Rusted Sky

She sent me an article which detailed the links of putting together a 'New World Order', a one-world government movement designed to more or less solve all the assorted difficulties governments are going through at this point by establishing a baseline currency, then... expanding.

I'm not the sort to go into conspiracy theories much - but I won't say the stuff is implausible to start out with. It's pretty clear what a very small group of people can do to effect change (look at what Al Quaeda managed on 9/11, and the ramifications of THAT still aren't settled) but one thing that's overlooked (I believe) is that no matter how powerful one small group is, it needs a hell of a lot of cooperation from the very LARGE groups they're going to try to control. And when you start talkin' money, things get very complex, very quickly. (Witness Europe and the Euro.)

It was obvious from that comment that a small group is intent on creating a single world currency. My guess is that the intent is to go from there to a single world government.

I don't see our political class as hitting those marks.

If you assume that is the ultimate goal, what then? would it be a good thing? bad thing? I'm inclined to think bad thing for two reasons (no doubt there are more, but I'm just warming up on this!): first, power held by a single entity is always easier to seize than power held by multiple entities, each of which will fight to retain power (see Federal Government vs 50 State governments). Second, single entity allows only one method at a time to solve a problem - it will succeed, or it will fail. Multiple entities can each offer solutions on a smaller scale, most of which will differ, and varying success or failure can be compared.

Also, you have to decide on a purpose for this hypothetical government. Is it to bring ALL the world to a certain standard of living? If so, are countries ABOVE that standard to be brought down? (If 'fairness' were the objective, then I would think the answer would need to be yes.)

Unification of multilingual peoples is another obvious barrier to unity - Europe has run into this, I think - and I suspect that one of the reasons it's a problem is that it's indicative of different cultures. Israel overcame the multilingual problem by making Hebrew the official language. Time and a common base culture has provided the glue to make it work.

But what the heck, they did it in time for ST:TOS, kind of. Guess we'll see what the next century brings.

J.

(Blockquoted sections above from SueK's comment...)

SparkFun Electronics - BlinkM RGB Blaster

A dangerous combination...

Enjoy!

J.

The thing was pretty darn faithful to the book, too. 2 hours, 40 minutes long - and the first two hours flew by. The last 40 minutes dragged a bit - but hey, you need time for the villan to monolog, and a lot of plot threads needed to be resolved. There was a significant twist to the end, far off from the book - but overall, I give it a 9.

The characterization was pretty close - they were all visually similar to the comic. Jackie Earle Haley was outstanding as Rorshach, but Matthew Goode didn't quite work as Veidt. Everyone else? Very good.

The special effects were very well done - Archie especially. (Still want to know what the motive power is - anything that can fly down to Antarctica and back on one tank of gas (and apparently not a very large tank, either) is okay in my book...) Other special effects? Well, with digital effects these days, there's no real excuse to NOT have good effects, right?

Well, I've waited about 23 years for this movie. I'm glad it got made, and I think it was worth the wait...

But hold on - now Atlas Shrugged may be a movie? It'd be better as a miniseries. A long miniseries. Heck, write it out like a TV season, get the Sci-Fi channel to do it, because there's not a regular network that'd touch it. You'd need at LEAST 3 - 3 hour nights to do it at least partial justice - better just go ahead and make it a full season long...

J.

Obama calls for 'world without' nukes - Jonathan Martin and David S. Cloud - POLITICO.com

PRAGUE – Just hours after North Korea launched a long-range rocket, President Barack Obama called for "a world without nuclear weapons" and said the United States has a “moral responsibility ” to lead the way, as the only nation ever to use them.

Obama’s speech was long planned as the centerpiece of his first presidential trip overseas, but it gained new urgency after North Korea sent a multi-part rocket soaring over the Sea of Japan early Sunday morning.

You might disagree, but I think the only thing that's really kept the world from another episode like WW2 IS the fact that nuclear weapons are factored into the thinking of would-be Hitler types. The destruction wrought by them makes trying to do a serious land-grab stupid - what does it gain you to grab a few hundred square miles if your capitol city is reduced to radioactive rubble?

Couple that with the NK launch - and you've got the makings of a real mess.

