FUN: popinjay
Tuesday, February 9, 2010RANT: Palin was right about “death panels”; gooferment health care kills
Monday, February 8, 2010Patient dies in hospital after ‘do not resuscitate’ form is mistakenly put in his files
By Jo Macfarlane
Last updated at 8:03 AM on 07th February 2010
*** begin quote ***
A patient who suffered a heart attack on a hospital ward died because clerical staff had mistakenly inserted a ‘Do Not Attempt Resuscitation’ form into his medical notes.
Peter Clarke was not treated by doctors after going into cardiac arrest as a nurse had spotted the form in his files and, even though it was blank and had not been filled in, told other ward staff he should not be revived.
The blunder emerged at an inquest into the incident at Derby Hospitals NHS Trust, where bosses revealed staff had been ‘routinely’ placing the forms alongside medical records before they had been correctly signed and witnessed by senior doctors.
*** end quote ***
And, you want to entrust “health care” to the US gooferment?
After all they do so well with VA Health Care. And Indian Health Care.
And, Medicare and Medicaid are the exemplars of efficiency and effectiveness.
Argh!
In the USA, mistakes get corrected by wrongful death suits. After Obama care, you’ll sue the gooferment hospital in the gooferment courts. That’ll will work out how?
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POLITICAL: Green Police: Audi Super Bowl Ad
Monday, February 8, 2010Green Police: Audi Super Bowl Ad
Absolutely hits too close to home. Even the non-political types who were watching the game were upset by the commercial. It may have started a small “tea party” on its own.
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INTERESTING: “Survivalists survive by staying out of survival situations”
Monday, February 8, 2010http://commanderzero.com/?p=1369#comments
What is the very first rule of surviving a disaster?
January 27th, 2010
*** begin quote ***
Im not saying everyone who gets in a disaster and stuck on a FEMA food line is responsible for what happened to them. Sometimes Mom Nature can be a nasty old broad. But there are plenty of situations out there that a little common sense and self-preservation would suggest you avoid.
The best way to survive any disaster: do not be there.
*** end quote ***
How many “victims” have their head up their a double q?
Self-reliance, help your neighbors, prep!
The Amish and The Mormons have the right idea.
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INTERESTING: 1962 Pa. coal town fire still burns
Sunday, February 7, 2010http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100205/ap_on_re_us/us_centralia_s_final_days
Few remain as 1962 Pa. coal town fire still burns
AP
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM, Associated Press Writer Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press Writer
Fri Feb 5, 10:40 am ET
*** begin quote ***
After years of delay, state officials are now trying to complete the demolition of Centralia, a borough in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania that all but ceased to exist in the 1980s after the mine fire spread beneath homes and businesses, threatening residents with poisonous gases and dangerous sinkholes.
More than 1,000 people moved out, and 500 structures were razed under a $42 million federal relocation program.
But dozens of holdouts, Lokitis included, refused to go — even after their houses were seized through eminent domain in the early 1990s. They said the fire posed little danger to their part of town, accused government officials and mining companies of a plot to grab the mineral rights and vowed to stay put. State and local officials had little stomach to oust the diehards, who squatted tax- and rent-free in houses they no longer owned.
*** end quote ***
Interesting in that the gooferment created the problem and can’t solve it.
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POLITICAL: Who’s “manning the walls” in the Obama administration?
Sunday, February 7, 2010http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/specialengagements/moviespeechafewgoodmencodered.html
American Rhetoric: Movie Speech
“A Few Good Men” (1992)
written by Aaron Sorkin
Colonel Nathan R. Jessep Addresses the Court on “Code Red”
*** begin quote ***
You can’t handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives…You don’t want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty…we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use ‘em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I’d rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to!
*** end quote ***
This rings true more today that ever.
Who’s “manning the walls” in the Obama administration?
Sorry, but the Department of Defense and the National Guard should be deployed here at home. Like the Coast Guard should NOT be off gallivanting.
We have bases in reportedly 170 countries. Time for a base closing commission of taxpayers.
Did you know that the Constitution only authorizes a permanent Navy. The Army is only allowed for two years. Guess the Dead Old White guys understood about the dangers of a permanent army. What do you think they’d have thought about the alphabet agencies: FBI, DEA, BATF, CIA, NSA, yada, yada, and yada?
