Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
OBAMA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Concerns about Obama's Middle East policy are escalating. The optimistic support for democracy in Arab Spring of 2011 has proved to be an illusion (except to the critics of US policy toward that movement, some of whom see Obama as Bush II). Adam Garfinkle details what seems to be a lack of careful, long-term strategic thinking among our current Middle East policymakers. I like the idea of serious "looking before leaping." Surely something should have been learned from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Monday, May 28, 2012
INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION AND FILM
There is an argument out there that what a person can watch a TV program or movie and not be influenced to change his or her values. Jonathan Gottschall has written an interesting column in the Dallas Morning News on the influence of fiction on our society. He argues that fiction does change a person's values.
Here is his comment on fiction as seen on TV: Moreover, it’s clear that these stories really can change our views. As psychologist Raymond Mar writes, “Researchers have repeatedly found that reader attitudes shift to become more congruent with the ideas expressed in a [fictional] narrative.” For example, studies reliably show that when we watch a TV show that treats gay families nonjudgmentally (say, Modern Family), our own views on homosexuality are likely to move in the same nonjudgmental direction. History, too, reveals fiction’s ability to change our values at the societal level, for better and worse. For example, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped bring about the Civil War by convincing huge numbers of Americans that blacks are people and that enslaving them is a mortal sin. On the other hand, the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation inflamed racist sentiments and helped resurrect an all but defunct Ku Klux Klan.
Here is his comment on fiction as seen on TV: Moreover, it’s clear that these stories really can change our views. As psychologist Raymond Mar writes, “Researchers have repeatedly found that reader attitudes shift to become more congruent with the ideas expressed in a [fictional] narrative.” For example, studies reliably show that when we watch a TV show that treats gay families nonjudgmentally (say, Modern Family), our own views on homosexuality are likely to move in the same nonjudgmental direction. History, too, reveals fiction’s ability to change our values at the societal level, for better and worse. For example, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped bring about the Civil War by convincing huge numbers of Americans that blacks are people and that enslaving them is a mortal sin. On the other hand, the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation inflamed racist sentiments and helped resurrect an all but defunct Ku Klux Klan.
ELECTION HYPOCRISY
I think politicians should strive to be consistent, whether Republican or Democrat. Obama has attacked Wall Street and big capital, but at the same time they have turned out to be his biggest givers so I thought this cartoon from the Charlotte Observer really captured that hypocrisy.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
GAY MARRIAGE
An analysis on how changes in straight marriage paved the way for legal gay marriage. Between the 1970s and 1990s, however, most Americans came to view marriage as a relationship between two individuals who were free to organize their partnership on the basis of personal inclination rather than preassigned gender roles.
Obama's advocacy of gay marriage:
Obama's advocacy of gay marriage:
- National Review: And even though we consider his support of redefining marriage a deep error, he has done the nation a favor by revealing the truth about his position.
- Public Discourse: The president was dishonest in stating his opposition to gay marriage in the 2008 election campaign. So why did Obama make such an announcement now? The Grenell affair assured him, I think, that a theme of “anti-gay bigotry” can be usefully deployed against social conservatives generally, and against Romney in particular.
- Andrew Sullivan, "The first gay president."
- Reasons for supporting gay marriage.
END OF AMERICA?
Jonathan Cahn is a messianic Jew who has written a book, "The Harbinger," which deals with prophecy and the end of America. Here is a 700 Club interview which summarizes many of his ideas.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
AMERICAN VICE PRESIDENT DUPED BY SOVIETS
In 1944 Vice President Henry Wallace visited the Soviet Far East and the gulag at Magadan. He thought it was just a Soviet work project like the TVA.
In 1952, Wallace publically admitted that in 1944 the Soviet officials completely deceived him: “I had not the slightest idea when I visited Magadan that this . . . was also the center for administering the labor of both criminals and those suspected of political disloyalty. . . I can see after reading accounts by former slave laborers who escaped from Siberia that I was altogether too much impressed by the show put on by high Russian officials.”[117] Lattimore never made a similar statement and stubbornly refused to accept that Nikishov was a tyrant.[118]
In 1952, Wallace publically admitted that in 1944 the Soviet officials completely deceived him: “I had not the slightest idea when I visited Magadan that this . . . was also the center for administering the labor of both criminals and those suspected of political disloyalty. . . I can see after reading accounts by former slave laborers who escaped from Siberia that I was altogether too much impressed by the show put on by high Russian officials.”[117] Lattimore never made a similar statement and stubbornly refused to accept that Nikishov was a tyrant.[118]
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
LBJ BIOGRAPHY
Robert Caro's latest volume on President Lyndon Baines Johnson is out. This article deals with what Romeny and Obama could learn from LBJ. Some of the comments:
During his nearly three years as Kennedy’s vice president, Johnson's public life was filled with petty humiliations: minimal staff, exclusion from major meetings, a dinky 10-seat plane for most of his official travels and near total isolation from the Oval Office. Evelyn Lincoln, Kennedy’s personal secretary, kept meticulous records: Johnson spent fewer than two hours alone with JFK during the final 11 months of his presidency.
At Saturday night’s White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Obama tweaked Romney over the de facto Republican nominee’s charges of elitism: “We both have degrees from Harvard. I have one; he has two. What a snob.” These elite educational pedigrees have become the norm in campaigns for the White House. In the past quarter-century, only two presidential nominees (Bob Dole and John McCain) have lacked a degree from Harvard or Yale.
Johnson’s gift was his preternatural ability to find that weak spot in the ego where flattery would be the most compelling. With economist John Kenneth Galbraith, Johnson adroitly suggested that he could be a White House insider like his friend Arthur Schlesinger. With United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, who had been twice defeated for the presidency, Johnson said, “I know, and you know, that you should be sitting behind this desk rather than me.”
When Johnson confronted someone who had double-crossed him, he would often threaten his political demise. Sounding like a Mafia don, LBJ told one errant politician, “I’m going to give you a three-minute lesson in integrity. And then, I’m going to ruin you.” As Caro demonstrates with dozens of examples, Robert Kennedy, when his brother was president, reveled in humiliating Johnson almost for the sheer tearing-wings-off-flies sport of it. Rahm Emanuel sending a dead fish to a pollster early in his career does not measure up to the 1960s standards for hardball.
Here is the New York Times review. It appears to be more a study of hate than power.
During his nearly three years as Kennedy’s vice president, Johnson's public life was filled with petty humiliations: minimal staff, exclusion from major meetings, a dinky 10-seat plane for most of his official travels and near total isolation from the Oval Office. Evelyn Lincoln, Kennedy’s personal secretary, kept meticulous records: Johnson spent fewer than two hours alone with JFK during the final 11 months of his presidency.