Unfortunately, I'd love to think that there's no way that Obama would unilaterally disarm - but looking at his past history, his thinking, his teachers and those he associated with, I do believe the man does not see the United States as something to preserve substantially unchanged, that the US is substantially good. He ignores the context of our usage of nuclear weapons, which must be taken into account also , and sees the US as... well, 'evil' is too strong a word. Reprehensible, perhaps?

Man, the next few years are going to be too damn interesting.

J.

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

In March, the number of Democrats in the nation fell two percentage points while the number of Republicans fell by half-a-point. Democrats continue to have a sizable advantage in terms of partisan identification, but the advantage is smaller than it’s been since December 2007.

Currently, 38.7% of Americans say they are Democrats. That’s down from 40.8% a month ago. It’s also the first time the Democratic total has slipped below the 40% mark since the Republican convention bounce last September.

So the question would be - is it too little, too late?

J.

US gives 50,000 dlrs for quake-hit Italy

The United States said Monday it would donate 50,000 dollars in emergency aid to Italy after a powerful earthquake killed at least 100 people.

"We send our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in the earthquake. Our embassy in Rome will provide 50,000 (dollars) in emergency relief funding," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.

Italian authorities told the United States they did not need rescue teams, Wood said.

J.

Barack Obama Maintains Control Over Banks By Refusing to Accept Repayment of TARP Money - WSJ.com

I must be naive. I really thought the administration would welcome the return of bank bailout money. Some $340 million in TARP cash flowed back this week from four small banks in Louisiana, New York, Indiana and California. This isn't much when we routinely talk in trillions, but clearly that money has not been wasted or otherwise sunk down Wall Street's black hole. So why no cheering as the cash comes back?
My answer: The government wants to control the banks, just as it now controls GM and Chrysler, and will surely control the health industry in the not-too-distant future. Keeping them TARP-stuffed is the key to control. And for this intensely political president, mere influence is not enough. The White House wants to tell 'em what to do. Control. Direct. Command.

It almost seems like Obama's setting himself up as a ruler for life here - get everything under control, make sure that no aspect of life is outside government perview (because if you control the banks, doctors, and cars you're 3/4ths of the way there...) and when it comes time, propose the 22nd Amendment be repealed. Twist enough testicles in the business community, and with Acorn's help he'll be guaranteed a lock for life.

Here's a true story first reported by my Fox News colleague Andrew Napolitano (with the names and some details obscured to prevent retaliation). Under the Bush team a prominent and profitable bank, under threat of a damaging public audit, was forced to accept less than $1 billion of TARP money. The government insisted on buying a new class of preferred stock which gave it a tiny, minority position. The money flowed to the bank. Arguably, back then, the Bush administration was acting for purely economic reasons. It wanted to recapitalize the banks to halt a financial panic.

Fast forward to today, and that same bank is begging to give the money back. The chairman offers to write a check, now, with interest. He's been sitting on the cash for months and has felt the dead hand of government threatening to run his business and dictate pay scales. He sees the writing on the wall and he wants out. But the Obama team says no, since unlike the smaller banks that gave their TARP money back, this bank is far more prominent. The bank has also been threatened with "adverse" consequences if its chairman persists. That's politics talking, not economics.

Politics, Chicago Style. Didn't think you were getting this when you voted for Obama, did you?

J.

But it's time to cut back Defense.

Gates Calls for Cuts to High-Tech Weapons Programs - First 100 Days of Presidency - Politics FOXNews.com

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday recommended a broad range of budgetary cuts to high-tech weapons programs, including production of the F-22 fighter jet.

In a move that won mixed reviews from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Gates said his $534 billion budget proposal represents a "fundamental overhaul" in defense acquisition and reflects a shift in priorities from fighting conventional wars to the newer threats U.S. forces face from insurgents in places such as Afghanistan.

He called for production of the F-22 jet to stop at 187 jets. The U.S. military has 183 jets in service now, so just four more would be funded as part of the fiscal 2009 supplemental budget if President Obama approves the recommendations. The planes cost $140 million each.

Of course, it could just be a trial balloon to see what lawmakers would support - but it's kind of worrisome to see defense spending cut when it's evident that Obama's going to be a pushover for hostile governments...

