Julie Hermann

Here is the tale of an extremely energetic and successful woman.

To some people she evinces mastery, to others mystery.

Political Left Sees Through Healthcare Budget Tricks

Maybe, there is hope for them.

The conveniently shifted budget window of the bill’s spending benefits is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Obamacare’s deficit spending chicanery.

Obamacare, pictures don't lie.

Very funny, if dire reality makes you laugh.

Contract With Amreica 2.0

MAKE YOUR SUGGESTIONS HERE.

Michael Yon - As Christmas Approaches

Regarding our troops in Afganistan:

Michael,

As you make your rounds over there, please to remind them that we know they are there and appreciate their performing their duty in such a magnificent manner.

Jeff

Give Me A Name!

Mil Blogs Silent Protest

Mil Blogs, (blogs operated by military personnel), are holding silent a protest this week. The issue, pressure on the bloggers for using their right to free speech.

Argghhh!

The reason for this is two-fold. First, milblogs are facing an increasingly hostile environment from within the military. While senior leadership has embraced blogging and social media, many field grade officers and senior NCOs do not embrace the concept. From general apathy in not wanting to deal with the issue to outright hostility to it, many commands are not only failing to support such activities, but are aggressively acting against active duty milbloggers, milspouses, and others. The number of such incidents appears to be growing, with milbloggers receiving reprimands, verbal and written, not only for their activities but those of spouses and supporters.

The catalyst has been the treatment of milblogger C.J. Grisham of A Soldier's Perspective (http://www.soldiersperspective.us/). C.J. has earned accolades and respect, from the White House on down for his honest, and sometimes blunt, discussion of issues -- particularly PTSD.

A carrot to: Small Dead Animals

You can donate to CJ's Legal Fund by logging into PayPal, go to the send money page, and put in his email: dj_chcknhawk (AT) yahoo (DOT) com; or, you can send donations directly to:

Grisham Legal Fund
c/o Redstone Federal Credit Union
220 Wynn Drive
Huntsville, AL 35893

Please write "Grisham Legal Fund" in the memo line if you use this option.

Reality Check- Reporters Today

Found at Jim Treacher's blog, and so true.

Flat Screens Are Killers

No, I'm not referring to the program content viewed on television these days, bad as it is I know of no deaths attributed to it, yet. I'm speaking of the object itself.

It seems that a growing number of people are being hurt, or even killed, by falling flat screens. These mishaps fall into two categories. One is "tip overs" wherein someone pulls on the inherently unstable device and has the top heavy appliance fall upon them. The other is the result of improper wall installation, wherein the television is attached to the wall incorrectly and gravity brings it down.

That the second circumstance was in play caught my attention a few weeks back when I happened upon a Popular Mechanics article purporting to instruct on the proper way to hang an HDTV. I was appalled that the author recommended using hollow wall anchors into the drywall!

WRONG! DO NOT DO THIS! -->


As I said in the comment I left at PM, I would never hang a television using hollow wall anchors. That anchorage is only as strong as the drywall around the anchor; and drywall is notoriously brittle and fragile. And, you can not depend on a so-called professional to know that drywall is not strong enough to hold a TV.

Crutchfield offers a good video tutorial on hanging a television. Pay attention when she speaks about finding and attaching to the studs. I would only add to her presentation that, for the screws they use, it is necessary to pre-drill the studs with the proper sized drill bit. This assumes the studs are made of wood.For applications with metal studs, or concrete walls, alternate anchors will be necessary; I will effort to find a tutorial that explains those situations.

It is also true that falling objects causing harm is not restricted to televisions alone. Anything mounted on your walls needs to be securely anchored, including pictures, cabinets, etc. If they fall someone could get hurt.

And, the threat from tip over accident also expands to all furniture, including televisions both old and new.

"Like many other childhood bumps and bruises, most of the injuries related to falling furniture were minor. But 3 percent of the 264,200 children whose cases were reviewed from 1990 to 2007 were injured seriously enough to require hospital admission — most of them for head and neck injuries — and about 300 of them died.">Like many other childhood bumps and bruises, most of the injuries related to falling furniture were minor. But 3 percent of the 264,200 children whose cases were reviewed from 1990 to 2007 were injured seriously enough to require hospital admission — most of them for head and neck injuries — and about 300 of them died.

The solution in any case where furniture can be pulled over is the attachment of a safety strap or other anchor device. Keep in mind that the safety device and its anchorage must be strong enough to hold the object in place when additional weight or force is applied. It is common sense; so, if you lack that attribute then you need to borrow or hire someone who has it.

Warning Does Not Work

I have spent years in the window treatment business and always found the tag that the government forced all manufacturers to attach to their products to be a fool's errand. Pictured above, it is present on the cords of all window treatment hardware these days, written in English on one side and Spanish on the opposite side. And, my suspicion that it served no useful purpose was confirmed today when I heard that 50 million blinds are being recalled.

It's the second largest recall in the nation's history. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Window Covering Safety Council are announcing a voluntary recall of more than 50 million Roman shades and roll-up blinds. To the surprise of many parents, these common household items can pose a life-threatening danger.

So, 50 million blinds are being recalled, because:

There have been eight reported deaths from Roman shades and roll-up blinds since 2001 and 16 near-strangulations.

Wow, how will mankind survive! Whatever happened to common sense?

"We had placed those shades there, next to his crib, with no idea that they were potentially so dangerous," said his wife Susan.

Or, reading a warning tag?

And, lastly, what evidence is there to make one believe that the proposed fix will actually prevent future Darwin Award nominees from harming themselves? Are we expected to believe a kid won't find a way to get his head in the cord even with a cord tensioner in place? Good luck with that.

