Echoing the words from Diana culled from the link in the last post:

To everyone who's decided the shuttle Columbia destruction is exactly what our government needs to convince them to stop wasting money on NASA, or at least the human part of space exploration, I can only ask that you go fuck yourselves*.

To everyone else, Peace.

* I've come across a few blogs that pretty much make this point. I hope you don't mind my failing to provide links.

 
The best blog post on the shuttle Columbia tragedy, so far.

 
The Washington Post reports:

Columbia Streaks Toward Florida Landing
By Marcia Dunn
AP Aerospace Writer
Saturday, February 1, 2003; 8:28 AM

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– With security tighter than usual, space shuttle Columbia streaked toward a Florida touchdown Saturday to end a successful 16-day scientific research mission that included the first Israeli astronaut.

The early morning fog burned off as the sun rose, and Mission Control gave the seven astronauts the go-ahead to come home on time. "I guess you've been wondering, but you are 'go' for the deorbit burn," Mission Control radioed at practically the last minute.

Ilan Ramon, a colonel in Israel's air force and former fighter pilot, became the first man from his country to fly in space, and his presence resulted in an increase in security, not only for Columbia's Jan. 16 launch, but also for its landing. Space agency officials feared his presence might make the shuttle more of a terrorist target.

"We've taken all reasonable measures, and all of our landings so far since 9-11 have gone perfectly," said Lt. Col. Michael Rein, an Air Force spokesman.

Columbia's crew – Ramon and six Americans – completed all of their 80-plus experiments in orbit. They studied ant, bee and spider behavior in weightlessness as well as changes in flames and flower scents, and took measurements of atmospheric dust with a pair of Israeli cameras.

The 13 lab rats on board – part of a brain and heart study – had to face the guillotine following the flight so researchers could see up-close the effects of so much time in weightlessness. The insects and other animals had a brighter, longer future: the student experimenters were going to get them back and many of the youngsters planned to keep them, almost like pets.

All of the scientific objectives were accomplished during the round-the-clock laboratory mission, and some of the work may be continued aboard the international space station, researchers said. The only problem of note was a pair of malfunctioning dehumidifiers, which temporarily raised temperatures inside the laboratory to the low 80s, 10 degrees higher than desired.

Some of Columbia's crew members didn't want their time in space to end.

"Do we really have to come back?" astronaut David Brown jokingly asked Mission Control before the ride home.

NASA's next shuttle flight, a space station construction mission, is scheduled for March. The next time Columbia flies will be in November, when it carries into orbit educator-astronaut Barbara Morgan, who was the backup for Challenger crew member Christa McAuliffe in 1986.

Someone should seriously rethink how they handle their deadlines over at the Washington Post, don't 'cha think?

[update: Washington Post catches up.]

[another update: As I suspected would happen, they finally pulled the article; however I saved it and edited in the entire piece above.]

 


Further shuttle Columbia photo-ed goofs, this one from Google News. Why do I enjoy these particular type of screw-ups so much?

 

This photo of rap star Eminem currently accompanies a news story on the MSNBC web site. That story? NASA loses contact with shuttle, declares emergency.

Morons...

[update: MSNBC was quick on fixing the image (and associated caption - "Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known as Eminem listens during court appearence in Pontiac, Mich."), but I was quicker...]

[another update: Mathers is back with a new headline: Space shuttle Columbia break into flames over Texas, killing all 7 astronauts aboard. Seems the MSNBC folk are in and out on this one. Web admins, to your stations!]

 
Here's NASA's official page for the shuttle. You might want to try later, since it's (obviously) very slow to get to right now.

 
Read about Columbia and Mission STS-107. Also learn about the crew. And here are some photos of the crew during the mission.

 
Horrible news for space enthusiasts everywhere.

[update: Google News is a great resource to track reports on this.]

[another update: Instapundit is following through with reports on Columbia, as well as general info on the shuttles.]

 
A reminder to all: Someone is not necessarily wrong if they're unable to prove their point in a debate. It does mean they suck at debate, though. On a personal note, if you ever have the pleasure of dining with me in a Chinese restaurant and I ask for extra fortune cookies, it really is because I like the taste - not because I want to make fun of the fortunes. I do make fun of them, but it's a minor feature to my enjoyment of the cookies.

