FoxNews - The UN's Climate Change Program Involves Trillions in Wealth Transfers
NY Post - New Era of Spend and Blame
Michelle Malkin - BO's Favorite Solar Panels - The Rest of the Story
Google Blogoscoped - Google Docs Gets a Drawing Program
NY Post - Girardi to Try Jeter as Leadoff Hitter
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
Jonah Goldberg posted a letter from an NRO reader questioning Obama's claim that his potentially trillion dollar "investment" in health care will ensure long-term economic solvency.
Jonah; I have never seen this point made: all of Europe, which has nationalized health care already, is also experiencing the current economic crisis. Why does Obama believe that bringing national health care here will in any way save us a similar economic crisis in the future? He keeps repeating that only if we get health care costs under control will we have “real” prosperity, but the countries that have already “tackled” this problem in the past were not spared their own economic meltdowns.
Back on March 4, Obama boasted:
"The budget plan I outlined next week includes $2 trillion in deficit reduction. It reduces discretionary spending for non-defense programs as a share of the economy that -- by more than 10 percent over the next decade, to the lowest level in nearly half a century. I want to repeat that. I want to make sure everybody catches this, because I think sometimes the chatter on the cable stations hasn't been clear about this. My budget reduces discretionary spending for non-defense programs as a share of the economy by more than 10 percent over the next decade, and it will take it to the lowest level in nearly half a century."
Note that time frame. All these reductions will be achieved in 10 years. And the actions taken toward this are conveniently planned for the out-years. In the meantime, his budget proposes a 11.5 percent increase in non-defense spending
TPC - Analysis of Tax Provision in BO's Budget
There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but 2 Congressmen insist the highways are free, and they should stay free, dammit!
HR 1071, Keeping America's Freeways Free Act! To prohibit the imposition and collection of tolls on certain highways constructed using Federal funds.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NmNkNzNhZDA2ODMzNGVlZmM3YmI5NmNiNWUxNDUyZDI=
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NDEzMGE2ODA4ZjU2NDlmNDU4MzY5ZTY1NGZiNjkzMjc=
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ODQyMGQwNWUxYjk4ODcyNWJkMzU5MjBkMmNjYTVjYjA=
GovExec - The Stimulus Czar
NewScientist.com - Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe
Bird Talk - Parrot Gender Quiz
♫♫♫♫
Music from 1950 and 1951.
Including Yma Sumac:
Jonah; I have never seen this point made: all of Europe, which has nationalized health care already, is also experiencing the current economic crisis. Why does Obama believe that bringing national health care here will in any way save us a similar economic crisis in the future? He keeps repeating that only if we get health care costs under control will we have “real” prosperity, but the countries that have already “tackled” this problem in the past were not spared their own economic meltdowns.
Back on March 4, Obama boasted:
"The budget plan I outlined next week includes $2 trillion in deficit reduction. It reduces discretionary spending for non-defense programs as a share of the economy that -- by more than 10 percent over the next decade, to the lowest level in nearly half a century. I want to repeat that. I want to make sure everybody catches this, because I think sometimes the chatter on the cable stations hasn't been clear about this. My budget reduces discretionary spending for non-defense programs as a share of the economy by more than 10 percent over the next decade, and it will take it to the lowest level in nearly half a century."
Note that time frame. All these reductions will be achieved in 10 years. And the actions taken toward this are conveniently planned for the out-years. In the meantime, his budget proposes a 11.5 percent increase in non-defense spending
TPC - Analysis of Tax Provision in BO's Budget
There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but 2 Congressmen insist the highways are free, and they should stay free, dammit!
HR 1071, Keeping America's Freeways Free Act! To prohibit the imposition and collection of tolls on certain highways constructed using Federal funds.
http://article.nationalreview.
http://article.nationalreview.
http://article.nationalreview.
GovExec - The Stimulus Czar
NewScientist.com - Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe
Bird Talk - Parrot Gender Quiz
♫♫♫♫
Music from 1950 and 1951.
Including Yma Sumac:
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
You know things are bad when the EU is blasting your budget:
NextGov - Officials criticize Defense's 'unreliable' health record
The Defense Department's top health officials lambasted the department's central electronic heath record system that manages patient files for millions of active duty and retired service members, saying it frustrates doctors because it crashes as often as once a week and generates duplicate records. ... MHS has developed new versions of AHLTA based on a Web services model, which it plans to field in less than three years, according to Morris. Casscells declined to estimate the cost of the new system, because he said he is working with the Office of Management and Budget on the details. But he said the cost will come in "well below" the $15 billion he estimated a year ago.
