Thursday, December 23. 2010
 The experts were wrong: Carbs are the problem - not fat
You can now eat all the fat you want. Eating fat doesn't make you fat.
Where germs breed on airplanes
Bishop Tutu Is No Saint When it Comes To Jews
Driscoll: Mega-Consumers against Consumerism
John Fund: The Net Neutrality Coup - The campaign to regulate the Internet was funded by a who's who of left-liberal foundations. A quote:
The net neutrality vision for government regulation of the Internet began with the work of Robert McChesney, a University of Illinois communications professor who founded the liberal lobby Free Press in 2002. Mr. McChesney’s agenda? “At the moment, the battle over network neutrality is not to completely eliminate the telephone and cable companies,” he told the website SocialistProject in 2009. “But the ultimate goal is to get rid of the media capitalists in the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control.”
A year earlier, Mr. McChesney wrote in the Marxist journal Monthly Review that “any serious effort to reform the media system would have to necessarily be part of a revolutionary program to overthrow the capitalist system itself.” Mr. McChesney told me in an interview that some of his comments have been “taken out of context.” He acknowledged that he is a socialist and said he was “hesitant to say I’m not a Marxist.”
Armies always used to take control of the radio stations first
Obamacare is a government takeover
Happy Kwanzaa, Commies, Racists, and Psychopaths
Obama Supported Ousted Honduran Thug Zelaya to Appease Chavez
School Requires Permission Slips for Pledge
Wednesday, December 22. 2010
Stolen in full (because it is so well-said) from Never Yet Melted's Van Jones Urges Young Supporters “To Pretend” EPA Regulations Are Needed:
Leftism originally created political movements by agitating the masses through a combination of flattering their desires and exaggerating their grievances, but Capitalism baffled the Left by transforming the needy Proletariat into a prosperous Middle Class, while Socialism in the countries where it fully achieved power impoverished everyone outside the Nomenklatura. Socialism consequently collapsed while Capitalism thrived, so the Left went back to the drawing board.
Absent economic grievances, the Left with remarkable ingenuity decided to hitch its wagon to the rising Environmental Movement, and to replace obsolescent economic themes intended to inspire animosity and class division with new, entirely imaginary problems requiring the concentration of power and wealth in the hands of the State.
Van Jones, the Communist run out of his White House advisor position via the exposure of his political background by Glenn Beck, refers indiscreetly to trying “to pretend” that EPA interventions are required by market failure.
Rush has been making accusations about this for years, and so have we. It's good to hear somebody confess the scam in public. The innocent, ignorant, and sanctimonious Greenies are the useful idiots in this game.
 Stopped by my local jewelers at lunchtime today (to pick up a repaired watch - not shopping). The place was packed, and I had to wait a while despite there being 8 salespeople.
The lady who retrieved my watch showed me a $285,000 watch. Used. It doesn't look fancy or flashy at all. She told me they would sell it this week, already sold one just like it earlier in the week. I admired it, but I prefer my old Accutron that my wife gave me the first year we were married (and my Timex Explorer for banging around). She also showed me a pretty bracelet, $60,000. She said they had had five of them three weeks ago, now down to this last one.
They have an armed rent-a-cop on duty full time.
When I finally got my watch delivered from the repair and jewelry construction area upstairs, she handed it to me and said "No charge. It was a simple repair, just a cleaning and oiling. Merry Christmas."
Rasmussen: Majority of Voters Say Protecting Individual Rights Is Government’s Chief Role.
That's a good sign. Lots of folks, it would appear, have taken Bastiat to heart. Unsurprisingly, Liberals do not see it the same way.
It's money. At The American. One quote:
In the eminent domain context, the problem is that landowners are not being paid enough. The standard of “just compensation” is usually interpreted as the market value of the property as determined by dueling appraisers. This standard can be unfair, as Loyola Law School Professor Gideon Kanner has long argued. It skimps on costs of relocation and upset, and excludes consideration of damage to businesses, which can considerably outweigh the value of the real estate. Tenants, especially businesses, are often seriously short-changed.
Pay them the real value. Makes sense to me.
Impressive:
This is an iPhone app, soon to be available for other smart phones. Home site is here. The app is free, languages cost five bucks apiece. They only have Spanish-English at the moment, but converting other languages should be a snap at this point.
