Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Duh!
HillaryClinton.com - Media Release: "Sports legend and social activist Billie Jean King announced her endorsement of Hillary Clinton today."
PETA Power
New York Times: In what animal-welfare advocates are describing as a "historic advance," Burger King, the world's second-largest hamburger chain, said yesterday that it would begin buying eggs and pork from suppliers that don't confine their animals in cages and crates.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Airdisaster.Com Forums - View Single Post - Sucked In / Hacked Up? Do Tell
Airdisaster.Com Forums - View Single Post - Sucked In / Hacked Up? Do Tell: "THE NEDELIN DISASTER copyright Crashman 2006
Hell on Tyuratam Pad 41 "
Hell on Tyuratam Pad 41 "
Masturbating trespasser booted from frat - Crime
Masturbating trespasser booted from frat - Crime: "'Obviously, she was very disturbed,' Nye said. 'It was not how a normal person would respond to people.'
The woman told fraternity members that her name was Melissa and she was a student at Eastern Michigan University, according to the police report.
Fraternity members said they will throw out two couches in the living room because of the incident, Nye said.'Obviously, she was very disturbed,' Nye said. 'It was not how a normal person would respond to people.'
The woman told fraternity members that her name was Melissa and she was a student at Eastern Michigan University, according to the police report.
Fraternity members said they will throw out two couches in the living room because of the incident, Nye said."
The woman told fraternity members that her name was Melissa and she was a student at Eastern Michigan University, according to the police report.
Fraternity members said they will throw out two couches in the living room because of the incident, Nye said.'Obviously, she was very disturbed,' Nye said. 'It was not how a normal person would respond to people.'
The woman told fraternity members that her name was Melissa and she was a student at Eastern Michigan University, according to the police report.
Fraternity members said they will throw out two couches in the living room because of the incident, Nye said."
Why Bad Beliefs Don't Die (Skeptical Inquirer November 2000)
Why Bad Beliefs Don't Die (Skeptical Inquirer November 2000): "it is often confusing and irritating to scientists and skeptics that so many people's beliefs do not change in the face of disconfirming evidence. How, we wonder, are people able to hold beliefs that contradict the data?"
Monday, March 26, 2007
Fife's best selling weekly newspaper ::
Best selling newspaper? No wonder with such important reportage!
:: Dunfermline Press >> Fife's best selling weekly newspaper ::: "A PUB regular has been barred from his favourite Dunfermline boozer – for indiscriminate wind breaking.A PUB regular has been barred from his favourite Dunfermline boozer – for indiscriminate wind breaking."
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Not good
British Airways Flight 9 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "'Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.' "
Saturday, March 24, 2007
FOX News 72%
We don't trust quite as much, poll finds: "Alabama voters, according to this month's poll, also have some or a great deal of confidence in the Red Cross and other voluntary organizations (83 percent), Fox TV news (72 percent), federal programs such as Social Security (67 percent), the presidency (63 percent) and CNN cable TV news (62 percent). "
Amazing this is news.......
The Idaho Statesman - Always Idaho: "A bill to make English Idaho's official language passed the House on Monday.
The bill dictates that all official government business should be done in English, with certain exceptions for such things as education, public health and public safety.
The bill has already passed the Senate and awaits only the approval of Gov. Butch Otter, who has said he will sign it. All Treasure Valley Democrats and Caldwell Republican Bob Ring voted against the bill. "
The bill dictates that all official government business should be done in English, with certain exceptions for such things as education, public health and public safety.
The bill has already passed the Senate and awaits only the approval of Gov. Butch Otter, who has said he will sign it. All Treasure Valley Democrats and Caldwell Republican Bob Ring voted against the bill. "
Thursday, March 22, 2007
State Spending Spree - WSJ.com
State Spending Spree - WSJ.com: "Jennifer Granholm, the Democratic governor of another declining Midwestern industrial state, is also seeking a $1 billion-plus tax business tax increase to fund what she's calling her 'invest in Michigan' budget. The state, with more last jobs than any except Hurricane-ravaged Louisiana, hopes to reward businesses that invest more funds and create more jobs in Motor City by socking them with a higher tax bill."
Water on the brain | Herald Sun
Water on the brain Herald Sun: "Premier Steve Bracks has a watering can in the sink to catch the water from the hot tap while he waits for it to run warm, and Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu declares: 'When I swim I take particular care not to splash.' "
Deliberately clueless on intelligence
Deliberately clueless on intelligence: "SALT LAKE City Mayor Rocky Anderson wants to impeach President Bush. In arguing that point, he asked Fox News' Bill O'Reilly Tuesday, 'Have you seen the National Intelligence Estimate that was provided in October of 2002, in which the intelligence agency under the State Department said that Iraq was not building up a nuclear capability, that this whole story about the aluminum tubes (reportedly sought by Saddam Hussein in Niger) was completely off base?'
I decided to re-read the NIE excerpts that the administration released. What does the report say? 'Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of U.N. restrictions; if left unchecked, it probably will have a nuclear weapon during this decade.' "
I decided to re-read the NIE excerpts that the administration released. What does the report say? 'Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of U.N. restrictions; if left unchecked, it probably will have a nuclear weapon during this decade.' "
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Roy Spencer Oral Testimony for 19 March 2007
Roy Spencer Oral Testimony for 19 March 2007: "University of Alabama Climatologist Roy Spencer's Oral Testimony
March, 19 2007
I would like to thank the Chairman and members of the Committee for the opportunity to provide my perspective on the subject of political interference in government-funded science.
I have been performing NASA-sponsored research for the last twenty-two years.
Prior to my current position as a principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, I was Senior Scientist for Climate Studies at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and was an employee of NASA from 1987 to 2001."
During the period of my government employment, NASA had a rule that ANY interaction between its scientists and the press was to be coordinated through NASA management and public affairs. Understandably, NASA managers do not appreciate first learning of their scientists' findings and opinions in the morning newspapers.
It was no secret within NASA that I was skeptical of the size of the human influence on global climate. My views were diametrically opposed to those of Vice President Gore, and I believe that they were considered to be a possible hindrance to NASA getting full congressional funding for Mission to Planet Earth.
So, while Dr. Hansen was freely sounding the alarm over what HE believed to be dangerous levels of human influence on the climate, I tried to follow the rules. On many occasions I avoided answering questions from the media on the subject, and instead directed reporters to John Christy, my co-worker and a university employee.
Through the management chain, I was politely told what I was allowed to say in congressional testimony. In fact, my dodging of committee questions regarding my personal opinions on the subject of global warming was considered to be quite humorous by one committee, an exchange which is now part of the congressional record.
I want to make it very clear that I am not complaining -- I am only relating these things because I was asked to. I was, and still am, totally supportive of NASA's Earth satellite missions…but I understood that my position as a NASA employee was a privilege, not a right, and that there were rules I was expected to abide by.
Partly because of those limits on what I could and couldn't say to the press and congress, I voluntarily resigned from NASA in the fall of 2001. Even though my research responsibilities to NASA have NOT changed since resigning, being a university employee gives me much more freedom than government employees have to express opinions.
So, while you might think that the political influence on our climate research program started with the Bush Administration, that simply isn't true. It has ALWAYS existed. You just never heard about it because NASA's climate science program was aligned with Vice President Gore's desire to get rid of fossil fuels.
The bias started when the U.S. climate research program was first initiated. The emphasis on studying the PROBLEM of global warming, of course, presumes that a problem exists. As a result, the funding has ALWAYS favored the finding of evidence for climate CATASTROPHE rather than for climate STABILITY.
This biased approach to the funding of science serves several goals which favor a specific political ideology:
1) It grows government science, environmental, and policy programs, which depend upon global warming remaining as much a threat as possible.
2) It favors climate researchers, who quite naturally have vested interests in careers, pet theories, and personal incomes.
3) And, it provides justification for environmental lobbying groups, whose very existence depends upon sustaining public fears of environmental disaster.
