Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Africa's wealth, not poverty
The Atlantic has an article on the economic progress that's being made in Africa. Yes, Africa.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Datechguy's Blog: A little LBJ and a Lot of Panic for Obama
Datechguy's Blog: The argument here is that Obama's recent appeal to black voters, who regularly go for Democrats at over 90 percent, literally screams panic.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Monday, February 27, 2012
Let's book you a cruise on an Italian cruise ship
Another Italian cruise ship is adrift without power in the pirate-infested Indian Ocean. This is the Costa Allegra, a sister ship from the same line as the Costa Concordia.
Law school deans lied to US News
Law school deans may go to jail for submitting false data to U.S. News. I'm OK with that, LOL. U.S. News was aware that some of the information they published was inaccurate, according to this report.
Oscar's in review
The Wash Post has a good review of the Oscar's night. No doubt there is something wrong with the film industry.
The Oscar's were uninspired
The AP finds few inspired moments at last night's Oscar's. Did it really expect any?
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Wyoming's doomsday bill
CHEYENNE — State representatives on Friday advanced legislation to launch a study into what Wyoming should do in the event of a complete economic or political collapse in the United States.
House Bill 85 passed on first reading by a voice vote. It would create a state-run government continuity task force, which would study and prepare Wyoming for potential catastrophes, from disruptions in food and energy supplies to a complete meltdown of the federal government.
Voting for something like this will make you look like the dumbest person in the state, or the smartest.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
No more cutting room floor
Kodak _ and film _ saying goodbye to the Oscars. No more reel projectors, no more 35 mm film, etc.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
What does unlimited mean?
AT&T has lost an iPhone throttling case. I discussed this issue with my granddaughter and she didn't get it. She is over her limit like the atomic bomb was over the limit, lol.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Great question: What's the Total Value of the World's Sunken Treasure?
What's the Total Value of the World's Sunken Treasure?
This article is another sign that Popular Mechanics has turned into a fascinating magazine.
'via Blog this'
This article is another sign that Popular Mechanics has turned into a fascinating magazine.
'via Blog this'
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Ann Coulter supports Romney
Here is Ann Coulter's take on Mitt Romney. She is, to me, surprisingly positive.
Mary Gay Shipley plans to retire
Mary Gay Shipley, owner of That Bookstore in Blytheville, has announced plans to retire. She promoted writers like John Grisham and others. Blytheville is a Delta town, so the presence of a quality bookstore there is a rare treat. But if the store closes, it's just another sign of the times for bookstores.
See Rex Nelson's comments. See also here.
See Rex Nelson's comments. See also here.
McDonalds coming to Promenade at Chenal
The Promenade at Chenal, an open-air mall in west Little Rock, broke ground yesterday for a new McDonald's. Some folks have opposed McDonald's coming to west Little Rock, but I'm glad to see it. We have a distinct lack of morning coffee places out here.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Affirmative Action case before Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will consider a affirmative action case at the University of Texas.
The Supreme Court will once again confront the issue of race in university admissions in a case brought by a white student denied a spot at the flagship campus of the University of Texas.This is long overdue. Higher ed is full of scandals these days, including racial inequities.
The court said Tuesday it will return to the issue of affirmative action in higher education for the first time since its 2003 decision endorsing the use of race as a factor in admissions. This time around, a more conservative court is being asked to jettison that ruling and outlaw affirmative action in the university setting.
DOW is up over 13,000
The DOW is above 13,000 for first time since 2008 before falling back. Well, it can't be because the economy is so good.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Obama talks tough on higher education
Obama takes tougher stance on higher education:
'via Blog this'
There's been a growing debate over whether post-secondary schools should be more transparent about the cost of an education and the success of graduates. President Barack Obama has weighed in with a strong "yes."Look, the quality of graduates is down, the cost of tuition is up, student debt is up, the mood on campus is complacent.
'via Blog this'
ESPN and Jeremy Lin
Althouse: "The ESPN editor fired Sunday for using 'chink in the armor' in a headline about Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin...": This statement was absolutely outrageous. I wondered how long it would take for something like this to happen.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Ranking presidents of the past 50 years
Ann Althouse: Ronald Reagan was the most influential president of the past half century. No doubt about that.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
People go into hibernation
Ann Althouse has a post that shows that people, like bears, can go into hibernation for six months.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Are you happy?
