Pencader Days

Oh that nuclear program

2008-07-06T14:13:00.003-04:00

Exclusive: US removes uranium from Iraq

I patiently await a groveling apology from the entire dextrosphere as well as the MSM and every Democrat except Joe Lieberman.

We now resume with our regularly scheduled silence.

Onomatopoeia

2008-07-05T12:10:00.001-04:00

Yawn.

Ha!

Grrrrrrr...

God Bless America

2008-07-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is in the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security.

Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the Present King of Great-Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let the Facts be submitted to a candid World.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the Accommodation of large Districts of People; unless those People would relinquish the Right of Representation in the Legislature, a Right inestimable to them, and formidable to Tyrants only.

He has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly Firmness his Invasions on the Rights of the People.

He has refused for a long Time, after such Dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and Convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and Amount and Payment of their Salaries.

He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their Substance.

He has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our Legislature.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World:

For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond the Seas to be tried for pretended Offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries, so as to render it at once an Example and fit Instrument for introducing the same absolute Rule in these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Powers to legislate for us in all Cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People.

He is, at this Time, transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the Works of Death, Desolation, and Tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic Insurrections among us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People.

Nor have we been wanting in Attentions to our British Brethren. We have warned them from Time to Time of Attempts by their Legislature to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have appealed to their native Justice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to disavow these Usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our Connections and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the Necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace, Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of the divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Signed by ORDER and
in BEHALF OF THE CONGRESS
JOHN HANCOCK,
PRESIDENT.

ATTEST.
CHARLES THOMSON,
SECRETARY.

PHILADELPHIA:
PRINTED BY JOHN DUNLAP.

secrets

2008-06-23T09:31:00.001-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/washington/22ksm.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Tim Russert

2008-06-13T20:54:00.002-04:00

I didn't often agree with him but he was fair. An increasingly rare trait in journalism these days. Fifty eight is far too young to go. Godspeed sir. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

So here's the deal

2008-06-04T09:58:00.003-04:00

It's Friday at 3:30 and I get a call on my cell phone from my recruiter and account manager. For those of you who are consultants, you know this is not good news. I can practically hear the sympathetic head tilt in their voices as they start talking. I stop them in mid sentence.

"They're cutting the contract aren't they?"
"Yes. But it's not performance related."
"Small consolation. How long?"
"Two weeks which is generous."

She's right. Most contracts end the day they cut the funding for the project. In any case I finished the job and on my last day home from work I stopped to get gas. When I got back in my car it wouldn't start. Had the car towed to the dealer who got me back on the road a mere $900 later. Cause that's what I needed now that I'm unemployed. Oh, and yesterday the A/C stopped working. I can only imagine what that's going to cost me.

The long and the short of it is: I'm unemployed, COBRA is offensively expensive and I need to find something rightfuckingnow. I've been hitting up old contacts to see if anyone has anything and so far no joy. One problem is that I no longer have active TS/SCI which is a problem b/c I've been given the "thank you but no thank you" on three really good jobs with very good employers. Their need is immediate and apparently the old method of granting everyone interim status until they've gone on the box is no longer possible.

So if you're hiring tech people or know someone who is, let me know.

Brief haitus

2008-05-30T14:30:00.001-04:00

I'm on something of a haitus for reasons to be explained later. Bear with me.

Obama's "sniper fire"

2008-05-16T10:25:00.004-04:00

Some are calling this Obama's Sniper Story but I have to say this is less egregious than hers.

Memory is a relative of truth but not it's twin. In Obama's defense the applause was lukewarm at best which to a politician is the same as silence I guess. The lesson is simple: There's video of everything. Don't go out on that limb unless you're sure.

Scenes from a marriage

2008-05-14T12:58:00.002-04:00

Ever have a zinger that is simply too good to pass up? One you know will get you in trouble but you're powerless to resist lest the moment pass and never come up again? I had one of those the other night.

Eldest has been having trouble getting to sleep at night. If we leave him in his room he won't stay there. Sometimes he'll go in and wake the baby up. Sometimes he sleeps in my bed and sometimes he just wanders around his room getting into all kinds of trouble. I've found that if I lay down w/ him for about 10 minutes Mr. Sandman comes sooner rather than later. Well, I lay down w/ him the other night and I was so tired I was out. My wife left me as she figured I was tired and would wake up on my own. I did but about an hour later. I dragged myself up and into our bed and was out for the night. My wife decided to torment me.

Mrs. Duffy: You missed some hot lovin' last night
Duffy's Brain: Dude, you must return fire. You can't let a hanging curve ball just sit there!
Duffy's Penis: NOOooooooooooo! Do that and she'll freeze me out! C'mon I'm dying down here.
Duffy's Brain: Shut up you! I run this outfit. We're doing this! Full Steam Ahead!
Duffy's Penis: What? Overruled? How the hell did that happen? This is a coup! Attica! Attica! Attica!
Duffy: Really? Who was here?
Mrs. Duffy: *laughs* You're funny.

