Wednesday morning links

re: Babies listen and learn

I don't know if babies are learning language that young, but they are very much aware of their surroundings. My fourth son was born last week. Those two days in the hosptial were a lot quieter than any given moment he spent in the womb at home. He didn't bat an eye when we took him home to his loud brothers, talking radio, and barking dogs. That's his normal.

Babies are learning more, and at an earlier age, than we usually give them credit for. It's amazing to see a baby who isn't old enough to speak use ASL signs to ask for more food or drink or say he has enough.

#1 Jack Walter on 2019-03-13 08:20 (Reply)

Yes. Babies are so amazing. We just spent a few days this weekend with our brand new grandson in the hospital just after he was born. At a few minutes old, he would follow his father's voice with his eyes, and brightening up when he heard either his father or mother speak, and then the would just rest and sleep until he heard them again. He was visibly so much happier when he was with them, in their arms. He had been hearing their voices while in the womb!

#1.1 LP on 2019-03-13 18:40 (Reply)

Loved the Fox Butterfield essay. I'm not the most brilliant guy on the internet and I get some things wrong.* But whenever I consider a pronouncement, I mentally step back and look at it and say "Am I missing the obvious here?" Liberals understand everything but themselves, it seems. To see, you first have to look.

#2 Assistant Village Idiot on 2019-03-13 08:30 (Reply)

Assistant Village Idiot: Loved the Fox Butterfield essay.

QUOTE:

Are economic growth and wealth creation driven principally by the the striving of millions of individuals working in their own self-interest under conditions of private property and free exchange? Of are economic growth and wealth creation driven principally by government spending and programs that “create” the jobs and the wealth?

Markets, made up of the decisions of millions of individuals and coalitions of individuals, drive economic growth. However, markets can't exist in a vacuum, and governments are necessary in order to provide a stable and secure environment for markets to thrive, which includes providing outlets for people to express themselves politically.

QUOTE:

Of course, if you think about it for even a minute, what seems like an inexplicable paradox to a Times reporter is not a paradox at all. The important aspect of a successful economy is not that it creates “jobs,” but rather that it allows the people to create wealth by working and being paid well for it.

An economy that doesn't create jobs can hardly be considered successful. And while not everyone is an entrepreneur, everyone can be a consumer. Very high unemployment causes problems for markets, and while this typically leads to clearing of unemployment, the economy can sometimes enter a devastating downward spiral, leading to serious economic damage, and a long period of recession.

QUOTE:

What has happened is that the economy has reached full employment. (The February unemployment rate is given as 3.8%, with the number of job openings (about 7 million) substantially exceeding the number of people reported as unemployed (about 6.2 million).) Effectively, there’s nobody left to hire, except by luring someone away from a previous job. And thus we have reached the point where the strong economy can’t “create jobs” any more, and instead induces employers to bid up wage rates if they want to hire the people they need away from other employers.

That's sorta right, but not quite. The economy has been at near full employment for some time, which is starting to put pressure on wages; that part is true. However, the population increases about 200,000 per month, so new workers are always entering the workforce; consequently, new jobs have to be continually created to keep that pressure on wages. Nor has there been such a dramatic change in the jobs market since last month when 300,000 jobs were created, so that doesn't explain the low February numbers.

The recent jobs report is probably a statistical fluctuation, the average of January and February being about 160,000 jobs, or about average.

#2.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 11:03 (Reply)

Fox Butterfield is part of Team Z in case you haven't noticed.
You're welcome.

#2.1.1 Zachingoff on 2019-03-13 16:31 (Reply)

Such ponderously ignorant bloviating, that thing.

#2.1.1.1 Meh on 2019-03-13 17:20 (Reply)

On another birthday note, it has been confirmed that no one ever made Mitt Romney a birthday cake before in his life...

#3 The Distributist (Link) on 2019-03-13 08:54 (Reply)

The Distributist: On another birthday note, it has been confirmed that no one ever made Mitt Romney a birthday cake before in his life...

Romney always came across as earnest, wholesome, goofy, but out of touch; Griswold goes to Washington. You can't help but like the guy. Of course Twinkies are his favorite snack food! His way of blowing out the candles is cute, though. Maybe it will lead to a change in this rather unsanitary tradition.

#3.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 10:43 (Reply)

I smell future legislation in those clouds of extinguished candles, removing another opportunity to make our children stronger by building necessary immunities from their first birthday party on...

#3.1.1 The Distributist (Link) on 2019-03-13 10:57 (Reply)

His way of blowing out the candles, methodically snuffing them one at a time, is as pure an indication of his character as anything could be. It's just Mitt's way of making certain that he's got a sure thing in hand before he commits anything.