At Saturday night’s White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Obama tweaked Romney over the de facto Republican nominee’s charges of elitism: “We both have degrees from Harvard. I have one; he has two. What a snob.” These elite educational pedigrees have become the norm in campaigns for the White House. In the past quarter-century, only two presidential nominees (Bob Dole and John McCain) have lacked a degree from Harvard or Yale.
Johnson’s gift was his preternatural ability to find that weak spot in the ego where flattery would be the most compelling. With economist John Kenneth Galbraith, Johnson adroitly suggested that he could be a White House insider like his friend Arthur Schlesinger. With United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, who had been twice defeated for the presidency, Johnson said, “I know, and you know, that you should be sitting behind this desk rather than me.”
When Johnson confronted someone who had double-crossed him, he would often threaten his political demise. Sounding like a Mafia don, LBJ told one errant politician, “I’m going to give you a three-minute lesson in integrity. And then, I’m going to ruin you.” As Caro demonstrates with dozens of examples, Robert Kennedy, when his brother was president, reveled in humiliating Johnson almost for the sheer tearing-wings-off-flies sport of it. Rahm Emanuel sending a dead fish to a pollster early in his career does not measure up to the 1960s standards for hardball.
Here is the New York Times review. It appears to be more a study of hate than power.
CHURCH HISTORY
A Christian coffee house teaching church history and theology. One of the points is the lack of knowledge about church history among Christians.
Monday, April 30, 2012
"DEMOGRAPHY AS DESTINY"
This is a post from Instanpundit: I have been watching demographic statistics for the last few years (including those from the UN). It is hard to believe that people do not see the ramifications of this trend, even in the United States.
DEMOGRAPHY AS DESTINY:
In Japan, birthrates are now so low and life expectancy so great that the nation will soon have a demographic profile that matches that of the American retirement community of Palm Springs. “Gradually but relentlessly,” the demographer Nick Eberstadt writes in the latest issue of The Wilson Quarterly, “Japan is evolving into a type of society whose contours and workings have only been contemplated in science fiction.”
Funny how the warnings of demographers are laughed off, while the warnings of climate scientists produce immediate calls for action. But what’s most revealing to me is the kind of sentiment displayed in the comments to the piece, such as “There are a DISGUSTING number of people on this earth.” And: “This column is nothing more than a thinly veiled attack on a woman’s right to choose.”
And, unsurprisingly, this triumph of eliminationist hate speech:
Call me an America-hating but what better than declining birth rate among a ‘pathogen on the planet’ (Caldicott), hurling pan-global wars & arms & political meddling for its amerigoon-exceptionalist empire promoting a culture of Greed-Uber-Alles. More fundaMentalist Biblicalism we’re all so over?
Oikophobia lives. And Bob Zubrin is clearly on to something. Of course, quoting Helen Caldicott is an immediate I Am An Idiot! marker. . . .
Friday, April 27, 2012
ROMAN CATHOLIC AD
I think this is a bit long for an ad, but it is an interesting production visually. And I can't ever remember a clip like this from a Roman Catholic group in an election campaign.
OBAMA CAMPAIGN AD
The implication is that Romney would not have been tough enough to take Osama bin Laden out. . .but Obama was tough enough.
ATHEIST-ISLAMIST CONFRONTATION
I was wondering when something like this would happen--counter demonstrations.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
EATING DOG SATIRE
A satire on Obama eating dog in Indonesia. I don't know how many times this scene has been used to comment on some issue.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
OBAMA GEOGRAPHY GAFFE: MALVINAS OR MALDIVES OR FALKLANDS?
Obama gets the Malvinas and the Maldives mixed up. I thought this was what George Bush or Joe Biden was supposed to do.
And the Brits are upset because they are supporting him in Afghanistan, but he is not supporting them in the Falklands (or the Maldives if you are President Obama).
This is pretty strong language (from The Telegraph in the UK): For all its PR spin during the Cameron visit, when the prime minister was blatantly used as an election prop and a fundraising foil for Obama’s re-election campaign, the Obama administration could not care less for the Special Relationship. If Mr Obama really believed in the alliance with Britain he would be actively siding with the British people over the Falklands, instead of continuing to appease Buenos Aires and its South American cohorts, including Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela.
And the Brits are upset because they are supporting him in Afghanistan, but he is not supporting them in the Falklands (or the Maldives if you are President Obama).
This is pretty strong language (from The Telegraph in the UK): For all its PR spin during the Cameron visit, when the prime minister was blatantly used as an election prop and a fundraising foil for Obama’s re-election campaign, the Obama administration could not care less for the Special Relationship. If Mr Obama really believed in the alliance with Britain he would be actively siding with the British people over the Falklands, instead of continuing to appease Buenos Aires and its South American cohorts, including Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
GATHERING POLITICAL DATA
Market research along with social media reveals much about both potential Republican and Democrat voters.
Like so many other aspects of today's political landscape, the debate over microtargeting reflects a clash of two intractable American values: the struggle for individuality, and the desire for privacy. What Gage calls "Big Data," others would call Big Brother. We're social animals, tweeting every trenchant and insipid thought, but, somehow, we still prize anonymity. We're more open than ever, but less trusting. We want things to be easy -- Amazon, tell us which book to buy, Pandora, which song to play -- but we don't want it done behind our backs. Because that makes us feel stupid and tricked.
Monday, April 09, 2012
THE PROTESTANT ETHIC
The impact of religion on the economy from Forbes.
But perhaps the most important difference over time may be the impact of religion on family formation, with weighty fiscal implications. In virtually every part of the world, religious people tend to have more children than those who are unaffiliated
Organized religion provides a counterweight to the European notion that we must rely on government for everything. Poor people educated or fed by the charities of mosques, churches, and synagogues relieves some of the burden faced by our variously tottering states and shredding social welfare nets.
But perhaps the most important difference over time may be the impact of religion on family formation, with weighty fiscal implications. In virtually every part of the world, religious people tend to have more children than those who are unaffiliated
Organized religion provides a counterweight to the European notion that we must rely on government for everything. Poor people educated or fed by the charities of mosques, churches, and synagogues relieves some of the burden faced by our variously tottering states and shredding social welfare nets.
Thursday, April 05, 2012
OBAMA & RUSSIANS
No Russian shakes Obama's outstretched hand. What does this mean? It is so obvious.
Original Video - More videos at TinyPic
Original Video - More videos at TinyPic
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
ISRAEL & ABZERBAIJAN
Israel and Azebaijan may have secret military agreement.
Why does it matter? Because Azerbaijan is strategically located on Iran's northern border and, according to several high-level sources I've spoken with inside the U.S. government, Obama administration officials now believe that the "submerged" aspect of the Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance -- the security cooperation between the two countries -- is heightening the risks of an Israeli strike on Iran.
Why does it matter? Because Azerbaijan is strategically located on Iran's northern border and, according to several high-level sources I've spoken with inside the U.S. government, Obama administration officials now believe that the "submerged" aspect of the Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance -- the security cooperation between the two countries -- is heightening the risks of an Israeli strike on Iran.
