Saturday, July 3. 2010
Quote from an essay of the above title by Roger Scruton in City Journal:
Until recently, European architects have either connived at the evisceration of our cities or actively promoted it. Relying on the spurious rhetoric of Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, they endorsed the totalitarian projects of the political elite, whose goal after the war was not to restore the cities but to clear away the “slums.” By “slums,” they meant the harmonious classical streets of affordable houses, seeded with local industries, corner shops, schools, and places of worship, that had made it possible for real communities to flourish in the center of our towns. High-rise blocks in open parkland, of the kind that Le Corbusier proposed in his plan for the demolition of Paris north of the Seine, would replace them. Meanwhile, all forms of employment and enjoyment would move elsewhere. Public buildings would be expressly modernist, with steel and concrete frames and curtain walls, but with no facades or intelligible apertures, and no perceivable relation to their neighbors. Important monuments from the past would remain, but often set in new and aesthetically annihilating contexts, such as that provided for Saint Paul’s in London.
Citizens protested, and conservation societies fought throughout Europe for the old idea of what a city should look like, but the modernists won the battle of ideas. They took over the architecture schools and set out to ensure that the classical discipline of architecture would never again be learned, since it would never again be taught. The vandalization of the curriculum was successful: European architecture schools no longer taught students the grammar of the classical Orders; they no longer taught how to understand moldings, or how to draw existing monuments, urban streets, the human figure, or such vital aesthetic phenomena as the fall of light on a Corinthian capital or the shadow of a campanile on a sloping roof; they no longer taught appreciation for facades, cornices, doorways, or anything else that one could glean from a study of Serlio or Palladio.
Read the whole thing.
Photo below: The charming, friendly, safe, and human-scale Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, which was a crime-ridden "slum" one generation ago, part of Hell's Kitchen. Ripe for massive demolition and "urban planning" and "urban renewal." The social engineers are almost always wrong because they are oblivious to human nature. This one-time slum is a very pleasant place to live in, provided that your neighbors behave themselves.
Don't blame the old buildings.
For those of you who don't know about Allen West: here's the website of his campaign for Congress. You will also get many insights at the other videos of him at Youtube.com. After tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, West is a retired LtCol, after which he taught high school. West's clarity, sanity and decency - delivered with rare oratorical skills - shine through the foggery that masquerades for most politicians' thinking and masks their evasions. We need West in Congress, no matter where we live. West is "We the people..." Go to his website and contribute. you'll be contributing to yourself.
BTW: Here's an annotated copy of our Declaration of Independence. It started our successful experiment with respect for the rights of "We the people...", and it is worth re-reading for those who want to continue living under our dependence on inherent rights and independence and resistance to any who dare trample them. Also important is to re-read the resulting Constitution, which begins:
The alternative:
Card tricks are always fun. And they're especially intriguing when you're actually told what to look for ahead of time — and you still don't get the trick.
I've got the perfect example right here. While you're focusing on the card she drew, it turns out the entire deck has changed color. All I can tell you is, it's possible to figure out the Amazing Color Changing Card Trick — but you'll have to watch very carefully.
Very carefully.
 Regular News
Well, let's start off on a high note.
Finally! Too long have innocent people been brutalized by angry, hurtful words, and one country is finally stepping up to the plate and doing something about it:
Psychological Violence a Criminal Offence in France
So watch those bad thoughts, ladies and gentlemen.
We'll be listening.
I agree wholeheartedly with this guy, and he didn't even touch on everything.
The near-future of TV? It's not on the Web
Just Rewards Dept:
The scoundrels at Dell Computers are finally getting a comeuppance. I remember hearing about this nightmare way back in the day:
From 2003 to 2005, Dell sold computers with faulty capacitors that allegedly caused most motherboards on two Dell Optiplex models to break, rendering the computers useless. Dell was aware of the issue, according to recently unsealed court documents from a pending lawsuit, yet continued to sell the computers anyway.
