tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480830292556219522024-02-06T22:17:32.304-06:00Flit-TMPersonal blog of TM Lutas, Geopolitical analyst and founder of Citizen Intelligence. TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.comBlogger518125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-69855969381583768362023-04-06T07:35:00.000-05:002023-04-06T07:35:03.164-05:00Don't just sit there, mourning the US republic, do something<p> There are an awful lot of problems facing the US that are too big for an individual to do something about. But there are an awful lot of problems small enough to fix by individual effort but still not being fixed. </p><p>I think a lot of that is people feeling overwhelmed and giving up on doing something because what's the point? The big stuff is going to make things worse anyway. But even if the inevitability of a national divorce happens, the pothole on your street is still annoying, still needs fixing, and you can make that happen. </p>TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-32311337881576919622023-04-05T21:02:00.001-05:002023-04-05T21:02:07.336-05:00Oh look at that dust<p> Life's changed quite a bit since I wrote here last. Cancer (in remission) and losing my parents are the big ones. It all gives a changed perspective about life. </p><p>I don't feel like starting a new blog, so here I am again. </p>TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-9061260869006772242020-08-05T11:36:00.000-05:002020-08-05T11:36:02.314-05:00Monkeybread software filemaker plugin download coinmarketcap map using CURL<p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Download coinmarket cap list of all the coins and tokens it tracks using Monkeybread software's Filemaker plugin and FMPA 15. Here's the script text: <br /><br />Set Variable [ $curl ; Value: MBS("CURL.New") ]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Set Variable [ $result ; Value: MBS("CURL.SetOptionURL"; $curl; "http://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/cryptocurrency/map") ]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Set Variable [ $result ; Value: MBS("curl.SetOptionHTTPHeader";$curl;"Limit: 6000";<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>"Postman-Token: <<No you don't get the postman token>>" ;<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>"X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: <<No you don't get my API key>>" ; <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>"cache-control: no-cache" ; <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>"listing_status: active" ; <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>"start: 1") ]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Set Field [ CURL Test::Result ; MBS("CURL.Perform"; $curl) ]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Set Field [ CURL Test::Content ; MBS("CURL.GetResultAsText"; $curl) ]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Set Field [ CURL Test::debug ; MBS("CURL.GetDebugAsText"; $curl) ]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Set Field [ CURL Test::header ; MBS("CURL.GetHeaderAsText"; $curl) ]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Set Variable [ $result ; Value: MBS("CURL.Cleanup"; $curl) ]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p>TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-59334608881449771322020-08-05T11:23:00.004-05:002020-08-05T11:23:53.646-05:00Blow the dust off this thingCurrently looking to document some FileMaker work that doesn't seem to be done anywhere else and this personal blog looks to be as good a place as any to do that. More later today. TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-33684276747007785112019-10-31T07:35:00.001-05:002019-10-31T07:35:10.527-05:00I do much of my writing on Quora these days but as I don't control that platform, I occasionally get content deleted. Here's the <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-do-you-think-of-the-just-released-memorandum-of-the-conversation-between-Trump-and-the-Ukrainian-President/answer/Peter-Kruger/comment/110777835">latest</a>:<br /><br />"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">You missed the turning point. You’re still missing it. President Trump pays to maintain his own private security as President. This decision happened prior to the election. Candidate Trump did it.</span><div class="qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; direction: ltr !important; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">
President Trump makes the Secret Service HQ outside of Trump Tower. His stated reason was that when Donald Trump was effectively bargaining on both sides of the table, the amount that the Trump Organization was charging the Secret Service was too much to justify the Secret Service footprint to guard President Donald Trump.</div>
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What a load of horse hockey pucks.</div>
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This is an administration that walked into the White House without the full confidence of the President that he was physically safe if he solely relied on the government to secure him.</div>
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That judgment has never changed. It’s not something that is even debated much as a serious issue.</div>
<div class="qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; direction: ltr !important; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">
It is *the* issue.</div>
<div class="qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; direction: ltr !important; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">
Is the government of the United States safe to trust with the life of the President of the United States? If the answer is no, no bit of horsetrading for favors or even venal corruption matters. We’ve functionally lost representative government and we’re not a republic and Donald Trump is going to get all the support he needs from the right to clean house.</div>
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If the President *is* safe but is so paranoid that he runs his own private security anyway, well, that’s actually the best 25th amendment replacement argument out there. But the Democrats, even the rabid ones on the far left who call Donald Trump an actual traitor, have never touched it."</div>
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<br /></div>