I'm NOT claiming that a global warming science program isn't needed -- It IS. We DO need to find out how much of our current warmth is human-induced, and how much we might expect in the future. I'm just pointing out that the political interference flows both ways -- but not everyone has felt compelled to complain about it.
(This concludes my oral testimony).
March, 19 2007
I would like to thank the Chairman and members of the Committee for the opportunity to provide my perspective on the subject of political interference in government-funded science.
I have been performing NASA-sponsored research for the last twenty-two years.
Prior to my current position as a principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, I was Senior Scientist for Climate Studies at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and was an employee of NASA from 1987 to 2001."
During the period of my government employment, NASA had a rule that ANY interaction between its scientists and the press was to be coordinated through NASA management and public affairs. Understandably, NASA managers do not appreciate first learning of their scientists' findings and opinions in the morning newspapers.
It was no secret within NASA that I was skeptical of the size of the human influence on global climate. My views were diametrically opposed to those of Vice President Gore, and I believe that they were considered to be a possible hindrance to NASA getting full congressional funding for Mission to Planet Earth.
So, while Dr. Hansen was freely sounding the alarm over what HE believed to be dangerous levels of human influence on the climate, I tried to follow the rules. On many occasions I avoided answering questions from the media on the subject, and instead directed reporters to John Christy, my co-worker and a university employee.
Through the management chain, I was politely told what I was allowed to say in congressional testimony. In fact, my dodging of committee questions regarding my personal opinions on the subject of global warming was considered to be quite humorous by one committee, an exchange which is now part of the congressional record.
I want to make it very clear that I am not complaining -- I am only relating these things because I was asked to. I was, and still am, totally supportive of NASA's Earth satellite missions…but I understood that my position as a NASA employee was a privilege, not a right, and that there were rules I was expected to abide by.
Partly because of those limits on what I could and couldn't say to the press and congress, I voluntarily resigned from NASA in the fall of 2001. Even though my research responsibilities to NASA have NOT changed since resigning, being a university employee gives me much more freedom than government employees have to express opinions.
So, while you might think that the political influence on our climate research program started with the Bush Administration, that simply isn't true. It has ALWAYS existed. You just never heard about it because NASA's climate science program was aligned with Vice President Gore's desire to get rid of fossil fuels.
The bias started when the U.S. climate research program was first initiated. The emphasis on studying the PROBLEM of global warming, of course, presumes that a problem exists. As a result, the funding has ALWAYS favored the finding of evidence for climate CATASTROPHE rather than for climate STABILITY.
This biased approach to the funding of science serves several goals which favor a specific political ideology:
1) It grows government science, environmental, and policy programs, which depend upon global warming remaining as much a threat as possible.
2) It favors climate researchers, who quite naturally have vested interests in careers, pet theories, and personal incomes.
3) And, it provides justification for environmental lobbying groups, whose very existence depends upon sustaining public fears of environmental disaster.
I'm NOT claiming that a global warming science program isn't needed -- It IS. We DO need to find out how much of our current warmth is human-induced, and how much we might expect in the future. I'm just pointing out that the political interference flows both ways -- but not everyone has felt compelled to complain about it.
(This concludes my oral testimony).
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Power Line: An Enemy So Evil...
Power Line: An Enemy So Evil...: "Insurgents in Iraq detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle with two children in the back seat after US soldiers let it through a Baghdad checkpoint over the weekend, a senior US military official said Tuesday. "
Hooters doesn't fit the image of the Big Beaver corridor?
Hooters: It's last chance to settle Troy: "Hooters has sought a liquor license transfer for its new location on Big Beaver and Rochester roads. The council voted against the transfer in June, saying the restaurant doesn't fit the image of the Big Beaver corridor."
I thought water levels were supposed to go up!
Is this what AlGore ment when he said "everything that is supposed to be up is down. And everything that's supposed to be down is up"?
Great Lakes levels plunge in February: "One other possible factor: A 1960s dredging project in the St. Clair River has eroded the river bottom to twice the depth originally intended. Federal officials have estimated the project, which essentially opened a bigger drain hole in a river that lets out water from Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, has lowered water levels in those two lakes by a foot or more."
Would the liberal media lie to us?
That would NEVER happen....would it....?
Polar bears 'thriving as the Arctic warms up' International News News Telegraph: "However, Prof Derocher conceded that some polar bear-related evidence of the damaging effect of global warming was misplaced.
Contrary to concern over a celebrated photograph of a bear and its cub floating on a tiny iceberg, the animals often travel in that way, he said.
'Bears will often hang out on glacier ice or large pieces of multi-year ice,' he said."
Polar bears 'thriving as the Arctic warms up' International News News Telegraph: "However, Prof Derocher conceded that some polar bear-related evidence of the damaging effect of global warming was misplaced.
Contrary to concern over a celebrated photograph of a bear and its cub floating on a tiny iceberg, the animals often travel in that way, he said.
'Bears will often hang out on glacier ice or large pieces of multi-year ice,' he said."
Monday, March 19, 2007
First class journalistic laziness
Airline Moves Dead Body to 1st Class: "A first-class passenger on a flight from Delhi to London awoke find the corpse of a woman who had died in the economy cabin being placed in a seat next to him, British Airways said Monday.
The economy section of the flight was full, and the cabin crew needed to move the woman and her grieving family out of that compartment to give them some privacy, the airline said.
The first-class passenger, Paul Trinder, told the Sunday Times newspaper that he was sleeping during a February flight from India and woke up when the crew placed the dead woman in an empty seat near him. "
Well, what is it? Next to Mr Trinder or "near" him? Why not report "on his lap"?
At least Drudge titled the link "The Final Upgrade". Now, that's journalism!
The economy section of the flight was full, and the cabin crew needed to move the woman and her grieving family out of that compartment to give them some privacy, the airline said.
The first-class passenger, Paul Trinder, told the Sunday Times newspaper that he was sleeping during a February flight from India and woke up when the crew placed the dead woman in an empty seat near him. "
Well, what is it? Next to Mr Trinder or "near" him? Why not report "on his lap"?
At least Drudge titled the link "The Final Upgrade". Now, that's journalism!
What a surprise!
Throwing money at a problem doesn't fix the problem. The graph looks similar to the money vs educated kids in American public schools.
TCS Daily - An Easterly Aid Wind Blows Out of Canada: "Apparently, Canada's Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade has read the CGD and IMF reports and discovered an inconvenient truth. While the Committee knew with certitude the levels of ODA that have gone into Africa, it couldn't determine their effect on the intended beneficiaries—with the sole exception that they were worse off than before.
This must mean that these same funds have found a way Out of Africa. "
Thursday, March 15, 2007
So yer a crook, eh?
WendyMcElroy.com: The transaction costs of life are soaring: "Thus, one of the first phrases that came to mind when a friend recently vented to me over the phone was 'transaction cost.' He is/was used to crossing the Canadian-US border with ease and frequency in order to visit friends and family up here. However, in January new procedures came into force by which US police and court records on American citizens are being shared with Canadian customs agents, and vice versa. My friends problem: a DUI for which he was denied entry. It didn't matter how old the DUI was nor that it was a one-time offense. A DUI is now one of the minor infractions which can cause a de facto iron curtain to fall across the Canadian-US border; other infractions include possession of marijuana (perhaps in the '70s), possession of a medical marijuana card, shoplifting, an arrest for attending a peace rally or even an ill-conceived prank. "
Monday, March 12, 2007
From bite to "bite me"?
Greenandwhite.com: McCallie issues statement following husband's arrest: "McCallie also stated she has no comment on speculation that she is a candidate for the recently opened job at the University of Florida. McCallie said she does not comment on job openings."
IMAO: Frank Facts About Fred Thompson
IMAO: Frank Facts About Fred Thompson: "Actually, the more I find out about Fred Thompson, the more I think he needs to be President. And I mean he should be President right now, like Dick Cheney should resign, President Bush should then appoint Fred Thompson to be Vice-President, and then President Bush should resign."
