2010 archive
And Now for Something Completely Different 0
Be popular, fool your friends.
“Reality-Based” My Anatomy 0
Some of my leftie friends like to refer to themselves as a “reality-based” community, to differentiate themselves from this kind of reasoning.
I don’t see much reality in the leftie reaction to the compromise on tax cuts.
One more time, Mr. Obama was elected President, not king; the Presidential Seal is not dusted with magickal pixie dust that ensures he gets your way.
He can’t get laws that Congress won’t give and, unlike his predecessor, he believes in the rule of law. He’s not going to make laws up; that’s not his nature.
He also believes that getting something is better than a Pyrrhic victory under a “Mission Accomplished” banner.
Furthermore, anyone who ever though Mr. Obama was some kind of cutting edge liberal wasn’t paying attention during the campaign. He is being what he promised to be: a slightly left-of-center mainstream Democrat who believes that compromise is worthwhile to get stuff done.
Do I like it that the persons who have benefited most from the American economy continue not to pay their fair share to support it? No.
But . . .
If you’re one of my leftie friends who’s taken to blaming Mr. Obama for the morally bankrupt and craven actions of the Republican Party and their Blue Dog pets (and you know who you are), grow up.
You’re acting as if you just discovered that there’s no Santa Claus and can’t deal with it.
Give me a break.
Aside:
I had a much longer post composed in my head, but Dennis G. beat me to it.
QOTD 0
Edsger Dijkstra, from the Quotemaster (subscribe here):
(I)t is impossible to sharpen a pencil with a blunt axe. It is equally vain to try to do it with ten blunt axes instead.
Gambling Dens 0
I admit that I don’t like organized gambling houses. Part of it is that I spell gamble l-o-s-e (except for that one Exacta I hit at Delaware Park) and part of it is that the odds are stacked.
The house does, indeed, always win.
In short, gambling at the slots and in casinos is a mug’s game, no matter whether you wear a tuxedo or a tutu to do it.
The defendants face indictments as the result of an investigation that culminated with police raids of the businesses in September.
(snip)
Sweepstakes cafes occupy a murky area of state law. Some commonwealth’s attorneys, such as Bryant, have said they’re illegal, and some have said they’re not. Chesapeake has not taken action against them.
The owners say they don’t meet the legal definition of gambling.
I’ve read descriptions of how these “internet sweepstakes” work.
Whether or not they are legal is one thing, but there is no way they aren’t gambling.
Aside:
I have nothing against the weekly poker game amongst old friends that goes on next door.
No Doubt They’ll Be Asking for Another Bailout To Help Pay for This 0
McClatchy:
The settlement is the end result of a February 2007 leniency agreement the Charlotte bank reached with the Department of Justice, which spared it from criminal investigation in return for its cooperation. Bank of America is paying restitution but no fines, as authorities continue to investigate other major financial institutions.
WikiLessons 0
I have mixed feelings about Wikileaks, what it does and how it has operated.
It seems clear that the material it has released endangers the reputations and positions of politicos foreign and domestic far more than it does the physical safety of anyone.
I have also long felt that the government stamps “Secret” on documents when the accurate stamp would be “Embarrassing to the Pompous.”
At the same time, WikiLeaks seems rather reckless.
I find it difficult, though, to disagree with John Naughton’s conclusions about the larger picture. A nugget:
(snip)
Which brings us back to the larger significance of this controversy. The political elites of western democracies have discovered that the internet can be a thorn not just in the side of authoritarian regimes, but in their sides too. It has been comical watching them and their agencies stomp about the net like maddened, half-blind giants trying to whack a mole. It has been deeply worrying to watch terrified internet companies – with the exception of Twitter, so far – bending to their will.
See also James Woolcott.
M. O. Means Modus Operandi 0
In this week’s Le Show, Harry Shearer interview an economist, author of the Naked Capitalism blog, on how the mortgage mess turned into the foreclosure based economy and why banks’ flawed titles to properties is more than a few paperwork errors.
It was, instead, part of the M. O. of the banksters.
Listen to the show, but not while you’re eating.
Update from the Foreclosure-Based Economy 0
The auction business is bullish.
There were three pages of announcements for foreclosure auctions in this morning’s local rag. In the olden days, there might be one or two–auctions, not pages.
In another story, the local rag recounted the experiences of a couple who regularly buy at auction:
That’s how they snagged the property for $108,000 less than its assessed value.
“It’s a more honest way to sell homes,” Frantz said of the auction. “There’s no games.”
He paused.
“There’s games after. The bank can counteroffer. But we’ve been through that process.”
Auctions are growing in popularity as a way to buy real estate, according to Auction.com.
Curs on a Plane 0
But dog bites man is supposed to be not news:
What Digby Said 0
Another in the occasional series, What Digby Said.
Bushonomics, Illustrated 0
Isn’t it just wonderful how Republicans want to give us more of what brought us this?
Click for a larger image
Via Atrios.
Pretty–Pretty Average–Average Pretty 0
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a fascinating article on current research into why pretty faces are pretty. Short verision: because they are average:
The second feature is averageness.
It might seem illogical to say that especially good-looking people will be more average, but it’s more a matter of not having highly unusual features, said Richard Russell, a face researcher at Gettysburg College.
(snip)
The third universal factor in attractiveness is called “sexual dimorphism,” which basically means more masculine features for men (bigger jaws, prominent brow lines) and more feminine features for women (smaller chins, bigger eyes).
How the researchers use computer technology to alter images and test theories is a gas.
“A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet . . .” 0
Or not.
Science 2.0 (ne Scientific Blogging) reports on a study correlating names to rewards (those sticker things schools’ give out these days). A nugget:
When it comes to girls, parents are more likely to have an easier time if they have a daughter called Abigail, Louise, Rachel, Elizabeth or Anna, while Beth, Lydia, Abbie, Paige or Courtney don’t get kudos as often.
On the British culture scene, William’s and Kate’s have both been nice this year, though Catherine’s have been even better behaved. Cheryl’s have been very well behaved this year but Danni’s need to improve over the next three weeks.
DADT 0
Steve Chapman tells a story in the Chicago Trib:
On top of that, I was politically, religiously and socially conservative. So if you’d told me 40 years ago that in 2010, I’d be in favor of letting gays serve in the military and get married, I’d have thought you had dropped some bad acid.
Follow the link the find out what happened. It’s worth the two minutes.