Archive for 2022

WORSE. IT’S FARMING DYSFUNCTION:  People Farming.

And misery. You know, the more I look at the left, the more they resemble evil fantasy novel characters.

BYRON YORK: Biden’s Curse and the Media. “So in the course of a few days, reaction to the Biden-Doocy matter has ranged from 1) It was no big deal, to 2) It was wrong, to 3) Trump was so much worse, to 4) The real problem is the far right, to 5) Hey! This might actually help Biden! That’s politics in today’s media world.”

WHAT A DEGENERATE POLITY LOOKS LIKE:

SLATE’S MARK JOSEPH STERN LAUNCHES A SMEAR ATTACK ON ILYA SHAPIRO: The Dishonest Cancellation Campaign against Ilya Shapiro.

I’m disappointed to see Georgetown Dean Bill Treanor throw Shapiro under the bus in the face of this sleazy attack, but given his past record in such affairs not entirely surprised. I understand a bunch of Georgetown alumni are angry and organizing, and I’m glad, because that’s what it takes to stop these things.

Meanwhile, Slate, which long ago was one of the best things online — and in many ways was the launching pad for InstaPundit — has gone to the dogs. Here’s some background on that.

UPDATE:

ANOTHER UPDATE: From the comments: “Let’s be clear: Stern was just looking for any opportunity to attack someone more intelligent and successful for having the wrong opinions.”

To be fair, “more intelligent and successful” than Stern is a broad demographic.

RECOMMENDED READING: I just finished “What Next, Chicago?: Notes of a Pissed-Off Native Son” by Matt Rosenberg. On the surface, it details the 2020 riots, strikes, murders and mayhem that so sadly but accurately defines what Chicago has become. More importantly, Rosenberg doesn’t just say “see, this is what Democratic Machine politics brings” but instead asks deeper — and non-partisan — questions about the root causes.

Of course, MSM always calls any such questions “partisan” (or even “racist”) but that’s only because it’s easier than stepping up and answering the question. Available from Amazon, I believe if you buy it by clicking here, Instapundit gets a small bit of income.

On a separate note, IP readers will be very interested to learn more about Post Hill Press, who runs the Bombardier imprint that published Rosenberg’s book. The roster of authors — from Alan Dershowitz to Adam Carolla to Andrew Klavan — is mighty impressive, and (IMHO) represents the best in free thinking, questioning authority, and asking smart questions. We would do well to see publishers like this thrive.

ABOUT TIME: We are finally beginning to understand migraines and how to treat them.

Despite migraine being among the most common neurological conditions, affecting around a billion people worldwide, we know incredibly little about what causes them, how to avoid them and how best to treat them.

That is partly because migraines are so complex. They impact people differently, can be unpredictable and affect many more women than men. Migraine research has been dismissed, derided and underfunded. But a handful of dedicated scientists have spent decades trying to make progress. For the first time, they have uncovered a mechanism behind migraines in the brain, and with this knowledge have developed treatments not only to relieve them when they strike, but possibly to stop them occurring. Finally, migraine science is having its moment.

For those lucky enough to be unfamiliar with migraines, they can seem far-fetched. Someone can be fine one minute, then suddenly unable to speak or see.

I got migraines two or three times a week from the ages of around 10 to about 40. CoQ10 seemed to help.

CHANGE? Why San Francisco’s School Board Recall May Be One Of 2022’s Most Important Elections. “On February 15, San Francisco’s majority-liberal residents will decide the fate of three far-left school board members who face recall. The outcome of this local election will have national implications, indicating how much Asian Americans, the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the nation, are shifting away from the Democrat Party.”

“I WAS TOLD I’D HAVE FLYING CARS IN 2022.” “BEST I CAN DO IS AUTONOMOUS PIGEON HARASSMENT.”

Feral pigeons are responsible for over a billion dollars of economic losses here in the United States every year. They’re especially annoying because the species isn’t native to this country—they were brought over from Europe (where they’re known as rock doves and are still quite annoying) because you can eat them, but enough of the birds escaped and liked it here that there are now stable populations all over the country, being gross.

In addition to carrying diseases (some of which can occasionally infect humans), pigeons are prolific and inconvenient urban poopers, deploying their acidic droppings in places that are exceptionally difficult to clean. Rooftops, as well as ledges and overhangs on building facades, are full of cozy nooks and crannies, and despite some attempts to brute-force the problem by putting metal or plastic spikes on every horizontal surface, there are usually more surfaces (and pigeons) than can be reasonably bespiked.

Researchers at EPFL in Switzerland believe that besting an aerial adversary requires an aerial approach, and so they’ve deployed an autonomous system that can identify roof-invading pigeons and then send a drone over to chase them away.

Well, it’s something, I guess.