Rosette...

Here's two photos of the rosette I posted earlier, with one closeup of the flower stalk.  We found this one just north of Agua Caliente airport, but their range is quite broad – we even have some of these in Lawson Valley (mainly on road cuts)...

 

Mystery Flower...

Here's a desert flower we're not familiar with, and I haven't identified it yet (anyone know?).  It's a late bloomer, in prime well after most of the desert flowers have gone to seed.  The color is striking enough, but what really stands out is the smell – sweet and vaguely reminiscent of coconut or suntan lotion.  We found a lot of these along S2 north of the Cabrizzo Badlands overlook...

 

Century Plant...

The century plant (Agave americana v. americana) is common in the southern Anza Borrego desert areas we visited.  We've never seen as many in bloom as we saw last Thursday, though...

 

Ocotillo...

An ocotillo in glorious bloom, from just north of the well-named town of Ocotillo, barely inside the Anza Borrego park border...

Ants...

Walking around the Anza Borrego desert, I found lots of ant nests – all for some large (roughly 1 cm) shiny black ants that were very busy gather seeds.  You can follow their trails for a hundred feet or more, right to the plant that is their current source of seeds.  At the next, you can see the workers carrying some food item into the nest, and the empty-handed workers scurrying back out for their next load...

 

Western Tanager...

I took about 30 photos of this male Western Tanager, but these are the best two (click to enlarge)...

 

Boycott Arizona-stan!

Mark Steyn at his finest, on the topic of immigration policy – don't miss it!

GM: Paid In Full?

Nick Gillespie of Reason does a great job explaining the craven spinning of GM's Whitacre when he claims that GM paid off their loan “in full and ahead of schedule”:

Uh Oh...

One of the few credible mainstream media sources remaining in the U.S. is making a remarkable claim: Obama had an affair with a campaign aide – and they have evidence to prove it.  The credible source I speak of is the National Enquirer, whose recent track record on political scandals (think John Edwards and Eliot Spitzer) is spotless, while the more traditional media (like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times) knew of the stories, but studiously ignored them.

Somehow I doubt that even if the story proves true it will “bring down” the Obama government.  It almost certainly would kill his chances in 2012, though...

Learning from Mexico...

Reader Doug S. passes along a discussion of Mexico's immigration policies – which, as many have noted, expose the hypocrisy of those Mexican officials now railing against Arizona's decision to start enforcing the border at the state level, since the feds won't do it.

Why is this hypocritical?  Well, here's the short version: Mexico's immigration policies are far stricter than either the U.S. Federal restrictions in practice, or the Arizona law just passed.  But some Mexican officials are hollering loudly about the “inhumanity” and “unfairness” of our laws...

Peggy Noonan Spanks the Feds...

...over the Arizona immigration law.  Good stuff...

How To Be A Programmer...

Robert Read's famous essay is on the web...

Jon Stewart on Apple's iPhone Prototype...

What he said...

A Trip to the Desert...

I took a day off from work yesterday, and Debbie and I drove out to the Anza-Borrego desert to see the wildflowers.  We were a bit disappointed by the wildflowers – we were way too late to see them in prime – but not at all disappointed by the day, as we had several delightful surprises.

The biggest and best surprise you can see at right: we somehow managed to be in the right place at the right time to catch a group of Western Tanagers in their annual migration north (they normally are found in high-altitude conifer forests, not the desert!).  Altogether we saw 6 or 7 individuals.  The male in the photo at right didn't try very hard to get away from me – I was able to get just 3' (1 meter) away from him to take this photo with my macro lens.  I'm guessing that the poor little fellow was just too tired to bother flying away...

We did see quite a few flowers, some of them gorgeous and interesting, so the day wasn't a flower washout by any means.  But we didn't see things like acres of lupine and verbena; those were long past prime.  The ocotillo were still pretty darned good, Debbie spotted one lonely blooming globe-mallow for me (I've been looking for these since one trip years ago when we found thousands of plants on the lower stretches of Oriflamme Canyon Road), and we saw quite a few other flowering plants that I have not identified yet.  As usual on the desert, some of these had intense and unusual smells.  And also as usual, some were very odd looking, like the little rosette succulent at left that looks as if it were a visitor from a galaxy far, far away.

