Go vote at Studio B.

I’ve written about solar phenomena and sunspots several times in our Global Warming category, but haven’t covered the man-made variety. This is from APOD:

Sharp Silhouette

Though it’s 93 million miles away, the Sun still hurts your eyes when you look at it. But bright sunlight (along with accurate planning and proper equipment!) resulted in this sharp silhouette of spaceship and space station. The amazing telescopic view, recorded on September 17, captures shuttle orbiter Atlantis and the International Space Station in orbit over planet Earth. At a range of 550 kilometers from the observing site near Mamers, Normandy, France, Atlantis (left) has just undocked and moved about 200 meters away from the space station.

Image and story excerpt courtesy APOD and NASA.

The true character of the persons speaking at opening of the General Assembly of the United Nations became evident as they delivered their remarks. President Bush was eloquent and visionary, speaking the truth about the nature of the enemy and what must be done. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke like the deluded power-hungry despot he is, and Hugo Chavez went beyond the pale with his insane and hateful rhetoric accusing the United States of seeking to dominate the world. Indeed, Chavez’ remarks seemed humorous to the president of the General Assembly.

If you care to indulge the insanity, Ahmadinejad’s complete rant is translated at Vital Perspective.

Allahpundit has a video of Chavez’ melt-down, in which he calls President Bush “the devil.” Un.be.lieve.able!

I still stand beside my assertion that the most dangerous people in the world congregate in sanctuary at the United Nations — these recent developments should convince all of us that the UN is completely worthless to the United States and we need to withdraw NOW.

Apparently, we’re not the only ones who know the truth about unions. My opinion? The only difference between organized labor and organized crime is the way the second word is spelled. From CNS News:

Unions Have Embraced Anti-War Extremism, Report Says.

(CNSNews.com) - Labor leaders have established a close relationship with anti-American, anti-war activists as part of a move to the political left that began more than three decades ago, according to a recent report produced by a conservative think tank.

“Prominent self-styled ‘peace activists’ such as Cindy Sheehan, Leslie Cagan and Ramsey Clark rarely waste an opportunity to portray America as the number one obstacle to world peace,” said Carl Horowitz, author of the report “Common Cause With America’s Enemies: How Labor Unions Embraced Antiwar Extremism.”

Space junk floating above Earth? In addition to losing a bolt on this mission (STS115), the shuttle seems to have shaken off an unknown object after testing the reaction control system:

From NASA:

Object Investigation, Weather Force Managers to Wave Off Wednesday Landing

The Mission Control Center in Houston informed the STS-115 crew about 10:45 a.m. EDT that Wednesday’s landing attempts have been waved off due to an unfavorable weather forecast, coupled with the possibility of additional inspections of Space Shuttle Atlantis.

An object was observed by flight controllers using a TV camera on the shuttle in close proximity to the spacecraft. It was observed following standard tests of Atlantis’ reaction control system about 2:45 a.m. today. Flight controllers continue to analyze the situation and are concerned the item may be something that came off of Atlantis.

Image: unknown object in center of highlighted circle (courtesy NASA)

In spite of predictions of Global Warming alarmists that hurricanes in 2006 would again devastate the Nation, largely due to the Administration’s non-participation in the Kyoto accords, the weather patterns aren’t supporting their theories.

World Climate Report, one of our favorite blogs, published another very interesting article about this. Unlike the alarmists who cherry-pick their talking points without actually doing any serious research, the authors at World Climate Report use actual science and quote their references.

More Stormy Weather Ahead for Hurricane Doomsayers

The work of Bengtsson et al. provide yet another example that the present and future of tropical storms, and the potential human impact on their frequency and intensity, is far, far from being settled in the pages of scientific journals, despite what you may be reading in the pages of your favorite newspaper.

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Read about how the Sun is responsible for most of Earth’s climate fluctuations. Also visit our collection of articles on the topic of Global Warming.

We’ve blogged before about “Distracted Drivers” and offered humor in “Top 10 Reasons Why People Use a Wireless While Driving.” Now, Governor Schwarzenegger has signed a law to require the use of hands-free devices except for emergencies. That’s good, but it won’t take effect until next July.

From sacbee.com

Governor launches cell phone law

The law that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Friday banning motorists in California from holding cell phones while driving does not take effect until July 1, 2008, but the governor is urging drivers to begin complying now.

“You can use a cell phone, but use a headset or use a speaker system and you will be fine,” the governor said during a signing ceremony at a hotel in Oakland.

State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, predicted Senate Bill 1613 — the law he pushed through the Legislature after four unsuccessful attempts — will save lives by decreasing driving distractions.

Under the law, motorists will be required to use a headset, speaker phone, ear bud or other device that frees up both hands when they talk. Motorists who need to make emergency calls are exempted.

Violators will be fined $20 for the first infraction and $50 for subsequent violations.

Every year, Damsel and I make the pilgrimage back to the place where we got married — Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, California. You might have seen our postings on some of the things we saw this visit.

Crossing the Catalina Channel from San Pedro to Avalon on the Catalina Express boat takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. Crossing the Catalina Channel on the Island Express helicopter takes about fifteen minutes. Always anxious to get there, Damsel and I generally take the helicopter over and the boat back. This works to our advantage two ways: one, we get there quick and start our vacation activities an hour sooner, and two, there is not a restrictive weight limit on the boat for baggage (25 lbs max on the helicopter), and if we buy souvenirs and stuff there, taking the boat back makes sense to us. Actually, both means of transportation are fine with us, and both are enjoyable. This little two-minute movie shows a few sequences I recorded our last trip over.

Our weekly visit to the supermarket usually includes a stop at the floral section. These beautiful pink roses were a perfect target for the little camera.

Last week, I got a potted zinnia at the local garden shop. I put it on the back patio before we left for a short trip to Catalina Island this week. When we returned there were several beautiful bright red flowers to greet us. This is a close-up of one of them.