Continuing our trend of a themeless lunchtime news chum week, here are a few articles to ponder over as you eat your healthy salad:
- Dealing With Clutter. It’s always nice to see the ranch get a nice article in the press… and we got one this week with an article on how we are researching the clutter that is in space, and how we’re trying to do something about it. Quite an interesting read. Bill Ailor, the fellow mentioned in the article, used to have the office across from our department. One of the nicest–and sharpest–folks you could ever meet.
- Space Cases. Gingrich the Newt has pledged to establish a moon colony during his presidency. Now, much as I love space and space exploration, this just seems off in this era of constrained budgets. Even if he could convince a private company to do it, what is in it for them? I believe there are international treaties regarding mineral rights on the moon. Now, I’m not claiming Obama is perfect, but the opposition can’t seem to find a credible candidate that is clearly capable of winning on a national level. I’ve already seen an article comparing Romney to Thomas Dewey, and we all remember how he won in 1948 against a president everyone thought was going to lose.
- Hidden in Plain Sight. Speaking of Presidents… did you know that the grandson’s of our 10th president, John Tyler, are still alive. Not great-great-grandsons. Not great-grandsons. But President Tyler’s grandsons. Did you also know that there is an ornate movie theatre hidden above a bodega in the East Village in NYC (look at the pictures-they’re neat!). And did you know that just like In-N-Out hands out bible verses with its soft drinks, Alaska Airlines hands out prayer cards with its meal trays (although it is stopping the practice).
Music: The Great Works of Vivaldi (Hanseatic Baroque Orchestra): The Four Seasons: Autumn