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An appeal is filed. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Trump is being allowed to get away with a bunch of venal sins because he's right on the big issues and the biggest issue of all is the continuation of the US republic. </div>
TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-65515550312668204212017-02-22T10:05:00.000-06:002017-02-22T10:05:04.727-06:00Is it time for the internet plus one? A question that is rolling around in my head: <br /><br />Is the threat of internet censorship at a level where prudent people should diversify their 21st century communication and economy efforts to create personal and corporate Internet plus one strategies?TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-8107691436092035692017-02-20T08:12:00.000-06:002017-02-20T08:12:15.564-06:00Weight loss practiceLet's see how disciplined I actually can be.<br />
<br />
I am one overweight fellow.<br />I need to fix that.<br />Today I weighed in at 300.0 pounds<br /><br />This is actually an improvement over my all time peak of 315.<br /><br />Target weight is 195.<br />Weekly goal is 2 lbs loss per week.<br /><br />Daily weigh ins start now.<br /><br />The foreseeable challenge is when life happens and I get knocked off rhythm. Getting back into pattern always defeats me up to now.<br />
<br />
<br />TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-47326732517291565952017-01-26T10:13:00.000-06:002017-01-26T10:13:13.341-06:00Trying a bit of twitter activismI've been saying that publishing what govt does, what the standard of performance is, and the actual performance for each item would revolutionize the country for years, then I saw this
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Kellyanne Conway: "White House & media are going to share joint custody of this nation for 8 years. We ought to figure out how to co-parent"</div>
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/823888635934232576">January 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Any serious takers? <a href="https://t.co/GhFfaJLtxC">https://t.co/GhFfaJLtxC</a></div>
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) <a href="https://twitter.com/KellyannePolls/status/824009855463735297">January 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
<br />
So I volunteered. No idea if she's going to even read it, much less respond. We'll see.<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-47659571346876348512017-01-06T22:19:00.001-06:002017-01-06T22:19:13.362-06:00Well that blew upLost my post for the third and the partial for the fourth. Time to regroup and create something that is not so susceptible to fat finger errors.TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-19077935088404888672017-01-04T13:01:00.000-06:002017-01-04T19:47:52.126-06:00RCP 2012.01.02 review<div style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;">
This is a daily report I'm starting up in order to find and create Citizen Intelligence government oversight widgets by simply taking the meat of what's already getting written and putting it into a form that a computer can automatically update a widget automatically and inexpensively. Articles that have no potential widgets are labeled as no substance because, for my purposes, there's nothing usable there. </div>
<h3 style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em;">
RealClearPolitics <span class="red" style="font-size: 1.3em;">Morning</span><span style="font-size: 1.3em;"> </span><span style="font-size: 1.3em;">Edition</span></h3>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/the_art_of_getting_to_know_trump_399080.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">The Art of Getting to Know Trump</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/salena_zito" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/salena_zito" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Salena Zito</a>, <span class="source">Washington Examiner<br />No substance whatsoever, just an evaluation of Trump and an exhortation to read his book.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/lessons_from_the_media039s_failures_in_its_year_with_trump_399088.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Lessons From the Media's Failures in Its Year With Trump</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/undefined" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/undefined" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Nicholas Kristof</a>, <span class="source">NY Times</span></div>
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<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<span class="source">The media failed to cover Trump properly, a truism<br />The media is insufficiently diverse and not just in terms of skin color - potential report, how diverse is your media?<br />The media should work harder to debunk false stories, welcome to the party<br />A great deal of pap about focusing on substance without any suggestion on how to do it sustainably</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/president_obama039s_not_so_glorious_legacy_399077.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">President Obama's Not So Glorious Legacy</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/joel_kotkin" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/joel_kotkin" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Joel Kotkin</a>, <span class="source">Orange County Register</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<span class="source">Obama peaked early and couldn't live up to high early expectations. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: 0.8em;">Obama made race relations worse - potential report, how are race relations?<br />Obama made economy modestly recover - potential report, evaluating presidential economic performance fairly</span></div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/the_return_of_civil_disobedience_399105.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">The Return of Civil Disobedience</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/jelani_cobb" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/jelani_cobb" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Jelani Cobb</a>, <span class="source">The New Yorker<br />No substance whatsoever, Trump's awful, sort of like Nixon but probably worse. Prepare for street violence. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/pc_police_crack_down_onkids_books_399094.