November 2007 Archives
Hotspotr is a nationwide collaborative database of WiFi hotspots. Anyone can add a point on the map, and you can add details like hours of operation and likelihood of finding a power outlet. This is similar to what Tim Williston has done here in Tulsa with (the now revamped) tulsafreewifi.com
Townhall.com: Robert D. Novak: The False Conservative
"Huckabee is campaigning as a conservative, but serious Republicans know that he is a high-tax, protectionist, big-government advocate of a strong hand in the Oval Office directing the lives of Americans.... The danger is a serious contender for the nomination who passes the litmus test of social conservatives on abortion, gay marriage and gun control but is far removed from the conservative-libertarian model of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan."
AmericanHeritage.com / Blog: Lincoln's Plan to Battle the Electoral College
Lincoln used junk mail to urge tactical voting in the three-way Republican - Whig - Democrat presidential race of 1856: "Lincoln gave the subject of electoral voting a great deal of thought. Perhaps too much. In the drive to make people understand, he grew desperate. He stooped low: He invented junk mail. (It is one of the more shocking revelations I was forced to make in my book The Case of Abraham Lincoln.) In Illinois, at any rate, junk mail had never been seen before--a printed letter carefully disguised as a handwritten one and distributed in bulk to unsuspecting voters. The subject was the electoral outlook, and the theme was that either people played the system's game or risked wasting their votes."
National Review: Louis R. Woodhill: An Engineer Measures the Falling Dollar
"That is, the Fed creates money in response to demand for short-term capital. Given that one use for short-term capital is commodity speculation, and given that commodity speculation is one way to profit from inflation, the Fed is operating a system that is designed to respond to inflation by creating more money.
"Such a system exhibits 'positive feedback' (like a nuclear reactor) and is dangerous."
Townhall.com: John Stossel: The Tragedy of the Commons
"When the Pilgrims first settled the Plymouth Colony, they organized their farm economy along communal lines. The goal was to share everything equally, work and produce.
"They nearly all starved."
Townhall.com: Jonah Goldberg: Ron Paul Isn't That Scary
... but Mike Huckabee is, says Goldberg:
"What's so scary about Huckabee? Personally, nothing. He seems a charming, decent, friendly, pious man.
"What's troubling about The Man From Hope 2.0 is what he represents. Huckabee represents compassionate conservatism on steroids. A devout social conservative on issues such as abortion, school prayer, homosexuality and evolution, Huckabee's a populist on economics, a fad-follower on the environment and an all-around do-gooder who believes that the biblical obligation to do 'good works' extends to using government - and your tax dollars - to bring us closer to the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
"For example, Huckabee would support a nationwide ban on public smoking. Why? Because he's on a health kick, thinks smoking is bad and believes the government should do the right thing.
"And therein lies the chief difference between Paul and Huckabee. One is a culturally conservative libertarian. The other is a right-wing progressive."
GreenCanary: 4 Non Blonde Canaries
Some people are Doers. GreenCanary says she's a Do-Unto: "The realization that I am where I am because I allow things to happen TO me, rather than make things happen FOR me, is unsettling. And now I find that the path behind me is littered with bad decisions that prevent me from going back and starting over." A commenter says she's "too young to be engaging in this kind of recrimination." But you're never too young for recriminations.
Fred '08: Fred Thompson speaks at The Citadel
Via JunkYardBlog, where See-Dubya writes, "Look, as I've said several times now, the guy gets it. He understands the central problem of defending a democratic country -- credibility and resolve."
"If we know anything from modern history, it is that when fanatical tyrants pledge to "wipe out" an entire nation, we should listen.
"This radical threat we face today is committed to a hundred year war, and has been waging one against us for decades ... in Beirut, Somalia, embassies in Africa, Saudi Arabia, on the USS Cole. Each time Americans were killed. Yet each time our response sent the wrong signals. This is an enemy that understands only the language of power. Today, the focus of this war is Afghanistan and Iraq, but it is clear that this struggle and our enemies extend far beyond those borders. To defend ourselves, we in the democratic world must assert our intentions in the clearest possible terms.
"Diplomacy, economic influence, and other means of persuasion are always to be preferred in our dealings with dangerous regimes and rival states. But the words of our leaders command much closer attention from adversaries when it is understood that we are prepared to use force when force is necessary. And for that deterrent to exist, the will of our people and the strength of our military must be unquestionable."
