Sunday, May 20, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Dear Anonymous Atheist Complaint Box
My act of linking approvingly to this thread does not, in any way, constitute an endorsement.
In exactly the same way that Glenn Reynolds linking approvingly to pro-torture arguments and administration apologia does not.
Heh, read the whole thing...
Friday, May 18, 2007
More Hitch
He goes on Fox but refuses to really play the game.
here
"you took up all my time to answer with your rather long and unlettered question"
here
"you took up all my time to answer with your rather long and unlettered question"
There Is Nothing out of Bounds
From the Wapo:
Attorneys for Cheney and the other officials said any conversations they had about Plame with each other and reporters were part of their normal job duties because they were discussing foreign policy and engaging in an appropriate "policy dispute." Cheney's attorney went farther, arguing that Cheney is legally akin to the president because of his unique government role, and has absolute immunity from any lawsuit.
"So you're arguing there is nothing -- absolutely nothing - these officials could have said to reporters that would have been beyond the scope of their employment [whether it was] true or false?," U.S. District Judge John D. Bates asked.
"That's true, your honor.
Attorneys for Cheney and the other officials said any conversations they had about Plame with each other and reporters were part of their normal job duties because they were discussing foreign policy and engaging in an appropriate "policy dispute." Cheney's attorney went farther, arguing that Cheney is legally akin to the president because of his unique government role, and has absolute immunity from any lawsuit.
"So you're arguing there is nothing -- absolutely nothing - these officials could have said to reporters that would have been beyond the scope of their employment [whether it was] true or false?," U.S. District Judge John D. Bates asked.
"That's true, your honor.
Lawyer/Posers
TJIC has a pretty good (and sadly typical) interaction with a customer and his lawyer about copywrite law. I'd happily agrue a lot with Travis on any number of topics (and do), but never one where he had a financial stake unless I was ab-so-lute-ly sure I was right and had 2 or more expert opinions to back me up.
Read here, it's very good.
Read here, it's very good.
The Tributes Keep Coming in...
From field Correspondent Tara, a Tribute from Betty Bowers*:
When CNN called, Jerry would drop everything except pounds for a chance to squeeze much of his face into unforgiving aspect ratio of pre-HDTV television. With his smarmy smile and affable facility for slapping a perfunctory "but I love him in Christ" at the end of even the most vicious, artless insults, he was rather effective in putting a charming, folksy face on demeaning other human beings and their children.
*She's a better Christian than you, just ask her
When CNN called, Jerry would drop everything except pounds for a chance to squeeze much of his face into unforgiving aspect ratio of pre-HDTV television. With his smarmy smile and affable facility for slapping a perfunctory "but I love him in Christ" at the end of even the most vicious, artless insults, he was rather effective in putting a charming, folksy face on demeaning other human beings and their children.
*She's a better Christian than you, just ask her
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Why I Am a Bad Person
Because I don't disagree with any of this
I think it is impolite and uncivil to voice this in wake of the person's death, however that doesn't take away from the underlying truth of the piece.
Sorry, in this case I am failing to rise to my better nature.
I think it is impolite and uncivil to voice this in wake of the person's death, however that doesn't take away from the underlying truth of the piece.
Sorry, in this case I am failing to rise to my better nature.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
McCain Wins!
well, at least he's free-er to say what he really thinks.
I'm a little afraid though that's what he's been doing all along.
I'm a little afraid though that's what he's been doing all along.
Our Boys in Blue
Cop Rock!
BTW, this recent spurt of blogging is largely because I am back home after 10 days on the road. I am home for 8 days, then back on the road until late July (with a few at home breaks thrown in).
BTW, this recent spurt of blogging is largely because I am back home after 10 days on the road. I am home for 8 days, then back on the road until late July (with a few at home breaks thrown in).
The 7 Signs!
One wonders how hard they had to work to make sure it came out to exactly 7:
http://www.hanford.gov/oci/video/7signsofterrorism.wmv
This is both foolish and dangerous. Foolish because the guidance is so generic and silly as to be useless (other than the idea that you should "be afraid, all the time". Dangerous because it ties up resouces with false positives and diseminates misinformation. Even the examples are stupid, e.g. why would a terrorist steal a suit from a dry cleaner? Its that terribly risky? Wouldn't it be likely they could be caught or identified by in-store recording? Would a suit grabbed at random even fit? Better to buy one at a store (or even a Goodwill Store) and avoid the risks.
