2008 archive
Veterans’ Day 0
In honor of my father and my son.
And all the rest.
That’s It. I’m Moving 0
Lib Dems in England are so much more fun than the ones here in the States.
My Number Finally Came Up 2
Jury Duty December 1.
I’ve wondered how they missed me all these years.
First Daughter got called three times while she was living in Georgia and Alabama.
First Son got called when he was in Iraq.
They finally noticed me. Guess I’ll get to finish that long boring book on CSS after all. Or that other long boring book on MySQL.
The Open Street Map Project 0
This is really neat. I had heard of it, but did not realize it has progressed as far as it has. The project is headquartered in Great Britain and is farther along in mapping Europe and the British Isles, but their map of my little corner of the world is excellent, right down to the detail of the exit ramps for the Interstates.
One of the organizers of the project was on the last TLLTS podcast.
Police Procedural 0
From the Booman.
I Wouldn’t Have Senator Obama’s New Job for a 50% Stake in Berkshire Hathaway 0
It would make me want to drink liberally.
Which I plan to do tomorrow, Tangier Restaurant, 18th and Lombard, Philadelphia, Pa. 6 p.
Join the fun.
Good Question 0
I’m not saying I agree with its premise, but it’s worth thinking about; I commend the column from this morning’s local rag to your attention.
Why consider a bailout for the automakers when we have a perfectly adequate system for restructuring companies in dire financial straits? It’s called bankruptcy.
The nation’s steel industry, long considered crucial to “national security,” has been totally reorganized through bankruptcy and consolidation. It’s a much smaller domestic industry now and much of it is foreign-owned.
What makes General Motors, Ford and Chrysler any different from Bethlehem Steel, LTV and Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel?
(Here’s an opposing view.)
Clearly the American auto industry has done little more than demonstrate its incompetence and its inability to see farther than the next quarter’s returns. Autoworkers are already taking it on the chin; why protect the empty suits?
Frankly, I think a lot of the hysteria over the auto industry is as much a result of Americans’ emotional attachment to big, loud, fast Detroit Iron (even though, these days, much of it is Mexican and Canadian Detroit Iron–the cars may be assembled in the US, but many of the parts are manufactured abroad) as it is a rational attempt to protect jobs and industrial output.
All the infusions of money in the world won’t help the American auto industry unless someone figures out a way to infuse some smarts into auto executives’ heads.
What Did U C? 0
Cell phone that perp right into a cell:
Officials are hoping Text-A-Tip will reel in young people who are reluctant to talk to police.
“What we’ve seen so many times is our detectives are out there on major crime scenes, and the kids are out there on the street corner texting each other about what happened,” Senior Sgt. Michael Walsh said. “We’d like to be able for them to text us.”
Bushonomics 0
Marketwatch:
Analysts see a fourth consecutive month of falling retail sales. A fourth drop would be the first time there has been such an extended decline since 1974.
For September, the Commerce Department reported that U.S. retail sales fell 1.2%, with weak results in almost all kinds of stores. For October, economists surveyed by MarketWatch are looking for a drop of 2% — the biggest decline since 2001.
There is considerable pessimism at CIBC World Markets, where analysts are looking for a 2.5% decline.
As I pointed out a long time ago, it’s the Bushie Midas touch.
I Know the Election’s Over . . . 0
. . . but this is just too funny to pass up:
H/T Alison for the link.
These People Are Totally Disconnected from Reality 0
Natch, they probably voted for McMaverick.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the shooting, hunting and firearms industry, reported a 10 percent jump in gun sales this year based on its analysis of an excise tax placed on firearms and ammunition, and a spokesman said the increase had grown dramatically ahead of the election.
“Gun owners are afraid of what Obama is going to do as far as guns,” said spokesman Tony Aeschliman. “He has a clear record of being against us.”
Obama stated his support for the right to bear arms during campaigning, although both he and Biden back a permanent ban on assault weapons — military style semi-automatic rifles — and “common sense measures” to keep guns away from children and criminals, positions which spurred concern among some gun enthusiasts.
Then, again, maybe they are children and criminals.
By their behavior shall ye know them.
Stray Thought 3
I think that dried habanero I just added to the chili was the final touch.