Townhall.com: Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Staticidal Zealotry
What is it about the U. S. State Department that sucks all sense of perspective out of previously sensisble people? "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is behaving like a zealot. In her ever-more-rash pursuit of a Palestinian state, she is exhibiting the syndrome defined by the philosopher George Santayana, as one who redoubles her efforts upon losing sight of the objective.... For success will result in a new safe-haven for terror that is a mortal threat not only for Israel, but for the United States, as well."
Hot Air: Debate over? Scientists turn adult skin cells into embryonic stem cells
"Ultimately, [Shinya Yamanaka] found he could get about ten [induced pluripotent stem] cell colonies from every 50,000 skin cells, an acceptable efficiency given how easy it is to grow thousands of skin cells from a tiny sample. He coaxed the [induced pluripotent stem] cells to become nerve cells, beating heart cells and other major cell types. And he showed that they were exact genetic matches to the skin cells they came from, suggesting that tissues or organs grown from them could be transplanted into the person who donated the skin cells and not be rejected."
Washington Post: U.N. to Cut Estimate Of AIDS Epidemic
"The United Nations' top AIDS scientists plan to acknowledge this week that they have long overestimated both the size and the course of the epidemic, which they now believe has been slowing for nearly a decade, according to U.N. documents prepared for the announcement.... The latest estimates, due to be released publicly Tuesday, put the number of annual new HIV infections at 2.5 million, a cut of more than 40 percent from last year's estimate, documents show. The worldwide total of people infected with HIV -- estimated a year ago at nearly 40 million and rising -- now will be reported as 33 million."
The American Spectator: Giuliani's Lesson
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson lost his bid for a third term, despite a new stadium for the Colts: "Those matters, however, aren't paramount on the minds of residents in urban communities, who want crime-free streets, neighborhoods free of vandalism, pothole-free streets, family-friendly parks and low taxes. Rudolph Giuliani's success in attending to those desires while serving as mayor of New York is one reason why he is now the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination. Peterson's failure to do so cost him his job. It has also kept Indianapolis, once a shining Rust Belt metropolis, mired in the same blight, mayhem and malaise that have long made Detroit an unlivable slum.... [Peterson is] likely giving a lot of thought to how he failed to embrace Giuliani's attention to potholes and crime. Other mayors should do the same." Potholes and crime: Sound familiar, Tulsa?
snapped shot · exposing photojournalism one frame at a time
Like the slogan says, this blog is about photojournalism, with a special emphasis on the way images are used to affect the West's view of the situation in the Middle East.
strange maps: 206 - Going, Going, Gone: the Old Cherokee Country
A 1900 map depicting the shrinkage of Cherokee lands in the east from their greatest extent to the final treaty before removal to the west, plus an informative historical timeline of Cherokee history from the early 1700s to the present.
World On the Web: Rules of engagement
Tony Woodlief explains how he's going to handle debate in the comboxes: "I will endeavor to exhibit, and will only engage in discourse with those who exhibit, the following qualities." Those are Civility, Logic, and Humility. About Civility he writes: "I think in a Comments forum, however, which endeavors to be something like a roundtable discussion, and where the participants know relatively little about one another's lives, I ought not to attribute motives, ridicule someone's point of view, or speak in a generally combative or mean-spirited manner. Civility doesn't require that I refrain from disagreeing with someone. It means that I begin with the assumptions that: 1) I may be the only Christ someone meets today; 2) the person I'm addressing has good motives; and 3) my responsibility is to make a valuable point, not to score points."
OpinionJournal: Evangelicals and Evil Empires
Why are evangelical social conservatives open to a Giuliani presidency? Because they care about foreign policy, too, for the sake of their persecuted Christian brethren in Muslim-ruled countries, just as they cared about their brethren behind the Iron Curtain:
"John Wilson, editor of Books and Culture, the literary journal associated with Christianity Today, recalls going to Sunday evening church services in the 1950s: 'Every year, we heard a speaker or two who had come from "behind the Iron Curtain." They had harrowing tales to tell, sometimes first-person, sometimes not. There was a palpable sense of a world-scale conflict with godless communism.'...
"The tales of missionaries from Islamic countries may even be more harrowing than those Mr. Wilson heard as a youngster: 'In the past you had missionaries come back and talk about being imprisoned. Now you have reports from people about beheadings and bombings.' [Timothy Shaw] also cites Voice of the Martyrs, a publication widely circulated among evangelical churches, 'which contains lurid accounts of Christian missionaries being killed and attacked in mostly Islamic countries.'"
