This book, which has the subtitle, “The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must” by Robert Zurbin with Richard Wager was recommended by a friend, and I was glad to have been told about it. The book provides important examples of the power of imaginative and innovative thinking. It gives examples of explorations that failed because they relied on transporting everything needed into inhospitable territory. That is contrasted by expeditions such as the one by Lewis and Clark that succeeded because they used available resources accumulated during their travels. The book presents a case for exploring Mars while the team uses the resources available on the Red Planet to, as examples, build a shelter, grow food, and manufacturing the fuel that will be needed on the return trip to Earth. Continue reading
Author Archives: RF_Alum
Up to Our Ears in Alligators
I used a euphemism in the title, and admit that my limited searching did not find an origin. The Phrase Finder observes that the US expression is something like “…When you’re up to your (ears) in alligators, there’s no time to remember you’re there to drain the swamp.” The obvious meaning is that you can’t hope to solve problems if your primary hope is for survival.
Arctic Ice Increases
NASA-funded National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) image taken from dailymail.co.uk
National Geographic has an extensive article titled “Rising Seas” in the September 2013 magazine. The first several pages are about the massive destruction caused by Superstorm Sandy. The article then turns to making dire predictions. “By releasing carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gases into the atmosphere, we have warmed the Earth by more than a full degree Fahrenheit over the past century and raised sea level by about eight inches. Even if we stopped burning all fossil fuels tomorrow, the existing greenhouse gases will continue to warm the Earth for centuries. That report is countered by an article by David Rose that the Arctic ice cap grew by almost a million square miles and increased coverage by 60% in 2012. Continue reading
Lies the Government Told You
This book by Andrew P. Napolitano has the subtitle, “Myth, Power, and Deception in American History.” Libertarians will like the book and there are scattered places that Liberals/Progressives will be pleased with what is written. The book is not, in my judgment, enjoyable to read. However, I’m glad to have been exposed to the well-researched and well-documented information.
There are passages to anger almost everyone except strict Libertarians and Constitutionalists. For example, the book is very outspoken against George W. Bush and the approach used by his administration to obtain Congressional approval of the second Iraq war. It is also comments that, “The 2000 presidential election will be remembered as one of the most glaring examples of the federal judiciary infringing up the fundamental right to vote.” Progressives will enjoy that but not the observation that they believe“…all power goes to the gang that gets the most votes, and all (legal) structural efforts to temper that power…must give way to the majority will” They also believe that they “…can use to power of the government to steal from those who have and give to those who do not.” The Progressive Woodrow Wilson probably took or allowed more actions to infringe on individual rights than any other President. The book criticizes both Bush and Obama for their support the Patriot Act. The author proposes that people voted for Obama not because he had any different policies, but because he “…was not a Republican.” Continue reading
Charter Schools Vs Public Schools
We have a friend who teaches at a charter school and is quite proud of the school and how well she thinks her students are performing. I open with that statement, because that undoubtedly has an influence on what I think of charter versus public schools. Reinforcing that is a Colorado report that documents charter schools generally outperform public schools at a significantly reduced cost for both teachers and administrators. Read on if you are interested in specific data. Continue reading
9/11 Anniversary
There are two terrorist attack anniversaries today, and the second is the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi where four Americans were killed one year ago. Several mysteries remain about that attack. One question I have had since I first heard of the attack is “Where are the pictures of the Situation Room while Consulate was being attacked by terrorists?” The picture of the Situation Room with President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a room full of other officials was spread throughout the world the night bin Laden was killed. What would a photo of the room look like the night of the several-hour terrorist attack on the Consulate? Who would have been present to hear the intelligence information and make decisions about what military assets were available to help the people under attack? Was the Situation Room even activated? If not, where was the Commander-In-Chief and what actions did he take to help the people under attack? Did he take any actions? Why weren’t we better prepared for the possibility of an attack? Continue reading