Monday, May 12. 2008
Does money buy happiness? No, but success helps - however defined. The You Cannot Make This Stuff Up Department. Tornados caused by global warming! Also, try this - Earthquakes! And that cyclone thing was over the top. This weather BS is agenda-driven, and nothing more. If you ask me, warming causes my migraines and, given what's been reported thus far, it probably does. (Nobody ever mentions the inconvenient truth that there has been cooling for 10 years, and cooling predicted for the next ten.) On the other hand, let's begin the list of everything global cooling causes, starting with jet crashes Microsoft wants to go after Google's ad revenue. Good luck, guys. It ain't gonna happen. Smarter folks than me are pricing MSFT. Book: The Post-American World. Yes, with Capitalism and freedom, the whole world is waking up. Campus rape update. Villainous. The real Presidential campaign has begun. And Riehl on Obama: Whether it's politically correct to say it, or not, additional facts are worth acknowledging. This isn't someone named Colin Powell. The candidate's full name is Barack Hussein Obama. Tell me, how many Americans do you know by the first name of Barack, let alone his middle-name? Have you ever known one? Yes, there may be some white voters who will shun Obama simply because he is black. But that strikes me as a bit simplistic in this case. Frankly, I'm not sure a white individual by the name of Barack Hussein Obama could win the presidency. Ultimately, Obama may be one too politically correct bridge too far to go given current demographics. Like it or not, along with whatever number of whites harbor concerns over Obama's color, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that an equal number have more concerns over his ancestry and given name. Frankly put, even in 2008, the name Barack Obama just doesn't sound American. He is. I am not questioning that. But appearances mean a great deal. And Obama appears to be some configuration that probably strikes a good percentage of the population as something other than mainstream American. And that, more than just his color, will likely spell his doom when it comes to a general election.
A new theory about Stonehenge. Empathy is not justice. Dr. Helen. No, it is not. We are designed to be a nation of laws, not men. The New Journalism: How to downplay an inconvenient story. Wizbang Burma and China: Perfect together
A suburban Great Horned Owl amongst the pansies. The story here. These big, adaptable owls seem to live anywhere they can find rats and mice.
 Obama campaign: Get me more white people over here.
Re McCain's global warming foolishness, at Polipundit: In just this week alone, McCain talked about trying again for comprehensive immigration reform, (Amnesty), agreed to address the open border, pro-illegal immigration attendees at the La Raza convention and now this.
The Newsweek embarassment. Corner. More at Gateway: Repubs win by scaring voters The corporate sponsors of the Dem convention Why it will be very bad for everybody when/if the Bush tax cuts expire Obama's likeability: Am Thinker. Yes, he is the really cool black dude. The media have already begun running interference for him, as John H says: I think we are about to witness a level of partisanship in the "mainstream" media that has not been seen since the era of professional news media began a little over a century ago. In the past, when newspapers like the Times have misreported facts, people have generally assumed it was, even if the result of bias, inadvertent. No longer. We have entered an era in which leading news organs will intentionally and persistently misinform their readers in order to achieve a political objective--the election of Barack Obama.
Academic mindset, quoted from Volokh via Insty: ...as much as conservatives may whine and scream to the contrary, liberalism and conservatism are not moral equivalents. Because, on the one side you have the thinkers and activists who have advanced freedom, social justice, and human rights, and on the other, you have those who have attempted to thwart all those things.
 This well-worn oldie came in over the transom again, but I thought it deserved a re-post this time: What Is A Veteran?
A "Veteran" -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to, and including his life." That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today, who no longer understand that fact.
When in England at a conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of 'empire building' by George Bush.
He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return. (More details on that exchange here.)