NYT - Dear AIG, I Quit
Live Science - Why Toddlers Don't Do What They're Told
Washington Post - Clouded Leopards Cubs Born at National Zoo
♫♫♫♫
NextGov - Officials criticize Defense's 'unreliable' health record
The Defense Department's top health officials lambasted the department's central electronic heath record system that manages patient files for millions of active duty and retired service members, saying it frustrates doctors because it crashes as often as once a week and generates duplicate records. ... MHS has developed new versions of AHLTA based on a Web services model, which it plans to field in less than three years, according to Morris. Casscells declined to estimate the cost of the new system, because he said he is working with the Office of Management and Budget on the details. But he said the cost will come in "well below" the $15 billion he estimated a year ago.
NYT - Dear AIG, I Quit
Live Science - Why Toddlers Don't Do What They're Told
Washington Post - Clouded Leopards Cubs Born at National Zoo
♫♫♫♫
Django!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
GovExec.com - Postmaster General to face Congress over compensation
The Postal Service, which is a semigovernment agency that has not received an operational subsidy from Congress since 1982, faces another massive deficit that Potter estimates will reach $6 billion in fiscal 2009.
The Postal Service, which is a semigovernment agency that has not received an operational subsidy from Congress since 1982, faces another massive deficit that Potter estimates will reach $6 billion in fiscal 2009.
This follows deficits of $2.8 billion in fiscal 2008 and $5.1 billion in fiscal 2007. The service last turned a profit of $900 million in fiscal 2006. Potter's $857,459 package in includes base compensation for fiscal 2008 listed at $263,575, according to Postal Regulatory Commission records with a $135,041 performance incentive bonus, deferred until he leaves office. His other compensation includes $77,347 in perks, including parking, life insurance premiums, airline clubs, spousal travel and security, plus his $381,496 pension.
Also deferred until he leaves office is accrued annual leave totaling more than $245,000, as of September 2008, which he will receive in a lump sum. He has been in office since June 2001.
GovExec.com - Budget resolution comes into focusDC Examiner - Why can't we decline Medicare benefits?George Will - And So Begins Another Week Of Malfeasance
Arnold King - A Metaphor: The Toxic NCAA Bracket
AP - Parrot awarded for yelling about choking baby
SearchEngineWatch.com - LinkedIn Enables RSS Feeds to Enhance Sharing in Groups
Cool Tool - http://www.wordle.net will generate word clouds if you can get it to work.
A few useful HTML codes: http://net.tutsplus.com/articles/web-roundups/10-rare-html-tags-you-really-should-know/
~~
I'm glad to hear Letterman finally got married. His son deserves it.
♫♫♫♫
Newsbusters - CNN's 'Vast Grassroots Network' for Obama Not So Vast
Arnold King - A Metaphor: The Toxic NCAA Bracket
AP - Parrot awarded for yelling about choking baby
SearchEngineWatch.com - LinkedIn Enables RSS Feeds to Enhance Sharing in Groups
Cool Tool - http://www.wordle.net will generate word clouds if you can get it to work.
A few useful HTML codes: http://net.tutsplus.com/articles/web-roundups/10-rare-html-tags-you-really-should-know/
~~
I'm glad to hear Letterman finally got married. His son deserves it.
♫♫♫♫
Monday, March 23, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
Two weeks until opening day of regular season baseball!
~~
Lil' Timmy "Turbo" Geithner is releasing the long-promised details on the administration's toxic asset security plan. They want public-private partnerships to buy up the bad assets that are causing the credit crunch.
~~
Lil' Timmy "Turbo" Geithner is releasing the long-promised details on the administration's toxic asset security plan. They want public-private partnerships to buy up the bad assets that are causing the credit crunch.
Question: What private entity is going to participate in this relationship when they would clearly be the junior partners? Who would want this government dictating salaries?
AP - Treasury's toxic asset plan could cost $1 trillion
~~
GovExec.com - Obama releases guidance on acceptable stimulus spending
"Whenever a project comes up for review, we're going to ask a simple question," the president said. "Does it advance the core mission of the Recovery Act? Does it jump-start job creation? Does it lay the foundation for lasting prosperity?"
