Saturday, March 26. 2011
An Apple-connected friend sent me the gifts of an iPad and a groovy big Macbook Pro today. Very nice indeed. Slick machines. They work with my wireless, and have come with abundant Apple assitance from my local Apple Store. Plus he had them set up with my own new email etc. Am I ready for this?
But exactly how do all these Apple things work? My fingers are not trained for this, much less my brain. He says "Now, mind you, I am not an Apple evangelist, but..." Right.
I'll give it the old college try before dinner out on the town, while I listen to Dylan Radio. Me think me needs an Apple mouse in my house.
Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links.
What if it turns out, like in Egypt (and in Afghanistan in the past), that the US and Euroland are naively laying out a red carpet for the Jihadists? Then what?
Steyn: Do-gooders in a land with no good guys:
Granted that the region's squalid polities haven't had a decent military commander since King Hussein fired General Sir John Glubb half-a-century back, how difficult could it be even for Arab armies to knock off a psychotic transvestite guarded by Austin Powers fembots? But no: Instead, the Arab League decided to volunteer the U.S. military.
 Why every kid in America doesn't need to be educated
Sex games in the Navy
Extra points for lesbians? What the heck would you expect?
The Arts: After the Grants -- It Didn't Happen Anymore (h/t Insty)
Amusing: The Fall And Rise Of Rebecca Black
Buchanan: How Killing Libyans Became a Moral Imperative
Traditional Diplomacy Blooming in Moscow
Cleveland’s Signs of Renewal
Moonbattery: State Department, UN Spend Our Money on Nukes for Iran and Syria
neoneo: More political change stories
The intractable violence in the Ivory Coast continues unabated.
Breitbart TV: Palin on the Vicious Political Double Standard For Women
NY Times Shocked To Find Islamists Rising In Egypt:
The NY Times' reporters on the ground in Egypt apparently did not see Islamism coming, unlike the right-bloggers in pajamas sitting in dimly lit basements with candy wrappers strewn on the floor.
Manhattan Moment: What America really needs is a White House Council on Men and Boys
IBD: Union Thuggery Run Amok
From My name is Matt, and I am a public employee:
Everyone needs to take a step back and calm down. I'm not excusing the actions of national unions like SEIU (I detest them) but not every public employee is a hard-left ideologue. Mostly, we're regular folks doing a job and supporting our families. I hope this bit of insider's perspective is useful to AT readers, and thank you for letting me vent.
Sounds like a good guy.
Krauthammer on Obama's refusal to lead
I think Obama has a passive, and maybe reflective temperament. That's not a bad thing in itself - except in a leadership job.
Friday, March 25. 2011
A Delta pilot’s story written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during the earthquake, forwarded thru CTV Television:
 I'm currently still in one piece, writing from my room in the Narita crew hotel. It's 8am. This is my inaugural trans-pacific trip as a brand new, recently checked out, international 767 Captain and it has been interesting, to say the least, so far. I've crossed the Atlantic three times so far so the ocean crossing procedures were familiar.
By the way, stunning scenery flying over the Aleutian Islands. Everything was going fine until 100 miles out from Tokyo and in the descent for arrival. The first indication of any trouble was that Japan air traffic control started putting everyone into holding patterns. At first we thought it was usual congestion on arrival. Then we got a company data link message advising about the earthquake, followed by another stating Narita airport was temporarily closed for inspection and expected to open shortly (the company is always so positive).
From our perspective things were obviously looking a little different. The Japanese controller's anxiety level seemed quite high and he said expect "indefinite" holding time. No one would commit to a time frame on that so I got my copilot and relief pilot busy looking at divert stations and our fuel situation, which, after an ocean crossing is typically low.
It wasn't long, maybe ten minutes, before the first pilots started requesting diversions to other airports. Air Canada, American, United, etc. all reporting minimal fuel situations. I still had enough fuel for 1.5 to 2.0 hours of holding. Needless to say, the diverts started complicating the situation.
Japan air traffic control then announced Narita was closed indefinitely due to damage. Planes immediately started requesting arrivals into Haneada, near Tokyo, a half dozen JAL and western planes got clearance in that direction but then ATC announced Haenada had just closed. Uh oh! Now instead of just holding, we all had to start looking at more distant alternatives like Osaka, or Nagoya.
One bad thing about a large airliner is that you can't just be-pop into any little airport. We generally need lots of runway. With more planes piling in from both east and west, all needing a place to land and several now fuel critical ATC was getting over-whelmed. In the scramble, and without waiting for my fuel to get critical, I got my flight a clearance to head for Nagoya, fuel situation still okay. So far so good. A few minutes into heading that way, I was "ordered" by ATC to reverse course. Nagoya was saturated with traffic and unable to handle more planes (read- airport full). Ditto for Osaka.
