Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Scenes from the Apple iPad Launch

GDGT's live coverage of Apple's iPad launch was the best I found. Some of the highlights of the introduction:

Steve’s showing it. “It’s very thin. You can change the home screen… what this device does is extraordinary. It’s the best browsing experience you’ve ever had.”

“You can see the whole page in front of you and you can manipulate it with your fingers. You can turn it any way you want — it adjusts however you want it. You can see the whole page — it’s phenomenal. It’s an incredible experience.”

“iPad is an awesome way to enjoy your music collection. And, of course, we have the iTunes store built right into the iPad... "

"Flick through them, it’s a wonderful way to share your photos. Built in a calendar. Address book, great maps app with Google Maps.”

Email with a giant on-screen keyboard: “It’s a dream to type on.”

“That’s a little overview, but there’s nothing like seeing it, so I’d like to show you now. Using this thing is remarkable — it’s so much more intimate than a laptop, and it’s so much more capable than a smartphone.”

Showing movies and TV shows. Widescreen looks a little awkward because the screen is more square than widescreen, but it’s still damned fine.

“Let’s pick another movie I love: Up.” chuckles. “Awesome movie.”

“It’s 0.5-inches thin, weighs just 1.5 pounds. Thinner and lighter than any netbook. 9.7-inch IPS display.”

“As you know, Apple builds the best capacitive multi-touch sensors in the world — married to our great display, it’s super responsive and super precise.”

“iPad is powered by our own custom silicon. Our own chip. It’s called the A4, and it screams.” 1GHz. 16, 32, or 64GB of flash storage. “It’s got the latest in wireless: 802.11n, WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.”

“All the usual suspects: accelerometer, compass, speaker, mic, dock connector. And it’s got battery.”

“What’s the battery life on this remarkable device?” Pauses. “We’ve been able to achieve 10 hours of battery life.” Big applause.

“Isn’t that awesome, these guys only had a couple weeks to work on this stuff. People are going to go crazy. Let me show you another one of our apps we’re excited about. It’s an e-book reader.”

Our new app is called iBooks. “Amazon’s done a great job of pioneering this functionality with the Kindle. We’re going to stand on their shoulders and go a little further.”

10:58AM - Browse TOC, change the font or the font size, all the standard stuff. “And that is iBooks.” Big applause. “We use the ePub format, the most popular open book format in the world, and I’m very excited about this. We think the iPad is going to make a terrific e-book reader not just for popular books, but for textbooks as well.”

Now, something very exciting: iWork.”

11:17AM - Steve’s in review mode: “Email is fantastic. Great for enjoying your music collection. Video is phenomenal. It runs almost all of the 140k apps on the App Store as well as a whole new generation of apps designed specifically for the iPad. And the new iBooks application with the iBooks Store. And the iWork suite of apps.”

11:17AM - “What should we price it at?” Chuckles.

11:18AM - “If you listen to the pundits, we’re going to price at under $1k, which is code for $999. When we set out to develop the iPad, we not only had very ambitious technical goals and user interface goals, but we had a very aggressive price for it.”

11:18AM - “We want to put this in the hands of LOTS of people. Just like we were able to meet or exceed our technical goals, we’ve met our cost goals.”

“I’m thrilled to announce to you that the iPad pricing starts not at $999, but at $499.” Huge applause.

“We will be shipping iPads in 60 days.”

11:20AM - “So $499 / 629, 599 / 729, and 699 / 829.”

11:19AM - Cheering! “At $499 a lot of people can afford an iPad. 16GB is our base model. For 32GB it’s $100 more, and for $100 more than that you get $64GB. The 3G models cost another $130.”

This device is a flat-out winner.


Microsoft fires back at Apple with surprise launch of its own stunning new tablet competitor

Just hours after Apple launched its iPad, Microsoft released its own tablet offering. The iBall -- named after the company's charismatic chief executive Steve Ballmer -- features a slick user interface, a stylus-driven screen with bezel-mounted push-buttons and a massive 40GB hard drive.

Buyers will have their choice of operating systems for the device: Windows XPT (XP for Tablet) Home, XPT Home Professional, XPT Home Enterprise, XPT Enterprise Professional Not for Home, XPT Ultimate Enterprise and XPT Ultimate Enterprise Professional Gold Label. The latter four products may be purchased under standard enterprise licensing agreements, including Select, Select + S.A., Enterprise and new Simplified Volume Licensing (SVL), which is offered with and without software assurance, depending upon volume category, gross margin potential and other factors.

