Saturday, May 15, 2010
Landmark!
Tonight's CBS News included the FIRST truly open-minded and truly unprejudiced feature on "global warming."
Overall, CBS alone is bravely returning to the pre-Watergate form of journalism, in which reporters try to find out what happened and tell the viewers about it. CBS is returning to the proud tradition of Bob Trout.
All the other broadcast media are stuck in the post-Watergate form of journalism, in which reporters KISS, EMBRACE, AND CELEBRATE everything and everyone who is Officially Approved By The Party this week, and SMASH TO BITS everything and everyone who is Officially Liquidated By The Party. These other media remain in the proud tradition of Pol Pot. ¶ 6:00 PM
Overall, CBS alone is bravely returning to the pre-Watergate form of journalism, in which reporters try to find out what happened and tell the viewers about it. CBS is returning to the proud tradition of Bob Trout.
All the other broadcast media are stuck in the post-Watergate form of journalism, in which reporters KISS, EMBRACE, AND CELEBRATE everything and everyone who is Officially Approved By The Party this week, and SMASH TO BITS everything and everyone who is Officially Liquidated By The Party. These other media remain in the proud tradition of Pol Pot. ¶ 6:00 PM
Vacuous dictionaries
A scientific trivium making the rounds this week:
Australian physicist finds long-standing "error" in dictionaries.
In a narrow strict sense, Hughes is right.
But as much as I enjoy seeing the experts knocked off their horses, I have to conclude that the dictionaries are perfectly correct in practical usage, which is the main job of a dictionary.
Here's the familiar siphon. Gravity is certainly involved; the liquid level in the destination must be lower than the liquid in the source. As long as the source has higher potential energy than the destination, you'll get flow, even though part of the hose may go higher than either level.
But atmospheric pressure is more salient to the task. As Polistra shows in #1, you have to create a pressure lower than ambient at the far end of the hose, in order to fill the hose completely with liquid. And then you have to keep air strictly out of the hose during the transfer; otherwise the adhesive forces between the liquid molecules will break, and the flow will stop.
In any practical siphon, your manipulation of air pressure is more important than your manipulation of gravity.
= = = = =
Initially I wasn't going to write about this until I saw this more recent news item which coincidentally proves the point from a different angle. BP is using a "siphon tube" to pull oil from the busted wellhead in the Gulf. Gravity has nothing to do with this process; they're certainly not trying to transfer the oil into an even deeper undersea well! And yet we all understand what they mean by a siphon: a pumping action that depends on keeping air out of the tube. ¶ 3:02 PM
Australian physicist finds long-standing "error" in dictionaries.
Dr. Stephen Hughes of the University of Technology in Brisbane said he was researching an article for science teachers when he discovered an error in the definition of "siphon."
He said the definition falsely claims siphons work due to atmospheric pressure when it is actually gravity that performs the function.
In a narrow strict sense, Hughes is right.
But as much as I enjoy seeing the experts knocked off their horses, I have to conclude that the dictionaries are perfectly correct in practical usage, which is the main job of a dictionary.
Here's the familiar siphon. Gravity is certainly involved; the liquid level in the destination must be lower than the liquid in the source. As long as the source has higher potential energy than the destination, you'll get flow, even though part of the hose may go higher than either level.
But atmospheric pressure is more salient to the task. As Polistra shows in #1, you have to create a pressure lower than ambient at the far end of the hose, in order to fill the hose completely with liquid. And then you have to keep air strictly out of the hose during the transfer; otherwise the adhesive forces between the liquid molecules will break, and the flow will stop.
In any practical siphon, your manipulation of air pressure is more important than your manipulation of gravity.
= = = = =
Initially I wasn't going to write about this until I saw this more recent news item which coincidentally proves the point from a different angle. BP is using a "siphon tube" to pull oil from the busted wellhead in the Gulf. Gravity has nothing to do with this process; they're certainly not trying to transfer the oil into an even deeper undersea well! And yet we all understand what they mean by a siphon: a pumping action that depends on keeping air out of the tube. ¶ 3:02 PM
No riddle, no enigma, no mystery
New Superstitionist has a special feature this week shouting:
Age of Denial! Why so many people refuse to believe the truth!
Well, that's easy. I don't even need to read the article.
Why?
Because everything you call "truth" is a perfect lie.
Because every rational person can now find facts, apply logic, and recognize your "truth" to be perfectly false.
Because the profession of "science" stopped practicing science and started practicing a corrupt religion, blinded by a comprehensive and universal anti-theist theology, and equally blinded by billions of dollars from governments and corporations.
= = = = =
(In fairness, there are still many areas of science that are not corrupt, areas where truth is still truth. But the article is defending the corrupt parts. The article is asking, with perfect blockheaded stupidity, why outsiders recognize corruption as corruption.) ¶ 10:18 AM
Age of Denial! Why so many people refuse to believe the truth!
Well, that's easy. I don't even need to read the article.
Why?
Because everything you call "truth" is a perfect lie.
Because every rational person can now find facts, apply logic, and recognize your "truth" to be perfectly false.
Because the profession of "science" stopped practicing science and started practicing a corrupt religion, blinded by a comprehensive and universal anti-theist theology, and equally blinded by billions of dollars from governments and corporations.
= = = = =
(In fairness, there are still many areas of science that are not corrupt, areas where truth is still truth. But the article is defending the corrupt parts. The article is asking, with perfect blockheaded stupidity, why outsiders recognize corruption as corruption.) ¶ 10:18 AM
Riddle, enigma, mystery
I've been wondering why the Commies in America held such an absolute unwavering hatred for Nixon.