Umm, sir, with all due respect, much of your Recovery Act doesn't advance that mission.
~~
Politico - Is BHO punch drunk?
Politico - Sen. Conrad looks to cut BO's budget
Reuters - Economic crisis dire, risk of unrest and war - IMF
Gov. Mark Sanford in the WSJ - Why South Carolina Doesn't Want "Stimulus"
NRO - Democracy in Europe: It’s lethargic and uninspiring — and ours could be like it soon.
NRO - Going Galt: Ayn Rand’s books are booming — but what about her ideas?
The Bulletin -Obama Continues To Set Records For Incompetence
Science's 10 most beautiful physics experiments
♫♫♫♫
Nipper's Greatest Hits of the 1930s and assorted Benny Goodman. I was surprised I couldn't find a youtube clip of Cab Calloway's Zah Zuh Zaz.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
Politico - Obama gets into trouble without his teleprompter.The Hill - 1 Rep gives back AIG political donations
Alaska - Palin to refuse 30 percent of the Stimu-Lie
GovExec.com - So-called "fiscal conservative" Blue Dogs release budget guideline
"The group supports Obama's "very ambitious agenda," Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., a Blue Dog leader and senior member of the Budget Committee, said on Wednesday."
So under their rational, it is fiscally conservative to back an unprecedented expansion of the government, as long as you tax the crap out of productivity to pay for it. The media should stop calling them "fiscally conservative," because that is pure BS. They are tax and spend liberals.
GovExec.com - Stimulus oversight panel continues to staff up
Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., agreed that preventing fraud was necessary to ensure that billions of dollars aren't wasted. Citing fraud analysts, he estimated that U.S. organizations lose 7 percent of revenue to fraud and waste annually. When applied to the stimulus package, that 7 percent would amount to $55 billion in lost funds.
"And the sad truth is, once fraudulent dollars go out the door, the federal government historically is only able to collect pennies on the dollar," Towns said.
TaxVox - Taxing AIG Bonuses: Worse Than Paying Them
GoogleBlogoscoped - Gmail gets an undo for sent mail
AP - Macaw photo
Obama's NCAA bracket picks performed on par with his presidency so far - poorly.
When BO gave Brit PM Gordon Brown that DVD box set, lots of people jokingly wondered whether they would work on DVD player, to prevent piracy, DVD formats vary in different regions of the world. Well it turns out they do not work.
♫♫♫♫
Punky Irish band, Blood or Whiskey.
Alaska - Palin to refuse 30 percent of the Stimu-Lie
GovExec.com - So-called "fiscal conservative" Blue Dogs release budget guideline
"The group supports Obama's "very ambitious agenda," Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., a Blue Dog leader and senior member of the Budget Committee, said on Wednesday."
So under their rational, it is fiscally conservative to back an unprecedented expansion of the government, as long as you tax the crap out of productivity to pay for it. The media should stop calling them "fiscally conservative," because that is pure BS. They are tax and spend liberals.
GovExec.com - Stimulus oversight panel continues to staff up
Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., agreed that preventing fraud was necessary to ensure that billions of dollars aren't wasted. Citing fraud analysts, he estimated that U.S. organizations lose 7 percent of revenue to fraud and waste annually. When applied to the stimulus package, that 7 percent would amount to $55 billion in lost funds.
"And the sad truth is, once fraudulent dollars go out the door, the federal government historically is only able to collect pennies on the dollar," Towns said.
TaxVox - Taxing AIG Bonuses: Worse Than Paying Them
GoogleBlogoscoped - Gmail gets an undo for sent mail
AP - Macaw photo
Obama's NCAA bracket picks performed on par with his presidency so far - poorly.
When BO gave Brit PM Gordon Brown that DVD box set, lots of people jokingly wondered whether they would work on DVD player, to prevent piracy, DVD formats vary in different regions of the world. Well it turns out they do not work.
♫♫♫♫
Punky Irish band, Blood or Whiskey.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Obama and His Best Friend
Found this picture on the front page of www.whitehouse.gov.
As an added bonus for his hyper-inflated ego, it also looks like his teleprompter can double as a mirror.
Today's Reading/Listening List
NRO - LBJ Returns
Fascinating bit of info from the Cold War:
Sky.com - Undercover Putin in Reagan Ruse
Bastard Nation
AP - 40% of births to unwed mothers
CNNMoney - Keeping an Eye on the $timulus
Reuters - UN pushing for global tax again
♫♫♫♫
Wrapping up my 6 month-long tour of Classical and 20th Century Music today with:
Steve Reich - You Are (Variations)
And a piece I haven't heard before, Aaron Jay Kernis's Symphony in Waves.