Now to keep my hands off it for half and hour or and let it just simmer in its own juices.
10% of Persons Who Receive Spam Are Too Stupid To Have Computers 0
They actually click through the links:
“Under the assumption that our measurements are representative over time, we can extrapolate that… Storm-generated pharmaceutical spam would produce roughly $3.5 million dollars of revenue a year,” the team concluded.
Via Geek News Central.
Throwing Worse Money after Bad . . . 1
. . . is pretty much how Robert Reich characterizes bailing out banks and businesses by giving them moola, pointing out that
He goes on to say that
Introductory economic courses explain that aggregate demand is made up of four things, expressed as C+I+G+exports. C is consumers. Consumers are cutting back on everything other than necessities. Because their spending accounts for 70 percent of the nation’s economic activity and is the flywheel for the rest of the economy, the precipitous drop in consumer spending is causing the rest of the economy to shut down.
I is investment. Absent consumer spending, businesses are not going to invest.
Exports won’t help much because the of the rest of the world is sliding into deep recession, too. (And as foreigners — as well as Americans — put their savings in dollars for safe keeping, the value of the dollar will likely continue to rise relative to other currencies. That, in turn, makes everything we might sell to the rest of the world more expensive.)
That leaves G, which, of course, is government. Government is the spender of last resort. Government spending lifted America out of the Great Depression. It may be the only instrument we have for lifting America out of the Mini Depression. Even Fed Chair Ben Bernanke is now calling for a sizable government stimulus. He knows that monetary policy won’t work if there’s inadequate demand.
The Current Federal Administration, of course, has perpetuated a policy of making the rich richer, while making the poor poorer.
This is not a slogan.
This is an accurate description of what they have done.
Read Mr. Reich’s entire post. He suggests that the way out of this mess is to adopt strategies that steer money to those who must spend it, not to those who are able to hoard it.
This Is Not Right 1
It’s November 9. I have neglected my roses for the past couple of months. And they are still hanging in there. I picked these today.
Ohio Has Their Own Little Vince Fumo 0
Vince would say she is a piker:
Gov. Ted Strickland placed Ohio Job & Family Services direc- tor Helen Jones- Kelley on paid leave late Friday for apparently vi olating state poli cies by using her state computer and e-mail ac count to help raise money and organize events for President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign.
Looking up Joe the Unlicensed Plumber on state time on a state computer may well be misconduct. So far, there seems to be no evidence that any improperly-obtained information about Joe the U. P. was used publically. I know that all the reports I heard and read about him indicated that the information about his lack of a plumbing license and his tax problems came from freely available public records.
Participating in personal political activity on the job–in this case, relaying names of potential donors to a campaign–though it is common, is just plain stupid, especially in a political climate in which the primary only political strategy in certain quarters is to demonize to opposition.
Work computers should be used for work.
Home computers are for all that other stuff.
Bushonomics: Not a Pot To Pee in Dept. 0
New Jersey to close restrooms in state parks on weekends.
What precentage of visitors go to their state parks on weekdays? one wonders.
Presser 0
Jon Swift wields his scapel to dissect the disaster of President Elect Obama’s first press conference. As Andrew Sullivan would say, money quote:
All seriousness aside, what bleeping planet do the wingnuts live on?
Oh! Oh! I know! (jumping up and down waving hand in air)
Watch the presser here. See whether you can find all the gaffes that Jon Swift found:
Youtube via TPM.
I Have a Flag To Burn 0
The last time I visited Pine View Farm, I took down the flag. (I already have a new one in my truck to raise on my next trip.)
According to the Flag Code, burning is the only proper way to dispose of a flag, although, as an alternative, it may be donated to the American Legion or the VFW. (The American Legion would not have been an option, because of this.)
(I urge you to follow the link and read the Flag Code. It is not proper to wear flag-patterned clothing. Nor to autograph the flag, as both George the Wurst and Candidate McMaverick have been photographed doing.)
Now, there was no problem with its being up all the time, as it was permanently illuminated by a mercury-vapor light, but the flag was too tattered to be left in place.
So Second Son and I have folded it up as best we could, as it is no longer regulation length. When we have our first fire of the winter, we will burn it ceremoniously.
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