The Explorers Club
No. XLVIII - The Soviet Union's Luna* program of robotic lunar probes, including both orbiters and landers.
*I chose to italicize Luna because that was the name of the program in the Russian language. So, even though Luna is an entirely valid English word and thus in no need of italics, in this instance I was using instead the Russian word Luna, thus warranting italicization.
Black Sheep
I have no specific knowledge about the Swiss People's Party; I do not know if its agenda is racist, nor is my aim to defend its policies. I have insufficient knowledge to either condemn or condone. But to condemn the black sheep ad (seen here) as inherently racist strikes me as bizarre and disingenuous. I cannot vouch for the German, French, and Italian languages that predominate in Switzerland, but certainly in English the term "black sheep" has no racist overtones. For instance, when it was revealed last week that Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator Barack Obama are distant cousins, a spokesman for Sen. Obama said, "Every family has a black sheep." A lighthearted political dig, but by no means a racist comment.
Of course, you all know my low opinion of the Swiss. "What makes a man turn neutral?"
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