Some other highlights: feasted on a chicken-fried steak breakfast at Descanso Junction Restaurant, spotted a Brant goose (presumably also migratory) on the high stretches of Rodriguez Canyon, a male wild turkey in full display, found lilacs for sale in Wynola (and brought home three big bunches!), and stocked up on Dudley's bread and fruit bars.  A very nice day...

More photos in later posts...

Product Recommendation...

A few weeks ago, after reading about this product (the iTP A3 EOS Upgraded), I purchased the tiny little LED flashlight.  This thing is just barely larger than the AAA battery it contains.  The LED is amazingly bright – too bright to look directly at – and provides ample light for walking around on a pitch-black night.  The battery life is claimed to be 15 hours; I'm at 5 hours now and there's no sign of dimming.  This thing is so small that I can easily keep it in my pocket at all times, which means that it's available whenever I need it.  Two thumbs up! 

FCC Disclaimer: I purchased this product with my own funds, for my personal use and not for the purpose of review.  Neither the manufacturer or the reseller asked me to review this product, nor was I compensated in any way for the review.

Recommended Books...

I recently finished two books that I highly recommend to anyone interested in 20th century history.

First is Churchill, by Roy Jenkins.  This is a superb biography of Winston Churchill, written by a well-known member of the House of Lords.  Its focus is political, but the other aspects of Churchill's remarkable life are not neglected.  I've read several other biographical works on Churchill, all focused on his World War II leadership; this one filled in many of the blanks for me. 

Second is a much shorter read: The Fall of Fortresses by Elmer Bendiner.  This is a classic work that I had never previously read.  It is by far the best depiction of the life of a bomber crew that I have ever seen.  Bendiner was a B-17 navigator who survived his 25 missions and came home in one piece.  Thirty-five years after the war, and after gaining a much wider perspective, he wrote this work that ranges from how the windows frosted up at high altitude to pondering the strategic wisdom of the bomber strategy.

Tea Party Sign-of-the-Day...

Reward for Information...

Ten days ago, Jonathan “Mikey” Ulmer, 21 years old, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver just across the street from Simpson's Nursery.  The family is now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and prosecution (click to enlarge the family's flyer at right).

I find it shameful that a reward might prompt someone to come forward with information that they otherwise wouldn't have volunteered.  Nevertheless, I hope the family has success in bringing the hit-and-run driver to justice...

The Ninth Circus...

Those of us who live in the domain of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals have long called it the “Ninth Circus”.  The bozos and leftist idealogues that dominate this circuit have long been the jokes of our Federal judicial system.  Last year they set a record: 88% of all their cases that were appealed to the Supreme Court were reversed by those wiser folks.

Now the Ninth Circus has done it again, by upholding the certification of a ludicrous class action suit against Wal-Mart.  There will be an appeal, and hopefully the Supremes will take the appeal and will spank the Ninth Circus.  Again.

Sigh...

Flying Pig Moment...

It's not often that I discover something that Paul Krugman and I agree on.  Krugman is the Nobel prize-winning economist who has lately changed careers to be a leftist columnist for the New York Times, generally taking political positions that make Obama, Pelosi, and Reid seem like card-carrying conservatives. 

But this column of his is within an area he has actual expertise, and I think he's spot on when he points out that the credit ratings agencies (like Moody's and Standard & Poor's) deserve a healthy dollop of blame for the financial system meltdown of 2008/2009.  He quotes one statistic as evidence that the ratings agencies were deeply corrupt: 93% of all formerly AAA rated mortgage-backed securities are now rated as junk.  The securities haven't changed, only their rating.

Yup, that looks like a problem to me.  One of the few things I've seen that genuinely appear to need some regulatory reform...

Opening the Curtains...

Steve W. sends this along: how an engineer approaches the age-old problem of how to open the curtains...

Dog, Deer, Ball...

Via my mom: go see.

Climbing Diesels...

What's just like an American TV show (gorgeous-but-brainless women, excited-for-no-reason announcers, etc.) but has climbing construction equipment?  Why, a German documentary, of course:





There must be something in the beer over there.  Via my mom (how on earth does she find such things?)...

I'm sure my German friends are wondering at my wonder...

The End of the Post Office?

