Crying (from laughing)

Do you need a laugh today? I did.

This worked.

'Bout Sums It Up

Nothing like tax-payers subsidized investments for billionaires.

Apropos

As a proud third-party voter, I'm happy to post this John Adams quote: 

There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each...

Not there yet

Not voting is a pretty common theme in the libertarian arena; at least that's the first and only place I've ever seen the argument. And while I can't bring myself not to vote, it is a very interesting argument.

More and more interesting

Studies of genetics and behavior just keep getting more interesting.

A particularly good Economist this week ...

Regulations, Immigration, Education - let's get this machine going again.
The concept of Bitcoin makes my head hurt, but it's very very interesting.
Healthcare, the economies of scale, and why it will only keep getting more expensive.
I had no idea about this, which is exactly what this book about Poland and WWII is about. Sad and interesting.

Funny (strange) Stuff

This is one of the strangest things I've read regarding an investment firm in quite some time.

There is a firm that is in bankruptcy right now, and $20,000 in silver coins are missing (along with millions of dollars more in client funds). You may wonder why that is particularly odd. Well, the coins were stamped, apparently with the approval of Nickelodeon before the firm went bust, with the "likeness of SpongeBob SquarePants".

Pusillanimous

pu·sil·lan·i·mous  (pys-ln-ms)

adj.

Lacking courage; cowardly.

Exsiccate

ex·sic·cate

   [ek-si-keyt]  Show IPA verb,ex·sic·cat·ed, ex·sic·cat·ing.

verb (used with object)

1.

to dry or remove the moisture from, as a substance.

2.

to dry up, as moisture.

Yet Another Perspective on Generation X

I don't know if it's as bad as all this, but this Bagehot column in last week's Economist is an interesting article on how delaying kids right until our peak earning years has put the squeeze on Generation X.

Awesome Geek Story

This is an amazing story about working against the odds, and the bureaucracy, to create something you think will be amazing and useful.

via The Big Find

Oh the irony

For all those moaning about how the US wouldn't sign the Kyoto Treaty, let's see how that's working out, shall we?

Over the past five years America has recorded a decline in greenhouse-gas emissions of 450m tonnes, the biggest anywhere in the world. Ironically, given its far greater effort to tackle climate change, the European Union has seen its emissions rise, partly because its higher gas prices (linked to oil) have led to an increase in coal-fired power generation.

Health Care

With the Supreme Court decision due tomorrow, this seems appropriate. Just because you don't support universal coverage or federally mandated/subsidized/provided insurance, doesn't mean you want poor people to die. This should go without saying, but sadly, it often has to be explained.

Contradictions

Charisma can cover much. I love this article from Reason about positions Obama's supporters attribute to him that he doesn't actually hold.

Preach On

Re: Respecting Authority from my favorite, Radley Balko.

You're Special, Just Like Everyone Else

This commencement speech by a teacher in Boston is making the rounds. And I love it, too.

Love this Guy

If it weren't for the weather, I say, let's move to Estonia.

Contrarian Item of the Day

When will the government stop invading our personal decision-making? Sigh. I suspect never, even when they seem to be wrong so often. Yet another one - Is Salt Good For You?

So Cool

Celebrity Side Projects. Neil Young and Hedy Lamarr are my favorites.

Probably not that bad

Things aren't usually as bad as we think they are (at least I hope not).

No Toy Story 2?

I'm glad to see that even some of the most brilliant people in media do stuff like this.

via The Big Find

Cool

This is just great stuff - two paralyzed people use their brains to control a robotic arm.

Don't know much about history ...

This is great - one of those classic American History is all BS stories, but Cracked.com always makes it fun to read. (Caveat: I haven't looked to see how much of this is its own BS, too, so take it however you'd like.)

Exsanguinate

to drain of blood (And no this isn't from a vampire book or story. What writer of vampire lore would actually use this word? That would be an interesting book, I think)

Wow

How deep things are. (and no, that's not a metaphor ... mostly)

via The Agitator

Word Today

interstices

(used in The Good Book, by Peter Gomes)

Defined

Pettifog
as used here: to quibble over insignificant details

Your Contrarian News of the Day

The Supreme Court's Citizens United Decision is making politics better.

