On a phone call to NASA’s Mars rover team today, President Obama had some fun. I’ll bet he really would love it if Curiosity achieved its mission of finding signs of former life on Mars before the Election – and shove Romney out of the news.
“Somebody asked me the other day whether you’ve already found Martians. I told them we have to give you a little bit of time. It’s really mind-boggling what you’ve been able to accomplish. … If, in fact, you do make contact with Martians, please let me know right away. I’ve got a lot of other things on my plate, but I suspect that that will go to the top of the list. Even if they’re just microbes, it will be pretty exciting.”
First Look at Excavated Soil on Mars (8/11)
This color image from NASA’s Curiosity rover shows an area excavated by the blast of the Mars Science Laboratory’s descent stage rocket engines. With the loose debris blasted away by the rockets, details of the underlying materials are clearly seen. Of particular note is a well-defined, topmost layer that contains fragments of rock embedded in a matix of finer material. Shown are pebbles up to 1.25 inches across (upper two arrows) and a larger clast 4 inches long protruding up by about 2 inches from the layer in which it is embedded. Clast-rich sedimentary layers can form in a number of ways. Their mechanisms of formation can be distinguished by the size, shape, surface textures and positioning with respect to each other of the fragments in the layers. — NASA Mars Science Laboratory
Mars Life More Likely, Scientist Says
UCLA geology professor An Yin: “The operation of plate tectonics [giant pieces of the planet’s crust that move, break apart and smash into each other] on Mars means that recycling of major chemical elements relevant to the existence of life such as water and carbon is much more dynamic, rapid, and interactive between deep mantle and Mars atmosphere. This condition is much more favorable to the existence of life than the rather isolated systems on other planetary bodies such as Moon and Mercury.” — TPM
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84 Responses to Obama Would Welcome Martian Distraction
Now on The Trail
Woo hoo ?
Man, I haven’t woohooed in ages. It’s good to get in the groove again !
So, if hannitwit thinks paul rayn is too LIBBURULL, then r ayn must be following the hickman/gilles de rais/marky d. sod aspect of objectivism.
Could it be that ed gein was also a powerful influence on paul aryan ? ed was also a Wisconsinite. He helped newspapers with their bottom lines back in ’57.
Obviously, ed gein was a logical positivist.
there’s only one thing to say about politics… and the Martians say it best…
Ha, RR, love that movie. Glad to see somebody else ready to talk about something else. Mars and the Olympics offered a welcome break for me. Like I said on twitter last night: I’m envious of Olympic pundits, who get to analyze human perfection. Political punditry is like watching squirrels pole vault.
ahhhhh…. feels so good to be done with my fair for one more year.
It went ok for me… but it wasn’t very good for many. The attendance was down and people weren’t in the mood for buying much. It could have been because of the economy… it could have been because the week was hot and humid… or it could have been a combination of both.
I did gets lots of orders for Xmas time from gallery owners for my new work on scarves… that makes me happy…
Craig… yeah… but…
I bet squirrels pole vault better than most pundits..
Gotta say, I’ve watched NASA scientists pretty much my whole life (wanted to be one as a kid), and I can sense they really do think they’re onto something with this Mars life thingie (even it was a few billion years ago, it’ll be a huge discovery).
congrats on the sales RR. Set up a web link for orders that I can mount on the sidebar!
but human imperfection is a lot more fun…
[speaking from experience]
Good one, maybe the line should be, “Political punditry is like watching squirrels watching goundhogs try to pole vault” [fill in your own animal reference, etc.]
Loved the closing ceremonies for the Olympics. Between them and the Curiosity, it has been a wonderful spate of humans being spectacular. Speaking of life forms, how are your window sill nesters doing?
Jamie, was afraid someone would ask. Shortly before due to hatch the eggs disappeared (no sign of them on the ground) and the parents gone too. I’ve got to stop bonding with these Dove families, puts me in such funk when it doesn’t work out.
Oh rats,
Well the odds are always against Doves. Maybe next year you could put out a nesting box with clear plastic on your window side.
Figures, as soon as I post a really good comment Craig starts a new thread.
Oh, woe is me.
Have a great day.
PS: Thanks for the editor Craig. Could not for the life of me at the time remember how to spell “woe”.
Ap’s Post from last thread
Gee we could start our own “where are the records?” conspiracy theory … why let the birthers have all the fun?
