Archive for August, 2009
Oh, Spare Us The Benefits of Traffic Tickets
12:41 am, August 31st, 2009 on Miscellaneous
Traffic tickets are merely a means for cities to generate revenue, and save money, with little or no additional effort. This is especially true for speeding.
The cops save on gas by hiding behind those “bushes.” The driver pays another hidden tax. The insurance company makes more money by jacking up premiums, and rewards cities by providing free equipment. The cities save more dough.
How about that, Vanderbilt?
The Old Messiah Has Returned Story
12:39 pm, August 30th, 2009 on Miscellaneous
The "Messiah"
It is amazing that people constantly fall for people claiming to be the Messiah, returning to teach mankind the error of its ways.
The latest is this former policeman in Siberia who claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus sent to Earth to teach us
about the evils of war and the havoc we were wreaking on the environment.
He might as well be a member of the Green Party.
How Did The Nigerian Government Recover the Money From Bank Debtors?
This is how… now you know too…
Dear Sir,
Good day and compliments. This letter will definitely come to you as a huge surprise, but I implore you to take the time to go through it carefully as the decision you make will go off a long way to determine the future and continued existence of the entire members of my family. Read on »
I Love This Congresswoman
2:40 pm, August 27th, 2009 on Health
ObamaCare™ is stirring up another controversy over whether abortion would be funded under the Democrats’ health care plans.
Now, Rep. Lois Capps (D., Calif.) claims:
It’s very personal and it’s very emotional … The goal is to not have controversial points stand in the way of making progress.
The progress we are talking about here is itself controversial. Do we even need a national health care plan?
We need to get this issue out of the way before we start talking about funding abortion and such other “controversial” topics.
How Has the US Withdrawal From Iraqi Cities Helped?
12:54 pm, August 27th, 2009 on Iraq, Middle East
Iraq is only marginally safer than when American troops patrolled the streets of Baghdad. In the latest bout of violence:
A string of car bombs exploded Wednesday in Baghdad as Iraqi forces tightened security around Shiite mosques, shrines and political party offices in advance of the funeral of a top Shiite leader.
The car bombs targeted primarily Iraqi troops in the city and a northern Baghdad suburb, killing one and wounding 19, police officials said. The violence raised concerns whether Iraqi forces can provide adequate security when thousands converge to mourn the death of Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim.
Is This Our Model For Nationalized Healthcare a.k.a. ObamaCare?
9:09 pm, August 26th, 2009 on Health
BBC reports about the UK’s NHS:
A patient lobby group is demanding an urgent review of basic hospital care after highlighting accounts of “appalling” NHS standards.
Relatives told the Patients Association how their loved ones, often elderly people, were left lying in faeces and urine and were not helped to eat.
…The report focused on 16 stories from relatives of patients in England, which the association says are just a few of the many similar reports from across the UK.
Obama’s 1.6 Trillion and 9 Trillion Tricks
12:10 am, August 26th, 2009 on Economy
This year’s deficit will be a mere 1.6 trillion, thrice as much as Bush’s 2008 deficit. Over the next 10 yrs, Obama wants to spend another 9 trillion dollars of money we don’t have.
Under Obama, we may be moving towards energy independence, but deeper into Chinese servitude.
Terrorist, Libyan Hero or Both?
Hero's Welcome
You couldn’t tell, just by looking at the photograph above, that the man on the right is a terrorist responsible for the deaths of 270 innocent civilians.
The Right Message: Obama’s Ramadan Remarks
4:07 pm, August 22nd, 2009 on White House
Barack Obama may be all talk, but talk is what wins the hearts and minds, to use a cliche. His recent message, included after the jump, on the Muslim month of Ramadan shows his commitment to re-engage the Muslim world.
His knowledge and apparent respect of Muslim traditions, coming from the President of the United States, is a very important step, in continuation of his speeches in Cairo and Ankara, to build a momentum of peaceful relations with the Muslim world. Read on »
Ah, The Pleasures of A Potential Australian Loss
12:19 pm, August 22nd, 2009 on Cricket
Although the match might yet end up differently, in a draw or even an Australian victory, the current situation does look very positive for the English side.
2 days to go and another 465 runs to be made by Australia. If the Australian’s last innings total of 160 is any indication, England might win very comfortably.
Ah, the existential pleasures of a potential Australian defeat! Those smug bastards deserve nothing more.
