Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Office of the Future


Roughly a half-century ago, the "office of the future" looked something like this.
















Hat tip: IZI.

Larwyn's Linx: And the blame for ObamaCare goes to...

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget..

Nation

Is ObamaCare a done deal?: RSM
Inside ACORN: Ensuring a Democrat Majority: MonCrief
And the blame for ObamaCare goes to...: AT

AARP Paid Off With Stimulus Cash?: Spectator
Report: ACORN mismanaged grant money: Times
Praising Saul Alinsky and Cloward-Piven: AT

Make 2010 Their Last Year In Office: JWF
Palinophobes Hate First, Ask Questions Later: RCP
Sen. Lincoln on Board as 60th Vote: Enjoyed Her Senate Career: BigGov

Whistleblower Reveals SEIU Ballot Fraud: BlogProf
My Afternoon at the Beck Rally: Carolyn
CA students: victims of vicious cycle of wealth redistribution: MYODBP

Economy

What If They Stop Buying Our Debt?: Zero Hedgef
Obama breaks 75-year old labor policy to strengthen unions: WSJ
Free Nate Silver!: JOM

Media

Thanks for paying attention, big journalism: BigGov
PBS Shill Moyers, worth $20 million of taxpayer money, calls it quits: Wizbang
The real (?) story behind the recent turmoil at The Washington Times: RSM

So: How right was I? (A year after the election): CCP
Tom Friedman Gives Me Inspiration: Virtuous Republic
Million Med March Draws Hundreds in St. Louis: BMW

Climate & Energy

CRU Files Betray Climate Alarmists' Hypocrisy: AT (Sheppard)
Global WarmingGate: What Does It Mean?: PJM
Found in the CRU Document Dump: Verum Serum

How To Propagandize ‘Climate Change’: S&L
RICO suit against Gore and the Climate Fraudsters?: TAB
'Global Warming Scam': A Further Look: Denninger

World

Iran advocacy group said to skirt lobby rules: Times
Egypt Muslims burn Christian shops: Breitbart
Saudi sees first H1N1 deaths before Hajj pilgrims: Maktoob

Report: Cuba is an Orwellian Nightmare: Verum Serum

Sci-Tech

Five McClatchy newspapers now available on Kindle: McClatchy Watch
Ukraine Flu Death Toll Hits 400: Insider

Cornucopia

Saturday Night Live Rips Obama Over China Trip, Spending, And The Deficit: Insider
After a baseball hit my face at 100mph: IZI

Tree Removal FAIL


Using a 45-ton crane, a Santa Rosa, CA tree-removal service began to remove the stump of an oak tree. What happened next was FAIL.






Fortunately, no one was hurt.


Saturday, November 21, 2009

Puzzle o' the Day: Mushrooms and Hedgehogs


Can you solve this childrens' puzzle?

Click if you give up


Hat tip: IZI.

'Who Is Larwyn?'


Many have called, emailed and even scrawled on hand-delivered notes: 'Who is Larwyn?', referring to the executive editor of our daily link roundups. Tired of the incessant questions, I forwarded one on to Larwyn. The response is delivered verbatim.

I have been called a dynamic figure because I am often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention.

I translate sign language while weaving in and out of heavy traffic. I write award-winning operas.

I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I mesmerize people with my amazing trombone playing. I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook 30-minute brownies in 20 minutes.

I am an active member of the following Mafias: Italian, Russian, American, Canadian, French, British, Spanish, German, Scandinavian, Czechoslovakian, Yugoslavian, Ukrainian, Romanian, and Antarctican.

I am an expert in stucco, a veteran of the Foreign Legion, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon basin from a horde of ferocious army ants.

I play bluegrass cello. I was scouted by the Mets. I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I’m bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding.

In my youth, on Wednesdays after school, I used to repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookkeeper.

Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening-wear.

I don’t perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read The Holy Bible, Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening.

I know the exact location of every food item in every supermarket in New York City.

I have performed several covert operations for United States intelligence organizations. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair.

While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery.

The laws of physics do not apply to me. I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid.

On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life, but forgot to write it down.

I have made extraordinary four-course meals using only a blender and a toaster oven. I breed prize-winning clams.

I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin.

I have played Hamlet, I have broken into and inhabited the Biosphere, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

There is more --- but much of it is too extreme to believe.



Linked by: R. S. McCain. Thanks!

Proof of Appeal


In Michigan, they " queued for 24 hours just to be first in line, bringing tents and camp chairs[, braving] rain and cold for Palin's signature on a book and an estimated 5 seconds each of face-time with their idol."

CABLE NEWS RACE
NOV. 19, 2009

FOXNEWS O'REILLY/PALIN 4,120,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY 2,871,000
FOXNEWS BECK 2,730,000
FOXNEWS BAIER 2,359,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 2,113,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 2,078,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,188,000
CNNHN GRACE 1,018,000
CNN KING 980,000
MSNBC MADDOW 877,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 597,000
CNN COOPER 585,000

Her book sold 300,000 copies in the first day, easily topping Hillary Clinton's record.

