Monday, December 09, 2013

Monday's Child

1.  This is so cool.  It may be real, or it may not actually work.  But it is SO COOL.

2.  The biggest advantage on-line shopping has is the absence of parking and then waiting in line to buy stuff.  That's a pretty big advantage.  Blaming it on taxes is a little silly.

3.  Once the stuff is there, the Pope wants to pretend it got there by magic.  You can't redistribute a surplus that doesn't exist, there, Papa.  Why not praise the surplus and now advocate good Christian charity, instead?

4.  Delta is ready when THEY are.  You, not so much.  (In case you forgot the old jingle)

5.  Millenial narcissism.  Not universal, but it happens a lot. STFU and get a job, folks.



6.  Hats off to Ozzie and Daniel Silna!  Way to negotiate.

7.  Russ Roberts examines Prez O's numbers.  They are not good.  But Ezra Klein exhibits grade inflation:  if that speech is an "A", A's have no real meaning.

8.  Large, complex tax schemes are effective entry barriers against innovation and competition.  Not surprisingly, large inefficient dinosaur companies think the carbon tax, a large complex tax scheme, would be peachy keen.

9.  NSA says it is "obvious" that it needs no warrant to track people and their locations.  Why, exactly, is that "obvious"?  This should be more widely read, perhaps.  I understand that our state-worshipping law schools no longer think of the 4th Amendment as central, but I didn't consent to that.

10.  I am sometimes (okay, often) sarcastically critical of Matt Y.  Let's give him some credit here.  Clearly right.

11.  This won't end well.  It will have a certain justice, perhaps, but it won't end well.

12.  These are good.  Each in its own way.

13.  Could Ken White possibly be MORE awesome?  Answer:  perhaps, but I don't see how.

14.  Harvard faculty:  We are amazing so everyone gets an "A"!  Harvard students:  We, too, are amazing, and so we all DESERVE an "A."  Hard to see why anyone would argue.  At least not if you are Harvard students or faculty.

15.  Noah has a pretty fair-minded review of John C' review of macro and ignorance.  Useful.

16.  Police:  If we have to get a warrant, we are going to kill your dogs. Interestingly, the decision to shoot dogs is TOTALLY discretionary.  So the threat may not even be illegal.

17.  The monuments men.

18. It's pretty great when people from a socialist country decide to come to the U.S., because it's so easy to defraud our welfare and medical system.  I'm not sure we want to be the world's patsies, but there it is.

19.  I really did check to see if this is a hoax.  Because it CAN'T be right.  And it's not right.  But it is true.

20.  When you lose the late-night comics, you are losing pretty bad.  Mr. Obama seems to be losing.

21.  A "$5 more" sale.  Wait.  What?

22,  Have it your way.  But please let us have the cash back.

23.  Is Elizabeth Warren as evil, as unprincipled, and as thuggish as folks say?  Yes, she is.

24.  Jason Brennan gives a short "Introduction to Logic."  To be fair, I see the application of this logic also when I talk to the sons and daughters of the left:  (ME):  "I don't think ACA is a very good health care plan."  (Friend):  "Oh, so you hate children.  Why do you hate children?"  (ME):  "...."

25.  So, apparently a prosthetic arm was stolen.  But they found it later.  It was in a ...second hand shop.  Thanks, folks!  And please tip your waitresses.

26.  Who benefits from capitalism?

27.  I tend to believe women, when they say they have been assaulted.  But this is worrisome.

28.  Damaging something that belongs to "the state"?  That's gonna cost you, son.  Who said you could trim those overgrown bushes?  It's criminal charges for you, Scooter.

29.  A lot of good stuff here.  A lot.  Like, this, for example.

30.  "Rumor Control Centers":  I assume that we have these again, to "control" rumors about ACA.   What?  Yes?  Yes, we do?  Nice.

31.  The new Russian export:  Homophobia.

32.  A guy who wears white women (his description) as they were trophy scarves (his description also).  Or so it is claimed.  A number of ways this could be a spoof, of course.  He is married, and claims his wife "tolerates" the project.  This suggests a new excuse if one gets caught adulterating:  "I was....I was....I was trying have my picture taken wearing this naked woman as a scarf!    Or a mustache.  Or something.  Dear."

33.  I'm a sucker for classical music flash-mobs.  This is the Air Force Band.

34.   Pretty.  A nice way to end this week's link-fest.


6 comments:

W.E. Heasley said...

Regarding #7 and Russ Roberts most excellent line-by-line rebuttal:

“As values of community broke down, and competitive pressure increased, businesses lobbied Washington to weaken unions and the value of the minimum wage. As a trickle-down ideology became more prominent, taxes were slashed for the wealthiest, while investments in things that make us all richer, like schools and infrastructure, were allowed to wither. And for a certain period of time, we could ignore this weakening economic foundation, in part because more families were relying on two earners as women entered the workforce. We took on more debt financed by a juiced-up housing market. But when the music stopped, and the crisis hit, millions of families were stripped of whatever cushion they had left.

And the result is an economy that’s become profoundly unequal, and families that are more insecure.” - Mr. Obama

Would not the above economic analysis and conclusion, based upon man-in-the-street- economics (smartest White House ever!), have been more convincing if it had opened with: “Almost all mainstream Baghdad Bob’s agree….” -or- “Based upon widely agreed upon confirmation bias…” ?

Then again, one needs to consider the structure of the pronouncement regarding the Dopeler Effect.

Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

Anonymous said...

#1 reminds me of the C64 game Paradroid. Awesome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradroid

Eric said...

The marginal tax rate explanation in 29 is pretty lame though...Their "last" dollar is taxed at 40%, not their "next" dollar? Perhaps this is correct, in an existential sense.

AD said...

#8 -- "The development is a striking departure from conservative orthodoxy..."

Oh boy. Journalists need to read up on public choice.

John Covil said...

#5 - It still blows my mind that someone would think it a good idea to bring a parent along to a job interview.

Dave said...

#5 - Wait, Amy is a lesbian?