Argh!
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RANT:You may have no recourse
Saturday, February 6, 2010NateUVM says: 02/05/2010 at 11:09 am
*** begin quote ***
With all due respect, attempting to get something done since 1948 does not, in my opinion, indicate a “rush to do everthing all at once.” That’s how long we’ve been trying to fix health care.
The idea that this is being rammed through without due consideration is GOP spin.
You say “progressives want control.” My first question would be, “what control would this give them?”
*** end quote ***
@NateUVM
It gives them the power of “life and death”. And, don’t think it won’t get used and abuse. “Yes, Comrade NateUVM, you do have free speech, but for speaking out against the war (who knows which war it will be), you’ve been awarded a status of ‘category 12’ for you AND YOUR FAMILY. So, you can ONLY have aspirin and there will be a 7 year wait to see the specialist. If only, you’d have supported the war, you’d be category 21 and entitled to everything.”
Yes, like the Japanese internment, it CAN happen here.
I think the striongest argument against “gooferment healthcare” or “health insurance” is that if the gooferment screws you as opposed to the insurance company, where do you go for relief? The gooferment’s courts. Now you can sue. In the future, you may have no recourse.
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WRITING: Just “Warm” the Water (An Index Card Novel)
Saturday, February 6, 2010Just “Warm” the Water (An Index Card Novel)
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
—- Arthur C. Clarke
# – # – #
The fat old white guy injineer, his tall lanky Luddite friend, and his two lovely apprentices has miraculously survived “the troubles”. Who cares what “the troubles” were particularly. They found themselves now on an island with a high water table cutoff from the Disadvantaged Urban Yutes, the Golden Horde, and the various “protective gangs” that use to make up gooferment. A rag tag village had sprung. Fish from the sea, truck gardens galore eked out a modest existence. It was not a rich lifestyle. But a healthy one. And, sumptuous when you compared it to the “main land”. When you Got Out Of Dodge, sometimes you met “interesting” people along the way. Some survived the contact and lusted over “the riches” on the island.
From his long ago science background, the fat old white guy injineer did his best to contribute to the island. Some project were obvious, solar stills. Some projects were obtuse, alcohol stills. And, some were just down right strange; like rolling even thinner sheets of a strange material on plywood one foot square squares. A dollop of special water under the foil and glue around the edges. They were deployed around the island. The beach area had them in a bizarre checkerboard fashion. And, at the town hall a “special radio” transmitter and an old “wake the dead” klaxon were installed. The islanders were instructed to be one foot away from any square if they heard the banshee wail. And, prepare to defend their island if they did because it meant invasion.
# – # – #
The fat old white guy injineer went to his eternal reward. And while we can wonder what it was and muse on the fact that we will all get one. That’s not essential to the story.
What is essential was that a lot of the science knowledge had been lost during “the troubles” and its aftermath. One can legitimately wonder if the human race had peaked.
# – # – #
The remainders of the Golden Horde, the Disadvantaged Urban Yutes, and what was left of the Gooferment’s Navy came up with the idea of “rafting” to the island. Sections of 4×8 backyard fence were transported to the shore. It was a warm summer day with a gentle breeze. It was less that a mile to the island. A swarm of hundreds of these raiders assembled on the beach. (There was a tremendous die off from “the troubles” and its aftermath. But some how cockroaches always survive.)
The activity was noticed by the island’s peaceful residents. Weapons were few and far between. The knowledge how to use them was even scarcer. The residents gathered at the town hall and prayed to the pictures the fat old white guy injineer had left as documentation of how to use his creation.
When a watcher ran in from the beach to report that the invaders had landed, an elder pulled the “magic” handle. A loud annoying klaxon blared out over the island.
# – # – #
The invaders were cold and wet from their swim. A raft isn’t a boat. They assembled into squads and were ready to loot the riches of the island. Kill the men; rape the women; and enslave the children.
(Nice fellows!)
As they walked up the beach, they heard the “magic” klaxon. But it made no impression on them. Some dirty jokes were made.
Then one of them stepped on a strange piece of plywood. And screamed like a stuck pig.
Soon, there were more screams.