Via reader Simon M.:

Obama announces FedEx and UPS to take over postal service. New organization will be called FedUp.

Har!

The People's Truck...

Via reader Doug S.:

The “Dump Reid” truck.

Excellent!

More on Yamal...

More excellent analysis from Steve McIntyre...

Those Annoying Obami...

Put your hot morning beverage down. This is P. J. O'Rourke's leadin to A Plague of "A" Students:

Barack Obama is more irritating than the other nuisances on the left. Nancy Pelosi needs a session on the ducking stool, of course. But everyone with an ugly divorce has had a Nancy. She’s vexatious and expensive to get rid of, but it’s not like we give a damn about her. Harry Reid is going house-to-house selling nothing anybody wants. Slam the door on him and the neighbor’s Rottweiler will do the rest. And Barney Frank is self-punishing. Imagine being trapped inside Barney Frank.

Har!  Go read the whole thing.

Larry the Cable Guy...

Via my mom, who says that Larry the Cable Guy is setting the record straight:

Even after the recent Super Bowl victory of the New Orleans Saints, I have noticed a large number of people implying with bad jokes that Cajuns aren't smart. I would like to state for the record that I disagree with that assessment. Anybody that would build a city 5 ft.below sea level in a hurricane zone and fill it with Democrats is a damn genius.

They Folded Like a Bedouin Tent...

The inimitable Mark Steyn on some of the week's events...

Remember November...

Powerful political ad (already!?!) from the Republican Governors' Association:

On the Threats to the South Park Creators...

I'm with Jon Stewart on this one:

Rain...

We got 1.8 inches last Tuesday and Wednesday, and there's more in the long range forecast for next week.  Awesome!

Let Us Help You Pack...

Oh, yeah.  Via my mom...

Childbirth at 65...

Via my mom:

With all the new technology regarding fertility recently, a 65-year-old friend of mine was able to give birth. When she was discharged from the hospital and went home, I went to visit.

"May I see the new baby?" I asked.

"Not yet," she said... "I'll make coffee and we can visit for a while, first."

Thirty minutes had passed, and I asked, "May I see the new baby now?"

"No, not yet," she said.

After another few minutes had elapsed,

I asked again, "May I see the baby now?"

"No, not yet," replied my friend.

Growing very impatient, I asked,
"Well, when can I see the baby?"

"WHEN HE CRIES!" she told me.

"WHEN HE CRIES?" I demanded.
"Why do I have to wait until he CRIES?"

"BECAUSE I FORGOT WHERE I PUT HIM, O.K.?!!"

Psalm 2010...

Reader Richard F. forwarded this:

Obama is the shepherd I did not want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He restoreth my faith in the Republican party.
He guideth me in the path of unemployment for his party's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the bread line,
I shall fear no hunger, for his bailouts are with me.
He has anointed my income with taxes,
My expenses runneth over.

Surely, poverty and hard living will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will live in a mortgaged home forever.
I am glad I am American,
I am glad that I am free.

But I wish I was a dog...
And Obama was a tree.

ClimateGate: Questionable Data...

Steve McIntyre, data detective...

Death by Puppies...

Think the Red Light Scameras Are Bad?

Get a load of this!

The User Conference is Over...

And to all those who wrote to ask about it: it went very well indeed.  Something like 50 people attended the “lab” that one of my colleagues and I put on (Advanced Discovery...).  Afterwards several of the attendees told us that they had gotten good benefit from it, which made us all feel useful.

This year's conference had a new feature: customers could make appointments with individual developers through a web site.  This worked out very well, as it gave us a way to find each other in the chaos of the conference.  Every meeting I had with a customer was useful to both the customer and I.

Great show - but I'm glad it's over!  Such things always tire me out, and so it was this time.  This morning we slept in a little bit (didn't get up until 5 am!), and today we are working outside in the beautiful weather of our California mountains... 

Perfect...

Today's Dilbert cartoon perfectly captures the way a non-technical boss can leave a technical subordinate totally without words...

Just When...

Just when you've accumulated enough experience in life to think that the human race has few surprises left to offer you...they surprise you again.

Offered without comment: Steven Ferrini's recent run-in with the cops.

On ClimateGate...

