Saturday, September 14, 2013

Links of the Day...

Syria roundup: indecisive, holding fire, and the global joke (us).  Mark Steyn on Putin: “In reality, Putin finds his thrill by grabbing Obama’s blueberries and squeezing hard.”  Summary: bad, and trending worse.  Winners: Iran and Pooty-Poot.

Obama administration obeys the law – unexpectedly!  Robert Zimmerman has this exactly right: the big surprise here is that the Obama administration didn't simply ignore the Obamacare law to do what would make their supporters (the unions) happy.   The details are interesting.  But I'm not buying the notion that Obama did this simply because he thought it would be illegal not to.  That's never stopped him before...

Oh, I sure hope so!  Will McCain retire in 2016?

You tell 'em, Rush!  When you want to educate a receptive mind about American Exceptionalism, Rush is the big gun.  He's in fine form here...

Polarization...   This time, we're talking about rural vs. urban.  We see it out here in rural San Diego County.  Physically we're just 35 miles from the big city.  Politically and culturally, we're a million miles apart.  We often feel like we're traveling to a foreign, unfriendly country when we go “down the hill” into town...

Someone found a use for Jerry Brown's California: a place to dump people with mental health issues.  Dave Blount: “Not only will they feel perfectly at home in a state that would react to an economic crisis by putting Governor Moonbeam back in power, but it is suitable revenge for the previously sane parts of the country that have been infected with moonbattery by Californians escaping the mess their liberalism made of their own state.”

Cats and dogs...  Hackers and the FBI – it's getting more difficult to tell them apart.

The inverse-square law rules!  Two big radio-telescopes have imaged Voyager I, whose transmitter emits a mere 22 watts.  Despite being over 11 billion miles from Earth, Voyager's transmitter still looks very bright compared with anything nearby it in the sky.  That's the inverse-square law at work!

Klepto Kitty.  I hear it's applied for a job with the IRS...

More like minimum jobs, you idiots!  Reason's Scott Shackford takes note of California's new $10-an-hour minimum wage, and notes that it's likely to let out what little steam our “recovery” has...

Some speech would be more free than the rest...  A Senate panel yesterday approved a bill that would establish a special class of citizens: journalists.  Without knowing anything more, that's already terrifying!  The bill goes on to enshrine special protections for journalists, most especially protecting the identity of their sources.  That necessarily implies that all us non-journalists won't enjoy such protections.  But ... who, exactly, would be considered a “journalist”?  Well, that's not clear at all.  Some reaction: James Lileks, Matt Drudge, and James Taranto.  They're no happier about it than I am.

The climate models need decades of work, says the National Academy of Science.  But the science is settled?   Maybe they're just trying to figure out how to keep the taxpayer-funded grant money coming.  In which case we need to figure out how to make it stop!

Not good.  NIST is telling people not to use it's elliptic-curve based random number generator standardRandom numbers matter.  Given the Snowden revelations about the NSA, my first thought is: “What else has been compromised?” 

I can't decide.  This is either the best campaign ad evah, or it's an unambiguous sign that the end times are nigh.  Jeff Wagner is running for mayor there, and he wants you to “Wake the fuck up!”

It's a map-a-palooza!...  Go here and click on“PROJECTS” to get started; lots of good things to waste some time with...

Mainstream media to Republicans: “You're obsessed with Obamacare!”  I've got news for you, lamers: it's not just Republicans – we libertarians and independents think it's a crock of bovine fecal material, too...

There, but for the NRA, go we...  Two burglars walk into a jewelry store in Nice, France and threaten the owner with a gun.  The owner pulls out his own gun, chases them off and shoots one in the process.  The burglar dies on the scene.  The jewelry store owner is arrested and charged with voluntary homicide. This is controversial even in France, but it's not at all clear how things will turn out...

They're a good thing – abusers, addiction, and social problems notwithstanding, the doc proclaims.  Our own family doc has much the same attitude, much to our relief.  Of course, Obamacare may change all this.  Just ask any Canadians how easy it is for them to get pain killers.  Unless they come to the U.S., of course...

Well, duh!  What did you think would happen when you hire a bunch of high achievers and put them to work teaching?

Progressive hypocrisy?  Color me totally unsurprised.  Progressive media queen Tina Brown's charity collects millions in donations, then makes a single grant of $10,000.  They're better than us, though.  Don't forget that.

“Get ready.”, said the judge, to release some NSA-related FISA court proceedings.  Basically, he's calling bullshit on government assertions about the need for secrecy in all these matters.  About time!

You feel lucky, punk?  Then go invest in the Twitter IPO, says Megan McArdle (the world's tallest female economics blogger)...

Oh, goody.  The Obamacare health insurance exchanges aren't even open for business yet, and already there's a security breach that exposed private information for 2,400 insurance agents.  But that's ok.  You ain't seen nuttin' yet, buddy...

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