As their feet and lower legs were instantly frozen solid. Ever had frostbite? The pain is excruciating. When the invaders fell, they often fell on a piece of plywood. Hard to live with a frozen solid heart.
Confusion reigned. You didn’t even have to step on the plywood. Even being close was good enough.
And another change happened. The sandy soil became like quicksand. And, only the wood floated. Bodies with their wooden tombstone attached sunk in the sandy sea. Not all the bodies were dead when they sank. The sand silenced the screams.
# – # – #
Eventually the village elder was getting a headache from the noise. He shut off the apparatus. The tribe went out to meet their fate. But the invaders had disappeared.
As the sand returned to normal, the sunken tombstones rose to the top. Their dead attachments buried deep. The checkerboard was restored. The squares had an attraction for each other.
The villagers went back to eking out their peaceful existence. The legend of the “sandy defenders” was started. Reenforced by skeletons that eventually were exposed on the beach.
Eventually the wooden squares were worshipped as gods. Not as impressive as the Easter Island Tikis, but worshiped all the same.
No one was left, who understood; it was science.
# – # – #
When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
—- Arthur C. Clarke
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http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/02/06/0718206/Israeli-Scientists-Freeze-Water-By-Warming-It
“As reported by NPR and Chemistry world, the journal Science has a paper by David Ehre, Etay Lavert, Meir Lahav, and Igor Lubomirsky [note: abstract online; payment required to read the full paper] of Israel’s Weizmann Institute, who have figured out a way to freeze pure water by warming it up. The trick is that pure water has different freezing points depending on the electrical charge of the surface it resides on. They found out that a negatively charged surface causes water to freeze at a lower temperature than a positively charged surface. By putting water on the pyroelectric material Lithium Tantalate, which has a negative charge when cooler but a positive change when warmer; water would remain a liquid down to -17 degrees C., and then freeze when the substrate and water were warmed up and the charge changed to positive, where water freezes at -7 degrees C.”
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INTERESTING: Saudi girl, 13, sentenced to 90 lashes
Saturday, February 6, 2010Saudi girl, 13, sentenced to 90 lashes after she took a mobile phone to school
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 12:45 AM on 21st January 2010
*** begin quote ***
A 13-year-old Saudi schoolgirl is to be given 90 lashes in front of her classmates after she was caught with a mobile camera phone.
The girl, who has not been named, was also sentenced to two months in jail by a court in the eastern city of Jubail.
She had assaulted her headmistress after being caught with the gadget which is banned in girl schools, said Al-Watan, a Saudi newspaper. The kingdom’s use of such punishments has been widely condemned by human rights organisations. (snip) The punishment is harsher than tha (sic that) dished out to some robbers and looters. Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading country in the use of torture-by-flogging, public beheadings and publicly crucifying condemned prisoners.
*** end quote ***
This is shocking. It offends my sensibilities. And, I’m an ijineer!
Now I have run into children that I’d have liked to give lashes too, but never 90. Never even one. It’s just a brief idle daydream. Maybe for cell phone abuse.
No one has the right to inflict pain on anyone. Any child, no matter how annoying, no matter bad the transgression, no matter how … … how frustrating deserves to be treated this way.
Where are the women’s libers? Where are the politicians?
Gooferment only has ONE purpose: to protect its citizens and residents from aggression. In a primitive society, one step away from extinction, one can expect brutality to ensure compliance necessary for group survival. In an advanced civilization, brutality is inefficient and ineffective.
We, The People, need to instruct our Gooferment that (a) that’s unacceptable; and (b) they need to exert some moral pressure to help the bozos see the error of their ways. Perhaps, PNGing (Persona Non Grata) male Saudi Ambassadors until they send us a woman as an ambassador might get our point across.
No man can be free until all men are free?
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FUN: meretricious
Friday, February 5, 2010RANT: Less debauchery; more sexual restraint
Friday, February 5, 2010Abortion Advocates Rebuked for Saying Pam Tebow Lying About Pregnancy
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 2, 2010
*** begin quote ***
“Here’s what we do need a lot more of: Tebows. Collegians who are selfless enough to choose not to spend summers poolside, but travel to impoverished countries to dispense medical care to children, as Tebow has every summer of his career. Athletes who believe in something other than themselves, and are willing to put their backbone where their mouth is. Celebrities who are self-possessed and self-controlled enough to use their wattage to advertise commitment over decadence,” Jenkins continues.