Here's the structure or narrative that I start with:
Many American politicians worked against Soviet sabotage in the late '40s. Three of them made it to the Presidency: JFK, Nixon, Reagan. We tend to think of these men as belonging to different generations because they reached the top at different times and different situations. But in fact they were around the same age, worked together against Commies in the '40s, and had the same basic approach to life and politics.
All three were taken out by Commies in various ways. JFK was straightforwardly assassinated by KGB agent Oswald. Nixon was forced from office by a conspiracy of Soviets in Congress with Soviets in the media. KGB agent Bush Senior tried to assassinate Reagan but narrowly and miraculously failed; nevertheless, Reagan was weakened and KGB agent Bush Senior effectively took over by 1987 (strongly assisted by the same Soviet Congress/media collusion) then officially grabbed the office the next year.
This narrative accounts for JFK and Reagan, but doesn't really fit Nixon. After all, Nixon did more for the Left than any other president. He gave us Abortion, Affirmative Action and Environmentalism, the three Holy Sacraments of modern Gramscians. He pulled out of Vietnam, though he did some stupid things in the process. He appeared to be soft on Russia. This should have been enough to generate some forgiveness.
New info sheds considerable light on the problem and forces me to rethink Nixon. Today's London Telegraph features revelations by an old Chinese insider, presumably with the imprimatur of the Chinese govt.
In other words, all the talk of detente was a deception, and Nixon remained just as solidly anti-Soviet as Kennedy and Reagan. More, in fact! ¶ 9:15 AM
Here's the structure or narrative that I start with:
Many American politicians worked against Soviet sabotage in the late '40s. Three of them made it to the Presidency: JFK, Nixon, Reagan. We tend to think of these men as belonging to different generations because they reached the top at different times and different situations. But in fact they were around the same age, worked together against Commies in the '40s, and had the same basic approach to life and politics.
All three were taken out by Commies in various ways. JFK was straightforwardly assassinated by KGB agent Oswald. Nixon was forced from office by a conspiracy of Soviets in Congress with Soviets in the media. KGB agent Bush Senior tried to assassinate Reagan but narrowly and miraculously failed; nevertheless, Reagan was weakened and KGB agent Bush Senior effectively took over by 1987 (strongly assisted by the same Soviet Congress/media collusion) then officially grabbed the office the next year.
This narrative accounts for JFK and Reagan, but doesn't really fit Nixon. After all, Nixon did more for the Left than any other president. He gave us Abortion, Affirmative Action and Environmentalism, the three Holy Sacraments of modern Gramscians. He pulled out of Vietnam, though he did some stupid things in the process. He appeared to be soft on Russia. This should have been enough to generate some forgiveness.
New info sheds considerable light on the problem and forces me to rethink Nixon. Today's London Telegraph features revelations by an old Chinese insider, presumably with the imprimatur of the Chinese govt.
Liu Chenshan, the author of a series of articles that chronicle the five times China has faced a nuclear threat since 1949, wrote that the most serious threat came in 1969 at the height of a bitter border dispute between Moscow and Beijing that left more than one thousand people dead on both sides.
He said Soviet diplomats warned Washington of Moscow's plans "to wipe out the Chinese threat and get rid of this modern adventurer" with a nuclear strike, asking the US to remain neutral.
Washington then told Moscow the United States would not stand idly by but launch its own nuclear attack against the Soviet Union if it attacked China, loosing nuclear missiles at 130 Soviet cities. The threat worked, he added, and made Moscow think twice, while forcing the two countries to regulate their border dispute at the negotiating table.
In other words, all the talk of detente was a deception, and Nixon remained just as solidly anti-Soviet as Kennedy and Reagan. More, in fact! ¶ 9:15 AM
Friday, May 14, 2010
Chee! Annie's sorta gone!
Bein' as Polistra an' Happystar are some kinda offspring o' th' original Annie an' Sandy, Polistra thinks she oughta write a note 'bout th' comin' end o' th' Annie comic strip.
Howsomever, this is some kinda no-count event, coz Annie actual died in 1968 whenever her auther Mr. Harold Gray died.
Yi! Enuff o' th' silly spellin! Enuff o' th' 'postrophes!!!
= = = = =
Harold Gray was a serious man, fiercely anti-Communist and pro-Christian, and his successors (though good artists) abolished his message. In fact, Annie's reputation for foolish optimism comes mainly from the post-'68 travesty.
Orwell as always. Best way to destroy an effective anti-Party message is to steal it and turn it into an absurd parody, and that's exactly what the post-Gray abusers of the franchise were doing.
Polistra used that idiotic reputation a few times to make points about our current collaborationist governments.
A far better tribute is a good sharp fragment of Gray's original writing: this sequence is a fine example.
Come to think of it, the closest modern equivalent of the original Annie is South Park. Nobody else, in print or broadcast, does such a fine job of pricking busybodies, do-gooders, and oleaginous censors; nobody else so consistently defends plain old common sense.
= = = = =
Update 6/13: When Gray died in '68, the strip lost its 'heart' and I stopped reading it ... but according to this article, Gray's successors later recaptured the proper spirit of Annie. I should have given the strip another chance. Wouldn't have mattered in the last twenty years anyway, since I stopped reading newspapers altogether. (Along with everyone else who might have appreciated Annie!) Fortunately, looks like the syndicate plans to give Annie a new life online, which will be distinctly welcome and worth paying for. ¶ 8:39 AM
Howsomever, this is some kinda no-count event, coz Annie actual died in 1968 whenever her auther Mr. Harold Gray died.
