Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Astronomers Report Evidence of 'Dark Energy' Splitting the Universe Dave Letterman nailed this one. He too reads Times. In Lettermanland, a somber announcer intones:: “Astronomers now believe that the universe contains a massive amount of ‘dark energy’ which is pushing the universe apart. Furthermore, they believe this ‘repulsive, antigravitational force will eventually turn the universe into a cold, dark, empty space.” (Then, suddenly happy) “So rush right into Applebee’s and try our new riblets and popcorn shrimp combo before it’s too late! Applebee’s. Eating good in the neighborhood!” CBS Late Night Astro-ph -July, 2003 -Makes you wanta holler, way they do my space. Peter Guralnick on Sam Cooke on NPR -July 30, 2003 Pentagon Abandons Plan for Futures Market on Terror -NYT, July 29, 2003 Nerve Cell Structure May Figure Into Defects In The First Stages Of Life Sciene Daily, July 29, 2003 Bob Hope, 100, star of big broadcast of 1938, gone NYT, July 28, 2003 11:59:48 PM    comment []

Violent futures John Poindexter again is in the nefarious technical wings, while Wolfowitz for once is a defense undersecretary on the defensive. At issue is a spruce goose known as the Policy Analysis Market that has gained $750,000 in funding to date. Patented after a whimsical futures exchange with predictive capabilities, the Darpa project, bets on such eerie commodities as potential Mideast assassinations, coups, bioterror attacks and soldier death counts. Unmasked by Sen. Byron Dorgan (Dem-N.D.), the silly project fluttered to the ground as Wolfowitz disowned it in a senate hearing. He disowned other matters on Meet the Press about a day before upon return from Iraq. The commodity exchange of doom so recalled Dr. Frankenstein that it popped quick. ebay with attitude, the U.S. is not ready for, though Sen. Warner [of Poindexter's homeland stomping ground] and others even handedly saw some merit in the monstrous. The larger questions are: 'When did the think tank runamok and when did it know that it did?' Pentagon Abandons Plan for Futures Market on Terror -NYT, July 29, 2003 11:58:58 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jack Vaughan.