A letter to the Roanoke, VA newspaper from VA Tech grad student Bradford Wiles, in all its elegant simplicity. (HT: Joe's Crabby Shack)
"On Aug. 21 at about 9:20 a.m., my graduate-level class was evacuated from the Squires Student Center. We were interrupted in class and not informed of anything other than the following words: "You need to get out of the building."
Upon exiting the classroom, we were met at the doors leading outside by two armor-clad policemen with fully automatic weapons, plus their side arms. Once outside, there were several more officers with either fully automatic rifles and pump shotguns, and policemen running down the street, pistols drawn.
It was at this time that I realized that I had no viable means of protecting myself.
Please realize that I am licensed to carry a concealed handgun in the commonwealth of Virginia, and do so on a regular basis. However, because I am a Virginia Tech student, I am prohibited from carrying at school because of Virginia Tech's student policy, which makes possession of a handgun an expellable offense, but not a prosecutable crime.
I had entrusted my safety, and the safety of others to the police. In light of this, there are a few things I wish to point out.
First, I never want to have my safety fully in the hands of anyone else, including the police.
Second, I considered bringing my gun with me to campus, but did not due to the obvious risk of losing my graduate career, which is ridiculous because had I been shot and killed, there would have been no graduate career for me anyway.
Third, and most important, I am trained and able to carry a concealed handgun almost anywhere in Virginia and other states that have reciprocity with Virginia, but cannot carry where I spend more time than anywhere else because, somehow, I become a threat to others when I cross from the town of Blacksburg onto Virginia Tech's campus.
Of all of the emotions and thoughts that were running through my head that morning, the most overwhelming one was of helplessness.
That feeling of helplessness has been difficult to reconcile because I knew I would have been safer with a proper means to defend myself.
I would also like to point out that when I mentioned to a professor that I would feel safer with my gun, this is what she said to me, "I would feel safer if you had your gun."
The policy that forbids students who are legally licensed to carry in Virginia needs to be changed.
I am qualified and capable of carrying a concealed handgun and urge you to work with me to allow my most basic right of self-defense, and eliminate my entrusting my safety and the safety of my classmates to the government.
This incident makes it clear that it is time that Virginia Tech and the commonwealth of Virginia let me take responsibility for my safety."
I think I have to go with the young man from the Commonwealth of Virginia on this one.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Washington Nationals Tribute to Virginia Tech
I saw this on Baseball Tonight last night but nearly forgot it until reminded (HT:Outside the Beltway) The Washington Nationals baseball franchise all wore Virginia Tech caps last night to show solidarity and support for the school after the tragic loss of over 30 students to a disturbed student gunman.
"The idea sprang from an e-mail that Nationals fan Dave Lanham sent to team president Stan Kasten. Lanham, a resident of Calvert County, suggested that the team don the hats in tribute. Kasten liked the thought but didn't see the e-mail until after his afternoon meetings.
With about 90 minutes before first pitch, Harolyn Cardozo, executive assistant to General Manager Jim Bowden, was on the phone calling sporting goods stores. She dialed the number to the Sports Authority's store in Alexandria, and when she heard a voice, she had one simple demand: "Give me the smartest guy in the store who can get something done fast."
Paul Schneider, a department manager, soon was scouring the store for Hokies hats. Cardozo asked for 40 of them and they needed to be at the stadium before the Nats took the field. Schneider found about 20 on the rack and discovered a box full in a storeroom. He talked his managers into donating the 38 hats of various styles, then jumped in his car to cross the Wilson Bridge and weave through rush-hour traffic to get to RFK.
Fifteen minutes before the first pitch, Major League Baseball gave the team approval. Schneider arrived at the stadium during the first inning, and the caps made it to the Nationals' dugout in time for the team to take the field with them for the second inning."
Outstanding idea and coordination between the club, the store, its manager and MLB. Several of the player's caps have been donated to the university, and Nats OF Chris Snelling has donated his to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
"The idea sprang from an e-mail that Nationals fan Dave Lanham sent to team president Stan Kasten. Lanham, a resident of Calvert County, suggested that the team don the hats in tribute. Kasten liked the thought but didn't see the e-mail until after his afternoon meetings.
With about 90 minutes before first pitch, Harolyn Cardozo, executive assistant to General Manager Jim Bowden, was on the phone calling sporting goods stores. She dialed the number to the Sports Authority's store in Alexandria, and when she heard a voice, she had one simple demand: "Give me the smartest guy in the store who can get something done fast."
Paul Schneider, a department manager, soon was scouring the store for Hokies hats. Cardozo asked for 40 of them and they needed to be at the stadium before the Nats took the field. Schneider found about 20 on the rack and discovered a box full in a storeroom. He talked his managers into donating the 38 hats of various styles, then jumped in his car to cross the Wilson Bridge and weave through rush-hour traffic to get to RFK.
Fifteen minutes before the first pitch, Major League Baseball gave the team approval. Schneider arrived at the stadium during the first inning, and the caps made it to the Nationals' dugout in time for the team to take the field with them for the second inning."
Outstanding idea and coordination between the club, the store, its manager and MLB. Several of the player's caps have been donated to the university, and Nats OF Chris Snelling has donated his to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Immigration Issues
Russian born Candian citizen Ilya Shapiro writes at TCS Daily of the trials and tribulations of people wanting H1-B visas to the US. An H1-B visa allows a foreign citizen working in particular high skilled professional occupations to work for a US employer for a period of three years, renewable once.
"The problem is that there aren't enough of these visas: Congress limits the number of H-1Bs that can be granted each year, and that magic number has been set at 65,000 for four years now. Before that, and in response to the technology boom of the late '90s, Congress temporarily raised the H-1B cap to 195,000. But that expansion expired in 2004, and the cap has been reached earlier and earlier each year since.
In 2005, that meant August. Last year, it was May 26. This year, the cap was reached on... April 2 -- the very first day you could file. Yes, by that Monday afternoon, USCIS had received over 150,000 H-1B applications. Officials quickly announced that it would randomly select 65,000 petitions from all those it had received April 2 and April 3."
So, Congress limits the number of high skilled workers with jobs waiting for them, but won't build a fence or crack down on employers who hire unskilled foreigners here illegally. Worse yet, the people that DO get H1-B's have to leave the US after six years no matter what - unless they happen to marry an American citizen. Being Candian, Shapiro does get one break - due to NAFTA, the number of H1-Bs available to Canadians is uncapped, but last only one year. None of the Immigration Reform bills now before Congress touch upon this issue whatsoever.
Brilliant, isn't it? As Shapiro says, it's like some sort of bad April Fool's Day joke - one that we cna't stop repeating.
"The problem is that there aren't enough of these visas: Congress limits the number of H-1Bs that can be granted each year, and that magic number has been set at 65,000 for four years now. Before that, and in response to the technology boom of the late '90s, Congress temporarily raised the H-1B cap to 195,000. But that expansion expired in 2004, and the cap has been reached earlier and earlier each year since.
In 2005, that meant August. Last year, it was May 26. This year, the cap was reached on... April 2 -- the very first day you could file. Yes, by that Monday afternoon, USCIS had received over 150,000 H-1B applications. Officials quickly announced that it would randomly select 65,000 petitions from all those it had received April 2 and April 3."
So, Congress limits the number of high skilled workers with jobs waiting for them, but won't build a fence or crack down on employers who hire unskilled foreigners here illegally. Worse yet, the people that DO get H1-B's have to leave the US after six years no matter what - unless they happen to marry an American citizen. Being Candian, Shapiro does get one break - due to NAFTA, the number of H1-Bs available to Canadians is uncapped, but last only one year. None of the Immigration Reform bills now before Congress touch upon this issue whatsoever.
Brilliant, isn't it? As Shapiro says, it's like some sort of bad April Fool's Day joke - one that we cna't stop repeating.
Shuttle Launch Schedule Revamped for 2007
via Space.com
NASA announces a new shuttle launch schedule given the postponement of the March Atlantis mission to June 8 due to hail damage to the external fuel tank insulation. The STS-117 mission continues the ISS construction work on an 11 day mission to delivery additional new solar arrays for the station. The shuttle Endeavor will then fly STS-118 sometime shortly after August 9, delivering a new starboard station truss.
The next mission, STS-120, will then fly around Oct.20 on Discovery, rather than utilize Atlantis as originally planned. The October mission will bring the Harmony connector node to the ISS, which will allow the planned European and Japanese laboratory modules to be connected to the station. Atlantis will then close out the year's launches with the delivery of the European Columbus lab module in a proposed December 6 launch.
The first two 2008 launches have also been scheduled, the first being a Feb. 14 Endeavor mission, STS-123, to deliver the Candian-built robotic arm addition and the first of the three segments for the Japanese constructed Kibo lab module. The second segment of the module will fly April 24 aboard Discovery on STS-124, along with another robotic arm for the Kibo module.
Exciting times we live in. Hopefully the remainder of the year goes as planned.
NASA announces a new shuttle launch schedule given the postponement of the March Atlantis mission to June 8 due to hail damage to the external fuel tank insulation. The STS-117 mission continues the ISS construction work on an 11 day mission to delivery additional new solar arrays for the station. The shuttle Endeavor will then fly STS-118 sometime shortly after August 9, delivering a new starboard station truss.
The next mission, STS-120, will then fly around Oct.20 on Discovery, rather than utilize Atlantis as originally planned. The October mission will bring the Harmony connector node to the ISS, which will allow the planned European and Japanese laboratory modules to be connected to the station. Atlantis will then close out the year's launches with the delivery of the European Columbus lab module in a proposed December 6 launch.
The first two 2008 launches have also been scheduled, the first being a Feb. 14 Endeavor mission, STS-123, to deliver the Candian-built robotic arm addition and the first of the three segments for the Japanese constructed Kibo lab module. The second segment of the module will fly April 24 aboard Discovery on STS-124, along with another robotic arm for the Kibo module.
Exciting times we live in. Hopefully the remainder of the year goes as planned.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Natural Gas for Your Car?
via Livescience.
New technological breakthrough allows a smaller tank to be used for methane powered vehicles. Current use is usually confined to large mass transit vehicles that have sufficent space for a large fuel tank. Growing up, a friend of mine's Dad had a large methane powered cargo van. The tank on it took up an area equivalent to a row of seats. Methane molecules don't compress well, so methane storage tanks are usually under pretty high pressure. The new technology utilizes an interesting resource to allow a storage method under lower pressures.
"The goal of Pfeiffer’s research was to develop a way to hold the natural gas at lower pressures, which would shrink tank sizes. To do this, Pfeiffer developed a way to transform corncob waste into carbon briquettes that act like a sponge to suck up and store natural gas at higher densities.
Tiny pores in the corncobs store the natural gas “in a way which makes the methane molecules very happy to be close to each other,” said Pfeifer. To transform the corncobs into briquettes, they are heated in the absence of air, essentially turning them into charcoal. Meanwhile, a chemical process “drills” extremely tiny holes and tunnels in the briquettes that can exert strong forces to hold the methane in place."
Obviously, corncobs are a pretty common resource, particularly in the Midewestern US. Other attempts to create such briquettes have focused on other agricultural products like coconuts and olive pits, but none have created the storage capacity that the corncobs have. The new tank stores methane at one-seventh the pressure and it is far smaller than a conventional natural gas tank, one which could easily fit inside a passenger vehicle. It should be noted that while methane burns more cleanly that gasoline, it has a far larger greenhouse effect when released into the atmosphere.
New technological breakthrough allows a smaller tank to be used for methane powered vehicles. Current use is usually confined to large mass transit vehicles that have sufficent space for a large fuel tank. Growing up, a friend of mine's Dad had a large methane powered cargo van. The tank on it took up an area equivalent to a row of seats. Methane molecules don't compress well, so methane storage tanks are usually under pretty high pressure. The new technology utilizes an interesting resource to allow a storage method under lower pressures.
"The goal of Pfeiffer’s research was to develop a way to hold the natural gas at lower pressures, which would shrink tank sizes. To do this, Pfeiffer developed a way to transform corncob waste into carbon briquettes that act like a sponge to suck up and store natural gas at higher densities.
Tiny pores in the corncobs store the natural gas “in a way which makes the methane molecules very happy to be close to each other,” said Pfeifer. To transform the corncobs into briquettes, they are heated in the absence of air, essentially turning them into charcoal. Meanwhile, a chemical process “drills” extremely tiny holes and tunnels in the briquettes that can exert strong forces to hold the methane in place."
Obviously, corncobs are a pretty common resource, particularly in the Midewestern US. Other attempts to create such briquettes have focused on other agricultural products like coconuts and olive pits, but none have created the storage capacity that the corncobs have. The new tank stores methane at one-seventh the pressure and it is far smaller than a conventional natural gas tank, one which could easily fit inside a passenger vehicle. It should be noted that while methane burns more cleanly that gasoline, it has a far larger greenhouse effect when released into the atmosphere.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Senator Thune on Potential Tax Increases
McQ over at QandO points out the impact of letting the Bush tax cuts expire, which it appears that the Democrats are proposing. The highlights (or if you're like me, I'd say they are the low lights)
"The marriage penalty returns. Average impact? About $1,360 per married couple.
The standard deduction ($3,300) will be cut to zero for some depending on their income.
If you're a senior living on dividend income, your tax is going to go from 15% to 39.6%.
And if you also are living on some capital gain income, that tax goes from 15% to 20%.
20 million more families will be forced on the Alternative Minimum Tax.
If you use the credit for Child and Dependent Care, that is being slashed by 31%.
The Child Tax Credit is being cut from $1,000 to $500 (these, btw, are credits many of our lower ranking military use).
Then there's the Tax Rate Schedule.The 10% bracket, that used by many low income families, is gone. Now, at a minimum, everyone is in the next tax bracket. And that bracket goes from 25% to 28%. The 28% bracket rises to 31%, the 33% bracket goes to 36% and those in the present 35% bracket see their taxes increased to 39.6%."
Thune and his staff computes that the average SD family will see a tax increase of $2,596. Ouch.
And this is what the majority party wants for you and me and everyone in the country.
Thanks.
"The marriage penalty returns. Average impact? About $1,360 per married couple.
The standard deduction ($3,300) will be cut to zero for some depending on their income.
If you're a senior living on dividend income, your tax is going to go from 15% to 39.6%.
And if you also are living on some capital gain income, that tax goes from 15% to 20%.
20 million more families will be forced on the Alternative Minimum Tax.
If you use the credit for Child and Dependent Care, that is being slashed by 31%.
The Child Tax Credit is being cut from $1,000 to $500 (these, btw, are credits many of our lower ranking military use).
Then there's the Tax Rate Schedule.The 10% bracket, that used by many low income families, is gone. Now, at a minimum, everyone is in the next tax bracket. And that bracket goes from 25% to 28%. The 28% bracket rises to 31%, the 33% bracket goes to 36% and those in the present 35% bracket see their taxes increased to 39.6%."
Thune and his staff computes that the average SD family will see a tax increase of $2,596. Ouch.
And this is what the majority party wants for you and me and everyone in the country.
Thanks.
New Fred Thompson Interview
via Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard.
Hayes spent four hours talking with Thompson, and comes away impressed with the former Senator's honesty and authenticity.
"On subjects ranging from Social Security to abortion, the CIA and to Iran, there would be lots of candor over the next several hours. And by the end of the conversation, two unexpected realities had emerged. If he joins the race for the Republican nomination, and if he campaigns the same way he spoke to me last week, Fred Thompson, a mild-mannered, slow-talking southern gentleman, will run as the politically aggressive conservative that George W. Bush hasn't been for four years. And the actor in the race could well be the most authentic personality in the field. "
Hayes gives a pretty thorough biography of Thompson, his background and how he become both political operative and actor. He also relates the way he ran his Tennessee Senate campaign from the back of his red pickup truck after almost quitting the race, uncomfortable with the stilted campaign his handlers were trying to impose on him. Thompson won the race with 61% of the vote, running on the issues of ethics reform and federalism. His belief in federalism is so strong he once was the lone Senate vote against a measure he believed should be left to the states. Hayes also mentions that the interview was unusual in many ways from the normal political interview.
"As we spoke, I was struck by the fact that Thompson didn't seem to be calibrating his answers for a presidential run. On issue after contentious issue, I got the sense from both his manner and the answers he gave me that he was just speaking extemporaneously. Many of his answers would drive a poll-watching political consultant nuts. My suspicions were confirmed when Thompson asked at one point if he could have a transcript of our interview. "I found myself talking on some subjects that I haven't really thought that much about," he explained. "Oh, so this is what I think, huh?"
Another item of note is that Thompson would not comment on other potential candidates of either party, except regarding his friend John McCain, and that only to say that he told McCain before going on to Fox News to indicate that he was thinking of running. Thompson supported McCain's 2000 presidential run. The interview closes with a note about the personal issues involved in campaigning and how difficult it can be for a candidate and his family, but Thompsons seems at ease with it.
"It's not pleasant, but it's not that important anymore because you're straight with your family, you have a level of understanding and knowledge about your family, and they with you, and with the man upstairs, and that's that. You know, ain't really much past that. And it kind of frees you up in a way."
Another note is that supporter and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has all but announced that Thompson is running, one of the reasons for last week's revalation about Thompson's medical condition of non-Hodgekin's lymphoma, which is not life threatening and easily treatable, according to the good Dr. Frist.
Hayes spent four hours talking with Thompson, and comes away impressed with the former Senator's honesty and authenticity.
"On subjects ranging from Social Security to abortion, the CIA and to Iran, there would be lots of candor over the next several hours. And by the end of the conversation, two unexpected realities had emerged. If he joins the race for the Republican nomination, and if he campaigns the same way he spoke to me last week, Fred Thompson, a mild-mannered, slow-talking southern gentleman, will run as the politically aggressive conservative that George W. Bush hasn't been for four years. And the actor in the race could well be the most authentic personality in the field. "
Hayes gives a pretty thorough biography of Thompson, his background and how he become both political operative and actor. He also relates the way he ran his Tennessee Senate campaign from the back of his red pickup truck after almost quitting the race, uncomfortable with the stilted campaign his handlers were trying to impose on him. Thompson won the race with 61% of the vote, running on the issues of ethics reform and federalism. His belief in federalism is so strong he once was the lone Senate vote against a measure he believed should be left to the states. Hayes also mentions that the interview was unusual in many ways from the normal political interview.
"As we spoke, I was struck by the fact that Thompson didn't seem to be calibrating his answers for a presidential run. On issue after contentious issue, I got the sense from both his manner and the answers he gave me that he was just speaking extemporaneously. Many of his answers would drive a poll-watching political consultant nuts. My suspicions were confirmed when Thompson asked at one point if he could have a transcript of our interview. "I found myself talking on some subjects that I haven't really thought that much about," he explained. "Oh, so this is what I think, huh?"
