Mo'i continues to do unreasonably well – his hair has now grown back enough to hide the square gray patch, and the incision has healed so well that it's now just barely visible.
Tomorrow Mo'i goes back to the vet for his two week checkup. The poor guy has spent the entire last two weeks in his crate, to enforce quiet and calm – he's going stir-crazy. Hopefully we will get the okay tomorrow to let the miserable mutt out of jail. If so, you can expect one very, very happy dog tomorrow night!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Correlation is Not Causation...
Found this little gem through Climate Skeptic. Just look at those two curves – obviously they are very closely correlated. Immediately the human mind leaps to the conclusion that one of them caused the other – but that seems quite unlikely in this case. Because, you know, rock 'n roll songs really aren't very closely related to U.S. domestic oil production. Just sayin'...
Read the whole snarky thing...
Video Explanations...
A few days ago, a well-done video was posted up on YouTube explaining the origins of the current financial crisis. The video paid particular attention to the role of Congress in first mandating mortgages for non-creditworthy home buyers (they didn't call it this, of course – but that's what it was), and secondly in refusing to impose restrictions or even oversight when things started to go awry nearly ten years ago. Instead they did the opposite, mandating more of these “dodgy debts” – featuring new provisions even dodgier than the old ones (that's where things like the 120%, no down payment, no document mortgages came from).
I didn't bother linking the video because it had gone viral – every major blog (on both sides of the issue) was carrying it. But yesterday the video was pulled, ostensibly because of copyright violations (something not often encountered in political ads). Many who oppose Obama suspect foul play, or at least dirty tricks. Meanwhile, the video (slightly modified) is still available here – if you're one of the 14 people and 33 monkeys who haven't already seen it, do watch it...
I didn't bother linking the video because it had gone viral – every major blog (on both sides of the issue) was carrying it. But yesterday the video was pulled, ostensibly because of copyright violations (something not often encountered in political ads). Many who oppose Obama suspect foul play, or at least dirty tricks. Meanwhile, the video (slightly modified) is still available here – if you're one of the 14 people and 33 monkeys who haven't already seen it, do watch it...
Sarah Palin Interview...
No, not the one with Gibson, or the one with Couric – the one with Hugh Hewitt (which you'll never hear on the lamestream media). An excerpt:
And how very appealing right about now...
Nothing really significant about these answers, except (for me, at least) this aspect: she doesn't sound like a politician. She sounds like a normal human being. How refreshing!Hugh Hewitt: Governor, let’s close with some foreign affairs. It is reported that you had an Israeli flag in your governor’s office. You wore an Israeli flag pin occasionally. One, is that true? And two, why your support for Israel?
Sarah Palin: Well, it is true, and I ran into Shimon Peres recently at a meeting, and he even pointed that out. He said I saw a picture of you on the internet, and you had an Israeli flag in your state government office, and I said I sure do. You know, my heart is with you. And all of those trials and tribulations throughout history that Israel has gone through, not only does that allow me to want to support that country, but Israel is our strongest and most important ally in the Middle East. And they are a democratic country who I believe deserves our support, and I know that John McCain believes as I do that Israel is our friend, and we need to be there to support them. They are there for us, and I do love that country.
Hugh Hewitt: Last question, Governor. Have you and Todd heard from your son? And how is it on your nerves having your son deployed?
Sarah Palin: That little stinker, I guess he’s called his girlfriend a couple of times, but can you believe he hasn’t called his momma yet? He’s over there. They were just leaving Kuwait heading into Iraq, and I am just so extremely proud of Track, my son, and all of the men and women, of course, serving in the military. I’m proud that my son made this independent and very wise decision as such a young man at 18, deciding you know, he realized there’s something he can do to help, to contribute, to help protect our nation, and I couldn’t be more proud of him and all those who choose to serve in our military. They’re serving for the right reasons. God bless them, God love them.
And how very appealing right about now...
Dodgy Debt...
Leave it to the British comedians to hit the nail directly on the head when it comes to lampooning the current financial craziness:
Those Pesky Youths...
Says the Associated Press, last night:
Yesterday a policeman was shot. This level of violence is relatively rare, happening only a few times in the entire period.
