This weekend my wife and I witnessed a performance by Muti and the CSO of Verdi’s Otello. Superlatives fail me (that is I can’t express in words adequately (with superlatives) how the performance was received by myself).

However, I have not read (the Shakespeare) or heard or read much on the ethics of the Iago/Othello/Desdemona, uhm, kerfuffle. Any recommendations for good commentary by people of insight? One co-worker noted that the “Venetian” Shakespeare plays get short shift in the modern world, because they steer to close to unsafe waters (Shylock as Jew and Othello as Moor (Black)). 

Anyhow your recommendations would be appreciated.

Last week was Spring Break for us, but that doesn’t mean I stopped reading the news.

The long arm of “Pastor” Terry Jones. Obama bombs a Muslim country, and all’s quiet, but one nut half a world away burns a Koran, and gets disproportional media coverage for it, and Afghans riot, killing at least a dozen people.  Jones may be overreacting, but he’s got nothing on the angry mullahs in Afghanistan. And after all, according to NBC, burning the Koran is worse than burning the Bible because the Bible was written by men, not God. (Where do they get their religion experts?)

A new Broadway musical attacks Muslims! This could spawn more riots! Oh, wait. It attacks Mormons. Well then, never mind.

Say it isn’t so! The New York Times is getting its “facts” from left-wing websites and not checking said “facts” for accuracy. Oh, that liberal media.

The Obama Doctrine; looking more and more like the Bush Doctrine. (And the Bush Doctrine is really just common sense.)

Name the Senator who used to think that a war without congressional authority would be “monarchist”? Click here for the video.

Carbon emissions dropped 21% from 2000-2009, without cap-and-trade. Gee, wonder who the President was during that time.

Jimmy Carter equates Christianity with Islam in how both religions view women as inferior. Really, Jimmy? I guess if nations that are (or were) historically Christian would do things like, oh, allow women to vote, or hold jobs, or drive, or not have to cover their entire bodies with tents, then perhaps we can revisit this question.

And finally, two nuclear questions. (Click for a larger image.)

Good morning.

1. Truth in advertising and the Internet.
2. That’s odd. The employment people haven’t been citing that as a good thing.
3. A different sort of apologetics.
4. Turing test and its damage to personhood.
5. Engine tech.
6. So, the Dems and their government threat of shutdown … as wagging the dog?
7. For, to bring beauty to your Monday morning, Sarah Brightman.
8. A book recommended. Mr Schraub didn’t like it, but I think he suffers a bit from the Risky Business problem, for it “effs with his (future) livelihood.”
9. China making breakthroughs in safe Nuclear. Well, we certainly aren’t doing any research in that direction. Mostly, because our leaders are fools and idiots.
10. Politics and budget.
11. A school practicuum. 
12. Crossing boundaries.

Good morning.

1. Mostly, I think, fugly. However, just under 20 years ago … (true story) my mom volunteered to knit me a sweater and asked me to pick a design. I went with this, from a Sci-Am cover. It was much envied in the solid state physics dept (I was a grad student at the time albeit in a different group). She (my mom) said “never again.” Apparently aperiodic designs are not optimal for knitting. Hmmm.
2. Well, having had a long conversation over 8mpg cars … it seems the President doesn’t (either) learn or read my blog (surprise!). It also seems he can be something of a jerk. In that last conversation, … I had let the assertion that the Hummer H2 was a 8mpg car. According to Wiki … it isn’t. So, that means while the President repeats his rhetoric about 8mpg cars, you mostly likely won’t see a single one this month during your commute. It might be that you’ve never ever seen one. (Apparently there are 54 seater buses that get 8mpg … I (and the President) are talking about cars.
3. Someone thinks the “President can’t be that dumb.” We shall see, he’s just reached (and failed) his “let them eat cake moment.” (one more here).
4. Grace under pressure.
5. Learning and language.
6. No. You don’t learn science “by reading and memorization” you do it by apprenticeship, silly. Read your Polanyi, he’s got it right.
7. I’m not sure what the point is here. It’s economics. The reason for flares is that the price of methane is so low that it costs more to bring it to market than its worth. What are they advocating?
8. A summary of Constitutionality and the Libya kerfuffle.
9. Yah, but if you can’t make money, the town dies, duh.
10. The dishonestly of the recent abortion/budget kerfuffle. It might also be noted that the budget was due on Oct. 1, when the President and his party completly controlled Congress. Blaming the GOP House now is yet more Democrat dishonesty.
11. Wisconsin election news.
12. If this comes to pass … the justifications will be, uhm, interesting.
13. A book noted.

