When one thinks about it, there is a perfect correlation between Bernie Sanders' “Free Shit” campaign and his supporters' hatred of work. After all, the two go hand in hand. Why should they work if Bernie is going to take stuff away from those who do work and give it to them?
It's the dichotomy between the makers and the looters, just as Ayn Rand laid out in both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. And somehow I have no doubt many of Bernie's supporters would have no issue if he issued his own version of Directive 10-289 in order to make sure there is no disruption in the supply of Free Shit.
And so it goes in the Socialist Utopia of Bernieland.
2/21/2016
Thoughts On A Sunday
Unseasonable warmth has returned, but I'm not complaining. Any time we don't have to stoke the woodstove or turn up the thermostat is a plus in my book. The warm temps did manage to melt away the couple of inches of snow we'd received from Friday night into Saturday morning.
While it will be chilly over the next couple of nights, we might be back into the 50's by Thursday.
This is beginning to resemble the old Chinese curse - “May you live in interesting times.”
I expect it will take the loss of millions of dollars from lawsuit after lawsuit for the colleges to finally learn that the Department of Education does not have the power to force colleges to create these kangaroo courts because of a perceived wrong they felt had to be addressed by railroading college students, specifically male college students, and expelling them.
As I and many others have said over and over again, it's time to abolish the Department of Education and to prosecute the staffers in its Office of Civil Rights for civil rights violations.
The Unbearable Asymmetry of Bullshit.
Indeed.
But we don't need these close-minded bigots making our decisions for us because, quite frankly, they are neither as smart or as wise as they think they are. Trump is the antithesis of these elites and that's why he's getting the support he is. He's a businessman and knows how to make money, how to create jobs, and most importantly, to leave those things best handled by the average Americans to average Americans. We know what we need and how to get it.
Does that mean I support Trump? Nope. But if he ends up being the GOP nominee, I will vote for him.
Morlocks, indeed.
Knowing a goodly number of Progressives, I'm willing to bet it's more the former than the latter as most of them appear to have no understanding of history at all.
That whirring sound you hear is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spinning in his grave.
While it will be chilly over the next couple of nights, we might be back into the 50's by Thursday.
****************
Trump won in South Carolina, garnering about a third of the vote, driving Jeb Bush to end his campaign. Hillary won the Democrat Caucuses in Nevada, but it certainly wasn't a blowout, with Hillary defeating Bernie by only 4 points.This is beginning to resemble the old Chinese curse - “May you live in interesting times.”
****************
Yet another college kangaroo court has found itself on the losing side of a lawsuit,” settling out of court for $245,000 for mishandling a rape allegation. The unfortunate part of this is that the student involved in this debacle has no way to get his reputation back.I expect it will take the loss of millions of dollars from lawsuit after lawsuit for the colleges to finally learn that the Department of Education does not have the power to force colleges to create these kangaroo courts because of a perceived wrong they felt had to be addressed by railroading college students, specifically male college students, and expelling them.
As I and many others have said over and over again, it's time to abolish the Department of Education and to prosecute the staffers in its Office of Civil Rights for civil rights violations.
****************
Oh, I like this one!The Unbearable Asymmetry of Bullshit.
Indeed.
****************
Before we let the MSM and the anti-gunners start making the claim that the Kalamazoo Uber shooter was some kind of Right-Wing Hater, it appears the guy is a self-proclaimed Progressive. But I expect we'll still hear from the usual suspects that the NRA is behind it all.****************
I just caught the trailer for the remake of Pete's Dragon. It's one that BeezleBub and I have decided we're going to see.****************
One thing that I believe is driving Trump's popularity is the urban elite's belief that the rest of us are ignorant mouth breathers who need people like them to run our lives.But we don't need these close-minded bigots making our decisions for us because, quite frankly, they are neither as smart or as wise as they think they are. Trump is the antithesis of these elites and that's why he's getting the support he is. He's a businessman and knows how to make money, how to create jobs, and most importantly, to leave those things best handled by the average Americans to average Americans. We know what we need and how to get it.
Does that mean I support Trump? Nope. But if he ends up being the GOP nominee, I will vote for him.
****************
I have already used this from Chris Muir more than once since I've seen it.Morlocks, indeed.
****************
Why are Progressives pushing for segregation? Is it that they really have chosen to ignore our own history in regards to segregationist abuses? Or are they hoping to foment greater racial tensions so they have something to campaign on, ignoring the fact that they're the ones who caused it to begin with?Knowing a goodly number of Progressives, I'm willing to bet it's more the former than the latter as most of them appear to have no understanding of history at all.
That whirring sound you hear is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spinning in his grave.
****************
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where sled dog races and ice fishing derbies have been canceled due to the warm weather, ice on the lake is retreating, and where thoughts of an early spring are filing our heads.2/20/2016
Smart Phones Are Killing Social Lives
I wonder how many of you out there have had this experience:
You're at a family gathering, perhaps the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, with parents, in-laws, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins by the dozens attending. But rather than hearing the banter that usually takes place at such gatherings, most of the kids and some of the adults have their heads bowed over their smart phones, texting, Instagramming, or Facebooking to friends far away rather than actually paying attention to and talking to the people around them. I know I've experienced that more than once. I find it both rude and annoying.
Welcome to 21st Century social interaction.
The scene above is but one small example of how smart phones have drastically altered how we interact with each other, and not for the better.
Who do we have to blame for this problem?
Ourselves.
The linked article goes on to mention that parents who are techies limit their kids access to smart phones, assuming they allow them to have them at all. Even people like Steve Jobs didn't allow his kids to use iPads even though he was the driving force behind them.
I know my son didn't get his first cell phone until he was a senior in high school. Even today, almost 4 years later, he still doesn't have a smart phone. He's using the flip phone, just like his old man. However that is about to change, not because he wants to “be like everyone else” but because it will make Skyping with Polka Girl a lot easier. (She is presently back home near Gdansk, Poland and they Skype two or three times a day.) He presently uses his laptop to do that, but it's problematic at times, so he's going to switch over to some kind of smart phone. In this case he has a good reason to get one and he's getting it himself. His mom and I have nothing to do with it. If it weren't for his need to Skype, he said he wouldn't even be bothering to get one.
Will this problem get worse? Unfortunately, I expect it will, but eventually I believe the trend will reverse itself and this problem will resolve itself. If not, we may find our society becoming more insular and less robust, leaving too many of our people incapable of interacting directly with each other. This problem may also resolve itself as many of the people with this problem will not have kids because they won't be able to interact directly with members of the opposite sex.
Let's hope it doesn't get to that point.
You're at a family gathering, perhaps the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, with parents, in-laws, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins by the dozens attending. But rather than hearing the banter that usually takes place at such gatherings, most of the kids and some of the adults have their heads bowed over their smart phones, texting, Instagramming, or Facebooking to friends far away rather than actually paying attention to and talking to the people around them. I know I've experienced that more than once. I find it both rude and annoying.
Welcome to 21st Century social interaction.
The scene above is but one small example of how smart phones have drastically altered how we interact with each other, and not for the better.
Who do we have to blame for this problem?
Ourselves.
In Charlottesville, I found myself having a lunch conversation one day with some folks who are involved in Christian education at the elementary and secondary level. They were talking about the challenges they face today. One of the biggest is the ubiquity of smart phones in the hands of kids. Parents think nothing of giving them to their children, the educators said, and many kids have virtually unlimited access to the Internet. There’s the “older brother porn problem” in which younger kids get turned on to porn by watching it on an older sibling’s smart phone. And there’s the problem of “After School App,” an anonymous bulletin board service designed for high schoolers, one that allows them to gang up on other kids in their class and trash them mercilessly.The normal social cues we grownups take for granted are indecipherable to too many of these kids. They can't easily read facial expressions or body language, missing non-verbal messages or misinterpreting them. This can lead to social ignorance and the inability to interact with others unless it's through a smart phone screen. How many times have we seen a bunch of kids together, hunched over the smart phones and texting to each other even though the person they're texting is close enough to reach out and touch? They don't speak to each other. They don't look each other in the eyes. It's like they've become 'electronically' autistic.
