Rusted Sky

2008 Ends Spotless and with 266 Spotless Days, the #2 Least Active Year Since 1900, Portends Cooling

One thing that always has puzzled me about the models used to predict warming or cooling is the apparent lack of any concept of the sun's input NOT being constant. All you've got to do is look at the last 2000 years - you've got cold and hot periods, and it isn't all going to be explained away via ocean currents. Vary the thermal input, and you get significant differences in the output.

That said - a pronounced lack of sunspots is an indication that things are going to chill down over the next decade or two. We may well be wishing for global warming before 2012.

J.

(BTW, comments are being moderated until the spam situation improves. Sorry...)

U.S. governors seek $1 trillion federal assistance | U.S. | Reuters

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country's 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession.

But at what point are we going to go "Enough already!"? WE are the ones that'll have to pay for THEIR bailout, after all. And after a while a trillion here and a trillion there starts to add up!

J.

Something that looked like this...

All-Original 1937 Bugatti 57 S Atlante To Be Auctioned in February – Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine

They might be able to sell it for as much as $40k... but at that point the Plymouth Prowler wasn't able to get enough business to survive.

Ah, auto fantasies...

J.

Harold Ambler: Mr. Gore: Apology Accepted

On Huffington Post, no less. Obviously, record cold temperatures cause people to question the 'climate change' mantra.

Naturally, some folks aren't so accepting of his detailed analysis... but then, it IS the Huffington Post.

J.

As some of you know - my folks moved here a couple of years back to go into an 'assisted care' facility. They've been doing okay, kind of... but recently Mother's started a severe decline. Father is concerned - and I'm glad I arranged to get my brother out here next Friday for a visit.

On the way back, my lovely bride called - her van is having problems - running very rough with the check engine light alternately flashing and on solidly. After replacing the radiator last week (crack in the plastic - but at 100k+ miles you expect that sort of stuff) we were hoping for a respite. We'll see. It's currently at the shop - hopefully it'll be fixed tomorrow. So plans changed, and we went out to dinner.

We get home - and there's a smell of gas. For some reason I can't smell the odorant they mix in - never have been able to - but it went away when we lit the fireplace. When it's off - it's back. I shut the valve leading to the fireplace pipe - and the smell went away. I'm REAL leery of gas plumbing - if I can't smell it, it's hard to tell if it's safe and I'd really hate for things to go 'boom'. But it looks like the gas starter valve (which naturally is bricked into place) has a seal that isn't sealing. THAT will be a joy to fix, you betcha... I don't know if the valve comes apart like a water valve or not - I'll examine it tomorrow.

Sigh.

Spent the evening watching Dr. Who through Netflix on the XBox - the last of season 2. It's funny, I seem to remember an ad in the late '90s that showed kids sitting down 'in the future' to watch a movie on demand - looks like the future is here... Anyone recall the ad, or the company?

J.

Welcome to Flow in Games

Eat.

Grow.

Sink.

Repeat.

Enjoy!

J.

Over at Big Hollywood.

Big Hollywood » Blog Archive » The Workshops Of Identity

....

America is not just a cauldron, but a reactor. From all over the earth, men and women have risked their lived to immerse themselves in this great experiment in freedom and individuality, and the results, by any measure, have produced more goodness, more security, more prosperity and more raw happiness than society or combination of societies in history.

Stars, like our sun, are reactors too: the tremendous, monumental energies and pressures they generate would blow them to pieces in a millisecond, but for one thing… the immense gravity that holds these fiery atoms together and strikes the balance of force and pressure that creates all the light and life in the universe.

The American reactor of individuality and freedom of expression would also fly apart too, but for one thing: the deep love of country that has bound it together and liberated the best of the human spirit. Destroy that love of country and the idea of America – for that is what she is, in the end… simply an idea of freedom and the pursuit of happiness – eliminate that binding love and the reactor will explode. And when it does, there will be no more light – no more medicine, no more art and poetry, no more iPhones and MRI scanners and jet travel, no more Fifth and First Amendment rights, no more security and peace… in fact, no more hot running water.

Cut those cords of love of and pride in country - as the elites have cut them in every civilization before us - and from your seat on the moon you will see the brightest light in history wink out. The rest of the world will soon follow.

