Monday, July 12. 2010
At Globe and Mail:
“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb,” Benjamin Franklin reputedly said, “voting on what to have for lunch.”
The article is mostly about Italy, as an example.
Wellfleet Oysters and Wellfleet Littlenecks. My cocktail behind them is a Cape Cod Marguerita (cranberry juice added). Refreshing and healthily salt-restoring.
I have Wellfleet architecture in the pipeline, but my photos don't want to upload to the site right now.
Thanks to Hell In A Handbasket for alerting us to a worthy site, Women's Outdoor News.
And thanks to our buddy for this fine aviation site which we have seen before, Flight Level 390. I want that guy flying my airplane. With the machine on auto 99% of the time, what is there to do but sleep or blog?
View from the South Wellfleet Audubon lands, where the salt marsh meets the shore. Here be breeding Willets:
It's about the difficulty in knowing what you don't know, and the limits of self-observation. From this site (h/t, Coyote's Arrogant Ignorance):
…people who lack the knowledge or wisdom to perform well are often unaware of this fact. We attribute this lack of awareness to a deficit in metacognitive skill. That is, the same incompetence that leads them to make wrong choices also deprives them of the savvy necessary to recognize competence, be it their own or anyone else’s.
What's a "metacognitive skill"? It's about "the ability to reflect and assess ones' own thinking and understanding."
If I did not suffer from a mild case of Dunning-Kruger, I would not be able to post anything on Maggie's Farm because "I don't know anything, I never did know anything, but now I know that I don't know...":
Maggie's Farm condolences to our dear friends whose Obie has gone to Doggie Heaven. Such house dogs, like ours, are family members and losing them leaves a hole in a home.
 Sea Turtle Egg Evacuations Begin Along Oiled Gulf
How to fool people into thinking that you are attractive. Amusing.
Killed for bad hijab in Iran
Fred Barnes: A chance to fix Social Security
Politico: Liberals analyze their Obama 'despair'
Reason: Legislation oozing its way up the Hill threatens open markets in beer, wine, and liquor.
IPCC shifts its focus from science to PR
Gingrich: Obama doesn’t understand America
Popular Mechanics: Debunking the Top 10 Energy Myths
Neo: US v. Arizona: where’s the conflict?
Struggling states seeking more aid from Washington
BP Assailed by Naked Code Pinkos. Good grief.
Guy freaks out on learning that Arlo Guthrie is a Repub
Public-sector pensions in New Jersey and other states completely ignore the risk and cost to taxpayers of investing in increasingly risky assets.
Virginia Lawmaker Challenges Feds to Sue His State Over Immigration Enforcement
Via SDA:
Having just moved to BC from Saskatoon, I expected to find Lotus land to be just that. But upon receiving my daughter's Grade 2 report card, the top category that was graded was "Social Responsibility"
I assumed they'd mastered the instruction of Mathematics, Science, English, and other subjects completely, as moving on to designing society would remove valuable time from the classroom.
Aw, math is too hard. Designing Society is easy, and, the less you know, the easier it is.
Telegraph: Copying the NHS is the last thing the US should do
Barbour:
“The issues are jobs, spending, the deficit, debt, taxes and the economy,” he adds. “Republicans should not do anything to take away attention from that.
Am Thinker: Alinsky, Stalinsky, It's Still the Same Old Agitprop
The Climategate Whitewash Continues
Sunday, July 11. 2010
Taken out my back door just minutes ago:
You have your backyard scenery, I have mine.
We'll will be in the Sierra for a month, and mostly out of internet range at our place except when we go to town. The aggregate snowfall (including 12 inches on Memorial Day) was 561 inches (see http://www.squaw.com/snowfall-tracker-2009-10), and this is what's left on July 7. Weather is 75 day, 46 night, but dry. It's early Spring - few flowers are out yet, but the pollen is heavy & everything (grass, skunk cabbage, shrubs, shoots) is bright green.
My photo last week:
 Thanks to a reader for pointing out this remarkable piece by Woodrow Wilson, Socialism and Democracy. A brief sample:
In face of such circumstances, must not government lay aside all timid scruple and boldly make itself an agency for social reform as well as for political control?
'Yes,' says the democrat, 'perhaps it must."
