Friday, October 29, 2010
THE FINANCIAL CRISIS
Fox News summary of the Fannie Mae decisions in the early 2000's--not helpful for Congressman Frank or Senator Schumer.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
AMERICAN CORRUPTION GROWING
The United States has dropped in the global rankings with regard to government corruption.
Monday, October 25, 2010
BRANDS & POLITICAL ALLEGIANCE
A study of what brands are favored by Democrats and Republicans.
Google is the top brand for Democrats, according to an index incorporating consumer impressions of its quality, its value, their satisfaction with it, its reputation, their willingness to recommend it and their general impression of it. Google doesn't appear in Republicans' top 10.
Google is the top brand for Democrats, according to an index incorporating consumer impressions of its quality, its value, their satisfaction with it, its reputation, their willingness to recommend it and their general impression of it. Google doesn't appear in Republicans' top 10.
Republicans, on the other hand, rank Fox News tops; Fox News, perhaps not surprisingly, doesn't appear on the list of Democrats' favorite 10 brands.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Monday, October 04, 2010
Sunday, October 03, 2010
ISLAM TO RULE THE WORLD
I didn't see this program onABC, but a Muslim cleric predicts that Islam will take over the world. Franklin Graham was also interviewed and was critical of the religion of Islam as "wicked" and "evil."
“We do believe as Muslims the East and the West will be governed by the Sharia,” Choudray. “Indeed we believe that one day the flag of Islam will fly over the White House. Indeed, there's even an oration of the Prophet where he said, ‘The day of judgment will not come until a group of my...’”
“We do believe as Muslims the East and the West will be governed by the Sharia,” Choudray. “Indeed we believe that one day the flag of Islam will fly over the White House. Indeed, there's even an oration of the Prophet where he said, ‘The day of judgment will not come until a group of my...’”
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
PICTURES OF THE RUSSIAN PAST
Old pictures on Russia around 1900 with color added. Little did they know the pain that the 20th century would bring them.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
UN CONTACT FOR ALIENS
The United Nations has appointed a representative to be contacted by aliens who wish to communicate with earthlings. I am not sure if the UN can even communicate with Arabs and Jews.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
COMPUTER ATTACK
Iran's nuclear facilities are facing a computer worm. I wonder who. . .
Mahmoud Alyaee, secretary-general of Iran's industrial computer servers, including its nuclear facilities control systems, confirmed Saturday, Sept. 25, that30,000 computers belonging to classified industrial units had been infected and disabled bythemalicious Stuxnet virus.
The experts say it is beyond the capabilities of private or individual hackers and could have been produced by a high-tech state like America or Israel, or its military cyber specialists.
Mahmoud Alyaee, secretary-general of Iran's industrial computer servers, including its nuclear facilities control systems, confirmed Saturday, Sept. 25, that30,000 computers belonging to classified industrial units had been infected and disabled bythemalicious Stuxnet virus.
The experts say it is beyond the capabilities of private or individual hackers and could have been produced by a high-tech state like America or Israel, or its military cyber specialists.
Monday, September 20, 2010
PARENTING OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Interesting.
I was reminded how we got this generation of students -- many of whom are not prepared to deal with setbacks and whose egos need to be stroked all the time -- when I was at a friend's home for dinner. The parents beamed as their 11-year-old son showed off a ribbon he got for coming in second in a race.
After he went to bed, I found out that in that particular meet, only two kids participated. Better yet, the school makes sure that every child gets at least one ribbon, so that his or her tender self-esteem will not suffer.
Friday, September 17, 2010
RANKING COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD
Newsweek has an interactive tool that gives the comparative data of countries in areas like education, health, the economy, etc.
HISTORY OF THE SOVIET UNION
Anyone remember the old computer game, tetris? The complete history of the Soviet Union!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
AMERICAN CULTURE. . .IN DECLINE AGAIN???
Sunday, September 05, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
DARWIN'S THEORY QUESTIONED
An alternative theory. But a new study by researchers at the University of Bristol in England and published in Biology Letters suggests "living space," not competition between species, is responsible for evolutionary patterns throughout history.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
CAUCAUS EMIRATE
A good article from Stratfor on what is happening in southern Russia. The potential for instability is very high.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
HUNTINGTON'S THESIS REVIVED
Ayaan Hirsi Ali on "How to Win the Clash of Civilizations."
The greatest advantage of Huntington's civilizational model of international relations is that it reflects the world as it is—not as we wish it to be. It allows us to distinguish friends from enemies. And it helps us to identify the internal conflicts within civilizations, particularly the historic rivalries between Arabs, Turks and Persians for leadership of the Islamic world.