Parents, I was told, are typically no help at all. They don’t want their kids to be out of step with their friends, so they give kids smart phones, which is a technology the kids aren’t emotionally prepared to use. There’s all kinds of bullying, and accessing porn — but parents don’t seem to want to know about it because they don’t want to have to tell their kids no.
One of the educators at the table added that the problem is not limited to the content accessed through the phones, but to the way using these devices is radically distorting the way kids communicate with each other, or fail to. Even if the kids only accessed benign content, and did not use social media to attack each other, they nevertheless spend enormous amounts of time on their smart phones, ignoring everyone around them. Some of them have trouble sustaining an actual conversation for more than a few minutes. All of them are losing the habits of common courtesy that has since forever been how human beings in social situations treat each other.
The linked article goes on to mention that parents who are techies limit their kids access to smart phones, assuming they allow them to have them at all. Even people like Steve Jobs didn't allow his kids to use iPads even though he was the driving force behind them.
I know my son didn't get his first cell phone until he was a senior in high school. Even today, almost 4 years later, he still doesn't have a smart phone. He's using the flip phone, just like his old man. However that is about to change, not because he wants to “be like everyone else” but because it will make Skyping with Polka Girl a lot easier. (She is presently back home near Gdansk, Poland and they Skype two or three times a day.) He presently uses his laptop to do that, but it's problematic at times, so he's going to switch over to some kind of smart phone. In this case he has a good reason to get one and he's getting it himself. His mom and I have nothing to do with it. If it weren't for his need to Skype, he said he wouldn't even be bothering to get one.
Will this problem get worse? Unfortunately, I expect it will, but eventually I believe the trend will reverse itself and this problem will resolve itself. If not, we may find our society becoming more insular and less robust, leaving too many of our people incapable of interacting directly with each other. This problem may also resolve itself as many of the people with this problem will not have kids because they won't be able to interact directly with members of the opposite sex.
Let's hope it doesn't get to that point.
2/19/2016
Sanders Supporters Ignore Socialism's Dark Side
One thing I find to be common amongst many of Bernie Sanders' young supporters that disturbs me to no end is their total ignorance of history, particularly when it comes the subject of Socialism and the horrors it has visited upon hundreds of millions of people. Socialists of all stripes are either ignorant or willfully ignoring the dark side of their political ideology. I guess it lets them sleep at night.
Writes James Freeman on this subject:
But they're wrong. They aren't any smarter than their ideological ancestors. If anything, they're stupider. As such, that also makes them that much more dangerous because they believe the drivel being foisted upon them as “An Important Truth”, a concept which I always find to be anything but the truth, and they never question any of the tenets of that “Truth”, no matter how inhumane or monstrous they may be. Then again, they really aren't smart enough to figure out their being lied to. It also lets them get away with not having to think for themselves, something many of them have never really had to do before.
Being one of the most coddled generations ever, they're all for “someone else” - meaning you and me – to take care of them for the rest of their lives. No wonder they're all over Bernie Sanders and his “Free Shit” campaign. He won't tell them that all that free stuff will end once his administration runs out of other people's money, but he'll blame all of those from whom he took all that money to pay for all the “Free Shit” he promised everyone, calling them greedy and evil and unfeeling, being unwilling to work as slaves to the state. They will either have gone broke (and their businesses with them), or they'll have gone Galt and let the Sanders Administration try to figure out who to rob next to pay for all the “Free Shit”, which it won't be able to do because there will be no one left to rob.
And then it will get worse.
Writes James Freeman on this subject:
Joseph Epstein marvels at the way Bernie Sanders has caught on with young voters. “Does this generation that has grown up with a greater sense of entitlement and protection than any other in history really want the revolution Mr. Sanders is selling? Can they have so little sense of the past not to know that the promise of socialism—’democratic socialism,’ the senator would interject here—has ended up in gulags and brutal cultural upheaval?”...We also feature today a 2003 observation from historian Alan Charles Kors: “No cause, ever, in the history of all mankind, has produced more cold-blooded tyrants, more slaughtered innocents, and more orphans than socialism with power.”When I point out Socialism's dark side, I am usually brushed off with the usual refrain: “But we're smarter than they were. We won't make the mistakes they made!”
But they're wrong. They aren't any smarter than their ideological ancestors. If anything, they're stupider. As such, that also makes them that much more dangerous because they believe the drivel being foisted upon them as “An Important Truth”, a concept which I always find to be anything but the truth, and they never question any of the tenets of that “Truth”, no matter how inhumane or monstrous they may be. Then again, they really aren't smart enough to figure out their being lied to. It also lets them get away with not having to think for themselves, something many of them have never really had to do before.
Being one of the most coddled generations ever, they're all for “someone else” - meaning you and me – to take care of them for the rest of their lives. No wonder they're all over Bernie Sanders and his “Free Shit” campaign. He won't tell them that all that free stuff will end once his administration runs out of other people's money, but he'll blame all of those from whom he took all that money to pay for all the “Free Shit” he promised everyone, calling them greedy and evil and unfeeling, being unwilling to work as slaves to the state. They will either have gone broke (and their businesses with them), or they'll have gone Galt and let the Sanders Administration try to figure out who to rob next to pay for all the “Free Shit”, which it won't be able to do because there will be no one left to rob.
And then it will get worse.
2/17/2016
Gas Can Hell
While this is not an new story, it is one that still pisses me off. What am I talking about?
Gas cans.
You know what I'm talking about – the red containers with a spout used to fill the gas tanks on all kinds of power equipment ranging from leaf blowers to lawnmowers to snowblowers, chainsaws, lawn tractors, and a whole host of other equipment and small vehicles.
It used to be that they held gas and allowed you to fill a gas tank with little muss or fuss. But seven years ago the EPA got involved with gas cans and everything has gone to hell.
While they still can hold gasoline, they no longer allow easy transfer of fuel from the can to whatever gas tank you're trying to fill. Where it once could be done easily, it now requires two hands to even open the gas spout (you have to slide a toggle before you can press the handle that opens the spout..and that toggle is rarely easy to move). And because the vent that used to allow gas to flow freely is no longer allowed, gas flows poorly, in surges, and usually ends up everywhere but in the gas tank you're trying to refill. It spills, sloshes, and ends up places it's not supposed to.
The new gas cans were supposed to help prevent gas spills while at the same time eliminate gas vapors from escaping into the air. But between the now increased number and volume of gas spills and the big whoosh of gas vapors that are expelled from the cans when the spout valve is opened, I'd say they've been a complete failure.
If nothing else this works as an example of how government doesn't make things better but worse, due entirely to its intervention. Government didn't know better and actually made the situation worse than if they'd left well enough alone.
Gas cans.
You know what I'm talking about – the red containers with a spout used to fill the gas tanks on all kinds of power equipment ranging from leaf blowers to lawnmowers to snowblowers, chainsaws, lawn tractors, and a whole host of other equipment and small vehicles.
It used to be that they held gas and allowed you to fill a gas tank with little muss or fuss. But seven years ago the EPA got involved with gas cans and everything has gone to hell.
While they still can hold gasoline, they no longer allow easy transfer of fuel from the can to whatever gas tank you're trying to fill. Where it once could be done easily, it now requires two hands to even open the gas spout (you have to slide a toggle before you can press the handle that opens the spout..and that toggle is rarely easy to move). And because the vent that used to allow gas to flow freely is no longer allowed, gas flows poorly, in surges, and usually ends up everywhere but in the gas tank you're trying to refill. It spills, sloshes, and ends up places it's not supposed to.