Monday, March 26, 2012
OBAMA'S HIDDEN AGENDA AFTER HIS REELECTION?
In discussions with Medvedev Obama is asking for "space" until the elections are finished before dealing with the Russians on missile defense. He believes he can exhibit more flexibility after the election. So the issue is how much will he give up to the Russians after his reelection? Legal Insurrection comments on the implications of Obama's apparent attempt at being less than honest with the American public on his future plans.
And on gay rights evidently he is delaying until after his reelection to come out in support of it. The Atlantic Monthly says he doesn't want to lose black votes in November 2012 (black voters overwhelmingly oppose it).
And on gay rights evidently he is delaying until after his reelection to come out in support of it. The Atlantic Monthly says he doesn't want to lose black votes in November 2012 (black voters overwhelmingly oppose it).
Sunday, March 25, 2012
COLLEGE IS TOO EASY
Clarence Page writing in the Chicago Tribune: 36 percent of students made no significant learning gains in critical thinking and communication skills from their freshman to senior years.
Friday, March 23, 2012
DANISH HUMORIST MOCKS OBAMA'S RHETORIC
I don't think you would see this on Colbert or the Daly Show.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
AMERICAN AND RADICAL ISLAM IN TUNISIA
Democratic forces in Tunisia believe the US State Department is helping radical Muslims take control of the government.
Radical Islamists are making inroads in the Arab world's most advanced, liberal, and tolerant country. And the secularists think the United States is helping them do it.
Radical Islamists are making inroads in the Arab world's most advanced, liberal, and tolerant country. And the secularists think the United States is helping them do it.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
SUMMER 2011 BUDGET TALKS
Mickey Kaus ran as a Democrat in the last California primary which makes this an interesting analysis of how Obama blew last summer's debt negotiations with the Republicans. He quotes a Washington Post article which says Obama and the Republicans were close to a deal when Obama upped the ante.
Monday, March 19, 2012
VOTER GLOOM
The numbers are not good for Obama. Voters do not have confidence that America is headed in the right direction. If the Republicans had a strong candidate, it would be all over for Obama in November.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
DESTROY ALL CHURCHES
The desire of the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia.
This is not a small-time radical imam trying to stir up his followers with fiery hate speech. This was a considered, deliberate and specific ruling from one of the most important leaders in the Muslim world. It does not just create a religious obligation for those over whom the mufti has direct authority; it is also a signal to others in the Muslim world that destroying churches is not only permitted but mandatory.
This is not a small-time radical imam trying to stir up his followers with fiery hate speech. This was a considered, deliberate and specific ruling from one of the most important leaders in the Muslim world. It does not just create a religious obligation for those over whom the mufti has direct authority; it is also a signal to others in the Muslim world that destroying churches is not only permitted but mandatory.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
LIBERALS MORE INTOLERANT ONLINE
From Pew surveys (hardly a conservative group).
Liberals are the most likely to have taken each of these steps to block, unfriend, or hide. In all, 28% of liberals have blocked, unfriended, or hidden someone on SNS because of one of these reasons, compared with 16% of conservatives and 14% of moderates.
Liberals are the most likely to have taken each of these steps to block, unfriend, or hide. In all, 28% of liberals have blocked, unfriended, or hidden someone on SNS because of one of these reasons, compared with 16% of conservatives and 14% of moderates.
Monday, March 12, 2012
ISRAEL & IRANIAN NUKES
From CBS "60 Minutes." An interview with the ex-Mossad director warning against an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Dagan headed the Mossad for nearly a decade until last year. His primary, if not his only mission was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. And he says there is time to wait, perhaps as long as three years.
Lesley Stahl: You have said publicly that bombing Iran now is the stupidest idea you've ever heard. That's a direct quote.
Dagan: An attack on Iran before you are exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to do it.
Stahl: The dispute seems to come down, though, to whether you are at the end of everything that you can try or whether you have a lot of time left to try other things, which seems to be your position.
Dagan: I never said it's a lot of time but I think that-
Stahl: Well, more time.
Dagan: More time.
Dagan headed the Mossad for nearly a decade until last year. His primary, if not his only mission was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. And he says there is time to wait, perhaps as long as three years.
Lesley Stahl: You have said publicly that bombing Iran now is the stupidest idea you've ever heard. That's a direct quote.
Dagan: An attack on Iran before you are exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to do it.
Stahl: The dispute seems to come down, though, to whether you are at the end of everything that you can try or whether you have a lot of time left to try other things, which seems to be your position.
Dagan: I never said it's a lot of time but I think that-
Stahl: Well, more time.
Dagan: More time.
Friday, March 09, 2012
OBAMA WINS IN 2012
Thursday, March 08, 2012
MAJOR IN SCIENCE OR ART HISTORY?
From the Atlantic Monthly, "Do We Really Need More Scientists?"
From Bloomberg, "How Art History Majors Power the World."
From Bloomberg, "How Art History Majors Power the World."
OBAMA AND DERRICK BELL
CNN interview with Breitbart representative, Joel Pollak, on critical race theory based on video released by Breitbart about Obama and Derrick Bell. CNN's Soledad O'Brien appeared totally ignorant or unprepared when she talked about critical race theory. This research seems to confirm that Pollak had more knowledge of it than Soledad O'Brien.
ETHICS IN OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Sounds like the spoils system is still alive and well. Jobs are going to the big donors and supporters of the administration.
Obama campaigned on what he called “the most sweeping ethics reform in history” and has frequently criticized the role of money in politics. That hasn’t stopped him from offering government jobs to some of his biggest bundlers, volunteer fundraisers who gather political contributions from other rich donors.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
US STATE DEPARTMENT PROMOTES ISLAM
A list of State Department activities in Europe to promote Islam. Examples:
In Austria, the U.S. Embassy in Vienna sponsored a film contest in February on the theme of "Diversity and Tolerance" aimed at teaching wayward Austrians that they should show respect for Muslim immigrants who refuse to integrate into their society.
In France, the U.S. Embassy in Paris co-sponsored a seminar to teach Muslims in France how they can politically organize themselves. Operatives from the Democratic Party coached 70 Muslim "diversity leaders" from disaffected Muslim-majority suburban slums known as banlieues on how to develop a communications strategy, raise funds and build a political base.
In Austria, the U.S. Embassy in Vienna sponsored a film contest in February on the theme of "Diversity and Tolerance" aimed at teaching wayward Austrians that they should show respect for Muslim immigrants who refuse to integrate into their society.
In France, the U.S. Embassy in Paris co-sponsored a seminar to teach Muslims in France how they can politically organize themselves. Operatives from the Democratic Party coached 70 Muslim "diversity leaders" from disaffected Muslim-majority suburban slums known as banlieues on how to develop a communications strategy, raise funds and build a political base.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
LANGUAGE USED ABOUT WOMEN
I am not a "ditto-head" but it seems that liberals can say derogatory things about women that conservative commentators can't.
