Husker FB

As promised, my take on the Husker's West Coast Offense and Fox's analysis. Fox's take:

"The West Coast offense should finally blow up with the pieces in place to run it the way head coach Bill Callahan wants to. It all starts up front with an improved offensive line that should be more athletic and, eventually, more consistent. "

Damn straight. The O-line woes last year left Husker QB on his back a ton last year, but to Zac's credit, he often took the blame himself early in the season for not getting rid of the ball sooner. The offense as a whole last year suffered greatly from the inconsistent running game, and Coach C has really emphasized the rungame in both spring and fall practice.

At QB, Zac Taylor set single-season school records for passing yardage, completions and attempts last year, and should likely be setting some career numbers as well this year. Zac really blossomed over the last half of the year, and showed incredible toughness and maturity. He should compete for Big 12 honors this season. Backup Qb remains an issue with the departure of star recruit Harrison Beck, but scout team star Joe Ganz and blue-chip juco transfer Brian Hildebrand will vie for the spot. Fox says 7.5, I'll go with 7 until the depth chart shows some stablity. Keeping Zac healthy while somehow getting another player some game experience, hopefully early in the season, has to be a priority.

At RB, we have a strong gang of contenders to start, including junior Brandon Jackson, soph phenom Malon Lucky, bruising soph Cody Glenn, and juco transfer Kenny Wilson, who made a big splash in a scrimmage the other day with a long multiple-tackle breaking run vs. the Blackshirts. Dane Tood clears the way at FB. Fox gives us a 7, and I think that is a bit generous, as only Glenn showed much last year, albeit Jackson struggled with injuries last year but had a good 2004. Lucky should win the job, but Wilson is showing some good burst & explosiveness and could be the real deal. One concern I have is no one appears to have (at least no one is talking about it yet) the kind of hands departed Cory Ross (tied for 2nd on team in receptions with 43) had as an outlet receiver for Zac. I'll give us a 6 with the potential for an 8 if someone can grab the job and hold it without us going to the continuing the committee approach that appears (right now) how we'll start the season.

At WR, we are developing a lot of big rangy guys who should provide Zac with plenty of targets.
One key will be the how the return of All-Big 12 TE Matt Herian goes after a year and a half layoff due to a broken leg. Terrence Nunn, Nate Swift, Todd Peterson and Franz Hardy are the top returners, with newcomers Maurice Purify, Will Henry and Menelik Holt expecting to contribute as well. All of these guys are over 6' (newcomers are all 6'4 or better) and most of them can fly. JB Phillips and Josh Mueller will be used primariy as blocking TEs and H-backs, but could contribute around the goal line. Fox gives us an 8, I'll say 7 until Herian proves he is back to the player he was in 2003-04.


The line still has some cause for concern as they really suffered in pass protection and didn't get much push for consistency in the ground game last year. The young talent really needs to develop here right away, but going against the Blackshirts in practice certainly can't hurt. Fall practice has been full of position shifts as the coaches try to find the best combination for the first five, but as it stacks up now, Kurt Mann returns at C, with fellow senior Greg Austin at RG and soph Mike Huff at RG, with Austin and backup G Andy Christenen both capable of playing C or either G. Chris Patrick and Lydon Murtha battle for the LT spot, with Matt Slauson, who has also worked at G, anchors the right side and juco transfer Victory Haines back up. Fox gives a 7, which I again think a wee bit generous. I'll say 6.5 until we work up some consistency, particulary in the running game, and develop a solid rotation. Fox feels the unit is a year away from being amazing, and I have to agree, they most likely won't remind anyone of the roadgraders of the past, but they have a lot of potential.

Schedule: Well, we have it easy the first couple of games, then travel to SoCal and the losers of last year's NC game. The Huskers may well ambush the young Trojans and have certainly nothing to lose. I expect them to play well and eke one out for the old alma mater. The big conference game is, of course, the NC game winner Texas, and by the time we play them I expect the Longhorns to be firing all cylinders and be very difficult to beat, even at home. While most prognosticators have us winning the Big 12 North, Iowa St. on the road should also prove to be a tough game, and the CU Buffs always play us tough as well. Still, I think 10-2 or 11-1 isn't unreasonable, and I think anything under 9-3 would be patheticly underachieving with the talent this squad has on both sides of the ball. Of course, this assumes everyone, particularly QB Taylor, remains healthy.

Shuttle Mission

I had not heard that the ISS module being delivered on the Atlantis mission was the one of the heaviest shuttle payloads yet. Nor that this mission team has been training for four and a half years due to the Columbia tragedy. The delivery of the new module will allow for the completion of the ISS over the next four years.

" Atlantis Commander Brent Jett says more is at stake in finishing the international space lab than just building a place for science experiments. "It's preparing us as an agency to take the next step back to the moon for a permanent outpost or onto Mars," said Jett, who will be making his fourth space trip. Jett said his crew will set the tone for the next four years of construction since each mission to the station builds off the next. The other crew members are pilot Chris Ferguson and mission specialists Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve MacLean of the Canadian Space Agency."

The mission will launch between Aug 27 and Sep 13 with hopes for an launch before Sep 7 so as not to interfere with a Russian Soyuz mission later in September. The Atlantis crew is facing a challenging and difficult series of tasks.

"After docking with the space station, the 45-foot-long addition will be lifted by robotic arm from the shuttle's payload bay and handed off to the space station's robotic arm. The next day, Tanner and Piper will go out on the first spacewalk, followed a day later by a second spacewalk by Burbank and MacLean. The next day, the solar wings will be opened, and the following day, Tanner and Piper will go on a final spacewalk."

That's a lot of space walking, folks.

Husker FB

On a slightly less serious note -- pretty good analysis at Foxsports on the Big Red. I'll talk about the Blackshirts today, and review the offense tomorrow.

here's the article's take on the D:

"it's the defense that'll carry the Huskers to a big season. The front seven is loaded with talent, depth, and NFL prospects led by ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore. Nebraska led the nation in sacks and tackles for loss, and should be among the best in the nation"

I heartily agree, the press has been talking a lot about the West Coast offense, Zac Taylor and who gets to tote the rock, but the key this season is stopping the other guys. Coach Coz has some real talent on this side of the ball, and we should be among the leading D's in the nation.

The line should be tremendous, with Carriker being touted already for All-American honors. Talented pass-rusher Barry Turner and Zach Potter backup the starting ends, with Ola Dagunduro, Ndamukong Suh, Barry Cryer and Ty Steinkuhler rotating at tackle, all of whom may have NFL potential. Fox gives us a 10 rating here.

Linebacking corps is talented and probably deeper than the front four. Five players return with starting experience, including leading tackler Corey McKeon, who totally filled in for graduated Husker legend (and school tackle record holder) Barret Ruud, who now plays on Sundays at Tampa. Barrett's younger brother Bo (All-Big 12, third in tackles last year) and last year's opening game injury victim Steve Octavian both return & duel for the spot at weakside, while Stew Bradley and Lance Bradenburgh return at SAM. Soph Phil Dillard backs up McKeon at Mike. Fox says 9, I say 10 here too. Any team in the nation would like to have our top six.

The secondary is the only real weakness on the D; fortunately, all the pressure the front seven exert should ovecome any deficiency in this area. The season-ending ACL injury to CB Zac Bowman was devastating; juco transfer Andre Jones has good size and is tremendously fast, but really has to step it up right away. Vertically challenged but tough, Courtney Grixby returns at the other CB while last year's starting CB Tierre Green (Ahman's cousin) moves to SS and Andrew Shanle takes over at FS. Titus Brothers plays nickel when 3 CBs are needed on the field. These guys are all uber-fast, but the jury's not yet out on the group, and depth has to be a huge concern. Another injury would be catastrophic. Fox says 6.5, I'll say 6 with the potential to be an 8 if the young guys develop quickly.

Special teams: Grixby and WR Terrence Nunn made big strides last year on punt returns, and Tierre Green and possible starting RB Marlon Lucky, both high octane blazers, returned kick-offs last year, so all should be in place for a great return game. Highly accurate Jordan Congdon handles the place-kicking duties and worked hard in the off season to extend his range, and has succeeded to the extent that he likely will kick-off, unlike last year, when uber-legged P Sam Koch handled those. The burning issue is how to replace Koch, the first punter taken in the NFL draft, and his 46 yard average. Dan Titchner and Tyler Kester duel for the duties, with the former having a slight edge for the job. Fox says 8 for special teams, I'll agree here too.

Cuban journalists

Michelle Malkin voices support for jailed Cuban journalists, some of whom have been imprisoned in Fidel's worker paradise for three years.

"The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today called on the Cuban government to give unrestricted access to the country to foreign reporters and repeated its request for the release of 25 independent journalists imprisoned there since 2003." More here.

While I've never heard of this organization before, anyone supporting press freedoms in Cuba certainly has to be counted among the good guys. Too bad Western journalists don't say much on subjects like this.

Pluto, a Planet

via Space.com

Well, the definition of planet has been announced and of course, there is some controversy. The definition laid out somewhat like what I envisioned, where something with enough mass that gravity causes a spheroid shape (hydrostatic equilibrium) and is in orbit around a star without being a star or a satellite, is a planet. The definition only addresses the delineation between planets and what are now referred to as "small Solar System bodies", the old term "minor planets" used to describe objects not a part of the old nine planets, is now being declared a defunct term.

"Our goal was to find a scientific basis for a new definition of planet and we chose gravity as the determining factor," said Richard Binzel, an MIT planetary scientist who was part of a seven-member IAU committee that hashed out the proposal. "Nature decides whether or not an object is a planet."

The big issue for some is in the details, for example, Charon, formerly Pluto's moon, is round and defined as a planet because the two objects orbit a point in space (i.e., the two objects center of gravity) outside the surface of the larger object, Pluto -- so Pluto and Charon are actually a binary planet, both orbiting the Sun. Interestingly enough, if Plutos two other moons (Hydra and Nyx) were large enough to be spheroid (they just might be, depending on their composition, see more below), they would also be planets.