Galactic warming?
My Way News - Theory: Saturn Moon's Heat From Decay: "Scientists believe heat from radioactive decay inside a tiny, icy Saturn moon shortly after it formed billions of years ago may explain why geysers are erupting from the surface today."
How can this be?
We just re-elected our lady democrat governor!
State homes no longer a profitable nest egg: "Michigan was the only state in the nation to see its home prices decline in value in 2006,"
State homes no longer a profitable nest egg: "Michigan was the only state in the nation to see its home prices decline in value in 2006,"
Imagine if Berger was a GOPer and Libby was a demo?
RealClearPolitics - Articles - Berger & Libby: A Tale of Two Crimes: "Did Bill Clinton ask him to destroy documents that would make him look bad in history? I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I ask that question. But this or something very much like it seems to be the only explanation that makes sense."
Bait and switch?
MyFox Tampa Bay Restaurants promise no more fake grouper: "Three Tampa Bay-area restaurants that were passing off some other kind of fish for grouper agreed to stop doing it, "
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Scientists threatened for 'climate denial' | Uk News | News | Telegraph
Scientists threatened for 'climate denial' Uk News News Telegraph: "Scientists who questioned mankind's impact on climate change have received death threats and claim to have been shunned by the scientific community.
They say the debate on global warming has been 'hijacked' by a powerful alliance of politicians, scientists and environmentalists who have stifled all questioning about the true environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions.
Timothy Ball, a former climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg in Canada, has received five deaths threats by email since raising concerns about the degree to which man was affecting climate change."
They say the debate on global warming has been 'hijacked' by a powerful alliance of politicians, scientists and environmentalists who have stifled all questioning about the true environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions.
Timothy Ball, a former climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg in Canada, has received five deaths threats by email since raising concerns about the degree to which man was affecting climate change."
Amazing friut?
Interesting Banana Facts: "If you want a quick fix for flagging energy levels there's no better snack than a banana."
Gotta love the Brits
Plus Patrick J Fitzgerald shows up again.
News Review: Lord Black's downfall Uk News News Telegraph:
"He was a bog-standard multi-millionaire, living like a billionaire. Plugging the gap cost a king's ransom".......
"Radler, who did Black's dirty work for 30 years - cutting jobs, squeezing suppliers, pinching pennies - is the archetypal rodent-faced hatchet man. He liked to quote from an early 19th-century manual on industrial relations, which asserted that any study must start from the premise that all employees are 'slothful, incompetent and dishonest'.
In the end, it was Radler himself who was as bent as a nine-cent dime."
News Review: Lord Black's downfall Uk News News Telegraph:
"He was a bog-standard multi-millionaire, living like a billionaire. Plugging the gap cost a king's ransom".......
"Radler, who did Black's dirty work for 30 years - cutting jobs, squeezing suppliers, pinching pennies - is the archetypal rodent-faced hatchet man. He liked to quote from an early 19th-century manual on industrial relations, which asserted that any study must start from the premise that all employees are 'slothful, incompetent and dishonest'.
In the end, it was Radler himself who was as bent as a nine-cent dime."
Saturday, March 10, 2007
An Inconvenient Truth?
Odd, I didn't see this on TV....and TV never lies....Pictures of a polar bear floating precariously on a tiny iceberg have become the defining image of global warming but may be misleading, according to a new study.Polar bears 'thriving as the Arctic warms up' International News News Telegraph: "A survey of the animals' numbers in Canada's eastern Arctic has revealed that they are thriving, not declining, because of mankind's interference in the environment.
In the Davis Strait area, a 140,000-square kilometre region, the polar bear population has grown from 850 in the mid-1980s to 2,100 today.
'There aren't just a few more bears. There are a hell of a lot more bears,' said Mitch Taylor, a polar bear biologist who has spent 20 years studying the animals.
His findings back the claims of Inuit hunters who have long claimed that they were seeing more bears."
In the Davis Strait area, a 140,000-square kilometre region, the polar bear population has grown from 850 in the mid-1980s to 2,100 today.
'There aren't just a few more bears. There are a hell of a lot more bears,' said Mitch Taylor, a polar bear biologist who has spent 20 years studying the animals.
His findings back the claims of Inuit hunters who have long claimed that they were seeing more bears."
Friday, March 09, 2007
Ummm, tasty police officer......
This'll be helpful for the NCAA tourney.
MSU professor arrested at Sarasota airport - MSNBC.com: "Police say a Michigan State University professor bit a police officer and was arrested for assault at a Florida airport.
John Douglas McCallie and his wife, Spartans women's basketball coach Joanne McCallie, arrived at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport Wednesday afternoon."
MSU professor arrested at Sarasota airport - MSNBC.com: "Police say a Michigan State University professor bit a police officer and was arrested for assault at a Florida airport.
John Douglas McCallie and his wife, Spartans women's basketball coach Joanne McCallie, arrived at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport Wednesday afternoon."
Why the global warming "science"?
A major reason is moolah. Government, or more accurately taxpayer, funding for grant funds.
OpinionJournal - Extra: "But there is a more sinister side to this feeding frenzy. Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their grant funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves libeled as industry stooges, scientific hacks or worse. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science that supposedly is their basis."
The author is Richard Lindzen, the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT.
OpinionJournal - Extra: "But there is a more sinister side to this feeding frenzy. Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their grant funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves libeled as industry stooges, scientific hacks or worse. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science that supposedly is their basis."
The author is Richard Lindzen, the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT.
Media bias?
"We don't need no stinkin' bias!"
The Muskegon Chronicle offered as their "proof of non-bias" the fact that they endorsed a similar number of demos and GOPers in the last election. Conveniently ignoring that they almost always endorse incumbents and Ottawa county had no democrat incumbents. Sophistry is the game.
When Anger Breeds Complacency
An interesting exchange from an interview on PBS's "Frontline" with Len Downie, executive editor of the Washington Post:
Every person we speak with who would identify themselves [sic] as a conservative journalist says: "Bias? If you think we're biased, look at The Washington Post, that liberal newspaper."
All I can say is that people just need to read us and then decide whether we're liberal or not. We're an independent newspaper. We have a strict separation, between the editorial page--which, last I heard, is a supporter, for instance, of the Iraq war and considered by many liberals to be rather conservative--and our news gathering.
In our news gathering, we seek to be strictly nonpartisan and nonideological. We're human beings, we make mistakes, but we do not set out to be, nor do I think we are, liberal. And judging from my e-mail traffic in recent years, the left is much more critical, and much more angrily critical, of our coverage than the right has been.
The implication of that last comment is that because the left is angrier than the right with the Post, the Post must not be biased toward the left. But this is a non sequitur. It seems to us more likely that (a) the Post is biased toward the left, but not biased enough to satisfy the Angry Left, (b) the left is angrier at this moment than the right is.
But note how the Angry Left's anger bolsters Downie's complacency: Both left and right accuse the Post of bias, therefore the Post must not be biased. We've long argued that the liberal media ill-serve liberal politicians by reflecting rather than challenging their prejudices (see this article, for example). By making it easier for journalists to deny that they are biased, the Angry Left may be exacerbating this problem.
The Muskegon Chronicle offered as their "proof of non-bias" the fact that they endorsed a similar number of demos and GOPers in the last election. Conveniently ignoring that they almost always endorse incumbents and Ottawa county had no democrat incumbents. Sophistry is the game.
When Anger Breeds Complacency
An interesting exchange from an interview on PBS's "Frontline" with Len Downie, executive editor of the Washington Post:
Every person we speak with who would identify themselves [sic] as a conservative journalist says: "Bias? If you think we're biased, look at The Washington Post, that liberal newspaper."
All I can say is that people just need to read us and then decide whether we're liberal or not. We're an independent newspaper. We have a strict separation, between the editorial page--which, last I heard, is a supporter, for instance, of the Iraq war and considered by many liberals to be rather conservative--and our news gathering.
In our news gathering, we seek to be strictly nonpartisan and nonideological. We're human beings, we make mistakes, but we do not set out to be, nor do I think we are, liberal. And judging from my e-mail traffic in recent years, the left is much more critical, and much more angrily critical, of our coverage than the right has been.
The implication of that last comment is that because the left is angrier than the right with the Post, the Post must not be biased toward the left. But this is a non sequitur. It seems to us more likely that (a) the Post is biased toward the left, but not biased enough to satisfy the Angry Left, (b) the left is angrier at this moment than the right is.
But note how the Angry Left's anger bolsters Downie's complacency: Both left and right accuse the Post of bias, therefore the Post must not be biased. We've long argued that the liberal media ill-serve liberal politicians by reflecting rather than challenging their prejudices (see this article, for example). By making it easier for journalists to deny that they are biased, the Angry Left may be exacerbating this problem.
Did you know?
from an e-mail
Did you know???
I didn't know!
How could we?
Did you know that 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?
Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?
Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq?
Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?
Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?
Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational?
They have 5 - 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.
Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?
Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?
Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?
Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?
Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.
Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?
Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?
Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?
Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?
Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?
OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!
WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?
OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!
Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes:
It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States thus minimizing consequent support, and
It is intended to discourage American citizens.
---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site.
http://www.defenselink.mil/
.....Pass it on! Give it a Wide circulation
I didn't know!
How could we?
Did you know that 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?
Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?
Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq?
Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?
Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?
Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational?
They have 5 - 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.
Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?
Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?
Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?
Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?
Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.
Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?
Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?
Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?
Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?
Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?
OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!
WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?
OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!
Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes:
It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States thus minimizing consequent support, and
It is intended to discourage American citizens.
---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site.
http://www.defenselink.mil/
.....Pass it on! Give it a Wide circulation
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Could Edwards Become First Woman President? - March 8, 2007 - The New York Sun
Could Edwards Become First Woman President? - March 8, 2007 - The New York Sun: "Compared to Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Edwards is short an ‘X' chromosome, but listening to Ms. Michelman, that is easy to forget. 'As a lawyer, as a senator, as a husband, as a father of two daughters, he understands the reality of women's lives. He understands the centrality of women's lives and experience to the health and well-being of society as a whole. … He understands that on an extremely personal level,' she said."
IBD Editorials: Ethanol Hypocrites
IBD Editorials: Ethanol Hypocrites: "President Bush has long been blasted by the left as big oil's tool, indifferent to alternative energy. Now that he's got a big plan to develop ethanol with Brazil, the left hates ethanol. Who needs this?"
How liberals respond to laws they just don't like.
Panel tells Mich. how to bypass Prop 2: "A report by the Michigan Civil Rights Commission released Wednesday offers a roadmap for skirting Proposal 2 rather than a guidebook for complying with the new law, say critics, one of whom threatened to sue if the state follows the panel's recommendations."
» Sentences From Third-Rate SF Stories
» Sentences From Third-Rate SF Stories: "6> As one, the Spacemarines stood up, raised their spacerifles in salute, then marched out the spacedoors to the spacedock, where their spaceship was waiting to boldly take them where they’d all been before: Space! "
iowahawk: Let's Tone It Down, People
iowahawk: Let's Tone It Down, People: "ANN: I couldn't agree more Bill, you syphillitic commie scumnozzle. Because whether they are normal patriotic Americans or mincing San Francisco fudgepackers, all citizens of this country need to think first before using words intended to hurt or offend others."
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Mark Steyn :: How Gore's massive energy consumption saves the world
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Mark Steyn :: How Gore's massive energy consumption saves the world: "And, in fact, in the Reverend Al's case it's even better than that. Al buys his carbon offsets from Generation Investment Management LLP, which is 'an independent, private, owner-managed partnership established in 2004 and with offices in London and Washington, D.C.,' that, for a fee, will invest your money in 'high-quality companies at attractive prices that will deliver superior long-term investment returns.' Generation is a tax-exempt U.S. 501(c)3. And who's the chairman and founding partner? Al Gore."
Impeach those who fire federal prosecutors?
Amazing how tough it was to Google any mention of Clinton's mass firing of federal prosecutors.... or any analysis of his motives.
JWR Sowell archives 9-15-98
By firing all U.S. Attorneys shortly after becoming president -- something no other president had ever done before -- Bill Clinton got rid of the U.S. Attorney in Arkansas who was investigating the Whitewater-Madison Guaranty scandals and replaced him with Paula Casey, a Clinton protege and one of his political campaign workers.
The entire article:
Hillary Rodham Crook?
AFTER FINISHING HIS WORK on potentially impeachable offenses growing out of the Lewinsky scandal, Kenneth Starr is still investigating other activities by the president and others, which could add to the list of potentially impeachable offenses by the president and criminal indictments against others.
Billary: Like husband, like wife?Or is it the other way around? Let's go back to square one. This all started with the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into financial frauds in Arkansas, in institutions connected with Hillary and Bill Clinton.
The Clintons were partners with Jim and Susan McDougal in the Whitewater Development Corporation, whose accounts were kept in the Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan, run by Jim McDougal, with Hillary Clinton as an attorney. Federal bank examiners testified that Madison Guaranty was a "politically corrupt institution that routed millions of dollars to politically connected Arkansans."
In the more reserved language of an official report, Madison Guaranty was the scene of "embezzlement," "money laundering," "falsification of loan records and board minutes," "wire fraud" and "illegal campaign contributions" -- among other crimes.
Part of the money looted by Jim McDougal found its way into the Whitewater account and into Bill Clinton's political campaign funds. These frauds left the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to pay more than $60 million to depositors with accounts in Madison Guaranty. That was more than all the years of Kenneth Starr's investigations cost.
Why was a special prosecutor necessary? Because the Clintons had used their political clout to obstruct the investigations and corrupt the normal processes of government, at both the state and federal levels. This was not just Bill Clinton's method of operation when dealing with scandals in "his private sex life." It was a technique used by both Clintons in matters having nothing to do with sex, long before anyone ever heard of Monica Lewinsky.
When both state and federal investigators first moved in, Hillary Clinton was able to stop the state officials from closing down Madison Guaranty. She was more than just another lawyer appearing before state officials. She was the wife of the governor who appointed those officials.
The Clintons could not interfere with the feds, however -- at least not until they were in the White House. By then, Madison Guaranty had been closed down and federal investigators were on the trail of the frauds. By firing all U.S. Attorneys shortly after becoming president -- something no other president had ever done before -- Bill Clinton got rid of the U.S. Attorney in Arkansas who was investigating the Whitewater-Madison Guaranty scandals and replaced him with Paula Casey, a Clinton protege and one of his political campaign workers.
The president's Arkansas appointee had no experience as a prosecutor, but she had political ties to the people being investigated -- including the Clintons and Arkansas governor Jim Guy Tucker.
Other federal authorities who sent information to Ms. Casey for criminal investigations of Tucker and the Clintons got nowhere. She officially declined the criminal referrals. She even kept the information from reaching Justice Department headquarters in Washington, until others went over her head to tell the top brass at Justice in D.C.
Other investigators in another federal agency were told that higher-ups would take "a dim view" of their pursuing the Whitewater-Madison affair. When these investigators failed to take the hint, they were put on administrative leave in August 1994, without warning and without explanation.
Meanwhile, White House lawyers and the Clintons' private attorneys were being briefed repeatedly on how much dirt the feds had dug up on the Clintons back in Arkansas. It was a complete violation of the rules and practices for federal investigators to reveal what they had found out to those who were being investigated.
All that kept this cover-up and obstruction of justice from succeeding was the appointment of a special prosecutor. Kenneth Starr could not be put on administrative leave. He got more than 20 felony convictions out of an Arkansas jury in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, despite later White House spin that this was all just Republican "partisanship."
Against this background, it is easy to see why various records showing Hillary Clinton's work for Madison Guaranty were destroyed and others stolen by Webster Hubbell and "lost" in the White House.