And Laura Ingraham has the reactions of Barbara Walters to the derogatory language used against her.
And Laura Ingraham has the reactions of Barbara Walters to the derogatory language used against her.
HOLDER AND THE CONSTITUTION
The administration is saying that the Constitution does not cover Americans who will commit or plan terrorist acts. Terrorists are bad guys, but if the Constitution is trumped by the administration on this issue, what other rights can be taken away?
Monday, March 05, 2012
Friday, March 02, 2012
WHAT MODERN EVANGELICALS BELIEVE
An analysis of a survey done by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The survey took place at the Third Lausanne Congress of World Evangelization meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, in October 2010.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
YOGA AND SEX SCANDALS
Interesting.
Why does yoga produce so many philanderers? And why do the resulting uproars leave so many people shocked and distraught?
One factor is ignorance. Yoga teachers and how-to books seldom mention that the discipline began as a sex cult — an omission that leaves many practitioners open to libidinal surprise.
Why does yoga produce so many philanderers? And why do the resulting uproars leave so many people shocked and distraught?
One factor is ignorance. Yoga teachers and how-to books seldom mention that the discipline began as a sex cult — an omission that leaves many practitioners open to libidinal surprise.
BBC TREATS CHRISTIANITY UNFAIRLY
This is the BBC's statement! BBC director-general Mark Thompson has claimed Christianity is treated with far less sensitivity than other religions because it is ‘pretty broad shouldered’.
But he also revealed that producers had to consider the possibilities of ‘violent threats’ instead of polite complaints if they pushed ahead with certain types of satire.
And he argues that race should be treated more sensitively than religion.
But he also revealed that producers had to consider the possibilities of ‘violent threats’ instead of polite complaints if they pushed ahead with certain types of satire.
And he argues that race should be treated more sensitively than religion.
"SMART DIPLOMACY" IN IRAN
The Obama administration failed to help the opposition in Iran and instead tried to work with a regime that is using terror on its own population and building nukes. Why is the administration big on supporting the opposition in Egypt or Syria, but doing nothing to work with the opposition in Iran? This is an interesting case of failed "back door" diplomacy that gets rather complicated.
Of course, there is a scandal here. A terrible policy scandal. The Obama administration didn’t do — and still hasn’t done — anything to help the opposition in Iran. The Green Movement’s top leaders have been held in solitary confinement for more than a year. Thousands of dissidents, journalists, bloggers, and normal citizens have been imprisoned, tortured, and executed, and the dreadful repression continues apace, as does the terror war against us and our soldiers on the battlefield. The president has still not called for an end to the monstrous theocratic tyranny. Instead, he has catered to the needs of the evil regime, at the cost of American lives, our national security, and his personal legacy.
Of course, there is a scandal here. A terrible policy scandal. The Obama administration didn’t do — and still hasn’t done — anything to help the opposition in Iran. The Green Movement’s top leaders have been held in solitary confinement for more than a year. Thousands of dissidents, journalists, bloggers, and normal citizens have been imprisoned, tortured, and executed, and the dreadful repression continues apace, as does the terror war against us and our soldiers on the battlefield. The president has still not called for an end to the monstrous theocratic tyranny. Instead, he has catered to the needs of the evil regime, at the cost of American lives, our national security, and his personal legacy.
Monday, February 27, 2012
COLLEGE DEGREE: 1950s vs. 2010s
Today's college degree is the equivalent of a 1950s high school diploma.
Friday, February 24, 2012
MAGIC UNDERWEAR
A New York Times columnist has mocked Mitt Romney's Mormon "magic underwear." I am not sure why this is tolerated when comments about a person's race similar to this kind of ridicule result in someone being fired.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
MAPPING US CENSUS
An interactive map from the New York Times showing population data in all US counties.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
3 REASONS WHY COLLEGES ARE IN TROUBLE
CBS news. 1) dwindling family income; 2) dwindling state support; 3) skyrocketing student debt.
IRANIAN BOMBERS IN THAILAND
From ABC news. Bombers are using $27 radios to hide their bombs. The pictures are most interesting and revealing.
MUSLIM ARRESTS ON CONTINENTAL FLIGHT
Haven't seen this on the mainstream media: Muslims screaming "Allahu Akbar" on Portland to Houston flight. And the reason the flight turned around was that they were disobeying the "No Smoking" sign.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
UPRISING IN SYRIA
One factor that has not been given a lot of evaluation is the role Al-Qaeda in playing in the efforts to topple Assad's regime in Syria. And why are Saudis and other Sunnis supporting the overthrow of the Assad regime? Assad is supported by Shiite Iran--underneath the surface there is a sectarian Islamic religious battle going on. If Syria becomes a Shiite ally of Iran, it changes the power balance in the Middle East and threatens the Sunni states. So it is in the interest of the Arab League to overthrow the Assad regime in spite of the risks involved. Iranian naval ships have sailed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean and are rumored to be headed to Syrian ports. This is probably more a show of support for Assad than anything else.
MORE ON BIRTH TRENDS & DEMOGRAPHY
Mark Steyn argues that it is foolish for the Obama administration to get into an argument about birth control when the demographic stats point to some serious problems ahead. He uses an administration-generated chart to make his point with regard to how a smaller population will ever pay off the debt the US is acquiring.
Will America be another Greece? In Greece, 100 grandparents have 42 grandchildren — i.e., an upside-down family tree. As I wrote in this space a few weeks ago, "If 100 geezers run up a bazillion dollars' worth of debt, is it likely that 42 youngsters will ever be able to pay it off?"
For America: Nevertheless, the Baby Boomers did not have enough children to maintain mid-20th century social programs. As a result, the children they did have will end their lives in a poorer, uglier, sicker, more divided and more violent society.
But what really caught my attention was his reference to Louis XVI's budget in France before the 1789 revolution. For purposes of comparison, by 1788 Louis XVI's government in France was spending a mere 60% of revenues on debt service, and we know how that worked out for His Majesty shortly thereafter. I am not sure where he got 60%, because I have seen higher figures than this one. The French government was so indebted it could not even develop an infrastructure to compete with England in the rising Industrial Revolution.
Will America be another Greece? In Greece, 100 grandparents have 42 grandchildren — i.e., an upside-down family tree. As I wrote in this space a few weeks ago, "If 100 geezers run up a bazillion dollars' worth of debt, is it likely that 42 youngsters will ever be able to pay it off?"
For America: Nevertheless, the Baby Boomers did not have enough children to maintain mid-20th century social programs. As a result, the children they did have will end their lives in a poorer, uglier, sicker, more divided and more violent society.
