Drudge Retort: Goatman's blog

Obama's Broken Deficit Promise

goatman — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:30:07 -0500

"This is big," wrote White House director of new media Macon Phillips in a February 23, 2009 blog post , "the President today promised that by the end of his first term, he will cut in half the massive federal deficit we've inherited. And we'll do it in a new way: honestly and candidly."

Indeed, President Obama did make that promise that day, saying , "today I'm pledging to cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term in office. This will not be easy. It will require us to make difficult decisions and face challenges we've long neglected. But I refuse to leave our children with a debt that they cannot repay - and that means taking responsibility right now, in this administration, for getting our spending under control."

Big Bend Designated As International Dark Sky Park

goatman — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:23:34 -0500

- Big Bend National Park officials has been designated as an "International Dark Sky Park" and one of ten places in the world certified to have especially dark night skies favored for stargazing.

Perry Drops Out, Backs Gingrich

goatman — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:41:42 -0500

Two days before South Carolina's primary, Rick Perry announced that he's dropping his bid for the Republican presidential nomination and endorsing Newt Gingrich. Gingrich has the "heart of a conservative reformer," Perry said. A recent poll had Perry with just six percent support in the state.

Moon and Venus Conjuntion Monday and Tuesday evening

goatman — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 11:22:01 -0500

For those still recovering from an active Christmas Day, there will be a celestial sight pretty enough to adorn your Christmas tree on the evening after Christmas.

On Monday (Dec. 26), known as Boxing Day in Commonwealth nations like Canada and the United Kingdom): The brilliant planet Venus will shine prominently in the vicinity of a lovely crescent moon. The Venus-moon sky show repeats on Tuesday night, too.

Comet Survives Solar Encounter

goatman — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:04:45 -0500

Comet Lovejoy plunged through the sun's corona at about 7 p.m. EST (midnight GMT on Dec. 16), coming within 87,000 miles (140,000 kilometers) of our star's surface. Temperatures in the corona can reach 2 million degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 million degrees Celsius), so most researchers expected the icy wanderer to be completely destroyed.

But Lovejoy proved to be made of tough stuff. A video taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft showed the icy object emerging from behind the sun and zipping back off into space.

Comet to Put on Show Later This Week

goatman — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:29:33 -0500

Scientists say a comet the size of two football fields is sailing toward the sun, where it is expected to be destroyed in a spectacular light show later this week.

The comet, which is about 200 meters wide, is expected to become as bright as Jupiter or Venus when it flames out on December 15 or 16. The comet will move to within 140,000 km from the surface of the sun, which will reflect a great bit of light that SOHO will be able to capture.

Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

goatman — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:18:01 -0500

The 2011 Geminid meteor shower peaks on the night of Dec. 13-14, and despite the glare of a nearly-full Moon, it might be a good show.

"Observers with clear skies could see as many as 40 Geminids per hour," predicts Bill Cooke of the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office. "Our all-sky network of meteor cameras has captured several early Geminid fireballs. They were so bright, we could see them despite the moonlight."

Gov't Motors Bailout to now Cost Taxpayers Almost $24 B

goatman — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:06:47 -0500

In its monthly report to Congress, the Treasury Department now says it expects to lose $23.6 billion, up from its previous estimate of $14.33 billion.

The Treasury now pegs the cost of the bailout of GM, Chrysler Group LLC and the auto finance companies at $79.6 billion. It no longer includes $5 billion it set aside to guarantee payments to auto suppliers in 2009.