"There are men, in all ages, who mean to exercise power usefully; but who mean to exercise it. They mean to govern well; but they mean to govern. They promise to be kind masters; but they mean to be masters." Daniel Webster

Sunday, February 28, 2010

The High Costs of Free TV

The New York Times looks at the work of my former colleague Tom Hazlett.

Long on Anger. Short on Coherence

Jonathan Rauch and Tim Cavanaugh look at modern American conservatism.

How Green Was My Valley

At The American Conseravtive, Daniel Larison has a couple of posts questioning just how strong the opposition is inside Iran.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Batman Readers Quizzed

Jesse Walker points us to this survey from a 1970 issue of Detective Comics.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Immigration and Crime

Ron Unz has a reply to critics of his article noting that increased immigration hasn't brought increased crime.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Treat Me Like a Dog

Reason's latest video looks at what health care reformers could learne from veterinary medicine.




More here.

To Quote Gary Shandling

She's lucky it wasn't a sperm whale. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Seriously, after the first time the whale killed someone, you'd think maybe they'd take it out of the act.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Kneady Kitty

A Robot That Makes Takoyaki from Scratch

Just what the world needs.

The Hotties of Olympic Curling

The Olympics has been doing better ratings than most people expected. These ladies may be one reason. The female biathletes are even more attractive, imo.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Monday, February 22, 2010

Quick. Somebody Buy This for Me

It actually might fit.

Brad DeLong Is Still an Ethics-Free Partisan Hack and a Clueless Idiot (Part of a Series)

Russ Roberts has the latest chapter.

Does This Make Her the Man?

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Headline of the Day

From Stars and Stripes.

Insta-Offended

The Republican Echo Chamber says something nutty. Economist Bruce Bartlett respectfully disagrees, and the REC gets all offended. Clark Stooksbury has the story:

I got to thinking about how Reynolds described Bartlett’s response as “typically intemperate” and did a search to see how often Reynolds found need to chide Bartlett for that failing and found that most previous Instapundit links to him are neutral or positive. It would seem that Bartlett only becomes “intemperate” when he criticizes Glenn Reynolds. My question is, what took you so long Bruce?

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Latin Immigrants and Crime

The American Conservative (yes, the magazine founded by Pat Buchanan) shows that the idea that increased immigration has brought increased crime is a myth.

Brad DeLong Is Stil an Ethics-Free Partisan Hack and a Clueless Idiot (Part of a Series)

Russ Roberts has more.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

More on the Violence in Kurdistan

In addition to firing on political opponents, our allies are kidnapping them from hospitals.

Why You Should Watch the Olympics

Bea's Roundtable

My favorite restaurant turns 60 this year.

In the comments, there's some talk that Bea's is too pricey now. Here's one way of looking at it. When the restaurant opened, it charged 75 cents a person. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis's inlfation calculator, 75 cents in 1950 would be worth $6.63 today.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Bad to Worse in Iraqi Kurdistan

Odd, you never read about things like this on the Republican echo chamber.

Poison Whiskey

When people refused to stop drinking during Prohibition, the government killed them.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

More Trouble in Kurdistan

Michael Rubin has more on what our guys in Iraq are up to.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

You Shook Me Like a Prayer

More Rock Sugar. AC/DC meets Madonna.

Kurdish Militia Fires on Political Opponents

More bad news from Iraq.

Ebert Speaks

Roger Ebert lost his jaw, and his ability to speak, to cancer four years ago. Esquire looks at how modern technology may give him back his voice, sort of.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Julian Simon Would Not Be Surprised

Don Boudreaux points to some good news on oil.

Buy Local

Just not too local.

Monday, February 15, 2010

I Look Out My Window

And I see it's snowing again.

The Great Global Warming U-Turn

The British press has been all over this story, the crumbling of the global warming consensus. The American media has barely touched it.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Hey Great!

More snow.

Dick Cheney Would Approve

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Sun Tzu and America's Way of War

Don Vandergriff points to this interesting article.

Don't Stop the Sandman

Metallica meets Journey.

After Midnight

When I spoke to the National Weather Service testerday afternoon, a forecaster told me we'd have another wave of snow pass trhough the area late tonight/early monday morning. He also said it would leave about a inch of snow.

The first prediction was off. It's snowing now, and by the looks of things we are going to get more than an inch.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Danny Hodge: What Might Have Been?

Dave Meltzer has a good story on what the the all-time greats in amateur wrestling.

The Chinese Mating Market

Steve Sailer looks at what it takes to succeed.

Headline of the Day

Well, that makes sense.