Ballmer was upbeat during the announcement, saying that "...we've finally beaten Apple at its own game. We're sexier, sleekier and altogether user-friendlier. I think we represent the state-of-the-art for this class of device -- and we intend to stay there."

Unit prices were not released at the sparsely attended event, though company executives promised that it would be "nearly competitive" with similarly-equipped Apple models. Included with each iBall is a complimentary copy of MineSweeper for Tablets, a stylus-compatible version of the beloved game classic.


Linked by: Michelle Malkin. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: Dems Learn from Massachusetts -- Pass Bad Stuff Faster

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

Why Is Paul Kirk Still Voting?: LegalIns
James O'Keefe arrested in New Orleans: BigGovt
Filmmaker Who Outed ACORN Arrested: Riehl

Dems Learn from Massachusetts -- Pass Bad Stuff Faster: RWN
Just in time for tonight: Barack Bingo: Jawa
ACORN ecstatic; O'Keefe Responds to Charges: GWP

Obama Cabinet Reveals Agenda: Dismantle America: JWF
A Culture of Losers: Solway
'Cracker' seeks Panther dismissal probe: Times

New Dem Strategy: Turn Tea Partiers Against GOP: RWN
Landrieu's Statement on O'Keefe, et. al.: SIGIS

Economy

The Census boondoggle: $340 million ad campaign: Malkin
Culture of Corruption: Holder Writing His Own Book: Malkin
The White House Nightmare Persists: Financial Times

Milton Friedman, Supply-Siders Vindicated: Jawa
Is Federal Debt Infinite?: GM's Place
Stimulus price soars as jobless rate rises: Times

Obama Student Loan Proposals Make My Children 'Schlubs': Maggie's Farm
Pelosi's Shameless Lies: GWP

Climate & Energy

Climategate: Who Benefits When the IPCC Lies?: PJM
Canadian scientist says UN's global warming panel 'crossing the line': WindStar
Science as a Glorious, Skeptical Enterprise: PJM (Lewis)

Pic of the day: Global warming hoax - so easy a UN Ambassador can do it!: BlogProf

Media

Omitting for Obama: How the Old Media Deliberately Censored New Media Scoops in 2009: MRC
A Clockwork Obama: Three-Step: Hanson
TOTUS deserves a raise: CFB

Poll: Which Candidate Do the Right-of-Center Bloggers Want in 2012?: RWN
Olby Orgasmic Over O'Keefe: NewsBusters
Bachmann responds to Specter: BlogProf

Libs Souring on the Won: Surber
Obama Stumbles in The New Yorker? Yes, The New Yorker: AmDigest
Somebody Tell Tanenhaus: NRO

World

Bangladesh: Rape victim receives 101 lashes for becoming pregnant: Jihad Watch
Indonesia may take down statue of Barack - only a month after the unveiling: Maggie
Chavez furiously backtracks as Venezuela degenerates: Insider

Former WMD Chief: Al-Qaida Awaiting Nukes: NewsMax
The Islam Tax: Political Islam
Al Qaeda's leadership still covets the sight of 'a mushroom cloud rising over a US city': NYDN

Survival, DIYism and Haiti: Jacksonian

SciTech

Where Do We Find the Time? Social Networking Use Up 82%: RWW
Science in the Age of Political Correctness: Dr. Sanity
Compare and Contrast: Dinocrat

Cornucopia

The Reason He's Never Photographed From Behind: HillBuzz
Hayek vs. Keynes: Straight Outta Compton: Zero Hedge
Cartoon by Nate Beeler


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

President's Club

I don't know who the painter is, but this is one of my all-time favorites.




Ellie Light only the latest episode of Axelturfing: Remembering the Anti-Palin Propaganda Campaign

Thanks to excellent detective work by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, a massive astroturfing operation involving pro-Obama letters-to-the-editor was uncovered. A mysterious individual named "Ellie Light" authored similar letters that appeared in 68 publications in 31 states and the District of Columbia, 3 national publications, a Yahoo news story and 2 foreign publications.

While questions remain as to the true identity of M(r/s). Light, one thing is certain: this isn't the first astroturfing operation orchestrated by those in or near the Obama campaign. Not by a long shot.

On 2 September 2008, I reported on an information warfare operation launched against the McCain-Palin campaign. Just hours after John McCain had selected Sarah Palin as his VP candidate, proxies for candidate Obama launched a massive astroturfing operation.