That's your most important job interview questions. Don't believe it. Read this link.
The Titanic as a Christian story
This post is interesting because it claims that the movie Titanic embodies a Christian view of the world and the post cites a self-published "book" or actually essay via Amazon.
Two happy predictions
Bill Quick: "Prediction: Mitt Romney Will Not Be the GOP Nominee This Year, And Barack Obama Will Not Be Re-Elected"
Friday, February 17, 2012
Your digital life after your death
Keep your digital life alive, after death | Reuters. My advice: keep them out of your stuff. Destroy as much as you can.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
U.S. to hit debt limit before election day
U.S. to hit debt limit before election day. This will no doubt be a big issue in the campaign. We are "spending too much, borrowing too much, and putting our nation's fiscal stability at risk."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Thursday, February 16, 2012
New Medicare overhaul plan
Two Republicans are proposing a new Medicare overhaul plan. We've got to start thinking and talking about this subject before it's too late.
Who would have thought the Chronicle of Higher Ed would discuss fun sex
Believe it or not, the Chronicle of Higher Education has an article on the nonprocreative usefulness of sex. The article starts out talking about Rick Santorum and the contraceptive issue we have going, but then shifts to this:
If you’re interested in the stability of families, then you should also be a fan of non-procreative sex (which, let’s face it, is going to be a majority of sex any couple engages in, even if they’re choosing to forgo birth control). Women who have more sex are happier in their relationships. Sexual satisfaction outstrips even good communication in ratings of a couple’s happiness. Whether you have an active sex life is a strong predictor of your mental health and a lesser, but still significant, predictor of physical health.
None of that has anything to do with babies. And it doesn’t really have anything to do with mere pleasure, which is what Santorum said sex is reduced to once the potential for kids has been stricken from the equation. Sexual satisfaction increases relationship satisfaction and couples who are more satisfied in their relationships are less likely to divorce. If ever there was a conservative argument for something, there it is.
Sexual satisfaction is also important for the well-being of same-sex couples, according to this study, which found that results were the same for women in homosexual or heterosexual relationships. Though presumably that’s not a study Rick Santorum would be interested in.
Is a tax a tax?
Is Obamacare a tax or what? The Obama administration can't get their story straight.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Another TSA Body Scanner Controversy
Female Passengers Say They Were Targeted for TSA Body Scanners. You knew this would happen, right?
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Photoshopping classic nudes
Art's classical nudes get Photoshopped to be skinnier. I'm surprised but I like the originals better.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Can Full-Metal Jousting Become the Next Ultimate Fighting Championship?
I've been watching the History Channel more lately, and I recorded Full-Metal Jousting last night. The History Channnel has definitely come up with some good program ideas.
Also I might mention Animal Planet's new program, Hillbilly Handfishin', which is about noodling. OK, for the uninitiated, noodling refers to catching catfish by hand. Forget that rod and reel.
'via Blog this'
Also I might mention Animal Planet's new program, Hillbilly Handfishin', which is about noodling. OK, for the uninitiated, noodling refers to catching catfish by hand. Forget that rod and reel.
'via Blog this'
ATT usage alert
I thought I was on an unlimited data plan with ATT, but you may also be getting a message like this:
Dear ***********,
Our systems have detected that you are nearing your data plan limit. Your base plan has a monthly allowance of 2GB. Any data usage which exceeds your plan allowance will be billed at $10 per each additional 1GB.
To check your data usage online simply click here. It is an easy and convenient way to keep track of your usage. For additional information about data plan requirements and tips on managing your data usage visit att.com/dataplans.
*Important: In general, domestic data usage will be reflected within 24 hours. In some extremely rare cases it may take up to 72 hours to be reflected in our systems.
Thank you,
AT&T
DDC_210
Dear ***********,
Our systems have detected that you are nearing your data plan limit. Your base plan has a monthly allowance of 2GB. Any data usage which exceeds your plan allowance will be billed at $10 per each additional 1GB.
To check your data usage online simply click here. It is an easy and convenient way to keep track of your usage. For additional information about data plan requirements and tips on managing your data usage visit att.com/dataplans.