JWR Sowell archives 9-15-98
By firing all U.S. Attorneys shortly after becoming president -- something no other president had ever done before -- Bill Clinton got rid of the U.S. Attorney in Arkansas who was investigating the Whitewater-Madison Guaranty scandals and replaced him with Paula Casey, a Clinton protege and one of his political campaign workers.
The entire article:
Hillary Rodham Crook?
AFTER FINISHING HIS WORK on potentially impeachable offenses growing out of the Lewinsky scandal, Kenneth Starr is still investigating other activities by the president and others, which could add to the list of potentially impeachable offenses by the president and criminal indictments against others.
Billary: Like husband, like wife?Or is it the other way around? Let's go back to square one. This all started with the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into financial frauds in Arkansas, in institutions connected with Hillary and Bill Clinton.
The Clintons were partners with Jim and Susan McDougal in the Whitewater Development Corporation, whose accounts were kept in the Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan, run by Jim McDougal, with Hillary Clinton as an attorney. Federal bank examiners testified that Madison Guaranty was a "politically corrupt institution that routed millions of dollars to politically connected Arkansans."
In the more reserved language of an official report, Madison Guaranty was the scene of "embezzlement," "money laundering," "falsification of loan records and board minutes," "wire fraud" and "illegal campaign contributions" -- among other crimes.
Part of the money looted by Jim McDougal found its way into the Whitewater account and into Bill Clinton's political campaign funds. These frauds left the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to pay more than $60 million to depositors with accounts in Madison Guaranty. That was more than all the years of Kenneth Starr's investigations cost.
Why was a special prosecutor necessary? Because the Clintons had used their political clout to obstruct the investigations and corrupt the normal processes of government, at both the state and federal levels. This was not just Bill Clinton's method of operation when dealing with scandals in "his private sex life." It was a technique used by both Clintons in matters having nothing to do with sex, long before anyone ever heard of Monica Lewinsky.
When both state and federal investigators first moved in, Hillary Clinton was able to stop the state officials from closing down Madison Guaranty. She was more than just another lawyer appearing before state officials. She was the wife of the governor who appointed those officials.
The Clintons could not interfere with the feds, however -- at least not until they were in the White House. By then, Madison Guaranty had been closed down and federal investigators were on the trail of the frauds. By firing all U.S. Attorneys shortly after becoming president -- something no other president had ever done before -- Bill Clinton got rid of the U.S. Attorney in Arkansas who was investigating the Whitewater-Madison Guaranty scandals and replaced him with Paula Casey, a Clinton protege and one of his political campaign workers.
The president's Arkansas appointee had no experience as a prosecutor, but she had political ties to the people being investigated -- including the Clintons and Arkansas governor Jim Guy Tucker.
Other federal authorities who sent information to Ms. Casey for criminal investigations of Tucker and the Clintons got nowhere. She officially declined the criminal referrals. She even kept the information from reaching Justice Department headquarters in Washington, until others went over her head to tell the top brass at Justice in D.C.
Other investigators in another federal agency were told that higher-ups would take "a dim view" of their pursuing the Whitewater-Madison affair. When these investigators failed to take the hint, they were put on administrative leave in August 1994, without warning and without explanation.
Meanwhile, White House lawyers and the Clintons' private attorneys were being briefed repeatedly on how much dirt the feds had dug up on the Clintons back in Arkansas. It was a complete violation of the rules and practices for federal investigators to reveal what they had found out to those who were being investigated.
All that kept this cover-up and obstruction of justice from succeeding was the appointment of a special prosecutor. Kenneth Starr could not be put on administrative leave. He got more than 20 felony convictions out of an Arkansas jury in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, despite later White House spin that this was all just Republican "partisanship."
Against this background, it is easy to see why various records showing Hillary Clinton's work for Madison Guaranty were destroyed and others stolen by Webster Hubbell and "lost" in the White House.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Steve has passed away.
County commissioner Steve Wisniewski passed away today, Monday, March 5, 2007.
A very good man. An irreplaceable County Commissioner. A wonderful father and husband. He will be missed. Rest in peace, Steve.
(in Monday's Muskegon Chronicle)
Commissioner, ill, bids farewell
Dear constituents, fellow commissioners and friends,
As I believe you are all aware, I have been battling a rare, fast-growing cancer for the last 20 months. During much of that time, I was able to continue working and representing the needs of the White Lake area at the county. As your elected county representative, I feel you deserve to know the current status of my health. After having had a bone marrow transplant and more chemotherapy, I have recently learned that my lymphoma is aggressively growing again and my prognosis is terminal.
To my constituents: As a lifelong resident of the White Lake area I remain devoted to its well-being. I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you through my previous business and as your commissioner. I am deeply saddened that my service to you as county commissioner from the 1st District is coming to an end. Thank you for electing me three times to represent you. Representing the "Jewel of the County" has been a privilege and an honor.
To my fellow commissioners: It has been a pleasure to be a member the board of commissioners with you. I am proud of our many accomplishments in the last four years and wish you continued success as you work toward the betterment of the county. You have my respect and admiration and I am pleased to count you among my friends. It is a joy to work with people so dedicated to public service.
To my many friends: Thank you for your support over the recent months. Thank you particularly for the warm greetings you extended when I was able to make a public appearance and for the support you have given Judy and me. It has been a great pleasure to be able to count so many of you among my friends. I wish I could tell each of you personally how much you mean to me.
I am grateful for so many things -- my wonderful family and friends, this beautiful area in which we live, and the opportunities life has presented me. I wish you all the same blessings in your lives.
Steve Wisniewski
Muskegon County Commissioner
1st District
Montague
A very good man. An irreplaceable County Commissioner. A wonderful father and husband. He will be missed. Rest in peace, Steve.
(in Monday's Muskegon Chronicle)
Commissioner, ill, bids farewell
Dear constituents, fellow commissioners and friends,
As I believe you are all aware, I have been battling a rare, fast-growing cancer for the last 20 months. During much of that time, I was able to continue working and representing the needs of the White Lake area at the county. As your elected county representative, I feel you deserve to know the current status of my health. After having had a bone marrow transplant and more chemotherapy, I have recently learned that my lymphoma is aggressively growing again and my prognosis is terminal.
To my constituents: As a lifelong resident of the White Lake area I remain devoted to its well-being. I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you through my previous business and as your commissioner. I am deeply saddened that my service to you as county commissioner from the 1st District is coming to an end. Thank you for electing me three times to represent you. Representing the "Jewel of the County" has been a privilege and an honor.
To my fellow commissioners: It has been a pleasure to be a member the board of commissioners with you. I am proud of our many accomplishments in the last four years and wish you continued success as you work toward the betterment of the county. You have my respect and admiration and I am pleased to count you among my friends. It is a joy to work with people so dedicated to public service.
To my many friends: Thank you for your support over the recent months. Thank you particularly for the warm greetings you extended when I was able to make a public appearance and for the support you have given Judy and me. It has been a great pleasure to be able to count so many of you among my friends. I wish I could tell each of you personally how much you mean to me.
I am grateful for so many things -- my wonderful family and friends, this beautiful area in which we live, and the opportunities life has presented me. I wish you all the same blessings in your lives.
Steve Wisniewski
Muskegon County Commissioner
1st District
Montague
HDTV tips from Kim Komando
KILLER TIP--THE WEEKLY QUESTION SENT IN FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU!I want to purchase a high-definition television set. But each time I go to the store, I get confused by all the choices. Can you tell me what I should look for?Ron in Nashville, TN, listening on WWTN 99.7 FMBuying a television used to be fairly simple. But these days, it helps to have a degree in rocket science.
First, let me explain HDTV. High definition television simply refers to the resolution of an image. HDTV resolution is either 1920x1080 (1080i and 1080p) or 1280x720 (720p).
The second number (1080 or 720) refers to the number of rows of pixels. Theoretically, the more pixels, the clearer the picture. But you won’t notice a difference between 1080 and 720. (Standard televisions can show 330 rows of pixels. You will notice a difference from that!)