Yi! Enuff o' th' silly spellin! Enuff o' th' 'postrophes!!!
= = = = =
Harold Gray was a serious man, fiercely anti-Communist and pro-Christian, and his successors (though good artists) abolished his message. In fact, Annie's reputation for foolish optimism comes mainly from the post-'68 travesty.
Orwell as always. Best way to destroy an effective anti-Party message is to steal it and turn it into an absurd parody, and that's exactly what the post-Gray abusers of the franchise were doing.
Polistra used that idiotic reputation a few times to make points about our current collaborationist governments.
A far better tribute is a good sharp fragment of Gray's original writing: this sequence is a fine example.
Come to think of it, the closest modern equivalent of the original Annie is South Park. Nobody else, in print or broadcast, does such a fine job of pricking busybodies, do-gooders, and oleaginous censors; nobody else so consistently defends plain old common sense.
= = = = =
Update 6/13: When Gray died in '68, the strip lost its 'heart' and I stopped reading it ... but according to this article, Gray's successors later recaptured the proper spirit of Annie. I should have given the strip another chance. Wouldn't have mattered in the last twenty years anyway, since I stopped reading newspapers altogether. (Along with everyone else who might have appreciated Annie!) Fortunately, looks like the syndicate plans to give Annie a new life online, which will be distinctly welcome and worth paying for. ¶ 8:39 AM
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Attempted does not equal failed.
Seems like a minor semantic point but it's an important barrier to clear thinking.
In discussions of the Times Square bomber Mohammed bin Shazam, nearly all the media describe the event as an "attempted bombing" and describe Shazam as "the alleged attempted bomber."
Only NPR gets it consistently right, calling his event "a failed bombing".
When you say failed you're implying that he did everything he meant to do, but his skills weren't up to the job, or his materials weren't good enough to make the kind of explosion he wanted.
When you say attempted you're implying that Shazam was prevented from carrying out his intended action.
And you're further implying that it was our dear loyal FBI who stopped him. Most of the media go ahead and say this explicitly.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FALSE. The FBI didn't stop him until after his mission was complete.
And that's unfortunately normal. All the plots FBI has "thwarted" were half-baked imaginings by half-serious people who were easy to sting. All the serious events have proceeded to their conclusion. In some cases, like Nidal Hasan or Naveed Haq or the Little Rock military recruiter, the conclusion was deadly. In other cases, like Shazam, the conclusion was a dud.
But the distinction between a death and a dud has no connection with the efforts of the police. It's just a matter of skill, or in this particular case it could be an intentional lack of training and materials, a test or diversion.
We've also blurred the role of intention and policing in earlier assassinations. No doubt about Oswald; he completed his KGB assignment fully, and we reckon his seriousness appropriately. But in the paired KGB assassinations of John Paul 2 and Ronald Reagan, we deliberately underestimate their seriousness by calling them attempted assassinations. Hinckley and Agca were only marginally less deadly than Oswald; in fact they were only thwarted by excellent modern medical techniques. Police didn't stop them. If Reagan hadn't been close to a hospital with lots of gunshot experience, he very likely would have died.
That's not an attempted assassination; that's a failed assassination.
= = = = =
Encouraging: This morning MSNBC seems to understand the difference. In fact they've used a livelier phrase: "Failed is not the same as foiled."
¶ 6:43 PM
Seems like a minor semantic point but it's an important barrier to clear thinking.
In discussions of the Times Square bomber Mohammed bin Shazam, nearly all the media describe the event as an "attempted bombing" and describe Shazam as "the alleged attempted bomber."
Only NPR gets it consistently right, calling his event "a failed bombing".
When you say failed you're implying that he did everything he meant to do, but his skills weren't up to the job, or his materials weren't good enough to make the kind of explosion he wanted.
When you say attempted you're implying that Shazam was prevented from carrying out his intended action.
And you're further implying that it was our dear loyal FBI who stopped him. Most of the media go ahead and say this explicitly.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FALSE. The FBI didn't stop him until after his mission was complete.
And that's unfortunately normal. All the plots FBI has "thwarted" were half-baked imaginings by half-serious people who were easy to sting. All the serious events have proceeded to their conclusion. In some cases, like Nidal Hasan or Naveed Haq or the Little Rock military recruiter, the conclusion was deadly. In other cases, like Shazam, the conclusion was a dud.
But the distinction between a death and a dud has no connection with the efforts of the police. It's just a matter of skill, or in this particular case it could be an intentional lack of training and materials, a test or diversion.
We've also blurred the role of intention and policing in earlier assassinations. No doubt about Oswald; he completed his KGB assignment fully, and we reckon his seriousness appropriately. But in the paired KGB assassinations of John Paul 2 and Ronald Reagan, we deliberately underestimate their seriousness by calling them attempted assassinations. Hinckley and Agca were only marginally less deadly than Oswald; in fact they were only thwarted by excellent modern medical techniques. Police didn't stop them. If Reagan hadn't been close to a hospital with lots of gunshot experience, he very likely would have died.
That's not an attempted assassination; that's a failed assassination.
= = = = =
Encouraging: This morning MSNBC seems to understand the difference. In fact they've used a livelier phrase: "Failed is not the same as foiled."
¶ 6:43 PM
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Canadian Cancer Cure update! Success!
I've been helping to support experiments at Univ of Alberta, testing the effectiveness of Dichloroacetate (DCA) as a cancer cure.
There hasn't been any news for a couple years, until today:
Yay!
Dichloroacetate is a simple chemical that develops on its own in city water systems, and it's so easy to synthesize that Big Pharma is completely uninterested in working with it. No huge profits, no way to monopolize a patent.