MIT Professor Richard Lindzen has an excellent piece on ClimateGate, its impact on science, and its message about science, in today's Wall Street Journal.  Go read.

First Light...

This is all over the news, but just in case you somehow missed it – NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has released its “first light” photos and movies.  They are simply spectacular.  A whole lot of excellent science is going to flow from this latest (relatively cheap) robotic explorer.  Unlike, say, the completely useless International Space Station (with the picture window that cost more than SDO)...

ClimateGate: Roundup (mini)...

Keenan finally gets his tree ring data.  I can hardly wait for his analysis...

Good CO2 and bad CO2 – volcano belching good, airplanes bad...

Travel is a “Human Right”?

When I first read about this, I thought it must be a poor attempt at parody.  But this appears to be for real – multiple conventional news sources are all reporting the same thing.  I guess if you've bought into socialism, then it's a logical extension (and probably a foreshadowing of things here in the U.S.).

Personally, I think it's just plain crazy.  I want out of this socialist spiral!

Hide the Decline II...

There's a backstory...

Tea Party Spirit at the Ballot Box...

In New Jersey, of all places.  If even the citizens of New Jersey (with the biggest citizen and business tax burdens in the country) can reject big-spending, big-government budgets ... I can only conclude that it's possible anywhere in America. 

Eyjafjallajökull...

Beautiful photo at Astronomy Picture of the Day (h/t to Clay M.)...

Two Golden Retrievers Found in Jamul...

Do you have two dogs that have gone missing?  Lyndsay from Steele Canyon Veterinary Clinic tells me that someone brought in two golden retrievers that were found running together in Jamul.  Call them at 619/669-7274...

In-A-Hurry Link Dump...

George Will likes the idea of a U.S. VAT, with certain conditions.  Ain't gonna happen...

Words matter, and I'm not the only one who doesn't much like his...

Our healthcare future, I'm afraid...unless we kill the bill!

Mark Steyn wishes you happy Zimbabwe Day...

Ice news...

Global warming, global wetting...

Anthony Watts finds a huge problem with METAR temperature data – most likely you won't be surprised to hear that the problem causes false reports of higher-than-actual temperatures...

18 Bazillion Are On Order...

Via my mom. 

The only problem I have with this idea is that you'd need quite a few urinals to hold the entire rogue's gallery that I'd like to piss on...

Encouraging...

Tech hiring is picking up...

Where Have All the Hackers Gone?

Interesting piece that's related to a plaint I make often: young programmers often (but certainly not always!) know relatively little about how computers actually work.  I keep getting surprised by how possible it is for such engineers to be very creative and productive – but every once in a while, the knowledge that was so essential as I began my career is still essential.  And becoming less and less commonly available, despite the vastly larger number of programmers these days than in the days of yore when I first met hexadecimal...

Light Blogging Warning...

There's likely to be little-to-no blogging here, from tomorrow through next week.  My company is putting on its annual user conference, and I'll be there presenting and meeting our customers.  This year's attendance is much higher than we anticipated, and the event is completely sold out.  Should be exciting!  And busy...

Steyn on Obama's “Nuclear Security Summit”...

Here's his intro:

In years to come – assuming, for the purposes of argument, there are any years to come – scholars will look back at President Barack Obama's Nuclear Security Summit and marvel. For once, the cheap comparisons with 1930s appeasement barely suffice: To be sure, in 1933, the great powers were meeting in Geneva and holding utopian arms-control talks even as Hitler was taking office in Berlin. But it's difficult to imagine Neville Chamberlain in 1938 hosting a conference on the dangers of rearmament, and inviting America, France, Brazil, Liberia and Thailand … but not even mentioning Germany.

As always with the inimitable Mr. Steyn, read the whole thing...

Political Cartoons of the Day...

Obama Popularity Map...

Interesting map via Real Clear Politics in a post I linked to yesterday.  This map got me thinking, so I'm highlighting it here.  The dark blue states are where Obama has a +10% or more approval rating, the light blue a +5% or more, and so on down to the dark red where his rating is -10% or more.

Note first that the blue states are all those with our largest cities, the traditional strongholds of both Democrats and unions.  The dark red states are all completely unsurprising – exactly where you'd expect a (now proven) progressive to be disliked.

