SPYWARE: PROGRESSIVE’S “SNAPSHOT.” “Let’s face it – this is the real question here. Is having a device in your car that tracks your driving habits by the second going to end up causing me more trouble than it’s worth?” Is this “progressive?” Yeah, probably . . . .

CATASTROPHE BONDS. Is there any other kind, these days?

HMM: Libya Finds “Nuclear Materials.”

FOR HERMAN CAIN, a high-tech lynching? Well, the press didn’t spend much time looking into the past of the last black guy who looked like he might be President, so they’re putting a lot more effort into it this time. . . .

UPDATE: Byron York: Cain Responds.

MORE PROBLEMS FOR THE KNOX COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE. There are professors who think that being part of a noble profession makes them noble, regardless of how ignoble their actions. There are cops who feel the same way. Both are wrong.

AMBROSE EVANS-PRITCHARD: One by one, the democracies of Southern Europe are being broken on the wheel of monetary union.

AT AMAZON, bestsellers in Men’s Running Shoes. Also, Men’s Boots.

A RESPONSE TO Michael Yon’s medevac post.

DON SURBER ON THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT: They Should Occupy Prison: “This is the face of liberalism, America. It is lawless, selfish, disrespectful and above all mean. The Democratic Party’s embrace, promotion and even logistical support of the Occupy Wall Street movement likely will backfire. . . . The media has by and large been very supportive of the various Occupy stunts organized by unions and radical groups. The allegations of rape, pimping underage girls and underage drinking are largely ignored by a national press that repeatedly lied about the peaceful, law-abiding Tea Party movement. With Occupy, police have had to arrest more than 1,000 Occupiers — even as police ignore permit violations, camping violations and pot-smoking. I cannot recall police arresting a single Tea Party member, even though there were 100 times as many of them.”

UPDATE: Ric Locke emails:

Anybody who’s been to a Tea Party or #Occupy rally knows the media is a pack of bald-faced liars.

There are quite a few who heartily approve, mind you, but not even the most rabid Narrative-maintainer goes to them for information any more, and isn’t that the point of “news”?

Well, it used to be.

JUST BY VIRTUE OF BEING AN AMERICAN: Attention, Protestors: You’re Probably Part of the 1%. As my brother always says about going to Africa, no matter what you are in America, when you step off the plane in an African country you’re rich.

THE CARNIVAL OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IS UP!

SPACE: Something Has Exploded In A Spectacular Fashion On Uranus. I wonder if there’s any connection to the alien base on Saturn.

AT AMAZON, warehouse deals in Kitchen & Dining.

UNEXPECTEDLY! The debt fallout: How Social Security went ‘cash negative’ earlier than expected. “Now, Social Security is sucking money out of the Treasury. This year, it will add a projected $46 billion to the nation’s budget problems, according to projections by system trustees. Replacing cash lost to a one-year payroll tax holiday will require an additional $105 billion. If the payroll tax break is expanded next year, as President Obama has proposed, Social Security will need an extra $267 billion to pay promised benefits.”

Has anybody looked in Al Gore’s “lockbox?”

ILYA SOMIN ON COMMUNISM AND THE JEWS. “Jews’ status as an oppressed minority in early 20th century Eastern Europe also played a major role. The government of the Russian Empire (which ruled over most of Eastern Europe’s Jews until World War I) was highly anti-Semitic and oppressed Jews in innumerable ways. It also encouraged anti-Jewish violence, such as pogroms. Krajewski briefly mentions employment discrimination against early 20th century Jews; but that was only one small part of the prevailing anti-Semitism. Because of this persecution, Jews were more likely to be attracted to radical anti-regime movements than most other groups. A movement that seeks to overthrow the government that oppresses you and promises ethnic and racial equality has obvious appeal to persecuted minorities.”

That’s easily understandable, given circumstances a century ago. But why do so many Jews still embrace left-wing politics today, when it has an unrelenting track record of failure and oppression? For the same reason so many non-Jews do, I guess: There’s one born every minute. But not everyone’s a slow learner: “Although Jews were disproportionately represented among early communists, they were also (as Krajewski points out) disproportionately represented among the victims of communist regimes once the latter seized power. Unfortunately, Krajewski neglected to mention that in the 1970s and 80s, Jews were also disproportionately represented among the anti-communist dissidents in the USSR and Eastern Europe. Several of them played key roles in the eventual overthrow of communist rule (e.g. — Adam Michnik, one of the leaders of the Solidarity movement in Poland). Ironically, Jews were disproportionately represented among anti-communist dissidents for much the same reasons as an earlier generation had been disproportionately represented among communists: the dissident movement appealed to intellectuals, and it opposed highly anti-Semitic regimes.”

CLARICE FELDMAN: Self-Reliance For Dunces. Some lessons from the #Occupy movement and other aspects of American politics:

I think it’s a good day when anyone learns something about human nature — no matter how late in the game.

(1) Hand out free stuff and ever increasing number of moochers will come.

(2) There are “professional homeless people.”

(3) Those sanctimoniously protesting the greed of others fight as hard as anyone to keep their own special privileges even if those are just organic beet salad with goat cheese.

Three more good tips to put in your growing How to Be Self Reliant folder.

Indeed.

TODAY ONLY: Black & Decker 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Electric Lawncare Center. Also, a bunch of tool-related “lightning deals” coming throughout the day.

And for folks in the northeast, it’s too late for generators and snow removal gear, but not for everyone else. Yet.

FROM STEVEN DEN BESTE, a unified theory of left-wing causes. “Isn’t it interesting that no matter what the current global crisis is, according to leftists, the solution is always the same: a benevolent world dictatorship of the enlightened elite, and mass transfer of wealth from rich nations to poor nations.”

CHARLIE MARTIN: Another food fight breaks out in climate science.

INTRODUCING the anti-gravity Slinky.

I MENTIONED GENERATORS EARLIER, but if you’re thinking of buying one, read this post. You might also consider going with an inverter.

NOTHING GOOD, APPARENTLY: What’s Going On With The iPhone 4S Battery?

LAURENCE KOTLIKOFF: Economists Can’t Be Trusted On Tax Plans. “The presidential campaign has just begun, and it’s already making me queasy. It’s not the smug politicians claiming magical job creation powers or special connections with the almighty. It’s the economists who produce misleading analyses of the candidates’ proposed policies.”

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: The $10,000 College Degree: Rick Perry’s $10,000 degree plan is just one option to obtain an inexpensive education.

Given the #Occupy protests’ focus on student debt, and all the other higher education bubble talk lately, it’s odd that Perry’s reform proposal has gotten so little attention.

UPDATE: A reader emails:

Without saying where I work.

I passed this to my Dean some time ago and he dismissed with “you get what you pay for”. My reaction was no you don’t but that is the attitude. It is a business and not one truly interested in educating.

My University is a state research university and so they are interested in research to the exclusion of teaching.

Producers are sometimes interested in finding ways to reduce costs, but seldom interested in finding ways to reduce prices.

CONNECTICUT LIGHT & POWER CUSTOMERS TOLD TO prepare for a week without power. You know, it might have been nice to use some of that stimulus money for toughening up power systems and other vital infrastructure. But that approach might have produced too many jobs for burly men.