THE REAL SPACE RACE.

IT’S PROBABLY FRAME-DRAGGING: “Mysteriously, five spacecraft that flew past the Earth have each displayed unexpected anomalies in their motions.” But the story doesn’t mention that, which seems odd.

UPDATE: Oh, right: Here’s some background on frame-dragging. I’m just guessing, really, but the fact that these are open orbits is suggestive.

REMEMBERING THE HONDA CRX: “Before the CRX eventually morphed into the soft, poseur Del Sol, the CRX was, depending on your viewpoint, either the ultimate economy car or a pocket Lotus.” But a twin-engine CRX?

OUT-CLINTONING the Clintons?

OBAMA STARTS TALKING ABOUT NATO AND EUROPE.

UPDATE: From TigerHawk, praise for Obama: “At a time when ‘traditional allies’ has become almost synonymous with ‘free riders,’ this is welcome from the candidate of the left.” Plus a suggestion that the Obama campaign might actually welcome: “Now we need some principles to build upon. How about this one: We will consult extensively on collective security matters with any power that spends on defense at least 2% of GDP — half the level of the United States — and has the lift capacity to deliver at least some fully-equipped and combat ready soldiers anywhere in the world.”

INDIA SENDS ENFORCERS to Russia.

LIVEBLOGGING Israel in Gaza.

DREW CAREY: An education revolt in Watts.

UPDATE: Reader Jim Yeomans emails:

Just viewed the Drew Carey Watts School video that you posted. Decided to go full screen with it on my Samsung 24” monitor.

If I were the head of a TV or cable network right now, I would be horrified. If I step back about 5 feet, the clarity of this stinky little streaming video, fed off of your site, is better than I get with my high def cable service.

Progress!

Indeed.

A SETTLEMENT, in the wake of a fatal SWAT raid gone wrong:

The handwritten settlement reached this week that resolved the fallout over the shooting death of 18-year-old Peyton Strickland included just three main points, officials say.

They were: $2.45 million, headed to a scholarship fund; an apology, issued Wednesday; and an audit of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office’s Emergency Response Team. On Thursday, county officials said plans for the review aren’t set but they are open to outside advice. . . . Attention turned to the office’s Emergency Response Team on Dec. 1, 2006, when Cpl. Christopher M. Long mistook the sound of a battering ram for gunfire during a raid. He fired through a door, killing Strickland, a student at Cape Fear Community College, who was wanted in connection with the robbery of video game equipment. Strickland wasn’t armed.”

That was wrong, but the real problem was that the circumstances didn’t call for door-busting to begin with.

WHY DOES IT BOTHER OTHER PEOPLE when you quit your job? Plus, lessons on self-employment and living below your means.

CHRYSLER CHIEF: All cars will be hybrids.

IN THE MAIL: Superbad, on Blu-Ray. I never saw the movie, but I expect I’ll be McLovin’ it!

ABC NEWS:

With the corruption trial of one of Sen. Barack Obama’s longtime friends and supporters set to begin Monday in Chicago, Ill., reform watchdogs say it will reveal the “cesspool” of Illinois politics in which Obama came of age and has said little about in his campaign for president.

“We have a sick political culture,” said Jay Stewart, the executive director of the Chicago Better Government Association, “and that’s the environment that Barack Obama came from.”

Stewart says he does not understand why Obama has lectured others about corruption in Washington and Kenya but “been noticeably silent on the issue of corruption here in his home state, including at this point, mostly Democratic politicians.”

There was no immediate comment from the Obama campaign.

(Via NewsAlert).

HEH: “He Who Must Not Be Middle-Named”.

ROGER VON OECH (yes, the Ball of Whacks guy) is photoblogging from North Vietnam, at the places where John McCain was shot down and imprisoned.

FILM PHOTOGRAPHY? I remember that!

Of course, I also remember Thriller.

BATTERYLESS HYBRID CARS, with nano-enhanced ultracapacitors.

MEGAN MCARDLE ON OBAMA ON TRADE: “Well, I certainly hope he’s lying, because I think he’s going to be the next president of the United States. But of course, as I’ve said before, I do not like it that politicians seem to feel the need to lie shamelessly to the electorate.” Generally, you have to hope that most of what most candidates say is a lie. Fortunately, it usually is . . . .

UPDATE: “Change you can disavow.“

FLAMMABLE PAJAMAS. Or subliminal advertising from Hillary? The “G” doesn’t really appear, though.

A ROUNDUP OF Apple computer news. “Even more worrying is the rumor circulating from iLounge that Apple will be exerting tight controls over what can be downloaded to your iPhone.”

AIRBUS GETS A BIG U.S. AIR FORCE CONTRACT, over Boeing. Abu Muqawama thinks this represents a promising defeat for a big domestic interest. Possibly. I suspect it represents a U.S. payoff to France for . . . well, we’ll see.

NOW THAT HE’S HOME, British Islamists threaten Prince Harry. Not long ago, people like that would have been afraid of being lynched for making such a threat.

A.C. KLEINHEIDER: “Could the risk of an ugly convention and the fact that the superdelegates may decide the contest lead Al Gore to step up as a candidate for President at the convention and then choose Barack Obama as his runningmate?”

MARIE REILLY: Commerce is not a cuss word.

JOHN BIRMINGHAM: “Sometimes, even blowing stuff up gets a bit wearying, I guess, and you just have to go home for a bit.”