When the minimum wage goes up, low-wage jobs are lost. This isn’t a prediction, it’s an observation. The Wall St. Journal notes it’s happening again, at the worst time for it, and mostly for minorities.

Syria pulled out of the running for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. The problem is that they pulled out rather than being pushed. Given the number of human rights violators on that council, they could have easily been approved.

"I am a scientist who was on the carbon gravy train, understands the evidence, was once an alarmist, but am now a skeptic." Read why here.

The headline says it all: "WikiLeaks Threatens Its Own Leakers With $20 Million Penalty If They Leak Elsewhere". Transparency for thee but not for me.

Green energy losing green: A solar farm in Texas is losing money because the property taxes are so high.

High-speed rail losing speed: "California’s much-vaunted high-speed rail project is, to put it bluntly, a train wreck." Of course, the solution, according to the LA Times, is do it over, throwing good money after bad ($43 billion of bad money).

What a shock! "Autotrader survey shows most motorists go green to ‘save money, not the environment’." Make green energy affordable, and the world will beat a path to your door.

A big reason health care costs are rising so fast is because of central planning (aka Medicare, Medicaid). The Democrats solution? More central planning.

Civility Watch: Wisconsin Attorney General releases 100 pages of threats against lawmakers during the budget battle.

The White House shut out a reporter from the Boston Herald because of a critical editorial that the Herald put on their front page. The issue with Obama is not Fox News; it’s anyone who disagrees with him. But if you didn’t know about this, it’s not your fault. The rest of the media, who you’d think would be all over this treatment of colleagues, were virtually silent on the matter.

The anti-war crowd has seemingly melted away into the woodwork with the election of President Obama. I mean, if George W. Bush had violated federal law by invading a country without, within 60 days, getting congressional approval, how loud would the outcry have been, from the Left and the Media? Instead, a collective yawn.

(Sorry, no cartoon this week.)

Good morning.

1. Holocaust denial in the White House.
2. Some words spoken regarding aff action. For example regarding collegiate admissions,”Does an abjectly poor white Billy Sabinksi from Tulare deserve no special consideration to Harvard, but a rich George Rainbird from a Native-American casino-owning tribe does?”
3. Talking about Thor.
4. Aren’t “how it’s built” film clips fun?
5. A question for policy statement makers. And speaking more directly about the President’s Mid-East remarks.
6. The latest round of doping allegations and a good response.
7. A tale of 40 tails.
8. A dog and his boy. And yes, I link that site too much. But he finds wonderfully amusing things.
9. When will Christians not admit this is a good thing. The word martyr means witness people. We are called to witness. If it’s hard … that’s either irrelevant or possibly a good thing.
10. And your feel good about America story to cap the week off.

Good morning. Bleah. Wake up 10 minutes late. Leave 15 minutes late. Get to work and dressed 10 minutes late. Get call, youngest missed bus and mom’s car didn’t start. Finally … back to work. Whaz next?

1. Batteries, the sun, and the expeditionary Marine.
2. Slavery, or is it a straw argument. If you’re free to leave, you’re not a slave, Jason.
3. Wealth, education, and denomination.
4. A pointed question for the practices of teacher wage/pension construction.
5. Safety nets and India.
6. Of personhood.
7. The billion/day discrepency.
8. A little levity.
9. Yeah, and used books and used cars really cut into book and car retail sales.
10. Editorial practice and the White House.
11. Liberal/Conservative dialog in academia … how not to do it right.

Good morning. Verbose?

1. Desk jockey special forces.
2. Identifying a group by its fruitcakes, not the best of ideas at any time.
3. Market forces and education? Is that’s what in play here? 
4. Standing to let go? Jobs have physical requirements. Sometimes height is one of them.
5. The waiver in return for political contributions. There will be more favoritism in medical insurance/industry as the new bill takes effect. Those defenders (of the bill) might keep in that their party will not be in the White House forever.
6. AGW and CO2 hitting like “the atmosphere a sledgehammer“. Uhm, dude. When you hit air(!) with a sledgehammer the effect is not as spectular as you might wish. And the innumeracy doesn’t help your case either.
7. We’ve had “life imitates art” and the converse. How about “geography imitates art”?
8. Conservatives need to be less passive when hit by the “where are your intellectuals” jab. 
9. $50? I think the whole green movement is misguided in their attempt to foist less effective more expensive technologies on others by fiat and force of law. Make it better and then … It will sell. If you can’t make it better, keep working at it till you do. 
10. Having some fun with long multiplication. 
11. Speaking of academic subjects, this puts to point a common misconception of what Physics (modern) is about. It’s not about discovering the “what” of reality. Just the what about that which we can measure. That tree in the forest with none to listen? The answer isn’t “yes or no” … to borrow from Hofstadter, the answer is mu. That is that we have nothing to say about that except what would be measured if we did listen.
12. Of evil and evolution.