But what really caught my attention was his reference to Louis XVI's budget in France before the 1789 revolution. For purposes of comparison, by 1788 Louis XVI's government in France was spending a mere 60% of revenues on debt service, and we know how that worked out for His Majesty shortly thereafter. I am not sure where he got 60%, because I have seen higher figures than this one. The French government was so indebted it could not even develop an infrastructure to compete with England in the rising Industrial Revolution.
Friday, February 17, 2012
CULTURE OF CORRUPTION
It sounds like Chicago corruption has hit Washington. Solyndra was just the start of green-energy corruption. And in other cases it just not seem to make economic sense. For example: Our U.S. Navy is spending lots of our green to go green too. They recently committed $12 million to purchase 450,000 gallons of biofuel at about $26.75 per gallon in order to offset requirements for standard JP-5 aircraft jet fuel that costs less than $3 per gallon. The good news is that the total fuel price will be only about five times more (rather than 9 times) after it is mixed with the standard stuff.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
From the Washington Post. Energy companies benefited from "insider" contacts when $3.9 billion in government grants were administered.
White House officials stress that staffers and advisers with venture capital ties did not make funding decisions related to these companies. But e-mails released in a congressional probe of Obama’s clean-tech program show that staff and advisers with links to venture firms informally advocated for some of those companies.
White House officials stress that staffers and advisers with venture capital ties did not make funding decisions related to these companies. But e-mails released in a congressional probe of Obama’s clean-tech program show that staff and advisers with links to venture firms informally advocated for some of those companies.
OBAMACARE
Is it a tax or isn't it?--the administration has presented differing views.
In a hearing of the House Budget Committee Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., pressed Zients on whether the penalty that the health care law imposes on individuals who do not purchase health insurance constitutes a tax. Eventually, Zients said it did not.
But this directly contradicts one of the arguments the Obama administration is making before the Supreme Court in defense of the health care law, which is that the mandate is Constitutional because it's a tax and government has taxing power.
In a hearing of the House Budget Committee Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., pressed Zients on whether the penalty that the health care law imposes on individuals who do not purchase health insurance constitutes a tax. Eventually, Zients said it did not.
But this directly contradicts one of the arguments the Obama administration is making before the Supreme Court in defense of the health care law, which is that the mandate is Constitutional because it's a tax and government has taxing power.
OBAMA ON FAILED CAMPAIGN PROMISES
"Well we're not there because this recession turned out to be a lot deeper than any of else realized," Obama said about his inability to cut the deficit in half.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
EUGENICS AT YALE
Evidentally the president of Yale only wanted to save children of the staff at Oxford and Cambridge for eugenic reasons. And anti-semitism was a dominant form of thinking as well.
There are now concerns that leaders of the eugenics movement at Yale University may have extended the invitation because they planned to repopulate a devastated Britain with a race of intellectually superior children.
Darwin's son:
Charles Darwin's son Leonard, saw the human race as no different to animals and similarly, 'weak' humans should not be encourage to breed.
There are now concerns that leaders of the eugenics movement at Yale University may have extended the invitation because they planned to repopulate a devastated Britain with a race of intellectually superior children.
Darwin's son:
Charles Darwin's son Leonard, saw the human race as no different to animals and similarly, 'weak' humans should not be encourage to breed.
Friday, February 10, 2012
JFK'S AFFAIRS
A compilation from the Daily Beast. Beast TV comments in video. Historian Robert Dallek on whether JFK was too immoral to serve.
Presidential character matters and not just for the symbolic reasons I mentioned. Wouldn’t the country have been better served taking account of Harding’s moral failings? Certainly, voters acted recklessly in ignoring complaints that Nixon, despite assertions that we were dealing with the “new” Nixon, deserved the epithet, “tricky Dick.” We were certainly forewarned about Clinton’s womanizing, which undermined his presidency. James Monroe’s assertion that “national honor is the national property of the highest value” remains an enduring ideal.
Presidential character matters and not just for the symbolic reasons I mentioned. Wouldn’t the country have been better served taking account of Harding’s moral failings? Certainly, voters acted recklessly in ignoring complaints that Nixon, despite assertions that we were dealing with the “new” Nixon, deserved the epithet, “tricky Dick.” We were certainly forewarned about Clinton’s womanizing, which undermined his presidency. James Monroe’s assertion that “national honor is the national property of the highest value” remains an enduring ideal.
IRAN, SYRIA, AND THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
I have been puzzled by the Obama administration's policy in the Middle East in general, but especially with how it has handled Iran and Syria. The administration's rhetoric wants to use the negotiation route with Iran but then in Syria it wants to overthrow Assad. Obviously Assad is killing many protestors opposed to him, but Iran has done the same thing over the years. And it is increasingly clear that Iranian troops are helping Assad. So it would seem that it you want to get rid of Assad, one should pressure Iran to stop helping him militarily.
CHRIS MATTHEWS ON OBAMA'S CONTRACEPTION RULING
Even the solidly Democrat TV commentator Chris Matthews disagrees with Obama's decision on forcing Christian organizations to include contraception in their health insurance plans.
OBAMA'S YOUTH PROBLEM
The economic situation of some of Obama's biggest supporters in 2008 is dismal according to a PEW study.
The unemployment rate among 18-to-24 year olds was 16.3% at the end of last year, compared with 8.8% for the rest of the working-age population. That gap in unemployment rates, the Pew study notes, is "the widest in recorded history."
The unemployment rate among 18-to-24 year olds was 16.3% at the end of last year, compared with 8.8% for the rest of the working-age population. That gap in unemployment rates, the Pew study notes, is "the widest in recorded history."
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
NAZI FAMILY VALUES
From the Hoover Digest. A collection of pictures, posters, etc.
Among Nazi memorabilia there exist albums of photographs that once belonged to high Nazi officials. Such albums are visual records of the careers of these officials, as telling as any curriculum vitae, and contain more information than any mere list of “accomplishments” can. Found in the ruins of Berlin at the close of World War II, these and other such albums left Germany through channels both official and unofficial. What matters now, more than sixty-five years later, is not the story of their discovery and transport out of Germany but their ultimate fate. Some were acquired by repositories such as the Hoover Archives, where today they can be consulted by historians and other researchers, especially those interested in what might be called the psychic structure of the Nazi state.
Among Nazi memorabilia there exist albums of photographs that once belonged to high Nazi officials. Such albums are visual records of the careers of these officials, as telling as any curriculum vitae, and contain more information than any mere list of “accomplishments” can. Found in the ruins of Berlin at the close of World War II, these and other such albums left Germany through channels both official and unofficial. What matters now, more than sixty-five years later, is not the story of their discovery and transport out of Germany but their ultimate fate. Some were acquired by repositories such as the Hoover Archives, where today they can be consulted by historians and other researchers, especially those interested in what might be called the psychic structure of the Nazi state.
