Our fearless leader should be back from the exotic land of Italia today and should be back at the helm tomorrow.
Interesting News
Well, I always like to get the sad news out of the way first, so our first article this morning is about that Israeli spy bird that was caught by Egyptian authorities a few days ago as it tried to peck out its report on a miniature telegraph: Stork Detained as Spy in Egypt Found Dead
That's the third Israeli spy bird that's been captured in the last few years, by the way. One's first impulse might be to think, "Geez, won't those Israelis ever learn?" — until you stop and ponder how many of their spy birds haven't been caught.
There are some good tips here: Top Credit Card Mistakes
On the subject of safeguarding your ass, be forewarned: Some junk mail unsubscribe options are actually phishing scams
Say, how about a geographic question? Like the U.S. has the bald eagle, there's a country which has a unicorn as its national symbol, and another has a fiery Chinese dragon. Which two are they?
Clue: Both countries are on the same island.
Answer here: National Animals: The Legendary, Extinct and Imaginary
Glenn Reynolds seems like a fairly reasonable guy, doesn't he? Honestly, one of the most baffling things I see in the blogosphere is when he occasionally jumps up on this soap box:
Meanwhile, can we (1) fire university administrators who don’t understand free speech, and see that they’re forever blackballed in academia; and/or (2) return the drinking age to 18 where it belongs?
Because if there's one thing this country really-really needs, it's more drunken teenagers on the road. If this is one of those goofy Libertarian things, please cancel my subscription to Libertarian Gazette immediately.
It's 1923 and you're a pilot for the United States Airmail Service. You're flying one of these across the country:
But wait. Not only do you not have GPS, but you also have to fly at night. Remember all that "nor gloom of night" stuff? Well, here you are.
So, how do you navigate across country at night? Easy. You simply follow the lighted arrows.
(hat tip to Feebs for the link)
In the 'Battling Headlines" department: First, Bird Dog is so enamored with this article that, in his usual anti-California fervor, he's posted a link to it twice: California Prison Academy: Better Than a Harvard Degree
This is, of course, supposed to be a scathing indictment of California squandering money on lavish pension plans and the like — and that might very well be true and Harvard would be the better choice. Except that: The cheat goes on at Harvard
Cheaters never win — but they get into Harvard!
Nearly half of the school’s incoming freshmen admitted to cheating on homework, exams or other assignments in their young academic careers, according to a survey by the Ivy League institution’s student newspaper.
So, hmm. Move to beautiful sunny California and make lots of money, or hang out with cheaters in frigid Massachusetts and make less money. Tough choice!
Finally, on the global warming front, these guys are making such easy targets of themselves these days that it's almost sad. A couple of the (delicate blush) "science" sites ran this terrifying piece the other day: Global Warming Update: Record Heat Is 4 Times More Likely Now Than In Pre-Industrial Times
My comment:
"But it's pretty clear it raises the likelihood of extreme weather..."
In related news:
Tropical Storm Gabrielle Fizzles: Why Has Hurricane Season Been So Calm?
"If the first hurricane fails to appear until after 8 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time Sept. 15, this will be the most hurricane-free first half of a season since satellites began tracking the storms in 1967, he notes in an e-mail."
We're also at a 10-year low in tornado activity.
But a good try, nonetheless, Popular Science. Keep up the good work. We all need a break from reality now and then.
Like I said, sad.
And speaking of profound sadness...
Political News
Into each life a little rain must fall.
Yes, even here in the happy-go-lucky political section we occasionally have to face some cold hard facts and admit that not everything coming out of Washington these days is all peaches and cream.
Worse, I have terrible news here about two of everybody's favorite Washington characters.
Even worser, they're both women. So brace yourselves.
The Shockingly Simple Reason Why Hillary Won’t Win
Michelle Obama: 'No,' I Will Never Run for President
Tissue dispensers for your copious tears are available in the lobby.
Tracked: Sep 08, 10:00
"In the 1920s, America began coast-to-coast Airmail service, but the pioneer pilots had trouble navigating the route, since navigation charts of the day were fugazi and you couldn't exactly pull over to ask a farmer for directions. And traveling at night, when it would have been most efficient, or in bad weather was impossible. To solve this Congress then funded these gi-normous arrow-shaped Airmail Beacons, some up to 70 feet long, to trace a route across the country.... The...
Tracked: Sep 08, 13:26