Meanwhile, pathetic, so-called 'conservative' dweebs like David Frum continue to beclown themselves trying to explain Palin's powerful, grassroots appeal. Here's a hint, Frum: she's a real person, not a beltway hack, doing her best to defend the country from the catastrophic deficits and relentless Statism of the Party of Marx.

Don't Cry For Me, America


In the early 20th century, Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world. While Great Britain's maritime power and its far-flung empire had propelled it to a dominant position among the world's industrialized nations, only the United States challenged Argentina for the position of the world's second-most powerful economy.

It was blessed with abundant agriculture, vast swaths of rich farmland laced with navigable rivers and an accessible port system. Its level of industrialization was higher than many European countries: railroads, automobiles and telephones were commonplace.

In 1916, a new president was elected. Hipólito Irigoyen had formed a party called The Radicals under the banner of "fundamental change" with an appeal to the middle class.

Among Irigoyen's changes: mandatory pension insurance, mandatory health insurance, and support for low-income housing construction to stimulate the economy. Put simply, the state assumed economic control of a vast swath of the country's operations and began assessing new payroll taxes to fund its efforts.

With an increasing flow of funds into these entitlement programs, the government's payouts soon became overly generous. Before long its outlays surpassed the value of the taxpayers' contributions. Put simply, it quickly became under-funded, much like the United States' Social Security and Medicare programs.

The death knell for the Argentine economy, however, came with the election of Juan Perón. Perón had a fascist and corporatist upbringing; he and his charismatic wife aimed their populist rhetoric at the nation's rich.

This targeted group "swiftly expanded to cover most of the propertied middle classes, who became an enemy to be defeated and humiliated."

Under Perón, the size of government bureaucracies exploded through massive programs of social spending and by encouraging the growth of labor unions.

High taxes and economic mismanagement took their inevitable toll even after Perón had been driven from office. But his populist rhetoric and "contempt for economic realities" lived on. Argentina's federal government continued to spend far beyond its means.

Hyperinflation exploded in 1989, the final stage of a process characterized by "industrial protectionism, redistribution of income based on increased wages, and growing state intervention in the economy..."

The Argentinian government's practice of printing money to pay off its public debts had crushed the economy. Inflation hit 3000%, reminiscent of the Weimar Republic. Food riots were rampant; stores were looted; the country descended into chaos.

And by 1994, Argentina's public pensions -- the equivalent of Social Security -- had imploded. The payroll tax had increased from 5% to 26%, but it wasn't enough. In addition, Argentina had implemented a value-added tax (VAT), new income taxes, a personal tax on wealth, and additional revenues based upon the sale of public enterprises. These crushed the private sector, further damaging the economy.

A government-controlled "privatization" effort to rescue seniors' pensions was attempted. But, by 2001, those funds had also been raided by the government, the monies replaced by Argentina's defaulted government bonds.

By 2002, "...government fiscal irresponsibility... induced a national economic crisis as severe as America's Great Depression."

* * *

In 1902 Argentina was one of the world's richest countries. Little more than a hundred years later, it is poverty-stricken, struggling to meet its debt obligations amidst a drought.

We've seen this movie before. The Democrats' populist plans can't possibly work, because government bankrupts everything it touches. History teaches us that ObamaCare and unfunded entitlement programs will be utter, complete disasters.

Today's Democrats are guilty of more than stupidity; they are enslaving future generations to poverty and misery. And they will be long gone when it all implodes. They will be as cold and dead as Juan Perón when the piper must ultimately be paid.


References: A tear for Argentina's pension funds; Inflation in Argentina; The United States of Argentina. Linked by: Dan Riehl. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: The Demcare Bribe List

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget..

Nation

The Demcare Bribe List: Malkin
Obama 'Beyond Radioactive' In Many Dem Districts: Ace
Obama's Dollars and Cents Report Card: Wizbang

Congress: ObamaCare for Thee, but not for Me: PJM
Americorps, KJ and "Damage Control": Examiner
92 Percent of Physicians Back Tort Reform: BMW

Economy

First, stop Medicare and Medicaid fraud: Examiner
The Republican Alternative: Spectator
ObamaCare's Monthly Abortion Fee: GOPleader

White House Awash in Phony “Stimulus” Claims: GOPleader
Where are the damned indictments?: Denninger
Have you seen your congressman's padded retirement plan?: Examiner

Obamaconomy: 14% of mortgages late or in foreclosure: MW
Forget about the 2012 Apocalypse Movies...: DHB
Another Obama nominee faces tax troubles – Lael Brainard: FAM

Media

MSNBC's Finest Reporter: Norah O'Donnell: Verum Serum
Hammer: 'It's a new kind of business as usual': NewsBusters
Chris Matthews: Palin Supporters Racists: BlogProf

Tapping the Golden Vein: Doc Zero
Palin’s publisher boosts print run from 1.5 million to 2.5 million: Hot Air
Heh! Andrea Mitchell Tries to Ambush Palin on Tour; Stopped by Police: Weasel Zippers

