WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: Intrepid Citizens Save Timbuktu’s Priceless Manuscripts. “Once again civilization survives barbarism: Timbuktu’s ancient literary treasures were not destroyed after all. In a classic example of how the uncertainty of war can make bad reporters of us all, local accounts apparently vastly exaggerated the damage done to the city’s legendary library. Not only was the place not burned to the ground—as the city’s mayor claimed—but the manuscripts themselves were removed from the library by Malians last year.” Well, good.
Archive for 2013
January 31, 2013
ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Where Are The Bicycles In Post-Apocalyptic Fiction?
I think it depends on what you read. They’re very present in William Forstchen’s One Second After. Also in Steve Stirling’s Change novels — though the heroes in those always ride horses because, let’s face it, horses are cooler. Good science fiction writers tend to work out the economics in their worlds pretty carefully. Bad writers just assemble a melange of cliches.
If I were prepping for a truly post-apocalyptic world, I’d certainly lay in some bikes. And a whole lot of tires and puncture-repair kits. Hey, they’re cheap.
Of course, for the immediate post-apocalypse world, you’ll probably want to have emergency underwear dispensers scattered about.
WHY DOES SELF MAGAZINE Think Women are too Dumb or Crazy to Own a Gun?
See, that’s why Republican strategists and donors need to heed this advice.
MENENDEZ UPDATE: Menendez rushes to pay private-jet tab after FBI raid. “This comes at a particularly sensitive time, as Menendez is slated to take over for John Kerry as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Until last night, Menendez had insisted he did nothing wrong, but the sudden payment of $58,500 for private jet flights that took place almost three years ago makes it look as if there is more to the investigation than Menendez has admitted. If the Ethics Committee has begun to probe Menendez’ travel, perhaps Harry Reid should start considering a Plan B.”
Love the Absence of Malice reference. And the “Foreign Relations” punch lines write themselves.
TWO VOICES OF SANITY on crime and guns.
A LOOK AT CHINA’S NEW MILITANCY.
“CIVILITY IS ONLY REQUIRED OF US:” NRA president says anti-gun advocates threatened to kill son, daughter.
Related: Anti-Gun Advocates Heckle Woman Wanting to Defend Her Children During Gun Violence Hearing.
UPDATE: More bullying: “Full text at the link, but you have to watch the video to understand the incivility of Durbin’s tone. . . . Of course, Durbin’s real point was not that background checks deter criminals from buying guns. The point was to find an opportunity for drama and to seize it. These so-called hearings have little to do with gathering information for the purpose of writing sound legislation. It’s political theater to build support for… oh, what difference does it make what they really do as long as they do something? . . . Remember the great call for civility that went out — from President Obama and many others — after the Tucson shootings? I’ve always used the tag ‘civility bullshit’ for that topic, because I never believed that it was intended to apply across the board. Imagine the reaction in the media if LaPierre had used the tone employed by Durbin.”
Yes, I had some thoughts on that civility bullshit myself.
AT AMAZON, Up to 50% off on snow blowers. Winter is coming here.
Also, today only: Up to 40% Off on Home Workout Essentials. Dumbbells, chinup bars, stability balls, and more.
HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Jobless Claims Rise Sharply. “Jobless claims surged this week, missing expectations by the most since Sandy as seasonal affectations are in the rear-view mirror. For 13 months, we have meandered around a flat-line initial claims number in the 365k range – and we remain there.”
UPDATE: Reader Tom Deakins writes: “You forgot to mention that this latest surge was unexpected.” Well, that goes without saying, by now.
BILL WHITTLE: Afterburner: What Difference Does It Make?
JACK DUNPHY: The Guns of Villaraigosa.
CULTURE OF CORRUPTION: Complaint: Sebelius’ illegal campaign trip for Obama worse than we thought.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius violated federal law by campaigning for President Obama on the taxpayers’ dime, but now that initial violation has the Democratic National Committee and an HHS aide in the spotlight for related alleged infractions.
A nonprofit government watchdog filed a complaint alleging that the DNC violated campaign finance law by misreporting the money it spent to reimburse HHS for Sebelius’ trip in a way that masked the fact that the Hatch Act, a ban on political campaigning by government employees working in their official capacity, had been violated. . . .
“Not only is it that the DNC is not being transparent about what it’s using its funds for reimbursement of, but it’s also violating the intent and letter of the Federal Elections Campaign Act,” Cause of Action’s Dan Epstein said in a phone interview with The Washington Examiner. “Whether it’s to cover up the Hatch Act violation or to just not properly report it, it’s very clear that it’s not properly reported — [for] the reason why, one would have to look into the minds of the lawyers at the DNC.”