But divide and rule cannot be our only policy. We need to recognize the extent to which the advance of radical Islam is the result of an active propaganda campaign. According to a CIA report written in 2003, the Saudis invested at least $2 billion a year over a 30-year period to spread their brand of fundamentalist Islam. The Western response in promoting our own civilization was negligible.
Our civilization is not indestructible: It needs to be actively defended. This was perhaps Huntington's most important insight. The first step towards winning this clash of civilizations is to understand how the other side is waging it—and to rid ourselves of the One World illusion.
The greatest advantage of Huntington's civilizational model of international relations is that it reflects the world as it is—not as we wish it to be. It allows us to distinguish friends from enemies. And it helps us to identify the internal conflicts within civilizations, particularly the historic rivalries between Arabs, Turks and Persians for leadership of the Islamic world.
But divide and rule cannot be our only policy. We need to recognize the extent to which the advance of radical Islam is the result of an active propaganda campaign. According to a CIA report written in 2003, the Saudis invested at least $2 billion a year over a 30-year period to spread their brand of fundamentalist Islam. The Western response in promoting our own civilization was negligible.
Our civilization is not indestructible: It needs to be actively defended. This was perhaps Huntington's most important insight. The first step towards winning this clash of civilizations is to understand how the other side is waging it—and to rid ourselves of the One World illusion.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
MORE PROBLEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Administration bloat: While enrollment at the nation's leading universities grew an average of 15 percent from 1993 to 2007, the number of full-time administrators per 100 students ballooned by 39 percent, said Jay P. Greene, a senior fellow with the conservative Goldwater Institute of Arizona.
"Inflation-adjusted spending on administration per student increased by 61 percent during the same period, while instructional spending per student rose 39 percent," wrote Greene, who also heads the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. They blame government for these trends, but somebody is making the decision to curtail faculty or student services.
From U.S. News & World Report, "Is a College Education Worth the Price?" Numerous studies show that tuition, which has far outpaced the cost of living, has been spent on things other than classroom teaching. Administrative staffs and lavish facilities top the list. After years of building palatial campuses, states faced with budget cuts now find that they are stuck with the fancy athletic center and have to slash faculty, resulting in packed classrooms detrimental to the learning experience. Doesn't seem like classroom teaching is much of a priority.
And in the Christian Science Monitor more indication of misplace focus of the use of money: We hope this will be a wake-up call that colleges are asking for lots of money and a major sacrifice by families, but in too many places they have really abdicated their responsibility to direct students to what they need to learn for success after graduation. It is not about learning for life.
The problem in Maryland. One might think that as enrollments increase, universities would need relatively fewer administrators per student since they could spread those fixed costs over a larger base. Instead, the opposite is occurring. As universities increase their enrollment and receive more money, they expand the ranks of administrators even more rapidly.
"Inflation-adjusted spending on administration per student increased by 61 percent during the same period, while instructional spending per student rose 39 percent," wrote Greene, who also heads the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. They blame government for these trends, but somebody is making the decision to curtail faculty or student services.
From U.S. News & World Report, "Is a College Education Worth the Price?" Numerous studies show that tuition, which has far outpaced the cost of living, has been spent on things other than classroom teaching. Administrative staffs and lavish facilities top the list. After years of building palatial campuses, states faced with budget cuts now find that they are stuck with the fancy athletic center and have to slash faculty, resulting in packed classrooms detrimental to the learning experience. Doesn't seem like classroom teaching is much of a priority.
And in the Christian Science Monitor more indication of misplace focus of the use of money: We hope this will be a wake-up call that colleges are asking for lots of money and a major sacrifice by families, but in too many places they have really abdicated their responsibility to direct students to what they need to learn for success after graduation. It is not about learning for life.
The problem in Maryland. One might think that as enrollments increase, universities would need relatively fewer administrators per student since they could spread those fixed costs over a larger base. Instead, the opposite is occurring. As universities increase their enrollment and receive more money, they expand the ranks of administrators even more rapidly.
Monday, August 16, 2010
THE FAILURE OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
Kathleen Parker's column, "Colleges Come Up Short on What Students Need to Know," makes a good case for a core curriculum.
Also a good article by William Deresiewicz on "The Disadvantages of an Elite Education."
And here is a comment by by Neal McClusky from the Cato Institute: The majority of people who are going to college today are really just getting a piece of paper," he said. "The bottom line is we always insist that everybody has to go to college without in any way discriminating or determining whether actually going to college is giving you the skills that makes you more employable. All that matters, especially to the politicians, is that everybody is getting a piece of paper -- a college degree.
Also a good article by William Deresiewicz on "The Disadvantages of an Elite Education."