*Important: In general, domestic data usage will be reflected within 24 hours. In some extremely rare cases it may take up to 72 hours to be reflected in our systems.
Thank you,
AT&T
DDC_210
Monday, February 13, 2012
Everybody Into The Pool: Basketball and Civil Rights
This is a terrific story of the inventor of basketball, James Naismith, and the father of the fast break, John B. McLendon, Jr., and how they beat segregation in the 1930s.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Five myths about white people
Charles Murray: Five myths about white people. I could add other myths: All white people are racists. In fact I'm seeing more interracial, middle-aged couples. All white men like hunting and fishing. White men fight over the merits of Chevy vs Ford trucks.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
You may get throttled
If you have an unlimited data plan with AT&T, watch out. The unlimited plan is not so unlimited after all.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Ditch the textbook, baby
Some professors are ditching the textbooks. Excellent idea. I did so at every opportunity. Sometimes the powers-that-be insisted on a textbook in the bookstore, etc., but I hated it and told students that they could forget the textbook if they wanted to and they didn't have to buy it. Most textbooks are just left-wing crap.
Whitney Houston is gone
Whitney Houston is dead at age 48. Her rendition of the National Anthem, at the start of the Persian Gulf war, is the most moving one ever sung.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
The Tea Party: Three Principles by Elizabeth Price Foley: Books
The Tea Party: Three Principles by Elizabeth Price Foley, who seems to know what the Tea Party is all about. For sure the MSM does not know.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Sign of the Times: Kodak to stop making cameras, digital frames
Kodak will stop making cameras. The company was founded in 1880 and now faces a dismal future because they hung on to film too long.
The "new" History Channel
When I used to watch the History Channel, I called it the Hitler Channel, but that's all changed apparently. They have some new programs that I've stumbled upon. I like Swamp People, American Pickers, which I've watched quite a bit of.
I used to like Swamp Thing, a movie with Adrienne Barbeau.
Adrienne Barbeau nude in Swamp Thing movie - Watch More Funny Videos
I used to like Swamp Thing, a movie with Adrienne Barbeau.
Adrienne Barbeau nude in Swamp Thing movie - Watch More Funny Videos
Insurers stuck with cost of Obama birth-control plan
Insurers stuck with cost of Obama birth-control plan. That's the way it works: make somebody else pay for it. It's free that way, LOL.
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Mimi Alford's memoir
I've never read anything like this about JFK and it's from the New Republic! Mimi Alford was a 19-year-old intern in 1962. See Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath. If you go to Amazon read the reviews, especially tink-the-cat.
UPDATE: Ann Althouse has some comments.
UPDATE: Ann Althouse has some comments.
For a balanced budget amendment
We need a balanced budget amendment. I didn't used to think so, but the federal deficit has gotten so bad that we have to have it. We are going bankrupt if we don't do something. The states have budget restrictions.
McArdle on birth control backtrack
Megan McArdle sums up Obama's birth control flap. People are still mad about it.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Gasoline consumption is falling and that predicts a decline in economic activity
Why is gasoline consumption tanking? Retail gasoline deliveries are below 1980 levels and going south.
Obama the back tracker
Obama will backtrack on birth control rule that has created a firestorm among Catholic and other religious organizations.
Rand Paul blisters Obama
Rand Paul to Obama: "Do you hate all rich people, or just rich people who don't contribute to your campaign?" He also asked, "Do you hate poor people or do you just hate poor people with jobs?"
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Maybe I could get the federal government to pay my cell phone bill
Ann Althouse has this post: "Do you enjoy paying other people's cell phone bills?" A federal program spent $1.6 billion of your tax dollars to pay for free cell phones and the monthly bills of 12.5 million wireless accounts. I've wondered why everybody seems to be talking on a cell phone.
Well, you're going to be paying for somebody's mortgage and health care as well as cell phone.
Well, you're going to be paying for somebody's mortgage and health care as well as cell phone.
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio, Republican Senator from Florida, is a powerful conservative leader who will be president one day, and soon.
“Unlike any leader in modern American history, we are led today by a president that has decided to pit Americans against each other,” Rubio thundered. “The basic argument he is making to our nation is that the reason why some of us are worse off than we used to be is because other people are doing too well. That the only way for some of us to do better is for some people to do worse.”
