Why is an excess of government a bad idea? Because it fosters failure and stifles progress.
That would be the lesson learned by the leader of the Tea Party while he visited Poland.
Read the whole thing.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Why Hiding The Truth Hurts
James Taranto makes the the point in a recent "Best of the Web" column that the media does us a grave disservice when they hide facts from the public that do not fit the media's narrative.
The case in point is the story of the US Marine Corps reservist that was found near Arlington Cemetery with a backpack carrying explosive components. It doesn't appear that he had a finished device, but he did have a laptop that contained words that were at the least suggestive of his mal-intent.
This particular Marine was born in Ethiopia and apparently is muslim.
The problem with the reporting is that only one media outlet deemed this Marine's faith to be worthy of reporting. All of the other media sources either didn't know, or didn't think it was relevant.
The media source that revealed his faith? FoxNews.
Those that didn't? Everyone else.
The obvious harm is that by withholding certain types of information, the media encourages speculation regarding other crimes where that information is irrelevant. One example would be the mass shooting in Orlando a while back. People were speculating that the killer was muslim when in fact the killer was a disgruntled former employee. His faith had nothing to do with motivating his crimes.
Everything relevant to a crime must be reported. A black kid beats up a white kid while shouting racist epithets? Then the race and the epithets had better be reported. Reverse the races? The same information needs to be reported.
In failing to do their job, the media harms us all.
The case in point is the story of the US Marine Corps reservist that was found near Arlington Cemetery with a backpack carrying explosive components. It doesn't appear that he had a finished device, but he did have a laptop that contained words that were at the least suggestive of his mal-intent.
This particular Marine was born in Ethiopia and apparently is muslim.
The problem with the reporting is that only one media outlet deemed this Marine's faith to be worthy of reporting. All of the other media sources either didn't know, or didn't think it was relevant.
The media source that revealed his faith? FoxNews.
Those that didn't? Everyone else.
The obvious harm is that by withholding certain types of information, the media encourages speculation regarding other crimes where that information is irrelevant. One example would be the mass shooting in Orlando a while back. People were speculating that the killer was muslim when in fact the killer was a disgruntled former employee. His faith had nothing to do with motivating his crimes.
Everything relevant to a crime must be reported. A black kid beats up a white kid while shouting racist epithets? Then the race and the epithets had better be reported. Reverse the races? The same information needs to be reported.
In failing to do their job, the media harms us all.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
A Case For Gun Control
At least, a gun in the hand of a New York Times editor seems like a dangerous thing given his propensity for aiming his mouth in one direction and shooting himself in the foot as a result.
What Bill Keller doesn't know, apparently, could fill up an entire op-ed piece. Or a newsroom.The NYT editorial that inspired the above is here. I still think it would be good for Mr. Keller to get out of New York and see how the rest of the country lives for a while. Perhaps his inventory of persons of hay is too large to justify such an adventure.
Google Reader - Update
I am in love with Google Reader. I've cut my blog reading time by at least a third because of it.
Right now I am following (12) data sources with the Reader. Four of them are blogs that you see to the right. (Ronnie, Sherwood, Ruth, and Mike) I also follow the rec.arts.comics.strips newsgroup using the reader. I never ever miss a single post. On top of that I follow Al Jazeera's English feed, Instapundit, Drudge, Classical Values, Black Five, Megan McArdle, and Memeorandum.
And I never miss any of their posts. If it sounds interesting, I can "star" it for later reading. If I find something not on one of those lists, I can add it to the Reader's saved items for later review and blog activity.
I've got tons of stuff saved and it only too moments!
Don't y'all feel lucky!??!
Right now I am following (12) data sources with the Reader. Four of them are blogs that you see to the right. (Ronnie, Sherwood, Ruth, and Mike) I also follow the rec.arts.comics.strips newsgroup using the reader. I never ever miss a single post. On top of that I follow Al Jazeera's English feed, Instapundit, Drudge, Classical Values, Black Five, Megan McArdle, and Memeorandum.
And I never miss any of their posts. If it sounds interesting, I can "star" it for later reading. If I find something not on one of those lists, I can add it to the Reader's saved items for later review and blog activity.
I've got tons of stuff saved and it only too moments!
Don't y'all feel lucky!??!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Down The Grammatic Sewer - I Say Sorry
A pet peeve of mine was recently irritated by a series of stories regarding the fake "lesbian" blogger from Syria.
Misogyny? Nope. I'm not in favor of it, but that ain't it.
The spectre of anti-homosexuality? Again...nope. I'm not in favor of gay bashing...quite the opposite actually....but that ain't it either.
My peeve? "Say sorry".
News stories about the fake "lesbian blogger" use some variant of "Blogger says sorry" either as a title or within the body of the story.
Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Friends, Romans, Countrypersons! Hear me! The English language has developed a single word that covers this action. One need not ever use the phrase "say sorry" again.
That word is "apologize".
"I apologize."
"He apologized."
"She offered an apology."
"You should apologize."
not....
"You should 'say sorry'."
Misogyny? Nope. I'm not in favor of it, but that ain't it.
The spectre of anti-homosexuality? Again...nope. I'm not in favor of gay bashing...quite the opposite actually....but that ain't it either.
My peeve? "Say sorry".
News stories about the fake "lesbian blogger" use some variant of "Blogger says sorry" either as a title or within the body of the story.
Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Friends, Romans, Countrypersons! Hear me! The English language has developed a single word that covers this action. One need not ever use the phrase "say sorry" again.
That word is "apologize".
"I apologize."
"He apologized."
"She offered an apology."
"You should apologize."
not....
"You should 'say sorry'."
Sunday, June 12, 2011
What Media Bias?
LA Times Won’t Release Obama-Khalidi Tape But Posts 24,000 Sarah Palin Emails | The Gateway Pundit
Update: From Glenn Reynolds: "Will we ever get to see that tape, and if so, how best to shake it loose?” Er, convince ‘em it would be bad for Sarah Palin?"
Update: From Glenn Reynolds: "Will we ever get to see that tape, and if so, how best to shake it loose?” Er, convince ‘em it would be bad for Sarah Palin?"
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Chris Matthews' Arrogant Display
Matthews: Weiner in Trouble Because His Behavior Offends 'Culturally Backward' Christian Conservatives | NewsBusters.org: "They never get the Speakership back because the people in the rural areas of this country who are Christian conservative culturally - you can say backward if you want - but they don't like this kind of stuff at all. They're not part of that 56 percent in Brooklyn and Queens who say, 'okay, we can live with this guy.'" - Chris Matthews
But 56% of Brooklyn and Queens doesn't even come close to being a significant minority of the entire country. Life exists well beyond the five boroughs.
Maybe Chris ought to try getting out of the city for a while.
But 56% of Brooklyn and Queens doesn't even come close to being a significant minority of the entire country. Life exists well beyond the five boroughs.
Maybe Chris ought to try getting out of the city for a while.
Friday, June 10, 2011
It Backfired
I was reading an article a couple days ago by a guy that decided to de-Google his life. He is a tech writer, so he's a pretty tech savvy guy. Part of his reasoning in making the change is that he didn't want one company to have so much data about him. Another part of his reasoning was to test his ability to recover his data from Google without a lot of hassles.
The process worked mostly well for him. The important stuff [Gmail, Google Docs, etc.] were exported almost effortlessly. Some of Google's more obscure services required more hoop jumpery.
In reading the article, I was inspired....
....to try yet another Google service/feature. This time I engaged the Google Reader service. Reader is a service that allows you to follow RSS feeds from a variety of sources. It is incredibly handy for blogs that don't get a lot of updates [ahem MIKE!!!!!!!! SHERWOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!] as I no longer have to visit those sites to see when they have posted something new. It will just show up as an unread post in the Reader.
It is also handy for higher volume sites such as Instapundit and The Drudge Report. I can flip through the new entries in a few seconds, mark any that might be interesting for later reading, and move on with my day.
The ability to mark articles is handy for blogging as well. Previously, I had emailed from one Hotmail account to another Hotmail account whenever I found an article worth blogging about. The list is long. My email account is filled to the brim with fascinating stuff. Most of which you never see.
Be thankful.
Now I can simply make a list in one place throughout the day and use...or more likely ignore...that information later on.
I am still new to the Reader, so I'm not sure if there is a way to link directly from Reader into Blogger or not. If so, then perhaps y'all are doomed.
Reader also lets you follow RSS feeds from Usenet groups in the same way that you follow blogs and other sites with an RSS feed. It is a handy tool for keeping up with all the RACSals. You know who you are.
In any case, my brief experience with Google's Reader service has been quite enjoyable. If you don't mind surrendering another piece of your digital life to the leviathan that is Google, then I heartily recommend Reader as a tool worth your time.
The process worked mostly well for him. The important stuff [Gmail, Google Docs, etc.] were exported almost effortlessly. Some of Google's more obscure services required more hoop jumpery.
In reading the article, I was inspired....
....to try yet another Google service/feature. This time I engaged the Google Reader service. Reader is a service that allows you to follow RSS feeds from a variety of sources. It is incredibly handy for blogs that don't get a lot of updates [ahem MIKE!!!!!!!! SHERWOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!] as I no longer have to visit those sites to see when they have posted something new. It will just show up as an unread post in the Reader.
It is also handy for higher volume sites such as Instapundit and The Drudge Report. I can flip through the new entries in a few seconds, mark any that might be interesting for later reading, and move on with my day.