Wilson's short essay, in which he claims that democracy and socialism are inseparable, is certainly relevant to Kesler's Friday post, Demonization Does You In.
A discussion of Wilson's progressivism here.
Ed. comment: Interesting. It is an antique view of the world, indeed. I believe Wilson wrote that blog post essay in the 1880s. As we always ask here, 1. What about freedom? and, 2. Where's the money and wealth gonna come from? I am with CS Lewis, who preferred that people aspire to wealth than to power if they must aspire to worldly goals. Wealth is harmless, and often beneficial. Power is scarey.
Double addendum, Goldberg via Driscoll:
...it is my argument that American liberalism is a totalitarian political religion, but not necessarily an Orwellian one. It is nice, not brutal. Nannying, not bullying. But it is definitely totalitarian–or ‘holistic,’ if you prefer–in that liberalism today sees no realm of human life that is beyond political significance, from what you eat to what you smoke to what you say. Sex is political. Food is political. Sports, entertainment, your inner motives and outer appearance, all have political salience for liberal fascists.
If politicians had more common sense than my plumber or Tom Jefferson, it might almost be a debatable argument. One which Aristotle settled long ago, however.
What They're Doing After Harvard: "Teach for America now attracts 12% of all Ivy League seniors. The program's founder explains why it beats working on Wall Street."
Shut up and sing: Jimmy Buffett Organizes Gulf Benefit, Blames Bush for Spill. Here's a good summertime song: Why don't we get drunk and spill some oil.
The World Cup causes woman-abuse? OK, let's ban the World Cup. It seems like mainly a guy thing anyway.
Lib talks racist for a good cause. I was only trying to be funny!
Also, re race: 'Never Bring Another Lawsuit Against a Black’
Lack of New IPOs and Impact on Performance
Opposition to ObamaCare Surges
Kudlow:
This whole debate about government stimulus versus austerity, and the impact of these policies on economic growth, misses a key point: It is business, not government, that creates jobs.
Whatever “green jobs” are, it’s very clear America doesn’t want them.
Barnes: Think Big - Republicans should embrace Paul Ryan's Road Map.
Commentary: Deliberate Nonfeasance at the DOJ
The Hidden Costs of Jew-Baiting in England
Via Obama's Politics of Fear:
Begala recognizes there ain't much water left in the "hope" well, so the plan is to poison what's left. ‘Cause the numbers don’t look so good.
Advocacy Masquerading As Journalism
Thought Police at University of Illinois – Urbana: Free Speech Dead…Man Bites Dog:
The list of cases where anti-Tyranny students have been punished and persecuted by socialist professors and administrators is endless. There is no such thing as free speech on college campuses for those who disagree with the socialist progressive agenda.
Luke 10:25
10:25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
10:26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"
10:27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
10:28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
10:30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
10:32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
10:33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
10:35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.'
10:36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
10:37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
I fingered about 1000-words of witty repartee on the pageant, but -- and it's true -- my touch-typing and my other reflexes hit a big delete before I finished. So, if you want to, at least, see what you missed, and not hear a horny wise-guy, you'll have to go to this luscious link. There's also about 150 photos for your menu. My advice: pick one from each column and enjoy the Hooters smorgasbord. Watch the pageant and special features until you go blind, or find a new side of your special other.
The below is from the memory images indelibly on the inside of my eyelids.
Believe me, a connoisseur, it's far better than the skinnies at the Victoria Secret TV show. And, no veils to hide behind, just all teenie bikinis.
One-hundred were chosen from the 4,000 Hooter girls in 26-countries. Of the hundred, 3 were A-cups, 10 B-cups, and 10 C-cups. Do the math, and if you can keep your mind and imagination from wandering, that leaves 67 --er, 77 -- with a D, who will have to do detention with the teacher. Any PhDs out there to volunteer? Flowers instead of ivy.
The field of dreams was cut to ten, two A-cups, two B-cups, and six Ds for detention, maybe a spanking. The choice of the four who escape discipline reflects the over-the-hill two cougars among the judges, trying to cut the competition in the wee-drunk hours perhaps.
Five dark hair and five blondes, so diversity rules. Speaking of which, my vote is for equal opportunity, so my id tips for tall, D, Black, LeAngela Davis. (OK, political types, she is probably named after a communist, but I'm willing to be her comrade for this cause.)
