Wednesday, February 1. 2017
Pic is Gorsuch with Scalia in Colorado. Gorsuch is a gentle, warm, refined outdoorsman, a Christian, with a crushing resume. He is 49 years old. A remarkable individual, superstar intellectual. We are fortunate that he is willing to do this job.
With Gorsuch, Trump got his Supreme Court pick right
The three numbers that will keep Democrats from blocking Neil Gorsuch
Neil Gorsuch upheld the rights of hated prisoners and Muslims
Trump’s Supreme Court Pick: "The Best The Left Could Have Hoped For"
Obama’s Solicitor General: Neil Gorsuch ‘Thoughtful and Brilliant’
Tuesday, January 31. 2017
My poker night is this Friday, and I look forward to it each month. 50 people, food, libations, conversation and competition. There are afew heated moments. Not many, mostly good fun and the chance to take your friends' and neighbors' money. I have more or less broken even in this game. I keep pretty good records. We play a cash game for an hour, then a tournament, followed by cash games as people are bounced.
The idea of a computer beating a human at poker seems like it should be simple. It's not. But we've seen computers win at Go, Jeopardy!, checkers, and even chess. So why not poker?
It's a game of incomplete information. Computers are good at games that have lots of available information, not games lacking in it. But poker often has more information available than we care to admit. Betting trends are like prices. They give signals. Being able to sort through the signals and recognize where value lies is a skill. But humans also think and behave in linear ways. If you have a non-random betting approach, a computer should be able to sniff it out.
A computer beating a human at Texas Hold 'em, even a limited table such as this, is quite a feat. The fact I happen to know the inventor of the computer makes it doubly interesting for me. He presented some of his yield optimization techniques to our team several times. I have suggested to our team we bring him back in.
Monday, January 30. 2017
Story here. Maybe "the world" can learn something from Trump.
 The Italian Jesuit Who Taught Computers to Talk to Us
Scientists finally figured out how to make tomatoes taste good again
GMO technology
Eat More Peppers, Live Longer; Eat More Grilled Meat, Die Sooner - Exploring the absurdities of modern nutritional epidemiology.
"I'm A Woman Who Went To The Women's March And The March For Life. The Differences Were Stunning"
Intersectionality?
A union in Ohio is actually cutting their pension benefits
Trump’s EPA Secretary Will Have ‘16,000 Employees Working Against Him’
Good Grief: We Need To Keep Obamacare Because Of ‘Climate Change’
The Media Honestly Doesn’t Get It
The Real Relevance of '1984' Today
Trump's Unconstitutional Attack on Sanctuary Cities - How the president’s executive order debases the Constitution.
Soros Bankrolling Effort to Stop Trump’s Temporary Refugee Halt Order
Obama Banned all Iraqi Refugees for 6 Months in 2011 – Liberals SAID NOTHING!
Epic – Is Team Trump Baiting Liberal Media and Refugee Protesters By Using Obama’s Own Policy?…
President Trump's Immigration Ban is Magnificently Right
NY Times Pukes All Over Trump's Refugee Ban
Washington Post solicits immigration sob stories
The real shocker: Trump is a politician who delivers on his promises
Newt Gingrich: The left should be scared to death after Trump's first week
Trump sets 5-year and lifetime lobbying ban for officials
LAT: When it comes to Trump, liberals can’t see shades of gray
Ace:
I remember back in the old days, public conversations between liberals and conservatives usually went something like this:
1. liberal: says something
2. conservative: responds
3. liberal: you're a racist | sexist | bigot | pejorative du jour
4a. conservative: I am not a racist | sexist | bigot | pejorative du jour
4b. conservative attempts to give evidence for statement 4a.
5. liberal: not good enough
6. Go to step 3
The new, Trump-era "honey badger conservative" playbook appears to be this:
1. conservative: says something
2. liberal: you're a racist | sexist | bigot | pejorative du jour
3. conservative: fuck you.
UN Ambassador Haley: 'There is a new US at the UN'
Saturday, January 28. 2017
Images from various places including Moonbattery
 Finding the Poetry in 'Paterson' -The film chronicles beautifully banal life in the New Jersey city.
"Banal"?
The Forgotten Holocaust: The Films of Boris Maftsir
How School Choice Changed These Brothers’ Lives.
Let Jerry Brown Turn California Into A Socialist Utopia
MSM BIAS: Headlines From the Women's March vs. March for Life Prove It
The men's march against fascism
How Do You Measure "Success" In K-12 Education?
