SpaceX commercial rocket blasts off for International Space Station

Published May 22, 2012

Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida –  A first-of-its-kind commercial supply ship rocketed toward the International Space Station following a successful liftoff early Tuesday, opening a new era of dollar-driven spaceflight.
The SpaceX company made history as its Falcon 9 rocket rose from its seaside launch pad and pierced the pre-dawn sky, aiming for a rendezvous in a few days with the space station. The unmanned rocket carried into orbit a capsule named Dragon that is packed with 1,000 pounds of space station provisions.
It is the first time a private company has launched a vessel to the space station. Before, that was something only major governments had done.
"Falcon flew perfectly!!" SpaceX's billionaire founder, Elon Musk, said via Twitter. "Dragon in orbit ... Feels like a giant weight just came off my back."

'Every launch into space is a thrilling event, but this one is especially exciting.'

- John Holdren, President Barack Obama's chief science adviser

Musk later told reporters: "I feel very lucky ... For us, it's like winning the Super Bowl."
This time, the Falcon's nine engines kept firing all the way through liftoff. On Saturday, flight computers aborted the launch with a half-second remaining in the countdown; a bad engine valve was replaced.
The White House quickly offered congratulations.
"Every launch into space is a thrilling event, but this one is especially exciting," said John Holdren, President Barack Obama's chief science adviser. "This expanded role for the private sector will free up more of NASA's resources to do what NASA does best -- tackle the most demanding technological challenges in space, including those of human space flight beyond low Earth orbit."

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Colombia’s free-trade deal A long-awaited pact comes into force

Carnation revolution

May 19th 2012 | BUCARAMANGA | Colombia

 

 

SHORTLY before midnight on May 14th a planeload of freshly cut roses, carnations and lilies took off from Bogotá and headed for Miami. By the time it landed a free-trade agreement had come into effect, allowing the flowers, and thousands of other Colombian products, tariff-free entry into the American market.
This prompted celebrations of a new era in trade between the two nations. In fact the flowers would have avoided tariffs anyway, thanks to decade-long trade preferences under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. This already covered nearly 80% of Colombian exports, in exchange for efforts to reduce the supply of drugs. The new pact makes those benefits permanent, and extends them to almost everything else. Meanwhile American farm products such as soyabeans, top-quality beef, bacon, cotton and most fruit and vegetables can now enter Colombia duty-free, as can machinery, some vehicles, and textiles. The deal should also encourage investment in Colombia, both by American companies and by firms using the country as a base from which to export to the United States.

Be prepared, study the market and benefit form it... Learn about Colombia

Their Rules, Not Ours: Time to Vet Private Lives of Journalists?

 

by John Nolte 

We now have three  instances of three individual Politico writers digging up and publishing political oppo-research about the private lives of private citizens who don't support Obama, and the motive behind these attacks can only be for two reasons:

1. To change the narrative of effective criticism of Obama to the less flattering moments of the private lives of these individuals.
2. To intimidate and frighten others who might consider supporting a candidate not named Obama.
So desperate is the media to Palace Guard for their Precious One that everyday Americans who dare ask Obama a question he flubs, appear in a Romney campaign ad, or donate to a pro-Romney super PAC, are now considered fair game.
But if this is the new MSM standard, what are those of us in New Media to do? In a perfect world we wouldn’t be faced with this question because in a perfect world the media has integrity and would never even consider attacking and intimidating private citizens.
But the world isn't perfect and Politico's lack of human and journalistic integrity begs a question…
If the media says the private lives of private citizens are now fair game, aren't journalists private citizens? Read More