And here is a comment by by Neal McClusky from the Cato Institute: The majority of people who are going to college today are really just getting a piece of paper," he said. "The bottom line is we always insist that everybody has to go to college without in any way discriminating or determining whether actually going to college is giving you the skills that makes you more employable. All that matters, especially to the politicians, is that everybody is getting a piece of paper -- a college degree.
LEADERSHIP
A great article on "Solitude and Leadership" by Yale literary critic, William Deresiewicz. He was addressing a graduating class at West Point. I especially liked his comments on bureaucracies, General Petraeus, the need to think, his criticism of multi-tasking, the importance of morality, and the shallowness of Facebook.
Monday, August 09, 2010
GROUND ZERO MOSQUE A PROVOCATION
From a column in the Ottawa Citizen written by two Muslims: New York currently boasts at least 30 mosques so it's not as if there is pressing need to find space for worshippers. The fact we Muslims know the idea behind the Ground Zero mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocation to thumb our noses at the infidel. The proposal has been made in bad faith and in Islamic parlance, such an act is referred to as "Fitna," meaning "mischief-making" that is clearly forbidden in the Koran.
Saturday, August 07, 2010
CHINESE MISSILE
China is developing a missile that can take out US aircraft carriers. If it works, the US (and the navy) will face a major challenge politically and strategically. And billions of dollars spent on aircraft carriers suddenly goes down the drain.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
RUSSIA AND ISRAEL
While the report is about Iran-Russian relations, it has an item about increased cooperation between Russia and Israel as well as Russia and Saudi Arabia.
CHRISTIANS ARRESTED
Christians were arrested in Dearborn, Michigan, for handing out tracts at a Muslim festival. The link also summarizes a trial decision in New Jersey that allowed a Muslim husband to practice non-consensual sex and justified it on cultural ("religious") reasons.
ISLAMIC HATRED OF JEWS
Andrew Bostom analyzes how the Koran and early history of Islam introduced Jew hatred.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS
I thought Republicans were right-wing evangelical fundamentalists, but only 18% of Republicans believe Jesus will definitely return within 40 years while 26% of Democrats believe He will return within 40 years. But Republicans are more willing to waffle and believe that Jesus will probably return.
SHERROD ON OBAMA
In this whole Sherrod affair the most interesting thing to me is her perception of Obama: He is not someone who has experienced what I have experienced through life, being a person of color.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
TRAVEL PROGRAM RIP OFFS
Watch out for deals from these programs like AAA, student advantage, and AARP.
AMERICA'S ARISTOCRACY
The Spectator discusses the rise of a new "ruling" elite in America.
As over-leveraged investment houses began to fail in September 2008, the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties, of major corporations, and opinion leaders stretching from the National Review magazine (and the Wall Street Journal) on the right to the Nation magazine on the left, agreed that spending some $700 billion to buy the investors' "toxic assets" was the only alternative to the U.S. economy's "systemic collapse." In this, President George W. Bush and his would-be Republican successor John McCain agreed with the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama. Many, if not most, people around them also agreed upon the eventual commitment of some 10 trillion nonexistent dollars in ways unprecedented in America. They explained neither the difference between the assets' nominal and real values, nor precisely why letting the market find the latter would collapse America. The public objected immediately, by margins of three or four to one.
When this majority discovered that virtually no one in a position of power in either party or with a national voice would take their objections seriously, that decisions about their money were being made in bipartisan backroom deals with interested parties, and that the laws on these matters were being voted by people who had not read them, the term "political class" came into use. Then, after those in power changed their plans from buying toxic assets to buying up equity in banks and major industries but refused to explain why, when they reasserted their right to decide ad hoc on these and so many other matters, supposing them to be beyond the general public's understanding, the American people started referring to those in and around government as the "ruling class." And in fact Republican and Democratic office holders and their retinues show a similar presumption to dominate and fewer differences in tastes, habits, opinions, and sources of income among one another than between both and the rest of the country. They think, look, and act as a class.
As over-leveraged investment houses began to fail in September 2008, the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties, of major corporations, and opinion leaders stretching from the National Review magazine (and the Wall Street Journal) on the right to the Nation magazine on the left, agreed that spending some $700 billion to buy the investors' "toxic assets" was the only alternative to the U.S. economy's "systemic collapse." In this, President George W. Bush and his would-be Republican successor John McCain agreed with the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama. Many, if not most, people around them also agreed upon the eventual commitment of some 10 trillion nonexistent dollars in ways unprecedented in America. They explained neither the difference between the assets' nominal and real values, nor precisely why letting the market find the latter would collapse America. The public objected immediately, by margins of three or four to one.
