I wish to rephrase my original comment:

"Where's my +5, Unit Conversion Joke????"

/thankyou.

Is this a unit conversion joke?

The GAO's report in 2009 stated that the Food and Nutrition Service overpaid food EBT benefits by 4.36%, which was actually a record low. It also found that in 2/3 of cases where overpayment happened, it was due to an error by the case worker.

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-956T

That wouldn't seem to support your claim that masses of people driving luxury cars are defrauding the program

Amtrak is a poor example. It has only existed since 1971 and was created specifically because private railroad companies were either going bankrupt or drastically cutting service. They didn't want to operate passenger trains any more.

Wiki says: "By 1965, only 10,000 rail passenger cars were in operation, 85 percent fewer than in 1929."

Congress (wisely) decided that it's in our national interest to keep trains as an alternative mode of transportation. You know, just in case something happens to airplanes (like the FAA grounding all of them for two days).

True, but particle radiation (i.e. charged electrons and protons) are just as deadly, if not moreso. The Earth's magnetic field captures those in the Van Allen Belts. Its a key reason for why our DNA wasn't mutated to oblivion long ago.

Despite the $/kg numbers, air launch IS more efficient than ground launch, and over time (after the initial cost of development has been diluted), should be significantly cheaper if only because of the fuel savings. Remember, rockets have to carry their oxidizer in big ass tanks that may also need big ass cryogenic cooling systems. Airplanes steal it from the atmosphere.

The effect is so pronounced because a plane is able to carry the rocket past what would be the Max Q point for ground launch, usually around 35,000 to 45,000 feet, which is the point where dynamic pressure (and thus fuel usage) is highest.

Dynamic pressure goes up with increasing velocity and down with thinning atmosphere, which is why it's not just at sea level.

The GP was implying that we tell every kid they are going to be successful in life because they're special. I've never heard an educator of any kind give that impression. The message was always that there are no pre-imposed limits to what you can do.

What's the point of telling a class of third graders that, well, statistically it is highly unlikely that any of you will be astronauts one day, so you shouldn't bother making that a goal?

You really think kids are dropping out of high school at 16 because they have an entitlement mentality? They're mad that they haven't already been hired by NASA? No. Kids drop out because they've been given the impression that they can't succeed in society even if they try, so, they shouldn't even bother.

Um, we don't tell every kid that they ARE going to be an astronaut or President. We tell them that they CAN BE if they dream big and work hard.

Why don't we just crush their aspirations early on? Because America is supposed to be a society where you can become anything you want, no matter what you look like or where you came from. Obviously we have struggled at times to live up that ideal. But, then again, nobody's perfect.

Congratulations, you have just crossed over the Flamebait Singularity. Any sincere words you attempt to utter are now longer able to escape your mouth due to the irresistible urge to have all of America lambast the shit out of you.

But! But! One time I heard somebody say that liquids are "incompressible fluids" and I instantly had a complete understanding of thermodynamics! Teh Global Warmings are a hoax!

Two things: One, the predatory lending practices and other shady shit that wall street did prior to the financial collapse was for the most part perfectly legal. That was the problem, and we don't do ex-post-facto laws around here. AFAIK, in the cases where there were illegal actions, investigations are ongoing (also, congress managed to change the laws for next time. See Dodd-Frank).

Secondly, the justice department has no control over insider trading in congress. Again, that's a legal activity which some congressional members are trying to make illegal by passing a bill. Separation of powers, my friend.

I agree with your sentiment. But sadly, in some areas, I think it will literally be impossible to redevelop to the point that people no longer have to rely on a car.

Like, have you been to Phoenix? It's basically 500 sq. miles of parking lots. They'd need to increase to a population the size of NYC to have any workable level of density.

"... there may be a wholly innocent explanation for conduct or behavior that appears suspicious in nature. For this reason, no single indicator should be the sole basis for law enforcement action. The totality of behavioral indicators and other relevant circumstances should be evaluated when considering any law enforcement response or action."

That would probably have made this document a lot less stupid.

Right after I went to energy.gov and searched for Yucca Mountain, I got the same 22 results. However, on that results page was a link right at the top entitled "search all of Energy.gov" which then yielded 108 results. It doesn't seem like the author was very thorough here, herself.

Considering that these are generally PDFs containing large quantities of information (not endless blog re-posts like you'd get with Google hits), it's pretty hard to believe that there's a deliberate attempt to obscure information.

Is their search system as intuitive and comprehensive as Google? No. Then again, nobody's is- if it was easy, everybody would be doing it, and Google wouldn't be Google.

1. Replace all backscatter X-ray machines with millimeter wave scanners; the kind that aren't linked to cancer.
2. Make sure all scanner machines use the updated software which only shows a generic human form rather than your pseudo-naked body.
3. Only used pat-downs on people that set off scanner alarms first.
4. Let people keep their shoes on.

Wouldn't this take care of about 98% of complaints people have with the TSA? Could we at that point accept that the TSA really is just an attempt to provide security, and not to psychologically mindfuck the populace?