The same lengthy message -- reportedly authored by a feminist in Alaska -- was posted in hundreds of discussion boards across the Internet in a matter of hours. This type of operation, of course, would have required a significant amount of work -- prepping messages and creating pre-positioned sock-puppet accounts. The identical messages appeared in:

      • Prout Assembly
      • 09/01/2008 Topix Politics
      • World of Warcraft Forums
      • Politico Forums
      • and many...
      • ...many more.

Later that month, The Jawa Report noted that several federal election laws appeared to have been broken in a series of similar incidents and implicated David Axelrod (who else?) in the morass. Dan Riehl offered a powerful executive summary of the research:

Extensive research was conducted by the Jawa Report to determine the source of smears directed toward Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Those smears included false allegations that she belonged to a secessionist political party and that she has radical anti-American views.

Our research suggests that a subdivision of one of the largest public relations firms in the world most likely started and promulgated rumors about Sarah Palin that were known to be false. These rumors were spread in a surreptitious manner to avoid exposure.

It is also likely that the PR firm was paid by outside sources to run the smear campaign. While not conclusive, evidence suggests a link to the Barack Obama campaign. Namely:

* Evidence suggests that a YouTube video with false claims about Palin was uploaded and promoted by members of a professional PR firm.

* The family that runs the PR firm has extensive ties to the Democratic Party, the netroots, and are staunch Obama supporters.

* Evidence suggests that the firm engaged in a concerted effort to distribute the video in such a way that it would appear to have gone viral on its own. Yet this effort took place on company time.

* Evidence suggests that these distribution efforts included actions by at least one employee of the firm who is unconnected with the family running the company.

* The voice-over artist used in this supposedly amateur video is a professional.

* This same voice-over artist has worked extensively with David Axelrod's firm, which has a history of engaging in phony grassroots efforts, otherwise known as "astroturfing."

* David Axelrod is Barack Obama's chief media strategist.

* The same voice-over artist has worked directly for the Barack Obama campaign.

Using the same research tactics they've employed in tracking terrorist supporters online, the Jawa team deconstructed the professionally organized campaign of lies aimed at undermining Sarah Palin's candidacy.

Ace of Spades summarizes.

for two straight years Obama and his zealots have waged a massive propaganda war on the world to convince us all that Obama was inevitable and then, after having been elected, was massively popular. All of this was done to demoralize his opposition, and to delegitimze opposition as "fringe." And also to discourage his opposition from voicing that opposition in the first place, because if you're convinced that you're all alone in opposing Obama, you tend to shut up about it.

As Massachusetts aptly demonstrates, we're on to these disturbing tactics. And we've had enough.


White-knuckled fist-clenching: Ayatollah says we'll soon "witness the destruction of the Zionist regime"

I guess they didn't like the boxed set of DVD's. Personally, I thought 300 was a hell of a movie.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei stated here on Tuesday that the Zionist regime poses a major threat to the Muslim world.

“One day regional nations will definitely witness the destruction of the Zionist regime,” but the Muslim countries’ actions will determine when it happens, Ayatollah Khamenei said at a meeting with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

He praised Mauritania for severing ties with Israel and said certain Arab states should learn a lesson from Mauritania’s move because Israel poses a serious threat to the Muslim world and is seeking to dominate the region... ...Genuine unity and brotherhood among Islamic countries should be established so that the Islamic ummah (community) will attain their rightful place, the Supreme Leader added.

The Mauritanian president said that the Muslim world is proud of Iran’s industrial, technological, and scientific advancements and called for closer ties...

Welcome back, Carter.


CBO warns of catastrophic federal debt -- Time's Joe Klein responds, calling CBO 'too freaking stupid to understand the genius of Obama'

In what could constitute a sequel to Groundhog Day, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office once again warned Congress that federal deficits are "unsustainable". And, as a bonus, Democrat policies continue to destroy employment opportunities by sucking the very life out of the private sector.

The 2010 federal budget deficit will be $1.35 trillion, nearly as large as last year's record $1.4 trillion budget shortfall, according to the independent Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO, in its budget outlook released Tuesday, also projected a "muted" economic recovery over the next few years. The unemployment rate will average more than 10 percent for the first half of this year and then decline at a slower pace than in past recoveries, the CBO said... The CBO's 2010 deficit projection is slightly larger than the $1.27 trillion deficit projected by the Obama administration in its budget review last summer.

