NeroCuomo fiddles whileRomeNew York burns- Creative outlawry (whether you like it or not): Seattle skateboarders construct an illicit skateboard bowl on a lake island. They win a national prize. Unfortunately the bowl will be torn out and the prize was rescinded.
- I don’t agree with the premise, but this article is still a fascinating look back: How the 1967 Summer of Love sparked today’s religious movements.
- Good for Claremont McKenna College, standing for free speech. School officials disciplined snowflake students who tried to prevent “offensive” views from being heard.
- Unfortunately, elsewhere in California (ironically in Berkeley, once the home of the Free Speech Movement), cultural insanity still reigns as Richard Dawkins, a man who doesn’t like anybody’s religion, is “de-platformed” on false charges of being particularly insensitive to that one special religion that’s beyond criticism nowadays.
- Via Dana in comments: How Downton Abbey (and they don’t say it, but free enterprise and a bit of luck) saved Highclere Castle from ruin.
- Love that first line: “As it tends to do when not in political control in Washington, the Left has rediscovered the power of state sovereignty.”
- Is it easier for a robot to replace a middle manager or a junior attorney than a skilled tradesman? Now wouldn’t that put the shoe on the other foot!
- A two-year old is severely brain damaged after a near drowning. New treatments reverse the harm and return her to normal life.
Note to Cuomo: No matter how energy-efficient lights are, putting up more of them is not a “power-saving environmental initiative.” Unless, I suppose, they can be set to spell “Cuomo.”
What I remember about the “Summer of Love” is that there was precious little love for folks who didn’t want to do the “Free” thing.
Left unstated in the Downton Abbey article is the fact that many of Britain’s privately-owned landmarks were in fiscal trouble because the government was taxing the hell out of their owners.
One would think, given the tenure of most Congresscritters, that they would remember being out of office, and wishing they hadn’t given the Feds so much power; but one would not be wise to bet on it.
That oxygen therapy for Eden is truly amazing and I can see where it might be beneficial for, say, stroke patients or car accident victims. As for Eden’s prognosis, I’m not so sure.
The parents are hopeful for full recovery (so they say), but if it takes a lifetime – literally – for that recovery, of what benefit is it to Eden? Most of that time will be taken up in arriving at “full recovery” and she will not be aware of either the effort expended or the normal life she has lost.
The situation is sad. The brain potential of a human – before the drowning in Eden’s case – is the true miracle we witnessed. To see it lost is appalling, and it makes one want to cry.
IF the doctors could speed up the improvement to reach full recovery before most of her lifespan has gone, then the effort would be worth it. But if the doctors (Hatch and his colleagues) are just using her for their own experimental gains, they are doing a disservice to Eden’s parents and to Eden herself.
Watching the video before the drowning reminded me of one of the most charming poems I have ever read, “Betsinda Dances” by Jan Struther. If you can conjure up the imagery as you read it:
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/struther/betsinda/betsinda.html#1
So, the skate bowl may not have actually been “illegal”, it’s just that the city had always treated the island as its own property. Seems like they ought to have to prove ownership… but they’d just use their own gang to certify the claim, so the outcome is assured to be in their favor. Parasites.
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Growing up in the Southern Baptist church, I realized in the late ’70s and early ’80s that much of what the church was doing was influenced by the hippies. In my mind, it was that the hippies had grown up and moved into positions of influence and caused the church to move in their direction. There was singing while holding hands with those on each side of you, even across the aisles. There was “greeting each other with a Christian hug”, which was more fun when I was greeting girls. There were the “Kum Ba Yah” type songs. It’s not that I cared much one way or the other– it was not a judgment, just an observation.
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I hope the near-drowning victim recovers fully, even though I have my doubts. It’s just so sad to lose a kid that way. Or at all.
A local kid drowned in a filthy duck pond on July 4. Actually, he never regained consciousness after being “rescued”, but technically he died of cholera a week or so later. Sympathy for his family has become quite an industry around here. Even before the boy died, I was wondering how much “self” would be left after being without oxygen in his brain for so long.
My daughter and I go to that pond a lot. She likes it there- it’s a rare pretty spot around these parts. I would never suggest she touch the water (I’ve had ducks and know what they do to water). The pond water looks just like you’d expect a duck pond without an outflow to look.
The dead kid’s mom said she let him swim there all the time, because there wasn’t a “no swimming” sign. I keep this opinion to myself, but I feel she is almost totally responsible for the death of her son. Of course, it is the tax victims who will pay. The pond has been drained, the ground is to be bleached, and it will be refilled, but not before “no swimming” signs go up all around it. Signs that will be ignored by people too dumb to assess the situation for themselves. And there will still be duck being ducks- otherwise there’s no point to the pond.
Just found an E-bay auction that’d allow you to buy your very own FBI surveillance van. You too could spy on people.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182673210638?afsrc=1&rmvSB=true
Meh, I think it’s already overpriced.
larryarnold is correct: in England a huge number (the majority?) of castles and old family estates have been lost to taxes (of all sorts, but especially estate taxes). Most have been deeded over to various historic trusts (primarily the National Trust). Which is really a shame, not just for those families who have lost their ancestral homes but also because except for the most popular mansions most are left to decay.
I think Kent misread the article about the skateboard bowl. There is some question as to whether the island has any sort of official “protected” status, but one of the officials quoted clearly stated that it is city property. If so, it has every right to limit its use, and to remove an illegal structure.
The troglodites have taken over Berkeley.