With that statement, my situation went instantly from fuel okay, to fuel minimal considering we might have to divert a much farther distance. Multiply my situation by a dozen other aircraft all in the same boat, all making demands requests and threats to ATC for clearances somewhere. Air Canada and then someone else went to "emergency" fuel situation. Planes started to heading for air force bases. The nearest to Tokyo was Yokoda AFB. I threw my hat in the ring for that initially. The answer - Yokoda closed! no more space.
Continue reading "Low on gas over Japan, after the quake"
 Anchoress: The Toxicity of Idolatry – UPDATED
Horowitz: Suicidal Jews and the Anti-Semites They Ignore (and Sometimes Embrace)
Coulter: Liberals: They Blinded Us With Science
$461 million project will speed train trip to Raleigh by 13 minutes
Ain't it inspiring to see government spending your money?
Jammie: Radical Governor Threatens Government Shutdown
It's about Gov. Cuomo ll
New census milestone: Hispanics to hit 50 million
Related: How many people want to move to the US?
Lots and lots of 'em. More than anybody would want.
Book is applauded: Gary Wills says it's dumb
I suspect Wills is right.
Insty:
SILICON GRAFFITI: Forward, Into The Past!
Reminds me of this Neal Stephenson quote: “The twentieth century was one in which limits on state power were removed in order to let the intellectuals run with the ball, and they screwed everything up and turned the century into an abattoir. . . . We Americans are the only ones who didn’t get creamed at some point during all of this. We are free and prosperous because we have inherited political and value systems fabricated by a particular set of eighteenth-century intellectuals who happened to get it right. But we have lost touch with those intellectuals.”
Am Thinker: The Crisis of Modern Male Immaturity
Before Libyan Revolt, U.S. Was Planning To Sell Gaddafi Military Equipment
Economics of Anti-Consumer, Protectionist Taxi Cartels: $624-850,000 for a NYC Medallion
Sally Pipes: A glimpse of a future with Obamacare
Thursday, March 24. 2011
Left-wing billionaire's own experts dominate quiet push for 'a grand bargain that rearranges the entire financial order.' The report begins:
Two years ago, George Soros said he wanted to reorganize the entire global economic system. In two short weeks, he is going to start - and no one seems to have noticed.
On April 8, a group he's funded with $50 million is holding a major economic conference and Soros's goal for such an event is to "establish new international rules" and "reform the currency system." It's all according to a plan laid out in a Nov. 4, 2009, Soros op-ed calling for "a grand bargain that rearranges the entire financial order."
Wednesday, March 23. 2011
Tuesday, March 22. 2011
George Will is smart here: Blithely off to war - Has O thought Libya through?
Explaining his decision to wage war, Obama said Khadafy has "lost the confidence of his own people and the legitimacy to lead." Such boilerplate seems designed to anesthetize thought. When did Khadafy lose his people's confidence? When did he have legitimacy?
Obamacare: One Year Later, Even Less Popular
Monday, March 21. 2011
 I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. What a beauty of a bird feeder it was, I reflected as I filled it lovingly with seed. First came the chickadees and then within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table. Everywhere!
Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket.
Other birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio.
Soon, the back yard was like it used to be: quiet and serene.
Now let's see. Our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen.
Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly, our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families; and you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor. Your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English.
Corn flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to 'press one' to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than 'Old Glory' are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Just my opinion, but maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.
Photo is from Best Nest, the official Maggie's Farm-endorsed source for bird houses and bird feeders
Payne toon above from Reason.
Andrea Mitchell Explains Why NPR Should Be Funded With Your Money
Modernist cuisine, with germs and feces
NEWSWEEK gave 1,000 Americans the U.S. Citizenship Test--38 percent failed.
Obama as arms dealer
Who was more conservative, Bush or Reagan?
Jacobson's Saturday Night Card Game ("I didn't call you racist, I just pointed out you're white")
Apartheid is Alive and Well in Araby
UN Organization Erases Holocaust from Palestinian Textbooks in Jordan
WaPo: Obama’s odd war
WaPo: Is there a Chavez terror network on America’s doorstep?
BBC World Service to sign funding deal with US state department
El Baradai stoned and shoed: The truth in Egypt comes out. Rubin says:
The only thing surprising to me is that the Islamists have been emboldened so fast. I thought they would be cautious a while longer in their pretense at being moderate and pro-democracy. But revolutionary Islamists quickly become arrogant when people make concessions to them and they conclude that they are strong and victorious.