I hate pointless, useless security and when it's disseminated by the government, it's even worse. What a waste of money.
(via)
http://www.hanford.gov/oci/video/7signsofterrorism.wmv
This is both foolish and dangerous. Foolish because the guidance is so generic and silly as to be useless (other than the idea that you should "be afraid, all the time". Dangerous because it ties up resouces with false positives and diseminates misinformation. Even the examples are stupid, e.g. why would a terrorist steal a suit from a dry cleaner? Its that terribly risky? Wouldn't it be likely they could be caught or identified by in-store recording? Would a suit grabbed at random even fit? Better to buy one at a store (or even a Goodwill Store) and avoid the risks.
I hate pointless, useless security and when it's disseminated by the government, it's even worse. What a waste of money.
(via)
I Agree, 100%
Gabriel Sylar
Powers: Flaw Discernment, ranging from mundane machinery to anomalies of the brain. This discernment also seems to allow him the ability to sense the powers of other people who possess them, and integrate them into his own genetic makeup. Powers that have been acquired through this method include Advanced Telekinesis, Cryokinesis, Eiditic Memory, Short-range Matter Disruption, and Wide Scope Hearing.
Last Seen: Painting a portent of the future explosion. In his mother’s blood. After he stabbed her in the chest with a pair of scissors. There is no possible way those three sentences could be any cooler to write.
From the Goon's Heroes thread
Powers: Flaw Discernment, ranging from mundane machinery to anomalies of the brain. This discernment also seems to allow him the ability to sense the powers of other people who possess them, and integrate them into his own genetic makeup. Powers that have been acquired through this method include Advanced Telekinesis, Cryokinesis, Eiditic Memory, Short-range Matter Disruption, and Wide Scope Hearing.
Last Seen: Painting a portent of the future explosion. In his mother’s blood. After he stabbed her in the chest with a pair of scissors. There is no possible way those three sentences could be any cooler to write.
From the Goon's Heroes thread
Where does the Internet go at Night?
A conversation 18 years ago:
Me: We're going to go see Grandma and Grandpa Manley in California!
Geoff: Ohhhhhhh! That's far away!
Me: Very far.
Geoff: I think that's where the sun goes at night!
Me: ... to California?
Geoff: Yes!
Last week, he answered found where the internets go at night...
To the Liberace Museum
Me: We're going to go see Grandma and Grandpa Manley in California!
Geoff: Ohhhhhhh! That's far away!
Me: Very far.
Geoff: I think that's where the sun goes at night!
Me: ... to California?
Geoff: Yes!
Last week, he answered found where the internets go at night...
To the Liberace Museum
Star Trek Day!
What do you do when, after advocating a lost lost cause for years it starts to sink in that you may have been in error all this time?
Regroup, research and rethink?
Nope.
Hold a Star Trek Day!
nerds!
Regroup, research and rethink?
Nope.
Hold a Star Trek Day!
nerds!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Religion is Good For Kids!
... if and only if you want docile, easy to control children who never question authority. Otherwise, not so much.
Oh, and there are some problems with the methodology:
Titled "Religion and Child Development: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study", the study begins with three admirable caveats: (1) The benefit is defined primarily by how well-behaved children are, (2) the data, based on parent and teacher interviews, are entirely subjective, and (3) the data were gathered from a survey conducted for a different purpose and from a cohort consisting almost entirely of first graders.
the rest here. Naturally, since it's a dubious study with questionable data and a diffcult to support conclusion, it's all the rage on Fox!