“You know what we really need more of? Famous guys who aren’t embarrassed to practice sexual restraint, and to say it out loud. If we had more of those, women might have fewer abortions,” she adds.
*** end quote ***
Amen! More charitable college “kids” and more personal responsibility. Debauchery and the loss of civic virtue brought down the Roman Empire. Think we’re immune? Ever watch the soft porn on VH1?
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TECHNOLOGY: Motivational Posters
Friday, February 5, 2010http://www.tuxpi.com/photo-effects/motivational-poster

I’m not sure how “motivating” it is. But it sure makes me want to go on a diet!
LOL!
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POLITICS: OBH44 and his economic illiterates
Thursday, February 4, 2010http://kudlow.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjU0MWQ0OWQ3OTI2OTgzMmUwMGM2NTUxMGRhMDcyYzY=
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
$2 Trillion in Tax Hikes Is Good for the Economy?
Larry Kudlow
*** begin quote ***
Why not put more money into private pockets to spur growth — the free-market capitalist way? Why slam businesses, banks, and hedge funds to the tune of nearly $500 billion?
Once again, it takes liquidity from the private sector, reduces economic growth and the incentive effect, and gives money to the government.
Here’s the key point. All of these fat-cat, class-warfare, soak-the-(alleged)-rich tax-hike proposals actually reduce investment and capital formation so much so that jobs and wages will ultimately falter on Main Street. That’s what Team Obama is missing.
Taxing businesses and so-called “rich” people hurts ordinary working folks. That’s a fact. And that’s why this is a misbegotten policy. We’re not talking class warfare here; we’re talking growth. My way is the growth way. So far, the Team Obama way is a social policy on the left that has nothing to do with spurring jobs and economic growth.
*** end quote ***
Can’t drum it in to economic illiterates.
- Companies don’t pay taxes; only real people do.
- The government spends OUR money; it doesn’t EARN any. It does NOT create wealth.
- A dollar taken by the gooferment is not available for other productive uses.
- A dollar is not a store of value when the gooferment runs the printing press.
- The political process is corrupt. It’s not a democracy; nor is it “representative”!
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RANT: Pay Czar is a meaningless joke
Thursday, February 4, 2010ON FOX NEWS, NEIL CAVUTO’S SHOW:
PAY CZAR: “I NEVER SPEAK TO THE PRESIDENT!”
What the hell?
PAY CZAR: “… … valid contracts entered into years ago … …”
In a bankruptcy situation, all contracts would have been null and void!
Argh!
PAY CZAR: “500k$ max salary”.
Yeah, right!
PAY CZAR: “Sell parts of the company to evade the cap”.
Sure, these guys have ways to avoid and evade.
(He sounds like a real egg head.)
(PAY CZAR = Kenneth Feinberg)
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MONEY: The debt will ensure that any freeze is a joke
Thursday, February 4, 2010http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=123352
Obama: The era of big government is … eternal
Posted: January 28, 2010
Larry Elder is a syndicated radio talk-show host
*** begin quote ***
What about the national debt – what we owe? According to the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation: “The public national debt – $5.8 trillion as of 2008 – is projected to double by 2012 and nearly triple by 2019. Thus, America would accumulate more government debt under President Obama than under every president in American history from George Washington to George W. Bush combined.”
The Big Entitlements – Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – remain the incredible spending faucets set on automatic growth. Neither Obama and his party nor most “fiscally conservative” Republicans offer anything resembling a way out. Meanwhile, the band plays on.
*** end quote ***
The Socialists aka Secular Progressives, will bankrupt us sooner or later.
How does the country survive?
Tax revolt by the payers.
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RANT: A gooferment helthcare testimonial!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2510700
N.L. Premier Williams set to have heart surgery in U.S.
Kenyon Wallace, National Post Published: Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The National Post is now on Facebook. Join our fan community today.
*** begin quote ***
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams will undergo heart surgery later this week in the United States.
Deputy premier Kathy Dunderdale confirmed the treatment at a news conference Tuesday, but would not reveal the location of the operation or how it would be paid for.
“He has gone to a renowned expert in the procedure that he needs to have done,” said Ms. Dunderdale, who will become acting premier while Mr. Williams is away for three to 12 weeks.