The No Child Left Behind Law is being left behind
The No Child Left Behind law initiated under George Bush was intended to bring students up to par in reading and math, but it has been a failure, and now states are being let off the hook.
In Colorado, Bridget Cole, a 4th grade teacher who was eating an egg salad sandwich with a group of student on a field trip to the Colorado state Capitol, said she was relieved to hear the news out of the White House.
"No Child Left Behind never changed how I taught. I know what my kids need. It's easier for me to see where my kids need to be rather than pay attention to what the federal government tells me my kids need to be," Cole said.
Big government goes too far, again
Catholic official to Obama: Stop "intruding into the internal life of a church."
No fun on a LA county beach
Don't go on a LA county beach and throw a football or Frisbee. Or even let your kids dig a hole in the sand more than 18 inches deep. You'll get socked with a $1,000 file. My advice: Don't spend your vacation in California.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Social Security needs to be reformed
What to do about our broken Social Security model? Let workers direct their payroll taxes to their own personal retirement accounts. It's your money, use it when you need it.
It's only going to get worse
The WSJ and just about everybody else is outraged over Obama's birth-control mandate. As my doctor says, it's only going to get worse.
The political furor over President Obama's birth-control mandate continues to grow, even among those for whom contraception poses no moral qualms, and one needn't be a theologian to understand why. The country is being exposed to the raw political control that is the core of the Obama health-care plan, and Americans are seeing clearly for the first time how this will violate pluralism and liberty.
Prius is best-selling hybrid
The Toyota Prius is the best-selling hybrid. I own one and love it, but I still think the car is too low to the ground. I don't like scraping the front bumper.
More regrets on Obamacare
Another Dem now regrets voting for Obamacare. Well, add her name to Blanche Lincolns.
Watch that salt
This article is required reading for anyone, like me, who needs to reduce the salt in his diet.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
How to get stupid: go to a meeting
Meetings can make you stupid. Well, everybody knows that except bosses.
Monday, February 6, 2012
The return of me
I'm back after a spell of bad health. I know I've been some important new and some good stories that I might have posted. For example, I just noticed this story entitled: "Censors MIA on M.I.A.'s finger flip." Something always goes wrong with a Super Bowl halftime show.
You can expect my blog to resume.
You can expect my blog to resume.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Sugar evokes bold predictions
Do you think sugar will in the future be regulated like alcohol and tobacco?
BOLD PREDICTIONS: Within fifty years Coca Cola and the NFL will be the fodder of campfire stories meant to scare excitable pre-teens. It can't happen? Sixty years ago Frank and Dean were the Kings of Cool, smoking cigarettes live on national television; now they would get busted and the President of the United States is heckled in his own home for being a smoker.
If high school football were invented today, any school board listening to the injury rate and equipment expense would laugh out loud. It's days are numbered.
And Coke? Sales will be regulated as cigarettes are today, and sales to minors won't be legal. And someone somewhere will be charged with child abuse for giving a kid a Coke. Really.
Don't choose the wrong major in college
Did you know, there's a strong connection between your choice of a college major and unemployment. And while we're on the subject of higher ed, see this discussion educational reform.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Women lose their interest in sex, research says
Why women lose their interest in sex. But you knew they did, didn't you?
The Giants know how to stop Tom Brady but can they?
The NJ Giants are of course working on a game plan that includes ways to stop Tom Brady.
"Up front, somebody has to do something against somebody if we're going to get to Tom," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said on Wednesday. "You have to hit these guys. You can't allow time to stand and look upfield the whole game.
"You can't let him be comfortable. It's like pounding away at a rock. Eventually it's going to break. We haven't gotten Brady to the breaking point yet."
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Slip of the lip
We'll hear about this Romney gaffe again and again. He said he was "not concerned about the very poor."
Belly up: Americans bought more alcohol in 2011
Alcohol sales were up in 2011. That must mean the recessions is over, or, uh, things are worse. People have more money to spend on booze or they need to take away the recession pain. On the other hand, booze may be recession proof, LOL.
US shipments of scotch, vodka, rum and other spirits in 2011 increased 2.7 percent over the previous year -- the strongest increase in five years, according to industry data.