That's exactly why this is so important. It opens up a super-cheap cancer cure.
And obviously that's why the research has to be supported by ordinary people.
= = = = =
A bit later: Google finds one unsurprising fact and one surprising fact.
Unsurprising: This discovery is well-covered in Canadian media but not mentioned even once in American media.
Consider that every US cable "news" program and every US "local" TV "news" broadcast includes at least one item each day about some kind of cancer study ... or more precisely, one item each day about some kind of breast cancer study. American "news" is, after all, written solely by women and solely for women. Well, now we have a genuine and likely cure for many cancers, which is already known to work on breast cancer in mice, and will be tested next on breast cancer in humans. You'd think such a wonderful development would merit just one brief mention? Nah. Only the expensive high-profit stuff gets mentioned in America. If it's not on a corporate press release, it doesn't exist.
Surprising: On this same day, an Edmonton man was arrested in Phoenix for selling fake DCA, apparently just sugar.
There is plenty of underground web-based interest in DCA, showing that (as usual) the people know the truth no matter how hard our Gramscian masters try to keep it from us.
What's specifically surprising, and maybe even a bit hopeful: American authorities arrested the faker, not the real researchers. ¶ 12:56 PM
There hasn't been any news for a couple years, until today:
Medical Researchers at the University of Alberta reported today evidence that the orphan generic drug Dichloroacetate (DCA) may hold promise as potential therapy for perhaps the deadliest of all human cancers: a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma. The report is published at the journal Science Translational Medicine, a journal of the American Association of the Advancement of Science; it appears today at the journal's web site http://www.sciencemag.org/
In 2007 the U of A team led by Dr Michelakis, published evidence that DCA reverses cancer growth in non-human models and test tubes. The team showed then that DCA achieves these antitumor effects by altering the metabolism of cancer. By altering the way cancer handles its nutrient fuels, specifically the sugars, DCA was able to take away cancer's most important strength, the resistance to death [of the cancer cells, that is!] Since then, several independent groups across the world have confirmed the Alberta team's findings. In December 2009, the editors of "Science" predicted that cancer metabolism is one of only 5 areas across all scientific disciplines, to "watch for major breakthroughs" in 2010.
The U of A team set out to show that the way that DCA works in actual patients is the same with the way it works in the lab. In addition, researchers wanted to show whether DCA is safe and possibly effective in very sick patients with brain cancer.
By extracting glioblastomas from 49 patients over a period of 2 years and studying them within minutes of removal in the operating room, the team showed that tumors respond to DCA by changing their metabolism. Then, the team treated 5 patients with advanced glioblastoma and secured tumor tissues before and after the DCA therapy. By comparing the two, the team showed that DCA works in these tumors exactly as was predicted by test tube experiments.
...
The U of A results are encouraging and support the need for larger clinical trials with DCA. This work is also one of the first in humans to support the emerging idea that altering the metabolism of tumors is a new direction in the treatment of cancer, Michelakis and Petruk said.
One of the intriguing features of this work was that it was funded largely by public donations, including philanthropic foundations and individuals. In addition, it received support by Alberta public institutions, both the University of Alberta and Alberta Health Sciences. The multidisciplinary team that performed this challenging translational research included members of the Departments of Medicine, Diagnostic Imaging and Biomedical Engineering, Oncology and Neurosurgery. Clinicians, scientists, nurses and graduate students worked together for 2 years and express their gratitude to the people of Alberta, philanthropists, the patients and their families.
Yay!
Dichloroacetate is a simple chemical that develops on its own in city water systems, and it's so easy to synthesize that Big Pharma is completely uninterested in working with it. No huge profits, no way to monopolize a patent.
That's exactly why this is so important. It opens up a super-cheap cancer cure.
And obviously that's why the research has to be supported by ordinary people.
= = = = =
A bit later: Google finds one unsurprising fact and one surprising fact.
Unsurprising: This discovery is well-covered in Canadian media but not mentioned even once in American media.
Consider that every US cable "news" program and every US "local" TV "news" broadcast includes at least one item each day about some kind of cancer study ... or more precisely, one item each day about some kind of breast cancer study. American "news" is, after all, written solely by women and solely for women. Well, now we have a genuine and likely cure for many cancers, which is already known to work on breast cancer in mice, and will be tested next on breast cancer in humans. You'd think such a wonderful development would merit just one brief mention? Nah. Only the expensive high-profit stuff gets mentioned in America. If it's not on a corporate press release, it doesn't exist.
Surprising: On this same day, an Edmonton man was arrested in Phoenix for selling fake DCA, apparently just sugar.
There is plenty of underground web-based interest in DCA, showing that (as usual) the people know the truth no matter how hard our Gramscian masters try to keep it from us.
What's specifically surprising, and maybe even a bit hopeful: American authorities arrested the faker, not the real researchers. ¶ 12:56 PM
Something weird for sure
I mentioned yesterday that some weird energy seemed to be hitting Spokane. Sure enough ... on the east side of town a mini-tornado struck exactly two houses, tearing down fences and busting a hole in one roof.
Since the end of the solidly nasty weather we've been in a strange 'popcorn' mode, with a set of odd little disturbances moving around in unusual directions, briefly interrupting otherwise excellent weather.
A five-minute windstorm on Sunday, a five-minute rainstorm on Monday, and now a five-minute tornadette on Tuesday. What's today's soup du jour? Five-minute time warp? ¶ 7:54 AM
Since the end of the solidly nasty weather we've been in a strange 'popcorn' mode, with a set of odd little disturbances moving around in unusual directions, briefly interrupting otherwise excellent weather.