Freedom of speech and the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act on college campuses
The Neocon Lament - Nobody wants them in Trump's Washington
Scientific American: Trump Mexican Border Wall will be a “Climate Mistake”
Humiliating Mexico over the Wall Would Be a Big Mistake
Ohio State class teaches students to detect and respond to microaggressions, white privilege
Microscope skills required
Trump: Persecuted Christian refugees will get priority
Immigration Priorities: Translators, and Victims of Genocide
Trump argument bolstered: Clinton could have received 800,000 votes from noncitizens
NBC’s Chuck Todd: Media knew how ‘hated’ Hillary was in heartland and we ‘underplayed’ it
Trump remains completely clueless on trade.
Scarborough warns Trump on fighting with the press: The media always wins
Voters Like What Trump Is Doing, and They Can’t Stand the Press
Press Pretends to Fact-Check Trump, But Only Misleads Readers
Surprise! Trump doing what he said he would
Flashback: President Obama Encourages Illegal Immigrants to Vote
Trump is already killing people
At Ace:
I no longer have any investment in any particular political values, save one: The rules created by the left will be applied to the left as equally and punitively as they have applied them to the right. And when they beg for mercy, I'll begin to reconsider. Or maybe not. Because fuck these people.
This new philosophy has freed me of more emotional angst that I can describe. Literally nothing the left says or does matters to me anymore. I don't care about their tantrums. I don't care about their accusations. I don't care if they say Trump is lying. I don't care if Trump is lying.
Germany: A Ministry of Truth is an assault on truth.
Europe Proposes "Restrictions On Payments In Cash"
Why Trump Should Support a Kurdish State
Mexico: Peña Nieto and the Juarez cartel
What military Aid to Israel Buys America
Friday, January 27. 2017
Vox explains how the viral WaPo piece on the State Dept got the story wrong.
How deeply invested is the WaPo in spinning tales to make Trump look bad?
Thursday, January 26. 2017
Photo, and more: "My Little Old Sod Shanty on the Plains"
No trees out there, for various reasons
Mary Tyler Moore, RIP
She provided years of innocent delight
How green was my Tesla
A woman flew through a tornado in a bathtub and survived
College Student Mistakes Lab Equipment for Klan Rally
What's Causing Chicago’s Homicide Spike?
Government is confused, but it's clearly guns' fault drug gangs
Researchers uncover vast numbers of unknown Nazi killing fields
Competitive Victimhood
The $7 billion school improvement grant program: Greatest failure in the history of the US Department of Education?
Money is rarely a solution for education
Bourbons of the Press, Believed by But 15%, Straggle on in Defeat
Was the Women's March a revolution — or a self-indulgent dead end?
Trump is the revolution
Dem Rep. Barbara Lee: Republicans Want Women To Die From Abortions…
Why The Democrats' Rise Is Far From Inevitable
Moonbat Meltdown of the Month
Are performers dumber than normal people? Like most people, I just assume this is so, because actors tend to say stupid things when not following a script.
Poll: Voters liked Trump’s ‘America first’ address
"President Trump reiterated his false claim that at least three million illegal immigrants cast ballots for Hillary Clinton..."
Powerline: I’m starting to think Trump really is a one-person wrecking crew for the left delivered by divine Providence.
Trump's Great Wall Will Be Costly and Useless and Mexico Won't Pay For It
Trump’s intervention into policing, voting and immigration sets up showdown with America’s largest cities
Texas Reps Move to Protect States’ Rights to Refuse Refugees
Suddenly, people are for state's rights. Local power vs. federal power - a good battle
Defeated candidate Clinton considers launching liberal television show to lay the groundwork for ANOTHER White House run
Trump Administration Preparing Executive Orders To Drastically Reduce U.S. Role in U.N.
CNN Quietly Releases Updated Pic Showing Trump’s Inaugural Crowd Size Greater than Obama’s 2009 Inaugural Crowd
Woops
Sanctuary Cities must still obey the Constitution
‘America’s Having a Love Affair With Tucker Carlson’: Morning Joe Panel Praises Fox Host
How Trump is remaking the ‘culture war’
Networks Give 129 Times More Coverage to Women's March on Washington Than March for Life
Trump expected to order temporary ban on refugees
What if Trump ran Britain?
The DC Empire Strikes Back
Germany Unleashes New 'Ministry Of Truth'
Confronting China's Slow Invasion of the South China Sea Is Long Overdue
Why is this America's problem?
