Americans approve of Trump’s handling of Harvey by 55 percent

As Hot Air notes, President Donald Trump seems to be doing quite well with Americans concerning Hurricane Harvey [VIDEO]. 55 percent of the American people approve of his handling of the storm and its aftermath that ravaged the central Texas Gulf coast and inundated Houston with a biblical flood. That number includes 36 percent of Democrats, remarkable as the president is universally hated by that particular political group. The numbers compare favorably to the overwhelmingly negative response to President George W. Bush’s handling of Hurricane Katrina, which hammered #new orleans a dozen years ago.

NASA mulls how to decrease the cost of the Europa Lander

Space News is reporting that NASA has defined a baseline Europa Lander mission. However, the project is likely to cost several billion dollars, so the space agency has started to explore cheaper alternatives. The #europa lander is an initiative of Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee that handles NASA funding. The mission will land on Europa, an ice shrouded #Moon Of Jupiter, and take samples of its surface to examine in for signs of life. Europa is thought to have a warm water sub-surface ocean where alien life may reside.

The MasSpec pen could be a game changer for cancer detection

One of the particularly demanding aspects of cancer surgery is making sure that the all the cancerous tissue has been extracted, Surgeons, in the middle of a procedure, have to send sample tissue to a pathology lab to test it for cancer, a task that can take half an hour. The accuracy of these tests can be spotty, meaning that a surgeon sometimes does not get all of the cancer. Such misses can mean that a patient has to be subjected to more #Surgical Procedures and follow up treatments.

How smart stores will cut down on crime

A recent article in MIT Technology Review suggests that smart stores are going to have another benefit besides eliminating the expense of hiring check-out clerks. The stores #Run by computers with little or no human intervention will cut down on crime.

Elizabeth Warren is the latest to jump on the Medicare for all train

The surprise is not that Sen. #Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. signed on to the Medicare for all bill being offered by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont. The surprise is that she took so long to announce her intentions, coming after Sen. Kamala Harris [VIDEO], D-California. Warren has two reasons to go for government run #health care, one from her convictions, the other from cold blooded political calculus.

Coming soon, a new confection called ruby chocolate

#Chocolate is often seen as proof that there is a God and that he loves us. The #Confection, made from the cocoa bean, comes in milk, dark, and white varieties, depending on how much added sugar, milk, and other ingredients are added. Too much chocolate tends to be bad for one, though dark chocolate is said to have some health benefits due to it having a lot of antioxidants and less sugar than other varieties.

John McCain flips on Obamacare repeal and replace

Sen. #John McCain, R-Arizona, who’s no vote was instrumental in ending an attempt to #Repeal and Replace Obamacare, has indicated that he will support another effort being put forward by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana. However, it may be too late to bring the bill to a vote in the Senate.

How social media can make even smart people sound stupid

Ross Pomeroy has an interesting piece on RealClearPolitics that delves into the question as to why even #Smart People post stupid stuff on #social media, such as Twitter. He quotes a book called “Thinking Fast and Slow” which divides human modes of thinking into system 1 and system 2.

Bernie Sanders has a great comeback to Hillary Clinton

Yesterday we reported that one of the rogues’ gallery whom #Hillary Clinton points the accusing finger of blame [VIDEO] for her defeat in the 2016 presidential election was her main rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. #Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont. According to the Hill Newspaper, Sanders had a caustic response to the twice failed #Presidential Candidate. Get over it.

Student accused of islamophobia for mocking ISIS

One would think that mocking #ISIS, now that the forces of the civilized world are closing in on the Islamic State, would be noncontroversial. ISIS, after all, practices sexual slavery, decapitates and burns prisoners alive, throws gay people off the roofs of buildings, and carries out mass casualty terrorist attacks around the world. However, as a 21-year-old law #student named Robbie Travers at the #University Of Edinburgh found out, that proposition would be wrong.

Now Hillary Clinton is mad at Joe Biden for some reason

It looks like former Vice President #Joe Biden is the latest target for #Hillary Clinton’s rage in her upcoming book. What did creepy Uncle Joe do to offend Her Majesty? He said that the Democrats did not focus enough on the middle class during the last campaign. The assessment is accurate, particularly where Clinton is concerned, but the twice failed presidential candidate is having none of it.

TNT’s ‘Will’ canceled after a single season

Deadline Hollywood reports that TNT’s series about the early years of #William Shakespeare called “Will” has been canceled after only one season. Sadly, this decision was not surprising. The series made a number of bad decisions that turned off viewers who otherwise might have been attracted to a period drama about the life of one of the greatest poets and playwrights in history.

Rush Limbaugh asks the burning question: what if Robert E. Lee had been gay?

Rush Limbaugh recently asked an obviously rhetorical question that has eyebrows raising and people lunging to their keyboards to react with incredulity on social media. “If Robert E. Lee had been proven to be gay, would his statues still be standing?’ Rush, as he tends to do, is being outrageous to expose outrageousness, but the idea seems to be fun enough to examine to chew over.

What is an Italian sausage, and what is it used for?

What we call an #Italian sausage in North America consists of ground pork or turkey with fennel or anise as seasoning. A sweet Italian sausage adds basil in the seasoning, and a hot Italian sausage employs red pepper flakes. Ironically, despite the name, the “Italian sausage” is not the only variety known in Italy. The food is very versatile and lends itself to a variety of dishes, such as toppings for pizza or as an addition to pasta sauce.

