3,705 words
It’s true that the government is quite capable of lying like hell. That doesn’t, however, mean everything they say is a lie. This is so even for the Nixon administration, despite the bad reputation they gave themselves on the way out. If Resident Bidet’s junta would rise to Richard Nixon’s standard of integrity and truthfulness, imperfect as it was, it still would be a vast improvement. (more…)
2,289 words
2,289 words
Anyone who remembers the 1980s can recall exactly what they were doing when the space shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after lifting off on January 28, 1986. People at the Florida launch site openly wept, pounded their fists on the hoods of their cars, and held each other. Schoolchildren looked at the televised images of the disaster with horror. The news media went into a frenzy, and President Reagan delivered a televised eulogy that evening that was probably his best speech ever. (more…)
Voyager 2, loading into a Centaur rocket.
Voyager 2, loading into a Centaur rocket.
2,806 words
I suspect most people have particular topics that affect them profoundly and cause a welling up of emotion that most other people would find a bit strange. For me, the topic is space probes. When I watch documentaries or read articles about them, I tear up the way we all tear up at a piece of heartbreakingly beautiful music or a cynic-proof rendition of the national anthem. After the unmanned spacecraft Cassini completed its mission in 2017 and sent back its stunning images of Saturn, the probe’s creators issued (more…)