"U.S. fiscal policy is on an unsustainable path to an extent that cannot be solved by minor tinkering," Elmendorf said... He said there was a "fundamental disconnect" between the services that Americans expect from government, particularly elderly citizens on Social Security and Medicare, and the taxes that Americans are prepared to pay...

Columnist Joe Klein of Time Magazine responded to the news with harsh words.

The CBO is too dumb to thrive... it thinks the Stimulus package and other massive spending packages were wasted! What the hell are these people thinking? Our benevolent federal government was kind enough to return $60 a month to the little people by changing their withholding. True, they'll have to pay it back later, but it's the thought that counts!

The CBO is an anachronism -- like the Dodo Bird -- and it's time for it to simply expire. In fact, with noted financial whizzes Timothy Geithner and David Axelrod running the show, there's truly no need for second-guessing by the likes of Elmendorff.

Klein went on to compare Obama's programs to Joe Weider's famed "Muscle Confusion" principle of bodybuilding.

Just when the body politic thinks it understands what's going on -- then, BAM!! You throw it a curveball. That's what Obama's doing! Confusing us in order to shock our economic system back into health. Why is that so f***ing hard to understand?

Just shut up and do what your government tells you to do! Why are we even talking about this??



Navy Pledges 'Green Strike Force' by 2012; No Word on Zero-Carbon Emission Bunker-Busters

Please, someone -- anyone -- tell me that this is an early April Fool's Day joke.

If there's any group on Earth that shouldn't have to worry about carbon emissions -- especially now that warmal colding has been exposed as another in a series of U.N.-orchestrated bunko scams (remember "Oil for Food"?) -- it's our brave men and women serving in the military.

What's next? Zero-emission Tomahawks? Earth-friendly F-16s? I've got an idea: let's save the environment by taking out Iran's nuclear weapons facility before they get a chance to use their nukes on us. We'll call it a wash.


Out of Control: Traffic Accidents in the Gulf

When it comes to crazy driving, the folks in the Gulf appear to take a backseat to no one.

Eight Kuwaiti youths were killed and 14 others injured, seven in critical condition, when several cars collided during an unofficial car race, a security source and witnesses said Tuesday... Illegal car races are common in this affluent Gulf state where car ownership is very high. There are around 1.4 million registered vehicles in Kuwait which has 1.1 million citizens and 2.3 million foreign residents... [and around] 400 people die of road accidents and thousands are injured or maimed every year in the oil-rich emirate.

In an effort to combat the scourge, the following images were among those released by police in the UAE to scare drivers straight.





Kinda looks like the movie Road Warrior.


Larwyn's Linx: The Astroturf Presidency and the Spam Czar

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 Astroturf Presidency: Malkin
The Spam Czar: Malkin
Great! More Bribes, Empty Promises During SOTU 2010!: RWN

The Speech Needed to Save the Free World: AT
The secret plan to shove health care through: Morris
Empower the States: Repeal the 17th Amendment: Times

Lech Walesa Will Campaign for Illinois Republican: RSM
Pants on Fire Alert: Axelrod Edition: BigGovt
Rahm Emanuel: the First Amendment is Overrated: Maggie

Filibuster Under Fire: AT
NJ: Man Caught With Keffiyeh, Grenade Launcher, Maps...: Riehl

Economy

Noted deficit hawk to announce discretionary spending freeze: Hot Air
Populist Twins Hold Middle-Class Garage Sale!: AmDig
Head Start Earns an F: Heritage

Call For An Audit of Obama’s Campaign Finances: BigGovt
Zimbabwe to Obama: "Piker, we'll see your $12 Trillion and raise you $100 Trillion": AmDig
It's your economy, stupid: Surber

Where's Biden? Half Of Mass Stimulus Dough Goes To Lawbreaking Firms: Riehl
Hey, Now That I've Jacked Up Spending To Crazy Levels How About We Freeze A Very Small Percentage Of Spending?: Ace

Climate & Energy

GlacierGate Scam Was Massive: RWN
UN IPCC Exposed: 'Dozens' of instances where bogus WWF reports were cited: EU Referendum
'Could the Nobel Prize be withdrawn' from UN IPCC?: Bolt

Media

Tea Parties Resist National Unity: AmPower
Trijicon caves to political correctness: PJM
Obama's loose grip on reality: Times

