links for 2008-12-11

Any lingering doubts about whether water exists on a planet orbiting a star 63 light years away have been quashed by astronomers in the US. The team measured infrared light emitted by the planet, known as HD 189733b, and found distinct spectral features that, they say, can be explained only by the presence of water. Researchers had been puzzled because a previous attempt by the team to find water on the planet had failed, even though other astronomers claimed to have spotted the stuff.

"Unions are the quintessential model of a market based solution to a problem. The management and the money people might not like them, but that alone doesn't mean they're not a market solution - unless the real criteria for "free-market" is "stuff that makes people who already have money happier". "

"There has been a ton of stuff posted about DWFTTW vehicles. Literally a ton. If you took all the electrons used to transmit data regarding DWFTTW over the internet, it would add up to one ton. So, what I am going to say may have already been said (I can't look through the whole internet). But you know me, I like to give my own spin on stuff."

"The idea that university presidents at such institutions are publicizing their losses and announcing major cuts clearly offends Botstein. "These places are enormously rich. It's like a rich person saying 'I was worth a billion dollars and now I'm only worth 750 million.' They are still rich.""