The asteroid Ceres regains its 19th century planetary status as the fifth planet because it meets the criteria, although the adjective "dwarf" is also suggested to use in reference to it. Pluto and Charon are also dwarfs, and also "Plutons", meaning a planet outside the orbit of Neptune. UB313 ("Xena"), bigger than Pluto, also qualifies, although discover Mike Brown of Caltech (homepage here) doesn't like the idea too much, particularly since worlds made of ice rather than rock wouldn't necessarily need to be much bigger than 400 km (being less dense) to become spherical, making possibly as many as 80 objects qualify.

"It's flattering to be considered discoverer of the 12th planet," Brown said in a telephone interview. He applauded the committee's efforts but said the overall proposal is "a complete mess." By his count, the definition means there are already 53 known planets in our solar system with countless more to be discovered."

Brown would also be the discover of several other planets as well, having found a number (five if I count correctly, but maybe as many as fifteen if any small icy KBO dwarf plutinos wind up qualifying) of the largest Kuiper Belt objects outside the orbit of Neptune. In addition, Ceres might not be the only asteroid that makes the "dwarf" planet cut. Currently there are a dozen other planets being considered in the asteroid belt and Kuiper Belt.

"And if astronomers determine that asteroids Pallas, Vesta, and Hygeia are also round, "they will also have to be considered planets," said Owen Gingerich, an historian and astronomer emeritus at Harvard who led the committee. The IAU proposal suggests (but does not require) that these be called dwarf planets. "

In addition to the three asteroids between Mars and Jupiter, you have the larger KBO objects Ixion, Varuna, Quaoar, Orcus, Sedna, and the officially unnamed objects 2002 AW197, 2002 TX 300, 2005 FY9, and 2003 EL61 being considered by the IAU as "candidate planets" as a part of the current proposal. Several other objects would appear to have been at least neglected so far, Brown has a list here of other possibles after some discussion at the top about the new definition and some new solar maps (new one is very busy, heh). Looks like the IAU was looking at object thought to be over 750 km, but missed 2002 UX25. Another four come in at just under that, from around 700-740 km.

Husker BB

Coach Doc Sadler scores big -- Maric is returning to Lincoln for his junior year.

"A face to face meeting with new NU basketball coach Doc Sadler has caused Aleks Maric to have a change of heart. Maric said late Monday evening from Sydney, Australia, that he will return to the Nebraska men’s basketball program for his junior season."

Maric was Honorable-Mention All-Big 12, and is the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder, as well as being the only man on the roster taller than 6'9. Maric withdrew from the NBA draft and was contemplating either transferring or playing in Europe professionally.

UPDATE: Sadler also convinces guard Jamel White to stay at the U. Story via OWH here.

Congressman Lee Terry and Earmarking

I was tipped onto this by CQ, I also see Glenn Reynolds, Club for Growth, and several others have jumped on the bandwagon, asking for a little daylight from the House on earmarking in appropriations bills.

I just sent an email to Congressman Terry asking if he had anything to do with the earmarks in the Labor-HHS bill pending in the House. The following list below are the projects listed within Nebraska's 2nd District. The only one I could possibly support without more info is the Bioterror Response Center -- but I had no idea Creighton even had one, and I'd really like to know more details about the project and what the money would be used for before I agreed it would be a valid use. UMC earmark might be justified, but again, ALOT more info would have to be forthcoming. The one I really have an issue with is the Dental Science building. Why in God's green earth should the Feds have to chip in for the Creighton Dental building?


$300,000.00 Omaha NE
Gallup International Research and Education Center, for curriculum development of entrepreneurship centers in Lincoln and Norfolk
$250,000.00 Omaha NE
University of Nebraska Medical Center for equipment and facilities
$250,000.00 Omaha NE
Creighton University, for facilities and equipment for the Boyne School of Dental Science building
$250,000.00 Omaha NE
Creighton University, for facilities and equipment for the Center for Bioterrorism Response

There is a lot more listed for our fair state as well -- but as this is the House, and I'm not in those districts it might be difficult to get a response. Anyway, here they are:

1st District (Fortenberry): Not sure about where the 1st and 3rd border is, I think I have things right below--

$400,000.00 Lincoln NE
Nebraska Hospital Association for the Nebraska Statewide Telehealth Network
$400,000.00 Lincoln NE
Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Association for data collection and evaluation
$150,000.00 Lincoln NE
Nebraska Wesleyan University for forensic science programs, including equipment
$400,000.00 Peru NE
Peru State College for the Adopt A High School Program
$250,000.00 South Sioux City NE
Boys and Girls Home of Nebraska Inc., for facilities and equipment for the Children's Residential Treatment Center

3rd District (Osbourne):

$125,000.00 O'Neill NE
Avera St. Anthony Hospital for electronic health record interoperability
$225,000.00 Scottsbluff NE
Western Nebraska Community College for the Entrepreneurship Center to serve Scottsbluff and Gering schools
$70,000.00 Chadron NE
Chadron State College, NE for student recruitment and retention

Coach comes off looking a little better than your average NE congressman -- or worse, depending on your point of view I guess.

Pluto -- Planet or not?

The IAU, or International Astronomical Union, is about to release its long awaited planet definition on Wednesday, with voting by member astronomers the next day. At stake primarily is the status of the current planet Pluto, as well as other Kuiper Belt Objects like 2003 UB313. After a year's debate, a seven member committee was formed to create the definition.

"Yes, it is very clear within what will be released … [Pluto] is very specifically in or out," said Richard Binzel, an MIT planetary scientist on a seven-person committee that developed the definition.
"I think we have come up with a very reasonable definition that in the end will be widely adopted," Binzel said by telephone from Prague today. "And we will move forward. I think all will agree that it's time to move forward."

It has been suggested that the definiton actually defines planets into three subtypes -- terrestrial/rocky (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars), gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) and icy dwarfs (Pluto, UB313/Xena, and perhaps as many as a dozen or more others).

Personally, I like the idea, if it comes to pass. If it has enough gravity to form into a round shape, and it is orbiting a star, then I think it should be a planet. Mercury and Jupiter really don't have that much in common, no more so than Pluto and Jupiter do. One strike against Pluto is an eccentric orbit, but it doesn't appear that unusual if you also take into account extra-solar planetary systems.

Historically, the asteroid Ceres was considered a planet for a number of years, so if the new definition fits it (at under 1000 km, it's about as small as you can get and still be round) or some other objects, I don't have a problem with it. From what I can gather there are about 9 or 10 KBOs that are around 900 km in diameter or larger, not including Pluto (2300 km) and its satellite Charon (1200 km). Call them icy dwarfs and end the controversy, I say.

Husker FB

Since I mentioned Husker basketball, I probably should go to football. While I am excited by this year's prospects, I'll note that it is only due to the last couple of season's mediocrity.

In truth, I have not been the biggest Bill Callahan fan to date -- probably less to do with him than how the firing of Frank Solich was handled, or rather mishandled, by AD Steve Pederson, although I could blame Coach C for the rather stiff way he dismissed some of the assistant coaches. That Turner Gill stuck around the first year is probably more a testiment to him, and his loyalty to the school, than to Callahan. Enough history.

We have nine starters returning from an 8-4 team on both sides of the ball, are favored to win the Big 12 North, and the pre-season ratings I have seen are predicting a 9-3 season. I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think that is good enough -- I want 11-1 or 10-2, minimum. I know we are playing USC and Texas this year, but we have to be able to beat those kind of teams with regularity if we are going to return to the glory days. I think we could ambush USC on Sep. 16, and will be very disappointed if we don't at least make it a tight game.

Moreover, we have to beat the teams we should, and not lose to perennial lightweights like Missouri or Kansas except the once in a generation when they have an exceptional year. The program likens itself to USC, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, etc. and has to have those kind of expectations. Beating a underachieving Michigan squad in a second (third?) tier bowl game was nice (going to a bowl game was nice, too) but we have a group that I think should contend for a top ten national ranking this year.

I hope they make the cut to contend with the teams of the past, but in my mind, the jury is still out on this coaching staff. Much will ride on the defense, they had better be as good as advertised, and I don't want to see the kind of breakdowns that happened last year. Zac Taylor has got to stay healthy and set a new school passing record for TDs, and the running game had better find a way to repeat the success they had in the bowl game, consistently throughout the season, and particularly in the red zone. I'll say a lot more when I see a depth chart and the season approaches.

Huskers new BB Coach

I probably should have menmtioned this earlier, but Nebraska just signed a new basketball coach, Doc Sadler, formerly of UTEP, where he had a 48-18 record over 2 years. Sadler met with fans in Lincoln and Omaha this week, and has achieved something former coach Barry Collier may never had: a discernable buzz about Husker hoops. Sadler indicated that he intends to run and gun and play defense "baseline to baseline" which certainly makes him a different breed than Collier's "go it slow" approach.

Unfortunately, it appears that center Aleks Maric is not returning to the U, a huge loss as he was the only center on the squad. Maric intends to either transfer or play pro in Europe. Maric had originally intended to stay despite the departure of Scott Spinelli, the man who recruited him, to Wichita State, but with Collier's return to his alma mater Butler as athletic director, Maric changed his mind. No word yet on whether or not Sadler intends on bringing in new assistants, but one would think so.

NE Senate Race

First debate between the Senate candidates is being held today in Lincoln's Cornhusker Hotel. While not open to the public, there are opportunities to listen in, as follows:

"people will have opportunities to hear the debate on TV, radio or the Internet, including a link to a live broadcast via The World-Herald's Web site Omaha.com.
The debate also will air live on NET radio and TV station NET2. Both stations broadcast statewide. A taped broadcast will air at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on NET1."

I would be greatly interested in reading a transcipt if it becomes available.

Iraq Mission

via OWH.

My old unit, the 1/167 CAV, is in the news today. 360 Nebraskans are serving at Camp Anaconda ,the largest logistical base in Iraq, serving as both base and convoy security.

