Yep, sailing permanently twists your mind.

Instapundit, a/k/a Professor Glenn Reynolds of the University of Tennessee's Law School, posted a link to cleaning advice published in Popular Mechanics (for which he also writes).  He also added a hint passed onto him by a maid -- t'is good advice, don't get me wrong -- but he ended the post with:

"She offered the trick in lieu of a fee, and it’s a great one."

Ahem.  what would you think?

War; Speak Truth to Power (swiped from www.JerryPournelle.com)

Go back a few years. Imagine a CIA plot to get Iran which considers us the Great Satan and hates us, to declare war on al Qaeda and expend blood and treasure on exterminating al Qaeda – which long ago declared war on us, and which is the most easily defined enemy in our War of Terror. Imagine that al Qaeda might be induced to expend its resources fighting Hezbollah and Iran. Imagine that we could get our enemies to fight each other using whatever weapons they could muster, and expend their blood and treasure on exterminating each other, so that neither had very much to spend on killing Americans.
Come to the present, where that is happening. Israel after careful consideration has stayed out of the Syrian civil war on the grounds that the Assad Family has kept the peace with Israel for decades, while al Qaeda attacks Israelis. Imagine that somehow the trick has been made to work, and our enemies fight each other in a war in which the United States has no describable national interest.
Now imagine that having achieved that result we decide to enter the war.

http://www.jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/?p=14231

With POTUS 44 tiptoe-ing into Syria

Why do I think his accent's starting to sound like LBJ?

Defense reform: the unusual suspects sound off!

Signatories include Cato, Center for American Progress, American Enterprise Institute, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Alert the media: it's a cold day in hell!

English's greatest word: dirigismean

DIRIGISME: economic planning and control by the state

You're counseling women to submit?

Really?
Instapundit links to a report by Wired Magazine which found a brochure from Shaw AFB saying “it may be advisable to submit than to resist.”

Yes, the sentence's really structured that way.

Let me be clear*: a necessary although not, alas, sufficient condtion for any pretense of being a civilized society is the ability of women to say 'no.' 

If she says 'no' and her wishes aren't respected it then becomes the agressor's reponsibility to make sure she knows her life isn't in danger.  Nope, I've no flippin' idea how you'd do that.

Because, if she isn't sure her life is safe, she's surely justified doing anything she needs to do to stay alive.  Yep, that implies dead attackers.

S'ok.

*Look if this phrase's good enough for POTUS...

Man, it's a good thing the maritime unions spent so much time & money on re-electing the Prez

otherwise the administration might screw 'em over!d
Oh, wait...

"At one recent campaign stop, Sanford debated a cardboard Pelosi cut-out..."

Note for the seminar: your texts don't do a very good job of pointing out why national party influence in a local campaign isn't always a good idea.  Chances are virtually 100% that *no one* in the DNC even dreamt that a tie-in to Nancy Pelosi would actually effect the race!

Ann Althouse on the Sanford/Colbert Busch campaign
Money quote: "

"At one recent campaign stop, Sanford debated a cardboard Pelosi cut-out..."

"... calling the California Democrat a stand-in for Colbert Busch. The theatrics drew widespread ridicule, but Sanford’s aides say the publicity it generated helped drive attention to the Republican’s message."

Ridicule is one form of publicity. Sanford's connection of Colbert Busch to Pelosi seems to have worked:

The new poll... found that the percentage of voters who view Colbert Busch unfavorably has grown 13 percent in the past two weeks — from 31 percent to 44 percent. Pelosi’s poll numbers in the district are miserable: Just 24 percent of voters approve of her performance and 61 percent disapprove.

From the comments:

What he (Sanford) did was more like an extended lunch hour for Teddy. Remember the waitress sandwiches with Chris Dodd?

Deirdre McCloskey dissects Michael Sandel's "What Money Can't Buy."

Money quote comes from Virginia Postrel: "Deirdre McCloskey dissects Michael Sandel's "What Money Can't Buy."

 

I think Sandel's better described as a dirigismean although I think Dr. McCloskey'd say communitarianism's the same thing.

 

http://www.claremont.org/publications/crb/id.2027/article_detail.asp

Here's the quote from Dr. McCloskey:

The Poverty of Communitarianism

A review of What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets, by Michael J. Sandel

By Deirdre N. McCloskey Posted November 27, 2012

Michael Sandel is well known for his writings on political philosophy, and about a thousand Harvard undergraduates annually crowd into his course titled "Justice." In contemporary terms he is a liberal, though of a decidedly "communitarian" bent. His new book, What Money Can't Buy, offers a good occasion to examine his communitarian moral convictions and his resulting distaste for the market.
One cannot disagree with him about the need to remoralize the study of markets. We should know why we believe, morally speaking, that bread should be allocated by a market but children should not. It's not enough to simply sneer at these propositions—even economists must perform their philosophical due diligence. "Markets are not mere mechanisms," he wisely observes, but "embody certain norms." He is right that "[m]arket reasoning is incomplete without moral reasoning."
But the book does not perform the work it calls for. Sandel knows moral and political theory, yet his book is strangely shallow. He does not provide, as he promises early on, "a philosophical framework for thinking...through" the "role and reach of markets." Instead, he mounts a tendentious assault, often veiled as mere reporting of what "some people" say, against "market triumphalism," which he understands to be an unsophisticated and unprecedented drive to price everything. He does battle with the more easily defeated utilitarian economists (Judge Richard Posner, for example), but ignores the best that has been thought and written about the merits of a commercial, innovative society. (John Tomasi's new Free Market Fairness is one book Sandel could have profited from, among others.) Playing to his audience's least examined dispositions about what's fair and what's reprehensible, Sandel doesn't try to elevate the philosophical game of the people he lectures.

Armed Robber Has Shotgun Snatched by Unassuming Superhero

If you do this correctly, you end up with a disarmed robber wannabe.
However, if you do it wrong...
The question then becomes whether you'll be robbed *and* shot in which case you might as well go for it; because, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away!

Game of Thrones

Shamelessly swiped from Uncle Tim Bolego's Revenge Dr Adams of CalPoly, Pomona

The Game Of Thrones Is A Game Of Coins

From: "Pamela C. Adams" <pcadams@csupomona.edu>

By Matt McCaffrey and Carmen Dorob | April 17 2013 11:31 AM

There has been a good deal of buzz in the past few weeks about the premiere of the third season of HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones.” But for those who have found the show to be too enthralling, never fear, the economists have arrived to ruin the entertainment by

turning it into a learning experience.

