A Gen-X View of the Universe.
"The Issue Isn't Pussy, It's Monkey" - from The Right Stuff
Film, Cinema, Movies, TV, Music, Rock
...critics also have neglected the larger lesson thatthere are certain limits to
what military power can accomplish. Forcertain purposes, like the creation
of a
liberal democratic societythat will be a model for others, military
power is a
blunt instrument,destined by its very nature to give rise to
unintended and
unwelcomeconsequences. Rather than “do it better next time,”
a better lesson
is“don’t do it at all.”
The full report is here.
Such A Nice Sentiment Up There...Robert Menard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, told The Associated Press that he was surprised by the “deafening silence” of the Arab press concerning their own freedom.Trust me; more than the cartoons themsleves, the moral indignation the Islamists are expressing is laughable. By shutting up, the moderate Arab press gives the floor to the radical Fund-a-mental(case)-ists.
“The Arab press often complains about the censorship practiced by their own government, and they were the first to set their own limits. They were unanimous in supporting their governments' appeal to punish the Danish newspaper,” said Menard.
“What we are seeing is that many (Muslims) have no idea how democracy works,” he said.
Armed militants angered by a cartoon drawing of the Prophet Muhammad in several European newspapers surrounded the office of the EU Commission in Gaza and searched hotels for foreigners to kidnap in the West Bank, as outrage over the caricatures spread across the Islamic world on Thursday.
Foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers began leaving Gaza as gunmen there threatened to kidnap citizens of France, Norway, Denmark and Germany unless the four governments apologize for the newspaper cartoon. Only several dozen foreigners were believed to be in Gaza. Many others had left in recent months, during a spate of abductions of foreign nationals.
In the West Bank city of Nablus, gunmen entered four hotels to search for foreigners to abduct, and warned hotel owners not to host citizens from several European countries. Gunmen said they also searched two apartments, but found no Europeans. The gunmen said foreigners had three days to leave Nablus on their own.
In Germany, opinion has also largely fell on the side of free speech, although the DJV journalism union was critical of the republication of the cartoons in Germany on Wednesday, saying it violated the country's press codex, a series of guidelines regarding ethics in journalism.To be accurate, you don't see the likes of Fred Nile and his gangs with AK-47s picketing films like 'The Last Temptation of Christ' or art works like the immortal 'Piss Christ'. As deplorable as Fred Nile and his ilk can be, they're not threatening to kill you and your family, or kidnap your fellow unbeliever. I'm not saying they don't want to, but at least they seem to recognise that sort of thing might be 'un-Christian' - not to menttion against the law.
One paragraph of the codex condemns the publication of content that could offend the religious sentiments of a group of people.
On Thursday, however, DJV changed its position, saying that publication in the conservative Die Welt and the left-leaning taz newspapers did not conflict with the ethics code.
"The reproduction was part of the overall mission of journalism," DJV spokesman Hendrik Zörner told DW-WORLD. "It serves to document the debate and should be differentiated from the first publication (of the cartoons) in Denmark."
German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble rejected calls for the government to apologize for the publication: "Why should the government apologize for the exercise of press freedom?"
While several publications and officials expressed understanding for Muslim anger, they described the reaction in the Middle East as excessive.
A Bishop of the Protestant Church in Germany, Margot Käßmann, in an editorial in Der Tagesspiegel newspaper, said the response was "absolutely inappropriate and in my opinion, purposefully controlled. Sometimes Christians' feelings are hurt as well, but the answer to that cannot be threats of violence!"
The Indonesian government condemned the cartoons and said it had expressed its concern to Denmark's envoy, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yuri Thamrin told a weekly news conference.Islamophobia? That's a new phrase. I must make sure I keep a track of that word. It's as if the Foreign Affairs Minister of Indonesia is trying to characterise Islamists in the same catgory as spiders, heights and homosexuals.
As a democracy, Indonesia welcomed freedom of expression but drew the line at mocking sacred religious symbols, he said.
"I think this is not only about a bilateral issue between Indonesia and Denmark, this is a much more serious issue ... It involves the whole Islamic world vis-a-vis Denmark and vis-a-vis the trend of Islamophobia," Thamrin added.