But there are a few surprises to me on this map, and I think this bodes very ill for the Democrats in November, barring some kind of miracle (like, say, a spectacular economic recovery).  Consider these states: Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Florida.  These are all states you'd expect to be gung-ho supporters of a progressive President – but they are not.  There are varied reasons for this per state, but overall it looks like Obama has managed to alienate an interesting percentage of even his base.  Great!

Combine this with the high level of energy on the anti-Obama side of the equation, and I'm starting to feel downright optimistic about November.  The past tells me I shouldn't be – there are just too many sheeple running around worrying about weighty matters like pink disco balls – but I just can't help it...

You'd Think They'd Be Saying “Thank You!”

So said Obama on Thursday, referring to Tea Party “tax day” protests.  First he claimed to have reduced taxes, next he mocks the citizens protesting (amongst other things) high taxes.

This really pissed me off.  Two main reasons: (1) his claim to have lowered taxes is a breathtaking lie, and (2) the President of the United States is mocking citizens of the United States for exercising their rights.

I'm not the only one who's upset about this: I'm in excellent company with Darleen, No Sheeples, Allahpundit, Krauthammer, Rush, and Scott Brown.

But Rush is right: November is coming...

Are you pissed off yet?

ClimateGate: Roundup...

The British Royal Statistical Society has come out with strong criticism of the math behind Michael Mann's infamous “hockey stick” graph.  The British press is all over the report; naturally, the American press is not.  The blogs are covering it, of course. 

Steve McIntyre (mentioned positively in the RSS report) proceeds with his usual calm but merciless examination of it.

Jean catches NASA's GISS data in direct conflict with the actual measured data.  Oops.  How's that linear interpolation thing working out for you, James Hansen?

An Optimistic Look at November...

Interesting analysis by a pollster...

Sad and Inspiring...

Many of you will instantly recognize the man at right, but some of my younger readers probably won't even recognize his name: Audie Murphy.  He was a Marine in World War II, and the most decorated American soldier in that conflict – a hero by any measure.

After the war, Audie earned a fortune in the movies – then squandered it all on wine, women, and gambling.  When he died in 1971, his widow inherited only a large debt.

I knew that story, both sad and inspiring, but didn't know the rest of the story – all inspiring – until I read about the death of his wife (at left) this week.  She spent the last 35 years taking care of wounded and sick soldiers at a VA hospital in Sepulveda. 

I'd say Audie married a woman above his rank...

Whether We Like It or Not...

Obama said this yesterday:

"It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled into them."

My emphasis.

I suspect that remark was unintentionally revealing.  The man does not like it that America is a superpower, and especially that we are the only one still standing.

Personally, I think it's absolutely essential that America remain a superpower – and preferably the only one still standing.  I'd much prefer that America be the world's cop rather than, say, Iran, India, Israel, or (shudder) France...

Whitewash Meets Steve McIntyre...

Whitewash loses...

Tea Party Ad...

My favorite bit is at the end...

Yesterday's Boston Tea Party...

Aerial video on YouTube (embedding was disabled)...

This Guy Gets His Girl...

Steve Jobs Meets Donald Knuth...

Excellent!

Mountain Goats...

A beautiful slide show...

A Conversion Story...

Sometimes – not too often, though – people make dramatic changes in their political mindset.  “Robin of Berkeley– is one such person, and tells the story of the conversion in dramatic fashion.  A teaser:

But a funny thing happened on my way to the revolution. That lightning bolt hit, and I changed forever.

And now I see that that progressivism is simply children acting out, thumbing their noses at Mommy and Daddy and God Himself. This explains the perpetual temper tantrums and the lost, vacant looks.

While kids are naturally self-centered, when adults behave this way, they're narcissists. Growing up means no longer placing oneself at the center of the universe.

It requires facing the facts: This existence is unfair and imperfect. No human being, no matter how charismatic, can change the nature of reality.

But go read the whole thing – 'tis fascinating...

Same Old, Same Old...

For most of my career as a programmer, languages in the “C family” (C, C++, and Java) have dominated the industry – and that's still true even today.  For this past year, the “big news” is that Java fell from #1 to #2 (and C rose from #1 to #2). 

For such a dynamic industry, this is remarkable stability.  Why is this so?  The only reason that seems plausible to me is inertia...

