WASHINGTON - Two NASA space probes that visited Mars 30 years ago may have stumbled upon alien microbes on the Red Planet and inadvertently killed them, a scientist theorizes in a paper released Sunday. The tragity! Call Jessie Jackson!
The problem was the Viking space probes of 1976-77 were looking for the wrong kind of life and didn't recognize it, the researcher said in a paper presented at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle. Sorry, naked Martian babes don't exist, yet
This new report, based on a more expansive view of where life can take root, may have NASA looking for a different type of Martian life form when its next Mars spacecraft is launched later this year, one of the space agency's top scientists told The Associated Press.
Last month, scientists excitedly reported that new photographs of Mars showed geologic changes that suggest water occasionally flows there the most tantalizing sign that Mars is hospitable to life. Screw the damn water. Where is the beer?
#2
Hydrogen peroxide... isn't that what fuels Russian torps and sank the Kursk when it blew? And that British sub a long time ago?
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
01/08/2007 10:13 Comments ||
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#3
Feh! This guy needs to do more research. There's a lot more to a Bombardier's defensive secretions than hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide is a catalyst for a benzoquinone fluid. It heats in a reaction chamber and discharges in a jet-like spray. Temps can reach 180-degrees F (I know from Thomas Eisner's book "For Love Of Insects" and after doing a lot of research for a book I'm currently writing).
There's also a lotof difference between an animal which can produce hydrogen peroxide via specialized cells and having those cells be based on hydrogen peroxide. The Bombardier is still a typical terrestrial beetle.
#7
Deja Thoris, John Carter, and green-skinned, 4-armed Martian warriors had better watch out! Earth's space probes are only the first step in our own long-planned invasion of the red planet.
#3
the sources said, adding that the previous agreement was revised on Pakistans request after the Zimbabwe government asked Islamabad for provision of six flight instructors.
The sources said that Pakistan agreed to provide technical assistance and training facilities to Zimbabwean armed force and signed an agreement in this regard on April 29, 1983.The revised agreement would ensure better conditions to our troops on deputation because the terms and conditions under the 22-year-old agreement were not feasible keeping in view the increased cost of living, the sources said. The new agreement will be renewable after every five years and will extend automatically until one of the two parties requests for changes or termination of the agreement, the sources added.
Given the "cost of living" in Zimbabwe, it must really suck to be a Paki flight instructor.
Mugabe has ruined his country with policies that are killing thousands, writes RW Johnson in Harare.
Way too long to post here, even with page 49, but read it all. And cry. hat tip Blue Crab Boulevard.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/08/2007 01:00 ||
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#1
The sad part is there are people, many people who are more offended by asking voters in the u.s. to show their i.d. card than they are by this. Ask the average liberal who is worse, Mugabe or Bush and they would probably say Bush. I'm not sure if they don't know who mugabe is or if they really think that way.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of protesters in the Bangladesh capital Sunday as opposition parties began a transport blockade to force the cancellation of January 22 polls. Opposition supporters pelted police with rocks and stones at various locations around the city after thousands took to the streets, prompting officers to retaliate, said sub-inspector Kankan, who uses one name. Our officers shot tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the mob, he added.
Police did not have any details on the number of injuries but the private Channel I television network said at least 50 people including police officers were hurt in the clashes. The private UNB agency said a further 35 people had been injured at Keranganj on the outskirts of Dhaka after the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) used batons to break up a demonstration by opposition activists. At least five small bombs also exploded in Dhakas old quarter during the protests, although nobody was hurt, said police sub-inspector Iqbal Hayat.
Officers arrested a number of opposition activists during protests in the centre of the capital, assistant police commissioner Anisur Rahman added, without elaborating. Army soldiers were also patrolling the streets in armoured vans in an attempt to prevent further violence, he said.
The opposition called a nationwide transport blockade for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to try to force the interim government to agree to reforms ahead of the national elections set for January 22. Enforcing the blockade, opposition supporters packed key intersections on the outskirts of the city to prevent vehicles travelling to other main cities.
The opposition says the changes it wants, such as the appointment of new election commission officials, are crucial for free and fair elections which are not stacked in favour of the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The whole country will be shut down if the government does not stop farcical polls on January 22 and announce a fresh one after carrying out necessary reforms, opposition spokesman Abdul Jalil said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Gee, the story's been here all day.
Nobody seems to care.
Fancy that.