HT: jonah Goldberg

Highway 151

My mom just told me the county says its hazardous and drivers should avoid it. Wish she'd told me that before I almost killed myself on it.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Stimulus Hypocrisy

The Washington Times writes:

Ranked among the most conservative members of the House by the American Conservative Union (ACU), Rep. John Linder, Georgia Republican, posted a blog item on his Web site on Oct. 21, stating that recent unemployment figures "only reinforce the fact that the $787 billion 'stimulus' signed into law eight months ago has done nothing for job growth in this country."

Two weeks earlier, Mr. Linder had sent a letter to [Agriculture Secretary Tom] Vilsack backing an application for stimulus money by the Elauwit Community Foundation, records show. With unemployment in Georgia topping 10 percent, "the employment opportunities created by this program would be quickly utilized," Mr. Linder wrote.


He's not the only "conservative" critic of the stmulus they caught trying to weasle as much of it as he could.

How Do You Say "Hey, Y'all, Watch This" in Australian?

Our Worst Nightmare

Well, besides another snow storm.

@#$%^& Snow!

It's getting old.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

You Betcha

Nick Gillespie reviews books by and about Sarah Palin:

Despite her impressive fan base and her ability to turn out huge crowds, Palin’s own program for “The Way Forward” (as she names a chapter in Going Rogue) makes plain that she is last year’s political model, a vehicle for a backward-looking GOP bent on blending generic social conservatism, small-government encomiums, big government spending, unconvincing outsider outrage, and status quo foreign adventurism. With a Saint Reagan statue firmly glued to the dashboard, of course.

Whatever mojo such rhetorical posturing once had, Americans have heard it all before, most recently during the administration of George W. Bush, who with the able assistance of a Republican majority managed to double overall federal spending in real dollars over the course of eight years. If the Republicans are to regroup and advance in another direction, they will need something other than warmed-over Karl Rove speeches.

The Biparisan Corporate Welfare State

Tim Carney's latest column shows how both the REpublicans and democrats are in deep.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Mexico Getting Less Deadly

Despite the many, high-profile and often gruesome, murders being committed in the drug war, Mexico's homicide rate has actually been declining for over a decade.

How Many Ways Can You Bow in Japan?

It seems to me they should have much more than this article claims.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Brisco Was a Wrestling Hero

Great article by Mike Mooneyham.

Rahm Apologizes

Not sure why Andy Samberg's face is digitized here.

Brad DeLong Is Still an Ethics-Free Partisan Hack and a Clueless Idiot (Part of a Series)

Economist Steve Horwitz explains.

Budget "Hawks" Oppose Budget Cuts

Bet you saw that coming.

Obama Tells the Truth

And Jacob Sullum catches him doing it.

Tea Partiers Go After Ron Paul

They are angry that he doesn't support the war in Iraq, and they say he doesn't bring home enough pork to his district. Really.

Sheriff Joe Faces Sanctions

What's the legal term for destroying records and refusing to turn over material like a court has ordered?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Nathan Abshire: Pine Grove Blues

Returning America to Fiscal Solvency

George Will lauds Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan, while, not surprisingly, Republican leaders in the House of Representtives are running away from it.

Return of the Baltic Tiger

Few countrries were hit worse by the recent worldwide recession than Estonia. authorities there met the crisis by doubling down on their free-market policies. It seems to be paying off.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Friday, February 5, 2010

The Big Hold Up

Daniel Larison looks at Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby's latest shenanigans.

Brad DeLong Is Still an Ethics Free Partisan Hack (Part of a Series)

David Henderson, who is much too nice, has more.

Kathryn Bigelow vs. James Cameron

Steve Sailer looks at the former spouses who will be facing off at this year's Oscars.

Incidentally, here's a photo of Bigelow from a few weeks ago at the Critics Choice Movie Wards. She's 59. Is it just me or does she look much younger?

Bushism of the Day

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Why Is Everything So Green?

TVLand is showing the color episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show," and the walls, the clothes and Mayberry in general seem so green.

I, Beer

Leonard Read might approve of this.

Brad DeLong Is Still an Ethics Free Partisan Hack (Part of a Series)

But Steve Horwitz has some interesting articles up at his blog.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

A Nation of Racist Dwarves

Christopher Hitchens makes North Korea sound like my kind of place.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A Race of Races

Joel Kotkin looks at America's future.

Protect the Environment. Homeschool

Economist Don Boudreaux explains.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Ain't No Sunshine

The Nevile Brothers cover the Bill Withers classic.

Rip Thought He Was Coming Home

He left his hat and boots at the door of the bank he broke into while drunk.

RIP Jack Brisco

The former NCAA and NWA world heavyweight champion has passed away.

Secrets of "The Shining"

This site shows how Stanley Kubrick faked the moon landings.