Well, I’m back in town.

1. Belief in Santa Claus? This is really really dumb. Do people doubt that Julius Caesar existed? Do they write articles about it? Is that something that needs defending. Wiki doesn’t doubt he exists. But apparently journalists are clueless. I suppose you could wonder about the tense “exists” vs “existed” … which depends only on your faith in the Resurrection or lack thereof. But he was a historical personage of that there is basically no doubt.
2. Youth and passing into maturity (or not).
3. Half a point in defense of the young boy who kissed his classmates hand. Half a point for pointing out that the act was problematic. Loss of a point (or two) for not realizing the scope of the infraction was minor at best.
4. But the victory dance was done, the web site is fixed, mission accomplished and all that. How can that be?
5. Privacy and law.
6. More silly science … newsflash! People with low impulse control have … (wait for it) poor impulse control.
7. To give the same source its due … things going bang are cool right?
8. Verse and photo.
9. In favor of min wage increase.
10. Not so much in favor of same.
11. A dialog.

G’day

Links:

1. David, err, Jonathan and Goliath.
2. Uhm, I say it all the time. Apparently I’m not “men”.
3. Not incorrect, not misleading, … a lie.
4. Judo with the liberal correctness enforcer.
5. Or you could just recall details of the life of the actual St. Nicholas of Myra.
6. Whe “throw the bums out” becomes the sole objective.
7. Natalie Cole and the test tube.
8. Disposing of nuttery on both sides with respect to Mr Mandela. If you ask me, he was a prophet (which occupation has nothing to do with prediction of future, but has everything to do with upsetting applecarts and pointing out flaws in the status quo).
9. Sarin and Syria … was it another Benghazi mythmaking exercise?
10. Doc Smith.
11. A problem looming for Obamacare?
12. Speech, freedom and the law.

An amusing list

Some weeks ago, I noticed someone (on a blog) wondering what comics might be made into movies that might work but which haven’t. I’ve a few suggestions

• (web) Girl Genius.
• (not-web) Cerebus.
• (web) Schlock Mercenary.
• (web) Quantum Vibe.
• (not-web) Artesia?

Woops. Missed one.

1. Hollywood cougars. I’m guessing that fooled you.
2. Most everyone will pay more and we won’t like it. It has been remarked that “the horrible web services” aren’t the problem with Obamacare. That’s right. It’s just the horrible think hiding worse things. The Democrat gambit is that you pay more and they tell you they are giving you a subsidy to help you pay for it and you won’t notice your bottom line is worse, your deductible is worse, and you are paying for coverages you don’t want. So, will the pretend subsidy blind you to the flaws? How stupid are we? Dem answer -> really stupid. Are we? Time will tell.
3. Science, really good at noting the obvious.
4. More importantly lying is part of the political culture.
5. An expert on “women in the workplace” speaks, except in a short review of his career, he spent a whole year or two in the workplace in ’68 and ’69. Expert indeed.
6. A tech review of healthcare isn’t impressed.
7. Let’s see, the UN “is going after Assad” for war-crimes because the atrocities on both sides are rampant. If crimes are symmetric why would the justice seeking be asymmetric?
8. The all powerful loofah.

Ok. Thanksgiving in the bag.

1. In other news, mixing heroin and meth still bad too.
2. “not many decades ago …. ” and they were right too.
3. The more you know, the worse it looks. Apparently.
4. Some vocals worth your time.
5. More here.
6. There may be good arguments against materialism, but those aren’t them.
7. The “three” things it needs? How about “not being a hoax?” As a better reason than those three.
8. I see. It’s not “if you like your plan you can keep it” … What he meant to seay was “if you don’t like our plan, you’re screwed.”
9. Defining “fixing” down. So a billion dollars to a no-bid friend’s company … that went well, eh?
10. Humor.
11. It’s always the quiet creeps that you have to watch out for … or how geology imitates child sex abuse, eh?
12. Hobby Lobby vs Ms Obamacare.
13. Heh.
14. Why would he say that? For the same reason Pauline Cael wondered at the Reagan electoral victory.
15. Nork.

G’day

1. And the fossil record clearly shows all those mass die offs every time the globe warmed far hotter than it is now, which it has done many times … oops, what do you mean it doesn’t? Hmm. So, then what’s the point of the article?
2. A “seems to have forgotten” moment that will likely never again be forgotten by at least one individual.
3. Disagreeing with Aristotle (and I think the founders who I suspect agreed with Aristotle).
4. Although I think the above post author would agree with this.
5. So, do you agree? Was it illegal or  just unprincipled?
6. Related to the above.
7. Cool. (HT)
8. And he’d be right.
9. A certain running back, back in the news.
10. Another person who envies the VA system.
11. The press and a prophet.
12. Stupid if true.
13. Ditto.
14. Obamacare and it’s implementation. Hypocrisy?