Ellie Light Lives in Huntington Beach?: Verum Serum
The 9/11 Memorial Wall - No ages, No Ranks, Names Sprinkled Randomly: Maggie
Free Speech is a Right, Not a Privilege Granted by the State: RubRep

Second ‘American Revolution’ will be a battle of ballots, not bullets: Shore News
Every Hour of Every Day Tells You Something is Seriously Wrong with this Man: AmDig
Too gnarly to check: Edwards sex tape coming next? :Hot Air

PJTV: Barack To the Future: Driscoll
These ‘I regret my 2008 vote’ pieces are going to be excruciating: Moe Lane
Reagan and Honesty: Adrienne

World

In Whose Apartment were the Blueprints for Auschwitz found? Why the Secret?: Atlas
The 'Anti-Semitism Expert' and His Nazi Mentor: PJM
Arab and Muslim worlds' criticism of French niqab ban is hypocritical: Palestine Note

You’re Welcome, Douchebag: No Pasaran
Tony Blair Supported the United States; Now It Is Time to Support Tony Blair: No Pasaran
Female British rescuer saves Haitian survivor buried for 11 days: London Daily Mail

SciTech

Will "this is your face on meth" software get kids to say no to meth?: Althouse
Appalled Yet? Lancet Study Blames Palestinian Wife-Beating on Israel: Chesler

Cornucopia

Taking populist tack, White House unveils new 'Evil Obama': Exurban
Tiger's Thanksgiving Mystery — Solved: Daily Beast
NBA star gets probation for gun possession: Maktoob

SuperObama Image Credit: Slublog


Monday, January 25, 2010

Lambo: You know, 700 horsepower might be enough for street driving

Is 700 horsepower enough? Apparently Lamborghini thinks so:

How much horsepower is enough? While we're fairly certain some might be answering that rhetorical question with raised eyebrows, Lamborghini is seemingly content with a number just shy of 700 raging horses. That doesn't mean that the Italian supercar manufacturer won't continue its unabated push towards ever-quicker acceleration – though top speeds higher than 211 miles per hour sound unlikely – but there's clearly more than one way to skin a cat Prancing Horse.

...the answer to the power conundrum will be less weight. "We will use composite materials in the right place, when it also has the right cost, stiffness and mechanical characteristics," explains R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani...

Expect aluminum to be used in place of heavier steel, along with improved aerodynamics and stop/start technology to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions... it should be interesting to see how all the world's supercar manufacturers – Lamborghini included – grapple with the push to be green while also upholding their performance traditions.

I guess the auto industry hasn't heard that the CO2-global warming infomercial has been exposed for the scam that it is.

The latest revelations should scuttle any crazy talk of a hybrid Lambo, I hope.


Democrat Utopia of Illinois Nears Insolvency, Vows to Close Deficits by Recycling Bottlecaps and Increasing Taxes, But Mostly By Increasing Taxes

Who says Democrats can't innovate? Illinois appears to have invented a brand new way of scamming the taxpayer:

In a futile attempt to stay solvent, the state of Illinois has resorted to a trick I have not seen before, accelerating property tax collections... Until this year, property taxes have been collected in two equal installments. This year it's 55% in the first half, 45% in the second half...

...It must be getting bad here in Illinois. I opened up my first tax installment and was surprised to see that it was $300-$350 more than I expected.

It turns out that taxes were in fact NOT raised. There was a note that said that "the Illinois Assembly voted to require that 55 percent of annual real estate taxes be collected during the first installment."

This must be the equivalent to California's withholding an additional 10 percent in income taxes. I guess that way they can collect more on those houses that are foreclosed on this year. Nothing like having the taxpayers finance the state's cash flow problems.

Moreover, I read that the state is now paying in 90 days where they had previously paid within 45 days.

The end of the year is going to get ugly. Can you imagine giving Cook County 55 percent of the majority of their annual revenue and telling them to save it for the rest of the year?

I'm not sure how mortgage companies are supposed to retain escrow, since all the laws are written toward a normalized monthly payment... What a mess.

Illinois residents should not be concerned, however. Democrat Governor Pat Quinn -- a puppet of the Chicago machine -- had a "brainstorm": he wants to raise taxes 50%!

We are facing a tsunami of tax increases from Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois. At a time when we, the taxpayers, have to tighten our belts to make ends meet -- cutting back on family travel, working more, trimming back on meals, savings, new clothes, and trying to cover the basics of life, the politicians are doing just the opposite.