Then there were five (and 95 winners at the stage door to provide a shoulder and a Jag to console). An IQ test in bikinis: don't bother listening to the girls, just look interested. (best advice="don't eat yellow snow"; best talent="pour beer and hoola-hoop at same time" -- bet someone will lick the spill)
A special insight. The girls use "butt-glue" to keep their bitty bikini bottom from creeping up and going Indian to wipe them out.
And, my favorite commisar, and the judges', Miss World Hooter, goes to looking great globally, LeAngela Davis. From Columbus, Ohio. I didn't know there was so much booty buried there (though I dug up a golden C there one business trip, probably a groovy grannie by now). Go exploring and dig it.
Here she is:
I haven't been in a Hooters for lunch in about 15 years. Tomorrow, I'm taking my 5-year old chick-magnet Gavin, former champion breast-feeder, to a special lunch.
BTW, last years winner took her support to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I bet they saluted in every way.
Saturday, July 10. 2010
 Jesus. It seems people are not supposed to utter the name in public.
As I recall, that's how the Romans reacted. Good grief.
Last I heard, even non-believers viewed Him as a moral leader, prophet, or at least as someone who shook the world. Many even accepted Him as Moshiach. Not all, for sure, which is fine with me. Skepticism Is Us at Maggie's, but Jesus is just all right with many of us. I think even our non-believers dig Him.
Who would not be interested? He even got to Johnny Cash, Bob, and the Doobies:
Wanted Man. Johnny at San Quentin.
I always thought Johnny had a bit of the redeemed sociopath in him, but it's just my intuition and it might just be his stage persona. Anyway, there is a darkness in all of us. God bless good ol' Johnny Cash.
Prelutsky.
Same here, and I am not as old as he is. He is an old guy.
If you have money, that is. Story in the WSJ. (Thanks)
Why Women Get Friskier As They Near 40. It's the hormones, honey. h/t Insty
NYT: Biggest Defaulters on Mortgages Are the Rich. The ex-rich, I suspect.
In the UK, Just Unbelievable
Shlaes: Obama threatens to follow in FDR's economic missteps
FIRE: At Bryn Mawr, Another Speech Code of the Month is Reformed
Blair: THEY CAME FOR THE APPLIANCES
Fund: The Obama-Pelosi Lame Duck Strategy. Worrisome.
Driscoll: ‘There’s that Darn False Narrative Again’
The Greenhouse Protection Racket- Climate policymaking in our nation’s capital is best explained in the lingo of Hollywood mobsters and banditos.
Climate: When good trees go bad. Those trees must be right-wing liars.
Zogby finds majority think their state should pass immigration law like Arizona's
Wallowing in America's flaws. Betsy. It was quite hip and chic in the 1950s and 1960s....
President Obama’s behavior over the past year, and particularly the last month, borders on bizarre. The candidate who promised to bring people together and move beyond polarization has morphed into a divisive and defensive president.
His sinking approval numbers underscore the growing public disappointment in the gap between his campaign rhetoric and his governing style.
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.
Photo is a beach we frequent on Wellfleet Harbor. At low tide, it's all oyster mudflats and the boats here lie on their sides in the mud. The tidal differences in Cape Cod Bay can be as much as 6-12', depending on the moon cycle and location. Where are all the people? Wellfleet beaches have lots of privacy, few people.
Friday, July 9. 2010
Driving home from errands, I listened to Rush. He said, “Liberalism is socialism is marxism.” OK, I get that Rush makes his points with rhetorical flourish. And, I get that rhetorical flourish can serve the purpose of arousal.
What I, also, get is that excess in speech or action will most often be counter-productive in persuading most of those on the fence as well as those fewer of contrary views who may be open-minded.
What I, further, get is that excess in speech or action will most often harm oneself in keeping an even keel and integrity of purpose. The feedback loop polarizes oneself, thus becoming less focused and effective, even if self-satisfying to rant, and may even harm one’s meaningful relationships.
The Democrat-run Democracy Corps does some very worthwhile polling. Its latest, 55% of likely voters find ‘Socialist’ an accurate label of Obama. It is, and I’m surprised that more do not think so. “Socialist” is a flexible term in usage, but is recognized as redistributive, at best, and needing or leading to oppressive measures, either at worst or inherent. That is Obama, even if of the imbued ‘60s variety of either idealism or confusion or avoidance about harsh realities.