Well, I’m exercising again (too much work for quite a bit there). It would feel better if I wasn’t so horribly out of shape.  … Links?

1. Tools for staying in power, kind of like suborning the IRS to harass opposition groups. Makes you feel good doesn’t it.
2. More not-feel-so-good news about our government “for and by the people”.
3. Obamacare, bending that cost curve … since 2003, err, wait!?
4. Fertilizer pollutants and a possible solution.
5. This is making the rounds. I don’t understand very well his objection. Legal != moral. Do what is right and let the cards fall. What else can/should a man do but that?
6. This too is making the rounds. Looks like lying and playing the victim card scored the liar thousands of dollars and some fame and notoriety. Yet another strikeout for the (liberal) press.
7. Way way better than pigs in space.
8. A non-mistake by the Administration. Heck, even a stopped watch is right twice (or once depending) a day.
9. Synchronization.
10. Mona Lisa re-imagined.
11. Mr Matthews backhand criticism of the President.
12. A debated noted.
13. For those who think there are no non-religious arguments against SSM. Think again.
14. Mr Thomas in a heartbeat.

Yo. No excuses this week. I’m home and I’m off work.

1. Obamacare satire (HT).
2. Less humor, more insight on Obamacare here.
3. ROTFL, geesh. Maybe he’s right, it’s not about ideology it’s about inclusion in the “Democrat team”.
4. GQ skewers Obama for the Holidays.
5. Ten points to consider when thinking about immigration. Look carefully at #1 if you think “open borders” is anything but a joke.
6. 2nd Amendment and knives.
7. America, where if it’s really weird, we will build it.
8. Remember carbon credits.
9. Smelling a rat.
10. Zoom.
11. Progressive taxation.
12. I disagree. You’re both being racist. A good definition of racism is using race as a criteria where it is unwarranted. You aren’t being “tribal” unless you are part of that tribe. If you are using color of skin to judge suitability for a job, that is racist whether you decide to give the job or withhold it on that basis.
13. Curious chemistry.

Quite busy busy busy, ’tis the season I guess. How about you?

1. Intrusions of sorts. To what end? I understand why Google or Target wants to know lots about you, … to sell you stuff and make money. Why does the state want to know? Perhaps the critical question is what reasons for wanting to know are valid and what are not? I suspect, like what constitutes a right left and right will not come to easy agreement on that question.
2. To that point? 100% free and voluntary, yah, right.
3. National character and pride of place demonstrated. Rightly it seems too.
4. Woodland creatures prepare for the zombie apocalypse.
5. Cutlery for the season.
6. UN treaty trumps local laws? Hmmm.
7. Remember those remarks in September about security and the government health insurance exchanges …
8. Discovery!
9. A contrast.
10. Setting the mood.
11. Whose money was spent, eh?
12. Wow.  Serious mad skillz.

G’day

1. Creativity in science and a reply. I’ve been reading David Bently Hart’s new book … in it he remarks that science is an ascetic discipline (mental), in which the discipline is to hold and perfect your thinking to certain methodologies. Perhaps the best way to consider creativity in science, similarly, as  constrained creative process. To narrow down further, you can make a creative chess move, but that isn’t freely open to creativity your movements and options are constrained by the rules.
2. And here just this weekend, I was joking that if we get a new dog, we’d name him/her “lunchmeat”.
3. Obamacare compared.
4. Liberty for all.
5. A search and rescue in the White House.
6. I might have to read this to find out what “exact numerical solution” might mean.
7. Uhm, … duh. Next on from our science reporter, the sun rises in the east and moving air is called “wind”.
8. Categorizing the senseless.
9. Heh.
10. In flight repairs of a unique sort.
11. Why are we married? A conversation.
12. Old salty sea stories.
13. Teaching and competition.

Woops.

1. A legal debate noted.
2. A legal question posed …
3. and one remark on that front from another lawyer.
4. Splitsville.
5. So, there was this zebra and this donkey and they walk into a bar ….
6. Or more likely the “core idea” is not actually a good one.
7. Says the guy who doesn’t take raw garlic when he gets a cold.
8. If there’s no there there, why the NDA?
9. An extreme embarrassment for the administration and their now obvious lack of anything resembling competence.
10. Just change the words and it’s not racism.
11. Archaeology and spice.
12. Logic.