As it turns out, though, economic lessons are more often found in George R.R. Martin’s original novels than in the recent adaptations, so we need not spoil the story. What we hope is to give viewers a glimpse beneath the surface of the events that occur in the series.

One of the inevitable problems of adapting the novels into a television series is that some of the richness is lost. In the series, the game of thrones is usually played with more obvious weapons like swords and other more … human assets, and the battlefield is more likely to be a boudoir than a bank. However, Martin’s epic is nothing if not a study in the logic of government and the tools it uses to extend its sphere of influence.

But in addition to incorporating conventional methods of politics, Martin’s books also pay close attention to the economic problems of ruling the Seven Kingdoms.

What makes these elements of the story so fascinating is that, despite the fantasy setting, they describe traits of government that are universal and relevant in the world today. And Martin’s view of his subject is far from random, being supported through detailed historical

research that underlies his descriptions of the economic workings of government.

A deep understanding of history shines through particularly in the descriptions of public finance, one of the persistent difficulties in governing any kingdom, but especially one perpetually at war. It's conventional in economics to say government has three methods of

finance: taxation, borrowing, and inflation. And each of these methods is tried by the Lannisters in their efforts to retain power.

The chief financial mischief is carried out by Lord Petyr Baelish, also known as “Littlefinger,” who serves as the king’s master of coin. In addition to persistently hatching his own schemes, Littlefinger also proves himself a shrewd financier in his efforts to provide the crown with the gold it needs to survive the war.

One of Littlefinger’s first fiscal policies is a tax on refugees from the war who wish to enter the capital city, thus taking advantage of their desperation to fleece them of all they own. Yet, once safely inside the city walls, there's little way for the refugees to generate additional income for the crown.

Later in the story, to avoid their own potential “fiscal cliff,” more effective taxes must be tried. In an attempt to pay for King Joffrey’s wedding, Tywin Lannister even taxes brothels, disguising the tax as a way to “improve the morals of the city.”

The next clear option is borrowing, and this Littlefinger’s treasury does in large amounts. Its primary source of loans are foreign banks (especially the Iron Bank of Braavos), but as the war drags on, the Lannisters find it increasingly difficult to always pay their debts. The

master of coin becomes an artful dodger, and the lenders become aware that the terms of trade are not to their advantage.

Neither lending nor borrowing comes without a cost, and the balance of power is affected by both. While governments try to force the hand of their creditors, those who finance governments also seek to influence them in return. Sometimes, the bankers even threaten

to finance other frontrunners in the competition for the crown.

Eventually, power accrues to those who make themselves indispensable sources of spending. The financiers become “political entrepreneurs,” pulling strings behind the scenes. This is exactly what Tywin Lannister does; even before he becomes the Hand of

the King (technically, becomes Hand again) it's clear that his will governs the kingdom -- his will, and his purse strings.

Martin then adds a finishing touch on the debt problem by looking into the thoughts of Cersei Lannister. Frustrated by the crown’s obligation to repay its loans, Cersei concludes:

“We need our own bank … the Golden Bank of Lannisport.”

This is another brilliant illustration of the logic of public finance. Rulers throughout history have realized that the key to financing the state isn't to simply prey on the wealth of citizens, or rely on the goodwill of lenders, but to directly control the money supply through

a central bank.

This leads to the last and most devious method of finance: inflation. In the medieval world, inflation occurred through a simple form of currency debasement called “coin clipping.”

Martin makes occasional reference to the practice, and implicates Littlefinger in a coin clipping scheme. Littlefinger’s chosen method of finance is described as minting gold from goldenrod, implying that he's diluting the metallic content to produce low-value coins that can be passed off at face value. This practice provides ample funds for the crown, but at the expense of the rest of society.

Is it necessary to point out the familiarity of this story -- a heavily taxed population, a massive public debt, and a government rapidly inflating the money supply to sustain itself and its chosen elites through an endless series of wars?

A constant theme in Martin’s books, and human history, is that the game of thrones does not change. But those who desire a different outcome should take note of one point Martin’s epic makes abundantly clear: It does not matter who sits the throne, the problem

lies in the throne itself.

Matt McCaffrey is an Instructor of Economics at Auburn University, and editor of Libertarian Papers.

• Carmen Dorob is a PhD candidate in economics at the University of Angers, and Instructor at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies

When seconds count, as Glenn Reynolds is wont to say, the police are only minutes away....

Money quote from Paula Bolyard:

I realized at that moment that the police cannot protect me from the Dzhokhar Tsarnaevs of the world.
The best they can do is tell me to lock myself in my home while they search for the bad guy. Though the residents of Watertown (and the surrounding greater-Boston area) were held in a state of near-martial law, the best most of them could do was huddle in their homes, hoping the police would take their 3 a.m. call and come running to rescue them before the terrorist killed them. . . . I realized right then that if I were holed up in my house while a cold-blooded terrorist roamed my neighborhood, I wouldn’t want to be a sitting duck with only a deadbolt lock between me and an armed intruder.

Neither, as Dr Reynolds said, would I.

Government as Old-Age Home

MQ:

"None of us wants to impose new burdens on vulnerable seniors," write economists Harry Holzer of Georgetown University and Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institution in The Washington Post. "[But] for how long will we continue to sacrifice investments in our nation's children and youth ... to spend more and more on the aged?"

Hypocritical conservatives are liberals' unspoken allies. Despite constant grumbling about entitlements, they lack the courage of their convictions.

Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/03/18/government_as_old-age_home_117479.html#ixzz2Nv6Kwgnr
Follow us: @RCP_Articles on Twitter

Government as Old-Age Home

Younger Generations Lag Parents in Wealth-Building

The grey lady gets even grayer.
Master of the Obvious quote:

Because wealth compounds over long periods of time — a dollar saved 10 years ago is worth much more than a dollar saved today — young adults probably face less secure futures for decades down the road, and even shakier retirements.

As you might expect, the Times doesn't note that younger generations are looking at -- by the Treasury's estimate -- $100 trillion they're supposed to try to pay.

