Thursday, August 02, 2012

Geniuses at EPA get hacked: personal data of up to 8,000 employees exposed, including bank accounts and SSNs

And these are the masterminds who want to regulate all industrial activities in the U.S.?

EPA security breach exposes personal information of 8,000 people


A computer security breach at the Environmental Protection Agency exposed the Social Security numbers and banking information of nearly 8,000 people, most of them current employees, the EPA confirmed...

...The agency currently is funding about $5 billion under almost 700 active contracts, according to May 31 data... Included among the exposed information was Social Security numbers, bank routing numbers and home addresses...

...Federal agencies reported more than 40,000 security incidents that placed sensitive information at risk during 2010 — a 650 percent increase compared with five years ago, according to an October 2011 report from the Government Accountability Office.

Meanwhile, the EPA's delightful attempts to regulate CO2 -- now definitely proven not to affect global temperatures -- will cost America trillions.


Papa B got a new dog

Oh, this figures.

I got a new dog to guard our house. It was a little more than I thought I should pay, but I think when word gets out we'll be a truly crime-free neighborhood.

The nice part is he is a year old and already fully trained. For your safety you might want to call the house from the driveway while remaining inside your car!


Not directly related, but still.



Solyndra: Now with toxic waste!

It's two, two, two Obama Campaigns in one!

The Obama Campaign On Solyndra, Two Weeks Ago: “Successful And Innovative.” OBAMA CAMPAIGN SPOKESWOMAN LIS SMITH: “In fact, both Republican and Democratic administrations advanced Solyndra’s application, and the company was widely praised as successful and innovative both before and after receiving the Department of Energy loan guarantee.” (David Shepardson, “Romney Targets Obama, Loan For Electric Vehicle Startup In New Ad,” The Detroit News, 7/18/12)

The Obama White House On Solyndra, Twelve Months Ago: “Ugh”. (Zeke Miller, “White House On Solyndra Failure: ‘Ugh,’” BuzzFeed, 8/2/12)


At least Solyndra's executives maintained plenty of respect for the taxpayers before the end...

Solyndra CEO Called the Federal Government the ‘Bank of Washington’

From today’s House Energy and Commerce Committee report on the Department of Energy’s Solyndra loan guarantee comes this startling revelation: Chris Gronet, the CEO of Solyndra, referred to the federal government as the “Bank of Washington,” adding, “it continues to help us.”

The report underscores the degree to which the Energy Department prioritized political considerations over economic ones when deciding to restructure Solyndra’s loan.

Here is a screenshot of the email:


Well, at least Solyndra was environmentally conscious...

Solyndra Not Dealing With Toxic Waste At Milpitas Facility


MILPITAS (CBS 5) — Three months ago, CBS 5 caught Solyndra tossing millions of dollars worth of brand new glass tubes used to make solar panels. Now the bankrupt solar firm, once touted as a symbol of green technology, may be trying to abandon toxic waste...

...Solyndra leased a building on California Circle for the final assembly of its solar panels. But the cleanup at the leased building in Milpitas is in limbo, because Solyndra doesn’t want to pay.

CBS 5 found the building locked up, with no one around. At the back, a hazardous storage area was found. There were discarded buckets half filled with liquids and barrels labeled “hazardous waste.”

The building’s owner, a company called iStar, claimed in court documents, “there may be serious environmental, health and safety issues” at the premises. According to the documents, they include, “numerous containers of solvents and chemicals…and processing equipment contaminated with lead.”

“Essentially it looks like they left a pretty big mess behind,” San Jose State Assistant Professor Dustin Mulvaney told CBS 5.

Stay tuned for the musical production, Solyndr-Ugh.



When will Harry Reid come clean about his alleged pederasty?

Instapundit highlights the Senate Majority Leader who insists that his recitation of unfounded, anonymously sourced rumors is entirely legitimate ("I don’t think the burden should be on me"):

And I don’t think the burden should be on me to resolve those Harry Reid pederasty rumors, either. But when there’s this much Harry Reid pederasty buzz on the Internet, I think Sen. Reid owes the public an explanation.