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">PC Police Crack Down on...Kids Books</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/meghan_cox_gurdon" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/meghan_cox_gurdon" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Meghan Gurdon</a>, <span class="source">Wall Street Journal<br />Listing a number of literary works aimed at children that people tried to get banned. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/01/02/a_year_to_protect_democracy_132692.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">A Year to Protect Democracy</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/ej_dionne" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/ej_dionne" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">E.J. Dionne</a>, <span class="source">Washington Post<br />One sided anti-right call to arms to protect democracy.<br />An entire category of potential reports to monitor democracy health, no direct inspiration. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/why_did_obama_pander_to_un039s_stunning_anti-israel_bias_398983.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Why Did Obama Pander to UN's Stunning Anti-Israel Bias?</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/maajid_nawaz" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/maajid_nawaz" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Maajid Nawaz</a>, <span class="source">Daily Beast<br />The UN is disproportionately anti-Israel - potential report, UN condemnations by country vs size of offense<br />The US sided with anti-Israel bigots</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/kremlin_response_to_obama_laughter_399081.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Kremlin Response to Obama? Laughter</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/monica_showalter" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/monica_showalter" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Monica Showalter</a>, <span class="source">American Thinker<br />No substance whatsoever, Russia's taunting Obama</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/marshall_plans_not_martial_plans_399085.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Marshall Plans, Not Martial Plans</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/undefined" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/undefined" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Sen. Chris Murphy</a>, <span class="source">New York Times<br />No substanc whatsoever, Syria's a disaster and we should send money to stabilize Lebanon & Jordan. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/democrats_face_rough_electoral_path_to_the_midterms_398917.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Democrats Face Rough Electoral Path to the Midterms</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/undefined" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/undefined" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Matt Mackowiak</a>, <span class="source">NY Observer<br />No substance whatsoever, discussion of Senate map which favors Republicans in 2018</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/violence_in_the_halls_disorder_in_the_malls_398971.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Violence in the Halls, Disorder in the Malls</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/heather_mac_donald" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/heather_mac_donald" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Heather Mac Donald</a>, <span class="source">City Journal<br />Flash mob and school violence are paired but evidence is being suppressed by race policy - potential report, accurate race attribution of violence by geographic area. Potential report - disruptive student treatment by school/school district</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/school_choice_for_children_who_have_none_399096.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">School Choice for Children Who Have None</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/fred_hiatt" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/fred_hiatt" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Fred Hiatt</a>, <span class="source">Washington Post<br />Fund school choice for poor kids. Fund education by attaching the money to kids, not schools. Potential report - jurisdictions that have/are discussing family funding</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/2016_politics_in_one_word--sad_399078.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">2016 Politics in One Word--Sad!</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/carl_m_cannon" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/carl_m_cannon" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Carl Cannon</a>, <span class="source">Orange County Register<br />No substance whatsoever, everybody but GW Bush is acting like a juvenile. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/four_of_2016039s_worst_political_faceplants_398978.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Four of 2016's Worst Political Faceplants</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/eddie_zipperer" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/eddie_zipperer" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Eddie Zipperer</a>, <span class="source">LifeZette<br />No substance whatsoever, counting coup on 2016 political losers, Kasich, Huelskamp, Silver, Clinton. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/why_google039s_larry_page_is_pouring_millions_into_flying_cars_399052.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Why Google's Larry Page Is Pouring Millions Into Flying Cars</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/timothy_lee" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/timothy_lee" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Timothy Lee</a>, <span class="source">Vox<br />No substance whatsoever, neat technology article on progress on flying cars. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/advice_for_donald_trump_10_ways_to_cut_waste_398694.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Advice for Donald Trump: 10 Ways to Cut Waste</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/adam_andrzejewski" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/adam_andrzejewski" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Adam Andrzejewski</a>, <span class="source">Forbes<br />Plenty of meat here with a report for nine of the ten ways to cut waste. Potential report - track arming of federal regulatory agencies. Potential report - track the number of lawyers at EPA (too few/too many). Potential report - sanctuary cities receipt of federal dollars. Potential report - Agency PR expenditures. Potential report - small business lending to non-small business by sector and by year. Potential report - document Ex-im bank transactions. Potential report - monitor ivy-league federal spending. Potential report - monitor VA wait times by service area. Potential report - identify lavishly compensated non-federal employees and match that up with federal assistance to pay for those over-expensive salaries</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/something_about_this_russia_hacking_story_stinks_399024.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Something About This Russia Hacking Story Stinks</a></div>
