Good morning.

1. Care bear meta-ethics.
2. For the fast, advice.
3. So, is this the origin of the “slut/prostitute” claim? … condoms cost what? $.50 each? $3000 per year sure buys a lot of ’em … Speaking of which, the 98% of Catholic women use contraception claim … there are 22 million Catholics in this country and 12 million women use contraception … by which we can estimate that almost no non-Catholic women use contraception. Odd that.
4. Useful remarks on Mr Rush’s apology can be found here.
5. One more on that front.
6. The Lorax, not a tale of environmentalism, but one against stupid supply chain management.
7. Apparently we are to believe that teachers cannot figure out which teachers are good and bad. Sorry, that’s not tenable or even credible.
8. So, the left espouses separate but equal?
9. Speaking of inner city … a book recommended.
10. Get into the zone.
11. Let’s see a company mismanages funds, cuts back … however when it occurs is that the reaction? No, if not why not?
12. “Reduce costs by reducing births?” … uhm, hello? People produce stuff. Zero people -> zero production.
13. Trend our government wants to achieve? Hope, change and progress, eh? If we reduce the number of hospitals that will reduce money spent on healthcare (consider the limit).

Good morning.

1. One of those “your XYZ name” charts.
2. A (possibly? likely?) better indicator of future climate trends than CO₂.
3. Oh, and about that “big” Heartland AGW skepticism threat.
4. Two more posts, a little more reflective than reactive, on the med ethics journal article considering infanticide. Here and here.
5. Upcoming mindless fun entertainment.
6. Jeesh, 40+ posts mentioning Mr Breitbart’s death from the rabid/insane right before we get to one with suspicion and conspiracy. Hello, the guy must have had dozens if not hundreds of death threats from the loony left a week. Hey, back before blogging and the Internet, I spent a half year in the exercise of believing as true everything I read on alt.conspiracy … y’all are missing out on the fun.
7. Slosh = Schlitz?
8. Apology mania.
9. Insurance troubles?
10. Art leads to reflection.
11. That pipeline.
12. Statistics and genocide.

The right to government subsidized sex
Yes, believe it or not, an argument [sic] based on expense is offered for why women deserve to have government provided contraceptives. I wonder if there are studies which indicate the percentage of contraceptives prescribed for conditions such as endometriosis vs. mere desire.

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That thoroughly modern phenomenon known as the Youth Pastor
From the Gospel Coalition,

All too often, youth programs have turned to entertainment-driven models of ministry in order to bring in youth. Success has become the name of the church-growth game. The devastating effects, however, are not only seen in the number of youth leaving the church after high school, but also in a spiritually and theologically shallow worldview among many American teenagers. The irony is that these same teens actually want to grow and learn hard truths. They want to know how to think about suffering, how to pray, and why Jesus had to die.

And here’s the book.

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A President who hears from God

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Have a mobile device? Malware has increased over 150%

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Another apology to President Karzai

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A First Century manuscript of the Gospel of Mark?
Wallace will be on the Stand to Reason radio program, Sunday March 4th, 2 – 5 pm PST.

Good morning.

1. Myths of the Middle ages debunked.
2. An interesting home project and its results.
3. More blowback from the academic paper suggesting infanticide might be a good idea.
4. Icon and smash.
5. Is that because they envy the position and power that the entitled had during that age?
6. Boom (still, it’s not a 50 pound sausage, but we’re getting there).
7. A question for Mr Obama (from the left, I’m pretty sure).

Good morning.

1. Just to be clear here, the Julian Calendar (of which the Gregorian was a reform) also has a leap day today. The difference is in what occurs not on years divisible by 4 but by 100 and 400.
2. The death of the “get other people to pay for my stuff” state.
3. The whole “why we should” misses out on mentioning the bad stuff that will happen if we don’t. More arable land higher crop yields, oooh, that’s all really really bad, eh?
4. Our oil based economy.
5. Oh please, there’s a long standing tradition for Presidents to see failure to be re-elected as a national emergency of the highest order.
6. Insanity in medicine?
7. Walking for exercise put to good use.
8. So, “not a campaign speech” is that a lie or not?
9. Economics and the election in a nutshell.

Good morning.