The Perils of Intellectual Apostasy

swiped from Richochet. Money quote:

Most of the New Deal liberals that I once knew have passed on. They have been replaced in positions of authority by a generation for whom everything is political. Its motto is "the personal is political and the political is personal." What this means in practice is that the members of this generation tend to regard those at odds with them not as merely wrong and perhaps intriguingly, interestingly wrong but as simply immoral. In the face of an argument or observation that does not sit comfortably with what they believe, they resort to denunciation. The dissenter is labeled a racist or a fascist or something worse, and he is read out of the human race

Nota bene: the all politics is personal crowd usually embraces fascism although they don't like hearing it put that way.  And given the structure of the recently deceased (I hope) Occupy movement a large part of 'em embrace a very nationalistic fascism.  Hmmm. 

Die unabhängige politische Partei-Chef befiehlt dir zu stoppen trägt diese Kondome!

On accounta 'cause you might be a prostitute.  80% of NYC high school grads can't read well enough for community college, but YOU might be a prostitute.

Wir mussen Ordnung haben!

Administration to Dismantle U.S. Merchant Marine?

It would be, I suppose, in bad taste to point out that ALL of the unions endorsed POTUS 44.  I presume dues-paying members are satisfied that the campaign donations were worth it....

just saying.
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Administration-to-Dismantle-US-Merchant-Marine/

Coasties publish an Interim rule to enforce MARPOL. but they still want comments

So a revision of the international agreement on marine pollution -- a/k/a/ MARPOL -- went into effect on 1 January 2013.  The Coasties either knew this was coming but couldn't get their act together to allow comments  before this shtuff became international law* or they figured that the industry would make their lives complicated if they knew what was coming (because the light-blue-suiters can be relied upon to make the standards tougher for the US industry than is required for the international industry.

Nonetheless, comments are invited. 

* Of  note, international law is legal in the US because we decide it is.  Vide: STCW.  The original convention was ratified by the Senate.  Since then (STCW 95 and STCW 2010) they've been an adjustment in code which is a subterfuge that allows USCG to enforce what are essentially new conventions without paying attention to that Pesky Constitution.  And, for good or for ill, the Senate hasn't the intestinal fortitude to tell them that decision isn't theirs. 

Women & Children first

Sinking of the HMS Birkenhead - 26 February 1852 On February 26, 1852, the troopship HMS BIRKENHEAD grounded at Danger Point, near Cape Town, South Africa. It was carrying about 400 British soldiers to fight in the Kaffir War in South Africa. Also on board were about 200 civilians, mostly women and children. There were not sufficient lifeboats for everyone. The senior British Army officer onboard ordered the troops to stand fast as the women and children boarded the lifeboats. None of the soldiers broke ranks. The BIRKENHEAD sank soon afterwards. Only 193 of the approximately 643 people originally on board survived. From this event, the maritime tradition of "women and children first" is derived.

The Coasties Regulatory kowtow to the ILO

Ach, RR, where are you now that we need you?

The US Coast Guard seeks comments on a draft Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) that sets forth the Coast Guard’s policies and procedures regarding inspection of US vessels for voluntary compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC 2006), which enters into force on 20 August 2013. Comments should be submitted by 13 March. 78 Fed. Reg. 9709 (February 11, 2013).

Police One dot com on shooters in schools

http://www.policeone.com/active-shooter/articles/2058168-Lt-Col-Dave-Grossman-to-cops-The-enemy-is-denial/ 1. Denial — Denial is the enemy and it has no survival value, said Grossman. 2. Deter — Put police officers in schools, because with just one officer assigned to a school, the probability of a mass murder in that school drops to almost zero 3. Detect — We’re talking about plain old fashioned police work here. The ultimate achievement for law enforcement is the crime that didn’t happen, so giving teachers and administrators regular access to cops is paramount. 4. Delay — Various simple mechanisms can be used by teachers and cops to put time and distance between the killers and the kids. a. Ensure that the school/classroom have just a single point of entry. Simply locking the back door helps create a hard target. b. Conduct your active shooter drills within (and in partnership with) the schools in your city so teachers know how to respond, and know what it looks like when you do your response. 5. Destroy — Police officers and agencies should consider the following: a. Carry off duty. No one would tell a firefighter who has a fire extinguisher in his trunk that he’s crazy or paranoid. b. Equip every cop in America with a patrol rifle. One chief of police, upon getting rifles for all his officers once said, “If an active killer strikes in my town, the response time will be measured in feet per second.” c. Put smoke grenades in the trunk of every cop car in America. Any infantryman who needs to attack across open terrain or perform a rescue under fire deploys a smoke grenade. A fire extinguisher will do a decent job in some cases, but a smoke grenade is designed to perform the function. d. Have a “go-to-war bag” filled with lots of loaded magazines and supplies for tactical combat casualty care. e. Use helicopters. Somewhere in your county you probably have one or more of the following: medivac, media, private, national guard, coast guard rotors. f. Employ the crew-served, continuous-feed, weapon you already have available to you (a firehouse) by integrating the fire service into your active shooter training. It is virtually impossible for a killer to put well-placed shots on target while also being blasted with water at 300 pounds per square inch. g. Armed citizens can help. Think United 93. Whatever your personal take on gun control, it is all but certain that a killer set on killing is more likely to attack a target where the citizens are unarmed, rather than one where they are likely to encounter an armed citizen response.

SO IF WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A “NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON GUNS,” HERE ARE SOME OPENERS:

Shamelessly swiped from Instapundit

• Why do people who favor gun-control call people who disagree with them murderers or accomplices to murder? Is that constructive? • Would any of the various proposals have actually prevented the tragedy that is the supposed reason for them? • When you say you hope that this event will finally change the debate, do you really mean that you hope you can use emotionalism and blood-libel-bullying to get your way on political issues that were losers in the past? • If you’re a media member or politician, do you have armed security? Do you have a permit for a gun yourself? (I’m asking you Dianne Feinstein!) If so, what makes your life more valuable than other people’s? • Do you know the difference between an automatic weapon and a semi-automatic weapon? Do your public statements reflect that difference? • If guns cause murder, why have murder rates fallen as gun sales have skyrocketed? • Have you talked about “Fast and Furious?” Do you even know what it is? Do you care less when brown people die? • When you say that “we” need to change, how are you planning to change? Does your change involve any actual sacrifice on your part? • Let me know when you’re ready to talk about these things. We’ll have a conversation. • Is your goal reducing the number of firearms owned by private citizens or reducing the number of people killed and injured by firearms? • If you believe these are the same, what’s your reason for thinking (sic) so? Which entity would you accept as having enough expertise to change your mind?