France's Grand Rabbi Joseph Sitruk said he shared Muslim anger.Well yeah. Because they're looking for a fight, not because they're really offended by blasphemy. I beg to differ with the Grand Rabbi. There's much to be gained by abandoning such outdated modes of thinking as religion. It is indeed the opiate of the masses as evinced by the masses of people turning up around the world to stomp on burning flags. Indeed, if there weren't so many religious hard-liners on both sides, we might have seen true peace in the Middle East by now.
"We gain nothing by lowering religions, humiliating them and making caricatures of them. It's a lack of honesty and respect," he said. He said freedom of expression "is not a right without limits."
In the Arab world, a Jordanian newspaper, Shihan, took the bold step Thursday of running some of the drawings, saying it wanted to show its readers how offensive the cartoons were but also urging the world's Muslims to "be reasonable." Its editorial noted that Jyllands-Posten had apologized, "but for some reason, nobody in the Muslim world wants to hear the apology."
Opinion in Germany has hardened in favour of editors daring to publish. "It is apparent that the demonstrations are the biggest, and the diplomatic reactions the most vehement, in countries where authoritarian regimes are under domestic pressure from Islamist opposition forces," Boris Kalnoky wrote in Die Welt.Well, I've hardened my position on this from the start so I can't get harder.
The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung went further, calling for the caricatures to be published in as many newspapers as possible. Urging "Europe-wide solidarity", it said: "Religious fundamentalists who do not respect the difference between satire and blasphemy have a problem not only with Denmark, but with the entire western world."
The French tabloid France Soir, which originally said it would not apologise for printing the images, did so but only after its managing director, Jacques Lefranc, was sacked by its owner, Raymond Lakah.
Red Sox fan: Now if we can just get a CF and a SS that's credible, we'll beat the Yankees hands down.Man, how can I ever give up baseball when I can come across humour like that.
Yankee fan: Yes. And if I could just make myself look like Brad Pitt I can bang both Jennifer Anniston AND Angelina Jolie.
WASHINGTON — The future and character of the United States will be largely determined in the next year by getting over its dependency on foreign oil, ongoing turmoil in Iraq, the growing threat from Iran and concerted efforts to take care of America's own, President Bush said Tuesday night during his fifth annual State of the Union address.Gag me with a spoon.
"We will choose to act confidently in pursuing the enemies of freedom or retreat from our duties in the hope of an easier life. We will choose to build our prosperity by leading the world economy — or shut ourselves off from trade and opportunity," the president told a joint session of Congress.
"In a complex and challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting, yet it ends in danger and decline. The only way to protect our people … the only way to secure the peace … the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership."
In order to get the nation's priorities done and reduce partisan bickering that in recent months has threatened to boil over, Bush said lawmakers and others need to confront issues "in a spirit of good will and respect for one another."
"There is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure. Hindsight alone is not wisdom. And second-guessing is not a strategy," Bush said.
WASHINGTON - Iran is refusing to turn over to U.N. investigators a copy of a black market document it could use to build nuclear weapons, according to a confidential U.N. report Tuesday.The rest of it doesn't get any better.
The document, which Iran received from an international nuclear smuggling ring, describes aspects of fabricating the explosive core of a nuclear bomb. The document is one more piece of evidence supporting concerns that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program in the guise of peaceful nuclear power research.
China and Russia agreed Tuesday to support reporting Iran to the United Nations Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions. The agreement came after talks in London attended by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The U.N. report will be provided to the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency, who meet Thursday on whether to report Iran to the Security Council. The report was obtained by several news organizations, including Knight Ridder.
The report said that Iranian experts had begun preparations for test-scale uranium enrichment, the process that produces low enriched uranium for power plants and highly enriched uranium for warheads.
Iran remained defiant, showing no signs of accepting demands by the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany to re-freeze uranium enrichment work and meet IAEA demands to reveal all aspects of its nuclear program.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, was quoted on a government-run English language Internet site as warning that a referral to the Security Council would mean "the end of diplomacy."
Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, has said that retaliatory steps could include expelling IAEA inspectors and measures that could drive up world petroleum prices.
Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but admitted in 2002 to concealing the project from IAEA monitoring for 18 years. U.S. and European officials believe the Iranian military is secretly developing nuclear arms under cover of the civilian effort.