Oikophobia
James Taranto:
If you think it's offensive for a Muslim group to exploit the 9/11 atrocity, you're an anti-Muslim bigot and un-American to boot. It is a claim so bizarre, so twisted, so utterly at odds with common sense that it's hard to believe anyone would assert it except as some sort of dark joke. Yet for the past few weeks, it has been put forward, apparently in all seriousness, by those who fancy themselves America's best and brightest, from the mayor of New York all the way down to Peter Beinart.
What accounts for this madness? Charles Krauthammer notes a pattern:
But this has its limits as a political strategy. Krauthammer writes that "the Democrats are going to get beaten badly in November"....
If you think it's offensive for a Muslim group to exploit the 9/11 atrocity, you're an anti-Muslim bigot and un-American to boot. It is a claim so bizarre, so twisted, so utterly at odds with common sense that it's hard to believe anyone would assert it except as some sort of dark joke. Yet for the past few weeks, it has been put forward, apparently in all seriousness, by those who fancy themselves America's best and brightest, from the mayor of New York all the way down to Peter Beinart.
What accounts for this madness? Charles Krauthammer notes a pattern:
Promiscuous charges of bigotry are precisely how our current rulers and their vast media auxiliary react to an obstreperous citizenry that insists on incorrect thinking.
-- Resistance to the vast expansion of government power, intrusiveness and debt, as represented by the Tea Party movement? Why, racist resentment toward a black president.
-- Disgust and alarm with the federal government's unwillingness to curb illegal immigration, as crystallized in the Arizona law? Nativism.
-- Opposition to the most radical redefinition of marriage in human history, as expressed in Proposition 8 in California? Homophobia.
-- Opposition to a 15-story Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero? Islamophobia.
Now we know why the country has become "ungovernable," last year's excuse for the Democrats' failure of governance: Who can possibly govern a nation of racist, nativist, homophobic Islamophobes?Krauthammer portrays this as a cynical game: "Note what connects these issues. In every one, liberals have lost the argument in the court of public opinion. . . . What's a liberal to do? Pull out the bigotry charge, the trump that preempts debate and gives no credit to the seriousness and substance of the contrary argument."
But this has its limits as a political strategy. Krauthammer writes that "the Democrats are going to get beaten badly in November"....
Are we still racists?
Don Surber on our racial problem.
It is a dangerous game that Democrats play, one that requires constant racial dissatisfaction and distrust. Unable to find actual racism among conservatives, Democrats have taken to pretending conservative arguments are Racial Code Words. I picked Juan Williams apart yesterday. Kathleen McKinley blogging for the Houston Chronicle took care of her town’s Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee:
Can we just end this with “code words?” I know many believe it, but it’s a total lie. As a political blogger, I get all the e-mails from campaigns. I get all the e-mails from Tea Party issues. I’ve gone to CPAC for years, I go to conservative conferences, I’m a member of numerous conservative groups. Never, in all these years, have I heard or read ONE thing even implying anything about race. If I had, I can promise you, you would have heard about it right here. Does anyone who reads me imagine I would put up with even IMPLIED prejudice? Of course I wouldn’t. If I had, I would have quit the Republican party. The problems that we in the GOP have with Obama is not, and has never been, about his race. Now, are there people out there that DO judge Obama by his race? Of course! Is there racism regarding Obama? Of course! Racism is alive and well in this country. But to take the reality of a few ignorant people, and try to paint people like Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum with that brush just to perpetuate the false narrative of a racist GOP just to keep black votes. That is morally wrong on every level. The Democrat majority leader Harry Reid said that he was glad candidate Obama was “lightskinned” and “had no negro accent.” Bill Clinton told Ted Kennedy that Obama “would have been bringing us coffee a few years ago.” I find that much more overtly prejudice than anything in these supposedly “code words” people like Ms. Jackson Lee find in the GOP, but you won’t find her complaining about her own leaders. Seriously. Can you even imagine the gasket she would blow if a GOP candidate had used the world “negro?” Who uses that word anymore?? Who thinks like that? But she is silent there.For what it is worth, negro is on my Naughty Words list.
Sadly, dividing and conquering apparently works. This is tearing the nation apart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)