I'm very lucky she took it with the spirit it was intended.

Notes from the future

2008-05-14T11:31:00.002-04:00

So the price of gas is going nowhere but up (you may have noticed). I boldly predict that trend will continue for the foreseeable future. This, in turn, means the airlines are going to have major problems in short order. There are going to be fewer passengers as they are forced to increase the prices to compensate. They will then begin the wailing and gnashing of teeth and file for bankruptcy. Congress will then write them a check for a few hundred million dollars to get them back on their feet. Not a loan mind you, a gift. A gift that you and I don't get and will never get. I have zero sympathy for them. I ought to know, I used to work for one. They are stupid beyond imagining. They know they'll never be allowed to fail if they get big enough. The smaller carriers will come and go but someone is always going to get a big piggy check from the ~~government~~ taxpayers to keep flying. How dumb are they? Let's go to Ed Cone for more:

The picture at far left is the view forward from row 11 on this evening's 6:50 United flight from Chicago to GSO (I missed my original connection). The picture next to it is the view to the rear of row 11. (Click images to enlarge)

What's going on? An industry that has forgotten about customer service.

Almost nobody opted to pay $30 bucks extra to sit in "economy plus," which promises a few inches of extra legroom. When it became clear that the flight would be packed six across from row 11 back while row after row sat empty in the front, people asked if they could move up. The flight attendants said no, you have to pay for those seats. Not very customer-friendly or situationally aware, but comprehensible.

So a guy asks if he could pay on the spot. Nope. People were laughing at the United's cluelessness, but it wasn't very friendly laughter.

Salable When the drink cart came by I bought myself $5 worth of stress relief and asked the flight attendant (politely) why she could sell me a drink but not a seat. She looked at me like I had two heads and said they are in no way set up to take reservations, you have to do that with a service representative.

I started to say I didn't want a reservation, I wanted to hand her $30 and move up one freaking row, but it felt like I was on the phone with Bangalore and couldn't get a supervisor, so I just shut up and drank.

The ~~flight attendant~~ stewardessess have been trained by BF Skinner apparently and don't know or care that they have actual customers. Rather, they figure they have your money and they have certain steps 1 - 14 that must be followed. Nothing changes. Ever. No further thinking required. As Dennis Miller likes to say, they traded their adult lives for free airfare and now they're waitresses at a bad restaurant at 25,000 feet.

There are a thousand things wrong with the airline industry. None of them cannot be fixed by letting them all fail and start over. No exclusivity at hubs allowed. Competition reigns supreme. No absurd union rules about flight time etc. Departure has to mean wheels off the ground not pulling away from the gate and then immediately moving back to let the crew off to eat dinner. (Many times the "mechanical problems" cited for being late are not that at all. Union rules require that flight crews have an hour to eat a meal after X hours of flight time. Frequently, they'll board the passengers, pull away from the gate thereby meeting FAA requirements for "on time" and then move back to the gate. You sit and wait while the crew goes for dinner. If you're lucky they don't take the full hour. Oh, and a swing crew will babysit you while you wait.)

George W. Bush is a moron

2008-05-13T09:16:00.002-04:00

and so is John McCain. At least that's what I keep hearing. Every utterance from the President is scrutinized for any possible interpretation that makes him look stupid. McCain is derided for saying Shia when he meant Sunni.

What would the world say if either of them referred to the "57 States" they've visited? There would be unceasing howls from Berkley to Boston and rightfully so.

So what to make of Obama describing his visits to 57 states? Some in the audience laugh but it's clear he's not joking. He goes on to say that he wanted to visit Alaska and Hawaii but his staff couldn't justify it. The fact that this is not news anywhere on the MSM is proof positive that democrats and especially The One will never be subjected to the same cynical eye cast on republicans

Libertarian conundrum

2008-05-12T15:15:00.001-04:00

My libertarian instincts sometimes fail me. Here's a prime example;

Man Ticketed For Wearing Speedo On Beach

Youtubery

2008-05-09T09:10:00.002-04:00

This guy has brass ones.

and this guy is suicidal.

That's like biking through an 8,558 foot long cigarette. Seriously the air in that tunnel is so poor it probably takes an hour off your life each time you drive it let alone sprinting on a bike.

Selling Votes

2008-05-08T14:08:00.002-04:00

...as only the DNC can.

DNC Superdelegate Puts His Vote Up For Sale
Steven Ybarra Wants $20 Million For His Vote

It's OK though because he wants to spend it on ~~illegal alien voter registration~~ Mexican-American voters. Right. None of that money would be redirected, squandered, stolen or what have you.

Full Circle

2008-05-08T13:25:00.002-04:00

Everything is coming around full circle.