Updates

I know there are only about four of you reading this, but I've updated a couple of things in the posts.

First of all, I've added "share" buttons in case you find something really interesting here and want to pass it along.

Also, I've added what Google calls "Reaction" buttons. I want to know what you (two) think of the posts, so please let me know if you like something you read here, if you love a post, or if you hate a post. This will help me know what you respond to, and hopefully post more similar subjects or even do more research on stuff you love (or tell you to get lost if you hate something I really love posting about). Oh, and these show up on all posts now retroactively, so if you are so inclined, feel free to go back through them and let me know what you think of some of the older posts.

Word I Learned Today

I read a couple of magazines whose writers like to use big, unusual words. I've never been a real vocabulary junky, so there always seems to be a word I don't know. I'm going to try to start tracking these here.

Today's word is: obeisance.

(Lest you think I'm particularly pretentious about my reading habits, rest assured that these magazines are rarely touched until I've finished my Entertainment Weekly and hand-me-down People issues.)

This is great news

Not only has bone marrow donation gotten much easier, but now people can receive compensation for it, just like donating blood.

Another One Today

Corruption at the NCAA. I had an idea, but nothing on this scale (keeping in mind this is an opinion piece, but I'm inclined to believe it).

via The Agitator.

I'm back

at least for today.

Here's another fun/scary one from Cracked.com: Creepy Progressive Parenting.

Ink Under Water

found via Pinterest...

States' Rights

Ah, red meat for southerners like me. And I consider myself libertarian on top of that, so the states' rights argument has always appealed to me on a couple of levels. I get it. I get why people down here still resent the portrayal and stereotyping of southerners. I even understand how some here can keep putting "rebel" flags up on their land or cars and tell themselves and others that it's not racist.

I've never felt the argument for states' rights against the federal government's meddling, and for secession and, therefore the Civil War, though, is a justifiable enough argument because, frankly, slavery was just too abhorrent. But I couldn't put the right words to that feeling. And there was still always something there, something in the back of my mind that hung onto this reasoning about why the Confederacy was OK and the Union wasn't, when it came to secession (though not slavery itself).

But this article tears that apart. This is such an interesting argument against the continued use of "yes, slavery was bad, but the civil war wasn't about slavery, it was about states' rights". This author also happens to make his case without being terribly insulting to southerners (not a small bonus, honestly). Though I have to admit that I'm easily swayed here because I don't like justifying the Confederacy's secession, which always feels like a defense of slavery, too, so I'm not really running this one through the intellectual ringer. The comments are also interesting, for a change, with those who both agree and disagree with the writer.

(But I still don't like calling it a "Civil War" because technically the Confederates had no interest in taking over the current federal government. They wanted their own. And they didn't want someone in Washington telling them what they could and couldn't do, or taxing the hell out of them to support things with which they didn't agree. Hmmm...)

Good News and More Good News

I stand by my declaration that I would live in no other time before now. Healthcare and technology are the two main reasons, but so are increased equality and reduced poverty. Most of those are covered in these Economist items.

Sleep, Wonderful Sleep

This is an interesting article about our natural/historical sleep patterns.

Photography (wow)

This is so cool.

Violence in Decline

This is a really interesting interview of Steven Pinker, the author of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined.

Generally Positive, and then ...

Well, I have a generally positive outlook on life in spite of my cynicism about our government and "free" society. I can rarely be surprised anymore by the things they do, and then I read Radley Balko's site.

Ugh.

It's called a police state, and we live in it. Real property rights that can't be dismantled at the whim of a local police agency, alongside the US Department of Justice (oh the irony of their name) would go a long way to freeing up our economy and our lives.

Reading and Misinterpretation

Another interesting one from Cracked.

Cute

Baby Sleep Positions - illustrated

Did I Mention...

that I love my job?

Just had to put that out there.

