The little black book is open

Scotty Bowers has written a book about his career in providing sex for Hollywood. The book is a "ribald memoir" entitled Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars. Publication date is, guess what, February 14. You knew Amazon would have it, right?

Down, down, down into the ring of fire

Gruesome 2012 economic forecast could doom Obama. 

Romney routs Gingrich

As predicted, Romney had a big win, routing Gingrich. That makes Romney the nominee.

They can't do that to Captain Kirk!

Priceline, the travel-booking site, has killed off the Negotiator, William Shatner. 

Romney probable winner today

Romney is the likely winner of today's Florida primary. I've heard on the news that a half million people have already voted. But is Romney electable?

The decline of private sector unions

Mickey Kaus:  “The most significant number in the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics release on unionization is probably this: Only 6.9 percent of private sector workers are in unions. That’s the same percent as last year. In the middle of the 20th century, it was 35%. … The number is significant because it suggests that labor’s much-publicized private sector organizing drives have failed. They appeared to be meeting with some success a few years ago–the private sector rate actually rose from 7.4% to 7.6% between 2006 and 2008. Those union gains have now apparently been lost, and the private sector unionization rate again asymptotically approaches zero. … Are Obama’s recess appointments to the NLRB labor’s last hurrah?”

Beyond Blue Part One: The Crisis of the American Dream

Beyond Blue Part One: The Crisis of the American Dream. This looks like a good overview of the background to our current mess.

'via Blog this'

What did your favorite celebrity look like in high school?

Ann Althouse posted a link to this collection of celebrity high school yearbook pictures. Many are recognizable but see the one of George Clooney. Really interesting.

Global warming challenge

Mail Online: Forget global warming. There has been no warming in the past 15 years. A mini ice age is coming soon.

Public transit

Glenn Reynolds has a good post on public transit. I've ridden on the DC Metro and buses. I thought the subway system was good.

We've got a Monday

We have another Monday, the most dreaded day of the week. But let's be happy that we have a Monday. What if we didn't?

Like the end of the world

Fog and smoke cause a huge pileup on a Florida highway. Ten people are dead.

Cain endorsed Gingrich

Herman Cain has endorsed Gingrich.  Not Romney.

Sexual addiction

A woman claims she has had sex with a thousand men. 

Tom Brokaw objects to Romney ad

Ann Althouse: Tom Brokaw is not pleased with a Romney ad that shows Gingrich. He says, "I am extremely uncomfortable with the extended use of my personal image in this political ad. I do not want my role as a journalist compromised for political gain by any campaign." Here is the ad:


Compromised? I don't think Brokaw is a journalist at all. He's not even a good news reader. Hey, NBC is happily running the ad because they are getting paid, LOL.

Ron Paul would end the Fed and return to the gold standard

Ron Paul: How to end the economic downturn and get back on track? End the Fed and return to the gold standard. Some people in the GOP like the idea. I don't expect that to happen. FDR took the country off gold in 1933, because he wanted to spend money on New Deal programs that the country didn't have. Specifically, the U.S. was in a deflationary period, and he wanted to create inflation and spend money wildly. He accepted Keynesian economics, which maintained that we could spend out way out of the depression. It didn't work. World War II ended the depression. Never forget that. But we've been madly spending money for the past 80 or so years, especially in the past 3 years. That has also failed.

Remember the saying, Something that can't go on forever, won't.

Loving or hating old TV programs

Ann Althouse is thinking that the TV shows she liked in the 1960s or whatever seem insufferable now. I have that feeling too. Today I dislike watching shows like MASH because it's just left-wing pacifism. Gunsmoke is barely tolerable, Bonanza is too dumb for words, but the Twilight Zone is still good. The original Star Trek is good. I can't stand documentaries with old news readers like Walter Cronkite or Dan Rather.

I used to watch the Andy Griffith show until he appeared in AARP commercials supporting Obamacare. What a turn off!

There have been periods in my life when I watched little or no TV. I look back on those times with fondness. One of those years was parts of 1961 and 1962. I never missed it.

When I come across 70s shows with all of that long hair, I just keep clicking my remote. Those shows are unwatchable.

Six Costa Concordia Passengers Want $460 Million

Six Costa Concordia Passengers Reportedly Sue For $460 Million. Right on. A mere $14,500 in compensation is just not enough.

'via Blog this'

Romney a victim of Anti-Mormonism in S.C. Loss?

McCain Sees Anti-Mormonism in Romney's S.C. Loss. I don't know about South Carolina, but I do know about Arkansas. Arkansans, some of them, have a reason to see Mormons negatively.

'via Blog this'

Nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag

Nagging in Marriage Is More Common Than Adultery But Can Also Lead to Divorce.

'via Blog this'

Republicans, chillax or something.

Why Republicans need to chillax. Chillax is a new word for me. What it means is neither Romney nor Gingrich is Obama.