The new gas cans were supposed to help prevent gas spills while at the same time eliminate gas vapors from escaping into the air. But between the now increased number and volume of gas spills and the big whoosh of gas vapors that are expelled from the cans when the spout valve is opened, I'd say they've been a complete failure.
If nothing else this works as an example of how government doesn't make things better but worse, due entirely to its intervention. Government didn't know better and actually made the situation worse than if they'd left well enough alone.
2/15/2016
Make Sure You Choose The Right Adversary In The Class War
Despite what Bernie Sanders and his fellow Progressives/Socialists/Communists claim, our economic problems are not the result of the rich screwing over the poor and it never has been.
It's the looters and moochers who use the power of government to make sure they're always the winners and everyone else, including the rest of the rich, are the losers. It's called cronyism, rent seeking, and 'industry' protection.
If the Progressives/Socialists/Communists want to target the right group, they have to understand just who the real adversary is. Here's a little graphic to help them with this problem.
See, that isn't so hard, is it?
It's the looters and moochers who use the power of government to make sure they're always the winners and everyone else, including the rest of the rich, are the losers. It's called cronyism, rent seeking, and 'industry' protection.
If the Progressives/Socialists/Communists want to target the right group, they have to understand just who the real adversary is. Here's a little graphic to help them with this problem.
See, that isn't so hard, is it?
2/14/2016
Thoughts On A Sunday
The Deep Freeze has hit New England, meaning we're seeing actual temperatures below zero and wind chills down to -40ºF on top of it.
I made sure we had extra firewood stacked in the wood box next to the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove so I wouldn't have to go out during the night or early morning to refill it.
It must be global warming.
One real downside to this bitterly cold weather has been losing the use of two of the bathrooms in The Manse. The pipes are frozen with no hope of thawing them because the Pex tubing used to plumb The Manse is inaccessible without opening walls.
When we had our little interior flood a few years back I could see how much of the plumbing was against the outside wall. I should have had it fixed then.
Scalia has been known as a scion of the conservative wing of the court, being a firm believer in strict interpretation of the Constitution as written by the Founders and its Amendments.
Yeah, that's a winning strategy. Somehow I doubt they'll be able to keep up the “We Truly Care” false front long enough to win the White House or make gains in the House and Senate.
Hint: It's not the GOP.
I thought we had a pretty good system set up here in the Granite State...until James O'Keefe showed us we still have some problems in regards to voter fraud.
But at least we're not hearing about the wholesale disfranchisement of the poor and minority voters that so concerned the Left. I guess it means they were still able to pull off their voting scams.
With the world economy softening, how close are we to a downward economic slide to rival that of the beginning of the 9-Year Recession we're still dealing with?
Pretty darned close, from what I've been seeing.
Unfortunately it may be closer to the truth than anyone cares to admit.
I made sure we had extra firewood stacked in the wood box next to the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove so I wouldn't have to go out during the night or early morning to refill it.
It must be global warming.
One real downside to this bitterly cold weather has been losing the use of two of the bathrooms in The Manse. The pipes are frozen with no hope of thawing them because the Pex tubing used to plumb The Manse is inaccessible without opening walls.
When we had our little interior flood a few years back I could see how much of the plumbing was against the outside wall. I should have had it fixed then.
****************
It was reported last evening that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away during the day yesterday.Scalia has been known as a scion of the conservative wing of the court, being a firm believer in strict interpretation of the Constitution as written by the Founders and its Amendments.
****************
As I mentioned above, Scalia was a constructionalist when it came to the Constitution. One of my favorite quotes from Scalia:A Bill of Rights that means what the majority wants it to mean is worthless.That also applies to the Constitution in general. He didn't believe the “living document” argument put forth by the Progressives, knowing that it meant anarchy because the laws could be reinterpreted at whim to mean the opposite of what the law, and hence, the Constitution meant.
****************
Writes Ed Driscoll about the “one fun element of the Democrat presidential primaries”: Reading how much left wing elites truly despise the base of Democrat voters.Yeah, that's a winning strategy. Somehow I doubt they'll be able to keep up the “We Truly Care” false front long enough to win the White House or make gains in the House and Senate.
****************
Who are the real sexists in the room when it comes to politics?Hint: It's not the GOP.
****************
By way of Susan Olsen comes this from Antonin Scalia: “Good intentions are not enough.”****************
Death threats from vegans? What the heck is this world coming to?****************
James O'Keefe returned to New Hampshire last week to test its Voter ID law, one driven by his Project Veritas video exposé back in 2012 showing how easy it was for non-residents and non-eligible voters to vote.I thought we had a pretty good system set up here in the Granite State...until James O'Keefe showed us we still have some problems in regards to voter fraud.
But at least we're not hearing about the wholesale disfranchisement of the poor and minority voters that so concerned the Left. I guess it means they were still able to pull off their voting scams.
****************
Recovery? What recovery?With the world economy softening, how close are we to a downward economic slide to rival that of the beginning of the 9-Year Recession we're still dealing with?
Pretty darned close, from what I've been seeing.
****************
Ouch.Unfortunately it may be closer to the truth than anyone cares to admit.
****************
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the temps are below zero, pipes have been freezing, and where even going into the garage can be painful.2/13/2016
A Good Explanation Of Socialism's Failures
As a follow up to my previous post, there's this little gem from the comments that explains the biggest flaw of socialism that socialists, past and present, have chosen to ignore, and with good reason.
Socialism is all about making everyone materially equal, not prosperous. There is no concern for the poor or oppressed, just enmity to the materially advantaged. A world where everyone is impoverished is more desirable and just than one that had a strata of poor to rich. Capitalism is the greatest system to improve the welfare of the impoverished but it does result in material inequality. This is why the left hates it while perpetually praising all those "workers paradises" that barely produce even life's most basic staples. Venezuela is the latest unlearned example.Of course many crypto-socialists, also known as egalitarians, subscribe to the idea that “making everyone materially equal” means pulling the bottom strata of the socioeconomic scale upwards, at least in theory. But practice has shown that it actually means pulling everyone except the elite down to the bottom of the socioeconomic scale all while making sure the floor of that scale moves downwards at the same time. How that helps anyone is something none of them, including certain members of my own family, have ever been able to explain to me. It all sounds like wishful thinking on their part, ignoring human nature and how it makes their solution totally unworkable.
Question To Ask Progressives
Now that the hubbub over the New Hampshire Primary has faded away and the focus has shifted to Nevada and South Carolina, I can finally think straight and the compulsion to sow expletives throughout my speech and writing has diminished...for the time being.
One of the more interesting activities in which I indulged during the run up to the primary was skewering both Clinton and Sanders supporters about their support, knowing or otherwise, for an all-powerful all-encompassing totalitarian nanny state.
More than a few denied any such support, but follow on questions shredded those denials and made them feel either uncomfortable or angry that I dared to question their beliefs.
I wish I had read Oleg Atbashian's (of The People's Cube) treatise on What To Ask Progressives, particularly on their ideological beliefs and how it is they could possibly defend them.
I found I had asked a couple of the Clinton/Sanders supporters some of these questions listed by Oleg. A sample of a few Oleg has suggested:
In any case, Read The Whole Thing.
One of the more interesting activities in which I indulged during the run up to the primary was skewering both Clinton and Sanders supporters about their support, knowing or otherwise, for an all-powerful all-encompassing totalitarian nanny state.
More than a few denied any such support, but follow on questions shredded those denials and made them feel either uncomfortable or angry that I dared to question their beliefs.
I wish I had read Oleg Atbashian's (of The People's Cube) treatise on What To Ask Progressives, particularly on their ideological beliefs and how it is they could possibly defend them.