Another item of note is that Thompson would not comment on other potential candidates of either party, except regarding his friend John McCain, and that only to say that he told McCain before going on to Fox News to indicate that he was thinking of running. Thompson supported McCain's 2000 presidential run. The interview closes with a note about the personal issues involved in campaigning and how difficult it can be for a candidate and his family, but Thompsons seems at ease with it.
"It's not pleasant, but it's not that important anymore because you're straight with your family, you have a level of understanding and knowledge about your family, and they with you, and with the man upstairs, and that's that. You know, ain't really much past that. And it kind of frees you up in a way."
Another note is that supporter and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has all but announced that Thompson is running, one of the reasons for last week's revalation about Thompson's medical condition of non-Hodgekin's lymphoma, which is not life threatening and easily treatable, according to the good Dr. Frist.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Bill's Back
Internet essayist Bill Whittle is back at his blog, Eject!Eject!Eject. This time around he takes on the convoluted logic (or lack thereof) presented by crazy conspiracy theorists. Read the whole thing (like always, he goes on at some length, but it's definitely worth it) at the link above when you have some time on your hands.
"But if I didn’t have that sense of identity rooted in my own small achievements, I wonder how likely it would have been for me to grab onto that sense of sudden empowerment, of being an initiate in some arcane club of hidden wisdom. I wonder what might have happened to me if being the Holder of Secret Knowledge had been my only source of self-esteem…the one redeeming landmark in a life of isolation and failure. Indeed, I wonder what power such a worldview would have over me if I could believe that behind the scenes lurked vast and unknowable dark forces – forces that could topple a president and perhaps even explain why a person of my deep, vast and bountiful talents was not doing a whole lot better in life?"
Another spectacular takedown, and he notes a worrisome penchant for people to belief this sort of tripe as well, and thanks Hollywood for the popular indoctrination.
"But if I didn’t have that sense of identity rooted in my own small achievements, I wonder how likely it would have been for me to grab onto that sense of sudden empowerment, of being an initiate in some arcane club of hidden wisdom. I wonder what might have happened to me if being the Holder of Secret Knowledge had been my only source of self-esteem…the one redeeming landmark in a life of isolation and failure. Indeed, I wonder what power such a worldview would have over me if I could believe that behind the scenes lurked vast and unknowable dark forces – forces that could topple a president and perhaps even explain why a person of my deep, vast and bountiful talents was not doing a whole lot better in life?"
Another spectacular takedown, and he notes a worrisome penchant for people to belief this sort of tripe as well, and thanks Hollywood for the popular indoctrination.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Federal Debt Trends
The Skeptical Optimist has a new chart out showing the Federal tax receipt trends versus the Federal spending trends over the last 12 months. The 12 month deficit is $203.7 billion, which sounds like a big number, unless you take into account that it is only 1.4% of GDP.
Over the same period, Federal Tax Receipts are up 10.6%, and federal spending is up 4.4%, so if the trends continue, the Federal budget would move into balance in August of 2008, just in time for the election. Steve thinks it unlikely, however, due to a dampening of corporate tax receipts (around 15% of tax receipts right now) in particular. He thinks it more likely that the budget balance will be achieved in early 2009.
I'll note for the record he thinks deficits are a good thing, if kept within a certain range as a percentage of GDP; I would agree with him if I thought the deficit funds were or would be spent on worthwhile pursuits (particularly security related stuff), which I do not believe happens in most cases. I do agree the deficit spending is not the bogeyman most people make it out to be.
I'm a firm believer that the less money the government takes from me, the better off we all are as a nation and accomplishing excellent things like growing the economy make everyone better off - and on that score (a growing economy is a good thing) Steve and I are in perfect agreement.
Over the same period, Federal Tax Receipts are up 10.6%, and federal spending is up 4.4%, so if the trends continue, the Federal budget would move into balance in August of 2008, just in time for the election. Steve thinks it unlikely, however, due to a dampening of corporate tax receipts (around 15% of tax receipts right now) in particular. He thinks it more likely that the budget balance will be achieved in early 2009.
I'll note for the record he thinks deficits are a good thing, if kept within a certain range as a percentage of GDP; I would agree with him if I thought the deficit funds were or would be spent on worthwhile pursuits (particularly security related stuff), which I do not believe happens in most cases. I do agree the deficit spending is not the bogeyman most people make it out to be.
I'm a firm believer that the less money the government takes from me, the better off we all are as a nation and accomplishing excellent things like growing the economy make everyone better off - and on that score (a growing economy is a good thing) Steve and I are in perfect agreement.
Husker Spring Game Televised
NFL Network will carry the Husker Spring game (tape-delayed) at 8 pm central time.
Greg Sharpe, Husker legend Matt Davidson and Coach Callahan will call the game in the booth.
OC Shawn Watson and Receivers Coach Ted Gilmore will call the plays. Both Sam Keller and Joe Ganz will QB for the Red team, with Beau Davis and Patrick Witt leading the White squad.
The projected offensive starter at Left Guard, Andy Christensen, will be held out due to a foot injury. Redshirt Frosh Kevin Williams will get the start for the Red team in his place. Frosh RB Marcus Mendoza may be held out as well due to injury. Word also has it that Tierre Green and juco transfer Larry Asante will get the starts for the Red team at the safety spots over Ricky Thenarse and Ben Eisenhart, who will work with the White secondary. With the injury to CB Zac Bowman, Anthony West has been moved back to CB from safety and will likely play on the White squad. It will also be interesting to see who gets to carry the rock with with all the injuries at running back, I imagine Marlon Lucky goes for the Reds and Major Culbert for the White with Cody Glenn possibly getting totes on both sides if he's available.
Greg Sharpe, Husker legend Matt Davidson and Coach Callahan will call the game in the booth.
OC Shawn Watson and Receivers Coach Ted Gilmore will call the plays. Both Sam Keller and Joe Ganz will QB for the Red team, with Beau Davis and Patrick Witt leading the White squad.
The projected offensive starter at Left Guard, Andy Christensen, will be held out due to a foot injury. Redshirt Frosh Kevin Williams will get the start for the Red team in his place. Frosh RB Marcus Mendoza may be held out as well due to injury. Word also has it that Tierre Green and juco transfer Larry Asante will get the starts for the Red team at the safety spots over Ricky Thenarse and Ben Eisenhart, who will work with the White secondary. With the injury to CB Zac Bowman, Anthony West has been moved back to CB from safety and will likely play on the White squad. It will also be interesting to see who gets to carry the rock with with all the injuries at running back, I imagine Marlon Lucky goes for the Reds and Major Culbert for the White with Cody Glenn possibly getting totes on both sides if he's available.
Technical Hurdles Overcome for New Space Telescopes
via ScienceDaily. Big day for astronomy posts I guess.
With a relatively simply method, two researchers have overcome the technical hurdles necessary to directly image exoplanets with the soon to launch Terrestrial Planet Finder mission next year.
"two researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., have shown that a fairly simple coronagraph - an instrument used to "mask" a star's glare - paired with an adjustable mirror, could enable a space telescope to image a distant planet 10 billion times fainter than its central star."
These two items, with the aid of computer processing, overcome the twin difficulties of light diffraction and scattering that hinders a telescope pointed at a neighboring star from seeing anything in orbit around it. So far, no one has discovered a star whose planetary organization is like that of our own system, but the application of this technique with the new generation of space imaging satellites planned might allow us to look more closely at neighboring stars and perhaps find just such a system.
With a relatively simply method, two researchers have overcome the technical hurdles necessary to directly image exoplanets with the soon to launch Terrestrial Planet Finder mission next year.
"two researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., have shown that a fairly simple coronagraph - an instrument used to "mask" a star's glare - paired with an adjustable mirror, could enable a space telescope to image a distant planet 10 billion times fainter than its central star."
These two items, with the aid of computer processing, overcome the twin difficulties of light diffraction and scattering that hinders a telescope pointed at a neighboring star from seeing anything in orbit around it. So far, no one has discovered a star whose planetary organization is like that of our own system, but the application of this technique with the new generation of space imaging satellites planned might allow us to look more closely at neighboring stars and perhaps find just such a system.
New Twist In Alien Search
via Space.com
A new twist in where we might go looking for those Vulcans and Klingons. Past searches of other solar systems have focused on Sun like G sequence stars, but scientists now think that M sequence stars might also be good candidates for harboring other life and alien civilizations. Rationale? M class stars can live far longer than G class stars - over ten times longer, in fact, and M class stars are the most common stellar type in the universe.
“M stars are the most accessible, yet challenging, targets for habitable zone terrestrial planet searches,” says journal Editor-in-Chief, Sherry L. Cady, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at Portland State University. “The potential for M Star habitable zone planets to evolve biospheres and retain them are but two of the many reasons to include M stars in the search for evidence of life beyond the confines of Earth.”
Current discoveries of exoplanets around G type stars haven't been terribly promising, many have so called "hot Jupiters" near the star that would either limit or eliminate the formation of terrestrial type planets from forming around the star. With the long life expectancy of M type stars (100 billion years) the possibility of life developing at some point over that period would have to be pretty high for any planet in such a star's habitable zone.
Cool.
A new twist in where we might go looking for those Vulcans and Klingons. Past searches of other solar systems have focused on Sun like G sequence stars, but scientists now think that M sequence stars might also be good candidates for harboring other life and alien civilizations. Rationale? M class stars can live far longer than G class stars - over ten times longer, in fact, and M class stars are the most common stellar type in the universe.
“M stars are the most accessible, yet challenging, targets for habitable zone terrestrial planet searches,” says journal Editor-in-Chief, Sherry L. Cady, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at Portland State University. “The potential for M Star habitable zone planets to evolve biospheres and retain them are but two of the many reasons to include M stars in the search for evidence of life beyond the confines of Earth.”
Current discoveries of exoplanets around G type stars haven't been terribly promising, many have so called "hot Jupiters" near the star that would either limit or eliminate the formation of terrestrial type planets from forming around the star. With the long life expectancy of M type stars (100 billion years) the possibility of life developing at some point over that period would have to be pretty high for any planet in such a star's habitable zone.
Cool.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Water Discovered on Extrasolar Planet!
voia Space.com
HD209458b, the first planet ever to be directly observed in orbit around another star, and also the first known to have observable quantities of atmospheric oxygen and carbon, has also given up another secret: water also exists in the planet's atmosphere. While the planet is a hot Jupiter orbiting close to its parent star and thus likely without lifeforms, the discovery of water is profound. Lowell Observatory's Travis Barman made the discovery by re-anlayzing Hubble data.
"Using a combination of previously published Hubble Space Telescope measurements and new theoretical models, Barman found strong evidence for water absorption in the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD209458b. Barman took advantage of the fact that HD209458b is a so-called “transiting planet,” meaning it passes directly in front of its star as seen from Earth. It transits every three-and-a-half days. When this happens, water vapor in the planet’s atmosphere causes the planet to appear slightly larger in the infrared part of the starlight than in the visible portion."
The implications, of course, are profound. If water is readily available throughout the galaxy, there ought to be any number of habitable planets, perhaps as many as billions, and theoretically, Klingons and Vulcans existing somewhere out there to go visit. Too cool.
HD209458b, the first planet ever to be directly observed in orbit around another star, and also the first known to have observable quantities of atmospheric oxygen and carbon, has also given up another secret: water also exists in the planet's atmosphere. While the planet is a hot Jupiter orbiting close to its parent star and thus likely without lifeforms, the discovery of water is profound. Lowell Observatory's Travis Barman made the discovery by re-anlayzing Hubble data.
"Using a combination of previously published Hubble Space Telescope measurements and new theoretical models, Barman found strong evidence for water absorption in the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD209458b. Barman took advantage of the fact that HD209458b is a so-called “transiting planet,” meaning it passes directly in front of its star as seen from Earth. It transits every three-and-a-half days. When this happens, water vapor in the planet’s atmosphere causes the planet to appear slightly larger in the infrared part of the starlight than in the visible portion."
The implications, of course, are profound. If water is readily available throughout the galaxy, there ought to be any number of habitable planets, perhaps as many as billions, and theoretically, Klingons and Vulcans existing somewhere out there to go visit. Too cool.
Early Corn Found in Mexico
The earliest evidence of domesticated corn has been found in Mexico - from 7300 years ago, 1200 years earlier than thought.
"Professor Mary Pohl conducted an analysis of sediments in the Gulf Coast of Tabasco, Mexico, and concluded that people were planting crops in the "New World" of the Americas around 5,300 B.C....."This research expands our knowledge on the transition to agriculture in Mesoamerica," Pohl said. "These are significant new findings that fill out knowledge of the patterns of early farming. It expands on research that demonstrates that maize spread quickly from its hearth of domestication in southwest Mexico to southeast Mexico and other tropical areas in the New World including Panama and South America."
Naturally the shift from nomadism to agriculture helped to establish the sophisticated Mezoamerican civilizations in the New World, such as the Olmec civilization that predates the better known Mayans and Aztecs conquered by the Spanish. Pohl has found evidence that farmers began to cultivate their crops along coastal areas where they also had access to fish stocks. These early finds in Tabasco challenge the idea that corn was developed in semi-arid areas in the central Mexican highlands.
"Professor Mary Pohl conducted an analysis of sediments in the Gulf Coast of Tabasco, Mexico, and concluded that people were planting crops in the "New World" of the Americas around 5,300 B.C....."This research expands our knowledge on the transition to agriculture in Mesoamerica," Pohl said. "These are significant new findings that fill out knowledge of the patterns of early farming. It expands on research that demonstrates that maize spread quickly from its hearth of domestication in southwest Mexico to southeast Mexico and other tropical areas in the New World including Panama and South America."
Naturally the shift from nomadism to agriculture helped to establish the sophisticated Mezoamerican civilizations in the New World, such as the Olmec civilization that predates the better known Mayans and Aztecs conquered by the Spanish. Pohl has found evidence that farmers began to cultivate their crops along coastal areas where they also had access to fish stocks. These early finds in Tabasco challenge the idea that corn was developed in semi-arid areas in the central Mexican highlands.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Baseball AL East Preview
Enough politicians, on to more amusing and entertaining things - like the national pasttime. Anyhow on to the most important division in the Major Leagues, starting again in the south, with..
The team named after the animal that killed Steve Irwin has once again gathered a bunch of kids to play a men's game - however, unlike past years, these kids have some talent. Led by LF Carl Crawford, RF Delmon Young, CF Elijah Dukes, DH Rocco Baldelli, and 2B BJ Upton and Japnese import 3B Akinori Iwamura, these guys can do some damage. Former Metropolitan Scott Kazmir leads the staff, along with Edwin Jackson and Casey Fossum. Jae Seo and James Shields round out the rotation, with Al Reyes closing. While they're still a ways away, I think they are likely to be a little better this year, but still around 90 losses.
Moving north to the Birds, this team has begun, finally, to learn its lesson and stop paying small fortunes to washup veterans and develop some internal talent. The pitching in particular is starting to round into form. The staff is led by promising Erik Bedard and Daniel Cabrerra, who both could be aces soon. Adam Loewen and veterans Jared Wright (reunited with former Brave pitching coach Leo Mazzone) and Steve Trachsel round out the rotation. Chris Ray continues to quietly yet brilliantly close. The Birds carry some heavy duty sticks as well, with SS Miguel Tejada, LF Jay Gibbons, 1B Aubrey Huff, and RF Nick Markakis all capable of putting up some good power numbers, and CF Corey Patterson and 2B Brian Roberts capable of running and hitting. These guys could make some noise this year, I juust wish they would get a better class of owner.
On to the most famous and successful team in the history of the game, the Bronx Bombers of New York City. The team is loaded with talent once again, aiming for another Eastern division title. RF is manned by former Phil All-Star and Home Run Derby winner Bobby Abreu, one of my favorite players, alongside former evil one Johnny Damon (glad he's come over to the side of light and goodness) and LF is ably handled by Japanese superstar Hideki (Godzilla) Matsui. Around the horn we have the game's highest paid player at 3B and 2005 AL MVP, Alex Rodriguez, along side team captain, All-Star SS Derek Jeter (should have been 2006 AL MVP). On the other half of the infield is another batting title contender, young 2B Robinson Cano, and at 1B we have slick fielding Doug Mientkiewicz with former AL MVP Jason Giambi at DH. All-Star Jorge Posada handles the catching. The team's staff is led by veteran All-Stars Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte, along with former Fish Carl Pavano, Japanese newcomer Kei Igawa. Darrell Rasner fills in temporarily until 19 game winner Chien-Ming Wang returns from a hammy pull. Future ace Phillip Hughes waits in the wings at AAA Columbus, and Mr. Dependable, Mariano Rivera continues to close with the nastiest cutter in the game after setup work from strong-armed Kyle Farnsworth and sidewinding southpaw Mike Myers. The crazy thing about this year is the payroll went down, at least to start the season. There is speculation that a certain Rocket from Texas may return to the Bronx sometime next month as well.
Moving up the coast to the Evil Ones, the Beantowners should be almost, but not quite, good enough. They also deal in rather weighty lumber as well, with DH David Ortiz and LF Manny Ramirez leading the charge, along with C and team captian Jason Varitek, newcomer JD Drew (if he can stay healthy), and 3B Mike Lowell. What I see as the tema strength this year is the starting pitching, which starts off with one of my favorite guys, outspoken Curt Schilling. Japanese ace Daisuke (Dice-K) Matsuzaka also has filthy stuff, along with former Fish Josh Beckett. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield provides a nasty change of pace, and Julian Tavarez rounds out the rotation for closer Jonathan Papelbon, who was tough as nails in his first year in the role last year. These guys are good, maybe better than any team not in NY. It'll be another challenging year for the good guys.
Moving on, the lone Candian team remaining in the game would have a decent shot in any other division, but probably not in this one. They have former AL Cy winner Roy Halladay at the top of the staff, another former Fish and potential ace in AJ Burnett, along with Gustavo Chavin, Josh Towers and import Tomo Ohka in the rotation setting the stage for power-armed southpaw BJ Ryan. These guys can also rake it as well, with LF Vernon Wells, RF Alex Rios, DH Frank Thomas, and 3b Troy Glaus all capable of going yard often. LF Reed Johson and 1B Lyle Overbay supply more of a contact gap style hitting. I don't see a lot of base path burners on this team, so it'll be more of a Moneyball get on base and knock'em in approach, but they have a nice mix of talent, thye could be trouble.