Good morning.

1. Surprising none, I expect.
2. Not, of couse, to be sold in the US.
3. Not the Higgs, something new and unexpected?
4. CBO simulation crash.
5. Hollywood as military contractor.
6. I suspect lots of jobs (besides teacher) have Sisyphus (in Hades) as their primary job myth/metaphor.
7. And if neurological condition is irrelevant to personhood both arguments fade.
8. Bang! Ouch!
9. I think they’re targeting the wrong person/persons. Three years for grandma is a bit much for that “crime.”
10. Is he even on the list?
11. That margin should trigger and automatic return for a new election, being closer than the margins of error. But … it won’t.
12. Talking 2012.

Good morning.

1. Well, yesterday I posted a link regarding the NYTimes and its editorial positions regarding trials and Gitmo. Here is a contest now that they have spoken.
2. Seeking the magick algebra dust. Similar discussion found here.
3. Liberals running cities and the result.
4. Moving mass (commercially) into low earth orbit.
5. Car insurance ‘splained.
6. 1099 requirements repealed. Two questions, 17 voted against the repeal? How does that work, why? 
7. Climate news that won’t see the mainstream, ’cause its off message.
8. However, intellectual malfeasance will be the mainstream soon.
9. Eschatological judgement.
10. Interesting … but I don’t think that claim is exactly right. When he says, “In advanced economies, however, most individuals don’t spend their productive energies in actually producing anything in a visceral or corporeal sense.” I think most of us do produce stuff. Or perhaps that’s a liberal/conservative dividing line, conservatives are the ones ‘producing stuff’, liberals don’t.
11. Cancer and gene.

Good morning.

1. We’ll start with a little of the old in-and-out (is that a “A Clockwork Orange” quote)?
2. On a lighter note, I know people for whom that flowchart would be helpful (as they add worry and dither between decision and action).
3. The GOP budget gambit.
4. More here.
5. Graphing autocracy.
6. The desire to purge.
7. Nine dead. I think Mr Taranto nailed the description for that pastor … putting him in the place of the women who eggs on the fight between her suitors. 
8. Rock and the map.
9. I don’t subscribe to the NYTimes, how did that play out then?
10. Three scandals, the third of course is the asymmetry in coverage.
11. A campaign begun … I think a 10-20% tax on campaign spending might be interesting, no? 
12. Concealed carry? After looking at this I googled for some statistics on crime and CC. I found what appeared to be a neutral academic study which found no effect on crime, which seems to me a strong reason to support it, if there is no effect why prohibit?
13. News from the Fed.

Good morning.

1. The jousting begins.
2. The Saint remembered next Sunday (the last Sunday of Lent).
3. And some words on fasting.
4. A part-time-blogger … does good.
5. Hope/Change or … 
6. A discussion on the Constitutionality of Obamacare, noted.
7. And politically motivated exemptions.
8. Vision and age.
9. Seems April Foolsy to me.
10. Motor tech.
11. Business and government, the text of a a speech.
12. Bang!

Good morning.

1. After all, it’s not his money. Why should he give a crap if it costs a lot more.
2. Newt bows out, all that remains is the zombie candidate. Braaaaaiiiins.
3. A book for the Orthodox in our midst.
4. A big blade, and one wonders if climate modelers have considered impact of wind power on climate. My suspicion would be that they haven’t.
5. eCars in real life.
6. Biking with Dante continues.
7. Ooooh, idiot jokes. I always liked, “It takes a village to raise and idiot.” 
8. Planned “Parenthood” silliness.
9. Snarfing the rich, the vid vid.
10. Accidental peroxide.
11. The tech smuggle.
12. Sometimes science really truly is boring. An y’all can now suggest my penance for that pun.
13. Contra-April the first. When I was eight or nine, the neighbor accross the street put a toilet out for the garbage collection at the street on the first. It took me 20 minutes to convince anyone to even look out the window to see that protestations that a toilet was on the neighbors yard wasn’t just some really dumb joke.
14. In which the penny dreadful returns to haunt the living.
15. The problem with trolleys.

Six out of ten politicians in don’t think you know enough about the issues facing Washington to form a reasonable opinion. More telling to me is that, broken down by party, most Republicans trust you but way more Democrats don’t.

Another example of why it’s hard for government to cut spending (and why conservatives try to hard to hold back increases); Between 400,000 and 500,000 protest against government spending cuts in the UK.

Media Matters becomes a parody of itself, ignoring the media in general and concentrating solely on Fox News. James Taranto wonders:

Does a group that proclaims its purpose to be industrial sabotage qualify [for tax-exempt status]? It’s hard to imagine the answer is yes. Could, say, AT&T set up an organization to sabotage Sprint and do the whole thing free of taxes?