#3.1.2 Aggie on 2019-03-13 11:48 (Reply)

I don't remember the link; but, it quoted Mitt as saying that he was getting over a cold and did NOT want to spread his germs.

#3.1.2.1 charles on 2019-03-13 21:02 (Reply)

BD: Clintons always skate

When Comey said Hillary Clinton was not guilty of gross negligence, he was not lying. He was merely following the advice of the Department of Justice, one of the greatest institutions of the United States government. The fine people at the Department of Justice, like Bruce Ohr and Rod Rosenstein, are to be commended for their service to their nation.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump stained the reputation of this venerable institution by appointing white racist Jeff Sessions.

You're welcome.

#4 ZachriHell on 2019-03-13 09:35 (Reply)

Only the uniparty would think asylum for Venezuelans would be a good idea. We would wind up with the Chavez/Maduro socialist/communists who would be working on moving up the ladder as non productive freeshit consumers by coming here. I'm sure the NGO's would give them preference.

#5 indyjonesouthere on 2019-03-13 10:02 (Reply)

There is a dichotomy between Manafort and his crimes and the crimes committed by the college scammers. Many of the crimes are the same, wire fraud, tax fraud, bribes, mail fraud, etc. It would also seem likely that most of the people caught up in this college scam would be the same people resenting Manafort's light sentencing. I would bet dollars to doughnuts that when all is said and done half of these college entrance scammers will get no jail time and most of the rest will get incredibly light sentencing. Will there be outrage by the left over the light sentencing???

#6 Anon on 2019-03-13 10:20 (Reply)

Anon: There is a dichotomy between Manafort and his crimes and the crimes committed by the college scammers. Many of the crimes are the same, wire fraud, tax fraud, bribes, mail fraud, etc.

The scale and time frames are different. Manafort was a major player in the laundering of millions of dollars of money from oligarchs from an adversarial kleptocracy. Then he lied and lied again to investigators.

The parents were essentially bit-players; the partiers at the speakeasy, the gamblers at the illegal roulette table, the johns not the pimp, the patsies holding the bag. While illegal, the patsies rarely have the same legal culpability as the people running the illegal operations, especially if they can provide incriminating information on the conspiracy. If they were to lie to the investigators, though, then they will face more serious charges.

#6.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 10:38 (Reply)

Nothing to see here, just move along.

QUOTE:

During Clinton’s first year at the [State Department], Merck lobbied the State Department to ease regulations restricting the distribution of its drugs “in certain Latin American markets,” according to lobbying disclosure forms from 2009. That placed the drug company’s international interests squarely on Clinton’s desk.
Clinton sat down with Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier privately in March 2012 in a meeting that was closed to the press, according to her official schedule from that day. Immediately afterward, she walked into a staff meeting about “global health strategy.”
By June of that year, her staff was collecting press clips on a $75 million partnership with Merck, funded by the State Department, to reduce childbirth-related deaths in Africa. The Norwegian government had pledged a matching $75 million to the initiative, which was spearheaded by Clinton.
The government of Norway has also donated heavily to the Clinton Foundation, giving up to $25 million to the nonprofit. In fact, Clinton’s emails suggest she even asked members of her State Department staff to facilitate a Norwegian donation to a foundation project, the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.
The clean cookstoves project served as a clear example of the blurred lines between Clinton’s foundation and State Department work.

In your goofy world of Wikipedia articles, and google searches, blurred lines of fascism and communist tyranny, is it possible for a democrat to commit a crime?

#6.1.1 B. Hammer on 2019-03-13 11:03 (Reply)

B. Hammer: In your goofy world of Wikipedia articles, and google searches, blurred lines of fascism and communist tyranny, is it possible for a democrat to commit a crime?

"By June of that year, her staff was collecting press clips on a $75 million partnership with Merck, funded by the State Department, to reduce childbirth-related deaths in Africa."

What was the crime again?

#6.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 11:07 (Reply)

Your answer is a press clip, that doesn’t prove anything Why not answer my yes, or no question? You don’t have to pontificate, just answer yes or no.

#6.1.1.1.1 B. Hammer on 2019-03-13 12:08 (Reply)

B. Hammer: Your answer is a press clip

Huh? You cited it. We just quoted it.

B. Hammer: is it possible for a democrat to commit a crime?

Yes.

Now try to answer our question. "By June of that year, her staff was collecting press clips on a $75 million partnership with Merck, funded by the State Department, to reduce childbirth-related deaths in Africa."

What was the crime again?

#6.1.1.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 12:26 (Reply)

Pay-to-play is the Clintons' preferred method. Take the small example of Haiti.

Bill spearheaded the UN relief effort. Hillary controlled the State Dept. Together, they were the most influential in handling Haiti's money.