The new report was an update on Iran's compliance with the IAEA investigation of its nuclear program. That program is based in part on purchases of know-how and technologies from a Pakistani-led black market network.
One key issue involves a document bought from the network that Iran showed agency experts last year. The document is about requirements for casting and machining depleted and enriched uranium metal into hemispheres.
Hemispheres form the explosive cores of nuclear weapons. They have no application in civilian power plants.
Caption: Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein looks on as guards forcibly remove his half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti during their trial. - AFPThey Don't Know How To Do This In Iraq
The new chief judge in the case, Raouf Abdel-Rahman, told the defence team in opening remarks that he would not allow political statements.It's a worse circus than on Judge Judy, by the sound of it.
He is under pressure to deal firmly with Saddam after his predecessor, who resigned two weeks ago, was accused by the Government of being too soft on the accused and allowing his courtroom tirades to go unchecked.
Saddam and seven co-accused are on trial for crimes against humanity, charged with killing 148 men from the Shiite town of Dujail after a failed attempt to assassinate him there in 1982.
Within minutes of the trial resuming, Judge Abdel-Rahman ejected Saddam's former intelligence chief, Barzan al-Tikriti, after he refused to keep quiet and called the trial "a daughter of a whore".
The defence team protested that they were being treated unfairly and threatened to leave.
"If you leave then you can't come back for future sessions," Judge Abdel-Rahman told them.
Saddam's chief lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, said the US-sponsored court was illegal and "run by the Americans". He and his colleagues then left the courtroom.
When some of the defendants stood up to leave as well, the judge told guards to sit them down.
"I want to leave," Saddam told the judge. "Then leave," said Mr Abdel-Rahman.
"It is a tragedy. I led you for 35 years. How can you lead me out of court?" Saddam asked.
"You wanted to leave," the judge replied, after which Saddam left. He was followed by his former vice-president, Taha Yassin Ramadan.
The court has been in turmoil since its Kurdish chief judge, Rizgar Amin, resigned complaining of pressure from the Shiite-led Government to speed up the process and crack down on outbursts by Saddam and some of his co-accused, whose outbursts have dominated proceedings.
The stormy session was sure to increase doubts over the trial's fairness – a vital concern in a nation that is trying to reconcile its Sunni Arab minority, which dominated Iraq under Saddam, and the Shiite Muslim majority that now controls the government.Man, this is just hilarious. And justice for all!
Sunday's proceedings, the first in over a month, disintegrated almost immediately into shouting and insults.
First, co-defendant Barzan Ibrahim was pulled out by guards after he stood and called the court “the daughter of a whore,” while Saddam shouted “down with traitors” and “down with the Americans.”
Then Abdel-Rahman, a Kurd, threw out a defense attorneys for arguing with him. The rest of the defense team stormed out in protest as the judge shouted after them, “Any lawyer who walks out will not be allowed back into this courtroom.”
Abdel-Rahman appointed four new defense lawyers. But Saddam stood and rejected them. Holding a copy of the Quran and other papers under his arm, he said he wanted to leave. After an argument with the judge – during which guards pushed Saddam back into his chair – guards escorted the former Iraqi leader out of the room.
Two other defendants also rejected their new lawyers and were allowed to leave.
The proceedings then resumed with only four of the eight defendants present, and none of their original lawyers.
The court began hearing an anonymous female prosecution witness, who testified for about an hour from behind a beige curtain, as several earlier witnesses have done to protect them from reprisals. The new defense lawyers declined the opportunity to cross-examine the witness.
Saddam and his seven co-defendants are charged in the deaths of about 140 Shiite Muslims following an assassination attempt against the former Iraqi leader in the Shiite town of Dujail in 1982. The defendants could face death by hanging if convicted.
The delayed television feed of the proceedings – which is controlled by the judges and broadcast throughout Iraq and the Arab world – was cut off right after Ibrahim's initial outburst. It resumed some time later, cutting out the removal of Ibrahim and the subsequent fight with the lawyers but showing the judge's arguments with Saddam.
Abdel-Rahman obviously came into the session aiming to impose control on a trial that has been plagued by delays and frequent outbursts by Saddam and Ibrahim, who is Saddam's half-brother and former intelligence chief.