Good morning.

1. Open source money.
2. The PC and beauty.
3. Homework, not waste of time? The study showed, “not” in maths. I’d add that’s likely also true in hard sciences.
4. This man is amazing. Just two weeks after shutting down exploration and drilling in Alaska, he says he’s doing the opposite. Why isn’t he called on this crap. It’s hard to see how he could be less honest.
5. The “Wall” as you’ve never seen it.
6. No sex .. until after the divorce? Huh? That’s going to put a damper on most wedding nights.
7. Uhm, Joe pleased read Fernandez book No Way In, read accounts of the French resistance. (Note, I’m also against torture, I just think the pragmatic case against it is weak relies on ignorance of history).
8. Two points, Mr Rand is not a racist based on his suggested vote on the Civil rights act, and Ms McArdle puts the reason why succinctly. She raises also, an interesting point along side that … about markets and race and the need for the Jim Crow enforcement.
9. AGW and scientific method.
10. Putting the point to healthcare debates.
11. Christian influence on the Marvel/Cinematic Thor.
12. Two turbines, time and blood.
13. Ignorant educators. 
14. Plato’s Republic.

Good morning.

1. Fan and Fred backing up.
2. Carbon is not … 
3. Well, I tried to link this last week … but I think blogger ate it (on the linkee side). This is the essential budget problem.
4. Who to blame.
5. Passion and blogging.
6. What crime?
7. Thor, the movie, and an unusual take on the experience.
8. A look for Gandalf. Good or not?
9. 1930s pedagogy examined.
10. Humanizing the bicycle.
11. SEAL 6 and some experts consider some possibilities.

Good morning.

1. The net and democracy.
2. Rembrandt re-invention of Western iconography of Christ.
3. Predators.
4. Oil production, two states compared.
5. Speaking of which, when rich people keep harping on how it’d be such a wonderful thing to push gas prices higher … seems to me they should just stay locked in that ivory tower of theirs.
6. That GM bailout thang. 
7. Single sex dormatories in colleges.
8. Obamacare big or little change in US healthcare?
9. Somebody on the left defends Chomksy’s stupidity. 
10. An interesting programing language noted.
11. Dungeons and Dragons, as practiced in the 19th century.
12. Looking at Rand and her ontology.
13. Art, doing it right.
14. Mileage and gas prices. Oddly enough, it is knicknamed in our household “the scooter”.
15. Do you or don’t you trust the government to keep their hands of your Roth? Put me in the “don’t” category.

Good morning.

1. I linked to a google anti-trust discussion a while back, here’s more grist for that mill.
2. So, would you be more likely to hire a person from a vanilla liberal arts college or someone from this one?
3. Two years ago, a class (not the NSA/CIA) predicted where OBL would be found. 
4. Mr Obama backtraks on yet another stupid idea.
5. Philosophy and Islam.
6. The Obama bounce.
7. Yah! That’s my question too. Kit? That’s an interesting notion.
8. So. Question. Do they know that is wrong to say that? If not, why not? If so, isn’t that perjury?
9. Talking about the inactivity/activity thang in the Obamacare court challenge. More here.
10. Liberals apparently, can’t understand English. Yes, we know homo sapiens are in the Kingdom animalia. The question remains is whether within that kingdom “man and animal” is normally understood to mean “homo sapiens” and “not homo sapiens”. For anybody but kindergarden lawyers it is.
11. Putting to the point crux of the entitlement debate.
12. So. Imagine the reaction if Bush had said the same thing. Observe the reaction to Mr Obama’s statement. So, you can drop the pretence that the media is not biased.

Good morning. Our office area took a power hit last night. Things are partially back here at the office.