Epstein floated the idea that the DNC reimbursed HHS (rather than the Treasury Department) and classified it as travel, rather than as a reimbursement for an independent expenditure in order to avoid the appearance that the Treasury Department had effectively loaned money to the Obama campaign for the trip (which would be another violation of federal law, he said).
Good grief.
LABORATORIES OF DEMOCRACY: States Embrace Tax Reform To Drive Economic Growth.
AARON SWARTZ UPDATE: A martyr in the fight for free online access to research?
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Mark Cuban: Will Your College Go Out Of Business Before You Graduate? “When I look at the university and college systems around the country I see the newspaper industry.”
Plus: “The smart high school grad no longer just picks a school, borrows money and wings it. Your future depends on your ability to assemble an educational plan that gets you on your path of knowledge and discovery without putting you at risk of attending a school that is doomed to fail , and/or saddling you with a debt heavy balance sheet that prevents you from taking the chances, searching for the opportunities or just being a fuck up for a while. We each take our own path, but nothing shortcuts the dreams of a 22 year old more than owing a shitload of money.”
UPDATE: Reader Rob McFadden writes: “In Northern Virginia, an Associate in Applied Science (automotive technology) will have local employers lined up even *before* you’ve got the degree. And, if you’re willing to move to the oil patch the amount of money is astonishing.”
NEWS YOU CAN USE: What’s the Difference Between Yogurt and “Cultured Dairy Blend”?
BACKYARD FARMING GETS FANCY:
Can chicken feed, canning jars and garden hoses feel chic?
Absolutely, say retailers cashing in on the “modern homesteader” craze. As more urban and suburban homeowners take up backyard farming, items like chicken coops, beehives, gardening tools and pickling and canning supplies are getting more stylish and pricey.
Stylish pickling?
STUDY: New E15 Gas Can Ruin Auto Engines. “In 2010 and 2011, EPA gave the green light to use E15 – the 15 percent ethanol gasoline blend – in model-year-2001-and-later cars and some other vehicles. EPA’s action was irresponsible. EPA knew E15 vehicle testing was ongoing but decided not to wait for the results. Why did EPA move forward prematurely? Part of the answer may be the need to raise the permissible concentration level of ethanol so that greater volumes could be used, as required by the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. Most gasoline sold today is an E10 blend, but rising volume requirements under the law can’t be met much longer without going to higher blends.”
Reader Bill Richmond emails: “Feds are pushing E15, not because of green fantasies about E15 itself, but because the existing formulas (mostly E10) weren’t using enough ethanol to meet the mandated amount of ethanol use. Central planning failures always lead to more central planning. It’s a beautiful thing. Well, not really.” Except for central planners.
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT GUN CONFISCATION IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT AS GOOD AT THAT AS IT IS AT EVERYTHING ELSE: California unable to disarm 19,700 felons and mentally ill people. “California authorities are empowered to seize weapons owned by convicted felons and people with mental illness, but staff shortages and funding cuts have left a backlog of more than 19,700 people to disarm, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.”
January 30, 2013
WAIT, I THOUGHT THESE STORIES WERE JUST RIGHT-WING FANTASIES: Home invasion suspect arrested after woman opens fire.
CHANGE: Rising Financial Burdens for Middle-Aged Americans.
With an aging population and a generation of young adults struggling to achieve financial independence, the burdens and responsibilities of middle-aged Americans are increasing. Nearly half (47%) of adults in their 40s and 50s have a parent age 65 or older and are either raising a young child or financially supporting a grown child (age 18 or older). And about one-in-seven middle-aged adults (15%) is providing financial support to both an aging parent and a child. . . .
One likely explanation for the increase in the prevalence of parents providing financial assistance to grown children is that the Great Recession and sluggish recovery have taken a disproportionate toll on young adults. In 2010, the share of young adults who were employed was the lowest it had been since the government started collecting these data in 1948. Moreover, from 2007 to 2011 those young adults who were employed full time experienced a greater drop in average weekly earnings than any other age group.
Unless the economy starts growing, this won’t change. We’ve got a Junior Squeeze and a Senior Squeeze, and both are contributing to the middle-aged feeling stretched.
OF COURSE RAPISTS WANT WOMEN DISARMED. WHY ARE DEMOCRATS PRO-RAPE? Gun Control Activist Protesting How Easy it is to Buy Guns, is a Rapist.
But then, as Mark Tapscott noted, it’s just one Potemkin village after another.
NATION’S BIGGEST GUN STORE CALLS FOR REVOLT. Well, not exactly. More like political action.