And to the few regular guff readers, sorry for the recent go slow posting schedule. Let's see if the weekend improves things.

 
A few days back, I mentioned my Blurried Musings blog had been offered up in a contest for most boring site. As I'm sure many are not surprised by, I won (scroll down through the posts for the announcement).

"juddervan man" - being the only judge in the unadvertised ceremony - gave the rough draft for my acceptance speech as the push that drove me over the top in his deliberations. Actually, he states that he was impressed. Which means he's either thankful I'm not bringing charges of libel, or my response was so extremely boring there was no point in continuing the competition. No matter.

*ahem*

I'd like to thank my seventh grade English teacher for instilling in me the fascination with putting people to sleep with my compositions; Tim Berners-Lee, who without I would not have had the technology or financial backing to place my work in the public eye; and my ex-wife, who probably feels I deserved this award.

 
Swimsuit issue?

 
Just thought of an idea for a new "reality-based" television show...

Put various second-rate political pundits (i.e. nearly all of them) into a big hole in the ground, give them sticks, and tell them the last one standing gets to have his or her say on any topic for the rest of the program (that is, if they can still speak). Oh, and they win something of no real consequence, like their own show on Fox News. I've even come up with a name: PunPit.

I'd watch it.

 
Columnist Dave Barry has set up a blog of his very own. Right in the neighborhood, in fact. I'm not sure if I'll be adding him to the "blog links" though. After all, he's just not that funny.

 

"Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world; it is God's gift to humanity." -"President" George W. Bush

Uh huh. And who's god would that be you're talking about there, George?

 
In honor of all the interest in blogging unique State of the Union addresses (for reference, see here, here, and here), I've composed my own:

Someone Show Me Where Iraq Is On This Map

I've never been very good at making speeches.

 
I've been nominated for Most Boring Site. Not sure of the level of importance for this award, but I take what I can get. In the chance (likelyhood?) that I win, I've started on my acceptance speech.

 
It's the first guff poll! I'm tingling with pride.

Update March 22: Poll has been closed. So sorry.

Who is Hans Blix?

votes perc  1.) That guy who composes all those fairy tales. 0   0%  2.) Creator of the WMD detector, the Blix-o-matic. 0   0%  3.) Comic book anti-hero Saddaman's arch-nemesis. 1   50%  4.) This shall all eventually be revealed in prophecy. 1   50%      1 2 3 4 Total Votes:  2

 
Looks like the novel is dead in Australia. Which is to say the aussies are faring better than us yanks, considering that all of book publishing has supposedly been declared dead. And I didn't even know either of them were sick.

So, am I the only one left to prop up the failing book industry? Or in other words, what have you been reading lately? [And to my occasional *.au visitors: pick up some fiction, will ya!]

 
Wanna play a "real" game? Try Gulf War II. Make sure you defeat Saddam, Ok? It's all that really matters. Afterwards, log onto Ashcroft Online. All in good fun (and Flash, too).

(Targeted by Through the Looking Glass, who also sunk my battleship.)

 
""We lost, and that bothers a lot of the young people out here," said Hannibal Willis, a member of the rap group Hazardous Materials. "A lot of them are real Raider friends. I ain't gonna lie -- if we had won, we would have done the same thing, but milder.""

Good to know the rioting in the streets would not have been as intense had the Oakland Raiders won. Chalk that up to good manners. Some better quotes:

""You can definitely say we're outnumbered," Oakland Police Officer Robert Roche said. "You don't have to be a math genius to see that.""

Or maybe even a regular, non-math genius. [Sorry - just a side note to the real commentary.]

""It's the Raiders' fault -- blame it on the Raiders," Akela Thomas, 19, shouted. "If they would've won, we wouldn't be doing this.""

I agree! They should take responsibility for their fans assaulting police, firemen and standers-by, as well as burning vehicles and other property of Oakland residents. The fans would have behaved if only the Raiders had won. Well, at least the rioting would have been "milder."

Meanwhile, Buccaneer fans try to find their way through the streets of Tampa...