Attaboy Mueller
FBI Director Robert Mueller has shot off a scathing letter to the Scottish “Justice” Minister regarding the recent release of the Lockerbie bomber, saying among other things:
Your action gives comfort to terrorists around the world who now believe that regardless of the quality of the investigation, the conviction by jury after the defendant is given all due process, and sentence appropriate to the crime, the terrorist will be freed by one man’s exercise of “compassion.”
The full letter is available here.
The Book Banning Phenomena
Gujarat, a western Indian state, has banned a book, merely because the author praised Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the so-called founder of Pakistan, and criticized Vallabbhai Patel, a Hindu nationalist leader. This is the same place that just re-elected a genocidal maniac as its Chief Minister.
Freedom of speech ought to be a cherished ideal of any pluralistic democracy. Banning books goes against the very principles of democracy.
Probing Tax Evaders
7:02 pm, August 19th, 2009 on Taxes
If the US and British tax regimes were simpler, with lower taxes, fewer brackets, and lesser paperwork and bureaucracy, we’d have far fewer tax evaders than we do now.
But, alas, who’s to explain the efficiency and efficacy of this model to the liberals who run our countries.
It’s a lot more glamorous to attack individuals who are simply trying to save some money, money that they worked hard to earn, their own money, money they don’t want to give away to the government to fund more hare-brained spending schemes.
They claim that tax evaders are criminals. No. The government that taxes us to death, even literally, is criminal.
Dilbert’s Take on Corporate Reviews
The so-called “performance reviews” used by companies to justify specific layoffs are just as arbitrary as the description “fish-faced nincompoop.”
Intolerance in Indian Politics: Praise a Pakistani Leader; Get Expelled From Your Party
Former Minister; Now Persona Non Grata
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a right wing Hindu nationalist party in India, just cannot get over the fact that Jaswant Singh wrote a book praising Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a freedom fighter and first President of Pakistan.
It had to go and expel Singh from the BJP. Despite the fact that Singh has been a party stalwart for well over 30 years; he is a founding member; he has served as a cabinet minister in all BJP central governments till date.
This is the kind of democracy we have in India. Praise somebody, criticize your party, write a book and you’re on your way out.
More Settlements, No Peace
5:16 pm, August 18th, 2009 on Israel/Palestine, Middle East
That is the reality on the ground in the Palestinian Territories. You cannot negotiate a peace agreement if you continue occupying more and more land.
Are You Ready For A Zombie Attack?
4:45 pm, August 18th, 2009 on Health
Now that they have cured cancer and AIDS, scientists ponder the effect of a future zombie outbreak.
Russia Finds Missing Freighter, Atlantis
Atlantis: Found
Russia announced today that it has found its missing cargo vessel near the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa, and has retrieved all crew members.
In a stunning revelation, the Russian spokesman also announced that their search and rescue team was able to locate and identify the long lost continent of Atlantis. Read on »
Blind Sportsmen Denied Entry into UK
Another example of over-zealous border enforcement… the Pakistan blind cricket team, the reigning world champions, was to visit the UK to defend their title against their English counterparts.
They had all the necessary paperwork, including credentials from both the Pakistani and British Cricket authorities. They had even visited Britain twice before, in 2002 and 2006.
But, thanks to the UKBA, they won’t be able to defend their title.
Of course, blind sportsmen pose a mortal danger to any nation. God knows what kind of dangerous explosives and bombs they got hidden in their eye sockets.
Ingushetia: The Next Chechnya?
Chechnya’s western neighbor, Ingushetia, is now descending into a vicious cycle of violence. The latest is a bombing in the capital Nazran that killed 7.
Putin needs to change his approach to the region, lest we have another civil war on our hands. His current approach of autocracy and oppression only incites more violence.
Afghanistan: You Can Starve Your Wives For Sex
10:07 am, August 16th, 2009 on Asia
Afghanistan has just passed a law whereby Shia men can starve their wives, if they refuse to satisfy their needs. It gets even better:
The original version obliged Shia women to have sex with their husbands every four days at a minimum, and it effectively condoned rape by removing the need for consent to sex within marriage.
The best part is that the law is applicable to Shias and doesn’t even have majority support.
This is the government that we’ve been promoting all this while.
Majority Against Congressional Healthcare Plan
12:40 pm, August 15th, 2009 on Health
Yes, that’s right. 54% think that no plan is better than the Obama-Pelosi-Reid plan.
Poland and Mass Graves
12:29 pm, August 15th, 2009 on Europe
BBC is reporting that another mass grave has been discovered in Poland, this time on the western front:
The remains of more than 2,000 people discovered in Poland’s largest mass grave from World War II have been reburied in a military cemetery … in north-west Poland, near the border between the countries.