Well, it's hard not to go with tradition and assume the Yanks take it all this year, but they've been disturbingly absent from Series victory for quite a while now. If Rocket returns, they definitely have enough of the other pieces, although without him it'll be damn tough. The Evil Ones and the rest of the division are pretty good and seem to be getting better, and the Central is loaded for bear and storied franchises as well. Anything can (and far too often does) happen in a short series. Fearless forcast is A's, Twinkies, Tiggers and Yanks in the playoffs, and the Yanks taking the Series, but it's likely wishful thinking. Hopefully I look like a genius in October.
The team named after the animal that killed Steve Irwin has once again gathered a bunch of kids to play a men's game - however, unlike past years, these kids have some talent. Led by LF Carl Crawford, RF Delmon Young, CF Elijah Dukes, DH Rocco Baldelli, and 2B BJ Upton and Japnese import 3B Akinori Iwamura, these guys can do some damage. Former Metropolitan Scott Kazmir leads the staff, along with Edwin Jackson and Casey Fossum. Jae Seo and James Shields round out the rotation, with Al Reyes closing. While they're still a ways away, I think they are likely to be a little better this year, but still around 90 losses.
Moving north to the Birds, this team has begun, finally, to learn its lesson and stop paying small fortunes to washup veterans and develop some internal talent. The pitching in particular is starting to round into form. The staff is led by promising Erik Bedard and Daniel Cabrerra, who both could be aces soon. Adam Loewen and veterans Jared Wright (reunited with former Brave pitching coach Leo Mazzone) and Steve Trachsel round out the rotation. Chris Ray continues to quietly yet brilliantly close. The Birds carry some heavy duty sticks as well, with SS Miguel Tejada, LF Jay Gibbons, 1B Aubrey Huff, and RF Nick Markakis all capable of putting up some good power numbers, and CF Corey Patterson and 2B Brian Roberts capable of running and hitting. These guys could make some noise this year, I juust wish they would get a better class of owner.
On to the most famous and successful team in the history of the game, the Bronx Bombers of New York City. The team is loaded with talent once again, aiming for another Eastern division title. RF is manned by former Phil All-Star and Home Run Derby winner Bobby Abreu, one of my favorite players, alongside former evil one Johnny Damon (glad he's come over to the side of light and goodness) and LF is ably handled by Japanese superstar Hideki (Godzilla) Matsui. Around the horn we have the game's highest paid player at 3B and 2005 AL MVP, Alex Rodriguez, along side team captain, All-Star SS Derek Jeter (should have been 2006 AL MVP). On the other half of the infield is another batting title contender, young 2B Robinson Cano, and at 1B we have slick fielding Doug Mientkiewicz with former AL MVP Jason Giambi at DH. All-Star Jorge Posada handles the catching. The team's staff is led by veteran All-Stars Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte, along with former Fish Carl Pavano, Japanese newcomer Kei Igawa. Darrell Rasner fills in temporarily until 19 game winner Chien-Ming Wang returns from a hammy pull. Future ace Phillip Hughes waits in the wings at AAA Columbus, and Mr. Dependable, Mariano Rivera continues to close with the nastiest cutter in the game after setup work from strong-armed Kyle Farnsworth and sidewinding southpaw Mike Myers. The crazy thing about this year is the payroll went down, at least to start the season. There is speculation that a certain Rocket from Texas may return to the Bronx sometime next month as well.
Moving up the coast to the Evil Ones, the Beantowners should be almost, but not quite, good enough. They also deal in rather weighty lumber as well, with DH David Ortiz and LF Manny Ramirez leading the charge, along with C and team captian Jason Varitek, newcomer JD Drew (if he can stay healthy), and 3B Mike Lowell. What I see as the tema strength this year is the starting pitching, which starts off with one of my favorite guys, outspoken Curt Schilling. Japanese ace Daisuke (Dice-K) Matsuzaka also has filthy stuff, along with former Fish Josh Beckett. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield provides a nasty change of pace, and Julian Tavarez rounds out the rotation for closer Jonathan Papelbon, who was tough as nails in his first year in the role last year. These guys are good, maybe better than any team not in NY. It'll be another challenging year for the good guys.
Moving on, the lone Candian team remaining in the game would have a decent shot in any other division, but probably not in this one. They have former AL Cy winner Roy Halladay at the top of the staff, another former Fish and potential ace in AJ Burnett, along with Gustavo Chavin, Josh Towers and import Tomo Ohka in the rotation setting the stage for power-armed southpaw BJ Ryan. These guys can also rake it as well, with LF Vernon Wells, RF Alex Rios, DH Frank Thomas, and 3b Troy Glaus all capable of going yard often. LF Reed Johson and 1B Lyle Overbay supply more of a contact gap style hitting. I don't see a lot of base path burners on this team, so it'll be more of a Moneyball get on base and knock'em in approach, but they have a nice mix of talent, thye could be trouble.
Well, it's hard not to go with tradition and assume the Yanks take it all this year, but they've been disturbingly absent from Series victory for quite a while now. If Rocket returns, they definitely have enough of the other pieces, although without him it'll be damn tough. The Evil Ones and the rest of the division are pretty good and seem to be getting better, and the Central is loaded for bear and storied franchises as well. Anything can (and far too often does) happen in a short series. Fearless forcast is A's, Twinkies, Tiggers and Yanks in the playoffs, and the Yanks taking the Series, but it's likely wishful thinking. Hopefully I look like a genius in October.
Fred's Take on Iran
Having given some time to Duncan, now it's Fred's turn.
Fred Thompson, fresh off some guest columns over at NRO, now has started posting over at Redstate.
http://www.redstate.com/stories/foreign_affairs/the_pirates_of_tehran
Interesting stuff. I think he understands the stakes better than most.
"There is hope, though. The Iranian people are not an anti-Western horde. They're an educated and freedom-loving people for the most part, and reformers there have been begging us for support and sanctions that would weaken the ruling theocracy. Instead, they've just seen the Iranian dictatorship successfully bully the West into impotent submission. This is not a good thing.
We need to understand this and use every means at our disposal, starting with serious and painful international sanctions, to prevent Iran's rulers from becoming the nuclear-armed blackmailers they want to be. Unfortunately, we are hearing demands that we abandon the people of the Middle East who have stood up to Islamo-fascism because they believed us when we said we would support them.
If we retreat precipitously, the price for that betrayal will be paid first in blood and freedom by the Iranian people, the Kurds, the Afghanis, the secular Lebanese, the moderates in Pakistan and the Iraqis themselves. And America's word may never be trusted again."
I'll also note on the heels of Pelosi's trip to Syria, comes news that Bill Richardson, the one Democrat I can stand, is visiting North Korea. UGHH.
Fred Thompson, fresh off some guest columns over at NRO, now has started posting over at Redstate.
http://www.redstate.com/stories/foreign_affairs/the_pirates_of_tehran
Interesting stuff. I think he understands the stakes better than most.
"There is hope, though. The Iranian people are not an anti-Western horde. They're an educated and freedom-loving people for the most part, and reformers there have been begging us for support and sanctions that would weaken the ruling theocracy. Instead, they've just seen the Iranian dictatorship successfully bully the West into impotent submission. This is not a good thing.
We need to understand this and use every means at our disposal, starting with serious and painful international sanctions, to prevent Iran's rulers from becoming the nuclear-armed blackmailers they want to be. Unfortunately, we are hearing demands that we abandon the people of the Middle East who have stood up to Islamo-fascism because they believed us when we said we would support them.
If we retreat precipitously, the price for that betrayal will be paid first in blood and freedom by the Iranian people, the Kurds, the Afghanis, the secular Lebanese, the moderates in Pakistan and the Iraqis themselves. And America's word may never be trusted again."
I'll also note on the heels of Pelosi's trip to Syria, comes news that Bill Richardson, the one Democrat I can stand, is visiting North Korea. UGHH.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Duncan Hunter in his own words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDV3bYkhfjI (HT: IMAO)
I like the idea (shamelessly stolen from the above) of a Thompson-Hunter ticket. It would piss off both the terrorists and the liberals no end. The gnashing of the teeth. The hair pulling. Moveon.org people projectile vomiting in the streets. It would be awsome.
I like the idea (shamelessly stolen from the above) of a Thompson-Hunter ticket. It would piss off both the terrorists and the liberals no end. The gnashing of the teeth. The hair pulling. Moveon.org people projectile vomiting in the streets. It would be awsome.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Baseball Preview - AL Central
On to the boys in the AL Central starting down south in KC -
The boys in the blue unis (and their fans) have suffered a long time - and it's not going to get much better this year, but the club may finally be moving in the right direction with the continued development of their farm system. Minor Leaguer of the Year (and fellow Husker alum) Alex Gordon takes over at 3B, moving another talented young bat, Mark Tehan, over to RF, along side CF David DeJesus and LF Emil Brown. Another young bat lies with 1B Ryan Shealy, and Mike Sweeney is again the DH. The only regular position player you have probably even heard of is 2B Mark Grudzielanek, and that's just because of his unusual name and the fact he used to play for the Dodgers, although the club has Reggie Sanders on the bench as probable trade bait. The team spent $55 million bringing former Team Starbucks SP Gil Meche in to lead the staff. The rest of the rotation is NL cast-offs Odalis Perez and Brandon Duckworth, homegrown (and hopefully future ace) Zach Greinke, and no-name Jorge De La Rosa. Octavio Dotel was signed to close but has already hit the DL, leaving former Injun David Riske finishing games. I see 90-100 losses, but they might be a little better than that shortly with the talent in the farm system.
The White Stockings, 2005 WS champs, are looking for the magic of that year to return. Power sticks reside in 1B Paul Konerko, DH Jim Thome, LF Jermaine Dye, and 3B Joe Crede. Speed is provided with LF Scott Podsednik, 2B Tadihito Iguchi, and SS Juan Uribe. The club also boasts a deep bench with 1B/OF Darin Erstad and IF Alex Cintron, both former starters for their old clubs, letting manager Ozzie Guillen get to play matchups. The staff has some great arms, notably Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, John Garland and Javier Vazquez, with newcomer southpaw John Danks rounding out the starters. Bobby Jenks shuts things down in the ninth while former KC closer Mike McDougal set up. This team looks pretty good, but the division is pretty formidable.
Moving east along Lake Erie, the Injuns have a bunch of young talents in the batter's box as well. C Victor Martininez, 1B Casey Blake, and CF Grady Sizemore, along with DH Travis (Pronk) Hafner and newcomer Trot Nixon, allow the club to mash, while 2B Josh Barfield provides some wheels at the top of the lineup. The rotation is fairly solid, with ace CC Sabathia, Jake Westerbrook, crafty vet Paul Byrd, and newcomer Jeremy Sowers, but prize lefty Cliff Lee starts the season on the DL, so it's likely that bullpen sinkerballer Jason Davis will fill in. Former Little Bear Joe Borowski closes things out for the team. The team can hit, the pitching is pretty good, but they may not have enough, particularly given its poor defensive play and weak bullpen. Still, there is enough talent here to be pretty competitive, but it's a damn tough division.
Moving on to out nation's northern border, the defending AL champ Tiggers plan to repeat the feat in '07, when manager Jimmy Leyland's outfit snuck up on a lot of people. No way this year, and while the club has mostly stayed pat, they did add a huge bat: Gary Sheffield. A number of other fellas on the club can swing the wood as well - vets like C Ivan Rodriguez, RF Mags Ordonez and 1B Sean Casey, along with younger guys like SS Carlos Guillen, and LF Craig Monroe. However, the strength of this club is in the rotation, with young starters Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander, Mike Moroth and Nate Robertson. The outfit will use Chad Durbin to fill in while the Gambler, Kenny Rogers, recovers from injury. Todd Jones closes for now, keeping the seat warm for fireballer Joel Zumaya.
Traveling further north to the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, the Twinkies also believe that they have the stuff to take the division as well. This club also has some talented young batters, including AL MVP Justin Morneau and C Joe Mauer, along with veterans Rondell White and long time Twink and multi-Gold Glover Torii Hunter. Former CY winner Johan Santana leads a revamped staff, with Boof Bonser, Carlos Silva and recent acquisitions Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson rounding out the rotation. Uber closer Joe Nathan shuts things down in the ninth.
Another tough call to make in this division, with probably four teams in contention. While I really like the way Jimmy Leyland runs his clubs, it's hard to root against the boys in Lakeland, who have some of the most talented guys in the league on their roster . The Stockings could also certainly take the pennant as well. Injuns might be on the outside looking in, but if the pitching, particularly in the pen, ever develops they'll also be dangerous. KC is at least a year or two away, and that's if everything goes perfect for them like it did for the Tiggers last year.
The boys in the blue unis (and their fans) have suffered a long time - and it's not going to get much better this year, but the club may finally be moving in the right direction with the continued development of their farm system. Minor Leaguer of the Year (and fellow Husker alum) Alex Gordon takes over at 3B, moving another talented young bat, Mark Tehan, over to RF, along side CF David DeJesus and LF Emil Brown. Another young bat lies with 1B Ryan Shealy, and Mike Sweeney is again the DH. The only regular position player you have probably even heard of is 2B Mark Grudzielanek, and that's just because of his unusual name and the fact he used to play for the Dodgers, although the club has Reggie Sanders on the bench as probable trade bait. The team spent $55 million bringing former Team Starbucks SP Gil Meche in to lead the staff. The rest of the rotation is NL cast-offs Odalis Perez and Brandon Duckworth, homegrown (and hopefully future ace) Zach Greinke, and no-name Jorge De La Rosa. Octavio Dotel was signed to close but has already hit the DL, leaving former Injun David Riske finishing games. I see 90-100 losses, but they might be a little better than that shortly with the talent in the farm system.
The White Stockings, 2005 WS champs, are looking for the magic of that year to return. Power sticks reside in 1B Paul Konerko, DH Jim Thome, LF Jermaine Dye, and 3B Joe Crede. Speed is provided with LF Scott Podsednik, 2B Tadihito Iguchi, and SS Juan Uribe. The club also boasts a deep bench with 1B/OF Darin Erstad and IF Alex Cintron, both former starters for their old clubs, letting manager Ozzie Guillen get to play matchups. The staff has some great arms, notably Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, John Garland and Javier Vazquez, with newcomer southpaw John Danks rounding out the starters. Bobby Jenks shuts things down in the ninth while former KC closer Mike McDougal set up. This team looks pretty good, but the division is pretty formidable.
Moving east along Lake Erie, the Injuns have a bunch of young talents in the batter's box as well. C Victor Martininez, 1B Casey Blake, and CF Grady Sizemore, along with DH Travis (Pronk) Hafner and newcomer Trot Nixon, allow the club to mash, while 2B Josh Barfield provides some wheels at the top of the lineup. The rotation is fairly solid, with ace CC Sabathia, Jake Westerbrook, crafty vet Paul Byrd, and newcomer Jeremy Sowers, but prize lefty Cliff Lee starts the season on the DL, so it's likely that bullpen sinkerballer Jason Davis will fill in. Former Little Bear Joe Borowski closes things out for the team. The team can hit, the pitching is pretty good, but they may not have enough, particularly given its poor defensive play and weak bullpen. Still, there is enough talent here to be pretty competitive, but it's a damn tough division.
Moving on to out nation's northern border, the defending AL champ Tiggers plan to repeat the feat in '07, when manager Jimmy Leyland's outfit snuck up on a lot of people. No way this year, and while the club has mostly stayed pat, they did add a huge bat: Gary Sheffield. A number of other fellas on the club can swing the wood as well - vets like C Ivan Rodriguez, RF Mags Ordonez and 1B Sean Casey, along with younger guys like SS Carlos Guillen, and LF Craig Monroe. However, the strength of this club is in the rotation, with young starters Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander, Mike Moroth and Nate Robertson. The outfit will use Chad Durbin to fill in while the Gambler, Kenny Rogers, recovers from injury. Todd Jones closes for now, keeping the seat warm for fireballer Joel Zumaya.
Traveling further north to the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, the Twinkies also believe that they have the stuff to take the division as well. This club also has some talented young batters, including AL MVP Justin Morneau and C Joe Mauer, along with veterans Rondell White and long time Twink and multi-Gold Glover Torii Hunter. Former CY winner Johan Santana leads a revamped staff, with Boof Bonser, Carlos Silva and recent acquisitions Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson rounding out the rotation. Uber closer Joe Nathan shuts things down in the ninth.
Another tough call to make in this division, with probably four teams in contention. While I really like the way Jimmy Leyland runs his clubs, it's hard to root against the boys in Lakeland, who have some of the most talented guys in the league on their roster . The Stockings could also certainly take the pennant as well. Injuns might be on the outside looking in, but if the pitching, particularly in the pen, ever develops they'll also be dangerous. KC is at least a year or two away, and that's if everything goes perfect for them like it did for the Tiggers last year.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Baseball AL West Preview
Moving on to more pleasant topics, such as the boys of summer in the AL West. We'll cross up and start in the North this time.
In Seattle, team Starbucks has a very nice park with all the amenities. They have some hitters, too, starting with CF Ichiro Suzuki, fellow Japanese import C Kenji Johjima, 1B Richie Sexton, 3B Adrian Beltre, LF Raul Ibanez, and new DH Jose Vidro. The staff look servicable, with Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista, Jeff Weaver and Horacio Ramirez making up the rotation. These guys can get the job done but nothing to get too excited about except perhaps Felix, who had 12 k's in the opener. JJ Putz continues to close for the club.
Moving down the coast to the Moneyballers (appropriately enough, attired in green unis), they just hope letting go the Big Three (Zito, Hudson, & Mulder) doesn't come back to haunt them someday, but it seems to be working out for now. The also hope SP Rich Harden stays healthy. He should lead a solid rotation with Dan Haren, Joe Blanton, Joe Kennedy, and the injured (but returning soon) Estoban Loiza (Chad Gaudin fill in). Former UT star Huston Street is solid at the end of games. The offense needs big stick Eric Chavez to return to form, along with good seasons from 1B Nick Swisher, new DH/C Mike Piazza, LF Shannon Stewart and CF Milton Bradley. Whether or not they get all that is anyone's guess, but they seem to perform second half miracles every year, so keep a keen eye on this team.
Further south is the Team with a Really Long Name and it has been force to go with a lot of youth to complement uber RF Vlad Guerrero and longtime vet LF Garret Anderson - namely 1B Casey Kotchman, 2B Howie Kendrick, and 3B Maicer Izturis, and how the kids go might be how the team goes. Closer Fransisco Rodriguez is lights out, and Scott Shields is also solid in the eighth. John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santanna eagerly await the return of ace Bartolo Colon and Jered Weaver from the DL, and the club would love to see CF Chone Figgins, 3B Dallas McPherson, and LF Juan Rivera back from injury as well. This team looks like a MASH unit today, but the pitchers appear almost back and Figgins is likely back before Memorial Day. Whether or not they are still in the hunt by then is hard to say.
