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Wednesday, February 4. 2015

I forget where I found that image above -

Manners: Is this just another of those Northeast things? We're afraid to be too nice to each other. Social enthusiasm = desperate loser.

Where Rich Feels Less Fortunate

Feeling comfortable has more to do with conserved assets than with income

Herbal supplements

Total scam. That's not news.

Feminist 'Music' is the Funniest Thing Ever!

Would These Profs Make You Major in English?

Fox Host on Mandatory Vaccines: “Some Things Require Big Brother” - Paul & Christie slammed for saying parents should have choice

What things require Big Brother? Remember the old "Everything not required is forbidden"?

Chris Matthews: Hillary "Could Really Rule This Country," "This Country Needs Somebody To Get Control of It"

Good grief

Blue Model Blues - RIP, “Emerging Democratic Majority”

EVERYDAY FEMINISM: Homonormativity 101: What It Is and How It’s Hurting Our Movement

AVI thinks the above is sad. I think it is incomprehensible word salad.

What did one college student say to the other? Answer: Nothing – because everything insults college students nowadays.

CNN Contributor Agrees, CNN ‘Totally Biased’ Against Republicans

Slate's advice columnist Emily Yoffe fails even to see being a homemaker as an option

The FAA: regulating business on the moon.

Evil corporations are certain to destroy the moon's pristine environment

" ...my questions for Krugman: If deficit spending is required when we're deep in a painful recession, and it's also required when the economy is growing and creating jobs, when is deficit spending not required? When can it stop?"

Obama’s Taxed Himself into a Corner - Absent serious entitlement reform, Democrats will have no choice but to raise taxes on the middle class.

Government Data Reveal 5.5 Million New Work Permits Issued Since 2009

Related: Obama’s Shadow Visa Network

Bummer: “world could turn nearly uninhabitable within current lifetimes” From Hotcoldwetdry

Reynolds: Three ways to 'do something' about poverty

In short, get government out of the way so people can do things

Is Discrimination OK? It Depends Whether You Are a Boy Scout or a Girl Scout

Narco-Submarines - Specially Fabricated Vessels Used For Drug Smuggling Purposes

Iran boasts of rocket aid to Palestinians, Hezbollah - Commander of aerospace force says technology to mass-produce missiles exported to Tehran’s anti-Israel allies

"France continues to import people from wildly different cultures and, more often than not, to funnel them into ghettos in which they become useless, or hopeless, or radicalized — and, occasionally, all three. Should we really be surprised that it’s not working?"

After ISIS execution, angry King Abdullah quotes Clint Eastwood to U.S. lawmakers

King went to Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 05:20 | Comments (23) | Trackbacks (0)

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King Abdullah is a bit of a Renaissance Man, trained at Sandhurst. I don't know, if that will be an asset in an asymmetrical war, but maybe, if he has more and better actionable intelligence, he can" bring it" to ISIS. That may be overly hopeful, since, I just assumed that he was already sharing intelligence with the US authorities.

#1 Exasperated on 2015-02-04 07:38 (Reply)

Hunter said there was no mention of President Obama during the bipartisan meeting, either by King Abdullah or by any of the lawmakers in the room.

They are learning. "Empty Chair" Hell! Broken chair...leans to the left.

#1.1 John the River (Link) on 2015-02-04 10:26 (Reply)

Is it really possible, for someone like Mathews, to actually be a living, breathing human?

#2 Pete Parks on 2015-02-04 09:38 (Reply)

Re: Homonormativity

I couldn't get through the whole column. When it said this:

QUOTE:

Homonormativity is a word that addresses the problems of privilege we see in the queer community today as they intersect with White privilege, capitalism, sexism, transmisogyny, and cissexism, all of which end up leaving many people out of the movement toward greater sexual freedom and equality.

I couldn't take anything that was said seriously. How is white privilege and capitalism related to homosexuality and how it is perceived (I assume that was at least one main point of the column)?

But when it questions whether heterosexuality is normal but putting "normal" in scare quotes, the author proved himself not only to be unhinged but dishonest.