J.

Elegant, ain't it?

Actually, this was down at EPCOT, at Test Track.

Considering that GM is getting ready to go bankrupt - it's unlikely we'll see another generation of the Hummer model. Which, honestly, is a bit of a shame. (We might also be seeing GM drop it's sponsorship of Test Track, too, which is REALLY going to make a lot of kids unhappy.)

Oh, sure, the thing's a wonderous example of wretched excess, bought primarily by folks who are looking for something bigger than the Jones's car. But still - isn't it a triumph? A vehicle that was born for the military - turned into a kiddie-hauler? Demilitarized to a point where the chrome would give anyone looking to camoflage it heartburn?

And think about the manufacturing structure that had so much slack in it (at least, at one time) that they'd put resources into making something LIKE the Hummer series for civilian use.

Are we ever going to get back to that level again? SHOULD we ever get back to that level?

Time will tell, I guess...

J.

Is one where billions are spent, but it can't do the job. You lose militarily, you lose everything.

OTPU said...

Obama says he wants shovel-ready stimulus projects to jump start the economy.

Isn't the F-22 a wrench-ready program?

Didn't Obama say he considered reversing the trend of job losses in the economy to be his job #1. Well, wouldn't stopping a multi-billion dollar program well short of planned goals cause the direct loss of several thousand high paying jobs at several hundred hi-tech firms across America?

Maybe the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress just don't like military spending but I thought I read somewhere that the rapid build up of military procurement prior to WWII was one of the main causes of America coming out of the Great Depression.

Maybe I just don't understand high level economic planning. And that's funny because I don't remember sleeping through any of my ECon-101 classes at Tech.

I agree with you that stopping the F-22 would be remarkably short-sighted. I sometimes wonder whether there's a concept of 'fairness' at work inside the Beltway, where having a weapon system that's too capable is actually worse than spending billions on junk that doesn't work well.

(Hey, John C and James Y - could you come up with a few examples on that?)

And drawing out procurement timelines is a certain way to escalate costs beyond any semblance of reason...

You mention, OTPU, that you don't think the Obama administration likes the military. I believe you might be correct on that - all you've got to do is take a look at the more radical branches on the left and you'll see a dislike that borders (and sometimes jumps all the way to) unreasoned loathing. I'm no psychologist, but it's clear there's something really unusual in the thinking of those who equate being defenseless with being strong. (Or maybe it's classical doublethink - they believe we're hated because we're militarily strong - though we certainly don't use our military power the way the USSR did. We MUST be hated worldwide, because all their friends say the same thing. So if we're defenseless and helpless, if we're clearly harmless, everyone will love us. It makes sense, in a way - but it's much more likely we'll be seen as an easy target if we make ourselves helpless.)

So with that dislike of the military - the fastest way to weaken it is to take away the tools, a slower way is to take out the personnel who are good at what they do. Face it - we've already got weapons systems (and trained personnel) far above anything available at the height of the cold war - we've gone for quality over quantity, and our military isn't a conscripted one. Everyone in now WANTED to join. So naturally, the way to weaken that is to institute a draft - because nothing mixes better than high-tech systems and half-trained folks who don't want to be there who are forced to maintain them.

Put in folks who don't want to be there - give them weapons that are 'good enough' - and you'll have yourself an army, all right. A nice little military, that might be sufficient... if nothing much happens. And you'll save a hundred billion or so - until something happens and that military is REALLY needed.

And it won't be able to do the job.

J.

Illinois snags chunk of fed stimulus work | Crain's Chicago Business

Crain’s) — Illinois is getting a jump on the federal stimulus program, claiming more than 12% of the road and bridge projects approved so far by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

At a televised appearance Monday before about 50 DOT employees, President Barack Obama announced that 2,000 projects nationwide had been approved by the agency since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act became law Feb. 17.

“Just 41 days ago we announced funding for the first transportation project under ARRA and today we’re approving the 2,000th project,” Mr. Obama said. “I am proud to utter the two rarest phrases in the English language: Projects are being approved ahead of schedule, and they are coming in under budget.”