Saturday, February 04, 2012
OBAMA'S WAR ON RELIGION
A column by Michael Gerson (first appeared in the Washington Post).
In politics, the timing is often the message. On Jan. 20 — three days before the annual March for Life — the Obama administration announced its final decision that Catholic universities, hospitals and charities will be compelled to pay for health insurance that covers sterilization, contraceptives and abortifacients.
Obama's decision also reflects a certain view of liberalism. Classical liberalism was concerned with the freedom to hold and practice beliefs at odds with a public consensus. Modern liberalism uses the power of the state to impose liberal values on institutions it regards as backward. It is the difference between pluralism and anticlericalism.
In politics, the timing is often the message. On Jan. 20 — three days before the annual March for Life — the Obama administration announced its final decision that Catholic universities, hospitals and charities will be compelled to pay for health insurance that covers sterilization, contraceptives and abortifacients.
Obama's decision also reflects a certain view of liberalism. Classical liberalism was concerned with the freedom to hold and practice beliefs at odds with a public consensus. Modern liberalism uses the power of the state to impose liberal values on institutions it regards as backward. It is the difference between pluralism and anticlericalism.
Friday, February 03, 2012
PROBLEMS WITH POLLING FIGURES
The issue of how political polls are administered is always an issue. Hotair is challenging the methodology of the WAPO/ABC polls on presidential preferences.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
PRESS COVERAGE OF CORRUPT POLITICIANS
A trend from Investor's Business Daily.
Journalism: What's the difference between Republican and Democratic political operatives who end up on the wrong side of the law? In the "unbiased" press, only the Republicans' party ID and connections merit attention.
Journalism: What's the difference between Republican and Democratic political operatives who end up on the wrong side of the law? In the "unbiased" press, only the Republicans' party ID and connections merit attention.
Monday, January 30, 2012
POSTPONING COLLEGE
An argument that students should spend some time growing up after high school before they attend university.
Easy enough, you say, especially if you get into a decent school. But here’s the rub: Having access to an education is just the entry fee. To really learn something (as opposed to completing homework and navigating the occasional test), you have to be ready to receive that knowledge—to inhale it, with aggression, satisfaction, even glee.
To that end, I propose a theoretical pre-college regimen called “grownup training.” Specifically: six months spent working in a factory, six in a restaurant, six on a farm and six in the military or performing another public service such as building houses, teaching algebra or changing bedpans. (Of course, mandated military or civil service between high school and college is nothing new. Austria, Brazil, Finland, Greece, Russia, Turkey and Vietnam all require between six months and two years of service. Israel demands three years from its men and two from its women, after which many would-be undergrads take what the English call a “gap year” to travel the globe before heading off to college.)
Easy enough, you say, especially if you get into a decent school. But here’s the rub: Having access to an education is just the entry fee. To really learn something (as opposed to completing homework and navigating the occasional test), you have to be ready to receive that knowledge—to inhale it, with aggression, satisfaction, even glee.
To that end, I propose a theoretical pre-college regimen called “grownup training.” Specifically: six months spent working in a factory, six in a restaurant, six on a farm and six in the military or performing another public service such as building houses, teaching algebra or changing bedpans. (Of course, mandated military or civil service between high school and college is nothing new. Austria, Brazil, Finland, Greece, Russia, Turkey and Vietnam all require between six months and two years of service. Israel demands three years from its men and two from its women, after which many would-be undergrads take what the English call a “gap year” to travel the globe before heading off to college.)
THE WEALTHY 1% & POLITICS
I can't say I am big on Romney (or for that matter any other Republican candidate) or rich fat cats, but I think it is unfair for the media and Democrats to go after Romney on the wealth issue. As Victor Davis Hanson points out, there are many super-wealthy on the Democrat side, but no one seems bothered by their wealth. I am especially interested in watching what happens to John Corzine after all of his hedge fund's money seems to have gone poof.
This week we heard that consumer populist and Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren is, by both net worth and salary, part of the One Percent herself — as well as a past consultant to insurance companies seeking to avoid litigant claims. All three of Barack Obama’s chiefs of staff were Wall Streeters; all three made their Wall Street millions in very little time; two had some sort of association with Freddie and Fannie. Peter Orszag of both OMB and Citigroup is emblematic of the technocratic class’s revolving door between “public service” and ever more enhanced billets back on Wall Street. And, fairly or not, even good handlers cannot keep Michelle Obama’s taste for the aristocratic life of high fashion out of the press.
Most universities are far more unfair to their part-time teachers than Wal-Mart is to their greeters. Robert Redford does not seem concerned that at least a few of his fellow HuffPo writers are paid almost nothing for their work. Al Gore would never ask an out-of-work pipeline worker to hitch a ride on one of his private jet swings. Hollywood predicates much of its production on the basis of non-union locations.
This week we heard that consumer populist and Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren is, by both net worth and salary, part of the One Percent herself — as well as a past consultant to insurance companies seeking to avoid litigant claims. All three of Barack Obama’s chiefs of staff were Wall Streeters; all three made their Wall Street millions in very little time; two had some sort of association with Freddie and Fannie. Peter Orszag of both OMB and Citigroup is emblematic of the technocratic class’s revolving door between “public service” and ever more enhanced billets back on Wall Street. And, fairly or not, even good handlers cannot keep Michelle Obama’s taste for the aristocratic life of high fashion out of the press.
Most universities are far more unfair to their part-time teachers than Wal-Mart is to their greeters. Robert Redford does not seem concerned that at least a few of his fellow HuffPo writers are paid almost nothing for their work. Al Gore would never ask an out-of-work pipeline worker to hitch a ride on one of his private jet swings. Hollywood predicates much of its production on the basis of non-union locations.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
NEWT & BILL CLINTON
From Emmett Tyrell, the conservative editor of the American Spectator.
How long have I been saying it? At least for 15 years, but in private I have been aware of it longer. Newt Gingrich is conservatism’s Bill Clinton, but without the charm. He has acquired wit but he has all the charm of barbed wire.
Newt and Bill are 1960s generation narcissists, and they share the same problems: waywardness and deviancy. Newt, like Bill, has a proclivity for girl hopping. It is not as egregious as Bill’s, but then Newt is not as drop-dead beautiful. His public record is already besmeared with tawdry divorces, and there are private encounters with the fair sex that doubtless will come out.
From the WAPO, "Time to Bring Back Bill Clinton."
It is tit for tat all the way when it comes to those two. Still sick, after all these years, of Clinton and his melodrama? Who can say that with a straight face and not be equally tired of Gingrich? Still feeling queasy about the character questions surrounding the Arkansas traveler’s sexual behavior? How does that hurt him in a world where Pope Limbaugh pronounces that it was a “mark of character” for Newt to ask his second wife for permission while cheating on her. If nothing else, Clinton vs. Gingrich might banish from campaign rhetoric all pious baloney about sex. Not a word could be uttered about Clinton’s impeachment, not with the hindsight that the married Javert of the House was at the same time fooling around with an aide named Callista down at the agriculture committee.