1) Bill bypassed the UN contract bidding process and gave a no-bid construction project to a friend of Warren Buffet, a huge Clinton Foundation donor. The houses they built were uninhabitable.

2) Hillary funneled $10M in federal loans to crony Claudio Osorio. Osorio defaulted on the loan and built no houses for Haitians. He instead diverted funds from his company to build his mansion in Florida.

3) The Clintons gave a 1.5M contract to Dalberg Inc., a Clinton donor, to find relocation sites for refugees. They were later chastised because they proposed uninhabitable steep mountainsides as potential refugee sites.

4) Brazilian firm OAS has given billions to the Clinton Global Initiative. In return they received a contract to build roads in Haiti. An audit found that the road contracts were "padded with excessive costs" and built roads that "no one needed".

5) Clinton friend Denis O'Brian, CEO of Digicell and huge Clinton donor, was given almost 3/4 of Haiti's cell phone service contracts. He also got $45M from the US government to open a posh hotel in Port Au Prince. Yes, Hillary actually thought that what poor Haitian refugees really needed was a swanky hotel resort.

6) Clinton cronies and donors got huge contracts to build Caracol Industrial Park, a massive failure that produced less than 10 percent of the jobs it promised.

7) Hillary's brother, Hugh Rodham, was granted a gold mining permit - the first gold mining permit Haiti had issued in 50 years.

There's more. Lot's more.

#6.1.1.1.1.1.1 Rusty on 2019-03-13 12:31 (Reply)

They pretty much did the same thing with Haiti.
So where's the crime?
Duh.

#6.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Zachingoff on 2019-03-13 16:19 (Reply)

Are you trying to say that there is a multi tier Justice system in the good ol’ USofA?

#6.2 B. Hammer on 2019-03-13 10:50 (Reply)

B. Hammer: Are you trying to say that there is a multi tier Justice system in the good ol’ USofA?

Let's try to simplify the complexities of the issues involved.

Ahem...

Duh.

#6.2.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 12:37 (Reply)

There's only two.
One for Democrats and one for everyone else.
Hope that clears up your confusion.

#6.2.1.1 Zachingoff on 2019-03-13 17:00 (Reply)

QUOTE:

Hungary's PM: 'Hungary Has Christian Roots ... There Is No Place For Multiculturalism'

Jews have had a significant presence in Hungary for at least a thousand years. Of course, the Holocaust helped 'Christianize', i.e. purge the population. Once, one in five Hungarians were Jewish. Today, only about 0.1% of Hungarians identify as Jewish.

#7 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 10:29 (Reply)

Dad, while I know you never answer me when I question how your remarks connect with real human logic and reason, how was the Jewish Holocaust the result of Christian ethics and virtues? Or by saying that are you just being a slandering, flamethrowing liar as some say?

Are abortion rights another form of Christianized purges or by supporting them are you being lying robotic filth as others say? I'm confused because not only doesn't any of that you wrote make sense, it offends the persons and histories of the real flesh and blood humans who, unlike you, actually had a stake in the whole thing. Isn't your data center, electric bill, and gigantic Cyclopsian monochromatic green eyeball and diarrhea of the keyboard paid by the same guy who underwrites Snopes?

We should establish some intellectual coherence, integrity, and damn validity as some say to all this if you are going to avoid the appearances of babbling like an autistic troll with all due apologies to autists I'd imagine, if bots like us can imagine, which I'm thinking we cannot.

You're welcome, sure. In any case, stop avoiding me and my uncomfortable questions because you come off like some deranged idiot as some have observed. I wonder how far over the line you'll have to go before finally being banned anyway. What's an admitted toll, because aren't you trolling here all day long?

#7.1 Rotebot, quite pessimistic about his lineage on 2019-03-13 10:51 (Reply)

*Plonkalicious.

#7.1.1 Zachingoff on 2019-03-13 16:42 (Reply)

This is really a good question:

QUOTE:

how was the Jewish Holocaust the result of Christian ethics and virtues?

Hat tip to, well you know who. This blog isn’t so big that you don’t read every comment. Despite your fibs of scribes.

#7.2 B. Hammer on 2019-03-13 12:16 (Reply)

B. Hammer: how was the Jewish Holocaust the result of Christian ethics and virtues?

Didn't say it was. Rather, our point was that the Holocaust in Hungary resulted in a very significant decrease in ethnic diversity in Hungary, a homogenization of the culture.

When Hungary's prime minister asserts "Hungary Has Christian Roots", he is ignoring the fact that Jews have been a part of Hungary's history for a thousand years. When the prime minister says "that here there is no place for multiculturalism", he is speaking from a time after the virtual extermination of the other major culture that formed the fabric of Hungarian society for the past millennium.