In a signal that he could be open to working more closely with congressional Democrats rather than stonewalling, President Bush plans to name the widely respected Republican lawyer Fred F. Fielding as White House counsel this week, party sources tell TIME. Fielding, who held the same position under President Ronald Reagan, will succeed the President's friend Harriet Miers, who last week announced her resignation, effective Jan. 31. An official who has been briefed on the impending announcement, which could come as soon as Tuesday, called Fielding "the ultimate Washington lawyer-insider he's the man to see."
Since Vernon Jordan is apparently still busy babysitting Bill Clinton.
"He's the guy who helps you defend your position, stick to your principles, but tries to work out a reasonable compromise," the official said. "He's highly partisan, but he's highly regarded by everyone."
Which is politico-speak for he's not *that* highly partisan.
The idea came from Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, and Administration officials said they regarded it as a savvy choice. The selection of Fielding, a member of the 9/11 commission from 2002 to 2004, comes as the White House is gearing up for a multitude of investigations and likely subpoenas from Democrats, who took control of both chambers of Congress last week with a vow to pursue aggressive oversight and deny the White House blank checks for Iraq or anything else.
Fielding was persuaded to leave his lucrative position as a senior partner in the Washington law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding with "an appeal to patriotism" and an assurance that he would not just be the President's lawyer but would be deeply involved in Congressional strategy and negotiations, the official said. Fielding was Counsel to President Reagan from 1981 to 1986, deputy White House counsel from 1972 to 1974 and associate White House counsel from 1970 to 1972. He was Clearance Counsel for the Bush-Cheney Presidential Transition in 2000 and 2001, and has degrees from Gettysburg College and University of Virginia School of Law.
"The key for the Administration is going to be drawing the lines on these boundaries of executive privilege and access to documents and congressional oversight drawing the lines around the really important issues and trying to be a little more flexible on the others," said a former colleague of Fielding. "They're not going to fold, because Fielding is a very serious, hard-nosed person, and he's a tough negotiator. But they're also going not to take a totally stonewall position. That doesn't mean they're going to cave in. What it means is they're going to negotiate and focus on the things that they're truly protecting and that are truly important."
David Gergen, who was White House adviser to four Presidents and now is a professor of public service at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, lauded Fielding last May during the commencement address at Duke University Law School, calling him an example of how a lawyer can make his children proud. Fielding was John Dean's deputy counsel, but was, as Gergen noted, "completely clean" on Watergate."
Gergen said that in the Reagan White House Field would generally phrase his advice as: You know, David, it would be technically okay for you to take the following course of action ... But can I advise you as a friend and as someone who wants to be respected that theres a much wiser way to proceed? You wont find it as convenient and you may not achieve everything you want, but at the end of the day, you can sleep at night and your honor will be intact. Now, Fielding will have the chance to offer that advice to a new client.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/08/2007 22:22 ||
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Illegal immigrants who were caught but released in the United States may have been re-arrested as many as six times, Justice Department data released Monday indicate. The findings by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine are based on a sampling of 100 illegal immigrants arrested by local and state authorities in 2004, the latest complete data available. They show that 73 of the 100 immigrants were arrested, collectively, 429 times - ranging from traffic tickets to weapons and drug charges. Actual breakdown from report: 166 drug related. 37 immigration related. 213 burglary, robbery, or theft. 40 assault, 10 property damage. 3 terrorist threat. 13 weapons charges.
Fine's office said its audit could not conclude precisely how many of the 262,105 illegal immigrants charged with criminal histories that year had been re-arrested. "But if this data is indicative of the full population of 262,105 criminal histories, the rate at which released criminal aliens are re-arrested is extremely high," the audit noted. Lets put that into perspective, shall we: There were 433,000 illegal aliens arrested and convicted. And there were 262,105 incidents of re-arrest and conviction from that same group.
The audit is required by Congress last year, and parts of it were redacted because it shows the ineptitude of ICE of security reasons. It looked at how local and state authorities that receive Justice Department funding to help catch and detain illegal immigrants are working with the Homeland Security Department.
It also examined the arrest rates of immigrants who were released - usually because of insufficient jail space - before they could be turned over to Homeland Security's bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. From the report:In an April 2006 report, the Inspector General Of Removal Operations (DRO) estimates that in FY 2007 there will be 605,000 foreign born individuals admitted to state correctional facilities and local jails during the year for committing crimes in the US. Of this number, DRO estimates Half (302,500) will be removable aliens. Most of these incarcerated aliens are released into the US at the conclusion of their respective sentences because DRO does not have the resources to identify, detain, and remove these aliens under its Criminal Alien Program (CAP). It is estimated that DRO would need an additional 34,653 detention beds, at an estimated cost of $1.1 billion, to detain and remove them.