So... I've got a commercial drivers license and get pulled over in a "recreational marijuana" state

If you pop positive, the state law will furnish no protection. One one level this makes sense: impaired driving is impaired driving. However, marijuana stays in the system for a LOONNNGGG time. IOW, POTUS is going to stomp your ass if you get caught.

Althouse: "Freedom From Religion Foundation sues IRS for not...

Money quote:

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, says, "Everybody knows what he was talking about: Obama endorsing same-sex marriage."

I, personally, thought he was talking about the co-president of FFRF's padded bra.

Missing Russian Gold Ship Found at Bottom of the Sea, Crew Still Unaccounted For | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

Lux aeterna dona, Domine.

Missing Russian Gold Ship Found at Bottom of the Sea, Crew Still Unaccounted For | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

Tired of Talking Green: Masters at Center of Commercial Pressures | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

Money quote:

“It is easy to suggest that crews are becoming less competent and that this is a significant contributor to greater safety risks, says Allan Schwartz, General Manager of Maritime Operations at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). “While this could be a contributor, it is equally likely that the intense commercial pressures placed on masters are contributing"

And the maritime bureaucratic world has one hell of an incentive to lay the blame on commercial pressures, because if the reason isn't commercial pressures then there's a chance that crews are becoming less competent and what does that say about STCW? 

It says, STCW stands for "Stupid things the CoastGuard Wants."

Reid says he can't work with Romney - Washington Times

Very pleased to see the Senate majority leader found time to get off his knees, wipe his chin, and speak coherently.

Now try and keep a straight face...

There's a retired Coastie Captain by the name of Dennis Bryant. He has -- surprise -- a consulting business. AND he writes a newsletter which occasionally has assertions that would embarrass a White House Intern. Vide:

USCG - policy re STCW Convention The US Coast Guard posted a notice stating that it is making available three policy letters providing guidance to vessels and mariners subject to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 (STCW Convention). CG-CVC Policy Letter 12-05 provides guidance on hours or rest requirements. It includes for possible use the IMO/ILO model format for record of hours of work or hours of rest of seafarers. CG-CVC Policy Letter 12-06 provides guidance on issuance of endorsements for Vessel Personnel with Designated Security Duties (VPDSD) and vessel personnel requiring security awareness training. CG-CVC Policy Letter 12-07 provides guidance on issuance of endorsements and approval of training to meet the 2010 amendments to the STCW Convention. 77 Fed. Reg. 62434 (October 15, 2012). Note: As usual, the Coast Guard is working to minimize the inconvenience to the maritime community caused by the disparity between international deadlines and the cumbersome domestic regulatory process.

The emphasis, need I say, is added. For the record, the presidents of the largest maritime unions and the Presidents/Superintendents of the seven maritime academies & colleges have written to "Big Sis", the Secretary of Homeland Security urging her to get the light-blue-suiters off the pot. Those who think this qualifies as working to minimize the inconvenience are hereby and herewith encouraged to stand up and wipe their chins!

POTUS Comes acropper with WAPO's fact-checkers

The story's here.

The libertarian roots of the Tea Party -- CATO

whole buncha people were much more comfortable with those fundamentalist, bitter, clinging, woman-hating, gay-bashing pictures. Now, here comes Cato destroying all their fun

Libertarians led the way for the tea party. Starting in early 2008 through early 2009, we find that libertarians were more than twice as “angry” with the Republican Party, more pessimistic about the economy and deficit since 2001, and more frustrated that people like them cannot affect government than were conservatives.

Angry with the 'phants? Yep, that's a good description.

They're not reporters....

They're White House Interns with a byline!
Mickey Kause says, "Bring back beats" Money quote:

Kay Hymowitz of Manhattan Institute argued fact-checkers typically just don’t know enough about the subjects they’re required to instantly check on. They’ve given the old “beat” system renewed appeal. Yes, “beat” reporters are reluctant to piss of their sources. But at least they tend to know the history and context of any dispute

A once and -- I hope -- future guest speaker on buying medical coverage with a pre-existing condition

Megan McArdle has an autoimmune condition which knocks her out of the most common medical plans. Like a lot of people, she assumed that she couldn't get insurance. Fortunately for her, she has a good friend who's a financial planner... Read the rest here.

Instapundit uses the wrong title!

Quoth the maven:

"Too bad the legitimate press Democratic Party operatives with bylines didn’t report this stuff four years ago."

I bet to differ. They're not Democratic Party operatives with bylines, they're White House Interns with bylines!"

Chait: Looters & Moochers.

via Anne Althouse: quoting Jonathan Chait:

"It seems unavoidable now to conclude that Romney’s embrace of Paul Ryanism is born of actual contempt for the looters and moochers, a class war on behalf of his own class."

Yikes.  Do you really want the Romney/Ryan are attacking looters and moochers meme to settle in?  Them what're frothing at the mouth over this video are -- pretty much universally -- going to vote to reelect POTUS44.  If, with your aid, the Phants can convince independents that Obama voters are looters & moochers the swing states become a lot more problematic.
Althouse: The secret video reveals Romney as "the sneering p...: "... fully in thrall to a series of pernicious myths that are at the heart of the mania that has seized his party," says Jonathan Chait . [...

The problem with the union reinvention—at least as captured by the Weingarten quote—is that it probably strikes many people as hollow. Why? Because they know that unions are run by normal people and represent normal people, and what they want first and foremost is not what’s best for kids or “fairness,” but getting as good a deal for themselves as possible.

USCG PROPOSES AMENDMENTS TO INLAND RULES

From the IMO. Snark alert: now there'sa recommendation.

The Coast Guard proposes to amend the inland navigation rules and their annexes in order to align the regulations with amendments made by the International Maritime Organization to the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, to which the United States is a signatory, and to incorporate recommendations made by the Navigation Safety Advisory Council (NAVSAC). These changes would harmonize domestic and international law by reducing and alleviating equipment requirements on vessels, addressing technological advancements, such as wing-in-ground craft, and increasing public awareness of the inland navigation rules. The changes would also make references to applicable requirements easier to locate by using the same format in domestic regulations as is used in the international convention. Comments and related material must be submitted on or before October 29, 2012. For more details on the proposed amendment and to submit comments view the federal register entry at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-08-28/pdf/2012-18364.pdf.

Son of Satan?