1. Self discipline and child rearing … self-discipline is indeed a learn-able trait … an interesting thing to note at the start of Lent.
2. Occupy Whatever (is) Suggested embarrasses itself again.
3. AA and Lent.
4. A road less traveled.
5. Our state department deportment.
6. Democrat election tactics of which I’m sure they’re proud … and the lack of self-criticism makes their disparagement of Mr Rove hypocritical.
7. Uhm, because its not actually illegal to lie to a reporter.
8. Taking a stand against indirect consumer use taxes.
9. Only 11 years?!
10. Praise for grad school in the context of reasons why not.
11. I think I not only haven’t considered those bullet points but don’t know anyone who has (not to speak of doing them). Hollywood has a strange (unreal) impression of Christian culture.

Good morning. Hopefully, we’ll be more consistent in posting this week, even though we have services at Church every evening this week as Lent kicks in with a running start.

1. And here’s how it starts (more background here)
2. The progressive past for the US.
3. Which is likely why suggesting its demise might be a little early. This too.
4. Although things like this suggest why its demise might be considered.
5. Our energy President.
6. Oddly enough, what the President said then, and says now, don’t quite jibe the way he’d probably prefer.
7. “It’s major weakness” is at home moms … although no support for that statement is given why that is a weakness. Perhaps those economists thing at home moms sit on their couches watching TV and snorting bon bons (and not working as hard or harder than the average working stiff).
8. This makes no sense at all.
9. Hard work behind the Lin “miracle.”
10. The blame/support network of education.
11. If we had a more balanced press corps.
12. Mr Krugman forgets he  is one of the rich.
13. Cinema recommended.

Diced Ham and Scrambled Eggs, from Paula’s Pancake House, in Solvang, CA. Yes, I know, ordering ham and eggs at a Danish pancake house in the middle of the Danish-themed town of Solvang might be considered an unpardonable act – but I prefer breakfasts with more savory substance that help carry me through a day of sightseeing.

I first tried the diced ham (or bacon) and scrambled eggs plate last December and really enjoyed it. I tend to go for hashbrowns and wheat toast (unless the establishment has killer biscuits) along with my eggs. Cheese is also mixed in this scramble, which helps bind the whole conglomeration together. A bit over-priced, in my opinion, but just about everything in this locale (wine country near Santa Barbara, CA) is.

Enjoy!

– image © 2011 A R Lopez

NASA thinking about an Earth-Moon-Libration Point 2
Well it’s not quite Space 1999, but pretty cool nonetheless,

NASA is pressing forward on assessing the value of a “human-tended waypoint” near the far side of the moon — one that would embrace international partnerships as well as commercial and academic participation, SPACE.com has learned.

According to a Feb. 3 memo from William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for human exploration and operations, a team is being formed to develop a cohesive plan for exploring a spot in space known as the Earth-moon libration point 2 (EML-2).

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Do you know what a Mainframe is? Well, NASA just shut down their last one

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Even more Geek News:  Photos of Mars Landers from Mars orbit

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Abe Lincoln (on a penny) to be used as a quick size comparison indicator on the next Mars Rover

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NASA taking stock of Eart’s melting land ice
From the 2003-2010 observations,

The total global ice mass lost from Greenland, Antarctica and Earth’s glaciers and ice caps during the study period was about 4.3 trillion tons (1,000 cubic miles), adding about 0.5 inches (12 millimeters) to global sea level. That’s enough ice to cover the United States 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) deep.

Yikes! That’s very unsettling news.

Yet, another report headlines us to the news that Earth’s Polar Ice Melting Less Than Thought. An excerpt (emphasis added),

Nearly 230 billion tons of ice is melting into the ocean from glaciers, ice caps, and mountaintops annually—which is actually less than previous estimates, according to new research by scientists at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Further in the US News report researcher John Wahr states (wisely, in my opinion),

“Even with an eight-year estimate, it’s not clear how far into the future you can project,” he says. “A lot of people want to predict into the end of the century, but I think it’s too dangerous to do that … We don’t have enough info to know what’ll happen. There’s some ebb and flow to these things.”

Indeed, if anyone ever wants to sell you something now based on a prediction of what will happen 100 years from now, you’d better grab hold of your wallet (I think Michael Crichton said that). From the NASA news release, after they’ve admitted the same as the US News report, it reads,

One unexpected study result from GRACE was that the estimated ice loss from high Asian mountain ranges like the Himalaya, the Pamir and the Tien Shan was only about 4 billion tons of ice annually. Some previous ground-based estimates of ice loss in these high Asian mountains have ranged up to 50 billion tons annually.

Ouch!

Imagine if you had some remodeling work done on your home and the contractor estimated it would cost $50,000 but the final bill came in at only $4,000? Well, of course you’d be ecstatic, but wouldn’t you also be wondering why the contractor was so inept? Or what if a stockbroker claimed an investment would return $50,000 but it only came back with $4,000?