You think I exaggerate? When has this not happened in the heartbeat of civilization? We once stood among a family of nations dedicated to fighting oppression in the form of fascism and communism. Now, we and one or two others, but for all intents and purposes we - America alone - stands against the tide of 7th Century repression and submission. Civilizations rise and fall. Barbarism is eternal. If you think the threat is not an existential one you have some reading to catch up on.

How long will the next darkness last? A few centuries? All of the readily available tools to build a new civilization - the ores, the coal and oil - all these are gone. Monks in stone cloisters cannot build photovoltaic cells. If this civilization falls, as have all others -from a lack of belief in itself - then civilization and medicine and science may very well never return.

Lots of other good stuff there, too - go check it out.

J.

How to kill a PS3 Console - Is it really possible ? | PS3 Vault - Playstation 3 News Site PS3 Games

Sauna? Freezer? Or regular room environment...

Which do you think would do the job?

J.

Bush Prepares Request for Rest Of Bailout Funds - washingtonpost.com

Senior Bush administration officials, consulting with the Obama transition team, have prepared a plan to ask lawmakers for the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue package despite intense opposition in Congress, sources familiar with the discussions said.

The initiative could create an unusual political scenario straddling the Bush and Obama administrations. If Congress were to vote down the measure, either President Bush or Obama would have to exercise a veto to get the money.

(Though what's going to happen to our money supply when the printing presses roll into overtime to pay this is anyone guess.)

Second - he's setting a precedent for Obama that the poor sap will have a hard time ignoring. He's going to have a very hard time ignoring any further opposition - if a REPUBLICAN president proposes giving more money away then it can't be the right thing to do, but the Democratic Party platform has been upheld the last few decades by promising handouts... so suddenly what the Democrats have been doing is called into question.

It doesn't help that the poor sap is now realizing that all the money promised out WILL eventually have to come from somewhere. And the only way to successfully leech out money from the economy is to GROW the economy, and the only way to do THAT is to lower taxes. But Reid and Pelosi control the House and Senate - and there's no way they're going to let lower taxes happen.

Looks like no matter which way the poor sap tries to go, he's going to hit an economic wall. Inside of a year, I'm thinking he's going to wish either he could remove Reid and Pelosi, or wish he'd never won the election at all.

And THAT said - he's got a real hard road waiting for him. I really do, all snark aside, hope he's got the brains and determination that he supposedly has, and that he can figure out that simply passing out lots'o'dough on government projects isn't going to make the economy any larger...

J.

FOXNews.com - Castro Unlikely to Appear in Public Again, Hugo Chavez Says - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday it is unlikely that ailing former Cuban leader Fidel Castro will ever appear in public again.

"That Fidel in his uniform who walked the streets and towns late at night, hugging the people, won't return," Chavez said during his Sunday television and radio program. "That will remain in memories."

He did not discuss the 82-year-old Castro's current medical condition or say why he thought Castro would not return to the public stage.

Now, if he were DEAD nobody would be expecting that.

As it is - what do you think? Dead? Alive? Zombie? Let me know!

J.

First, a quick definition of the concept. Is there anyone who hasn't heard a feedback squeal which occurs when a microphone gets too close to a speaker? That's positive feedback - the signal is amplified, put out the speaker, picked up by the microphone, amplified... until you either move the microphone away or turn down the volume. Positive feedback can be used to create all sorts of odd sounds in an audio system, but if you aren't careful you'll get a feedback squeal that'll rattle your glasses.

So small inputs over time, can create an oscillating, regularly moving system. A small change in that system can cause runaway feedback, if there isn't anything to damp it out.

What happens when you take a working system and pull off the dampers on it?

Let's look at the mortgage mess for a moment.

In 1999 the dampers were loosened on the system. Credit was made easier to get. Why?

Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending - New York Times

In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

And the mortgage market bloomed. You ended up with adjustable mortgages, no-down mortgages, interest only mortgages, all sorts of things designed to get pretty much anyone with a pulse and a phone number into a home. (And you might not even need a phone.)

What do you end up with? A lot of people who can't pay their mortgages. A whole lot of defaults. Banks wobbling - and the Fed tossing massive amounts of money at it.

You're perhaps familiar with the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. On paper, the structure was sound. The engineering was solid. It should have lasted a long time... but wind loading on the thing made it heave and shift, giving it the nickname of 'Galloping Gertie'. Apparently it was a real roller coaster when the wind blew.