P stands for progressive; i is interlaced. In progressive resolutions, the rows of pixels are refreshed electronically in a series (1,2,3,4, etc.) Interlaced screens skip lines when they refresh (1,3,5,7, etc., then 2,4,6,8, etc.) Either way works. Don’t worry about it. Some signals are broadcast in 720p, others in 1080i. (There are no 1080p signals, yet.) The type of broadcast is immaterial. Televisions convert signals to the proper resolution. Again, you need not worry about it.
Televisions are measured diagonally. HDTVs range from about 15 inches to over 100 inches. Additionally, most HDTVs are 16:9s—they measure 16 units (inches, if you like) horizontally to every 9 vertically. Standard TVs are 4:3—4 units horizontally to every 3 vertically.
The majority of high-definition broadcasts are 16:9. They are still in the minority; most broadcasts are standard 4:3. You can watch standard broadcasts on 16:9 HDTVs. They will leave bars on the sides. You can zoom the picture to fill the 16:9 opening. That slices off the bottom and top of the picture. But that usually isn’t a problem.
Now, in order for a television to pick up stations, it requires a tuner. To pick up high-def stations, it requires an HDTV tuner. Most HDTV sets include tuners. Some, called monitors, do not.
A tuner is necessary to receive over-the-air signals. You usually grab them with a roof antenna. If you have cable or satellite, a monitor will suffice. You’ll rent a cable or satellite box with the HD tuner. Sets without HDTV tuners are significantly cheaper. But you may have trouble finding monitors in stores. They’re available on the Internet, though.
Now, let’s look at the types of HD sets. They’re all good, but they all have their drawbacks. They fall into four categories: Projection, plasma, LCD and CRT.
Projection TVs are large and relatively inexpensive. They are also bulkier than plasma and LCD, so you can’t hang them on the wall. There are several types: DLP (digital light processing), LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon), LCD (liquid crystal display) and CRT (cathode ray tube).
DLP is probably the most common. These sets use mirrors mounted on a chip, along with a light, to create the picture. You may also see a rainbow effect. This is when you see the colors separate on the screen. Check the TV carefully in the store before buying.
Personally, I prefer plasma or LCD. They are much less bulky, and can be mounted on a wall. Both historically have had drawbacks, but makers have solved or mitigated them.
LCD sets are rapidly growing in popularity. They’re lighter than plasmas and use less power. Until recently, though, they had a problem with smearing. Motion would appear blurry on the screen. Newer sets don’t suffer this.
If you go with an LCD set, look at the response time carefully. This is the time it takes for the pixels to go on and off. I would aim for 8ms (milliseconds) or less. You’re much less likely to get smearing with a fast set.
LCDs also have a problem with black levels. If a show is dimly lit, gradations of black can be difficult to see.
You can pick up a smaller LCD for well under $1,000. But larger models are more expensive than plasma sets.
Plasmas have lovely pictures, although some experts consider LCDs superior. You won’t find plasmas under 37 inches. If you need something smaller, look at LCDs.
Plasma displays have a problem with reflections. So they work better in a dark room. Plasmas also have suffered from burn in, historically. A static image displayed too long would become permanently visible on the screen. Newer models are less likely to have this problem.
The fourth type of set is the CRT. These are similar to traditional televisions. They range up to 34 inches. Many consider CRT pictures the best of all. But this technology is dying.
Why? The sets are massive. Typically, the tube is about two feet deep on large sets. And the weight will approach 200 pounds. So, think carefully about where you will put such a set before buying.
HDTV prices are coming down rapidly. Lesser known brands are cutting prices deeply to gain market share. Everybody is suffering but the consumer! If you were put off by HDTV prices in the past, check again. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
For more pricing information for HDTVs, visit my Buying Guide. I've got more tips on my site that will interest you:
• Make sure your TV is HDCP-compliant• Play your games in high-def• Want a big screen but don’t have the room? Try a projector
First, let me explain HDTV. High definition television simply refers to the resolution of an image. HDTV resolution is either 1920x1080 (1080i and 1080p) or 1280x720 (720p).
The second number (1080 or 720) refers to the number of rows of pixels. Theoretically, the more pixels, the clearer the picture. But you won’t notice a difference between 1080 and 720. (Standard televisions can show 330 rows of pixels. You will notice a difference from that!)
P stands for progressive; i is interlaced. In progressive resolutions, the rows of pixels are refreshed electronically in a series (1,2,3,4, etc.) Interlaced screens skip lines when they refresh (1,3,5,7, etc., then 2,4,6,8, etc.) Either way works. Don’t worry about it. Some signals are broadcast in 720p, others in 1080i. (There are no 1080p signals, yet.) The type of broadcast is immaterial. Televisions convert signals to the proper resolution. Again, you need not worry about it.
Televisions are measured diagonally. HDTVs range from about 15 inches to over 100 inches. Additionally, most HDTVs are 16:9s—they measure 16 units (inches, if you like) horizontally to every 9 vertically. Standard TVs are 4:3—4 units horizontally to every 3 vertically.
The majority of high-definition broadcasts are 16:9. They are still in the minority; most broadcasts are standard 4:3. You can watch standard broadcasts on 16:9 HDTVs. They will leave bars on the sides. You can zoom the picture to fill the 16:9 opening. That slices off the bottom and top of the picture. But that usually isn’t a problem.
Now, in order for a television to pick up stations, it requires a tuner. To pick up high-def stations, it requires an HDTV tuner. Most HDTV sets include tuners. Some, called monitors, do not.
A tuner is necessary to receive over-the-air signals. You usually grab them with a roof antenna. If you have cable or satellite, a monitor will suffice. You’ll rent a cable or satellite box with the HD tuner. Sets without HDTV tuners are significantly cheaper. But you may have trouble finding monitors in stores. They’re available on the Internet, though.
Now, let’s look at the types of HD sets. They’re all good, but they all have their drawbacks. They fall into four categories: Projection, plasma, LCD and CRT.
Projection TVs are large and relatively inexpensive. They are also bulkier than plasma and LCD, so you can’t hang them on the wall. There are several types: DLP (digital light processing), LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon), LCD (liquid crystal display) and CRT (cathode ray tube).
DLP is probably the most common. These sets use mirrors mounted on a chip, along with a light, to create the picture. You may also see a rainbow effect. This is when you see the colors separate on the screen. Check the TV carefully in the store before buying.
Personally, I prefer plasma or LCD. They are much less bulky, and can be mounted on a wall. Both historically have had drawbacks, but makers have solved or mitigated them.
LCD sets are rapidly growing in popularity. They’re lighter than plasmas and use less power. Until recently, though, they had a problem with smearing. Motion would appear blurry on the screen. Newer sets don’t suffer this.
If you go with an LCD set, look at the response time carefully. This is the time it takes for the pixels to go on and off. I would aim for 8ms (milliseconds) or less. You’re much less likely to get smearing with a fast set.
LCDs also have a problem with black levels. If a show is dimly lit, gradations of black can be difficult to see.
You can pick up a smaller LCD for well under $1,000. But larger models are more expensive than plasma sets.
Plasmas have lovely pictures, although some experts consider LCDs superior. You won’t find plasmas under 37 inches. If you need something smaller, look at LCDs.
Plasma displays have a problem with reflections. So they work better in a dark room. Plasmas also have suffered from burn in, historically. A static image displayed too long would become permanently visible on the screen. Newer models are less likely to have this problem.
The fourth type of set is the CRT. These are similar to traditional televisions. They range up to 34 inches. Many consider CRT pictures the best of all. But this technology is dying.
Why? The sets are massive. Typically, the tube is about two feet deep on large sets. And the weight will approach 200 pounds. So, think carefully about where you will put such a set before buying.