"Although the base is known to soldiers for its amenities, it's also known by an ominous nickname, "Mortaritaville."
Lt. Col. Martin Apprich, commander of the Nebraska Guard's 1st Squadron, 167th Cavalry, reported on his troops and the mission they face during a conference call today from his headquarters at the base 30 miles north of Baghdad.
"We operate in a hazardous environment," Apprich said. "But we honestly believe in what we are doing over here"

The CO says that they are mortared about twice a day, but have only suffered minor injuries in the 5 months they have been in operations there. He also noted that the temp was 117 degrees that day. They are scheduled to be relieved in another 7 months, but are "buoyed" by the support from the home front.

Good luck, fellas, and thanks so much for your duty and sacrifice.

Shuttle Mission

Atlantis continues to prep, with a practice countdown today. STS-115 promises to be among the most challenging shuttle missions to date, particluarly with regard to a tight timeline.

"With three planned spacewalks - two of them back-to-back - alongside shuttle heat shield inspections and the deployment of new solar panels outside the ISS, Atlantis' 11-day mission promises to be a challenging one for its astronaut crew. ...NASA managers have called the STS-115 mission the most challenging to date for the shuttle program, though subsequent flights are expected to only increase in complexity."

Atlantis will deliver a 17 ton segment to the space station, along with a new set of solar arrays to provide power to the ISS. Liftoff is scheduled for Aug. 27.

Day By Day

Added Chris Muir's cartoon strip, Day By Day, underneath the links. Enjoy.

Greg Gutfeld

Greg has a hilarious post on what the left fears. To sum it up, everything.

among my favorites:

"Fear of all forms of energy except for the ones that don't work"
"Fear of all country singers except for the ones that hate Bush"
"Fear of free speech when it mocks your beliefs.
Fear of free speech when it speaks back to you.
Fear of free speech when it comes from Christians.
Fear of free speech when it comes from me.
Fear that your definition of free speech - that only you get to be heard-- won't fly with us Wal-mart shoppers."
"Fear of school vouchers. Fear that school vouchers will enable poor minority children to attend your children's private schools"


and...

"Fear that you hate the right for the same reason you hate your dad because you know that he is right and that you are a loser and you will always be a loser and that you are sabotaging your life and those of everyone around you because that makes you that angry."


the man is 'effin talented, to be sure. He just nails it.

Space News

ISS crew made a spacewalk today to replace broken equipment in preparation for the next two shuttle missions dedicated to adding on to the station. Atlantis heads to the ISS sometime between Aug 27 and Sept 7 to delver solar arrays, and Discovery will head there in December as well. NASA plans at least 16 missions to the ISS before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010.

Club for Growth Ratings

CFG has released its 2005 Congressional Scorecard, rating the members of Congress on their support of pro-growth economic policies.

" a comprehensive examination of each lawmaker's record on pro-growth policies and computed an Economic Growth Score on a scale of 0 to 100. A score of 100 indicates the highest support for pro-growth policies."

The Nebraska and Iowa delegations don't score all that well. For the Senators, Chuck Hagel, despite the crazy foreign-policy rhetoric, scores an impressive 99 and was ranked #4 among US Senators (3 Senators tied with a perfect 100, so he is effectively 2nd). Ben Nelson scored a 35, while Iowa had Chuck Grassley score an 84 and Tom Harkin scored a perfectly dismal 0, tied for last place.

Among the Congressmen, Lee Terry (NE-2) scored a not so bad 78 and ranked #62, with Fortenberry and Osbourne both at an uninspiring 53. Not terribly impressive, but Iowa's was even worse, Boswell had an 11, Leach a 21, Latham was at 48, and Nussle a 55. Only Steve King had a good score, with a 93, putting him in the top 25 of all members.

Castro ill

From the AP via OWH.

Castro apparently will undergo surgery and has "temporarily" handed over the Presidency of Cuba to Defense Minister and brother Raul, age 75.

"Castro said he would also temporarily delegate his duties as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba to Raul, who turned 75 in June and who has been taking on a more public profile in recent weeks."

Of course, there is celebration in Miami, where Cuban expatriates hope for the dictator's death.

"The announcement drew cheering crowds in the streets in Miami. People waved Cuban flags on Little Havana's Calle Ocho, shouting "Cuba, Cuba, Cuba," hoping that the end is near for the man most of them consider to be a ruthless dictator. Many of them fled the communist island or have parents and grandparents who did."

One can only hope this thug finally expires. The fact that he is the longest ruling dictator on the planet only underscores this.

Space

Via Space.com

There may be an extra-solar planet in the habitable zone of the star 55 Cancri, 41 light-years from Earth. Computer modeling suggests it may be quite likely.

From the article:

"Our models show a habitable planet, a planet with mass, temperature and water content similar to Earth's, could have formed," said Rory Barnes, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona.

Barnes and colleagues ran several simulations of varying scenarios around four stars, each known to have at least two giant planets. They put moon-sized planetary embryos into the systems during their youth and allowed them to evolve for 100 million years."


I really should have considered U of Az when looking at colleges back in the day. Not only do thye have a lot of attractive women down there, they have extra-geeky space science labs. I'd be a perfect fit. Too bad we don't have a near-FTL capability are we could go find out whether or not it's the Klingon homeworld or the Vulcan one. Still really interesting news -- if even 5 % of stars with giant planets have a terrestial size planet, the galaxy could be chock-full of interesting living stuff, even critters and possibly Andorians. May have to go plug in some new Drake Equation numbers if I get a chance today.

Baseball Standings

Well, the evil ones from Beantown continue to hold a slim 1 1/2 game lead over the Bonx nine, but we lead the wild-card by a razor thin 1/2 game over the current World Champ Chisox and the Twinkies, who both trail the crazy good Motor City guys by 8 1/2. Ouch! Oakland, Anaheim and Texas are neck & neck & neck in the West with Oakland 1/2 game up and Texas 2 back.

Over in the Senior circuit, the stupid Metropolitans continue to enjoy a HUGE 12 game lead over barely-breathing Atlanta, and the Cards have expanded their lead over Cincy to 4 1/2. The West is a dogpile, but the Dodgers 8 game skid may have left them out. SD, AZ (2 1/2), and SF (3) are all .500 or better, CO also appears to be fading a bit.

In fantasy land, my Yahoo squad continues to bash but with no pitching, I have little hope of getting up much further than my current 3rd. In the OH league, I have recovered a bit and lead the wild-card by a couple and trail the division leader by 2 as well. Pujols health is of prime concern, along with the mysterious group hot and cold starting pitching -- either they all get W's and quality starts or none of them do.

Porkbusting

Anti-tax and spending group Club for Growth has started a sign-up sheet asking for bloggers to monitor their congresscritters. They also included a handy-dandy ranking sheet showing how the congress voted on 19 pieces of legislative bacon. My Congressman, Lee Terry (NE-2, R) voted against ten, and for nine. Not very good, but not horrible. Imagine my surprise, then, that he was ranked the best out of NE's three districts. Fortenberry (NE-1, R) was an 0-fer, as was coach Tom (NE-3, R). Unbelievable that neither gentleman would vote against even one of these budget-busters. And I wonder why federal spending is thorugh the roof -- with R's like these, who needs D's. And Coach, it's quite hypocritical of you to criticize the governor in the primary for the state budget increasing 7 % with a record like this.

NE Senate Race

I've been avoiding to comment on the finger-pointing between the candidates over TV ads, but did note a new poll out by Survey USA showing Nelson still among the most popular US Senators, but he has dropped down to a net 41% approve (from a high of +53%) and to a #9 among his peers. Survey results here, Nelson's tracking numbers are here.

The trend shows an almost imperceptable narrowing between his approval/disapproval, but nowhere near his low of 31% back in Sept 2005. I doubt it will be enough to let Ricketts into the race in a meaningful way. Pete has a lot of work to do, but he does have the money to do it. If he could ever get his campaign people to stick around, he might be able to narrow the race.

Poverty in the US

Tim Whorstell over at TCS makes an important point about how the government measures poverty -- and how much of the assistance given the poor isn't counted as "relieving" poverty.

".....cash assistance in 1979 was $35 billion, in 1986, $32 billion. The non-cash part was $97 billion in 1979 and $136 billion in 1986 (figures in 1986 dollars). The craziness is that the 32 and 35 numbers are included in the incomes before we calculate those who are in poverty. The 97 and 136 are not. So we've actually had a rise of $36 billion in spending upon the poor but (that portion of their incomes that come from the Feds anyway) the incomes of the poor have fallen by $3 billion. Given the way these numbers are calculated, the way the official figures work, no wonder we haven't been able to eradicate poverty."

So food stamps, the earned income tax credit, housing assistance, medicaid, and any other program that assists the poor but doesn't give pre-tax cash doesn't technically reduce poverty.
Of course, most people being counted as poor own a car, a microwave oven and at least one TV, among other modern conveniences. Poor Americans have it better than most people on the planet.

Kosovo

While I don't usually quote fellow-bloggers, this gentleman is almost always worth reading, and sums up my feelings on this matter pretty nicely -- the US involvement in the
Balkan issue was one the reasons I chose to leave the US military. Captain Ed @ Captain's Quarters writes:

"People claim that the Bush administration had no plan for Iraq, but we helped the Iraqis form a representative government and held three national elections in less than half the time that the United Nations has sat on Kosovo. After bombing the Serbian army and forcing them to withdraw, the UN did nothing to address the status of the Kosovars for seven long years."

See my preceding post on how I feel about the UN.

UN Ambassador Bolton

via the gents at Powerline, quoting the US UN missions transcript:

"Reporter: The news for the last 48 hours from the Middle East, it is more and more apparent now that many in the Middle East, Lebanese and others, are accusing the U.S. and the Security Council of being the obstacle to a real ceasefire immediately because that’s what they need. Could you explain in a couple words what is really your position about this?