Hillary Clinton directs her ire at Bernie Sanders

Some more excerpts from “What Happened,” #Hillary Clinton’s book of excuses about why she lost the presidency in 2016 have emerged. She directs her ire at #Bernie Sanders, the independent socialist senator from Vermont who ran for the presidential candidacy as a Democrat, according to CNN. She accuses him of restoring to “innuendo and impugning my character.” She claimed that Sanders did her “lasting damage” which set her up to get defeated in the fall at the hands of Donald Trump.

The battle for Jim Bridenstine’s nomination to head NASA is joined

As of this writing, the nomination of Rep. #Jim Bridenstine, R-Oklahoma has not been officially announced, but already various luminaries in the science and space world are lining up for and against the appointment. Who these people are, including President Obama’s science advisor on one side and a prominent lunar scientist and advocate of a return to the moon on the other, is illuminating of how the politics is working out. The reasons both sides are giving are even more so.

Democrats to make single payer health care the center of their strategy

The Hill has a piece about the move by many #democrats, led by independent socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, to make a #Single Payer #health care plan the centerpiece of their drive to take back the House and Senate in 2018 and then the White House in 2020. The Democrats are pretty sure that “Medicaid for All” will be their ticket back to power. Republicans are equally sure that the scheme will be the pathway for their opponents to be in the wilderness for the next generation.

No Mutt Williams in ‘Indiana Jones 5’

We don’t know much about "Indiana Jones 5," expect that Harrison Ford is going to be in it, that the character, like the actor who plays him, will be in his late 70s, and that it is due to be released in 2020. However, IO9 reports two welcome bits of news about the project. The script is pretty much written and Henry “Mutt” Williams, Indy’s natural son, will not be a character, which means that #Shia LaBeouf will not be in the movie.

About Jim Bridenstine being a ‘climate change denier’

Since President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Rep. #Jim Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma) to become NASA Administrator, an Internet lynch mob has arisen against him. It sees that the congressman is a “#Climate Change Denier.” An article in Think Progress expounds on this meme, using the politically-loaded term “denier” several times.

Did the Kellogg Briand Pact stop wars of conquest?

The New York Times seems to be trying to rebrand itself as a history revisionism rag. First, it published an article that claimed that sex was so great in the old Soviet Empire that it was apparently one big Playboy Mansion. Now, the Times has published a piece by two law professors at Yale that claim that the Kellogg-Briand Pact actually worked.

Taylor Swift is in trouble for something she didn’t say

Jazz Shaw over at Hot Air is reporting that #Taylor Swift, who has been described more than once as the living embodiment of American exceptionalism, is in trouble. She is being attacked by the Twitter mob, not for what she said, but for what she is not saying. Swift is not taking any political stands at all, not even to reveal for whom she voted in the last election. A particular group of people is taking offense at this and are drawing conclusions.

The Refabricator will recycle plastic on NASA’s International Space Station

In space, recycling is not just #Environmentally Conscious, but is also thought of as a necessity. With supply chains reaching all the way back to Earth, the more one can recycle on the International Space Station or a future moon base, the better. Newsweek is reporting on a new piece of equipment that the ISS is getting next year called the Refabricator,

How nuclear power rode out Harvey unscathed

Texas has a diverse system of power generation, including natural gas, wind power, and #Nuclear Power. A recent article in Forbes suggests that nuclear power rode out Harvey [VIDEO]pretty smoothly as compared to other #Energy Sources, providing much-needed electricity for residents and first responders in the storm’s wake.

Bill Nelson getting pushback for his opposition to Jim Bridenstine as NASA chief

When President Donald Trump announced, as had been expected for months, that he intended to nominate Rep. #Jim Bridenstine, R-Oklahoma for the position of NASA Administrator, Sen. #Bill Nelson, D-Florida reacted somewhat negatively. He suggested that it was inappropriate to nominate a “politician” for space agency chief, but rather a “space professional” should be named instead. However, Sen. Nelson is already getting some pushback, via the NASA Watch blog, because of an instance over 30 years ago when then Rep. Nelson used raw political power to get a ride on the #Space Shuttle.

President Trump gets touchy feely on his second trip to Texas

When President #Donald Trump first visited the Harvey strike zone in #Texas, he was all business, viewing some of the devastation and consulting with local officials about what the region needed to recover. What he was not was #Touchy Feely, hugging hurricane victims for the cameras and so on. For this lack, the president found himself warmly criticized. So, when he came to Texas a second time, visiting the flood ravaged Houston, Texas [VIDEO], the president added his media personality hate to his businessman one.

North Korea claims to have tested a hydrogen bomb

Overnight, #North Korea was shaken by a 6.3 earthquake in what that country claimed to be the first test of a #Hydrogen Bomb small enough to be mounted on an ICBM. The test was quickly condemned by various interested powers, including the #United States, South Korea, Japan, and China. However, the nuclear test, coupled with a recent missile test, suggests that measures to curb North Korea diplomatically and economically are not working.

After Cassini scientists ponder the next targets for outer planets exploration

Cassini, the joint NASA-European Agency space probe that has been orbiting Saturn for the past 13 years, is preparing its final death dive into the ringed planet. After Cassini is gone, the next big #Outer Planets explorer will be the Europa Clipper, which will explore Jupiter’s ice bound the moon. However, scientists are already dreaming about what could follow in the exploration of the outer planets.