And then a day came when the wind was just the right speed and direction, and the undamped oscillations of the bridge tore it apart.

Has the wind hit the economy just right yet? We've wobbled and heaved - but it's still standing. The money that's been thrown ... has it damped down the swings, or have they given it all a push?

I don't know. What I'd like to see is the government STOP. Stop with the bailouts, stop with the stimulus packages. Take the time to figure out whether things are getting better or worse instead of blindly doing something - anything - to show they're on top of the problem, and have a cure!

And so the oscillation gets pushed - the system responds - and the whole thing breaks apart.

That's feedback for you...

J.

Source: Pilot rejected 2 airport landings

WASHINGTON (AP) - The US Airways pilot who successfully ditched in the Hudson River considered emergency landings at two airports but twice told air controllers he was unable to make them. He told controllers he planned to go into the river, instead.

BTW - the headline on this is misleading, as you can tell reading it. The idea of 'rejecting' the airport landings implies he'd be able to make it to them in the first place. He didn't think so - due to (likely) airspeed and rate-of-sink. It would have done the passengers no good for the plane to come down short of the runway - likely there would have been a LOT of deaths in that case.

Nobody died. He made the right decision.

J.

I was going to do something on this, but I hit enter and forgot to add my comments... so it's updated and bumped to the top.

Current View

I am not an economist but I do wonder about something.

Apparently the total collapse of the house industry was brought about by some 2 million foreclosures. That is, the mortgage backed security packages had been sliced and diced and sold and resold and resliced and rediced and resold again, but all of that was dependent on people making their payments on time; and when some 2 million people stopped making those payments, the whole thing collapsed.

Now assume that the average payment was $4000 a month. That is $8 billion a month, or $92 billion a year. Now if the US Government had simply taken over the payments -- and thus the ownership -- of the properties, it would cost $100 billion a year counting some administrative costs. We could then have rented those properties for whatever we could get; call that $1000 a month per property or $2000 a month total income, so our total outlay is back to under $80 billion a year. This isn't trivial, but it will take a while for that to add up to $700 billion. Part of the administrative costs I assume in the above would be to set agencies to untangle the witch brews of those mortgage securities so we are dealing with real properties, real renters, real buyers -- real people.

The business of government requires government intervention whenever possible to perpetuate government involvement. And said intervention is ALWAYS, without exception, going to be less efficient than private industry. True - there are things that government's going to be more capable at doing than the civilian sector - but that capability is going to come in as a cost-plus contract. There will be the expense, then a cost for government overhead.

That seems to be forgotten in the rush to have government do everything. Have government manage health care? Sure - but prepare to spend what you are NOW, for LESS service, with an additional 30% extra for overhead. Bail out the banks? Sure - but the government gets 30% off the top - and who's to say the banks are actually bailed? Want the government to handle your mail? Sure - but in order to pay for it, you either get massive amounts of junk mail or end up with a deficit that the government pays.

Too many people look at the government handling things and think it's 'free'. And it's FAR from that.

J.

McPherson plans robust fall, criticizes Nielsen--The Live Feed

ABC entertainment president Steve McPherson says his network needs to continue taking programming risks despite the economic downturn and plans a robust development slate for the fall.
McPherson told critics at the winter press tour that he plans to shoot 10 comedy and drama pilots for next season.

“We have to take swings at the plate, and we still have to be bold,” he says, noting the shows that have worked best for the network such as “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” creatively broke new ground. “We want to grow our brand and built off the success we have. ... I don’t want to do a total departure and do CBS-like shows.”

Um, yeah.

And if the show doesn't hit to the top of the ratings on opening night, you'll axe them inside of three episodes.

Ah, well - we know how you play the game. And it's a real shame there's other options like TIVO and DVDs.

J.

Hmmm. Guess which wins.

The plague kills 40 al-Qaeda | The Sun |News

ANTI-TERROR bosses last night hailed their latest ally in the war on terror — the BLACK DEATH.

At least 40 al-Qaeda fanatics died horribly after being struck down with the disease that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages.

Frankly I feel for the rats, being in close contact with the jihadis like that. It's something no rat should have had to endure...

J.

Either way, it's interesting.

Shipping rates hit zero as trade sinks - Telegraph

Shipping journal Lloyd's List said brokers in Singapore are now waiving fees for containers travelling from South China, charging only for the minimal "bunker" costs. Container fees from North Asia have dropped $200, taking them below operating cost.
Industry sources said they have never seen rates fall so low. "This is a whole new ball game," said one trader.

