So, emergency run Sunday night through today to a customer site. Ahm back.

1. To distinguish from the amphibian crises.
2. A description of liberal attitudes.
3. Summertime homework.
4. Grist for the marriage discussion.
5. Sounds likely, although I think the correlation is that increased wealth leads to more consumption and wealth tracks also with green.
6. Two dismal wizards disagree.
7. Qualified is not a high on the Democratic voter’s list of concerns.
8. When I was growing up, reading the books, honor was important and I still think it is. Killing your children however doesn’t remotely connect with any notion of honorable actions that I’ve ever heard of. It would be nice if the right meaning of honor became the primary one again.
9. Tis true.
10. He rode and tried to get back in the bunch for almost an hour. Remember that.
11. I suspect caffeine and alcohol and sugar aren’t on this list.
12. Put these two posts together, here and here.
13. A book noted. another one of a different sort.

Ho.

1. The first sentence highlights a thing I never have understood, the hardship chic, recovering poor/drug abuser/alcoholic/what-have-you as a good thing.
2. Almost certainly fictional but I laughed anyway.
3. That immigration thang, #3 is the salient point. This an attack.
4. D&D strikes again. Speaking of which.
5. Glub.
6. Content and intent. Apparently only the latter is required.
7. Turnabout in politics remains not fair play. The rest of us disagree.
8. Why?
9. For those who think net security is never needed.
10. A worse job than yours … assuming that the guy who has that job isn’t reading this.
11. Hmm. Knowing how long you have to wait makes a big difference.
12. Subway.
13. Advertising done right.

A little late, ’cause feedly seemed to be down.

1. Voter Id coming back into the news.
2. But this probably won’t be. Hopefully, ’cause it sounds like sound and fury signifying very little.
3. Works for me. And I should be ashamed, I guess.
4. That right/left ire, a clue to a possible cause.
5. More Clinton backstory.
6. Sexual “harassment” and poorly thought out guidelines.
7. A book noted.
8. Something for the affirmative action fans.
9. The party ‘gainst women.
10. No.
11. So. There’s a “border crises”. Lots of talk. Allegedly for some reason which nobody seems to talk about suddenly (?) thousands of unaccompanied minors are flooding across our southern border. Why? It seems odd to me that nobody at all seems to be talking about that. When you have a bacterial infection you take antibiotics and not drugs to combat fever. Because that’s the root cause.

Fourth of July last weekend.

1. Just remember, bloating and excessive urination.
2. This silliness is making the rounds.
3. It’s on my bookshelf (and bucket list, if I had one).
4. Yikes.
5. A bad use of the word “but”.
6. Of Primping and display. I’m unimpressed by the whole experiment. Men who “shave below the neck” are swimmers and bodybuilders. Gosh that’s a horrible thing to emulate. Cyclists shave their legs.
7. Doctors and basic math and logic.
8. Don’t worry, famous jurists make logic errors ala little Sonia.
9. Word.
10. Religion and life.
11. Nature photo-bombing.

Adult stem cells may be more plentiful than we thought.

With the plethora of research and published studies on stem cells over the last decade, many would say that the definition of stem cells is well established and commonly agreed upon. However, a new review article appearing in the July 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal , suggests that scientists have only scratched the surface of understanding the nature, physiology and location of these cells. Specifically, the report suggests that embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells may not be the only source from which all three germ layers in the human body (nerves, liver or heart and blood vessels) can develop. The review article suggests that adult pluripotent stem cells are located throughout the body and are able to become every tissue, provided these cells receive the right instructions.

No need for the ethical minefield that are embryonic stem cells.

(This is part of the script for the latest episode of my podcast, "Consider This!". You can listen to it on the website, or subscribe to it in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Blubrry, Player.fm, or the podcast app of your choice.)

Liberal columnist Ezra Klein, writing in the Washington Post, June of 2009:

If you ordered America’s different health systems worst-functioning to best, it would look like this: individual insurance market, employer-based insurance market, Medicare, Veterans Health Administration.

Yeah, he really said that, and it was obviously untrue back then. But that didn’t stop his love of socialized medicine. Here he is again in 2011:

The thing about the Veteran’s Administration’s health-care system? It’s socialized. Not single payer. Not heavily centralized. Socialized. As in, it employs the doctors and nurses. Owns the hospitals. And though I think there’s some good reason to believe its spending growth is somewhat understated — it benefits heavily from medical trainees, for instance — accounting for that difference still means a remarkable recent performance.

