links for 2010-04-13

The series of major water main breaks that occurred around Los Angeles last year was caused by the city's water conservation program, which put too much pressure on the city's aging cast iron pipes, according to a city report released Tuesday.

The report is a step forward in solving a mystery that bedeviled city officials and engineers and enraged some residents who had to endure the flooding and road damage.

A team of scientists charged with looking at the pipe breaks concluded that the city should rework its conservation plan, which limited the use of sprinklers to Mondays and Thursdays.
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The Nanny State of unintended consequences

Barney Frank has enemies, even 30,000 feet in the air.

Flying back to Boston from LA yesterday, the congressman was assailed by a pair of ophthalmologists upset about the health care reform bill. An argument ensued that prompted some passengers to wonder if the plane might be forced to land.
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Well, what do you expect?

Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) slammed Pres. Obama's decision to end the next phase of American manned space flight, calling it part of a pattern that has weakened the country.

In an interview with Hotline OnCall, Culberson said the admin's decision to cancel the Constellation program amounts to a surrender of the U.S.'s historic position as the global leader in space.

The Constellation program is billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. Obama's proposed budget, released in Feb., would cancel funding for the program. Without it, Culberson said, the U.S. will have no manned space flight capabilities in the future.
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From a community organizer no doubt.