He began the proceedings with a show of authority, shouting at one defense lawyer for interrupting him and stressing in an opening statement that “political speeches” were not allowed and “if any defendant crosses the lines, he will be taken out of the room and his trial will be carried out with his absence.”
Ibrahim stood up, demanded to be allowed to speak and said, “Circumstances have forced us to deal with each other here, in spite of my belief that this tribunal is illegitimate, the daughter of a whore.”
The judge ordered him to sit down, shouting, “One more word and I'm throwing you out.” When Ibrahim refused to sit, two burly guards grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out of the court.
As they scuffled, Saddam stood and shouted, “Down with the traitors. Down with America.” Defense lawyers began shouting as well. “Is this a street demonstration, are you lawyers?” Abdel-Rahman barked at them.
The judge turned to defense lawyer, Salih al-Armouti, a Jordanian who recently joined the team, and asked if courts in his country would allow such behavior.
“My country gives me my rights,” al-Armouti replied.
Abdel-Rahman ordered guards to take al-Armouti out of the court, saying, “You have incited your clients and we will start criminal proceedings against you.” The rest of the defense team followed al-Armouti out in protest.
The chief judge appointed new defense lawyers, but Saddam rejected them and told the judge he had a right to leave if he does not accept his attorneys.
“You do not leave, I allow you to leave when I want to,” Abdel-Rahman said.
“For 35 years, I administered your rights,” Saddam replied, referring to his time in power.
“I am the judge and you are the defendant,” Abdel-Rahman said. Two guards pushed Saddam by his shoulders back into his chair, before they were ordered to lead the ousted ruler out of the room.
Saddam's trial has been troubled since it started on Oct. 19, with the killing of two defense lawyers and another judge's decision last month to step down.
Heading into Sunday's session, Saddam's defense team said they would file motions questioning the court's independence and legitimacy because of the shake-up among the judges. Former chief judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin resigned in mid-January after politicians complained about the slow pace of the proceedings.
The trial had been due to resume on Tuesday, but that day's session was abruptly called off after some members of the five-judge panel opposed Abdel-Rahman's appointment over Amin's deputy, Saeed al-Hammash, who was removed the case amid accusations he once belonged to Saddam's Baath Party. Al-Hammash – a Shiite – denied the claims.
After the outbursts, the witness told the court she was arrested several days after the 1982 assassination attempt on Saddam. She said her interrogators removed her Islamic headscarf and gave her electric shocks to her head.
“I thought my eyes would pop out,” she said. Sixteen other members of her family also were arrested, and seven of them were killed in detention – including her husband, who she said was tortured to death.
She said two of the defendants who remained in the court – Ali Dayih Ali and Mizhar Abdullah Ruwayyid – were among those who came to her home to arrest her. The two defendants denied the accusation.
The court-appointed defense lawyers declined to cross-examine the witness and the court adjourned for a lunch break.
Amin, the former chief judge and a Kurd, watched the trial from home in the northern city of Sulaimaniyah and questioned whether his critics could run the tribunal any better than he did.
“I am happy that I am no longer part of this trial. I am happy to watch it on television while sitting in my house,” he told The Associated Press. “I wish the trial were run by a Shiite judge because I want to know how they are going to manage it”
Comical Answers to British Radio & TV Quiz Shows...
>UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE
>Bamber Gascoigne: What was Ghandi's first name?
>Contestant: Goosey, Goosey?
>
>THE WEAKEST LINK
>Anne Robinson: In traffic, what "J" is where two roads meet?
>Contestant: Jool carriageway.
>
>Anne Robinson: Which Italian city is overlooked by Vesuvius?
>Contestant: Bombay.
>
>Anne Robinson: What insect is commonly found hovering above lakes?
>Contestant: Crocodiles.
>Anne Robinson: Wh...?
>Contestant (interrupting): Pass!
>
>Anne Robinson: In olden times, what were minstrels, travelling
>entertainers or chocolate salesmen?
>Contestant: Chocolate salesmen.
>
>Anne Robinson: The Bible, the New Testament. The Four Gospels were
>written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and...?
>Contestant: (long pause) Joe?
>
>Anne Robinson: Who was a famous Indian leader, whose name begins with
>G, revered by millions, who was assassinated and received a state funeral?
>Contestant: Geronimo!
>
>NATIONAL LOTTERY JET SET
>Eamonn Holmes: What's the name of the playwright commonly known by the
>initials G.B.S.?