Now Texans will be allowed to carry swords in public

Just to prove that people do things different in Texas, a new law that allows people to carry swords openly has come into effect. From now on, #Texans will be allowed to sport a variety of edged weapons in public, everything from katanas to Bowie knives. The law restricts the carry of edged weapons to certain places such as bars and restaurants, schools and universities, and so on.

Trump’s pick of Bridenstine as NASA head gets pushback from Florida senators

As has been expected for months and reported in the media for weeks, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Oklahoma to become the next NASA Administrator. While the move is likely to be cheered by most supporters of America’s space effort, both conducted by the space agency and commercial companies, Florida’s two United States senators are not so sure.

A Salt Lake City police detective illegally arrests a nurse

Detective Jeff Payne of the Salt Lake City Police Department committed the terrible folly of attempting to violate the civil rights of an unconscious hospital patient and actually violating the rights of a nurse who stopped him from doing so. He compounded this stupidity by doing these things while body cams of nearby police officers were running. Why he would do such a thing is open to conjecture and will no doubt come out in the inevitable trial. However, Reason Magazine gives a pretty good account of what went on, and the video below captures the action.

What should be done with Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi?

A story in the Washington Examiner notes that General Stephen Townsend, commander of the American backed coalition that is battling ISIS in Syria and Iraq, is busily trolling that rapidly shrinking number of Islamic State terrorists. In particular, he has some choice words for Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. Noting that the so-called caliph of the Islamic State is on the run somewhere on the Syria Iraq border, General Townsend stated, “When we find him, I think we'll just try to kill him first. It's probably not worth all the trouble to try and capture him." Townsend is likely applying a little psychological pressure but he does raise the question, do we try to catch or just kill the monster?

Trump’s National Space Council to have first meeting ‘very soon’

When President #trump signed the executive order recreating the National Space Council, the question arose when it would start meeting and formulating #Space Policy. Greg Autry, the former NASA liaison, suggested that first meeting will happen “very shortly” during a speech at the Space Technology and Investment Forum in San Francisco, according to Space News. The Space Council will focus on defense and the economy, but will also start a return to the moon program based on commercial partnerships.

Sadly we have to talk about that Charlie Hebdo cartoon

The #Charlie Hebdo cartoon that depicts Texans drowning in the flood waters brought by Harvey as being neo-Nazis is outrageous and disappointing on so many levels. The graphic not only demonstrates a colossal ignorance of the #Lone Star State, its political culture, and its ethnic makeup, the cartoon is also an act of ingratitude, considering how the #United States, including a lot of children of Texas, went to the aid of France (D Day comes to mind) and even Charlie Hebdo in particular in the wake of the Islamist terrorist attack. To be sure the magazine is famous for offending everyone, but for something to be satirical, it has to have an iota of truth to it.

Zapping cancer tumors from within

Typically cancer will spread to other parts of the body when pieces of the original tumor break off and travel through the bloodstream or the lymphoid system, attach themselves to other areas of the body, and start growing again. According to the Economist, a number of research efforts are under way to develop methods to search and destroy these #Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs). One such project, being designed by Vladimir Zharov of the University of Arkansas and Mark Stockman of Georgia State University, in Atlanta, involves microscopic

About that woman president in ‘Salvation'

In the latest episode of “#Salvation,” the TV series about government officials. media people, and capitals of industry behaving badly while an asteroid approaches to destroy the world, we finally get to meet the president of the #United States. Fascinatingly the POTUS is not a brash, orange haired former businessman and reality TV star. #President Mackenzie is a woman played by Tovah Feldshuh, who has already had experience playing doomed, female authority figures, having already played Deanna Moore the original leader of Alexandria in “The Walking Dead.”

Why the United States military loves Donald Trump

One of the more pernicious (among many) practices of the Obama administration was its tendency to micromanage the military, down to the tactical level. The reason the previous president kept a short leash on his soldiers was that he neither liked nor trusted them, except when they could serve his political purposes, such as when the Navy SEALs executed Osama bin Laden. In any event, the #United States Military is pleased to serve under President #Donald Trump now. He knows how to delegate.M

The death of Princess Diana 20 years on

Princess Diana died #20 Years ago and sent Great Britain into paroxysms of grief that astonished the world. If the gentle reader does not remember what went on across the pond that summer in 1997 or came of age since he or she would be advised to rent or stream a copy of the Helen Mirren movie “The Queen.” The movie focused on the aftermath of Diana’s death from the point of view of the royal family and then Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Asteroid Florence passes by Earth relatively close

Just to offer some perspective that worse things are possible than a persistent hurricane, Newsweek reports, courtesy of NASA, that a 2.7-mile wide #asteroid named #Florence, named after Florence Nightingale, will hurtle past the #Earth at a distance of 4.4 million miles. That distance is just down the street in cosmic terms. Florence is half the diameter of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, but if it ever hit the Earth it would be the worst day in the lives of every living being and for most the last one.

