Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, December 16 2008 @ 02:30 PM CST
Hm. Thinking about it like that makes it sound a bit creepy. Oh, well.
Headlines I thought were interesting, in no particular order:
SDSU women miss out on top 25 poll – barely[*1] in the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader by Terry Vandrovec.
South Dakota State will have to wait at least one more day to crack the NCAA Division I women’s basketball top 25 for the first time. Nonetheless, the Jackrabbits are on track to get there long before anybody thought possible.
Coming off road wins at reputable Minnesota and Gonzaga, the Jackrabbits (10-1) received more votes than any team not in the top 25 in the Associated Press poll that was released Monday. They held that same distinction last week in the ESPN/USA Today poll, and are a good bet to move into that top 25 when it’s released today, another significant step in the program’s rapid rise.
Journalism’s revolving door[*2] at, and by Tigerhawk:
The mainstream media takes great umbrage at the “revolving door” between government and the K Street firms that lobby government. . . . Well, then, why is it just fine for journalists who profess to objectivity to go to work for politicians in official positions of flackery?
Palin Church Fire Was Arson[*3] by John Hinderaker at Powerline:
Today authorities confirmed that the fire was started by an arsonist . . .
Minnesota Senate recount, update XII[*4] by Scott Johnson at Powerline:
The Minnesota Supreme Court hearing is set for Wednesday afternoon. The Supreme Court could have punted and may yet do so, but the hearing holds out the possibility that the Pandora’s box opened by the Board of Canvassers might be shut. Even if the court introduces order to the pending chaos, we have no idea what the result would be.
The Canvassing Board has proved itself to be problematic. It has already gone haywire on basic issues that go to the statutory recount process, and the rejected absentee ballots that may or may not be included are a wild card.
I am worried. I think you would be right to be worried.
That kind of fraud is not really possible because of the system…[*5] by Tim Swanson at Mises.org
This video has been making the rounds throughout the financial blogosphere. It is an interview with Bernard Madoff in 2007 and one in which he utters a number of fabulous statements regarding safety, risk, oversight and regulation. He also touches on subprime and quants.
Yeah, Snookums and I had some money in a fund which owned a fund which was part of Maddow’s scam. Not very happy about it, either.
Hammer falling at the Strib[*6] by Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:
Unfortunately, rather than just fire Coleman for incompetence, they’re laying him off or demoting him to the news section. That means they have to show some balance (for once) and axe their lone conservative voice at the paper. Katherine Kersten has done a remarkable job at the Strib as a rare voice for conservatism in the paper, but she’s also the last one in, and most companies would make her the first one out regardless of point of view. I’ll miss her, and like David Brauer, I also doubt that she’ll remain as a reporter. Hopefully she finds another platform soon.
Collective shoe throwing[*7] by Eric at Classic Values:
I was never especially enthusiastic about Bush (as I explained many times, I held my nose when I voted for him), and I’m even less enthusiastic about Barack Obama. But either Bush Derangement syndrome or Obama Derangement Sydrome (or Clinton Derangement Syndrome before them) strike me not only juvenile but ineffective. They just guarantee further such behavior.
Why the emerging auto bailout sucks[*8] by Professor Bainbridge at stephenbainbridge.com:
Injecting capital into the automobile makers does not address the underlying structural problems faced by this industry. It does nothing to give them leaner bureaucracies, less expensive legacy health and pension costs, more flexible work rules, less restrictive and costly union contracts, and, to put it bluntly, products somebody would want to buy. All it does is delay the inevitable by giving them more money to burn through.
Who decides how much your life is worth?[*9] , by Professor Bainbridge at stephenbainbridge.com:
What I find particularly objectionable about the British rationing system is the effort they make to prevent private funding. If I can afford to spend $100,000 to buy a six month reprieve, why should the government tell me not to do so? Yet, in the UK, opting for private funding of a single treatment apparently can result in your exclusion from the rationed care system in its entirety.