A five-minute windstorm on Sunday, a five-minute rainstorm on Monday, and now a five-minute tornadette on Tuesday. What's today's soup du jour? Five-minute time warp? ¶ 7:54 AM
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
I'll tell you how
Rush just now: "I don't know how we could have a [president] who is worse than what we have now."
Easy.
We could have McCain.
Manchurian Candidate McCain had the same agenda as Comrade Obama. Affirmative action, open borders, prosecute American soldiers, bomb Christians, kiss Arab terrorists, close Guantanamo, donate all American industry to China, donate all American wealth to Goldman Sachs, Roe v Wade "is settled law", carbon is evil, we must eliminate carbon by destroying the pitiful ragged fraction of industry we still have.
Scorched earth. Do to America what Hitler and Tojo couldn't manage to do.
I double-dog-damn-DARE you to find the tiniest speck of difference between these two monsters.
But why would McCain be worse? Because he would have no opposition.
Democrats would go along with everything on his agenda because it's their agenda in the first place.
Repooflicans would go along with everything on his agenda because they're a pack of mindless fagass bitchass cowardass shit-eating microbes who automatically obey the "titular head" of their "party".
= = = = =
My, we're in a fine mood this morning, aren't we?
Wonder if it's the sunspots. I noticed that drivers are acting crazy this morning; had a couple of truly weird close calls on my daily walk, even though I was being extra-careful and extra-patient. ¶ 11:54 AM
Easy.
We could have McCain.
Manchurian Candidate McCain had the same agenda as Comrade Obama. Affirmative action, open borders, prosecute American soldiers, bomb Christians, kiss Arab terrorists, close Guantanamo, donate all American industry to China, donate all American wealth to Goldman Sachs, Roe v Wade "is settled law", carbon is evil, we must eliminate carbon by destroying the pitiful ragged fraction of industry we still have.
Scorched earth. Do to America what Hitler and Tojo couldn't manage to do.
I double-dog-damn-DARE you to find the tiniest speck of difference between these two monsters.
But why would McCain be worse? Because he would have no opposition.
Democrats would go along with everything on his agenda because it's their agenda in the first place.
Repooflicans would go along with everything on his agenda because they're a pack of mindless fagass bitchass cowardass shit-eating microbes who automatically obey the "titular head" of their "party".
= = = = =
My, we're in a fine mood this morning, aren't we?
Wonder if it's the sunspots. I noticed that drivers are acting crazy this morning; had a couple of truly weird close calls on my daily walk, even though I was being extra-careful and extra-patient. ¶ 11:54 AM
Old Joe knew Kagan
Well, not personally, but he knew everything about her anyway. Was Joe McCarthy prophetic? Nope, he was simply right about Commies, and Commies haven't changed in quality since 1954.
Judge for yourself with these two short segments:
Joe on the risks of putting homosexuals in high positions
Joe on Commies at Harvard
The qualities of our masters haven't changed from 1954 to 2010, but the quantities have changed drastically.
In Joe's time Communists owned about 30% of the Fed bureaucracy; they owned Harvard and Yale but not much else in education; they owned religious and cultural institutions in New York but none in America.
Now they own 80% of the Fed bureaucracy, 100% of education, 95% of churches, 90% of culture, 100% of the political parties.
Of course they're a different breed of Commies now; as Gramscians they're solidly allied with Wall Street, which gives them control over the money as well as the power. ¶ 6:45 AM
Judge for yourself with these two short segments:
Joe on the risks of putting homosexuals in high positions
Joe on Commies at Harvard
The qualities of our masters haven't changed from 1954 to 2010, but the quantities have changed drastically.
In Joe's time Communists owned about 30% of the Fed bureaucracy; they owned Harvard and Yale but not much else in education; they owned religious and cultural institutions in New York but none in America.
Now they own 80% of the Fed bureaucracy, 100% of education, 95% of churches, 90% of culture, 100% of the political parties.
Of course they're a different breed of Commies now; as Gramscians they're solidly allied with Wall Street, which gives them control over the money as well as the power. ¶ 6:45 AM
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Wanna get dizzy?
This has to be the supreme example of ... something.
If you want to see over 400 precise and detailed videos of old washing machines and old toilets in action, then Washers Galore is your channel! ¶ 1:58 PM
If you want to see over 400 precise and detailed videos of old washing machines and old toilets in action, then Washers Galore is your channel! ¶ 1:58 PM
Pray for Korea
Polistra sees South Koreans as the best hope to carry Christianity and civilization into the future, now that America and Europe have abjectly surrendered to all available false gods. (Though a few parts of Europe are just now starting to awaken...)
This morning an old friend reported a dream in which North Korea is massing for a final attack. Since this old friend has a direct wire to the Universe, she is often correct about such things.
Time for some extra prayer.
¶ 7:26 AM
This morning an old friend reported a dream in which North Korea is massing for a final attack. Since this old friend has a direct wire to the Universe, she is often correct about such things.
Time for some extra prayer.
¶ 7:26 AM
Friday, May 07, 2010
Mrs Hunholz
Making the milk-bottle cafe model reminded me, through some circuitous mental path, of my second-grade teacher Mrs Hunholz.
Google finds only two references to her, one obit-like paragraph and one mention of her "lifetime teaching achievement" award in 1977. She certainly deserved the latter. Mrs Hunholz spent her life teaching, and had an unparalleled talent.