Ace drily observes, "It's not Harry Reid's burden to prove the thing he just made up, you see. It's Romney's burden to disprove the thing Reid just made up. Meanwhile, millions of parents in DC and Nevada send their sons to school every day without knowing whether Harry Reid is, or is not, a pederast."

I, for one, encourage Senator Reid to take a polygraph exam so we can get to the bottom of these sickening allegations.


Hat tip: JTT.

Yard Sign o' the Day: The Patriot

Spotted in Longview, Texas:


Hat tip: Conrad.

Larwyn's Linx: The ‘You Didn’t Build That’ Dialectic and the Darkness of Collective Punishment

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

‘You Didn’t Build That’ and the Darkness of Collective Punishment: Oleg
Rahm Emanuel, Chick-fil-A, and the easy slide into fascism: Morrissey
Owner: Chick-Fil-A set a new world sales record today: Hot Air

100 days is a long time: Hanson
Like Demagoguery, Only Dumber: Power Line
Obama’s October Surprise May Be His Ugliest Action Yet: CFP

Obama's Signature Move: Unsealing Private Records: Coulter
Zero-Free Zone – Public Schools to award half-credit for cheating: Todd
Obamacare’s Anti-Religious Freedom Mandate Starts TODAY: Foundry

Economy

Markets are Broken: P&F
Another city in Cali files for bankruptcy: GayPatriot
Harkin: you need birth control pills because you PMS: NakedDC

Palin slams Warren's Marxist, redistributionist ideas: Breitbart
$4B Tax Hike Set to Shake Down States with No Income Tax: ATR
The U.S. Postal Service and the Constitution: Cato

Climate & Energy

Hey, Gas Prices Ticking Up (Unexpectedly): Wizbang
Obama regulations kill Ohio coal mine, hundreds of jobs wiped out: Events
Federal Government Sues to Gain Control of Southern State’s Water Supply: GWP

Media

The Most Important Press Conference Ever Held at Any Time in U.S. History: Part I: NoisyRm
Media Crusade Against Chick-Fil-A Continues: MRC
Jon Lovitz has second thoughts about calling himself ‘liberal’: Twitchy

George Will, Wrong Again: Kuznicki
Twitter does something really, really, really stupid - will they fix it?: BoingBoing
Can you do journalism on Twitter?: Scripting

@BarackObama: Why Did You Remove The Red State/Blue State Image?: Jawa
Newsweek vs Chick-Fil-A Barack Obama & Democrats choose…Poorly: DTG
Would-Be Internet ***Star!!!*** Seeks To Document Hatred & Stupidity; Succeeds: Ace

World

Britain: Muslim Polygamists to Get More Welfare Benefits: Gatestone
Obama authorizes secret support for Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda rebels in Syria: JihadWatch
Hizballah TV App Removed by Apple, Google: IPT

US warns Israel not to 'overplay its hand' on Iran : Matzav
A Kink in our Armor – US Electrical Grids in Danger: Get SHIELD HR668 Moving: MagNote
Obama Speaks With Turkey's PM While Holding Baseball Bat: WZ

Sci-Tech

Dropbox confirms hack, announces 2-factor authentication: NetSec
Amazon Lockers make a quiet debut in Silicon Valley: GeekWire
Missile Defense Staff Warned to Stop Surfing Porn Sites: Bloomberg

Cornucopia

Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day – A Light-Hearted Tribute: Koch's Tour
FORWARD. at last; FORWARD. at last. Thank God almighty, we’re going FORWARD. At last!: MOTUS
After record sales, Chick-Fil-A denounces Islam, MSNBC and the Prius: AWD

Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support Jim DeMint's Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "Now, neither Emanuel nor Menino can legally bar Chick-fil-A from their cities. But this attitude — that businesses are worthy of government bans simply for failing to tow the liberal line — now infuses the Democratic Party. It’s why President Obama’s allies at Media Matters consistently team up with him to launch devastating boycotts against conservative business people. It’s why those public relations assaults are invariably well coordinated with government actors who suggest that force of law be used to punish those conservative business people.