I found I had asked a couple of the Clinton/Sanders supporters some of these questions listed by Oleg. A sample of a few Oleg has suggested:
Why do those who decry modern civilization never live far from shopping centers and why don't grind their coffee with a stone ax?I particularly like that last one, having used a version of it myself. No one has been able to adequately answer is other than by using some convoluted explanation that boils down to “Because slavery is freedom!” How Orwellian.
If Hollywood types are so opposed to capitalism, why is there a warning against unauthorized distribution of their movies?
How come industrial logging is a crime against nature, but the destruction of forests by wildfires is a natural cycle of life?
If Al Gore is right and our consumption of the planet's resources is a moral issue, doesn't that make genocide an ethical solution? How about an artificial famine? What would Al Gore choose?
Since our planet's resources are limited, wouldn't the ultimate act of environmental activism be to stop eating and starve to death?
How exactly does dependency on the government increase "people power"?
In any case, Read The Whole Thing.
2/08/2016
Unanticipated Rise In US Traffic Fatality Rates
An article on Jalopnik asks “Why are America's traffic deaths rising so fast?”
The piece delves into a number of possible factors including more people driving and driving more often. But that would normally not be reflected in the death rate, meaning the number of fatalities per millions of miles traveled. But the rate is rising, a trend opposite that of the past six decades.
One factor not mentioned in the article (but may be in the linked NHTSA report): increasing levels of driver distraction. Many of the electronic gizmos that can lead to driver distraction either didn't exist or weren't as ubiquitous as they are today. Once they reached critical mass, and tying in with the 'grafted to the hand' nature of smart phones used by teens and younger adults, the negative effects of chronic 24/7 connectedness is now making itself known by way of higher traffic fatalities. More than a few studies have indicated that driving while using these devices is tantamount to driving while intoxicated. If that is indeed the case it would be the equivalent of a substantial increase of people driving under the influence.
Maybe the way to help solve this problem would be to push this idea: “Put down the damn phone and drive, you damnfoolidjit!”
The piece delves into a number of possible factors including more people driving and driving more often. But that would normally not be reflected in the death rate, meaning the number of fatalities per millions of miles traveled. But the rate is rising, a trend opposite that of the past six decades.
One factor not mentioned in the article (but may be in the linked NHTSA report): increasing levels of driver distraction. Many of the electronic gizmos that can lead to driver distraction either didn't exist or weren't as ubiquitous as they are today. Once they reached critical mass, and tying in with the 'grafted to the hand' nature of smart phones used by teens and younger adults, the negative effects of chronic 24/7 connectedness is now making itself known by way of higher traffic fatalities. More than a few studies have indicated that driving while using these devices is tantamount to driving while intoxicated. If that is indeed the case it would be the equivalent of a substantial increase of people driving under the influence.
Maybe the way to help solve this problem would be to push this idea: “Put down the damn phone and drive, you damnfoolidjit!”
2/07/2016
Thoughts On A Sunday
The aftermath of the 5 inches of snow that fell Friday morning left us with a bit of plowing and shoveling, but by Saturday morning the roads and driveways were pretty well cleaned off and the sun was able to melt what snow and ice remained on them. This was more of what we call a 'nuisance' storm, just enough to cause some poor road conditions and then it disappears. Not that I'm complaining.
Long distance relationships can be hard, but not undo-able.
Of them all, I had to say that Chris Christie kicked ass, and in particular Marco Rubio's ass. He was taking no prisoners and gave better than he got.
It will be interesting to see what the after-debate polls have to say.
The latest example of his economic ignorance is his tweet that tries miserably to tie imprisonment to unemployment and poverty as if either of those conditions automatically means you “Go directly to jail. Do not collect $200.”
I'm sorry, Bernie, but debtor's prison is just so 18th century!
He's never had to worry about making payrolls or having to deal with ever more restrictive or damaging regulations while trying to stay in business. He really has no clue what effect government spending, taxation, and regulation has on the average worker, and I doubt he really wants to know all of his rhetoric to the contrary.
The White House is apparently upset that the House and Senate Budget Committee chairmen have stated they will not hold hearings on Obama's “worthless” budget.
Some may take this to mean that the GOP isn't interested in going over the proposed budget, but one has to look back through Obama's previous budget submissions to see that he usually didn't have a budget to have hearings on because he always submitted them months late, leaving little if any time to debate anything. This is the only time during his entire administration he's had a budget submitted on time, and in this case “on time” it means a week late.
Feminism is a synonym for 'Shut Up, Men'.
Read the whole thing.
Hillary has been hammering away on the 'wage gap' between men and women, ignoring all of the factors that create the perceived difference. When comparing like jobs, the wage difference between men and women disappears, with women earning slightly more money than men. Hillary ignores the fact that men take much more dangerous jobs, suffering a disproportionate number of job injuries and fatalities, jobs that due to the higher risks pay more money.
Now we can add commuting times as yet another factor that determines the income of men and women.
I am ashamed to say our family's alma mater, the University of Connecticut located deep in the heart of the ultra-blue Nutmeg State, is building new segregated dormitories on campus.
First it will be this. Will it soon to be followed by segregated classes created to help African American students feel 'safe'? At some point will a Black-only campus be created? Does no one on the Left see either the irony or backlash this will incur?
Of course not. It's all about social justice, not racial equality or civil rights. It's all about feelz.
If this were happening only at UConn, we could look at it as a aberration. But it's not as it looks like the University of Iowa is looking to follow the same path. How effin' stupid is that?
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BeezleBub is preparing for the arrival of Polka Girl. She'll be here tomorrow and will be departing for home next Sunday. BeezleBub will be traveling to visit her during Spring Break next month.Long distance relationships can be hard, but not undo-able.
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I almost didn't watch the GOP debate last night, but decided it would be interesting to see what the candidates had to say one more time before Tuesday's New Hampshire Primary.Of them all, I had to say that Chris Christie kicked ass, and in particular Marco Rubio's ass. He was taking no prisoners and gave better than he got.
It will be interesting to see what the after-debate polls have to say.
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One thing anyone who has been paying attention understands is that neither Democrat contender understands anything about economics and our economy except how to destroy it. Of the two, Bernie Sanders has the least understanding and the greatest desire to destroy what's left of our economy, finishing the work Barack Obama started.The latest example of his economic ignorance is his tweet that tries miserably to tie imprisonment to unemployment and poverty as if either of those conditions automatically means you “Go directly to jail. Do not collect $200.”
I'm sorry, Bernie, but debtor's prison is just so 18th century!
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Speaking of Bernie Sanders, we should all remember that he's never held a private sector job. All of his paychecks have come from government, be it the city of Burlington, Vermont or from Uncle Sam as a member of Congress, either in the House or the Senate.He's never had to worry about making payrolls or having to deal with ever more restrictive or damaging regulations while trying to stay in business. He really has no clue what effect government spending, taxation, and regulation has on the average worker, and I doubt he really wants to know all of his rhetoric to the contrary.
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Why doesn't this surprise me?The White House is apparently upset that the House and Senate Budget Committee chairmen have stated they will not hold hearings on Obama's “worthless” budget.
Some may take this to mean that the GOP isn't interested in going over the proposed budget, but one has to look back through Obama's previous budget submissions to see that he usually didn't have a budget to have hearings on because he always submitted them months late, leaving little if any time to debate anything. This is the only time during his entire administration he's had a budget submitted on time, and in this case “on time” it means a week late.
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I can't possibly add anything to this.Feminism is a synonym for 'Shut Up, Men'.
Read the whole thing.