>Contestant: William Shakespeare.
>
>CHRIS SEARLE SHOW, BBC BRISTOL
>Searle: In which European country is Mount Etna?
>Caller: Japan.
>Searle: I did say which European country, so in case you didn't hear
>that, I can let you try again.
>Caller: Er... Mexico?
>
>FAMILY FORTUNES
>1) Something a blind man might use? - A Sword
>2) A song with the word Moon in the title? - Blue Suede Moon
>3) Name the capital of France? - F
>4) Name a bird with a long Neck? - Naomi Campbell
>5) Name an occupation where you might need a torch? - A burglar
>6) Where is the Taj Mahal? - Opposite the Dental Hospital
>7) What is Hitler's first name? - Heil
>8)A famous Scotsman? - Jock
>9) Some famous brothers? - Bonnie and Clyde.
>10) A dangerous race? - The Arabs
>11) Something that floats in a bath? - Water
>12) An item of clothing worn by the Three Musketeers? - A horse
>13) Something you wear on a beach? - A deckchair
>14) A famous Royal? - Mail
>15) Something that flies that doesn't have an engine? - A bicycle with wings
>16) A famous bridge? - The Bridge Over Troubled Waters
>17) Something a cat does? - Goes to the toilet
>18)
>19) A method of securing your home? - Put the kettle on
>20) Something associated with pigs? - The Police
>21) A sign of the Zodiac? - April
>22) Something people might be allergic to? - Skiing
>23) Something you do before you go to bed? - Sleep
>24) Something you put on walls? - A roof
>25) Something slippery? - A conman
>26) A kind of ache? - A fillet of fish
>27) A jacket potato topping? - Jam
>28) A food that can be brown or white? - A potato
>29) Something sold by gypsies? - Bananas
>30) Something red? - My sweater
>RADIO LINCS PHONE-IN
>Presenter: Which is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world?
>Contestant: Barcelona.
>Presenter: I was really after the name of a country.
>Contestant: I'm sorry, I don't know the names of any countries in Spain.
>
>STEVE WRIGHT SHOW, RADIO 2
>Wright: On which continent would you find the River Danube?
>Contestant: India.
>
>Wright: What is the Italian word for motorway?
>Contestant: Espresso.
>
>Wright: What is the capital of Australia? And it's not Sydney.
>Contestant: Sydney.
>
>THIS MORNING
>Judy Finnegan: The American TV show 'The Sopranos' is about opera. True
>or false?
>Contestant: True?
>Judy Finnegan: No, actually, it's about the Mafia. But it is an
>American TV show,so I'll give you that.
>
>BBC RADIO NEWCASTLE
>Paul Wappat: How long did the Six Day War between Egypt and Israel last?
>Contestant (after long pause): Fourteen days.
>
>BOB HOPE BIRTHDAY QUIZ, LBC
>Presenter: Bob Hope was the fifth of how many sons?
>Contestant: Four
>
>BBC GMR, PHIL WOOD SHOW
>Wood: What "K" could be described as the Islamic Bible?
>Contestant: Er...
>Wood: It's got two syllables... Kor...
>Contestant: Blimey?
>Wood: Ha ha ha ha no. The past participle of run...
>Contestant: (Silence)
>Wood: OK, try it another way. Today I run, yesterday I...
>Contestant: Walked?
>
>DARYL'S DRIVETIME, VIRGIN RADIO
>Daryl Denham: In which country would you spend shekels?
>Contestant: Holland?
>Daryl Denham: Try the next letter of the alphabet.
>Contestant: Iceland? Ireland?
>Daryl Denham (helpfully): It's a bad line. Did you say Israel?
>Contestant: No.
“THE entire continent is involved,” the man investigating whether Europe’s governments are facilitating the CIA in the kidnap and torture of terror suspects claimed in his first report yesterday.Well that'd be right. Why do the torture yourself when guys like I mentioned yesterday bungle it up and kill people? Give the job to the real experts of Europe where they've had millennia to develop exquisite techniques of informational persuasion otherwise known as plain old Sadism? The Marquis would have been up to tendering a contract.
Dick Marty, the Swiss senator and lawyer given the job by the Council of Europe, was highly critical that governments had not instigated formal investigations about the allegations which first arose over two years ago.