This is the difference between free speech and fascism. It’s one thing for people to choose not to engage in business with people with whom they disagree. That’s often nasty and extreme, but it’s certainly within First Amendment territory. It’s another thing entirely for the government to step in to punish people who disagree with liberal policies, simply because they disagree with liberal policies. That’s fascistic. It’s deeply dangerous. And it’s becoming the ugly new attitude of the Democratic Party elite." --Ben Shapiro

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Not desperate at all. Obama doesn't just want your wedding gifts, now he wants your booze money!

This is the kind of desperate, cynical tactic that makes me disregard all of the idiotic polling data we get fed by vintage media.

Democrats should save the booze money until after the election.


They are going to need it.

I agree.

Not one person who voted for McCain in 2008 will vote for Obama in 2012.

And plenty of people -- and I mean plenty -- of people who voted for Obama gave up long ago on the SCOAMF. They will either sit out the election to express their disgust with the pathetic record of the Obama administration.

Or they will support Romney. Vociferously. If that is a word.


Hat tip: Mind-Numbed Robot.


Great news, seniors! Obamacare Robs Medicare of $716 Billion to Fund Itself!

Say, you didn't really need that heart transplant, did you?

Last week, a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report updated the amount of money Obamacare robs out of Medicare from $500 billion to a whopping $716 billion between 2013 and 2022.

According to the CBO, the payment cuts in Medicare include:

  • A $260 billion payment cut for hospital services.
  • A $39 billion payment cut for skilled nursing services.
  • A $17 billion payment cut for hospice services.
  • A $66 billion payment cut for home health services.
  • A $33 billion payment cut for all other services.
  • A $156 billion cut in payment rates in Medicare Advantage (MA); $156 billion is before considering interactions with other provisions. The House Ways and Means Committee was able to include interactions with other provisions, estimating the cuts to MA to be even higher, coming in at $308 billion.
  • $56 billion in cuts for disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments.* DSH payments go to hospitals that serve a large number of low-income patients.
  • $114 billion in other provisions pertaining to Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP* (does not include coverage-related provisions).

...In total, Obamacare raids Medicare by $716 billion from 2013 to 2022. Despite Medicare facing a 75-year unfunded obligation of $37 trillion, Obamacare uses the savings from the cuts to pay for other provisions in Obamacare, not to help shore up Medicare’s finances.

Best of all, the Medicare trustees (PDF) predict that 15 percent of all major medical facilities will be operating at a loss in a mere seven (7) years. Which means, of course, that they will close their doors or dramatically reduce access to services.

Oh. And in less than 20 years, that same shortfall will apply to 25 percent of all major medical facilities.

You know how in England, 130,000 seniors are intentionally and systematically starved to death in their ultra-humane, socialized health care system?

Well, not to worry. I'm sure that could never happen here.

Because we have masterminds like Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. And I'm sure they covered all of the bases in their 2,800-page "Affordable Care Act" bill, despite the fact that not one single person bothered to read it.



Top 10 Chick-Fil-A Photos: Tastes Like Liberty

Irvine, California:


Maryville, Tennessee:


"Chicagoans hungry to flip the bird to Rahm, nicely":


Atlanta, Georgia:


Brentwood, Tennessee:


Fresno, California:


Gilbert, Arizona:


One correspondent said she "couldn't even get close" to the store in Asheville, NC:


Palm Beach, Florida:


Somewhere in America:


Ace has the quintessential summary of the situation.


Hat tip: BadBlue.


Billboard o' the day: blue-screen


Hat tip: Wanda.

When is wearing a $990 shirt evidence of being "out of touch", but sporting a $6,800 jacket is deserving of praise?

It's a trick question. When you're a member of vintage media, of course!

Back in May, Ann Romney, wife of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, wore a $990 Reed Krakoff silk shirt for a media appearance. The item of clothing set off a media firestorm, with the Romneys widely accused of being “out of touch” with average Americans.

In particular, the Washington Post wrote that the $990 blouse “will not help her husband change those perceptions, no matter how many Laundromat photo ops are on the campaign’s itinerary.”


