Sunday, February 17. 2013
Saturday, February 16. 2013
Friday, February 15. 2013
 As a small side note, in case you missed my post last Tuesday, I'm not feeling very well these days, so haven't been blogging very much. But I feel pretty good today so I thought I'd do a little gobsmacking of the AGW industry.
Everyone needs a hobby.
I discovered a terrific site called The Straight Dope the other day, which is just filled with fun, biting questions and answers.
Fun, biting questions such as:
Should a baking potato be wrapped in foil shiny side in or shiny side out?
Has a passenger ever landed a plane after the pilot was incapacitated?
Why were dinosaurs so big?
Is a bullet wound in the shoulder as harmless as the movies make it seem?
I spent the whole day going through the archives and had a terrific time.
At least, until I got to the first global warming article.
All those silly up-and-down temperature cycles that have occurred over the past 10,000 years? Pfft! Ancient history, bud! Especially in light of the literally tons of CO2 we're dumping into the atmosphere on a daily basis.
Tons, he'll tell you, tons.
And it also appeared that — just perhaps — some of his questions were a bit 'staged' so he could show off his expertise. Questions such as:
If I were an evil genius, how could I go about melting the ice caps?
I won't link to the article since I'm going to quote most of it here.
So, okay, let's say man-made global warming is going to melt the ice caps and raise sea levels up 200 feet, or whatever the latest projection is.
But just how much energy would truly be involved in such an undertaking? Bear in mind as you read his first three hypotheses that we're comparing them to what's currently spewing CO2 into the atmosphere; that is, a smattering of coal plants and factories with more emission controls imposed on them than at any time in history, a bunch of small-engine cars that are emitting less pollution than at any time in history, and a 'green' culture that condemns the slightest waste of energy as possibly heretical.
So, what exactly would it take to actually melt the ice caps?
Continue reading "AGW update: Fighting fire with fire"
“There is wide scientific consensus that the increased number and intensity of climate change induced natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions, tsunamis and hurricanes, is of alarming concern,” said Ruppel, though adding that not all climate events lead to disasters.
Via Pirate. Somehow, the guy forgot to include meteors and solar eclipses.
Toon above via Theo
Russsian jets intercept meteor
Lawyers Panic Over Litigation Crisis Of Their Making
New husband inhibited in bed
Pre-K Government - The feds are going to educate your toddler no matter the evidence.
Pre-school education does no academic good. It's unionized baby-sitting.
Politicizing Philanthropy - A White House program blurs the line between government action and private charity.
Taking the Time out of Time Warner
Mayor Bloomberg Is Coming After Your Coffee Cups
What next?
Steyn: Every Man a Criminal
Hanson: The Decline of America
Former TNR owner/publisher has seller’s remorse
Michelle: Who failed Chicago?
What’s the Difference Between Romneycare and Obamacare?
Rush Limbaugh has an epiphany about Obama
Dino:
The 18-29 crowd say government should do more, more, more, and that’s the way they vote. These young people, who have been miseducated and conned by politicians, are in for quite a surprise. Not only are they unemployed in record numbers and can’t afford their student debts, there’s this: if the national debt fell solely on their shoulders (which much of it does), that would be another $300,000 they’d each be responsible for. A mortgage without a house to go with it. They’re going to be pretty angry if ever they wake up.
Mead: Interest groups fighting over scraps in the ruins—this is where the blue model leads.
Cable news replayed the clip of Rubio sipping water more than 200 times yesterday
HURT: Dr. Carson a good remedy for what ails U.S
The multiculturalism plague in Sweden
Thursday, February 14. 2013
 "Everybody has won, and all must have prizes, the Dodo said."
Student Gets Low Grade, Sues University for $1.3 Million
Related, Wesleyan University panders to grievance-seeking manipulators and grudge-filled neurotics: Speech Code of the Month: Wesleyan University
The world has gone insane.
I thought it would be a nice gesture to offer up something spicy for the ladies on this special day.
Presenting: Porn For Women
Continue reading "Valentine's Day treat"
Wednesday, February 13. 2013
 This is Kate Upton wearing body paint, and only body paint
Cute as a button.
Recalling the Disco Decade
Rock Fans Outraged As Bob Dylan Goes Electronica
Benedict and The left's antipathy towards traditional religion
The Physician Assistant Will See You Now
Bloomberg Cajoles 21 Companies to Remove Salt from Products
What an obnoxious putz. Sowell: Paging Doctor Bloomberg - Random thoughts on the passing scene.
Dr. Ben Carson: ‘Someone Has to Be Courageous Enough to Actually Stand Up to The Bullies’
Sultan: Winning the minority vote
Thoughts from a Democrat strategist on 2014
SOTU 2013: 2.6 Million More in Poverty, 45 Million on Food Stamps, Median Income Down 10%, Record Unemployment, Record Gas Prices
In State of the Union, Obama puts government at the center of Americans’ lives
That's the problem. It's supposed to be on the periphery. Unless I'm mistaken, that was the whole idea of America.