The victims are believed to be German civilians who died in the last months of the conflict, in early 1945.
The mass grave was discovered in the Polish city of Malbork last October.
Because no-one was prepared to pay for expensive DNA testing, the historians’ best guess is that the victims were German civilians caught up in the Red Army’s assault on the city.
At the time Malbork was Marienberg, a German city.
Incidentally, I watched the Polish movie Katyn last night. It’s about the Katyn Forest Massacre of Polish officers by the Red Army.
The bodies were buried in mass graves in the forest and the affair was blamed on the Nazis. The Soviets finally admitted responsibility in 1990.
While there is some amount of exaggeration in any film adaption, director Andrzej Wajda has done a wonderful job exposing the hypocrisy of the Soviets, and the pain and agony of the masacred Polish officers’ families. The last few scenes showing the actual massacre are both horrifying and touching. You can connect with the Poles in the movie.
The one complaint I have about the movie is that all Russians are shown to be heartless and almost inhuman. I can understand the Polish perspective, but I am sure at least some of the Soviet officers were sympathetic. Wajda doesn’t show the Russian side at all.
NYT Forgot the Real Problems with British and Canadian Health Systems
4:05 pm, August 14th, 2009 on Health, Liberalism, Media
Discussing the Canadian Medicare system, Theodore Marmor writes in the NYT:
Q. What is your biggest criticism of it?
A. The continued nastiness of federal-provincial negotiations about the shared financing of Medicare is one unappealing feature of the Canadian system. This dual responsibility leads to endless blaming between the national and provincial governments for the pressures of medical expenditures on the budgets of other public programs and tax levels. This, in turn, has partly prevented Canada from handling drug costs in the uncomplicated Medicare program.
With regards to the British NHS, Robert Mackey writes and quotes:
NHS often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death. Thanks for always being there…
Millions of people are grateful for the care they have received from the NHS – including my own family. One of the wonderful things about living in this country is that the moment you’re injured or fall ill — no matter who you are, where you are from, or how much money you’ve got — you know that the NHS will look after you.
Both writers have missed the critical problems with both systems: medical rationing and shortage of quality medical care. Read on »
So Much For The Economic Recovery
10:48 pm, August 13th, 2009 on Economy
Retail sales fell 0.6% in July, excluding cars and auto parts. We are speeding down the recovery highway.
Another of Obama’s Hidden Taxes
10:01 pm, August 13th, 2009 on Economy, Taxes, White House
President Barack Obama wants to raise taxes on us in some way or the other.
His latest proposal to impose new fees on banks and mortgage companies, supposedly to finance more bureaucratic oversight, will surely be passed on to us consumers in the form of new and/or higher fees and charges.
A banking industry lobbyist claims:
We think that it’s outrageous to disproportionately and unevenly impose the cost of new regulation on the top banks… The largest banks … should not be forced by the government to . . . pay the larger share of the funding costs of the [consumer financial protection agency] and regulatory oversight.
It’s not as if the banks will absorb even a single dollar of Obama’s new fees. As it is banks are increasing their fees on us consumers. With more federal charges, they will have now a valid excuse to jack ‘em up further. Of course, corporate clients will see some charges increased, but the bulk of the money will come from us, as has always happened.
We already have the FDIC, FEC, SEC, Treasury Dept. and dozens of other government agencies who provide some sort of regulatory control over the banking industry. A cheaper proposal to increase oversight, if you were so inclined, would be to expand the responsibility of one of these agencies, cut costs and streamline the whole process.
Another bureaucratic federal agency solves nothing. It just adds another tax on our plate.
Abkhazia Likes The Oppressor of Chechnya and Ingushetia
This headline would be perfect for the Kavkaz Center, a pro-Chechen independence news website. They might even have used it at some point.
The point of the headline, however, is still valid. Abkhazia is seemingly very happy under Russian control at this time. As is South Ossetia. Both are apparently glad to have effectively seceded from Georgia.
The question is how much better, or rather, beneficial, will the Russians prove when compared to the Georgians. Russia hasn’t taken dissent in the Caucasus lightly before. For almost 200 years, the Russians fought to subdue the Chechens and the Daghestanis. For most of the ’90s, the Russian military wrecked havoc in the North Caucasus just to prevent the secession of tiny little states that provided little benefit to the Russian Federation. The only benefit was to send the message to whoever was listening that Russia would not give up an inch of its territory.
