OPEN THREAD: Happy Friday.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: Thailand joins China-led ILRS moon base initiative.

AS USUAL, THEY’RE BEYOND PARODY:

Holy crap I was just joking about people blaming climate change and then this genius pops up. A Senate candidate no less! https://t.co/HZujDQ7alP

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) April 5, 2024

COUPLES THAT DRINK TOGETHER, LIVE LONGER? “Couples who share similar drinking habits tend to live longer than those who don’t, according to a study of more than 9,000 people. This might sound like a suggestion to drink more with your partner, but the researchers from the University of Michigan warn against taking it too literally.”

HE’S RIGHT TO QUESTION THOSE: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. questions prosecutions for Jan. 6 attack, says he wants to hear ‘every side.’

WOEING: “Thanks to a string of unforced errors and botched responses, Boeing, like other corporate giants from the 20th century, has devolved from the epitome of world-beating quality to a symbol of managerial fecklessness, focused on short-term profits at the expense of the company’s long-term sustainability. Boeing cut corners in production, pushed out experienced workers to save money, and poured money into boosting the stock price instead of investing in its products.”

WELL, THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: OneTaste isn’t an ‘orgasm’ sex cult — but a ‘wellness’ company like SoulCycle, Crossfit, attorney claims.

And kind of oversells SoulCycle and Crossfit, to be honest.

WELL, GOOD: Existing medicine may slow rare disease that can lead to amputation.

JAMES PETHOKOUKIS: What the ‘3 Body Problem’ teaches about stagnation: A simple plan for slowing human progress.

CHANGE: Marines Ditch 100-Year-Old Marksmanship Standards.

DEAN REUTER EMAILS:

Just now, the Federalist Society is prepared to hand out some money to budding AI scholars. We’ve issued a call for papers, described below. Would you be able to feature it on Instapundit?

Feel free to mention that 8 or so (depending on submissions) papers in different categories will win $7,500 first prizes, and others can win $2,500 second place prizes.

Here’s the symposium announcement.

A LITTLE-REMEMBERED STORY OF HEROISM: Even old weapons crewed by older men can save a nation.

The lightning strike where you seize the government in one fell swoop seems to be less successful than hoped, most of the time.

FASTER, PLEASE — A LOT FASTER: Helicity Space Fusion Propulsion Funded by Lockheed Martin.

CIVIL RIGHTS UPDATE: Second Amendment Roundup: A Double Shot of Oral Arguments.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: 28 More Academic Scandals.

COLLEGE IS BAD FOR STUDENTS AND OTHER LIVING THINGS: Suicides among US college student athletes have doubled over past 20 years: Study.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: NASA selects companies to develop, operate moon rover for Artemis astronauts.

THERE WERE GIANTS IN THE EARTH IN THOSE DAYS: Scientists still baffled from giant human skeletons up to 10 feet tall decades after initial discovery.

DEI DELENDA EST:

WINNING: The University of Texas is closing down its DEI division, forcing some DEI deans to return to teaching, and eliminating other DEI positions altogether.

We will not stop until DEI is abolished and salted over. pic.twitter.com/1eLE45HNa9

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) April 2, 2024

FOLLOW THE SCIENCE: Do Diverse Companies Produce Better Earnings? These Academics Say No.

A COUNTERPOINT TO THE GLAMOR OF TECH:

Two revolutionary companies went public twenty years ago. These are their returns since…

Google: +6,080%
Domino's Pizza: +8,200%$GOOGL $DPZ pic.twitter.com/cNr6nIhIOL

— Charlie Bilello (@charliebilello) April 5, 2024

COVERING UP ADVOCACY OF TERRORISM: Harvard scrubs ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ film info from website.

JEEZ, YOU GO TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO ESCAPE THAT BULLSHIT: Community college’s new social justice center focuses on issues like ‘white privilege’ and ‘water.’

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: So I just finished up The Naval Odyssey of Prof. James Brand, so far as it goes to date, and quite enjoyed it. It’s a World War II series with plenty of action, but its central character is Prof. James Brand, a wunderkind physicist/operations analyst who zips around solving problems with everything from antisubmarine warfare to amphibious landing load-outs to bombing strategies. The logistical/production side of the war gets a lot more attention than in most war novels, and serves as a reminder of how many hairy problems they had to solve back then. Very enjoyable, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment. (Bumped).

FOULING THEIR OWN NESTS IS WHAT COMMUNISTS DO:

International financial centers don’t have political prisoners. https://t.co/8V4CwgrJX0

— Mark Simon (@MarkSimonHK) April 3, 2024