Europe has been affected by more than 100 kidnappings of terror suspects by CIA agents while hundreds of CIA-chartered flights have passed through European countries, he said.
"It is highly unlikely that European governments, or at least their intelligence services, were unaware. And a number of revelations have already been published by the press, especially in America, over the past few years," he said.
Australia's victory in the World Cup was largely due to two lesser-profile players in Andy Bichel and Brad Hogg, who benefited from the rotation system.Aah Mr. Waugh, only if it were still so. Certainly, the 1996-2000 Yankees were like that with a very deep bench but recent Yankee teams have sported really crappy bench players and it's been one of the reasons the post-seasons have been a bust. But it's nice to know Steve was watching. :)
It wasn't exactly rocket science and many other sports teams had employed it with success, including Manchester United and the New York Yankees, but the key to it being beneficial was to back its implementation not just when the team was winning but also if it lost.
FORT CARSON, Colo., Jan. 23 (AP) - A military jury ordered a reprimand but no jail time Monday for an Army interrogator convicted of negligent homicide in the death of an Iraqi general who died after he stuffed him headfirst into a sleeping bag and sat on his chest.Umm, yeah right. So Lynndie England does 3 years for putting a naked Iraqi on a leash and getting photographed, while this guy gets off with a *reprimand* only having killed an Iraqi General. Hello! This sucks.
The interrogator, Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr., also was ordered to forfeit $6,000 in salary and was largely restricted to his barracks and workplace for 60 days.
Mr. Welshofer, 43, had originally been charged with murder and faced up to life in prison. But on Saturday he was convicted of lesser charges carrying up to three years and three months in prison, dishonorable discharge and a loss of pension.
After hearing the sentence, reached by the jury of six Army officers, Mr. Welshofer hugged his wife. Soldiers in the gallery, many of whom had worked with Mr. Welshofer and who testified as character witnesses, broke into applause.
The sentence now goes to the commanding general, Maj. Gen. Robert W. Mixon, who cannot order a harsher sentence but could lighten it or set the whole verdict aside, Mr. Welshofer's lawyer, Frank Spinner, said.
Prosecutors said Mr. Welshofer had put a sleeping bag over the head of the Iraqi, Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush, and used his hand to cover his mouth while questioning him at a detention camp in Iraq in 2003.
Earlier in the day during the sentencing hearing, Mr. Welshofer fought back tears. "I deeply apologize if my actions tarnished the soldiers serving in Iraq," he said.
宇宙航空研究開発機構（ＪＡＸＡ）は２４日午前１０時３３分、Ｈ２Ａロケット８号機を鹿児島県南種子町の種子島宇宙センターから打ち上げた。約１６分後、搭載した陸域観測技術衛星（ＡＬＯＳ）「だいち」を計画通り分離し、打ち上げは成功した。ＪＡＸＡは２月中旬にも大型ロケット２機の打ち上げを予定している。１カ月間に３機連続の打ち上げは国内初で、衛星打ち上げ市場参入など、日本の宇宙開発の今後を占う試金石として注目を集めている。
◇２月中旬の２機打ち上げに弾み
ロケットは太平洋上を東南に向かって上昇。予定通り高度約７００キロで第２段ロケットから衛星を分離、衛星は地球を南北に周回する軌道に乗った。今後、観測機器の動作確認などをして、約３カ月後に運用を始める予定。