Obama's Economic Growth Record Is The Worst In 60 Years
Government cannot create economic growth. It can either get in the way, or get out of the way, of peoples' efforts and aspirations
“Food Stamp Rolls in America Now Surpass the Population of Spain”
Free Doritos for all!
Millions Improperly Claimed U.S. Phone Subsidies
Pravda on the Hudson - The New York Times's weird coverage of the president and the pope.
Glenn:
A government limited to few things can probably do those things well, and thus it's likely to be trusted. A government that tries to do many things, might do them badly, and be less highly regarded.
Rubio last night:
“But President Obama? He believes it’s the cause of our problems, that the economic downturn happened because our government didn’t tax enough, spend enough and control enough. And, therefore, as you heard tonight, his solution to virtually every problem we face is for Washington to tax more, borrow more and spend more.”
Tuesday, February 12. 2013
 You might have noticed that I haven't been blogging much lately. The truth is, I haven't been feeling very well. It's not that I'm getting any worse; it's that I seemed to have stopped getting better. I did real well (according to the doc) after my tumor operation, but it seems like sometime during November I kind of leveled off at about 75% better. I still have bouts of weakness and sleepiness and a physical feeling bordering on nausea. And I just haven't found it in me to write about anything. As long-time readers know, even my most dire and scariest of articles, like the ones on the domestic spy drones, still have an upbeat, chipper edge to them, just because that's who I am.
They already did one standard blood test but the doc wants to do a more elaborate test, which I just can't afford right now. I'm already into the hospital for almost 300 clams and don't want to sink any deeper, nor am I sure they'd let me. I still have my operation's donation link here, but I wouldn't hope for any help on this. It's one thing to pitch in when someone's got a pending operation, whereas everybody's got medical bills. But I felt obligated to toss it out there.
By the way, there was one ironic note that I forgot to mention in my post-op posts. Within a few weeks of my operation, both my mother and a close friend up in Miami Beach had operations that involved surgery.
Both of them got infections after the operation. Thankfully, modern medicine came to their rescue.
Me, getting my operation in dirty, filthy, don't-drink-the-water Mexico, sailed through without a hitch.
That says something -- but I'm honestly not sure what.
If I do end up just kind of fading away, I'd like to say what an honor it's been to blog here these past five years. In twenty years of being online, I have never seen a site like it. Where else will you see video essays like my posts on horses, baseball and the amazing Jackie Evancho, only to next read an inside look at the higher education bubble, followed by a penetrating inquiry into the human psyche -- then end up with 'Chipmunk Of The Week'?
There's just no putting a price on something like that.
God bless you all.
Lots of gals like to play at bondage. So what?
NYT writer test drives an electric Tesla – ends up stranded
What's new in amusement rides
Very cool
A discussion of the great President Coolidge
1 In 10 Doctor Practices Flee Medicare To Concierge Medicine
Law Schools in for a Shake Up
The drone wars cometh
7 Things Democrats Would Have Freaked Out About If Bush Had Done Them
The Costs and Consequences of Obamacare - With universal coverage comes widespread costs.
The Libertarian Argument Against Open Immigration
Texas Trumps Governor Moonbeam - Governor Perry goes on a recruiting tour in California.
Yep, Bill Clinton, Andrew Cuomo, and Janet Reno Were Directly Responsible for the 2008 Mortgage Meltdown
Just Say Yes to Gridlock - Playing half the government against the other half is the only thing keeping its power in check.
Say, where are those ObamaCare premium price cuts?
Obama leads Democrats out on a limb:
... the shock, in my mind, is not his commitment to compulsory redistribution, but that a leader so young has such old ideas. He is a man from America's past.
Barack Obama is old-school. He believes in top-down planning, not bottom-up incentives. He sees government as an industrial machine, though he lives in the age of the network. He trusts political and artificial imperatives from Washington, not natural and organic choices by ordinary Americans.His answer to irresponsive, ineffective, unaffordable old government is not reform, but to produce more of it. Obama's bright young smile cloaks archaic ideas, ill-suited for today's global economic race.
Monday, February 11. 2013
Sunday, February 10. 2013
Via AVI via Gay Patriot, at Bookworm: Conservatives need to create powerful, “sticky” messages that lead the electorate to a tipping point:
The reason the Democrat’s trash talk message worked so well is because it fell on fertile soil. The Left knew that it couldn’t sell Obama — his record did not speak for itself — but Leftist strategizers also knew that for decades the Left had created an intellectual atmosphere in which it was easy for people to believe, all evidence to the contrary, that Romney was an evil, soulless man...
"Everybody with half a brain is coming to California."