Apologies

I'm sorry for the lack of posting lately.  I've been completely slammed at work (and being self-employed, that's a great thing) and pretty overwhelmed with reading at home. I'm sure I'll find some great stuff to post as I make it through the 5 magazines and two books on my bedside table - will post as soon as I can.

Guesswork Theory

I can't remember how I found this blogger, but his posts about religion and Christianity are always very insightful.  I like this one, in particular and Giving Up What God Didn't Promise.

Quite Different

The links today are pretty far about apart, but I liked them both enough to want to share.

First of all, the ridiculousness that is buying women's clothes. Then, the ridiculousness that is the nanny state.
(I knew they had something in common.)

Yep, me, too.

Tell your reps and senators to say NO to SOPA and PIPA!

Great Line Today

... The practical side of parenting is all about engineering your obsolescence, and I’m sure that works really well for robots. The rest of us don’t mind a modicum of indispensability.

from Lileks' Bleat

Cooking

I love the myth-busting Cracked posts, and this one even includes an Atlanta/Alton Brown reference, not to mention lots of good cooking info.

Harry Potter Geek Link

So perfect.

and a little from the left

Well, these posts are aren't really from the "left" in my view, but I would say that Slate and Salon do typically lean that way.  Both links came from Radley Balko at The Agitator, as usual.

This isn't political at all - just totally map-geek fantastic.  This is the story about an award-winning map of the US, and it's quite interesting.

And, this one is an interesting look at how bureaucrats, unquestioning reporters, and columnists use the terms "moderates" and "centrists" to frame discussion and con us into believing what is an acceptable opinion.  This piece is about the drug war, but it could really be about anything political.

Multi-Links

Touching obituary for Siobhan Reynolds, champion of pain patients and fighter of asinine drug policy, in a mainstream publication, no less.

Why, she asked, when opioids can help treat chronic pain, are they frequently only available to the dying—but not if your agony will last years?  Why, when addiction to opioids is actually rare, do we treat them as though everyone who takes these drugs is likely to get instantly hooked?  And why do we seem to see addiction—even in the dying— as a worse side effect than agony or even death?

There should be more coverage of the travesty of thedrug war and its affects on people who need drugs. Denying people something they want is more important to our government than taking care of those who need it.

Another great one from Rules for My Unborn Son: 

529. The best way to ruin an apology is with an explanation.

Love The Sartorialist, and love this look.

2011 Entertainment in Review

Here's my 2011 Books, Movies, Events, and Travel list:

Books
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
American on Purpose - Craig Ferguson
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
The Holy Bible (New American Standard)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

Events
Reckless Kelly with Mickey and the Motorcars - The Pour House, James Island, SC
Dwight Yoakam - Wild Bill's, Duluth, GA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Christmas with the ASO - Symphony Hall, Atlanta

Travel
Hilton Head Island, SC
Daufuskie Island, SC
Charleston, SC
Orange Beach, AL

Movies (** in theater):
The Lives of Others (highly recommended)
How to Train Your Dragon
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
Julie & Julia
Extract
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The King's Speech
The Expendables
RED
Toy Story 2
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
**Rango
Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga'Hool
Wild Target
Ink
Sorcerer's Apprentice
Dispicable Me
Easy A
Toy Story 3
Get Low
Hop
Invictus
Green Hornet
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
**X-Men: First Class
Amelie
It Might Get Loud
**Super 8
Broadcast News
The Social Network
Dinner with Schmucks
17 Again
Shaolin Soccer
Date Night
True Grit (2010)
The Young Victoria
**Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The Eiger Sanction
The Tourist
Red Riding Hood
Cannibal: The Musical
The Switch
**Cowboys & Aliens
Knight & Day
Hot Tub Time Machine
The Mechanic
**The Help
The Lincoln Lawyer
John Adams (miniseries)
Unknown
Season of the Witch
Marley and Me
Battle of Los Angeles
Limitless
Road to Perdition
The Conspirator
Surrogates
Paul
**The Muppets
The Adjustment Bureau
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Fright Night (2010)
Horrible Bosses
**Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil