I posted my disgust with FEMA's granting of almost 2 year's worth of rent to my wonderful clients' Katrina beneficiaries here.
Today I got notice that the City of Austin will pick up the tab from November 1 through February 28, of, of, of 2009!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Re: Cowboys
Just heard Gary Coghill (sp?) on a radio program that features him on Fridays here in Austin. Normally he is a movie critic based out of Dallas but today he had to opine on Romo regarding his 5 interceptions last week.
Apparently, at the press conference after the game when asked about the 5 picks, he replied, "It felt like 7."
The guy must be getting self-effacement lessons. That is the kind of stuff that will make him the Second Coming in Dallas.
Update: I got Cogill's spelling incorrect. Here's his website.
Apparently, at the press conference after the game when asked about the 5 picks, he replied, "It felt like 7."
The guy must be getting self-effacement lessons. That is the kind of stuff that will make him the Second Coming in Dallas.
Update: I got Cogill's spelling incorrect. Here's his website.
Egad!
From Linda Halderman, M.D., FACS (PajamasMedia.com) on Hanson's website:
More disturbing is Senator Clinton’s May 24, 2007 statement that “doctors and patients don’t know which medical interventions are most effective — and which have little benefit.”
Rather than trusting the decision about a medication or course of treatment to a surgeon or the parent of a sick child, Senator Clinton proposes instead to establish a “Best Practices Institute” so that “doctors, nurses and other health professionals…would know what drugs, devices, surgeries and treatments work best.”
More disturbing is Senator Clinton’s May 24, 2007 statement that “doctors and patients don’t know which medical interventions are most effective — and which have little benefit.”
Rather than trusting the decision about a medication or course of treatment to a surgeon or the parent of a sick child, Senator Clinton proposes instead to establish a “Best Practices Institute” so that “doctors, nurses and other health professionals…would know what drugs, devices, surgeries and treatments work best.”
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Re: 3rd Party Threat
Works and Days: Iraq
Be sure to read Victor Davis Hanson's three pieces at W&D on his recent trip to Iraq.
Re: Cowboys
Six turnovers and the Pokes still win and two Superbowl thrashings. If it weren't for the Oilers, I suspect Buffalo would hate Texas.
Having said that, I agree that this will all come crashing down soon. Don't they play a real team on Sunday?
Having said that, I agree that this will all come crashing down soon. Don't they play a real team on Sunday?
The F-ing Cowboys
God I can't take much more of the sports talk up here. To coin a Jim Rome phrase, Cowboys fans are all myopian. And not just the fans, but the talk show hosts are giddy beyond belief and the SB spin is in FULL effect. An example...
Before the Bills' game Monday night, the general feeling was that there was NO WAY Dallas could or would lose. They were going to roll out and destroy the Bills. It would be over by halftime, that is how good the Cowboys are and how bad the Bills are.
Tuesday morning, the spin was that the Cowboys showed their true greatest by winning a close game. It was a good thing for them to play and win a close game. Nothing about how bad they played, nothing about the Bills - if one hadn't known anything, you would come away from the spin thinking the Cowboys played a GREAT team, played a GREAT game and won. A truly great team doesn't win all their games easily - the truly great ones play and win close ones.
Romo is the second coming. Phillips is a genius. Jerry is a genius. I'm going to have to listen to Mike Gallagher or my jihadist station in the mornings; Medved in the afternoons. Shoot me now...please.
Before the Bills' game Monday night, the general feeling was that there was NO WAY Dallas could or would lose. They were going to roll out and destroy the Bills. It would be over by halftime, that is how good the Cowboys are and how bad the Bills are.
Tuesday morning, the spin was that the Cowboys showed their true greatest by winning a close game. It was a good thing for them to play and win a close game. Nothing about how bad they played, nothing about the Bills - if one hadn't known anything, you would come away from the spin thinking the Cowboys played a GREAT team, played a GREAT game and won. A truly great team doesn't win all their games easily - the truly great ones play and win close ones.
Romo is the second coming. Phillips is a genius. Jerry is a genius. I'm going to have to listen to Mike Gallagher or my jihadist station in the mornings; Medved in the afternoons. Shoot me now...please.
The Great Flood Update
The repair work started this morning. Ceiling is down in the kitchen and the good news is that the structure looks fine, the beams and wood look fine - so no surprises so far. Walls look fine as well. They will know more in the next couple of days. C and I have spent the last few weekends doing the whole floors/carpets/counter tops/stove stop/back-splash/sinks etc thing. She seems shocked at how much the "upgrades" she wants to do are going to cost us out-of-pocket. I think I came to that realization several weeks ago.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Cheese
A post for Michael's son. Learning of his love of cheese (one I share), I forgot to ask if he's tried any of the smoked cheeses. I just had a piece of one of my faves...smoked Gouda. Has he tried any? I know those bleu cheeses will take some time. The smoked cheeses, however, he might like.