1. Libertarian? Seems to me that someone is confused by thinking anarchy is a libertarian ideal.
2. The hear/see/speak no evil crowd and an airline incedent.
3. I think it was more complicated than that (replacing ugly with beauty). I think the artistic aesthetic which judged art for its beauty got replaced by one that judged based on emotional and visceral “impact”. I think that is a mistake in approaching art, but one nevertheless which prevails in many circles today.
4. What I fail to see is the American left repudiated and rejecting this movement in any public way.
5. An anniversary.
6. Rationing of medical care.
7. Them angry cows.
8. OK then, in the view of the left racism (!) is a primary driver of thought. More seriously, I think there is some basic truth to the notion that while the right views the left as naive the left views the right as evil. 
9. Speaking of which, this is more the reality of what drives the right, the Presidents “clinging to guns, god, and yada yada” is not.
10. One of the better remarks on the dogs of war photo essay.
11. Mythbusters, and I’ll note that unsuppressed guns as sound effect in movies don’t sound like the real thing … so you shouldn’t expect suppressed ones to do so either?
12. Mythbusters of another sort.

In addition to the doctor shortage the US is going to have when us Baby-Boomers hit retirement, Obamacare is going to make the problem even worse, based on current trends, how socialized medicine "works" elsewhere, and the government’s own numbers.

In 2005, when the press was enamored with Cindy Sheehan, Chris Matthews suggested she run for Congress. Yeah, how about now? Cue the crickets chirping.

Seal Team Six was an evil, secret, assassination squad manipulated by Dick Cheney. At least, that’s what it was when a Republican was President. Today, under a Democrat, they’re heroes, and not associated with Obama or Biden in the slightest. What a difference a "D" makes.

And speaking of contrasts, we have Nancy Pelosi on bin Laden, then and now.

Michael Barone notes that, to get bin Laden, Obama relied on policies he decried.

You know that kids that had George W. Bush in their classroom on 9/11? This is a good TIME magazine article on what they were thinking at the time when Bush was given the news, and what their reaction is now.

Over half of the country pays no income tax. But "the rich" still don’t pay "their fair share", eh?

While the bin Laden story stole the front page, the Conservatives in Canada won historic victories. Later, the Liberal Democrats in England suffered their worst losses in 30 years.

The conventional wisdom on salt intake may not be right after all.

Civility Watch: "So when does Seal Unit 6, or whatever it’s called, drop in on George Bush?"

"Democrats blame Bush for high gas prices"? No, not now; back in 2006. And in 2008, Nancy Pelosi blamed the "oil men" in the White House. They’re much quieter now.

A reform to watch: Indiana lawmakers OK broadest voucher plan in US.

It’s so very sci-fi-sounding, but some physicists believe that something from emanating from the sun is now causing radioactive decay to occur faster.

Worst of all, if the decay rates of matter are being mutated then all matter on Earth is being affected including the matter that makes up life.

The mutation may go so far as to change the underlying reality of the quantum universe—and by extrapolation-the nature of life, the principles of physics, perhaps even the uniform flow of time.

In fact, some evidence of time dilation has been gleaned from close observation of the decay rate. If particles interacting with the matter are not the cause—and matter is being affected by a new force of nature-then time itself may be speeding up and there’s no way to stop it.

And finally, a history lesson from Tom McMahon. (Click for the blog entry.)

Good morning all.

1. Two for history of tragic mistreatment of man, mainly here but this is not unrelated (but that will need translation).
2. Heh.
3. Four views on the assasination of Mr bin Laden.
4. Speaking of which, Mr Obama backs capital punishment.
5. Reading a budget.
6. Brandon has a smart set of links.
7. Stupid human tricks in the Middle East. Or is it just plain evil?
8. Peter and Paul and their super sneaky plan.
9. The pissing match continues. So, which is more important raising taxes on the rich and middle classes or cutting spending?
10. Suprising only the economists.
11. Yah, that’s ’cause they’ve discovered summary execution works just fine. Just make sure yah shoot ‘im dead before he can surrender.\

Good morning … and I hope everyone had a festive Mother’s day.

1. The green vision exposed, or what they want everyone’s day to mostly be consumed with doing. Actually, they don’t want this, they just don’t realize that the consequence of what they want.
2. Job growth and health care waivers. That healthcare plan is such a winner, both a drag on corporate growth and innovation in healthcare. Perhaps the only (good) thing it will do is ultimately is shorten the careers of a lot of Democrats.
3. Another “good idea” the Dems fronted and its consequences.
4. While in education, some teachers are so out of touch they haven’t noticed there’s a recession going on and government tax income took a big hit.
5. Vicious kitten fight, or something like that.
6. The cult of the body.
7. When you hear about GM profits … some background you likely won’t hear.
8. Race and movement in the US.
9. So, with what animal do you want to identify? 
10. Banal evil.
11. An interesting conjunction in liturgical and secular calendars, the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers fell on Mother’s day.
12. One liberal’s attempt to demonize the special forces noted.
13. Science and the Jesus prayer.

Good morning.