The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) which measures freight rates for bulk commodities such as iron ore and grains crashed several months ago, falling 96pc. The BDI – though a useful early-warning index – is highly volatile and exaggerates apparent ups and downs in trade. However, the latest phase of the shipping crisis is different. It has spread to core trade of finished industrial goods, the lifeblood of the world economy.

Trade data from Asia's export tigers has been disastrous over recent weeks, reflecting the collapse in US, UK and European markets.

Korea's exports fell 30pc in January compared to a year earlier. Exports have slumped 42pc in Taiwan and 27pc in Japan, according to the most recent monthly data. Even China has now started to see an outright contraction in shipments, led by steel, electronics and textiles.

If the shipping stops - what happens to prices once inventory is gone?

J.

You might like this.

Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

The special effects aren't bad, the acting isn't bad at all - and all things considered they could have done a Mary Sue that would have been a lot worse.

On a scale of 1 to 10? I'd say about a 7 to 8. Well worth your time, if you like ST-TOS... or any of the franchises, actually...

J.

Obama's speech was pretty good - he hit a lot of the right notes for me.

But speeches are easy.

Starting tomorrow, a lot more is going to be expected than simple words, no matter how eloquent they might be or how well delivered.

For most of his career, words have sufficed for Obama. He's advanced on a ladder of words, never having to actually be responsible for the results of his legislation and decisions. And tomorrow - every decision he makes for our country will have ramifications that won't be felt (in some cases) until years or decades after he's out of office.

I can't think of any job more grueling in its responsibilities than the Presidency - in less than 24 hours the weight of it all will be on HIS shoulders. I don't believe his career has prepared him adequately for what he's jumped in to, and I sincerely hope he's got what it takes - because he's not going to be able to put it down and walk away from it if it's too much for him. (Don't know about you, but "President Biden" or "President Pelosi" doesn't thrill me much - and they're the next two in line.)

But then again - perhaps it's best of have someone from outside the Beltway as President - even if he is pretty raw. That may be what saves him - although he IS somewhat beholden to the left for his election, he has to look at what's best for the country as a whole, and he can actually safely ignore the frothing left if his policies and actions win over the middle to right.

Here's hoping all the best for him, his family, and for us all.

J.

Guess it was just a matter of time.

NASTY CAROLINE WAR - New York Post

A source close to Gov. Paterson dragged Caroline Kennedy through the mud yesterday, saying the governor never planned to pick her for the Senate because she was "mired" in issues over taxes, her nanny - and, possibly, her marriage.

I can't think of any other up-and-coming Kennedy. Frankly, I'd prefer our political system not be cluttered with people who's only qualification for the job seems to be the family name. Seeing the Kennedys fade out is a good first step.

J.

DRUDGE FLASH 2009ｮ: PELOSI SAYS BIRTH CONTROL WILL HELP ECONOMY

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi boldly defended a move to add birth control funding to the new economic "stimulus" package, claiming "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

Pelosi, the mother of 5 children and 6 grandchildren, who once said, "Nothing in my life will ever, ever compare to being a mom," seemed to imply babies are somehow a burden on the treasury.

We need something now - and it doesn't seem to be coming. But isn't that always the way it goes with Democrats?

J.

Big Hollywood ｻ Blog Archive ｻ 2013 - The Year NASA Moves to the Bay Area

Funny - but all too believeable...

J.

All others fail.

Mechanically Separated Meat ｻ Blog Archive ｻ Super Mario World vs. the Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Physics

J.

Meat to be removed from hospital menus in NHS plan to cut carbon emissions | Mail Online

Patients could be forced to go without meat in hospitals under controversial new NHS plans to cut carbon emissions.

The plan to offer patients meat-free menus is part of a major new 'green' strategy to be announced tomorrow.Staff will also be encouraged to walk or take public transport and cut their number of work-related journeys by working from home.The new strategy will also look at ways of encouraging patients to leave their cars at home.

According to some experts, eating meat contributes towards global warming because of the chemicals sprayed on feed crops and the methane emitted by cattle and sheep.But the plan is likely to come under attack from patients' groups who will see it as further evidence of political correctness taking precedence over patients' rights.