Fast forward to last Friday, when First Lady Michelle Obama attended an Olympics reception for heads of state at Buckingham Palace, donning a J. Mendel cap sleeve jacket from the 2013 Resort collection.

The price-tag? $6,800.

This time, the Washington Post simply described the intricacies of the jacket and noted that Mrs. Obama has previously been criticized for “not dressing up enough for Queen Elizabeth II, so she stepped up her game.” No snide remarks, no outrage over the cost, no suggestion she was “out of touch.”

Gee, WaPo hacks: last time I checked, the Romneys actually made their money working in the private sector, as opposed to living on the public dole.

Pray tell, Michelle's everyday wardrobe includes $1,000 handbags, $150 T-shirts and $540 sneakers (not to mention her "priceless" gowns, dresses, and other outfits).

Maybe one of you enterprising pro journalists could total up Michelle's wardrobe budget and ask a few questions about it. Or would that be too much work?



Larwyn's Linx: Lech Walesa: Romney Will Restore U.S. Leadership

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Lech Walesa: Romney Will Restore U.S. Leadership: IBD
Heh! Obama Says He’ll Get The Economy “Going Full Guns”: RWN
Obama to somehow start having even more fundraisers: Malkin

Michelle’s “Shhh” Moment: Barack's wealth-spreading plans: Power Line
Napolitano: Uhm, yes, terrorists cross into U.S. from Mexico: Times
DEA Gone Wild: NRO

As Media Jackals Hound Romney in Poland, a Star is Born: Nice Deb
What's behind hatred of Obama?: RWN
Ted Cruz serves Chick-fil-A at victory party: LI

Economy

The Big Lies in Politics: Sowell
USDA’s Food Stamp Bullying Confirms Dependency Agenda: CFIF
Yes, Federal Workers Are Overpaid: Foundry

Obama's Legacy: $25 Trillion in Debt by 2022: Breitbart
The Department of Labor’s attempt to cover for Obama: RS
Occupy Protesters To Target Obama At DNC: WZ

Scandal Central

Central Reelection Agency: Post
Food Stamp Program Systematically Abused--By Design: Conservatory
Brilliant, Ohio coal plant closes: guess why?: RS

Media

Frum: “Do guns make us safer?”: ProWis
Can we stop calling the Washington Post a “newspaper” now?: DTG
All in the Family Obama: Bruce

Levin slams House GOP for eliminating Senate confirmation for 169 POTUS appointments: Scoop
Barack Obama: The "Whipped" Factor: Power Line
Emmanuel Goldstein’s Chicken Chain: GayPatriot

CNN Nonpologizes For Palin "Stupid Girl" Intro; In Unrelated News, CNN's Ratings Down 20%: Ace
Dan Pfeiffer Eats Crow – Publicly Apologizes to Charles Krauthammer: Nice Deb
#HarryReidFacts: Some guy totally told Truther Harry Reid a thing about Romney’s taxes; Media repeat: Twitchy

Chicago Values… Goons Beat 87 Year-Old WW II Vet – Smash His Face: GWP
Culture Does Matter: Romney
Allen West Mocks Chicago Dems During Visit: I Came Here To Open A Chick-Fil-A: CowboyByte

World

A Resounding Condemnation Of The Leftist & Islamist War On Israel: Daphne Anson
Thoughts on Palestinian Culture: AmSpec
Communist Quote of the Day: MB

Best Way to Address Sequestration: Overturn It: Foundry
WH to defense contractors: If you could pink slip people AFTER the election, that’d be awesome: Hot Air
Pelosi’s New Archbishop Warns: America Could Be Moving Toward ‘Despotism’: CNS

Sci-Tech

Twitter quietly adds clickable stock symbols: Engadget
Verizon Fined $1.25 Million for Blocking Android Tethering Apps: eWeek
A charge card that actually puts power in your wallet: AllTop

Cornucopia

Obama now issuing instructional videos on how to send him money: Hot Air
How Times Have Changed: Williams
Longer Trailer For James Bond Movie Suggests It Might Actually Be Interesting: Ace

Image: Obama Campaign Uses Ramblings Of Mentally Unstable Obamabot As Fundraising Ploy
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support the Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "Whether a Palestinian resides in Gaza under the rule of Hamas or in the West Bank under the rule of Fatah, from the moment they awake until the moment they go to sleep they are inundated with anti-Semitic propaganda in their homes, their mosques, their schools and their media be it print, broadcast or social. Just over two weeks ago, on Palestinian Authority TV, Israel was depicted as a monster that stabs and eats children.