****************
Another factor affecting the so-celled wage gap between men and women: commute times.Hillary has been hammering away on the 'wage gap' between men and women, ignoring all of the factors that create the perceived difference. When comparing like jobs, the wage difference between men and women disappears, with women earning slightly more money than men. Hillary ignores the fact that men take much more dangerous jobs, suffering a disproportionate number of job injuries and fatalities, jobs that due to the higher risks pay more money.
Now we can add commuting times as yet another factor that determines the income of men and women.
Why do men commute more? Part of the reason is likely that they place a higher priority in maximizing income, so are willing to travel farther to a job that pays more, while women would rather commute less and will accept lower pay in exchange for a shorter commute.That longer commutes cut into leisure and family time is something else not mentioned by either Hillary or the rest of the 'women earn less money than men' feminists.
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Then Left has long clamored on about how the GOP will bring back the days of Jim Crow, with racial segregation being the law of the land. Too bad for them that they got it entirely wrong.I am ashamed to say our family's alma mater, the University of Connecticut located deep in the heart of the ultra-blue Nutmeg State, is building new segregated dormitories on campus.
First it will be this. Will it soon to be followed by segregated classes created to help African American students feel 'safe'? At some point will a Black-only campus be created? Does no one on the Left see either the irony or backlash this will incur?
Of course not. It's all about social justice, not racial equality or civil rights. It's all about feelz.
If this were happening only at UConn, we could look at it as a aberration. But it's not as it looks like the University of Iowa is looking to follow the same path. How effin' stupid is that?
****************
I had hoped the Carolina Panthers would give the Denver Broncos a run for their money in the SuperBowl, but my hopes were dashed as Denver beat them handily, 24-10.2/06/2016
Democracy In Small Town America - 2016 Edition
Call it a twofer for American democracy, one for Small Town USA and the other for the entire nation.
Earlier this week our little town held it's school district and town meetings, the first steps in a two-step process that decides what our town will spend during the upcoming fiscal year. Each meeting of the town's residents deliberated school and town budgets and warrant articles that covered everything from zoning amendments to changes in how town government will run to funding outside agencies. One article even dealt with changing the classification of a dirt road from a town maintained road to an unmaintained road.
Some amendments to budgetary items and a few town warrant articles were made, those being the most debated issues addressed during the meetings. But for the most part both meetings were low energy with little real drama. Frankly, that's a bit unusual considering some of the school district and town meetings in the not-so-recent past.
It's amazing to see folks not blink twice when some spending articles total in the millions of dollars, with little discussion or debate, but lengthy and sometimes passionate debates over a spending article asking to spend a few hundred dollars. One would think it would be the other way around.
The outcome of these two meetings won't be known until we move on to the second step in the process next month, when the people in our town will vote to accept or reject all of the warrant articles as well as elect some town officials.
Early next week, specifically Tuesday, voters will head to the voting booths to vote during the New Hampshire primaries, helping to select the candidates from each party who are vying to be their party presidential nominees come this fall. Once done, the echoes of the candidates' speeches and campaign ads will rapidly fade away and be nothing but a memory by Wednesday evening, leaving us to recuperate in peace for the next few months until Election Day 2016 approaches.
And so it goes in small town America.
Earlier this week our little town held it's school district and town meetings, the first steps in a two-step process that decides what our town will spend during the upcoming fiscal year. Each meeting of the town's residents deliberated school and town budgets and warrant articles that covered everything from zoning amendments to changes in how town government will run to funding outside agencies. One article even dealt with changing the classification of a dirt road from a town maintained road to an unmaintained road.
Some amendments to budgetary items and a few town warrant articles were made, those being the most debated issues addressed during the meetings. But for the most part both meetings were low energy with little real drama. Frankly, that's a bit unusual considering some of the school district and town meetings in the not-so-recent past.
It's amazing to see folks not blink twice when some spending articles total in the millions of dollars, with little discussion or debate, but lengthy and sometimes passionate debates over a spending article asking to spend a few hundred dollars. One would think it would be the other way around.
The outcome of these two meetings won't be known until we move on to the second step in the process next month, when the people in our town will vote to accept or reject all of the warrant articles as well as elect some town officials.
Early next week, specifically Tuesday, voters will head to the voting booths to vote during the New Hampshire primaries, helping to select the candidates from each party who are vying to be their party presidential nominees come this fall. Once done, the echoes of the candidates' speeches and campaign ads will rapidly fade away and be nothing but a memory by Wednesday evening, leaving us to recuperate in peace for the next few months until Election Day 2016 approaches.
And so it goes in small town America.
2/04/2016
Faster Internet Speed Arrives In Town
I got a pleasant surprise today, that being the download speed from my ISP, the local cable company, has been bumped up to 40Mbs at no additional cost. The upload speed, however, is still where it was before at 4Mbs.
That will certainly help the cable company keep its present Internet customers, and maybe entice some of those still using DSL to make the switch.
Of course this speed increase could have been driven by the prospect of a new player entering the market. Ain't competition, even of it hasn't arrived yet, a wonderful thing?
That will certainly help the cable company keep its present Internet customers, and maybe entice some of those still using DSL to make the switch.
Of course this speed increase could have been driven by the prospect of a new player entering the market. Ain't competition, even of it hasn't arrived yet, a wonderful thing?
1/31/2016
Thoughts On A Sunday
The winter weather has fled for the time being, with warmer than normal temperatures that have kept m any of the lakes from freezing over. This has led to the delay of the annual Ice Fishing Derby, put off for two weeks to (hopefully) allow more ice to form on the various lakes where the derby will take place. This has also led to a delay in at least one sled dog race, maybe two as the snow cover is spotty at best and the thin ice on the lakes have created big gaps in the race route.
Some of the less informed folks are blaming global warming, but the rest of us know it's the side effect of El Niño as we've seen this more than once during El Niño years. Some of those same folks who blame global warming have chosen to ignore the previous two winters which saw well below normal temperatures and heavy snowfall...unless they're going to pin the blame on that weather on global warming as well, which the will.
I've been hearing them for decades.
My one gripe about them all is that with the large number of people who would need to be involved there would be no way it would remain a secret, and particularly for decades. The larger number of people involved in such conspiracies, the larger the chance that someone would spill the beans in increasingly short periods of time.
Now there's a mathematical equation that shows large-scale conspiracies would quickly reveal themselves.
Things like faking the moon landings would take hundreds, if not thousands of people to pull it off. There's no way anyone would be able to keep that quiet for 45+ years.
I know of very few of my acquaintances who are supporting him, but almost everyone agrees he's been bringing up many important topics the GOP establishment has been ignoring for years. If nothing else he's forcing the other GOP candidates to address those issues, something the GOPe hasn't liked.
Will I vote for Trump during the New Hampshire Primary? No effin' way. Will I vote for him in November if he ends up being the GOP nominee? Yes, but I'll be holding my nose as I do so.
It appears Bernie Sanders is a full-blown 'believer' in AGW, shutting down a girl who had the audacity to question him on the subject.
Then again, Bernie doesn't need proof because he just knows it's true...even if there is no solid evidence, the claims of a 'consensus' not withstanding.
Then again, he says he has plans to “bring climate deniers to justice.” As if that doesn't carry the stink of the old Soviet Union.
Then again, what do you expect from all of the media water-carriers for Hillary? The truth?
This is what happens when McDonald's listens to its customers - success.
Some corporations get so big that they believe they can dictate to their customers what to buy. But examples abound that disprove that notion, some of which meant the bankruptcy and dissolution of many companies who ignored the old axiom “The customer's always right.”
Yes. Next question?
I filled up for $1.629/gallon a week and a half ago and I've seen prices just above $1.50 just south of here. I figure it's only a matter of time unless there's a huge disruption in oil production somewhere (the Middle East, maybe).
I have been enjoying the lower gas prices, but it hasn't affected my driving habits in the least as I still drive the same number of miles as when gas was at $4/gallon.