Gingrich and the moon colony

If he becomes president Newt Gingrich wants to establish a moon colony. Lunacy. But he is capable of  proposing something like this. I remember in the 1990s he proposed giving a laptop to every homeless person in the U.S. as a way to lift them out of poverty. Another case of lunacy. They'd be pawned immediately.

"Skin in the game"

If you have a student loan, you might want to read this. There is a huge similarity between student loans and the mortgages that created the housing bubble.

There are provocative parallels between student loans and the mortgages that created the disastrous housing bubble. In both cases, the government promoted plausible goals— higher education and home ownership—to excess, through the overexpansion of debt to levels beyond the repayment ability of a large percentage of borrowers. In both cases, the government guaranteed much of the credit, putting the ultimate risk of bad debts on taxpayers. In both cases, debt expansion drove the price of the object being financed (colleges and houses) to heights sustainable only if debt could always be increasing. In mortgages, it could not, and the subsequent collapse raises the question: will there be a similar outcome with student loans?

We can learn from the disastrous mess with mortgages that will help with student loans?

Men can sense womens' menstrual cycles

POPSCI: Men can decode womens' menstrual cycles. The voice is the key.

Hormones induce the vocal changes that give women away. “Vocal production is closely tied to our biology,” [Nathan] Pipitone says of men and women. For example, “Cells from the larynx and vagina are very similar and show similar hormone receptors.” The result is that, “The sound of a person’s voice contains a surprising amount of reproductively relevant information,” [Gordon] Gallup says. The obvious example: By speaking on the phone, we can determine a person’s gender and age. But researchers have also shown that voices alone can be used to directly and indirectly predict characteristics like facial appearance, body type, physical strength and even sexual behavior.

Look out for the condom police

The LA City Council is requiring the use of condoms on adult movie sets. The porn industry is not happy, and they may leave for non-condom areas.

The Repub establishment is at work

The Republican establishment is trying to shove Gingrich aside in favor of Romney. That may be a critical mistake. They'd like to ignore the Tea Party as well.

Romney vs Santorum on health care

The latest GOP debate has an interesting exchange between Romney and Santorum on health care reform. This link goes to Kaiser Health News that provides you with both the transcript and the video.

Costa makes a new offer

Uninjured passengers will receive $14,460 in compensation for "lost baggage and psychological trauma after their cruise ship ran aground and capsized..." That's better than 30 percent off on your next cruize which you are not going to take anyway. This offer does not apply to crew members, or passengers who were injured or the families of those who were killed.

The story of a World War II POW. 

We now have do-it-yourself taxes

Many computer and online tax program are now available when you decide to do your taxes. I've tried several but preferin TaxAct. I'm already looking for tax documents in the mail.

Obama in a heated exchange

Jan Brewer vs Obama.  See this report.

Nancy on again, on again, and off

Does Nancy Pelosi know something that will prevent Newt Gingrich from being president? Yes, she does. Yes, again. No. she doesn't.

Radosh wants a real conservative

Ron Radosh wants Mitch Daniels to enter the GOP race. See RunMitchRun.

Eating fried food is Okay, says study

Study: Eating fried food does not increase incidence of heart disease.

State of the Union registers at 8th grade reading level

State of the Union registers at 8th grade reading level, according to POLITICO.com: "President Obama's 2012 State of the Union address again rated at an 8th grade comprehension level on the Flesch-Kincaid readability test — the third lowest score of any State of the Union address since 1934."

Woman Claims Neighbor’s Energy Efficient Windows Are Melting Her Toyota Prius « CBS Los Angeles

Woman Claims Neighbor’s Energy Efficient Windows Are Melting Her Toyota Prius: Well, I hope she can find another parking place, and the neighbor's can find another type of glass.

Charles Murray's new book Coming Apart

Charles Murray has a new book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010. I want to read it. You might remember his book The Bell Curve was famous and controversial.

The old canard pops up again and again

Obama called for equal pay for equal work for women in the SOTU. Here's the truth:

In giving the shout-out to the cause of “equal pay,” he checked off one box from what must be a long list of “must mentions” for any Democrat delivering such an address.

Corner readers surely know that work and lifestyle choices — not systematic discrimination — drive differences in the average pay of men and women. Women take more time off from work, gravitate toward more stable, safer, lower-paying jobs, and work fewer hours than men do, so it’s hardly a surprise that they tend to earn less. When women make different choices, you see different outcomes. And in fact, younger women without children living in urban areas are increasingly out-earning their male counterparts. And of course, sex discrimination is already illegal, and those laws provide workers who are truly paid less for equal work with recourse.

Class warfare, not the battle between the sexes, underpinned the president’s address, and for good reason. Women’s unemployment rate has consistently remained below men’s during this economic downturn. Women’s higher rate of academic achievement suggests that the next generation of working women will continue to gain in the economy, while men struggle.