It was a dark and stormy night in Chicago...: Driscoll
Some Palin-Mitchell Photoshops: Riehl
Palin nearly doubles Obama's viewership: Surber

Climate & Energy

"Scientists" Faking Data to Establish Global Warming They Know Isn't There: Ace
Mike's Nature Trick: Watts
Continuously Updated 'ClimateGate' News: Depot

Smoking Gun Evidence of Climate Fraud: AT
Dems try to orchestrate Gas Tax increase: RedState
Warmal Gloating: Crittenden

World

Banished at Turtle Bay: WSJ
Lashkar-e-Taiba threat revived after Chicago arrest: Reuters
Putin Murders Another Lawyer: PJM

Gates contradicts Axelrod on Afghan Troop Deployment: Verum Serum
God and Government: Islam and West Are Incompatible: AT (Imani)
Russian Orthodox Priest Shot to Death, Had Converted Muslims to Christianity: Gray Lady

Sci-Tech

Career Fair FAIL: FailBlog

Cornucopia

The "R" Files: Tarkanian
I Feel So Used...: Sarah Palin's Uterus

Comment o' the day:

"Only in government do you get to bribe a politician with someone else's money." -- Conservative Generation


Friday, November 20, 2009

BMW 550i GT Road Test


Motor Trend has the goods.

Fashion-forward Yanks who can be coaxed into a test-spin of this too-tall car/too-short SUV will be impressed with its Swiss-Army-knife versatility and after a few miles at the helm of the 550i GT, they may think they've stumbled across a Filene's Basement bargain on a slightly irregular 7 Series ($82,280 if perfect, now $65,000!)...

Power flows from the 7's formidable 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 through a new eight-speed automatic to the rear wheels (AWD and the six-cylinder 535i variant follow mid-year)...


At first blush, I think the Toyota Venza look isn't becoming for a $65K vehicle. But photos can be deceiving, so let's give it the benefit of the doubt. For now.


Hat tip: AutoSpies.

Ten Things I Hate About You (If You Support ObamaCare)


1.      $493 Billion In Tax Increases On Health Insurance, Medical Innovation, Payroll And Small Businesses Would Pay For The Bill. (Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)


2.      Americans Won’t See Benefits Of This Health Care Experiment Until 2014, But They Start Paying For It In 2010. (Page 13, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)


3.      Reid’s Bill Allegedly Reduces The Deficit By $130 Billion In Ten Years, But The Obama-Reid-Pelosi Spending Agenda Produced Deficit Of $176 Billion Last Month Alone. (Table 3, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)


4.      $465 Billion In Medicare And Medicaid Cuts Would Pay For Two New Unsustainable Entitlements. (Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)


5.      Health Care Costs For The Federal Government – And Your Family – Would Increase, Not Decrease.  (Page 16, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)


6.      A New Medicare Commission Of Unelected Bureaucrats Would Ration Care. (Sec. 3403, H.R. 3590, Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute, “Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,” Introduced 11/18/09)


7.      The “Doc Fix” Provision That Would Add $250 Billion To The Deficit Is Not Included In The Democrats’ List Price For Their Health Care Experiment. (Page 17, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)


8.      Taxpayer Dollars Would Fund Abortions. (Sec. 1303(a), H.R. 3590, Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute, “Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,” Introduced 11/18/09)


9.      A New Entitlement Program For Long-Term Care That One Democrat Senator Called “A Ponzi Scheme” Would Be Created. (Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09; Shailagh Murray & Lori Montgomery, “Centrists Unsure About Reid's Public Option,” The Washington Post, 10/28/09)


10.    States Burdened With $25 Billion In Unfunded Mandates From Medicaid That Would Force Them To Increase Taxes. (Page 7, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)


Hat tip: RNC Research Briefings.

Obama: I May Not Run In 2012


No President since Lyndon Johnson has announced that he would not run for a second term. But, having taken a wrecking ball to the economy and seeing his popularity plummet faster than a post-bender crap, Barack Obama may join LBJ in abdicating the presidency. The Kansas City Star happened upon a little-noticed snippet of an interview Obama gave in China. When asked about his 2012 run, Obama responded wistfully:

"You know, if - if I feel like I've made the very best decisions for the American people and three years from now I look at it and, you know, my poll numbers are in the tank and because we've gone through these wrenching changes, you know, politically, I'm in a tough spot, I'll - I'll feel all right about myself," Obama told CNN's Ed Henry.

"I said to myself very early on, even when I started running for office, I don't want to be making decisions based on getting re-elected, because I think the challenges that America faces right now are so significant," the president also said.

"Obviously, if I make those decisions and I think that I'm moving the country on the right direction economically, in terms of our security interests, our foreign policy, I'd like to think that those policies are continued because they're not going to bear fruit just in four years."

Policies like nationalizing industries; vilifying the free market; expanding disastrous government programs; increasing unemployment; encouraging economic dislocation; layering future generations in crushing debt; ignoring the limits on government codified in the Constitution; and otherwise implementing the Cloward-Piven strategy of crushing capitalism... well, those policies take time, you see.


The moment before the pain begins











Hat tips: Sean E. and Papa B.