When this majority discovered that virtually no one in a position of power in either party or with a national voice would take their objections seriously, that decisions about their money were being made in bipartisan backroom deals with interested parties, and that the laws on these matters were being voted by people who had not read them, the term "political class" came into use. Then, after those in power changed their plans from buying toxic assets to buying up equity in banks and major industries but refused to explain why, when they reasserted their right to decide ad hoc on these and so many other matters, supposing them to be beyond the general public's understanding, the American people started referring to those in and around government as the "ruling class." And in fact Republican and Democratic office holders and their retinues show a similar presumption to dominate and fewer differences in tastes, habits, opinions, and sources of income among one another than between both and the rest of the country. They think, look, and act as a class.
RUSSIAN SPY SWAP
What really happened behind the scenes of the recent Russian-US spy swap in Vienna. The media has been more focused on the beautiful Mata Hara figure (Anna Chapman) and not what was really going on in negotiations occurring over months behind closed doors.
STALIN BUST
A debate in a small West Virginia town over the erection of a Stalin bust commorating WW II leaders. This is something I would have expected to occur in Russia! But Stalin was a US ally in WW II and is part of the historical record.
Friday, July 16, 2010
A CARL ROVE CONFESSION
Rove admits giving bad advice to Bush on how to respond to Democrat criticism that Bush lied about WMD.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
I just don't understand why the press is blocked from covering the BP oil spill. And I don't see a vast hue and cry from the evening news programs about this.
Monday, July 12, 2010
OBAMA VOTER FRAUD
It appears Hillary Clinton supporters are accusing Obama of voter fraud! A group of lifelong Democrats recently produced a compelling documentary allleging rampant voter fraud by the Obama campaign during the 2008 election.
CLIMATEGATE SUMMARY
From Volokh--a summary of the British investigation into falsified documents.
From the Atlantic Monthly--another criticism of how the investigation was mishandled. By way of preamble, let me remind you where I stand on climate change. I think climate science points to a risk that the world needs to take seriously. I think energy policy should be intelligently directed towards mitigating this risk. I am for a carbon tax. I also believe that the Climategate emails revealed, to an extent that surprised even me (and I am difficult to surprise), an ethos of suffocating groupthink and intellectual corruption. The scandal attracted enormous attention in the US, and support for a new energy policy has fallen. In sum, the scientists concerned brought their own discipline into disrepute, and set back the prospects for a better energy policy.
From the Atlantic Monthly--another criticism of how the investigation was mishandled. By way of preamble, let me remind you where I stand on climate change. I think climate science points to a risk that the world needs to take seriously. I think energy policy should be intelligently directed towards mitigating this risk. I am for a carbon tax. I also believe that the Climategate emails revealed, to an extent that surprised even me (and I am difficult to surprise), an ethos of suffocating groupthink and intellectual corruption. The scandal attracted enormous attention in the US, and support for a new energy policy has fallen. In sum, the scientists concerned brought their own discipline into disrepute, and set back the prospects for a better energy policy.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
TOP 10 US PRODUCTS
CBS Marketwatch has a list with the top ten products produced in the USA. #1 is the Weber grill--I don't think Weber grills are going to restore America's competitive edge and create the wealth to pay for the deficit. And the next nine are also questionable in rebuilding America's competitive edge. . .except for Tesla motors--it is dealing with technologies that could set the pace for the future.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
AFGHANISTAN IS OBAMA'S WAR
Ann Coulter argues that Afghanistan is Obama's war. During the 2008 campaign Obama argued that Iraq was a mistake and that the war against terrorism should have been fought in Afghanistan. I am not keen on our policies in Afghanistan--even the British were smart enough to leave it alone in the age of imperialism.
Friday, July 09, 2010
NEW TALIBAN WEAPON
The Taliban are training monkeys to kill and act as assassins in the Afghan war. They carry AK-47s.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
KNOWLEDGE OF AMERICAN HISTORY
Leno asks people on the street some basic questions about the Revolutionary War.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
CONVERSIONS QUESTIONED
The stories of a number of Muslim converts to Christianity are being questioned.
RADICAL ISLAM
A CBN report.
Anti-Jewish Muslim protest in Vienna.
Juden raus. Jewish dance troop attacked in Hanover, Germany. These slogans sound like Nazi Germany all over again.
Anti-Jewish Muslim protest in Vienna.
Juden raus. Jewish dance troop attacked in Hanover, Germany. These slogans sound like Nazi Germany all over again.
MUSLIM TURKEY
Andrew Bostom has a 19th century account of how dhimmis were treated in the Ottoman Empire.