Continue reading "Our Veterans"
"I reveal myself in my true colors, as a stick-in-the-mud. I hold a number of beliefs that have been repudiated by the liveliest intellects of our time. I believe order is better than chaos, creation better than destruction. I prefer gentleness to violence, forgiveness to vendetta. On the whole I think that knowledge is preferable to ignorance, and I am sure that human sympathy is more valuable than ideology. I believe that in spite of the recent triumphs of science, men have not changed much in the last two thousand years; and in consequence we must still try to learn from history. History is ourselves. I also hold one or two beliefs that are more difficult to put shortly. For example, I believe in courtesy, the ritual by which we avoid hurting other people's feelings by satisfying our own egos. I think we should remember that we are part of a great whole, which for convenience we call nature. All living things are our brothers and sisters. Above all, I believe in the God-given genius of certain individuals, and I value a society that makes their existence possible." Kenneth Clark ("Civilization")
 Lots of links.
 How the Mississippi economy came to life.
The historical revisionism at Duke It's cold and stormy up here in Yankeeland today. No surprise that climate models fail in Antarctica too. And everywhere else...see ice fishing in May. Also, Brits think the warming scare is a tax-raising trick A scene from Bitter America Think you didn't get enough attention from your Mom? Here's attention-dilution Sharpton's little tax problem "The normal are not in control." Airports Is the criminal justice system racist? Heather MacDonald says no. Gloomy Repubs? Barnes. Candidates mapping their fall strategies. McCain needs "moderates" and independents to win this year. He needs to be an independent Teddy Roosevelt-style Repub - to run as "an American." I think he has a decent chance to win an election against Obama. Late, late, late-term abortions The animal research wars. Am. Scientist I suggest baiting a trap with a toddler. Policies aren't rational because they are also about values. By the way, that piece posted in yesterday's links about Confessions of a Car Salesman is lengthy but well-written and very useful.
Sunday, May 11. 2008
We said this a month ago. Will you believe it if it comes from Instapundit? MORE VITAMIN D NEWS: "New research shows that people who regularly use sunscreen and avoiding sunlight may be sacrificing important vitamin D, which is made by the skin when it's exposed to sunlight. Now, the recommendation is to get 15 minutes of sun at the peak of the day three times a week to help avoid a vitamin D deficiency. . . . For years, Americans have been taught that as summer approaches, they should reach for sunscreen to protect themselves from a scorching burn - and the skin cancer it might trigger. But new research shows that by covering up, they may be sacrificing important vitamin D, which is made by the skin when it's exposed to sunlight. . . . Vitamin D deficiency is associated with reduced bone strength and risk of fracture; a twofold increased risk of some cancers such as colon, breast and prostate; an increased risk of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes; worse control of diabetes for those who have it; decreased immune function; and possibly also heart disease."
Which do you believe? Last year's expertise, or this year's? I am inclined to trust this year's, or God would have put sunscreen on our skin.
Old postcards from around the US. Here are some cattle (oxen, I think) at the old Danbury, CT State Fair: 
 No sappy Mom's Day commentary - just a virtual bouquet for my Mom, who happens to be in England at the moment with my Dad. (Still life by Juan de Arellano, c. 1650)
Confessions of a Car Salesman Blacks seem racist in their voting patterns. Riehl. For one delegate, however, it's about the green, not the brown. Obama and cap gains taxes. Already factored into the market? A global warming two-fer: Synthstuff. Related: A very cold April this year. The MLK memorial statue. Neoneo "Wellness" uber alles. Am. Thinker. Be healthy or else... Knee-pad time? Journalists ogle Obama. Michelle. Related: The Messiah and the media. Related: Caesar comes to the Capitol Al Qaida plans attacks on Nigeria. Is that chickens coming home to roost too? Bob's new tour. Right Wing Bob. He's only 67, which is no time to slow down. Big Brother Video isn't working in the UK. (h/t, Flares) How Japan continues to suffer from WW2. They lost their national meaning and purpose. Brit corporations want to flee England. The Cuban blogging revolution. Power to the People! The NYT, the Hmong, and a criticism of the right. Dem Project Time for regime change in Burma? No doubt, but not on my nickel. A book: The Dirty Dozen - How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom The Poison Ivy League. Prelutsky MADD goes insane. Classical V. Maybe it's time for those MADD people to have a drink or two, and chill out.