Leftists, Marxists, Anti-Semites & Pro-Union Activists Hold Antiwar “Palin Whore” Rally
Cuomo and 'the Rich' - A Democrat who isn't raising taxes.
Sunday, March 20. 2011
One of my staunchly Conservative brethren at church today (all are my brethren, regardless of their politics) was adamantly opposed to American intervention in a Libyan civil war, or uprising, or whatever the heck it is.
Naturally, we Americans are being labeled "Crusaders." Not an insulting label in my view (because I view the Crusades as an effort to push back against the Moslem invasion and occupation of the Holy Land which closed it off to pilgrims), but I think it's a roll of the dice, maybe too late, partly designed to prove Obama's - or Hillary's - masculine bona fides.
War is always interesting, horror that it is. I do not know whether this all makes sense or not. Latest update: Allied Forces Attack Libya. That article leaves me confused about goals and purposes, but I am not too smart and have never claimed to be.
Our Commander in Chief is partying in Rio but he knows nothing about military matters so it doesn't make any difference. The Libs are having a fit, and the Arabs suddenly are not pleased either.
Now back to yard and farm chores. Spring is coming, and I see the feisty Redwings at my bird-feeder. Lots to get done here to fend off entropy and nature's relentless rebellion against man's efforts to make things his way.
Friday, March 18. 2011
 If you can believe it, I have no strong opinion. The Islamic middle east, and its peripheral outliers like Libya will be sad, barbaric, prehistoric dumps where people live crappy lives (by our standards) for a long time.
It's Cocktail Hour, and I am headed out on the town to meet gals and friends in my local dumps, and to be grateful that I am in NYC and not in Libya.
That is all.
Thursday, March 17. 2011
From Vietnam to today, the majority of US public opinion has supported confronting active threats to US security. And, naturally, Americans sympathize with the oppressed and their human rights. However, as the costs rose, time elapsed, and foreign policy dilettantes recoil from the realities of armed intervention, other firmer supporters increasingly bemoan the restrictions imposed by the half-hearted and the saboteurs of winning that not only cost more US military lives but place the end-goals in jeopardy.
In short, the inherent contradiction in US foreign policy is between those willing to undertake the burdens and those who undermine that will. This leads to initial enthusiasms that fade to regrets, and has created a new isolationism among many who favor strong actions but – having paid the price -- are unwilling to become wasted cannon fodder. This is particularly felt among many veterans who have felt the anguish of their efforts being undercut and frittered.
Most – but not all – of the usual advocates of an assertive US foreign policy argue for the US to be clearer and more forthright in standing by those in the Middle East fighting against its satraps – whether allied to or opponents of the US. The situation in Libya is the current front, while those in Tunisia and Egypt fade from the short attention span of the front pages.
The incoherency of President Obama’s foreign policies, from inauguration to now, however, undermines from the get-go the expectations of focus, perseverance, adequate means, and thus favorable results. The only consistent behavior shown by the Obama administration has been weak and dithering resolve to protect US interests coupled with rewarding enemies and undercutting allies.
There is nothing in the Obama administration’s handling of the current revolts in the Middle East that indicates a meaningful learning or reversal of this course.
Indeed, the ongoing dithering and waffling in the face of events only reinforces the view of an administration at best adrift in confusion, ignorance and denial, and at worst purposely dangerous in furthering US interests abroad.
There are good arguments to be made for the US intervening more actively and forcibly in the Middle East revolts, but in my view they pale before the lack of confidence that the Obama administration has labored so hard to deserve. This is especially so given the likely outcomes just enmeshing the US further in the Arab world’s self-inflicted dysfunctionality, with not even any worthwhile gratitude to result.
It is not easy nor consistent with our decency to see innocents or rebels slaughtered. It is less easy to send our sons and daughters into the cauldron created by the Arabs themselves, with only slightly marginal lasting results the best outcome and more likely not even that.
P.S.: Andrew McCarthy at National Review goes into more detail. Read it all, and think, think, think.
 Relationships: 10 Reasons You Should Break It Off (h/t Linkiest)
Refuting a Myth About Human Origins
Schneiderman: The Meaning of Life
It's the Enlightenment secular-humanist view. Not bad at all. Me? I take a Christian view.
“Conyers: Obamacare Is ‘Platform’ for Creating Single-Payer System”
I think it's designed to drive private insurors out of business
Housing starts see biggest drop since 1984
Lots of inventory out there. Lucky time to be a buyer, lousy time to be a seller. Them's the breaks.
Insty:
THE INTOLERANCE of the avant-garde. “That helps to explain why the ideas of the avant garde have been the same for more than a century, and why, today, avant garde means defending the statist status quo.”
And that’s a good excuse for linking this piece.