“Marxism” is more discrete in meaning, not even making more than a feeble nod toward individual liberties. Marxism, also, is so convoluted in its logic and practice as to have lost any claim to worth, except among the truly loony or self-servingly authoritarian. Professed believers in marxism or self-labelers as marxist expose themselves as so far outside acceptable in the US that only a very few tenure-protected academics might or a very few self-destructive wackos.
Rush's point is harmed by going too far, unnecessarily, in demonizing Obama. He is dangerous, purposeful, redistributive to the harm of productive, and critical of the US' values and value to the harm of our security and that of allies. Neither, as Rush says, is Obama purposely damaging the US; he really thinks he's not and is improving it by his lights. Obama is, in a sense, worse than a manipulator. Obama is a true believer who marches himself and others forward in blind self-polarization.
But, he's not a marxist, just imbued with the infantile socialism and leftist world view he was and is immersed in, and that is protected from penetration by his chosen similars.
So, I think that Rush went too far, unnecessarily.
Similarly, no far worse, is depicting Obama with a Hitler mustache or such, and such visual demonization. Aside from not true, it cheapens oneself, cheapens truly worse fiends and acts, and is a turn-off that chases away those who otherwise might listen.
If you can’t make a decent argument from facts, and the facts are bad enough about Obama, then become better prepared, but don’t do yourself in and your purpose. Don't be self-polarized, so as to lose sight of the means and ends.
Don’t get mad, get even. Our democracy provides plenty of opportunities to do so sanely and constructively.
Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.
Thanks to Mario Vittone for this excellent post that everybody ought to read (h/t, reader).
Another good one from Mario: Going Fishing? No You’re Not. Every time you leave shore, you leave safety and, however relaxing and fun it may be, you are entering a dangerous environment on a contraption which is floating at the moment, but wants to sink. If there were no bit of adventure to boating, nobody would do it without getting paid.
It's not that the water wants to kill you but, as a reader commented elsewhere, "Nature doesn't care."
Last I heard, commercial fishing is the most dangerous occupation in America, and unwatched swimming pools are death traps for little kids. I know a couple whose 3 year-old drowned during their poolside cocktail party. Fifty people there, and nobody noticed the little kid slip under.
Story at Neptunus:
Vanderleun on the death of awe
Name changes to fool people
Hollywood liberals who wanted America to be like Europe are mortified that Obama is making America like Europe
Mailer: Overrated, and a big-time ahole. Powerline
The return of the Blacklist
How can a court tell a business where to put their factory? P&W in CT
Is the O stupid? I don't think so. He sure is slicker than I am. Discussion of intelligence: The Dumbest President...EVER! I think the O is bright, but not wise.
Speaking of intelligent, this is: "Dow Repeats Great Depression Pattern: Charts"
Israelis save kid. Mom wants him to be a suicide bomber.
First things first: Financial regulation bill dictates ethnic, gender quotas
Experts: 'Ridiculous' Lawsuit Won't Nix Arizona Law on Illegals
What is unemployment?
What do they have against fish? S.F. considers banning sale of pets except fish
Free the Fish! Or do I mean Fry The Fish?
Presbyterian terrorists in Norway? Sheesh
Sarah, feminist hero (h/t, Gateway):
Thanks, Sipp. I think I am the only person who lives on this lane. The view is perfect, except for the absence of ocean.
Thursday, July 8. 2010
It is happening. A good thing, indeed. Monopolies are bad policy, especially government monopolies. Monopolies do not respond to market demand.
However, I am an extremist. I do not believe in government education in any form. We did better before we had any of that. See John Adams and Abe Lincoln...
As I repeat ad nauseum, education cannot be "delivered." It can only be grabbed by those who wish to grab it. I also believe Harvard or Yale (your choice) diplomas should be an entitlement for all American kids on reaching age 21. Like the Wizard of Oz did.
Let's face it: How many Ivy grads know Fermat's last theorem, today? Or can translate Caesar or Plutarch? The education industry today is a giant rip-off and nothing more than a credential sales scam.
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