Getting them DONE ahead of time and under budget, that's another thing. Plus - if a project's DONE... doesn't that mean it's finished, and the people are 'released' to something else? Joining the ranks of the unemployed while looking?

Nice of Illinois to get 12% of the projects - that leaves 88% to divide among the other 49 states. Anyone care to guess how much New York and California are going to be getting?

Doesn't it feel GOOD to know your tax dollars are going to fill potholes in Illinois?

J.

California road projects - Los Angeles Times has an interesting little blurb.

Seems they're spending $75 million to repave 3 miles (yes, that's THREE miles, $25 million a mile...) of I-710 in LA.

They need to subcontract the job to Arkansas - Even at $1 mil per lane mile for reconstruction (figure 5 lanes each way, 10 lanes, times 3 mil - so $30 million. Without bridges, the price drops to $650k/lane mile...) the price would be a lot lower.

Of course, if it's just a simple resurfacing, the cost would less than $100k per lane mile, even with premium resurfacing.

And in Ohio, they want to use $57 mil of the stimulus for planning... despite a need for that money to be used for projects.

You know, the Internet makes it a lot harder to hide pork - or simple greed or stupidity - than it used to be.

That includes a two-year study of a highway and rail project on the east side of Cincinnati and the design of a 3-mile road connecting Interstate 490 to Cleveland's art and museum district. The cost is $20 million apiece.

"We're putting planners and engineers to work, too, so I think it does fit the spirit of the stimulus package to develop projects today that have opportunities for tomorrow," said Scott Varner, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

J.

A history of the polio virus - in comic form.

Locked up in labs and almost eradicated... well, one can hope it'll go extinct. I wonder how long it'll be before some group somewhere comes to its defense?

PETV, anyone? People for the Ethical Treatment of Viruses?

J.

Google Maps - 2009 Tea Parties

If you're going to one - let me know what you see! I'll be more than happy to put up any reports from attendees, and suitably sized pictures will be put up also.

If you've ever wanted to be a reporter, now's your chance to show your stuff!

John C, OTPU - if you're going, tell us what you see!

J.

Tax Analysts: Tax History Project

A look at times past. Personally, I'm fond of TurboTax...

J.

From Instapundit -

Now - I know that Bush ran up the bill a bit - but for the life of me I can't see how Obama's massive overspending will correct things.

And something else - you know all those folk who discount the idea of trickle-down economics? Isn't this whole stimulus plan BASED on the hope that trickle-down from massive government spending will somehow fuel the economy into a growth spurt?

How do you get it both ways? Or is it only valid trickling if GOVERNMENT does it while pouring out tankersful of red ink?

J.

The Ethanol Bubble Pops in Iowa - WSJ.com

In September, ethanol giant VeraSun Energy opened a refinery on the outskirts of this eastern Iowa community. Among the largest biofuels facilities in the country, the Dyersville plant could process 39 million bushels of corn and produce 110 million gallons of ethanol annually. VeraSun boasted the plant could run 24 hours a day, seven days a week to meet the demand for home-grown energy.
But the only thing happening 24-7 at the Dyersville plant these days is nothing at all. Its doors are shut and corn deliveries are turned away. Touring the facility recently, I saw dozens of rail cars sitting idle. They've been there through the long, bleak winter. Two months after Dyersville opened, VeraSun filed for bankruptcy, closing many of its 14 plants and laying off hundreds of employees. VeraSun lost $476 million in the third quarter last year.

But does Congress much care? Heh. They were doing what they felt was the Right Thing - and that they were weilding their power in a fashion guaranteed to affect many other industries wasn't even thought of.

Translate that to government-managed health care. What HAVEN'T they thought of that might go wrong? What unintended consequences (and you KNOW there's going to be some...) are going to hit? Can you think of ANYTHING that might go wrong that Congress wouldn't even have a hint of?

Did thinking on it give you a moment of concern? I'd be surprised if it hadn't.... And if it DIDN'T - could you take a moment and comment on why? How can you be so sure that Congress has thought things out completely, when they didn't see the side effects of ramping up ethanol - which is arguably a MUCH less complex project than taking over health care in the US?

J.

There's something just not quite right about that...

Murtha's Defense Earmarks Draw Questions - CBS News

Spring in Washington is "earmark season" - a busy time for Congressman John Murtha.

