would alter the way Wall Street did business, particularly in the use of derivatives, and eventually test Washington's growing belief that capitalism could safely thrive with little oversight.

Then, they would watch in disbelief as their creation -- by then in the hands of others -- led to the most costly rescue of a private company in U.S. history, triggering a federal investigation into AIG's near-collapse and making AIG synonymous not with safety and security, but with risk and ruin.  

Over the past two decades, their enterprise, AIG Financial Products, evolved into an indispensable aid to such investment banks as Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, as well as governments, municipalities and corporations around the world. The firm developed innovative solutions for its clients, including new methods to free up cash, get rid of debt and guard against rising interest rates or currency fluctuations.

Will RNC All Hail Bopp No Bailout Resolution?

 "No bailout resolution percolates at RNC" from Washington Times reports that the RNC is talking about taking the unusual step of passing a no-bailout resolution to put the brakes on the big government with no strings or regulations train wreck that the Congress, Wall Street and the Bush administration have presided over as well as their predecessors.

"McConnell questions Obama stimulus plan" from Politico

Republican National Vice Chairman and constitutional law attorney James Bopp Jr. authored the resolution and is asking the rest of the 168 voting members of the committee to sign it.

"The resolution also opposes President-elect Obama's proposed public works program and supports conservative alternatives," while encouraging the RNC "to engage in vigorous public policy debates consistent with our party platform," Mr. Bopp said.

The RNC has never played a leading policy role or any policy role except once every four years in framing the national party platform, which is quickly forgotten and almost never referred to for another four years.

"Jim Bopp is the author of the no-bailout resolution because he wants to articulate our core principles now, not every four years when we have a presidential election," said Mr. Yue, an Oregon member of the Committee. "This is based on the thinking that articulating political philosophy is equally important as applying it consistently."

"Failing to do so, we have today's identity crisis, which resulted in our losses in 2006 and 2008," Mr. Yue said. "The bailout is a good example. ... In my view, if we are not going to address this, we will see more losses in 2010."

Fallen Heroes Cpl. Jonathan Yale & Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter Receive Navy Cross

"Fallen Marines to be awarded Navy Cross" from LA Times  reports on two heroes, Cpl. Jonathan Yale, 21, of rural Virginia and Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, 19, of Long Island who knew each other for only a few minutes before their courageous act that saved lives - except for their own on April 22 in Ramadi in Anbar Province.

The sun had barely risen when the two sentries spotted a 20-foot-long truck headed toward the gate, weaving with increasing speed through the concrete barriers. Two Iraqi police officers assigned to the gate ran for their lives. So did several Iraqi police on the adjacent street.

Yale and Haerter tried to wave off the truck, but it kept coming. They opened fire, Yale with a machine gun, Haerter with an M-16. Their bullets peppered the radiator and windshield. The truck slowed but kept rolling.

A few dozen feet from the gate, the truck exploded. Investigators found that it was loaded with 2,000 pounds of explosives and that its driver, his hand on a "dead-man switch," was determined to commit suicide and slaughter Marines and Iraqi police.

The thunderous explosion rocked much of Ramadi, interrupting the morning call to prayers from the many mosques. A nearby mosque and a home were flattened. The blast ripped a crater 5 feet deep and 20 feet across into the street.

 

The video camera at their post recorded their remarkable act of courage that prevented a repeat of the 1983 Beirut bombing in Lebanon that took several hundred Marines' lives.  For this incredible bravery, these Marines will receive the Navy Cross. 

The Funeral of Jordan Haerter