Leapin' Leaf

Thursday Afternoon At The Beach

Shine On

I once owned/operated a furniture refinishing business. It has been years since I did anything, for business, with those skills. Last month one of my favorite clients asked if I would redo a coffee table top, and I jumped at the chance.




I still have it. All in all, a very satisfying bit of work.

Navy Seals To Be Tried For Capturing A Bad Man

Ahmed Hashim Abed is considered responsible the atrocity pictured above. September 3rd of this year, three Navy Seals captured him. Since then accusations have risen charging these three, Petty Officer Second Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe and Petty Officer Julio Huertas, with battery against Abed after his capture. The Seals deny they beat the terrorist. The Navy does not believe them and sought to punish them; but McCabe/Keefe/Huertas will have none of that, they demanded a court-martial. Essentially they have told the political wonks who want them guilty that they refuse to go along with the ruse. They want their honor, and they are willing to take their case to a court to get justice.

Good for them! I just wish they could get a civilian trial by jury in New York City, you know, the way those terrorists Eric Holder is sending up from Guantanamo are scheduled to receive. If, by some odd chance, they fail to get a favorable verdict from the Court Martial, they should insist on a civilian trial on appeal. For, even if they were guilty, no jury in this country would convict them for giving a fat lip to a butcher like Abed.

Congressional Pay- Give Then An Incentive

While listening to Fox News show, The Cost of Freedom, today I heard what may be the best solution to getting a check on government spending, deficits, and other fiscal irresponsibility.

Pay Congress with Treasury Bills. That is what one of the female commentators suggested. A brilliant remark which went by without comment from the rest of the panel.

Imagine how much more businesslike our Congress would be if their pay is directly related to the fiscal solvency of our nation. That is to say, the better they manage our money, the more they get paid. So, any action they take to make the US Dollar stronger increases the amount they receive as compensation. Brilliant.

Of course, there will also need to be provisions which constrict how much they can take as business expenses related to their job, or they would simply continue with their current pattern of malfeasance and use the loopholes to pad their expense vouchers to bring their real compensation up. But, if we could get it done, what an excellent system it could be.

Aussie Says Countrymen Are Shrimps At The Barbie

Of course, the USA is best at cooking meat outdoors, duh!

.......the Americans have it all over us when it comes to cooking with fire, iron and tongs.

Here Lies, There Lies

I've been driven to reduce the amount of news and especially political news I absorb because I can't take being lied to all of the time. John Stossel has a brief essay that illustrates the point.

We Pay Them to Lie to Us

When you knowingly pay someone to lie to you, we call the deceiver an illusionist or a magician. When you unwittingly pay someone to do the same thing, I call him a politician.

and,

Medicare is already $37 trillion in the hole. Yet the Democrats proudly cite Medicare when they demand support for the health care overhaul. If a business pulled the accounting tricks the politicians get away with, the owners would be in prison.

Bravo Mr. Stossel!

Dream Machine

Those of us who are not particularly good swimmers, and those of us who fear the seas creatures yet are curious about what is down there, below the waves, will want one of these submarines. Not that I can afford one. If I could it wouldn't be a dream machine.

The Super Falcon

Traffic Cams - Must We Have Them?

A friend of mine tells me that she received a ticket in the mail for coasting through a right turn while the light was red. One of those traffic cameras had caught the event.

Accounting for her time, she discovered that she was not the driver for the period in question. She had loaned the car to a friend who is known to coast through red lights. But, as the car's owner, the ticket came to her. I always thought that tickets went to the driver, not the car, and if they can't identify the driver then they can't sustain the charge. Right? Anyway, it is just one more incidence where traffic cameras are controversial.

I was reminded of this tale when I came across the following article:

Traffic devices: cash cows or safety aides

Fred Childress, president of Tennessee Liberty Alliance, said he's seen no evidence that what he calls "revenue cameras" have reduced accident rates.

All they've done, he says, is upset motorists, obstruct traffic flow and prompt drivers to avoid the city.

WWII Era Britains Also Regret What Their Country Has Become

Reflecting a sympathy found in America too, many of the British who fought to save their country and way of life during World War II find the country they now live in to be an unfortunate deviation from what they fought to preserve.

'This isn't the Britain we fought for,' say the 'unknown warriors' of WWII

In one letter in this collection, an RAF mechanic quoted a poem about comrades who fell in battle: 'I mourned them then, But now surviving in a world, Indifferent to their hopes and dreams, I grieve more for the living.'

Hail Hale and Lincoln , With Our Thanks

I have long known that President Abraham Lincoln is responsible for Thanksgiving becoming a national holiday, but the name Sarah Josepha Hale was completely unknown to me before today. But, it is she who is credited with inspiring Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day proclamation.

The daughter of a Revolutionary War soldier, Hale “was very patriotic her whole life,” Wood said. “The whole issue for her was patriotism and loyalty to our country.”

Starting in 1846, Hale had written several of Lincoln’s predecessors in the White House about establishing a national Thanksgiving, but her requests were rebuffed.

In a letter to Lincoln from Philadelphia on Sept. 28, 1863, Hale wrote: “You may have observed, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving held on the same day in all the states; it now needs national recognition and authoritive (sic) fixation only to become permanently an American custom and institution.”

Now that I have made her acquaintance, I have one more thing to be thankful for on this holiday she championed.

Abe Pollin

My first knowledge of the man Abe Pollin came through my being a fan of basketball player Westley Unseld.

Unseld is a living legend in my hometown, Louisville, Kentucky. A local kid who stayed at home when he chose a college. All-American, All-Pro, and eventually an NBA Champion and Hall-of-Fame player, only the second NBA player to be named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in his rookie season (along with Wilt Chamberlain), Mr. Unseld did no wrong. And his entire family seemed just as solid, (my older brother was taught at Seneca High by Westley's older brother George). So, when a citizen and athlete as solid as Westley Unseld trusted Mr. Pollin enough to go to work for him without signing a contract, just a handshake deal, literally, and that trust was confirmed time and again, then it was apparent that Mr. Pollin was also a special man.