Kamala Harris to co-sponsor ‘Medicaid for All’ bill

Kamala Harris, the #Junior Senator from California, has announced her intention to co-sponsor a “Medicare for All” bill in the Senate along with the lines advocated by Bernie Sanders, the independent socialist senator from Vermont. The bill, which of course has no chance of passing in the current Congress or being signed into law by President Trump, has another purpose besides dragooning the American people into the dubious joys of government run health care. The idea is to make Sen. Harris president in 2020. The results are not likely to be to Harris’ expectations.

The all-girl ‘Lord of the Flies’ project runs into social media firestorm

Warner Brothers, apparently not having learned the lesson from last year’s remake of “Ghostbusters,” has hit upon doing a remake of “#Lord of the Flies,” but in this case with a group of girls stranded on a #Desert Island. The project, according to Deadline Hollywood, is running into a firestorm caused by identity politics and feminist ideology.

In the wake of Harvey get ready for a new climate change push

In the spirit of Saul Alinsky’s principle of never letting a good crisis go to waste, a number of media outlets are using the devastation wrought by Harvey to argue that extreme weather such as the hurricane is the result of human caused #Climate Change. However, a number of prominent climate scientists disagree with this assessment, according to the Washington Times.

Matt Wuerker Politico cartoon mocks Harvey flood victims

While Harvey has brought out the best in most people, some persist in being slimy. We have had people yammering about climate change, suggesting that Texans brought it on themselves [VIDEO]for voting for Trump, and even people who have gasped at Melania Trump’s choice of footwear. However, as the Washington Free Beacon reports, the lowest, most bigoted reaction has to be a cartoon published in Politico by leftist artist #Matt Wuerker that mocks victims of the Harvey #flood.

Now the media is obsessing on what's on Melania’s feet

Adding to the narrative of people misbehaving because of Harvey, the diligent folks at Politico have hit upon a scandal so heinous that it puts both Watergate and the Monica Lewinsky affair to shame. It seems that on her way to Marine One to accompany her husband to the Harvey strike zone. #Melania Trump, the First Lady of the #United States, wore stiletto heels. Politico and some progressive folks clucked about how such footwear was inappropriate to wear to a natural disaster site. Never mind when Ms. Trump emerged from Air Force One she was wearing sneakers, having changed on the plane.

Houston reels from the aftermath of Harvey

#Harvey has finally passed from the Houston area and is, as of this writing, ravaging the Texas-Louisiana border as it heads inland to eventually burn itself out to become a bitter memory. The city it has left behind has been devastated by torrential rains that invoke the story of the Great Flood as told in the Bible. Roads are still impassable. Stores are still either closed or, if open, have limited provisions. Tens of thousands of suddenly homeless people huddle in full to overflowing shelters wondering about their future.

Sarah Palin defamation suit against New York Times dismissed by judge

Judge Jed Rakoff has tossed the defamation lawsuit that #Sarah Palin filed against the #New York Times. However, in so doing, he affirmed that she had nothing to do with the mass shooting that Jared Loughner committed that maimed then Rep. Gabby Giffords and that the Times was “negligent” in its editorial that suggested otherwise. Unfortunately, Judge Rakoff ruled that the case did not achieve the standard of proving reckless disregard for the truth.

The controversy about Lakewood Church in Houston

One of the minor controversies surrounding Harvey has concerned #Houston’s most famous megachurch, the #Lakewood Church that occupies the old Compaq Center on highway 59 just inside the loop. Joel Olsteen, that Church’s pastor, is an adherent of what some people call prosperity Christianity, meaning that faith in God can sometimes cause one to enjoy material blessings. The doctrine is controversial even among other Christians, not to mention the secular crowd. On the plus side, Lakewood is one of the few churches in America that is integrated, with whites and African-Americans worshiping side by side.

Hollywood wonders why fewer people are going to the movies

According to the #Hollywood Reporter, the entertainment industry is scratching its collective head over why such a drop off in domestic box office revenues have occurred. Not as many people are going out to the movies than they used to. A number of reasons exist for this phenomenon.

NASA employees at the Johnson Spaceflight Center ride out Harvey

One of the stories of heroism that will likely emerge from Harvey is how NASA employees helped to keep the support of the #international space station going with a skeleton crew at Mission Control at the #Johnson Spaceflight Center, according to Ars Technica. Also, the temperature and vacuum test of the James #Webb Space Telescope had to continue, as the old cliché states, come hell or high water. The problem has not been finding enough people to come to work, but rather keeping most of the JSC workforce away out of a sense of the danger of the floods.

Could Harvey be a way to unify the United States?

Roger Simon suggested in Pajamas Media that #Harvey, for all of its destruction, could become a catalyst for something good and unifying. He may be on to something. The cleanup and repair work will be a national effort which, maybe, will allow people to forget their hurt feelings over last year’s election. To be sure, there will always be people willing to take cheap political shots [VIDEO] or yammer on about climate change. However, Simon may be on to something.

How ‘Game of Thrones’ is turning into ‘The Walking Dead’

The season finale of Game of Thrones began with the great summit meeting of all of the players to discuss the common enemy beyond the wall. It ended with the Night King using his newly acquired zombie dragon [VIDEO] to breach said wall and to turn the next and final season of the long running HBO fantasy epic into “The Walking Dead.” Some spoilers follow.