The Weekly Standard is complaining about the front page picture the Noo Yawk Times ran after Congresscritter Ryan gave his speech. I have to admit, it's a trifle eerie! But, Weekly Standard, why the hell are you surprised? When the media stalwarts are a-talkin' about POTUS44, they could give Monica Lewinsky lessons.

If a Donk's lost Huffington....

From the Huffington Post. Moneyquote:

The Democratic brand has thus suffered more (down 39%) under Obama than the Republican brand suffered under either of George W. Bush's two terms (-16%, then -31%). Though George W. Bush did major harm to the Republican brand, Barack Obama is out-doing him, hurting even steeper the Democratic brand, which historically (until now) has always been higher-valued than the Republican brand, not just in these pre-convention polls, but for decades in Party-allegiance.

Kulaks raising their banners high

Yikes!  I approve of the concept; however, Dr Jacobsen, "The banners high" rings a really horrible 20th century bell!  N.B., "Die fahne hoch!" has been translated as both "The flag on high" and "The banner high."
Kulaks raising their banners high

“Criminalization” of Mariners Is Worrying Trend

from the August MM&P magazine. Wisdom from a very experience Maritime Lawyer: don't talk to the Coast Guard until you've talked to an attorney. Note how the Coast Guard has effectively squandered their reputation as waterfront professionals. “

Criminalization” of Mariners Is Worrying Trend Twenty-four percent of ship masters have faced criminal charges for incidents involving their work, according to a survey conducted by Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI), a legal research group. The results were reported in the most recent edition of Nautilus Telegraph, the magazine of the UK-Dutch officers’ union. “That’s almost one in four, and it’s probably one of the highest rates of criminalization in any profession,” Nautilus says. SRI based its findings on a survey of almost 3,500 seafarers of 68 nationalities. “Criminalization of the maritime profession is not just an incidental issue, as evidenced by these survey results,” Nautilus points out. “It is a problem on an immense scale throughout the world, and it is on the rise.” Among unlicensed seafarers, almost 10 percent said they had faced criminal charges related to their jobs. Of that number, 90 percent reported that they had not been provided with legal representation by the authorities. Ninety-one percent said they had not been given needed interpretation services. What’s more, 89 percent of the original 10 percent said that no one had explained their rights to them, which might explain why 46 percent said they would be reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement officials in the future for fear of self-incrimination. Eighty percent of seafarers who faced criminal charges said they had been intimidated or threatened. Overall, more than four out of five seafarers who faced criminal charges said they felt that they had not been treated fairly. SRI conducted additional research to put the results into perspective, reviewing the reports of all criminal charges against professional mariners as published in Lloyd’s List, TradeWinds and Fairplay for the 12-year period from 2000 to 2011. The analysis showed that the criminalization trend is on the rise. There were 415 reports of “crimes” involving 1,580 seafarers during this period. The number of incidents deemed by authorities to be “crimes,” as well as the number of seafarers detained, increased every year during the period surveyed. Nautilus is calling on world governments to take action. “We hope that the results of this survey will provide momentum for increased efforts to ensure fair treatment of seafarers, whether innocent or guilty of a criminal charge,” said SRI Executive Director Deirdre Fitzpatrick, “and that from this survey, the faces and voices of the seafarers will be seen clearly and heard loudly.” – Article by Ashley Morrow, MM&P Communications Department

American Flagship Project Challenges Obama Administration | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

Title 11, for them what're fortunate enough not to know, provides U.S.-taxpayer backing for maritime-related construction, usually ships.   If the ship makes money, the money is never expended.  If the ship (or company) goes bankrupt, the U.S. taxpayer loses money. It is the same concept as a VA mortgage guarantee. In both cases, the projects are those which private lenders deem too risky.
Query: why should the taxpayer, making something like $50k/year, be underwriting a loan which the finance professionals won't touch?
American Flagship Project Challenges Obama Administration | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

And I'd be enthusiastically cheering this decision if this was an indication that POTUS44 was trying to lead the US out of these dunderheaded concepts.  Unfortunately, this just means the administration doesn't like this particular concept; not the whole idea.

Interesting side-note: these jobs would almost certainly be unionized, so you'd think the administration would be anxious to play to an important part of its base.  But nah...

Leadership to change at Masters, Mates & Pilots

Courtesy of the SUP newsletter. I can remember the "Tim Brown Newsletter" circulating around the MMP-contracted fleet back in the late 70s. Fair winds, Captain Brown!

Captain Tim Brown, President of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P) since 1991, announced in July that he had decided not to run for a seventh term. Prior to being elected to lead MM&P, Brown was a skipper with SeaLand Service Inc. Brown brought stability to a badly fractured Union and was a leader of maritime labor. Nominated and unopposed to succeed Brown is Don Marcus, the current MM&P Secretary-Treasurer. Other MM&P candidates are Steve Werse, Secretary-Treasurer; Don Josberger, Atlantic Ports Vice President; Wayne Farthing and Michael Welch, Gulf Ports Vice President; Dave Boatner, Pacific Ports, Vice President; George Quick, Pilots Group, Vice President; Mike Murray, Vice President United Inland Group; and Randall Rockwood, Federal Employees Vice President. The Masters, Mates & Pilots 90-day balloting will be mailed to members on September 14, and counted on December 13. The new administration will take office January 1, 2013.

New York Maritime College's Inaugural STEM Academy - with Baltimore & NYC Maritime Focused High Schools | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

BZ, Admiral Carpenter, Dr Hoffman, and Captain Fink!
SUNY Maritime College's Inaugural STEM Academy - with Baltimore & NYC Maritime Focused High Schools | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

After the Storm

After the Storm

Jon Kaskin Retiring

From Maritime Memos:

Anybody who's been involved with T-ships over the past 30-something years knows Jon Kaskin, the Navy's Director of Strategic Mobility and Combat Logistics, who retires tomorrow. The picture at the right shows him getting the Distinguished Civilian Service Award yesterday from Under-Secretary Bob Work. Read the story in the Bangor Daily News here. Jon understood both the technical issues and the business issues, knew how to handle politicians, admirals and shipbuilders, and never seemed to lose his cool. This is a rare opportunity to say "He'll be missed" and mean it. The Navy could use a few more like him. June 28, 2012.

Jon is one of those extraordinarily rare individuals who never spoke behind others' backs. Consequently, he well and truly pissed off virtually everyone. Those that got mad at him rarely acknowledged that the Navy -- hell, all of the bluidy flippin' government needs someone to say: "OK, we need to buy this; can we buy it cheaper? Do we need this number?