Far from the coast, the Lone Star Republic's best team boasts a lot of sticks, most notably in the IF with 1B Mark Teixera, SS Michale Young, 3B Hank Blalock and young 2B Ian Kinsler. The team signed Sammy Sosa as DH this winter, which could look like a great move if he can stay both healthy and effective. Kevin Millwood and Vincent Padilla provide at least a serviceable fron end to the rotation, although it drops off after that considerably. Akinori Otsuka gets the saves unless injury plagued Eric Gagne returns to greatness.
This is a strange division to forecast due to alot of impact injuries. On paper, Team Starbucks looks the best mostly due to their current health status, and unless either of the teams from Cali gets healthy, they could wind up running away with it. But if either Cali team get to full strength, it could make it an entertaining summer out West. The team in green seems to close the season with a bang most years, so if they are hanging around at the break, it should be real interesting. The men with badges should be at least competitive as long as the staff holds together, and if their longshot pickups work out, they could make it fun as well. So the whole enchilda may wind up being decided late in the fall - the way it should be.
In Seattle, team Starbucks has a very nice park with all the amenities. They have some hitters, too, starting with CF Ichiro Suzuki, fellow Japanese import C Kenji Johjima, 1B Richie Sexton, 3B Adrian Beltre, LF Raul Ibanez, and new DH Jose Vidro. The staff look servicable, with Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista, Jeff Weaver and Horacio Ramirez making up the rotation. These guys can get the job done but nothing to get too excited about except perhaps Felix, who had 12 k's in the opener. JJ Putz continues to close for the club.
Moving down the coast to the Moneyballers (appropriately enough, attired in green unis), they just hope letting go the Big Three (Zito, Hudson, & Mulder) doesn't come back to haunt them someday, but it seems to be working out for now. The also hope SP Rich Harden stays healthy. He should lead a solid rotation with Dan Haren, Joe Blanton, Joe Kennedy, and the injured (but returning soon) Estoban Loiza (Chad Gaudin fill in). Former UT star Huston Street is solid at the end of games. The offense needs big stick Eric Chavez to return to form, along with good seasons from 1B Nick Swisher, new DH/C Mike Piazza, LF Shannon Stewart and CF Milton Bradley. Whether or not they get all that is anyone's guess, but they seem to perform second half miracles every year, so keep a keen eye on this team.
Further south is the Team with a Really Long Name and it has been force to go with a lot of youth to complement uber RF Vlad Guerrero and longtime vet LF Garret Anderson - namely 1B Casey Kotchman, 2B Howie Kendrick, and 3B Maicer Izturis, and how the kids go might be how the team goes. Closer Fransisco Rodriguez is lights out, and Scott Shields is also solid in the eighth. John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santanna eagerly await the return of ace Bartolo Colon and Jered Weaver from the DL, and the club would love to see CF Chone Figgins, 3B Dallas McPherson, and LF Juan Rivera back from injury as well. This team looks like a MASH unit today, but the pitchers appear almost back and Figgins is likely back before Memorial Day. Whether or not they are still in the hunt by then is hard to say.
Far from the coast, the Lone Star Republic's best team boasts a lot of sticks, most notably in the IF with 1B Mark Teixera, SS Michale Young, 3B Hank Blalock and young 2B Ian Kinsler. The team signed Sammy Sosa as DH this winter, which could look like a great move if he can stay both healthy and effective. Kevin Millwood and Vincent Padilla provide at least a serviceable fron end to the rotation, although it drops off after that considerably. Akinori Otsuka gets the saves unless injury plagued Eric Gagne returns to greatness.
This is a strange division to forecast due to alot of impact injuries. On paper, Team Starbucks looks the best mostly due to their current health status, and unless either of the teams from Cali gets healthy, they could wind up running away with it. But if either Cali team get to full strength, it could make it an entertaining summer out West. The team in green seems to close the season with a bang most years, so if they are hanging around at the break, it should be real interesting. The men with badges should be at least competitive as long as the staff holds together, and if their longshot pickups work out, they could make it fun as well. So the whole enchilda may wind up being decided late in the fall - the way it should be.
Dems ban war terms through wishful legislation
Apparently our fine majority in Congress don't like the term "War on Terrorism" so much that they've just decided they won't use it in legislation any longer - without consulting the other side of thre aisle, it might be added. And the Washington Times raps their knuckles on it in no uncertain terms - HARD (via RCP).
"This is yet another sign that the Democrats are going hard-left on national-security issues generally and not just on Iraq -- in this instance, trying to airbrush away the very war on terrorism from our most basic defense legislation. This is also hypocrisy, simple and rank -- the sort that causes us to question motives."
The Times notes that the Dem. Armed Service Committee Chair, Ike Skelton of Missouri, uses the term when it suits his purposes - such as a 9/11 commemoration speech, or when criticizing the administration about Iraq. But now, however...I guess we'll just have to see. The Times also asks us to consider, for a moment, what it means to have not only the issues of terrorism, but the very term, and its global implications, "swept under the rug" in Orewellian rightthink.
"Consider the implications for a moment, though. If there is no real war against terrorism pitting civilized peoples against Islamist militants, then even Sen. John Kerry's vision of a war on terror which is "not primarily a military operation" can be viewed as unduly hawkish. It would mean that the attacks of the last decade, from Bali to Beslan to Madrid to Manhattan, can be regarded as disparate, unrelated events. Because al Qaeda and allied terrorist groups no longer have a hierarchical structure, any al Qaeda-inspired violence by the many hundreds of thousands of Islamist militants worldwide can also be regarded as disparate and unrelated. This is the intellectual path to subordination to Islamist terrorism, the problem defined away in semantics and doublespeak. It must be resisted."
We'll have to see if anyone is paying attention. Along with this, and the "defense" bill sure to be vetoed, I have almost no faith in the Congress.
"This is yet another sign that the Democrats are going hard-left on national-security issues generally and not just on Iraq -- in this instance, trying to airbrush away the very war on terrorism from our most basic defense legislation. This is also hypocrisy, simple and rank -- the sort that causes us to question motives."
The Times notes that the Dem. Armed Service Committee Chair, Ike Skelton of Missouri, uses the term when it suits his purposes - such as a 9/11 commemoration speech, or when criticizing the administration about Iraq. But now, however...I guess we'll just have to see. The Times also asks us to consider, for a moment, what it means to have not only the issues of terrorism, but the very term, and its global implications, "swept under the rug" in Orewellian rightthink.
"Consider the implications for a moment, though. If there is no real war against terrorism pitting civilized peoples against Islamist militants, then even Sen. John Kerry's vision of a war on terror which is "not primarily a military operation" can be viewed as unduly hawkish. It would mean that the attacks of the last decade, from Bali to Beslan to Madrid to Manhattan, can be regarded as disparate, unrelated events. Because al Qaeda and allied terrorist groups no longer have a hierarchical structure, any al Qaeda-inspired violence by the many hundreds of thousands of Islamist militants worldwide can also be regarded as disparate and unrelated. This is the intellectual path to subordination to Islamist terrorism, the problem defined away in semantics and doublespeak. It must be resisted."
We'll have to see if anyone is paying attention. Along with this, and the "defense" bill sure to be vetoed, I have almost no faith in the Congress.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Baseball Preview - NL
Completing my take on the National League, with the East. Starting down south in FL and working my way up the coast.
The Fish went through another of the periodic firesales a couple years back, but have been surprisingly competitive nonetheless. Lots of talent here, led by big bat 3B Miguel Cabrera, 2B Dan Uggla, and speedy SS Hanley Ramirez. They have some arms as well, with engaging lefty Dontrelle Willis, Scott Olsen, and Ricky Nolasco leading the rotation and recently acquired Jorge Julio now closing. If some additional young talents develop, like 1b Mike Jacobs and LF Josh Willingham, they could surprise. Now if they could only get a new owner...
The Tomahawk people suffered their first non division title last year in fifteen years, and made some winter moves that should allow them to challenge their rival teams in the East. The Jones boys, Andrew and Larry, continue to carry the team offensively, although young C Brian McCann could wind up being the next Javy Lopez. A number of youthful bats complement, among them 1B Scott Thorman (supposed to be so good they let go Adam LaRouche to the Bucs for lefty RP Mike Gonzalez) as well as OF Jeff Francoeur and Ryan Langerhans. John Smoltz, Tim Hudson and Mark Redman lead the rotation with Mike Hampton trying to recover from a rib muscle injury. The big moves have been in the bullpen, with Bob Wickman closing, and Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano setting up.
On to the nations capital, where the Nats surprised everyone last year by actually being competitive. Probably won't happen this year, however. The youth movement is spearheaded by 3B Ryan Zimmerman, who has quickly become the franchise's poster boy. The biggest sticks on the club power wise is likely former Cincy OF Austin Kearns, along with 1B Dmitri Young, who steps in for former Yank Nick Johnson, recovering form a broken leg. John Patterson is the staff "ace" and you've never heard of anyone else on the staff (OK, maybe former Cubbie Jerome Williams -if you watch WGN) with the exception of closer Chad Cordero, who is likely to be trade bait at the deadline this summer. On the plus side, the team is getting a new stadium and the uniforms look pretty cool. On the minus side, they will almost certainly lose more than 100 games, if not 110 or more.
Moving on to the City of Brotherly Love, the Phils feel pretty good with returning NL MVP Ryan Howard at 1B. SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Chase Utley, and LF Pat Burrell are proven impact players, and the club thinks CF Aaron Rowand and RF Shane Victorino might become so as well. Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Adam Eaton and crafty old lefty Jamie Moyer are on staff, along with injured Freddy Garcia and also injured John Lieber, so one if likely to be traded for anything the club needs at the break if they can get healthy. Tom Gordon continues close, probably keeping the seat warm for closer in waiting Ryan Madsen.
In the Big Apple, the second best team in the city enjoyed a long overdue takedown of the fellas in Georgia last year, but think they should have made the series last year and will go for it again. These guys have a ton of sticks, with 3B Dave Wright, SS Jose Reyes, 1B Carlos Delgado, and CF Carlos Beltran being among the best at their respective positions in the game. Other notables include OFs Shawn Green and Felipe Alou's little boy Moises (now 40 years young), C Paul LoDuca, and 2B Jose Valentin can also go deep. Tom Glavine leads the staff, with El Duke and Oliver Perez in the rotation as well, awaiting the return of Pedro. Closer Billy Wagner is lights out, with Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis setting up.
Stupid as they are, the Metropolitans should take the division - meaning they probably won't. I see the Phils doing the deed this year (finally) with their superior (and deep) staff making the difference, with the Braves and the Fish being somewhat competitive as well.
Fearless predictions: East - Phils, Central - Cubbies, West - Dbacks, WC - Cards. Mets go home early, and the best team in NY laughs thorugh October and the off-season. (OK, might be some wishful thinking here, but hey, it's a fearless prediction).
The Fish went through another of the periodic firesales a couple years back, but have been surprisingly competitive nonetheless. Lots of talent here, led by big bat 3B Miguel Cabrera, 2B Dan Uggla, and speedy SS Hanley Ramirez. They have some arms as well, with engaging lefty Dontrelle Willis, Scott Olsen, and Ricky Nolasco leading the rotation and recently acquired Jorge Julio now closing. If some additional young talents develop, like 1b Mike Jacobs and LF Josh Willingham, they could surprise. Now if they could only get a new owner...
The Tomahawk people suffered their first non division title last year in fifteen years, and made some winter moves that should allow them to challenge their rival teams in the East. The Jones boys, Andrew and Larry, continue to carry the team offensively, although young C Brian McCann could wind up being the next Javy Lopez. A number of youthful bats complement, among them 1B Scott Thorman (supposed to be so good they let go Adam LaRouche to the Bucs for lefty RP Mike Gonzalez) as well as OF Jeff Francoeur and Ryan Langerhans. John Smoltz, Tim Hudson and Mark Redman lead the rotation with Mike Hampton trying to recover from a rib muscle injury. The big moves have been in the bullpen, with Bob Wickman closing, and Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano setting up.
On to the nations capital, where the Nats surprised everyone last year by actually being competitive. Probably won't happen this year, however. The youth movement is spearheaded by 3B Ryan Zimmerman, who has quickly become the franchise's poster boy. The biggest sticks on the club power wise is likely former Cincy OF Austin Kearns, along with 1B Dmitri Young, who steps in for former Yank Nick Johnson, recovering form a broken leg. John Patterson is the staff "ace" and you've never heard of anyone else on the staff (OK, maybe former Cubbie Jerome Williams -if you watch WGN) with the exception of closer Chad Cordero, who is likely to be trade bait at the deadline this summer. On the plus side, the team is getting a new stadium and the uniforms look pretty cool. On the minus side, they will almost certainly lose more than 100 games, if not 110 or more.
Moving on to the City of Brotherly Love, the Phils feel pretty good with returning NL MVP Ryan Howard at 1B. SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Chase Utley, and LF Pat Burrell are proven impact players, and the club thinks CF Aaron Rowand and RF Shane Victorino might become so as well. Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Adam Eaton and crafty old lefty Jamie Moyer are on staff, along with injured Freddy Garcia and also injured John Lieber, so one if likely to be traded for anything the club needs at the break if they can get healthy. Tom Gordon continues close, probably keeping the seat warm for closer in waiting Ryan Madsen.
In the Big Apple, the second best team in the city enjoyed a long overdue takedown of the fellas in Georgia last year, but think they should have made the series last year and will go for it again. These guys have a ton of sticks, with 3B Dave Wright, SS Jose Reyes, 1B Carlos Delgado, and CF Carlos Beltran being among the best at their respective positions in the game. Other notables include OFs Shawn Green and Felipe Alou's little boy Moises (now 40 years young), C Paul LoDuca, and 2B Jose Valentin can also go deep. Tom Glavine leads the staff, with El Duke and Oliver Perez in the rotation as well, awaiting the return of Pedro. Closer Billy Wagner is lights out, with Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis setting up.
Stupid as they are, the Metropolitans should take the division - meaning they probably won't. I see the Phils doing the deed this year (finally) with their superior (and deep) staff making the difference, with the Braves and the Fish being somewhat competitive as well.
Fearless predictions: East - Phils, Central - Cubbies, West - Dbacks, WC - Cards. Mets go home early, and the best team in NY laughs thorugh October and the off-season. (OK, might be some wishful thinking here, but hey, it's a fearless prediction).
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Baseball Preview - NL
As promised, another look at baseball's National League, this time the Central, starting down south.
The Stros are also one of "my" teams, one I've always liked since the JR Richard/Nolan Ryan/Jose Cruz days. The team lacked offense last year, despite playing in a great hitter's park, so they went out and signed thunderous bat Carlos Lee to go along with homegrown Lance Berkman. The team also hopes and prays for a more substantial season from 3B Morgan Ensberg, and continued production from graying Craig Biggio. Young OFs Luke Scott and Jason Lane also need to develop. Unfortunately, that may not be enough, for they also lost Andy Pettite and his good buddy the Rocket from their staff, replaced by Woody Williams and Jason Jennnings, who aren't terrible, but nowhere near the caliber of the former (and current) Pinstripers. Trauma head case Brad Lidge returns to close (possibly) unless he can't handle the pressure, then setup man Dan Wheeler inherits.
Up in St. Looey, my granddad's favorite team, the Redbirds, celebrate their first World Series victory since the days of Whitey Herzog and the Oz. The Cards have some serious sticks in the lineup, led by Mr. Universe, Albert Pujols, as well as 3B Scott Rolen and CF Jim Edmonds, and young LF Chris Duncan. Preston Wilson also joins the OF cast while Juan Encarnacion recovers from wrist surgery. Former twenty game winner Chris Carpenter leads the retooled staff, with with Kip Wells, Anthony Reyes, Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper filling out the rotation awaiting the return of Mark Mulder. Jason Isringhausen still closes out games.
Moving up river to Cincy, the sudden emergance of Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo finally give the staff some solidity, although Eric Milton is on the DL to start the season, along with closer Eddie Guardado. Mike Stanton apparently picks up the finishing duty. Adam Dunn carries a healthy stick (2 HRs on Opening Day vs Cubbies) along with oft-injured Junior Griffey and 3B Edwin Encarnacion. Fleet Ryan Freel finally gets a permanent position in CF.
Moving further up the Ohio, the Bucs are in another pickle - the season has started. With one of the best parks in the majors, you'd think the once proud franchise could eventually right the ship, but no evidence for such yet exists, althought the offense should be better with LF Jason Bay, RF Xavier Nady, 1B Adam LaRoche, and SS Jack Wilson carrying decent sticks. The issue again is the staff, with enigmatic Zach Day the ace and the only other name you've ever heard of (maybe) Tony Armas. Solomon Torres get the chance to close for a full season, with the departure of Mike Gonzalez to Atlanta.
Onward to the Windy City, where the Tribune company spent a ton of cash over the winter in preparation to selling the team to billionaire Sam Zell, hiring Lou Pinella as manager and bringing in the top free agent on the market, 40-40 man fonzi Soriano. The team will certainly bomb away, with Soriano, 1B Derick Lee, 3B Aramis Ramirez, RF Jacque Jones and LF platoon men Cliff Floyd and Matt Murton all very capable of breaking glass outside Wrigley. A retooled staff is led by Carlos Zambrano, with Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Rich Hill and Wade Miller rounding out the starters, at least until Mark Prior get straight down in Iowa City. Kerry Wood starts the season on the DL, but could return to challenge for closer Ryan Dempster's spot. Cubbie fans think this could be the year the curse dies, and on paper, it appears it could happen.
Up north, the Brew Crew looks like it could challenge as well, with a heavy dose of lumber and the return of their ace from injury. CF Bill Hall, 1B Prince Fielder, C Johnny Estrada and the LF Geoff Jenkins/Kevin Mench platoon will definitely hit. The staff is led by Big Ben Sheets, who appears healthy this spring and threw a nifty two hit gem yesterday against the evil Dodgers. Chris Capuano, Dave Bush, Claudio Vargas and former Card Jeff Suppan will deal the rawhide, with former Ranger Fransisco Cordero finishing.
The Cubs look like the team to beat in the Central, although St. Louis is still very dangerous and some diasaster always seems to occur to break the Cub fans' hearts. Milwaukee should stick around as well, they have their most talented team in years. Houston has some problems, and so does Cincy, but no one stinks like Pitsburgh in the NL except perhaps DC.
