I’ve been working on my complicated ceiling for nine days now, along with some related projects on the walls and trim. Feels more like nine weeks. And of course, this being an old ill-built house, every step of progress reveals some new problem. I’m making only a few hours progress a day, but at least it’s getting there. Slooooowly. Why was I not born wealthy so I could sit by a pool sipping a pina colada while someone else gets paid to do this sort of thing? Oh well, when it’s done, I’ll brim with satisfaction about how I did…
Category: Miscellaneous
Good one from Sheila Stokes-Begley on “smart” autos and “smart” guns. I wouldn’t normally blog the death of a pro wrestler. But Rowdy Roddy Piper, who just died, age 61, also starred in John Carpenter’s terrific, underrated, and oh-so-apt freedomista social satire, They Live. Where all the presidential candidates stand on pot legalization. Speaking of which, even D.A.R.E. (that family-destroying, lying, totally ineffective-against-drug-abuse scourge of the 1980s) has now published an op-ed in favor of legal cannabis. That CEO who raised the minimum wage at his company to $70,000 per year had some of his experienced employees quit for reasons…
No surprise at all: economic freedom creates personal happiness. One documentarian’s fight against the absurd (and profitable) copyright on “Happy Birthday.” Looks as if she now has some powerful ammo. Love it. A rogue Dairy Queen has been going its own way since 1949 (though why it doesn’t just go independent and avoid the franchise fees is a question). (H/T Jim B. in comments) As jed noted when he sent this item: good news, but not fast enough. 🙂 Bovard on how disability law went nuts Lessons learned (although probably mostly not learned) from the stupid, lying, inept drug raid…
Lenore Skenazy (once again) demands that kids — and their parents — be free to walk free. It’s fascinating just how many ways the $15/hour minimum wage is backfiring. J.D. Tuccille has yet another. (And it’s great to see his Disloyal Opposition blog back again!) Via Sipsey Street: It’s no surprise, but soooo gratifying that the number of guns being manufactured has doubled during the Obama regime. Yep, as I guessed yesterday, Chrysler is handling the hack-a-Jeep (or anything else we make) fix staggeringly poorly. Also yesterday I said that no writer had ever come up with a description of…
Intriguing DIY all-terrain cart/carrier. (H/T MJR) Drawing — by hand, even doodling — enhances memory and other cognitive functions. Remember last week’s remotely hacked Jeep? Chrysler has now recalled … well, basically every car it’s made lately. No need to take your auto to the shop, though: just wait for the USB stick or download the software. OTOH, given the company’s record of mishandling recalls, don’t be too optimistic. New micro device delivers drugs directly to the brain. Not my brain, buddy! “Don’t Blame Trump; Blame America.” Once you get past the offensive title there’s a lot to agree with.…
States that have legalized cannabis show a remarkable decrease in deaths from opiod overdose. Much though I respect animals, I think this is a bad idea. (H/T PT) On the other hand, we could use some pretty basic changes of policy (and of heart) toward our beloved companions. This man lived on the streets for two years because no homeless shelter would accept him with the dog who’d devoted a life to him. (Fortunately, help eventually stepped in.) Ohhh, how the IRS loooooves Obamacare! Two on Sandra Bland (and on the expectation that serfs must obey any command of their…
Eleven things to quit right now. (Might be more helpful if that list came with some how-tos …) Theodore Bikel has died. He was one of those amazingly talented people. The late Dr. Seuss has him beat, though. He’s managed to come up with a “new” book years after dying. (Amazon link) Judge bans Bong-a-Thon from the town of Stoner — yes, Stoner — Colorado. (H/T jed) Yet another reason to prefer older cars. Remember those bootable drives with the prep info? Mark, aka Greylocke, their creator, is adding files of surgery basics. And he’s still looking for somebody to…
People. Possessed by computers. We have seen the future and it is weird and icky. (H/T MJR) No more Mohammed cartoons, says Charlie Hebdo’s editor. The barbarians are inside the gates. A “lite” one from Bovard: “Cops and Donuts Don’t Mix.” A Silicon Valley billionaire revives the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Six state governments grow a brain and arm their National Guard members following the Chattanooga jihad attacks. You will be shocked, I’m sure, to learn that the Bloombergians are against it. And hey, check out the “do not link” link! Great way to read an article on Bloomberg’s The…
I’ve lost count. How many “anti-violence” activists and “anti-violence” groups have been busted now for weapons violations, assaults, or homicides? A big number. The fedgov can’t manage to charge a single mega-banker for wrecking the U.S. economy through fraud and malfeasance. But the state of New York (via the ever-present, ever-righteous Cyrus Vance, Jr.) can manage 184 counts against a tiny, family-owned bank that was apparently just trying to police itself. Uh oh. No surprise. Sandra Bland, that young woman who “committed suicide” in police custody last week was reportedly a vocal activist against police brutality. Well, guess they showed…