USNS Guam Towed Out

On Saturday, MSC towed the USNS Guam, (ex-Huakai) from its lay-berth in Norfolk. Towed? She won't operate on her own power? What does that mean? They are taking her to Detyens, in Charleston, to modify her for service with III MEF in the Western Pacific. July 2, 2012. P.S.: Apparently the Navy had to tow her to Charleston because our incompetent MARitime ADministration had allowed her documentation to expire. Detyens' primary task is to renew her USCG and ABS paperwork: the mods for her operation with the Marine Corps come later. July 6, 2012.

Althouse: "The latest survey on the Supreme Court was conduc...

Althouse: "The latest survey on the Supreme Court was conduc...: "Overall, there were few differences in the topline results between the two nights. However, there were sizable partisan shifts. On Wednesda...

From Iraq to Beaumont: the Ocean Crescent brings the last cargo home, prepares for its next mission - Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation

From Iraq to Beaumont: the Ocean Crescent brings the last cargo home, prepares for its next mission - Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation

DAWN OF THE CONTAINER REVOLUTION

On 26 April 1956, the [Tankship] Ideal-X left the Port of Newark, New Jersey, bound for Houston, Texas. She carried 58 35-foot containers, along with her liquid cargo. This ship was converted under the initiative of Malcolm McLean, a trucking magnate who saw the tremendous potential of containerization. In 1960, McLean founded SeaLand, a major container shipping line, which was purchased by Maersk in 1999. The Ideal X carried containers until 1965, when she was scrapped.

Will the maritime unions stay?

Money quote:

The maritime unions, on the other hand, have a lot to think about. And, their leadership has a lot to explain to their membership should they decide to endorse the current administration for a second term. Would a pro-business GOP crew treat them any better?

everyone remember when the unions tried to rally the troops in 1980?

Santorum’s lost message - TheHill.com

There is still a place for a straightforward fiscal conservative.  Santorum's not it. 
Quoth the Maven, "Said Brooks to the Honorable Rick"Money quote:
        Santorum’s lost message - TheHill.com

"Combined with his push for fewer business regulations and less taxation, Santorum’s message on ObamaCare was all he needed to win over enough Romney voters to close the gap and beat him. It was the key to his appeal to independent voters, and to those voters focused more on the economy than the social issues Santorum has built a reputation championing.

"But he strayed, and lost Ohio by 1 percentage point. Then he strayed again, decrying the dangers of porn, claiming the Obama administration “seems to favor pornographers over children and families” because it has “refused to enforce obscenity laws.” So this week he lost Illinois by more than 11 points. He won’t recover."

NOAA Prepares To Phase Out Navigation Response Teams | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

I can make the case that this is an old trick of the Bureaucracy known as closing the Washington Monument.  Some years ago, the National Park Service's budget was threatened with a cut.  NPS announced the cut would force them to close the Washington Monument to the public.  To the surprise of no one -- probably including the legislators who directed the budget cut -- the funds were restored.

This is a cut in one of NOAA's more popular programs.  Stand by.
NOAA Prepares To Phase Out Navigation Response Teams | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

Maritime Week in Washington D.C., May 7-9, 2012 | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

Maritime Week in Washington D.C., May 7-9, 2012 | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

Nooze youze can youze: A Guide to the Presidential Candidates’ Proposals to Cut Spending – Tenth Amendment Center Blog

Money quote:

There are multiple ways to skin this cat, but I decided to put together a comparison table based solely on the content found on each candidate’s campaign website. I did not consider past statements or votes, the televised debates, or outside sources (unless linked to by a campaign’s website). The idea is that statements on each candidate’s website should offer the clearest indication of their intentions should they become president.

A Guide to the Presidential Candidates’ Proposals to Cut Spending – Tenth Amendment Center Blog

Sea Shepherd Activists Using Drones to Track Japanese Whalers | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

I, personally, am somewhat curious about Bayshore Recycling's ownership of long-range drones!

As tensions rise between Japanese whalers and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in the recent lawsuit brought by the Japanese, Sea Shepherd has a new ally on their hands: drone aircrafts.

The whale activists have been locked in a heated and exponentially worsening battle with the Japanese whalers, and in light of the situation, Bayshore Recycling Corp. of New Jersey has donated two long-range drones equipped with detection capabilities and cameras which help to scan hundreds more miles of ocean for whaling ships. The drones have been outfitted on two Sea Shepherd vessels, the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker, and it has already yielded success.

Capt. Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd’s ship, Steve Irwin, said that these drones have proven to be “valuable assets” to the mission and that one drone already located Japanese ship, Nisshin Maru, off the coast of Western Australia this past Saturday.

Read the rest here.

Oath Keepers

they make a good point:

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God

Your Oath NEVER expires!

Oath Keepers » Oath Keepers – Guardians of the Republic

what makes te poor, poor?

Ye money quote from Megan McArdle

“it’s all too common for well-meaning middle class people to think that if the poor just had the same stuff we do, they wouldn’t be poor any more (where ‘stuff’ includes anything from a college education to a marriage license to a home).

Note, however, that a high-school education, waiting until age 25 to have children and a two-parent home ARE statistically significant co-incidences.

Instapundit » Blog Archive » MEGAN MCARDLE: “it’s all too common for well-meaning middle class people to think that if the poor …

This has been addressed for most of a century now. probably longer. Heck, Daniel P Moynihan damn near got drummed out of the right-thinking crew on his issue.

Debt Without and With Sequestration | Mercatus

Can't say this often enough:

"sequestration increases spending by $1.65 trillion between 2012-2021"

Sequestration in Perspective: Debt Without and With Sequestration | Mercatus

Former Democratic Pollsters: Obama Should Abandon Run for Second Term

Oookkkaaayyyy.

Let's see... there hasn't been a Donk POTUS who would have been elected since LBJ. So...

1. If Obama bails, is there any chance the Black vote will be as enthusiastic as they were in 2008?
2. Can a D be elected w/o the black vote
3. Are the comments about voting for Romney (note the assumption)just to show the Ds not to assume the Black vote actually reflecting a significant number?

Russian Freighter Disappears in White Sea, 11 Missing - UPDATE | Maritime News | Maritime Executive Magazine

Marie Celeste, white courtesy phone.

Instapundit » THEY TOLD ME IF I VOTED FOR JOHN MCCAIN, WE’D SEE MASS DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. AND THEY…

Actually, I didn't vote for McCain, but Reynolds makes a good point anyway.