 Acts 2: 1-21
2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ 13But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’ 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
18Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
19And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Saturday, May 10. 2008
Stick with it to the debate with the three Canadian Moslem lawyers (or law students?). Video: The Agenda: May 6, What's wrong with Mark Steyn's view of the world (h/t, LGF)
I WILL SOON HAVE BIRD DOG PUPS FOR SALE. ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN ONE, PLEASE CONTACT ME. THE LITTER WILL PROBABLY BE ABOUT 7 - 10 PUPS, WHICH I WILL SELL AT A VERY REASONABLE PRICE.
I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF THE MOM AND DAD SO YOU WILL HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THE PUPS WILL LOOK LIKE.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS THEY MAY GO FAST. THANKS. 
On the other hand, this seems like a better way to breed top quality bird dogs: Cloned Sniffer dogs.
A re-post: A few nifty finds: New York City in Pictures, with "every street and every building in NY"; NewYorkology is a site with depth and detail, with tips for visitors and residents, including the location of the Whispering Gallery in Grand Central Station, which is quite near my favorite spot in the world for oyster stew and a beer, the famous and venerable Oyster Bar & Restaurant, which, along with oysters from all ends of the earth, almost always offers the rarest and very best oyster on earth, Wellfleets , with their subtle nutty flavor derived from the Herring River which flows into the harbor of Bird Dog's favorite town on his native Cape Cod. Then there's NY Architectural images - cool building photos listed by neighborhood. Oldbars lists - with photos - some of NYC's oldest, including McSorleys, where I have both booted and rallied in youth, back before 1970 when women weren't allowed in; and, since we're on bars, there's the unique The Campbell Apartment, if you can find it; Forgotten New York is a good ramble; and the new Tenement Museum has been getting a lot of attention, but I haven't been there.
Learned from Kudlow on the radio today: Corporate business taxes in New York State and New Jersey are the highest business taxes in the world. Of course, businesses taxes are nothing more than covert taxes on everyone, from the company's employees, to the people who buy the product, to the investor: business taxes are passed on in the form of lower wages, higher prices, and slower growth. If we desire economic growth, job growth, and prosperous employees, there should be no taxes on the profits of public corporations. (Surely we could handle the resultant loss of tax accounting and tax attorney jobs, because the country is full of burgers needing flipping - and other jobs "Americans won't do.")
 George Schultz on Putting our Entitlements in Order
Did we misunderstand Toni Morrison re Bill Clinton? "State-sponsored kleptocracy:" MA wants to tax universities Wonderful short snip of the Tom Wolfe interview The re-Jihading of Gitmo Alumni. Jules Gastronomic totalitarianism proposed in the UK News flash: Europeans get drunk for sex My racial harassment nightmare "Let them eat arugula." Dems try populism by Chait at TNR Should teachers be responsible for their students' achievement? WSJ Vanderleun on illegal immigration. One quote: We need to stop propping up Mexican fascists by importing their excess angst. We need to initiate a policy for illegal alien deportation that involves the importation of first rate American assault weapons. Once that happens the future for the ruling families of Mexico starts to look a little more sketchy than it has been up to now.
Dem notion: "Reasonable Profits Boards" Let's try that out on politicians' investments first. Remind me. How many states in the USA? The guy is losing his bearings. Imagine if McCain said that. Free Wi-Fi, but not for all. NYT A reader nudged us towards a review of Sunstein and Thayer's "Nudge" about "libertarian paternalism, which book we discussed here. A quote from the Chronicle review: With evident glee, he (Sunstein) notes that Chicago is effectively exploiting — to society's benefit — one of the many ways in which human perception is flawed. Or, as Thaler puts it, drivers are being "nudged" toward safety. What does a peculiar pattern on the road have to do with fixing the nation's health-care woes, protecting the environment, resolving the thorny issue of gay marriage, and increasing donations to charity? Everything, according to Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, a professor of law and political science at the University of Chicago. They are authors of a new book, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Yale University Press), in which they articulate an approach to designing social and economic policies that incorporates an understanding of people's cognitive limitations.