Gallup: Reaction to Ryan pick
Okay, I did my good deed for today and feel like I really accomplished something since retiring last year.
If anyone recalls about a month ago here in Florida a Lake County Sheriff shot and killed a innocent person while looking for a suspect wanted for either assault or aggravated battery.
They pounded on the wrong door and when the victim Andrew Scott opened the door with a gun in his hand at his side, as reported today by the girlfriend who was inside with him at the time, they opened fire killing him.
My local news channel has repeatedly reported over the course of time since the shooting that the suspect they were looking for was wanted for attempted murder.
Last night and again this morning they said the same thing. I finally had enough and decided to call the station and tell them that they were not stating truthful facts and were showing bias in favor of the Sheriff’s Department.
I told them that either they or one of the other news channels had at the time of the killing of an innocent person had put on their news cast the dispatch calls showing the person they were looking for was wanted for a assault or aggravated battery charge and not attempted murder.
I also reminded them that the actual suspect was not charged with attempted murder until an innocent person had been killed by them and that their reporting was showing a leaning bias in defense of the LCSO and its Officers.
They said they would look into it and it appears that they did.
On the News at Noon they actually used the term assault and on the Five O’Clock News the suspect was wanted for Aggravated Battery.
It made me feel good to have the true facts put out to the public instead of facts showing bias towards either the victim killed or the LCSO.
This case is going to end up in a Federal Court and could if found in the families favor cost the County Millions of Dollars.
Have a great day.
Hey Craig…
Looks like I broke the comment editor. SORRY…
Have a great day.
OOPS… Now it is posting correctly.
So does anyone wonder if $Rmoney is hiding some of his money on Mars too avoid paying taxes on it?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Have a great day.
Breaking News!!!!!!
Curiosity finds Mitt’s hidden bank account on Mars along with the missing pages from his 2010 Tax Return.
Have a great day.
Shooting by Texas A&M today.
Local news will have more tonight at 11pm.
Have a great day.
Here’s a link on the Texas A%M mass shooting today with links in story.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/08/13/111557/
Have a great day.
The Incredible Shrinking Relevancy of Sarah Palin
by Taylor Marsh
You go AP … factless and feckless are the calling cards of the media Call them on their crap
I am glad they listened
Craig,
AP isn’t the only one having problems with the comment editor. You change something and it shows that it is being saved but just hangs. When you x out of what looks like an unfinished edit, then it has been made already.
The changes happen, but it is frustrating not to know when this has happened unless you quit and check.
Helen Gurley Brown author of Sex and the Single Girl and founder of Cosmopolitan passes away at 90
Message from Vanilla Birdie about 9/11
KGC…
Thanks, it felt good to see them use the truth even though they did not say it was a correction from previous remarks made in their other reports.
Have a great evening.
Jamie…Craig…
It shows up wrong right after making the edit, however on a refresh it posts correctly.
Must be some kind or Republican Bug in the app? LOL…
Have a great evening. Time for Ed, Rachel and Lawrence.
Top Story: The Hawks are Back and Paul Ryan Wants to Make Them Sexy Again
by Taylor Marsh
Now Romney is saying his path to victory doesn’t include people liking him --just believing he has a better plan.
oy vey Mitt save your money, cut your loses go home. Let Paul do the campaigning
Why do I get the feeling that Romney and Ryan is really just republican code for Bait and Switch?
The media sucks trying to make Ryan into some blue collar hometown hero. He is in a 5500sqft home that used to belong to the Parker Pen family.
Parker Pen is the poster child for a bain type of business model and not a single job or retail outlet remains in America
I think people should wave parker pens at Mitt and mini mitt
n July 2009 the 180 workers at Parker Newhaven got notice that the factory was to be shut down and the production moved to France.[9]
On August 18, 2009 Newell Rubbermaid Inc. announced that Janesville Wisconsin will close the remaining operations tied to Parker Pen and eliminate 153 jobs. The company said:
“This decision is a response to structural issues accelerated by market trends and is in no way a reflection on the highly valued work performed by our Janesville employees over the years.”
Was 116 degrees here to day at 4:00 PM
“It’s too darn hot.”
In honor of Mittens and Paulie. They will take mendacity to a whole new level.