#7.2.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 12:24 (Reply)

QUOTE:

"You might say that America is a Muslim nation."- President Barack Obama, Egypt 2009

Was Obama ignoring the Christians that have been part of America for hundreds of years? Or the Jewish population? What is the difference between the two statements - Obama's and Hungary Prime Minister? Is 5% of a population, significant?

Where did you get your 20% figure? I am only finding 5% of the total Hungarian population was Jewish; pre WWI. 23% comes from one city: Budapest. I even used your favorite site.

#7.2.1.1 B. Hammer on 2019-03-13 15:31 (Reply)

B. Hammer: "You might say that America is a Muslim nation." Was Obama ignoring the Christians that have been part of America for hundreds of years? Or the Jewish population?

The quote is not accurate. The closest is this statement: "if you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world," which isn't particularly accurate {56th out of 195}.

Even then, Obama is obviously trying to be inclusive, not exclusive.

B. Hammer: Is 5% of a population, significant?

American Indians are less than 1% of the U.S. population. Are they significant? Asians are 5%. Are they significant?

B. Hammer: Where did you get your 20% figure?

That figure was not accurate. Instead of 1 in 5, it should have been 5%.

#7.2.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 15:54 (Reply)

We like to quote inaccurate figures until we're called on it.
Then we become ambiguous.
Citations are our calling card until they aren't.

#7.2.1.1.1.1 Zachingoff on 2019-03-13 16:26 (Reply)

Jews have had a significant presence in the WORLD for thousands of years.
Remember when Obama claimed that Muslims when they get bitter, they cling to their guns and the Koran...?

#7.2.1.1.1.2 Zachingoff on 2019-03-13 16:55 (Reply)

Hungary is determined to keep muslims out of Hungary...I didn't see any reference to keeping Jews out of Hungary. They seem to better understand the problem of importing cultural poison than a good share of western Europe or the US for that matter.

#7.3 indyjonesouthere on 2019-03-13 13:40 (Reply)

indyjonesouthere: Hungary is determined to keep muslims out of Hungary...I didn't see any reference to keeping Jews out of Hungary.

Hungary's prime minister said, "Hungary has Christian roots; that here there is no place for multiculturalism". That's quite clear.

#7.3.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-13 15:34 (Reply)

See we get to tell you what is clear by murky innuendo and quotes taken out of context.
You should be thanking us.

#7.3.1.1 Zachingoff on 2019-03-13 16:37 (Reply)

Exactly my thought. Who said lying was also when you meant to be misunderstood?

#7.3.1.1.1 Meh on 2019-03-13 17:21 (Reply)

And you immediately headed for a Jewish example where we find there is little friction with locals while we can look at Paris, London, Minneapolis among many others where there are no go zones among the tribe that can not get along with anyone else. Nice diversion there borg bot. Hungary is wise and western Europe will rue the day they went stupid with their immigration policy.

#7.3.1.2 indyjonesouthere on 2019-03-13 19:18 (Reply)

indyjonesouthere: And you immediately headed for a Jewish example where we find there is little friction with locals while we can look at Paris, London, Minneapolis

Uh, because, as already noted, the vast majority were wiped out in the Holocaust.

#7.3.1.2.1 Zachriel on 2019-03-14 08:34 (Reply)

By the way, members of the Hungarian Party, Jobbik, use anti-Semitic tropes, such as claims of an international Jewish conspiracy and blood libels.

#7.3.1.2.2 Zachriel on 2019-03-14 08:38 (Reply)

"It must be boring to be a fetus"

In today's abortion climate, I very much doubt they're bored. Terrified, more likely.

#8 Erasmus on 2019-03-13 12:09 (Reply)

re Democrats Urge U.S. Asylum for Venezuela’s Population

Maybe we should just annex Venezuela and save them the effort of having to move?

#9 feeblemind on 2019-03-13 14:20 (Reply)

That's a possibility. Offer them statehood in exchange for making English the official language, and they'd probably leap at the chance.

The Dems would fight it though. Too many folks who now understand what Socialism's end game is would upset their plans.

#9.1 JLawson on 2019-03-13 16:38 (Reply)

Wait, spittle on a birthday cake, after someone blows as hard as they can over it, increases bacteria in the sugar/fat grow culture the cake is covered with?

What's next? French kissing spreads more germs than a peck on the cheek?

#10 JK Brown on 2019-03-13 14:30 (Reply)

" Google Manager Told Whistleblower: 'We Need to Stop' Fake News Because 'That's How Trump Won'"

Yes, what might have happened if Google, et al, had not spread the fake news that Hillary was a shoe-in and Trump had no chance of even more than a dozen electoral college delegates?

#11 JK Brown on 2019-03-13 14:32 (Reply)

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Wednesday, March 13. 2019

Wednesday morning links