Just as Western European leaders of the 19th and early 20th centuries often chose to ignore Ottoman Turkey’s brutal imposition of dhimmitude in their misguided, when not morally cretinous “understanding” of the “Eastern Question,” present era US and European leaders ignore both the overt Jew hatred, and ongoing relegation of the vestigial remnant non-Muslim Christian populations in Turkey to de facto dhimmi status, under Erdogan’s Neo-Ottoman Turkish government.
Just as Western European leaders of the 19th and early 20th centuries often chose to ignore Ottoman Turkey’s brutal imposition of dhimmitude in their misguided, when not morally cretinous “understanding” of the “Eastern Question,” present era US and European leaders ignore both the overt Jew hatred, and ongoing relegation of the vestigial remnant non-Muslim Christian populations in Turkey to de facto dhimmi status, under Erdogan’s Neo-Ottoman Turkish government.
OBAMA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH POLICY
German Chancellor Andrea Merkel has rejected Obama's policy of growth through debt. France, Britain, and other countries are also rejecting his premise.
We need growth that doesn’t rely on debt but is based on real grounds.
We need growth that doesn’t rely on debt but is based on real grounds.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
AFGHANISTAN
American helicopter shot down--this is beginning to sound like the failed Soviet adventure a couple of decades ago.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
STALIN STATUTE
Erected in Virginia! But he is part of the historic record. When I see his statute erected in Poland or the Czech Republic, I will know times have changed.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
RUSSIAN WHEAT EXPORTS THREATEN AMERICAN FARMERS
I was surprised to see that the Russians are now exporting wheat and selling it for less than American wheat farmers. It is possible that US farmers will be losing world market share to cheaper Russian wheat. Not only has America lost its manufacturing lead to a number of Asian countries, America may no longer be the agricultural bread-basket of the world.
Ever since Stalin enacted the collectivization of Soviet farms in 1928, agricultural production has been a disaster for the Soviet Union. In the 1970s and 1980s the USSR was forced to import US wheat to feed its people. Now that communism is gone, maybe agricultural capitalism will put Russia and the Ukraine on a sounder economic footing. But it sure will curtail the bragging rights of American farmers if Russia now becomes a competitor.
Ever since Stalin enacted the collectivization of Soviet farms in 1928, agricultural production has been a disaster for the Soviet Union. In the 1970s and 1980s the USSR was forced to import US wheat to feed its people. Now that communism is gone, maybe agricultural capitalism will put Russia and the Ukraine on a sounder economic footing. But it sure will curtail the bragging rights of American farmers if Russia now becomes a competitor.
Friday, June 04, 2010
GAZA SITUATION
From the WAPO.
But as Leslie Gelb, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, writes, the blockade is not just perfectly rational, it is perfectly legal. Gaza under Hamas is a self-declared enemy of Israel -- a declaration backed up by more than 4,000 rockets fired at Israeli civilian territory. Yet having pledged itself to unceasing belligerency, Hamas claims victimhood when Israel imposes a blockade to prevent Hamas from arming itself with still more rockets.
But as Leslie Gelb, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, writes, the blockade is not just perfectly rational, it is perfectly legal. Gaza under Hamas is a self-declared enemy of Israel -- a declaration backed up by more than 4,000 rockets fired at Israeli civilian territory. Yet having pledged itself to unceasing belligerency, Hamas claims victimhood when Israel imposes a blockade to prevent Hamas from arming itself with still more rockets.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
REPORTER PERSONA NON GRATA IN AFGHANISTAN
The army has pressured Michael Yon to leave Afghanistan. I have read a lot of his stuff and thought it was really good. This is looking like the early days of Vietnam reporting.
Yon has openly stated the problems in Afghanistan right now and how we could lose this war, unless changes are made. He has been critical of the current rules of engagement that have put our troops in danger and could actually make this war like the Vietnam that the leftist media claimed it was early and often when Bush was president (it’s strange you don’t hear those comparisons from them anymore).
Yon has openly stated the problems in Afghanistan right now and how we could lose this war, unless changes are made. He has been critical of the current rules of engagement that have put our troops in danger and could actually make this war like the Vietnam that the leftist media claimed it was early and often when Bush was president (it’s strange you don’t hear those comparisons from them anymore).
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
ILLINOIS CORRUPTION
If Blagojevich is convicted, he will be the 4th Illinois governor convicted in 40 years! And Obama and the Washington Democrat establishment are worried.
But somebody should do a count of all the other politicians in Illinois convicted or charged with crimes. I wonder if Illinois would be the most politically corrupt state in America?
