Author Archive: Stephen Green

RIP: Astronaut Thomas Stafford, commander of Apollo 10, has died at age 93. “After the moon landings ended, NASA and the Soviet Union decided on a joint docking mission and Stafford, a one-star general at the time, was chosen to command the American side. It meant intensive language training, being followed by the KGB while in the Soviet Union, and lifelong friendships with cosmonauts. The two teams of space travelers even went to Disney World and rode Space Mountain together before going into orbit and joining ships.”

VIDEO: Ian McCollum Defines Assault Rifle.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to watch a vide, Lawrence Person has done his usual excellent job of breaking out the, ah, bullet points.

HMM: Why auto insurance costs are rising at the fastest rate in 47 years.

New data out this week showed auto insurance costs rose 20.6% from the prior year in February, matching January’s increase as the most since December 1976, when costs rose 22.4% over the prior year.

On an annual basis, motor vehicle insurance costs rose 17.4% in 2023, the most since a 28.7% increase in 1976, according to data from the BLS.

The sticker shock hitting many American drivers is being driven by a rise in accidents, the severity of accidents, and geographical factors combining to create a perfect storm and push costs higher.

The most alarming factor driving insurance costs higher is more severe claims.

“In general, the numbers of crashes, injuries, and fatalities are up, and inflation has made the cost of repairs more expensive,” AAA spokesperson Robert Sinclair told Yahoo Finance.

According to this report from last year, “Average Age of Light Vehicles in the US Hits Record High 12.5 years.” Older cars are more likely to require new brakes, new tires, etc. I wonder if that’s behind the increase in accidents.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Biden and His MSM Lapdogs Hit New Lows With Trump’s Bloodless Bloodbath. “Trump’s shoot-from-the-lip extemporaneous speaking style provides the MSM types with a lot of fodder for spinning fantastical narratives. I happen to think that’s a feature, not a bug. Let them keep heading off to the Land of Make Believe for the next eight months. Preaching to the commie choir isn’t going to get them anywhere.”

RESTORING RESPECT FOR AMERICA ON THE WORLD STAGE:

Previously:

Meanwhile: China Taking Over Africa: ‘China’s Second Continent.’

ANALYSIS: TRUE. After Thursday’s flight, Starship is already the most revolutionary rocket ever built.

The moment of true amazement came about 45 minutes into the flight, as Starship descended an altitude of 100 km and began entering a thicker atmosphere. For a couple of minutes, we were treated to unprecedented views of atmospheric heating acting on a spacecraft. It’s one thing to know about the perils of plasma and compression as a spacecraft falls back to Earth at 27,000 km/hour into thickening air. It’s another thing to see it.

Let’s step back for just a moment to realize how these unprecedented views were possible.

Starlink terminals on the ship were sending signals to satellites in low-Earth orbit, which then sent them back to Earth. This is not a new idea. For the last 40 years, NASA has used a small constellation of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites to communicate with spacecraft, beginning with the Space Shuttle. Starship was able to communicate with these satellites upon its reentry, but it was only at a low data rate, and it dropped out as the plasma thickened. The Starlink connection remained longer and is what enabled the stunning video of reentry.

Impressive.

FLORIDA MAN FRIDAY [VIP]: Run, Run, Run ‘Til the Cops Took the Motorcycle Away. “It’s time for your much-needed break from the serious news, and this week we have the kidnapping without a kidnapper, the “WILL RUN” guy who did run, and Nebraska Woman’s short-lived plan for beating the high price of gas.”