In nthis case, it is the evil carbon emission by all those damn carnivores. It must be stopped for Mother Gaia!

Dr Pencheon said: 'This is not just about doing things more efficiently, it's about doing things differently, because efficiency is not going to get us to big cuts.

'What will healthcare look like in 2030-2040 in a very low carbon society? It will not look anything like it looks now.'

What direction do you think life expectency is going to go in the UK - longer or shorter? Or will it be shorter but simply SEEM longer because you're uncomfortable and sick most of the time?

J.

If you rewrite history - you can make yourself look a lot better. If you don't let history be written at all... you REALLY come out ahead.

The Weekly Standard

New, Transparent WhiteHouse.gov Forgoes Press Briefing Transcripts?

Barack Obama's administration may be promising the "greatest ethical standard ever administered to an executive branch," and increased transparency over his predecessor, but it seems to be forgoing at least one transparency practice that was routine in the Bush White House— transcripts of the daily press briefing.

It's been four days since Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' first (and widely panned) appearance before the White House press corps, but no transcript, summary, or video of the event has shown up on WhiteHouse.gov. The delay could be forgiven in a less tech-savvy bunch, but given the Obama team's considerable online skill, the omission of the the transcript is clearly intentional.

In contrast, the Bush White House provided a transcript of every daily briefing, searchable and accessible in its own section on their web site. The archive, available via the Wayback Machine but not on the new WhiteHouse.gov, started Jan. 24, 2001. The Clinton White House also provided transcripts of the briefing, according to archives, at least as early as 1999.

The decision to withhold transcripts is not a departure from the Obama Team's online posture during the campaign, and signals that's exactly the posture they intend to take for the next four years. Team Obama got a lot of credit for being an active online presence, which indeed it was, but that presence was built for message control, not openness. (My.BarackObama, the campaign's social networking platform, is a different story, but it was cordoned off from the official campaign material, which was pretty tightly controlled.)

Hiding the White House transcripts doesn't do much to improve confidence in the administration. Let's hope there isn't more to come in this vein...

J.

Obama tells Arabic network US is 'not your enemy'

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - President Barack Obama chose an Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president, part of a concerted effort to repair relations with the Muslim world that were damaged under the previous administration.

Obama cited his Muslim background and relatives, practically a taboo issue during the U.S. presidential campaign, and said in the interview, which aired Tuesday, that one of his main tasks was to communicate to Muslims "that the Americans are not your enemy."

J.

.: U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works :: Minority Page :.

James Hansen’s Former NASA Supervisor Declares Himself a Skeptic

Says Hansen ‘Embarrassed NASA’ & ‘Was Never Muzzled’

Gore Faces Scientific Blowback

Also See: Gore’s Inconvenient Astronaut: NASA Moonwalker Defies Gore's Claim That Climate Skeptics Believe Moon Landing was 'Staged'

Washington DC: NASA warming scientist James Hansen, one of former Vice-President Al Gore’s closest allies in the promotion of man-made global warming fears, is being publicly rebuked by his former supervisor at NASA.

Retired senior NASA atmospheric scientist, Dr. John S. Theon, the former supervisor of James Hansen, NASA’s vocal man-made global warming fear soothsayer, has now publicly declared himself a skeptic and declared that Hansen “embarrassed NASA” with his alarming climate claims and said Hansen was “was never muzzled.” Theon joins the rapidly growing ranks of international scientists abandoning the promotion of man-made global warming fears. [See: U.S. Senate Minority Report Update: More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims & See Prominent Scientist Fired By Gore Says Warming Alarm ‘Mistaken’ & Gore laments global warming efforts: 'I've failed badly' - Washington Post – November 11, 2008 ]

J.

YouTube - The British called - They want their guns back!

The theory seemed to be that in order to protect everyone, the law-abiding citizen needed to give up his firearms. And they did.

Result? Handgun crime went up. Assaults and home breakins went up. A farmer in a remote location had his home broken into, and he shot the two. One, a 16 year old with 29 previous convictions died. That's not a misprint, by the way - 29 convictions. At 16.

The other, 30 years old, had 34 convictions.

The farmer was charged with murder and convicted to life in prison. The 30-year old was jailed, and released after 18 months. He's now pursuing a lawsuit against the farmer - paid for by the government.

The law of unintended consequences - legislation to 'protect' ends up making things much worse...