Though the juiciest details are still sealed by the court, several internal company e-mails show that Dell instructed its sales staff to downplay the malfunctions to customers.
Dell faces fresh threat from old PC failures
Of mild amusement:
6 Famous Women Who Have Been Slapped With Restraining Orders
Before Dennis Hopper passed, he filed a restraining order against his estranged wife, Victoria Hopper, in the hopes that it would extend his life.
Can't blame a guy for tryin'.
One of the biggest disappointments in the global warmalarming hoax has been the response of NOAA and the USGS. While everybody knows NASA runs on politics and it shouldn't be too surprising that they've been corrupted by Jim Hansen and his ilk, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey are supposed to be above the politics of the day and focus on matters at hand. Yet both have been just as bad as NASA when it comes to jumping on the AGW bandwagon.
A few years ago, I would have read the following, thought, "Oh, come on, every agency blows a few bucks on some perks, what's the big deal. Leave NOAA alone!"
Audit: Fishery Cops Misspent Fines on Cars, Boats
But these days, I tend to agree with this guy:
Inspector General Todd Zinser investigated after fishermen complained for years about arbitrary enforcement of the nation's fishery laws, saying the fines amounted to a bounty because NOAA kept the money.
Gloucester fishermen Richard Burgess, who has fought $85,000 in fines, said NOAA should pay fishermen back every dime.
"We've all known that they're criminals," Burgess said of the law enforcement office. "Every one of them has got to go."
What's notable about this is that you've got some guy hollerin' to throw all of the bums out — actually calling them criminals — and all of this is taking place on... the uber-liberal, uber-Obamafan ABC News?
As Tiger Woods' star fades slowly into the sunset, here's a (hopefully last) pictorial tribute to what he had (pictured above), what he gained, and what it cost him. Besides his golfing career, that is.
This Chick Just Got $750 Million Richer
Just asking:
You're a director of operations with the top Russian spy agency. Your assignment is to plant a sleeper cell deep in the United States of America. You assemble two separate teams, one composed of professionals and the other composed of a bunch of bozos who can barely keep their laptops running.
Confirmed: Russian spies really, really dumb (Hot Air)
Dan Drezner follows the trail of idiocy and wonders what possible mission could have been assigned to these morons. Given that they weren’t in particularly close contact with anyone involved in U.S. national defense, their scoops seem to be limited to the sort of stuff you can find on Google.
So, mission accomplished?
Political News
Indonesian Movie on Obama's Childhood Kicks Into Gear
Friday, July 2. 2010
This works better and faster than pandering to crybabies and others who don't take responsibility. At several distraught junctures in my life, the advice, "So, change it," worked quick and well.
We had a blind wine-tasting of inexpensive sparklies before our recent family wedding. We had six tasters, and ranked seven inexpensive sparklies on a 1-5 scale. Good fun was had by all.
Wine NY Price Score
Domaine Carneros $18 16
Roederer Estate 18 11
Mumm Cuvee Napa 15 23
Mionetto Proseco Valdobbian 13 0
Domaine St Michele Blanc de Noir 11 19
Gloria Ferrer Brut NV 14 23
Charles de Fere Chardonnay Brut 10 21
 Well, it appears the blogosphere is here to stay.
As such, it's probably high time you get your little buns in gear and grab a domain name before they're all taken, and think about slapping something — anything! — up there just to prove you're a citizen of the 21st century.
The bottom line is, you're probably going to get online sometime, so you might as well have at least a meager selection of domain names to choose from. Every minute you wait could mean that yourname.com will be taken. And the domain name is free if you go through the link below, and so's the software, and the site, itself, only costs $6.95/mo to host, so it isn't like it's some big wallet-killer. You got any other bills that low?
The software we'll be using is called WordPress, and whether you want a blog site or a standard web site, the stuff can't be beat.