Why the Antifa are as wicked as the Neo Nazis

The old meme was that the Antifa was the equivalent of American GIs storming the beaches of Normandy for their willingness to brawl with Nazis and associated riff raff. That meme was somewhat diluted by an incident on Berkeley in which #Masked Antifa terrorists attacked a group of peaceful demonstrators while chanting, “No #trump, no wall, no USA at all!"

Hurricane Harvey brings out the worst in some people

Tropical Storm Harvey has brought out the best in many people [VIDEO], not only from Texans helping one another but people from outside the Lone Star State flowing in to render as much aid as they can. The Cajun Navy from Louisiana has performed epic feats of rescue in the lake that Houston has become, even as some criminals fire on them to try to steal their boats. Even Mexico has sent a relief convoy from across the border. For most people, all controversies have been forgotten.

A steampunk probe to the surface of Venus

Venus has always been a terrible place to try to land. 842 degrees F temperatures and 90 times the atmospheric pressure that exists on Earth tend to fry delicate electronics. The last attempt to land on Venus was done by the Soviets 30 years ago and only lasted a few hours. A team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is proposing a concept for a Venus lander called Automaton Rover for Extreme Environments (AREE). It uses some technologies that seem positively retro to help the probe survive on Venus for up to a year.

Hillary Clinton is going to Wisconsin at long last

It looks like Hillary Clinton is going to #Wisconsin after all, over a year after it would have done her some good during the 2016 presidential election. Instead of votes, Clinton is going after book sales. She will be hawking “What Happened?” her litany of excuses as to why she is not in the #oval office and Donald Trump not back at the penthouse in the Trump Tower, fuming. She is to offer some insights (i.e., lies and accusations) about the 2016 presidential campaign, why she lost, and why America is the poorer for it at the Riverside Theater in downtown Milwaukee Nov. 9.

Hurricane Harvey: A miracle on O’Meara Street

The folks at Space City Weather are saying that #Harvey is the greatest flood producing event in history. The hurricane did damage to the area where it landed, around Corpus Christi. However, it dropped trillions of tons of water on the fourth largest city in the United States and rendered it into a swamp. All of Harris County, where Houston resides, had an average rainfall of 25 inches over a three day period. Damage estimates have not been tabulated as of this writing, but are bound to be “astronomical.”

Hurricane Harvey: A report from the middle of the storm

Harvey is going to be remembered along the #Texas Gulf Coast as long as people talk about storms. The devastation wrought be the landfall of the Class 4 Hurricane just north of #Corpus Christi was bad enough. Harvey has decided to remain and drop rain in biblical amounts, especially in the city of Houston, a community prone to flooding. Roads are impassable. Homes have been inundated. Many people have been left without power.

Liberal leaders conclude that the War on Statues is a loser issue

The #war on #Statues has spread much farther than the Confederate generals and southern slaveholders that were the original targets. Historical figures like Christopher Columbus, Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, and now 1970s era Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo have been targeted by the modern vandals. Now establishment liberals such as Paul Begala and #Andrew Young are calling for a halt on the iconoclastic jihad for a couple of practical reasons.

Israeli Army Leaks Secret 11th Military Base

Sebastian Gorka is now out as Deputy Assistant to the president

As the Federalist reported, #Sebastian Gorka, the colorful counterterrorism expert, is now no longer a #Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States. Depending on who is telling the story, Gorka either resigned in disgust or was eased out by White House #Chief Of Staff John Kelly.

McCain is not happy that Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio

As many expected, President Donald #trump has given former Sheriff #Joe Arpaio a full pardon on the charge of misdemeanor contempt of court. Curiously, the president waited until the news media was focused on Hurricane Harvey which was ravaging the Texas gulf coast. The timing did not stop the usual suspects from complaining. Among the complainers was Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona.

Garrison Keillor is the latest to call for a military coup against Trump

When #Garrison Keillor retired from NPR, thus ending one of the most overrated radio shows in history, “A Prairie Home Companion,” he sadly did not retire to Lake Wobegon or even Copenhagen, to where he fled and then returned due to his inability to learn Danish. He can still trouble the peace of the world through a column in the Washington Post. In a recent, rambling piece. Keillor joined the ranks of liberals calling for the military to overthrow President Donald Trump.

Justin Trudeau welcomes refugees into Canada and then wishes he hadn’t

Back when Donald Trump first became president and started setting about cracking down on illegal immigration with a will, #Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to engage in a little virtue signaling when he tweeted, “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.” In one tweet Trudeau sought to demonstrate the moral superiority of Canada to the United States and his own bona fides as a leftist hero. However, eight months later, Trudeau is having second thoughts, and Canadians have acquired a new appreciation for the problems of illegal immigration.

Why Barack Obama can’t save us from Donald Trump

Some people in the anti-Trump coalition must wonder why former President Obama does not come out of retirement and start laying onto the current president with a will. Trump has been busily trying to undo Obama’s legacy with moderate success. To be sure Obamacare is not gone yet, but the former president’s regulatory regime is being dismantled a piece at a time. The difference in foreign policy is simply breathtaking, with hopeful results, However, as it turns out, the unexpected voice of reason on this matter happens to be #Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, former presidential candidate, former DNC chair, and current annoyance.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Montel Williams use Harvey to take a shot at Texas

Hurricane Harvey is approaching the #Texas Gulf Coast. Millions of people in the Corpus Christi area are fleeing their homes and millions more are stocking up supplies and are preparing for a long siege of wind and rain. Most Americans, including the president of the United States, are offering help and sympathy. Some, however, are taking the opportunity to take cheap shots.