Will the UK recover? Have they realized just what they've done to themselves? (Heck with that, have we started realizing what OUR politicians are doing to us?)

Time will tell.

J.

U.S. retrieves MP3 player with military files | U.S. | Reuters

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand man who bought a second-hand MP3 player that contained U.S. military files on personnel who served in Afghanistan and Iraq handed it over to U.S. officials on Wednesday, New Zealand media reported.
Chris Ogle, 29, bought the $10 MP3 at a thrift shop in Oklahoma but when he plugged it in discovered it contained 60 U.S. military files, said New Zealand television program One News which broke the story.
The files contained the names and personal details of American soldiers, including ones who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as information about equipment deployed to bases and a mission briefing, said One News.

If they can track down who owned the MP3 player, he's in big trouble. Not just for the personnel stuff (FOUO classified) but the equipment deployments and mission briefs... that'd be at least Confidential level.

Goes to show - if you've got an MP3 player you're keeping classified stuff on and you want to get rid of it - follow this process.

First, erase the files.

Second, overwrite the memory with something innocuous. (Multiple copies of a picture of a blank wall, for example.)

Third - erase the files again, then reformat the chip.

4th - take outside, place on brick, and pound with 5-lb short-handled sledge until you can't flatten it any further. Scrape up, fold twice, and flatten again.

5th - dispose of in an environmentally correct manner.

THAT should eliminate any chances of the info getting out...
J.

Really, I know the NIMBY and BANANA folks are sincere in their beliefs - but do they ever look to what the ramifications of their ideas will cost?

CNSNews.com - Offshore Calif. Drilling Deal Could Be Scuttled

Los Angeles (AP) - An agreement paving the way for the first oil drilling off the California coast in nearly 40 years has run into unexpected opposition that may sink it altogether Thursday.

The plan, which could be worth billions, was announced last year by an unusual alliance of environmentalists and a drilling company. But supporters were blindsided by sudden opposition recently after it sailed through local approval and reached the state level.

The proposal hinges on a commitment from key environmental groups to lobby for expanded drilling off Santa Barbara if Plains Exploration & Production Co. would help fund hybrid buses, set aside thousands of acres of land and - most importantly - end all its local drilling by 2022.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said attorney Linda Krop, who negotiated on behalf of three lead environmental groups. "If people really want to protect the coast from offshore oil and gas development, this is the best opportunity to do that."

We took a hard punch when oil zoomed - and another one when the folks who could barely afford mortgages in the best of times found out there was a reason for not buying more house than you could realistically afford - when their mortgages adjusted and their incomes didn't.

Add in the banking failures - and we're on the ropes. This 'stimulus' package - I don't see how it's going to help the 'economy' that much, but it's sure payback to all sorts of special interest groups - most of whom aren't exactly going to be sharing the wealth. ($5 bil to ACORN? YGBFKM...)

So I suppose it's only sensible that there be a push to cut off-shore drilling.

Admittedly, that's like spitting on someone after you hit 'em in the head with a sledgehammer - adding insult to injury.

J.

Amazing New Water-Powered Jet PackVideo

A trifle limited, but a lot more flight time than standard packs!

J.

NYC Mayor To Announce $1 Billion In Cuts, Job Losses On Friday - wcbstv.com

New York - After sharpening his red pencils and spending long nights squeezing the treasury for every penny, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is set to tell New Yorkers on Friday that the budget for the next year will be excruciatingly painful.

Jobs will be axed, programs slashed and lots of things will cost more.

Wall Street and the spiraling out of control economy have dealt New York City a bad hand. The mayor has no trumps to play as he lays out a spending plan whose gap has grown nearly 400 percent in three months.

But where did the money go? What's happened to drop the tax revenue?

FT.com / US & Canada - Obama slams Wall Street over bonuses

President Barack Obama lashed out on Thursday at Wall Street executives for claiming billions of dollars in bonuses while their stricken institutions asked taxpayers for support.

Mr Obama was responding to a report showing that financial sector employees received $18.4bn (£12.9bn) in bonuses last year, amid dire financial crisis. The figure was down 44 per cent from 2007 but was still the sixth largest payout in history.

Looks like the Law of Unintended Consequences is rearing its head... Take away the 'leeches' on Wall Street, and suddenly your revenue base dries up. Fancy that... Who'd have thought to connect the two?