It may seem strange to talk so much about another while lauding Mr. Pollin, but so strong is my respect for Mr. Unseld that his opinion of the man is, in my mind, the ultimate testament to how important a figure Mr. Pollin is in history. There are many others who also know of the greatness that was Abe Pollin, his community is filled with people who benefited from his industry, his integrity, and his sense of purpose. I never met the man, I wish I had. I regret how little I know of the man, but that handshake set a picture in my mind that he was the kind of man I strive to be, the kind of man we should all strive to be. But there was so much more there, and now we have lost his contributions and must carry on on our compass; may ours be as true as his.

"I just lost a real, real good friend," said Unseld, star of the 1978 title team who later became the team's coach and then general manager. "And I think it's more than any of you will understand or I could even explain. It's just going to be a big void in sports in this community."

Medvedev Longs To Be Groucho Marx, Or, How The Russian President Is Making A Fool Out Of Obama

Powerline

It is short, just read it.

Longing For W

I mentioned how heartened I was to hear President Geo. W. Bush speak the other day. Some others are now realizing how they too miss him.

We were convinced that ANYONE who was president would have done what Bush did, and would have set that right tone of leadership in the wake of that disaster. President Gore, President Perot, President Nader, you name it. ANYONE, we assumed, would have filled that role perfectly.

Additionally VDH on what Bush found on his first day.

I believe history will find GWB to be a good President. I am sure that we will miss him more and more in the next three years.

hat tip to small dead animals for both articles.

Photos: China's Pollution

Horrible!

Connecticut Waking Up?

Sen. Dodd may not win re-election.

How will the country survive without yet another blowhard in office? With the ways things go, the new guy will catch on soon enough. All hail the new guy, time for the arrogant Dodd to get out of Dodge DC!

Purple Hearts For Soldiers Wounded At The Battle Of Ft. Hood

Roger Kimball is on board with the reality, the soldiers killed and wounded at Ft. Hood were struck while on active duty in a war zone. They deserve the medals accorded their action, Purple heart medals.

Kimball also says:

Islam presents the West with a boundary case, testing the limits of religious freedom. Unlike Muslims, we believe people should be allowed to worship unmolested as they see fit. But in order to protect that commodiousness, the West must be intolerant of doctrines, like Islam, that preach intolerance.

Doctrines that have a religious dimension must not be allowed to draw on the prestige, the privileges, the immunities we accord to religion when they do so in order to deny those privileges and immunities to others. Such movements — Islam is one — should be regarded as what they are: activist political organizations whose aims are destructive of our institutions.

"Activist political organization", can we really deny that truth?

Biden's Halliburton

The famous lefty myth has it that the Bush administration went to war for oil. And, the ultimate villian in the left's eyes, Dick Cheney benefited from the work his old employer Haliburton was doing in the Iraqi oil fields. Charges never proven, both forever etched in the lefty's consciousness.

Of course, as is always the case with those folks, the truth no longer matters, the charge does the damage they seek. And they find that satisfying. So satisfying that it is no longer necessary that our government employees keep clean hands. After all, now the hands that are in the cookie jar belong to Democrats.

What happened here is clear -- Joe Biden advocated policies in Iraq that his adviser Galbraith also advocated. Galbraith profited handsomely off those policies through close ties to oil companies.

But you won't hear chants of Darth Biden from the liberal papers, such as the NYT.

Update: Another's take on the subject- Works and Days

Agnew Announced The End Of Jounalism

It remains the most influential indictment of American journalism ever made. Forty years ago today, this famous figure began railing against the corporate media.

And the big business of "media" has sought to control the message ever since. My biggest concern about the way media comes from not knowing how or when things will ever change. I may have to live the rest of my life under the intellectually demeaning thumb of big media hand.

Our present federal government is bent on taking over industry; I wish they'd take over the job of telling the truth, though it be foreign to them as well.

A Comforting Voice

I just returned home, (about 3pm est), and discover former President George W. Bush giving a speech at Southern Methodist University, the future site of his Presidential Library.

Hearing his voice makes me feel good.

Email To Sarah Palin

Gov. Palin,

First, let me congratulate you on the success of your book. I posted your Facebook book tour announcement to my Facebook page, and I am hoping that Naples, Florida makes the list of tour stops.

Now, to the matter that sparked me to write today.

My sister is one of those knee-jerk political types that see everything the old way; left vs right, conservative vs liberal, Blue vs Red and was thus compelled to post something anti-Palin in response to my call for you to stop in Naples. Her post is as follows:

Jodie's take-

"I see Going Rogue is already discounted from $28.99 to $4.50 and that comic book hasn't even been released yet."

She then adds a quote from the Huffington Post:

Fox News Fact-Checks Sarah Palin's Coin Conspiracy Theory (VIDEO)
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com
This must sting a bit. Sarah Palin's newest conspiracy theory on the "disturbing" redesign of U.S. coins was too much, even for Fox News -- on Tuesday night, Fox fact-checked Palin.

Now, as you can see that is the same tired and untested bs we often see in politics these days. I wrote her a comment, of which I am quite proud, wherein I dissect the matter and offer a reasonable explanation of the events.

I said:

"Fox News is very fair that way, they've reported criticism of President Bush many times before. And, as in this case, their reporters don't editorialize, they present the facts, including any knee-jerk assumptions, and then leave it for the viewer to decide. In this case the Congress came to the conclusion that Palin did, moving IN GOD WE TRUST off the face of the coin was a mistake and it is now back where it belongs. Politico is obviously stuck in the old politics where everything is Red vs Blue, and they knee-jerk reacted assuming something Ms Palin did not say, egg on their faces now, eh?