He also called the VA system, “the program is one of the most remarkable success stories in American public policy.” Of course now everyone’s saying that the system has been awful for decades, so you can’t blame Obama for it. While that’s certainly true, you can blame liberal pundits who have been trying to suggest for years that the performance of the VA means that ObamaCare ought to work. It seems like they’ll say anything to get their policies enacted. Never mind reality.

And they’re making the same claim as a certain presidential candidate did 6 years or so ago. So in a sense, you can blame the President for foisting on us a system based on one that was, and is, a money pit and an abject failure, and which is utterly dishonest about those failures. They can, or should, be able to see what works and what doesn’t, but I guess Obama is going with the idea that this time, it’s gonna’ work.

So, after midnight last night, power was restored (Monday my hometown had tornadoes which didn’t touch down pass over … much tree damage and power outages resulted). Now the Hurricane Sandy/Katrina survivors are not impressed by 30 hours (but with fresh water and gas) as something to note, and it wasn’t that bad, but … it is nice to have power again nevertheless.

Links?

1. Something liberal school administrators (and politicians) have trouble understanding.
2. Case in point.
3. A weak defense of Ms Clinton’s rape defense case.
4. Weather.
5. Two lists, one with everything not that is not a empty hard vacuum and the other list has everything else. Not very useful, eh?
6. And then … I met Mr Clinton.
7. So, I’m going to not remark overmuch on the Hobby Lobby decision which brought a big explosion of stupid from the left (e.g., “this mean if I have a religious call to kill this decision allows that” (Chicago Tribune columnist … hint: no it doesn’t) or Gosh why do companies like Hobby Lobby not object to viagra (Pheminist Filosophers … hint: a closely held company could … but consider what you’re asking about … d’ya think you can find a real religion worshiped in this country by any plurality that doesn’t favor fertility and family over killing children and fetus? Theology and life vs death, very little theology prefers the latter. Not actually so very hard to imagine.) This post, is the closest to an intelligent response from the left, but strikes out on point 5, in which he somehow forgets the reasoning that was allowed sort of in point 2 … that is the court found that the burdening of beliefs was not tenable (for closely held corps) when non-burdened alternatives exist, which they did as it was allowed already for others. Or in other words, see the first itemized point in this post.
8. Here’s someone who believes the IRS “lost” all those emails by 6 independent computers all “happened” to be eaten by their respective dogs. The point is moot, as the most reasonable response is to allow that the matters which these emails where to have “cleared up” is, on failure to produce the requested data, that it means the accusation is deemed to have been found true.
9. So, if true, the IRS under Obama has been totally corrupted by partisan bias. Welcome to the new world, in which the left has decided a partisan IRS is a good thing. Wonder if they’ll still feel that way the next time we have President from the right. After all, everyone does agree that turnabout is fair play … that’s axiomatic, right?
10. A statistic.
11. This point might also be recalled during homosexuality is sin discussions.
12. On the poverty and Ms Clinton affair. I also read Mr Clinton has offered that “we were 7 million in debt” … ahem. Mr Clinton, I’m pretty sure your debts were all covered (off the books, IRS-wise) by selling pardons in your last week or so in office.
13. I disagree with this SCOTUS ruling. I’d offer that no union should be able to collect “dues” from any non-members. Ever. Under any conditions. Not one penny. That’s just wrong.
14. My interest has waxed … we’re getting closer to the finals. For what it’s worth, I’m rooting for the Netherlands (mostly because they skated so well in the winter Olympics).
15. A fellow blogger under duress.
16. It can order. It cannot compel.
17. If this is news for you. I’ve got more … kindergarten is over. Grow up.

(This is part of the script for the latest episode of my podcast, “Consider This!”. You can listen to it on the website, or subscribe to it in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Blubrry, Player.fm, or the podcast app of your choice.)

For the month of May, 2013, the number of shooting victims in New York City went up 43% vs. May of last year. New mayor Bill deBlasio is proud of this. Well, OK, not the statistic per se, but of the fact that he’s made the New York police force reactive instead of proactive. Sure, 129 people were shot last month, but hey, at least gang-bangers are free from having to be stopped and frisked. I mean really, you have to have your priorities, people!

OK, here’s the thing. If liberals like deBlasio think that guns are the problem, why are they against getting them off the street? I understand the personal liberty issues, and I think they are worth serious consideration, but was any judgment ever passed on them in this case? If not, the mayor is reaping what he’s sown. Well, actually the citizens of the Big Apple are the ones getting reaped.

Look into those questions, but meanwhile, if you see what works and what doesn’t, and still ignore it, you might be a Democrat. And sure enough, that’s what he is.

