INTERESTING: Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams autobiographies are published

Monday, February 7, 2011

http://www.garynorth.com/public/7563.cfm

Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams: Still Out of Step After All These Years
Gary North
Jan. 28, 2011

*** begin quote ***

Walter Williams has written an autobiography, Up from the Projects (Hoover Institution, 2010). Not counting the index, it is 142 pages long. It makes for a nice afternoon’s read. I read it this week. A week ago, I re-read Thomas Sowell’s autobiography, A Personal Odyssey (Free Press, 2000). Williams is 74. Sowell is 80. The two of them have similar stories. Sowell was born in North Carolina and grew up in Harlem. Williams grew up in Philadelphia. Sowell served in the Marines. Williams served in the Army. Both of them provided plenty of aggravation for their superiors. They both knew how to work the system. Sowell got more out of the experience. He became a first-rate photographer.

*** end quote ***

Might actually have to break down and buy these books. KINDLE4iPAD actually.

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INTERESTING: Remove “offensive” terms from the works of Mark Twain? No!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

http://ncc-1776.org/tle2011/tle604-20110123-02.html

A State of Education—Some Views of a Nontraditional Student
by Cathy L.Z. Smith
cathylz@netzero.com
Attribute to The Libertarian Enterprise

*** begin quote ***

The origins of creative works are as important as the works themselves, providing context and accountability. The desire, for instance, to remove certain “offensive” terms from the works of Mark Twain condemns us to travel those same paths again, ignorant of the wisdom that has preceded us in our social evolution. Likewise the recent Canadian decision to censor the works of Mark Knopfler, on the ever more shrilly-cited grounds of “hate speech”, cramp and shrink our culture. It is impossible to change opposing attitudes once it’s made impossible to explore and discuss them.

*** end quote ***

Some one said “those, who don’t remember history, are doomed to repeat it.”

The meme to rewrite history is contra-suvival. And thus in my morality is wrong. It’s also inefficient and ineffective. But that’s a different objection.

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Carlina White, followed her instincts to reunite

Friday, January 21, 2011

http://abcnews.go.com/US/kidnapped-carlina-white-solves-cold-case-reunites-parents/story?id=12712313

Cold Case Solved: Carlina White Reunites With Parents
White Was Kidnapped as a Baby 23 Years Ago From a New York City Hospital

*** begin quote ***

Carlina White, separated from her family when she was kidnapped as a baby 23 years ago, followed her instincts to reunite with her biological parents, Joy White and Carl Tyson. “Carlina was a missing link and we have gotten her back in the name of Jesus, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,” Pat Conway, White’s godmother, said. On Aug. 4, 1987, worried parents Joy White and Carl Tyson took their feverish baby daughter to Harlem Hospital’s emergency room. The visit turned into horror when…

*** end quote ***

DNA?

As much as I like happy endings, there is a LOT more to the story.

Gooferment screw ups: <1> Hospital; <2> School; … must be others.

It would seem that there are a lot of charges to be investigated and filed in this case.

Technology had a role in finding with the computer aged photos.

Perhaps, this will have a happy ending?

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Economics that a child can understand

Sunday, January 16, 2011

http://www.economnomnomics.com/index.html

*** begin quote ***

Nom nom nom” is said to have originated with the Cookie Monster. *nom nom nom* It has become a preferred way to express voracious eating. Today the meme has spread to everyday conversation.

  Jen – “How’s that sandwhich?”   

  Mark – “Nom nom nom!”

  Jen – “I need to get some more noms.”

It is almost certain that the word economics was coined without *nom nom nom* in mind. But if it was not intentional, it was prophetic to put NOM right in the tummy of “economics,” as the concept of noming is so central to economics.

*** end quote ***

Even politicians and bureaucrats?

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INTERESTING: Glen Beck radio dropped from WOR

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Heard, or read, that WOR was dropping the Glen Beck radio show as of 1/17.

The reason sited was “low ratings”. Is this a statement more about New York City, than the value of the Glen Beck show.

(I’m not a Beck fan boy. He’s a “conservative”; I’m a little L libertarian. So we disagree on aggression and “law”. But we do agree on fiscal issues. I listen from time to time and find him “interesting”.)

Frau Reinke said maybe they couldn’t get sponsors. That’s probably also true. To sponsor Beck, or in any way to be associated with him, is, in NYC, the kiss of death.

Sigh!

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INTERESTING: Don’t be a “blocwart”!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

http://munchkinwrangler.wordpress.com/2010/12/29/the-snow-gestapo/

the snow gestapo.
By Marko Kloos

*** begin quote ***

In Germany, they have a derogatory name for people with such a mentality: Blockwart. The blockwart was the Nazi party member politically responsible for the city block, and usually also the local Gestapo denouncer, ratting out the people in his neighborhood if they were overheard talking critically about the regime. A Blockwart is the type of unpleasant fellow who will call the cops on neighbors whose hedges are untrimmed, or who park their car half an inch too far away from the curb.