HDTV prices are coming down rapidly. Lesser known brands are cutting prices deeply to gain market share. Everybody is suffering but the consumer! If you were put off by HDTV prices in the past, check again. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
For more pricing information for HDTVs, visit my Buying Guide. I've got more tips on my site that will interest you:
• Make sure your TV is HDCP-compliant• Play your games in high-def• Want a big screen but don’t have the room? Try a projector
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Kansas City Star | 03/04/2007 | Union mentality can be a roadblock to innovation
Kansas City Star 03/04/2007 Union mentality can be a roadblock to innovation: "One of the most cherished assumptions of organized labor is that a hefty increase in union membership would be good for the nation.
This is simply untrue. Having a union may be good for some workers. And certainly, some companies have botched employee relations so badly they deserve to have their workers represented by a union.
But for the economy as a whole, a large increase in the number of unionized businesses would be a tremendous drag on growth, especially in dynamic sectors such as technology.
Yet that’s exactly what union backers in Congress are pushing for with the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act. The measure was passed Thursday by the House. It’s expected to receive more skeptical reception in the Senate — where it deserves to die."
This is simply untrue. Having a union may be good for some workers. And certainly, some companies have botched employee relations so badly they deserve to have their workers represented by a union.
But for the economy as a whole, a large increase in the number of unionized businesses would be a tremendous drag on growth, especially in dynamic sectors such as technology.
Yet that’s exactly what union backers in Congress are pushing for with the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act. The measure was passed Thursday by the House. It’s expected to receive more skeptical reception in the Senate — where it deserves to die."
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Bill Maher Sorry the Assassination Attempt on Dick Cheney Failed | NewsBusters.org
Bill Maher Sorry the Assassination Attempt on Dick Cheney Failed NewsBusters.org: "Maher: But I have zero doubt that if Dick Cheney was not in power, people wouldn’t be dying needlessly tomorrow. (applause)
Scarborough: If someone on this panel said that they wished that Dick Cheney had been blown up, and you didn’t say…
Frank: I think he did.
Scarborough: Okay. Did you say…
Maher: No, no. I quoted that.
Frank: You don’t believe that?
Maher: I’m just saying if he did die, other people, more people would live. That’s a fact. "
Scarborough: If someone on this panel said that they wished that Dick Cheney had been blown up, and you didn’t say…
Frank: I think he did.
Scarborough: Okay. Did you say…
Maher: No, no. I quoted that.
Frank: You don’t believe that?
Maher: I’m just saying if he did die, other people, more people would live. That’s a fact. "
The Daily Ablution: The Guardian of Hypocrisy
The Daily Ablution: The Guardian of Hypocrisy: "More harmful are the accusations levelled against Al Gore - an intelligent, persuasive individual who has become a Green hero for his campaign urging (or hectoring, take your pick) all of us to pursue a Gaia-friendly lifestyle, lest disaster ensue.
For Mr. Gore, it's nothing less than a moral imperative to do so - it is, indeed, 'the most pressing moral issue of our time'.
The revelation that Mr. Gore's electricity consumption at just one of his homes is nearly 20 times that of the average American household has dented his image as the Green Moralist-in-Chief, and his self-defence is less than persuasive. Here it is, as presented at a 'progressive' website, through a spokesperson:"
For Mr. Gore, it's nothing less than a moral imperative to do so - it is, indeed, 'the most pressing moral issue of our time'.
The revelation that Mr. Gore's electricity consumption at just one of his homes is nearly 20 times that of the average American household has dented his image as the Green Moralist-in-Chief, and his self-defence is less than persuasive. Here it is, as presented at a 'progressive' website, through a spokesperson:"
Friday, March 02, 2007
Peoples Paradise?
Professionals Exit Venezuela - WSJ.com:
Chávez's Grip on PowerDrives Out Oil Experts; Support Hugo or You Go
By PETER MILLARDFebruary 15, 2007; Page A10
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Oil-rich Venezuela has experienced the kind of economic boom in recent years that should be flush with job opportunities. But an increasing number of professionals, many of them from the oil industry, are looking abroad for work, driven away by President Hugo Chávez's effort to extend state control over the economy, and by inflation verging on 20%.
Since his re-election in December, Mr. Chávez has pursued an agenda of "21st Century Socialism," painting a future of "communal cities" and state-run cooperatives dedicated to production, not profit.
"Chavez's electoral triumph and the radicalized discourse has increased the desire to emigrate," said Luis Vicente Leon, the head of Datanalisis, a Caracas polling firm.
Not everyone is dissatisfied. Mr. Chávez, who first took office in 1999, has gained a broad base of popular support among Venezuela's poor, largely by spending billions of dollars on social programs. And a newly rich class of Venezuelans with close connections to the government is likely to stick around as long as they can continue to profit from Mr. Chávez's rise.
Still, at the U.S. Embassy call center for visas in Caracas, the lines have been jammed since Mr. Chávez announced in early January the nationalization of the electricity industry and Venezuela's largest telecommunications firm. "It doubled practically overnight," said a U.S. diplomat.
The number of Venezuelans receiving U.S. legal permanent residence more than doubled from 2000 to 2005, when 10,870 got their green cards. In that period the overall number of green cards increased by a third. During that period the number of Venezuelan-born U.S. residents increased 42%, to 151,743, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The oil industry appears to be taking notice of the available talent. Qatar Petroleum has run ads in local papers this year, offering tax-free salaries for geologists, reservoir engineers and geophysicists.
Canadian immigration law firm Benchetrit & Associates recently held four days of seminars in Caracas on living and working in Canada. "A plan for your life," read an advertisement for the seminars.
A Canadian embassy spokesman said oil companies are the main recruiters on the ground in Caracas. Canada is developing extra-heavy oil reserves that are comparable to those in Venezuela's Orinoco river basin, providing a ready job market for current and former staffers at Venezuela's state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PdVSA. The number of work visas Canada granted Venezuelans more than doubled last year, to 340.
Any opposition-minded oil workers still left at PdVSA face a difficult environment. During the presidential campaign last year, PdVSA President Rafael Ramirez told company executives to join Mr. Chávez's political movement or hit the road. In 2003, Mr. Chávez sacked around 20,000 PdVSA staffers -- about half the company's work force -- for walking off the job, calling them "terrorists." A majority of them were the managers, accountants and field engineers who turned the state oil venture into a world-class oil company during a period of robust expansion in the 1990s.
Many found work elsewhere, including in Mexico, Canada and Saudi Arabia, at a time of high demand for experienced oil workers.
The lost expertise has taken a toll on PdVSA, the country's largest single employer. Its share of the global market for crude oil supply is shrinking, and accidents and outages are on the rise. Analysts say the cost to PdVSA of producing a barrel of oil has nearly doubled in the past five years to more than $4.50.
White-collar executives at Electricidad de Caracas, which provides 10% of the country's power, and CANTV, the leading telephone company, also are bracing for a politicized workplace after Mr. Chávez finishes nationalizing the two firms by the end of March. Employees there say many staffers are seeking early retirement and expect management to discourage political opposition to Mr. Chávez. In January, Mr. Chávez floated the idea of capping salaries for state employees, giving the most valuable technicians and managers at these firms another reason to move on.
This isn't the first time Venezuelan professionals have rushed for the exits. A multitude of professionals fled the country in 2003 after a nationwide general strike failed to remove Mr. Chávez from office.
According to Datanalisis, the number of Venezuelans who said they were interested in emigrating peaked at around 44% during the 2002-2003 political crisis, which saw the country run out of gasoline for two months. Interest in emigration started declining as the economy rebounded, but Datanalisis expects another spike this year.
Chávez's Grip on PowerDrives Out Oil Experts; Support Hugo or You Go
By PETER MILLARDFebruary 15, 2007; Page A10
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Oil-rich Venezuela has experienced the kind of economic boom in recent years that should be flush with job opportunities. But an increasing number of professionals, many of them from the oil industry, are looking abroad for work, driven away by President Hugo Chávez's effort to extend state control over the economy, and by inflation verging on 20%.