Ambassador Bolton: Well look, I think we could have a cessation of hostilities immediately if Hezbollah would stop terrorizing innocent civilians and give up the kidnapped Israeli soldiers. So that to the extent this crisis continues, the cause is Hezbollah. How you get a ceasefire between one entity, which is a government of a democratically elected state on the one hand, and another entity on the other which is a terrorist gang, no one has yet explained. The government of Israel, everybody says, has the right to exercise the right of self-defense, which even if there are criticisms of Israeli actions by some, they recognize the fundamental right to self-defense. That’s a legitimate right. Are there any activities that Hezbollah engages in, militarily that are legitimate? I don’t think so. All of its activities are terrorist and all of them are illegitimate, so I don’t see the balance or the parallelism between the two sides and therefore I think it’s a very fundamental question: how a terrorist group agrees to a ceasefire. You know in a democratically elected government, the theory is that the people ultimately can hold the government accountable when it does something and doesn’t live up to it. How do you hold a terrorist group accountable? Who runs the terrorist group? Who makes the commitment that a terrorist group will abide by a ceasefire? What does a terrorist group think a ceasefire is? These are - you can use the words “cessation of hostilities” or “truce” or "ceasefire.” Nobody has yet explained how a terrorist group and a democratic state come to a mutual ceasefire. "

All I can say is WOW. The President certainly picked the right guy for the job in this case. I only hope that he winds up getting it permanently, as he was a recess appointment. OH Senator Voinovich wrote an op ed the other day stating that he had reversed his opinion and now supports the ambassador, see here. I personally wrote the Senator asking him to support the nomination --- I voted for Voinovich when living in OH.

"“I believe Bolton has been tempered and focused on speaking for the administration. He has referred regularly to “my instructions” from Washington, while also displaying his own clear and strong grasp of the issues and the way forward within the Security Council. He has stood many times side by side with his colleagues from Japan, Britain, Canada and other countries, showing a commitment to cooperation within the United Nations. ......... For me or my colleagues in the Senate to now question a possible renomination would jeopardize our influence in the United Nations and encourage those who oppose the United States to make Bolton the issue, thereby undermining our policies and agenda.
“Should the president send his renomination to the Senate, I will vote to confirm him, and I call on my Democratic colleagues to keep in mind the current situation in the Middle East and the rest of the world should the Senate have an opportunity to vote. I do not believe the United States, at this dangerous time, can afford to have a U.N. ambassador who does not have Congress’s full support.
“For the good of our country, the United Nations and the free world, we must end any ambiguity about whether John Bolton speaks for the United States so that he can work to support our interests at the United Nations during this critical time.” "

Voinovich was instrumental in blocking Bolton earlier in committee, doubting his "interpersonal skills" and voting wiht the Democrats against him. But it takes a big man to admit he was wrong, and he makes several good points here. I sincerely hope that Ambassador Bolton is renominated and confirmed in a speedy and non-confrontational manner. But I won't hold my breath.

Concealed Weapons in Omaha

OWH -- City council passes a veto-proof 5-2 law allowing concelaed weapons in the city, overturning the previous ban and coming into line with the state law going into effect Jan 1. Another win for Second amedment advocates.

"Councilman Dan Welch said that from a young age he was taught that guns are bad, that guns injure people.
But after conducting his own research - he cited Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and other sources - Welch said he hasn't seen how allowing concealed weapons would increase crime. He said the 47 other states with concealed weapons laws on the books don't seem to have the kinds of problems opponents fear. He cited 1992 FBI data that showed that crime was lower in states that had concealed weapons laws.
"I don't think the statistics lie," he said."

Pretty much sums it up for me. There are restrictions -- 21 or older, training class, no felony convictions, etc. Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Shuttle Landing

MSNBC.
Dsicovery lands in Florida after a "nearly flawless" mission. NASA intends 2 more missions this year. Atlantis is already prepping, due to fly next month to resume contruction of the ISS.

"The shuttle Atlantis is already being prepared for next month's mission, which involves the installation of a truss segment and additional power-generating solar arrays on the international space station. And in the next week, NASA will start getting Discovery back in shape for its own next mission in mid-December. "

There are also plans in the works for a Hubble maintenance mission, which is pretty cool.

"A successful end to Discovery's mission not only opens the way for the resumption of space station construction, but also makes a final mission to the Hubble Space Telescope more likely. Informally, NASA already has begun planning for such a servicing mission in 2008"

Shuttle Mission

OWH.

Sapcewalk repairs to the ISS are completed, although not without a few tense moments and a some difficulties.

"Astronauts Piers Sellers and Michael Fossum started their 6 1/2-hour spacewalk by removing a severed cable reel from a crucial railcar on the space station with a simple pull. The cable provides power, video and data to the car. "We're getting a workout," Fossum said.
But then Sellers had problems placing the removed cable reel into the shuttle's payload bay. Next, a gun device that anchors spacewalkers nearly came loose; Sellers and Fossum were able to repair it in about half an hour. Finally, Fossum had trouble installing the new cable reel, even with Sellers helping. After much wrangling, the astronauts completed their tasks and started the lengthy process of cleaning up just under six hours into their spacewalk."

The shuttle mission is now eight days into its planned 12 day mission, has accomplished all of its major mission objectives, and the orbiter has been cleared by space agency engineers for a landing planet-side scheduled for July 17.

Concealed Weapons in Omaha

I haven't previously commented on the big debate here in Omaha about the recent passage of a "Concealed Carry" law in the state. Of course, not just anyone can get a permit -- you have to undergo a class and a background check, etc. Omaha and Lincoln, and possibly other cities, have laws on the books against concealed weapons and the new state law lets cities decide whether or not to opt in to the state law or restrict as previously inside their limits, while still allowing the practice state-wide. Of course, previously, Nebraska was a state where you could carry "open" anywhere in the state outside city limits with weapons restrictions.

So you could have the scenario where you can carry concealed up until the city limits, where then you have to either show your weapon or somehow "put it away". I'm a little torn about this and wish the Unicameral would have just gone one way ot the other and not passed the buck and let the smaller (and likely easier to influence one way or the other) jurisdictions to decide.

Naturally, the anti-gun lobby is painting the picture of a dramatic increase in gun deaths and violence, but don't throw any facts and figures at you, just scary rhetoric. I've seen some figures that purport to show crime going down with concealed carry laws going into effect, but crime's been going down anyway so I don't see a causality link in general. On the flip side, I've read MANY accounts of potential victims dissuading attackers with a weapon, so having a weapon can make a significant difference at the correct time and place.

Ethanol

Interesting article on ethanol. While criticisms of the fuel alternative have some merits, I don't know of anyone that is saying that we could replace all of our gasoline consumption with it. All I (along with many others) have said it that it is better than using even more oil, and that its primary use is to complement, but not totally replace, refined hydrocarbon-based energy sources.

"We definitely believe that biofuels (such as ethanol) have a significant potential," said Jason Hill, lead author of the University of Minnesota study. But he added that ethanol should not be viewed as "a savior" to our energy problems and its rapid expansion as a motor fuel has its drawbacks, especially if it is dependent on food crops such as corn and soybeans as feedstock.
If every acre of corn were used for ethanol, it would replace only 12.3 percent of the gasoline used in this country, Hill's study said, adding that the energy gains of corn-produced ethanol are only modest and the environmental impacts significant. "

I'm not sure what the environmental impacts are, given that the corn would be grown anyway, either for food, livestock feed, or agro-industrial uses like fructose. The cool thing about ethanol is that you can get your fructose, then make ethanol out of what is leftover and used to just be disposed of, so I'm not so sure the energy inputs they are claiming are all that accurate -- I've seen studies showing up to a 67 % payoff, but even this one shows 25 %.

NAFTA nations

Also at RCP, Michael Barone discusses the similiarities between the three leaders of the NAFTA nations - the US, Canada and Mexico. In short, they all won very close elections thanks in large part to overwhelming support from the areas of their respective nations where growth is occuring, and notably, the areas from which they lived and worked.

"All three won thanks to huge margins in economically vibrant hinterlands--George W. Bush's Texas, Stephen Harper's Alberta, Vicente Fox's Guanajuato. Calderon carried the Mexican states north of metro Mexico City by 47 to 22 percent over Lopez Obrador. These are the states where you find giant new factories, glistening shopping malls, rising office buildings, new middle-class subdivisions, Wal-Marts, freshly paved highways. This is the Mexico that NAFTA has brought into being. Just as Bush carried most of our fastest-growing states and Harper's Conservatives carried Canada's fastest-growing province, so Mexico's northern states, which produced more than half the nation's population growth from 2000 to 2005, voted PAN. These center-right parties all stand for change--change in the sense of allowing a vibrant private sector to grow and alter our ways of living and making a living. "

The opposition, of course, says it stands for change, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Terrorists

via RCP.

Col. Ralph Peters in the Post argues the only good terrorist is a dead one. Can't say as though I disagree.

"Traditionally, those who masquerade as civilians in order to kill legal combatants have been executed promptly, without trial. Severity, not sloppy leftist pandering, kept warfare within some decent bounds at least part of the time. But we have reached a point at which the rules apply only to us, while our enemies are permitted unrestricted freedom."

The Geneva Convention does not, nor has it ever, applied to terrorists. Many, many, many people think it does for some ungodly reason. You would think that eventually, once it was explained, or god forbid, someone actually read the conventions, a reporter or two would get it right. Apparently, if you repeat the words, "But what about the Geneva Convention?" enough times they think it must be true that it applies -- even though, in this case, it doesn't. Makes me want to do a Howard Dean scream.

Shuttle Mission

Shuttle docks with the ISS.

"Space shuttle Discovery docked with the international space station on Thursday morning and then the two ships opened their hatches about 100 minutes later. Discovery delivered its newest inhabitant -- German astronaut Thomas Reiter, who will return the orbiting complex's crew to three for the first time in three years."