The ability to mark articles is handy for blogging as well. Previously, I had emailed from one Hotmail account to another Hotmail account whenever I found an article worth blogging about. The list is long. My email account is filled to the brim with fascinating stuff. Most of which you never see.
Be thankful.
Now I can simply make a list in one place throughout the day and use...or more likely ignore...that information later on.
I am still new to the Reader, so I'm not sure if there is a way to link directly from Reader into Blogger or not. If so, then perhaps y'all are doomed.
Reader also lets you follow RSS feeds from Usenet groups in the same way that you follow blogs and other sites with an RSS feed. It is a handy tool for keeping up with all the RACSals. You know who you are.
In any case, my brief experience with Google's Reader service has been quite enjoyable. If you don't mind surrendering another piece of your digital life to the leviathan that is Google, then I heartily recommend Reader as a tool worth your time.
Jaw Droppingly Stupid.
I infrequently engage in partisan phrases like "Smart Diplomacy!" and "The country is in the very best of hands!". That sort of thing feels good, but it isn't really the sort of substantive criticism that I prefer to offer.
The last time I checked, most people prefer ice cream and cake to brussel sprouts and liver pate.
In this case, both bits are partisan fluff seem most appropriate. The Obama administration has supported a call by the OAS for Britain to engage in discussions with Argentina regarding the sovereignty dispute over the Falklands.
Again!
For the people of the Falklands, there is no dispute. They are British. For the UK, there is no dispute. The Falklands are British and have been British for roughly 178 years. The Falklands have been British for longer than Argentina has had its current constitution.
In adopting this position, Mr. Obama's administration is siding with anti-American dictators like Hugo Chavez along with other anti-American leaders such as Daniel Ortega. Obviously, his administration is also siding against our long and close ally, Great Britain. Somehow this is the sort of 'smart diplomacy' that we were promised during the campaign?
From the comments comes the non-sequitur that sums this fiasco up most appropriately:
The mind, it boggles.
The last time I checked, most people prefer ice cream and cake to brussel sprouts and liver pate.
In this case, both bits are partisan fluff seem most appropriate. The Obama administration has supported a call by the OAS for Britain to engage in discussions with Argentina regarding the sovereignty dispute over the Falklands.
Again!
For the people of the Falklands, there is no dispute. They are British. For the UK, there is no dispute. The Falklands are British and have been British for roughly 178 years. The Falklands have been British for longer than Argentina has had its current constitution.
In adopting this position, Mr. Obama's administration is siding with anti-American dictators like Hugo Chavez along with other anti-American leaders such as Daniel Ortega. Obviously, his administration is also siding against our long and close ally, Great Britain. Somehow this is the sort of 'smart diplomacy' that we were promised during the campaign?
From the comments comes the non-sequitur that sums this fiasco up most appropriately:
The next president is going to have to engage in a serious apology tour.
The mind, it boggles.
Monday, June 6, 2011
And Then Some...
Facts don't matter.....
Like a number of famous faux gaffes in American politics, the facts of the situation no longer really matter.
The initial impression was eagerly grabbed by so many, starting with the reporter and millions of others gleefully sharing the story that reinforced their beliefs and/or desires.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
It Is The Little Things That Count
I maintain that the American media is biased towards the political left. Given a choice, they will always choose to be less aggressive towards a politician that is left of center.
The most recent example comes via my close personal friend[1], Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit fame.
It seems that Mr. Obama recently made a visit to Rudy's Hot Dog in Toledo. While there he sampled the local cuisine. And by "sampled" I mean that he stuffed two chili dogs down his pie hole.
That is what chili dogs were made for, so I hope he enjoyed them without any post-meal difficulties. Us older dudes gotta stick together when it comes to chili dogs. That is especially true when it comes to the women in our lives constantly telling us what we should or shouldn't eat.
Which brings us to Mr. Obama's lovely wife Michelle. It seems that she unveiled new dietary guidelines for America within the last few days. I haven't read them all, but thus far I cannot find "two huge chili dogs in one meal" anywhere in them.
Which brings us to the British media. They promptly pointed out the apparent hypocrisy of Presidential consumption of two chili dogs given the recent national dietary hectoring provided by the First Lady. With photos of said consumption.
Which brings us to the American media who said in a tersely worded statement, "Who us?" The New York Times omitted all mention of the deeeelicious dogs. The Washington Post mentioned the dogs, but offered no photographic evidence. Nor did they mention the recently issued dietary guidelines.
A quick search via Google's News feature suggests that only a few obscure media outlets and non-leftist polemicists, such as yerz truly, have mentioned this crucial issue.
A Bing search includes a full blown USA Today story on the event, with photos, without mention of the dietary guidelines.