But Liu is investing $10 million in the Palmetto State, building a printing-plate factory that will open this fall and hire 120 workers. His main aim is to tap the large American market, but when his finance staff penciled out the costs, he was stunned to learn how they compared with those in China.

Liu spent about $500,000 for seven acres in Spartanburg -- less than one-fourth what it would cost to buy the same amount of land in Dongguan, a city in southeast China where he runs three plants. U.S. electricity rates are about 75% lower, and in South Carolina, Liu doesn't have to put up with frequent blackouts.

About the only major thing that's more expensive in Spartanburg is labor. Liu is looking to offer $12 to $13 an hour there, versus about $2 an hour in Dongguan, not including room and board. But Liu expects to offset some of the higher labor costs with a payroll tax credit of $1,500 per employee from South Carolina.

So the high labor cost is offset by tax incentives (liberals take note), lower land cost and cheaper power. The other unstated advantages are shipping costs (which may offset high labor cost) and import restrictions.

If this continues you'll be fielding calls from Dell customers in India complaining about how they cannot understand your accent.

Most popular post

2008-05-05T15:17:00.002-04:00

This is weird. My most popular post is this one. People apparently google for it specifically.

Windfall profits

2008-05-05T13:32:00.003-04:00

I keep hearing this term. Windfall. Leftists/liberals are enraged by windfall profits. They want to take them away from the recipients and give them to people who will vote for Democrats. As with most things in politics (especially things that annoy liberals) it remains undefined. It is just accepted as fact that any person or entity making a certain amount of money is undeserved or unearned. Since said persons or entities are very wealthy to begin with the government is allowed to take that money in the name of "fairness". They won't miss it after all, they have plenty. I googled for a definition of "windfall" profit. The best I could come up with is this:

Windfall
Main Entry:
wind·fall Listen to the pronunciation of windfall
Pronunciation:
\ˈwin(d)-ˌfȯl\
Function:
noun
Date:
15th century

1 : something (as a tree or fruit) blown down by the wind 2 : an unexpected, unearned, or sudden gain or advantage

Windfall
Definition

Money received which was not expected and not a direct result of something the recipient did

So the definition is that these are profits that are unearned. How they are unearned is not explained. Oil companies are evil. Everyone knows that. They're screwing you and me to make money at the pump. Never mind that oil is the the largest global commodity market in the world. It can't be that. Or taxes. Or the fact that our refinement capacity hasn't grown in 30 years. Or that we have over 50 different blends nationwide that cannot be sold when there's an overage in one area and a shortage in another. None of those things cause high gas prices. Just the Evil Rich Oil Companies.

The other target of liberal ire is financiers who make millions. Except George Soros. He's exempt because he hates Bush. Never mind that he almost singlehandedly destroyed the British pound to make his money and caused immense hardship to a great many Britons in the process. All those sins are washed away because he funds leftist polemics.

Of late we've been hearing about the outrageous amount of money hedge funds and their managers are making. One example this week from from IHT. Excerpt:

Five managers earned more than $1 billion (€630,000 million).

One contributor to the enormous amounts of money hedge fund managers are making is the unraveling of the traditional "2 and 20" method of compensation. For years, funds typically charged 2 percent of the amount invested plus 20 percent of the profits.

Ezra Zask of Lakeville Capital Management, a hedge fund advisory, said some of the bigger hedge funds are now charging as much as 5 percent of the invested principal and 40 percent of the profits.

Some investors are willing to pay higher fees to funds' managers if they show they have consistently beaten the market, Zask said.

One manager — John Paulson of Paulson & Co. — earned $3.7 billion (€2.32 billion) last year, which management consultant Peter Cohan pointed out means Paulson in 2007 made 30 times in one hour what the median family made all year.

Leftist logic would intervene here and say that there's no way anyone could have earned that much money. Nothing he does or can do would be worth that much. The government should take at least 2 billion of that and give it to poor people. After all, who couldn't live on the remaining $1.7 billion? One key factor is that liberals always refer to income being "distributed" rather than earned. This post is an example but DonViti violates the rule by using the phrase "income earners". He will be sent to re-education at Berkley until he learns to use the phrase "income recipients" or "corporate fatcats". We cannot have people talking about earnings as that implies merit. Fairness of earnings is determined by how much the person really "needs". That is, once you are really rich you aren't entitled to earn any more money because you couldn't possibly need it. Whether or not it is fair to take money legally earned isn't the way things are viewed. Anyone who makes that much money must be exploiting someone, somewhere to do so. This logic is never applied to the entertainment industry. Singers, actors and sports stars don't have their earnings questioned. Primarily because they are assumed to be liberals and therefore, good people. Good people with lots of money do great things with it. And they have, somehow earned it. After all, they're famous. Being famous entitles you to riches and makes you immune from criticism regarding wealth. How this is so is beyond me. This too, is an unexplained article of faith. Back to the article:

Driven in part by fees hedge fund managers are making, income inequality in 2007 was at the highest level since 1928, the year before the Great Depression began.