No Blog of Significance: Fat City
"The pitiful part is that it's just not that hard to avoid becoming morbidly obese. The whole key is to get some regular exercise, to move around. Exercise helps to regulate your appetite; muscle mass helps to regulate blood sugar and keep your metabolism high. It helps keep your cholesterol down and your blood pressure in a decent range. It is almost impossible to pound down calories so fast that a reasonably active person will become morbidly obese. So count on it--if you are morbidly obese, or getting there, you are not getting enough exercise. What you are calling exercise--ain't. If it was, you wouldn't be in danger of needing a belly ottoman..."
THOUGHTS FROM MILLER MANOR: Holiday Shopping Carnival
A baker's dozen of simple but appreciated Christmas gift ideas for friends and family.
Defense and the National Interest: Boyd and Military Strategy
What is an OODA Loop and how does it affect our ability to succeed in war or any competitive situation? Here are a series of lectures given by the man who developed the concept. (Via Hugh Hewitt.)
Townhall.com: Patrick Ruffini: The Top 10 Things to Know About '08
Ruffini is already learning lessons about presidential campaign strategy from the '08 race, including, "Nice Guys Finish Last. The polls say that the public despises negative politics. The polls are wrong," and "Be the Guy (or Gal) People Want to Vote For. Emotion, charisma, and nostalgia are still huge factors in driving the vote. Committed observers of politics disparage this basic fact -- while candidates who are able to establish an emotional connection with the voters keep laughing all the way to the White House."
JunkYardBlog: Country Music: Where To Begin?
See-Dubya offers a half... hearted -- that's the word -- guide for newcomers to country music. He starts off his recommendations with Johnny Cash and Dwight Yoakam, and nominates a few starting points in categories like technical picking wizardry, vocal harmony, baritones, and female vocalists. Add your own suggestions.
OpenCongress - "Congress, I'm Watching" Widget
A little blog gadget that allows you to notify the world which bills you want to see pass, and which you want to see fail. (Via Captain's Quarters.)
Captain's Quarters: Have The Wheels Come Off For Hillary?
The planted questions scandal and other attempts to control the questions Hillary Clinton gets asked: "Why did the Clinton campaign want [the Grinnell student] to keep quiet? A better question is why the campaign feels the need to exercise such tight control over Hillary Clinton. Is she such a bad candidate on the stump that they have to fake questions and attempt to intimidate and vilify national news reporters in order to keep people from discovering it? Apparently they think so. And if they think she's that bad, imagine how bad she really is."
BaylyBlog: You ain't really cultured 'less you can...
A twenty-question pop-cultural awareness quiz. I only know 10 of them for sure. Question 14 is "Name the Chicago Bears defensive tackle who scored a touchdown in Super Bowl XX."
Likelihood of Success: Orthomom blogger fights and wins on blogger anonymity
Ron Coleman, who serves as General Counsel of the Media Bloggers Association, looks at a New York Internet anonymity case: "An opinion can be harmful, and there is no inherent reason why the victim of slanderous opinions should not know who is uttering them. Short of fear of the Klan or the local drug kingpin, most anonymous commentary is simply a matter of moral cowardice. But it is well established that defamation suits have a way of chilling even meritorious free speech. Until we find a way to make people accountable for what they say that does not hinge on legal sanctions, this unfortunate form of asymmetrical assault will remain with us."
WSJ.com: News Corp. Says Business Strong, Sees End to Journal Web Fees
The firewalls may be coming down on the Wall Street Journal's website. "On WSJ.com, [News Corp. head Rupert] Murdoch said, 'We are studying it and we expect to make [the site] free and, instead of having one million [subscribers], having at least 10 million-15 million in every corner of the earth.' He said he believes that a free model, with its increased readership, will attract 'large numbers' of big-spending advertisers." WSJ has been one of the few fee-for-access success stories in the online publishing world. (Via Club for Growth.) Good news for bloggers who want to link to WSJ stories.
internetmonk.com: I'm Not Afraid of Atheists or Their Movie
"You need to get ready for the 'new atheism' to become a factor in every facet of our culture. We won't get ready for that if we protest The Golden Compass or the twenty atheist-friendly Hollywood products that are coming soon to a theater near you. No, it's time to love your enemy.... It's time to find ways for the light to shine winsomely. It's time to be a servant for Jesus' sake. It's time to give a reason for the hope that is in us. It's time to turn and face the atheist challenge and not protest, run away or declare war."
National Review: Thomas Sowell: Choose wisely
Sound advice to bright students: "... one of the tragic misconceptions of many students and their parents is that you have to go to a prestigious, big-name academic institution to really get ahead and reach the top.... at a small college without the prestige of big-name research universities, the introductory courses which provide a foundation for higher courses are more likely to be taught by experienced professors who are teachers more so than researchers. Maybe that is why graduates of such colleges often go on to do better than the graduates of big-name research universities."