Georgia did the same with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In fact, Georgia might even have been more brutal than the Russians because fewer outsiders cared about the human rights violations in an inconsequential little republic in the hind quarters of Europe. The Chechen wars invited thousands of journalists and observers from across the world. Abkhazia and South Ossetia – not quite as many.
Abhazia and South Ossetia have both suffered in Georgia just as Chechnya, Daghestan and Ingushetia suffered in Russia. Astonishingly, both of them have now taken refuge with Russia. It just doesn’t make any sense.
Both states have shown a very independent streak. With Georgia, they had Russia as a backer. What if the same story repeats itself? Who will now protect them from the Russians? The Iranians?
Compassion for a Terrorist?
Is He Even Repentant?
Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the man who was convicted for the Lockerbie bombing that killed more than 270 innocent civilians in 1988, is now being released on compassionate grounds. His release deadline is being set so he can celebrate Ramadan back home in Libya.
If this man could not show compassion for 270 of his victims, why are we extending him the courtesy? He should have been hanged for 270+ counts of murder. He should have been hanged 270 times if that were possible.
But, no, in Europe, they send him back home.
Robert Spencer’s Stupid Arguments
12:22 pm, August 12th, 2009 on Politics
Spencer
I just listened to another of Robert Spencer’s cliched speeches, this time at the Young America’s Foundation’s 2009 conference.
I don’t think he’s ever made a reasonable argument about anything. Much like Brigitte Gabriel and others of their ilk, Spencer never has anything to say that hasn’t been said a hundred times before.
And, he never has anything to say that would sound even half-way reasonable to any sensible, educated individual. Read on »
ObamaBabies™: Where Art Thou?
5:18 pm, August 11th, 2009 on Liberalism
The expected surge in child-births 9 months after Mr. Barack Obama was elected in November is turning out to be, well, disappointing. Even Chicago, the holy-land of the Obamamites, has not seen a significant uptick in child-births.
I guess ObamaFans™ were too busy celebrating and getting drunk that they forgot all about the ObamaBabies™. What will now happen to the ObamaGeneration™?
Via, drudge.
MJJ: The Controversy Continues
5:08 pm, August 11th, 2009 on Media
Photograph: Kevin Mazur/AP
Even after death, MJJ couldn’t just pass on; he couldn’t just leave us alone.
His post-mortem results are now being sealed while an investigation into his death continues. The fervor with which law enforcement authorities are investigating MJJ’s death/suicide/murder is barely matched by the media obsession during the few days after the incident.
If a regular guy had died under similar circumstances, we would have expected a simple investigation and a closed file. There would have been no weeks of tests, no thousands of hours of investigation; none of this.
And it’s not as if the police in Los Angeles don’t have enough on their hands already. LA has some of the highest violent crime rates in the entire country. You know why. The cops are busy investigating celebrity cases.
McCaskill: No Single Payer Health Care
Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, claims: “We will not do this … not even being discussed,” after being hassled over Obama’s plans.
This might be the only way Republicans can defeat ObamaCare – single payer, single payer, single payer.
Hillary: I Am Not Bill (I Only Look Like Him)
12:00 am, August 11th, 2009 on Politics
“Wait, you want to know what my husband thinks? My husband is not the secretary of state – I am.
“You ask my opinion, I will tellyou my opinion. I’m not goingto channel my husband.”
Someone is not too happy with Bill’s Korean adventure.
Sugar Prices Hit Record High; Dieticians Rejoice
Sugar prices have reached a 28 year high, thanks to stupidity concerning Ethanol.
Probably, the only people happy from this development must be the oil companies, diabetics trying to quit sugar and dieticians.