Re: Google
Last week was the celebration of Sputnik. They allow China to censor.
Today they trade at $615 per share.
Today they trade at $615 per share.
Google unpatriotic
"Not only did Google honor an achievement by a totalitarian regime that was our Cold War enemy, they griped, but it did so without having ever altered its logo to commemorate U.S. military personnel on Memorial Day or Veterans Day."
And don't forget the first Commie in space.
And don't forget the first Commie in space.
Hmmmmmm
"In 1988, the surgeon general, C. Everett Koop, proclaimed ice cream to a be public-health menace right up there with cigarettes . . . . It may seem bizarre that a surgeon general could go so wrong. After all, wasn’t it his job to express the scientific consensus? But that was the problem. Dr. Koop was expressing the consensus."
Now where have I heard about some other scientific consensus lately?
Now where have I heard about some other scientific consensus lately?
Monday, October 08, 2007
Stephen Hunter
Thanks to Michael for letting me know that my favorite author’s new Bob Lee Swagger novel is out.
And, yes, I know that The Shooter was pretty awful.
Come to think of it, maybe I am a gun "nut."
And, yes, I know that The Shooter was pretty awful.
Come to think of it, maybe I am a gun "nut."
Re: The Dumbing Down of the Electorate
It's also part of having started the campaign two years prior to the election.
Victor Davis Hanson blogging from Kuwait
From his Works and Days at Pajamas Media:
(3) As a supporter of some four years of the now unpopular effort to remove Saddam and leave a democracy in his place, I continue to have only one reservation, albeit a major one. The U.S. soldier in the field is so unusually competent and heroic that one comes to despair at the very thought of losing even one of them. As a military historian I know that an army that can’t take casualties can’t win, but I confess after spending 16-hour days with our soldiers in impossible conditions one wonders whether the entire country of Iraq is worth the loss of just of these unusual Americans. I understand both the lack of logic and perhaps amorality in such a sweeping statement, but feel it nonetheless out here.
(3) As a supporter of some four years of the now unpopular effort to remove Saddam and leave a democracy in his place, I continue to have only one reservation, albeit a major one. The U.S. soldier in the field is so unusually competent and heroic that one comes to despair at the very thought of losing even one of them. As a military historian I know that an army that can’t take casualties can’t win, but I confess after spending 16-hour days with our soldiers in impossible conditions one wonders whether the entire country of Iraq is worth the loss of just of these unusual Americans. I understand both the lack of logic and perhaps amorality in such a sweeping statement, but feel it nonetheless out here.
“You Can’t Legislate Morality”
I’ve always thought that was the most ridiculous statement ever, ok, maybe not ever, about governance. What is legislation about theft, rape, murder, tax evasion, perjury, etc…, if not the legislation of morality?
Dr. King, through Star Parker, taught me why I was wrong today at Townhall in her column on Jena:
The Rev. Martin Luther King pointed out that "It may be true that you cannot legislate morality, but behavior can be regulated." He observed that through legislation, he may not be able to get the other guy to love him, but he sure can use it to stop the guy from lynching him.
Dr. King, through Star Parker, taught me why I was wrong today at Townhall in her column on Jena:
The Rev. Martin Luther King pointed out that "It may be true that you cannot legislate morality, but behavior can be regulated." He observed that through legislation, he may not be able to get the other guy to love him, but he sure can use it to stop the guy from lynching him.
Friday, October 05, 2007
The Dumbing Down of the Electorate
Last night I was listening to Michael Savage and he was going off on journalists and how/what they are reporting about the Presidential candidates. Instead of reporting what their views / stances are (and he piped in with Rudy, there wouldn’t be anything to tell us because no one knows what his positions are), we just get told how money each raised in the past week/month/quarter. So if Hillary raises more than Obama, that means she is a better candidate. He made the analogy of how journalists no longer review movies, they just tell us the box office $$ each week. The higher the gross, the better the movie. He had me laughing out loud and thinking that he is a loonie.
But, driving to work this morning, Mike Gallagher was talking to Gov. Huckabee and was making almost the exact same argument, not so much using the movie box office analogy, just that all we hear about the candidates is how much $$ they raise, not about their positions. And on CNN online this morning, the lead story in the politics section was about fund raising. Perhaps Savage isn’t as loonie as it might appear.
But, driving to work this morning, Mike Gallagher was talking to Gov. Huckabee and was making almost the exact same argument, not so much using the movie box office analogy, just that all we hear about the candidates is how much $$ they raise, not about their positions. And on CNN online this morning, the lead story in the politics section was about fund raising. Perhaps Savage isn’t as loonie as it might appear.