So the real question is, when will Democrats finally be allowed to drop this tired feminist mantra from major political addresses?

Google knows

If you are worried about your online privacy, then worry about Google. They want to know everything about you. And you can't stop it.

That includes their search engine, youtube, gmail, etc. You know, it sometimes startles me that when I get on Amazon, I seem all of my recent interests and searches displayed right there, immediately.

The Joke's on Jay Leno

Jay Leno and NBC are being sued over a Mitt Romney joke that included a photograph of the Sikh holy shrine Golden Temple in Amritsar, India.

Just in time for the State of the Union

OK, just in time, here is the State of the Union Drinking Game. One rule is "If the word “debt” is used, take a sip of your friend’s drink and promise to give it back." Excuse me, I've already had too much SOTU.

Megan McArdle buys online like the rest of us

Glenn Reynolds has a great post on a Megan McArdle column:

It's kind of embarassing how often I see the UPS man.

My household has made extravagent use of the benefits of Amazon Prime.  We order grocery staples, hardware, paper goods, electronic accessories, air filters for the furnace, and oh yeah, sometimes books.  The brown truck stops in front of our house several times a week.  Since I am almost always the one who answers the door, I am beginning to worry that our unusually young and good looking UPS guy thinks there is an ulterior motive behind the volume of our orders.

At least I'm not alone.  Almost certainly, you, too are ordering more and more of your merchandise via an online retailer.  There's nothing wrong with that, of course.  But it gets a little sketchy when you start visiting big box retailers like Best Buy and Target so that you can have a look at the goods--and then place your order on Amazon.com.  

Megan McArdle's column is great as well. I'm an Amazon Prime member, and have ordered quite a bit from Amazon, thought not to the extent as Ms. McArdle. I purchased a Kindle Fire, which I really like. Like her, I've gone to stores many times to look at items, including books, ant then to go home and order them from Amazon. What do I like about Amazon? 1. The price and 2. The reviews. I was, however, surprised to read some of her predictions. Best Buy will go the way of Circuit City?

Barnes & Noble best sellers

This post notes that Mark Levin's Ameritopia is at the top of the Barnes & Noble list of best sellers. OK, to be honest, I didn't know Barnes & Noble published a list of their best sellers. But look at the list of books, and compare them to the NYTimes best sellers. Or use adult non-fiction here.

Cuisinart coffeemaker dead

I just had my Cuisinart coffeemaker die. But I'm going to buy another one.

A boring affair

Last night's GOP debate was boring.

Gingrich's moment in South Carolina

I heard some talk about New Gingrich's victory in the South Carolina primary. Some commentators ascribe the victory to Gingrich's "moment." I think this is it:

The girl in this ad could sell me anything

Ann Althouse posted this ad on her blog. I agree with her, I love it, and the Samsung Galaxy S 2 may be the phone for me. I agree with one of the comments: that girl in the ad could sell me anything. Also Siri can already do voice to text.

Steven Tyler's National Anthem Performance

Steven Tyler messed up in his National Anthem Performance at the AFC Championship game. I wondered about some of the lyrics at the time, but I'm no musician. I also notice his scarf, which this story says was a Patriots scarf. Not good. I also thought, "Who does his hair?" I expect some show of disrespect, but none of that happened.

STOP THE PRESSES: Get 30 percent off on your next cruises

The owner of the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that sunk, are offering survivors of the disaster a 30 percent discount off future cruises. Why, sure, let's all sign up. We had such fun on the Costa Concordia. I guess the same captain will be in command?

What an insult! But its also a bribe if they drop their lawsuits.

Ron Paul: The TSA is a "police state."

The White House is taking the TSA's side in a conflict with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). His father, a Republican presidential candidate Rep Ron Paul (R-Tx), called the TSA a "police state."

My solution: Abolish the TSA!

Mutual love affair

What's the real relationship between Newt Gingrich and the press? 

The TSA detains one of their critics with a full body pat down

Sen. Rand Paul, a critic of the TSA, is being detained by the TSA in Nashville. He refused a full body pat down. See also here.

Paul has been a vocal critic of the TSA. At a Congressional hearing on TSA practices and policies last summer, Paul criticized the agency for its controversial searches of children.

“You’ve gone overboard and you’re missing the boat on terrorism because you’re doing these invasive searches on six-year-old girls,” he said. “I think you oughta get rid of the random pat-downs. The American public is unhappy with them. They're unhappy with the invasiveness of them.”

