[from russia with love] strategic nuclear multiple warheads

"Russia will replace single nuclear warheads on some of its Topol-M intercontinental missiles strategic missiles with multiple warheads," Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces, said Friday.

Fitting multiple warheads to Topol-Ms is a cheaper way for Russia to upgrade its nuclear arsenals and maintain nuclear parity with the United States. Putin called the it a “serious step forward in strengthening Russia’s defense capability …It has a stronger survivability, faster launch and an ability to penetrate any prospective missile defense.”

The Topol-M missiles, capable of hitting targets more than 10,000 kilometres away, have so far been deployed only in silos. The new version, which is mounted on a heavy off road vehicle, makes it harder for an enemy to track it down. Topol-M’s chief designer, Yuri Solomonov, said earlier this year that Russia would easily be able to maintain at least 2,000 nuclear warheads by 2011 and beyond.

The Middle-East lesson of mobile deployment seems to have been learnt well by the Russians. What with this and Trident in Britain, we’re in for lots of fun in the future. Kaboom! Dr. Strangelove, eat your heart out.

[from russia with love ] election date

Interfax reported Thursday that Russia would hold its next presidential election on March 9, 2008, according to the central electoral commission chairman Alexander Veshnyakov.

However, by Russian law the election cannot be held on March 9 as that day follows March 8, which is a public holiday in Russia, the Vedomosti newspaper wrote Friday citing CEC member Yelena Dubrovina. Veshnyakov was unavailable for comment.

Gazeta newspaper wondered why the date had been announced by Veshnyakov whereas by law the day is to be set by the upper house of the Russian parliament — the Federation Council, which is to announce its decision not earlier than 100 days and not later than 90 days before the vote, i.e. between Dec 1 and Dec 10 2007.

Sounds a bit of a furphy. While it seems the man wasn’t thinking when he spoke and there also seems no political capital to be made out of the strange announcement, nevertheless, it continues the speculation and keeps the election on the front page. There are a lot of people wondering what Putin has up his sleeve for next year, given that he's leaving his own [at the moment unconstitutional] run a bit late.

[damnation] thought I could disguise it

How evil are you?Thanks a whole lot, Notsaussure!

[sudden snow] everyone sliding everywhere

An hour and ten minutes doing a journey from the centre which, at its very best, takes about twelve minutes and on average, twenty-five.

You’d think the Russians would have the whole business of winter under control. You’d think they would be vaguely aware that around this time of year, the snow falls and that when it does, it’s a good idea to slow down just a little below maniacal speeds and thread one’s way through the traffic patiently.

Not a bit of it. I glanced out of the Ministry window about 6 p.m. and it was come down like confetti at long last, after weeks of nothing. Of course it was going to be dangerous going home – light flaky snow on top of slush and ice. Of course cars were going to slide everywhere as the temperature dipped.

And slide they did – straight into each other like billiard balls. All routes jammed, accidents everywhere, even on the escape routes people took – total gridlock. Police all over the place, horns blaring, people shouting and the prospect of two hours on the roads with an overheating car. Cars running out of fuel and refilling from bottles.

So here we finally are and at least the room is warm and dry.

[comet dust] origins of life - same old assumptions

During its seven-year, 2.9 billion-mile voyage, the Stardust spacecraft flew within 150 miles of Comet Wild 2 (pronounced Vilt). Dust surrounding the comet's nucleus was captured in a low-density material called aerogel. The mission marks the first time extraterrestrial material has been brought to Earth since the Apollo moon landings.

Since the return capsule parachuted to the Utah desert in January, nearly 200 researchers have employed some of the world's most powerful scientific tools to probe the particles. Their findings are laid out in seven reports in today's issue of the journal Science.

1] Organic molecules were found, very similar to amino acids, as well as a biologically useful form of nitrogen, which would have been important to early microbes.

2] The second particle, less than one-fifth the diameter of a human hair, was made up of unusual minerals that were created at blistering temperatures - higher than 2,000 degrees F. But that contradicts the standard view that comets formed on the fringes of the solar system, where temperatures average around minus 400 degrees. Scientists dubbed the super-high-temperature particle Inti, after the Incan sun god.

3] Though they weren't forged in such a fiery furnace, crystalline mineral grains in the comet dust also support the notion that there was a lot of mixing in the cloud of dust that coalesced into the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. It looks like about 10 percent of the material came from the inner disc.

Those are the facts. Now to the theories. Some science-journos have immediately leapt to the conclusion that the particles bolster the theory that a rain of comet dust may have delivered the basic ingredients of life to the early Earth, that the solar system exploded rather than imploded and other minor conclusions as well. The conclusions are fine but the implications behind them, the tacit assumptions behind them, are anything but fine.

Again people are arguing along the same old lines. Those who refuse to accept that there is an intelligent force see the scenario as new specks of explosively spread life-giving debris strewn across the universe and afain, there’s nothing wrong with going that far.

But the most glaringly obvious question fails to be asked – how did the life-giving aminos come about in the first place? No one wants to ask this question because they’re more comfortable in the omnipotence of scientific a-theistic theory and they don’t want to ask any question which might lend support to a theistic theory.

And yet, even in these very findings, scientists who have studied the particles have admitted they were previously wrong. Galileo and Copernicus both had the same problem of entrenched scientific thought and the populace as a whole lapped up what the scientists gave out in learned journals and accepted fallible men’s theories as unassailable fact.

And so it is again here. Such insupportable assumptions have absolutely nothing to do with the scientific method but with philosophy.

To start out with the premise that there can be no intelligent force and to build your argument from there is highly suspect empiricism. Whatever happened to the open mind? And what of the counter-theory that this explosion of amino carrying particles was the method used by the Intelligence [for which there is more than enough literary reference to support the existence of] to carry out the operation?

