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Found! The Actual Cause Of A Celestial Event Seen For Half A Year, In The Night Skies — Emanating From Cassiopeia… About 800 Years Ago, In 1181…

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It always fires my imagination — to think of all the light that has just recently reached us… many thousands of years after an event out there, in the eternity — deep in another galaxy. But the people looking up in 1181, they saw an event as bright as Saturn — visible to a well trained naked eye, even. They had no idea what it was, or what caused it.

And yet, now after about 800 years from when its first light reach us, we’ve nailed down what it was, and where it happened. Here’s that story — after many years of looking at the wrong spot in the sky, too:

…In the year 1181 a rare supernova explosion appeared in the night sky, staying visible for 185 consecutive days. Historical records show that the supernova looked like a temporary ‘star’ in the constellation Cassiopeia shining as bright as Saturn.

Ever since, scientists have tried to find the supernova’s remnant. At first it was thought that this could be the nebula around the pulsar — the dense core of a collapse star — named 3C 58. However closer investigations revealed that the pulsar is older than supernova 1181.

In the last decade, another contender was discovered; Pa 30 is a nearly circular nebula with a central star in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is pictured here combining images from several telescopes. This composite image uses data across the electromagnetic spectrum and shows a spectacular new view of the supernova remnant. This allows us to marvel at the same object that appeared in our ancestors’ night sky more than 800 years ago….

Studies of the composition of the different parts of the remnant have led scientists to believe that it was formed in a thermonuclear explosion, and more precisely a special kind of supernova called a sub-luminous Type Iax event. During this event two white dwarf stars merged, and typically no remnant is expected for this kind of explosion.

But incomplete explosions can leave a kind of ‘zombie’ star, such as the massive white dwarf star in this system. This very hot star, one of the hottest stars in the Milky Way (about 200,000 degrees Celsius), has a fast stellar wind with speeds up to 16,000 km/h. The combination of the star and the nebula makes it a unique opportunity for studying such rare explosions….

Amazing… onward, and pulling for Marquette tonight — smiling.

नमस्ते

Scott Johnson’s — This Morning — Admits There Is No Path To “Lawful” Secession…

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Of course, my snarky post of last night was aimed exclusively… at what an utterly suicidal move, from an economic and self-defense standpoint, it would be… if Texas were to take Hinderaker’s advice — and quit.

I did not address the legal merits of the approach, as there… are none.

And that is why, quite a bit more seriously, it would be foolish to think Mexico or California or Colorado or Illinois and New York would continue to have cordial trade relations with any new “nation” called Texas. And the fed’s removal of $30 billion in cash aid, plus the ending of perhaps $100 billion in “in-kind” aid (defense, air traffic control, roads and bridge and waterway/port connections and so on)… would mean the people of Texas would need to adopt punishing new income taxes, and real estate taxes… and sales taxes… just to keep the awful level of services they now endure — much more, if the Texans want to improve them.

But perhaps because John’s drew a righteous rebuke from most of his commenters, Scott needed to re-assert that Mr. Lincoln long ago settled this question. Leaving the Union, is and would be… itself… an act of war against the United States of America.

Lovely, boys… just lovely. None of you can be taken seriously any longer.

Each of you has lost your tiny lil’ minds.

Out

Nutty Hinderaker (Again) Thinks Texas “Secession” Might Work — For Texas?!

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John is apparently unaware that Texas not only imports most of its food and grains, but also that Mexico is its largest trading partner, by far (behind foodstuffs — from California).

Yet he thinks leaving the Union would work out for Texans.

Nope. They’d… likely starve, if California and Mexico decided to raise tariffs, or refuse to barter.

And that’s before we talk about the hundreds of billions that Texas takes, in federal government aid and support. Texans like to brag about the 2023 $32 billion budget surplus, in state coffers — but they conveniently fail to mention that nearly $30 billion comes from federal sources — aid the “nation” of Texas would have to cover from state taxes (Texas imposes no state income tax).

In sum… Texas would fall apart — and starve.

What a silly old coot he is.

Out.

We Are Still Waiting To See The Pre-Trial Conference Definitive Order — In Merck’s Long-Running, Multi-Billion Dollar Lanham Act Suit…

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Since at least late September of last year, we’ve inquired on and off about why the full (even if partially redacted) purported pre-trial order in the Merck v. Merck federal action in New Jersey remains… sealed.