The shuttle did a flip so the station crew coulod photograph the underside of the orbiter and look for possible damage. The plan tomorrow is to install the cargo module the shuttle is carrying. At least two spacewalks are planned later in the mission, one on July 8 and the other on the 10th.

SPACE.com coverage here.

Mexican Election

It appears that Calderon has hung on for the victory, which is excellent news.

"With 99.59 percent of the vote counted, Felipe Calderon would win even if all the remaining votes went to Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party. He had 35.83 percent of the vote, compared with 35.36 percent for Lopez Obrador.
Less than 200,000 votes, out of more than 41 million cast, separated the two."

Obrador is still protesting and asking for a manual recount, but Mexican law is pretty clear:

"Lopez Obrador demanded that electoral officials carry out a manual ballot-by-ballot count, instead of just tallying vote totals as they have been doing.
But Luis Carlos Ugalde, president of the Federal Electoral Institute, said that was not possible.
"Mexican law is very clear on when a ballot box can be opened: only when there are problems with the vote tallies, when the tally sheet has obviously been changed, or when the box has been tampered with," Ugalde said."

Calderon has offered Obrador a cabinet seat in an effort to create a coaliton government, but it isn't likely he would accept. Obrador may threaten street demonstrations in the capital, and is promising to bring a protest to the Mexcian election tribunal.

Government Debt

Steve Conover explains the debt-rollover process in his on-going series on economic matters; he also adjusts the "debt clock" with the new, higher Q1 figures for GDP growth, lowering the US debt burden to 64.58%.

"the way some politicians talk, it’s as if they’ve never heard of the debt rollover process. Why else would they always be wondering, in their speeches, how our grandkids will ever “pay back the debt”? If they understood debt rollover, they’d understand that if our economy continues growing at a sufficient pace, our grandkids will never have to pay it back. Never. Nor will our grandkids’ grandkids, either. "

If only reporters and politicians were capable of understanding basic economics......well, and the average Joe Citizen, too, perhaps.

Oh, yeah, Kudlow pops demand-siders in the mouth today, too.

"Conventional demand-side economists keep talking about an economic slowdown. (See today’s WSJ front-page story).These folks are stubborn if nothing else. They ignore the huge success of supply side tax cuts that lowered the marginal tax rate on capital to the lowest level in history. Private business investment continues its surge. It remains an explosive engine of growth creating jobs, incomes and consumer spending. "

Gotta love Larry. He goes for the jugular.

Scrappleface

Scott Ott comments on North Korea missile launch. Effin' hilarious!

N. Korea Launches Attack Against Sea of Japan
By Scott Ott, Editor-in-Chief, ScrappleFace.comNews Fairly Unbalanced. We Report. You Decipher.
(2006-07-05) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il today acknowledged that he had ordered yesterday’s missile strikes against the Sea of Japan in response to what he called “threatening and provocative movements” that the body of water had made against his nation’s coastline.
U.S. sources said that as many seven missiles, including one long-range, short-flight Taepodong 2, penetrated the surface of the sea in a terrifying display of North Korean ballistic technology prowess.
“This clearly demonstrates our status as a global superpower,” said Mr. Kim, “The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea is quite capable of raining fire from the sky upon any body of water that approaches our shores, or even thinks about it.”
The North Korean leader said the attack should “put other seas on notice that our precision-guided munitions can strike you at any time.”
Meanwhile, China made a “goodwill gesture” aimed at gaining Mr. Kim’s trust and ending the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula by offering to provide replacements for the expended missiles.
“The people of North Korea can barely eat,” said an unnamed China spokesman, “So where would they get the money to buy new missiles? We consider this a humanitarian offer.”

The man is a genius, to be sure.

Noah's Ark in Iran?

"High in the mountains of northwestern Iran, a Christian archaeology expedition has discovered a rock formation that its members say resembles the fabled Noah's ark. "

They also believe an ancient shrine is located on the same mountain.

Or maybe they are wrong.

"The boat-shaped structure can also be explained geologically, says retired British geologist Ian West, who has studied Middle Eastern sediments. "Iran is famous for its small folds, many of which are the oil traps. Their oval, ark-like shape is classical," he said.

Meanwhile, ancient timber specialist Martin Bridge, of England's Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory, is doubtful that a wooden structure would have lasted long enough to petrify under ordinary conditions. "

What is most interesting about this is that everyone has always assumed the ark, if it exists, is in Turkey -- Mt Ararat. But this outfit points out that the Bible says that the ark's passengers traveled east into Mesopotamia. May have to look that one up in Genesis, but they would be in the right region if it's true.

Canadian Oil Sands

USA Today.

With oil over $70 a barrel, Canada is planning to go full steam ahead on developing its oil sand resources, the biggest hurdle being a shortage of workers to develop the area. They estimate a need for up to 30,000 people willing to work and live in the Great White North to get up to speed. Candian oil firms expect to quadruple their production in the next decade and a half, to 4 million barrels a year, and will probably have to look for their workers in the US in order to get there. It is estimated there may be as much as 175 billion barrels of oil in these Canadian sands, reserves second only to Saudi Arabia.

Mexican Election Still in Doubt

It appears that Felipe Calderon has won the Mexican presidential election by about a percentage point, but his leftist opponent, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is vowing to challenge the results and demand a recount in a scene reminiscient of the US 2000 election. Official results how Calderon about a half million votes ahead, but Obrador claims that thousands of voting places registered more votes than were registered, somewhat like Milwaukee, I guess.

It will be ineteresting to see how this one pans out, but it is likely that Calderon will eventually be declared the official winner and the US administration can breathe a sigh of relief.

Discovery Lifts Off

Space shuttle Discovery lifts off on July 4 in a "flawless" launch, according to NASA. Today the crew inspects the vehicle for possible damage from foam dropping off the external fuel tank, then will dock at the ISS on day 3 of the mission to deliver supplies and equipment. If I recall correctly, 3 space walks are planned.

Shuttle Launch

Delayed due to weather. While it looked clear at the launch site, there was concern about lightning or electrical discharges at higher altitudes. Disappointing, but understandable given the spotlight on this launch, which would be the first in about a year. Interestingly enough, I was watching simultaneously on NASA TV (thanks Dish!) and via Webcast at the NASA site, and the web broadcast was considerably delayed -- something on the order of 90 seconds.
While some delay is probably inevitable, I find one of that duration quite odd. The launch team will try again tomorrow.

More on Mexico

From Deroy Murdock on NRO -- with charts and graphs even!

"In constant 2000 dollars, the World Bank reports, Mexican per-capita GDP was $7,758 in 1980. It inched upward to $8,661 in 2003. Over that period, Chile went from trailing to topping Mexico, with its figures rising from $4,620 to $9,706. Former laggard South Korea leapfrogged from $4,556 to $16,977.In 1980, Mexico’s per-capita GDP was 34 percent of America’s. By 2003, it had slid to 24 percent. Concurrently, South Korea began behind Mexico, at 20 percent, and then outpaced it to achieve a per-capita GDP 48 percent of America’s. "

If you want to open a business in Mexico, it'll take you awhile -- and you probably have to grease some pockets (perhaps many of them) in order to do so. Murdock also points out that Mexico and North Korea are the only two nations on earth totally closed (many nations place restrictions, but not total bans) to outside foreign investment in the energy sector. Yes, even that paragon of economic virtue CUBA allows foreign firms (Chinese) to explore and drill for energy.

House Votes to Expand Drilling

Reuters.
It's about damn time. What I like about the bill is that it allows the states to decide if they want drilling off their shores and gives them a cut if they decide to do so. It also bans drilling within 50 miles of shore, but allows it further away. Vote was 232-187, but it also must be reconciled with a much narrower Senate version allowing for drilling only in one specific area of the Gulf.

Mexico

Despite the recent advances in the growth of the Mexican economy, alot more needs to be done there to grow the economy and give its own citizens opportunities so that they don't have to emmigrate to our borders.

Ron Samuelson of Newsweek notes:

"Here is an illuminating comparison. In 1970, average incomes in South Korea were about half those of Mexico. By 2004, average per capita Korean incomes ($19,148, expressed in constant "2000 dollars'') were more than twice Mexico's ($9,178). "

The upcoming Presidential election in Mexico will have a major impact on relations with the US. The two front runners are at opposite poles of the political spectrum; either the populist left-wing candidate, Manuel Lopez Obrador, will win and we face the prospect of a new Hugo Chavez, or National Action party candidate Felipe Calderon will win and Mexico's economic progress either continues or hopefully accelerates.

To Boldly Go....

James Pinkerton over at TCS.

I am a big proponent of not only space exploration, but MANNED space exploration -- in whatever manner is possible (private, public, whatever--just get there, already!). So it was a piece of good news that Dr. Stephen Hawkings, this generation's answer to Albert Einstein, went out recently and stated that we need to get off the planet in a speech in Hong Kong. Pinkerton picks up on that speech and gives several reasons why we haven't, and why that is a unfortunate thing. Too bad he doesn't mention all the great work by Robert Zubrin and the Mars Society in trying to make that happen. The promise of Apollo really hasn't been realized yet, and I don't want to have to speak Chinese in order for it to happen for me.

Pluto's 2nd & 3rd Moons Named

Nix and Hydra are the new names of the ninth (at least for now) planet's two newly discovered moons (thank you, Hubble Telescope). The names were chosen in part because of the recently launched New Horizons spacecraft sent to investigate the icy world.

WMD in Iraq

Well, isn't that interesting? Over 500 chemical weapons found in Iraq! Saddam wasn't supposed to have chemical weapons, now was he? The "Bush Lied" crowd again has it backward, again.

OH, BTW, Iraq ALSO had delivery systems that they weren't supposed to have. My brother-in-law (who was with the 101st when they took Baghdad) has pictures of rockets sitting at a facility that had a range over that allowed by the cease-fire agreement.