CA Gov. Jerry Brown
The WSJ suggests Dr. Ben Carson for President.
Here's Carson vs. Obama: A Perfect Contrast
Here's Dr. Carson on Hannity, via Legal Ins:
Saturday, February 9. 2013
Report from the Killer Snowstorm of the Century: Just another ordinary good winter snow dump, overhyped as usual. Around 15-18 fluffy inches here. The old Explorer can handle it easily but I am waiting for my plow guys to show up to make life shipshape. Yes, they are Hispanics. They want to work, and do not mind the cold.
A lack of competition in beer?
Our local beer dump has about 500 varieties from all over the world. Still, their biggest seller is Coors Light, second is Bud Lite, third is Corona.
... it turns out that Harvard and other Ivies have apparently been employing a strict anti-Asian quota now for a couple of decades
Duh.
California schools give up on math
Let's leave math to the Asians
The Third Sex in Massachusetts is having trouble with the shrinks
But meanwhile, Brown University’s student health plan will cover sex changes
Country has gone nuts...or nut-less
Yet Another Hidden Cost of ObamaCare
Good grief, what a joke
NY Times Notices Obama Tax Hikes Are Crushing Americans, Fails to Mention Obama
Byron York: With public focused on jobs, Washington fights other fight
While Doherty and Woods Were Fighting For Their Lives, Obama Was Sleeping Soundly
Andrew Cuomo is a dithering fool
He wants to run for president, but he can never make the simplest decisions
...new laws being proposed around the country to limit and regulate guns and ammunition represent a momentous first step.
That's the view from the moonbats
California Democrats Propose New Rules on Gun Registration and Confiscation of “Assault Weapons”
Please, people - disarm the criminals, and not the good guys and gals
Dr. Benjamin Carson Addresses National Prayer Breakfast, Criticizes Obamacare
Wonderful eery photos: New York's newest cathedral: Inside the illuminated arches of the city's latest rail terminal as it's carved deep beneath Grand Central.
How cool is it that the really smart, disciplined people know how to do these things? Civil Engineers. They build amazing, grand stuff so the rest of us can get to our cubicles and spend the day staring at monitors.
Those guys are the people who make the world work for the rest of us, and I admire them immensely.
Friday, February 8. 2013
A Costly STEM Mistake in Connecticut:
There are many more pressing considerations such as taxes and regulations, and Connecticut is not
exactly a magnet for any kind of business.
In
this 2011 survey by the Mercatus Center, Connecticut ranked 38th in economic freedom.
The Tax Foundation puts Connecticut 40th with regard to its tax climate
for business. A marginal increase in the number of state residents who have studied
in STEM fields is not likely to tip the scales when there are many others
states where business is more welcome.
For another, labor is mobile...
It's nor'easter season again. They are predicting a hearty snow dump today and tomorrow, with high winds, so don't be surprised if Maggie's is down for a bit (due to winds, not the lovely snow).
Storms are caused by fossil fuels, claim many experts. Since there have been storms forever, I think that's a crazy theory. Here's a more compelling explanation for wintry weather: Asian astrologers warn of stormy Year of Snake
If Americans would only stop driving cars and begin riding bikes instead, we'd have less snow and less cold in the winter. I think I got that science right, didn't I? But wait a minute - we love snow. It is peaceful, quiet, and beautiful.
Impending Defcon Seven Blizzard Killstorm Of Deadly Doom Has Massachusetts Residents Considering Cannibalism Already, While One Skowhegan Man Is Considering Wearing A Long-Sleeve Shirt
The Pension Fund That Ate California - CalPERS’s corruption, insider dealing, and politicized investments have overwhelmed taxpayers with debt.
A fascinating, scandalous Malanga report on how CalPERS became intertwined with politics and ultimately controlled by the government unions.
EXCLUSIVE: Your employer may share your salary, and Equifax might sell that data
People should complain to their congresscritter
Do Traditional Husband Chores Lead to More Frequent Intimacy?
Are Women Who Say “Sorry” Weaker?
Details Emerge on University of Toronto’s Sex Ed Week ‘Orgy’
The students get all the fun
New Poll: Majority of Americans Want Illegal Immigrants to Head Back to Home Countries
They were not invited
More on Perils of Prosecutorial Discretion in a World Where Everyone is a Criminal
Greenland: Chris Mooney’s Chartsmanship in the Service of Alarmism
Debunker: Wildfires, droughts, storms, oh my!
The GOP should destroy Obama. Now is the time.
Just 32 months later, Obama administration tells us what ObamaCare plans must have in them
CBO and small biz: Yeah, about keeping your health care plan if you like it
Americans are still struggling at Obama's halfway point.
Isn’t it time we discuss violent liberalism?