Essentially all orders, entered in the US courts on the docket — under over a century of precedent, are presumptively required to be made public — immediately — absent a detailed hearing and written findings from the court delineating why any part might not be made publicly available. This is a core tenant of our “freedom of the press” jurisprudence.

But here in late March 2024 (the original was shown in court in early October of 2023), we are again reading of a minute order / potential delay to making the contours of the upcoming schedule… public, thus (just entered today):

…As discussed at today’s telephone status conference, by or before April 3, 2024 the parties shall file a joint letter informing the Court as to whether either party objects to holding in abeyance the May 10, 2024 filing of the proposed final pretrial order until the determination of the forthcoming motions in limine.

So Ordered by Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer on 3/28/24….

Obviously, the parties must not want it made public — but the interest of the free press is always supposed to be considered by able Magistrate Judges, in federal court.

We may need to restate the law for the court, by letter to chambers. Please do make at least a redacted version available, Judge Hammer — or I will appear and file for one at least redacted version to be compelled, under the Supremes’ precedents from the Nixon era — specifically… Nixon v. Warner Communications 435 US 589, 597 (1978).

Hmm… okay. Onward.

नमस्ते

USDC Judge Kaplan In Manhattan Sentences SBF To 25 Years — A Quarter Century! — Rejects Claims That His Investors Suffered No Losses.

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Not surprising. [But it is about 20 percent longer than I had guessed — while using Elizabeth Holmes’ nearly $700 million of frauds as “Kentucky windage“, here.] Significantly, Judge Kaplan recommends a “medium security” FCI (like Allenwood or Ft. Dix or Canaan) — not a camp. But the final decision on placement falls to BoP, as we saw in Shkreli’s cases.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the son of two prominent Stanford Law School professors, and at one time, a billionaire — wielding wide influence in both Democratic and Republican US political races… will spend a quarter century behind bars. And the forfeiture is over $11 billion. He will be every bit as broke as Martin Shkreli, when he finally leaves prison. And his parents (also former board members of various SBF affiliated companies) will not get to keep the $110 million Bahamas resort he purchased for them, with stolen FTX funds.

That estate, and several others, will be sold in bankruptcy — to repay jilted customers, creditors and investors. He will be in his late 50s before he leaves federal prison (even with a 15% reduction for good conduct, and completing various programs).

And so it goes.

नमस्ते

The European Space Agency Has Logged 25,000 Orbits Of Mars — With Its Mars Express Spacecraft…

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It is important to remember that planetary science is a multi-national effort.

So, today I thought we’d highlight ESA’s recent milestone: 25,000 passes over the Red Planet — though in these images, it is more an ochre, to my eye. Here’s the bit:

…The new high-altitude view was taken by Mars Express’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). It features many of Mars’s towering volcanoes and even includes a surprise appearance from the planet’s largest moon, Phobos.

Mars Express arrived at Mars in late 2003, and completed its 25 000th orbit on 19 October 2023. In the two decades since its arrival, the orbiter has completely transformed our understanding of the planet. It’s mapped the atmosphere more completely than ever before, traced the history of water across Mars’s surface, studied the two small martian moons in unprecedented detail, and returned breathtaking views of the planet in three dimensions.

This new image is no exception. It focuses on the Tharsis region, which covers about one-quarter of the planet’s surface and is home to Mars’s famously colossal volcanoes. Many volcanoes can be seen here: Olympus, Arsia, Pavonis and Ascraeus Mons, and Jovis, Biblis and Ulysses Tholus. Olympus Mons is the largest, reaching nearly 22 km high (compared to Mount Everest’s 8.8 km here on Earth)….

Now you know — off to the park with baby-girls on Spring Break, grinning!

Aimee Harris Was A No-Show, Again — In Manhattan For Sentencing, This Afternoon…

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The able judge has been immensely patient with her.

But that patience is at an end.

As of April 9, if she’s not live in the court room, and if she hasn’t furnished all the pre-sentence financial and other info (documents she’s long refused to turn over, despite clear orders to do so, as a convict), in writing — to the BoP — the able USDC Judge will issue a warrant, and the US Marshals will be ordered to grab her in Florida, where they now know how to find her.

Her ex- will gain full custody of the kids… and she will likely be off to jail for a year or two.

We will keep you informed. And yes, she’s the one of two convicted for transporting the Biden daughter’s diary — to New York, in violation of numerous criminal statutes.

