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

Instapundit » FEAR THE LAME DUCK! Or, better yet, encourage the lame ducks to fear you….

Well, yah, Mr Reynolds, but ya gotta consider the source. Politico has a vested interest in the big D agenda; to the extent that such articles make libertarians and conservatives and independents relax, it fits the agenda. So the best part of advice is "Make the lame ducks fear you."


Instapundit » Blog Archive » FEAR THE LAME DUCK! Or, better yet, encourage the lame ducks to fear you….

The Gift of Shale Gas

You ignore Samuelson at your peril.
The Gift of Shale Gas

21 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew - US News & World Report

We actually want you to be honest.: 21 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew - US News & World Report

Mullen reiterates his concern over China’s military buildup - News - Stripes

2000 PRC war college pub comes up with a goal of being able to engage the US militarily by 2029
2001 RGMCF mentions this to MMR conference, notes that this goal requires a blue water ability and this goal will be recognizable if PRC's high-end blue water fleet starts growing.
2010: CJCS finds out about this too.

I'm being disingenuous. ADM Mullen has been paying close attention since he was a two-star (and probably earlier, but that's the first time I met him).
Mullen reiterates his concern over China’s military buildup - News - Stripes

Unfunded Entitlements ‘r’ Us

Note that doubling the payroll tax covers the shortfall forever IF the increases in the cost of the medical programs stops.

I know! Everybody hold your breath until you turn blue, that'll do it!
Unfunded Entitlements ‘r’ UsUnfunded Entitlements ‘r’ Us

Historians locate King Arthur's Round Table - Telegraph

Arturus!
Rex quondam
Rex futurus!
Historians locate King Arthur's Round Table - Telegraph

What Growing Cancer Epidemic? - Update - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

New cancer trend statistics being released today are heartening. Eurekalert headline announcing the new cancer stats reads: "Cancer Deaths Continue to Drop." Which is happily quite true, but actually misses the even more amazing fact that "Cancer Incidence Rates Continue to Drop."

What Growing Cancer Epidemic? - Update - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

Let there be higher wages

Money quote:

"If Mr. Obama follows Dean Edley’s advice, low-skilled workers’ wages will indeed change – specifically, the wages for many of these workers will fall from their current levels (say, $7.25 per hour) to $0 per hour. Firms seeking government contracts will replace low-skilled workers with machines; hire fewer such workers and work them harder; or use a smaller number of higher-skilled workers to perform tasks previously performed by a larger number of low-skilled workers."

Cafe Hayek — where orders emerge

removal_of_mariner_exam_questions.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Money shot:

"Coast Guard will no longer post actual mariner examination questions on the NMC website. Effective July 12, 2010, the full set of deck and engineering questions and answers will be removed from the NMC Website"

Not for the record, the questions were released under a court order. This will be interesting.

removal_of_mariner_exam_questions.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Pournelle on Berwick

Money quote:

Berwick is certainly qualified to head a national health care system (for a pro-Berwick piece see the Washington Post). He's also a realist about what that implies. A few years ago he said that sick people tend to be poorer, and poor people tend to be sicker, and if you want an excellent, humane, and rational health care system it is going to be redistributive. It has to be. An excellent national health care system requires redistributing the wealth.

Of course that's true. It's also the last thing Obama wants debated this summer and fall.

Current View

We Must Stop the Avalanche of Low-Quality Research - Commentary - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Hat tip: Dr Peter Boettke!
Consider the post-investigation of the so-called "Climategate". A internationally recognized scientist asserted that many are reluctant to release their research because they worked so hard to obtain it.

However, high-quality research must be able to be duplicated. No one should accept, "This is the result we found and we're right."
- I'm minded of the cold-fusion issue of the last century.
- I'm minded of the hockey-stick of climate change; shown to be a tricky mathematical process that was all-but-guaranteed to produce hockey sticks.
- I'm minded of Dr Jerry Pournelle:

"I'll believe it's an emergency when people who say it's an emergency start acting like it's an emergency."

We Must Stop the Avalanche of Low-Quality Research - Commentary - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Gulf of Mexico response | Oil spill | BP

Gulf of Mexico response | Oil spill | BP

Avertible catastrophe

To err is human. To really f...oul things up takes regulation

Why does neither the U.S. government nor U.S. energy companies have on hand the cleanup technology available in Europe? Ironically, the superior European technology runs afoul of U.S. environmental rules. The voracious Dutch vessels, for example, continuously suck up vast quantities of oily water, extract most of the oil and then spit overboard vast quantities of nearly oil-free water. Nearly oil-free isn't good enough for the U.S. regulators, who have a standard of 15 parts per million -- if water isn't at least 99.9985% pure, it may not be returned to the Gulf of Mexico.

Read the rest: Avertible catastrophe

End Them, Don't Mend Them

PJ O'Rourke on sadistical relationships
End Them, Don't Mend Them

Gates Recommends Next Marine Commandant

DoD Secretary Robert Gates announced June 21 that he recommended that President Obama nominate Gen. James F. Amos, an Iraq war veteran with an aviation background, to become the next commandant of the Marine Corps. Amos would replace Gen. James Conway, who is scheduled to retire later this year, according to DoD.

If confirmed, Amos would be the first aviator to head the Marine Corps, DoD said. Gates also recommended that Obama nominate Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Dunford to succeed Amos as deputy commandant.

“I am convinced that Gen. Amos and Lt. Gen. Dunford are the right team to lead the U.S. Marine Corps at this time,” Gates said, “especially as it balances the capabilities needed to support current operations, its unique maritime heritage and its future role defending America.”

48% See Government Today As A Threat to Individual Rights

Nanny state
nanny state
O nanny nanny nanny
Nanny state
nanny state
O nanny nanny nanny
NANNY STATE!
Ba-dum-bum-bum