I think we're going to be seeing more of that sort of 'connection'. Yeah, it sounds all sorts of fun and good to 'soak the rich' - but when the rich leave, jobs disappear and all of a sudden there's no more money.

It'll be instructive to see what happens next. I'm thinking that the imposition of new taxes and all sorts of user fees is going to spark an exodus of companies from New York State.

They don't have to stay there, after all. With the internet, a financial company can base anywhere they can tap into some high-speed fiber.

And when one realizes it, and escapes... others will likely follow.

J.

Hat tip to Instapundit for the link and the idea...

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Site.

Public support for the economic recovery plan crafted by President Obama and congressional Democrats has slipped a bit over the past week. At the same time, expectations that the plan will quickly become law have increased.

Forty-two percent (42%) of the nation’s likely voters now support the president’s plan, roughly one-third of which is tax cuts with the rest new government spending. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 39% are opposed to it and 19% are undecided. Liberal voters overwhelmingly support the plan while conservatives are strongly opposed.

Last week, support for the President’s plan was at 45% and opposition at 34%.

But the big question is whether they'll wise up in time. I've already emailed my Senators and representatives on this... whether it'll do any good or not remains to be seen.

Bluntly, looking at the 'stimulus' package - all I'm seeing is a big whopping pile of pork pushed as a classic con. It's big. It's expensive. We're told by a voice of authority that we HAVE to get this right now, there's no time to debate or question or even READ the damn thing.

(And have you tried to read it? My god - they could hide damn near ANYTHING in that mess.)

We have to pass it. We have to pass it now. Before things get worse. Don't question. Don't think. You can't take the time to read it!

Why? Why the rush? Why is there such a hurry to commit to such a horrendous amount? And why is there to be no discussion?

Why do I smell an exceedingly expensive con?

You look into this thing - and there's stuff that sounds good. There's stuff that's worthy on it's own - but they're lumping in EVERYTHING that's been on the Democratic wish list for the last two decades - and telling us it's vital to the survival of the country that it ALL BE PASSED!

So i'm being told that, in order to remedy the damage from the failed banks and failed auto makers, the ONLY thing that'll help is this... this great steaming pile of legislative poo?

I'm sorry - I'm just not buying it. And as more people look into this and ask questions, I think support's going to continue to drop.

Would all this stuff help? Yeah, I guess so... like giving a bottle of really, really expensive whisky to a drunk will help him get through the night. But the hangover the next day is going to be a killer, and the problems the drunk has are still going to need to be addressed. And so far, I don't see much movement by Obama in that regard.

J.

A small scam is a Nigerian chain letter. Junk in your email box. Someone trying to con you out of $20 for some bogus lottery. You know the drill - someone offering you something big for a pittance. You can ignore those - they won't affect your life.

Then there's BIG scams. This could possibly be the biggest of all.

The Amazing Story Behind the Global Warming Scam | KUSI - News, Weather and Sports - San Diego, CA | Coleman's Corner

The key players are now all in place in Washington and in state governments across America to officially label carbon dioxide as a pollutant and enact laws that tax we citizens for our carbon footprints.

Only two details stand in the way, the faltering economic times and a dramatic turn toward a colder climate. The last two bitter winters have led tthe public to be skeptical that any runaway global warning. There is now awareness that there may be reason to question whether CO2 is a pollutant and a significant greenhouse gas.

How did we ever get to this point where bad science is driving big government? And how will we ever stop it?

Which must be stopped, by hamstringing the entire world economy... except for the developing countries, of course... through capping CO2 emissions.

Anyone else find it very convenient that Al Gore just happens to have a stake in a carbon offset trading scheme?

Gore may well go down in history as one of the biggest scammers of all time. But time will tell whether that scam is successful, or it fails. The way things are in Congress now - I'd say it's a 50-50 chance. But finally people are speaking out - will it make a difference?

J.

They grow back.

New Jungles Prompt a Debate on Rain Forests - NYTimes.com

CHILIBRE, Panama — The land where Marta Ortega de Wing raised hundreds of pigs until 10 years ago is being overtaken by galloping jungle — palms, lizards and ants.

Jungle is developing again on old holdings around Chilibre. Instead of farming, she now shops at the supermarket and her grown children and grandchildren live in places like Panama City and New York.

All the more reason to insure the native populations stay poor and colorful, right? After all, progress is a BAD thing...

J.