Long before she had ever run for political office, Hillary Clinton was pilloried in the press for a commodities transaction that seemed somewhat unusual.
Unusual I guess in that a women actually made money in a man’s world.
Can’t help but wonder how our ever vigilant press will react to the news that Prince Paulie as an elected official of the United States of America, may well have dumped bank stocks shortly before the bottom fell out in 2008.
Insider trading anyone?
Come on, old boys network, prove me wrong.
I may own one of the last American Parker Pens.
I have a Parker pen.I use it to push those little buttons on my cell phone.
My mistake, it’s a Bic.
Jamie, AP, et al — Re: Edit feature glitch. Yep i know about the hang after save issue, and have been trying for days to fix it. At least it works, just close page and refresh. Trouble started after wordpress was updated. Then i installed the edit plugin update that was supposed to coincide, but it didn’t work at all and reverted back to the old version. Tried to find alternatives, but just not any. This plugin is the only one i’ve found that allows commenters to edit. Why? Because there is so little demand for features that enhance the commenting experience. Why? Because most blog hosts don’t give a damn about their commenters, only want the new and shiny gadgets for themselves.
Craig,
Not to worry I am a lousy editor.
Craig…
That’s alright. It worked fine after I refreshed the page.
On another note could you drop the Tax Issue about $Rmoney maybe receiving possibly amnesty under the 2009 IRS program because if he did he would be ineligible to run as President.
You know drop the some people say bit.
Have a nice evening.
Did some more tweaking on the edit feature, think it might be working better now. Let me know
Could you imagine what the ReichWing Republicans would be saying if President Obama did this?
“MIAMI — Mitt Romney held a campaign event Monday evening at a Miami juice shop owned by a convicted cocaine trafficker.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/13/romney-event-host-drug-dealer-miami_n_1774246.html
Have a great evening.
http://tinyurl.com/d7hukzx
Movin’on up!
Time Warner able is an over-priced, customer-neglecting horrible company
For years when I called them and asked when are we getting dvr service they say, “You’re in the old Adelphia area and we haven’t upgraded that area yet.”
Then my tech comes to repair a squirrel chew in the line and tells me we have had it here FOR FOUR YEARS! GRRRRRR !
jamie, thanks for passing along arabella’s message about 9/11 that
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/janna-ryan-carefully-steps-into-national-spotlight/2012/08/12/434ad516-e4aa-11e1-8741-940e3f6dbf48_story.html?hpid=z2
Ah-ha! So, Obama isn’t Kenyan, he’s Martian!
When will the conspiracy theories start on one rock in the pic that looks like it has a perfect right angle? And, why didn’t they land near “the face”?
Prez Obama keeping his fingers crossed: need rain, but not too much; no hurricanes; don’t get pulled into Syria, Iran, etc. Oh, yeah, the economy, jobs, etc. Will OCCUPY show up this fall & will they grays (seniors, not the aliens) join in?
This may be the first non-terrorist-based election since W. (This weekend, I found out that 41 & 43 share a great-grandfather with me, so where’s my piece of the pie?)
Rubio to introduce Romney at the GoOPer convention, so it will be Ryan/Rubio in 2016?
Wow, this Cenk piece say’s it all! Paul Ryan is a fraud…
Campaign 2012′s Biggest Disconnect: Americans Want Out of Afghanistan, Candidates Would Rather Ignore It
Arianna Huffington
Dammit….now I want a Parker pen.
I think what everyone wants is either a Bexley or Garland pen…both still made in American
Poor Paul…getting palinized but so deserving he’s a big bucks hypocrite who is happy with his life and doesn’t give a damn about anyone else.
How crass to pretend his father’s death changed his life when he graduated from college is mother was so worried he would become a ski bums she got him a job with Jack Kemp and Bill Bennett — I guess the impact of his father’s death didn’t hit him until 8 years later
So I’ve followed this Mars landing thing a little and have come to the conclusion that I don’t understand anything about geology or any other science stuff -- but those are good pictures from the red planet (although there seems to be an awful lot of red in them -- maybe they need to adjust the color settings…)
So where are the post-announcement polls? Only Rasmussen (who consistently and almost exclusively finds a Romney lead) has come out with one for the GE this week. And Romney is ahead in his poll -- go figure. No new FL polls, No new OH polls, no new AZ polls, and most importantly no new WI polls. WTF?