1. Russia and the EU. Speaking of Russia, a favorite film over there (and btw, I like it too … and the Japanese original).
2. Pictures from Moscow.
3. Economics parry and thrust. Point, parry, riposte. I thought the parry lacked any real substance, and mostly relied on insults. Odd that.
4. Prop 8 and Judge Walker, is the last paragraph’s argument valid or not? Why?
5. A measure of ideology.
6. OK. The left likes to dismiss Consitutionality claims regarding the individual mandate as without merit. So …. read this and tell me why they are as you claim, “without merit.”  (HT: Volokh)
7. One suggestion why the SEALS were given the kill directive when encountering Mr bin Laden.
8. A Christian responds to the event.
9. Best beer ad ever? 
10. Probe B and relativity tests.
11. Inflation and indexes.

Good morning. 

1. Aside from the hard street, the smells, the sounds and all, that looks idyllic,  … or not. My eldest slept the night on my chest her first night home from the hospital after her birth just like that (she was smaller).
2. A “faked” quote … here and here. Alas my disconnect from the mainstream/liberal left echo chamber is that I only heard of the quote from these discussions pointing out that it was faked.
3. Or far more reasonably you this should cast serious doubt on the accuracy of your cricket race. Try the following, poll 20 of your GOP friends … ask them Obama was born in the US … and report back. See if that 45% number holds any water. I bet you come back with something more akin to 1 in 20.
4. The importance of ethics, be you Christian or not. “How then shall you live?” is indeed the crux of the matter.
5. Considering the Christian response to the bin Laden assasination.
6. How many? Hmm, how many shoplifters, bigots, racists, web-footed cyclists? Why, for that matter do smart/good people turn to bad arguments? What, anything in a mudfight?
7. Beauty in the eyes of … whom? I mean besides mom.
8. Some shutup medicine for the tornado/AGW crowd.
9. Better than the final 4 … May and the Giro. On an unrelated note, I’m back to commuting to/from work by bike. I’m both way way out of shape but I’m at least moving in the right direction. Right now, it’s 8miles each way, and my sweet wife has persuaded me to try to get to work prior to the rush hour (I’m working towards leaving at 6). Next week, I’ll start stretching the return ride bit by bit towards a more respectable distance which hopefully by July is more like 30 at least a few times a week. 
10. Orthodoxy in Africa, at the Cape.

Good morning. Midsized remarks?

1. A not unsurprising finding, although that is not a reason not to be principled. There’s kind of a chicken/egg thing going on here, as the decision to be principled, if based on principles not consequence won’t look to the consequence. I didn’t explain that well, does any one else see the chicken/egg notion going on here?
2. Seeing as MassCare and the Federal act are quite similar, we can look to our future in Mass … and some things aren’t so good. Supply and demand, contrary to the hopes and dreams of the designers (that is the left) actually do matter.
3. Brain damage and football. So, the question then arises, can a grown man choose to ignore that and practice the profession of his choice freely?
4. Here are some reactions of bloggers (and tweeters) in Pakistan to the news of bin Laden’s death. This was an assasination. Does that have legal ramifications?
5. I’ve seen this sentiment on several left leaning blogs, that they wish there was a trial. OK. We’ve all read Ms Arendt’s book (and if you didn’t shame shame on you). Some questions arise … the points made by Ms Arendt weren’t very obvious in the trial and it’s not clear that there is a Ms Arendt who would pen a similarly impactful tome as a result of this trial. So then, what would be gained by such a trial? Is the only reason the trial makes you uncomfortable is the legal point (and the political bias noted) in the prior post?
6. One other point to make about the prior link, Mr Greenwald is uncomfortable about the pro-USA demonstrations. However, media distortion of the reality set aside (which he apprently buys hook line and sinker) … this reaction is I think far more typical. Why does that bother him? If you don’t think that is the “typical reaction” consider your reaction and that of those around you. Hmmm?
7. Some more legal roundup on drones and targeted killing.
8. So will this reopen some of the discussions on torture. Oddly enough, it  reinforces the POV I was espousing, that torture is effective but that we shouldn’t do it based on principles. There were those who argued that it doesn’t work (reasoning that the tortured will say anything to get the torture to stop), my counter was that didn’t hold up to analysis of torture used in by regimes in counter-insurgency operations (look at WWII and the Philippines and on on). 
9. Pain of two sorts and … what sort of caught my attention is the title but for a strange reason. I have several webbed toes … which was kind in the title.
10. And to wrap it up … some food p0rn. If you don’t want to call it p0rn … what would you call it?