There are two places where it really shines:
— It does a great job of automatically organizing everything. Readers can hunt up older posts a number of ways and it has an outstanding search feature.
— But it's the 'themes' that can change the entire look of your site with a single mouse click, from cool-and-hip to snappy-business-professional, that set this software apart. There are literally thousands of them out there to choose from.
If you're away from home, you can write your posts on the laptop and then email them to the site when you get online, each one scheduled to display at a certain time.
And here's the thing:
Frank, my neighbor, knows almost nothing about computers and never dreamed in a million years that he'd one day set up a personal blog site, much less put photos of his boat on it, much less videos. But, over the course of a few hours, with a little help from moi, he did just that.
Frank is 84 years old.
And you know where this is going, right?
If ancient, creaky old Frank can manage this difficult, ponderous task, I'm betting that you can, too.
The jump-off point is Cool-Blogsite. That'll walk you through the entire process from this moment on. If you just want to dip a toe in the pond, it's real easy to get up and running. If you want to jump on in, it's "challenging, but not difficult" to tweak the site to your exact liking.
This would also make a wonderful gift for some not-so-computer-savvy member of the family. They might not have the know-how to set up a site, but anybody can hit the 'Save' button. Install a bunch of themes and watch their eyes light up when they see the big thumbnail preview pics and how easy it is to choose between them.
But back to the domain names, I was in some webmasters' forum the other day and they were bitching about how hard it is to find an unused name these days, even using a person's first, middle and last name. And it certainly makes sense, given the massive number of people getting online and wanting their own domains.
As I said, it's real easy using WordPress just to get online and establish a 'beachhead'. The main idea is to nail down your domain name while it's still available. Click on the above link and just take care of steps #1 and #2. That's your 'beachhead', then you can relax and continue at your leisure.
Any questions, please ask in the comments.
Newport, RI has the largest number of pre-Revolutionary houses and buildings in the USA. This one is odd. A saltbox with a ? gambrel roof. WTH? Name the year it was built:
I'll take you for an architectural stroll from around Kay St down Bellevue, with structures of all eras, beginning with this Victorian:
More pics (from last weekend) below the fold -
Continue reading "My second Newport photo dump, with fairly good pics"
Shrinkwrapped's post on sociopathy is a good update, and raises intriguing, age-old questions about free will and responsibility which go far beyond the topic of sociopathy. The Greeks understood these things better than we do. Fate, personality temperaments, and all that.
Everybody's brain seeks excuses for their body's wrong or irresponsible behavior: My Brain Made Me Do it.
I might revise the title to "My brain made me blame my brain." That's the one I use when I screw up.
I have no answers to these conundrums (conundra?).
In preparation for a fun and patriotic 4th of July, I’ll share with you two of my secrets to a BBQ that is a real pleaser.
First, let your properly unattired significant other, friendly neighbor, or other local hottie do the BBQing. Then, everyone will have patience waiting for what comes off the grill. That, also, leaves time for more beer.
Second, not that you'll care what she serves you, use this Jackie's Oklahoma Style Barbecue Sauce.
It’s the real thing, Oklahoma-style, not adulterated nor wimpified nor commercialized, so authentic you’ll wonder why anyone left the dustbowl in the ‘30s.
A friend and co-worker’s wife made this at home from her family recipe. Everyone who tasted it drooled in delight. (No, that’s not her photo above; we couldn’t persuade her to reveal her secrets.) In the early ‘80s, they figured out how to bottle it for others. (That took about a year of trials and errors, ‘til getting it just right.) Whenever I’d be in the San Francisco Bay Area, I carried back a case or two. Now, it’s in my local San Diego area Stater Brothers supermarket, and I tout it to anyone walking near the BBQ sauce aisle.
That makes for interesting conversations. One, it beats a chick-magnet puppie. Most women look for ways to please, and/or love to cook. Two, most fans of the yellowish, sweeter Southern-style BBQ sauce are quickly converted to becoming Okies, like myself (an Oy Vey Okie). That makes for swinging soirees in the aisle, or later.