G/day

1. Wooh, racism … liberal hue and cry for aff action is … curiously absent.
2. Wealth transfer (HT).
3. 2nd hand smoke, meet 2nd hand consent.
4. Scary story?
5. War on marriage, the economics front.
6. “Snuck in” … uhm, no. Yet another lie appears.
7. “Transitioned” from the plan you like to the plan you are required to have.
8. Remote touch.
9. Freedom or federal healthcare, pick one. Just remember that.
10. Slime … not the beltway variety.
11. Coyote benefits?
12. Intentional edit?
13. 50k signups … in perspective.

G’day again.

1. Spot the horrible warming trend.
2. Mr Clinton says it was a lie too. And he’s not alone. Of course that begs the question of why, unlike the rest of us, they didn’t realize it when he said it and not now.
3. Enrollment numbers, success was 500k, got 50k … and they lied to get to arrive at 50k  … wonder how low it really was, eh?
4. Doc Ock wasn’t a credible villain … comes to life.
5. Advocates for any given thing often bring them to demonstrations. Liberals find that odd apparently.
6. Servicemen drink. Who knew?
7. Progress in peer review?
8. No. What we need are people to look at studies (eg) which show no correlation between gun violence a gun control legislation.

G’day

1. Seems to me the logic problem (I figure about 51% btw) is that “one daughter is a girl born on Friday” doesn’t preclude the other daughter from also being a daughter born on Friday. The other child’s birth day and sex is unconstrained.  The probability any given child is born female is 51% if memory serves. (One coinflip was heads on a Monday what’s the chance that my other flip was tails?)
2. Well, this may be a problem … but at least Mr Obama’s recent promise broken/lie isn’t at issue (after all he never promised his healthcare reforms would not cause job lose).
3. Examining drug development.
4. A boat and a typhoon.
5. Bat-zappers.
6. The car I’d really really like to own and drive when it comes out, but the boneheads in Washington most likely won’t let me.  There is no excuse for this rampant stupidity.
7. Art meets the modern Political Correctness.
8. The iceberg tip.
9. A science lesson for the global warming alarmists (and those think any science is settled on either side).

Day off yesterday, but work slammed in during the evening … and no workout no posting.

1. By whose standard is “it crappy”. Not yours, theirs.
2. Liberal bias and media.
3. You won’t lose your doctor, oh, wait .. she did.
4. Ms Ensler’s little play rebounds.
5. Unregulated. Alas, there is no middle road. I’d suggest for all drugs and herbs, regulation and certification be voluntary. The cost of regulation would be countered by the sales perk of noting that you are regulated. I’d continue with a rejoinder that the typical FDA drug regulation level (the highest level of regulation) indemnify you from tort.
6. My thought was “sounds like  a straw” .. which is probably not proper.
7. Tightly and loosely coupled and stability.
8. Guess I won’t be retiring to Alaska.
9. Global warming increasing violent weather … which if true means we aren’t experiencing global warming.
10. I do like her music.
11. A cricket race.
12. So, do you want to terrify your wife or girlfriend.
13. A book noted.
14. The IRS thang resurfaces.
15. Another book noted (which I bought and started reading). (HT)
16. And I’m ashamed to say I’ve never seen this movie.
17. Now there’s a plan … that hasn’t exactly considered elections.

Good, err, day.

1. For the Depends wearing vampire in your life.
2. And speaking of Romania …
3. Halloween.
4. Sad commentary.
5. Ms Sebellius apparently thinks that one of the most heavily regulated industries is unregulated. What I wonder does she think a heavily regulated industry might look like? Or how she might describe an actually unregulated market.
6. A big atom.
7. “Every good modeler” which I guess excludes the climate crowd and a lot of economists (at least who offer that the reason their model wasn’t followed was because in real life people acted irrationally).
8. Apparently not all Democrats are willing to deny Obama’s “if you like it you can keep it” wasn’t a lie.
9. Completely amazing. If you watch one thing on YouTube this week, make it this.
10. Heh.
11. I’ve described Obamacare as “moving around deck chairs on the Titanic” … here’s a similar analogy.
12. Optimism.
13. Cool.
14. Celebrating the grease pen, for myself I prefer ink … except when on airplanes. Ink pens do bad things when cabin pressure changes.
15. Bang tech.
16. Getting closer to the next car I might buy. I’m looking for 3 digit mpg before I pull the trigger.
17. College staff that needs to spend more time with simple arithmetic and expanding thirds as decimals.