Oh, and there are some problems with the methodology:
Titled "Religion and Child Development: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study", the study begins with three admirable caveats: (1) The benefit is defined primarily by how well-behaved children are, (2) the data, based on parent and teacher interviews, are entirely subjective, and (3) the data were gathered from a survey conducted for a different purpose and from a cohort consisting almost entirely of first graders.
the rest here. Naturally, since it's a dubious study with questionable data and a diffcult to support conclusion, it's all the rage on Fox!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
More on "The Secret"
I covered some of this already, but Slate has an extended write-up today. While the "Secret" seemed like the familiar Oprah-ish do-what-feels-good philosophy, I hadn't fully realized where I had seen this all before until I read this paragrpah:
At this point I should add that The Secret is not only drivel—it's pernicious drivel. The obvious question that arises from its claim that it's easy to get what you want, is: Why do so many people get what they don't want? As Byrne writes, "Imperfect thoughts are the cause of all humanity's ills, including disease, poverty, and unhappiness." Yes, according to The Secret, people don't just randomly end up being massacred, for example. They are in the wrong place because of their own lousy thinking. Cancer patients have long been victims of this school of belief. But The Secret takes it to a new and more repulsive level with its advice not just to blame people for their illness, but to shun them, lest you start being infected by their bummer thoughts, too.
Recognize the idea? It comes from the only world religion that has it's head so far up it's ass that it doesn't beleive in matter.
Yup, it's Christ Science (with less Christ and even less Science).
At this point I should add that The Secret is not only drivel—it's pernicious drivel. The obvious question that arises from its claim that it's easy to get what you want, is: Why do so many people get what they don't want? As Byrne writes, "Imperfect thoughts are the cause of all humanity's ills, including disease, poverty, and unhappiness." Yes, according to The Secret, people don't just randomly end up being massacred, for example. They are in the wrong place because of their own lousy thinking. Cancer patients have long been victims of this school of belief. But The Secret takes it to a new and more repulsive level with its advice not just to blame people for their illness, but to shun them, lest you start being infected by their bummer thoughts, too.
Recognize the idea? It comes from the only world religion that has it's head so far up it's ass that it doesn't beleive in matter.
Yup, it's Christ Science (with less Christ and even less Science).
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Liberals Defend 2nd Amendment, Defeat Gun Control Laws
no, really!
If only as a matter of consistency, Professor Levinson continued, liberals who favor expansive interpretations of other amendments in the Bill of Rights, like those protecting free speech and the rights of criminal defendants, should also embrace a broad reading of the Second Amendment. And just as the First Amendment’s protection of the right to free speech is not absolute, the professors say, the Second Amendment’s protection of the right to keep and bear arms may be limited by the government, though only for good reason.
I have to admit, my own awakening to the 2nd amendment came a little late. While never a fan of arbitrary gun laws, I sort of came to full understanding it after reading the Federalist Papers (Fed 8, I think). I believe that guns should be regulated exactly like other potentially deadly items are, i.e. a lot like prescription drugs, with proper training, they can be handled safely and responsibly. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to cop to both rifle training and a membership (now lapsed) in the NRA). Like abortion, I think the problem is at the boundaries and how they are set. I certainly see a right to own a gun, but I’m also pretty sure folks don’t have a right to a nuke. Where, between those poles, do the limits lie? I don’t know but I think that’s the debate our society is now having.
Oddly, I have a hugely better chance to build a working nuke than a working gun. Phrased another way, if I had to build them both, I am fairly certain the nuke would work, offering me a pain-free death. The gun, on the other hand, I would be terrified to try, as it’s as likely to blow my face off as hit anything.
Weird.
If only as a matter of consistency, Professor Levinson continued, liberals who favor expansive interpretations of other amendments in the Bill of Rights, like those protecting free speech and the rights of criminal defendants, should also embrace a broad reading of the Second Amendment. And just as the First Amendment’s protection of the right to free speech is not absolute, the professors say, the Second Amendment’s protection of the right to keep and bear arms may be limited by the government, though only for good reason.
I have to admit, my own awakening to the 2nd amendment came a little late. While never a fan of arbitrary gun laws, I sort of came to full understanding it after reading the Federalist Papers (Fed 8, I think). I believe that guns should be regulated exactly like other potentially deadly items are, i.e. a lot like prescription drugs, with proper training, they can be handled safely and responsibly. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to cop to both rifle training and a membership (now lapsed) in the NRA). Like abortion, I think the problem is at the boundaries and how they are set. I certainly see a right to own a gun, but I’m also pretty sure folks don’t have a right to a nuke. Where, between those poles, do the limits lie? I don’t know but I think that’s the debate our society is now having.