For those of you who want to yelp with slobbering joy, here’s a few testimonials.
For those of you who want to try the real deal, here’s a place where you can order a jar of the taste of hog (or whatever your meat) heaven.
For those of you who just like to drool, our BBQ mistress above welcomes you to her hot sauciness.
For those of you who just want to argue their personal favorite BBQ sauce or recipe, the Comments await your personal slobbering.
Have any of our readers seen this 2000 film? Is it worth my time?
I feel pretty bad after ruthlessly attacking the poor, innocent vegetarians the other day, and now my lawyer informs me that the EEO, the FCC, and the American Vegetarian Liberties Union are considering legal action.
I'm told that in order to avoid any legal repercussions, I must "even the score" and say something specifically nice about vegetarians.
No problem.
Regular News
 Pictured: Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke addresses the Washington Bar Association on the current state of the economy.
Well, it's only going to go straight downhill from here, so let's start off with some good news.
Finally! Everybody talks the big talk when it comes to global warming, but these guys are actually doing something about it.
So at least we've got that pesky little problem out of the way.
Under the same heading of Fantasy Made Real, this headline cracks me up:
GM of Europe concerned Asian suppliers will take electric vehicle market by storm
Yeah, that's it.
By storm.
Words Of Warning Dept:
Learn how to spot compromised ATM machines
Billions of Reasons for Banks to Raise Your Checking Fees
How to steer clear of checking account fees on the horizon
That rascal Archimedes is back in the news:
Archimedes Set Roman Ships Afire with Cannons
Junkie linked to the following a few days ago, but I thought it deserved re-mention not because of its content, which was excellent, but its writing style.
Let's say your editor hands you a tough assignment. He wants you to write on one of the most crashingly boring subject in the Southwestern Galaxy, economics. And not just American economics, mind you, but foreign economics. And not some fun, hip place like Japan or China, mind you, but (discrete barf) European economics.
Here's how you do it:
In the private sector, countries like Spain saw huge real estate bubbles develop as home buyers rushed to take advantage of cheap mortgages — and developers enjoyed cheap financing as well.
Central banks are supposed to be the chaperons at parties like this, locking up the liquor cabinet when the guests start getting too happy, but the European Central Bank wasn’t paying attention. That wasn’t a mistake; it was on purpose. The ECB is supposed to think about the European economy as a whole, so it was watching economic conditions in the biggest economies like Germany and France. The ECB sat in the living room, watching Mom and Dad stay sober even while the kids were whooping it up in the basement. Mom and Dad were pretty well behaved so the bankers left the punch bowl alone — but things got a little out of hand down below and now the whole house is on fire.
A superb article and a very engaging style.
Bulldog Grip Dept:
Tenacity is such an endearing trait. The anti-Bisphenol-A (also known by many people as "plastic") nutcases are still hard at work, despite a mountain of evidence that's piled up in recent years discrediting their claims. (You could draw an exact parallel to the cellphone-brain-cancer stories that refuse to die.)
A good starting point on the current battle is Truth Or Scare, a Junk Science counterpart (and winner of this week's coveted 'Clever Blog Title' award), and there's an interview with an expert here.
While on the subject of moronitude:
10 Most Stupid Predictions and Statements in History
6 Laws That Were Great On Paper (And Insane Everywhere Else)
Political News
First Dog Opens Blog Site
In fact, fine amendments in general. h/t, Theo
Women today are more macho than the metro men. They always were, too.
Thursday, July 1. 2010
Erik Erikson said "Psychotherapy begins where common sense ends."
Well, common sense isn't all that common. In fact, it is as rare and precious a thing as honesty.
The shrink proprietor of F*ck Feelings is darn good with common sense. As they say in The Program, "Feelings aren't Facts." I always like to apply common sense first, then other things if that doesn't help.