~~
Went to see if The Tossers had anything new on eMusic, but all of the studio albums that used to be there are gone. Similar thing happened with Josh Rouse, but in that case I still had a few of his previous albums in my "Saved for Later" list and hadn't downloaded them yet. The biggest example of music disappearing from eMusic is of course, the Rolling Stones, whose catalog was available on the website for only a week or two.
Fascinating bit of info from the Cold War:
Sky.com - Undercover Putin in Reagan Ruse
Bastard Nation
AP - 40% of births to unwed mothers
CNNMoney - Keeping an Eye on the $timulus
Reuters - UN pushing for global tax again
♫♫♫♫
Wrapping up my 6 month-long tour of Classical and 20th Century Music today with:
Steve Reich - You Are (Variations)
And a piece I haven't heard before, Aaron Jay Kernis's Symphony in Waves.
~~
Went to see if The Tossers had anything new on eMusic, but all of the studio albums that used to be there are gone. Similar thing happened with Josh Rouse, but in that case I still had a few of his previous albums in my "Saved for Later" list and hadn't downloaded them yet. The biggest example of music disappearing from eMusic is of course, the Rolling Stones, whose catalog was available on the website for only a week or two.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
Washington is all in outrage over the AIG bonuses. Some Members are contemplating a punitive tax on the recipients to get the money back. Will they consider giving back all the campaign contributions they received from TARP-corporations through the years of the bubble?
For example, Obama received $101K from AIG.
~~
Michelle Malkin -The Kabuki Theater of AIG Outrage
Washington Times - Obama climate plan could cost $2 trillion
Tax Foundation - Cap-and-trade average annual household burden would be $1,218
AP - Health care overhaul cost may reach $1.5 trillion
More change you can believe in!
MSNBC - Obama Budget Strategy Breaks Bipartisan Pledge
No wonder Obama wants to run the 2010 census directly from the White House:
Fox News - ACORN to Play Role in 2010 Census
SkyNews - The Teleprompter President's Teleprompter Blunder
Taxpayer Rallies Continue!
~~
Paste - Demetri Martin's 224-Palindrome Poem
Lisa de Moraes - Idol's Twangy Grand Ole Opry Week
♫♫♫♫
Steve Reich - Nagoya Marimbas
~~
The major piece that was on my listening list today was Glenn Branca's "Symphony No. 5" and I will have to channel Simon Cowell by declaring it to be self-indulgent, vapid rubbish. On to Arvo Part's De Profundis to clear my head.
For example, Obama received $101K from AIG.
~~
Michelle Malkin -The Kabuki Theater of AIG Outrage
Washington Times - Obama climate plan could cost $2 trillion
Tax Foundation - Cap-and-trade average annual household burden would be $1,218
AP - Health care overhaul cost may reach $1.5 trillion
More change you can believe in!
MSNBC - Obama Budget Strategy Breaks Bipartisan Pledge
No wonder Obama wants to run the 2010 census directly from the White House:
Fox News - ACORN to Play Role in 2010 Census
SkyNews - The Teleprompter President's Teleprompter Blunder
"Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen was just a few paragraphs into an address in Washington when he realised it all sounded a bit too familiar.
It was. He was repeating the speech President Barack Obama had just read from the same teleprompter.
Mr Cowen stopped, turned to the president and said: "That's your speech."
A laughing Mr Obama returned to the podium to take over but it seems the script had finally been switched and the US president ended up thanking himself for inviting everyone to the party.
Mr Obama is an accomplished orator but is becoming known in America as the "teleprompt president" over his reliance on the machine when he gives a speech.""
~~
Obama is trying to cram a lot of government expansion through Congress this year. Some Democrats are concerned that the Hill will be overloaded, but Obama's Teleprompter defends tackling many problems at the same time.
Taxpayer Rallies Continue!
~~
Paste - Demetri Martin's 224-Palindrome Poem
Lisa de Moraes - Idol's Twangy Grand Ole Opry Week
♫♫♫♫
Steve Reich - Nagoya Marimbas
~~
The major piece that was on my listening list today was Glenn Branca's "Symphony No. 5" and I will have to channel Simon Cowell by declaring it to be self-indulgent, vapid rubbish. On to Arvo Part's De Profundis to clear my head.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
The beginning of a trade war?