In fact, even among hedge funds the disparity has widened, Cohan said: The top 50 managers make a disproportionate share of the fees earned in an industry that by some accounts has 10,000 funds.

Stunned by news stories about Schwarzman's lavish lifestyle, some members of Congress tried to change laws allowing hedge funds' profits to be taxed as "capital gains," at 15 percent, and not income at a rate more than twice that.

Emphasis mine. This is the most clear cut admission that class envy drives liberal politics than I've seen in a while. Congress sees someone living lavishly. Enjoying himself. Can't have that. No no no. We need to get our hands on that money. I have votes to buy!

Lower taxes notwithstanding, Xavier Gabaix, a finance professor at New York University, said it is not clear whether such gaping inequality is necessarily bad.

Because hedge fund managers make their money by charging fees on investments from rich people, these fees represent the redistribution of wealth from the rich to the very rich, he said.

By contrast, the income inequality plaguing many developing countries represents rich people profiting at the expense of the poor, he said.

Further, Gabaix said the economy may benefit when these managers spend the money they have earned.

So, taking money from the rich to give to the very rich. Where's the problem? Also, Professor Gabaix outs himself as a "trickle down" guy which is the financial equivalent of being a Flat Earth Scientist to liberals. They can write him off as a moron or a loon based on that last sentence.

What do they do with all that money? Some people think they have a huge pile of it stashed away gathering dust. They never consider that whether they save that money, invest it or spend it, they're creating jobs. Any activity aside from putting it in a pile and burning it, is going to employ somebody. What else do they do with it?

Several hedge fund managers have a reputation for philanthropy. According to one report, George Soros — the second-highest-paid hedge fund manager last year at $2.9 billion (€1.82 billion) — has spent $6 billion (€3.8 billion) on philanthropic activities ranging from fighting poverty in Africa to funding universities in Russia.

In a fit of mighty restraint, the IHT didn't include efforts to unseat President Bush in his list of philanthropic activities. I imagine there was a blood bath in the editor's meeting over that one.

James Simons, who took home $2.8 billion (€1.76 billion) as manager of Renaissance Technologies Corp., co-founded the Simons Foundation, which finances education and health projects.

That last bit is selling Mr. Simons rather short. Who is this guy anyway? Let's check his Wikipedia entry:

Autism research

The family's charitable foundation has committed $38 million to find the causes related to autism in recent years, and plans to spend another $100 million in what is becoming the largest private investment in the field of autism research, while Simons personally exerts extraordinary control over where and how his money is spent. Simons has provided DNA from his family for study (his daughter is autistic), and has given assistance in helping solve research problems. When MIT asked for brain research funding, he stipulated that the project focus on autism and include scientists of his choosing.

On June 11, 2003, the Simons Foundation hosted its first "Panel on Autism Research" in New York City, a day-long event highlighting research into the causes of autism, the accurate genomic mapping of autism, and in the study of the biochemical mechanisms that occur in people with autism. Attendees included David Amaral, Dr. Eric Courchesne, Dr. Nathaniel Heinz, Tom Insel, MD, Catherine Lord, PhD, Dr. Fred Volkmar and Dr. Paul Greengard. The Simons Foundation recently gave $10 million to two researchers at the Yale University Child Study Center to study genetic influences on autism.

He's a remarkable guy. He requires an unprecidented amount of control over the projects he funds. He personally chooses the scientists and requires frequent updates and briefings on their progress. Any project he funds has a maximum of 12% of administrative overhead. The rest goes to research. That money would never have been spent on autism research had the government seized it. It would likely be spent on something named after Robert C. Byrd. Simons is my hero for reasons that my reader(s) will find pretty obvious. We need men like him to fund valuable research that the government does not and will not. Even if he doesn't and wants to spend it on frivolous things, it doesn't matter. Its his money he earned it and he should get to keep it. If people really cared about what is fair and what is just rather than how much people should be allowed to keep we'd all be a lot better off.

Tonight

2008-04-30T14:32:00.002-04:00

I get tons of emails about playing soccer with me on Wednesday nights. (OK, that actual number might be closer to zero) Herewith is why I play. Ignore the glitz and glam. The scenes of playing are dead on. This was directed by the ever brilliant Guy Ritchie

Let Us Install It!