"That's my business," Murtha said. "I've been in it for 35 years."

As head of a powerful Defense committee, Murtha controls hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, reports CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. And he's not shy about directing money to those who give generously to his election campaigns.

CBS News has learned that this month, Murtha is steering new earmarks toward 10 companies that recently donated to his campaign.

Murtha wants $8 million for Argon ST, a defense contractor whose CEO gave Murtha the maximum allowed by law - $2,400 by an individual. He's directing a $5 million earmark toward Advanced Acoustic Concepts, which also gave the max - $5,000 for a political action committee - to his campaign. In all, 10 recent Murtha donors are slated to receive $31 million in Murtha earmarks for 2010.

J.

SSRN-Green Jobs Myths by Andrew Morriss, William Bogart, Andrew Dorchak, Roger Meiners

Green Jobs are supposed to save us - but it might not be what we're needing...

From the abstract -

Myth: Everyone understands what a green job is.

Reality: No standard definition of a green job exists.

Myth: Creating green jobs will boost productive employment.

Reality: Green jobs estimates include huge numbers of clerical, bureaucratic, and administrative positions that do not produce goods and services for consumption.

Myth: Green jobs forecasts are reliable.

Reality: The green jobs studies made estimates using poor economic models based on dubious assumptions.

Myth: Green jobs promote employment growth.

Reality: By promoting more jobs instead of more productivity, the green jobs described in the literature encourage low-paying jobs in less desirable conditions. Economic growth cannot be ordered by Congress or by the United Nations. Government interference - such as restricting successful technologies in favor of speculative technologies favored by special interests - will generate stagnation.

Myth: The world economy can be remade by reducing trade and relying on local production and reduced consumption without dramatically decreasing our standard of living.

Reality: History shows that nations cannot produce everything their citizens need or desire. People and firms have talents that allow specialization that make goods and services ever more efficient and lower-cost, thereby enriching society.

Myth: Government mandates are a substitute for free markets.

Reality: Companies react more swiftly and efficiently to the demands of their customers and markets, than to cumbersome government mandates.

Myth: Imposing technological progress by regulation is desirable.

Reality: Some technologies preferred by the green jobs studies are not capable of efficiently reaching the scale necessary to meet today's demands and could be counterproductive to environmental quality.

J.

Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? After all, you've got all that saved money burning a hole in your pocket... what's a few billion on top of THAT?

EXCLUSIVE: Senator's husband's firm cashes in on crisis - Washington Times

On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms.

Mrs. Feinstein's intervention on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was unusual: the California Democrat isn't a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments - not direct federal dollars.

J.

After going to see the Shuttle launch a while back, I was struck once again how much child rearing resembles the launch of a multi-stage rocket.

The mother and father provide the initial propulsion and guidance, doing the heavy lifting to prepare the child for the next stage, when it will separate off, find a mate, and start little rockets of its own. (Hopefully.) Single parents trying to do the job have a much harder time of it - they've got to do the lifting and guidance for two, and sometimes that doesn't work out so well.

Having two parents doesn't necessesarily mean a success, either. Faulty guidance or propulsion can cause the child to veer off course, with ensuing difficulty. (About all I can say is I'm glad I didn't have a destruct package installed...)

Usually, however, the parents start detatching themselves from the child, to let the child find their own way (with guidance, to be sure, but less and less as time goes on) to the point where staging is finished and the child goes onward while the parents fall behind like a pair of spent SRB boosters tumbling downwards.

The metaphor doesn't quite hold up for multi-children families... but what the heck. Basically, there comes a time when you've got to let the child start finding his own way - and this weekend is the first of those times. The little guy has transitioned into Boy Scouts, and he was selected (eenie-meenie chili-beanie type) as a patrol leader. I've helped him as much as I can on that, getting him a Patrol Leadership manual, giving him advice on how to organize things, showing him how to write out lists of things he needs to get done - but he'll be on his own this weekend as his troop goes camping. He knows how to pitch his tent, and I think he'll have a good time of it. But I've made it clear that these are HIS adventures - I'll be there for advice if he needs it, I'll teach him how to do the things he'll need to do - but HE is the one who'll have to set up the tent in the dark, make sure someone takes care of food and the like...