Yet we’re supposed to based governmental subsidies, regulations, etc., all on long-range “scientific” esitmates that, quite frankly, are “dangerous” to do.

Good morning.

1. A new academic econ blog, for those interested in that sort of thing. (HT)
2. I downloaded the paper, haven’t read it yet.
3. Cybersecurity and the latest AGW embarrassment.
4. And here’s a possible big reason why the above actions are being taken.
5. Racial policy and the stupid vs evil question.
6. Mr Obama’s White House and the reverse Robin Hood effect.
7. Why should one learn to write well?
8. The Romney tax plan.

OK. I’m back in town for a bit.

1. Ockham’s axe.
2. The left figuring (slowly) out the big problem with Obamacare, the whole insertion of more politics into healthcare bodes well for nobody. But … I’m guess the moral to that story is lost on Mr Schraub.
3. And to follow on the above, the problem with inserting more politics into schools.
4. 5 (?!) figure debt? Not 6?
5. A film list. So, what’s missing?
6. A serious question for the liberal arts educated crowd. Why is that book important?
7. Uhm, “flatter” can mean a lot of things, a smaller (or zero) second derivative is a common meaning for the term. It doesn’t necessarily mean the first derivative is zero.
8. A “new” family of amphibians.
9. Party, Mr Krugman, and welfare receipt.
10. Medical (academic?) ethics.
11. It seems to me austerity/non-austerity of government and its impact on economy is a symptom of mistake of letting the government get way to big.
12. Good advice for Lent.
13. Seasons.
14. Book surgery.

Have you heard of the MEDEVAC issue with the Army?
Does it make sense to essentially paint a target on medic helicopters evacuating wounded military personnel from the battlefield? Michael Yon has written on it, and FoxNews now has a piece.

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Michael Yon on Britches for the Troops

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Victoria’s Secret Model gives it all up because of her faith?
Original HT to Joe Carter. From the CBS story,

After reaching the pinnacle of her career, a Victoria’s Secret model says she recently quit the runway because she wants to be a more positive role model for young girls and because baring so much skin conflicted with her Christian beliefs.

It took time for her to figure this out? Color me just a tad skeptical of this story and/or the circumstances.

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Alcohol, high-speed crash, 3 Marines dead
Perhaps we should be more concerned with anti-driving laws than with anti-gun laws?

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Has the U.S. Constitution seen better days?
From the New York Times,

The United States Constitution is terse and old, and it guarantees relatively few rights. The commitment of some members of the Supreme Court to interpreting the Constitution according to its original meaning in the 18th century may send the signal that it is of little current use to, say, a new African nation. And the Constitution’s waning influence may be part of a general decline in American power and prestige.

In an interview, Professor Law identified a central reason for the trend: the availability of newer, sexier and more powerful operating systems in the constitutional marketplace. “Nobody wants to copy Windows 3.1,” he said.

In a television interview during a visit to Egypt last week, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court seemed to agree. “I would not look to the United States Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012,” she said. She recommended, instead, the South African Constitution, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or the European Convention on Human Rights.

Didn’t CS Lewis refer to this type of thinking as chronological snobbery?

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Uh-Oh. This election cycle might get even nastier

I’m running late, busy busy. But … a few links?

1. OWS and lessons in free money and value of property ownership.
2. There are them rich folk who think rules don’t apply to them. Laws of nature … still do however.
3. The “stay in your car” survival tactic.
4. How can “shooting monks” be a good public relations move?
5. Much is made of the EU social networks compared to ours, yet do we note the “socially excluded” in that tally?
6. Did you know Isaac Newton wrote more theology than science & math? I didn’t.
7. A life lived.
8. Logic and personhood.
9. A beautiful photo from Afghanistan.

When Gun-Control Advocates Carry Guns
It’s more prevalent than you might expect. From The Firearms Blog,

There is a level of hypocrisy that goes beyond belief from the anti-gun crowd. Over the years anti-gun zealots such as Rosie O’Donnell suggested that no one should have gun, yet her bodyguard was armed. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg continues a crusade against all guns (not just the illegal variety) with his anti-gun group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, yet everywhere the billionaire goes he has armed guards.

And now it seems that David Brock could be the biggest hypocrite of them all. His name might not be as familiar to readers as Bloomberg or O’Donnell, but Brock is founder of Media Matters for America, a progressive watchdog site that routinely calls out the NRA for anything pro-gun.