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/matt_taibbi" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/matt_taibbi" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Matt Taibbi</a>, <span class="source">Rolling Stone<br />No substance whatsoever, there's a lot of discussion about the stink coming off this Russian hacking story but nothing that seems suitable for an ongoing report. </span><br />
<span class="source"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3 style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em;">
RealClearPolitics <span class="red">Afternoon</span> Edition</h3>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/priebus_faces_daunting_task_bringing_order_to_white_house_399137.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Priebus Faces Daunting Task Bringing Order to White House</a></div>
<br />
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/karen_tumulty" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/karen_tumulty" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Karen Tumulty</a>, <span class="source">WP<br />No substance whatsoever, predictions on likely chaos if Priebus isn't elevated and normal order established. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/2016039s_biggest_loser_big_green_399099.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">2016's Biggest Loser: Big Green</a></div>
<br />
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/stephen_moore" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/stephen_moore" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Stephen Moore</a>, <span class="source">Investor's Business Daily<br />No substance whatsoever, horserace handicapping Big Green as the big loser in 2016. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/for_democrats_some_slivers_of_hope_399139.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">For Democrats, Some Slivers of Hope</a></div>
<br />
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/michael_cohen" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/michael_cohen" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Michael Cohen</a>, <span class="source">Boston Globe<br />No substance whatsoever, wishful thinking about how much better it might be for Democrats in 2018 and 2020. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/2017_to_be_year_of_massive_change_in_washington_399102.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">2017 to Be Year of Massive Change in Washington</a></div>
<br />
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/james_antle" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/james_antle" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">James Antle</a>, <span class="source">Washington Examiner<br />No substance whatsoever, predictions on what's to be done for 2017. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/trump_is_unpopular_and_so_is_the_republican_agenda_398950.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Trump Is Unpopular, and So Is the Republican Agenda</a></div>
<br />
<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/undefined" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/undefined" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Jamelle Bouie</a>, <span class="source">Slate<br />No substance whatsoever, do not worry to the point of depression Democrats, it's actually not as bad as you think. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/01/02/defund_the_united_nations_132694.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Defund the United Nations</a></div>
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<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/rich_lowry" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/rich_lowry" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Rich Lowry</a>, <span class="source">New York Post<br />No substance whatsoever, the UN is awful and should be defunded or significantly cut back. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/obama_puts_trump_on_the_spot_with_russia_sanctions_398973.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Obama Puts Trump on the Spot With Russia Sanctions</a></div>
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<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/frida_ghitis" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/frida_ghitis" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Frida Ghitis</a>, <span class="source">CNN<br />No substance whatsoever, more inside baseball of no lasting significance. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/newsflash_russia_is_not_the_soviet_union_399065.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Newsflash: Russia Is Not the Soviet Union</a></div>
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<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/undefined" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/undefined" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Doug Bandow</a>, <span class="source">The National Interest<br />No substance whatsoever, conciliatory spin minimizing the threat from Russia. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/01/02/the_lefts_indecent_proposal_for_appointing_garland_132693.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">The Left's Indecent Proposal for Appointing Garland</a></div>
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<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/bill_scher" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/bill_scher" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Bill Scher</a>, <span class="source">RealClearPolitics<br />Not much substance here, though perhaps... Potential report - recess clocks counting down when President can fill without Senate</span></div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/how_trump_made_hatred_profitable_for_milo_yiannopoulos_399135.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">How Trump Made Hatred Profitable for Milo Yiannopoulos</a></div>