The explosive bolts are starting to pop, the main guidance section is sending the last course updates - sensors in the second stage are activating, gyros coming on speed...

Ah, it's SO much fun being a mean, evil, cruel daddy!

J.

The Modern Whig Party

Established in 1833, the Whigs are one of America's oldest mainstream political parties. We were the original party of Abraham Lincoln and four other U.S. Presidents.

Revived by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, the grassroots movement has quickly attracted tens of thousands of members. We represent moderate voters from all walks of life who cherry-pick between traditional Democratic and Republican ideals in what has been called the Modern Whig Philosophy.

This includes general principles of fiscal responsibility, strong national defense and bold social progression.

Hmmm. Interesting...

What are your thoughts?

J.

My Way News - Clinton to Iraqis: US not going to abandon you

BAGHDAD (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton assured Iraqis on Saturday that the Obama administration would not abandon their country even as it presses ahead with plans to withdraw American troops amid a recent surge in violence.

Clinton said the drawdown would be handled in a "responsible and careful way" and would not affect efforts to improve Iraq's security forces, or complete reconstruction and development projects.

The Democrats will do what's politically expedient for them here at home - and they're going to follow the advice of the MoveOn crowd there. The upsurge in violence now that the dead-enders see their chance to destabilize the government through car bombs will continue, and be seen as a reason for the US to bail on the commitments made under Bush.

Pray for the Iraqi people - they're going to need it now that Clinton's assured them we're not going to abandon them...

J.

I haven't posted on the released memos regarding our interrogation techniques - because it seems like such an incredibly stupid thing to do that I had difficulty persuading myself Obama would be such a... a...

Oh, printable words FAIL when trying to describe how I feel about this. It goes against darn near everything I was EVER taught about security in my time in the military, and I really DO believe that the damage to our country by this leak was severe.

It's stupid. It's insane. It's the actions of a man (or group) who truely doesn't believe that ANYTHING bad could ever come from their good intentions, no matter HOW completely unworkable or ill-considered they might be.

And then President Obama goes to the CIA, tells them he has their back, THEN changes his mind about possibly prosecuting them, THEN maybe possibly changes his mind AGAIN.

It's appalling.

The assumption seems to be that there's no potential for 9/11-style attacks in which the information can't be gained via electronic intercept and normal intelligence gathering, so it's safe to gut the agencies and reduce both their range and abilities to operate within that range. AND make it quite clear that no matter what might happen, they're still responsible for results - but they'd better not get results any way that might cause possible trouble later on... with that 'trouble' not defined in any way, shape or form, except they'd better not cause any.

In other words - no matter what might happen the intelligence agencies can count on no support from the Obama administration.

All semantic games aside over what's torture and what isn't - let's look at reality. If we have another 9/11, the same people screaming for heads of the evil torturers NOW will be demanding the heads of the stupid incompetents who let the people who did 9/11-2 slip through the cracks. And they won't take "You wouldn't LET us do effective intel work! You gutted the budget, tied our hands, and refused to let us investigate anything that might have led to us STOPPING this!" for an answer.

Because a certain class of our political structure seem to have a collective suicidal impulse. They've managed to convince themselves that we're at LEAST as evil as people who chop off heads - if not more so - and have taken steps to make sure that NOTHING which we could remotely be criticized for - EVER - could ever happen again.

Even if it were something necessary to avoid an attack. Even something as benign as waterboarding a suspect.

If it comes down to our using coercive interrogation (IE what was in the memos) or seeing our country attacked, I'd rather the interrogation be used. I'm not concerned with power and status plays within the beltway, I'm wanting to see LA, San Francisco, Chicago and New York left unmarred. I'm not worried about our national psyche - it seems to recover pretty well from actually WINNING an honest fight. It does take a lot longer, I've seen, when we do the WRONG things, like abandoning South VietNam in 1975. Oh, we had 'good' reason to - but THAT was a moral stain that took decades to recover from. We essentially told our allies our word wasn't good.

Now Hillary's told Iraq we'll keep on supporting them. After she so kindly fitted the noose, I'm thinking the Iraqi leadership is watching Obama VERY closely, waiting to see him head for the lever to give 'em the long drop.

