Some ammo for the next time some statist tells you that laws should be obeyed just because they’re there. Give ’em something to think about. This has been around a few months, but it’s pretty interesting if accurate: “Real-Life Rearden Metal?” A Lyttony of bad writing: Every winner of the Edward Bulwer-Lytton contest, 1983 to the present. That’s the contest where entrants write just the opening paragraph of a really, really, really bad novel. (Thank heaven that’s as far as they go!) Speaking of really bad, these guys (source) look like like something from the opening scene of a really…
Category: Miscellaneous
So much for “democracy.” Farewell transparency (we hardly knew ye). Welcome murder.gov. (The Al-Awlaki assassination was even worse than we thought.) If Bank of America wants to charge new fees, that’s their business. If customers don’t want to put up with it, that’s their business. (Of course, the fees are yet another predictable unintended consequence of gummint, but that’s another story.) But look what BofA does to sell the idea. Does it go to the customers? To the markets? Nooooooooo. Another Sign of Our Times. The DoJ and the WH are furiously scared of the Fast & Furious truth coming…
You’ve probably heard by now: Steve Jobs is dead. Farewell to an amazing innovator. He’s been part of our cultural wallpaper for such a long time it’s hard to believe he was only 56. Don’t know that I’d want to beta test a bank, but if you’re fed up with the Big Boys, here’s an interesting new alternative. Speaking of banks, the always-interesting Barry Ritholtz has a good take on their self-inflicted mark-to-make-believe wounds and other unintended consequences of Brilliant Government Ideas. Believe it or not Tim Burton did not create this wedding photo. (I was going to post the…
A good man died last week. Al Woodbridge. Although he was only one of many abused by the ATF in the 90s (and by federal kangaroo courts), he was one of the toughest. H/T to JJ. I really like the way James Altucher thinks. This guy, on the other hand is edging toward the real answer but is still way sidetracked. Will he ever get the Real Clue, do you think? (But Occupy Wall Street is seriously interesting, isn’t it?) Common sense and enlightenment raise their battered heads once again in the world of mind-altering drugs. A good article on…
A while back we talked about “it” — The Day, The Moment, the trigger event, the one unmistakable signal that the house of cards is really, truly commencing to fall. Will there ever be such a moment? If so, will we recognize it when it happens or only spot it in retrospect? Or will there be no “it” — just be a dreary slide? Jim B. points out that Rome didn’t collapse in a day. Ellendra asks, apropos of nothing and everything whether politicians joking (?) about suspending elections might qualify as a sign. I don’t know whether we’ll ever…
Yes, I know there’s no reasonable connection between a yogurt maker and a defective dog. Except that I got them both today. Yogurt was never a big part of my diet — except in the “hold my nose and swallow the crap occasionally because it’s good for me” sense. The thin, sour or over-sweetened non-fat yogurt I knew from the grocery store didn’t impress me. But shortly after I went primal, young commentor Winston turned me on to Greek yogurt. Oh man. HUGE difference. Whole different world. Plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt with a spoonful of raw honey in it is…
They probably hope to save themselves by selling a billion Justin Bieber stamps. Compromise. Ptooey! Y’know, in a free country they’d be in favor of privacy. I agree this is boneheaded. But this is another misuse of the word “mistake.” It’s not like GM did it by accident or anything. I was a little premature when I railed against this 14 years ago when the pilot project was just getting underway. (This is “freedom” as brought to you by “conservatives.” With the help of “liberals.”) I don’t care if they do make them in camo. It’s a dumb idea. Probably…
Sorry for the non-posting. I’ve been taking advantage of unseasonably good weather and a break in deadlines to do a burst of late-summer projects. During breaks in yardwork and painting, I’ve watched mindlessly entertaining videos like The Human Slinky and the Bed-Sheet Cat. Occasionally even mind-activating videos like the ad for the new drug Complyacin. 🙂 Or getting my Bovard fix. He has a good take on the “effectiveness” of federal job-training programs. (I can’t believe I have friends who write for the Wall Street Journal. So respectable! And speaking of respectable, I just learned today that an old acquaintance…
For a dose of strange beauty on this strange, ugly day: the most amazing photo of Saturn. The eccentric geek who gave the world the wonderful Project Gutenberg. Airport “security” from a Muslim woman’s perspective. It takes guts to say this these days: “Addiction is not a disease of the brain.” “Socioeconomic collapse and preparedness timing.” From a guy who’s been living it. Fourteen thousand rounds missing? I wonder why they even bother to report this? From what I’ve heard over the years from National Guardsmen, Army reservists, and other part-time military folk, this is just par for the course.…
First, the bad news Then, the … well, the more interesting news. (I’ve read this info before, but I always love it. This piece reminds me of the “history you never knew” articles the late, great Loompanics used to print in its awesome quarterly catalogs.)