It does seem unusual for a book still on the Best Seller lists to sell at a discount, (you can get a free copy with the purchase of a Newsmax magazine subscription too), she must not be in it only for the money."

I wanted to share my perspective with you in the modest hopes that there may be something in what I've concluded which will help you deflect the knee-jerk criticism I expect your detractors to undertake en mass in their attempt to live out their purpose in life, i.e. destroying that which they can not understand.

With great respect, and with great hope for the future, sincerely yours,

Rick Jones

To Our Veterans- THANK YOU

Coburn Wants Bill Read On The Floor

Out Loud, and Slowly! PLEASE!

2010

Reagan Library

On the day they remembered the Berlin Wall coming down we need to also remember the man who made it happen.

"How can we not believe in the greatness of America? How can we not do what is right and needed to preserve this last best hope of man on Earth? After all our struggles to restore America, to revive confidence in our country, hope for our future - after all our hard-won victories earned through the patience and courage of every citizen - we cannot, must not, and will not turn back. We will finish our job. How could we do less? We’ re Americans."

-Ronaldus Maximus

Col. Ralph Peters Calls It Ft. Hood's 9/11

Islamist terror strikes US again

"On Thursday afternoon, a radicalized Muslim US Army officer shouting "Allahu Akbar!" committed the worst act of terror on American soil since 9/11. And no one wants to call it an act of terror or associate it with Islam.

What cowards we are."

Obama the Anti-Commander In Chief

Marine wife explains.

Like so many of his campaign promises, Barack Obama's commitment to the military has undergone constant revision since he took office in January.

Fort Hood: The Day Political Correctness Killed

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the shooter murderer at Fort Hood, Texas was an Islamic extremist. And, he is proof that they don't have to be Al Queda to carry the hate of their disease against good people. Radical Islam is not a religion, it is a cult of control. Control over it's practitioners, with the goal of every person becoming a practitioner and controlled. The code of radical Islam allows for no tolerance of other's beliefs, experience is telling us that truth. And while our acceptance and tolerance of Muslims must not end, it can not be allowed to supersede good sense. Not every Muslim has nefarious motives, true, some are just people using the only way they know to get by in this life. Good sense tells us when we meet the others, those that have bad intent, those that have adopted the a stance of superiority and malevolence. We know them from their attitude, their words, their reasoning. And, especially we know them from their rank of allegiance. This murderer in Texas, for example, it is now said that he had professed that his allegiance to Islam was greater than his allegiance to the United States of America; that was a certain sign that he had his priorities wrong. Wrong for this life anyway. And while this is a temporal fault not exclusive to any one religion, believers in other faiths also make the same temporal mistake, when it is a Muslim making the choice he must be considered dangerous, radical, until proven otherwise. For dying, and killing others are fundamental tenets of radical Islam, taking away a life is the ultimate show of control for them. These are small people and must be treated as evil, and they must be brought under our control. The Bible says do unto others as you would have them do unto you; these radical Islamists seek control and therefore are begging us to control them. We must not shrink from this request. Control takes many forms, and all must be on the table in this fight. Standing up and pronouncing the truth about these deviants is one form, denial is not a river we can travel and survive. But is only a start and must be reinforced at every instance where radical Islam springs forth. Political correctness is a suicide pact in this matter, it is weak and ineffective in the face of an existential threat. In my daily life I vow to confront this evil directly, firmly, and without reservation every single time I meet it. PC be damned. There were many signs this man was on the path to be a danger, PC kept him in the fold, this must never happen again. PC be damned. Radical Islam is a cult of malice, and there is no place is this world for their philosophy! Anyone who pronounces that Islam is greater than other religions is announcing a threat. Anyone that holds allegiance first to Islam before adherence to the American system and its laws is announcing a threat. Anyone who promotes the idea of Islamic law as a guiding set of tenets is announcing a threat. I will not be threatened without delivering retaliation. That is not a threat, it is a promise. No more, never again. PC kills! PC be damned!

Krauthammer on The White House's War On Fox News

The "post-partisan" President makes an enemies list.

Rahm Emanuel once sent a dead fish to a live pollster. Now he's put a horse's head in Roger Ailes's bed.

The Andy Rooney Game

A poster at YouTube has developed a new game, take video of Andy Rooney and remove everything except the first and last sentence. Like this:

Happy 99th Birthday John Wooden

Born October 14, 1910

The Wizard of Westwood. The kid from Indiana who became All-American at Purdue and later turned UCLA into the power in college basketball. A man known for his common sense and his teaching skills.

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

And for all that others might say about him, he is best revealed, and we are most rewarded, by hearing what he says; his official site.

Rushisms

"If I had said what they say I said about slavery, I would be gone. Snerdley would have resigned on the spot. It's an outrageous slander. One of the things that I am proudest of this country is that we went to war with ourselves to end slavery. There is nobody I know in the whole population of this country who wishes to revive it or who defends it." -Rush

"If I'm controversial, it's because I say things everybody thinks but doesn't have the
guts to say. Political correctness is like a vise grip around all our throats." -Rush

"Rev. Sharpton wants to meet with the NFL commissioner to oppose my buying the Rams. This saddens and disappoints me. I know Sharpton. He's better than this. You know, I believe in freedom and second chances. I don't discriminate. I didn't judge his fitness to be in radio when he wanted to earn an honest living for once, given his role in the Tawana Brawley hoax." -Rush

Webb and Gannon School Troubled Young Man

Just the facts, man! From now on, remember, we want just the facts!

Nobel Prize Committee Reforms To Compete With The Onion

The Onion news.

The Nobel news.