2008-04-30T14:12:00.003-04:00

So I went to the Big Box 'puter store. I was buying an external hard drive. I knew what I wanted and basically walked in and directly to the item I wanted and went to the desk to pick it up (they had them in the back and you had to bring an empty box to them). Conversation with sales dork as follows:

Sales Dork: Will that be all for you today sir?
Duffy: Yes, thanks.
Sales Dork: Do you need this professionally installed?
Duffy: ...
Sales Dork: Sir?
Duffy: It's an external drive
Sales Dork: Right and we can dispatch a tech to make sure everything is installed properly so you don't have to worry
Duffy: (thinking: I'll play along) And just how much is that going to cost me?
Sales Dork: We're having a special so we can do it for $29.99
Duffy: So, $30 to "install" an external hard drive. Does anyone say yes to that?
Sales Dork: (somewhat deflated) Sometimes...(looks around to see manager has departed) sorry, we have to do that with almost everything.
Duffy: No problem. Can we get this over with?

I feel for the poor guy. He's required by his manager to insult his customers in an attempt to charge them unnecessary fees.

Daily Roundup

2008-04-30T12:47:00.002-04:00

(An unpopular yet continuing feature)

First up, Obama's interview:

OBAMA: Well, I think there are a whole host of areas where Republicans in some cases may have a better idea.

WALLACE: Such as?

OBAMA: Well, on issues of regulation. I think that back in the '60s and '70s a lot of the way we regulated industry was top-down command and control, we're going to tell businesses exactly how to do things.

And you know, I think that the Republican Party and people who thought about the markets came up with the notion that, "You know what? If you simply set some guidelines, some rules and incentives, for businesses — let them figure out how they're going to, for example, reduce pollution," and a cap and trade system, for example is a smarter way of doing it, controlling pollution, than dictating every single rule that a company has to abide by, which creates a lot of bureaucracy and red tape and oftentimes is less efficient.

I think that on issues of education, I've been very clear about the fact — and sometimes I've gotten in trouble with the teachers' union on this — that we should be experimenting with charter schools. We should be experimenting with different ways of compensating teachers that...

Wow. Markets work and we should be rewarding teachers by ability. Hmmm....is he triangulating because he knows Fox's audience or is he for real? I guess we'll find out one way or the other.

I've said nothing about Jose Calderon largely because he's not been in the news and I really know nothing of the man. I wasn't a fan of Vicente Fox but he wasn't all bad. It seems Calderon is doing much that needs to be done and at great cost.

Some 2,500 soldiers and federal police swept into Ciudad Juarez over the U.S. border from El Paso, Texas last month with heavy weaponry and helicopters to quell a surge in drug murders as gangs fight over smuggling routes into the United States.

Soldiers have taken over many security tasks from the often corrupt city police, making dozens of arrests and seizing arms and narcotics but the fight against common crime has apparently suffered.

Sounds familiar doesn't it? (In Iraq the IP's are unreliable but the Iraqi Army is not.) Kudos to Senor Calderon, I hope he succeeds.

The anti-war crowd frequently brays that there is no way that Al Qaeda would be in bed with Saddam as he was unislamic and that would make them natural enemies. Likewise they would never collaborate with Hezbollah or Hamas as they are Shia. Yet now we're getting word that Al Qaeda is teaming up with Mookie Sadr to fight the U.S. "But..but..but....how can that beeeeeeee?" I hear them sputter. "They hate each other." Yes but the old axiom of the enemy of my enemy is my friend always applies. People hold grudges and old hatreds do die hard but frequently interests, goals, objectives (call them what you will) usually trump those hatreds. I guarantee that if I offered you enough money you'd make peace with your enemies. This is, of course a losing deal for everybody. Despite Leftist crowing to the contrary, neither Sadr nor AQ is going to win this one. They aren't even going to be able to hold out much longer. Last time Sadr showed his hand he and his boys where crying Uncle inside a day and a half and he fled to Iran with his tail between his legs. The best part of this for us is that it unites the two opposing forces into one front. When we get inside their decision curve it will be on one front. When they have turncoats they will have a much more information to give. They may have the fervor of the righteous but they don't have the doctrine. Or the brains. Or the equipment.

The "Support Our Troops/Bring Them Home" crowd masks their anti-war stance as some sort of concern for the safety and well being of our troops. This one will test that theory. Many moons ago when my brother was stationed at Bragg he was giving me a tour of the base. He wryly pointed out that his office was in a building that had been condemned (due to structural concerns) and due to be demolished and replaced. When the requisite funding dried up the building was "uncondemned" and the structural deficiencies magically vanished. As an officer he was never required to live on post (aside from a short stay in BOQ while looking for a house). Yesterday I read this and today I saw this video:

I'll hold my breath while the anti-war crowd raises their voices in unison to right this wrong. That would be supporting the troops.

Changing the subject to sports...I read this story today which I really like to see. I've talked about sportsmanship before and how I think it's a benchmark to judge people. Stories like this are not seen on a professional level and to a degree I understand but even seeing this on a collegiate level is a welcome thing. More please.

Back to politics...