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WSJ- Gamble on Financial Overhaul 5: 30 pm, March 11, 2010The White House's yearlong effort to rewrite financial regulations risked running aground in the Senate after Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd broke off bipartisan negotiations and announced plans to push ahead without Republican support. […]
- Mixed News on U.S. Jobs, Trade 5: 29 pm, March 11, 2010Only slightly fewer U.S. workers filed first-time claims for jobless benefits last week, a sign that the job market's revival remains tenuous, while a separate report showed the U.S. trade gap narrowed in January as exports and imports fell. […]
- Examiner: Lehman Torpedoed Lehman 5: 14 pm, March 11, 2010A federal judge released a scathing, voluminous report on the collapse of Lehman Brothers that singles out senior executives, auditor Ernst & Young and other investment banks for serious lapses that led to the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. […]
- AIG Workers Will Give Up $45 Million to Uncle Sam 5: 12 pm, March 11, 2010The resolution comes after months of discussion with Kenneth Feinberg. And GMAC's chief may not get any 2010 compensation. […]
- Buffett's Pay: Steady at $175,000 5: 11 pm, March 11, 2010Berkshire Hathway. kept Chairman Warren E. Buffett's total compensation at $175,000 in 2009, in line with his relatively modest pay over the years. His company stake, however, is in the billions. […]
- Caterpillar Joins 'Onshoring' Trend 5: 06 pm, March 11, 2010Caterpillar is considering relocating some heavy-equipment overseas production to a new U.S. plant, part of a growing movement among manufacturers to bring more operations back home—a shift that will likely spark fierce competition among states for new manufacturing jobs. […]
- Citigroup Gains Buoy Markets 4: 41 pm, March 11, 2010Stocks added modest gains as bullish comments from Citigroup's CEO boosted the financial sector. Trading in Citigroup represented more than one-fifth of the market's overall volume. […]
- Data Theft Hits HSBC Clients 4: 24 pm, March 11, 2010HSBC said a former employee stole data on about 24,000 accounts in its Swiss private bank that wound up in the hands of French authorities. […]
- Farallon Regroups After Knockdown 4: 23 pm, March 11, 2010Farallon Capital is shrinking and reorganizing as the giant hedge-fund firm emerges from the rockiest period in its 24-year history. […]
- Pink Floyd Wins Downloads Suit 3: 42 pm, March 11, 2010Britain's High Court has ordered record company EMI to stop selling downloads of Pink Floyd tracks individually rather than as part of the band's original albums. […]
- Gamble on Financial Overhaul 5: 30 pm, March 11, 2010
- BBC
- It's quiz time! 5: 11 pm, March 11, 2010What do humans and bonobos have in common? […]
- Blood pressure spike 'stroke key' 5: 02 pm, March 11, 2010Fluctuations in blood pressure could be more important than high readings as a warning sign for stroke, say researchers. […]
- New York banking gains on London 5: 01 pm, March 11, 2010New York and London have been ranked as the joint-top global financial centres according to new research. […]
- Drogba is African Footballer of Year 4: 35 pm, March 11, 2010Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is named African Footballer of the Year. […]
- Russians jailed over race murder 4: 01 pm, March 11, 2010Nine members of a Russian white supremacist group are jailed for up to 22 years in connection with the killing of an African man. […]
- Turkey and Sweden in genocide row 3: 26 pm, March 11, 2010Turkey withdraws its ambassador to Sweden after the parliament votes to describe as genocide the killing of Armenians in WWI. […]
- Pinera sworn in as new quake hits 3: 22 pm, March 11, 2010Sebastian Pinera is sworn in as president of quake-hit Chile, as a 6.9-magnitude aftershock strikes the centre of the country. […]
- 'No giveaway Budget' says Darling 3: 05 pm, March 11, 2010The Chancellor Alistair Darling warns not to expect a "giveaway" when the Budget is announced later this month. […]
- Bosnian fallout 2: 00 pm, March 11, 2010Pressure on UK after arrest of ex-Bosnian president […]
- Iraq results point to tight race 1: 38 pm, March 11, 2010First results from Iraq's election suggest a tight contest may be developing between PM Nouri Maliki and main rival Iyad Allawi. […]
- Biden tries to ease Mid-East row 1: 36 pm, March 11, 2010US Vice-President Joe Biden says Middle East peace talks must resume, despite a row over Israeli settlement plans. […]
- Liverpool sunk by late Lille goal 1: 10 pm, March 11, 2010Liverpool face an uphill task to progress from the last 16 of the Europa League after Eden Hazard's goal gives a lively Lille side a 1-0 first-leg lead. […]
- Anguish for kidnap boy's family 1: 06 pm, March 11, 2010Relatives of kidnapped five-year-old Sahil Saeed speak of their anguish as reports of his release turn out to be false. […]
- James Bulger's mother meets Straw 12: 59 pm, March 11, 2010Justice Secretary Jack Straw meets the mother of murdered toddler James Bulger to discuss the return to prison of one of her son's killers. […]
- Obama urges China action on yuan 12: 55 pm, March 11, 2010US President Barack Obama has urged China to change its currency strategy to help re-balance the global economy. […]
- It's quiz time! 5: 11 pm, March 11, 2010
When Can Bernie Madoff Invest My Money Again?