Since his re-election in December, Mr. Chávez has pursued an agenda of "21st Century Socialism," painting a future of "communal cities" and state-run cooperatives dedicated to production, not profit.
"Chavez's electoral triumph and the radicalized discourse has increased the desire to emigrate," said Luis Vicente Leon, the head of Datanalisis, a Caracas polling firm.
Not everyone is dissatisfied. Mr. Chávez, who first took office in 1999, has gained a broad base of popular support among Venezuela's poor, largely by spending billions of dollars on social programs. And a newly rich class of Venezuelans with close connections to the government is likely to stick around as long as they can continue to profit from Mr. Chávez's rise.
Still, at the U.S. Embassy call center for visas in Caracas, the lines have been jammed since Mr. Chávez announced in early January the nationalization of the electricity industry and Venezuela's largest telecommunications firm. "It doubled practically overnight," said a U.S. diplomat.
The number of Venezuelans receiving U.S. legal permanent residence more than doubled from 2000 to 2005, when 10,870 got their green cards. In that period the overall number of green cards increased by a third. During that period the number of Venezuelan-born U.S. residents increased 42%, to 151,743, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The oil industry appears to be taking notice of the available talent. Qatar Petroleum has run ads in local papers this year, offering tax-free salaries for geologists, reservoir engineers and geophysicists.
Canadian immigration law firm Benchetrit & Associates recently held four days of seminars in Caracas on living and working in Canada. "A plan for your life," read an advertisement for the seminars.
A Canadian embassy spokesman said oil companies are the main recruiters on the ground in Caracas. Canada is developing extra-heavy oil reserves that are comparable to those in Venezuela's Orinoco river basin, providing a ready job market for current and former staffers at Venezuela's state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PdVSA. The number of work visas Canada granted Venezuelans more than doubled last year, to 340.
Any opposition-minded oil workers still left at PdVSA face a difficult environment. During the presidential campaign last year, PdVSA President Rafael Ramirez told company executives to join Mr. Chávez's political movement or hit the road. In 2003, Mr. Chávez sacked around 20,000 PdVSA staffers -- about half the company's work force -- for walking off the job, calling them "terrorists." A majority of them were the managers, accountants and field engineers who turned the state oil venture into a world-class oil company during a period of robust expansion in the 1990s.
Many found work elsewhere, including in Mexico, Canada and Saudi Arabia, at a time of high demand for experienced oil workers.
The lost expertise has taken a toll on PdVSA, the country's largest single employer. Its share of the global market for crude oil supply is shrinking, and accidents and outages are on the rise. Analysts say the cost to PdVSA of producing a barrel of oil has nearly doubled in the past five years to more than $4.50.
White-collar executives at Electricidad de Caracas, which provides 10% of the country's power, and CANTV, the leading telephone company, also are bracing for a politicized workplace after Mr. Chávez finishes nationalizing the two firms by the end of March. Employees there say many staffers are seeking early retirement and expect management to discourage political opposition to Mr. Chávez. In January, Mr. Chávez floated the idea of capping salaries for state employees, giving the most valuable technicians and managers at these firms another reason to move on.
This isn't the first time Venezuelan professionals have rushed for the exits. A multitude of professionals fled the country in 2003 after a nationwide general strike failed to remove Mr. Chávez from office.
According to Datanalisis, the number of Venezuelans who said they were interested in emigrating peaked at around 44% during the 2002-2003 political crisis, which saw the country run out of gasoline for two months. Interest in emigration started declining as the economy rebounded, but Datanalisis expects another spike this year.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Bush Loves Ecology -- At Home
Bush Loves Ecology -- At Home: "
The 4,000-square-foot house is a model of environmental rectitude. "
The 4,000-square-foot house is a model of environmental rectitude. "
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Competitive Enterprise Institute: "In Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, the only facts and studies considered are those convenient to Gore's scare-them-green agenda. And in many instances, he distorts the evidence he cites. In fact, nearly every significant statement Gore makes regarding climate science and climate policy is either one sided, misleading, exaggerated, speculative, or wrong."
Oh, baby: $500 to all newborns? - sacbee.com
Oh, baby: $500 to all newborns? - sacbee.com: "Happy birthday, baby, here's $500 -- courtesy of California taxpayers.
Legislation announced Wed- nesday would provide a tax-free, long-term investment account to every baby born in California, regardless of the parents' financial or immigration status.
Senate Bill 752 is meant to persuade more families to invest for the future.
'If we ask people to invest in California, California must invest in its people,' said Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, who is co-authoring the bill with Republican Sen. Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga.
'Every child ought to grow up knowing that they are worth investing in, from birth on,' Steinberg said.
The proposed account, called Kids Investment and Development Savings, or KIDS, is meant to grow until the child turns 18 and could withdraw the money for a house, education, vocational training or to roll over into a retirement account.
But critics say the state has more critical needs than padding accounts for children too young to say thanks. Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, said it's hard to support giving $500 to every newborn when the state says it doesn't have enough money to build prisons."
Legislation announced Wed- nesday would provide a tax-free, long-term investment account to every baby born in California, regardless of the parents' financial or immigration status.
Senate Bill 752 is meant to persuade more families to invest for the future.
'If we ask people to invest in California, California must invest in its people,' said Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, who is co-authoring the bill with Republican Sen. Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga.
'Every child ought to grow up knowing that they are worth investing in, from birth on,' Steinberg said.
The proposed account, called Kids Investment and Development Savings, or KIDS, is meant to grow until the child turns 18 and could withdraw the money for a house, education, vocational training or to roll over into a retirement account.
But critics say the state has more critical needs than padding accounts for children too young to say thanks. Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, said it's hard to support giving $500 to every newborn when the state says it doesn't have enough money to build prisons."
FrontPage magazine.com :: The Inconvenient Truth About Al Gore by Michael Reagan
FrontPage magazine.com :: The Inconvenient Truth About Al Gore by Michael Reagan: "Gore has proven time and again to be a complete hypocrite. He preaches the need to eliminate man-made pollution. On his website advising people to fight global warming by discovering what their so-called carbon footprint is, he says, “You may be surprised by how much CO2 you are emitting each year,” and advises that you should “calculate your personal impact and learn how you can take action to reduce or even eliminate your emissions of carbon dioxide.”"
Alien technology the best hope to 'save our planet:' ex-defence boss
Alien technology the best hope to 'save our planet:' ex-defence boss: "former Canadian defence minister says be believes advanced technology from extraterrestrial civilizations offers the best hope to 'save our planet' from the perils of climate change.
Paul Hellyer, 83, is calling for a public disclosure of alien technology obtained during alleged UFO crashes -- such as the mysterious 1947 incident in Roswell, New Mexico -- because he believes alien species can provide humanity with a viable alternative to fossil fuels."
Paul Hellyer, 83, is calling for a public disclosure of alien technology obtained during alleged UFO crashes -- such as the mysterious 1947 incident in Roswell, New Mexico -- because he believes alien species can provide humanity with a viable alternative to fossil fuels."
The News Buckit: "Seven words you can never say on television"... but which are said on the Internet. A lot.
The News Buckit: "Seven words you can never say on television"... but which are said on the Internet. A lot.: "So how much more does the Left use Carlin's 'seven words' versus the Right? According to my calculations, try somewhere in the range of 18-to-1."
Taxing Wages - WSJ.com
Taxing Wages - WSJ.com: "In France, Germany and Belgium the tax wedge is truly expropriating: 50.2%, 52.5% and 55.4%, respectively. The average employee in these three countries takes home less than half of what it costs to employ him. Most of the money goes to the state through income and payroll taxes.
Yet when EU finance ministers met this week and railed against the rising gap between wages and company profits, Europe's enormous tax wedge didn't merit a mention. Corporate greed -- not government greed -- was blamed for the discrepancy."
Yet when EU finance ministers met this week and railed against the rising gap between wages and company profits, Europe's enormous tax wedge didn't merit a mention. Corporate greed -- not government greed -- was blamed for the discrepancy."
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