Victor Davis: A Terrific Look at Our Political Circus

Victor Davis Hanson is hilarious and insightful when he describes the current election "circus." While you should read the whole thing, let me give you a sample:

Women: The Marianne Gingrich Nightline tell-all was a bust. In theory, we must sympathize with her: 60-ish, without much income, suffering from MS, forced to watch her ex — now soaring, both financially and politically, without her and without apparent acknowledgment of her long support for his career that must now be evident in his success — with insult added to injury as Newt parades around a younger, more attractive third wife as if he were a perpetual honeymooner. But to hear her is almost immediately to wonder, “Hmmm, let’s get this straight: you are mad that Mrs. Gingrich III and Newt did to Mrs. Gingrich II what you and Newt did to Mrs. Gingrich I? If you were sick and penniless when he left you, so was the poor first wife whom you once replaced.”

I wish I could believe (because I want to believe) that fidelity is essential in a leader, but unfortunately history tells me that Charles Lindbergh was a better pilot and inspiration than his more moral rivals, that the wayward George S. Patton saved thousands of lives by his brilliance in a way the more admirable but limited Omar Bradley did not, that the randy Bill Clinton was a better president than the devout Jimmy Carter, and that recklessly promiscuous JFK was no worse and probably more effective than loyal Richard Nixon. But marriage has so many variables (the devout husband can be mentally cruel and indifferent, the noble wife can be a shrew, the publicly supportive spouse can privately forgo sex, the faithful husband can be lazy and a leach), and leadership so many contours (natural brilliance, rhetorical flair, stamina, courage), that fidelity in marriage simply cannot quite trump them all. Was the wonderfully devoted Harry Truman a better president than Dwight D. Eisenhower (who once or twice probably strayed with his chaufferess), and if so, was it because he never looked at other women other than Bess? In short, the ABC interview was a dud. It only confirmed that dragging out a 12-year-old story on the eve of an election told us more about the morality of ABC than of present-day Newt Gingrich.

Special interests don't want you to know what's really going on

On the Internet piracy flap Glenn Reynolds says, "Generally, if it’s an outright battle between special interests and the public, the special interests lose. Which is why everything is designed to minimize the likelihood of the public figuring out what’s going on until it’s too late."

See here for more information.

The war against Paula Deen

Many critics have laid into Paula Deen, but their criticism is way off base. 
Note this comment:

But most of the criticisms I’ve seen have focused on the fat, rather than the carbs, so this is just a battle in the overall ignorant (and deadly) war on dietary fat. Not that there isn’t some anti-southern bigotry involved as well, of course. Like that against Christians, it’s the only other acceptable form of bigotry among the politically correct elite.

Exactly correct.
In diabetes classes like those that I have taken, the focus is on carbs. You must count carbs. They pay little attention to fat, or to calories. Those are important, of course.

HP Folio or Toshiba Portege?

The HP Folio is a nice laptop computer. This review compares it favorably to the Macbook Air at least in terms of the touchpad. What I like about it is that it's light. (Full disclosure: I've never actually seen one, just saw the commercial.) Less than a year ago I bought a Toshiba Protege and recommend it highly. My impression is that it's similar to the Folio, but after a quick review online, I believe the Protege is cheaper and not much different. It's a good value. Laptops have been too heavy, far too heavy.

Giffords to resign

Gabrielle Giffords is resigning from Congress to concentrate on her recovery. 

Gingrich has an extraordinary comeback victory in South Carolina

Gingrich has staged an extraordinary comeback.  I've been thinking it was all over, and Mitt had it sewn up, but apparently not. 

JoePa dead at 85

Joe Paterno has died at age 85. 

The ebook revolution on campus

Ann Althouse: Textbook publisher are making a transition to ebooks. Why? They don't make any money on used textbooks, and students won't be able to buy them any more. Schools like ebooks because they will keep the price lower. Of course that may not turn out to be true. It seems to me that ebooks costs more than they should given that they use no paper or ink, no transportation to books stores, etc.

The ebook thing is going to be a major revolution on college and university campuses. See the NYT article here.

Leave the internet alone

Huge protest caused Congress to put off the internet piracy bill. Good. To see what the "uprising" was all about see below:

Jeff Chester, executive director for the Center for Digital Democracy, a consumer protection and privacy advocacy group, said Google and Facebook and their supporters "have delivered a powerful blow to the Hollywood lobby." He predicted a compromise that doesn't include what many see as overreaching provisions in the current legislation.

"It's been framed as an Internet freedom issue, but at the end of the day it will be decided on the narrow interests of the old and new media companies," he said. The big questions involve who should or shouldn't pay - or be paid - for Internet content.

Rush Limbaugh on the Marrianne Gingrich interview

Rush Limbaugh on the Marianne Gingrich interview. This is the one in which she says that Newt Gingrich ask her for an open marriage. But Newt had the courtesy to ask for permission. He says Bill and Hillary had an open marriage too, but you can't imaging Bill asking for permission. 

Why is GOP using the icky Diane Sawyer to moderate their debates?

Charles Hurt: Why use "despicable," clueless left-wing media to moderate GOP debates? That's a question I've asked many times, but they still keep doing it. Makes no sense.