“In consultation with his own doctors, he’s decided to go that route.”
Mr. Williams’ decision to leave Canada for the surgery has raised eyebrows over his apparent shunning of Canada’s health-care system.
*** end quote ***
Guess that sums up the value of Canadian healthcare. And, who wants to be that the Canadian taxpayer will pay for this politician to come here?
Argh!
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INTERESTING: Newgrange on the Winter Solstice
Wednesday, February 3, 2010http://www.irishcentral.com/travel/IrishCentrals-top-10-sites-in-Ireland-41098302.html
Top 10 places to see in Ireland
By CONN CORRIGAN AND MEGHAN SWEENEY, IrishCentral.com Staff Writers
Published Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 2:15 PM
Updated Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 4:11 PM
*** begin quote ***
1. Boyne Valley
Brú na Bóinne (the Boyne Palace) in County Meath contains some of the most important historic sites and monuments in Ireland, and is a designated World Heritage Site.
It features the massive megalithic ancient passage tombs – which are graves dating back to ancient times – of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. These tombs are older than both Stonehenge in England and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Newgrange, which was built about 5,000 years ago, is Ireland’s most famous prehistoric site.
It’s especially famous for a spectacular event on Dec. 21, also known as the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The tomb was built in such a way so that on this day, it is illuminated by a narrow beam of sunlight which shines through a specially designed roof box. Those who have seen this say its an unforgettable experience.
*** end quote ***
As an injineer, that has been to Stonehenge, (How the hell did they move those ****** ******* rocks?!!?). O may have to add this to my “bucket list”!
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MONEY: Tax the banks; tax the people
Wednesday, February 3, 2010False Hope in Financial Free Lunch
By The Mogambo Guru
*** begin quote ***
“President Barack Obama said Thursday he wants to tax banks to recoup the public bailout of foundering firms at the height of the financial crisis.”! Hahaha!
I am sure that you, being the astute Junior Mogambo Ranger (JMR) that you are, are laughing merrily with along with me – Hahahahahaha! – because this is so, so, so Theater-of-the-Absurd funny on so many, many, many levels, once you get beyond the horrifying, un-funny realization that it is abysmally, shockingly, alarmingly stupid on just the one level: it is a known fact that a tax on a business is just another expense to the business, like labor and raw materials, that is added to the prices that they must charge their customers in order to make a profit, which makes prices go up as the businesses raise prices to maintain their profit margins by recouping the tax they had to pay by, in case you haven’t been paying attention, raising prices, which is inflation, which is the one thing a country does NOT want, making a tax on business the most stupid thing you can do.
*** end quote ***
I’m not laughing at the fool in the WH or all the other fools on the Hill. They are sooo dumb!
And, we’re just as dumb to not standing up to ALL of them.
(1) ANY tax on ANY company is dumb. EITHER: (A) the company takes this new cost and passes it along to the customers. (Might even mark it up a little, a la any regulated utility that has a license to steal!) OR (B) if the cost can’t be passed along due to (international?) competition, it goes out of business and closes down and let’s go all its employees. How dumb can one person, even the President, be?
(2) Banks are a special type of company. It deals in money. If you are supposedly trying to get the banks to loan money to Main Street to get the economy moving, taking money from them makes ZERO sense! Perhaps, the President may want to speak to to little Timmy tax cheat Geithner, who defends AIG rescue as essential (to Goldman Sachs) and Helicopter Ben, about the banks borrowing from Treasury at zero and buying Treasury Bills at 3%. Seems like that is worse than the bail out!
The “Corporate tax” should be ZERO. Only real people pay taxes!
Argh!
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SOFTWARE: IE6 days are numbered
Tuesday, February 2, 2010Dear Google Apps admin,
In order to continue to improve our products and deliver more sophisticated features and performance, we are harnessing some of the latest improvements in web browser technology. This includes faster JavaScript processing and new standards like HTML5. As a result, over the course of 2010, we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.
We plan to begin phasing out support of these older browsers on the Google Docs suite and the Google Sites editor on March 1, 2010. After that point, certain functionality within these applications may have higher latency and may not work correctly in these older browsers. Later in 2010, we will start to phase out support for these browsers for Google Mail and Google Calendar.