O N W A R D.
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[Photo of Ms. Harris derived from a UK Daily Mail published report; fair use claimed at upper right — for purposes of not identifying the wrong Aimee Harris, in Florida. Heh.]

Hilarious Update (But Trivial, In Truth): On Powerline’s Porn Problem.

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As we mentioned in passing this morning, the boys have been stricken with a bevy of porn provider ads, in their comments — so they’ve disabled commenting for now… at their site.

HILARIOUS — and ironic.

Here’s the guys’ update on the situ:

…UPDATE: The porn ads are coming by way of Disqus, our ad-on comment platform whose ad content we have no direct control over. We’re working with Disqus to fix this, but may have to shut down comments at least temporarily if Disqus can’t move quickly or effectively to quash this….

Be careful out there, kids — “play stupid games — win stupid prizes”, me thinks.

Out.

Nicholas Sandman — Long Lionized By Powerline… DUMPED Out Of Court, Without A Penny By Supremes, Today…

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The Supremes just declined to hear a cert. petition filed after Sandman lost — at every prior level. There was no libel or defamation, as we long said very plainly.

Sandman manufactured, and indeed provoked — the encounter — then claimed he was defamed / libeled… by opinions offered, on the actual video footage. The VIDEO footage, John. Damn:

…A federal judge in Kentucky dismissed the suit in 2022, ruling that Phillips’ statement that Sandmann “blocked him and wouldn’t allow him to retreat” – as reported by the media — was Phillips’ statement of his own opinion — for which they could not be sued….

Today, the Supremes reaffirmed that snowflake MAGAts don’t win libel suits about even “mean” opinions — when they create a calamity and film it. Hinderaker repeatedly claimed that Sandman and his parents were in line for many multi-million dollar settlements.

Erm… NOPE.

Cheers, chucklehead.

USDC Moses Offers Her Additional Fact Findings, To The Fifth Circuit, In The Land Razor Wire Barrier Cases — Where Two People Were Drowned In January.

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It seems that much will be decided in the coming few days — on all these cases, now that it is clear that Texas cannot use “show us your papers!” [SB-4] as an approach to detaining and deporting people who might simply look Latino — on its own.

This is the third order / report of the day. In this 20 plus page decision, Alia Moses finds that the Texas obstructions in Shelby Park may well have contributed to the deaths of a mother and child in the river in frigid water, on January 11. She further finds that rescues had to be accomplished from the Mexico Rio Grande shore-side, by Mexican charitable organizations, on January 28, 2024 — again due to delays and impediments on the US side, erected and maintained by Texas state officers. Somewhere they absolutely, under long standing federal law, are NOT allowed to be in action — in the first place. Damnation. Just. . . damn.

Do read it all — but the actions of Texas’s Gov. Abbott-led agents… are now beyond dispute both unlawful, and lethal. I would add… barbarian — to that list. Here’s the money quote, on the drownings — this from a deeply conservative West Texas USDC Chief Judge, Alia Moses, in Del Rio:

…Garcia explained to McKinney that three migrants had “possibly drowned” and there were two migrants on the U.S. side of the river. Garcia said he needed access to Shelby Park to locate any migrants still in the water and to attempt to rescue them. According to Garcia, McKinney advised he was unable to allow access but that he would send soldiers to that area to look for those subjects. McKinney offered to retrieve at least two of the migrants. Martinez stood behind Garcia during this conversation and recorded names, information, and times. According to Garcia, he clearly communicated to McKinney that there was an urgent situation and that he was requesting access into Shelby Park, but that McKinney denied him access. Danley testified that his understanding that night was that BP was trying to rescue three people “who were believed to be drowning or potential drowning victims,” and two additional people “who were believed to be hypothermic and needed assistance.” Garcia testified he learned the following day that the three migrants had drowned….

Migrants continue to cross in Eagle Pass and the entire Del Rio Sector. Most of the migrants are in the “Removal Process.” Clarification of the term revealed that the “removal process” includes the asylum adjudication procedure. It is unclear from the testimony what percentage of the migrants crossing into the United States in the Del Rio Sector or the southwest border are actually deported or physically removed from the United States, and how many are allowed to remain in the “removal process” while awaiting an administrative asylum determination….

She goes on to lament the fact that for reasons she won’t name — the dispute is harming otherwise good federal / state relations at the “on the line” working level. That reason is singular: one TX GOP / MAGA Gov. Abbott’s cruel and lawlessly lethal desire to end putative asylees and other undocumented people’s very lives. Out.

नमस्ते