Textbook lesson in today's media

William A. Jacobson of Legal insurrection has a good analysis of ABC News' recent coverage of Marianne Gingrich, Newt's ex-wife.

Kindle Fire browser?

If you need advice on Kindle Fire apps, see here. I think it needs a browser. Yes it has one but I'm looking for another one.

GOP fun and games

The GOP SC primary has gone into a bizarre. The AP says:

Mitt Romney was stripped of his Iowa caucus victory Thursday, then was stung by Texas Gov. Rick Perry's withdrawal and endorsement of Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who was stunningly accused in turn by an ex-wife of seeking an open marriage so he could keep his mistress.

Gingrich wanted an open marriage in which he could have a wife and a mistress. 

Romney's wealth

Now they're attacking Romney's wealth.

Times change and Kodak files ch. 11

Kodak has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It's sad. The company has done so much, even invented digital photography, but stuck with film too long.

Travel tips for Amtrak

I've been thinking of taking a trip on Amtrak, which I know can be long and probably tedious. But I think I might enjoy it. I found some travel tips for Amtrak here.

Teachers in Buffalo get free plastic surgery courtesy their school district

If you're a Buffalo, New York, teacher, then your public school system will pay for your plastic surgery. That includes hair removal, miscrodermabrasian, liposuction, and so on. No co-pay needed. Keep your money. The district pays for all of your nips and tucks. The district's annual cost is currently about $5.2 million. Aren't they nice. And right in the middle of the Rust Belt, too.

I didn't know what miscrodermabrasian was. It's a non-surgical procedure to remove the effects of aging from the skin like crow's feet. I need that myself.

But there are risks.

Oops, I just fell into the lifeboat

The Captain of Costa Concordia just fell into that lifeboat during the chaos.

Tebow injured, underwent MRI

Tim Tebow was hurt in New England  Patriots game.

Ameritopia

Mark Levin's Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America sounds like a good read.

Standing and cheering at the GOP debate

Juan Williams questioned Newt Gingrich about his recent comments that black Americans should "demand jobs, not food stamps," and that Obama is a "Food Stamp President." When asked if he could see why these comments might be insulting to African-Americans, Gingrich said flatly, "No, I don't see that."

He then went onto [sic] propose a janitorial program that would allow students to do light janitorial work while continuing their studies, paying them and teaching them the value of work. He said that they would be earning money, "which is a good thing if you're poor. Only the elites despise earning money."

Gingrich responded, "The fact is more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history."

He proclaimed, "I believe every American of every background has been endowed by their Creator with the right to pursue happiness, and if that makes liberals unhappy, I'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job, and learn someday to own the job.

"The White House has denied Gingrich's claim about Obama's being the "Food Stamp President," but

Gingrich fired back, arguing that blaming the country's economic problems on the previous administration "was true in January of 2009" but "in the three years since then it has been Obama's policies which have weakened the economy, crippled American energy, and put Americans on food stamps."

Inconvient truth: rising income inequality is a myth

JustOneMinute: "[T]he distribution of income in the U.S. is basically the same as it was a quarter-century ago—and the middle class has gained ground over the last decade."

The ubiquitous references to rising income inequality—with President Obama the offender-in-chief—are erroneous and serve mainly to fan the flames of class warfare in this country. But who benefits from that?

Kentucky over Arkansas, as expected

Kentucky 86, Arkansas 62. 

Paula Deen has been a diabetic for 3 years.

And she kept it a secret while cooking up the same surgery, high fat, and deep-fried dishes. Food Network found out about her diabetes last week. She should come out with it and shifted her cooking to recipes that are good for diabetics. More here.

This is the old Paula: "Pass the Butter: Paula Deen's 9 Most Gluttonous Recipes." 

iPad 3 is set for March release

Technology Review says that the iPad 3 will come out in March.

A virgin has 14 kids

A man who is the father of 14 children has never had sex. 

Facebook privacy?

Forget your privacy on Facebook. That's why I quit. Also I wondered, who are all of those people?

SOPA's future uncertain, maybe dead

The internet privacy bill (SOPA) is all but dead. Let's hope it stays that way.

It's a new age of equality, right?

Mail Online: Nicole Servel, 61, recounts the story that her husband, Francis Servel, 71, gave her his lifejacket before they jumped from the sinking cruise ship, saving her life. She swam to safety, he went under and disappeared. The article has more stories from other survivors of the last minutes of the Costa Concordia. Unlike the Titanic, it was not women and children first. Men pushed to the lifeboats to save themselves.

Print photos directly from your camera

The hottest trend in cameras is Wi-Fi connectivity. You could send your photos directly to your wireless printer.

Soundfly is another new music device

You may be interested in a, to me, new device called Soundfly. Take a look here. The customer reviews are good. I have already purchased a Squeezebox and like it very much.

The Vernon Davis "Catch 2012" in the 49ers victory over the Packers

It's being put in the pantheon of brilliant 49ers catches, like Dwight Clark's catch of a Joe Montana pass in 1982. Davis called it "the grab."