It remains unclear as to why the Committee decided to tack further toward the comic, but speculation includes their obvious lack of television rating as compared to Comedy Central as a primary motivator. John Stewart is expected to issue a statement on the matter later today.

In other news, North Korea and Iran continue efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, radical Islamists continue efforts to destroy Israel, the United States, and all other free nations, while subversive elements within free countries march onward toward the development of facism as a replacement for free will. Truth and historical fact remain on defense. While narcissism and irrational expectations are feeling just fine about themselves, thank you. Oh, and this just in, "Francisco Franco is still dead". "Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow".

The Memphis Dues

A $10 fee for a panhandler's license has gone into effect in Memphis, Tennessee. Hardly a sign of the apocalypse, and a nominal amount too, not having a permit is a misdemeanor.

Panhandling is the solicitation of any item of value, monetary or otherwise, made by a person, other than an exempt organization, acting on his/her own behalf, requesting an immediate donation of money or exchange of any services; or any person, acting on his/her own behalf, attempting to sell an item for an amount far exceeding its value, or an item which already offered free-of-charge to the general public, and under circumstances a reasonable person would understand that the purchase is in substance a donation.

Though, as we would expect in these times, there are those that think this a great imposition, it seems like a common sense way to regulate this activity. Any other legitimate business has an obligation to announce its presence and the identity of its principle operators, (I do in two counties here in Florida), so, why not this one too.

Any person panhandling within the below described geographical or restricted areas shall be required to have a permit, as issued by the city treasurer, or his designee, in his/her possession at all times, subject to exhibition on demand by any person, and shall be subject to conditions as set out in the following paragraphs (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i).

That'll Be The Day

Wish I believed it was dead.

Give me a country where I am free to not have health insurance, or give me death.

When Lactose Attacks

No bull!


A Carrot to: Dust My Broom

Roman Freak, Polanski's Crimes Diminished By The Careless And Undisciplined Left

Polanski, the name first gathered meaning for me not for the famed movie director's professional work, but for the terrible crime committed against his young, and pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, at the evil hands of the Manson Family. Murder, and that understates the atrocities of that deranged cult, and so senseless. Why, we asked? What a shame! What a waste!

In the aftermath of that horrific crime I felt sympathy for Mr. Polanski. I saw him as a tragic figure, a victim too, just as surely as Jackie Kennedy was after that day in Dallas. Poor man, we empathized. He must be suffering so, I thought. All of that good will undermined when he raped a thirteen year old year girl eight years later.

I'm not the naive youth I was once was, so it comes as no surprise that there are those that now defend, or at the least diminish Mr. Polanski's crimes. Their discount of this pedophile's rape of a thirteen year old girl,

There is, apparently, more to this crime than it would seem, and it may sound like a hollow defense, but in Hollywood I am not sure a 13-year-old is really a 13-year-old.-Tom Shales, a Hollywood movie critic.

is appalling, even if it isn't a surprise, and yes it is hollow. A position such as Mr. Shales emotes above isn't from a place of sympathy for Polanski, it comes from indifference and ignorance. TommyBoy doesn't bother to wonder how it came to be that thirteen-year-olds in Hollywood are open to being abused; take a hint Tommy, it is because of pedos like Roman Polanski that kids are, (what term would he understand, maybe he would say?) , growing up too fast! Polanski was not the victim of an early teen-aged siren calling him to his demise, he was/is a predator who drugged and raped a child!

And, he is also unrepentant, a fugitive from justice who likely raped many more girls during his illegal freedom. Pedophiles don't change, they find their next victim; isn't that what we have heard time and again as this nation's children are abused? Ironically, this so-called great artist, (er, bullshit artist, freak, scumbag), has done less to promote the betterment of humanity than has his wife's killer in the last forty years. She died in prison while trying to atone for her misdeeds. Mr. Polanski should now meet the same fate, death while in prison (he is now in his 70's, do the math, if he gets the proper sentence). But if that happens, will he be rewarded while there with the courage to admit his wrong, the integrity to show remorse, and, the humanity and selflessness to atone for his acts in the manner that Susan Atkins chose; will he work to prevent the crimes he committed from happening in the future? I doubt he will, poor man.

Shroud Of Turin Reproduced?

That is what one man says he did.


A carrot to ArcheoBlog for the tip.

A mystic entity calling himself "Dan" has submitted additional miraculous images created by the hand of man, or were they?.

Obama's Bill

Lobster- Low In Cholesterol

No news here, just a reminder to myself. I was part of a discussion the other day wherein Jay made the claim that Lobster was insanely high in the worst kind of cholesterol. Well, according to every source I have found, nurse Jay is wrong.

Shrimp is the worst of the shellfish. Scallops the best. Lobster has less cholesterol than a hamburger.

Shellfish & Cholesterol
Cholesterol In Seafoods
North Country Seafood
Choose Lobster

Singularity, friend or foe?

Singularity is one of those words I come across and wonder its meaning. So, I looked it up today.

And, lo and behold it isn't descriptive of my social life for the last two decades; who knew? In fact, while staying single may have been one of the smart things I have done lately, it doesn't reflect superhuman intelligence. And that, superhuman intelligence, is at the heart of the concept of Singularity.

My small brain understands it to be a predicted point in time when artificial intelligence (computers, and such) become smarter than humans. And, the study of Singularity comprises the potential for such occurrence and speculation as to the consequences of such actually happening. And now my head hurts. Not that I don't think it is an important discussion, I am not trying to be snarky, it is just one of those topics that needs group discussion. What's the use in developing brilliant insights if there is nobody to share them. Of course, the folks gathering for the annual Singularity Summit understand.

I do wonder though; when smarter than human intelligence is achieved, who will be the smart ass who recognizes its existence? And, how do we know it isn't already here?

Oldest Civil War monument

Kentucky claims the oldest Civil War Monument, carved by a soldier after the Battle of Rowlett's Station to commemorate fallen Union soldiers.