Paul Ryan is a wealthy son of a wealthy son and to pretend he is some blue collar guy who ran for office and on the sweat of his ideas won is poopycock
He is a local well known, well funded rightwing tool he would also have done well in Appleton. He is married to someone wealthy who specialized is legal tax avoidance for the wealthy — they live in a 5500 sq ft house — they have zero contact with people who do not live or look like them
maybe his problem is he thinks everyone IS like him
How many years of tax returns did Ryan hand over and can we see them too
I guess Big Mitt just wants to see if Mini-Mitt is as big a tax cheat as he is
Rubio/Ryan Ryan/Rubio The Unjustified Ambition Ticket --huge fight over who would be on top
It’s only now that the goops have such personally unappealing candidates that they only want to talk about issues
Past campaigns from the goopers have always been about character assassination
I think the goopers don’t take on the issues of preventative health particularly maintaining a healthy weight is because so many of their leadership are fat. Christie, Rush just to name a couple of biggies
The good news — eliminating junk food sales from schools has made a difference in childhood obesity.
The bad news more states are fat!
The top 10 states for obesity and their BMI percentages:
1. Mississippi 34.9
2. Louisiana 33.4
3. West Virginia 32.4
4. Alabama 32.0
5. Michigan 31.3
6. Oklahoma 31.1
7. Arkansas 30.9
8. Indiana (tie) 30.8
8. South Carolina 30.8
10. Kentucky (tie) 30.4
10. Texas 30.4
The bottom 10 states for obesity and their BMI percentages:
1. Colorado 20.7
2. Hawaii 21.8
3. Massachusetts 22.7
4. New Jersey (tie) 23.7
4. District of Columbia 23.7
5. California 23.8
6. Utah 24.4
7. New York (tie) 24.5
7. Connecticut 24.5
7. Nevada 24.5
The initial reliable polling data shows that most people don’t know who Ryan is…but Dems should definitely further confuse the issue with the conclusion that Ryan is the worst vp pick in decades
people think worse than Palin. (Sarah and John McCain must be laughing)
Only the outliars for goopers say differently
Zoogby (lmao) says they are now tied in all the swing states of course he’s just a tool for rightwing tv along with Rasmussen they deliver polling quotes for rightwing loses to spout about
WTF Did Rupert Murdoch buy up the entire first printing to give out free to rabid fox viewers
Love the latest five thirty Eight numbers
Craig,
Major bug with wordPress. I can edit and delete ALL posts!
Purple…me too…
Romney’s big bold bust
Purple, thanks for the heads up. Seems every fix creates another problem with this edit feature
Edit feature is down for a while as I try to figure out what’s wrong with it
bettter get itd fized soon.
darn… I love to edit
no worries, KGC, think i’ll get it back soon.
Issue is this edit function is add-on feature i got from a third-party developer and turns out they did an automatic update that is buggy.
Solution is to reinstall the old version that worked and block any updates until they get it right. On the case now.
I’m always fearful of updates, seems that more often than not they create problems.
that’s ok..meant the six seconds when I could have edited other people’s posts
ha KGC that’d be a dangerous toy for sure
Paul Ryan Tax Plan Could Raise Middle Class Taxes, Said Panel By SUSANNA KIM
Help wanted, but not the kind most would apply for.
http://bit.ly/PaBVlz
Something of an unusual weather report.
http://bit.ly/PndOO1
Don’t go to Canada, go to Mars!
One of the popular storylines in science fiction is “terra-forming” where space colonists occupy an environmentally hostile planet and use technology to transform its atmosphere and make it “habitable.”
What’s ironic is that we are now doing exactly the OPPOSITE on Earth, and we can’t seem to stop doing it. In fact, a large number of people (Republicans) actually deny that it’s happening.
Now THAT is a much more interesting science fiction storyline.
Nash
Check out any of the Dystopian novels or several of the upcoming TV series … They are all about man doing in the earth and leaving the resulting much smaller left over population to deal with the consequences.
Of course there is always the classic of another kind: Soylent Green Is People
Life on Mars…now that would be an October suprise
Premiering NBC Sept 17
Congressional Approval now down to 10%. It’s a shame they are elected one by one from gerrymandered districts, because they should certainly be thrown out on their collective ears. Anyone for a nationwide parliamentary system?
new thread