Why do men spent more money when women are scarce?

Scientific American: "Men Spend the Big Bucks When Women Are Scarce." Well, that makes sense to me. The competition for women is greater if they are scarce, of course. But when women are around, they spent mens' money. Sounds like one of those studies that didn't have to be done. 

Across the animal kingdom, males are competitive when females are scarce. Now a study with people has examined how the number of women affects men’s attitudes about a marker for competitive fitness: Money. Basically, the fewer the women, the more the men threw their money around. The research is in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Huntsman is out

Jon Huntsman is dropping out.  He will endorse Romney.

Good advice: sex tips from French women

This is what we've been waiting for: Sex tips from French women.  Who would be more qualified in this area? The most important, I think, is this one: "French women have a keen sense of the brevity of time and immediacy of pleasure." So true. Life is short.

The tip about women who drink two glasses of wine every day is true, too. Also see this: One in 20 women has never had sex sober as they lack body confidence. 

Nothing like it since the Titanic, almost 100 years ago

More horror stories are emerging from the cruise liner Costa Concordia. The passengers attempted to abandon the ship in an atmosphere of panic and chaos.

See the real Margaret Thatcher

Joe Paterno "didn't know which way to go"

Joe Paterno is a shadow of his former self, physically broken. 

Straight out of a scene from "Titanic"

The stricken cruise ship lying off the coast of Italy is a good example of why I won't be taking any cruises any time soon. 

The terrifying escape from the luxury liner [Costa Concordia] was straight out of a scene from "Titanic." Many passengers complained the crew didn't give them good directions on how to evacuate and once the emergency became clear, delayed lowering the lifeboats until the ship was listing too heavily for many to be released.

The big game was a big win for the Patriots

Tom Brady and the Patriots squashed Tebowmania.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Get this: A woman with a fake penis is fired for wearing it to work. Maybe the word prosthetic is a better choice. Pauline Davis, 45, claims the firing was discrimination.

Davis claims that this was a discriminatory firing because one of her co-workers, a man who wore women’s clothing and prostheses, was neither fired nor disciplined for doing so.

What’s the lesson learned here?
Fake chicks with real dicks: good. Real chicks with fake dicks: bad.

Haley Barbour: pardon me

Haley Barbour, former Mississippi governor, pardoned over 200 convicts before he left office. In recent memory Bill Clinton also pardoned a large number of convicted prisoners. He cited his belief in Christian principles.

... [I]n defending the pardons this week, Mr. Barbour, a popular two-term governor and one-time presidential aspirant, also cited his Christian upbringing and early life experience watching a rehabilitated convict care for his disabled grandfather as the reasons why he remained “totally at peace” with his decision, noting that he would allow any of those he pardoned to play with his grandchildren.

“Christianity teaches us forgiveness and second chances,” Barbour said at a press conference Friday in Jackson, Miss. “I believe in second chances, and I try hard to be forgiving. The historic power of gubernatorial clemency by the Governor to pardon felons is rooted in the Christian idea of giving second chances.”

Feel your phone

Your smart phone may vibrate, but soon you will FEEL your phone.

Martin Luther King is misquoted on his memorial

The Martin Luther King memorial on the Washington Mall needs correcting. The quote from King is not what he said. The quote is "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." But the actual wording is “If you want to say I was a drum major, say I was . . . ” That changes everything and makes him seem less arrogant. Some people including Maya Angelou and Martin Luther King III have criticized the truncated quote. The words, however, are etched in the stone, so making the change may not be easy.

The next big game: Tebow vs Brady

The Denver Broncos with Tim Tebow as QB are set to play the New England Patriots with Tom Brady as QB. Wow. That should make for some great TV ratings.

If you need it, I found this live streaming site. The game is today at 7:00 Central time. 

I love new gadgets, don't you?

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas put on display some new gadgets.
You can also control your computer with body motions. Forget the mouse.
Recycle your old gadget. We all have them. 

No start with Head Start

A new study of Head Start, the Great Society program: "Head Start simply does not work."

A life of sexual dalliances and foibles

Bill Clinton is the subject of a new PBS four-hour documentary. I can't wait.

Heading for the NFL

Three Alabama football players head to NFL: Trent Richardson, Dont'a Hightower, and Dre Kirkpatrick.

Sex and getting older

Sex gets better with age, according to the American Journal of Medicine. 
Well, the news is not all good. Your biggest risk to your health is getting older. See here. 

My new Kindle Fire is a hit

Well, I received my Kindle Fire last evening. It worked well right out of the box, which contained nothing else except a slip of paper showing how to turn it on. The manual, which you may not need, is loaded onto the device. The Fire hooked up with my wifi easily. It was fully charged.