Kate

Ardi

John Hawkes has an extensive FAQ up for those curious about the 4.4 million year old hominid skeleton found in Africa.

He also tells us that the Discovery Channel will air a documentary on the find on October 11 9PM (et/pt).

Rene

Jan E. Matzeliger

I thought I'd share this envelope, I found it while going through a box of old pictures. I don't remember how I acquired it, or when. But it spurred me to discover Mr. Matzeliger, a widely forgotten figure of importance, it seems.

Jan E. Matzeliger had an interesting, yet brief life. Imelda Marcos might have been a fan. On the other hand foot, she probably didn't care if the masses had shoes.

That's Something You Could Do, Safely

Several months have passed since Harvard Professor Louis Gates was arrested in Cambridge, Mass., and I am only now getting around to giving my take on the matter. After hearing both sides it seems to me that the Professor over-reacted; let me explain. Many early reports emphasized that Mr. Gates was in his own home when arrested, or they diminished Gates' role in the episode, and of course race was mentioned as a motive (because that is what civilized people first expect/) even though there were black officers present too. All of this took place before anyone had heard the arresting officer's story. Sure, it was Gates' home, sure, the officer did press Gates to make sure that the officer was getting the full story, and certainly one would not expect to be arrested at one's home for nothing. But Gates did more than nothing, rather than appreciate that the police were there to assure his security, Gates took offense and created an awful situation. Had Gates thought about the following scene from the movie Panic Room he may have been able to put his reflexive paranoia on the back burner long enough to allow the officer to perform his duty.

Take a look, the pertinent section is the first six minutes, with special mention of the section beginning at 4:50 wherein the officer presses the matter to provide the homeowner an opportunity to signal their danger if they dare not speak.



When all of the hyperbole was put aside, and when the full version of events was presented, it is certain that Sargent Crowley was acting in the best interest (Police Report) of Mr. Gates. I can even imagine a situation wherein Mr. Gates continuing rants, and his act of following the officers as they left was an attempt to get arrested to seek protection, a signal which he could not speak. Of course, as time bears out, that wasn't the case, the story is that Mr. Gates behaved like a spoiled child and was subsequently rewarded when the DA elected not to prosecute, (no doubt as a token of good faith, to keep the rabble from rousing).

[note: use of the symbol "/" after a sentence is called a "sarc tag", and denotes the previous statement was sarcastic.]

Millerism- Andy Kaufman Isn't Dead

One of the funniest lines inspired by the recent news came from Dennis Miller on the O'Reilly Factor. In response to Libyan leader Quaddafi's lengthy UN speech this past week Miller observed that he is now sure that the late song-and-dance man Andy Kaufman isn't dead after all, he has moved on from portraying Tony Clifton to impersonating Col. Quaddafi. That Kaufman was also Clifton remains unconfirmed, but we all it is true, that he could now be Quaddafy; I wouldn't put it beyond him.



Bonus find from assembling this post is the discovery of the treatise linked next:
Common Knowledge
Communal news in a fragmented world

....what people really missed, Berelson discovered, was not specific news itself so much as the idea and the act of news—the daily ritual of reading the paper, the interaction it facilitated with others, the simple “serenity,” in Theodore Glasser’s term, of facing the day feeling informed. Readers, Berelson concluded, shared a “ritualistic and near-compulsive” connection to their daily newspapers. The void left in their absence wasn’t merely journalistic; it was also social. And personal. And, in some ways, spiritual.


Berelson’s analysis documented what we denizens of the burgeoning ecosystem often shorthanded as “the new media landscape” understand instinctively: that news is much more than information. That it is more, even, than a cultural commodity. Berelson highlighted news’s status as a source both of intimacy and anxiety: news is not only a reflection of the world we live in. It is also a reflection of ourselves.

What follows will require more than one reading to absorb, a summary is beyond my grasp at this moment, it is extremely thought provoking.

85%+ Have Health Care, For Now. Soon None Will.

Monument Men Revisited

Following up on a previous post.



A commenter has led me to additional information on the subject, as well as the recognition of claims resolution registrys. And art history blogs by M and Nicole.

Author Edsel's site: Monuments Men

Blog on the subject of Illicit Cultural Property.

38 Years After

Here is one of my favorite songs, ever.



I had occasion to find it as I searched for something to put up on my Fantasy Football league's home page. You see, I took the honors for high score this week and posting a video of my choice is all the thanks I get. Seriously, great league with a bunch of good guys; and this is a great song. The irony I have always seen in it is explained well by the following comment left below the YouTube presentation.

Possibly the only politically conservative song ever produced in this genre. It's power lies in its honesty and cynicism. That lead guitar and drums don't hurt none either.

-CrispinRobles

Name That Lie

Arnold Kling invites us to find the "lie" in Obama's health care promises. And, then concludes that the biggest lie is that Obama actually has a plan.

If you are going to repeatedly refer to "my plan" or "this plan" or "the plan I'm proposing," then unless you have a plan you are lying. The only question is whether it is a little lie or a big one. Obviously, most people think it is only a small lie, or the President would have been called out on it. However, I think that health care policy is an area where there is too much temptation to promise results that are economically impossible to achieve. In that context, my opinion is that giving a speech in favor of a nonexistent plan is a really big lie.

Boob Czar

Nice. Can hardly wait for the music video.

The Barack Show Jumps The Shark

Desperate for ratings.

Viewers were promised in Barack Obama the easy cool of Denzel Washington, the sincerity of Tom Hanks and the heart of Oprah. Instead, they see on their screens Al Bundy with a tan, pecs, and Harvard Law degree, the first jump-the-shark president.

Blondes Make Me Dumb

No news here.