Former CIA director: US must keep military option in Iran open
Wednesday, January 25. 2017
Campus Speaker Disinvitations: Recent trends.
I do not blame tiny minorities of obnoxious, noisy bullies. I blame spineless, castrati administrators. In recent years, even comedians have been barred from some campi. Indeed, Milo is more entertainer than anything else. Reminds me of the equally-charismatic and anti-establishment Lenny Bruce, also banned in Boston.
Not many ballsy people make careers as college administrators.
What the Death of the Circus Means for Today’s Kids
DOOMSDAY PREP FOR THE SUPER-RICH
Al Gore Dodges a Question About Why His '10 Year' Warning Was an Inconvenient Falsehood
For ten years he has refused to debate anybody
Bummer: ‘Climate Change’ To Lead To More Pleasant UK Weather
The emptiness behind NYC’s rising high-school-graduation rates
Jonah on the Pussy March: I think this is all really quite inane and morally grotesque.
Yazidi Women Sold As Sex Slaves as Vulgar, Privileged, Liberal Women March Against Trump
Z-man on American regionalism:
If you think of America in terms of The American Nations model or maybe the Nine Nations model, the last 200 years can be looked at as a long hegemony of Yankeedom over the rest of the country. Following the Civil War, the South was excluded from having a say in how the nation was governed. The Midwest and Mid-Atlantic were subordinate to the Yankee ruling class, while the West was simply not a factor. This remained the case into the 20th century, as America went from provincial backwater to an industrial power.
The 20th century should have been when this post Civil War arrangement began to fall apart as the South rebuilt and the West joined the Union. Instead, the Great Depression, two world wars and the Cold War locked everything more or less in place.
DNC Chair Candidate Wants to "Shut Other White People Down"
Nice, tolerant, inclusive
Morning Joe to Aides Who Counseled Trump’s Combativeness: ‘You’re a Disgrace, Leave Today’
Trump can never stop stepping on his message with petty nonsense
Why the Left hates tolerance - On the shallowness of left-wing “inclusivity.”
Lefty tantrums:
The destruction in Washington DC and other cities this past weekend was not unnoticed. The violence in the name of moral superiority is hard to overlook. The demands to be heard, the demands to force all others to see their narrow viewpoint, these are hard to see without cringing. It’s the same very uncivilized, quite grotesque, and yes, banal attitudes from years before. When Madonna and Ashley Judd can get up in front of thousands with their message of F-ombs and tampon inanity broadcast to millions of people without an adult from the left standing up to say, “Stop! You are making fools of us all,” you know they are in trouble.
VDH:
If Trump unleashes American know-how and strengthens the economy, then his cultural and domestic agendas, as well as his personal demeanor and language, however radical and jarring, will probably be accepted. In contrast, if he blows up the deficit and sees interest rates spike at Carter levels and the cost of debt service soar, if he allows unemployment to grow — while never exceeding Obama’s dismal economic growth rates — then the Trump agenda will stall and the media will be liberated to obsess over the tweets, gaffes, and bombast of every nanosecond of his presidency.
Bill Clinton on Illegal Immigration, 1995
Sounded exactly like Trump
Governor Greg Abbott hammers a Texas sheriff after she refuses to comply with immigration laws
In 2009, media drooled over Obama. To Trump they bare their teeth.
Trump is typical, a pragmatist
On Wednesday, Trump To Order Building Of Wall, Tighten Border Security…
The 7 Most Egregious Acts Of ‘Social Justice’ In Obama’s Military
Is Brazil ready for freedom and a free-market economy?
Kerry Says Repressive Vietnam 'Embracing' Freedom
Tuesday, January 24. 2017
 Ridicule Didn't Work - The Sokal hoax and its lessons.
Scott Adams on his Talent Stack
The highly unusual company behind Sriracha, the world’s coolest hot sauce
Delicious. I put it on burgers, cottage cheese, pizza, Thai take-out, scrambled eggs
Trump has already redecorated the Oval Office
That was quick. The guy doesn't waste time.
The culture that is San Francisco
Why is Chicago so corrupt?
In Jefferson County, Colorado, George Soros found 'justice was not for sale'
Judge fears Yale has forgotten commitment to free expression
Obama's net worth is $12 million
It always amazes me how rich public servants can become
Surber: President Trump Made JFK and Reagan Stand Up and Cheer
Foxconn CEO Plans $7 Billion Investment in U.S. Display-Making Plant
The "workers" of American will learn to love what Trump is doing. The elites, not so much.
