Archive for 2011
June 25, 2011
REALLY? You Should Listen To Michelle Obama’s Dating Advice Because She’s Married To Barack Obama.
From the comments: “Personally, I don’t think any man who actually wants the job of President of the United States is much of a husband-catch.”
STACY MCCAIN KNOWS that nothing boosts traffic like a good blogwar.
MORE PRO-UNION VIOLENCE? Another Account Of The Prosser-Bradley Story, with two sources saying that she charged at him with “fists raised.”
Obviously she’s unfit for the court. Right?
From the comments: The first rule of Supreme Court Fight Club is: you do not talk about Supreme Court Fight Club.
Also: In retrospect, “Margarita Mondays!” may not have been the most prudent manner in which to build camaraderie amongst the justices…
LULZSEC HACK reveals cops’ least favorite iPhone Apps:
One document labelled “Law Enforcement Sensitive” lists the following apps, and warns officers to “take the time to look at an arrestee’s cell phone to see what applications they have.”
Cop Recorder: Developed under the OpenWatch project, the app lets users stealthily record their interactions with police or other authority figures and upload them to OpenWatch’s server, where some of the videos are anonymized and posted online with legal analysis. The latest version of the app for Android, called OpenWatch rather than Cop Recorder, allows the secret capturing of video as well as audio.
Trapster and Police Alert: Both apps aim to show users the location of speed traps. The free app Trapster crowdsources the problem, allowing users to add or confirm police locations, even tracking users’ reputations to improve the accuracy of their submissions. Police Alert, a $3.99 app for Android, seems to map out police locations without user interaction, but users warn in reviews that it rarely updates and is largely inaccurate.
Read the whole thing.
PEJMAN YOUSEFZADEH ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY: “It is worth noting, in the course of this discussion, the intellectual cowardice of the incumbent President of the United States, who constantly tries to avoid a serious debate about same sex marriage by telling everyone and their pet canaries that his position is in the seemingly interminable process of ‘evolving.’ I recognize that evolution takes a while–Darwin and scientists who followed him pointed out as much–but evolution towards a position of decency towards one’s fellow human beings shouldn’t take nearly as long. So much–once more–for Hope, and Change We Can Believe In.”
PROF. JACOBSON: Can Any Republican Presidential Candidate Withstand Being Palinized?
He’s right about what this requires from the GOP field. And I should note that Pawlenty’s moment of weakness regarding the unfair Loughner-based attacks on Sarah Palin hurt him a lot — and probably not just in my estimation. Likewise Gingrich’s backstab at Paul Ryan, which basically ended his campaign before it started. You won’t get the nomination — and you surely won’t win the election — by cozying up to Big Media folks.
Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Anderson Cooper.
Anderson Cooper who?
So you’ve seen my ratings.
Heh.
AT AMAZON, markdowns on best books of the month.
TEA PARTY NATION: David Kirkham emails from Washington, DC:
Over 100 Tea Party leaders from 41 different states are meeting this weekend at Freedomworks’ headquarters in Washington DC. We are discussing deficits, Cap and Trade, Obamacare, and many other topics that are hurting our economy and costing everyone jobs.
All our focus is on organizing for the next elections. I took this picture from the middle of a standing room only presentation on repealing Obamacare. The Utah Tea Party delegation has 19 members attending.
A lot of other people seem to be there, too.
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Reader Brian Durant emails:
Professor Reynolds- I am a long time reader, but have never emailed you. Many times you have mentioned the need to be ready for disaster including having a “bug out” plan with bags ready, etc. Last THURS evening we learned the lesson the hard way. A wildfire forced us to evacuate our house in about 15 minutes- we grabbed a few valuables, a change of clothes, some toiletries, and headed out thinking we’d be gone for a couple of hours. More than 36 hours later were we were allowed to return. Fortunately thanks to God and some great volunteer firefighters, our house was spared. During the time away, I spent a lot of time trying to determine what I should have taken, would need to replace, etc. Please remind us again of the importance of being prepared (and a good list would be helpful, too.)