Barone on "The Chicago Way." One prime assumption of the Chicago Way is that there will always be a bounteous private sector that politicians can plunder endlessly. Barone argues that Obama has brought the Chicago way to Washington.
But somebody should do a count of all the other politicians in Illinois convicted or charged with crimes. I wonder if Illinois would be the most politically corrupt state in America?
Barone on "The Chicago Way." One prime assumption of the Chicago Way is that there will always be a bounteous private sector that politicians can plunder endlessly. Barone argues that Obama has brought the Chicago way to Washington.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
PELOSI ON THE "WORD"
Interesting. . . House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says she believes she must pursue public policies "in keeping with the values" of Jesus Christ, "The Word made Flesh."
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
PALESTINIAN COLLABORATOR
A BBC interview with a Palestinian who collaborated with Israel.
"The Israeli agent didn't believe me at first but then I infiltrated the militants with a tape recorder on my body and recorded their plans to attack Jewish settlers. I didn't do it for money, I did it because we are all Israelis and it is wrong to kill."
"The Israeli agent didn't believe me at first but then I infiltrated the militants with a tape recorder on my body and recorded their plans to attack Jewish settlers. I didn't do it for money, I did it because we are all Israelis and it is wrong to kill."
AMERICA, A CHRISTIAN NATION
A discussion of how Christianity, and especially Pentecostalism, impacts American foreign policy. Around the globe, America is viewed as a Christian nation.
OBAMA & GULF OIL SPILL
Peggy Noonan believes this is the third time in his first two years in office where he has showed failed leadership.
The original sin in my view is that as soon as the oil rig accident happened the president tried to maintain distance between the gusher and his presidency. He wanted people to associate the disaster with BP and not him. When your most creative thoughts in the middle of a disaster revolve around protecting your position, you are summoning trouble. When you try to dodge ownership of a problem, when you try to hide from responsibility, life will give you ownership and responsibility the hard way.
"If Bush had said it. . ."
Obama desire to downsize the Coast Guard crisis center before oil spill.
McCain: "Out of his depth?"
A liberal states that failure to lead has doubled the crisis.
The original sin in my view is that as soon as the oil rig accident happened the president tried to maintain distance between the gusher and his presidency. He wanted people to associate the disaster with BP and not him. When your most creative thoughts in the middle of a disaster revolve around protecting your position, you are summoning trouble. When you try to dodge ownership of a problem, when you try to hide from responsibility, life will give you ownership and responsibility the hard way.
"If Bush had said it. . ."
Obama desire to downsize the Coast Guard crisis center before oil spill.
McCain: "Out of his depth?"
A liberal states that failure to lead has doubled the crisis.
RAHM EMANUEL & ISRAEL
Rahm Emanuel, the Musical. A right-wing Israeli satirical view of Rahm's advice to Obama. Rahm's "Jewishness" is questioned.
Friday, May 28, 2010
CHURCH WARS
Going to church regularly matters when it comes to belief systems.
The figures underlie a striking change in the characteristics of American churches of all denominations: in the '60s, those showing up in church on Sunday might have represented a cross-section of American viewpoints; today, they are more likely to reflect traditionalist views, further driving modernists away from religion altogether - and intensifying what some have called the “devotional divide” in American politics.
Studies of group psychology show that when people with similar views talk to one another, they end up at even more extreme positions. The very ability to choose - neighborhoods, cable TV stations, websites, churches - increases the risk that we will hear only those with whom we already agree.
What's happening in Europe: A 2009 Gallup poll asked, "Is religion an important part of your life?" In Britain only 27 percent said yes, in France 30 percent and in Germany 40 percent. In the U.S., it was 65 percent. Young Americans have morals; they just often feel that religious institutions don't reflect their beliefs. That needs to change to keep religion in America from becoming stale like it has in Europe.
The figures underlie a striking change in the characteristics of American churches of all denominations: in the '60s, those showing up in church on Sunday might have represented a cross-section of American viewpoints; today, they are more likely to reflect traditionalist views, further driving modernists away from religion altogether - and intensifying what some have called the “devotional divide” in American politics.
Studies of group psychology show that when people with similar views talk to one another, they end up at even more extreme positions. The very ability to choose - neighborhoods, cable TV stations, websites, churches - increases the risk that we will hear only those with whom we already agree.
What's happening in Europe: A 2009 Gallup poll asked, "Is religion an important part of your life?" In Britain only 27 percent said yes, in France 30 percent and in Germany 40 percent. In the U.S., it was 65 percent. Young Americans have morals; they just often feel that religious institutions don't reflect their beliefs. That needs to change to keep religion in America from becoming stale like it has in Europe.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
GOVERNMENT SPENDING RETARDS BUSINESS GROWTH
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
LIBERAL FASCISM
Big brother is needed.