McArdle: When rail becomes ridiculous
Portland Bans Scent
I wonder if that includes anti-perspirant
Common-Sense Meltdown
Nuke terror - but it's the old-fashioned tsunami that killed thousands
Jammie on Atlanta: A Lesson In How To Scam Tax Dollars
Problem is, there is nowhere to go to in Atlanta. There's no there, there - except the airport.
Waxman-Markey:
Our agenda is more important than any constitutional principle that might interfere with it.
They aren't joking and, of course, the Left can apply that argument to anything. "By all means necessary..."
JPC: Palestine Betrayed
Rubin Report: The weapons-laden ship marks a big transformation
I believe (Jesse) Jackson and company are intentionally distorting the truth, misleading, manipulating and abusing the American people. They have been getting away with it for far too long. It is time they are called out and held politically accountable.
Wednesday, March 16. 2011
Are Christians Obsessed with Gays and Abortion?
Hansen in 1986: 2°-4° warmer in 2010. Reality: No change
It's not from The Onion, and it's not about a community college: "Community college overwhelmed by dumb students"
Food price inflation
Wind Farms Blamed For Stranding Of Whales
Also slice up hawks
J Street: 'Maybe Israel really ain't a good idea'
Why It’s Bad Business to Hire the Long-Term Unemployed
Prelutsky: Trying to Make Sense of Liberals
Nearly 2/3 Of Americans Say Afghan War No Longer Worth Fighting
Paul Krugman Admits He Lives in a Bubble
GOP 2012 theme: American 'decline'
I suggest "Hope and Change"
Slacking off as self discovery: The Rebranding of Indolence as ‘Emerging Adulthood’
Reynold's Law:
“The government decides to try to increase the middle class by subsidizing things that middle class people have: If middle-class people go to college and own homes, then surely if more people go to college and own homes, we’ll have more middle-class people.
But homeownership and college aren’t causes of middle-class status, they’re markers for possessing the kinds of traits — self-discipline, the ability to defer gratification, etc. — that let you enter, and stay, in the middle class. Subsidizing the markers doesn’t produce the traits; if anything, it undermines them.”
The case that Immigration Doesn't Hurt Native-Born Workers
Intellectuals and tyrants: The Intellectual as Courtier
Powerline: The White House is trendy and ignorant
Tennessee:
"This General Assembly will not be intimidated by nomadic bands of professional agitators on spring break bent on disruption," he said. "We talk through our differences here. Tennessee is not Wisconsin."
Tuesday, March 15. 2011
 What it's like to have an ax murderer in your classroom
A survey … invited the very rich to write freely about how prosperity has shaped their lives and those of their children
Grabar: No Longer Academic: When Activism Is on the Curriculum
We missed this: Question Insanity: What to Ask Progressives - An ex-Soviet immigrant goes Socratic on his liberal American critics.
Smart comment from Eric: Have conspiracy theories have become the modern equivalent of P.T. Barnum's freak shows?
Yes, like the warmist hysterics.
Good details of the battles of Staten Island at Walking the Berkshires
Sipp: Marketing, Advertising, and Sales 101. Great video ad for Telluride. Skiied there one week, a few years ago. Great. I hate the chair lifts without bars, though, especially when you're going over canyons. Yikes. I still have the Osprey backpack I bought there for dumping kids' clothing in when it warmed up during the day, and things were shed. You find challenging and exciting skiing there. Same as tennis: keep those knees bent.
Scorsese’s Gangs of New York: How the Left Misuses American History.
It's called "propaganda."
Sunday, March 13. 2011
 The invention of adolescence
"Liberals want to eradicate bullying. Conservatives want to raise kids strong enough to handle it."
One of the functions of Maggie's Farm is to push back against the Leftist bullies and Nanny State bullies and government bullies.
Moonbattery: The Ultimate Dirty Job
Are these really adults? Looks like the State Troopers are taking out the trash.
Karzai: Leave our country, please
Illinois Governor Signs Amazon Internet Sales Tax Law
So Amazon says they'll quit the state
Betsy:
When your FICA tax is taken out of your paycheck, it does not get squirreled away in some lockbox in West Virginia where it's kept until you and your contemporaries retire. Most goes out immediately to pay current retirees, and the rest (say, $100) goes to the U.S. Treasury - and is spent. On roads, bridges, national defense, public television, whatever - spent, gone.
When all else fails, lower your standards:
The Dayton Police Department is lowering its testing standards for recruits.
It's a move required by the U.S. Department of Justice after it says not enough African-Americans passed the exam.
Robert E. Lee, read your Sun Tzu!
Libya and War
Driscoll: We are the Euroweenies We’ve Been Waiting For
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