I thought it was cool, a beautiful device. It's not heavy, but it is a little heavier than I expected. The screen is slick, the color brilliant, the operation intuitive. I had seen one previously in Sam's Club, but did not buy it because I wanted to avoid the sales tax.

The Kindle Fire was already registered to me using my Amazon account, and my books, movies, and other content were already available. My books opened at the place that I had already read to.

If you are familiar with Amazon, you will find that it works the same way. You can make purchases on it, which is of course all too easy.

I'm very pleased. I had doubts about the purchase. Maybe I should buy an iPad, I thought, and maybe I will later. But I've been reading books using my iPhone Kindle app, which works well, except I realized the need for a larger screen, and I like the Kindle Fire's price.

I recommend the Kindle Fire highly.

Tebowing the NFL

Tim Tebow is the most polarizing figure in all of sports, even more so than, lets say, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, or Brett Favre. Tebow is "unexplainable," according to this article. What if he goes on to win the Super Bowl? Wow.

ESPN has a poll that makes him "America's favorite active pro athlete."

Joran van der Sloot guilty of murder of Peruvian woman

Joran van der Sloot has pleaded guilty to the murder of a Peruvian woman, Stephany Flores. He had also been accused of the murder of Natalee Holloway of Mountain Brook, Alabama.

We have undergone a great equalization

Victor Davis Hanson, despite carping about two inseparable classes, the classes have never been closer together. 

Oh, you object: poverty is better gauged by lack of opportunity, of exposure, of the cultivation of the mind. Well, in 1959, it was true only the wealthy in the Bay Area had access to opera, symphony, and good libraries. Out here in rural Selma there were no book stores, a sole tiny library in town, and no cultural enrichment to speak of.
Now? A Google search in about five seconds can give you information about anything. All sorts of sites offer free downloads of the classics. Videos offer any symphonic performance you wish. Computers are cheaper than many video games and big-screen TVs, whose sales after Thanksgiving cause near riots.
In short, we live in an unacknowledged age in which a poor man with a laptop who taps into a free signal at Starbucks has more information at his fingertips than did the Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford just forty years ago.

Get out and work up a sweat

If you own a car and a TV, you are 27 percent more likely to suffer heart attacks than people who don't have them. They would be rare, right? The problem is you are not getting any exercise.

Romney takes New Hampshire

Romney wins New Hampshire. 

Twinkies goes bankrupt, oh no

Hostess, the maker of Wonder Bread and Twinkies, is going into bankruptcy. 

Media bias was obvious in the recent GOP debate

The WSJ ponders George Stephanopoulos and media bias. No matter who the winning candidate is, there are more Stephanopoulos moments ahead.

Sistine Chapel in 3D

This 3D tour of the Sistine Chapel is going around the internet. Use your mouse to move around.

Huge disappointment

The rematch of the century was a fizzle if you were an LSU fan.
For the past three years, an Alabama team has won the national championship.

UPDATE: This joke is circulating among Alabama fans: The LSU team has not made it back to Baton Rouge from New Orleans. Apparently, somebody painted a 50 yard line across the interstate.

The fear of Obama

Americans, 2-1, fear Obama's re-election. And well they should.

The return of the Dodge Dart

Chrysler is bringing back the Dodge Dart.

No "dude," dude

When you are interviewing for a job, don't say "dude."

Tim Tebow's 80-yard pass in overtime over Steelers

Tim Tebow's 80 yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas!

Today's the day for big-boy football

LSU vs. Alabama: The rematch of the century. So far. Les Miles: "I'd expect it to be big boy football."

The Chump Effect is for warding off social science

Andrew Ferguson has invented the "Chump Effect." The lesson is don't swallow the claims made by social scientists. Always be on the alert and flip on your skeptical switch when you hear or read "scientists say" or "research shows" or "data suggests" and so on. Also look out for the phrase "social science."

Liberalism's rendezvous with regret

George Will on the redistributionist drive of liberalism.

The welfare state’s primary purpose is to subsidize the last years of Americans’ lives, and the elderly are, after a lifetime of accumulation, better off than most Americans.

Well, socialism won't work indefinitely. We know that from what we see in the current European budgetary crises. 

Romney's rise

Romney has the lead in the GOP race largely by default.

Barone: Romney "clinched" the nomination

Michael Barone reviews last night's GOP debate:

At about 10:28pm tonight, as Mitt Romney pivoted from a question on tax loopholes and started in with, “the real issue is vision,” I had recorded this thought in my notes, “He just clinched the nomination.”

I fail to understand why Republicans tolerate someone like George Stephanopoulos as moderator.

For more on George's lack of fairness during the debate see here. 

Don't make stupid mistakes that will wreck your credit score

This article, "Innocent ways to wreck your credit," sounds like good advice to me.

Bachmann as Romney's attack dog

In GOP debates, Michele Bachmann was Romney's attack dog?