JOHN BRUMMETT: The very best Arkansas has to offer
Brummett on Huckabee and Hillary: "Being a longtime political writer in the little Southern state of Arkansas positions one for a couple of insights into presidential politics. One is that we propel our candidates by the most superficial of judgments. The other is that we may as well do that, since there apparently isn't much political talent out there in the first place."
ColorSchemer - Online Color Scheme Generator
Start with a color, specified in RGB or hex, and generate a complementary palette of 16 colors. Handy for web design.
emptyage: Jimmy Carter: He will slay your cat
From a 1990 note (on ex-presidential stationery) to his brother Billy's widow: "Lamentably, I killed your cat while trying just to sting it. It was crouched, as usual, under one of our bird feeders & I fired from some distance with bird shot. It may ease your grief somewhat to know that the cat was buried properly with a prayer & that I'll be glad to get you another of your choice." (Via Hot Air.)
"Did you catch that, nestled amidst the Cracker-barrel folksiness? 'My friends, we must remember that rights come from God, and not from Government.' It's already creating some buzz because it's a radical statement. And a true one. And a very important one." But it is not a new statement, notes See-Dubya, and he says, "It's big questions like this that I want to hear the answer to more than the small policy details. Like any battle plan, those small things won't survive first contact with the enemy (or the opposition, as the case may be). The principles might."
A final observation from See-Dubya: "One more thing--politically, this is an appealing position because it is religious and acknowledges God without being churchy or condescending or sappy. Compare these terse and reverent invocations of Deity to the showy treacle the Democratic candidates engage in when they take to the pulpits."
JunkYardBlog: Pat Robertson's desperate plea for relevance
See-Dubya's take on Robertson's endorsement of Giuliani is spot on.
iowahawk: My Book to Help America
iowahawk has posted scans of every page of this wartime children's book written and illustrated by Munro Leaf, the famed author of The Story of Ferdinand. It's all about teaching little boys and girls what they could do to help America win the war.
Jaunted: Best US Airports for WiFi
LAS, PHX, and PDX are doing it right -- free and reliable WiFi for travelers. "Lots of airports still don't even offer WiFi to travelers passing through, and we can't figure out why. In our view, it's another utility that should be provided for free, just like bathrooms and A/C." Here's Jaunted's Google map of free airport WiFi. They're missing at least two airports where I've used free WiFi: PNS and ABQ. And Clayton Cramer says they have free WiFi at DIA and BOI.
FunDenver - Fun stuff in Denver, Colorado
Cool idea: A wiki for documenting fun things for grownups in and around Denver: Coffee houses, pubs, bookstores, live music venues, cool neighborhoods, restaurants, late night establishments, and places where you can find free Wifi.
Louisville Courier-Journal: Businesses would pay 17% of tax
On the ballot Tuesday, a Louisville initiative to fund the metro library system from a combination of occupation tax (increasing the existing 2.2% tax by 0.2%) and a net-profits tax on businesses. The local chamber of commerce endorsed the tax, an uncharacteristic move for that chamber. (Via Club for Growth.)
RedState: Election Guide: November 6 ,2007
There are elections tomorrow: A school choice initiative in Utah, plus statewide or legislative races in five states. Adam C. has the scoop.
Hot Air: Video: Fred rips Huckabee
A quick response to Huckabee's shot at Thompson: "Thompson manages to pound Huckabee into a fine powder without ever coming across as harsh or even particularly angry. It's as solid an appearance as I've seen Thompson deliver since the official announcement that he's running."
JunkYardBlog: Sunday-go-to-meetin' blogging
Johnny Cash, the Carter Family, and the Statler Brothers sing "Peace in the Valley" and Billy Graham sings the praises of just-opened Texas Stadium in this clip from Graham's 1971 Greater Southwest Crusade.
Townhall.com: Lorie Byrd: Blue Dress Democrats and the Clinton Scandal Effect
Republicans shouldn't be gleeful at the thought of facing Hillary Clinton in a general election, says Lorie Byrd: "When Republicans step in to fill the role the media has neglected and remind the public of Hillary's skeletons, they will be slammed as negative right wing conspirators. Or Neanderthal cavemen afraid of a powerful woman. Or Clinton haters - that one worked particularly well for Bill.... If she could play victim to a Ken Starr figure again there is no telling how many percentage points she might pick up. Don't underestimate the power of the Blue Dress Democrats and the ability of a Clinton to turn a scandal into an advantage."