How long have I been saying it? At least for 15 years, but in private I have been aware of it longer. Newt Gingrich is conservatism’s Bill Clinton, but without the charm. He has acquired wit but he has all the charm of barbed wire.
Newt and Bill are 1960s generation narcissists, and they share the same problems: waywardness and deviancy. Newt, like Bill, has a proclivity for girl hopping. It is not as egregious as Bill’s, but then Newt is not as drop-dead beautiful. His public record is already besmeared with tawdry divorces, and there are private encounters with the fair sex that doubtless will come out.
From the WAPO, "Time to Bring Back Bill Clinton."
It is tit for tat all the way when it comes to those two. Still sick, after all these years, of Clinton and his melodrama? Who can say that with a straight face and not be equally tired of Gingrich? Still feeling queasy about the character questions surrounding the Arkansas traveler’s sexual behavior? How does that hurt him in a world where Pope Limbaugh pronounces that it was a “mark of character” for Newt to ask his second wife for permission while cheating on her. If nothing else, Clinton vs. Gingrich might banish from campaign rhetoric all pious baloney about sex. Not a word could be uttered about Clinton’s impeachment, not with the hindsight that the married Javert of the House was at the same time fooling around with an aide named Callista down at the agriculture committee.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
OBAMA OFFENDS THE CATHOLIC LEFT
From the Wall Street Journal.
Now, suddenly, we have headlines about the president's "war on the Catholic Church." Mostly they stem from a Health and Human Services mandate that forces every employer to provide employees with health coverage that not only covers birth control and sterilization, but makes them free. Predictably, the move has drawn fire from the Catholic bishops.
The irony, of course, is that the ruling is being imposed by a Catholic Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, working in an administration with a Catholic vice president, Joe Biden. A few years back the voluble Mr. Biden famously threatened to "shove my rosary beads" down the throat of those who dared suggest that his party's positions on social issues put it at odds with people of faith. Does he now mean to include Mr. Winters, Cardinal Mahony and Father Jenkins?
Now, suddenly, we have headlines about the president's "war on the Catholic Church." Mostly they stem from a Health and Human Services mandate that forces every employer to provide employees with health coverage that not only covers birth control and sterilization, but makes them free. Predictably, the move has drawn fire from the Catholic bishops.
The irony, of course, is that the ruling is being imposed by a Catholic Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, working in an administration with a Catholic vice president, Joe Biden. A few years back the voluble Mr. Biden famously threatened to "shove my rosary beads" down the throat of those who dared suggest that his party's positions on social issues put it at odds with people of faith. Does he now mean to include Mr. Winters, Cardinal Mahony and Father Jenkins?
THE OBAMA MEMOS
From the New Yorker. The New Yorker is hardly a conservative magazine, yet Dr. Larry Summers' (Obama's economic advisor) memo reveals some very shadowy decisions. It reveals how misleading his agenda was as well as the hypocrisies of the whole program. Among other things they recognized that the deficits were dangerous. And the issue of smearing Clinton to get elected is raised. This is hardly a noble presidential campaign.
A shorter analysis in the Blaze.
And Mickey Kaus has some criticism of Obama just checking boxes on memos and apparently not asking more questions about what he is signing. The President’s decision-making method–at least as described in the piece–seems to consist mainly of checking boxes on memos his aides have written for him. …
A shorter analysis in the Blaze.
And Mickey Kaus has some criticism of Obama just checking boxes on memos and apparently not asking more questions about what he is signing. The President’s decision-making method–at least as described in the piece–seems to consist mainly of checking boxes on memos his aides have written for him. …
Friday, January 13, 2012
HEADSTART, A 50 YEAR FLOP?
From the American Interest.
But a long-suppressed government report finally released by the Obama administration report is shaking the foundations of Head Start, and the news isn’t coming from right wing conservatives but from Joe Klein at Time magazine.
But a long-suppressed government report finally released by the Obama administration report is shaking the foundations of Head Start, and the news isn’t coming from right wing conservatives but from Joe Klein at Time magazine.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
BAGPIPES
The pipes bring back a lot of memories. From "We Were Soldiers" soundtrack.
Lay me doon in the caul caul groon
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
Lay me doon in the caul caul groon
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears
Ains a year say a prayer faur me
Close yir een an remember me
Nair mair shall a see the sun
For a fell tae a Germans gun
Lay me doon in the caul caul groon
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
Lay me doon in the caul caul groon
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
Lay me doon in the caul caul groon
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
Lay me doon in the caul caul groon
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears
Ains a year say a prayer faur me
Close yir een an remember me
Nair mair shall a see the sun
For a fell tae a Germans gun
Lay me doon in the caul caul groon
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
Lay me doon in the caul caul groon
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
Whaur afore monie mair huv gaun
YAD VASHEM
On this visit to Yad Vashem I was struck by a quote from Kurt Tucholsky, a German-Jewish journalist who died in Nazi Germany in 1935: "A country is not just what it does--it is also what it tolerates."
YAD VASHEM
This time in visiting Yad Vashem I was struck by a quote by a German-Jewish journalist, Kurt Tucholsky: "A country is not just what it does--it is also what it tolerates."
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
UNEMPLOYMENT AND COLLEGE GRADS
An interesting study on unemployment and income levels for college graduates in different fields.
Monday, January 09, 2012
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
THE OBAMA LEGEND
An article by Victor Davis Hanson.
Presidential historian Michael Beschloss, on no evidence, once proclaimed Obama “probably the smartest guy ever to become president.” When he thus summed up liberal consensus, was he perhaps referring to academic achievement? Soaring SAT scores? Seminal publications? IQ scores known only to a small Ivy League cloister? Political wizardry?
Who was this Churchillian president so much smarter than the Renaissance man Thomas Jefferson, more astute than a John Adams or James Madison, with more insight than a Lincoln, brighter still than the polymath Teddy Roosevelt, more studious than the bookish Woodrow Wilson, better read than the autodidact Harry Truman?
Consider. Did Obama achieve a B+ average at Columbia? Who knows? (Who will ever know?) But even today’s inflated version of yesteryear’s gentleman Cs would not normally warrant admission to Harvard Law. And once there, did the Law Review editor publish at least one seminal article? Why not?
Presidential historian Michael Beschloss, on no evidence, once proclaimed Obama “probably the smartest guy ever to become president.” When he thus summed up liberal consensus, was he perhaps referring to academic achievement? Soaring SAT scores? Seminal publications? IQ scores known only to a small Ivy League cloister? Political wizardry?
Who was this Churchillian president so much smarter than the Renaissance man Thomas Jefferson, more astute than a John Adams or James Madison, with more insight than a Lincoln, brighter still than the polymath Teddy Roosevelt, more studious than the bookish Woodrow Wilson, better read than the autodidact Harry Truman?