８号機は当初、昨年９月に打ち上げ予定だったが、衛星に不具合が相次ぎ、今月１９日に延期された。この影響でＪＡＸＡは８号機のほか、２月１５日に種子島宇宙センターからＨ２Ａ９号機を、同１８日に内之浦宇宙空間観測所（鹿児島県肝付町）からＭ５ロケット８号機を打ち上げることになった。Ｈ２Ａ８号機は今月１９日の打ち上げも機器などの不具合や天候不良で延期されていた。
今回の打ち上げ費用は約１０１億円で、衛星開発費は約５４７億円。【河津啓介】
【ことば】Ｈ２Ａロケット 宇宙開発事業団（現ＪＡＸＡ）が開発した２段式ロケット。全長５３メートル、重さ３２１トン（衛星除く）。燃料の液体水素を液体酸素と反応させて推進力を得る。地球を回る高度３００キロの軌道に約１０トンの大型衛星を打ち上げられる能力がある。固体補助ロケットの種類や数を変えることで、さまざまな重さの衛星に対応できる。第１段ロケットを大型化し、国際宇宙ステーションへ物資を補給する１７トン級の輸送機を打ち上げられる「Ｈ２Ｂ」を開発中。
【ことば】陸域観測技術衛星「だいち」 高度７００キロから地表を観測し、２万５０００分の１の地図作成のための地形データ収集などを行う。４６日ごとに同じ地点を同じ時間帯に観測できる軌道を回る。地表の２・５メートルのものを見分ける光学センサーなど３種類のセンサーを搭載。昼夜、天候に関係なく観測したり、災害時、３日以内に観測したい地点で緊急観測する機能も備えている。重さ約４トンで、国内打ち上げ衛星で最重量。
陸域観測技術衛星「だいち」を搭載したＨ２Ａロケット８号機。打ち上げから約１６分半後に、高度約７００キロで分離され、地球を南北に約１００分で回る軌道に投入された（２４日午前、種子島宇宙センター）（時事通信社）12時03分更新
The gist of it is pretty much what you'd expect based on the fact that the Chinese offiicals don't really want to raise the topic of war time comfort women. To be honest, it surprises me, mostly at the poverty of imagination that goes from Geisha to Prostitute to War Time Comfort Women. I mean it's like a really bad word association game that reveals more about the respondent than the words themsleves. Still, it's not the Chinese public's fault necessarily, but rather, it's the nature of censorship that breeds ignorance that breeds such stupidity.
２３日付の香港紙「東方日報」などは、来月１０日に中国本土で予定されていたハリウッド映画「ＳＡＹＵＲＩ」（ロブ・マーシャル監督）の初上映が中止されたと報じた。中国人女優の章子怡（チャン・ツィイー）さんがヒロインの芸者役を演じていることから、中国人に旧日本軍の従軍慰安婦問題を思い起こさせ、反日感情の悪化につながることが懸念されるためと同紙は伝えている。
「ＳＡＹＵＲＩ」は、スティーブン・スピルバーグ氏が製作総指揮を執り、中国のトップ女優、鞏俐（コン・リー）さんも芸者役で出演する。
中国のインターネット上では昨年から、章さんが芸者役を演じることについて「国を辱めるものだ」といった批判の書き込みが相次いでいた。報道によると、中国では来月１０日に上映が始まる予定だったが、国家放送映画テレビ総局が「扱うテーマが敏感」との理由で中止を決めた。その後の上映計画についても審議しているが、許可される可能性は低いという。
Finally, the probe is launched and underway towards Pluto.According to the NASA press release, the Atlas V rocket carrying the vehicle lifted off at 14:00 EST. It separated from the solid fuel "kick motor" a tad under 45 minutes later. Five minutes after that, radio signals from New Horizons confirmed that all was well.I'm glad that one's underway. The JAXA launch is now sitting on the pad, waiting to go tomorrow morning.
Dr Colleen Hartman, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, enthused: "Today, NASA began an unprecedented journey of exploration to the ninth planet in the solar system. Right now, what we know about Pluto could be written on the back of a postage stamp. After this mission, we'll be able to fill textbooks with new information."
Dr. Alan Stern, New Horizons' principal investigator, indulged in a bit of flag-waving with: "The United States of America has just made history by launching the first spacecraft to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt beyond. No other nation has this capability. This is the kind of exploration that forefathers, like Lewis and Clark 200 years ago this year, made a trademark of our nation."
２３日の打ち上げに向けて最終的な準備を進めていた２２日深夜に、衛星を保護するカバー内の空調温度を監視する地上のシステムが、温度の上限を上回っているとの警告を発したため。The gist of that one is that there were some ground to tower problems.
同機構が、カバー内に送り込まれる空気の温度を別の複数のセンサーで測定したところ、正常な温度だった。同機構では「監視システムに誤った温度が設定されていることが判明したが、なぜそうなったかは不明」としている。同機構では、温度の監視を目視に切り替え、２４日の打ち上げに臨むとしている。
８号機は当初１９日に打ち上げる計画だったが、ロケットの送信機に不具合が見つかって延期された。今回で２度目の延期となった。