Using stem cell patches to fix heart failure

The pernicious effect of a heart attack includes the permanent damaging of heart muscle’s capacity to pump blood, causing healthy tissue to scar. People who suffer from this condition are often fatigued and cannot do as many things as they used to. They are also more prone to cardiac arrest, a condition that leads to death. Medication can help, and a heart transplant is sometimes used, though the necessity of using powerful anti-rejection drugs makes that option dangerous at the very least. The availability of donor hearts is also a limiting factor.

An automated launch range safety system that lowers space travel costs

SpaceX [VIDEO] has spectacularly proven the utility of creating reusable rockets, successfully recovering and then, in some cases, reusing the first stage of its Falcon 9 rockets. When it starts launching its Falcon Heavy rockets, the company will attempt to land three rockets at the same time, the core first stage and two strap-ons. This operation will depend on a new and hitherto unsung innovation in launch #Range Safety that promises to further lower the cost of #space travel, according to MIT Technology Review.

Military proposes laser equipped aerial drones to shoot down missiles

One of the holy grails of #Missile Defense is developing the ability to destroy a nuclear-tipped ICBM during its #Boost Phase. The United States currently has the ability to engage missiles in the midcourse and terminal phases, but not during the first few minutes when the ICBM is lifting off from its silo. During the Reagan-era SDI program, boost phase defense was envisioned to be deployed on satellites that would pass over an enemy’s silos. Modern concepts of boost phase missile defense, now being dusted off thanks to the threats coming from North Korea and Iran, envision lasers deployed on high altitude aerial drones.

James Cameron thinks ‘Wonder Woman’ is a step backward

It’s very rare that anyone can agree with an opinion published in i09, a website that reports on genre media and science from a far left perspective. However, it’s take down of #James Cameron for claiming that “#Wonder Woman” was a step backward in the depiction of women in the movies. However, he has a kind of twisted logic.

Why Kim Jong-un is not going away anytime soon

One of the hitherto unanswered questions concerning the crisis in North Korea is why doesn’t China just get rid of #Kim Jong-un? Things would be better all around if someone more sane and more pliable were in charge. Hot Air is reporting that something like a Chinese-backed coup attempt has already taken place, and, unfortunately, went sideways.

In ‘Salvation’ a sloppy reporter almost brings about the end of the world

In the latest episode of “#Salvation,” we had an example of how journalism is not supposed to be done but all too often is in the instant story culture of the Internet age. Amanda, the reporter for a webzine called Capital Eye, will do anything to get the big story that will make her career. She will betray friends, cut corners, and, not least of all, bring about the end of the world.

A Dragonfly could soar in the skies of Saturn’s moon Titan

NASA’s #New Frontiers exploration program has included such missions as New Horizons, which flew by Pluto a couple of years ago, Juno, currently in polar orbit around Jupiter, and OSIRIS-Rex, a #Sample Return Mission now headed for the asteroid Bennu. NASA is currently deciding the next New Frontiers mission, with the final selection to take place in 2019 for a 2024 launch. According to ZME Science, one of the missions being considered for funding is called Dragonfly, a nuclear-powered dual-quadcopter that will fly around Saturn’s moon Titan.

Now they’re going after Grant’s Tomb

About a week ago, the War against Statues was confined to those depicting figures from the Confederacy. However, the war soon spread to other people that the left doesn’t like, including Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Christopher Columbus, and even Lord Horatio Nelson across the pond. Now, CBS in #New York reports that Grant’s Tomb is now on the list for possible destruction.

Trump’s plan to pardon Joe Arpaio is not sitting well with Kamala Harris

One of President #trump’s more popular applauds lines during the Phoenix rally [VIDEO]was the implication that #Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, had nothing to worry about, that being his recent conviction of misdemeanor contempt of court. Even though the appeals have not been exhausted and Arpaio has not even been sentenced yet, it is an open secret that Trump intends to pardon him. According to Hot Air, this is not sitting well with Sen. #Kamala Harris, D-California, a woman who is rumored to want to replace Trump in the Oval Office.

What ever happened to SpaceX’s flight around the moon?

SpaceX’s Elon Musk has been quite talkative about his plans to colonize Mars, even though his nearer term scheme to land a Dragon on the Red Planet’s surface has been postponed indefinitely. However, many people may remember that Musk announced that he had a couple of paying customers willing to fly around the moon in a specially outfitted Dragon spacecraft launched by a Falcon Heavy. Space Daily asks, whatever happened to that idea? Musk has not mentioned it since February.

Valarie Plame’s bright idea to cut Donald Trump from Twitter

President #Donald Trump keenly understands the power of social media to get out a message. His tweets on #Twitter, informative, inspiring, or off putting have all gone viral, discussed and picked apart endlessly on cable news. Now Valerie Plame, a former CIA analyst who was at the center of a scandal during the second Bush administration, would like to take access to Twitter away from the president. She is currently trying to achieve this in a rather unique way.