She taught in Bluemont School, in a working-class area of Manhattan. Though Bluemont was only a few blocks from K-State, very few professors lived on that side of town. Most parents were mechanics or store clerks or Mexican migrants. (My parents didn't stay there long; this was their first year in Manhattan, and they were renting until they could save up enough to buy. The next year they moved into a higher-status area where they could keep up with the Prof Joneses.)
Mrs Hunholz knew how to deal with the wide range of behaviors and intellects that confronted her every year. She didn't need Individualized Education Plans or Diagnostic Criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (Of course those teacher-crippling devices weren't even imagined yet in 1956.)
She simply understood each kid, organized and delegated the work, and applied learning to every sense and muscle.
How do you keep the smarty-pants kids like me and Judy from getting bored and making trouble? How do you keep the behind-the-curve types like Fernando and Rayleen from getting lost and making trouble?
Mrs H knew how. She assigned the smarty-pants kids to individually tutor the behind-the-curve types. So I taught Fernando to read, Judy taught Rayleen to read, while Mrs H ran the middling types through the regular routine. It worked.
Most of all, Mrs Hunholz kept our hands and eyes and ears and noses and mouths full of learning. Lots of walking field trips to nearby businesses, various types of food always cooking at the back of the classroom. We learned how popcorn pops, how to make hominy from corn, how the bakery makes bread, how the dairy bottles milk and makes butter, how the butcher cuts meat.
She wasn't short on discipline when it was needed. Once I fell under the influence of a big fellow named Charlie, who gave me the choice of helping him bully others or taking the brunt of his bullying. Unfortunately I chose the former, helped Charlie steal crackers from a weak first-grader. Mrs H heard about it somehow, and I spent the next day standing up in the cloakroom among the wet boots and coats.
At the other end of the scale, she knew exactly when to skip organization and discipline. As a classic nerd, I've never been remotely competent at any sort of athletics. When the other boys were playing baseball at recess, I played in the dirt, building roads and houses. Mrs H made one gentle effort to get me into the team play, then apparently decided that I was learning more by building things than by throwing balls. All later teachers, from 3rd grade through 12th, forced me to participate in the ball games. This did not make me a good teammate or a good athlete; it only taught me repeatedly and miserably that nobody wanted me on their team.
You simply can't follow an act like Mrs Hunholz. The next three years of school, in the "better" part of town, presumably had teachers ... but I don't remember any of them. Grades 3,4,5, just a waste of time. It wasn't until Mr Guest in 6th grade that I encountered another real teacher.
= = = = = = = = = =
Here's a super-simplified memory image. Supposed to represent me, Fernando and Judy ... but of course Mrs Hunholz really had 35 kids under her wing!
= = = = =
Much later thought, triggered by NPR's little salute to the 60th anniversary of Charlotte's Web. A couple times Mrs Hunholz took advantage of my adult reading ability, letting me read that book to the class while she went somewhere else. I never had any trouble with the other kids; they apparently sensed that I was approved as "replacement teacher" for a few minutes. Sudden realization: Mrs H did for me exactly what Charlotte did for Wilbur.
Google finds only two references to her, one obit-like paragraph and one mention of her "lifetime teaching achievement" award in 1977. She certainly deserved the latter. Mrs Hunholz spent her life teaching, and had an unparalleled talent.
She taught in Bluemont School, in a working-class area of Manhattan. Though Bluemont was only a few blocks from K-State, very few professors lived on that side of town. Most parents were mechanics or store clerks or Mexican migrants. (My parents didn't stay there long; this was their first year in Manhattan, and they were renting until they could save up enough to buy. The next year they moved into a higher-status area where they could keep up with the Prof Joneses.)
Mrs Hunholz knew how to deal with the wide range of behaviors and intellects that confronted her every year. She didn't need Individualized Education Plans or Diagnostic Criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (Of course those teacher-crippling devices weren't even imagined yet in 1956.)
She simply understood each kid, organized and delegated the work, and applied learning to every sense and muscle.
How do you keep the smarty-pants kids like me and Judy from getting bored and making trouble? How do you keep the behind-the-curve types like Fernando and Rayleen from getting lost and making trouble?
Mrs H knew how. She assigned the smarty-pants kids to individually tutor the behind-the-curve types. So I taught Fernando to read, Judy taught Rayleen to read, while Mrs H ran the middling types through the regular routine. It worked.
Most of all, Mrs Hunholz kept our hands and eyes and ears and noses and mouths full of learning. Lots of walking field trips to nearby businesses, various types of food always cooking at the back of the classroom. We learned how popcorn pops, how to make hominy from corn, how the bakery makes bread, how the dairy bottles milk and makes butter, how the butcher cuts meat.
She wasn't short on discipline when it was needed. Once I fell under the influence of a big fellow named Charlie, who gave me the choice of helping him bully others or taking the brunt of his bullying. Unfortunately I chose the former, helped Charlie steal crackers from a weak first-grader. Mrs H heard about it somehow, and I spent the next day standing up in the cloakroom among the wet boots and coats.
At the other end of the scale, she knew exactly when to skip organization and discipline. As a classic nerd, I've never been remotely competent at any sort of athletics. When the other boys were playing baseball at recess, I played in the dirt, building roads and houses. Mrs H made one gentle effort to get me into the team play, then apparently decided that I was learning more by building things than by throwing balls. All later teachers, from 3rd grade through 12th, forced me to participate in the ball games. This did not make me a good teammate or a good athlete; it only taught me repeatedly and miserably that nobody wanted me on their team.
You simply can't follow an act like Mrs Hunholz. The next three years of school, in the "better" part of town, presumably had teachers ... but I don't remember any of them. Grades 3,4,5, just a waste of time. It wasn't until Mr Guest in 6th grade that I encountered another real teacher.