Geek Blast of the Day...

I wish I'd thought of this!  What a cool little home experiment, and simple as all get out.  And pretty results, too!

The Next Reagan?

Wouldn't it just be ironic as hell if the path out of our descent into the progressive morass was blazed by a New Jersey governor?

I'd have to stop with my New Jersey jokes.  But not quite yet...

Bow-ometer...

You Picked a Fine Time to Lead Us, Barack...

Via my (eclectic) mom:

Best Burger Ad Evah...

Via my mom (seriously!):

ClimateGate: Roundup...

Steve McIntyre shows how the IPCC simply ignored well-founded criticism of a statement that followed their preferred narrative...

Willis Eschenbach ponders the presentation of temperature data and its effect on our perceptions of climate change.  Very interesting...

The IPCC's new math, wherein non-existent trends (supporting their narrative, of course) are invented...

American-Israeli Policy...

Ed Koch is very worried...

M66...

Hubble snaps a picture of one element within M66 (the “Leo Triplet”).  As usual, click to enlarge.

I can never decide whether Hubble's more important contribution is its excellent science data production, or its revelations of the beauty of the cosmos...

How'd He Do That???

I Envy This Man...

It's been 35 years since I made my last jump (my 424th), but I still remember the thrill.  High altitude jumps were my favorite, with the long freefall (up to 70 seconds when the pilot was willing to push the limits a bit).  The highest jump I ever made was from 18,000', with oxygen, from a U.S. Navy plane in the Philippine Islands.  I was doing it for fun, along for the ride with several SEALs who were practicing for real.

Felix Baumgartner is going to jump from 120,000', and will likely go supersonic.

Tales From the Front Yard...

This is the old-age, out-of-condition edition.  Debbie and I spent half the day yesterday working on our front yard.  We're cleaning up a small section (about 300 square feet) and planting it. 

Our first step is to rip out some old flagstones, perhaps 30 of them.  Some of the flagstones are fairly large, up to 8 or 9 square feet.  All of them had been set in a thin layer of poor concrete, about one inch thick.  The largest ones approached 200 pounds; I could just barely lift them up to put them on a little two-wheeled truck. 

After three hours of flagstone-lifting, we were beat – especially me.  This is the first hard physical work I've done this year, and my lack of condition really showed.  We have a nice pile of flagstones now, sitting up against a post – but we're only about half finished!  We spent another hour hoeing some weeds and grass off an embankment under a liquid amber tree, and laying down some pine-bark mulch.  Should make the tree happy!

By the time I got back into the house last night, I was sunburned and my muscles felt like quivering jello.  Everything hurt.  A nice warm shower felt oh-so-good.  When I got out of the shower, the smell of grilling steaks filled the air – Debbie was outside on the grill with two huge slabs of beef, and some potatoes were in the oven.  Sure tasted good after all that hard work!

This morning I don't feel quite so bad.  I think there are three, maybe four fingers that are pain-free.  One earlobe, too.  Everything else still hurts...

Warm Feet...

I have a condition that causes my extremities to feel much colder than conditions would warrant.  I'm not sure what triggers this, but occasionally it can be quite uncomfortable, especially for my feet.  Last night after I went to bed was one of those uncomfortable times, and I jokingly said to Debbie that I needed a hot water bottle.  We both remember these from our childhood, though I haven't seen one in a good many years.

A few minutes later, Debbie appeared, laughing, with a towel that she stuck under my feet.  It was warm, and it felt absolutely heavenly on my feet.  But it wasn't actually just a towel, it was a SnuggleSafe pet warmer – for several years now she's been warming up a few of these every night for our outside cats.  You nuke them in the microwave for a few minutes, and they stay warm all night. 

Well, I can now attest to their effectiveness as a foot-warmer!  I think the manufacturer is missing a huge market opportunity &dnash; these things beat the pants off a hot water bottle because they stay warm so long.

If you're wondering how they work, they're filled with fairly exotic stuff called a “phase change material” – far more effective than water at storing heat.  The one that Debbie heated up for me last night was still warm when we got up this morning...

Miki's Peculiar Ability...