Reuters - Mexico slaps tariffs on U.S. goods in truck feud
Reuters - Fossil sea monster's bite makes T-Rex look feeble
AP - Justice Thomas: Americans don't sacrifice as much
"Our country and our principles are more important than our individual wants," Thomas told close to 400 people who greeted him with a standing ovation at Washington and Lee University, a Shenandoah Valley liberal arts school.
Washington Post - Anger Over Firm Depletes Obama's Political Capital
Asked why the administration is attempting to claw back the bonuses now but did not do more to block the payments earlier this month when it was authorizing the latest $30 billion in new loans to the struggling insurer, Gibbs was unresponsive.
Bloomberg - Wells Fargo forced into TARP
AP - 8 Dems oppose quick debate on cap-and-trade
John Goodman - Revisiting the (Health Care) Syllogism
Insider Online - Look to Europe for Health Care Solutions?
♫♫
The Pogues - The Body of an American (live)
The Pogues - Waxie's Dargle
Reuters - Mexico slaps tariffs on U.S. goods in truck feud
Reuters - Fossil sea monster's bite makes T-Rex look feeble
AP - Justice Thomas: Americans don't sacrifice as much
"Our country and our principles are more important than our individual wants," Thomas told close to 400 people who greeted him with a standing ovation at Washington and Lee University, a Shenandoah Valley liberal arts school.
He quoted President Kennedy's famous, "Ask not what your country can do for you" speech, but said Americans today are more likely to say, "Ask not what you can do for yourselves or your country but what your country can do for you."
Washington Post - Anger Over Firm Depletes Obama's Political Capital
Asked why the administration is attempting to claw back the bonuses now but did not do more to block the payments earlier this month when it was authorizing the latest $30 billion in new loans to the struggling insurer, Gibbs was unresponsive.
"The administration is taking the steps today to go back and see what can be done," he said.
Politico - Tax Hikes Put WH on DefenseBloomberg - Wells Fargo forced into TARP
AP - 8 Dems oppose quick debate on cap-and-trade
John Goodman - Revisiting the (Health Care) Syllogism
Insider Online - Look to Europe for Health Care Solutions?
♫♫
The Pogues - The Body of an American (live)
The Pogues - Waxie's Dargle
Monday, March 16, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
Politico - Cheney warns 'Obama wants massive expansion'
KYPost.com - Thousands Support The Cincinnati Tea Party
Michelle Malkin - No Duh! White House "worried about bailout backlash"
WashPost - Obama to activate his email zombies to support his tax hikes
AP - Budget crunch cuts illegals' health care
OpenCRS - A Medicare Primer
"In FY2009, the program will cover an estimated 45 million persons (38 million aged and 7 million disabled) at an estimated total cost of about $492 billion, accounting for over 3% of GDP."
Rep. Barton - Under Obama Cap-and-Trade Plan, Taxpayers Will Face $522 Tax Hike
Victor Davis Hanson - Making Orwell Proud
FoxNews - ACLU Urges California District toLet Kids Leave School
Discover - 20 Things About Time
"The Department of Energy estimates that electricity demand drops by 0.5 percent during Daylight Saving Time, saving the equivalent of nearly 3 million barrels of oil."
~~~
The Smithsonian improved its online calendar. It used to be displayed as one long list, now they've made it very flexible, there are more items listed than in the past, more options to choose which items to see, and several different ways to subscribe to the calendar: RSS, month email, or download an iCalendar. And results can be filtered by museum, too.
Ditto for the Washington Post's Event Finder. They've made it easier to browse by day and type of event.
~~~
Google no longer supports its text/photo clipping application, GoogleNotebook. I use it on occasion to save references. The service is still there, but they won't be making any more updates to it. I'm not sure if they are letting any new people signup for it or not. Wired.com has a wiki of alternatives here.
~~
A colleague just told me about this new series on the History Channel: Battles BC. Mondays at 8 & 9 PM (EST). Tonight's episode: Hannibal: The Annihilator. Should be good!