Some of the less informed folks are blaming global warming, but the rest of us know it's the side effect of El Niño as we've seen this more than once during El Niño years. Some of those same folks who blame global warming have chosen to ignore the previous two winters which saw well below normal temperatures and heavy snowfall...unless they're going to pin the blame on that weather on global warming as well, which the will.
****************
How many times have we heard people claiming the moon landings were faked, that 9/11 was an inside job, or a litany of world events were the product of widespread conspiracies?I've been hearing them for decades.
My one gripe about them all is that with the large number of people who would need to be involved there would be no way it would remain a secret, and particularly for decades. The larger number of people involved in such conspiracies, the larger the chance that someone would spill the beans in increasingly short periods of time.
Now there's a mathematical equation that shows large-scale conspiracies would quickly reveal themselves.
Things like faking the moon landings would take hundreds, if not thousands of people to pull it off. There's no way anyone would be able to keep that quiet for 45+ years.
****************
There are none so blind as those who will not see, particularly if such sight would shatter the delusions of the multi-culti politically correct European leaders.****************
Neo-neocon writes about Trump and asks “Who are Trump's supporters and what do they want?”I know of very few of my acquaintances who are supporting him, but almost everyone agrees he's been bringing up many important topics the GOP establishment has been ignoring for years. If nothing else he's forcing the other GOP candidates to address those issues, something the GOPe hasn't liked.
Will I vote for Trump during the New Hampshire Primary? No effin' way. Will I vote for him in November if he ends up being the GOP nominee? Yes, but I'll be holding my nose as I do so.
****************
I wouldn't think this is the best way to garner supporters.It appears Bernie Sanders is a full-blown 'believer' in AGW, shutting down a girl who had the audacity to question him on the subject.
Then again, Bernie doesn't need proof because he just knows it's true...even if there is no solid evidence, the claims of a 'consensus' not withstanding.
Then again, he says he has plans to “bring climate deniers to justice.” As if that doesn't carry the stink of the old Soviet Union.
****************
“Standing Room Only”. Yeah. Right.Then again, what do you expect from all of the media water-carriers for Hillary? The truth?
****************
This is a lesson any mature business has to relearn again and again if it wants to stay in business.This is what happens when McDonald's listens to its customers - success.
Some corporations get so big that they believe they can dictate to their customers what to buy. But examples abound that disprove that notion, some of which meant the bankruptcy and dissolution of many companies who ignored the old axiom “The customer's always right.”
****************
Is California becoming a modern day feudal state?Yes. Next question?
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According to Bloomberg, we could see sub-$1.50/gallon gasoline this year.I filled up for $1.629/gallon a week and a half ago and I've seen prices just above $1.50 just south of here. I figure it's only a matter of time unless there's a huge disruption in oil production somewhere (the Middle East, maybe).
I have been enjoying the lower gas prices, but it hasn't affected my driving habits in the least as I still drive the same number of miles as when gas was at $4/gallon.
****************
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the ice is either missing or too thin, the temps will be near 50ºF this week, and where I am not complaining about not having to make use of a snowblower.1/29/2016
Is Polywell Fusion Close To A Breakthrough?
As the 'race' to achieve fusion continues, one firm, EMC2, has filed a patent for their technology – polywell fusion.
I've covered this approach to fusion before, one first proposed by the late physicist Robert Bussard and patented by him in 1985. (The new patent improves upon Bussard's original patent.) Unlike the two main types of fusion reactors, tokamak (toroidal magnetic 'bottle') and inertial confinement (lasers), polywell takes a different approach, using electrostatic fusion in a reactor that has been dubbed “Wiffle Ball” since the magnet loops make the reactor resemble a great big wiffle ball.
Will this approach lead to a breakthrough and bring fusion onto the playing field for power generation? Once can only hope. It has shown considerable promise while costing a fraction of either the ITER (tokamak) or NIF (laser) programs. Until recently it even received funding from the US Navy, one of the biggest users of nuclear power. Funding ceased due to budget cutbacks but the Navy is still interested in polywell fusion.
Should it come to fruition, fusion power can quickly overtake fission nuclear power, particularly since the cost to build a polywell reactor will be a fraction of the cost of even the newer Generation III and IV fission reactors.
I have no doubt the usual suspects will find some reason to be against polywell fusion even though it could well be the answer to all of our energy needs while eliminating the problems of high level long-lived spent nuclear fuel at the same time. I expect someone will decry how it will greatly deplete the supply of deuterium (we'll only have a few million years supply) and boron, the fuels used in the polywell reactors.
I've covered this approach to fusion before, one first proposed by the late physicist Robert Bussard and patented by him in 1985. (The new patent improves upon Bussard's original patent.) Unlike the two main types of fusion reactors, tokamak (toroidal magnetic 'bottle') and inertial confinement (lasers), polywell takes a different approach, using electrostatic fusion in a reactor that has been dubbed “Wiffle Ball” since the magnet loops make the reactor resemble a great big wiffle ball.
Will this approach lead to a breakthrough and bring fusion onto the playing field for power generation? Once can only hope. It has shown considerable promise while costing a fraction of either the ITER (tokamak) or NIF (laser) programs. Until recently it even received funding from the US Navy, one of the biggest users of nuclear power. Funding ceased due to budget cutbacks but the Navy is still interested in polywell fusion.
Should it come to fruition, fusion power can quickly overtake fission nuclear power, particularly since the cost to build a polywell reactor will be a fraction of the cost of even the newer Generation III and IV fission reactors.
I have no doubt the usual suspects will find some reason to be against polywell fusion even though it could well be the answer to all of our energy needs while eliminating the problems of high level long-lived spent nuclear fuel at the same time. I expect someone will decry how it will greatly deplete the supply of deuterium (we'll only have a few million years supply) and boron, the fuels used in the polywell reactors.
1/28/2016
Bernie's Campaign Slogan
When one thinks about it, Bernie Sanders' campaign boils down to one single phrase:
What's worse is that it's not even an original idea, and one that's been long discredited.
What's worse is that it's not even an original idea, and one that's been long discredited.
Unanticipated Blog Changes
I case you haven't noticed, the blog URL is pointing to my backup site. A problem with the DNS used by the company that's been hosting Weekend Pundit forced me to forward to the backup site.
While a bit bare bones, it serves it's purpose and will be updated to include links to Ye Olde Blogroll and other interesting sites. Please bear with me as I make the appropriate changes to the blog template.
While a bit bare bones, it serves it's purpose and will be updated to include links to Ye Olde Blogroll and other interesting sites. Please bear with me as I make the appropriate changes to the blog template.
1/24/2016
Thoughts On A Sunday
While the Mid-Atlantic states are recovering from Snowzilla, we're enjoying a sunny day. Thought the temps won't be above freezing today, the sunshine is helping to melt what little ice and snow remain on our driveway.
Even with the nice weather we're limiting our outdoors time as there are a ton of things we need to get done before the start of the workweek. That's the way it goes sometimes.
In Tennessee, a bill sponsored by state senator Delores Gresham puts the burden of protecting people in gun-free zones on the owners of the properties declared gun-free. This allows legal gun permit holders to sue the property owners if injury or death occurs in those gun-free zones because the permit holders were not allowed to carry their firearms as a means of protection.
This is something long overdue as too many of these property owners have banned guns while doing little to ensure the safety of the people on those properties.
All one has to do is look at some of the mass shootings that have taken place and you'll see most of them took place on properties that were gun-free zones. Some mass shooters indicated they chose those locations because they knew no one would have guns, giving them a free-fire zone to exploit.
If you're going to declare your commercial property a gun-free zone then you must also be obliged to provide adequate security to protect the now-unarmed patrons. If you don't, that shows depraved indifference and that should be a punishable action, either civil or criminal.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Muslim group says Germany must ban alcohol otherwise sex attacks will continue.