What's particularly impressive about this is that it's the quintessential case of the entrepreneur's axiom, find a need and fill it. Check out the second video on the site for the background story.
A truly marvelous invention, and sure beats the hell out of having to look up "ADVERTENCIA! GRAVES DE DERRAMES DE RADIACIÓN! DOS PASOS MÁS Y SE MUERE!" ("WARNING! SEVERE RADIATION LEAK! TWO MORE STEPS AND YOU'RE DEAD!") in the translation book.
"Ad-ver-ten-see-a? Why would there be an advertisement way out here? Should we look it up in the translation book?"
"Look up an advertisement? Why bother? Let's go!"
At Pajamas, ‘Compliance’: The Word That Sunk a Million U.S. Jobs
Costs not related to the quality of the end product — costs created entirely by overbearing government — have destroyed our manufacturing sector.
It's not just cheaper labor - it's the hassle factor.
 Have Feminists Gotten It All Wrong? Can a woman deviate from the fixed feminist-approved life path and still be a woman in full?
Obama's mystery proposal to regulate the Internet
Also, at WaPo: Hands off tomorrow's Internet:
Discouragingly, the FCC is intervening to regulate the Internet because it wants to, not because it needs to. Preserving the openness and freedom of the Internet is non-negotiable; it is a bedrock principle shared by all in the Internet economy. No government action is necessary to preserve it. Acting only on speculative concerns about network operators and contrary to a decade of industry practice, the FCC is moving forward aggressively without real evidence of systemic competitive harms to cure, markets to fix or consumers to help.
Price controls: U.S. Proposes Rules on Raising Insurance Premiums
We all know that the long game is to put them out of business
In New Maps, 'An Embarrassment of Riches' for GOP
SANDERS: Afghanistan and worldwide jihadism
Obama administration readies indefinite detention order for Guantanamo detainees
E-15 gasoline?
Do the farmers feed us, or do we feed the farmers? And another issue: Do they care what that E-10 already does to our 2-cycle engines? What will E-15 do to a chain saw?
Re farmers, you got money for "attempting to farm"
Making the case that California is doing fine
Tuesday, December 21. 2010
Some of our readers appreciate views of old wooden speedboats. From this site:
My good friend Dan Blatt, of GayPatriot blog, has a worth reading column today at AOL, What's Next for Gays After the DADT Repeal?
Though we disagree on the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), Blatt neutrally links to and quotes from my previous post, DADT Repeal: What Comes Next? Pentagon Asked, Tells Combat Troops Not To Tell, and I reviewed his draft for accuracy.
Respected defense and foreign policy guru Max Boot writes, as does a combat Marine’s wife, with confidence the able military will adapt, though they opposed the repeal.
For one thing, there may be far fewer gays in uniform than claimed by the pro-repeal advocates. One indication of this comes from data that most of the approximately 14,000 discharged under DADT from the military over the past 17 years were probably not even gay, but slackers who falsely “outed” themselves for an early out.
Continue reading "Pyrrhic Victory: What’s Next For Gays After The DADT Repeal"
Here. The Judge is a handy weapon, but the .410 in it might not kill anybody for keeps.
You do not want the bad guys alive to testify at your trial, because they will lie.
Re gun safes, I just don't want my firearms stolen, but I have no idea what good a home protection firearm is when locked in a gun safe. All across this great land, people keep a loaded shotgun handy and hope they never need it for anything other than a rattlesnake.
Best home protection is a cheap pump action 12 ga. Only a semi-pro or pro could kill an intruder with a handgun in the dark, while feeling freaked-out and confused. A 12 ga might damage your possessions but at close range with the right cartouche (Buckshot) it can definitely mess up a bad guy so he will die in the hallway before the cops arrive.
These are not very Christmassy mental images, are they?
Justice. This via TigerHawk:
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to briefly thank a few people individually for all of their hard work--and I couldn't think of a better place to do so than here (my very own Facebook Page, crazy)!