I mean – why not? It’s just as scientifically valid as assuming there is no Intelligence.

Again, it’s not the findings which are in dispute but their interpretation and the swiftness with which the voices who made it into print seized on the findings as evidence of non-Intelligence is stunning in its lack of logic and its clear agenda.

[blogger] to beta or not to beta

Ian, at Imagined Community, asks the question above.

Speaking personally, I have much to lose if I transfer. I'd hate to lose my three column template which I've constructed from a base non-Blogger template and I'm fairly certain that Beta won't support this.

It would be devastating to have to go back to a 2 column template like Minima after having got NourObscur to where I want it. Does anyone know anything about this dreaded Beta thing and if there's a three column Beta available?

Also, I'll have to redo sitemeter most like, lose the readership I've built up, lose my Technorati ranking which was doing nicely and have to do it all over again from scratch. Nightmare. Help!

[miss usa] seven questions

Organisers of the Miss Universe pageant have confirmed that they are "evaluating the behavioural and personal issues" of Miss USA, 20-year-old Tara Conner. Conner, who was crowned in April, has been the subject of negative media reports following a spate of incidents that are being euphemistically referred to as "inappropriate behaviour".

The former Miss Kentucky is believed to have a drinking problem, despite being below the legal drinking age in the US. Following intense speculation, the Miss Universe and Miss USA organisation, which is owned by Donald Trump, was forced to release a statement denying the beauty queen had been dethroned.

" Mr Trump will make a determination and announcement within the coming week," the statement read.

Questions:

1] What has a drinking problem to do with being Miss Universe?
2] What qualifications must Miss Universe have anyway? What sort of ideal is being sought and in whose eyes?
3] Why is under 21 drinking a problem when 14 year olds are regularly having sex and doing drugs?
4] Who would want anything to do with the arch-sleaze Trump in the first place in a ‘competition’ which is really about which young filly he’d like to bed?
5] Does the lady in the picture actually do anything to your blood pressure or does she appear more like a bimbo?
6] Are bimbos what men actually want – women who will docilely follow them wherever they wish? The Barbies of the world?
7] Does any of it matter?

Can you think of any other questions I forgot here?

[bob piper] still running off at the mouth

Praguetory reports: When Bob “retired” from blogging, he didn’t mean it. In continuing a debate over the rights and wrongs of the last few days at his site and others Bob Piper’s been blogging more than ever. This includes the comments section of his own blog.

One false allegation from Bob is that I ran off at the mouth to the media. As Bob gave this defiant interview with the media on Saturday, that allegation is pretty rich. The other allegation Bob makes is that I whipped up other bloggers. What the hell has he been doing for the best part of a week? When an argument is taking place, others will get involved.

There were two things which lost Cllr Piper his support, as far as I can see. Firstly, his attempt to “out” Praguetory, to name him and this was just low. Then there was the vitriol, such as the comparison with Iain Dale which I’m not going to dignify by repeating here. There are heaps more reasons to strongly question this man’s fitness to hold his current position as Councillor but these two will suffice.

Actually, what he has done is swing a huge amount of traffic Praguetory’s way and this traffic has been able to compare the two blogs and draw conclusions on the basis of literary style and closeness to the pulse. As Iain Dale said: Increasingly unmissable.

What have I to gain from weighing into this? Zero - it’s just that I feel it’s right to do so and I can definitely say that I have had nothing in the way of being whipped up by Praguetory or anyone else for that matter.

That’s one of the prime purposes of blogging, isn’t it, to say what you feel is right? So I say Cllr Piper should 1] get out of blogging for his breach of etiquette and 2] get out of politics for his breach of ethics.

[senate] a sad stroke for the democrats

Difficult position for Richard

South Dakota Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson fell suddenly ill yesterday and, CNN reports, underwent "brain surgery early Thursday at George Washington University Hospital," according to "two Democratic sources familiar with his condition." The possibility that Johnson may not be able to carry on his duties as a senator has placed a big question mark on the issue of which party will control the Senate.

As USA Today reports, the November election "gave Democrats a 51-49 edge." If Johnson "were unable to complete the remaining two years of his term, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican, could appoint a replacement, presumably another Republican. That would deadlock the Senate at 50-50 with Vice President Cheney, a Republican, holding the tie-breaking vote."

Tragic break for Tim Johnson and his family. Tragic for the Democrats. Stroke of luck for the Republicans, although that's the furthest thing from their minds at this time.

[historic discovery] flying mammals found in inner china

Statement of absolute fact?

A team of Chinese scientists has made a dating methods but how do they know those methods are correct? By definition, the method extrapolates past history from data but how can it be sure the method has no anomalies? By their own parameters, believing what they believe to be accurate, yes, but in real terms – without having lived back then, how can they tell they’re absolutely in the right? Why not 37 500 000 years ago, because of the Reynolds’ bipolar linear flux effect, discovered in the year 2047?

Science presents itself as infallible, like a computer. But all of us on Windows know it’s anything but an accurate medium. There are serious blips in fact. Science says the biblical account is inaccurate. Firstly, how does it know that, using the word ‘know’ in its purist form? Why does Science refuse to admit the limitations of its method? Secondly, it’s bad science because one is attempting to date and the other is a mere fragment of evidence, along with all the others.

The reader might expostulate: “Stupid man, Higham. It’s been proved, hasn’t it?” Really? By whom? “By scientists, of course.” But it’s those very scientists who are being questioned. I posit that you believe, rather than know. Why do you believe? Because for sociological reasons you are predisposed to believe. It cuts both ways.

To paraphrase the words of Cromwell: ‘I beseech you, Science, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.’