- Can we stop paying attention when NASA postpones the launch of a space shuttle or rocket and only take note when they actually launch something on schedule? Because of the delicate nature of shooting something that costs tens of millions of dollars into outer space, I understand that the conditions need to be exactly right to launch something, but at times the continual postponements border on the absurd. The latest delayed launch came Tuesday when NASA was unable to launch its unmanned test rocket Ares I-X because of cloudy, windy weather. The launch was rescheduled for today, when NASA engineers will once again attempt to launch the 327-foot rocket -- currently the world's largest -- from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ares I-X is a key part of the Constellation Program, which is focused on developing new vehicles that would replace space shuttles, which will be phased out in 2010. That’s good because space shuttles are so 2008. Launching this rocket is part of NASA's mission to someday return astronauts to the moon and later travel to Mars. But as with so many things in science and technology, the culmination of this project is a long ways off. Even if the Constellation Program moves forward, the Orion capsule atop the Ares rocket will not be ready to take astronauts into space until at least 2015. That’s bad news for the United States because it would leave a gap of at least five years in which the only way the United States would be able to put humans in orbit would be by bumming a ride with the Russians, i.e. the Communists. The Ares mission will also feature a test for three massive main parachutes -- measuring 150 feet in diameter and weighing one ton each -- the largest rocket parachutes ever manufactured, which are a primary element of the rocket's deceleration system. The parachutes open simultaneously after the rocket is successfully launched to “provide the drag necessary to slow the descent of the huge solid rocket motor for a soft landing in the ocean," the agency says on its Web site. At 130,000 feet, the two segments of the rocket parts ways and the top of the rocket, known as the upper stage, continues its ascent until gravity forces its return to Earth, where it will fall into the Atlantic Ocean. NASA needs a successful result for this mission given the fact that an independent committee reviewing the future of space flight recently reported that the U.S. space program appears to be pursuing goals that exceed current funding. If those goals are to seem within reach and thus worth additional funding, the Ares I-X needs to do its thing and do it well…………
- You’ll have to excuse me if I can’t muster up any excitement at this point; I’m just devastated at the news I’m about to share. On Sunday, Alicia Keys announced – gasp - via her twitter page that her upcoming album has been pushed back two weeks. Noooooooo! Not Alicia Keys, don’t tell me that her new album is being delayed by tw-…….all right, all right, stop. I can’t keep this charade up. Among all of the overrated artists in music right now, Keys is one of the highest on the list. She’s not up there with a guy like Prince, but I’ve just never been down with Keys and her music. Sure, she has amazing vocal talents, but so does Celine Dion and her music is crap-tacularly bad to the nth degree. Look, Alicia Keys is clearly a favorite of Jay-Z’s and if H.O.V.A. gives you his stamp of approval, you’re pretty much golden in the music business. I just don’t care for Keys’ brand of R&B just like I’m not big on anyone whose music is piano-driven. Keys has already debuted the latest single from the album, "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart," during a lecture and performance for New York University students. on the heels of that performance, she tweeted the news that instead of being released on Dec. 1st -- World AIDS day -- "The Element of Freedom" will now be available on Dec. 15th. "Luv having the freedom to create beautiful music, so I'm pushing the album back to DEC 15th. So many more amazing songs!!!" Keys tweeted about the J Records release. The album’s first First single, "Doesn't Mean Anything," is currently No. 15 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. So for those who don’t share my awesome tastes in music and still like Alicia Keys’ music, Dec. 15 is now the day for you to look forward to……….