Donald Trump made Hillary Clinton’s ‘skin crawl’

An excerpt from #Hillary Clinton’s postmortem of the 2016 presidential election, “What Happened,” [VIDEO] has surfaced. The except reveal the candidate’s feelings toward her opponent, Donald Trump, during a debate that took place two days after the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tapes in which Trump proclaimed his love of groping women. Clinton confessed that Trump made her skin crawl and that she wished she had yelled, “Get away from me, you creep!” when he used body language to try to intimidate her. By this admission, Clinton demonstrated another reason why she lost the election.

The time they tore down the statue of Gandhi

The story of the removal of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi from the University of Ghana campus is about a year old but bears mentioning in the light of the War against Statues that is now embroiling the western world. The Gandhi statue was a gift from the government of India as a symbol of the friendship between that country and Ghana. However, a group of faculty members at the university circulated a petition demanding its removal because Gandhi was a racist. The government of Ghana duly complied with the requirements.

Now they’re going after Nelson’s column in London

The War against the Statues has crossed the Atlantic and has spread to #great britain. Afua Hirsch, writing for the UK Guardian, has demanded that Nelson’s Column be removed from Trafalgar Square in London, citing as inspiration that campaign to eliminate Confederate monuments in the United States. #The National Review counters that Lord Nelson should be left alone.

ESPN pulls Robert Lee from covering a college football game

In a decision that many on social media thought was a parody from the Onion, ESPN pulled a commentator from doing the play by play of an upcoming college game. The commentator had not shown incompetence nor had he committed any transgression, real or imagined. He was pulled solely because of his name: #Robert Lee. To make the absurdity complete, the commentator is an Asian American.

Donald Trump gives vintage speech at Phoenix rally

If anyone thought that President Donald Trump was going to make the sort of uplifting and unifying speech that the media has been urging he make during his #Phoenix, Arizona rally, they were soon disabused of the notion. Trump laid into his favorite targets, especially the media, with great gusto. He also boasted of his accomplishments and hinted of some controversial actions to come.

Can Blue Bell become the Tang of the 21st Century?

The recent news that the astronauts on the #international space station were gifted by a shipment of Blue Bell ice cream brought a smile to the faces of many people who live in Texas and have come to appreciate its creamy goodness. For most Texans, there is Blue Bell, and there are all of the other inferior brands of ice cream (and don’t even mention that hippy confection, Ben and Jerry’s.) The fact that Blue Bell has become, in effect, the supplier of ice cream to the astronauts brings to mind other delicacies that have become associated with space exploration, to be more specific, Tang.

Democrats fantasize about a Trumpless 2020 election

Politico is reporting that the #democrats are prepping for a Trumpless 2020 presidential #Election, the theory being that President Trump is either going to be impeached or will be motivated not to #Run due to his unpopularity. Even though this constitutes magical thinking for a party that still does not understand why it lost in 2016 and may well be headed for a bloodbath in 2018 if the analysis by the Daily Caller is correct, the Democrats are proceeding with opposition research on possible GOP candidates.

Andew Schneck caught trying to blow up the statue of Dick Dowling in Houston

Andrew Schneck, 25, is in federal custody for attempting to blow up the marble statue of Dick Dowling, a Civil War figure who is not well known outside the state of Texas. He is known as having delayed the liberation of the Lone Star State by nearly two years in the Second Battle of Sabine Pass. Schneck was caught planting explosives around the statue, resulting in his arrest, an evacuation of the nearby Houston neighborhood, and a lengthy operation by hazmat and bomb squad officers.

‘The Last Ship’ begins with a new locale and a new threat

The fourth season of “#The Last Ship” started over the weekend with a double episode premiere. The show is a slightly more cerebral look at the apocalypse, with fewer zombies but superior firepower than other takes on the event. Having pretty much fixed the plague that killed five billion people and righted the ship of state in the much reduced United States, the officers and crew of the #Nathan James are faced with a new problem that threatens humanity In the meantime, former Captain Chandler is discovering that he cannot hide from destiny.

NASA will not release its report of the June 2015 SpaceX Falcon 9 accident

A recent piece in the American Spectator raised questions about how launch accidents caused by SpaceX is being treated as opposed to those resulting from other contractors. The article notes that SpaceX suffered two accidents that led to a total loss of the launch vehicle, the Falcon 9. However, unlike with a similar accident involving an Antares rocket built by Orbital Sciences, the results of a NASA investigation into the cause of the first accident, which occurred on #June 2015, has not been made public.

Trump sets forth new strategy for Afghanistan

President Donald Trump laid out a new strategy to win the long war in #afghanistan, reversing a campaign pledge to withdraw from that country, before an audience of servicemen and women at Fort Meyer. The core aspects of the new strategy include augmenting the current 8,400 person force in Afghanistan with another 4,000 troops, the lifting of Obama-era restrictive #Rules Of Engagement, and demands from India and especially Pakistan to help defeat the terrorists. #The United States would also avoid “nation building” and would concentrate solely on killing terrorists.

USS Trepang UFO Pictures Apparently Show Balloon Target Practice

The Jefferson Memorial to add exhibit noting his status as a slaveholder

Among the many edifices that have been targeted for destruction is the #Jefferson Memorial. Modern-day vandals such as Al Sharpton note that the writer of the Declaration of Independence owned slaves and therefore the memorial must be expunged. However, the Washington Examiner notes that the Trust for the #National Mall in Washington has hit upon a solution that should be widely adopted.