*** end quote ***

I just like having a word for such folks. Now you do too.

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INTERESTING: Never too old?

Friday, December 31, 2010

http://www.careerhubblog.com/main/2010/12/youre-never-too-old.html

You’re Never Too Old

*** begin quote ***

Over the weekend, I read the inspirational story of a 100 year old man in India who recently started a PhD. Bholaram Das marked his 100 year birthday a few weeks ago by announcing his plans to go to university and begin his PhD.

*** and ***

1. What’s *that thing* you’ve wanted to do “one day?” The thing you convinced yourself you’re ‘too old’ to consider?

2. What could you do at the beginning of 2011 to get it off the ground in some small way? To test drive it in a really low risk fashion?

*** and ***

Age really is just a number; you’re never too old to do anything you truly put your mind to. What are you putting your mind to this coming year?

By Sital Ruparelia

*** end quote ***

So what’s YOUR one thing?

Remember the movie “The Bucket List”?

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INTERESTING: The President missed an opportunity

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/12/obama-reads-to-kids-including-his-own-book/1

Dec 17, 2010
Obama reads to kids, including his own book

*** begin quote ***

Another asked for an autograph.

POTUS: “If I sign autographs, then I’d have to sign for everybody.”

“Yay,” the students responded.

POTUS said he signed his book for the whole school and it’s in the library.

Another student asked how he wrote the book, since he’s so busy.

*** end quote ***

Ahh, using children as props!

I think I’d have “found” time to sign an autograph personally for every child in that room. It’d have made them feel “special”. Who knows maybe saved a suicide, prevented an alcoholic, or even just inspired that one kid!

A missed opportunity.

And, you have to love how the kid went for the jugular. Writing is hard time-consuming work. Think maybe it was ghost written? Like all the “Presidential” books?

Argh!

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INTERESTING: Forecasting intelligent cars and roads in the future

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

http://www.techmynd.com/the-future-cars-and-roads/#ixzz18TcSTw1G

The Future Cars and Roads
by Hiroshi on 18-12-2010

*** begin quote ***

According to Dr. Michio Kaku, next 10 years will bring us intelligent cars and roads. Future car fuels will be hydrogen, electricity, rechargeable batteries or solar energy. The future cars will help stop accidents and suggest alternative routs if road is blocked ahead. There will be almost no traffic jams, no road accidents. Scientists will install chips in the roads which will communicate with your car to tell if there is any problem ahead. Road will sense your car speed as well.

This predicts that instead of police officers, roads would be able to calculate your car speed and issue you a speeding ticket through your car’s computer. Cars will consume less fuel and will be light in weight. GPS systems would guide your car computer in the direction you would like to go. Even these cars can drive you automatically to point a to b without any driver.

*** end quote ***

Interesting, but not the way things are organized now.

The Gooferment controls the roads; that’s why they are a disaster. Look at Disney World for how private roads are and could be.

And, notice that the predictor falls into the current meme of “Gooferment roads”? The “road” gives out traffic tickets. ROFL! Like the “road” can go into a court and testify. And, we all KNOW machines never make a mistake. Like that Brit speed camera that would randomly report motorists breaking the speed of sound on a back road quarter mile stretch that was in bad shape. Never make mistakes.

And, we’d miss the pleasure of sitting at a long red light late at night with no traffic anywhere in sight (even in the most densely populated state)! You think the Gooferment, politicians, and bureaucrats will make this better?

And, of course, we all want cars that “automatically” drive us. Argh!

Sorry, I think the technology could do it, but not the people.

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INTERESTING: “contagious yawning”?

Thursday, December 9, 2010

http://www.impactlab.net/2010/12/05/babies-are-immune-to-catching-yawns/

December 5th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Babies Are Immune to Catching Yawns

*** begin quote ***

There is now growing evidence, however, that yawning may be a social cue that communicates a message. Anthropologists have suggested it might have evolved as a way of signifying that it is time to go to bed. There are even suggestions that it might have developed a sign of sexual attraction rather than the desire to sleep. Dr Anderson said: “I don’t think there is one primary function, but as adults we have a natural tendency to inhibit yawning because it is seen as being impolite. The contagious yawning might just that our brains see someone else doing it and so it becomes acceptable.”

*** end quote ***

Who ever even heard of “contagious yawning”?

And, attaching it to “sexual attraction”?

Was that what all those girls were “signaling” when they yawned while I was pitching them? If I had only known …

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