What we're basically looking at is a leadership which is so concerned about the feelings of people outside this country that they're ignoring the things they need to do to protect this country. It won't end well - but they don't seem to care. They're caught up in the moment, and can't see what they're setting us all up for.

J.

Coming back from the trip, the little guy was... satisfied.

The Saturday night spagetti was burnt, as were the pancakes Saturday morning. But they had a good time, and he did the things he needed to do.

"But we need a different cook - (name deleted) just can't do it!"

We got home, got the wet tent unpacked, got the sleeping bag out into the sun to dry... and then he got a part of his birthday present.

This.

There's a LOT of preconditions attached, of course, as well as the explicit knowledge that if he loses it he'll pay full retail to replace it - AND it is a privelege that can be rescinded at any time for cause.

Mildly, he was thrilled. We went to dinner with my folks afterward, and he happily showed Grampa all the neat features it had. Father just kept shaking his head... I asked Father why he hadn't bought ME a cell phone when I was the little guy's age - and he laughed loudly and saida they hadn't been invented yet! (Um, not technically accurate, but certainly practically so - portable sets weren't really economical for private use until the mid-80s.)

And since I've been a T-Mobile subscriber for a LONG time now, we upgraded my lovely bride's phone to THIS.

And yes, we got the unlimited texting. So now the two of 'em can text up a storm to each other while I have to fiddle along with my little keypad. I can upgrade my phone as well - but there's only a few to choose from, and I'm not sure which one would suit me best...

But anyway.

There used to be certain rites of passage, signals that a boy was no longer considered a child, but instead was a man - even if not quite man-high yet. (Bar mitzvahs immediately come to mind...) I guess getting his first cell phone would qualify as one.

Last night he said to me at bedtime "I'm so happy..." And I sat down and told him that it was good to hear, but it wasn't my job to make him happy. He'd earned that phone by showing me that he was responsible enough to be trusted with one. It's my job to make sure he grows up to be honest, kind, capable, and competent - and so far I believe he's doing better than expected. He still has a long way to go, but he's doing well. We weren't 'giving' him the phone - he'd 'earned' it.

He replied "I love you too, Daddy."

Well, there goes my credibility as a mean, evil, cruel Daddy... sigh.

J.

Two Decades of Temperature Change in Antarctica : Image of the Day

Look at all the red there in that image! It's obvious that the Antarctic ice cap is on the verge of melting!

Until you look at the scale at the bottom - and see that the temperature trend line goes from deep blue at -0.1c/year to dark red at +0.1c/year. 2 tenths of a degree total.

To make matters worse - the margin of error is 2-3 degrees.

Man, NASA ain't what it used to be.

Oh, but wait - there's more!

At THIS page you see another warming pic - with a very bright red patch. Oh, the horror! It's melting!... but then you see it's warming .25c per DECADE according to the legend at the bottom - and in the article it's gone up a whole half degree since 1957.

This is across a continent that can hit -80c, or -112 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why am I left with the impression that (a) the problem really isn't as bad as its 'painted' to be, and (b) even if it were, we'd have to warm up a WHOLE lot for the ice to even begin to think about a possibility of maybe entertaining the possibility of melting?

(Assuming ice could think, of course...)

J.

knoxnews.com: News stories by the Associated Press

"That wasn't me," President Barack Obama said on his 100th day in office, disclaiming responsibility for the huge budget deficit waiting for him on Day One.

It actually was partly him - and the other Democrats controlling Congress the previous two years - who shaped the latest in a string of precipitously out-of-balance budgets.

And as a presidential candidate and president-elect, he backed the twilight Bush-era stimulus plan that made the deficit deeper, all before he took over and promoted spending plans that have made it much deeper still.

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Beware surfers: cyberspace is filling up - Times Online

Internet users face regular “brownouts” that will freeze their computers as capacity runs out in cyberspace, according to research to be published later this year.
Experts predict that consumer demand, already growing at 60 per cent a year, will start to exceed supply from as early as next year because of more people working online and the soaring popularity of bandwidth-hungry websites such as YouTube and services such as the BBC’s iPlayer.

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