What are we to expect of a Palestinian culture that dances in the streets and hands out candy to children when Jews are murdered as was the case with the Fogel family in March 2011? Can we honestly expect Palestinians to be prepared to live side by side with Israelis in peace when they delight in the slit throat of a 3 month old girl?

So the Palestinian leadership in Gaza and the West Bank is angry at Romney. Well, too damn bad. After all, it is these same leaders who see fit to name schools, soccer fields and streets after suicide bombers and that should tell you everything you need to know about Palestinian culture." --Aaron Goldstein

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

So it begins: Obamacare forcing states to cap, cut prescription drug benefits for seniors and the poor

But they're the party of compassion, don't ya know:

A new report from Kaiser Health indicates states are now moving in the direction of capping or cutting prescription drug benefits.

Illinois Medicaid recipients have been limited to four prescription drugs as the state becomes the latest to cap how many medicines it will cover in the state-federal health insurance program for the poor.

Sixteen states impose a monthly limit on the number of drugs Medicaid recipients can receive and seven states have either enacted such caps or tightened them in the past two years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KHN is a program of the foundation). The limits vary across the country. Mississippi has a limit of two brand-name drugs. In Arkansas adults are limited to up six drugs a month. Since June, Alabama has had the nation’s stingiest Medicaid drug benefit after limiting adults to one brand-name drug. HIV and psychiatric drugs were excluded. On Aug. 1 the state will relax the limit to its previous level — four brand-name drugs — after the restriction saved more money than expected and the state received money as part of a settlement with a pharmaceutical company.

Other states with Medicaid drug limits are Arkansas, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

Rationing issues in Obamacare have long been a concern of pro-life groups. Although the death panels — the voluntary advanced care planning that pro-life advocates have been concerned about because it could have doctors financially motivated to promote less medical care and lifesaving treatment — occupied most of the debate, the National Right to Life Committee says other provisions cause concern.

Joe Biden really was right for once. If your life depends on these prescription drugs, Obamacare really is a big f***in' deal.


Hat tip: BadBlue.


Auto industry pundits: GM's results will be horrible due to unsellable electric cars and global cooling, but mostly unsellable electric cars

You think GM's stock price is at an all-time low now? Dude.

It’s not that people are leaving GM. It’s how they leave. Two weeks ago, Opel chief Karl-Friedrich Stracke presented numbers to Dan Akerson. Akerson fires him. Opel gets two interim chiefs in a week. Last Thursday, Opel’s new design chief Dave Lyon doesn’t even start his job. Today, media in the U.S. and Germany report that Lyon had been escorted from the building and to a waiting car by GM’s head of personnel. A day later, global marketing chief Joel Ewanick suddenly leaves. Instead of wishing him all the best for his future endeavors, GM spokesman Greg Martin puts a knife in Ewanick’s back: “He failed to meet the expectations the company has of an employee.”


It took them two years to come to that uncivilized conclusion? Ewanick was hired as U.S. marketing chief in May 2010. Apparently, he exceeded expectations, because half a year later, Ewanick was promoted to global chief marketing officer. The leaked reasons for Ewanick’s ouster. Facebook and soccer, don’t ring true. In a normal company, when a marketing chief decides not to put ads on Facebook and to ditch football for soccer, a Facebook and football loving CEO simply would call the marketing chief and ask whether he’s serious. The same day, there would be a comment that the marketing chief was misquoted, in a normal company.

It all looks like Dan Akerson is panicking. The GM stock is at an all-time low. GM is losing market share. When July numbers will be announced this week, GM won’t look so good, industry oracles say.