"Louis said 20 years ago that Zionism, not Judaism, was a gutter religion. He was talking about the same thing United Nations resolutions say, the same thing now that President Carter's being vilified for and Bishop Tutu's being vilified for. And everybody wants to paint me as if I'm anti-Semitic because of what Louis Farrakhan said 20 years ago. He is one of the most important voices in the 20th and 21st century; that's what I think about him. . . . Louis Farrakhan is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains, he did not put me in slavery, and he didn't make me this color." - Jeremiah Wright

Nota Bene:

1. You were never in chains
2. You were never in slavery
3. The melanin in your skin made you that color

What makes this statement so reprehensible is the implication that because Farrakhan is black he is not the enemy. Inversely that must mean that anyone who is white;

1. Put black people in chains or bears responsibility for same
2. Enslaved or is responsible for enslaving black people
3. Is somehow responsible for skin color

My family didn't get here until long after slavery ended. Before that they were in Europe scraping out an meager existence and in no position to employ anyone let alone enslave them. Wright's comments and frankly, ideas are disgusting. They are unAmerican, unChristian and deplorable. Obama was right to disavow him but it will not explain his close, personal relationship with him for over 20 years.

Too funny

2008-04-28T14:53:00.001-04:00

It's not nice to pick on the Jets but I just can't help myself.

Two Items From Europe

2008-04-28T14:32:00.004-04:00

Why is it then that so many Americans - and foreigners who come here - feel that the place is so, well, safe?

I have met incredulous British tourists who have been shocked to the core by the peacefulness of the place

A British man I met in Colorado recently told me he used to live in Kent but he moved to the American state of New Jersey and will not go home because it is, as he put it, "a gentler environment for bringing the kids up."

This is New Jersey. Home of the Sopranos.

Brits arriving in New York, hoping to avoid being slaughtered on day one of their shopping mission to Manhattan are, by day two, beginning to wonder what all the fuss was about. By day three they have had had the scales lifted from their eyes.

I have met incredulous British tourists who have been shocked to the core by the peacefulness of the place, the lack of the violent undercurrent so ubiquitous in British cities, even British market towns.

"It seems so nice here," they quaver.

Well, it is!

Violent paradox

Ten or 20 years ago, it was a different story, but things have changed.

And this is Manhattan.

Wait till you get to London Texas, or Glasgow Montana, or Oxford Mississippi or Virgin Utah, for that matter, where every household is required by local ordinance to possess a gun.

Folks will have guns in all of these places and if you break into their homes they will probably kill you.

They will occasionally kill each other in anger or by mistake, but you never feel as unsafe as you can feel in south London.

It is a paradox. Along with the guns there is a tranquillity and civility about American life of which most British people can only dream.

Peace and serenity

What surprises the British tourists is that, in areas of the US that look and feel like suburban Britain, there is simply less crime and much less violent crime.

Doors are left unlocked, public telephones unbroken.

One reason - perhaps the overriding reason - is that there is no public drunkenness in polite America, simply none.

I have never seen a group of drunk young people in the entire six years I have lived here. I travel a lot and not always to the better parts of town.

It is an odd fact that a nation we associate - quite properly - with violence is also so serene, so unscarred by petty crime, so innocent of brawling.

Virginia Tech had the headlines in the last few days and reminded us of the violence for which the US is well known.

But most American lives were as peaceful on this anniversary as they are every day.

Well, yes. Having lived in NYC as well as the Deep South, I can tell you I was much safer in Deep South which was bristling with (legal) guns. (I will qualify that by saying that I was living in NYC during the Dinkins years when things were really grim. Not so now.)

Item #2:

Europeans apparently got the memo that Global Warming ended in 1998 because they're moving full tilt boogie back to ugly polluting coal.

"Over the next five years, Italy will increase its reliance on coal to 33 percent from 14 percent. Power generated by Enel from coal will rise to 50 percent.

And Italy is not alone in its return to coal. Driven by rising demand, record high oil and natural gas prices, concerns over energy security and an aversion to nuclear energy, European countries are expected to put into operation about 50 coal-fired plants over the next five years, plants that will be in use for the next five decades."

I'll brook no more comments from Europeans or preening Americans about how much better/wiser/more environmentally responsible Europe is. That ship has sailed (and it's powered by coal).

Advice column

2008-04-28T14:21:00.003-04:00

"I have a question that I hope you can shed some light on. I am female, married for 10 years and am puzzled by my spouse's behavior.

It seems that he is always trying to one-up me. It is disturbing to me that he takes my ideas and opinions and claims them as his own. If someone asks me a question when we are in a group discussion he will jump in and answer it in a way that I have expressed earlier as my own opinion, only he will make it look like his. It is extreme to the point of whatever I get involved in or volunteer for he gets deeply involved in and tries to make people think he is the one with the idea or passion, even to the point of his asking about getting employed where I am employed. He will go to the people whom I am intimately involved with and trash my name. It even happens with church relationships. At first I thought maybe I was overreacting, but several times I have changed people groups and tried to have my own interests and volunteer opportunities but this has happened every single time I get involved in anything, even to the point of his considering asking for a job where I work. I would quit if he got hired there...So what I am wondering is, have you ever come across this before, do you have any suggestions and can you shed any light on the psychology of this behavior?"