(This is part of the script for the latest episode of my podcast, “Consider This!”. You can listen to it on the website, or subscribe to it in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Blubrry, Player.fm, or the podcast app of your choice.)

Sometimes people ask what the real difference is between the Republicans and Democrats, and sometimes, for certain issues, I’m inclined to agree; not much. However, when it comes to promoting economic growth, there’s certainly a trend that favors one over the other.

It’s been said that the states are the laboratories of American democracy. Though more and more autonomy has been taken from them by the federal government, there is still enough that one can look across the country from sea to shining sea and see what works and what doesn’t. So what has the government’s Bureau of Economic Analysis told us about the year 2013?

Here were the top 10 states in GDP growth:

• North Dakota — 9.7 percent
• Wyoming — 7.6 percent
• West Virginia — 5.1 percent
• Oklahoma — 4.2 percent
• Idaho — 4.1 percent
• Colorado — 3.8 percent
• Utah — 3.8 percent
• Texas — 3.7 percent
• South Dakota — 3.1 percent
• Nebraska — 3.0 percent

This was all while the nation’s GDP growth was just 1.8 percent. Tom Blumer writing at the NewsBusters website noted that only Colorado and West Virginia could be considered something other than deep-red states — and despite having several prominent Democrats in statewide and national office, they both arguably lean red.

And let’s not forget, as I covered back in February, that Wisconsin, under Republican Governor Scott Walker, went from running a deficit to a $1 billion surplus by cutting taxes.

In all of this, you’d think that someone would have predicted such an economic outcome from these policies. Oh wait, they did, and those people are called “conservatives”. So if you indeed see what works and what doesn’t, and still ignore it, you might be a Democrat.

Thor’s Day?

1. Why those of us with less talent drift to the slow twitch sports where discipline and good training can put us at least in the pack.
2. A foreign view.
3. A biting remark (hint: what threat … or else we will taunt you a second time?)
4. Beauty in the eye of beauty specialists from other countries.
5. There’s an explanation for the IRS email problem.
6. Nanny state curtailed.
7. A cop not honoring his responsibilities.
8. A point which the green movement finds somewhat perplexing.
9. Apparently by making a “extreme” (ridiculous? incompetent?) argument Obama and his admin intentionally worked for a 9-0 ruling against themselves. Believe that and you’re one of the few who believe the IRS accidentally lost those emails.
10. Now there’s a dumb idea. Here’s a better one, to disambiguate “hot” (use spicy, thermy and hot for the three common meanings. As in habanero peppers are spicy. Coffee out of the machine is thermy, and that girl over there is hot).
11. But, you know, she’s not running … hah!

Woo. Tomorrow US/Germany FIFA, eh?

1. Getting close to Japanese bushido (goal in life is a good death) or Christian thoughts (that you will not perfect your life without (a) God’s intervention and (b) not in this life). Well, that’s how I saw that quote.
2. Saurovka.
3. Yet thousands and thousands of 500 foot tall windmills taking terawatts out of wind energy out of the atmosphere will have no climate effects.
4. In part because the security industries continued existence depends on them actually not solving the problem.
5. Back when fossil fuel burning industrialized Woolly Mammoth society endangered the planet.
6. Fire them all.
7. Resistance to antibiotics.
8. A little cuteness.
9. Except the man was stupid enough to not notice while finding his gate, boarding and talking to fellow passengers.
10. Actually it’s not criminal. However a Volokh poster the other day did point out the actual consequences, which are interesting to consider (but I’m not finding the link). The upshot was that in a court of law if you fail to produce expected evidence like this with no excuse the ruling is that the expected evidence is held found to be against you. Which in this case means the IRS emails should be viewed in the absence of their production, as indicating both White House involvement and intentional political motivations. Glad they settled that so firmly, eh?
11. One of the world’s demographic time bombs.
12. Just one election.
13. One of the two Benghazi scandals involving Ms Clinton. The other being her claim that she had no involvement in the security arrangements, which is either a lie or evidence of law breaking (by statute the Sec of State must sign off on all embassy security details).

G’day.