Paul Krugman compares Donald Trump to Caligula

#Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist who now writes alarming things for the New York Times, has just compared President Donald Trump to the Roman Emperor #Caligula. Krugman showed an absolute ignorance of history, claiming for example that there was no economic crisis during Caligula’s reign. He also, in a backhanded way, seemed to imply that some way should be found to “get rid” of Trump in the same way as the Roman Senate did with the insane Roman Emperor, which was to hack him and his family to death with swords.

Vandal smashes oldest monument to Columbus in North America

Early this morning, an unknown individual smashed apart a monument to #Christopher Columbus that has stood unmolested in Baltimore for 225 years. The vandal left a YouTube video explaining that the Genovese sailor is responsible for just about every ill to have existed in the past 500 years, including capitalism, which he seems to regard as the worst of all. The vandalism shows that the war against statues has gone beyond slaveholding Confederates and is targeting just about every historical figure whoever lived. The attack is also a manifestation of how different some people regard the history of the #United States.

People are dying by the thousands because of Obamacare

How is it that the opioid crisis suddenly came upon us? According to Real Clear Health, 33,000 Americans died of opioid overdoses in 2015 alone, mostly from heroin. Many of these victims graduated to heroin abuse after being prescribed opioids for chronic pain. The culprit, in part, seems to be Obamacare’s perverse incentives to insurance companies to cut programs to help #people wean off of an addiction to opioids.

Daenerys’ latest blunder could prove costly beyond the wall in 'Game of Thrones'

The latest "Game of Thrones" episode, “Beyond the Wall,” depicts the most recent mistake Daenerys made in the quest for the Iron Throne. The most recent blunder committed by the #Mother Of Dragons was not only costly to her from a strategic perspective but was the cause of personal grief. However, one silver lining manifested itself that will be to the would-be queen’s advantage. Some spoilers follow.

Joss Whedon’s ex-wife paints a disturbing portrait of the ‘Buffy’ creator

Ordinarily, celebrity gossip is boring. However, in the case of #joss whedon, the purveyor of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Firefly,” two “Avengers” films and alarming tweets, revelations of bad behavior can be illuminating. Whedon has presented himself to the world as a feminist male and a dude who understands how woman have gotten abused over the years. He is a celebrant of strong, female characters in his TV shows and movies. However, writing for “The Wrap,” Whedon’s ex-wife, Kai Cole, has called him out as a hypocrite and shameless adulterer.

FBI investigating cyber espionage alleged by Wasserman Schultz IT staffers

While the media has been entertaining itself with coverage of alleged Russian collusion and Confederate statues, a real live spy scandal has been shaping up inside Congress. The New York Post is reporting that the FBI is investigating the possibility that a ring of Pakistani-American IT staffers working for the House Democrats sold sensitive data to either Pakistani or Russian intelligence.

Are you ready for ‘Barry and Joe’ to save the world?

One of the more bizarre Kickstarter projects is attempting to raise $100,000 to shoot a pilot for a proposed animated series called “Barry and Joe.” The show will be a kind of buddy cop series with heavy overtones of “Quantum Leap” featuring the former president and vice president of the United States, #Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. The concept, while intriguing, has clearly not been thought through.

Missouri state senator’s call for Trump’s assassination sparks outrage

Maria Chappelle-Nadal, a Missouri state senator, has become a unifying figure in a kind of backhanded way. Shortly after Charlottesville, Chappelle-Nidal posted on her Facebook page about how much she hated #Donald Trump. The post elicited a great many negative comments. To one of the comments, she responded, “I hope Trump is assassinated!” The fallout to the ill-considered reply has not been favorable to State Sen. Chappelle-Nidal.

Let’s use genetic testing technology to combat racism

One of the neat things about technology is that it can solve so many problems that hitherto did not seem to have solutions. #Genetic Testing, something that was not available during World War II, has proven to be quite a weapon against racism. #white supremacists have already used the technology to “prove” their alleged racial superiority only to get an unpleasant surprise in many cases. With that in mind, Katherine Mangu-Ward over at Reason has a bright idea.

SpaceX’s Elon Musk admits that the Red Dragon is dead for now

SpaceX’s #Elon Musk has formally informed NASA that the idea of a #Red Dragon, a version of the workhorse Dragon spacecraft that would be equipped with retro rockets to land on Mars, is dead for the time being. Musk is now talking about a downsized version of his #Interplanetary Transport System, which he discussed at length during a space conference last year, as the basis of his hopes for Mars exploration and eventual colonization. The SpaceX CEO has promised further details of his Mars plans next month.

The destruction of statues has started to get out of hand

The wave of statues being vandalized has started to get out of hand. What started as a campaign to expunge monuments of Confederate war heroes has spread to just about every edifice of bronze or stone that commemorated figures from history. A statue of ##Martin Luther King that stands in Bricker Park in Houston had white paint poured on it. Meanwhile, a statue of Joan of Arc that resides in Decatur in the French Quarter of New Orleans had the words “Take it Down” sprayed in black paint on its base.

Another path has opened for the 50th vote to repeal and replace Obamacare

It looks like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) is not going to join President Donald Trump’s cabinet as energy secretary. Such a move would have freed his senate seat for the Republican governor of his state to appoint a GOP replacement and thus provide a 50th vote to repeal and replace Obamacare. Fortunately, another path for the 50th vote has opened up, according to Hot Air.