They get their top-notch health care. They get their steadily increasing salaries and benefits. They get their perks, including bodyguards and chauffeurs for Mayor Daley, Ald. Ed Burke and other big shot politicians who don't feel they have to answer to our needs.

They get their family members jobs. Their friends jobs.

And they do it with our money. taxpayer money.

Gov. Pat Quinn, a patsy for Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, is proposing a whopping 50 percent increase in the Illinois Income Tax. Quin didn't start out by saying he planned to tighten the state's fat, obese, overweight belt. No. He started by saying we have to raise taxes.

...On March 30, Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins will keynote a community forum to fight increased local, county and state taxes. Mullins has proposed that Palatine Township secede from Cook County. It's not easy to do, but the proposal has caught the attention of the lazy politicians who tax and tax and then lie.

The forum is at the Orland Park Civic Center, 14750 S. Ravinia Road (1 block west of LaGrange/Mannheim Road). Doors open at 6 PM. The fight the taxes revolution starts at 6:30.

Be there. It's free. We need to do more and the forum is one way I am going to try. How about you?

There's a name for this endless cycle of tax hikes, population losses and fleeing businesses.

We call it "The Michigan Effect". Or "The California Effect". Or "The Illinois Effect".

It's a death spiral characterized by decades of Democrat rule. Unchecked public-sector unions. Corruption. And an out-of-control government that demands ever more money and property from its citizens. A government that never lives within its means.

The time of reckoning nears for these Democrat Utopias. November should be a very interesting month.


'We are the Middle Class Tax Breaks We've Been Waiting For'

Dan from New York calls it the "Come to Mama Strategy":

"So this is the president’s much-anticipated descent into craven populism, now that the banks have officially and for the last time shat in his soup! Now comes the leftward lurch, the descent into Soviet-style social engineering, the wanton flinging about of tax credits and automatic paycheck deduction programs. Your Wonkette will be moving to Cuba, where people at least admit they’re communists."

-- Wonkette

This is unbelievable: have you guys ever heard of a more craven political ploy? I mean, besides all of the other craven political ploys launched by Obama, Axelrod and Emanuel?


Joe Klein: Americans Too Stupid To Understand the Power and Majesty of Democrat Policies That Are Bankrupting the Country

The career of Time Magazine's Joe Klein hit its pinnacle today with an "analysis" piece worthy of Leni Reifenstahl (no worries -- the link goes to Strata Sphere). Klein pays his respects to the wisdom of the American people and the Democratic process by saying that -- wait for it -- we're retarded.

Too Dumb to Thrive


Absolutely amazing poll results from CNN today about the $787 stimulus package: nearly three out of four Americans think the money has been wasted. On second thought, they may be right: it’s been wasted on them...

Indeed, the largest single item in the package–$288 billion–is tax relief for 95% of the American public.

This money is that magical $60 to $80 per month you’ve been finding in your paycheck since last spring...

...Not a life changing amount, but helpful in paying the bills.

Just for grins, Joe, why not multiply that stimulative $75 a month by, oh, 200 million taxpayers? Gee, this is complex: $75 times 12 months in a year... carry the one... hold on, that's... $900. And let's give the Democrats the benefit of the doubt and say that 200 million Americans are actually working. That's comes to... $180 billion.

So you're at least a hundred and eight billion shy, Joe, even with my generous math. Maybe it went to one of those zip codes that doesn't exist. Or a public sector union. Or a worthy cause like "community organizing".

The next highest amount was $275 billion in grants and loans to states. This is why your child’s teacher wasn’t laid off…and why the fire station has remained open, and why you’re not paying even higher state and local taxes to close the local budget hole...

You mean the budget hole driven by public sector unions that are bankrupting cities and states -- the ones won't even re-negotiate or cut salaries to help salvage their local budgets?

You mean the budget hole encouraged by Democrats who revel in eradicating competition and crushing childrens' dreams? The way they work tirelessly to defeat school choice, which would increase educational opportunities while reducing costs?

I guess we're too stupid to understand all of that really hard stuff, Joe.

It is impossible to be a citizen if you don’t make an effort to understand the most basic activities of your government. It is very difficult to thrive in an increasingly competitive world if you’re a nation of dodos.

Gee, Joe, I thought I read that the average government employee is now taking home a compensation package nearly double that of the average private-sector worker?