1. Missing the point, badly. Not a few prophets were willing to tell “the Jews” they were going the wrong way (hint: Jesus was yet another Jew). Odd that. Mr Schraub (a Jew) isn’t afraid to tell Christians when he thinks they were wrong. Perhaps he thinks turnabout is not fair play. It might be observed however, the point in question (that Jesus criticized fellow Jews might be better served to point that we should not fail to criticize other Christians when they stray … hmmm to what might that be applied?).
2.  Markets everywhere, and everywhere markets appear the state tries to rear its ugly head, apparently.
3. Liberal elite and their cargo cultic magic, noted.
4. Our mainstream media acting cliquish and stupid. Idiots abound.
5. “Cheese, Grommit!” says Wallace.
6. Biden, “I’m not rich” (just really dumb). No investments at all. Dependent forever on the kindness of, well, the public till.
7. For the past 25 years, in a continuous trend, gun violence has been trending downward (while gun ownership has risen). However, facts and trends don’t matter to the real gun nuts. Guns and firearms give you the heeby-jeebies isn’t an argument for the curtailment of other peoples liberties. More people die on motor cycles than by gunshot, should those be banned?
8. Apparently Roman Catholics don’t exchange a kiss of peace during their services.
9. Forgetting the Civil War. Woops.
10. Yeah. And Swiss cheese can’t be from Wisconsin. Oh, wait.
11. Failing to give consent during a drunken encounter … compared to what the rest of the world calls rape.
12. Speaking of rape, this has been making the rounds.
13. And this too is not unrelated. That brings the old colonial British anecdote to mind, in which a British fellow was ordering the arrest of the people who had burned a widow on the death of her husband. He was informed this was an ancient custom of their people. He replied that it was an ancient custom of his people to hang people who burn women.

Well the Midwest has been having a spate of T-storms. Last night’s flight suffered a few delays, but eventually I got home.

1. Entropy is the clue, I’d think.
2. Heroism.
3. Echoes of that seminal Ratzinger/Habermas debate (the debate text can be purchased as a book, btw).
4. Professional students, literally.
5. If you intentionally misunderstand and then pretend insult … that’s a form of lying.
6. Liberal academics on employment push the “do what I say, not what I do” tactic it seems.
7. Much of this post might be right, but it ends with an absolute falsehood, “The widespread availability of high-powered military-grade weaponry does not keep us secure from tyranny ” … uhm. Hello? high powered military grade weaponry is illegal, scarce, and anything but widespread and available. Sorry. Fantasy doesn’t help you make your point.
8. The actual trademarks you can freely use now.
9. Cyber-warfare, electoral variety.
10. 2 against 55.
11. He probably regretted both.

Woo, going home tomorrow night. 14 hours ahead of schedule.

1. A self-referential (somewhat hilarious) remark by Ms Clinton. Seriously though she’s right, the left elite should not terrorize the rest of us.
2. Higher education and some more self-referential remarks by another left elitist.
3. Somewhat in the same vein, an employee becomes an actual loyal employee, when apparently he figures he’s doing something else. Color me confused.
4. Who in their right mind thinks it was accidental (or actually lost) … but setting that aside, that brings up the other side of the coin, i.e., those document saving standards they’d like us to keep … well? If y’all can’t do what you force us to do, well … (hack spit) words fail!
5. On that same topic, at the end points 1-6 … well only 2 seems right. Five an indictment of the current President. Regarding #4 … there should be lots and lots of copies of those “missing” emails on different, uhm, tapes and servers.
6. Dog. Wagged. Just like with Mr bin Laden.
7. A story. (HT) 21st century Tinkerbell.
8. Some FIFA stats.
9. Well, as for the last two panels, the guys you realize are talking about guns, sports, or beer … the girls about, well, people they know. There is a difference (viva la and all that)
10. Not mentioned in this list is how many the Ukraine gave up when Clinton assured them the US had their back. Bet you they regret giving them up now, eh?
11. In which “they are paid” apparently doesn’t mean “have a job” which it normally would I’d think.
12. Germs.
13. What is learned from studying history.
14. Snowflakes chance you know where of that.
15. Dismal indeed.

Well, back in Georgia. Probably still very busy. Go-Live tomorrow morning.

1. Getting cooperation in foreign affairs, a tale of two Presidents.
2. On that topic, here’s a rumination on a possible theme, Bush made a mistake in Iraq (and highlights the error) compounded and made worse by Mr Obama.
3. But don’t lose this point.
4. When goverment forgets what rights mean and who’s working for whom.
5. Why identity isn’t substance or property, but ontology and relationship.
6. Missing repentance in a list.
7. Recent Lerner lie lost the left. Probably only the loons remain on that fence-post.
8. Some meta-linking but that billboard (and response) is a hoot.
9. Anyone surprised?
10. Explody stuff.
11. One way to explain the popularity of climate alarmism.
12. What is ISIS?
13. On not quitting.
14. A scholastic experiment.