Yet it gets even better (or worse, depending on your point of view), from the Daily Caller,

By 2010, Brock’s personal assistant, a man named Haydn Price-Morris, was carrying a holstered and concealed Glock handgun when he accompanied Brock to events, including events in Washington, D.C., a city with famously restrictive gun laws. Price-Morris told others he carried the gun to protect Brock from threats.

Remember incidents like these whenever someone advocates “common-sense” gun laws. Yes, as these anti-gun people so plainly illustrate, “common-sense” equates to taking the necessary steps to protecting oneself.

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CEO Demonstrates Body Armor
By having a live round fired at him, point-blank!

Kids (and adults) DON’T try this at home!!!

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Negligent Discharge (ND) of the day
Remember, Remember, Remember: Guns don’t discharge or “go off” all by themselves. From Knoxnews.com (emphasis added),

A vendor at the Knoxville Gun & Knife Show shot himself in the hand while attempting to show off his personal weapon Sunday, according to the police.

…

Adams, a licensed vendor at the event in the Jacob Building on Magnolia Avenue, apparently was showing his personal concealed weapon — a Kimber .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun — to a customer when the weapon discharged, DeBusk said.

Please, people, know and practice the 4 Rules of Gun Safety.

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If you keep a firearm for home defense – know when the safety is off
And when it’s on. From the Springfield News-Leader (emphasis added),

Branden M. Slavens, 28, has been charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree assault, armed criminal action, felonious restraint, first-degree robbery, felony resisting arrest, third-degree assault and two counts of first-degree tampering, according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.

…

Between 3 and 3:30 a.m. Friday, Slavens used an ax to force his way into the back door of a residence within one mile of the crash site, the documents said. A woman at the residence, awakened by noises, initially told Slavens to leave before he used the ax to get in. Once inside, he threw the woman onto the floor, the documents said. A man at the home then came down the stairs with a rifle. The man later told police he pulled the trigger to protect himself and his wife, but the safety was on. Slavens then struck the man on his left arm with the ax, causing severe injuries. Slavens then took the gun.

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New York City working on “X-ray Vision” to look under your pants
For any concealed guns you might be hiding. And the ACLU is not happy (among others). From the New York Times,

In a speech on Tuesday morning to the New York City Police Foundation, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said the department was working with the Defense Department to develop gun-scan technology “capable of detecting concealed firearms.”

The tool would operate as a sort of reverse infrared mapping tool by reading the energy people emit and pinpointing where that flow is blocked by some object, like a gun.

Can we all say, “governmental intrusion”?

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Another pregnant woman with a shotgun
In Minnesota, and she ran off burglars by racking her shotgun. From CBS,

It’s the last thing two burglary suspects expected to hear when they broke into a Coon Rapids home. From within the house came the unmistakable sound of a pump shotgun. At the other end of that gun was a 22-year-old woman who is nine weeks pregnant.

HHS Mandate Edition II

Joe Carter’s FAQ page for the HHS Mandate
Some excerpts,

What is this contraception mandate everyone keeps talking about?

As part of the universal health insurance reform passed in 2010 (often referred to as “Obamacare”), all group health plans must now provide—at no cost to the recipient—certain “preventive services.” The list of services includes sterilization, contraceptives, and abortifacient drugs.

…

Doesn’t the mandate only apply to religious organizations that receive federal funding?

No. The mandate applies to religious employers even if they receive no federal funding.

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Isn’t this just a Catholic issue?

No. Although the Catholic Church has been the most vocal opponent of the mandate, many Protestant, Jewish, and Muslims also oppose the mandate. In fact, several evangelical leaders have called on evangelicals to stand with Catholics in civil disobedience to this law. Additionally, 300 academics and religious leaders—including TGC’s D.A. Carson and Justin Taylor—signed a statement by the Beckett Fund explaining why the mandate is “unacceptable.”

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Lies, damned lies and 98 percent of Catholic women

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6 more things everyone should know about the HHS Mandate
From the post,

1. The rule that created the uproar has not changed at all, but was finalized as is.

2. The rule leaves open the possibility that even exempt “religious employers” will be forced to cover sterilization.

3. The new “accommodation” is not a current rule, but a promise that comes due beyond the point of public accountability.

4. Even if the promises of “accommodation” are fulfilled entirely, religious charities, schools, and hospitals will still be forced to violate their beliefs.

5. The “accommodation” does not even purport to help objecting insurers, for-profit religious employers, secular employers, or individuals.

6. Beware of claims, especially by partisans, that the bishops are partisan.