Those kinds of basic activities, Joe?

You can almost visualize the drool gumming up Klein's keyboard as he secreted this pathetic paean to his Democrat overlords. A Democrat leadership, by the way, that is in so far over its head it needs scuba gear.

The bureaucrats, the public sector unions and the trial lawyers are ripping Americans off and Joe here is telling us we're not paying enough.

No, Joe, the real dodos are the legacy media propagandists that publish state-approved press releases straight from the mouths of Axelrod and Emanuel. And judging by the circulation of your noxious rag, it won't be long before you're officially on their payroll.


Hat tip: Memeorandum. Linked by: Michelle Malkin. Thanks!

Celebrate the rise of Red China with this lovely collector's item

Nothing says "I'm celebrating the 60th anniversary of the rise of Communist China" like a solid gold Leica MP camera that costs more than a house in Motown.

...in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, the camera company [is releasing] this 24 carat gold-plated shooter. Limited to a run of 60, each hallmarked with a year between 1949 and 2009, the Golden Camera is encased in red calfskin, bears an inscription of Mao Zedong's favorite slogan, and sports a Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 lens.

To max out the gaudiness, you also get a wooden box to store your equipment in. Sold exclusively in mainland China, these will cost 199,900 Chinese Yuan ($29,300) each, though Leica is also bringing out limited edition M8.2 and D-Lux 4 models -- sans any precious metals -- for the more budget-conscious patriots out there.

While China's government may not be as good as the Democrats at rah-rah posters, hopey-changey slogans and party apparatchiks, they certainly don't play a second fiddle when it comes to capitalism.


Larwyn's Linx: Five Easy Questions for Obama

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

Five Easy Questions for Obama: AT (Hoven)
What does the President like about America?: Anchoress
Obamacare: not so dead: Ace

"They warned us he wasn't ready": Driscoll
We're in the Best of Hands: JWF
Obama's Rhetoric Vs. Free Speech: Kesler

Double-standard at St. Louis U: BMW
Brown victory alters CA primary race: PJM
Faux Health Reform: Times

Economy

The Chess Game of Financial Regulation: Kling
The Context Of Middle-Class Frustration: Doctor Zero
Time to Take on the Unions: AT

From Hope and Change to This: InstaPundit
Hard to Kill: Bureaucracies Take on a Life of Their Own: PJM
2nd term for Bernanke in peril in Senate: Times

White House: We saved or created 400 gajillion-zillion jobs: GWP
Obama plotting a domestic counterinsurgency?: AT

Climate & Energy

The Purge Continues: Watts
Hiding the decline: what the 'hockey stick' really looks like: BlogProf
For the IPCC AR4, looks like another retraction is needed: Watts

Global Warming and the Science Fair Test: AT
The AGW Collapse–The Calving Begins: CBullitt
Climategate: the wheels come off for the IPCC: PJM

The Roots of Sustainability: National Assocation of Scholars

Media

Smells like burning astroturf: same pro-Obamacare letters appear across the country: Patterico
Linking Ellie Light To The White House: Riehl
A Brilliant Progressive Diatribe Aimed At Obama: Wizbang

The Pernicious Prevalence of Race in American Discourse: PJM
Media Matters Attacks Beck – Ignores Progressive Roots Of The Klan And Holocaust: BigGovt
As it Nears Bankruptcy, L.A. Times Takes a Valiant Stand Against Free Speech: BigJourn

So I guess Bob Herbert is a racist, too: DPU
NBC's Chuck Todd: Because of Tea Parties... Obama Can't Buy Republican Votes!: NewsBusters
Apologize to Rush Limbaugh, Mr. Foxman: BigJourn

World

Red Alert: UK Raises Terror Threat Level, Attack "Highly Likely": Jawa
The Point of No Return: Iran's Nuclear Ambitions Will Not Be Interrupted by Obama: RubRep
A suspicious air crash in Beirut: TAB

Scott Brown Win Is a Victory For Bush Foreign Policy, Defeat For Ron Paul Isolationism: BigGovt
Berlin: Muslimas Attack Fellow Students Who Don't Wear Hijabs: Jawa
Netanyahu: West Bank Areas Will Stay: Times

SciTech

Kaspersky Lab issues 2010 cyberthreat forecast: MENAFN
120,000-foot freefall: InstaPundit

Cornucopia

Miss Ella and Anyone: Anchoress
Mo'Nique Ur 2 hot for me: C&S