This week's sign of the Apocalypse

Were people asking him to? Did Rand Paul insinuate that he could? Is a time machine the only way to fix mistakes? Does not having a time machine absolve one from any responsibility for their actions?

People, if that crawl-line is true, why do we even have a government at all?

Grand Game: Remarkably Dumb Economics Edition

"Discredited marginal productivity economics"?  Seriously?  One can say that there are problems with banks (barriers to entry, overly friendly regulation, etc.) without deciding to just make up your own personal theories of economics, pumpkin.

Enjoy?

Never predict anything, least of all the future

"This fall, as the exchanges come on line, tens of millions of people are going to find they can get health coverage they never could before. They are likely to be quite happy about that, especially if they’ve been hearing for months in advance that it will be a mess."

~Josh Barro, April 29th 2013

Grand Game: Really Dumb Stats Edition

Oh my sweet heavens above.  This is awesome.  Gives that whole "baby-killing conservatives" new vitality!

MSNBC jumps the shark

Consider this description of an MSNBC report:


MSNBC co-host Touré thinks the main reason Senator Mary Landrieu (D., La.) and other red-state Democrats are moving forward with bills to delay Obamacare is that they’ve been “gerrymandered” into safe seats. 

He explained on The Cycle that vulnerable Democrats such as Landrieu, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, and Mark Pryor of Arkansas have to deal with appealing to right-leaning constituents because of their . . . situation. “We see red-state Democrats who are dealing with the challenge of living and governing in a gerrymandered world,” Touré said. 

Um...he does understand that those are all SENATORS, right?  Elected from states?  The big things on the map, the ones with the state lines set by federal statutes of territorial admission?  

I mean, it's one thing to claim that problems in the House are caused by gerrymandering.  (They aren't).  But...the Senate?  Really?  I understand that MSNBC doesn't hire commentators with an IQ over 80, but this is embarrassing.

A Homeless Man in Hoboken?

I'm not sure this is legit.  Some legs may be being pulled.

I don't doubt that a homeless man got beaten up, and I'm sorry about that (in Hoboken?  In HOBOken, a homeless man?  Seriously?).

But the breathless "You should all be afraid of the very scary black people!" news reporters is a bit much.

early merry chrixmix

Cote Chow

People want to know:  What does James Cote have for breakfast?

Answer:  (Yes, that's a piece of salmon and five thick slices of bacon).

Identify the speaker....

Let's play...WHO SAID IT?

Here is the quote:

"The yawning inequality of income and wealth is not because the middle class isn’t working hard enough or because the richest fraction of a percent is making an enormous contribution,” [BLANK] told Salon. “Much of the reason is what economists call ‘rent seeking,’ or extracting money without doing anything useful, mostly in the financial sector. It’s a wonder the economy has the strength to get out of bed in the morning.”

Wow.  That actually sounds right to me.  Of course, when you read it in context, it's a little creepy.  Still, interesting.


 

Angus Update

Today I am 3 weeks post surgery to repair two torn tendons and shave down two bone spurs in my left shoulder. I was cleared to drive short distances last week. Monday I ate a meal with the fork in my left hand for the first time and yesterday I wrote on the whiteboard in class with my left hand for the first time. My physical therapist says I am ahead of schedule and reduced my visits from 3 a week down to 2 a week. I am off all pain meds and feel more like the old Angus again.

Grand Game: Academic Economic Follies

Grand Game!  A remarkable set of claims here.  Turns out that free markets have been discredited by an asset bubble caused by government mismanagement of financial regulation, money supply, and credit.  More importantly, and astonishingly, Marxism has NOT been discredited by the collapse, or moribund economy, of every country that has ever tried it.  Only in England would one see such a "conference." 

Enjoy, and thanks to John O.

How Fossil Fuels are "Greening" the Planet

Interesting talk (20 mins) by Matt Ridley

http://youtu.be/S-nsU_DaIZE
(Nod to Art Carden)

Seeking Arrnngement Dot Com: Obamacare Edition

Not exactly safe for work.  But pretty funny.

Waiving Goodbye

As noted before in this space, I do not say "goodbye" at parties or large gatherings.  I just leave.

This has been called "Mungering," which Martin defined as "Verb:  to waive goodbye."  Which I thought was pretty clever.

Here is an excellent argument for why Mungering is not only rational, but polite.

Grand Game: Outsourcing

This may be one of the most bizarre misapplications of logic and facts I have ever seen outside of the New York Times.

Please discuss.

Venezuela Price Gouging

Could this happen in the U.S.?

 The Christmas shopping season has started with a jolt here, with the socialist Venezuelan government dispatching soldiers to “occupy” a major chain of electronic goods stores, ordering prices slashed there and in other shops that it has accused of price gouging.

Huge crowds formed outside stores in several cities over the weekend as inflation-weary Venezuelans showed up hoping for bargains. Others took the government’s order as a license to loot: Some posted cellphone videos online showing large-screen televisions and other items being carted off in Valencia, the country’s third-largest city. 

 The dramatic measures, ordered on Friday by President Nicolás Maduro, were reminiscent of the populist gestures of his immediate predecessor, Hugo Chávez, the country’s longtime leader who died in March. They come as the government grapples with serious economic problems, including inflation of 54 percent a year and shortages of many basic goods, including toilet paper, milk and flour. 

All of that is weighing on Mr. Maduro a month ahead of municipal elections that the opposition is seeking to cast as a referendum on his young government. Mr. Maduro argues that his government is facing an “economic war” waged by what he calls the right-wing opposition in Venezuela and its backers in Colombia and the United States. In announcing that military personnel would occupy the five-store electronics chain Daka, Mr. Maduro said that the government would supervise sales at significantly lower prices and that the store’s stock would be liquidated. 

Answer:  If Chris Christie gets his way, yes.  Gov. Christie might well declare a state of emergency if he thinks prices are "too high" during the Christmas shopping season.  Christie is clearly a Chavista at heart.

Monday's Child

1.  Lots of questions here.  Most important:  There's a village called "Wool"?

2.  The 'Dome's going down.  We spent some time there, long ago, Chateau and I.

3.  Electric cars could work, if the electricity were generated by fuel cells.  But where to get the hydrogen?

4.  Movie better if meesa die! And this is disturbing.

5. Come the revolution, we'll all work for the state!

Absolutely Adorable

Pet Porcupine, named Ted (well, Teddy Bear, but Ted for short).  He likes pumpkin.  And he makes joyful sounds.  And I watched the whole thing. And it made me happy.


Nod Dd'A
UPDATE: Porcupine vs. Honey Badger. As you might guess, HB don't care.

Russian Marriage "Market": Fails

Not really very surprising these folks are single.  The rubber gloves are nice, for example.

Nod to MK