Steve Reich - The Desert Music
Here is an excerpt of my favorite section of the piece:
KYPost.com - Thousands Support The Cincinnati Tea Party
Michelle Malkin - No Duh! White House "worried about bailout backlash"
WashPost - Obama to activate his email zombies to support his tax hikes
AP - Budget crunch cuts illegals' health care
OpenCRS - A Medicare Primer
"In FY2009, the program will cover an estimated 45 million persons (38 million aged and 7 million disabled) at an estimated total cost of about $492 billion, accounting for over 3% of GDP."
Rep. Barton - Under Obama Cap-and-Trade Plan, Taxpayers Will Face $522 Tax Hike
Victor Davis Hanson - Making Orwell Proud
FoxNews - ACLU Urges California District to
Discover - 20 Things About Time
"The Department of Energy estimates that electricity demand drops by 0.5 percent during Daylight Saving Time, saving the equivalent of nearly 3 million barrels of oil."
~~~
The Smithsonian improved its online calendar. It used to be displayed as one long list, now they've made it very flexible, there are more items listed than in the past, more options to choose which items to see, and several different ways to subscribe to the calendar: RSS, month email, or download an iCalendar. And results can be filtered by museum, too.
Ditto for the Washington Post's Event Finder. They've made it easier to browse by day and type of event.
~~~
Google no longer supports its text/photo clipping application, GoogleNotebook. I use it on occasion to save references. The service is still there, but they won't be making any more updates to it. I'm not sure if they are letting any new people signup for it or not. Wired.com has a wiki of alternatives here.
~~
A colleague just told me about this new series on the History Channel: Battles BC. Mondays at 8 & 9 PM (EST). Tonight's episode: Hannibal: The Annihilator. Should be good!
♫♫
Washington Times - Brain in step with offbeat music
Steve Reich - The Desert Music
Here is an excerpt of my favorite section of the piece:
Friday, March 13, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
Malkin - Tea Party update: Revolution is brewing
WSJ - Obama's Poll Numbers Are Falling to Earth
WSJ - Obama's Rosetta Stone
China:
Thanks to our unstoppable over-spending, China owns our sorry asses. How soon till they start dictating our tax policy?
AP - China "worried" about US Treasury holdings
WSJ - Wen Voices Concern Over China's U.S. Treasurys
Bloomberg - Treasuries Drop as StocksGain , China
AP - 10 kids drink windshield wiper fluid in daycare
♫♫
eMusic Suggestion:
Pillow-soft music for lazy afternoons: Kirk Hammett, one of Metallica's chief axmen, gave Miranda Lee Richards her first guitar lessons way back when, but don't expect Light of X to resemble Ride the Lightning. Despite her metal-god tutelage, Richards excels at making pillow-soft music for lazy afternoons. She's Keren Ann with just a little more verve, Norah Jones with less reserve. (Link to artist on eMusic)
Paste - Seinfeld cast to appear in Curb Your Enthusiasm
Steve Reich - Different Trains
WSJ - Obama's Poll Numbers Are Falling to Earth
WSJ - Obama's Rosetta Stone
China:
Thanks to our unstoppable over-spending, China owns our sorry asses. How soon till they start dictating our tax policy?
AP - China "worried" about US Treasury holdings
WSJ - Wen Voices Concern Over China's U.S. Treasurys
Bloomberg - Treasuries Drop as Stocks
AP - 10 kids drink windshield wiper fluid in daycare
♫♫
eMusic Suggestion:
Pillow-soft music for lazy afternoons: Kirk Hammett, one of Metallica's chief axmen, gave Miranda Lee Richards her first guitar lessons way back when, but don't expect Light of X to resemble Ride the Lightning. Despite her metal-god tutelage, Richards excels at making pillow-soft music for lazy afternoons. She's Keren Ann with just a little more verve, Norah Jones with less reserve. (Link to artist on eMusic)
Paste - Seinfeld cast to appear in Curb Your Enthusiasm
Steve Reich - Different Trains
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A few changes
Yahoo!Briefcase is closing on March. Makes sense since Yahoo!Mail now has unlimited storage. So if you've got items stored there, better retrieve them before they disappear into the ether.
GMail made some little changes that have improved the program. It is now much easier to add labels. Click on the label button and a text box appears. I'd long been meaning to make a suggestion about this, but they seem to have read my mind.
Google also recently added two notable gadgets for GoogleDesktop - a GoogleCalendar gadget and a handy GoogleDocs gadget.
I had trouble getting them both to work. Re-installing GoogleDesktop to make sure I've got the latest version, so we'll see if it works in the morning.