And all this time I thought the central planners in Washington could outperfrom the free market, what with their genius ideas like Chevy Volts that cost $250,000 apiece to produce.


Hat tip: LVN.

Crikeys: illegal aliens released by the Obama administration have killed 19, raped 142, and committed a total of 60,000 crimes

Which is pretty much what you could have expected, because lawlessness begets lawlessness.

The Obama administration released illegal immigrants who went on to commit more crimes, including charges of 19 murders, 3 attempted murders and 142 sex crimes, the House Judiciary Committee said in a report Tuesday.

All told, the nearly 47,000 illegal immigrants the administration was notified of but declined to deport between 2008 and 2011 under its Secure Communities program had a recidivism rate of 16 percent, the committee said.

They were just part of the nearly 160,000 immigrants — most of them here legally — who were flagged by Secure Communities during the three year period but who were either not eligible to be deported or who the administration decided to release. Those immigrants went on to be charged in nearly 60,000 more crimes, according to the committee and the Congressional Research Service, which issued a report on the matter.

...In June President Obama announced yet another policy that shields most illegal immigrants age 30 and under from deportation. That policy won’t fully take effect until the middle of August, but it has already had an effect on those being deported.

As Heather Mac Donald reported in 2004, illegal immigration has been linked for decades to significant levels of violent crime.

Police commanders may not want to discuss, much less respond to, the illegal-alien crisis, but its magnitude for law enforcement is startling. Some examples:

• In Los Angeles, 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide (which total 1,200 to 1,500) target illegal aliens. Up to two-thirds of all fugitive felony warrants (17,000) are for illegal aliens.

• A confidential California Department of Justice study reported in 1995 that 60 percent of the 20,000-strong 18th Street Gang in southern California is illegal; police officers say the proportion is actually much greater. The bloody gang collaborates with the Mexican Mafia, the dominant force in California prisons, on complex drug-distribution schemes, extortion, and drive-by assassinations, and commits an assault or robbery every day in L.A. County. The gang has grown dramatically over the last two decades by recruiting recently arrived youngsters, most of them illegal, from Central America and Mexico.

• The leadership of the Columbia Lil’ Cycos gang, which uses murder and racketeering to control the drug market around L.A.’s MacArthur Park, was about 60 percent illegal in 2002, says former assistant U.S. attorney Luis Li. Francisco Martinez, a Mexican Mafia member and an illegal alien, controlled the gang from prison, while serving time for felonious reentry following deportation.

Thanks to the Obama administration's unconstitutional implementation of the "DREAM" Act by executive fiat, you can be sure that more innocent Americans will die or suffer violent crimes.

Remember in November.



Larwyn's Linx: California: the Road Warrior is here

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

California: the Road Warrior is here: Hanson
Obama's Ultimate Cover-up: Kincaid
WH Spokesman calls Bin Laden bombshell 'a fabrication': Nice Deb

Good luck finding a doctor under Obamacare: NRO
Hate Chicken: FreedomWorks
Mourdock Offers ‘Simple’ Economic Solutions but Not ‘Easy’ Ones: RWN

Pelosi Claims Jews Care Only About Money: RWN
How Same-Sex Marriage Threatens Religious Freedom: Foundry
If Obama’s Lost the Secular Humanists …: RSM

Economy

In Obama's World, The Government Owns Your Paycheck: IBD
Stanley Kurtz exposes Obama's war on the suburbs: Breitbart
GM Is Using Evil ‘Subprime Loans’ To Boost Sales: S&L

Philly Councilman Spends $29K To Tweet, Calls Residents "Idiots": Katz
Happy 100th Birthday, Milton Friedman: AllAm
Only Obama: Western

Scandal Central

Report Names Five Behind Fast and Furious: Nice Deb
Federal Court finds Obama appointees interfered with New Black Panther prosecution: Exam
Federal Court: DOJ Official May Have Lied About the New Black Panther Case: Tatler

Climate & Energy

Study: Half of U.S. Warming is Fake: RWN
Kansas City Power Light Wants 12% Increase to Pay for Govt Regulations: MagNote
Weather station temperature claims are overheated, report claims: Fox