Normal and natural are not the same. It is not normal for a person to be a genius, autistic, albino, born with a birth defect, etc. It is a statistical fact. However all those things are natural. It is the same with homosexuality. Homosexuality is natural but it is not normal. Trying (in often succeeding) to turn that into a political issue will not change that.

#3 mudbug on 2015-02-04 09:56 (Reply)

Those living in the echo chamber have no clue what normal is when outside of the echo chamber.

#3.1 indyjonesouthere on 2015-02-04 10:10 (Reply)

Prof. Puppy Blender had a story on "Singleism", or the "Married Privileged" . Nothing is too nuts to be angry about.

#3.2 Sam L. on 2015-02-04 13:52 (Reply)

James Lileks' take:

I was intrigued for 2.6 seconds by the idea of actually reading an article about Unearned Marital Privilege, but I think this NRO article tells me enough. The conclusion had an interesting assertion:

Some points are particularly laughable, such as the claim that it’s so terrible that “universities have women’s studies, Black studies, and queer studies programs” but “there is no singles studies program in any university, anywhere.”

For the moment, anyway. I would like to ask the authors what sort of employment they wish to obtain with a degree in singles studies. There would only seem to be two options: additional time spent in the University to pass along the accrued wisdom of Singles Studies to others, or some sort of counseling or personnel management job where a Singles Studies degree would indicate expertise. It being academically-derived expertise, it would be superior to what people think they know about the subjects, since they just experienced something for themselves without the benefit of studies.

What the program would do, of course, is celebrate singleness, and everyone and every state and every condition needs to be celebrated, or it is not validated; if it is not validated, it is marginalized. If it is marginalized, it is oppressed. If it is oppressed, it is virtuous. Then again, if it's celebrated, it is virtuous as well. So either way you're covered.

#3.2.1 Sam L. on 2015-02-04 14:22 (Reply)

Sam, that last para reminded of the missile guidance post down below. Which is a good thing, I think. Though perhaps not.

#3.2.1.1 XRay on 2015-02-04 20:31 (Reply)

I thought Singles Studies, in the informal sense, was the secondary purpose of college since they started aiming at people in their late teens and early twenties, i.e. pretty much forever.

#3.2.1.2 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2015-02-04 22:45 (Reply)

Re: Feminist "music"

I notice they turned pages on their music stands. That implies that somebody actually wrote that! Amazing! One has to wonder if they are subsidized by the government (seems likely to me) because there is no bad art like bad art subsidized by the government.

#4 mudbug on 2015-02-04 10:03 (Reply)

Re: Declining numbers of English majors

Am I the only one that noticed that The English professor quoted used the word "exponentially" not only unnecessarily but incorrectly?

#5 Another guy named Dan on 2015-02-04 10:24 (Reply)

They forget they have another function (at least here in Canada): "civilizing" the engineers, scientists, and business majors.

Back in the day, there was a requirement for students in those areas to take a certain number of courses in the humanities. So offsprings did, with interesting results. One offspring, who LOVES Jane Austin, dropped a course because the professor insisted on reducing the witty works of an excellent author to a dry and dusty analysis. Another offspring, faced with a 'classic' Canadian play that couldn't stand, took a look at the characters, found one that could 'identify' with, and objected to the play on the basis of the way this character was portrayed (rather think the term 'racist' was employed).

I also had issues: as a geology major, I found any non-geology course I took was littered with majors in that subject; never was a non-geologist in a serious geology course. Give credit to the Chemistry department of the day: the professors of the recommended course were very cognisant of the differing majors of their students and gave lectures specifically geared to the various majors.

Vastly different out in the 'humanities': we were alongside majors and treated no differently. Never did have a professor who understood that, while present in his class and was doing the best that could, was undermined by the sheer weight of lab hours in the science courses. That his majors all got 'soft' (as in minimal knowledge and no labs) science courses didn't matter. Which, if you think on it, could be a commentary on the relative abilities of science vs non-science students: science students are deemed to be able to comprehend non-science subjects, but the precious snowflakes that are arts students have to protected from all but the most tenuous exposure to science.