Here's the really disturbing part about these reports, whether they come from the Associated Press or Reuters (a French company!): because of self-imposed rules supporting multi-culturalism, they refuse to report a rather obviously salient fact. No matter how many of these reports I read (and I've read hundreds), the two mainsteam reporting agencies never tell you that the “youths” who are rioting are, in fact, radicalized Muslims – primarily young, jobless men from the ghettoized slums of France's cities. You'll only find that out from independent reporters, local bloggers, and the like.
The reality, which appears when you get your news outside the mainstream: for more than 1,000 nights now, one or more cities in France has seen rioting by radical Muslim youths. The overall level of rioting, if one can grasp such a concept, rises and falls according to recent events. The mobs' favorite targets are cars – those obvious symbols of wealth that the rioters, by and large, do not possess. A distant second on their list of targets are the shops, another symbol of wealth and prosperity. That would be the wealth and prosperity of those non-Muslims, of course.
ROMANS-SUR-ISERE, France (AP) - A French police officer was shot and wounded during clashes with youths that broke out after a teenager died while fleeing police, authorities said Tuesday.Most Americans remain blissfully unaware that France has been suffering through over three years of violent nightly rioting. That's right, every single night. According to several of my friends in Europe, most Europeans are also unaware of the rioting, or at least the magnitude of it – both because of careful reporting and general apathy. The primary reported feature of this rioting is cars being burned – sometimes only a few dozen in a night, sometimes hundreds.
The officer appeared to have been shot in the leg with a hunting rifle, said the police prefecture in Romans-sur-Isere, a southeastern town located 60 miles from Lyon in the Rhone Valley on the edge of the Alps. The officer's life was not in danger. Dents from bullets and buckshot were also found in police vehicles nearby.
Police used tear gas and rubber pellets to push back some 50 youths during clashes late Monday and early Tuesday. Several cars were burned and about 15 shop windows were smashed.
After nightfall Tuesday, some 300 riot police officers and gendarmes took up positions around the center of town to prevent a second night of clashes. Some teams of officers were brought in from neighboring regions.
Yesterday a policeman was shot. This level of violence is relatively rare, happening only a few times in the entire period.
Here's the really disturbing part about these reports, whether they come from the Associated Press or Reuters (a French company!): because of self-imposed rules supporting multi-culturalism, they refuse to report a rather obviously salient fact. No matter how many of these reports I read (and I've read hundreds), the two mainsteam reporting agencies never tell you that the “youths” who are rioting are, in fact, radicalized Muslims – primarily young, jobless men from the ghettoized slums of France's cities. You'll only find that out from independent reporters, local bloggers, and the like.
The reality, which appears when you get your news outside the mainstream: for more than 1,000 nights now, one or more cities in France has seen rioting by radical Muslim youths. The overall level of rioting, if one can grasp such a concept, rises and falls according to recent events. The mobs' favorite targets are cars – those obvious symbols of wealth that the rioters, by and large, do not possess. A distant second on their list of targets are the shops, another symbol of wealth and prosperity. That would be the wealth and prosperity of those non-Muslims, of course.
All the Little Children...
Now here's something that struck me as deeply creepy and disturbing – a modern-day American version of the kind of manipulation of children that I used to associate with regimes like North Korea, the Soviet Union, or Nazi Germany. Now Obama's campaign supporters join that little gang in my mind:
And according to what I've read about this, the financial support for this little production comes from the president of NBC.
I'll bet the people who produced this video thought it was really sweet and cute. I'll bet they have absolutely no idea what shudders of disgust and horror it produces in viewers with a little knowledge of history. And I'll bet they have never heard of the pervasive indoctrination of children that so characterizes such awful tyrannies...
And according to what I've read about this, the financial support for this little production comes from the president of NBC.
I'll bet the people who produced this video thought it was really sweet and cute. I'll bet they have absolutely no idea what shudders of disgust and horror it produces in viewers with a little knowledge of history. And I'll bet they have never heard of the pervasive indoctrination of children that so characterizes such awful tyrannies...
Pro and Con...
The recent shenanigans with the bailout made me remember this little gem:
If anyone knows who first said that, let me know – I've not been able to find a source...
If con is the opposite of pro, then Congress is the opposite of Progress.Quite.
If anyone knows who first said that, let me know – I've not been able to find a source...
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