Survey USA

As if to point out the difficulty facing Ricketts campaign, Survey USA just released its new Approval/Disapproval numbers for the US Senate. While Sen. Nelson isn't the most popular Senator in the country with his constituents any more, he's still pretty close -- third, with a current approval of 72%. Pete has a lot of work to do before November. Link shows the tracking graph for the last year or so. Nelson' NET (Approve minus Disapprove) approval rating has never been under 31%, and its currently 48%!

NE Senate Race

Article in the OWH regarding the upcoming fall matchup of incumbent Dem. Senator Ben Nelson and Omaha/Ameritrade millionaire businessman Pete Ricketts. Ricketts pumped over $4 million into his primary race, an effort, he stated, to overcome the $10 million Nelson has spent over the years on his campaigns (an argument he also used in the primary fight against former Attorney General Don Stenberg). He thinks the two campaigns might spend as much as $5 or 6 million (not sure if he meant EACH or between the two of them) on the race this fall, and indicated he might put up as much as $2.5 million more of his own money.

Ricketts new TV spot
I've seen a new campagin commercial where Ricketts attempts to tie Nelson to the Democratic establishment, picturing such notables as Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton. While I understand the tactic, I'm not sure how well it will go over in June five months before the election, nor later this fall. Nelson is probably one of, if not the most, conservative Democrats in the nation (Joe Lieberman might be the only one I can think that may actually be more so.), and has voted for both Supreme copurt nominees put forward by the President, as well as voting consistently for tax cuts.

Bill Whittle

The famous essayist returns from a LONG hiatus.

Writer's block sucks.

Read the WHOLE thing.

Once again, he's so simple, yet so elegantly eloquent it makes me want to puke in envy. If I had even a third of his talent......

Baseball Standings

Well, we're a third of the way into the 2006 season, and the Yanks are atop the AL East with only a one game lead over the Evil Bostonians and the surprising Hosers from up North. The Tigers are leading the AL Central with the defending WC Chisox nipping their heels a game and a half back. Oakland and Texas are going neck and neck in the West, with the Bay area team up only a half game currently.

Over in the Senior circuit, the stupid Metropolitans are looking to run away with the East with a 9 1/2 game lead over Philly, with the Pujols-less Cards (he's still leading the majors in HRs) maintaining a slip 2 1/2 game lead over Cincy, while Houston is 5 back. The West is no longer the worst; all 5 teams are over .500, and all within 2 games of one another.

Budget Deficit

from the Skeptical Optimist, once again.

May economic numbers are in, and what do you know, the GDP-Debt ratio went down again - -to 65.!1 from 65.5%. Tax receipts again outpaced the growth of the debt, as the strong preformance of the US economy continues unabated. He would like the debt number to shrink to about 60%, which it appears we may be trending, although he cautions that the May numbers may not be indicative due to a traditional spending lull. He believes the numbers may jump back to near their previous one, but we'll have to wait and see. Until I hear differently, I would assume he is still showing the budget in balance sometime before the 2008 elections given the current tax and spending trends.

Planet definition expected in Sept

Not sure if I've commented on the "raging" controversy in astronomic circles about some of the KBO (Kuiper Belt objects) orbiting our solar system outside the orbit of Pluto. Ths issue is that one such object, UB313, registers at about, or slightly larger in diameter than, our system's ninth planet. So, is this object planet or is Pluto actually not a planet? Discoverer Mike Brown of Calthch thinks it should be included, although it is 3 time more distant and inclined more than 45 degrees in its orbit than the other planets.

"All the newfound worlds—there are several known now—were until recently smaller than Pluto, but they are round and orbit the Sun, two characteristics that had for centuries been sufficient for the implicit definition of planet. The hitch: These small objects are typically on wild, elongated orbits that stretch well above and below the main plane of the solar system where eight of the traditional planets travel (Pluto has a wild orbit, too, which is one reason many astronomers do not consider it a planet anymore)."


In my visit to Kitt Peak Observatory last fall, the 2 astronomers giving the tour were split in their opinions. In one view, if it is round, orbits the Sun and is of sufficient mass, it should be. If such a definition were used, the list of planets may grow to the hundreds or possibly greater.
It does appear, however, that the new definition will probably include orbital characteristics and possibly formation scenarios.

Justice in a Globally Wired World

I'm not sure I would be as gracious to these immature wankers as the author has been. All the victim wanted was their property back -- and they were originally willing to reward these douches for just doing the right thing. But no, these folks had to be maroons and then got snotty and theatening about it, so now they're infamous internet stars.

While it serves them right, you almost have to feel sorry for them messing with someone with not only brains, technical knowledge and skills, but a wickedly derisive sense of humor. The poor shmucks thought they won the lottery, but have been instead subjected to the ridicule and scorn of the entire online community, and then some.

Americans with No Abilities Act

John McCaslin over at Townhall explains the current joke in DC circles -- pretty good one, too.

"'MIDDLE MEN'
Capitol Hill staffers are laughing at circulating phony legislation that somebody, somewhere dreamed up: The Americans With No Abilities Act.
The prankster even affixed the sponsorship of Democratic Sens. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Barbara Boxer of California to the act, which pertains to Americans who lack any real skills or ambition, or as it reads, the "roughly 50 percent of Americans who do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role in society."
Under the act, more than 25 million "middle man" positions would be created, "with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance."
Private-sector industries with good records of nondiscrimination against the inept, it states, include retail sales (72 percent), the airline industry (68 percent) and home-improvement "warehouse" stores (65 percent). The DMV, or Division of Motor Vehicles, is also listed as having a good record of hiring persons of inability. "

I think I've found it -- my illness of choice

I always wondered why I get pissed off for no reason. Now Science gives me my answer!

"To be diagnosed with IED, an individual must have had three episodes of impulsive aggressiveness "grossly out of proportion to any precipitating psychosocial stressor," at any time in their life, according to the standard psychiatric diagnostic manual. The person must have "all of a sudden lost control and broke or smashed something worth more than a few dollars ... hit or tried to hurt someone ... or threatened to hit or hurt someone."
People who had three such episodes within the space of one year -- a more narrowly defined subgroup -- were found to have a much more persistent and severe disorder, particularly if they attacked both people and property. The latter group caused 3.5 times more property damage than other violent IED sub-groups. Affecting nearly 4 percent of adults within any given year -- 5.9-8.5 million Americans -- the disorder leads to a mean of 43 attacks over the course of a lifetime and is associated with substantial functional impairment. "

I can document 3 episodes a year for years, I would bet, so I have a serious problem -- I probably ought to be medicated. I bet I've already had 43 episodes. Maybe in the last year. They should do a study on me, being a statistical outlyer and all. Poor Poochinsky always thinks it's his fault, too, which it almost never is. Too bad, he's just going to learn to deal with it.

I need to get this to Ace with all speed.

New Bond Movie

I didn't think Craig would work out as Bond, but it sure looks from the trailer like I could be wrong. He might be the next Connery if this is as good as it looks. Still hate the female "M", just doesn't work well for me. Eva Green is prime grade-A #1 sultry hotness though. Growl!Appears I have a movie to see come November.

This guy again

Nifty pie chart of who owns US debt instruments. Makes the threat of the Chinese owning so much pale a little in comparison to those evil US citizens (probably all Republicans) & Japanese. Brits own quite a chunk, too. He also has another nifty chart showing purchases over the last 6 moths ending in March, illuminating that the US gov't($167B), US citizens($115B), and those evil Brits ($83B) are buying at a far faster clip than the Reds($15B). Japan is in sell mode, as their holdings have actually decreased ($33B) over the last 6 months.

Skeptical Optimist

Yanks Rule Sox, Beckett

The only bad about this is I was stupid enough to pitch Josh on my Yahoo fantasty squad. My other squad had Moose going though, so all is good as I finish the week at 6-1 (even with Pujols going down) and rule the West division at 31-11 with theleague's best record.

I would rather not talk about the Yahoo league other than to say Beckett is not alone among SP's with bad outings lately (see Mulder's last). The batting is kicking ass though -- Jim Thome was a STEAL in round 14, and Soriano is making me feel good about my 2nd round, too.

Solich

This may be the strangest story I've heard in a long, long time. Former Husker (and current Ohio U) coach Frank Solich claims he was under the influence of the date-rape drug GHB when picked up for a drunken-driving conviction in November.

"Attorney Sam Shamansky filed a request Friday asking the Athens Municipal Court to look at the drug test and consider overturning Solich’s conviction. Solich, a former Nebraska coach, pleaded no contest in November after police spotted him slumped over the wheel of his vehicle."

He pleaded no contest but wants the court to overturn the conviction after a drug test in January indicated the presence of GHB.

Is he suggesting someone (a coed? an administrator? some jerk in the bar bitter after a loss?) spiked his martini? I have to congratulate his lawyer for the most creative twist to get someone off that I've ever heard of. I wonder what Glenn or Volokh would say!

Oldest Domsticated Plant?

From Natl Geo.

The Neolithic Revolution just got pushed back a bit farther, to nearly 10000 BC -- it appears people were cultivating fig trees in modern Israel a thousand years before cereal grains, and 6000 years before grapes and olives, which had previously been thought to be the oldest domesticated fruits.

"The so-called agricultural revolution—when ancient humans began to domesticate crops—is now increasingly seen as a long and multifaceted transition, as humans gradually shifted from scattered planting of wild grains to farming with domesticated varieties."

""The early propagation of fig trees, if true, has a rather important effect on the way we view the Neolithic [or Late Stone Age]," said archaeologist Joy McCorriston, of Ohio State University in Columbus.....
McCorriston notes that although planting shoots of fig trees may be simple, early fig farmers would have had to wait several years for their reward.
This suggests relatively long-term ties to land and perhaps new social and economic arrangements prior to the full-scale adoption of an agricultural lifestyle. "

The hunter-gatherer Natufian culture (12,500-10,200 BP) apparently may have been more sedentary than first thought originally if the smart guys were planting TREES. On a related note, this culture may have also been the first to domesticate dogs as well. Burials dating to 10000 BC with dogs have been found according to the Wiki article.