Duffy's Answer: Dear Mrs. Clinton....

Nick...Nick....Nick

2008-04-26T13:14:00.000-04:00

So....the autism thing

2008-04-24T13:43:00.006-04:00

Since April is nearly over and it's autism awareness month, I suppose I should talk a bit about it. I guess the best way to start is to rehash the story of How I Got Here.

My oldest was born in 1999. Healthy, happy and so on. One peculiar thing he did as an infant was to avoid eye contact. Our doctor assured us it was because he was so young and his eyesight was undeveloped and he was probably focusing on something in the background that was more interesting. Besides, babies don't recognize faces for a few months after birth. Only later did we find out that our doctor was an idiot.

He was 16 mos. old when his little brother was born and he was walking and making wishes known by pulling me or my wife by the hand to whatever he wanted etc. He was fascinated with the wheels on toys. If you gave him a truck he'd turn it over and spin the wheels and smile. Only later would I find out this is a major warning sign. This was our first born and what the hell did I know? He didn't come with a manual or anything we were just doing what seemed right with an occasional referral to The Book.

As he got a bit older we noticed that he did not point at things. Rather, he would push my hand toward the thing he wanted. He also didn't respond to his name very often. I would have to get into his line of sight to get his attention. I figured he was just focused on what he was doing. By this point my wife was beside herself and adamant that something was wrong. I wasn't sure but figured it was better to find out one way or the other. We did our homework and went to the top developmental pediatrician in Delaware. Highly recommended and blah blah blah. We trekked up to Wilmington and waited forever in a hot observation room for her. We were all very antsy by the time she arrived. After a cursory observation and interview she said he was fine and we had nothing to worry about. My wife asked about PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Delay- Not Otherwise Specified from DSM-IV) "Don't read any of it. It will only confuse you and make things worse." I was very very relieved. My wife was not satisfied.

We carried on for another six months. No talking yet and he's now two and a half. Now I'm firmly in my wife's camp but very confused. Why would this doctor tell us he's fine if he's not talking. We had his hearing checked and his mandibles (that'd be the jaw bones and muscles etc.) No problems there. Finally we went to Childwatch for an evaluation. There were about 8 staff members each with a different specialty. Speech Therapist, Developmental Pediatrician, Occupational Therapist, etc. In a strange twist, it was Halloween and some of the staff were actually in costume which made this all the more surreal. They evaluated him and after zero discussion they unanimously agreed that not only was he autistic but profoundly so. My wife cried and I felt vindicated? Determined? I'm still not sure what the right word is. I had been through denial for the previous 6 months and was now very mission oriented. Finally we had a name for the problem and a course of action to be taken. In my mind I was thinking "Well, we have work to do, let's get to it." It was quiet why my wife composed herself and I spoke first.

"Fine. We have a name for this. What do we do now?"

They explained that I was very lucky to be in the only state in the nation with a public school exclusively for autistic kids.

Fast forward several years and here we are.

One thing I think people generally hear about is what autism is like broadly.

It affects social interaction and cognitive development and so on. That is true but also overly simplistic. Autism is a spectrum disorder which means that there are people on either end of it. People who are Asperger's may not even be considered by some to be autistic. You may know someone who has Asperger's and not know. They may not even know it. They may just be labeled rude, inconsiderate or just odd. Autistic people range from Temple Grandin on one end to my son on the other. (As an aside I highly recommend her books they are fascinating)

So, what's it like to have an autistic son? In a word, challenging. From here on out I'll describe our situation specifically and am not trying to extrapolate that to include autism generally or whatever.

My son, in addition to being autistic he has pica, OCD, ADHD and a sleep disorder. These are common comorbidities for autistic people. Pica seems to have abated for the most part and we haven't had any incidents in a while. OCD and ADHD are major concerns. For example, he is very routine driven. Any variations from routine are met with very severe temper tantrums and frequently aggression (i.e. hitting and kicking) towards people and objects. Sometimes we have no idea what triggers the tantrums and sometimes we do. We have to do certain things in certain order to keep him on track. Shoes must always be put on left first then right. Velcro straps on shoes must be fastened bottom left first, top left, bottom right then top right. All doors in the house must be completely open or completely closed. A half open door will be closed by the self-appointed Door Closer.