The Stros are also one of "my" teams, one I've always liked since the JR Richard/Nolan Ryan/Jose Cruz days. The team lacked offense last year, despite playing in a great hitter's park, so they went out and signed thunderous bat Carlos Lee to go along with homegrown Lance Berkman. The team also hopes and prays for a more substantial season from 3B Morgan Ensberg, and continued production from graying Craig Biggio. Young OFs Luke Scott and Jason Lane also need to develop. Unfortunately, that may not be enough, for they also lost Andy Pettite and his good buddy the Rocket from their staff, replaced by Woody Williams and Jason Jennnings, who aren't terrible, but nowhere near the caliber of the former (and current) Pinstripers. Trauma head case Brad Lidge returns to close (possibly) unless he can't handle the pressure, then setup man Dan Wheeler inherits.
Up in St. Looey, my granddad's favorite team, the Redbirds, celebrate their first World Series victory since the days of Whitey Herzog and the Oz. The Cards have some serious sticks in the lineup, led by Mr. Universe, Albert Pujols, as well as 3B Scott Rolen and CF Jim Edmonds, and young LF Chris Duncan. Preston Wilson also joins the OF cast while Juan Encarnacion recovers from wrist surgery. Former twenty game winner Chris Carpenter leads the retooled staff, with with Kip Wells, Anthony Reyes, Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper filling out the rotation awaiting the return of Mark Mulder. Jason Isringhausen still closes out games.
Moving up river to Cincy, the sudden emergance of Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo finally give the staff some solidity, although Eric Milton is on the DL to start the season, along with closer Eddie Guardado. Mike Stanton apparently picks up the finishing duty. Adam Dunn carries a healthy stick (2 HRs on Opening Day vs Cubbies) along with oft-injured Junior Griffey and 3B Edwin Encarnacion. Fleet Ryan Freel finally gets a permanent position in CF.
Moving further up the Ohio, the Bucs are in another pickle - the season has started. With one of the best parks in the majors, you'd think the once proud franchise could eventually right the ship, but no evidence for such yet exists, althought the offense should be better with LF Jason Bay, RF Xavier Nady, 1B Adam LaRoche, and SS Jack Wilson carrying decent sticks. The issue again is the staff, with enigmatic Zach Day the ace and the only other name you've ever heard of (maybe) Tony Armas. Solomon Torres get the chance to close for a full season, with the departure of Mike Gonzalez to Atlanta.
Onward to the Windy City, where the Tribune company spent a ton of cash over the winter in preparation to selling the team to billionaire Sam Zell, hiring Lou Pinella as manager and bringing in the top free agent on the market, 40-40 man fonzi Soriano. The team will certainly bomb away, with Soriano, 1B Derick Lee, 3B Aramis Ramirez, RF Jacque Jones and LF platoon men Cliff Floyd and Matt Murton all very capable of breaking glass outside Wrigley. A retooled staff is led by Carlos Zambrano, with Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Rich Hill and Wade Miller rounding out the starters, at least until Mark Prior get straight down in Iowa City. Kerry Wood starts the season on the DL, but could return to challenge for closer Ryan Dempster's spot. Cubbie fans think this could be the year the curse dies, and on paper, it appears it could happen.
Up north, the Brew Crew looks like it could challenge as well, with a heavy dose of lumber and the return of their ace from injury. CF Bill Hall, 1B Prince Fielder, C Johnny Estrada and the LF Geoff Jenkins/Kevin Mench platoon will definitely hit. The staff is led by Big Ben Sheets, who appears healthy this spring and threw a nifty two hit gem yesterday against the evil Dodgers. Chris Capuano, Dave Bush, Claudio Vargas and former Card Jeff Suppan will deal the rawhide, with former Ranger Fransisco Cordero finishing.
The Cubs look like the team to beat in the Central, although St. Louis is still very dangerous and some diasaster always seems to occur to break the Cub fans' hearts. Milwaukee should stick around as well, they have their most talented team in years. Houston has some problems, and so does Cincy, but no one stinks like Pitsburgh in the NL except perhaps DC.
Legislative Fiat and Gas Mileage
Great article over at the American Spectator by Eric Peters on a new legislative attempt to increase fuel standards. The shameful part is that this time it is two Republicans. The targets this time are trucks and SUVs - and they want these vehicles to raise the average mileage from around 22 mpg to 35. In addition to being technically challenging (if not impossible) Peters points out that many vehicles already exist that achieve that goal - and that some people prefer
something else.
"The thing is, not everyone values fuel economy uber alles. Many buyers need (or want) a larger, more powerful vehicle, and are willing to pay a little (or even a lot) more at the pump for the privilege. Why should Washington meddle? And how does it benefit anyone for legislators to dictate to automakers that they shall design their cars in accordance with what bureaucrats and politicians think is right and proper -- vs. what the buyers are willing to exchange their hard-earned dollars for?"
Some people, of course, just don't like pickups and SUVs - hate them, in fact, to the point of trying to prevent anyone from owning and driving such a vehicle. You simply can't get around the laws of physics, however; if you want to own a vehicle that can tow a ton of cargo, it's got to use more energy, and you already pay more to purchase such vehicles and to operate them. So why make them even more expensive by setting arbitrary mileage targets and crippling the American auto industry as well? As Peters also notes, the "conservation" argument doesn't wash due to the fact that people drive more as the milage increases - it makes no difference in the greater scheme of things if 2 hours of driving an SUV burns X gallons of fuel or 5 hours of driving a smaller passenger vehicle burns X gallons. The other argument against setting such targets is safety drops; a lighter vehicle is inherently more dangerous for people when said vehicle is involved in a collision.
something else.
"The thing is, not everyone values fuel economy uber alles. Many buyers need (or want) a larger, more powerful vehicle, and are willing to pay a little (or even a lot) more at the pump for the privilege. Why should Washington meddle? And how does it benefit anyone for legislators to dictate to automakers that they shall design their cars in accordance with what bureaucrats and politicians think is right and proper -- vs. what the buyers are willing to exchange their hard-earned dollars for?"
Some people, of course, just don't like pickups and SUVs - hate them, in fact, to the point of trying to prevent anyone from owning and driving such a vehicle. You simply can't get around the laws of physics, however; if you want to own a vehicle that can tow a ton of cargo, it's got to use more energy, and you already pay more to purchase such vehicles and to operate them. So why make them even more expensive by setting arbitrary mileage targets and crippling the American auto industry as well? As Peters also notes, the "conservation" argument doesn't wash due to the fact that people drive more as the milage increases - it makes no difference in the greater scheme of things if 2 hours of driving an SUV burns X gallons of fuel or 5 hours of driving a smaller passenger vehicle burns X gallons. The other argument against setting such targets is safety drops; a lighter vehicle is inherently more dangerous for people when said vehicle is involved in a collision.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Baseball Preview - NL
With the arrival of spring comes the arrival of pitchers and catchers, which is one of the great joys of my life. The season started Sunday night when the World Champion Cardinals met the stupid Metropolitans. Why MLB & ESPN would both schedule and televise a great and entertaining team like the Cards with a bunch of ugly no talent buffoons like the Mets makes me question both organizations sanity, but at least the rest of the teams start the today. Unfortunately the buffoons won.
Since we're talking about the inferior circuit anyway, I'll do a quick rundown of the NL, starting out on the Left Coast.
San Fran signed one of my favorite pitchers, Baron von Zito, after losing former stud ace, Jason Schmidt to the evil Dodgers. The big issue with the Giants is that they continue to remain in the geriatric ward, with all their everyday players in the 30s, if not older. They do have some live young arms in the staff, however, like Mike Cain and Noah Lowry. I've been a fan of the franchise, but this team isn't terribly good, however, they live the the NL West, which is always competitive - in the sense that all the teams aren't real good.
Moving south to the ugly Dodgers, they have a lot of nice pieces, particularly in the staff, led by the Schmidtinator (if he can stay healthy), Derick Lowe, Brad Penny, and the Randy (the Wolfman) Wolf. They are kinda long in the tooth as well, with Nomah, Jeff Kent, and Looey Gonzalez being the most recognizable names, along with speed merchants Juan Pierre and Raffy Furcal. The guy I like the most on this team is C Russ Martin, a total throwback kid who wants to play everyday.
Moving on toward the border, the SD Priests also emphasize pitching, with 40 plusses Greg Maddux and David Wells, along with young talents Jake Peavy and Chris Young and Clay Hensley. 1B Adrain Gonzalex and SS Khalil Greene appear to be the real deal, and the team is looking for bounce back season from the Giles brothers, Brian and Marcus, to provide runs, which might be a problem. I like another young C here, Josh Bard, as well. Trev Hoffman still closes games here, which helps the team a lot.
The young AZ Diamondbacks look to the past while integrating the future as well, with the return of the Big Unit to town. Unfortunately, he starts the season on the DL. The staff also boasts NL Cy Young winner Brandon Webb and Livan Hernandez. Jose Valverde has been given the closer job again, the team hopes he can finally stay healthy. What I like most about this team is the young position players, such SS Steve Drew, 1B Connor Jackson, and slick fielding Gold Glover Orlando Hudson. If the kids start to develop some sticks and Unit returns, I like this team, assuming Jose can close games out for the club.
Going north across the mountains, the Rocks are starting to look like a real team, but probably are going into the season, as always, sorely lacking in quality arms. A number of fellas can rake, notalby 3B Garret Adkins, OF Matt Holliday, and OF Brian Hawpe, along with franchise player Todd Helton, who can still wield the stick a fair piece. Closer Brian Fuentes is pretty solid, and Aaron Cook anchors the no-name staff.
Everyone is talking up the Dodgers and Padres in this division, but I think the D-backs could surprise a lot of people. I don't expect the Giants could unless they stay perfectly healthy, but stranger things have happened.
Since we're talking about the inferior circuit anyway, I'll do a quick rundown of the NL, starting out on the Left Coast.
San Fran signed one of my favorite pitchers, Baron von Zito, after losing former stud ace, Jason Schmidt to the evil Dodgers. The big issue with the Giants is that they continue to remain in the geriatric ward, with all their everyday players in the 30s, if not older. They do have some live young arms in the staff, however, like Mike Cain and Noah Lowry. I've been a fan of the franchise, but this team isn't terribly good, however, they live the the NL West, which is always competitive - in the sense that all the teams aren't real good.
Moving south to the ugly Dodgers, they have a lot of nice pieces, particularly in the staff, led by the Schmidtinator (if he can stay healthy), Derick Lowe, Brad Penny, and the Randy (the Wolfman) Wolf. They are kinda long in the tooth as well, with Nomah, Jeff Kent, and Looey Gonzalez being the most recognizable names, along with speed merchants Juan Pierre and Raffy Furcal. The guy I like the most on this team is C Russ Martin, a total throwback kid who wants to play everyday.
Moving on toward the border, the SD Priests also emphasize pitching, with 40 plusses Greg Maddux and David Wells, along with young talents Jake Peavy and Chris Young and Clay Hensley. 1B Adrain Gonzalex and SS Khalil Greene appear to be the real deal, and the team is looking for bounce back season from the Giles brothers, Brian and Marcus, to provide runs, which might be a problem. I like another young C here, Josh Bard, as well. Trev Hoffman still closes games here, which helps the team a lot.
The young AZ Diamondbacks look to the past while integrating the future as well, with the return of the Big Unit to town. Unfortunately, he starts the season on the DL. The staff also boasts NL Cy Young winner Brandon Webb and Livan Hernandez. Jose Valverde has been given the closer job again, the team hopes he can finally stay healthy. What I like most about this team is the young position players, such SS Steve Drew, 1B Connor Jackson, and slick fielding Gold Glover Orlando Hudson. If the kids start to develop some sticks and Unit returns, I like this team, assuming Jose can close games out for the club.
Going north across the mountains, the Rocks are starting to look like a real team, but probably are going into the season, as always, sorely lacking in quality arms. A number of fellas can rake, notalby 3B Garret Adkins, OF Matt Holliday, and OF Brian Hawpe, along with franchise player Todd Helton, who can still wield the stick a fair piece. Closer Brian Fuentes is pretty solid, and Aaron Cook anchors the no-name staff.
Everyone is talking up the Dodgers and Padres in this division, but I think the D-backs could surprise a lot of people. I don't expect the Giants could unless they stay perfectly healthy, but stranger things have happened.
Unfunded Liabilities
Over TCS, John Tamny exmaines the US government's scary "unfunded liabilites" - that is Social Security, Medicare, etc. entitlement spending -the number is pretty scary, $53 trillion. However, he sounds a lot like Steve over at the Skeptical Optimist. they both think as long as the economy continues to grow substantially, we'll probably be OK.
"If markets felt the U.S. were truly "bankrupt," and incapable of meeting its debt requirements, yields, particularly on the long end of the Treasury curve, would be very high as a reflection of uncertainty over our future ability to pay back what we owe. And 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds are a particularly good market measure of our debt-paying capacity considering how many Americans are expected to retire within that timeframe. Presently, the yield on 30-year Treasuries is 4.75 percent, a number lower than the short-term rate set by the Fed, along with U.S. Treasury yields on the shorter end of the yield curve. That the yield is so low suggests great confidence on the part of markets that debt fears are overdone."
He also points out that the US Treasury rate was 15.2% in 1982, which IS truly a frightening number, but one we managed to live through thanks to Reagan and his Fed chief Paul Volcker wringing inflation out of the US economy and growing the economy through tax cuts. In effect, tha market indicators today are telling us that the US economy's ability to create and generate wealth and economic growth are likely to do so to the extent that these government budget issues are quite probably going to be dealt with with some degree of success in the future. So we've got that going for us, at least.
"If markets felt the U.S. were truly "bankrupt," and incapable of meeting its debt requirements, yields, particularly on the long end of the Treasury curve, would be very high as a reflection of uncertainty over our future ability to pay back what we owe. And 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds are a particularly good market measure of our debt-paying capacity considering how many Americans are expected to retire within that timeframe. Presently, the yield on 30-year Treasuries is 4.75 percent, a number lower than the short-term rate set by the Fed, along with U.S. Treasury yields on the shorter end of the yield curve. That the yield is so low suggests great confidence on the part of markets that debt fears are overdone."
He also points out that the US Treasury rate was 15.2% in 1982, which IS truly a frightening number, but one we managed to live through thanks to Reagan and his Fed chief Paul Volcker wringing inflation out of the US economy and growing the economy through tax cuts. In effect, tha market indicators today are telling us that the US economy's ability to create and generate wealth and economic growth are likely to do so to the extent that these government budget issues are quite probably going to be dealt with with some degree of success in the future. So we've got that going for us, at least.
Fighters and Bombers
Interesting article from Slate's Gregg Easterbrook, via RCP. He argues that the US Airforce's fighter development plans are coming at the possible expense of much more effective, and low risk, bombers forces.
"unexpected technical breakthroughs resulted in extremely accurate munitions that can be dropped from high altitude by bombers, at less cost and risk than using low-flying fighters."
He may have a point. We're spending billions of dollars ($320 to be precise) to develop new fighter aircraft when our existing fighters rule the sky. Much of the tasking for these fighters is to deliver precision munitions - which can now be delivered easier by high altitude bombers at little risk to pilots and crew due to satellite and GPS technology. 80% of the bomb tonnage dropped of Afghanistan came from high level bombers. Why would we want to deliver bombs using expensive, high risk fighter planes? Politics.
"The fix is in with key congressional committees, and the pork has been elaborately scheduled for division among constituents and congressional districts. The aerospace contracting lobby does not want any change in the copious money flow now authorized for new fighters."
Of course, the USAF is full of old fighter jocks, who like the idea of spending their budget on fancy high tech fighters as well. Easterbrook does ignore one salient fact: that while our bomber fleet is old, and the numbers are declining, they can still do the job, and have been, so spending money on new planes may not really be necessary right away, and we do have a couple of relatively recent models (late 70s, early 80s) in service, the B-1 and B-2, along with the gracefully ancient B-52. A lot of our fighter models date from that era as well, and all of these planes have been constantly refreshed wiht new avionics technology as it comes available. But a new bomber capability might be more cost effective way of achieving the USAF's ground support and interdiction missions than the pricey new fighters. Interesting point, to say the least.
"unexpected technical breakthroughs resulted in extremely accurate munitions that can be dropped from high altitude by bombers, at less cost and risk than using low-flying fighters."
He may have a point. We're spending billions of dollars ($320 to be precise) to develop new fighter aircraft when our existing fighters rule the sky. Much of the tasking for these fighters is to deliver precision munitions - which can now be delivered easier by high altitude bombers at little risk to pilots and crew due to satellite and GPS technology. 80% of the bomb tonnage dropped of Afghanistan came from high level bombers. Why would we want to deliver bombs using expensive, high risk fighter planes? Politics.
"The fix is in with key congressional committees, and the pork has been elaborately scheduled for division among constituents and congressional districts. The aerospace contracting lobby does not want any change in the copious money flow now authorized for new fighters."
Of course, the USAF is full of old fighter jocks, who like the idea of spending their budget on fancy high tech fighters as well. Easterbrook does ignore one salient fact: that while our bomber fleet is old, and the numbers are declining, they can still do the job, and have been, so spending money on new planes may not really be necessary right away, and we do have a couple of relatively recent models (late 70s, early 80s) in service, the B-1 and B-2, along with the gracefully ancient B-52. A lot of our fighter models date from that era as well, and all of these planes have been constantly refreshed wiht new avionics technology as it comes available. But a new bomber capability might be more cost effective way of achieving the USAF's ground support and interdiction missions than the pricey new fighters. Interesting point, to say the least.
Friday, March 30, 2007
GOP Straw Poll Results
Looks like Fred's on a roll, at least with the blogosphere. Rudy's second, and McCain....well, he's down there somewhere. I voted for Fred, and Rudy would be my second choice right now, and I also like Hunter.
First Choice:
F. Thompson
3394 (39.1%)
Giuliani
1375 (15.8%)
Romney
1079 (12.4%)
Gingrich
972 (11.2%)
Hunter
449 (5.2%)
Tancredo
413 (4.8%)
(none)
354 (4.1%)
McCain
240 (2.8%)
Brownback
198 (2.3%)
Huckabee
96 (1.1%)
T. Thompson
62 (0.7%)
Gilmore
28 (0.3%)
Pataki
17 (0.2%)
First Choice:
F. Thompson
3394 (39.1%)
Giuliani
1375 (15.8%)
Romney
1079 (12.4%)
Gingrich
972 (11.2%)
Hunter
449 (5.2%)
Tancredo
413 (4.8%)
(none)
354 (4.1%)
McCain
240 (2.8%)
Brownback
198 (2.3%)
Huckabee
96 (1.1%)
T. Thompson
62 (0.7%)
Gilmore
28 (0.3%)
Pataki
17 (0.2%)
Iraq Funding Bill
Today's Wall Street Journal rightly blasts the Democratic Congress on the pork-laden Iraq funding bill that the president has promised to veto for weeks. (via RCP).