But we know the warmists will find some way to justify it even though everyone knows it will be a lie.
Student cleared of rape charge by his college and by a jury in court still not welcome at his college.
So even though he's been found not guilty after a trial and cleared by a college tribunal, he's still guilty as far as some of his fellow students are concerned.
Christians, Conservatives, Men, and White People are not responsible for your problems.
I guess it's easier for some people to blame others for their own failings and poor decisions.
I don't care for Trump even though he is bringing up truths that the GOP establishment and the Democrats have been trying to ignore for some time. I think that explains why he's been attracting a lot of people, They're tired of being ignored by both parties.
Even with the nice weather we're limiting our outdoors time as there are a ton of things we need to get done before the start of the workweek. That's the way it goes sometimes.
****************
I like the sound of this proposed bill.In Tennessee, a bill sponsored by state senator Delores Gresham puts the burden of protecting people in gun-free zones on the owners of the properties declared gun-free. This allows legal gun permit holders to sue the property owners if injury or death occurs in those gun-free zones because the permit holders were not allowed to carry their firearms as a means of protection.
This is something long overdue as too many of these property owners have banned guns while doing little to ensure the safety of the people on those properties.
All one has to do is look at some of the mass shootings that have taken place and you'll see most of them took place on properties that were gun-free zones. Some mass shooters indicated they chose those locations because they knew no one would have guns, giving them a free-fire zone to exploit.
If you're going to declare your commercial property a gun-free zone then you must also be obliged to provide adequate security to protect the now-unarmed patrons. If you don't, that shows depraved indifference and that should be a punishable action, either civil or criminal.
****************
I think the prospect of Michael Bloomberg entering the race for president will do for Hillary or Bernie what Ross Perot did for Bob Dole.Laissez les bons temps rouler!
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The New England Patriots hopes of going to the SuperBowl were dashed when they lost to Denver, 20-18. Seeing just how good the Carolina Panthers are this season, I'm almost glad they didn't make it. Frankly, I doubt Denver is good enough to beat them.****************
Who didn't see this coming?Muslim group says Germany must ban alcohol otherwise sex attacks will continue.
The problem with this argument is that alcohol has been in Germany for a long, long time, and there was never a mass of rapes and sex assaults as there was in Cologne and other German cities on New Year’s Eve. The cause of the rapes and sex assaults was the Islamic attitude toward Infidel women — that they can be taken and used sexually (cf. Qur’an 4:3, 4:24, 23:1-6, 33:50, 70:30). But no one, least of all the German authorities, wants to face that fact.That won't last long. I find it interesting that Muslims like this are outright admitting that their fellow Muslims are so weak willed that they are incapable of resisting temptation. Or could it be that their cultural prohibitions are so antiquated that savagery is tolerated all in the name of Allah. They they think Germany will bow to their demands shows just how foolish they are. It is more likely Germany will ban them and deport them wholesale...with prejudice.
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Skip Murphy points us to this little truth:Marxism is intellectualism for stupid people. - Moe LaneHeh.
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This is just stupid.But we know the warmists will find some way to justify it even though everyone knows it will be a lie.
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This is yet another example of why the Department of Education should be abolished and the staffers at its Office of Civil Rights should be prosecuted for civil rights violations:Student cleared of rape charge by his college and by a jury in court still not welcome at his college.
So even though he's been found not guilty after a trial and cleared by a college tribunal, he's still guilty as far as some of his fellow students are concerned.
****************
I've known this for a long time, but no one listened to me because I am a white conservative male Christian.Christians, Conservatives, Men, and White People are not responsible for your problems.
I guess it's easier for some people to blame others for their own failings and poor decisions.
****************
I have to admit I am becoming more entranced with Ted Cruz as we fast approach the New Hampshire Primary. I wouldn't mind seeing a Cruz/Fiorina or a Cruz/Christie ticket.I don't care for Trump even though he is bringing up truths that the GOP establishment and the Democrats have been trying to ignore for some time. I think that explains why he's been attracting a lot of people, They're tired of being ignored by both parties.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the political rhetoric has been dialed up to '11', the number of campaign flyers in our mailboxes has tripled, and where we can't wait for the first round of the political silly season to be over.1/23/2016
Watching Snowzilla
I have to admit to a little bit of “Let's see how you like it!” thinking in regards to the blizzard pelting the Mid-Atlantic states.
Being a hardy Yankee in northern New England gives me just a little gravitas since we see snowfalls like the one places like Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and a host of other cities are experiencing at the moment, but we see them just about every winter, and in some cases more than once in any given winter.
Then again, we're used to them and are well prepared to deal with them. With few exceptions, we rarely see folks clearing store shelves in anticipation of what to us is a not unusual storm. However, we do still have to put up with the ubiquitous Storm Center TV news and the overblown drama and dire “We're all gonna DIE!” level warnings about not going out into the storm unless it's absolutely necessary. Well, duh.
I don 't know about you, but I'm not one to go out in a storm just because I can. I never have been. If I'm out in one it's because there's a pretty darned good reason, one that makes it necessary even though I don't really want to be out there. The most common reason – snowblowing the driveway in order to stay ahead of the anticipated snowfall totals. Sometimes it's easier to go out and snowblow once or twice during the storm than it is to clear all of the snow after it's all over, particularly if snowfall is expected to be above two feet.
So far our winter up here in New Hampshire has been rather benign. We haven't had the days and weeks of below zero temperatures or storm after storm after storm. We figure we're due a respite after the past two winters of heavy snowfall and below normal temperatures. A little breather now and then is a good thing and we're hoping to make the most of it. In the meantime we're more than happy to watch others struggle with winter weather we consider normal up here.
Being a hardy Yankee in northern New England gives me just a little gravitas since we see snowfalls like the one places like Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and a host of other cities are experiencing at the moment, but we see them just about every winter, and in some cases more than once in any given winter.
Then again, we're used to them and are well prepared to deal with them. With few exceptions, we rarely see folks clearing store shelves in anticipation of what to us is a not unusual storm. However, we do still have to put up with the ubiquitous Storm Center TV news and the overblown drama and dire “We're all gonna DIE!” level warnings about not going out into the storm unless it's absolutely necessary. Well, duh.
I don 't know about you, but I'm not one to go out in a storm just because I can. I never have been. If I'm out in one it's because there's a pretty darned good reason, one that makes it necessary even though I don't really want to be out there. The most common reason – snowblowing the driveway in order to stay ahead of the anticipated snowfall totals. Sometimes it's easier to go out and snowblow once or twice during the storm than it is to clear all of the snow after it's all over, particularly if snowfall is expected to be above two feet.
So far our winter up here in New Hampshire has been rather benign. We haven't had the days and weeks of below zero temperatures or storm after storm after storm. We figure we're due a respite after the past two winters of heavy snowfall and below normal temperatures. A little breather now and then is a good thing and we're hoping to make the most of it. In the meantime we're more than happy to watch others struggle with winter weather we consider normal up here.
1/17/2016
Thoughts On A Sunday
It is actually looking like winter around the Lakes Region, with actual snow on the ground that isn't melting away and disappearing later in the day. I figure we'll be seeing these small hit-or-miss storms throughout the winter as the first few storms tend to set the pattern for those that follow.
Frankly, I won't be disappointed were that to be the case this winter as we could use a break after last winter which saw weeks of below zero temperatures and one snowfall after another only days apart, with some topping 18 inches. The snow didn't melt away and some road surfaces weren't cleared until March.
Bernie Sanders has been making all kinds of promises about what his administration will do for the people, but like most progressives, he won't tell anyone how he'll pay for everything for everyone. I guess he'll use the usual “magical thinking” to make all of the funds appear from nowhere, or he'll pull something from the pages of the Marxist Economics Handbook, or worse, use Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged as a guidebook.