GMail made some little changes that have improved the program. It is now much easier to add labels. Click on the label button and a text box appears. I'd long been meaning to make a suggestion about this, but they seem to have read my mind.
Google also recently added two notable gadgets for GoogleDesktop - a GoogleCalendar gadget and a handy GoogleDocs gadget.
I had trouble getting them both to work. Re-installing GoogleDesktop to make sure I've got the latest version, so we'll see if it works in the morning.
Today's Reading/Listening List
Reuters - Oil companies flee to low-tax Switzerland
WSJ - Obama, Geithner Get Low Grades from Economists
Victor Davis Hanson - Now Obama Tells Us? What an Honest Campaign Would Have Sounded Like
Federal $$$ Oversight:
GovExec.com - Stimulus creates major challenges for agency money managers
GovExec.com - TARP staffing continues to increase
GovExec.com - Panel questions Treasury's oversight of TARP funds
GoogleBlogoscoped - GoogleReader Adds Comments
♫♫
Lisa de Moraes - Can the Judges Save "Idol"?
Terry Riley - The Harp of New Albion
(More Info) (eMusic)
WSJ - Obama, Geithner Get Low Grades from Economists
Victor Davis Hanson - Now Obama Tells Us? What an Honest Campaign Would Have Sounded Like
Federal $$$ Oversight:
GovExec.com - Stimulus creates major challenges for agency money managers
GovExec.com - TARP staffing continues to increase
GovExec.com - Panel questions Treasury's oversight of TARP funds
GoogleBlogoscoped - GoogleReader Adds Comments
♫♫
Lisa de Moraes - Can the Judges Save "Idol"?
Terry Riley - The Harp of New Albion
(More Info) (eMusic)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Today's Reading/Listening List
Morton Feldman's "For Stephan Wolpe" (also available from eMusic)
James Pethokoukis - Putting Obama on the Couch
YouTube - Nancy Pelosi at Home
Politico - Congress at Work "$1 billion an hour" (They didn't add in SCHIP spending.)
Veronique de Rugy - A list of all the bailout/stimulus measures since last September
Associated Press - Extreme cheapskates: Tightwads revel in frugality
MP3 - It Ain't Your Money to Spend!
Lisa de Moraes - 13 Unlucky for "American Idol"
James Pethokoukis - Putting Obama on the Couch
YouTube - Nancy Pelosi at Home
Politico - Congress at Work "$1 billion an hour" (They didn't add in SCHIP spending.)
Veronique de Rugy - A list of all the bailout/stimulus measures since last September
Associated Press - Extreme cheapskates: Tightwads revel in frugality
Space.com - Catch Venus Before it Disappears (3 weeks to go!)
MP3 - It Ain't Your Money to Spend!
Lisa de Moraes - 13 Unlucky for "American Idol"
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Google Had a Leak
Google's new-ish online Document applications are very handy for collaborating with colleagues, or for working on a document or spreadsheet without having to email it back and forth from work to home. But there is a downside to working in the cloud - security and privacy becomes a greater concern.
Yesterday, Google reported a "software bug" that shared documents that were meant to be private. Only a small fraction of accounts were affected, but given the number of people who use Google, that is still a lot of people.
This isn't just a concern for Google. Now there is a federal push to digitize patients' health records. So presumable there will be large government-run databases of people enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. One risk is that decisions concerning health care with be centralized under some new federal czar, another is that all this private information will be breached. Governments have a poor record of managing and securing these types of database.
Yesterday, Google reported a "software bug" that shared documents that were meant to be private. Only a small fraction of accounts were affected, but given the number of people who use Google, that is still a lot of people.
This isn't just a concern for Google. Now there is a federal push to digitize patients' health records. So presumable there will be large government-run databases of people enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. One risk is that decisions concerning health care with be centralized under some new federal czar, another is that all this private information will be breached. Governments have a poor record of managing and securing these types of database.
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Democrats' Keynsian "Stimulus" Explained
An economics student asks his professor to explain how the stimulus will help the economy. The professor replies that he doesn't have time to explain it now, but if the student will come by his house in the evening he will do his best to explain it.
The student shows up that night and the professor asks him to help him with an issue in his pool first. "Take this bucket and fill it with as much water as you can from the deep end of the pool. Then, carry it around and pour it into the shallow end."