Antarctic Crater

300 mile crater discovered in Antarctica may have caused the Permian Extinction, which killed off approximately 90% of life on Earth 250 million years ago. Meteor was perhaps as large as 30 miles across, while the Yucatan meteor thought to have ended the reign of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago is thought to have been around 6 miles in diameter.

Yugoslavia now History

Montenegro votes 55+% to separate from Serbia, ending the last vestiges of the former Yugoslavia, although the 2 areas haven't used that name since 2003. The tiny new nation (pop. 650,000) was last independent in 1918 before joining Yugoslavia after WW1. Interestingly enough, I was not aware that Slovenia is the only former Yugoslav republic admitted to the EU -- I thought that Croatia had also been admitted.

Great Election Site

I had forgotten about this site after the 2004 Presdidential election, but they are still going strong. Showing a 2 seat pickup for the Dems in the Senate and a 5 seat pickup for them in the House right now. Republican majority looks to hold if they are right -- and they were damn close in 2004, with only WI and IA going the other than predicted (WI predicted Rep, IA Dem, but they flipped) in the Presidential election -- they were only 3 electoral votes off as a result. They show Burns of MT and Santorum of PA as the Senators in danger. Dems looking to gain House seates in NM, CO, IA, PA, NY, and VT while losing one in IL.

Immigration

Thomas Sowell @ Townhall.

Amnesty just doesn't mean that illegals get the rights of American citizens. They get special treatment due to their minority status. I wonder if white people will get special rights after they are in the minority, which at the rate we are going, will be in about 20 years. I doubt it, somehow.

Maybe I should start a group for the advocacy of the rights of Vikings now, and in 20 years I can sue for reparations for not allowing me my cultural rights. Rape, murder and pillaging being cultural traits of Vikings, don'cha know. The man is holding me down! Power to the People!

Bush on the environment

From TCS Daily.

Despite no conclusive evidence of global warming, the US gov't is taking actions to reduce greenhouse gases -- unlike what you may have heard. While the Kyoto agreement has properly been rejected, the Bush administration has made progress with its Methane to Markets initiative and the Asian Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate Change. Methane is 25 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. The cool thing about this program is that US businesses can make money selling stuff to the developing nations to help them with their emissions.

"One of the fruits of the methane to markets program came last week. China, a chief emitter of methane from its coal mines, has signed an agreement to buy 60 methane generators from Caterpillar Inc. for $58 million. The generators will take in the methane from its largest coal mine, reducing explosions and improving safety and health in the mines while providing 120 megawatts of electricity with reduced greenhouse gas emissions."

Win-win.

15 Words

For Republican Congress-critters, from Hugh.

Win the war.
Confirm the judges.
Cut the taxes.
Control the spending.
Secure the border.

Do all that and holding on to the majority in both Houses might just be possible. Don't, and it's Speaker Pelosi. EEEEEEEK!

American Environment

Great article on the American environment in the WSJ by Peter du Pont.
Despite what you might think, the environment is actually IMPROVING.

"Since 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, America's population has increased by 42%, the country's inflation-adjusted gross domestic product has grown 195%, the number of cars and trucks in the United States has more than doubled, and the total number of miles driven has increased by 178%.
But during these 35 years of growing population, employment, and industrial production, the Environmental Protection Agency reports, the environment has substantially improved. Emissions of the six principal air pollutants have decreased by 53%. Carbon monoxide emissions have dropped from 197 million tons per year to 89 million; nitrogen oxides from 27 million tons to 19 million, and sulfur dioxide from 31 million to 15 million. Particulates are down 80%, and lead emissions have declined by more than 98%. "

Forest acres - up over 9 million acres. So are bald eagles populations & acres of wetlands.

Of course, the scare tactics of the enironmental crowd (not to say that there are not problems at all) are focused on the evil of carbon dioxide -- supposed culprit of "global warming". But much of what warming there is can actually be attributed to that great big ball of fire in the sky the planet orbits.

"Climate Science study concludes that "computer models consistently project a rise in temperatures over the past century that is more than twice as high as the measured increase." The National Center for Atmospheric Research's prediction of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit warming is more accurate. In short, the world is not warming as much as environmentalists think it is.
What warming there is turns out to be caused by solar radiation rather than human pollution. The Climate Change study concluded "half the observed 20th century warming occurred before 1940 and cannot be attributed to human causes," and changes in solar radiation can "account for 71 percent of the variation in global surface air temperature from 1880 to 1993."

Aha! There is some warming, and that will cause the sea levels to rise and cause a widespread flooding catasrophe, right? Millions will be flooded out of coastal areas and famine will result! Wrong.

"The U.N.'s IPCC Third Assessment Report concluded that the rate of sea level rise has not accelerated during the last century, which is supported by U.S. coastal sea level experience. In California sea levels have risen between zero and seven millimeters a year and between 2.1 and 2.8 millimeters a year in North and South Carolina. "

Oops. So if the sea levels aren't rising, and the CO2 level isn't causing warming, WHERE WILL MY NEXT RESEARCH GRANT COME FROM?

Rare American Chestnut trees discovered

This is spectacular news. Chestnut trees were probably the most widespread type of tree east of the Mississippi for thousands of years until blight nearly caused their extinction.

"American chestnuts once made up about 25 percent of the forests in the eastern United States, with an estimated 4 billion trees from Maine to Mississippi and Florida.
The trees helped satisfy demand for roasted chestnuts, and their rot-resistant wood was used to make fence posts, utility poles, barns, homes, furniture and musical instruments.
Then these magnificent hardwoods, which could grow to a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 8 feet or more, were almost entirely wiped out by a fast-spreading fungus discovered in 1904."

If these trees can resist the blight, then the re-introduction of the chestnut could take place. Arbor Day could have a new meaning for me if this proves to be the case. I would certainly love to plant one.

Great Baseball Story

TCS Daily.

Story of journeyman 1B Dale Long, who established the 8 consecutive games with a HR record, which has since been twice tied (by my main man Donny "Baseball" Mattingly, and Junior Griffey). While I never remember hearing of Long, I do remember Mattingly tying the record, but don't recall Griff doing so -- of course being a Yank fan, I have never paid much attention to the West coast clubs, with the exception of Oakland for some reason. Anyhow, I nice story of Long, the author's childhood and, more importantly, the feel of those times.

Planet found in habitable zone

From Natl Geographic.

HD 69830, a Sun-like star system 41 light years away, has at least 3 planets (the 3 smallest discovered so far) and an asteroid belt (the only system other than ours known to have one) and the outermost known planet, at about 18 earth masses, could have liquid water.

See also, Space.com here.

American Ingenuity

Make your own ethanol! And if gas prices go back down, you can still make your own whiskey. For private consumption only, of course. I saw somthing else a while back about a guy going around and collecting fryer grease from restaurants to use in his modified diesel truck. Wherever there is a high-cost solution, there will be a few individuals brave enough to try anything to get around it. And it's one of those things that makes America great.

Solar Activity

From Space.com

Very interesting in that a very intense period of solar activity is likely to be followed by a very weak one. Even more interesting in that the high activity period has climate repercussions here on the third planet, being linked to the little global warming that has been actually measured, as opposed to predicted. If solar activity drops to historic lows, might global climate start to cool?
I can see it now -- the global ice age people of 15-20 years ago will come out of the woodwork and make a comeback, and Al Gore will pontificate about it endlessly. Fear the ice age! And Al!

Election Returns

All the candidates I favored and/or voted for lost, which figures. :) But I did call the 3rd District win for Smith, in addition to the obvious Ricketts domination of the Senate race. I saw Kramer address his supporters on TV and he appeared pretty emotional in thanking his supporters; he made a surprisingly big gain in the last weeks to finish in double digits, but was obviously handicapped by lack of funding and name recognition.

Hanson (somewhat surprisingly) finished above Vavricek by tenths of a percentage point in the 3rd, but second isn't good enough. Smith faces Kleebs and Ricketts faces Nelson in the granddaddy of them all in the fall. Fortenberry and Moul will likely have a tight race in the 2nd District, while Terry is likely, but not guaranteed, to defeat Esch here at home in the 1st.

The one that eluded me was the Governor's race, where I assumed Osbourne's House district and rural interests would support him -- but this turned out not to be the case everywhere. TO actually WON Douglass and Lancaster counties, which frankly shocked me, but lost in many of the outstate rural counties. Never would have guessed it. Gov. Dave faces Lincoln businessman David Hahn in the fall.

One Osborn that did win was Shane for Treasurer -- against incumbent Ross no less. Facing no one in the fall, the job is his.

More from Victor Davis Hanson

On Real Clear Politics.

The man makes an important point -- that the lack of historical knowledge in the current citizenry contributes (sometimes mightily) to the sometimes crazed reaction to the conflict in Iraq. Most people don't seem to understand that wars are messy, bloody affairs. They want a clean cancer surgery rather than a democratic childbirth, I guess.

"Ours is the first generation of Americans that thinks it can demand perfection in war. Our present leisure, wealth, and high technology fool us into thinking that we are demi-gods always be able to trump both human and natural disasters. Accordingly, we become frustrated that we cannot master every wartime obstacle, as we seem otherwise to be able to do with computers or cosmetic surgery. Then, without any benchmarks of comparison from the past, we despair that our actions are failed because they are not perfect.

But why did a poorer, less educated, and more illiberal United States in far bloodier and more error-ridden wars of the past still have greater confidence in itself? Was it that our ancestors, who died younger and far more tragically, did not expect their homeland to be without flaws, only to be considerably better than the enemy's?

Perhaps we have forgotten such modesty because we have ignored the study of history that alone offers us guidance from our forbearers. It now competes as an orphan discipline with social science, -ologies and -isms that entice us into thinking that the more money and education of the present can at last perfect the human condition and thus consign our flawed past to irrelevance.