Heaven help us all.
Tonight's debate starts at 9PM, a night when not nearly as many people will be watching TV. I expect Madam Secretary and The Good Wife will see more viewers than the debate.
One has to ask, was this done on purpose? In my mind, I'd have to say yes because if the Democrat debates had as many viewers as the Republican debates almost everyone would see the Democrat candidates are weak, particularly Hillary.
Neoneocon asks why hasn't Carly Fiorina caught on? She offers a few answers:
Yeah, I'm sure the Warmists will be touting this as a reason to ignore the hiatus in warming. But if one looks at the data from pristine weather stations (stations located in areas that have not changed over the past 100 years plus) in the US and balloon data from all over the world, it matches what the satellites have been reporting since 1979.
So it all comes down to the Warmist version of “Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?”
That it's “starving a rogues’ gallery of countries that hate us” is an added benefit even if it's burning some oil investors.
Comcast is bad enough when it comes to customer service (there are a number of forums online that can attest to that), particularly when dealing with Internet service. Now they're nagging their customers while they're web browsing to upgrade their modems.
I can see if someone wants to up their connection speed but they're using an older DOCSIS 2.0 or 1.1 modem. Then it makes sense. But what if they're perfectly satisfied with the speeds they have? Do they really need to switch to a faster (or much faster) modem than the one they have now?
Is Comcast pushing for everyone to upgrade to one of the new DOCSIS 3.1 modems even if they presently have a DOCSIS 3.0 modem? (DOCSIS 3.0 is capable of speeds up to 300Mbs. DOCSIS 3.1 can handle 1Gbs or more.) Just how fast is fast enough?
As a follow-up there comes the news that Walmart has reconsidered building new stores in poor Washington DC neighborhoods, seeing it as a money losing proposition in light of the District's minimum wage rising to $11.50 and proposed new minimum of $15 an hour. District leaders are angry that “Walmart has gone back on its promise”, but when the economic conditions changed that made the proposed new stores unprofitable right from the get go, why would Walmart build them? They aren't in business to lose money.
In this case Connecticut has raised taxes to the point that it's been driving both businesses and wealthy residents to relocate out of state. The latest corporation to pull the plug in the Nutmeg State: General Electric.
If GE leaves how long will it be before a number of other deep pocket corporations will head for lower cost states?
They'll be more than welcome to take a look at New Hampshire as well as it has no state income tax or sales tax.
Frankly, I won't be disappointed were that to be the case this winter as we could use a break after last winter which saw weeks of below zero temperatures and one snowfall after another only days apart, with some topping 18 inches. The snow didn't melt away and some road surfaces weren't cleared until March.
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Spoken like a true socialist.Bernie Sanders has been making all kinds of promises about what his administration will do for the people, but like most progressives, he won't tell anyone how he'll pay for everything for everyone. I guess he'll use the usual “magical thinking” to make all of the funds appear from nowhere, or he'll pull something from the pages of the Marxist Economics Handbook, or worse, use Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged as a guidebook.
Heaven help us all.
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The New England Patriots defeated the Kansas City Chiefs at Foxborough last night, 27-20. They'll play either the Denver Broncos or the Pittsburgh Steelers next week.****************
There is one area where I actually agree with Bernie Sanders, as does David Starr: Reinstate Glass-Steagall and break up the large banks into separate operations, meaning commercial banks and investment banks. That the two were allowed to merge after Glass-Steagall was repealed during the Clinton Administration was one of the things that lead to the housing meltdown.****************
Have you noticed that all of the Democrat debates so far have been scheduled for a time when it was unlikely anyone would be watching? If it wasn't taking place during a hotly contested NFL game it was during one of the college Division I football games.Tonight's debate starts at 9PM, a night when not nearly as many people will be watching TV. I expect Madam Secretary and The Good Wife will see more viewers than the debate.
One has to ask, was this done on purpose? In my mind, I'd have to say yes because if the Democrat debates had as many viewers as the Republican debates almost everyone would see the Democrat candidates are weak, particularly Hillary.
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I've been wondering the same thing.Neoneocon asks why hasn't Carly Fiorina caught on? She offers a few answers:
I think it was a combination of things. She is one of three people in the race who haven’t got experience in political office, and she was the least well-known of the three prior to running. Therefore, because people didn’t have a backlog of impressions about her, smear campaigns have had greater force because they fill in the blanks. When she began to rise, for instance, and people were just getting to know her, I noticed a veritable flood of commenters arriving on blog after blog after blog spouting the same talking points over and over. It was clearly some sort of organized effort, although by exactly whom I don’t know.Read the whole thing.
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“There is no pause – the satellites are lying!”Yeah, I'm sure the Warmists will be touting this as a reason to ignore the hiatus in warming. But if one looks at the data from pristine weather stations (stations located in areas that have not changed over the past 100 years plus) in the US and balloon data from all over the world, it matches what the satellites have been reporting since 1979.
So it all comes down to the Warmist version of “Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?”
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Glenn Reynolds states “I'm so old, I remember when low oil prices were good news.”That it's “starving a rogues’ gallery of countries that hate us” is an added benefit even if it's burning some oil investors.
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Techie alert!Comcast is bad enough when it comes to customer service (there are a number of forums online that can attest to that), particularly when dealing with Internet service. Now they're nagging their customers while they're web browsing to upgrade their modems.
I can see if someone wants to up their connection speed but they're using an older DOCSIS 2.0 or 1.1 modem. Then it makes sense. But what if they're perfectly satisfied with the speeds they have? Do they really need to switch to a faster (or much faster) modem than the one they have now?
Is Comcast pushing for everyone to upgrade to one of the new DOCSIS 3.1 modems even if they presently have a DOCSIS 3.0 modem? (DOCSIS 3.0 is capable of speeds up to 300Mbs. DOCSIS 3.1 can handle 1Gbs or more.) Just how fast is fast enough?
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My post yesterday addressed the unintended consequences of raising the minimum wage, particularly when it is raised beyond all reason.As a follow-up there comes the news that Walmart has reconsidered building new stores in poor Washington DC neighborhoods, seeing it as a money losing proposition in light of the District's minimum wage rising to $11.50 and proposed new minimum of $15 an hour. District leaders are angry that “Walmart has gone back on its promise”, but when the economic conditions changed that made the proposed new stores unprofitable right from the get go, why would Walmart build them? They aren't in business to lose money.
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Perhaps this is a good time to mention yet another example of the unintended consequences of artificially raising the cost of doing business.In this case Connecticut has raised taxes to the point that it's been driving both businesses and wealthy residents to relocate out of state. The latest corporation to pull the plug in the Nutmeg State: General Electric.
If GE leaves how long will it be before a number of other deep pocket corporations will head for lower cost states?
From the Connecticut governor’s office on down, Democratic officials argue that the GE move to Boston had nothing to do with taxes. Instead they say it was an effort to merge with Boston’s high-tech culture.You know it's really bad in Connecticut when neighboring Massachusetts is seen as a more tax-friendly state even though it's often derided as 'Taxachusetts'.
When you tax something more you get less of it. Art Laffer’s famous curve has kicked in with a vengeance in Connecticut, where higher tax rates are producing lower-than-expected tax revenues and killing jobs and growth.
It’s no coincidence that well-to-do residents are moving to zero-income-tax Florida, and major corporations like GE are seeking greener pastures. It’s also no surprise that GE boss Jeff Immelt began talking publically (sic) about a corporate relocation right after Connecticut passed its gigantic tax hike last summer.
They'll be more than welcome to take a look at New Hampshire as well as it has no state income tax or sales tax.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee where the lake is still mostly open water, the snowfalls have been minor, and where we've only had to fire up the snowblowers twice so far.
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