One More Thing

I cracked up a friend last night when I told him that I had considered buying a starter guitar but decided against the purchase when I remembered that, among other things, I have a stack of books I've never opened. The line that had Matthewski rolling with laughter went something like this; "I have a stack of books this high (hand hovers above counter about a foot) I've never read, I decided that I didn't need one more thing I wasn't going to do".

On JFK's Famous Quote, Ask What It Means

If memory serves, it went this way;

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Until last night I had always believed that President Kennedy had made a plea for the American people to be self-reliant and free from a lazy dependence on our government for their every means of support. But, a discussion with a friend has me re-thinking that quote. The first part, "ask not" certainly does fit my interpretation, but the second part can be seen as, if not contradictory to the first, thematically separate from the first. A mix of apples and oranges, if you will.

"...., ask what you can do for your country"; my friend Mike makes the point that this line is a call to Progressive ideals dating to the 1930's. Basically, as he put it, it reflects the political sentiments of people who want an elite to run the country while the masses support the elite's agenda.

I have always wanted to believe that President JFK was reminding us that we have a duty to contribute to our self-government by getting involved and doing whatever we see fit to help this great nation survive. My earliest impressions saw this effort as a selfless, even altruistic contribution.

But, time and experience have shown me that my first responsibility will always be to myself. After I have assured my own well-being, only then do I have time and energy to give to charity. This philosophy is not incompatible with good citizenship, for, by taking care of myself (myself is a broad term in this sense and includes one's loved ones, dependents and responsibilities, as taking care of such is moral), I am making the entire union stronger. Any structure is only as strong as the weakest member.

Mike has me thinking. I will research more to see if his theory holds water. But first, I think I will open my copy of Ayn Rand's The Virtue Of Selfishness and see what she says about this area of life. I am going to resolve this mystery, for me, and that will make me stronger, and that will be good for the country too.

How Did I Not Know About This?

International Bacon Day. September 5, and I did'nt know.

I favor the theory that there are only three food groups, bacon, gravy, and everything else. Now I must mark my calender, and then make a BLT.

Bon Apetit to Al Dente.

Stossel 7/31 On Obama Care- Nothing Has Changed

Greality

A nickname for Greeley, Colorado. According to the authors at Urban Dictionary the town has been ruined by illegal immigration. I remember it from living there in the early 1970's. Then it was a quaint farming town where people still cruised the town square on Friday nights. Things change. I was back there about this time last year, just stopped for dinner on my way up to Estes Park. At night it was hard to see exactly what it looks like now, but I was able to walk around downtown, get a good meal and go on my way without any trouble.

Listening To A Liar - Thomas Sowell Essay

The most important thing about what anyone says are not the words themselves but the credibility of the person who says them.

Anne's Book

This past January/February I fulfilled a long dreamed of quest and completed the ninety-nine mile Wilderness Waterway (click "view map" to see location) in a canoe. I was once asked what I treasure most about that experience. I surprised myself and my interviewer by responding, the people I met. It surprised me because I am not known to be gregarious. It surprised the other fellow because I was describing a place devoid of development and in his mind people. But there were others out there too, fellow adventurers, fellow admirers of that natural wonder that is the Everglades.

My favorite night of the trip was the one which I shared with Holly and Anne, (pictured right), two lovely ladies who were coupling their joy for that environment with their passion to write a book about the Waterway. I am still awaiting news of that book's publication. I am also awaiting the season when the bugs allow me to return to the WW. In the meantime I am contenting myself reading Anne's poems in Ecology II. I'll share one stanza from her poem, The Drydown, to entice you to read more.

In sawgrass and marl the gator swings his tail, thrashes out
a damp domain
where birds, raccoon and Panther come. He is lord of the truce
and its inevitable breach.

Ida

The Link

Funny thing happened on the way to mankind.

Ellie (Elizabeth)

Yarmuth Wastes 1997 Characters, Obama Set To Follow Suit

“I don't know.”

Those were the only words that Rep. John Yarmuth needed to use in his elaboration published in today's online version of the Courier-Journal. If, as surely it must, the same response appeared in the paper version then it was a waste of resources, a very un-green compilation of blather.

Yarmuth resorted to the same old tired strategies; blame, blame blame. Our current President is poised to present, before a gathering of both houses of Congress, yet another attempt to sell insurance to the people. He will no doubt employ the same tactics within that echo chamber.

The One will certainly find time to demonize those who came before, as if his job is to find fault when he should be finding solutions. His pattern has been to present broad generalities without the requisite details a conscientious person needs in order to determine value. And, he will not tackle the tough issues point for point that actually contribute to increased costs for health care.

Tort reform, get fear out of the operating room so that the staff can concentrate of doing their best. Portability, allow the insured to carry their coverage with them as they change jobs. Competition, permit insurers to bid for clients across state lines. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Those caught within the grasp of the current health care affairs understand the limitations without need for me to recite them. And, truly, nothing will improve with a top-down approach to reform. Every move made to further empower the consumer's choice is the only solution that will yield lasting results. And, it is the preferred way to keep the process free.

If the Congress was required to utilize the same system as us lesser being are mandated into, then they would have the proper incentive to make sure works at its optimum. With that in mind, when President O steps before the microphone on Tuesday he needs use only a hand full of minutes to make it clear to the self-styled elites in Washington that they must be included, and they need to address the situation from a consumer's standpoint.

Polls, indicate that up to 80% of consumers are happy with their current coverage, though a lesser number are happy with the cost, (but then who among us is happy with the cost of anything). So, it is not reasonable to destroy what we have, tweak it, adjust at the edges, but to throw it away for an untried method is crazy. Doctors are against the proposed change, and they dislike it because they fear it will limit their ability to serve their patients. And that, care, is the bottom line. Each of our concern for health care is self-serving which creates the normal investment in its proper delivery. Obama can get off the stage in short order if he has the balls to simply tell Congress to get themselves within the program the rest of us must navigate. The rest will take care of itself, it will be in the best interests of the politicians to see that it works at its optimum.