= = = = = = = = = =
Here's a super-simplified memory image. Supposed to represent me, Fernando and Judy ... but of course Mrs Hunholz really had 35 kids under her wing!
= = = = =
Much later thought, triggered by NPR's little salute to the 60th anniversary of Charlotte's Web. A couple times Mrs Hunholz took advantage of my adult reading ability, letting me read that book to the class while she went somewhere else. I never had any trouble with the other kids; they apparently sensed that I was approved as "replacement teacher" for a few minutes. Sudden realization: Mrs H did for me exactly what Charlotte did for Wilbur.Labels: Experiential education
¶ 3:31 PM
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Sleeping through Greece
There's a lot to be said for a proper Nationalist attitude, an understanding that one country is not the same place as another country.
And there's a lot to be said for thriftiness, for being 'independently poor', so that your subsistence doesn't depend on the flip of some rich asshole's dice.
= = = = =
Artistic note: The text above is really an incidental afterthought. Actually, I pictured this scene with Happystar sleeping in a nightcap, then I had to go ahead and build the image as a serene counterforce to the wind-induced tension of the last few weeks. ¶ 7:25 PM
There's a lot to be said for a proper Nationalist attitude, an understanding that one country is not the same place as another country.
And there's a lot to be said for thriftiness, for being 'independently poor', so that your subsistence doesn't depend on the flip of some rich asshole's dice.
= = = = =
Artistic note: The text above is really an incidental afterthought. Actually, I pictured this scene with Happystar sleeping in a nightcap, then I had to go ahead and build the image as a serene counterforce to the wind-induced tension of the last few weeks. ¶ 7:25 PM
Frank Lloyd Kim
Ran across these pictures of a painfully beautiful Korean park, somewhat reminiscent of Fallingwater.
These pix, especially the last one, show clearly why the Koreans will take over America's former niche. Modern Koreans are a lot like 1950's Americans (ie Americans before our mass vasectomy/lobotomy). They're jocular, unhindered by sensitivity or political correctness, maybe a bit too rambunctious, strongly religious, smart, hard-working, and above all practical! ¶ 1:22 PM
These pix, especially the last one, show clearly why the Koreans will take over America's former niche. Modern Koreans are a lot like 1950's Americans (ie Americans before our mass vasectomy/lobotomy). They're jocular, unhindered by sensitivity or political correctness, maybe a bit too rambunctious, strongly religious, smart, hard-working, and above all practical! ¶ 1:22 PM
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Accidental tort reform
News item:
This will be the best thing ever to happen to California.
All courts slowed down = Prosecutors will be unable to indulge their sadistic fetishes, unable to mount monstrously false Stalinist show trials against totally innocent people. They will be forced, grudgingly and reluctantly, to work only on real cases involving real crime. With luck some of them will find this drab chore so sexually frustrating that they will quit.
Divorce and custody proceedings impossible = More families will choose to stay together and find ways to make marriage work.
Civil lawsuits delayed many years = No way for plaintiffs to force settlements. When settlements happen through arbitration, they will have considerably more sense and fairness. Medical malpractice costs will drop significantly, pressure on other business will be eased.
I hope somebody like Walter Olson decides to keep track of this. Despite its worst and most evil intentions, Calif has been forced to enact the biggest and best tort reform project in American history, and the results need to be tabulated. ¶ 7:01 PM
The crisis results from the financially troubled state's decision to slash $393 million from state trial courts in the budget this year. The state also has been closing all California courthouses on the third Wednesday of every month, with employees unpaid for those days.
"It's unprecedented," said McCoy. "Even during the Great Depression we did not close down court operations. We kept the courts open."
What has emerged is a hobbled court system that is struggling to serve the public.
Custody hearings, divorce proceedings, small-claims disputes, juvenile dependency matters and civil lawsuits have been delayed amid the courtroom shutdowns in Los Angeles. Drivers who choose to fight traffic tickets now have to wait up to nine months to get a trial started.
Complex civil lawsuits involving business affairs could be stalled as long as four years, McCoy said, with a ripple effect in the business community.
This will be the best thing ever to happen to California.
All courts slowed down = Prosecutors will be unable to indulge their sadistic fetishes, unable to mount monstrously false Stalinist show trials against totally innocent people. They will be forced, grudgingly and reluctantly, to work only on real cases involving real crime. With luck some of them will find this drab chore so sexually frustrating that they will quit.
Divorce and custody proceedings impossible = More families will choose to stay together and find ways to make marriage work.
Civil lawsuits delayed many years = No way for plaintiffs to force settlements. When settlements happen through arbitration, they will have considerably more sense and fairness. Medical malpractice costs will drop significantly, pressure on other business will be eased.
I hope somebody like Walter Olson decides to keep track of this. Despite its worst and most evil intentions, Calif has been forced to enact the biggest and best tort reform project in American history, and the results need to be tabulated. ¶ 7:01 PM
!ha-ooooH
News item:
Marine recruits with Confederate-themed tattoos will be rejected.
Well, the solution is easy. Since the government residing in Washington belongs to the Army of Allah, all Arabic tattoos will be not only tolerated but Celebrated as Evidence of Diversity!!!!
Here's a Diverse Tattoo:
يجب أن يرتفع مرة أخرى في جنوب
¶ 6:31 PM
Marine recruits with Confederate-themed tattoos will be rejected.
Well, the solution is easy. Since the government residing in Washington belongs to the Army of Allah, all Arabic tattoos will be not only tolerated but Celebrated as Evidence of Diversity!!!!
