HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: U. Miami cost of attendance climbs $5,000, students to pay $93,000 next year.
April 19, 2024
GODSPEED: All the pieces are in place for the first crew flight of Boeing’s Starliner. “Now that Starliner is attached to its Atlas V rocket, ULA and Boeing engineers will run tests to ensure solid mechanical, electrical, and communication links between the spacecraft and launch vehicle. Next week, Wilmore and Williams will return to Cape Canaveral from their training base in Houston for final reviews and training.”
Meanwhile, in Texas: SpaceX Fired Up Starship Twice In Preparation For Flight 4 Launch.
TRUMP AS GROVER CLEVELAND: It’s 1892 All Over Again: How this year’s election mirrors an earlier presidential rematch.
DEAL OF THE DAY: Groove Life Men’s Stretch Nylon Belt. #CommissionEarned
MARTIN HACKWORTH: It’s Time to Wean NPR From The Public Dole.
I haven’t listened to an NPR fund drive for over a decade, but I remember the pitch all too well (I have an entire collection of coffee mugs and tote bags): Only 1% of our funding comes from public funds; the rest is from you, our listeners. Won’t you please help? Now, that is true only if you don’t count the public funds that are funneled to NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the form of subscriptions and fees from member stations.
Red states should decouple from NPR. In particular, if they’re serious about going after its partisan hate, they should disaffiliate their colleges’ member stations from NPR.
FRIENDS IN STRANGE PLACES: Wait, WHO Wants to Join NATO?
ON THIS LEXINGTON AND CONCORD ANNIVERSARY, LET’S RAISE A GLASS TO SAMUEL WHITTEMORE:
Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy, sent to assist the retreat. Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British grenadiers of the 47th Regiment of Foot from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols, killed a second grenadier and mortally wounded a third. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment had reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked. He was subsequently shot in the face, bayoneted numerous times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found by colonial forces, trying to load his musket to resume the fight. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore recovered and lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 98.
Watch out for the old men. They know how things work, and they have less to lose.
April 18, 2024
JOHN HINDERAKER: It Isn’t About Israel. “The evil that is now running rampant across our country is ostensibly directed at Israel, but Israel is only the pretext, a target of convenience. We have seen in recent months that ‘anti-Zionism’ is merely a cover for anti-Semitism. If Israel disappeared tomorrow, the anti-Semites here, in Western Europe and elsewhere, wouldn’t miss a beat. But it doesn’t stop there. In Iranian and al Qaeda ideology, Israel is only the Little Satan. America is the Great Satan. So, what would happen if someone brought an American flag to an anti-Israel demonstration? A few brave souls tried it.”
SHE’S RIGHT, YOU KNOW:
The worst part of the Trump presidency was the hate-drenched media spewing chaos and conspiracy theories. The best part was everything else. https://t.co/ovnj2tM5ME
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) April 16, 2024
YOU SAY FEARS, I SAY HOPES: Explosions in Isfahan amid fears of Israeli retaliation to Iran.
Related: Israeli missiles hit site in Iran, ABC News reports.
OPEN THREAD: Party on.
THE NEW SPACE RACE: Sweden Signs Artemis Accords.
THAT IS PRETTY AMAZING: Amazingly, Some Bumblebees Can Survive Underwater For a Week.
#JOURNALISM: Want to Take a Guess Why the Media Won’t Cover What Just Happened in Maryland? “The media keep screaming, ‘fear thy white neighbor’ when it comes to any mass shooting, but it seems like the gender-confused are coming unglued at an accelerated rate. On Wednesday, a teen was arrested in Maryland after plotting an attack on an elementary school. Yes, there’s also a 129-page manifesto. For obvious political reasons, there’s no way the media are going to touch this story, but here are the details about the attack “Andrea Ye” planned to carry out.”
21ST CENTURY PROBLEMS:
Saying the quiet part out loud https://t.co/5MgNdyJLxH
— Justin Lopas (@JLopas) April 17, 2024
If only this were satire.
READER FAVORITE: Keurig K-Elite Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker. #CommissionEarned
IT’S GOOD TO BE THE NOMENKLATURA: DC mayor took ‘economic development’ trip to Masters on taxpayers’ dime.
HEADS THEY WIN, TAILS HE LOSES: Liberal Activists Are Trying to Sneak Onto Trump Jury. But It’s Trump Who May Get in Trouble??
THE LONG MARCH THROUGH THE INSTITUTIONS:
One thing I’ve realized after working with teachers for 12 years is that it’s very hard to get them to commit to political or ideological neutrality in the classroom because:
A. They view teaching as an inherently political act intended to turn students into political units… pic.twitter.com/2t640P7KcL
— Chalkboard Heresy 🍎🔥 (@CBHeresy) April 16, 2024
Plus this: “This is so contrary to the teachers I grew up with in the 70’s and 80’s. I didn’t even know if most of them were married, let alone their political persuasion. There were always 1 or 2 more “radical” teachers who didn’t hide their politics, but they were rare.”
I’ve joked for years that I knew so little about my teachers’ lives outside of school that, for all we knew, they blinked in and out of existence when the morning and end-of-school bells rang.
I LIKE THIS, ESPECIALLY THE UPGRADE: Startup pitches a paintball-armed, AI-powered home security camera: PaintCam Eve also offers a teargas pellet upgrade.