"The spectacle qualifies as a textbook example of why Congress can't be trusted to micromanage, much less lead, a war. It's a committee of Lilliputians whose main contribution is to tie down the President so that his policy fails. Few bills deserve a veto as much as this one. And once Mr. Bush dispatches it, we hope Congress will fulfill the one war power it does have, which is to appropriate enough money so our troops can accomplish their mission."
While the troops wait for their money in the middle of a ground war, the Democrats engage in political theater of the most hypocritical sort. The bill is supposed to be emergency funding for the war, but comes out of Congress laden with agricultural subsidies, pet projects and domestic spending of the worst kind. Worse, setting deadlines for withdrawal from Iraq hearten our enemies and endanger our own troops. Thank you, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.
"The spectacle qualifies as a textbook example of why Congress can't be trusted to micromanage, much less lead, a war. It's a committee of Lilliputians whose main contribution is to tie down the President so that his policy fails. Few bills deserve a veto as much as this one. And once Mr. Bush dispatches it, we hope Congress will fulfill the one war power it does have, which is to appropriate enough money so our troops can accomplish their mission."
While the troops wait for their money in the middle of a ground war, the Democrats engage in political theater of the most hypocritical sort. The bill is supposed to be emergency funding for the war, but comes out of Congress laden with agricultural subsidies, pet projects and domestic spending of the worst kind. Worse, setting deadlines for withdrawal from Iraq hearten our enemies and endanger our own troops. Thank you, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
ESA completes ATV Testing
The European Space Agency has readied its Automatic Transfer Vehicle, the first christened Jules Verne, for a possible launch and ISS resupply mission later this year. Three years of testing has been conducted in Russia, France and Norway on major vehicle components and systems.
"Several mission scenarios will require complex interactions and shared responsibilities between the ATV Control Centre (ATV-CC) in Toulouse, France, and Russian and American Mission Control Centres in Moscow and Houston. For the first time in space history, three space control centres around the globe must work together. For these Joint Activities related to the ATV in orbit, specific high-level procedures, called Multi-Element Procedures, have been developed, allocating the tasks to be performed sequentially to the centres involved."
The ATV is expected to be transported to its launch site in French Guianna this summer, with an expected mision date in either September or November, the two available launch windows. A fleet of five vehicles is planned.
"Several mission scenarios will require complex interactions and shared responsibilities between the ATV Control Centre (ATV-CC) in Toulouse, France, and Russian and American Mission Control Centres in Moscow and Houston. For the first time in space history, three space control centres around the globe must work together. For these Joint Activities related to the ATV in orbit, specific high-level procedures, called Multi-Element Procedures, have been developed, allocating the tasks to be performed sequentially to the centres involved."
The ATV is expected to be transported to its launch site in French Guianna this summer, with an expected mision date in either September or November, the two available launch windows. A fleet of five vehicles is planned.
Husker FB - Spring Practice
via Huskerextra.
The injury bug has again bit Husker CB Zach Bowman, who suffered a yet to be determined knee injury yesterday in non-contact drills. Bowman, who suffered an ACL injury to one knee last year, did not reinjure the same knee, which is the only good news about the situation.
On another note, RB Kenny Wilson also suffered a freak injury while still recovery from a staph infection this spring. He apparently broke his leg while moving a television set, and has already had surgery in an Omaha hospital. It is likely that Wilson will miss the 2007 season. Wilson's injury is likely to make Major Culbert's move from safety to RB a permanent one.
One some positive notes, juco transfer QB Zach Lee appears to be recovering nicely from his winter knee surgery, has started to run a bit and might be able to participate in drills toward the end of the spring practice sessions. Fellow frosh QB Patrick Witt and frosh RB Marcus Mendoza appear to both be picking up the Husker offense quite well, and Mendoza is said to have added about 10 lbs (up to 185) since entering school in January while maintaining his 4.4 40 speed.
The injury bug has again bit Husker CB Zach Bowman, who suffered a yet to be determined knee injury yesterday in non-contact drills. Bowman, who suffered an ACL injury to one knee last year, did not reinjure the same knee, which is the only good news about the situation.
On another note, RB Kenny Wilson also suffered a freak injury while still recovery from a staph infection this spring. He apparently broke his leg while moving a television set, and has already had surgery in an Omaha hospital. It is likely that Wilson will miss the 2007 season. Wilson's injury is likely to make Major Culbert's move from safety to RB a permanent one.
One some positive notes, juco transfer QB Zach Lee appears to be recovering nicely from his winter knee surgery, has started to run a bit and might be able to participate in drills toward the end of the spring practice sessions. Fellow frosh QB Patrick Witt and frosh RB Marcus Mendoza appear to both be picking up the Husker offense quite well, and Mendoza is said to have added about 10 lbs (up to 185) since entering school in January while maintaining his 4.4 40 speed.
Newt on Iran
Hugh Hewitt inteviews Newt Gingrich, who has a fantastic idea on how to solve the Iranian hostage issue. (Boy, I had always hoped never to put those words together - "Iranian hostage" on the blog. Shows how much of an optimist I truly am.)
"HH: Now let’s get to the first major issue of the day, which is Iran. Mr. Speaker, if the United Kingdom feels obliged to use force, if diplomacy fails to get their people back, will you applaud?
NG: I think there are two very simple steps that should be taken. The first is to use a covert operation, or a special forces operation to knock out the only gasoline producing refinery in Iran. There’s only one. And the second is to simply intercede by Naval force, and block any tankers from bringing gasoline to Iran…"
I had heard a while back that while Iran produces millions of barrels of oil, there was only one gasoline refinery in the entire country. Kudos to Newt for an innovative solution to the crisis. He also states he would threaten it quietly at first to allow the Iranians to save a little face, while making damn well sure that they knew good and well we would do it.
On another note, I probably wouldn't vote for Newt for President, (unless the alternative was Hillary) but I think he'd make a most excellent Secretary of State, particularly when he shows such a sophisticated understanding of our enemies.
"HH: Now let’s get to the first major issue of the day, which is Iran. Mr. Speaker, if the United Kingdom feels obliged to use force, if diplomacy fails to get their people back, will you applaud?
NG: I think there are two very simple steps that should be taken. The first is to use a covert operation, or a special forces operation to knock out the only gasoline producing refinery in Iran. There’s only one. And the second is to simply intercede by Naval force, and block any tankers from bringing gasoline to Iran…"
I had heard a while back that while Iran produces millions of barrels of oil, there was only one gasoline refinery in the entire country. Kudos to Newt for an innovative solution to the crisis. He also states he would threaten it quietly at first to allow the Iranians to save a little face, while making damn well sure that they knew good and well we would do it.
On another note, I probably wouldn't vote for Newt for President, (unless the alternative was Hillary) but I think he'd make a most excellent Secretary of State, particularly when he shows such a sophisticated understanding of our enemies.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Those Clever Chinese
via LiveScience.
Apparently those clever yellow fellows are looking to destroy the American timber industry - by recycling those mountains of giant panda poop into paper!
"Researchers at a giant panda reserve in southern China are looking for paper mills to process their surplus of fiber-rich panda excrement into high quality paper."
Apparently the Chinese got the idea from the Thais, who are already nefariously recycling away their elephant dung into paper.
I suggest calling for immediate Congressional action - Chuck Hagel certainly needs to address this critical issue, hopefully by way of national media conference. Our panda gap must not be exploited by these clever fiends! I move we impose a high tariff on such products to protect American logging and sawmill jobs throughout our great land!
Apparently those clever yellow fellows are looking to destroy the American timber industry - by recycling those mountains of giant panda poop into paper!
"Researchers at a giant panda reserve in southern China are looking for paper mills to process their surplus of fiber-rich panda excrement into high quality paper."
Apparently the Chinese got the idea from the Thais, who are already nefariously recycling away their elephant dung into paper.
I suggest calling for immediate Congressional action - Chuck Hagel certainly needs to address this critical issue, hopefully by way of national media conference. Our panda gap must not be exploited by these clever fiends! I move we impose a high tariff on such products to protect American logging and sawmill jobs throughout our great land!
Democrat Polling in IA
David Yepsin at the DesMoines Register takes a look at the early Iowa polling for the Democratic Presidential candidates. (via RCP).
The biggest beneficiary of the withdrawal of IA Gov. Tom Vilsak appears at this point to be - John Edwards? Edwards is up 15 points since January, Hillary is down 1, and they are statistically tied at 34-33%. Sen. Obama is at 16%, and the other candidates, Senators Joe Biden & Chris Dodd, along with NM Gov. Bill Richardson, are all mired in single digits. Yepsin does note, however:
"While the poll is new, it may already be a bit dated. It came out of the field Thursday and so does not reflect the weekend's two major developments in the campaign — the disclosure Friday that Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has re-emerged and Vilsack's endorsement of Clinton on Monday."
I had just heard of the Vilsak endorsement this morning, I understand he knows the Clintons from the early 1970s. Interesting, to say the least. While Hillary can probably afford to lose in IA, for Edwards, it's a critical state leading to the Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina (his home state) primaries. Also interesting to note, I had no idea Edwards finished second in IA in 2004.
The biggest beneficiary of the withdrawal of IA Gov. Tom Vilsak appears at this point to be - John Edwards? Edwards is up 15 points since January, Hillary is down 1, and they are statistically tied at 34-33%. Sen. Obama is at 16%, and the other candidates, Senators Joe Biden & Chris Dodd, along with NM Gov. Bill Richardson, are all mired in single digits. Yepsin does note, however:
"While the poll is new, it may already be a bit dated. It came out of the field Thursday and so does not reflect the weekend's two major developments in the campaign — the disclosure Friday that Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has re-emerged and Vilsack's endorsement of Clinton on Monday."
I had just heard of the Vilsak endorsement this morning, I understand he knows the Clintons from the early 1970s. Interesting, to say the least. While Hillary can probably afford to lose in IA, for Edwards, it's a critical state leading to the Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina (his home state) primaries. Also interesting to note, I had no idea Edwards finished second in IA in 2004.
Seeking Ancient Ithaca
via MSNBC.
On a far more interesting note this morning, an amateur British archaeologist has come up with a new theory regarding the legendary home of Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of the Homeric tale The Odyssey, sequel to the Trojan epic The Illiad. The island of Ithaca has long been identified with the island presently called Ithaki, but it does not closely match the description given by the poet - that of a low lying land and the outermost island of the chain, whereas present day Ithaki is mountainous and lies inside the larger island of Kefallina. The new theory being espoused by Robert Bittlestone is that Kefallinia may have been separated from its penninsula Paliki by a narrow channel of water in the time of Homer.
"Because no one has ever been able to find Ithaca, people felt the Odyssey was like a Lord of the Rings story," Bittlestone said in an interview. "This would say Ithaca was a real place — it doesn't say Odysseus was a real person, that's another jump."
The theory is that this channel, called "Strabo's Channel" in ancient times, was filled as a result of tectonic activity in the intervening years. Bittlestone has acquired some assitance from Dutch geologic firm Furgo, which plans to use ground pentrating radar and other tools to probe the area of the channel to determine the makeup of the soil there. If solid rock, then the theory isn't correct, but if it is mad eup of loose debris, then it certainly seems possible that the ancient home of the legendary Greek traveler, if not the man himself, appears likely to have existed after all.
On a far more interesting note this morning, an amateur British archaeologist has come up with a new theory regarding the legendary home of Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of the Homeric tale The Odyssey, sequel to the Trojan epic The Illiad. The island of Ithaca has long been identified with the island presently called Ithaki, but it does not closely match the description given by the poet - that of a low lying land and the outermost island of the chain, whereas present day Ithaki is mountainous and lies inside the larger island of Kefallina. The new theory being espoused by Robert Bittlestone is that Kefallinia may have been separated from its penninsula Paliki by a narrow channel of water in the time of Homer.
"Because no one has ever been able to find Ithaca, people felt the Odyssey was like a Lord of the Rings story," Bittlestone said in an interview. "This would say Ithaca was a real place — it doesn't say Odysseus was a real person, that's another jump."
The theory is that this channel, called "Strabo's Channel" in ancient times, was filled as a result of tectonic activity in the intervening years. Bittlestone has acquired some assitance from Dutch geologic firm Furgo, which plans to use ground pentrating radar and other tools to probe the area of the channel to determine the makeup of the soil there. If solid rock, then the theory isn't correct, but if it is mad eup of loose debris, then it certainly seems possible that the ancient home of the legendary Greek traveler, if not the man himself, appears likely to have existed after all.
Limbaugh on Hagel
Daivid Limbaugh skewers what is fast becoming my least favorite Nebraska Senator of all time, Chuck "Media Hound" Hagel.
"Someone needs to deliver Sen. Hagel and his like-minded congressional colleagues a memo explaining that the president is commander in chief and that he cannot be fired either by Congress or the people in the absence of committing high crimes and misdemeanors, which involve monumentally more than policy disagreements with the legislative branch. If anything, it is certain congressmen, not the president, who are exceeding their constitutional authority by attempting to usurp the president's lawful power as commander in chief."
Hopefully David's sixth grade civics lesson won't fall on deaf ears, but I doubt it. I've never regretted voting for anyone in twenty years of voting, until the last two years, but I sure do now. Hagel's quickly become an embarassment, both to his party and his constituents. I appreciate his service to his country in Vietnam (as I do John McCain's, and even John Kerry's, or for that matter, John Murtha's) but the fact a man served in an unpopular war forty years ago does not make him a military expert, does not make him a serious strategist, and does not make him a political stateman - despite what he may think of himself.
Bloviating to the press on national TV about Iraq being "just like Vietnam" is a sign of serious mental impairment, and completely discredits the man on other issues of importance to the nation. If he can't get his act together on the most critical issue of the day, then I certainly have to doubt it on all other matters that come before him in the Senate. If he runs again for the Senate, I will do everything in my meager power to make sure he doesn't get re-elected. I almost hope he runs for President and pulls a Vilsack after spending all his money on focus groups and political hacks.
"Someone needs to deliver Sen. Hagel and his like-minded congressional colleagues a memo explaining that the president is commander in chief and that he cannot be fired either by Congress or the people in the absence of committing high crimes and misdemeanors, which involve monumentally more than policy disagreements with the legislative branch. If anything, it is certain congressmen, not the president, who are exceeding their constitutional authority by attempting to usurp the president's lawful power as commander in chief."
Hopefully David's sixth grade civics lesson won't fall on deaf ears, but I doubt it. I've never regretted voting for anyone in twenty years of voting, until the last two years, but I sure do now. Hagel's quickly become an embarassment, both to his party and his constituents. I appreciate his service to his country in Vietnam (as I do John McCain's, and even John Kerry's, or for that matter, John Murtha's) but the fact a man served in an unpopular war forty years ago does not make him a military expert, does not make him a serious strategist, and does not make him a political stateman - despite what he may think of himself.
Bloviating to the press on national TV about Iraq being "just like Vietnam" is a sign of serious mental impairment, and completely discredits the man on other issues of importance to the nation. If he can't get his act together on the most critical issue of the day, then I certainly have to doubt it on all other matters that come before him in the Senate. If he runs again for the Senate, I will do everything in my meager power to make sure he doesn't get re-elected. I almost hope he runs for President and pulls a Vilsack after spending all his money on focus groups and political hacks.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Oldest Evidence of Plate Tectonics Discovered
via ScienceDaily.
Some of the oldest rock formations on the planet, discovered in the 1960s in Greenland and dating back to 3.8 billion years ago, and long been known to contain the oldest known living organisms, have yielded new secrets. A recent new analysis of these formations show that they also contain evidence that proves conclusively that Plate tectonic processes were already acting on the Earth at that time, over a billion years earlier than previously thought. The formation was originally part of the Atlantic ocean seafloor, and shows evidence of basalt lava flows from the same mid-ocean ridge that still flows today, responsible for the volcanic activity in Iceland.
"The study focuses on an area near the southwestern coast of Greenland where there is a rare outcrop of ancient rock, called the Isua Supracrustal Belt, which have been dated at 3.8 billion years old. The Isua rocks are ophiolites, which have a green hue from the chlorite minerals within them and are found in all major mountain belts, usually located in areas associated with volcanism and plate tectonics."
The importance of the new analysis is that the same geologic processes that operate today, like seafloor spreading and ocean crust formation, have been operating since very early in Earth's history and that such formations accrete to continental landmasses. In addition, these formations are also helping to settle a scientific dispute regarding the oxygen content of ancient seawater, which appears to be very similiar or just a bit heavier than current oceans. Both the oxygen content of the oceans and the geologic processes underway at such early dates have serious implications for other scientists theorizing on the origins of life on Earth.
Some of the oldest rock formations on the planet, discovered in the 1960s in Greenland and dating back to 3.8 billion years ago, and long been known to contain the oldest known living organisms, have yielded new secrets. A recent new analysis of these formations show that they also contain evidence that proves conclusively that Plate tectonic processes were already acting on the Earth at that time, over a billion years earlier than previously thought. The formation was originally part of the Atlantic ocean seafloor, and shows evidence of basalt lava flows from the same mid-ocean ridge that still flows today, responsible for the volcanic activity in Iceland.
"The study focuses on an area near the southwestern coast of Greenland where there is a rare outcrop of ancient rock, called the Isua Supracrustal Belt, which have been dated at 3.8 billion years old. The Isua rocks are ophiolites, which have a green hue from the chlorite minerals within them and are found in all major mountain belts, usually located in areas associated with volcanism and plate tectonics."
The importance of the new analysis is that the same geologic processes that operate today, like seafloor spreading and ocean crust formation, have been operating since very early in Earth's history and that such formations accrete to continental landmasses. In addition, these formations are also helping to settle a scientific dispute regarding the oxygen content of ancient seawater, which appears to be very similiar or just a bit heavier than current oceans. Both the oxygen content of the oceans and the geologic processes underway at such early dates have serious implications for other scientists theorizing on the origins of life on Earth.
Friday, March 23, 2007
True Rights
Claudio Munoz of The Economist argues that human rights groups hamper themselves (and provide cover for dictatorships) by shifting their focus from political rights to social and economic "rights". via RCP.
"Food, jobs and housing are certainly necessities. But no useful purpose is served by calling them “rights”. When a government locks someone up without a fair trial, the victim, perpetrator and remedy are pretty clear. This clarity seldom applies to social and economic “rights”. It is hard enough to determine whether such a right has been infringed, let alone who should provide a remedy, or how."
By focusing more on these issues, rather than political ones, groups like Amnesty International, which once upon a time was pretty non-partisan and actually made an impact on the political stage, actually hurt their cause. Countries like Cuba, Sudan, Zimbabwe, etc. can safely ignore the political issues by stating they take care of the social ones - even if their citizens are starving in shacks and members of minority groups are routinely tortured, rotting in prisons, or simply disappear forever. Blurring the distinction between politcal issues like free speech and free healthcare ill serves progress on both, and it is the rights of citizens, practicing a free political process, that really gathers the focus of governments to the attention of all these other issues.
