ISS - "We need milk, eggs, toilet paper"

HTV/H-IIB Successfully Launched!! The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Demonstration Flight aboard the H-IIB Launch Vehicle Test Flight (H-IIB TF1) at 2:01:46 a.m. on September 11, 2009 (Japan Standard Time, JST) from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch vehicle flew smoothly, and, at about 15 minutes and 6 seconds after liftoff, the separation of the HTV Demonstration Flight was confirmed. Speedy was there !!! Well, not there, there in Japan, but in the JAXA Washington DC Office. For more info - http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/h2bf1/index_e.html

“The report of NSF funding system”

Takakuni Ikeda is the hardest working man in Japan. In the Japanese government actually. And now he is the hardest working man in America. He is here in the USA as a NSF Fellow. I am always impressed by the high level of service the Japanese civil servant brings to his nation. They work late into the night and get back to work in the wee hours of the morning.
O-tsukarasama-desita Japan! Mr. Aso, are you listening? Either give everyone a raise or let them go home at 5:00 pm! God bless, America and Japan. Read his special report "The report of NSF funding system"

http://www.zam.go.jp/pdf/00000321.pdf(It helps if you can read Japanese)

The boring title was forced on Speedy by Mr. Ikeda. And also, this story is behind the times, as Aso is no longer PM ... the Alien is' bout to become PM.

Elephant Man...

This is the research work of up and coming scientist, Josh Plotnik at Emory. He sent Speedy his story. Check it out. And check out the videos on his homepage.

Most people have rather set, morning routines. Wake up, use the toilet, take a shower, stare blankly into a mirror while brushing your teeth, applying make-up, fixing your hair, etc. Clearly, all of the latter, mirror-guided behaviors are based on the fact that the person using the mirror recognizes that the image is simply a reflection of self. You don't quickly cover yourself when you walk past the mirror in the morning, or wonder why the strange person in the mirror seems to be imitating your every move, because you long ago became aware that mirrors are good for self-reflection. This capacity for what we scientists call "mirror self-recognition" or MSR, is actually quite rare in the animal kingdom. Chimpanzees are very good at it, as are most of the Great Apes (including chimps, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos). Recently, dolphins and magpies, of the corvid bird family, also demonstrated it. But all other species, including monkeys, dogs and cats, fail this test. In fact, when presented with a mirror, they indefinitely seem to identify the mirror-reflected individual as a stranger, threatening it, looking away from it, or simply ignoring it. Our research group at Emory University recently tested Asian elephants, who passed the mirror test and seemed to clearly recognize themselves in the mirror. Using a test first developed for chimpanzees, we first watched to see whether or not the elephants would show self-directed behavior (humans brush their teeth or fix their hair, chimpanzees inspect parts of their bodies they can't see without a mirror for instance)....the elephants would do similar things, like inspect their ears or the inside of their mouths, or bring food to the mirror to watch themselves eat. We then conduct a test called the mark test, where we mark the elephants on their heads to see whether or not, in front of the mirror, they reach up and touch the mark. One of our elephants, Happy, actually tried to wipe the mark off in front of the mirror....if Happy did not recognize herself, we might expect her to wonder why the strange elephant in the mirror had a mark of paint on her face and try to wipe it OFF THE MIRROR. What most interests us, however, is the fact that all of these MSR species seem to be highly empathetic, and/or highly social animals. What's the link between recognizing yourself in a mirror and caring for others' needs? We're not entirely sure yet, but these questions form the basis for our future research on elephants and other highly cognitive animals.
For more on this work and videos: http://www.emory.edu/LIVING_LINKS/elephants.html

What the FAFSA are you doing ?!!

More students took out private loans in 2007-8 borrowing less than they could have in federal Stafford Loans—which is way up from just four years ago, according to theU.S. Education Department data released by the Project on Student Debt. That group includes students who did not apply for federal financial aid, as well as those who did apply but either did not borrow a Stafford Loan or borrowed less than they were eligible for. In 2003-4, 48 percent of students who took out private loans did not exhaust their Stafford Loan eligibility.

What's up with that ? Folks in the financial aid office need to work harder. Actually, Speedy has found that nearby here in the Northern Virgiania, Montgomery, and Howard County Community Colleges, the financial aid officers are very helpful. Speedy found the most helpful officers were at CUNY in New York City. They're just giving out money.

The report says the proportion of students taking out private loans grew from 5 percent in 2003-4 to 14 percent in 2007-8. The analysis also looked at the characteristics of students who took out such loans. It found that 63 percent of them attend colleges charging $10,000 or less in tuition and fees. It also notes that for-profit and private nonprofit four-year institutions have a disproportionate share of students taking out private loans. Hmmm, someone pitching something ? Speedy smells a money trail.... and by the way, FAFSA application is not difficult to fill out... if you cant fill out an 8 page (online) document, don't go to college.