Here's a Diverse Tattoo:
يجب أن يرتفع مرة أخرى في جنوب
¶ 6:31 PM
Milk bottles
After a nearly perfect March, most of April and the first week of May were nasty. Windy and rainy, climaxing in a serious windstorm on Monday. Worst storm since '91. I got lucky this time, no damage to trees or fence or house, but it was a fearful time and many local households weren't lucky.
Globally we're having an equally nasty windstorm of raw idiocy, a hail of impenetrable anti-science stupidity, and a flood of enemy collaboration. Allah's Army is taking over America with enthusiastic assistance from the Vichy government.
When times get tough Polistra gets going. She goes elsewhere and elsewhen.
Now that the local weather is improving again, Polistra has returned with pictures of her discoveries along the 1930s wayside.
¶ 6:13 PM
Globally we're having an equally nasty windstorm of raw idiocy, a hail of impenetrable anti-science stupidity, and a flood of enemy collaboration. Allah's Army is taking over America with enthusiastic assistance from the Vichy government.
When times get tough Polistra gets going. She goes elsewhere and elsewhen.
Now that the local weather is improving again, Polistra has returned with pictures of her discoveries along the 1930s wayside.
¶ 6:13 PM
Brownie's revenge
Michael Brown, who ended up as the fall guy for Bush's failure in Katrina, has come roaring back, stating all the facts and asking all the right questions clearly and concisely.
Last night Comrade Fucking Fool Anderson Cooper interviewed Brown. Comrade Fucking Fool Cooper tried every trick in the Leninist playbook, every cute word-twisting gambit, and Brown was ready for them all.
In the end Brown made mincemeat of Comrade Fucking Fool Cooper. Or should that be mincing-meat?
Damn, it's refreshing to hear someone on the side of truth who knows how to knock down the media. In the "global warming" discussions, all of the pro-science spokesmen have been too gentle and tentative, either unprepared or unwilling to kick the Commies in the nuts.
= = = = =
Sidenote: I'm ashamed to admit I went along with the fall-guy-izing of Brown in 2005. At that point I was suspicious of Bush but not yet certain he was working for the enemy. It was the Dubai port fiasco in early '06 that finally convinced me of Sultan Bush's complete treason. ¶ 7:58 AM
Last night Comrade Fucking Fool Anderson Cooper interviewed Brown. Comrade Fucking Fool Cooper tried every trick in the Leninist playbook, every cute word-twisting gambit, and Brown was ready for them all.
In the end Brown made mincemeat of Comrade Fucking Fool Cooper. Or should that be mincing-meat?
Damn, it's refreshing to hear someone on the side of truth who knows how to knock down the media. In the "global warming" discussions, all of the pro-science spokesmen have been too gentle and tentative, either unprepared or unwilling to kick the Commies in the nuts.
= = = = =
Sidenote: I'm ashamed to admit I went along with the fall-guy-izing of Brown in 2005. At that point I was suspicious of Bush but not yet certain he was working for the enemy. It was the Dubai port fiasco in early '06 that finally convinced me of Sultan Bush's complete treason. ¶ 7:58 AM
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Surprise Surprise! Shazam!
It's Gomer day in the terrorist world.
As usual, Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Shazam is generating all sorts of shock among our enemy media.
What? He's a Mohammedan?????? How can this be????? All terrorists are Southern Baptist members of the Tea Party!!!! Everyone knows this!!!! The FBI doesn't even bother to keep track of anyone who isn't a white Southerner, because everyone knows that only white Southerners are capable of crime!!!!
What? He comes from Pakistan? How can this be? Pakistan is our Loyal And Faithful Friend and Ally!
And he was flying to Dubai (on a one-way ticket paid by cash)??? How can this be? Dubai is our Loyal And Faithful Friend and Ally!
And he comes from a rich and privileged family? How can this be? Terrorists are always poor and underprivileged! Everyone knows this!!!!
And he got a Masters Degree in America? How can this be? Ignorance causes terrorism, and education cures terrorism! Our own Secretary of State has told us this!!!!!
= = = = =
Satire aside, the only slightly unusual thing about Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Shazam, his only real departure from an accurate profile of terrorists, is that his Masters Degree is in Business, not Engineering.
And credit where credit is due: on this story as on many others, CBS News is consistently a little closer to common sense than the other MSM sources, consistently a little less prone to the standard idiocy. ¶ 6:01 PM
As usual, Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Shazam is generating all sorts of shock among our enemy media.
What? He's a Mohammedan?????? How can this be????? All terrorists are Southern Baptist members of the Tea Party!!!! Everyone knows this!!!! The FBI doesn't even bother to keep track of anyone who isn't a white Southerner, because everyone knows that only white Southerners are capable of crime!!!!
What? He comes from Pakistan? How can this be? Pakistan is our Loyal And Faithful Friend and Ally!
And he was flying to Dubai (on a one-way ticket paid by cash)??? How can this be? Dubai is our Loyal And Faithful Friend and Ally!
And he comes from a rich and privileged family? How can this be? Terrorists are always poor and underprivileged! Everyone knows this!!!!
And he got a Masters Degree in America? How can this be? Ignorance causes terrorism, and education cures terrorism! Our own Secretary of State has told us this!!!!!
= = = = =
Satire aside, the only slightly unusual thing about Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Shazam, his only real departure from an accurate profile of terrorists, is that his Masters Degree is in Business, not Engineering.
And credit where credit is due: on this story as on many others, CBS News is consistently a little closer to common sense than the other MSM sources, consistently a little less prone to the standard idiocy. ¶ 6:01 PM