Miki (at right) is our youngest field spaniel, who's about four years old now.  He's a little short for a field spaniel, with a very sturdy appearance.  He has one ability that surprises everyone who takes his leash to walk him: he can pull with a force all out of proportion to his size.

I don't own a linear scale, so I can't measure it with precision – but I'm reasonably good at estimating weight.  My best guess is that he can pull with 75 to 80 pounds of force – not bad for a dog that weighs 40 pounds! 

But there's more to his ability than just his pulling force: he can sustain that force over a long period with remarkable steadiness.  Once he's decided he wants to head in some direction, it is for all the world like a small tractor is pulling you along, slowly and steadily, in low gear.

On this morning's walk, I had a demonstration of exactly this.  Our nocturnal visitor had returned, and all three field spaniels were heading in exactly the same direction.  I had Lea and Moi's leashes in my left hand, and together they pulled with perhaps 50 pounds of force, intermittently.  Miki's leash was in my right hand, and he was pulling steadily with about 75 pounds of force – no perceptible variation at all.  Between the three of them I had quite a job staying on my feet!

Multi-Culti Madness...

One doesn't know quite what to say.  Except “If you live in England, leave while you still can!”

Crockford on JavaScript...

Transcripts and videos of Douglas Crockford's lecture series on JavaScript.  I haven't read or watched them yet, but hey, it's Crockford – you know it's going to be good...

The Reflex of the Unreflective...

George Will on one of the differences between politicians...

Stupid Crook Ponder...

Watching the video below, my first reaction was to laugh at the nearly implausible incompetence of the burglar.  But then the ponder started...  When this idiot is in jail, my tax dollars are paying for his care.  When he's out of jail, chances are he's on welfare of several varieties – and my tax dollars are once again paying for his care.  Plus I'm paying for the cops to catch him (though clearly that isn't particularly difficult in his case) and the prosecutors, defense attorney, and courts to try him.

Hmmm...  That whole “transport to Australia” thing starts to sound more reasonable.  We just need to substitute something for Australia to bring the plan up to date.  Perhaps Johnson Atoll?  Yeah, that's the ticket!

Quote of the Day...

From Cassandra at Villainous Company:

If they start tweeting, I'm out of here.

Shadows...

Strange but fascinating talent, on display.  Via my mom:

A Letter to the President...

This letter was written in November 2009 by Harold Estes, aged 95, and a decorated veteran of WWII.  Snopes has verified its authenticity:

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year.  People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate.  Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.

So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can't figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like: "We're no longer a Christian nation" "America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world, "America is mean-spirited." Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a
whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said, "America hasn't lived up to her ideals."

Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.

Shape up and start acting like an American.  If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue.  You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son.   Do your job.  When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him.  But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out.  The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.  You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy.  That's not our greatest threat.  Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.  And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle...

Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes

Mr. Estes, you just made my day.  Here's hoping that you win that final battle.  I'm doing what I can to help, and so are many other Americans...

Here's another letter to the President from last summer.

One Problem with the Voters...

I'm far from expert on economics, or on government spending, but even my basic level of understanding lets me observe that the vast majority of voters are woefully ill-equipped to understand how taxation and government spending are inter-related.  Sure, they understand the simple precept that nobody – not even the government – can forever spend more than they take in.  But when the discussion wanders around to cutting programs (especially entitlements) versus raising taxes, flights of sheer fantasy are more the norm than sober analysis.

I've long noted that a very high percentage of voters (including the majority of those who could be characterized as conservative, or fiscally-conservative liberals) instinctively believe that there's always another source of tax revenues to tap (generally it's some group of evil, money-grubbing people who are somehow escaping the tax man).  The most recent example of this was in the healthcare bill, which establishes new taxes and cost controls on the medical insurance industry.  These were clearly motivated by the desire to curb excesses there – but equally clearly (and unarguably) there have been no such excesses – the profit margin of medical insurance companies is quite low by comparison to other industries.

Where does this belief in magic come from?  Megan McCardle takes a look at a recent poll and attempts to find some answers...

I Knew It!

Via the indispensable Megan McCardle:

The Ghost of Economies Yet to Come?

A detailed look at how the fraction of U.S. government spending that is entitlement (rather than discretionary) has grown – followed by a close look at some of the consequences of this.  These two make for depressing, but important reading.  Then add to this picture the inevitable demographic changes we're heading for (especially the growing fraction of our population over 65). 