Media

NBC Calls for Twitter to Censor Guy Adams for Tweets Criticizing NBC Executive: Blaze
The Right's Dirty Little Secret: Atlas
Why the Right Wing Blogosphere Doesn't Cover Islam — UPDATE! 'Weasel Zippers' is Mystery Blogger: AmPower

The Most Striking Thing About Mitt Romney's Overseas Trip: Power Line
Obama Press Secretary Marries ABC Reporter: WS
Help Us Get Twitter’s Attention to Free the Dead @INSTAPUNDIT Twitter Account. #RespondTwitter: Tatler

Anderson Cooper Crosses the Line: Gaffney
Still Waiting for Outrage: CDN
Dick Morris: 'I Guarantee Bill Clinton Is Going to Cast His Ballot for Mitt Romney': NB

World

Why does Obama use the word "terrorize" for Aurora murders but not for Fort Hood jihad?: HySci
If Mitt Romney had talked about Palestinians the way Obama spoke about Pennsylvanians: LI
How Far is the ECB Really Prepared to Go to Save the Euro?: WallStreetPit

Capital of Israel? Don't Ask the White House: IBD
Krauthammer: Romney speech in Israel was a “master stroke”: Scoop
Non-existent WMDs: UK experts to help Iraq destroy last of Saddam's chemical weapons: Fox

Sci-Tech

Microsoft's radical new business plan is hidden in plain sight: ZDNet
Researcher demonstrates highly persistent hardware backdoor: Net-Security
Mulvenon: Stuxnet was Hiroshima: Fierce

Cornucopia

The House That Obama Built: Picture Book: Cube
What to do if your Hoover's sucking air: MOTUS
Saying Goodbye: Quinton Report

Image: Power Line
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Texas: Tuesday is Cruz Day!

QOTD: "Spurred by the conclusion of a recent report that said that given the fact that China is the de-facto manufacturer of most IT equipment in the world, it could easily backdoor any computer well before it's shipped to its buyers, security researcher Jonathan Brossard decided to prove the practicality of such backdooring.

He set out to create a backdoor that is persistent, stealthy, portable, cheap, that allows remote updates and provide remote access, and whose creation and deployment cannot be attributed to any individual or state.

The result was Rakshasa ("demon" in Hindu), a proof-of-concept malware that is able both to replace a computer's motherboard BIOS and to infect the firmware embedded in other peripheral devices through PCI expansion ROMs, thus ensuring its stealthiness and persistency in case the BIOS was ever flashed." --Zelkja Zorz

Monday, July 30, 2012

Questions, I've got questions

Here are a few I spotted over yonder:

Why does President Obama use the word "terrorize" for the Aurora murders but not for the Fort Hood jihadist??

Is the DOJ trying to buy an Illinois prison again in order to house Gitmo terrorists??

Does NYC Mayor Bloomberg really know more about breast-feeding than Moms?

Was Milton Friedman really a fiscal moderate?

Hey remember when Hillary Clinton was all for Jerusalem being the capital of Israel??

And, most importantly:

Why Don’t Our Representatives Represent The Constitution??


"Savor their sweet tears of despair"

Whoa. Reason asks the provocative question: "Do 3D Printers Make Prohibitions Impossible?"

The Web thingies are buzzing with news that a 3D printer — sort of a first-generation Star Trek replicator — was used to make a gun that actually goes bang when you pull the trigger. Aside from the sheer cool factor, the development makes it clear that a wide range of bans, restrictions and prohibitions are becoming increasingly unenforcable.

From ExtremeTech:

An American gunsmith has become the first person to construct and shoot a pistol partly made out of plastic, 3D-printed parts. The creator, user HaveBlue from the AR-15 forum, has reportedly fired 200 rounds with his part-plastic pistol without any sign of wear and tear.

HaveBlue’s custom creation is a .22-caliber pistol, formed from a 3D-printed AR-15 (M16) lower receiver, and a normal, commercial upper. In other words, the main body of the gun is plastic, while the chamber — where the bullets are actually struck — is solid metal.

