Wednesday,
24 November 1999 Washington, DC
1. STAR WARS: PENTAGON REPORT CALLS FOR POSTPONING THE DECISION.
The Clinton administration promised a decision on deployment of
a missile defense by next summer. However, in a report released
this week, a pentagon review panel warns that the system has a
"high risk" of failure, and a decision on deployment may have to
be delayed. The earliest date for deployment has already been
extended from 2003 to 2005. Our NATO allies have expressed
concern that the United States might withdraw from the 1972 ABM
Treaty, and thereby trigger a new arms race, in order to field an
unreliable system. Meanwhile, Russia is dusting off schemes for
evading a missile defense system that it was working on 15 years
ago, including such basic countermeasures as decoys and chaff,
and Russia's new Topol-M missile has a maneuverable warhead.
PACE MYSTERY: CHINA PREPARES TO PUT HUMANS IN SPACE.
China
announced on Sunday that it had successfully tested a spacecraft
capable of carrying humans into space. Looking rather like the
Mercury capsule that carried John Glenn into space 37 years ago,
the Shenzhou was launched atop a Long March rocket, the workhorse
of China's space program. In news stories, Shenzhou was
variously translated as "mystery vessel" (Wall Street Journal),
"magic vessel" (New York Times), and "God ship" (Reuters). To
resolve this important matter WN contacted the Chinese Embassy.
We were referred to the Cultural Officer. He explained that
"shenzhou" means "beautiful land." Told of the other meanings,
he insisted it's "land"--not "vessel"--but agreed that mysterious
may be better than beautiful. The mystery is why China, with a
profitable launch industry, would be so eager to wade into the
swamp of human space flight. The most hours in space have been
logged by the Russians--and we can see how much it's done for
them. If we want to level the playing field, perhaps we could
supply China with plans for the space station. It's only fair.
3. SPACE TOURISM: DOLE IS OUT OF THIS WORLD.
The Dole Food
Company is offering a trip to outer space as a sweepstakes prize.
All you need to enter is two bar code proofs-of-purchase from
any Dole product. The 2-hour sub-orbital flight on a Vela Space
Cruiser, also known as a "vomit comet," will come at the end of a
seven-day astronaut training program. Free Dramamine included.
4. APPLIED PHYSICS: HARNESSING THE LAWS OF NATURE FOR POLITICS.
While the Democratic, Republican and Reform parties engage in
destructive internal squabbles over the selection of their
presidential candidates, the Natural Law Party has peacefully
united behind John Hagelin. A string theorist with a PhD in
physics from Harvard, Hagelin is the author of Manual for a
Perfect Government. The book describes how a superstring field
generated by many minds meditating in unison would radiate
throughout society reducing stress and spreading tranquility.
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