Archive for 2010

CHANGE: Red-Light Cameras See Cities’ Support Fading. “Democrats were not the only losers on Election Day. Traffic cameras designed to catch red-light runners also took a ballot box beating as they were voted down in Houston and at least four other cities nationwide.” Red-light cameras lose pretty much every time they’re put to a vote. Voters understand that they’re about revenue, not safety.

AMAZON: We’re leaking our Black Friday deals early. And just a reminder that when you buy anything from Amazon through links on this site (or the search box over in the right sidebar), you put a little money in my family’s pocket at no cost to you. (Bumped).

BYRON YORK celebrates transparency. “Readers would have no idea what [University of Wisconsin political scientist Charles] Franklin really thinks about the voters whose opinions he’s measuring and commenting on. But now they do.”

Meanwhile, Franklin responds.

LIBERTARIAN PIONEER DAVID NOLAN has died.

BLOGGINGHEADS TV: Ann Althouse talks to Jacob Weisberg about his new book. “Why ‘Palinisms’ after his famous ‘Bushisms’ — why not ‘Obamisms’? And many other questions.” Answered in the comments this way: “One big reason he chose Palininsms is because – as Althouse has discovered, the woman is a goldmine. Biden may actually say more stupid things, but who is gonna buy a book about Biden, other than Biden?”

NOW THEY TELL US (CONT’D): Consumer Risks Feared as Health Law Spurs Mergers. “Consumer advocates fear that the health care law could worsen some of the very problems it was meant to solve — by reducing competition, driving up costs and creating incentives for doctors and hospitals to stint on care, in order to retain their cost-saving bonuses.”

C-SPAN: Newt Gingrich on Presidential Politics. “There’s no possibility that I would ever go to a debate and have Olbermann or Chris Matthews asking questions. I watched the debate a couple of years ago and it was an embarrassment because they were so relentlessly hostile and they were so left-wing that every question they asked of the Republicans was designed to embarrass and divide the Republicans. And every question they asked the Democrats was designed to make them look good. Well why would we participate in that?”

COLOMBIAN FARC LEADER confirmed dead.

GREEN AND DISAPPOINTED: Low Rolling Resistance Tires Don’t Meet Consumer Expectations. This seems a function of expectations, mostly. They do make a difference, though. Back when I was still driving the Passat wagon I switched from the Michelin Energy low-rolling resistance tires to the higher-rated XGTs and the difference was noticeable. (One indicator — when the car was in neutral in my driveway, it would roll backwards with the Energy tires, but stayed put with the XGTs). It was about a 1 mpg difference as far as I could tell.