Bird Dog comments: "Except their own?" More quote: They call this governing philosophy "libertarian paternalism." That is not an oxymoron, they insist in their book. Rather it is a corrective to the longstanding assumption of policy makers that the average person is capable of thinking like Albert Einstein, storing as much memory as IBM's Big Blue, and exercising the willpower of Mahatma Gandhi. That is simply not how people are, they say. In reality human beings are lazy, busy, impulsive, inert, and irrational creatures highly susceptible to predictable biases and errors. That's why they can be nudged in socially desirable directions.
Raw arrogance and condescension oozing our of their pores. My question: Who the heck do Sunstein and Thayer think they are? I think they hugely underestimate regular people - ie non-professors, and hugely overestimate the wisdom and benevolence of government. How can we ordinary folks "nudge" academics into reality? Image: Old Davis racquets. Our outdoor tennis season begins today.
 This is a weekly Saturday morning feature that will slowly, over time, turn you into a full-fledged computer expert. More info here.
Lesson 5: Ergonomics
Over the past few lessons we've been getting your computer organized.
Now it's time to get you organized.
When it comes to setting up a computer system correctly and establishing habits to prevent muscle aches and strains, I present myself as Exhibit A. Twenty-one years at this thing and not the slightest hint of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Never a back or leg pain? No tired eyes or tired fingers? And not only computing, but watching zillions of movies over the years on the computer monitor, again with no pain or discomfort?
I must be doing something right.
Continue reading "Dr. Mercury's Computer Corner: Lesson 5 - Ergonomics"
Friday, May 9. 2008
Bonjour, garçon! Here ees my résumé!
I mean, if you're going to act cosmopolitan... at least look cosmopolitan!
Hold down the Alt key, punch in a few numbers on the keyboard, release the Alt key... et voilĂ ! Zee accent mark pops onto zee screen like zee magic!
(Now how do I get reed of thees outrágeous accênt?!)
For more on easily inserting foreign letters with accent marks, odd symbols and professional spacing bars — like these — please...
Continue reading "Doc's Computin' Tips: Alternate characters"
Little Walter on harmonica with Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers, Wild About You, Baby, 1967.
I have been through James Burke's series twice. Get it while it's hot. I don't know how long he will donate the bandwidth to the general public. The "Point of View" episode makes it clear that armies exist to defend ideas, which, being American, I knew, but it clarified some things. Western Civ is about asking all of the questions we can think of asking, and viewing every question as an adventure.
Over the transom: As a young minister in Kentucky, I was asked by a funeral director to hold a graveside service for a homeless man, who had no family or friends. The funeral was to be held at a new cemetery way back in the country, and this man would be the first to be buried there. I was not familiar with the backwoods area, and I soon became lost. Being a typical man, I did not stop to ask for directions. I finally arrived an hour late. I saw the backhoe and the open grave, but the hearse was nowhere in sight. The digging crew was eating lunch. I apologized to the workers for my tardiness, and I stepped to the side of the open grave. There I saw the vault lid already in place. I assured the workers I would not hold them up for long, as I told them that this was the proper thing to do. The workers gathered around the grave and stood silently, as I began to pour out my heart and soul. As I preached about "looking forward to a brighter tomorrow" and "the glory that is to come," the workers began to say "Amen," "Praise the Lord," and "Glory!" The fervor of these men truly inspired me. So, I preached and I preached like I had never preached before, all the way from Genesis to Revelations. I finally closed the lengthy service with a prayer, thanked the men, and walked to my car. As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I heard one of the workers say to another, "I ain't NEVER seen nothin' like that before, and I've been puttin' in septic tanks for 30 years!"
From this morning's men's Bible study group: "If you could take an immortality pill right now, would you swallow it?" Addendum: By coincidence, Dr. Bob's quote today: God has reserved to Himself the right to determine the end of life, because He alone knows the goal to which it is His will to lead it. It is for Him alone to justify a life or to cast it away. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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