Woody Allen told Spain’s La Vanguardia that it would be a good idea if Barack Obama could be dictator for a “few years” to overcome obstructionist Republicans. Just a few days later, Friedman fantasized, on Meet the Press yet, that the solution to America’s problems might be to be more like China.
Woody Allen told Spain’s La Vanguardia that it would be a good idea if Barack Obama could be dictator for a “few years” to overcome obstructionist Republicans. Just a few days later, Friedman fantasized, on Meet the Press yet, that the solution to America’s problems might be to be more like China.
Monday, May 24, 2010
OBAMA ON TERRORISM
Obama has confidence in John Brennan, his homeland security advisor. I just don't see Brennan as someone who has read the Middle East well. I have never seen a Washington advisor using Al-Quds as the name for Jerusalem until last week.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
AMERICAN JEWS & ISRAEL
Another article indicating younger American Jews have no attraction to Israel. The "philanthropists" were wealthy American Jews.
The philanthropists wanted to know what Jewish students thought about Israel. Luntz found that they mostly didn’t. “Six times we have brought Jewish youth together as a group to talk about their Jewishness and connection to Israel,” he reported. “Six times the topic of Israel did not come up until it was prompted. Six times these Jewish youth used the word ‘they‘ rather than ‘us‘ to describe the situation.”
The philanthropists wanted to know what Jewish students thought about Israel. Luntz found that they mostly didn’t. “Six times we have brought Jewish youth together as a group to talk about their Jewishness and connection to Israel,” he reported. “Six times the topic of Israel did not come up until it was prompted. Six times these Jewish youth used the word ‘they‘ rather than ‘us‘ to describe the situation.”
Friday, May 21, 2010
THE CULT OF PERSONALITY
Having seen this phrase so often in reference to Stalin and Mao, I was intrigued by its use in this Tea Party video and it is applied it to Obama and Progressives today. But also the use of the images in this media along with the music is so different from much of the other tea party video I have seen.
SPAIN'S GREEN DISASTER
A failure of a Spanish "green" program that Obama has used as a model for US. Even Spanish socialists are opposed to it. I don't know the details, but I do believe Washington should spend money using models that are reasonably proven.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
ILLEGAL ALIENS
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
THE FEMINIZATION OF THE ACADEMY
Getting a degree beyond high school is increasingly a "woman" thing--the percentage of males pursuing university and post-graduate degrees is declining.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
MUHAMMAD CARTOONIST ATTACKED
A Swedish artist who caricatured Muhammad was attacked at a university symposium in Sweden. The MSNBC report does not say who attacked him, although they were shouting "God is great" in Arabic.
Monday, May 10, 2010
GREECE ECONOMY
"Money and Markets" wrote: 
The terms of the latest bailout require that Greece slash its annual deficits to just 3% of its GDP by 2014. That's like demanding that Washington slash spending by $1.2 TRILLION in just 24 months!
If these statistics are accurate the economic future of Greece, Europe, and the West looks problematic.
The terms of the latest bailout require that Greece slash its annual deficits to just 3% of its GDP by 2014. That's like demanding that Washington slash spending by $1.2 TRILLION in just 24 months!If these statistics are accurate the economic future of Greece, Europe, and the West looks problematic.
Friday, May 07, 2010
DEMOGRAPHIC PROBLEMS
Good visuals of the impact of the aging population in Greece, the US, and Japan.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
DARWIN FAMILY INBREEDING
Widespread inbreeding between the Darwin and Wedgwood families was probably to blame for Charles Darwin's ill health, and the childhood tragedies and infertility that blighted his family.
Friday, April 30, 2010
REDRAWING THE MAP OF EUROPE
The Economist has an interesting idea--what if countries could move like people?
PEOPLE who find their neighbours tiresome can move to another neighbourhood, whereas countries can’t. But suppose they could. Rejigging the map of Europe would make life more logical and friendlier.
PEOPLE who find their neighbours tiresome can move to another neighbourhood, whereas countries can’t. But suppose they could. Rejigging the map of Europe would make life more logical and friendlier.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
2010 HEALTH CARE BILL
This report was given to Kathleen Sebelius a week before the vote but kept from the public until recently. Now that it is out, it raises troubling questions about the real cost and impact of the Obama health care program. Medicare and Medicaid costs will increase significantly. And there is the unknown -- how many companies will drop health care coverage?
The view from the WSJ.
Rationing? Obama's budget director speaks.
Small businesses have not incentives to grow and create jobs under the Obama health care plan.
The view from the WSJ.
Rationing? Obama's budget director speaks.