Related, via Insty, Supporters, admirers leap to alleged murderer Christopher Dorner’s defense
The end times of trust in government may well be upon us
Trusting any government is infantile and naive, ignorant of human nature. That's why America was designed the way it was.
Thursday, February 7. 2013
Noted pundit Chris Rock says Obama is your Dad.
That is a stunningly immature view of the world. I don't think he was using irony.
For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II
Postal Service to Cut Saturday Mail to Trim Costs
Steyn: When the assassin calls
Lars needed a gun.
My own insurance will be illegal next January
Krugman: We'll need death panels
Young Americans Are Left Behind In Obama's Economy
A generational tragedy.
"Should artists have to work?”
Goldberg: Education spending that isn't smart - Education is important and necessary for a host of reasons. But there's little evidence it drives growth.
Reverse Gramscianism:
Well I don’t fear cocaine. I don’t fear heroin. I don’t fear LSD. I don’t fear marijuana.
I do fear big government.
In Their Own Words: Climate Alarmists Debunk Their “Science”
Heavy Snow In Russia? That’s “Climate Change”
They predicted no more snow by now
Henninger: Obama's Thunderdome Strategy - The president's goal is to make Republican ideas intolerable.
On firearms, Obama makes no sense.
Reading Horowitz
His memoir, Radical Son, is a good read
Karl Rove and the Cotton Conservatives - Modern Day Whigs and the rise of the Party of Lincoln and Reagan.
More Thompson: "Readers may recall the comical Marxist Bea Campbell and her urge to see the population being enlisted by an egalitarian state, in which “emancipating governance” would be based, rather curiously, on greater state control."
Control is freedom
Waterboarding Bad, Assassination Good
More from Horowitz' good essay:
The weapons of political campaigns are images and sound bites
designed to inspire the emotions of fear and hope. Obama won the
presidency in 2008 on a campaign of hope; he won re-election in 2012 on a
campaign of fear.
Hope works, but fear is a much stronger and more compelling emotion.
In a political campaign, it is directed at one’s political opponent.
Democrats exploit this emotion to the hilt; Republicans often seem too
polite to even use it.
The other emotion, hope, is not only weaker, it is at odds with
conservatives’ basic pessimism, and their skepticism about political
solutions. Unlike progressives, conservatives don’t expect cosmic
results from political programs – saving the planet, creating a just
world. Consequently, for Republicans, hope is less effective as a
political appeal.
Sultan:
The Muslim Middle East is indeed changing, but it is changing back to
what it once was, casting off the last remains of modernity imported
from the West, and bringing back the reign of the Burqa, the sword and
the prophet. In the West time moves forward, in the East it only moves
backward. And so the spring will never come for Islam. Instead it will
act out the same bloody rituals of Jihad, the killing of infidels and
the civil wars, the slaves building civilizations, the masters molesting
young girls and then beating them to death out of fear that the
children might not be theirs.
The history of creeping gun control in England:
During the years in which the British government incrementally took away
most gun rights, the notion that a citizen had the right to armed
self-defense came to be seen as vigilantism. Authorities refused to
grant gun licenses to people who were threatened, claiming that
self-defense was no longer considered a reason to own a gun. Citizens
who shot burglars or robbers or rapists were charged while the real
criminals were released. Indeed, after the Martin shooting, a police
spokesman was quoted as saying, “We cannot have people take the law into
their own hands.”
Wednesday, February 6. 2013
That's a quote from Insty. Does Insty have any kids? I don't think so, but I don't know for sure. If he does not, then he does not appreciate the essential baby-sitting and child-care function of public education.
Home schooling is a fine alternative to government schools (designed for the poor), private schools (designed for the upper middle classes, and for parents desiring a religious education) and home teaching and tutoring (for the wealthy).
Somewhat related, I am re-posting Abolish Social Studies - Born a century ago, the pseudo-discipline has outlived its uselessness.
The invention of social studies is quite a story. Government psycho-social engineering of the masses. Brave New World. Did it work? Private schools rarely had such a thing, but they have History and Geography.
Tuesday, February 5. 2013
Texas Versus California: A Story Of Welfare States.
Grade disparities favoring girls start in kindergarten, and they have profound, long-term effects that can last a lifetime
Department of Homeland Stupidity: Huddle like Sheep and Die
Dino: Life of Julia
Against black history month
Can Robert Menendez survive?
Obama, build a lasting urban legacy - An ambitious proposal for the President’s second term: Create a new federal Department of Cities
America’s Creeping New Normalcy - Sluggish growth and high unemployment are increasingly just accepted.
Another Disaster… Obama’s $5 Billion Electric Car Dream Bankrupt and in Shambles
Panetta Confirms Again That Waterboarding Helped Get Bid Laden; Media Still Confused
They Kill Because They Like It - Turkey’s Marxist terrorists strike again—this time, against America
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You know you've been waiting for it: 
The magical p