( read more... )

http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/

and

http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/files/pub/private_loan_facts_trends_09.pdf

"Myanmar is for Lovers"

Impressive... yes, Senator Webb said he got this "impression" that Suu Kyi wants to lift sanctions. "It was my clear impression from her that she is not opposed to lifting some sanctions," Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) told journalists on Monday. The Judson Observer told you months ago ( see May 11 post ) that Webb was weaving something. Yettaw is a pawn of the regime and the regime asked Webb to come get him. Nobody knew Webb was going. Did the US Embassy in Myanmar know ? Did the Myanmar Embassy in DC know - nope. Only General Than Shwe can approve this level meeting and allow a meeting with Suu Kyi. And everyone knows Webb is anti-sanctions, so Than Shwe let him visit her. And knew he'd come out with the "impression" not a quote that Suu wants to lift sanctions. Nice. Regime voodoo is working well.

Sewer mistaken as nuclear reactor... oops

PHUKET, Thailand -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the nations of Southeast Asia to apply additional diplomatic pressure on the reclusive military regime that runs Myanmar. She expressed worry also about how North Korea was passing on its military capabilities -- and maybe even its nuclear technology to Myanmar. But the JO already told you this and even got the pics to prove it ( by the way, the tunnels are just sewer lines... )

Mrs. Clinton offered a carrot to Myanmar's leaders, saying that freeing jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi could open the way for the U.S. to allow investments in the country, which Washington currently targets with stiff economic sanctions. What the ? trade with Myanmar ? Cool! Any loosening of U.S. sanctions would represent a major change in U.S. policy. The reply of the regime was "we're not donkeys, we don't like carrots"....

see the full story on the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124826266087471853.html

"Free Burma!!!"... actually, freeing Burma is not free... your tax dollars...

Myanmar kyats...

International aid and development folks in Washington DC are abuzz with hope that U.S. foreign-aid policy might finally be getting a much needed overhaul. Critics have complained that U.S. assistance comes with too many conditions and that too much of the money goes to U.S. companies and consultants. But now maybe President Obama will make some changes.

Probably President Obama's eyes were really opened after his trip to Africa and he saw how pouring money on problems is not the solution. But it's not the Prez that's pouring money onto projects it's government agencies controlled by board members with their own special interests and connections to businesses and consultants.

The National Endowment for Democracy pours millions of your tax dollars to help the likes of Tibet, Uigghurs, Sudan, Israel, and Burma, the list goes on... but do you know how the recipients of these grants spends your tax money ? Can we really make Israelis and Palestinians get along through conferences (ka-ching) ? Can the US influence China not to beat down the llamas by a lecture series (ka-ching) Can your tax dollars save Darfur ( ka-ching ka-ching) ?

see where your money is going

http://www.ned.org/grants/08programs/grants-asia08.html#Burma

then send emails to find how your tax money is spent webmaster@ned.org

"Separation of Church and Science" - actually means, keep science out of the church...

TJ's letter to Danbury Baptists

Dr. Frances Collins - NIH Director appointee. You saw it here on SpeedyJOHO months ago. Thanks to friends at WH and NIH, Speedy could tell you way ahead of time. There was lots of complaining about Collins before the appointment and after the July 8 appointment.

So what if the guy is Evangelical. As you may know, originally the concept of "separation of church and state" was to keep government out of religion... nowadays it's about trying to keep the Religious Right out of politics. Same goes for science then - keep science out of religion. Religion is between man and his God on an individual basis. This is why the early American settlers came to the New World. To practice religion without government interference. So, same goes for science. Don't worry about religion having an influence on science; worry about scientists saying their is no god.

check this out - http://biologos.org/

Happy Independence day... way to rub it in, Ban

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Myanmar this week, he told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday. Speaking after talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, he said he was aware of concerns about his July 3-4 visit coinciding with the trial of Suu Kyi, the main opposition leader, who has been under house arrest for years. "It may be the case that the trial happens during my visit to Myanmar. I am very much conscious of that," - duh ?

Listen, Wilberforce can tell you right now, the trail will end in 2011.

Ban told reporters. "I try to use this visit as an opportunity to raise in the strongest possible terms and convey the concerns of the international community of the United Nations to the highest authorities of the Myanmar government," he added. Ban plans to tell Myanmar officials that they must free Aung San Suu Kyi. Good luck with that - all the government offices are closed for the July 4th holiday. Listen to Liz and Nik, Ban !!!

( art by "Mr Creator" )