Did you know that opting out of Medicare (not asking for your tax money back, just not taking advantage of it and paying the tab yourself) will cause you to forfeit Social Security? Big, big government, anyone?

The European Union has an idea for clean air; ban all cars.

Irony Alert: President Obama accepted a transparency award from the open government community, in a closed, undisclosed meeting at the White House.

Barack Obama was against wars against brutal dictators that did not directly threaten the United State or its interests, before he was for them.

A salute to the men and women of Japan — the Fukushima 50 — who are putting their health and, indeed, lives on the line to bring the reactors under control.

Speaking tearfully through an interpreter by phone, the mother of a 32-year-old worker said: “My son and his colleagues have discussed it at length and they have committed themselves to die if necessary to save the nation.

“He told me they have accepted they will all probably die from radiation sickness in the short term or cancer in the long-term.

And finally, "regulating relationships". (Click for a larger image.)

At least if you judge by media coverage, or lack thereof, of rising gas prices. Funny how nobody mentions that gas prices have doubled since Obama took office. Gas prices rising while a Republican is president equals big news. Gas prices doubling while a Democrat is president equals nothing to report.

Recent events in Japan have highlighted the need for emergency preparedness, whether at home, in the car, or at work / school. Do you live in an area where, given the occurrence of a natural (or man-made) disaster, you might face the possibility of being without food / water / electricity / natural gas / gov’t services / etc, for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks? Having lived in California for almost my entire life, I’ve experienced a fair share of earthquakes, yet it wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I seriously considered having any type of emergency preparedness kit readily available. While some may think such considerations to be examples of paranoia, I tend to agree with the motto:  “Prepared. Not scared.”

So, should you have an emergency kit and, if you do, what should it contain? First off, I’m no expert in this field, and I’m simply relating data I’ve gathered through research and experience. That said, my answer to the question of whether one should have an emergency kit is a resounding YES! However, while commonality of survival practices will dictate the main contents of the kits (e.g., food, water, first-aid), context will dictate many of the specific contents. For example, not living in a hurricane prone area, I am not too concerned about the effects of a Category 5 storm blowing through, and since we’re not in tornado alley, I have no tornado bunker or strong-room to maintain. However, I have implemented earthquake related safety measures (e.g., bolted bookcases to the walls, have a gas / water shut-off wrench available, keep footwear near the bed).

There is a plethora of information available on how and what to stock in your emergency supply kits. To assist you, many of the sources I have used are listed at the end of this post.

Read the rest of this entry

Good morning.

1. Mr Wilders speaks.
2. And … is this the Sharia that the liberals defend in Tennessee?
3. Approving of a new word.
4. Tax exempt. Which brought a thought to my mind. Why tax exempt campaigns at all. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful tax income base?
5. Gigapixles are fun.
6. Our solipsistic President. I think he must be delusional to say that we’ve been open to new offshore drilling with a straight face.
7. Dante continues down (on a bike).
8. On Libya and Mr Obama’s narrative.
9. I’m confused by the use of the word “secret” in that headline. Seeing that it’s announced in a headline and all.
10. I’m guessing “Ivy-bound” is no longer an appropriate adjective.
11. Hate speech examined.

When they’re about to lose your federal funding, Planned Parenthood will say anything to try to justify their existence. "Hey, we don’t just do abortions. People will lose basic health care services like mammograms."

Yeah, well just try to get one at PP.

Calling 30 clinics in 27 states, every single one said they don’t do them. Thank you, Lila Rose and the folks at Live Action for further exposing the corruption at PP.

Good morning.

1. Cinema, two films noted, here and here. One old, one new.
2. Somebody forgot they live in a community.
3. Losing the libs.
4. Some links, I’d call attention to the the Drezner link.
5. The Obama doctrine, caring a little bit?
6. Just air … and success. “The sad fact is that NATO cannot hope to succeed in its mission — whatever that may be — without combined arms: land, sea and air. An unbalanced force will either be suboptimal for regime change and stability operations or wholly inadequate. Either NATO fights one hand tied behind its back or it fights with the full range of its capabilities.”
7. Dante and the bike.
8. Exceptionalism.
9. Sleazy (dressed) girls for charity.
10. Correlation is not causation, but … doesn’t it also mean if not correlated you should be able to suggest why they are not connected?
11. It ain’t over yet, dude.
12. Faith.
13. Corruption and maps.
14. Yet another book for the queue.