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July 2003 Poll #2
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July 2003 Poll #1
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Comment: It is interesting to note that the response was overwhelmingly positive in the first week
this poll was open, but opinion gradually reversed. We too are torn by this issue, and in the final
analysis, this situation looks far too much like Somalia for our comfort. There are no good guys in this
conflict--every Liberian faction is more brutal and corrupt than the last--so it is difficult to see how
foreign intervention could bring about a positive result.
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Comment: China has hinted that launching a human into space could happen any day now, but we suspect
that it will likely take another three to five years, at least, for the nation to develop the necessary
technology. Unfortunately, China has a very poor record in the reliability of its launch vehicles, which
is obviously one of the most signficant steps to manned space flight.
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June 2003 Poll #2
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June 2003 Poll #1
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Comment: Although a few have labeled us as France bashers almost since the day this site first
opened (for reasons we've never figured out), even we think it was petty and foolish to all but pull out
of the Paris Air Show. The fact that Airbus managed to steal so many headlines at the expense of Boeing in
the process only strengthens that position. It's time to let bygones be bygones, on both sides of the
Atlantic.
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Comment: It is indeed a sad prospect that one of the greatest technological marvels of our time will
no longer grace the skies. However, the more we learn about the Concorde's many financial and maintenance
problems, the more apparent it becomes that the plane is simply unprofitable and has become a white
elephant.
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May 2003 Poll #2
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May 2003 Poll #1
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Comment: These results were a bit surprising as we expected more votes in favor of the loans to
bolster two of the nation's most historic and premier airlines as they struggle with bankruptcy.
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Comment: While the idea at first seems like an obvious necessity, there are a number of practical
issues to consider. First of all, such a system could probably only be used in a very small number of
disaster scenarios, and it is unlikely that any system could have saved the crew of Columbia. Second,
it seems clear that any ejection system would require a complete redesign of the Shuttle orbiter in order
to accomodate it. Finally, it is difficult to justify the enormous cost of installing an ejection system
on a vehicle that is nearing the end of its life when it would be of only limited usefulness.
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