RESTARTING A STALLED AIRPLANE ENGINE the hard way. Heh.

HAULING HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM OUT OF POLAND: “The National Nuclear Security Administration announced it had removed — and sent back to Russia for safekeeping — more than 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium from nuclear research reactors in Poland. The Russian-origin HEU was reportedly enough to make 18 atomic bombs.”

MATT WELCH: Just Admit It, Newspapers: You’re Scared of Muslims. “No, Martel/Brauchli, you pulled the cartoon because your fear of Muslims outweighs your commitment to free expression, period.” May you have joy of the incentive structure you’re creating, O guardians of societal values. Because you’re going to be living with it.

UPDATE: Rand Simberg emails: “So who are the ‘Islamophobes’ again?”

OUCH: “As a policy matter, the President has made clear that he believes DOMA is discriminatory and should be repealed” — but his Administration must continue the fight against gay rights. And Obama voters are complaining about it.

A DUBIOUS ADVANCE FOR electric-car batteries.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Potatoes can be part of a weight-loss diet. Well, pretty much anything can be if you don’t eat much of it . . . . .

EXCLUSIVE REPORT AND PHOTOS: Inside the ‘Zone’: PJM Visits the Red Sludge Disaster in Hungary. “It is worse than I would have ever imagined.”

NRCC TO BACK BIELAT AGAINST BARNEY FRANK? That would be big.

MICHAEL TOTTEN: On The Bleeding Edge Of The West. “Public opinion follows momentum. It was like this during the Cold War, too. What changed between the Carter years and the Reagan years? The United States invaded Grenada. Why did the United States invade Grenada? It was the first step in shifting momentum, and global politics follows momentum. The world’s peoples will magnetically move toward whoever they think is winning.”

CHEAPER PLASTIC solar cells.

THE AK-47: The Most Important Weapon Ever?

LOCKHEED MARTIN’S military laser.

MICHAEL YON: “I am very proud that with my publisher we have been able to send a check for almost $5000.00 to Soldiers’ Angels because you have helped by buying my new book Iraq: Inside the Inferno 2005 – 2008.”

IN THE MAIL: From James S. Robbins, This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive.

RACKETEERING SUIT FILED against Arizona speed camera program.

RON BAILEY: Regulating Personal Genomics To Death.

AUSTIN BAY: Liu Xiaobo and the War for the Terms of Modernity. “Beijing’s full-throttle propaganda, political and police overreaction speaks volumes about the party elites’ insecurity seeded by their failure to address China’s array of internal challenges. . . . The Chinese government’s heavy-handed reaction to Liu’s prize provides an insight into China’s great 21st century internal struggle. China’s economic success is impressive, but it teeters on a very iffy political deal. China’s privileged communist elites seek the benefits of economic liberalization (including free trade) without concomitant political liberalization. The blood of 2000 Chinese citizens slain at Tiananmen Square demonstrated the lengths the communists will go to enforce this bargain. China’s continued economic growth, however, requires modern technology and communications. The Internet is an essential economic tool, but one that frustrates an authoritarian government’s ability to deny or control information. Over time, an informed population becomes an opinionated population, and dissident opinions endanger the communists’ harsh bargain.”

PETER SUDERMAN: The White House Isn’t Sure What’s In The Health Care Bill.

PUTTING THE BUSH TAX-CUT EXTENSION in perspective.

CHANGE: Tight budgets lead to more civilians used for policing. “Police agencies across the country are recruiting thousands of civilians for a growing number of duties previously performed by uniformed cops, in an unusual concession to local budget cuts. . . . The chief opponents of the movement are police union leaders who believe cash-strapped agencies are lowering standards and undermining professionalism in the ranks. In some cases, the civilian positions circumvent pay and benefit obligations outlined in hard-fought labor contracts.”

UPDATE: Reader Mark Andrade writes: “It’s not just happening with the police. However, one issue in common seems to be that public employee unions are having issues with volunteerism.”

He sends a link to this story: Library Help Irks Union Pros. “The regional school system cut librarians from the budget in order to keep more teachers on staff. Parents stepped up to volunteer at the libraries so students could keep studying. . . . The unions cracked their knuckles, and these soccer moms and do-gooder dads fled. As for the kids, they’re still without a library, but the teacher’s union insists it’s for a good cause.”

TIM CAVANAUGH: You Know Who Else Spelled “Crystal” With a K? The Nazis! “The brilliance of Ball’s outrage is that she’s gotten a few of the rubes to believe it.”

NOEMIE EMERY: Strong-Arm Tactics Backfiring. “Perhaps the Democrats are starting to realize that pushing health care through on a procedural loophole against the vigorously expressed will of the people wasn’t such a great idea after all.”

EZRA LEVANT: NASA boss ignores world’s big polluters to pick on little ol’ Canada.

James Hansen, the head of one of President Barack Obama’s NASA labs, came to Canada last week to tell us not to allow a French company called Total to proceed with its Canadian oilsands project.

Even for Obama, that’s quite a foreign policy accomplishment: Interfering with two allies at once. NASA used to be about exploring space — that’s what the S stands for. But NASA’s new boss, Charles Bolden, recently told Al Jazeera TV that Obama has given him new marching orders: Inspire children to learn math, expand international relationships. “Perhaps foremost. he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math and engineering.”

I guess that’s what happens when a “community organizer” becomes president.

But when you think about it, Hansen is following Obama’s instructions perfectly: The Saudis probably do “feel good” that NASA is trying to shut down their Canadian oil competitors.

Ouch.

I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ONE GODDAMNED WORD ABOUT MY CARBON FOOTPRINT (CONT’D): Barney Frank’s free jet ride. “U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, immersed in one of the toughest political fights of his career, took a free private jet to the Virgin Islands courtesy of a Maine congresswoman’s billionaire fiance — whose company received a $200 million federal bailout.”

REGULATING the “College dream.”