Small businesses have not incentives to grow and create jobs under the Obama health care plan.
Monday, April 26, 2010
STUDENT PAPER
From a paper on eugenics and the Holocaust: ". . .was done to the millions of innocent people weather Jew or Genital." Maybe Genital does work for Gentile in some weird way. . .
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR GIVES ANTI-SEMITIC JOKE AT BRIEFING
From Yid with Lid -- they have the C-Span account. It was removed from the White House transcript.
A CALL FOR "C" STUDENTS?
So there are too many "A" students, heh?
America has made the mistake of letting the A student run things. It was A students who briefly took over the business world during the period of derivatives, credit swaps, and collateralized debt obligations. We’re still reeling from the effects. This is why good businessmen have always adhered to the maxim: “A students work for B students.” Or, as a businessman friend of mine put it, “B students work for C students—A students teach.”
America has made the mistake of letting the A student run things. It was A students who briefly took over the business world during the period of derivatives, credit swaps, and collateralized debt obligations. We’re still reeling from the effects. This is why good businessmen have always adhered to the maxim: “A students work for B students.” Or, as a businessman friend of mine put it, “B students work for C students—A students teach.”
Thursday, April 22, 2010
NEW IRANIAN WEAPON
Iran is not only going nuclear, but this unmanned speedboat strikes me as a potential threat to any US warship in the Persian Gulf. And it is armed with a Russian torpedo.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
2009 OBAMA TAX RETURN
The NYT lists the charitable giving of the Obamas. They gave away over $300,000 plus the Nobel Peace Prize money. Churches got very little of their charitable giving. Most of their $5.6 million income came from book royalties.
Friday, April 16, 2010
TEA PARTY VIOLENCE
I want to start bookmarking links on this issue. A liberal Democrat wanted to remind me about the horrible, angry, violent tea partiers -- "The anger of man does not achieve the righteous life that God desires." (James 1:20) This is a great verse. But what struck me so far is that most of the violence I have read that has occurred at tea parties is a result of attacks on tea party protestors by leftists or disgruntled Democrats. I have read about tea partiers being egged (recent Boston tea party from Boston Herald), faced with false charges of racism, attacked by SEIU goons, beaten up for wearing a Palin button, and the list could go on. The worse thing I have read about the tea partiers is based on the signs they have carried. . .but then there have been accusations that these people were liberal Democrat infiltrators seeking to discredit the tea partiers. So over the coming months I hope to be able to document this issue.
From Politico: New Orleans Assault
Frank Rich apology.
"Double-Standard on Rhetoric" from Commentary.
From Politico: New Orleans Assault
Frank Rich apology.
"Double-Standard on Rhetoric" from Commentary.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
SCANDALS IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
Maureen Dowd on the sexual abuse scandals racking the Roman Catholic Church.
The storm within the church strikes at what every Catholic fears most. We take our religion on faith. How can we maintain that faith when our leaders are unworthy of it?”
But I am afraid much the same could be said of many Protestant churches.
The storm within the church strikes at what every Catholic fears most. We take our religion on faith. How can we maintain that faith when our leaders are unworthy of it?”
But I am afraid much the same could be said of many Protestant churches.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
I have always wondered why the Bush administration did not cite a number of sources to support its statement that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction to rebut Democrat charges that none were ever found. I had read Sada's book and thought that you just can't dismiss his claim that Saddam had transferred weapons of mass destruction to Syria as irrelevant. It's all Rove's fault.
Why wasn't the Bush administration citing Gen. James Clapper, the Director of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, who said that satellite imagery proved conclusively that shortly before the war's outbreak, Iraq had transferred its weapons of mass destruction to Syria? Why wasn't it quoting Gen. Georges Sada, deputy chief of Saddam's air force, or Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's chief-of-staff, both of whom also claimed that Saddam's weapons had been transferred to Syria? Why was it so tongue-tied, so unsure of itself, so unwilling to answer its critics? Didn't anybody in the White House realize that if the Democrats' charges went unanswered, they would fatally undermine the entire case for the war?
Why wasn't the Bush administration citing Gen. James Clapper, the Director of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, who said that satellite imagery proved conclusively that shortly before the war's outbreak, Iraq had transferred its weapons of mass destruction to Syria? Why wasn't it quoting Gen. Georges Sada, deputy chief of Saddam's air force, or Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's chief-of-staff, both of whom also claimed that Saddam's weapons had been transferred to Syria? Why was it so tongue-tied, so unsure of itself, so unwilling to answer its critics? Didn't anybody in the White House realize that if the Democrats' charges went unanswered, they would fatally undermine the entire case for the war?
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