Trump Wins The Unions: Teamsters Praise TPP Withdrawal, Labor Chiefs Describe "Incredible" Meeting With Trump:
But even more notable, was the dramatic pivot by the US labor unions, historically stalwart democrat supporters, who have suddenly emerged as big supporters of Trump policies, and perhaps no one more so than AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka who said TPP withdrawal is "a good first step toward building trade policies that benefit workers."
As a reminder, nearly all major unions endorsed Trump's rival, Hillary Clinton, during the presidential election campaign: they now appear to be shifting their allegiance.
The Collapse Of The Left's Great Con
Did the Washington Post just come out against sanctuary cities?
Sanctuary Cities: Restricting law enforcement risks public safety
How Donald Trump can be America's change agent
#NotMySuperBowl.
Trump Targets 3 Agencies With Ambitious Budget Cuts
How Trump is remaking the ‘culture war’
Donald Trump, American hero - Sinner though he may be, Donald Trump is this generation's incarnation of John Bunyan's pilgrim, writes David P. Goldman. Like a character from Sinclair Lewis or Frank Capra, he stands as a lone wolf ready to avenge the injustices of globalization
‘Glad TPP is dead’: Sanders & Dems applaud Trump for pulling out of global trade deal
The Obama years were tough ones for state budgets. Can Donald Trump reverse the damage?
Netherlands PM says those who don't respect customs should leave
China orders more than 100 golf courses shut
French Socialist party in trouble; story is similar throughout Europe
Advice for Mexico
A LIST OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO PROPERLY BOYCOTT ISRAEL
EU Funding to NGOs Active in Anti-Israel BDS Campaigns
WERE THE ARABS INDIGENOUS TO MANDATORY PALESTINE?
Monday, January 23. 2017
"President Trump" does not seem real to me, but "President Obama" never did either. From Sen. Judd Gregg, Five easy pieces
I am happy to see him go because he was foolish, naive, and deluded about so many things. I will give him credit for being an effective campaigner, though. "Articulate," as Biden said. An engaging talker (who could do either black-talk or white-talk), if entirely self-centered which I suppose can happen if both your mother and father abandon you in childhood.
Via an Insty link, Obama talking brilliantly and content-free in South Carolina:
Z-man: Essential knowledge includes knowledge about the history of Christianity
Impossible to understand Western civilization without that
Pilot Salaries in 2017: Which Airline Will Have the Highest Pay?
Why We Don’t Call It Rape When a Woman is the Perpetrator
California Unveils Sweeping Plan To Combat Global Warming…
So wonderful
A Skeptic's View on Climate Models
Donald Trump talks to a Jersey guy about a long-overdue debate on climate change
Obama administration spent billions to fix failing schools, and it didn’t work
$ has little to do with it
Sultan: " The retirement of Fake News will be a mostly painless process because the media got what it wanted. Social media sites have put the media in charge of censoring its users."
The Imponderable Ashley Judd
Why do we care what celebs think?
In Hollywood, being open-minded about Trump is worse than rape
The Pointless Paranoia of the Women's Marches
There is no point - it is indeed just a hootenanny
Althouse on the Pussy Marches:
It's demanding that the government get very involved in women's bodies:
We do not accept any federal, state or local rollbacks, cuts or restrictions on our ability to access quality reproductive healthcare services, birth control, HIV/AIDS care and prevention, or medically accurate sexuality education. This means open access to safe, legal, affordable abortion and birth control for all people, regardless of income, location or education.
It's more of a "hi" than a "bye" — more of a hi, get in here and never go away. If that's your message, that Fallopian tube ought to be waving furiously.
Elizabeth Warren’s school-voucher hypocrisy
Williamson: Our Unimaginative Politicians, and the Need to Stop Rewarding Them
The post-war era was an unusual time for the United States that was never destined to last indefinitely, with the rebuilt and modernized economies of Western Europe and East Asia cutting into the commanding industrial position we enjoyed in the 1950s; Indians and Chinese turn out to be pretty good at making things and providing services, and the reforms in their political systems and economies, halting and partial though they may be, revolutionized the world economy; the end of the Cold War cleared the way for an expanded global trade regime, which developed more quickly than many had expected as the Internet and other technological progress turbocharged globalization. There’s much more, of course, but the short answer to the implicit question behind so much of today’s economic-policy debate — “Why can’t we have the growth, mobility, and broad consensus of the Eisenhower years?” — is: This isn’t 1958.