The lower receiver was created using a fairly old school Stratasys 3D printer, using a normal plastic resin. HaveBlue estimates that it cost around $30 of resin to create the lower receiver, but “Makerbots and the other low cost printers exploding onto the market would bring the cost down to perhaps $10.” Commercial, off-the-shelf assault rifle lower receivers are a lot more expensive. ...


...HaveBlue's schematic, which he used on what's considered a relatively low-tech StrataSys 3D printer in these fast-moving times, are available at Thingiverse.

Scientists at the University of Glasgow have used a relatively low-cost system to synthesize chemical compounds, with the intention of developing the means to create custom drugs. That may well mean the end of the orphan drug problem around the word, and very real price drops on pharmaceuticals... From the BBC:

Researchers have used a £1,250 system to create a range of organic compounds and inorganic clusters - some of which are used to create cancer treatments... Longer term, the scientists say the process could be used to make customised medicines.

They predict the technique will be used by pharmaceutical firms within five years, and by the public within 20...


[The process] also holds out potential for evading yet another class of legal prohibitions on recreational drugs.

Think of it — a world of plenty, with easy localized manufacture of almost anything you might need. It's a world in which "that should be illegal" becomes a punch line.

The next time your control freak friends start in on their latest litany of should-be-banneds, tell them that their arguments are now irrelevant. Tell them why. And savor their sweet tears of despair.

To paraphrase Nicholas Negroponte, we are seeing the convergence of the "atom business" (physical intellectual property) with the "bit business" (virtual I.P.).

And virtual I.P. is exceedingly difficult to protect, as the RIAA found out.


Hat tip: BadBlue.com/Money.

Fashion Corner: Dear Hillary Clinton...

Our first guest-blogger from the fashion industry, "Rogue Intern", sends us the following dispatch from Manhattan's apparel district.

Dear Hillary Clinton,

While we may not always agree with your bizarre policies, we can’t even hide it anymore: we love your wardrobe.

You’ve undoubtedly become a fashion icon in the political world (move over, Jackie O), and your signature colorful pantsuits are as androgynous as you are. Watch out Prada and Balenciaga, pantsuits will never be the same.
And what a bold choice, Hil. You’ve really proved that you ain’t no stay-at-home trophy wife (we know you hate those) in those loose-fitted blazers and impeccably ironed slacks. We also love your gallant haircut; the term “coiffed to perfection” wouldn’t even do it justice.

We’re just gonna throw this out there Hillary, if you like it you can take it, if not, just throw it right back. We’d like to further address you as the First Lady... of Rainbow Pantsuits.

Respect. So just keep doing your thing, never fire your stylist and please never run out of hair wax. Oh, and Hil? This goes without saying, but you look wayyyyy better than Lewinsky. That’s for damn sure.

--Rogue Intern


Funniest Newsweek Cover EVAH!

Everything old is new again. In this case, the ludicrous Newsweek Magazine, slipping ever leftward, attempts to replay its failed 1988 tactic of positioning George H. W. Bush as a wimp. Never mind that Bush 41 was an accomplished fighter-bomber pilot during World War II and nearly perished during a mission over Chichi Jima after being shot down (two of his mates died in the crash and many of his fellow pilots were captured by the Japanese and tortured to death).

So the wimp meme didn't work out too well for Newsweek in '88.


Which is why the geniuses are trying the same game-plan again, having failed to raise credible questions about Romney's leadership, ethics, business acumen, or executive experience.

It's especially hilarious, coming as it does on the heels of the Obama administration's latest embarrassment: a new book by Richard Miniter reveals that Action Obama canceled the Bin Laden 'kill' raid three times at the urging of... Valerie Jarrett.

Which leads me to create this cover:


The Looking Spoon suitably dispenses with Newsweek using a host of real wimp covers. Here's a small sampling:


Don't miss the entire collection.

Suffice it to say that Newsweek is now a cheap imitation of The Onion.

And I wonder if that movie about the Bin Laden hit will show Jarrett calling the shots for Mr. Obama.


Hat tip: Reaganite Republican.