Re: 3rd Party Threat
Dobson has a HUGE following.
I’m not prepared to worry just yet although gf2 and the survey did get me going a bit last night. I think it just a slam at, duh, Rudy. Rudy’s my candidate in spite of many of his social positions because I think he’s the only guy who can beat her. And he's right on WWIV. He's the guy I think of when I hear the Samuel Jackson line about which I asked earlier, "I don't like you because you're trying to get me killed!"
He also seems to be the only guy, other than Paul, who seems to really understand the markets.
I know, I know, the Stepford Candidate from Massachusetts is a great business man but I don’t like some of what I’m hearing from him. I need to learn more about Mitt’s health insurance plan in Mass., too, and what he wants done nationally.
Back to Dobson, he is just not being practical. I appreciate that if one were as marrow-deep pro-life as Dobson is, then one could justifiably be conflicted as a matter of principle about supporting someone who is pro-choice, also as a matter of principle, regardless of what he promises about judges. But he needs to be practical and I suspect he will be.
I think the timing of this is pretty astute on Dobson’s part. Make noise now in an effort to get his preferred candidate the nomination and if that fails and Rudy wins, shut up. Who is going to throw his hat in the ring against Rudy? Huckabee (probably Dobson's choice)? I don’t think so. Romney (I don’t even know what Dobson thinks of Romney)? Not a chance. Newt? Even though staunchly pro-life, Dobson would still have to hold his nose. Paul (the oxymoronically pro-life Libertarian)? Maybe, but he’s so bad on WWIV, I don’t think he could garner much support.
No, I think if Rudy wins the nomination, Dobson just goes quiet. Or, he has one of those meetings like he did with the Supreme nominees and comes away convinced Rudy will do the right thing with the judges.
Even if I’m wrong, I’m not sure the Evangelical base would follow Dobson on this (I know I won’t) given the alternative.
I’m not prepared to worry just yet although gf2 and the survey did get me going a bit last night. I think it just a slam at, duh, Rudy. Rudy’s my candidate in spite of many of his social positions because I think he’s the only guy who can beat her. And he's right on WWIV. He's the guy I think of when I hear the Samuel Jackson line about which I asked earlier, "I don't like you because you're trying to get me killed!"
He also seems to be the only guy, other than Paul, who seems to really understand the markets.
I know, I know, the Stepford Candidate from Massachusetts is a great business man but I don’t like some of what I’m hearing from him. I need to learn more about Mitt’s health insurance plan in Mass., too, and what he wants done nationally.
Back to Dobson, he is just not being practical. I appreciate that if one were as marrow-deep pro-life as Dobson is, then one could justifiably be conflicted as a matter of principle about supporting someone who is pro-choice, also as a matter of principle, regardless of what he promises about judges. But he needs to be practical and I suspect he will be.
I think the timing of this is pretty astute on Dobson’s part. Make noise now in an effort to get his preferred candidate the nomination and if that fails and Rudy wins, shut up. Who is going to throw his hat in the ring against Rudy? Huckabee (probably Dobson's choice)? I don’t think so. Romney (I don’t even know what Dobson thinks of Romney)? Not a chance. Newt? Even though staunchly pro-life, Dobson would still have to hold his nose. Paul (the oxymoronically pro-life Libertarian)? Maybe, but he’s so bad on WWIV, I don’t think he could garner much support.
No, I think if Rudy wins the nomination, Dobson just goes quiet. Or, he has one of those meetings like he did with the Supreme nominees and comes away convinced Rudy will do the right thing with the judges.
Even if I’m wrong, I’m not sure the Evangelical base would follow Dobson on this (I know I won’t) given the alternative.
Re: Third Party Threat
This isn't a cop out, but since I haven't watched or read about ANY of the seemingly 1,000 debates that have been held so far (1 year BEFORE the freaking election), I don't have any idea. Plus, have the wacko parties (Libertarian, Communist, Green, etc.) even "nominated" or announced who their candidates are?
But, to try to answer your question, instead of telling you who I would vote FOR if the election were tomorrow, let me tell you who I would NOT vote for (in no particular order):
McCain - no
Giuliani - no
Thompson - no
Huckabee - no
Obama - no
Hillary - no
Edwards - no
Hunter - no
So I guess that means I'll have to choose between Richardson, Romney or Paul.
Oh joy....
But, to try to answer your question, instead of telling you who I would vote FOR if the election were tomorrow, let me tell you who I would NOT vote for (in no particular order):
McCain - no
Giuliani - no
Thompson - no
Huckabee - no
Obama - no
Hillary - no
Edwards - no
Hunter - no
So I guess that means I'll have to choose between Richardson, Romney or Paul.
Oh joy....
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