Google Apps will continue to support Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Firefox 3.0 and above, Google Chrome 4.0 and above, and Safari 3.0 and above.
Starting this week, users on these older browsers will see a message in Google Docs and the Google Sites editor explaining this change and asking them to upgrade their browser. We will also alert you again closer to March 1 to remind you of this change.
In 2009, the Google Apps team delivered more than 100 improvements to enhance your product experience. We are aiming to beat that in 2010 and continue to deliver the best and most innovative collaboration products for businesses.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
The Google Apps team
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INSPIRATIONAL: A lot of opinions with no tuckus in the problem
Tuesday, February 2, 2010http://peadarroe.wordpress.com/2010/01/31/focus-on-this/#comment-285
Focus On This!
January 31, 2010 · 3 Comments
*** begin quote ***
Sometimes, you know, my mind takes me to another place. That ever happen to you? Take this, for instance…
*** and ***
I’m talking about the one where this fellow Tebow says he’s happy his Mom let him get born.
Thirty seconds the ad is supposed to take. Thirty seconds squeezed in between all the beer ads with pretty girls and the car ads with pretty girls and the insurance ads and all the other ads with pretty girls, and the half time lollapalooza with pretty girls and ancient guitar players singing about how great it is to be us. Thirty seconds that cost the group that made the ad, Focus on the Family, about two and a half million bucks.
Now, Focus on the Family is one of those groups that says kids should be allowed to be born. I happen to think this is a good idea. They say some other stuff, too, that I happen to agree is a good idea. They say and do some stuff that I don’t happen to agree is so good an idea at all. But, that’s not what I’m on about, here.
*** end quote ***
Well said, good sir, well said. But then, I’m just an injineer who had a low index. Seems obvious that: (1) potential human beings are getting killed; (2) a lot of people, without their tuckus on the line, have a lot of opinions about how others should live; and (3) getting the gooferment involved in a tough moral, ethical, and economic problem is like bringing that proverbial bull to help select china. Nice writing to bring light, not heat, to a tough subject. Glad I’m a man and will never have to make such a tough decision. I pray for all those that do. They’re better folks than I. Who knows what I’d do? Math is easier.
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TECHNOLOGY: Egg Watchers ROFL!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010*** begin quote ***
We’ve designed EggWatchers with hopes to banish forgetting, boredom, and bad cooking. We’ve done our best to make sure it’s awesome and works and stuff, but the fact is – we’re not responsible for any bad egg related incidents.
*** end quote ***
Argh, tech for tech’s sake?
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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: It’s not YOUR house; it’s theirs!
Monday, February 1, 2010Avondale condemns home: Solar, batteries insufficient
Avondale woman says city treated her unfairly
by Eddi Trevizo – Jan. 27, 2010 10:52 AM
The Arizona Republic
*** begin quote ***
An Avondale woman who spent 11 days sleeping in her car said the city treated her unfairly when her home was condemned in December for lack of electricity.
But city officials said Christine Stevens violated building codes, a health and safety concern because Avondale homes are required to have heating systems and a running refrigerator.
*** end quote ***
Where does the gang masquerading as “city officials” get off telling people how to live?
Argh!
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TECHNOLOGY: An example of a pure security system
Monday, February 1, 2010http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.1f88d16f510d886b38f9ad334219fe45.131&show_article=1
US State Department clerk sentenced for passport peeking
Jan 22 09:22 AM US/Eastern
*** begin quote ***
A US State Department file clerk on Thursday was sentenced to 12 months’ probation for illegally accessing dozens of confidential passport applications of movie actors, professional athletes and other celebrities. The employee, Susan Holloman, 58, was also ordered by the judge in the case to perform 75 hours of community service. Holloman, a file assistant at the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, admitted that between February 2007 and December 2007 she repeatedly logged on to the department’s secure computer database and viewed passport applications belonging to some 70 celebrities and their families.
She acknowledged to prosecutors that she had no reason to access the passport applications, other than “idle curiosity,” a State Department press release said.
*** end quote ***
The more interesting question with respect to technology is why was “idle curiosity” possible?
The security systems are obviously REACTIVE rather than PROACTIVE. There should be a way of specifying the “business requirements” such that there isn’t an open playground of personal data.
