The five “best” drug scares of 2015. This year’s weirdest science stories. Fourteen — maybe 15 — ways to avoid the Obamacare tax. (Per A.G. in comments.) Thirteen things credit card companies know about you that might make you cringe. Well, thank heaven it wasn’t “gun violence.” Another Darwin Award nominee, courtesy of absorption in mobile device. How embarrassing to die of pure stupid. But hey — at least it wasn’t “gun violence”! In praise of Glock. Ross Douthat on cracks in the liberal order. Not meaning “liberal” as in that thing that “progressives” don’t want to be called these…
Category: Miscellaneous
Two of them, actually. 1. The tip jar will be on the counter through January 1 A big virtual smooch to the 9 generous readers who have hit PayPal button and the 2 faithful supporters who’ve snailed donations this month. Thanks to you, Old Blue will get her tires and the clinic will get another payment toward September’s Infamous Medical Procedure. As I said before, if there’s another blog out there that you like as much this one and the blogger is in bad straits, by all means donate to them, not me. If you’re broke, then take care of…
Father gets into a stand-off with police to prevent a hospital from taking his “brain dead” son off life support. Happened earlier this year but the follow-up is what’s making this a Christmas-season story. Pot for the homeless. (H/T jed) Also from jed: all the SF books to binge read over the holidays. (Can’t vouch for them myself ’cause I haven’t read any of them. If you’re buying, you know where to purchase them.) Dave Barry’s year in review. (I’ve lost track of the people who’ve sent this one to me; it’s definitely been making the rounds.) Jim Bovard’s Raging…
Merry Christmas from our house to yours. May you enjoy feasting and music, great gifts and good company. Christmas Eve is our Christmas, so Ava, Robbie, and I are signing off until the weekend. Have the greatest holiday and thank you for helping to make ours happy.
Smart women shoppers have known this for years and years: if there’s a men’s and women’s version of a product, you should nearly always buy the men’s version. They’re not only cheaper; they’re often better made. Salutes to them! Brave Muslims in Kenya risk their lives to shield Christians from an Al-Shabaab attack. Laird found this and posted it in comments days before the media discovered it. Colton Harris Moore, The Barefoot Bandit, has a blog. While Clinton clones in Virginia destroy ccw reciprocity (and Nicki rants), Texas teachers increasingly go armed. (H/T LA) We knew this was coming. The…
SpaceX has launched — and landed — an orbital rocket at Cape Canaveral. Whoohoo! ADDED: Better link. If you’ve got friends or family who don’t think there’s anything wrong with being on a government list, or who believe the gov’s pledges of privacy or promises that missions will never creep … have them read Carl-Bear’s latest over at TZP. Real world example, right there. If those friends are against the wide dissemination of “dangerous” information, Historian says, “Ask the Jews of Warsaw.” Kaiser Permanente opens its own medical school with a focus on teamwork. I can see some positives and…
Right now, Monday, December 21st at 11:48 p.m. EST / 8:48 PST. Have some solstice lore. Last year was a warm, friendly winter in these parts (very much not the case for all of you, I know). This year, as you easterners run around in tee-shirts and sweaters, our winter has already been very, very, VERY long — even though it’s only just this moment officially begun. Good Yule to you, faithful readers! Enjoy the return of the sun.* —– *Unless you’re reading this in the southern hemisphere, in which case enjoy summer while it lasts. —– This holiday season,…
It’s near freezing outside. Thirty-five degrees. And raining. Oh darn, I wish the dogs would allow me to lie abed this morning. Any chance of that? You s’pose? —– Uh oh. The natives are getting restless. The want gov to bomb Agrabah. Jafar would be mightily displeased. And you know how Jafar gets when he’s angry. —– Ah, so that’s what you were doing! Or not doing. On Amazon. Through November and early December I was puzzled by the dearth of anything that looked like holiday buying. Then last weekend … shazam! In flooded orders for musical instruments, creative toys,…
Of the new Omni-bust budget deal Jim Bovard sez: “Republican congressional leaders are like a football coach who believes the secret to winning is to punt early and often.” Rand Paul sez stop the bill — and he has some fairly decent ideas for alternatives. OTOH, Marijuana.com sez there are a couple of decent provisions in the 2,000 page monster sellout. On the other other hand, the USPS announces a completely unsurprising but curiously retro policy on carrying publications that contain — gasp! — ads for the dreaded Demon Weed. One wonders why they couldn’t have just kept their mouths…
It’s ignoble to admit it. Or rather, it’s ignoble to feel it but I might as well admit it. I’m feeling grouchy and vindictive today and glad somebody “got what was coming to him.” The somebody is my felonious acquaintance D. He finally got the sort of prison sentence he’s been looking for. I wrote about D. last summer after learning he’d been arrested — again — and was this time facing a life sentence. He didn’t get life. But recognizing a three-strikes catastrophe looming, he plea-bargained and is now serving 8 years. His first-degree assault charge was dropped to…