The result is that while sensitive young Americans seem to know what correct words and ideas they must embrace, they derive neither direction nor solace from past events. After all, very few could identify Vicksburg or Verdun, much less have any idea where or what Iwo Jima was. In such a lonely prison of the present what are historically ignorant Americans to make of a Fallujah or an Iranian madman's threat of annihilation other than such things can't or shouldn't or must not happen to us?

So, of this present war, I think our war-torn forefathers would say to us that both messy Afghanistan and Iraq are better places without their dictators even if they never will resemble Carmel or Austin. "

Here, here, VDH. Hell, most 18-24 year olds can't even indentify Iraq or even LOUISIANA on a map today, much less places like Bunker Hill, San Jacinto, Vera Cruz, Ft. Sumpter, Gettysburg, Manilla Bay, San Juan Hill, the Argonne Forest, Kasserine Pass, Malmedy, Chosen Reservoir, Khe Sahn or even Medina Ridge.

The thin, bloody lines that defends this nation are, and have always been, an inspirational story that needs to be told. Repeatedly. Like Medal of Honor winner, SFC Paul Smith. But in today's media, these heroes are too often forgotten, far too soon. Audie Murphy is probably spinning in his grave right now. I doubt anyone is going to make a movie about Smith, and the country is diminished by the oversight.

California vs Iraq

From The American Enterprise.

Victor Davis Hanson compares the Golden state to Iraq, and Iraq comes out fairly favorably.

A different kind of Muslim

From NRO.

This is the most refreshing news I've had in a while. Many people here in the US have been asking where the moderates Muslims are, why they don't speak out against the radicals. Apparently they've been hiding in plain sight in the Mahgreb. Unfortunately, the good Dr. Ahmed Abaddi is almost sure to get killed by some nutjob for the heresy of believing that Christians, Jews and Muslims can learn to live together. But I admire his bravery in trying, and the King of Moracco's for letting him. They have a lot of work to do. I wish them all the luck.

I suspected as much

Another important new scientific discovery. At least the research was done is Sweden and not in California.

Star Wars Deployed!

From the Weekly Standard.

Aegis equipped naval ships (up to 15 vessels inside 2 years), 8 batteries of theater-ranged anti-missiles, a 747s with an air-borne lasers -- they are all a reality -- TODAY. This is the best news I've had for a long, long time.

" Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner calls it "an integrated system of ground, sea and space-based sensors, ground and sea-based radars and an advanced command and control, battle management and communication system designed to detect and track a hostile ballistic missile, then launch and guide an interceptor to destroy the target.""

Even better, a nice list of our closest allies is helping to pay for, site, and deploy the systems. Japan, Australia, Poland, Great Britain, Denmark, India, Italy, even the Germans and, possibly the Canadians may get involved. Only question I have is where the Israelis are.

TOO COOL.

No growth lawn!

It's about time serious research was put into this field. Maybe they can expand the research to no growth hedges, too. I am certainly tired of wasting a perfectly good weekend afternoon doing either one.

Energy Wars?

From Newsweek via MSNBC.

The title is a bit misleading; I understand the author's point, but not sure I agree that there's nothing to be done, and certainly don't agree with the things the author seems to favor -- higher milage requirements (making vehicles more expensive AND less safe) and higher gas taxes (already 5+ times the actual per gallon profit of the energy producer). Energy producing nations don't make any money if they don't sell to customers. Of course, they will try to influence those customers.

Energy supplies are currently tight, and may get tighter, driving up prices. Supply and demand have met with little or no spare production capacity today due to low prices in previous years leading to an exploration hiatus in the industry. No one read the tea leaves and foresaw the burgeoning demand from China and India in particular. It takes several years to bring new production facilities online. Higher prices will bring a contraction in demand, AND increase the potential supply as exploration budgets are increased, alternates and substitutes are developed, and higher cost fields become profitable -- like tar sands.

Politically, the vast majority ((75-80%) of the world's energy supplies are controlled by state-run organizations, many of whom are not exactly friendly to the US. And the uncertainty in some of these nations (Nigeria, Venezuela, Iraq, and Iran in particular) are driving prices even higher, with a premium of as much as $10-20 being added to each barrel of oil today. And all the US gov't has done in recent years is curtail even the exploration for energy domestically, Florida and Alaska most notably. Even if more energy were produced domestically, refining capacity is also at a ceiling as well, and new refineries haven't ben built in aroudn 30 years. In addition, no new nuclear power plants have been constructed in the country for over 30 years as well. This has got to change, but won't if we don't have the political will to do so. The good news is that we squeeze more and more economic output from each BTU as time goes on -- the economy is growing much faster than our increase in energy consumption.

3rd district Race Endorsement

While a number of people are running, the 3 serious candidates are GI mayor Jay Vavricek, former State Senator Adrian Smith, and John Hanson, Sr. Ag advisor to Congressman Tom Osbourne.

This is probably the toughest one. All are very popular in their respective strongholds; they have only small differences in policy matters, although Vavricek draws the ire of anti-tax groups, he merely bumped a sales tax in order to cut property taxes from my understanding. While I think any of the three would be good reps, the man with the most experience with the farm issues (both farming itself and the banking/insurance side) critical to this district and with Washington is John Hanson. If elected, he could likely hit the ground running and be very effective. OWH again echoes my thinking on this group; LJS hasn't apparently (at least that I could discover) endorsed anyone in this race.

US Senate Endorsement

I meant to do this earlier in the week, but many issues have been pressing. Quick rundown of the major (non-governor) races:

US Senate: Businessman Pete Ricketts vs. former state GOP chair Dave Kramer vs. former state AG Don Stenberg.

Advantage: Kramer -- For me, this was never about Stenberg, who lost narrowly to Ben Nelson in 2000., it was between the 2 relative unknown newcomers. For me, Kramer reflects my views a bit more closely than Ricketts, who is spending a ton of his own money trying to get the nomination. I believe Ricketts cash will get him the primary, but I think Kramer is the better candidate. OWH is on board with me on this one, LJS has hitched itself to the rich guy.

Washington Nationals have an owner!

From MLB.

Finally!

While applauding the move of the team to the nation's capital, it has been an embarassing travesty that MLB had not, until apparently today, found an owner for the team. One hopes that the new ownership group will focus on fans and field a competitive team built around some of the best young talent in all of baseball. I hope they keep Frank Robinson around as well. If the new ballpark goes as planned, the team is liable to take off.

The Blogfather Speaks

Don Luskin of NRO repeats a speech he made recently to the National Organization of Investment Professionals on his blog:

http://poorandstupid.com/chronicle.asp

An excerpt on the economy, and the tax cuts that are the reason behind the success:

"Let's start with the stock market. From the recession bottom to April 2003, the S&P 500 actually lost 18%. Since April 2003, the S&P 500 has gained 51%. Now that's a bull market -- but you just have to start at the right place.

From the recession bottom to April 2003, 1.03 million payroll jobs were lost, and the unemployment rate actually went up from 5.5% to 6.0%. Talk about a jobless recovery! But since April 2003, payroll jobs have increased by 5.11 million, and the unemployment rate has fallen to 4.7%.

From the recession bottom to April 2003, real GDP grew 3.2%. Since April 2003, it has grown 11.3%. From the recession bottom to April 2003, S&P 500 earnings increased only 7%. Since April 2003, earnings have grown 59%. From the recession bottom to April 2003, manufacturers' new orders fell 5%. Since April 2003, they have increased by 38%.

From the recession bottom to April 2003, non-residential fixed investment fell 1%. Since April 2003, it has increased by 35%. And here's the most remarkable of all. From the recession bottom to April 2003, federal income tax receipts fell by 11%. Since April 2003, they have increased by 26%, and now stand at all time record highs.

Think about that one for a second. We cut taxes on personal incomes, capital gains, and dividends -- and tax receipts went up.

Let's hear it for voodoo economics. It works."

He also appears to agree with this gentleman, who I've featured before:

"Our GDP is at all-time highs, too. As a fraction of GDP, our deficits and our debt are nothing special. They're about average for the last 30 years. We've seen higher in this country in the past, and in fact many nations today have far worse. "

Funny how facts can get in the way of a "bad" image of the economy. Very inconvenient, those pesky facts.

Skysails

Read about this outfit in Popular Science.

Tha age of sail has returned! With the increase in energy costs, it makes a great deal of sense. A 10-15% savings in fuel costs adds up to a lot of cash. Plus, it's cool.

I understand this outfit, along with some others, is already having an impact on private yachts, and the plan is to cater to large shipping outfits and oil tankers as well.

In a (somewhat) related note, I read that the President of Panama is hoping to expand the canal to accomadate larger container ships.

OWH Endorsement -- and mine.

TO gets the endorsement of the Omaha newspaper.

I have to believe that the paper is correct about one thing: the Coach will really not be beholden to any special interest; he will call them as he sees them, and will be the most independent of the possible candidates. That being said, the race will be tight between Gov. Dave and the Congressman. Fact of the matter is, while I like the incumbent's background, he has not particularly impressed me during his days in office. And while I have been impressed with the energy, new ideas and outspokeness of the Nabity campaign, I don't believe that he is the right candidate for today. It would help him immensely to serve the public in another capacity and run again for the governor's office in the future, not just for name recognition but for experience in government as well.

Personally, I agree with the paper on this one. While Tom's been the front-runner from day one, I haven't seen him pander to any group or special interest just for the sake of votes, unlike the incumbent has with the school fiasco.

As the paper says:

"He offers a blend of character, intelligence and political independence that makes him especially suited to lead the state. Nebraskans know Tom Osborne to be a man who faces problems head-on. Voters know his character and his values."

He has been a lot more than "just a football coach" as some have said. A number of people had their doubts when he ran for Congress; however, he's been an excellent representative for his district for the past six years, and impressed many with his intellect and work ethic. In addition, the experience in Washington can only have helped to prove to Osbourne that government needs an overhaul. This is a critical time for the state of Nebraska; if there was ever a time for calm, rational leadership, this is certainly it, and I believe Tom Osbourne embodies these qualities to a higher degree than any of the other candidates.