How might we rekindle the sort of carefree and open reporting practiced overseas? Elect someone named George W. Bush?
[1] Not really. But when one longs for an Instalanche, one does what one must.
The most recent example comes via my close personal friend[1], Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit fame.
It seems that Mr. Obama recently made a visit to Rudy's Hot Dog in Toledo. While there he sampled the local cuisine. And by "sampled" I mean that he stuffed two chili dogs down his pie hole.
That is what chili dogs were made for, so I hope he enjoyed them without any post-meal difficulties. Us older dudes gotta stick together when it comes to chili dogs. That is especially true when it comes to the women in our lives constantly telling us what we should or shouldn't eat.
Which brings us to Mr. Obama's lovely wife Michelle. It seems that she unveiled new dietary guidelines for America within the last few days. I haven't read them all, but thus far I cannot find "two huge chili dogs in one meal" anywhere in them.
Which brings us to the British media. They promptly pointed out the apparent hypocrisy of Presidential consumption of two chili dogs given the recent national dietary hectoring provided by the First Lady. With photos of said consumption.
Which brings us to the American media who said in a tersely worded statement, "Who us?" The New York Times omitted all mention of the deeeelicious dogs. The Washington Post mentioned the dogs, but offered no photographic evidence. Nor did they mention the recently issued dietary guidelines.
A quick search via Google's News feature suggests that only a few obscure media outlets and non-leftist polemicists, such as yerz truly, have mentioned this crucial issue.
A Bing search includes a full blown USA Today story on the event, with photos, without mention of the dietary guidelines.
How might we rekindle the sort of carefree and open reporting practiced overseas? Elect someone named George W. Bush?
[1] Not really. But when one longs for an Instalanche, one does what one must.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Glenn Reynolds For President!
It was recently suggested that UT law professor and blogger Glenn Reynolds be drafted as a candidate for President of the United States. His qualifications? Well the whole use of two "nn's" thing is weirdly attractive to me in a candidate.
But as Stacy McCain pointed out, the fact that he doesn't crave all that power is a second point in his favor. Those that do crave such power?
At least, I can't imagine him doing any worse than the last guy we elected President that had a stint teaching college law classes on his resume.
But as Stacy McCain pointed out, the fact that he doesn't crave all that power is a second point in his favor. Those that do crave such power?
Outside of politics, we recognize that a desire to run other peoples’ lives — to boss them around — is the manifestation of a sadistic personality. Nobody likes a bully in real life and yet, in politics, we see how people acquire power by proclaiming that the rest of us are not competent to run our own lives and therefore need government to tell us what to do for our own good.Sadly, the Blogfather has indicated his unwillingness to serve. What a pity.
At least, I can't imagine him doing any worse than the last guy we elected President that had a stint teaching college law classes on his resume.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Experience - The Greatest Teacher
Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal Constitution talks about being wrong about the Voting Rights Act of 1982.
Unfortunately — like so many measures designed to provide redress for historic wrongs — those racially gerrymandered districts also come with a significant downside: They discourage moderation. Politicians seeking office in majority-black or –brown districts found that they could indulge in crude racial gamesmanship and left-wing histrionics.I think what she is reaching for [are] the positive benefits of assimilation.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
The Dogs Of War
 |
| From Liberty At All Costs |
h/t to Blackfive for the image.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Baiting The Hook With Stars
A few years ago, Sherwood treated us to a spectacular image of the Milky Way.
I would like to return the favor. While this video is supposed to be a time lapse of four telescopes in operation, your eye will be continually drawn to the passing astral scene in the back ground. This is the coolest thing you will see today.
Watching the telescopes is fun as well. I demonstrated a fair amount of ignorance in my now defunct blog over the use of lasers to aid in viewing stars. The time lapse shows one of the telescopes using that technology on several occasions. Also, you will see the doors open and close, panels will be raised and lowered in the open doorways, and other ports/windows/doors will open and close as well.
Quite the interesting display!
I would like to return the favor. While this video is supposed to be a time lapse of four telescopes in operation, your eye will be continually drawn to the passing astral scene in the back ground. This is the coolest thing you will see today.
Watching the telescopes is fun as well. I demonstrated a fair amount of ignorance in my now defunct blog over the use of lasers to aid in viewing stars. The time lapse shows one of the telescopes using that technology on several occasions. Also, you will see the doors open and close, panels will be raised and lowered in the open doorways, and other ports/windows/doors will open and close as well.
Quite the interesting display!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Trouble With Socialists
Yup.
Actually I’d say it’s fairly typical. The more they talk about equality, the more they implement aristocracy.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Political Media Survey
Being done by one of Glenn Reynold's colleagues. It takes about 15 minutes to complete.
If you have the time, I'm sure they would be glad to have your answers.
If you have the time, I'm sure they would be glad to have your answers.
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