"Food, jobs and housing are certainly necessities. But no useful purpose is served by calling them “rights”. When a government locks someone up without a fair trial, the victim, perpetrator and remedy are pretty clear. This clarity seldom applies to social and economic “rights”. It is hard enough to determine whether such a right has been infringed, let alone who should provide a remedy, or how."
By focusing more on these issues, rather than political ones, groups like Amnesty International, which once upon a time was pretty non-partisan and actually made an impact on the political stage, actually hurt their cause. Countries like Cuba, Sudan, Zimbabwe, etc. can safely ignore the political issues by stating they take care of the social ones - even if their citizens are starving in shacks and members of minority groups are routinely tortured, rotting in prisons, or simply disappear forever. Blurring the distinction between politcal issues like free speech and free healthcare ill serves progress on both, and it is the rights of citizens, practicing a free political process, that really gathers the focus of governments to the attention of all these other issues.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Husker FB - Spring Practice Look at the Offense
As promised, a look at the Huskers offense for 2007.
The QB position is the biggest news on the unit, with senior transfer Sam Keller, juniors Joe Ganz and Beau Davis, as well as incoming frosh Patrick Witt all getting snaps this spring. Coach C says the position is wide open but conventional wisdom is that the job is Keller's to lose, although Ganz, with four years now in the system, in particular expected to push him for the job.
A host of experienced receivers return, including seniors Franz Hardy, Maurice Purify and Terrence Nunn, juniors Nate Swift and Todd Peterson, and perhaps sophmore Menelik Holt expected to vie for both playing time and receptions in the fall. At tight end/H-back, seniors JB Phillips and Josh Mueller, as well as junior Hunter Teafatiller, are all back.
Running back should again be a committee, with juniors Cody Glenn and Marlon Lucky, as well as senior Kenny Wilson returning, and possibly former safetyman soph Major Culbert involved as well. Frosh recruit Marcus Mendoza is being touted as a possible return man. The departure of FB Dane Todd leaves seniors Andy Sand and Matt Senske, as well as junior Thomas Lawson and the redshirt freshman with the famous Husker name, Justin Makovicka, as possibilities there. TE Phillips may line up in the backfield there at times as well.
The line appears to be in a state of flux again as the coaches try to find the best combination of talent. Senior Brett Byford is likely to be the starter at center, backed up by junior C/G Andy Christensen. At guard, juniors Mike Huff and Matt Slauson also return, along with senior Jordan Picou, who also can play center, and sophmore Jacob Hickman. Slauson has also started at tackle in the past as well. The departure of LT Chris Patrick to the NFL leaves senior Carl Nicks as the heir apparent as junior Lydon Murtha has been apparently moved over the right tackle spot this spring.
On the injury front, backs Wilson and Senske, linemen Huff and Hickman, soph QB Zac Lee, and redshirt freshman TE Mike McNeill will sit out the spring. On the defensive side, soph DT Craig Roark and soph DB Corey Young will be out and redshirt frosh DT Seth Jensen will be limited after coming off surgery. RB Cody Glenn is listed as day to day.
The QB position is the biggest news on the unit, with senior transfer Sam Keller, juniors Joe Ganz and Beau Davis, as well as incoming frosh Patrick Witt all getting snaps this spring. Coach C says the position is wide open but conventional wisdom is that the job is Keller's to lose, although Ganz, with four years now in the system, in particular expected to push him for the job.
A host of experienced receivers return, including seniors Franz Hardy, Maurice Purify and Terrence Nunn, juniors Nate Swift and Todd Peterson, and perhaps sophmore Menelik Holt expected to vie for both playing time and receptions in the fall. At tight end/H-back, seniors JB Phillips and Josh Mueller, as well as junior Hunter Teafatiller, are all back.
Running back should again be a committee, with juniors Cody Glenn and Marlon Lucky, as well as senior Kenny Wilson returning, and possibly former safetyman soph Major Culbert involved as well. Frosh recruit Marcus Mendoza is being touted as a possible return man. The departure of FB Dane Todd leaves seniors Andy Sand and Matt Senske, as well as junior Thomas Lawson and the redshirt freshman with the famous Husker name, Justin Makovicka, as possibilities there. TE Phillips may line up in the backfield there at times as well.
The line appears to be in a state of flux again as the coaches try to find the best combination of talent. Senior Brett Byford is likely to be the starter at center, backed up by junior C/G Andy Christensen. At guard, juniors Mike Huff and Matt Slauson also return, along with senior Jordan Picou, who also can play center, and sophmore Jacob Hickman. Slauson has also started at tackle in the past as well. The departure of LT Chris Patrick to the NFL leaves senior Carl Nicks as the heir apparent as junior Lydon Murtha has been apparently moved over the right tackle spot this spring.
On the injury front, backs Wilson and Senske, linemen Huff and Hickman, soph QB Zac Lee, and redshirt freshman TE Mike McNeill will sit out the spring. On the defensive side, soph DT Craig Roark and soph DB Corey Young will be out and redshirt frosh DT Seth Jensen will be limited after coming off surgery. RB Cody Glenn is listed as day to day.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Husker FB - Spring Practice
HuskerExtra discusses the returning Blackshirts as spring practice starts today.
The big issue for the defense is the loss of the entire front four, but a number of players with exeperience return; DTs sophmore Ndamukong Suh and junior Ty Steinkuhler are expected to start, with last year's juco Brandon Johnson and this year's juco DT Shukree Barfield expected to contribute, although there has been some talk of Steinkuhler moving to end, so underclassman Craig Roark and/or Seth Jensen may be pressed into service as well. At end, juniors Barry Turner and Zach Potter are the expected starters, with Clayton Sievers moving from LB to back up Turner at the "open" end and redshirt frosh Pierre Allen behind Potter at "base" unless Steinkuhler moves over.
LB will again be the strength of the unit. Corey McKeon returnes at Mike, and talented but injury plagued Steve Octavien returns at WIL. The big news of the spring on defense has been to move of WIL starter Bo Ruud to SAM linebacker in place of graduated Stew Bradley, a move I really like as it puts our three best and most experienced backers on the field. Phil Dilliard returns to backup McKeon, Lance Brandenburgh backs up at WIL (although he has played all 3 spots) and Nick Covey and Kyle Moore will apparently compete for SAM backup position with Sievers move to end.
The other big question for the spring is the secondary. Starting corners Courtney Grixby, Andre Jones, and the injured Zach Bowman return for their senior seasons and juco transfer Armando Murillo is on hand for the spring as well. At safety, senior Tierre Green undergoes another position change to free safety after playing the strong side last season and was a CB two seasons ago and was a RB as a freshman. Green makes way for newcoming juco Larry Asante, also on hand this spring, as the expected starter at SS. Ricky Thenarse move from CB to compete with Asante, and Anthony West also moves from CB to back up Green. Former safety Major Culbert moves over to the other side of the ball to play at RB next season.
I'll look at the offense tomorrow.
The big issue for the defense is the loss of the entire front four, but a number of players with exeperience return; DTs sophmore Ndamukong Suh and junior Ty Steinkuhler are expected to start, with last year's juco Brandon Johnson and this year's juco DT Shukree Barfield expected to contribute, although there has been some talk of Steinkuhler moving to end, so underclassman Craig Roark and/or Seth Jensen may be pressed into service as well. At end, juniors Barry Turner and Zach Potter are the expected starters, with Clayton Sievers moving from LB to back up Turner at the "open" end and redshirt frosh Pierre Allen behind Potter at "base" unless Steinkuhler moves over.
LB will again be the strength of the unit. Corey McKeon returnes at Mike, and talented but injury plagued Steve Octavien returns at WIL. The big news of the spring on defense has been to move of WIL starter Bo Ruud to SAM linebacker in place of graduated Stew Bradley, a move I really like as it puts our three best and most experienced backers on the field. Phil Dilliard returns to backup McKeon, Lance Brandenburgh backs up at WIL (although he has played all 3 spots) and Nick Covey and Kyle Moore will apparently compete for SAM backup position with Sievers move to end.
The other big question for the spring is the secondary. Starting corners Courtney Grixby, Andre Jones, and the injured Zach Bowman return for their senior seasons and juco transfer Armando Murillo is on hand for the spring as well. At safety, senior Tierre Green undergoes another position change to free safety after playing the strong side last season and was a CB two seasons ago and was a RB as a freshman. Green makes way for newcoming juco Larry Asante, also on hand this spring, as the expected starter at SS. Ricky Thenarse move from CB to compete with Asante, and Anthony West also moves from CB to back up Green. Former safety Major Culbert moves over to the other side of the ball to play at RB next season.
I'll look at the offense tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Rudy's Mayoral Accomplishments
Deroy Murdock at NRO makes the case for Rudy based on the mayoral record on social issues.
NYC Crime went down 56%, including homicide down two-thirds.
Abortion went down 17%, while it went down nationally almost 13% over the same period.
Fostercare rolls declined 38% as over 17,000 children were adopted.
Welfare rolls declined 58% as the mayor renamed the welfare offices "Job Centers".
Over 23,000 publicly owned dwelling were privatized, a 78% reduction.
The city funded 17 new charter schools aiding over 3000 children get a good education, ended the practice of social promotion, and also ended tenure for school principals so low performers could get their pink slips.
Enrollment at the City University of NY went up nearly 35%, with black enrollment up nearly 7% and hispanic enrollment up 37%, while blacks graduating from the school rose nearly 6% and hispanic graduates went up over 23%
Municipal employment went down over 3% even as the mayor added more than 12% to both police rolls and teachers.
The mayor also eliminated several "group" offices, cut taxes substantially while holding the line on city spending to less than the inflation rate, raised tourism, opposed publicly funding controversial "art" and the city's unemployment rate was nearly halved while he was in office.
Pretty impressive resume, I have to admit.
NYC Crime went down 56%, including homicide down two-thirds.
Abortion went down 17%, while it went down nationally almost 13% over the same period.
Fostercare rolls declined 38% as over 17,000 children were adopted.
Welfare rolls declined 58% as the mayor renamed the welfare offices "Job Centers".
Over 23,000 publicly owned dwelling were privatized, a 78% reduction.
The city funded 17 new charter schools aiding over 3000 children get a good education, ended the practice of social promotion, and also ended tenure for school principals so low performers could get their pink slips.
Enrollment at the City University of NY went up nearly 35%, with black enrollment up nearly 7% and hispanic enrollment up 37%, while blacks graduating from the school rose nearly 6% and hispanic graduates went up over 23%
Municipal employment went down over 3% even as the mayor added more than 12% to both police rolls and teachers.
The mayor also eliminated several "group" offices, cut taxes substantially while holding the line on city spending to less than the inflation rate, raised tourism, opposed publicly funding controversial "art" and the city's unemployment rate was nearly halved while he was in office.
Pretty impressive resume, I have to admit.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Japan's New Diplomacy
Micahel Green over at RCP writes about Kennth Pyle's new book on Japan's recent moves toward a more assertive foreign policy.
"Pyle demonstrates how Japanese elites have maintained an intense focus on maximizing the nation's autonomy, rank, and honor. He also shows how they have remained attentive to the distribution of international power and adopted the hegemonic powers' most successful practices. In reading this elegantly presented history, one comes to appreciate that Japan is not returning to its realist roots; it never left them."
Interesting review, talks a great deal aobut how Japan has adjusted its thinking with the end of the Cold War and the rise of China. Japan is far more willing to broaden its regional contacts, going as far afield as India and Australia to forge closer relations with fellow democracies. Green points out something that Pyle either misses or glosses over in critiquing US foreign policy, however; the US-Japanese relationship is (and probably should be) on par with the US-UK relationship, and it is in the US strategic interest to maintain close diplomatic and military ties and diplomatically engage China together, and the current administration takes the relationship very seriously, despite the US concentration on events in the Middle East. In fact, Green argues the relationship might be the closest it ever has been. I might be inclined to agree.
"Pyle demonstrates how Japanese elites have maintained an intense focus on maximizing the nation's autonomy, rank, and honor. He also shows how they have remained attentive to the distribution of international power and adopted the hegemonic powers' most successful practices. In reading this elegantly presented history, one comes to appreciate that Japan is not returning to its realist roots; it never left them."
Interesting review, talks a great deal aobut how Japan has adjusted its thinking with the end of the Cold War and the rise of China. Japan is far more willing to broaden its regional contacts, going as far afield as India and Australia to forge closer relations with fellow democracies. Green points out something that Pyle either misses or glosses over in critiquing US foreign policy, however; the US-Japanese relationship is (and probably should be) on par with the US-UK relationship, and it is in the US strategic interest to maintain close diplomatic and military ties and diplomatically engage China together, and the current administration takes the relationship very seriously, despite the US concentration on events in the Middle East. In fact, Green argues the relationship might be the closest it ever has been. I might be inclined to agree.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Orbital Settlements?
Al Globus via Space.com makes the argument that orbital habitats make more sense than the long shot Moon/Mars missions, stating that
"Thriving communities beyond Earth can't be an endless drain on Earth's economy, and settlements in Earth Orbit can provide energy, exotic materials, and a tourist destination for earthlings. Nearly unlimited, clean, electrical power can be provided by giant solar arrays in orbit that beam energy to Earth."
While I think that orbital habitats are probably the first step, I think he underestimates the difficulties, and overestimates the benefits, which in any case could also apply to the Moon and Mars as well. The first structures will probably have to lifted into orbit and assembled, and we've seen the lengthy amount of time that can take with the still uncompleted ISS. I think such structures will be built eventually, but won't be the large structures holding thousands that he apparently envisions, at least not until our technology allows us to settle the Moon. The moon has far more room for expansion, far more valuable materials than that found on near Earth asteroids. He also mentions using asteroids for materials, but seems to ignore the fact that most asteroids are far further away than even Mars, and the Moon is actually pretty close by any standard (two or three days WITH current technology, probably far less in the future).
"Thriving communities beyond Earth can't be an endless drain on Earth's economy, and settlements in Earth Orbit can provide energy, exotic materials, and a tourist destination for earthlings. Nearly unlimited, clean, electrical power can be provided by giant solar arrays in orbit that beam energy to Earth."
While I think that orbital habitats are probably the first step, I think he underestimates the difficulties, and overestimates the benefits, which in any case could also apply to the Moon and Mars as well. The first structures will probably have to lifted into orbit and assembled, and we've seen the lengthy amount of time that can take with the still uncompleted ISS. I think such structures will be built eventually, but won't be the large structures holding thousands that he apparently envisions, at least not until our technology allows us to settle the Moon. The moon has far more room for expansion, far more valuable materials than that found on near Earth asteroids. He also mentions using asteroids for materials, but seems to ignore the fact that most asteroids are far further away than even Mars, and the Moon is actually pretty close by any standard (two or three days WITH current technology, probably far less in the future).
The Celtic Miracle
Chris Edwards at NRO.
A great overview of the rapid development of Ireland over the last 30 years and the reasons why; the advantages that low tax rates can give to both developing and developed nations. Ireland 30 years ago was mired with low growth, high tax rates and almost no foreign investment.
"Ireland has boomed in recent years, and it now boasts the fourth-highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. In the mid-1980s, Ireland was a backwater with an average income level 30 percent below that of the European Union. Today, Irish incomes are 40 percent above the EU average. "
Irish government spending is down dramatically, from over 50% of GDP to a current rate of 34%, while it slashed corporate, capital gains and personal tax rates. Manufacturing, finance, and the high tech sectors corporate rates are now among the lowest in the world, just 12.5%, one third that of the US, and investments by US based tech corporations are helping Ireland to become one of the leading high tech exporters in the world. The Irish example has led to many Eastern European nations to also adopt low tax rates, many of them flat tax regimes.
A great overview of the rapid development of Ireland over the last 30 years and the reasons why; the advantages that low tax rates can give to both developing and developed nations. Ireland 30 years ago was mired with low growth, high tax rates and almost no foreign investment.
"Ireland has boomed in recent years, and it now boasts the fourth-highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. In the mid-1980s, Ireland was a backwater with an average income level 30 percent below that of the European Union. Today, Irish incomes are 40 percent above the EU average. "
Irish government spending is down dramatically, from over 50% of GDP to a current rate of 34%, while it slashed corporate, capital gains and personal tax rates. Manufacturing, finance, and the high tech sectors corporate rates are now among the lowest in the world, just 12.5%, one third that of the US, and investments by US based tech corporations are helping Ireland to become one of the leading high tech exporters in the world. The Irish example has led to many Eastern European nations to also adopt low tax rates, many of them flat tax regimes.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Lakebed sediment reveals climate history
ScienceDaily.
The bottom sediments of Lake Van in eastern Turkey (that nation's largest lake) is being researched by an international team of scientists interested in climatic history. Each summer, the lake sediments accumulated pollen grains that can be studied to determine what types of plants were growing in the region, and thus the region's climate and weather patterns. The mud leaves a historical footprint (like that of tree rings) that extends back over 3/4 of a million years, with the sedimentary mud extending to a depth of several hundred meters in many places along the lake bottom. Volcanic activity and earthquakes in the region can also be indentified through their effect on the sediments as well. Preliminary investigations of the strata show that the climate patterns have changed radically in the past in as little as 10 to 20 years.
This area in Turkey is of intense interest to me due to the fact that many of the domesticated plants and animals of the Neolithic period have been genetically traced to wild species found in the region in prehistoric times. The study of this lake bed sediment could have profound implications for not only climatic shift research, but the history of early civilization as well. Such stratigraphic studies of bog sediment pollen in Britain have already given us fascinating clues into the cultures and climate of Ice Age Europe.
The bottom sediments of Lake Van in eastern Turkey (that nation's largest lake) is being researched by an international team of scientists interested in climatic history. Each summer, the lake sediments accumulated pollen grains that can be studied to determine what types of plants were growing in the region, and thus the region's climate and weather patterns. The mud leaves a historical footprint (like that of tree rings) that extends back over 3/4 of a million years, with the sedimentary mud extending to a depth of several hundred meters in many places along the lake bottom. Volcanic activity and earthquakes in the region can also be indentified through their effect on the sediments as well. Preliminary investigations of the strata show that the climate patterns have changed radically in the past in as little as 10 to 20 years.
This area in Turkey is of intense interest to me due to the fact that many of the domesticated plants and animals of the Neolithic period have been genetically traced to wild species found in the region in prehistoric times. The study of this lake bed sediment could have profound implications for not only climatic shift research, but the history of early civilization as well. Such stratigraphic studies of bog sediment pollen in Britain have already given us fascinating clues into the cultures and climate of Ice Age Europe.