Obamacare Replacement Plan to be Unveiled
8 ways President Trump can rebuild America — at half the cost
Kimball on inauguration: A tale of two speeches
Turkey’s currency begins to contract as tyranny takes hold
Ataturk is weeping
Bonus data below the fold: Clinton Foundation tax data from 2014 -
Continue reading "Monday morning links"
Sunday, January 22. 2017
 Was environment one of the myriad causes at the women's march? Apparently not.
Trump's foreign policy views are radical, coherent, and logical. I mostly agree with the article. Much of US foreign policy is 50 years old or more, obsolete.
 A quote:
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world, but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example, we will shine for everyone to follow. We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones, and you night the civilized world against radical islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth. At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other. When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.
I think The Donald views himself as having been hired as CEO to run a company called USA. Perhaps, for now, with a TRUMP logo on it. He told the Board of Directors (citizens) what his plans were, and they voted to hire him, along with a Repub Congress and Senate. If he doesn't put "America First," he should be fired. I guess that is "nationalism."
From Noonan: President Trump Declares Independence. His message to America: Remember those things I said in the campaign? I meant them. I meant it all.
Also, Bill Kristol: ‘It’s profoundly depressing and vulgar to hear an American president proclaim America first’
Unrelated but of note: Billionaire George Soros has ties to more than 50 ‘partners’ of the Women’s March on Washington - What is the link between one of Hillary Clinton’s largest donors and the Women’s March? Turns out, it’s quite significant
I know quite a few women who marched, this being the NYC area. Some are good friends whose opinions I respect and value. I know many more who didn't march, whether they sympathized or not. I was ambivalent. Marching isn't something I do, I've never been much of a joiner, even for causes I care about. I don't think marching does anything of value but make the marchers feel better. If that's what they needed, that's fine (the main response I've seen about the march is "I have more faith in humanity now"). I have always found other ways to feel better when issues of the day drag me down.
It is rather interesting to think about some comments I've seen regarding the march. One, in particular, I've seen many times. "You just don't get it, and since you don't, my explaining it won't help you understand, and so you'll never understand." This was said several times to a friend of mine, and despite his request to be enlightened, nobody was willing to do it. I filled him in on the nature of why the women were marching (although I find it a confused message). However, the reaction to him was an indicator of why the Hillary forces lost the election to begin with. In a nutshell, we're all stupid and they don't want to take the time to explain anything - we just have to trust their superior instincts. It's also clear by now the only reason to vote for Hillary was 'she's a woman'. Which wasn't enough of a reason for me, any more than voting for Obama 'because he'll transform race relations' was a reason (given the state of race relations after his transformative role, one can only imagine how awful gender relations may have been after Hillary!).
I had another person say to me, "Your privilege is showing." Privilege is a word which drives me insane. We all have crosses to bear, burdens in life which must be dealt with, and biases to fight. I've seen, and supported the cases of plaintiffs suing for, sexual discrimination. I've also experienced age discrimination. I'm aware of the discrimination which used to take place against my Irish ancestors. Suggesting I have privilege implies I am enjoying the benefits of something I didn't earn. I earn it every day I go to work and deal with the nonsensical idiocy of liberal Progressives who have lost their bearings over this election. Remaining quiet during their diatribes is difficult, but could cost me my job. There's no privilege in political discrimination, and that takes place every day. Still, I'm not marching for laws, or attention, or anything else to protect myself or my rights to believe what I want. My 'privilege' regarding gender ends the minute women start having their conversations which exclude men (see the paragraph above).
Continue reading "A Few Thoughts on Yesterday"
Saturday, January 21. 2017
Frankendeer
They are overfed to grow like that
A Consuming Fear of Small Government
The Greatest Scientific Fraud Of All Time -- Part XII
Reporters flocked to a campus controversy but missed its surprising conclusion
Public School Is Often The Most Destructive Institution In American Life, Yet Democrats demand the status quo.
Obama dismissed those who disagree with him like a professor forced to deal with simple-minded, wayward students
Zero Hedge: It’s Finally Morning Again In America, And A New Day For Our Country Starts Now
Trump overpromising
A Plain and Powerful Inaugural Address - Trump’s vision is constitutional, not Wilsonian.
Media very interested today in pointing out that Obama’s inauguration crowds were bigger
David Brooks is unhappy with Trump
Secretary of the Army: A telling tale for these transformative times
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Afraid Government Will Ruin Your Life? Reduce Their Power.