Friday morning links

"Bill Nye does not speak for us or for the members of the scientific community."

"Bill Nye is acting on the scientific community’s behalf, but without our approval."

"he continues to wield his power recklessly, even after his recent endeavors in debate and politics have backfired spectacularly."

- 500 women scientists

#2 Rusty on 2019-10-11 09:56 (Reply)

re Three years after LA tax payers approve $1.2 billion for homeless housing, not a single unit built yet. “…higher-than-expected costs…such as consultants and financing…comprise up to 40% of the cost…”

The level of graft cost of the process surprises even me.

#3 feeblemind on 2019-10-11 10:16 (Reply)

And don't forget, the euphemism for this housing is "affordable housing". IMHO it is incredibly stupid to build or subsidize housing for the homeless. Without a doubt 96% of the homeless are either mentally ill or drug users and most are both. I would be OK with forced treatment for their mental illness and addictions but not one cent to allow them to continue their harmful lifestyles.

#3.1 OneGuy on 2019-10-11 11:33 (Reply)

You're right. "Affordable housing" is nothing but subsidized housing, for people who have the right political connections. The reason that home prices are so high is that the money supply is growing at an enormous rate; so homeowners win; and food-buyers lose.

But beyond that, there are two other issues: First of all, the economy is in terrible condition. There are no longer any high wage manufacturing jobs. And the jobs that are available are often taken by Mexicans. We have allowed so much immigration to occur that young couples must now compete with Indians, and Chinese, and Hispanics, and Africans to buy a home. So it's impossible. The real answer is to acknowledge that our primary responsibility is to America's youth. For that reason, we should send all of the foreigners home.

#3.1.1 Ron B Liebermann on 2019-10-11 15:12 (Reply)

My iPhone Calendar app automatically inserts holidays and such into my schedule. Noticed this morning that "Columbus Day" and "Indigenous Peoples' Day" are listed for this coming Monday.

#4 steve walsh on 2019-10-11 10:59 (Reply)

That holiday calendar put so many useless-to-me holidays in my calendar that I turned it off. This one takes it from useless to just silly.

#4.1 rj on 2019-10-11 12:21 (Reply)

All the ways American teenagers are under enormous pressure to succeed: The HORROR!! The horror...of the left.

Steve Kerr: Bought off? Seems like.

The Guardian wants a UK climate skeptic book burning: Burning books...as Hitler did. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Trump's New Executive Orders To Restrain the Administrative State: I hope so, but the deep state is tricky and devious, and they LIE.

NATAN SHARANSKY: WHY BDS FAILS MY 3D TEST ON ANTI-SEMITISM: BDS will never help the Palis (as if it was ever supposed to) because their rulers don't want to do anything that would do good things for the Palis.

#5 Sam L. on 2019-10-11 11:22 (Reply)

re Trump's New Executive Orders To Restrain the Administrative State

I hope the author is correct, but somehow I think he is being overly optimistic.

I fear the Executive orders, while of course being better than nothing, are more symbolic than substantive.

How do you bring bureaucrats to heel who can't be fired or held accountable for their actions?

#6 feeblemind on 2019-10-11 11:37 (Reply)

Fire them. When the Civil Service team finds in their favor have them reassigned to hauling out the garbage on Diego Garcia or the Aleutians at the same pay as they had previously. There will be the same overhead but they will wind up where they can do the least harm and they might even voluntarily quit.

#6.1 indyjonesouthere on 2019-10-11 15:08 (Reply)

The port of Long Beach and China: Get China out of the U.S. and get the U.S. out of China. I don't think any foreign nation should own or control any company or property within the U.S. especially not China.

#7 OneGuy on 2019-10-11 11:38 (Reply)

Why are they under enormous pressure to succeed? If we are all going to die from climate change in 10 years, why bother?

#8 Ray on 2019-10-11 11:40 (Reply)

Good point, Ray.

I would only add this. Isn't every generation under 'enormous pressure' to succeed?

#8.1 feeblemind on 2019-10-11 12:05 (Reply)

I don't think this generation is being put under more pressure to succeed, but rather that his generation has been explicitly denied opportunities to learn the skills of coping with defeat.

The dark flipside to the philosophy of "everybody wins" is that losing is so terrible that no one should ever have to endure it.

#8.1.1 Another guy named Dan on 2019-10-11 15:24 (Reply)

Andrew McCarthy dissents from the rest of National Review about Syria.

(I can't make the link work. It's on their front page.)

Because we all tend to oversimplify, for efficiency's sake if nothing else, I admit I am a sucker for articles that tell me "It's more complicated." WRT the subjects I actually know something about, I find that is true when comparing what I think to the prevailing discussion, so I figure it might be true of other things as well.

#9 Assistant Village Idiot on 2019-10-11 12:06 (Reply)

I can't help but notice the link to "All the ways American teenagers are under enormous pressure to succeed" actually goes to an article about all the ways American teenagers feel they're under enormous pressure to succeed, which is not at all the same thing. I'm sure American teenagers - and a sizable portion of the adult population who refuse to grow up - feel all sorts of things that just aren't true. I would expect that were they actually under enormous pressure to succeed, you'd see better results. Succeeding under pressure leads to self-confidence and self-esteem and optimism, not anxiety and depression and negativity, just for starters.

#10 Jerryskids on 2019-10-11 16:30 (Reply)

An excellent distinction to make

#10.1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2019-10-11 23:26 (Reply)

RE Islamic nationalism - I am raising a new puppy right now, and I cannot help but notice that it behaves identically to Al Qaida.

It's all about biting and testing, retreating and thinking, biding its time (ie "Hudna") then biting and testing again. Testing what, though? Why, testing my limits: what are the limits, and how constantly and harshly I will enforce them.

Will I relent in my enforcement? And if I do, what new limits can it now contravene? And if I don't relent, then what troubles can it foment within its new confines? Iran's official foreign policy is repackaged in a 25 pound Blue Tick Hound pup!

This week, left untended in my pickup at a job site, it ate my work records from last week and foiled my biweekly billing. Now it's confined to the backseat of my car, but what seam, or belt, or upholstery can it now piss-on, chew-on or dig into there?

I am determined not to soften my rules of engagement in the "war" to tame this terrific bundle. I don't think "learning why he hates me," or contemplating the "chickens coming home to roost" will pacify him. And no amount of Dane Geld will mollify his tendency to test, infiltrate or rebel against my rules.

So too, goes, the Anglo's ongoing battle to civilize the Middle East's nascent nation-states.

#11 steveaz on 2019-10-11 16:47 (Reply)

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Friday, October 11. 2019

Friday morning links