For over twenty years, I’ve been a scrupulous, multi-credentialed independent health care consultant and broker. I and others who actually know anything from the experienced, practical and studied perspective have warned that the medical loss ratios built into ObamaCare are dangerous to the quality and costs of medical insurance.
Medical loss ratio measures the percentage of premiums paid out in claims and for quality improvement. Just paying out more on claims does not reduce costs nor improve quality. Duh!
I wrote about this last April, that the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) said that ObamaCare’s medical loss ratios were within 5% of nationalizing the health insurance industry, so the Congressional Democrats who rammed ObamaCare through kept the medical loss ratios just below the 90% at which the multi-trillion dollar costs of outright nationalization would have to be counted by the CBO. What we got is a sham, nationalization masquerading – bad enough – as a highly regulated utility.
The CBO and the American Academy of Actuaries both pointed out that medical loss ratios are both misleading and can easily be contradictory to restraining costs or improving quality. This is particularly so when the formula is drawn too narrowly or ignorantly. Politicians' soundbites and regulator rampagers fit those categories of malpractice.
The largest insurance companies were at least half-way in bed with ObamaCare, looking to their own preservation, but now both they and brokers and the public are impregnated with a problem baby.
As during the HillaryCare debates, health care consultants and brokers are in the lead in trying to get sense into the examining room. We are virtually the only organized groups really fighting to keep government quackery away from your health. Sure, our already low commissions are in play, but so is your ability to have knowledgeable, independent guidance through the thickets of medical insurance and coverage.
The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, the National Association of Health Underwriters, and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors have joined to plead to state insurance commissioners and medical insurance companies:
But “we fear the adoption of a narrow and static definition will adversely impact spending on certain important health plan activities,” the groups say.
In many cases, moves to reduce costs improve quality, and moves to improve quality reduce costs, the groups say.
“The definition of ‘activities that improve health care quality’ should be crafted in a way that recognizes this,” the groups say.
Activities now shut out of the definition include utilization review, fraud prevention activities, and network management, and those activities “are essential to maintaining and improving the quality of health care that clients of our members receive on a daily basis,” the producer groups say.
“Our members know firsthand that less utilization review, fraud prevention, and network development means lower quality health care for their clients – in addition to higher costs,” the groups say.
But, hey, ObamaCare is not really about reducing costs or improving quality; it’s primarily about grossly enlarging government and its control of the economy and our lives.
If you care to weigh in on drawing the formula for medical loss ratios in ObamaCare to be more reasonable, you can write to Ethan Sonnichsen, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (the umbrella for the states' insurance commissioners) Director of Government Relations at his email esonnich@naic.org .
Oh Yeah: This Mass. pre-experience of ObamaCare should help increase the medical loss ratio, pay large claims for those who dip in to coverage then stop paying premiums.
The number of people who appear to be gaming the state’s health insurance system by purchasing coverage only when they are sick quadrupled from 2006 to 2008, according to a long-awaited report released yesterday from the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.
The result is that insured residents of Massachusetts wind up paying more for health care, according to the report. …
Equality ad absurdum. Story at Minding the Campus.
 I was doing some Spring clean-up on the old horseless carriage last weekend, and began to wonder what stuff other people keep in their vee-hickles.
I keep a small shovel, an ice-scraper, a bag of sand, one of those giant Cabela's flashlights with a car charger, a bunch of accumulated maps - I like maps despite my GPS thing, my shotgun shell mini-humidor with a few smokes, a plastic baggie full of spare change, a random assortment of CDs, my car cell charger, a pair of sunglasses, and a loaded handgun in the glove compartment just so as to be "always prepared."
Plus there is always stuff from my last few errands or outings (eg dry cleaning, ammo, fertilizer, dog food, boots, can of gas, a hat or two, containers of 2-cycle oil, etc), but that stuff rotates, slowly.
What lives in your car? Tell us in the comments.
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