#5.1 Frances on 2015-02-04 22:09 (Reply)

I was told there would be no math.

#5.2 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2015-02-04 22:48 (Reply)

Re: Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts

I am a big fan of the Boy Scouts, but I do not buy Girl Scout Cookies. Sad to say, they have lost their way.

#6 mudbug on 2015-02-04 10:25 (Reply)

Nutrition is nice, it's important. But personally, I think being blessed with good genes is aces.

#7 John the River (Link) on 2015-02-04 10:28 (Reply)

"Organic" Is The Latin Word For "Grown In Pig Shit"

Is anyone really suprised that the supplement and "orgainc" industry is a sham? I have often responded when asked if I eat organic "not if I can help it". No, I don't fear an organic carrot I fear the organic carrot grower. The cost of organic runs from twice to three times the cost of a commercial product. The incentive to cheat in new and wonderful ways is very powerful. What is the organic grower putting on the carrots he is going to sell you? BS you say! And you may be correct. What is in the bottle of some supplement you buy at your local GNC store? "Wild carrot" may be the least of yur worries. Anything and everything grown "organically" or supplements or raw milk or whatever the looney left is selling scares me. I am not afraid of bacon or red meat. I relish the somewhat burnt fat on a good barbecued cut of beef. But whole foods scares me.

#8 GoneWithTheWind on 2015-02-04 11:05 (Reply)

Unfortunately, everyone from Walmart on up is going organic. Walmart has lost its mind, I'd rather have cheap, but fresh, vegetables and food. The steady advance of BS in American culture disgusts me one moment, and depresses me the next.

#8.1 chuck on 2015-02-04 20:29 (Reply)

I just tell people that here in New Jersey we elected an asshole for Governor and we are quite proud of that. I'm pretty sure my son was thrown out of Ohio for being That Guy From New Jersey...

#9 Robert Sendler on 2015-02-04 11:29 (Reply)

Manners: Is this just another of those Northeast things? We're afraid to be too nice to each other. Social enthusiasm = desperate loser.

As someone born and raised in the NE, and living in TX for decades, my reply would be "Yes."

#10 Gringo on 2015-02-04 12:03 (Reply)

AOSHQ: See my 3.2 comment; replace "angry" with "nuts".

Well-off or Rich?: Highly variable based on one's personal situation. #3.2 applies.

Feminist Music:
Tim Blair's take: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/frightbat_choir/

English profs: All tenured, I presume. ("I'm all right, Jack!)

Obama’s Taxed Himself into a Corner
Absent serious entitlement reform, Democrats will have no choice but to raise taxes on the middle class. Like they didn't want to do it, eh? Deliberate deviousity, sez I.

#11 Sam L. on 2015-02-04 14:13 (Reply)

Why does the vitamin supplement industry get a pass for engaging in fraud?
They can claim to sell you supplements to help you lose weight, grow hair, solve ED etc, and then sell you a placebo. This is fraud.
If Apple sold you a computer they claimed worked underwater and it did not, the law would shut them down.
Why is the supplement industry exempt?

#12 hil Taylor on 2015-02-04 19:30 (Reply)

Being big donors, deft playing of the "get government off our backs" card (and other trump cards in the deck), mass phone calls and letters from true believers and other means less savory. In short, how things get done, whether its city hall or the Congress.

#12.1 walt moffett on 2015-02-04 20:43 (Reply)

Let's not damn the whole supplement industry based on the lowest cost buying practices of big box retailers. This expose was obviously a political, attention-getting stunt albeit valid.

Notice that the supplements tested were all from large retailers and were house brands. I would posit that their purchasing agents went with the lowest cost bids and had NO quality control provisions as to content.

There are many reputable brands available with outstanding reputations for quality, potency, and dependability. One will pay more for a Solgar product than for the Target house brand and this study showed it to be worth it.

#13 Whitehall on 2015-02-05 18:54 (Reply)

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Wednesday, February 4. 2015

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