Oddly, I have a hugely better chance to build a working nuke than a working gun. Phrased another way, if I had to build them both, I am fairly certain the nuke would work, offering me a pain-free death. The gun, on the other hand, I would be terrified to try, as it’s as likely to blow my face off as hit anything.
Weird.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Blingdexes
A note on the current bifurcation of the economy:
Warning: Horrifying attempts to hip up these indices comes from God knows where (iBankers? PR flacks?), leading to a word that leaves aghast readers in its awful wake: "blingdexes"
~~~
"Still, the new crop of "blingdexes" offer further proof the wealthy are increasingly creating their own consumer economy. The number of millionaire households in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1995, according to the Federal Reserve. The total wealth held by the nation's richest 1% has increased more than 50% since 1998, to $16.7 trillion in 2004, the latest period measured by the Fed."
Interesting stuff.
~~~
NOTE TO MIDDLE-AGED WHITE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY BANKERS, INDEXORS, PR FLACKS AND MEDIA STILL USING THE WORD "BLING": Stop. Right now. For your own sakes. It does not make you look hip if you use hip-hop, urban, or black expressions -- most especially those that are circa 1998. Please stop it immediately. All it does is reveal you to be a clueless middle-aged white guy.
The term Bling long ago jumped the shark. And because I am a middle-aged white person, I was more than a year late in making that observation -- over two years ago. (See RIP Bling-bling for more details).
here
I love it when brokers get jiggy with it! It's the ... shiznuts!
Word homes!
Warning: Horrifying attempts to hip up these indices comes from God knows where (iBankers? PR flacks?), leading to a word that leaves aghast readers in its awful wake: "blingdexes"
~~~
"Still, the new crop of "blingdexes" offer further proof the wealthy are increasingly creating their own consumer economy. The number of millionaire households in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1995, according to the Federal Reserve. The total wealth held by the nation's richest 1% has increased more than 50% since 1998, to $16.7 trillion in 2004, the latest period measured by the Fed."
Interesting stuff.
~~~
NOTE TO MIDDLE-AGED WHITE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY BANKERS, INDEXORS, PR FLACKS AND MEDIA STILL USING THE WORD "BLING": Stop. Right now. For your own sakes. It does not make you look hip if you use hip-hop, urban, or black expressions -- most especially those that are circa 1998. Please stop it immediately. All it does is reveal you to be a clueless middle-aged white guy.
The term Bling long ago jumped the shark. And because I am a middle-aged white person, I was more than a year late in making that observation -- over two years ago. (See RIP Bling-bling for more details).
here
I love it when brokers get jiggy with it! It's the ... shiznuts!
Word homes!
Army Training, Sir!
A note from my son this morning with photos:
Here are some pics of me getting the SMI Leadership Award at ourAwards Ceremony. The man presenting is my CO, LTC Flood. The award wasgiven to one Sophomore and one Junior who demonstrated the biggestimprovement in leadership in the past year, instead of a ribbon or somethingthey gave me and the other guy a very nice eagle statue with our names onit. Since I was a new Cadet and now am going to be the third highestranking Cadet in our leadership, they said that was big a big enoughimprovement and gave it to me. Don't be upset that you weren't invited, theceremony was at 6am and lasted about an hour, no one's parents showed up...
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~gch23/ceremony1.jpg
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~gch23/ceremony2.jpg
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~gch23/ceremony3.jpg
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~gch23/ceremony4.jpg
Here are some pics of me getting the SMI Leadership Award at ourAwards Ceremony. The man presenting is my CO, LTC Flood. The award wasgiven to one Sophomore and one Junior who demonstrated the biggestimprovement in leadership in the past year, instead of a ribbon or somethingthey gave me and the other guy a very nice eagle statue with our names onit. Since I was a new Cadet and now am going to be the third highestranking Cadet in our leadership, they said that was big a big enoughimprovement and gave it to me. Don't be upset that you weren't invited, theceremony was at 6am and lasted about an hour, no one's parents showed up...
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~gch23/ceremony1.jpg
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~gch23/ceremony2.jpg
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~gch23/ceremony3.jpg
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~gch23/ceremony4.jpg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)