In all, 752 cities, counties and states participating in the program received $287 million in 2005, the audit noted. Five states - California, New York, Texas, Florida and Arizona - received the bulk of the money, together pulling in more than $184 million. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff four months ago declared an end to the "catch and release" practice that for years helped many illegal immigrants stay in the United States unhindered. At the time, the department was holding 99 percent of non-Mexican illegal immigrants in its custody until they could be returned to their home nations. The policy generally does not apply to Mexicans, who are almost immediately returned to Mexico after being stopped by Border Patrol agents.
The audit also looked at whether local and state authorities fully cooperated with Homeland Security efforts to remove illegal immigrants, and tried to determine how many had been released because of jail space or funding shortages. In both cases, Fine's office said it was unable to draw definitive conclusions. And now for the rest of the story
It also found that at least one area - San Francisco - was receiving funding even though local policy specifically limits the information it gives to Homeland Security about immigration enforcement. San Francisco, which won $1.1 million, defines itself as a "city and county of refuge" and does not allow federal agents to view immigration jail records without permission from local police. Translation: SF was willing to accept $1,087,199 and $1,405,674 in Fiscal years 2005, 2004 respectfully yet their city code states; No department, agency, commission, officer or employee shall use any city funds or resources to assist in the federal immigration law or to gather or disseminate information regarding the immigration status of individuals in the City and County of San Francisco Again from the report: Moreover, the process for interviewing aliens in the (San Francisco) jail was described as uncooperative by the local ICE officials, who also characterized relations with the sheriffs Department as unfriendly and marked by much animosity
Assistant Attorney General Regina B. Schofield, who oversees the Office of Justice Programs, declined comment on the audit, noting it does not contain any recommendations.
#1
...San Fransisco got - according to the most recent data - at least $3.7M USD from the Federal Government for its Police Department. I say they shouldn't see another dime of Federal aid until their policies change.
I know, I know...but a man can dream.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/08/2007 13:55 Comments ||
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#2
they're just doing the crimes most Americans won't do, right?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/08/2007 14:05 Comments ||
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#3
The violent ones should be deported back in a C-130 and dropped off at 33,000 sans parachute.
Too tempting, say we Americans set up Border Guard Stations at all major Highways on the border of the Mexican State of California with their adjoining American States.
Close permanantly all small roads (Bulldoze a huge trench across each and every "Secondary" Road, leaving only the interstates unblocked (That's where the "New Border Patrol" Stations are placed, ALL VEHICLES WILL STOP AND BE INSPECTED ( Making I-10 the Worlds longest parking lot) and see just how long the Caliphornians continue to make their own Screw-the-Feds laws.
Then find and arrest the creators/sponsors/legislators that made/implemented/supported those laws (Sedition)
Well, I can dream, can't I.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/08/2007 20:51 Comments ||
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#6
RNJ - Fuck off - from CA
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/08/2007 20:57 Comments ||
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#7
Making I-10 the Worlds longest parking lot
I-10 runs east-west in California. It runs some 30-40 miles north of the border. The Border Patrol has a presence at weigh stations, truck-inspection facilities, and rest stops.
I-8 is closer to the border. It has a heavy Border Patrol Presence.
I-5 and I-15 run north-south. There are Border Control Stations on these freeways, one at Oceanside, and one at Temecula. Additionally, the BP puts up temporary control points.
Closing down I-10 might hurt California, but it'd hurt the rest of the country worse. Guess where the busiest ports are located? And the railroads are already at capacity.
Speaking of that, maybe we'd better stop all the trains and aircraft too.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
WASHINGTON - Two NASA space probes that visited Mars 30 years ago may have stumbled upon alien microbes on the Red Planet and inadvertently killed them, a scientist theorizes in a paper released Sunday.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of protesters in the Bangladesh capital Sunday as opposition parties began a transport blockade to force the cancellation of January 22 polls. Opposition supporters pelted police with rocks and stones at various locations around the city after thousands took to the streets, prompting officers to retaliate, said sub-inspector Kankan, who uses one name. Our officers shot tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the mob, he added.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Illegal immigrants who were caught but released in the United States may have been re-arrested as many as six times, Justice Department data released Monday indicate. The findings by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine are based on a sampling of 100 illegal immigrants arrested by local and state authorities in 2004, the latest complete data available. They show that 73 of the 100 immigrants were arrested, collectively, 429 times - ranging from traffic tickets to weapons and drug charges.