MQ: Oh, who am I kidding? Nobody told me that would happen if I voted for McCain . . . .

Teacher penalizes students for saying "bless you" | abc30.com

And here I thought university education departments were making an effort to remove mouth-breathers from their student body!
Teacher penalizes students for saying "bless you" | abc30.com

Twitter / @krauthammer: Earthquake, hurricane, Oba ...

Twitter / @krauthammer: Earthquake, hurricane, Oba ...">Earthquake, hurricane, Obamacare. When does it stop? Seven more and I vote we let the Israelites go.

China Says Aircraft Carrier Only for Research, Training | gCaptain

Did you know... that a war college journal in the People's Republic called for the ability to defeat the U.S. by 2029? This sparked off a big debate over signals: were the authors stating PRC policy, rattlin' the US' cage, lobbying their own government, trying to freak out Taiwan and Japan (they succeeded), or a combination of the above? What does this have to do with the above? Just this: the PRC will produce a lot more qualified pilots with a training/research carrier than they would with a fleet unit. Just sayin'
China Says Aircraft Carrier Only for Research, Training | gCaptain

US Investigators Delay Report On Deepwater Horizon Spill | gCaptain

Hmmmm. Looks like there's a bureaucratic disagreement and no one wants to say so:

"To ensure that all evidence is properly weighed and considered, the [investigation team] is taking additional time to finalize the report,” bureau spokeswoman Eileen Angelico said.

US Investigators Delay Report On Deepwater Horizon Spill | gCaptain

Safety4Sea | 20 seamen stranded with little food for over a month

Twenty seamen on a cargo vessel have been abandoned at sea for over a month without food or water.

Safety4Sea | 20 seamen stranded with little food for over a month

Balancing the budget is hard; try it yourself. -- Government Computer News

Money quote: "The game starts you off with a look at the budget in the year 2021, should our government’s current policies stand as they are without any changes. Things look pretty bleak; some of the buildings representing the various sections of the budget are literally sky-high. The game predicts that, if no changes are made, our budget will go bust in 2031, at which point our debt will equal 100 percent of our GDP. That’s pretty sobering."

2031 isn't set in concrete. Nota Bene!
Balancing the budget is hard, so try it yourself. -- Government Computer News

Human IED threat elicits DHS warning -- Government Computer News

From Government computer news (GCN).
There is something rather strange about this. Earlier this year, there was an assassination attempt on the King of Saudi Arabia. The suicide bomber carried the bomb internally, but it wasn't surgically implanted. I'll leave you to fill in the blanks.

There is, in other words, not very good reason to assume that 'sensitivity from recent surgery' will accomplish much.
Human IED threat elicits DHS warning -- Government Computer News

Safety4Sea | STCW 2010 Amendments : What you need to know

Here's a pretty good summary from -- of course -- our Atlantic allies of what IMO inflicted on us in Manila.
Safety4Sea | STCW 2010 Amendments : What you need to know

Welcome to Our Future, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

So, back in 1983, a recently, not to say soundly, defeated candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates opined that the powers-that-be would change the rules for IRAs (originally, Chilluns, anyone who earned more than $2,000/year could contribute to an IRA), AND would eventually announce that "it's time the fortunate helped the less fortunate" and started to tax private pensions.

Well, the IRA rules changed some time ago, and (h/t Dr Kling)the Irish Republic has taken a step toward the second.

Y'all need to listen up; just because you're not interested in politics doesn't mean politics isn't interested in ...well, you know.
Welcome to Our Future, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

US Naval Update: CVN 65 Enterprise Abandons Libya, Reinforces CVN 70 Vinson In Straits Of Hormuz | zero hedge

Man, I hope...
Please tell me this isn't...
They couldn't be dumb enough...
US Naval Update: CVN 65 Enterprise Abandons Libya, Reinforces CVN 70 Vinson In Straits Of Hormuz | zero hedge

Should Holocaust Deniers Be Heard? | The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy

Emphasis mine:

Some courses that are supposed to teach critical thinking amount to nothing more than severe criticism by professors of ideas they dislike. Students don’t learn how to think. Instead of learning to exercise careful judgment, they learn to mimic their professors’ opinions.

Second, critical thinking ought to mean thinking that reflects the Western rationalistic tradition. Unfortunately, that tradition is incommensurable with other prevalent academic orthodoxies, such as social constructivism, multiculturalism, and postmodernism. The philosopher John Searle has asserted that critical thinking is founded on epistemological assumptions that enable us to build a framework for determining whether a conclusion is legitimate or not. Those assumptions are basic and easy to understand, for example, that “reality exists independently of our representations of it” and that “knowledge is objective.”

“IT IS EASY TO PROPOSE IMPOSSIBLE REMEDIES.”

Belling the Cat. Aesop. 1909-14. Fables. The Harvard Classics

You don't have to be a Vet, nor do you have to ride a motorcycle

Home

CMA CGM offers cruises on giant containerships

The ONLY way to go. FYI the Euro trades at ~1.4:1.0 to the dollar.

Money quote: "They may not look like cruise ships from the outside, but CMA CGM, the world's third largest container shipping group, is offering cruises on board the largest vessels in its fleet, its 13,800 TEU containerships. It says that last year 690 people chose to experience "cruising another way" by traveling on a containership."
CMA CGM offers cruises on giant containerships

AP: Browner leaving as Obama energy adviser - USATODAY.com

Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
AP: Browner leaving as Obama energy adviser - USATODAY.com

Across America, Latino Community Sighs With Relief : NPR

Safe to say that being Hispanic is the most important thing about this gal:

I wasn't the only person on Saturday who rushed to her Android when news came of the Tucson shooting. I wasn't looking however to read about what had happened. My auntie had already filled me in — "Someone tried to murder una representante. People have been killed," she'd reported. What I wanted to know was the killer's surname.

My eyes scanned the mobile papers. I held my breath. Finally, I saw it: Jared Loughner. Not a Ramirez, Gonzalez or Garcia.
Across America, Latino Community Sighs With Relief : NPR

U.S. on the Way toward Losing AAA Credit Rating - By Kevin D. Williamson - The Corner - National Review Online

I todja so, I todja so. Hah hah hah, I todja so!
From the Wall Street Journal:

Moody’s said the U.S., Germany, France and the U.K. still have debt metrics, including the debt affordability, compatible with their triple-A ratings at Moody’s. But all four countries must bring the future costs arising from pension and healthcare subsidies under control if they “are to maintain long-term stability in their debt burden credit metrics,” Moody’s said in its regular triple-A Sovereign Monitor report.