My conclusion: nothing but radical economic reform at the federal level can solve this problem.  The key two elements of such reform: (1) a simple, minimally-progressive income tax (tiny Estonia provides an excellent example), and (2) the outright elimination of most entitlement programs (yes, I really do mean to include Medicare and Social Security in that – what good are entitlements that can't possibly be funded?).

This amounts to my advocating for increased self-reliance – an almost-forgotten American tradition.  As one of the articles point out, this gets very hard to accomplish in a democracy if those on the government teat are in the majority.

That last observation has led to my continuing interest in this.  I'm not quite ready for it yet ... but I'm also not ready to rule it out.

ClimateGate: Roundup...

Another climate scientist voices some skepticism, with the commonsensical observation that large temperature swings greatly predate the dawn of human civilization.  I guess SUVs didn't cause the medieval warming period after all...

Steve McIntyre follows the trail of evidentiary suppression (and some internal dissent on that) within the IPCC group with respect to the Holocene Optimum (aka Holocene Thermal Maximum).  This is another warm period very much like the medieval warm period (MWP) that's much discussed in climate science literature.  Most of the scientists involved in this internal discussion come off as petty and driven by their agenda; the few exceptions who seem to be driven by the truth stand out...

Steyn on Taxes...

With his usual wit and insight, Mark Steyn takes a look at the structural disaster looming in the U.S. income tax system...

A Crashing Bore...

Peggy nails it.

It Comes To This...

If you're a libertarian or conservative in California, you can't help but feel like you're living in a loony bin.  Sometimes reality here is stranger than fiction, as in this case: there's a Democrat running for the Senate who in many ways seems more attractive (to libertarians and conservatives) than any of the Republicans in the race.  This state's political class is so dominated by brain-dead “progressive” Democrats that this seems exceedingly unlikely. 

Yet it is so.

$200 Million per Arrest...

Seems a little expensive, doesn't it?  This is what happens when political theater becomes more important than, like, actual results.

We should be spending this money on intelligence and emergency response services, not easily-sidestepped “security” measures...

A Chaparral Morning...

Last night I enjoyed a nice glass of wine – a Spanish wine, new to me, that was a gift from a friend and colleague.  It was delicious, and put me right to sleep.  I slept well, but woke early, and I was out walking our dogs by 3 am.  The moon was still well below the horizon, and the sky was very dark.  As my eyes accommodated, familiar constellations popped into view.  In a few minutes, the Milky Way swam into view – at first a faint swath from north overhead to the east, but soon a bright feature full of texture and even color.  The clear high-desert sky was on full display.

At the same time, the morning's cool air sinking down the hillside above me wafted the chaparral scents – sage, ceanothus, mountain mahogany, and others.  It was very quiet; still too early for the birds to be awake, and no coyotes were howling.  Our dogs (well, the three field spaniels, anyway) smelled something else.  They were completely focused on analyzing the path that this unknown animal had taken through our yard.  Prime possibilities: bobcat, coyote, mountain lion, or fox.  I'm sure they knew which it was, but I didn't.  Meanwhile our one border collie completely ignored all the smells and sights, and simply did his two favorite things: ran around the yard at near-supersonic speeds, and brought me pine cones and sticks to throw for him to retrieve.  The behavior of the field spaniels and the border collie is so different that one could be excused for thinking they were separate species.

I love these chaparral mornings...

This Is A Problem...

When the government steals takes as taxes such a high percentage of your income, how do you encourage the kids to follow the classic American path – work hard and prosper?  Via Amy L.

Last night as I drove home, I got to pondering the high taxes that loom in our near future.  As many others have noted, the younger a person is, the more they are screwed by these impending taxes.  I probably won't be in the workforce for more than another ten years or so – but someone who is (say) 30 years old today will likely be in the workforce for forty years, and maybe more.  For four decades they will watch 40% or more (I'm guessing) of their paycheck disappear into the maw of Big Government – and reappear in the hands of those content to mooch from the public teat.

Doesn't sound like a great motivator to me.  Here's an easy prediction: the more we move in that direction, the more of our young citizens will decide that mooching is better than the alternative.

Are you pissed off yet?