Sensory issues are a big concern too. Eldest is very particular about certain things. He will not eat soft food. The mere sight of pudding will induce gagging and probably vomiting. Even if his brothers are eating it and he sees it, he will throw up. Most of the food he likes is crispy or crunchy. We've been able to get his diet fairly balanced all things considered. He also has a "high sensory diet" meaning he needs a huge amount of physical stimulation to feel grounded. He'll ask for "scratches" with a sign and want us to scratch his back, arms, legs etc. Or he makes a sound for tickle which sounds more like "Di Da" and then he'll giggle and hunch his shoulders to block you. It's probably my favorite thing he does. He also is in constant motion. If he's sitting still he's probably about to fall asleep. We bought him a joggers trampoline and he bounces on it constantly. It's great exercise and helps keep him in shape as the medicine he's on causes a dramatic increase in appetite.

Since he cannot talk communication is very very difficult. His receptive language is very good. Usually much better than people give him credit for. I can give complex instructions like "go get your shoes and socks and sit on the steps" and he can do so. (Will he do so is another matter) He uses sign language for highly preferred activities and wants. He can sign juice, help, walk, scratch (like scratch my back please), tickle etc. When he cannot sign what he wants or we cannot meet that need he will usually become aggressive and hit me, my wife or whomever else is near. This is a major problem because his brothers are on the receiving end of this sometimes and we can't always stop him. Sometimes, eldest will be in one room by himself watching Elmo and he'll run from the room, find his brother, hit him in the head a few times and run back. No provocation or reason (that I can see). Everything was quiet a minute ago and now my younger son is crying. That's a big reason we don't take eldest out in the community much. The tantrums and stares are bad enough but I can deal with those. It's the fear that he's going to hit someone or someone's child that I don't want to risk.

Sleeping is another issue I've talked about from time to time here. Autistic people frequently have trouble sleeping. My son will often sleep from 7:30 until 12:00 or so and then be up for the day. The thing is, when he's up he's up. Remember that he's ADHD so he will be running and jumping and vocalizing at top volume at 1, 2, 3 in the morning. This one is a real strain. I would go so far as to call it debilitating at times. At one point in 2003 I was working on a major project at work, had a newborn and eldest was in the middle of a two week period of not sleeping. I can honestly say that nearly broke me and in all seriousness nearly ended my marriage. We made it through but barely. We've more than recovered since then and deal with it much better now. We have a system and a routine and we basically make the most of it. It is very very difficult not to be selfish when you're that sleep deprived. Lastly, my son is on sleeping medication. As such, he cannot control his bowels when sleeping so he has to wear an overnight diaper. Frequently, he'll take it off when sleeping and then pee everywhere. Just last night I went to check on him and he was drenched. He had a perfectly dry diaper around his knees. I sat him up, took his clothes off and moved him into our bed. Cleaned him up while my wife changed the bed. I put his pajamas on him and back to bed. He really didn't wake up but it could have easily gone the other way and he would have been up for the day. Last week he peed in the bed 5 days in a row. Think about that. 5 blankets, and 5 sheet sets to wash in addition to the regular laundry for 6 people. Now you know why we're doing a zillion loads of laundry per week and why my power/water bills are so high.

Things you need to know about autistic people and parents of autistic people.

1. No, my son is not Rain Man. He cannot count cards, play piano or whatever. I appreciate you trying to put some sort of positive spin on this but you sound like an ass.

2. My 7 year old son may have a meltdown in the grocery store for reasons unknown (even to me). Staring at me like I'm a hapless parent is bad but I'll ignore you. Open your mouth and I'm giving you both barrels for your ignorance and lack of compassion.

3. Don't patronize him. He's not stupid and he understands what you're saying. Talk to him, he may surprise you, he may not. Give him the benefit of the doubt.

4. Caveat to above. Set expectations accordingly and know his limits. Don't set him up for failure. I do not bring him into areas with large crowds. He'd have a full blown meltdown that would probably have any nearby priests attempting an exorcism.

5. Don't pity me. Having a disabled child is not ennobling or heroic. It just is. I didn't choose this, it was chosen for me.

6. Caveat to above. It has made me a better person. I am far more patient and compassionate than I have ever been and perhaps why this was chosen for me.

7. This is normal for us. I've never not had an autistic son so I have no idea what it means to have the family go to a restaurant for dinner. That's something we'll never be able to do.

8. Autistic children are very expensive. They break things all the time. They usually pick very expensive things to break. My son likes to kick holes in drywall. Some kids like the sound of breaking glass. They have particular diets and and those diapers aren't cheap. In 2007 I had nearly $9,000 in out of pocket medical expenses. The bulk of that was for eldest.

9. If you complain about how busy and hectic your life is with your two typical kids I am either going to be bemused or enraged depending on how good or bad my week has been.

10. Don't shy from asking questions. I'd rather have you ask me directly about how, why or whatever than beating around the bush or keeping mum for fear of offending me.

11. One autistic child is as difficult to handle as my three other kids combined.

More if I can think of them.