- Freaking Hugo Chavez, you are a beauty. Already South America’s biggest douche bag dictator, my boy Hugo is now looking to become the Steven Spielberg of Venezuela. When he’s not starting international brawls and partnering up with other fascist dictators ‘round the world in the League of Fascism™, Chavez is busy building a sprawling glass-and-concrete structure called La Villa del Cine—"Cinemaville"— that is the headquarters for the fight against what he decries as the "tyranny" of Hollywood. Located in the foothills just east of Caracas, the state-owned film studio is being praised by Chavez’s sycophantic followers as a "platform" to "revolutionize consciousness." The more cynical portions of the Venezuelan populace call it Hugowood. Either way, the Venezuelan dictator clearly views it as a key piece of what he calls the fight for "21st-century socialism." If by 21st-century socialism he means appointing himself lifetime dictator ruling with an iron fist and crushing the fundamental human rights of anyone who opposes him, then I agree. How else do you explain splurging on a state-run film studio with multiple edit bays, a costume department and sound stages? Sadly, an electrical fire earlier this year knocked out most of the studio's work-stations, forcing producers, editors, seamstresses, carpenters, and engineers to relocate. Another problem is Chavez’s reported tendency to start projects with gusto and then drop them mid-project. Most Venezuelans don’t expect much from Hugowood and I cant say I blame them. Any reputable filmmaker in Venezuela stays as far away from this debacle as possible, although some do ultimately agree to work for Chavez because they need the money. "Because they need the money, and because Chávez has plenty of it, filmmakers are a highly blackmailable class," says art critic Fernando Rodríguez. Hugo Chavez is obviously not the first fascist dictator to embrace the power of the cinema, as legendary dictators like Adolph Hitler have used the medium in a shameless attempt to spread their reprehensible propaganda. Plus, there is something of a media vacuum in Venezuela, what with Chavez and his posse having shut down most independent press or bullied them into submission. That doesn’t mean that I don’t gag over the hypocrisy when I read the official slogan for Hugowood: "Lights, camera, revolution!" Never have words rang more false and hollow, mis amigos. This debacle is being kept afloat by the ever-flowing stream of oil revenue, allowing for the production of 13 original propaganda pieces, er, original films so far, 12 more in the works and a reported budget of $16 million for 2009 alone. What cracks me up is that there are supposedly romantic comedies among the 13 films Hugowood has produced. Right, because who doesn’t want to see a Hugo Chavez-led romantic comedy? “Love me or I’ll throw you in prison and burn your home to the ground!” The studio’s executives insist that their work is not politically motivated. "Our job here is not about politics but to seduce the viewer by making the best picture we can," says Armando Silva, the studio postproduction manager. Keep spouting the party line, A. For one, you’ll be fired, shot and buried in a shallow grave if you don’t. But mostly I want you to keep it up because the sheer hypocrisy you and your cohorts display keeps the comedic absurdity of this whole endeavor at the highest possible level…………
- One of my chief beefs with the U.S. military has long been its ironclad insistence on conformity, especially when it comes to personal appearance. Never once in my life have I desired to have a crew cut, wear an identical uniform to that worn by hundreds of other people I am with, stand in a straight line and have an angry drill sergeant bark in my face about how my shoes aren’t properly shined. Thus, I welcome the news that the U.S Army has granted a member of a religious minority permission to keep his turban, beard and uncut hair while he serves in the military. Even though I do not share any religious beliefs with Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi, a Sikh, that doesn’t mean I don’t support his right to adhere to the principles of his chosen faith, a faith that calls on its followers not to shave or cut their hair. Back in the spring, Kalsi filed a for an accommodation to follow the principles of his religion. In typical bureaucratic fashion, the Army took its sweet time considering the request before finally granting it this week. The Pentagon public affairs office later confirmed that Kalsi would be allowed to keep his turban, beard and uncut hair while cautioning in a letter to Kalsi that, "This accommodation is based solely on the facts and circumstances of your case," the letter said. "This accommodation does not constitute a blanket accommodation for any other individual." Whatever you say, Army. You have to add that caveat because if you didn’t, everyone with any sort of religious beliefs that could conceivably allow them to wear their hair or facial hair long would be lining up asking for their own exception. Kalsi was understandably excited after learning of the decision, which will allow him to continue serving his country and also keeping in line with his chosen faith. "Like the many Sikhs who fought before me, I know I will serve America with honor and excellence," he said in a written statement. It is worth nothing that Kalsi is not the only Sikh asking permission to keep his hair, beard and turban while serving in the Army. Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist, applied at the same time as Kalsi, but sis case has been deferred until he receives the results of his dental board examinations. The Sikh community is relatively small in the United States, currently numbering in the vicinity of 500,000. Strike a blow for non-conformity for once, something that you can seldom say about the military…………
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