But, this is the gooferment, and it can’t do ANYTHING right!
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POLITICAL: Energy independence; absent leadership
Monday, February 1, 2010http://www.keywestlou.com/2010/02/sunday-is-supposedly-day-of-rest.html
My Life in Key West
Monday, February 1, 2010
*** begin quote ***
The article contained an observation that sticks with me. The United States has depended on the Middle East for years for its power supply, to wit: oil. That if the United States did not get into the manufacture of renewable energy quickly and in big time, our energy dependency in the future would move to the Far East. China!
And we would have replaced one less than friendly peoples for another in satisfying our energy needs.
All very interesting. Thought provoking. Part of Obama’s State of the Union speech.
Talk is one thing. Action another. Obama has to move us in the direction of manufacture and use of renewable energy dramatically. Now, not tomorrow. And everyone, Democrat and Republican alike, should support him in this endeavor. This is not a No issue.
*** end quote ***
(1) Unfortunately for us, OBH44 is an inexperienced “talker”; not a “do-er”. We need a “leader”; not a “community organizer”. Every politician lectures us about “energy independence”. Little gets done. If we still funded the Federal Government on tariffs and duties like the Dead Old White Guys wanted us to do, then the gooferment would be a lot smaller and less intrusive. AND, we’d have energy independence. because solutions here would be cheaper than imported oil from there. Maybe we might have a car industry too, instead of having sent allt he jobs overseas. Too late, we get smart. It might be way too late.
(2) With all the secession talk, maybe Mike and Tina can do some stuff for real. When the S hits the fan, maybe we can replace the FED’s “dollar” with a Constitutional gold and silver money. The we’d be once again the envy of the world with “honest money”. Maybe then we could get working on the national debt so that we don’t condemn the children to Haiti-like poverty. Inter-generational theft will be how we are remembered as the progeny try to pay off the Chinese.
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RANT: Media Bias – Cost the FDIC?
Sunday, January 31, 2010http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Regulators-shut-banks-in-apf-1868747589.html?x=0&.v=2
Regulators shut down banks in 5 states
Regulators shutter banks in Calif., Fla., Ga., Minn., Wash., totaling 15 bank failures in 2010
By Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer , On Friday January 29, 2010, 10:48 pm EST
*** begin quote ***
WASHINGTON (AP) — Regulators shut down a big bank in California on Friday, along with two banks in Georgia and one each in Florida, Minnesota and Washington. That brought to 15 the number of bank failures so far in 2010 atop the 140 shuttered last year in the punishing economic climate.
The failure of Los Angeles-based First Regional Bank, with nearly $2.2 billion in assets and $1.9 billion in deposits, is expected to cost the federal deposit insurance fund $825.5 million.
*** end quote ***
And, where, pray tell, does the FDIC get “its” money?
Yes, the taxpayer.
Either directly or indirectly.
Neither the gooferment, nor any corporation, have ANY money that doesn’t originate from a real person.
Some of the FDIC money is extracted from the banks that it “insures”, but that is extracted by the surviving banks from its customers which are, presumably, taxpayers.
Now, with the supposed “insurance” fund broke, it gets “its” money from the Treasury which means we borrow it from China!
Argh!
Hopefully, the AP writer will learn that 825.5 comes from the poor taxpayer.
And, we wonder why we are in a depression?
Economic illiteracy!
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NOTRECOMMENDED: O’Reilly and Beck Bold and Fresh; not live!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
OK, maybe I’m a sucker. I went to the movies last night. Yes, it was a (poor quality) movie. Not the live remote performance that I was expecting. I felt suckered. The previous night, I went to the Senior Showcase, EB Vo Tech, where aspiring high school seniors displayed their talent. One of their presentations was a better quality than the “professional” one I watched last night.
Now, I understand that weather in Norfolk prevented the live performance. But I felt cheated. It was supposed to be “live”!
The film was obviously edited. I paid for the full performance and I think some of the good stuff was left on the cutting room floor. And, if it was edited, why is there a twenty minute “intermission”. Sorry, that could have been cut. Maybe it was for the old folks to tap a kidney. But, I suspect it was to allow the theater to push some over-priced “refreshments”.