Confused, the student complies, but quickly becomes frustrated. Finally he puts down the bucket and says, "This is pointless! I've been doing this over and over again and now I'm tired. Besides, it hasn't changed anything!"
The professor smiles and says, "Exactly."
The student shows up that night and the professor asks him to help him with an issue in his pool first. "Take this bucket and fill it with as much water as you can from the deep end of the pool. Then, carry it around and pour it into the shallow end."
Confused, the student complies, but quickly becomes frustrated. Finally he puts down the bucket and says, "This is pointless! I've been doing this over and over again and now I'm tired. Besides, it hasn't changed anything!"
The professor smiles and says, "Exactly."
That's a Shame
Remember those TV ads selling Obama Presidential Coins? They were pretty much a scam.
Friday, March 6, 2009
So Much for Energy Security
The porked up and bloated omnibus spending bill being squeezed through Congress by Democratic leaders will not fund the initiative to double the size of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Apparently the Dems idea of "energy security and independence" involves Americans all driving around in little clown cars and paying more for food thanks to the diversion of corn for the production of the highly inneficient fuel known as ethanol.
By the way, this omnibus bill increases its programs spending by 8 percent.
By the way, this omnibus bill increases its programs spending by 8 percent.
Enemies Lists Are "Fun"
Obama's creepy Press Secretary thinks it "fun" to use the power of the Oval Office to target individual private citizens who disagree with the Administration's War on Prosperity. I would be very surprised if Gibbs is still in this job come summer.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Obama's Training Wheels
Obama can't even make the shortest address with the assistance of his steadying TelePrompter.
See the Politico.
See the Politico.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
News for the Boy
1) A hand print fossil reveals that some dinosaurs' arms were likely positioned upward, not downward as depicted in the Jurassic Park movies.
2) Fossil hunters in Colombia find a 43-foot long snake!
3) A paleontologist in England discovers 48 new species.
2) Fossil hunters in Colombia find a 43-foot long snake!
3) A paleontologist in England discovers 48 new species.
Colorful Chart
LastFM generated this chart of the artists I've been listening to this year.
(Click to embiggen.)
(Click to embiggen.)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
This Redistribution of Wealth Business is Tricky
A little parable from Monty Python:
Dennis Moore Part 1
Dennis Moore Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Dennis Moore Part 1
Dennis Moore Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
At this rate, we won't need an emissions cap
Barack "Senator Government" Obama wants to impose an annual $80 billion tax on all consumers via a "cap-and-trade" program to regulate emissions. We won't need it. His platform contains enough assaults on productivity and other fuel taxes that emissions will decline as Atlas Shrugs and manufacturers close shop or relocate to friendlier climes. Oh look at that, the Dow plummeted again. Thanks, Obama. Here's your more equal society, wealth is destroyed and dependency on the government is increased.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Not Too Likely
Representative Pence has called on the President to veto the $410 billion pork-infused omnibus bill. This ain't gonna happen. Barack "Senator Government" Obama will not stand in the way of federal bloat.
PENCE CALLS ON PRESIDENT OBAMA TO VETO BLOATED SPENDING BILL
PENCE CALLS ON PRESIDENT OBAMA TO VETO BLOATED SPENDING BILL
“House Republicans trust President Obama will veto any spending bill that is not consistent with his campaign commitment…”
Washington, DC- U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, made the following statement today after joining House Republican leaders in sending a letter to President Obama requesting he veto the massive omnibus spending bill:
“In only a few months, Democrats have passed massive spending bills at the taxpayer’s expense. To make matters worse, the manner in which this legislation was forced through Congress was not transparent or honest. For example, the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ spending bill was rushed through Congress without any Member having read it. And, the $410 billion legislation that passed this week contained nearly 9,000 ‘airdropped’ earmarks, most of which were not even considered in committee let alone on the House floor. This is unacceptable.
“House Republicans trust President Obama will veto any spending bill that is not consistent with his campaign commitment to ‘fiscal responsibility and accountability and ensuring that spending commitments are paid for without burdening our children and grandchildren.’ And, since the Democrats’ bill also goes against President Obama’s pledge to ‘slash earmarks to no greater than 1994 levels and ensure all spending decisions are open to the public,’ we urge him to stand by his word.
“We side with the American people who are tired of business-as-usual with Washington’s out-of-control spending habits. Our nation’s families and small businesses are being forced to make sacrifices and cut down on spending and we believe, so should government. American taxpayers deserve better.”
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