Governor Christie, thank you. Seriously. I understand the risk you assume while making any decision that affects the People of New Jersey and that this was no trivial decision for you. In the days and years that will come to pass I am positive you will find yourself proud of your decision... and if you heard that quote about me running against you for President; I was just kidding. :)
Dennis Malloy, thank you. You've helped deliver an amazing gift this Christmas for a very loving and deserving family. I wouldn't be typing these words right now if it wasn't for you.
Richard Gilbert & Evan Nappen, thank you. You've been amazing counsel through this all and I'm proud to have you represent me in this case.
To the 15,000+ Facebook supporters, thank you. To each and every person who wrote the Governor, thank you. To each and every person who wrote to me and sent me hope... thank you.
To the Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines who wrote me from overseas - thank you for your kind words and your dedication to our country. The work you do amasses a debt that can never be repaid and I am humbled that you supported me from bases and War Zones around the globe. Thank you.
Lastly, thank you to my family, friends and beautiful fiancee. I'm lucky to have you all in my life.
There is a great deal of work yet to be done but, in the meantime, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas.
My very best,
Brian D. Aitken
Gov. Awesome does it again.
From the Pope Center's Studying or Partying? The Five-Year Party identifies a problem with college, but gets a barely passing grade:
The reward for students being good clients and paying ever-increasing amounts of tuition dollars and other fees is a diploma. However, because they have not received a real education, their diplomas are almost worthless, and they cannot obtain decent jobs with them. Although most schools imply that graduating from them will put the student on the path to a good career, the truth is that many have barely advanced past their high school knowledge and will find employment in jobs like theater usher and coffee barista.
Readers know that I am in favor of raising the bar for HS and college graduation. Over time, these things mean less and less. A HS degree should mean, at minimum, that you can write a personal essay, a researched essay, know what PV=nRT means, and perform Trigonometry. A college degree should mean, at minimum, that you can write a scholarly paper, do Calc, and speak intelligently about Kierkegaard and the Bible.
Good summary, looking forward:
There are, however, two possible means of repeal. There is actual legislative repeal, passed by both Houses and signed by the president, which cannot happen until 2013 at the earliest. And there is effective repeal, in which the body politic rejects the substance of the bill, seeks waivers and exemptions, supports defunding important provisions, and challenges it in court, all of which would have the effect of making the whole scheme unworkable. This could be the ultimate fate of Obama’s signature legislation.
Many Democrats are sure to keep telling themselves, as President Obama has, that “the outcome was a good one.” That conviction should comfort them as they continue to deal with the consequences arising from the intensity of the electorate’s rejection. The Pyrrhic victory Democrats secured for themselves in March 2010 may prove not to have been a victory at all but rather an ever-roiling, ongoing, and recurring act of political and ideological self-destruction.
 I am not a huge fan of Florida (I like going to places with more interesting history, and preferably less heat), but with our deep chill so early this year, I have been thinking about it a little.
I am not really a Hobe Sound or Jupiter type, and definitely not a Palm Beach sort. And Vero Beach never sounds very interesting to me. Your editor is averse to "relaxation," and also does not want to waste time by playing that game where you hit the little ball with the little stick.
Islamorada, for the fishing etc. I am also attracted to Gasparilla and Useppa. When we did a week in Captiva a few years ago, we'd rent a boat and tool around the waters between Captiva and Port Charlotte. We had to boat to have lunch in that wacky place on Cabbage Key, and we anchored right off Useppa for a swim and for some exploring.
Cabbage Key has no roads, and there is an insane drunk directing the boat traffic. Gasparilla and Useppa have no cars. They are both clubs. I am told that Gasparilla is for stuffy blue-bloods (it's rustic and simple), and Useppa more for the nouveaus - more luxurious. Tiny Useppa looks to have been having a building boom since we were down there.
A brief history of Gasparilla and Useppa, including how they got their names.
The Gasparilla site here.
Here's a Useppa site. Here are some of their cottages.
If any of our readers like to go to Florida, where and why?
"Al Qaeda is said to be planning Christmas attacks in the U.S. and Europe. The U.S. sprang into action, telling Al Qaeda, 'You can't call them Christmas attacks. You have to call them holiday attacks' ... Al Qaeda threatening to disrupt Christmas. Who do they think they are, relatives?"