Oil on troubled waters[*10] by Richard Fernandez aka “Wretchard” at Belmont Club:
But lest anyone think that the Australian Green’s sense of urgency is extraordinary, the Associated Press recently reported that Barack Obama has little time left to cope with Global Warming. In the middle of an economic meltdown and a global fight against chaos, what we really should be worrying about is carbon levels. “The 10 hottest years on record have occurred since Clinton’s second inauguration. Global warming is accelerating. Time is close to running out, and Obama knows it. … ” We need to act NOW!!! and I’m not talking about the economy.
The Real Climate Deniers[*11] by Brian Sussman at American Thinker:
What you should do, Messer’s Obama, Gore and McCain, is realize the debate is over — there is no global warming. Yes, between 1970 and 1998 there was a minor warming of a mere .34°F, as verified by the NASA satellite records. However, there has been no notable increase in the global temperature since 1998, (humiliatingly confirmed even by the United Nations). Furthermore, your designer greenhouse gas-carbon dioxide-is neither a pollutant nor a problem.
However, the facts are not getting in the way of their agenda.
Cannibals Report on the Taste of the Races’ Meat: Japanese the Tastiest, White Meat Too “Strong Smelling” and Salty[*12] from Ace at Ace of Spades H.Q.
Rasmussen: 45% Suspect It’s Likely or Very Likely Obama or His Team “Involved In” Blagojevich Scandal[*13] from Ace at Ace of Spades H.Q.
Pirates and Warships[*14] where DEC at JungleTrader highlights a New York Times article[*15] :
The Indian Navy recently announced that it had arrested 23 pirates, though it is not clear where the suspects would be prosecuted. Last week in Nairobi, Kenya, at an antipiracy conference, British officials outlined a plan for their navy to capture Somali pirates and hand them over to Kenyan courts.
But according to Kenneth Randall, dean of the University of Alabama School of Law and an international law scholar, “Any country can arrest these guys and prosecute them at home, under domestic laws that apply.
“I’m actually surprised people think it’s unclear,” he said. “The law on piracy is 100 percent clear.”
He said that international customary law going back hundreds of years had defined pirates as criminals who robbed and stole on the high seas. Because the crimes were committed in international waters, he said, all countries had not only the authority but also the obligation to apprehend and prosecute them.
THE BUZZ: Royals move managers around[*16] from the Kansas City Star:
Airlines’ changes should help them survive recession[*17] by Randolph Heaster at the Kansas City Star:
“In fact, the number of aircraft taken out of service in the past several months is the equivalent of one very large airline going out of business,” said Beverly Goulet, vice president of corporate development and treasurer of AMR Corp., American’s holding company.
Northeast Siberia braces for extreme cold of -60C[*18] by Anthony Watts at Watt’s Up With That?
Robert Carlyle Headlines ‘Stargate: Universe’[*19] by Micheal Hinman at SyFyPortal.com.
Tops In 2008: Top TV Programs, Single Telecasts[*20] at blog.nielsen.com.
10 Worst Science Fiction Remakes[*21] by Charlie Jane Anders at io9.com.
Ten of the Baddest Fictional Movie Weapons[*22] by Madison at Unrealitymag.com.
Topping off the sf-list trifecta, When a Power List Isn’t[*23] by John Scalzi at Whatever.
Analysis: Is Apple about to have an enterprise moment?[*24] by Eric Bangeman at Arstechnica.com.
Apple and the enterprise—two words that have historically gone together like peanut butter and cheese curds. For much of its history, the computer-cum-iPhone maker has been on the outside of enterprise computing looking in. In fact, it’s debatable how much Apple was even looking in. The company has shown little interest in doing what is necessary to woo corporate IT departments and make its case to CIOs.
Ars Reviews the 2008 MacBook: weighing the Pros and cons[*25] By David Chartier, Iljitsch van Beijnum at Arstechnica.com.
Broken Windows, Broken Logic by Ryan Young and Drew Tidwell at Openmarket.org:
The problem is that an energy tax cannot create new jobs. Just different ones. The money Kinsley hopes to inject into the economy must first be taken out of it. Add in collection costs and the usual political malfeasance, and we have a net loss to the economy.
There’s more.
Kinsley argues that last summer’s high oil prices were essentially a “tax” on consumers. The money just went to oil companies instead of government. But he forgets that oil companies do not have control over their prices. If they did, then why would oil prices ever drop? Kinsley’s logic does not follow.