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This is something you dog lovers will get a kick out of: LauraW posts the details of washing her dog after he rolled in shee-it, but in Bible speak....

Going Up?...all the way to Geosychronous Orbit

A couple of articles on a concept found in science fiction from Arthur C. Clarke and others: a tethered orbital elevator system! At first glance if one is unfamiliar with the concept it sounds like something from a hallucination - but the physics works, and with recent new developments in materials technology, the means are also now available.

The big advantage: CHEAP cost to orbit, especially compared to rocketry. Check these articles out: one from this weeks Sunday (London) Telegraph, and the other from none other than the big gorilla of the blogosphere hisself: Glenn "Instapundit" Reynolds writing on Tech Central Station.

Click on image to enlarge. (Image from liftport.com)

Stairway to heaven

The race is on to build the first "space elevator' - long dismissed as science fiction - to carry people and materials into orbit along a cable thousands of miles long.

In a significant step, American aviation regulators have just given permission for the opening trials of a prototype, while a competition to be launched next month follows in the wake of the $10 million (£5.6 million) "X Prize'', which led to the first privately developed craft leaving the Earth's atmosphere, briefly, last year.

Folks, this isn't pie in the sky conceptualizing - it's going into the engineering phase - that's about as concrete as it gets!

Space Program: Looking Up

I've written here in the past about NASA's work on space elevators, and on the new leaner, meaner, prize-oriented approach favored by NASA Administrator Mike Griffin. Now there are some signs of real progress on a number of fronts. As I noted earlier, NASA was offering prizes for space elevator research. That's still going on, but there are some new studies suggesting that space elevators may be closer to practicality than previously thought.

Indeed!

Israel vows to crush militants inside Gaza

The Chief commented previously in a "lost" posting on wht he felt was the ultimate futility of the Sharon government's hopes of a piece of peace after withdrawel from the Gaza strip.

The operative model here is like a small dog barking at the mailman every day. It barks to warn off the intruder - and sure enough, the mailman leaves! Triumphant success acheived...which also acts a powerful behavioral reinforcer for continued barking tomorrow when the ritual is repeated, etc.

Giving partial success to the terrs like Hamas only means that they come back again over and over with the same tactics as before. Good coverage here in the Sunday Telegraph illustrates the problem, and the inevitable Israeli response to continued attacks:

Israel mobilised thousands of troops for a potential re-entry to the Gaza Strip yesterday, vowing to "crush" Palestinian militants, less than two weeks after its last soldiers departed the territory in a historic withdrawal.

So much for Sharon's version of "...peace in our time."

Troops began to mass on the border with Gaza while others had their leave cancelled as Israeli jets carried out repeated air strikes on Palestinian militants. In the 24 hours before dozens of homemade rockets had been launched at southern Israel.

Yes, the face of Palestinian "peace", and here's the "barking dog syndrome" at work:

The new cycle of violence began later on Friday at a military-style Hamas rally to trumpet what the militant group sees as its achievement in driving Israelis from Gaza.

It seems that the terrs managed to blow themselves up:

Thousands of Palestinians had gathered around Hamas gunmen showing off their military hardware when an enormous explosion erupted, apparently in a vehicle carrying bomb-making equipment. The blast killed at least 15 and injured almost 150.

And they say there ain't no justice! To save face Ham-ass blamed the Jews, and started shooting across the border with their cheap and cheesy little rockets, a product of the best of Palestinian military technology at work:

The Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, was quick to criticise Hamas, which will pose a powerful challenge at legislative elections due early next year, for the apparent accident. Hamas instead blamed an Israeli rocket strike, but Israel - usually quick to acknowledge such operations - denied involvement. Hamas stuck to its version of events, however, and dozens of often ineffectual Qassam rockets were launched at southern Israel. One landed in the town of Sderot, where five Israelis suffered shrapnel wounds. Palestinian authorities say three people were wounded in the air strikes.

If Ham-ass doesn't watch out, they'll discover that they have stuck their generative organs into a meat grinder. "Just think of it as evolution in action!"

Last night, when Montana Democratic Senator Max Baucus said he'd vote to confirm Judge Roberts, the people at Daily Kos attacked him as a traitor. Now Senator Johnson has announced he's voting for Roberts:Johnson Announces Position on Judge Roberts Washington,...

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From today's Hotline:President Bush has produced a nominee that probably qualifies, and I would support him. -- Tom Daschle on Roberts, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 9/22...

The Husker game on Saturday drove Brent Musburger to drink. Unfortunately, he was riding in a car leaving the stadium while doing it. ABC Sports broadcaster Brent Musburger was ticketed Saturday after police caught him with an open container of...

The left is critcizing Karl Rove for his visit in the burgeoning political hotbed of North Dakota:A senator from New Jersey is criticizing White House adviser Karl Rove for planning to attend a North Dakota fundraiser the same day Hurricane...

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