Sunday News Roundup: We're Still Here

Tazers: The CBC's As It Happens, had a segment focusing on the judicial review of the RCMP's use of tazers and in particular their deployment of tazers and the resulting death of Robert Dziekanski.

Environment: Earth Hour was yesterday. Did you turn off and unplug?

Space: Shuttle Discovery landed safely yesterday after upgrading the International Space Station. NASA TV was incredibly boring. The peaceful and safe use of space in the spirit of international cooperation continues. Thank God that our forays into space display the very best our species has to offer.

War: Continued victories in Iraq. Perhaps even progress? Though the entire escapade is a huge distraction from real threats and future battlegrounds. Maybe I spoke prematurely regarding the peaceful use of space.

Space News Roundup, or Space Cowboy

Iran launched a satellite into orbit. This got a bunch of people's undies in a twist because it means that they theoretically have the tech necessary to put a missile anywhere in the world. We are thinking this way despite repeated assurances from even neutral observers that Iran is decades away from a nuke, because we are in a society that can't separate space technology from military technology. Which is the answer to the question of why we have better maps of Mars than our own ocean.

Two satellites smacked into each other over Siberia raising global concerns regarding orbital trash and legal concerns regarding the use of space. Who is at fault, the car that is out of control with no driver, or the one that could possibly have driven out of the way?

A backward, green comet, discovered by a Chinese youth, will be visible from earth in the next few days before the Sun flings it out of our solar system forever.

Ka-Blammo!

Why would we blow up our own satelite that we had put in orbit recently?
Why would the military deny they were blowing up a spy satelite to protect its secrets?
Why hasn't anyone mentioned Missile Defense until the exercise was over?

In deference to the prior post about not being conspiracy minded I want to say that I believe that the military has our best interest at heart with everything they do. Every soldier I have ever known has an intense sense of duty to American civilians, the American people, and to America itself.

Perhaps I am too cynical but these were all thoughts I had within 30 seconds of hearing the first news blurb on the malfunction of the satelite. I just think this kind of situation generates wild speculation from the people and requires acknowledgement of the most obvious assumptions and honest discussion from a legitimate representative of the military. That would at least begin building a trust among the more cynical American citizens like myself.

Now for a serious question; how many of our tax dollars were waisted in this fiasco?

A Look At the Beginning of Man's Ambitions in Space

Russia's Baikonur spaceport seems like a relic, but appropriate to begin commenting on space issues. Wired has some additional commentary with a strangely grim warning at the end.