Totally satisfied, somewhat satisfied, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied

You know, every time I buy something or take my car in for service or make a call to customer service, I'm emailed and asked to fill out a feedback survey. Wal-Mart wants you to call or go online and tell them you like them. I had an email asking for feedback after a medical checkup. Sometimes I get a request for feedback at the end of a phone call. Well, enough already. Stop it!

Gabrielle Giffords' future

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hopes to recover from her wound and return to Congress.

Arkansas' Cotton Bowl victory

Arkansas pulls off a Cotton Bowl victory, beating Kansas State 29-16. The highlight was the Joe Adams punt return.

Let's recount those Iowa caucus numbers

It looks like Romney may not have won the Iowa caucus after all.

You want shortest route, avoid traffic, or avoid ghetto?

Microsoft has been granted a patent for its "avoid ghetto" feature for GPS devices.

Our greatest failed auto companies

The 10 greatest failed U.S. auto companies.

Just for fun

Ann Althouse comments on Chelsa Clinton as a journalist. The commenters are good, too.

Our obesity problem

This response to an article in the NYT called "The Fat Trap," raises some interesting issues. I had a post a few days ago on the same topic. Again, carbohydrates are made the evil cause of weight gain, but remember that if you take insulin, you need carbs or you will crash from low blood sugar.

See also here. And here.

No more Kennedys

Massachusetts voters don't seem thrilled to have another Kennedy running for office.

Good economic news for 2012

The economy seems to be improving. I have noticed more activity, too.

Your TSA at work

TSA's top 10 catches of 2011. Well, they also got my OJ on a recent trip.

Little known popular magazines

10 popular magazines you may have never heard of.

One is Rural Arkansas.
Another is Garden & Gun, which I was introduced to this past weekend. It deals with Southern culture, but is more garden than gun.

After a series of battery fires

GM is recalling 8,000 Chevy Volts for repairs that will protect the battery in a crash.

Who is Rick Santorum?

Rick Santorum, the co-winner in Iowa, fell below my personal radar. I now wonder who he is. This article may get me a start.

If you're looking for a wireless mouse for a laptop

I own a Logitech Wireless Anywhere mouse, and like it very much. I use it on my laptop.

Dyer goes from Auburn to Arkansas State

Auburn RB Michael Dyer is filing paperwork to attend Arkansas State University. Gus Malzahn, Auburn offensive cooridator, was previously hired as the head coach of the Red Wolves.

Dyer's status is uncertain, according to other reports. Dyer was suspended for the Chick-fil-A Bowl for violation of an undisclosed team rule.

Early color photographs in the early 20th century

Color photographs taken from the early twentieth century.

Althouse: "Every time we were struggling in kicking, coach tells me to think about girls on a beach or brunette girls."

Althouse: "Every time we were struggling in kicking, coach tells me to think about girls on a beach or brunette girls.":

One of the comments is: "I surmise that when thinking about blondes, there's always the question whether the 'carpet matches the drapes,' and thinking about that can be too distracting and defeat the purpose."

Leaving California in the broad daylight

Migrants streamed into California starting with the gold rush in the 1840s, but now they are leaving in droves. It's not the same place it was, I guess.

Losing weight is a mind game

If you are interested in losing weight -- and who isn't -- read this.

This book by Gary Taubes argues that we gain weight by eating too many carbs. OK, fine, but if you are a diabetic who is on insulin you've got to eat carbs and count your carbs. If you take a diabetic food course, that's what they teach you. Fifteen carbs is equal to one unit of insulin. A man needs about 60 grams of carbs per meal, women about 45.

Losing weight is no secret. You've got to exercise more and eat less, lol. Of course that's hard, and it's hard to stay with it. But the secret to that is to make up your mind. I mean really make up your mind that that's what you want to do. It's a mind game.

Neely Steinberg's view of men

What Neely Steinberg loves about men.

Drudge caucus

Matt Drudge is running his own caucus. Go ahead and vote.

Not forgiving

After 77 years of marriage, a man is divorcing his wife for an affair she had back in the 1940s. He is 99 years old, she is 96.

unknown apps

12 great apps that slipped under the radar.

Somebody alert the MSM

Rasmussen: Democratic party affiliation at an all-time low.

We are now reaching the point in which the president is running a truly post-modern campaign, in which there is no objective truth but simply narrative. Obama’s campaign isn’t simply distorting the facts; it is inverting them. This kind of thing isn’t unusual to find in the academy. But to see a president and his campaign so thoroughly deconstruct truth in order to maintain power is quite rare. The sheer audacity of Obama’s cynicism is a wonder of the modern world.

Rumors of iPads and iPhones

Check out all the rumors for the iPad 3 and the iPhone 5, both due out this year.

Siri and the F-word

iPhone's Siri knows the F-word.

iPhone vs Android?

I've been wondering: Which is better, iPhone or Android?

Happy New Year

Where the Mayans right about 2012?