Consider. Did Obama achieve a B+ average at Columbia? Who knows? (Who will ever know?) But even today’s inflated version of yesteryear’s gentleman Cs would not normally warrant admission to Harvard Law. And once there, did the Law Review editor publish at least one seminal article? Why not?
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
OBAMA'S FAILED PREDICTIONS
From Forbes: Obama is a terrible economic historian.
From Instapundit (Dec. 13, 2011)
On Feb. 2, 2009, Obama told the “Today Show” that “a year from now I think people are gonna see that we’re starting to make some progress,” and that “if I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”
On Feb. 12, 2009, he predicted that his $830 billion stimulus would “ignite spending by businesses and consumers” and unleash “a new wave of innovation, activity and construction … all across America.”
On Feb. 26, 2009, Obama’s first budget projected that by 2011 the economy would be cooking ahead at 4% real GDP growth, with unemployment at 7.1% and falling fast.
On Feb. 7, 2010, he said “we are seeing the corner turn and the economy growing again.”
On June 4, 2010, Obama claimed the “economy is getting stronger by the day” and later that month said the recovery was “well under way.”
From Instapundit (Dec. 13, 2011)
On Feb. 2, 2009, Obama told the “Today Show” that “a year from now I think people are gonna see that we’re starting to make some progress,” and that “if I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”
On Feb. 12, 2009, he predicted that his $830 billion stimulus would “ignite spending by businesses and consumers” and unleash “a new wave of innovation, activity and construction … all across America.”
On Feb. 26, 2009, Obama’s first budget projected that by 2011 the economy would be cooking ahead at 4% real GDP growth, with unemployment at 7.1% and falling fast.
On Feb. 7, 2010, he said “we are seeing the corner turn and the economy growing again.”
On June 4, 2010, Obama claimed the “economy is getting stronger by the day” and later that month said the recovery was “well under way.”
Saturday, December 10, 2011
SEX AND EVANGELICALS
There does not appear to be much commitment to sexual morality among young evangelicals.
. . .the October 2011 issue of Relevant magazine contains a must-read article for those who see the need for a rather profound cultural course correction. It turns out that 80 percent of unmarried evangelicals (18 to 29) are sexually active. Yes, 80 percent. For all unmarried young adults the total is 88 percent. Oh, and even as 80 percent of young unmarried evangelicals are sexually active, 76 percent of evangelicals still believe sex outside of marriage is wrong. Even worse, 65 percent of women who abort their children identify as Catholic or Protestant Christian — that’s 650,000 Christian abortions per year.
. . .the October 2011 issue of Relevant magazine contains a must-read article for those who see the need for a rather profound cultural course correction. It turns out that 80 percent of unmarried evangelicals (18 to 29) are sexually active. Yes, 80 percent. For all unmarried young adults the total is 88 percent. Oh, and even as 80 percent of young unmarried evangelicals are sexually active, 76 percent of evangelicals still believe sex outside of marriage is wrong. Even worse, 65 percent of women who abort their children identify as Catholic or Protestant Christian — that’s 650,000 Christian abortions per year.
LOS ANGELES SHOOTING
I didn't hear anyone in the media saying this shooter was shouting "Allahu Akbar" while he was shooting.
STUXNET CONSIPIRACY
Ah, the world of espionage! It wasn't the US or Israel that put the stuxnet virus in Iranian nuclear software--it was the Russians. This is a very dark world.
The case for Russia: However, what about the case for Russian development and deployment? The Russians don’t support an Iranian indigenous nuclear capability. Their calculus is that their companies’ profit margins will benefit as long as the Iranians keep Russian scientists and engineers in country, who can oversee Iranian nuclear progress. Using its unique insights, Russia then plays a Byzantine game of delay and diplomacy. Delaying a program on technical grounds can’t go on indefinitely. At the same time, their involvement in the nuclear program is leverage in Russo-American negotiations.
The case for Russia: However, what about the case for Russian development and deployment? The Russians don’t support an Iranian indigenous nuclear capability. Their calculus is that their companies’ profit margins will benefit as long as the Iranians keep Russian scientists and engineers in country, who can oversee Iranian nuclear progress. Using its unique insights, Russia then plays a Byzantine game of delay and diplomacy. Delaying a program on technical grounds can’t go on indefinitely. At the same time, their involvement in the nuclear program is leverage in Russo-American negotiations.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
EMPLOYERS: COLLEGE STUDENTS LACK SKILLS
From The Chronicle of Higher Education. The interesting thing to me is that it was not just "technical" skills that were missing. On all hiring criteria included in the survey, such as adaptability and critical thinking, applicants were performing below employers' expectations.
Friday, December 02, 2011
DEFEAT IN IRAQ
From the Weekly Standard.
The U.S. abandonment of Iraq will almost certainly increase the sectarian violence that drove Iraq’s Sunni Arabs to welcome the support of Al Qaeda in Iraq fighters. The seeds of renewed sectarian conflict are already being sown, both by the efforts of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to build his Dawa party into something like a Shiite Baath party, and by indications that Sunni Arab leaders are rapidly losing faith that their participation in Iraq’s government can benefit or even protect their communities. The renewal of sectarian conflict will push both sides back toward the extremes, opening the way for Al Qaeda in Iraq to reestablish itself and for Iranian proxy groups to dig themselves even deeper into Iraq. This time there will be no American forces to resist these developments.
The Shiite-led Iraqi government is banning Sunni parties--this does not look good.
The U.S. abandonment of Iraq will almost certainly increase the sectarian violence that drove Iraq’s Sunni Arabs to welcome the support of Al Qaeda in Iraq fighters. The seeds of renewed sectarian conflict are already being sown, both by the efforts of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to build his Dawa party into something like a Shiite Baath party, and by indications that Sunni Arab leaders are rapidly losing faith that their participation in Iraq’s government can benefit or even protect their communities. The renewal of sectarian conflict will push both sides back toward the extremes, opening the way for Al Qaeda in Iraq to reestablish itself and for Iranian proxy groups to dig themselves even deeper into Iraq. This time there will be no American forces to resist these developments.
The Shiite-led Iraqi government is banning Sunni parties--this does not look good.
Thursday, December 01, 2011
COLLEGE DEGREES LOSING VALUE
From the New York Times.
A general guideline these days is that people are rewarded when they can do things that take trained judgment and skill — things, in other words, that can’t be done by computers or lower-wage workers in other countries.
One of the greatest changes is that a college degree is no longer the guarantor of a middle-class existence.
A general guideline these days is that people are rewarded when they can do things that take trained judgment and skill — things, in other words, that can’t be done by computers or lower-wage workers in other countries.
One of the greatest changes is that a college degree is no longer the guarantor of a middle-class existence.
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