Whoa. Now that guy can keep a secret!
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Can we please drop the pretense that the GOP has any interest in fiscal responsibility? This is a prime example: Senate appropriators fudge truth to spend big bucks . However, the headline is too kind. It's not fudging, it's outright lying. Trent Lott is " damn tired " of hearing from Porkbusters. They've been " nothing but trouble since Katrina " Good. That's the kind of trouble you need Sir. It's the only thing keeping you honest.
Winds of Change has a roundup on New Energy Currents . It's a great read. It has lots of links and food for thought. Energy is one of my favorite dead horses to beat. The problem, as I see it, is a simple one: Oil is the most cost efficient energy producer when you look a the process as a whole. All other alternative fuels have inherent problems that make them unattractive for various reasons. I've talked about this before and have been batting this one around w/ the guys at De La Where as well. In sum; here's my view of energy production and consumption: Oil: 1. Oil has been around for over a hundred years and isn't going anywhere any time soon 2. Oil prices have been driven skyward by rapid growth and industrialization in both China and India 3. Upward market pressure is also driven by America's reluctance to drill in Alaska and elsewhere 4. Regulation is a major cause of upward pressure. Emission control standards, NIMBY and 50 odd different mixes of ...
Socialist realism is a school of art most often associated with Communist/Socialist propaganda. The Soviets were famous for it. They deified the worker, the party chairmen and communism and socialism broadly. I've always found it oddly compelling probably because it's so foreign and so nakedly propagandistic. (Ed - is that even a word? Me - I don't know, shut up.) Some of the links show some classic examples. I saw quite a bit of this on my trips to Prague. They have archived it in a museum cataloging the horrors of life under communism. The rest are sold to tourists (like me). The polar opposite of these are the propaganda posters produced for domestic consumption during WWII. Even those which resonate with cultural familiarity are still, in a way, strange. They are from a time that I never knew and don't think I completely understand. I cannot imagine being involved in such a costly war for 4 solid years. (Pre-trolling: Don't tell me that this way...
The Washington Monthly is rumbling about an attack on Iran. I don't know how reliable these guys are but I think we're at the point where we have to do something. Sanctions are not going to work and Europe is hapless. Russia has a vested interest in keeping Iran as is. They need to sell them technology for hard currency. We're going around again. I'm no fan of going into Iran before Afghanistan and Iraq are sorted out but we're running out of time. Does the world really want a nuclear armed Iran? They are not going to give up their nukes based on incentives. Not. Going. To. Happen. I'd prefer some sort of black bag job that sabotages the facility but that's a pipe dream. We'd be better off fomenting a revolution. Keeps our hands clean(er) and keeps Iran busy. The risk, is of course, much higher. We don't know the outcome even if there is a high probability of a pro-western, democracy (hopefully secular). 70% of Iran's population is...
Dr. Sanity: NO RELATION TO REALITY, INDEED . Dr. Sanity outlines the pathological and atavistic fear and loathing of female sexuality that grips the Arab world. There are a number of people who believe that this is the root cause of so many problems in places like Saudi Arabia. The subjugation of women as well as polygamy creates a permenant underclass of men who have no prospects for marriage and are frustrated to the point of psychosis. Likewise the oppression of women warps society b/c men have no moderating influence on them. Women, even their mothers, are oppressed and treated as second class. That simply can't be a good thing. I understand their desire to resist the floodtide of sexual exploitation that comes with western influence but surely there's a better way. Look at India. They have access to all things Western and don't succumb to it. Their families and traditions are as strong as ever.
Dick Morris is a very shrewd man. He know politics very very well. He's not always right but even when he's wrong, there's a kernel of truth in there. In this OpEd he outlines the minefield inherent with immigration from Mexico. I agree that Chavez is very dangerous and Fox is the closest thing approximating a friend we've had in Mexico in 70 years. It's important we help him where we can. However, we're going to have to deal with Chavez sooner or later. It might be easier if Fox is gone. Then we can really put up a wall and start protecting our borders in earnest. I'd prefer if we can do this amiably and sensibly but we cannot leave things as they are.
Lost Map SHELL at Entertainment Weekly. I'm a complete LOST addict so this one is a boon for me. I thought the map was very telling. It gives a great many clues but, as usual, asks more questions that it answers. Is "the incident" the plane crash? Was it caused by a failure to put in the numbers? Does that cause an EM pulse that fried the avionics? Is Cerebrus the Smoke Monster? Do the blast doors activation coincide with the supply drop? Is that to prevent Desmond et al from seeing how supplies are dropped? If it was by plane, that's quite a feat. In order to avoid being heard, a plane must fly very very high. That would make the likelihood of them missing the island with a parachute drop very high also. The margin for error for that drop grows dramatically as you increase your height. Why is the Staff station listed as deserted? Clare was there not too long ago. Are there connecting tunnels between stations? Where are The Others on the map? In the cen...