Jay Leno, via Sissy at Riehl
Our linking function has been misbehaving, hence the messy post. If some do not work, apologies.
Ziegler: Media Misinformation 2010 vs. 2008
Reason on Jail: Beyond Bars - A new project has conservatives thinking more seriously about crime.
I do not like jail for non-violent crime. That's my tax money - for what?
How many times have you heard this story, at Prof B: “This is life" ... No, it's narcissism on a huge scale
A month ago, Brit climate models said WINTER TO BE MILD PREDICTS MET OFFICE
Related, DHS Defends Against Nonexistent Climate Crisis
Finally, a job DHS can do
Also related, A Junk Science Czar — Schwarzenegger Wants to Work in the Obama Administration Fighting Non-Existent Global Warming
Related: Hugh Hewitt: California's economic suicide now includes cap-and-trade
And more at Driscoll: ‘Global Cooling is what we must expect because of Global Warming’
It's scientific, you see
NPR's Nina Totenberg Apologizes For Saying "Christmas"
While hunting around for something else, I stumbled across this factoid: In 2008, 93% of American workplace fatalities were men even though males accounted for only 57% of the total hours worked.
I, for one, am grateful, because if women died disproportionately at work we'd never hear the end of it.
Q&O: Why you have to react to every story about government overreach
About Regulatory Capture
Interesting assumptions underlying a study about Fox viewers’ ignorance
Count me in.
Warren on the Dechristianizations of the Middle East
Insty noted the existence of a book which tells you:
How to prevent fat gain while bingeing (X-mas, holidays, weekends)
How to increase fat-loss 300% with a few bags of ice
How Tim gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days, without steroids, and in four hours of total gym time
How to sleep 2 hours per day and feel fully rested
How to produce 15-minute female orgasms
How to triple testosterone and double sperm count
How to go from running 5 kilometers to 50 kilometers in 12 weeks
How to reverse “permanent” injuries
How to add 150+ pounds to your lifts in 6 months
* How to pay for a beach vacation with one hospital visit
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Samuelson: Cheating Our Children (Again)
Gates: Eurabia: The Planned Islamization of Europe
Monday, December 20. 2010
Small business owners use home equity as a support for their businesses:
Given the evidence that small business owners use home equity as a source of financing for their businesses, one would expect the recent decline in home prices to have adversely affected small business borrowing.
I wonder how many small business owners have maxed out, or over-maxed, their equity credit lines. I know one small contractor who has.
Posted at Bernard Goldberg, My Genes Made Me Do It!
Funny how we humans want to take personal credit for things we feel good about, and how quick we are to come up with excuses and rationalizations for the rest.
The author included this handy-dandy elementary life skills chart, for those who never learned it. Readers might be amazed by how many adults never mastered Life 101. Sadly, the "awareness" part is often the biggest challenge:
Port Ellen, Islay
After the ratification of the 18th Amendment on January 16, 1919 and passage of the Volstead Act on October 28, 1919, Prohibition began on January 16, 1920. Alcohol smuggling began immediately. Rum-runner Captain William S. McCoy began bringing rum from Bimini and the rest of the Bahamas into south Florida. The Coast Guard soon caught up with him, so he began to bring the illegal goods to just outside of the U.S. territorial waters and let smaller boats and other captains such as “Habana Joe” take the risk of bringing it into shore.
McCoy soon bought a sea-going fishing schooner named Arethusa for the purpose and renamed her Tomoka. He installed a powerful engine, mounted a concealed machine gun on her deck and configured the hold to carry all the liquor she could hold mostly Irish and Canadian whiskey.
Rum runners usually added water to the bottles or change labels for more famous ones to stretch their profits. McCoy became famous for never watering his bottles, and this reputation earned his goods as "The Real McCoy."
On November 15, 1923, McCoy and Tomoka encountered the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca. Tomoka’s machine gun repelled the boarding party, but was less successful against the Seneca’s cannon, and Tomoka was finished, along with McCoy’s career as a rum runner.
Most speakeasy customers got used to the watered whisky, however, and many still drink the “milder” brands like J&B, Cutty Sark, Black & White, and Dewar’s White Label.
For a great chart showing a matrix of Light vs, Rich, plotted against Smoky vs. Delicate, see this site.
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