Chrissy

Acid Test- Clarity On Health Care

An oft repeated cause for concern with the proposed health care reforms is in the vagueness of the intended actions. It has been said that it is written in such a way that one could interpret it to mean anything. And, with its exhausting length, most people, including those who we sent to represent us, have not read the proposal. Among those I've met who have read it, the other common complaint is in the intractable language, which adds to its vagueness, as one Congressman said, it takes a team of lawyers to understand it.

“I love these members, they get up and say, ‘Read the bill,’” said Conyer “What good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?”

Another contentious aspect is the haste with which it was to be enacted.

The answer is obvious. Slow down. Be specific. Be clear. Be brief.

There is little trust between the adherents of the two major Parties these days. Naturally.

That reality can serve us well if the author or any proposed legislation will keep in mind that at some point their political opposites will be in power and if a policy is written in a form that is open to interpretation they will one day have to live by the interpretation given by their opposition. So, it is in their best interest to make sure that they use precision and clarity. It isn't good enough for a politician to say something is or isn't in the Bill, spell it out with specificity, figuratively carve it in stone for all to see for all time. And, then give everyone (citizen and Representative alike) plenty of time to read, understand it, discuss it, and respond before you vote on it.

Ari Wins On KO

BWO- JammieWearingFool discovered at pajamasmedia

Movie Humor

Borrowed from John Hawks. A snippet of dialogue from the film, Too Many Husbands.

Melvyn Douglas: All right, spell "Pithecanthropus erectus."

Fred MacMurray: Why?

Melvyn Douglas: Because I say you can't.

Fred MacMurray: All right. P-I-T-H-E-C-A-N-T-H-R-O-P-U-S-E-R-E-C-T-U-S.

Jean Arthur: Is that right?

Melvyn Douglas: Yes.

Jean Arthur: What is it?

Melvyn Douglas: It's the missing link between ape and man. Like an athlete.

English Language Pravda On End Of American Capitalism

First, this isn't your parents Pravda. Not that I think your parents are commies, I intend to alert you to the distinction between the old Pravda, which folded up in 1991, and the current tabloid Pravda of today. That said, it remains telling to have a Russian newspaper signaling the end of American capitalism. For me, it reinforces how far off the mark we have moved.

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people..............

Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Teddy As Explained By Michael Kelly

What was written about Senator Kennedy in 1990 held true the rest of the man's life.

this famous portrait of Edward M. Kennedy, remarkable not only for its courage in exposing a senator’s vices but also for the balance of its tone.

Monument Men

Perhaps my first introduction to the art thievery conducted during WW II by the Nazis was from watching the great John Frankenheimer film starring Burt Lancaster, The Train.

The movie was based on a true story and no doubt did much to create a wider awareness of the importance of preserving cultural artifacts. During the war, and in the times that followed, there were already those that didn't need that lesson.

From 1942 until 1951, 365 men and women serving in the Monuments, Fine Arts & Archives division (MFAA) of the Allied forces.............. Known simply as the Monuments Men, they recovered Nazi records from bombed-out cathedrals and followed leads across the continent in a bid to recover Europe's most splendid treasures.

Now comes a book that relates the work of seven of these important people. I have not read it yet, but the subject matter puts it high on my wish list. It should be intriguing, if told right and truthfully.

Worth noting, the work isn't finished yet, some of the stolen pieces have not been found, but that may soon change according to the book's author Robert Edsel.

I think over the next 15 to 20 years many of those things that are missing will surface. As the WW II generation passes over the next five to 10 years, these things in attics and basements and on walls will pass on to younger generations, and they might try to sell them. Buyers will want to know what they are buying and where it came from — and that could lead to answers.

Let's hope so.

"Quotation" Marks

Found a blog that chronicles examples of the misuse of quotations marks.

Unnecessary

Love it! Bethany is doing the teaching that American education fails to do.

For those who don't see anything wrong with the examples provided at Bethany's site, God save us if even one of you really needs this link, Tina Blue offers a treatise on the proper usage of this punctuation.

What if his name had been Edward Moore?

40 years.

And, no justice.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar.......

Pan Am Terrorist- What Should Have Been

As you must know by now, Scotland released the only person ever convicted in the Pan Am bombing over Lockerbie Scotland. The uproar over this slight to justice has not subsided, and will not soon.

The release was pending for awhile, his disease and the consequent expectation of his impending death was well known, as was his request for compassion.

I will never understand why our government did not step forward with a demand for extradition. And, I doubt the truth about why that didn't happen will be revealed. Just as I have little faith that we will come to know why Scotland set him free.

We have treaties with Scotland that could have forced their hand, if he was to go free, we had the obligation to make sure that it was only temporary. He should have spent his remaining days in jail, in Scotland or here, but in jail.

Maynard has asked, "What would Reagan do?" and explained that in a similar circumstance President Reagan used military power to recapture the Achille Lauro terrorists after Italy set them free. Our current President could have made the same move. He should have made the same move, having failed to intercede in a timely fashion to prevent the release in the first place. But none of the good choices happened.

My preference would have been to have seen Scotland offer him to us and we accept custody, second choice would have been for us to demand him and have our demand met. But, if I were President, I would not have used the same tactic as Reagan, no, if Scotland had failed to keep him or turn him over to us; I would have waited for his plane to enter Libyan air space and then shot it out of the sky. That would have put a just end to a creep, and it would have prevented the indecent celebration he received upon his return. And, it would have sent an unmistakable, and not soon forgotten message; kill innocent Americans and you can not run, you can not hide.