Happy to. Here are a bunch of my disaster preparedness posts. Here in particular is the one on low-budget preparedness.
Here are some bug-out bag recommendations, and here’s a list on survival preparedness for your car or SUV.
Here’s something from Jed Babbin, and you might also want to spend some time at Bill Quick’s survival discussion board.
And, really, just spend 15 minutes now — when you’re not distracted by having to evacuate and your head is comparatively clear — thinking about what you’d take, and where it is in your house, and then make a list. Then look at the list in a day or two and add what you forgot. Do that a time or two and you’ll be much better off.
VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL to sue FCC for Internet regulatory overreach. “They have no respect for the courts, no respect for the states, no respect for the Constitution, no respect for federal law.” As Scot Powe’s work demonstrates, that’s been a pattern for a long time.
CHANGE: Saudi embassy on Delta rumors: American Jews are always welcome! Well, sorta-kinda. But note this, which I think is right: “The irony is, the Saudi royals have been unusually proactive among Middle Eastern regimes in pushing reforms to try to head off any Arab-Spring-type revolt among their population. They might be susceptible to western pressure for social liberalization too, especially since they need western allies to fend off the threat from Iran. Leaning on U.S. businesses and the U.S. government to lean on them about discrimination is all to the good, and it might have some small impact. . . . Seize the opportunity.”
NO MORE FREE PASS: Activists Disrupt U2 Concert, Tell Bono: ‘U Pay Your Tax 2’. Like Al Gore, Bono’s actions don’t match his policy urgings.
UPDATE: Mike McNally: “Of course, no conservative is going to quibble about the band’s right to take all legally-available steps to minimize their tax liability. The trouble is, such business dealings sit rather uneasily alongside Bono’s repeated calls for Western governments to send more money to developing nations, and write off outstanding debt. From the conservative point of view, if Bono devoted his energy to encouraging private individuals and business to hand over their cash to charities, there wouldn’t be an issue here; the problem is, if governments are to send more money to Africa they need to get it from someone, and that someone is you, me and U2.”
The Louis Vuitton ads don’t help Bono here, either.
IMMIGRATION IN EUROPE GOES FULL CIRCLE? “Ten years ago, as Denmark joined the European Union’s visa-free open travel zone, the outraged Danish People’s Party bought a decommissioned border guardhouse, vowing that one day it would be in use again. Back then, most Danes dismissed the move as a colorful publicity stunt by the newly formed right-wing party. But last month, the Danish People’s Party was doing a victory dance, offering to donate its picturesque brick guardhouse at the German border to the government. The party had achieved its goal: Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen had agreed to restore 24-hour customs control in exchange for support on a difficult budget package.”
KEVIN WILLIAMSON: How Much Credibility Does The GOP Have On Taxes?
ANN ALTHOUSE: Think Progress explains “Four Ways Justice David Prosser Can Be Removed From Office.”
They’re going the full by any means necessary, aren’t they?
THE HEADLINE THAT MUST BE CAUSING HEARTBURN AT THE WHITE HOUSE: President Obama Apologizes to Family of Fallen Soldier.
AT AMAZON, markdowns in portable audio and video.
HMM: Power grid change may disrupt clocks. “A yearlong experiment with the nation’s electric grid could mess up traffic lights, security systems and some computers – and make plug-in clocks and appliances like programmable coffeemakers run up to 20 minutes fast.”
NICE GOING, ATF: Another Smuggled ATF Gun Used In A Murder: “CBS News has confirmed that ATF Fast and Furious ‘walked’ guns have been linked to the terrorist torture and murder of the brother of a Mexican state attorney general last fall.”
Worse than Iran/Contra.
UPDATE: Reader Lev Bronstein writes: “Remind me how many people died due to Watergate?”
THE BEST WAY TO END a booty-call relationship.