Kuiper Belt Collision
via Space.com
Kuiper Belt object 2003 EL61, discovered in 2004 by Caltech's Mike Brown, is apparently the victim of a large collision ealry in the history of the solar system. This collision is responsible for both the body's odd shape (somewhat like a deflated football), rapid rotation (every four hours) and end-over-end spin.
"The impact spawned at least seven other rocky objects—and likely more—with diameters ranging from 6 to 250 miles (10 to 400 km). The researchers lumped the scattered objects into a family based on their matching gray color and evidence of surface water ice derived from spectral analyses."
EL61 was probably up to 20% larger than today (1500 km now) and was probalby struck by another object about half its past size at over 7000 mph. The resultant kinetic explosion would have been about the size of 10 million Hiroshima sized a-bombs.
This is the first collision discovery located in the outer solar system, the remaining 35 all being located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
"Supreme Conflict"
Interesting book review by John McGinnis on Jan Crawford Greenberg's examination of the US Supreme Court. McGinnis in particular praises Greenberg's evenhandedness, which has apparently been lacking in past examinations by others. At Opinion Journal via RCP.
"Rather than celebrate a few "enlightened" jurists doing battle with right-wing ideologues--in the manner of so many court reporters--Ms. Greenburg conveys the entire range of the court's opinions fair-mindedly, even treating conservative jurisprudence with respect."
Greenberg provides some interesting insight into the relationships on the court, maintaining that it is Justice Thomas more often influencing Justice Scalia than the otherway around as commonly assumed, but that he has had a negative influence on former Justice O'Connor, who found his willingness to revisit "settled" issues with an originalist viewpoint unsettling. It is these an understanding of these relationships that has had a major impact on the recent appointments of Justice Roberts and Alito, who are described as more collegial, and thus more able to influence other justices.
Very interesting, I may have to look this book up.
"Rather than celebrate a few "enlightened" jurists doing battle with right-wing ideologues--in the manner of so many court reporters--Ms. Greenburg conveys the entire range of the court's opinions fair-mindedly, even treating conservative jurisprudence with respect."
Greenberg provides some interesting insight into the relationships on the court, maintaining that it is Justice Thomas more often influencing Justice Scalia than the otherway around as commonly assumed, but that he has had a negative influence on former Justice O'Connor, who found his willingness to revisit "settled" issues with an originalist viewpoint unsettling. It is these an understanding of these relationships that has had a major impact on the recent appointments of Justice Roberts and Alito, who are described as more collegial, and thus more able to influence other justices.
Very interesting, I may have to look this book up.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Human Migration of the Pacific
via ScienceDaily.
New genetic studies of domestic and feral pigs show that the theory regarding the colonization of the Pacific by early humans may have been a bit too simplistic. The theory held that humans and all their domesticated animals they brought with them all originated in or near Taiwan when they sailed to the other Pacific islands. It appears from these new findings that their animals not only had origins further to the southwest, but that the people may have travelled different routes than expected. Archaeological and linguistic evidence of humans has always appeared to support the Taiwan theory.
"Scientists from Durham University and the University of Oxford, studying DNA and tooth shape in modern and ancient pigs, have revealed that, in direct contradiction to longstanding ideas, ancient human colonists may have originated in Vietnam and travelled between numerous islands before first reaching New Guinea, and later landing on Hawaii and French Polynesia."
The genetic differences between the various pig gives us a great way to measure these migrations since the pigs obviously didn't swim all the various islands in the Pacific, but had to be taken there by their human keepers.
New genetic studies of domestic and feral pigs show that the theory regarding the colonization of the Pacific by early humans may have been a bit too simplistic. The theory held that humans and all their domesticated animals they brought with them all originated in or near Taiwan when they sailed to the other Pacific islands. It appears from these new findings that their animals not only had origins further to the southwest, but that the people may have travelled different routes than expected. Archaeological and linguistic evidence of humans has always appeared to support the Taiwan theory.
"Scientists from Durham University and the University of Oxford, studying DNA and tooth shape in modern and ancient pigs, have revealed that, in direct contradiction to longstanding ideas, ancient human colonists may have originated in Vietnam and travelled between numerous islands before first reaching New Guinea, and later landing on Hawaii and French Polynesia."
The genetic differences between the various pig gives us a great way to measure these migrations since the pigs obviously didn't swim all the various islands in the Pacific, but had to be taken there by their human keepers.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Fred Thompson
William Rusher at Townhall.
In an interview Sunday with Fox News, TV and film actor and former Tennessee Republican Senator Fred Thompson is dwelling on a potential presidential run. Should he decide to run, it would be a major development in the race for the Republican nomination. Thompson brings a strong "true conservative" record to the table.
"First and foremost, he is a true-blue conservative, comfortable with all the positions on social issues (abortion, gay rights, gun control, etc.) that give Rudy Giuliani so much difficulty and that have inspired John McCain and Mitt Romney to "flip-flop" in recent years to curry favor with social conservatives. In the second place, he is (as his television career demonstrates) an immensely attractive personality at 64, with a rumpled and thoughtful charm. Thirdly, his service for eight years in the U.S. Senate (four times Barack Obama's current tenure) attests to his success as a political leader. And finally, he hails from a border state -- Tennessee -- with all that implies for electability in the South and elsewhere."
Thompson was the chair of the Senate Government Affaris Committee, was co-chief counsel on the Watergate hearings, and had an informal post in the Bush administration assisting the Supreme Court nominee (and eventually Chief Justice) John Roberts through their Senate hearings.
Personally, since Jeb won't run, Fred could very well be my guy, although Rudy is still a strong contender as well Duncan Hunter (maybe) and Sam Brownback on the Republican side. It's mighty early yet, and I have little to go on for any candidate as far as examining the issues and their positions goes so far, but I'm looking forward to the process of doing so over the next few months.
In an interview Sunday with Fox News, TV and film actor and former Tennessee Republican Senator Fred Thompson is dwelling on a potential presidential run. Should he decide to run, it would be a major development in the race for the Republican nomination. Thompson brings a strong "true conservative" record to the table.
"First and foremost, he is a true-blue conservative, comfortable with all the positions on social issues (abortion, gay rights, gun control, etc.) that give Rudy Giuliani so much difficulty and that have inspired John McCain and Mitt Romney to "flip-flop" in recent years to curry favor with social conservatives. In the second place, he is (as his television career demonstrates) an immensely attractive personality at 64, with a rumpled and thoughtful charm. Thirdly, his service for eight years in the U.S. Senate (four times Barack Obama's current tenure) attests to his success as a political leader. And finally, he hails from a border state -- Tennessee -- with all that implies for electability in the South and elsewhere."
Thompson was the chair of the Senate Government Affaris Committee, was co-chief counsel on the Watergate hearings, and had an informal post in the Bush administration assisting the Supreme Court nominee (and eventually Chief Justice) John Roberts through their Senate hearings.
Personally, since Jeb won't run, Fred could very well be my guy, although Rudy is still a strong contender as well Duncan Hunter (maybe) and Sam Brownback on the Republican side. It's mighty early yet, and I have little to go on for any candidate as far as examining the issues and their positions goes so far, but I'm looking forward to the process of doing so over the next few months.
Another Point of View
Dwight Lee @ TCS Daily.
A little bit of praise for the oft maligned internal combustion engine, which, of course is a bane of evil to most environmental groups. However, as Lee points out, these marvels of technology prevent an even greater evil - animal powered pollution, which can cause a host of health concerns.
"The air and water pollution from horse manure contributed to a death rate far greater than that generated by the pollution from cars and trucks. No one denies that photochemical smog from gas powered vehicles is a health risk, but it is not nearly the health risk of cholera, typhoid, typhus, yellow fever, diphtheria and malaria. These diseases killed tens of thousands of Americans in the early 20-century and these deaths began to decline as cars and trucks replaced horses and wagons."
Added to this health benefit is the fact that livestock also produce methane, one of the worst of the various greenhouse gasses, and an objective mind might think that machine driven technology is an even greater boon. Oh, wait, I said an objective mind, not a true believer in the global warming religion sweeping the planet.
A little bit of praise for the oft maligned internal combustion engine, which, of course is a bane of evil to most environmental groups. However, as Lee points out, these marvels of technology prevent an even greater evil - animal powered pollution, which can cause a host of health concerns.
"The air and water pollution from horse manure contributed to a death rate far greater than that generated by the pollution from cars and trucks. No one denies that photochemical smog from gas powered vehicles is a health risk, but it is not nearly the health risk of cholera, typhoid, typhus, yellow fever, diphtheria and malaria. These diseases killed tens of thousands of Americans in the early 20-century and these deaths began to decline as cars and trucks replaced horses and wagons."
Added to this health benefit is the fact that livestock also produce methane, one of the worst of the various greenhouse gasses, and an objective mind might think that machine driven technology is an even greater boon. Oh, wait, I said an objective mind, not a true believer in the global warming religion sweeping the planet.
Movie Review - 300
I went to see the movie 300 on Saturday, and have to say I was pretty impressed with it. I don't see a lot of movies in the theater, but I had to make the effort for this one after reading several enthusiastic blogger reviews. Hollywood doesn't make many movies with themes such as duty, freedom, honor, and personal sacrifice much any more, but the big box office numbers may, and hopefully will, make them rethink that.
It is a pretty serious film about a pretty serious subject, and has enough violence that it could turn some off, but I found the violence to be of the more stylized comic book variety than a lot of the stuff you see in slasher/horror pictures. I won't ruin the plot for those that haven't seen it, but I found it was both a strong story, well acted, and was quite visually appealing as well, although others have criticized the CGI used quite a bit for the backdrops. It did a pretty good job of sticking to the history of the actual event, although I was disappointed that the film made no mention at all of the naval battle off the Greek coast at Artemesium, led the the Athenian leader Themosicles. The Greek navy prevented the Persians from landing troops behind the the Greek position on land, allowing the blocking force at the pass to hold off the entire Persian army.
All told, I would say it is the best war movie I have seen since The Great Raid. Grade: A.
It is a pretty serious film about a pretty serious subject, and has enough violence that it could turn some off, but I found the violence to be of the more stylized comic book variety than a lot of the stuff you see in slasher/horror pictures. I won't ruin the plot for those that haven't seen it, but I found it was both a strong story, well acted, and was quite visually appealing as well, although others have criticized the CGI used quite a bit for the backdrops. It did a pretty good job of sticking to the history of the actual event, although I was disappointed that the film made no mention at all of the naval battle off the Greek coast at Artemesium, led the the Athenian leader Themosicles. The Greek navy prevented the Persians from landing troops behind the the Greek position on land, allowing the blocking force at the pass to hold off the entire Persian army.
All told, I would say it is the best war movie I have seen since The Great Raid. Grade: A.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Reason Behind the Light Blogging Last Week
I've had to do some difficult things in my life, but the toughest thing I may have ever done in my life to this point occurred last Wednesday, March 7, at approximately 8:25 am. I had to put my good canine friend and almost nine year rommate Bear to sleep.
My sister got my friend as a six week pup, had him for about a year before moving and having to give him up, but despite her best efforts at finding him a good home, nothing ever really worked out for him. My mom wound up with him for a number of months, but he was quite a handful in his younger years, a little too much for her at least. I took him off her hands when I moved to Ohio in 1998 when he was about three, and he was my constant companion from that point.
He had gotten ill Monday morning, a most unusual event for him, so I took him to the vet that afternoon, and the doc decided to keep him overnight for X-rays and some lab tests, and possibly an ultrasound the next day. The good doctor discovered a large, inoperable tumor with the ultrasound, and it was causing life-threatening internal bleeding. The doc informed me of Bear's condition Tuesday afternoon. I went to visit him that evening for over an hour & they kept him stable overnight while I slept on the decision that I was pretty much forced to make by his steadily deteriorating condition.
He was really struggling early Wednesdsay morning when I returned. His breathing was labored and he was unsteady on his feet, but really glad to see Dad again. We spent some time together again and then I had the vet come in and give him the shots that took him away from me until we meet again in the next world. It will be a long time before I recover, if one can ever recover from tragedy like this; while he was getting pretty long in the tooth for his kind, he'd always been a very healthy guy, so losing him this suddenly was quite a shock. He would have been thirteen in May.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Local Links
I've added a number of recently discovered Local Yokel Blogs, a number of which are both interesting...and blogroll me. How embarassing for them. :)
Well, I'm done gone and did the right thing, at least by my standards, and added them to my blogroll as well, even if they aren't blogrolling me, cuz they're local, and they've all been at least recently active.
Welcome Beatrice Fiddler, Right Wing Professor, High Plains Patriot, Joe's Crabby Shack, and Paging Power to the brand new official guerillaspot Local Yokels blogroll. You're very welcome.
LATE EDIT: Added commenter Dana's blog, Principled Discovery, as well. My apologies for not noticing you sooner.
Well, I'm done gone and did the right thing, at least by my standards, and added them to my blogroll as well, even if they aren't blogrolling me, cuz they're local, and they've all been at least recently active.
Welcome Beatrice Fiddler, Right Wing Professor, High Plains Patriot, Joe's Crabby Shack, and Paging Power to the brand new official guerillaspot Local Yokels blogroll. You're very welcome.
LATE EDIT: Added commenter Dana's blog, Principled Discovery, as well. My apologies for not noticing you sooner.
Ancient Astronomical Observatory in Peru
via ScienceDaily this time.
The earliest known astronomical observatory in the America discovered in Chankillo, Peru. The site has long been known but the mysterious 13 stone observatory nearby was only recently analyzed, both to determine its use and age. It dates back to the 4th century BC, 500 years before similiar finds built by the Mayans in Mexico.
"Chankillo is a large ceremonial center covering several square kilometers in the costal Peruvian desert. It was better known in the past for a heavily fortified hilltop structure with massive walls, restricted gates, and parapets. For many years, there has been a controversy as to whether this part of Chankillo was a fort or a ceremonial center. But the purpose of a 300meter long line of Thirteen Towers lying along a small hill nearby had remained a mystery..
The new evidence now identifies it as a solar observatory. When viewed from two specially constructed observing points, the thirteen towers are strikingly visible on the horizon, resembling large prehistoric teeth. Around the observing points are spaces where artifacts indicate that ritual gatherings were held. The current report offers strong evidence for an additional use of the site at Chankillo -- as a solar observatory. It is remarkable as the earliest known complete solar observatory in the Americas that defines all the major aspects of the solar year."
Inca rulers considered themselves descended from the Incan Sun god, and such a site would have had important cultural and political significance. The site was used to track the rising and setting of the sun to denote the timing of both religious festivals and planting and harvest cycles. The early dating of the site suggests that detailed astonomical data had been gathered even earlier, leading to the construction of the sites by ruling political and religious castes in order to cement their power over the population.
The earliest known astronomical observatory in the America discovered in Chankillo, Peru. The site has long been known but the mysterious 13 stone observatory nearby was only recently analyzed, both to determine its use and age. It dates back to the 4th century BC, 500 years before similiar finds built by the Mayans in Mexico.
"Chankillo is a large ceremonial center covering several square kilometers in the costal Peruvian desert. It was better known in the past for a heavily fortified hilltop structure with massive walls, restricted gates, and parapets. For many years, there has been a controversy as to whether this part of Chankillo was a fort or a ceremonial center. But the purpose of a 300meter long line of Thirteen Towers lying along a small hill nearby had remained a mystery..
The new evidence now identifies it as a solar observatory. When viewed from two specially constructed observing points, the thirteen towers are strikingly visible on the horizon, resembling large prehistoric teeth. Around the observing points are spaces where artifacts indicate that ritual gatherings were held. The current report offers strong evidence for an additional use of the site at Chankillo -- as a solar observatory. It is remarkable as the earliest known complete solar observatory in the Americas that defines all the major aspects of the solar year."
Inca rulers considered themselves descended from the Incan Sun god, and such a site would have had important cultural and political significance. The site was used to track the rising and setting of the sun to denote the timing of both religious festivals and planting and harvest cycles. The early dating of the site suggests that detailed astonomical data had been gathered even earlier, leading to the construction of the sites by ruling political and religious castes in order to cement their power over the population.
Tech key to Recovery Old Oil
As if to further make my earlier point about oil production, the OWH helpfully chimes in.
"Within the last decade, technology advances have made it possible to unlock more oil from old fields. At the same time, higher oil prices have made it economical for companies to go after reserves that are harder to reach.With plenty of oil still left in familiar locations, forecasts that the world's reserves are drying out have given way to predictions that more oil can be found than ever before."
And yes, the Peak Oilers are finding it hard to convince anyone serious that their pet theory is correct.
"There is still a minority view, held largely by a small band of retired petroleum geologists and some members of Congress, that oil production has peaked, but the theory has been fading."
Again, as oil prices go up, it becomes feasible to go back into old fields and resume production, as well as explore and produce in difficult terrain. Approximately two-thirds of the oil in older fields has been left remianing in the ground, as it was formerly unprofitable to go to great lenghts to recover it. It also becomes feasible to start producing from deposits like Canadian tar sands.
"Typically, oil companies can produce only one barrel for every three they find. Two usually are left behind, either because they are too hard to pump out or because it would be too expensive to do so. Going after these neglected resources, energy experts say, represents a tremendous opportunity."
The head of reserve management at Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia's national oil company) is also noted as saying that the kingdom's true reserves are triple the "recoverable" figure of 260 million barrels, the largest on paper reserves in the world, and that new seismic tools greatly aid in both exploration and energy production.
"Within the last decade, technology advances have made it possible to unlock more oil from old fields. At the same time, higher oil prices have made it economical for companies to go after reserves that are harder to reach.With plenty of oil still left in familiar locations, forecasts that the world's reserves are drying out have given way to predictions that more oil can be found than ever before."
And yes, the Peak Oilers are finding it hard to convince anyone serious that their pet theory is correct.
"There is still a minority view, held largely by a small band of retired petroleum geologists and some members of Congress, that oil production has peaked, but the theory has been fading."
Again, as oil prices go up, it becomes feasible to go back into old fields and resume production, as well as explore and produce in difficult terrain. Approximately two-thirds of the oil in older fields has been left remianing in the ground, as it was formerly unprofitable to go to great lenghts to recover it. It also becomes feasible to start producing from deposits like Canadian tar sands.
"Typically, oil companies can produce only one barrel for every three they find. Two usually are left behind, either because they are too hard to pump out or because it would be too expensive to do so. Going after these neglected resources, energy experts say, represents a tremendous opportunity."
The head of reserve management at Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia's national oil company) is also noted as saying that the kingdom's true reserves are triple the "recoverable" figure of 260 million barrels, the largest on paper reserves in the world, and that new seismic tools greatly aid in both exploration and energy production.
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