Moody’s noted that measures were recommended by the U.S. National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, appointed by President Obama, to achieve a balanced primary budget by 2015, but that there was insufficient support to trigger consideration of those recommendations by the full Congress.

U.S. on the Way toward Losing AAA Credit Rating - By Kevin D. Williamson - The Corner - National Review Online

Harry Potter Muslim Actress Beaten By Brother; Flees Home After Family Threatens to Kill Her For Dating Hindu Boy | The Gateway Pundit

And, as the Gateway Pundit so eloquently puts it: Look at this pig.
EXCEPT, there's TWO of 'em; therefore, look at these pigs.
Harry Potter Muslim Actress Beaten By Brother; Flees Home After Family Threatens to Kill Her For Dating Hindu Boy | The Gateway Pundit

Samuelson - Cheating Our Children (Again)

It is cheating with the passive connivance of the cheatees. Actions like bailing out the states & cities, the sanctity of social insecurity, etc, poll as being very popular among the young (18-35).
that said, there's no excuse, baby boomers
What states and localities can do about this is limited. Pension promises to existing employees are probably legally inviolate. Retiree health benefits are apparently less so and should be reduced or eliminated to limit incentives for early retirement. Even if politicians manage this arduous feat, past decisions will burden the future. Along with an unwillingness to curb Social Security and Medicare costs, America's leaders have created another way to cheat their children.
RealClearPolitics - Cheating Our Children (Again)

Home Labs Rise With Smarter and Cheaper Devices - NYTimes.com

Home Labs Rise With Smarter and Cheaper Devices - NYTimes.com

Welcome to My Hypersensitivity Training Workshop, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

Welcome to My Hypersensitivity Training Workshop, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

New Advice for Nuclear Strike - Don’t Flee, Get Inside - NYTimes.com

This isn't new. Once upon a time a government official got made the subject of a lot of PC & late-night humor for suggesting a variation of getting under cover.

Suppose the unthinkable happened, and terrorists struck New York or another big city with an atom bomb. What should people there do? The government has a surprising new message: Do not flee. Get inside any stable building and don’t come out till officials say it’s safe

Interesting fact from the article (emphasis mine):

Even staying in a car, the studies show, would reduce casualties by more than 50 percent; hunkering down in a basement would be better by far.

Mao's Great Leap to Famine - NYTimes.com

Borrowing a quote from the Instapundit:

As I reminded my conservative blogger friends who were applauding the latter – 'When the communists show up to protest the Nazis, you’re supposed to pray for an asteroid, not pick a favourite.'

Mao's Great Leap to Famine - NYTimes.com

Marginal Tax Rates, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

Marginal Tax Rates, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty
A very good point from Arnold Kling.
And a related point frrom Greg Mankiw:
http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/11/poverty-trap.html
Pay really close attention to the left-hand side of the chart, boysengurls, not that the trend goes DOWN between $19K and 39K.

Vote Coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes!

Vote Coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes!

Random Act of Culture - Hallelujah chorus in Macy's • videosift.com

Wow. Just. Wow.
Random Act of Culture - Hallelujah chorus in Macy's • videosift.com

Vote Coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes!

Fort Schuyler's first perfect season.
Vote Coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes!

2200 miles across the pond: Prepare for a new American revolution - Telegraph

Hat tip: Chris Johnson

And this anger – again, contrary to the general understanding in Britain – is not new: it goes all the way back to the Bush presidency. It was widely known in Europe that the American Left hated George Bush (and even more, Dick Cheney) because of his military adventurism. What was less understood was that the Right disliked him almost as much for selling the pass over government spending, bailing out the banks, and failing to keep faith with the fundamental Republican principle of containing the power of central government.

A Warning to the Phants

Money shot:

Either act like adults charged with the responsible management of this country, instead of drunken teenagers with mom’s credit card, or we will un-elect you at the first opportunity.

I am Simon Jester » Blog Archive » A Warning

On being out, proud and conservative | Tammy Bruce | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Money shot:

Having made my point, I trust, I'll now slip out of my snark suit and share a little secret with you. The real story of bigotry and intolerance is the fact that it lives and thrives on the left. As a gay woman who spent most of her adult life pushing the cart for liberal causes with liberal friends in a liberal city, I found that sexism, racism and homophobia are staples in the liberal world. The huge irony is liberals spend every ounce of energy promoting the notion that they are the banner carriers of individualism and personal freedom, yet the hammer comes down on anyone who dares not to conform to, or who dissents even in part from, the liberal agenda.

On being out, proud and conservative | Tammy Bruce | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Baby Fever

Baby Fever, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: The secret of a longer life

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: The secret of a longer life

Cato Unbound, Self-Recommending Edition, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

Cato Unbound, Self-Recommending Edition, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

Marginal Revolution: Economic Misconceptions

The database Dr Goffe's assembling has a home page here

When asked by how much has income per person in the United States changed since 1950 (after adjusting for inflation) the median student said an increase of 25%. Actual rate an increase of about 248%, thus the median student was off by a factor of 10.

Read the rest Marginal Revolution: Economic Misconceptions">here

Gallup Finds U.S. Unemployment at 10.1% in September

A note to the 44th Prez: there's a reason why the elections of 1972 and 1980 were disasters for the Donks!
Gallup Finds U.S. Unemployment at 10.1% in September

DGQ of the day: Could GOP be playing into Dem hands? - Yahoo! News

Analysis: Could GOP be playing into Dem hands? - Yahoo! News

When seconds count, remember...

Help is only minutes away.
Shocking testimony reveals police inaction in Conn. \
horror home invasion - NYPOST.com

Ship Owners Cooperative Program Meets in September

@ MITAGS, which makes it agood enough reason to go
The Maritime Executive Magazine :: Ship Owners Cooperative Program Meets in September

Are There More Girl Geniuses? — The American, A Magazine of Ideas

Christina Hoff Summers of AEI. Money quote:

Pre-kindergarten boys with mental abilities three or four standard deviations above the mean have astonishing talents. But as Terry Neu, an expert on gifted boys, told me, sitting still for an extended period of time is not one of them.

Are There More Girl Geniuses? — The American, A Magazine of Ideas