On to the content, I was again disappointed:
* Beck spent to much time mocking Nancy Pelosi’s physical characteristics. At first it was funny, but after a while it got boring.
* O’Reilly was “abbreviated”. He got in some great points about was NOT in Obama’s SOTU, but it seemed like, in his head, the TV timing bell went off and he’d truncate his thought.
The audience was obnoxious. It addition to being mostly old and lilly white. The guy next to us was a fidgeter; guy behind us dropped a big tub of popcorn; and the old lady behind us kept commenting to her party about what the guys were saying. Argh! A chorus of cellphone conversations would have been less distracting.
(18 seats per row, 50 rows, pretty much sold out, 900, time 25$, 225 * 100, 22500$ per theater, times 200 theaters, !!!4,500,0 00!!!, over a million a piece for two hours of work? Hmmm!)
As far as the content was concerned, I had the following observations:
* Beck is NOT a libertarian. No self-respecting libertarian would have a demonstration planned for 8/8/10 in from of the LINCOLN memorial.
* O’Reilly is an interesting amalgam of professed small government but pro-war guy. Interesting, but dangerous. He did correctly identify that OBH44 ignored the Iran threat in the SOTU and has potentially by ignoring them made the world a more dangerous place. If israel has to take Iran on, we are in a world of hurt.
* O’Reilly pointed out that in the SOTU address OBH44 avoided the whole “War” topic. (And, neither mentioned OBH44’s failure to praise the troops. I can’t imagine any President missing that point.)
* Beck makes a good case that the Progressives are the problem.
* O’Reilly was funny in his description of how the folks will wake up and right the ship. Hope he’s right. I’m not so sure.
* Beck portrayed OBH44 as evil; O’Reilly characterized him as an inexperienced unprepared Chicago corrupt politician. (O’Reilly was especially on point with his: comparison of Chicago’s South Side with Haiti; Reverend Wright’s 2M$ mansion in a all-white suburb, AND the KSM terror trial in NYC. He reminded me of Judge Judy when she says “If it doesn’t make sense, it’s not true”, when O’Reilly says that the “folks” can feel when the politician isn’t telling the truth. (Like when their lips move!)
Sorry, but I can’t recommend this.
I shoulda went to see Avatar; it’d been cheaper.
Yeah I know, violating my own dictum, “Shouldas, wouldas, and couldas” will kill you.
It was: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Desi and Lucy, and probably more physically accurate Abbot and Costello or Laurel and Hardy.
But not as timeless, or not as funny.
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http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/01/the_beckoreilly_bold_fresh_tou.html
“15 minute intermission” live in Tampa
Why was ours 20 minutes?
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INTERESTING: Celtic Woman. a strange allure?
Sunday, January 31, 2010Celtic Woman: The women behind the Irish musical phenomenon
By Aliah O’Neill, Irish America Magazine
Published Thursday, January 21, 2010, 11:14 PM
Updated Friday, January 22, 2010, 7:29 AM
*** begin quote ***
The answer as to why American audiences have responded so enthusiastically to Celtic Woman has not always been clear. When I asked Lynn Hilary, who joined the group in 2007, why she thought American audiences continue to be so responsive to Celtic Woman, she admitted that at first, she wasn’t sure. “I didn’t really understand it for a long time, that they would react in such a way,” she said. “They’d be crying and on their feet every night applauding us. But American people really identify with Ireland, and a lot of Americans have Irish in their ancestry, so Celtic Woman allows them to re-identify with their roots and gives them a feeling of belonging.”
*** end quote ***
Have to admit, I’ve seen the ads, watch some of the PBS, and there is some sort of strange allure? Just like Riverdance, which having seen live twice, it has that “grab” characteristic. Maybe it’s like Irish hip hop? Or with Celtic Women, it’s full size real women in movement — as opposed to the hollywood “heroin chic” that makes women look like refugees from a Nazi Death Camp? But 40$ for a DVD of 20 songs. Not going to happen.
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RANT: We’re broke
Saturday, January 30, 2010http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aC7VY11v6aMw
*** begin quote ***
Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama, acting on a pledge to support nuclear power, will propose tripling loan guarantees for new reactors to more than $54 billion, two people familiar with the plan said.
*** end quote ***
As much as I like nukes, we can’t afford it. And, it’s more socialism!
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