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<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/ruth_ben-ghiat" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/ruth_ben-ghiat" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Ruth Ben-Ghiat</a>, <span class="source">CNN<br />No substance whatsoever, apparently the author thinks Trump is also a dangerous faggot. </span></div>
</div>
<span class="source"></span><br />
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
<div class="title" style="display: inline; margin-right: 2px;">
<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/01/02/political_correctness_dies_hard_399136.html" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Political Correctness Dies Hard</a></div>
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<div class="byline" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8em;">
<a data-mce-href="../../authors/robert_knight" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/robert_knight" style="color: black; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Robert Knight</a>, <span class="source">Washington Times<br />No substance whatsoever, illustrations of ridiculous PC. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="post" style="font-family: ROBOTO, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 2.75px 0px;">
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TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-85417324501620651212017-01-03T18:03:00.001-06:002017-01-03T18:03:10.521-06:00Things I learned from patients thread78 forum pages (at time of posting) of <a href="https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/things-i-learn-from-my-patients.257985/">short vignettes of how crazy doctoring can be</a>. The thread started in 2003 and is still going strong.<br />
<br />TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-74155181690284980952017-01-02T16:03:00.000-06:002017-01-02T16:03:07.707-06:00liar liar pants on fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have a conversation on Quora where the person I was talking to deleted a comment and is now claiming that they did not. Here's the relevant screen shot just so it can be preserved at an url that she can't get rid of. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIAuALTaALuUCrFsQSthK3pMYRBfiNTwyHtnPodJI3f8LJ3lYWXlTVE2twgoZ6zhYY-nm0Gz3hHF5htT9iWfwJrYW7aaj45Crk8VZWuvVgxIcjCXr3pcyD4BCEmvjDCm3g98R0yX-FAQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-02+at+5.00.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIAuALTaALuUCrFsQSthK3pMYRBfiNTwyHtnPodJI3f8LJ3lYWXlTVE2twgoZ6zhYY-nm0Gz3hHF5htT9iWfwJrYW7aaj45Crk8VZWuvVgxIcjCXr3pcyD4BCEmvjDCm3g98R0yX-FAQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-02+at+5.00.42+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-5197503741179009112015-09-17T08:02:00.003-05:002015-09-17T08:02:58.116-05:00It's officialI've ceased to be a lazy bum who didn't shave and now officially have a beard. This morning was the first time I actually did a bit of grooming to manage it. <div>
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<div>
Right now my family's split between new house in North Charleston, SC and old house in Munster, IN and all the anti-beard members of the family are in new house while I work on getting the old house in shape to sell. I've got a hard date of mid November to get this done and move but hope to be out of the midwest sometime in October. </div>
TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-13533530823665043672015-04-02T08:46:00.002-05:002015-04-02T08:46:58.533-05:00Military CorruptionStrategy Page has an important article on a form of <a href="http://strategypage.com/%5Chtmw%5Chtlead%5Carticles%5C20150330.aspx">military corruption that is growing in the US</a>. Unfortunately, some people don't seem to intuitively get how the phenomenon of micromanagement on the field of battle is corrupt and the article doesn't lay out its "j'accuse" thesis clearly enough to make it clear to all. Senior military officials and politicians are offloading their career risk of something bad happening in the field by stretching out the OODA loop of combat troops. This increases the chance that people die and a given combat mission fails. Protecting the career of a president or a flag rank officer with the blood of some private out in the field is corrupt, offensively so. Even if nobody dies and the cost is merely extending a firefight by half an hour, that is half an hour extra that the team is playing the PTSD game of russian roulette. There is no cost free way to micromanage. There are just ways to do it that are visibly cost free for the people in DC.<br />
<br />
Here's the comment I put at the article:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We know that delays getting wounded to medical care increase deaths beyond what is unavoidable. The "golden hour" is something that has been identified as a metric that is important and that's right and proper. But micromanagement kills too and that appears not to be as universally recognized with no metrics to track it and blame to apportion when it happens. It is stretching out the combatants OODA loop which increases the chance we lose or at least take greater casualties than otherwise necessary. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We need to measure the phenomenon and attach consequences to the abuse. The computing power needed to do this is available. When command knows that there is a timer going on every time they stick their nose in and that their names will attach to casualties caused by their intervention, the problem of micromanagement will shrink because we will have a feedback loop to punish those who engage in inappropriate intervention. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The fact that we have not embedded this feedback loop and are increasing the risk enlisted and junior officers take unnecessarily is a corrupt offloading of risk from seniors who are engaging in career protection to juniors who bleed for it. </blockquote>
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HT: <a href="http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/204452">Instapundit</a>TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-12656384278059376292015-01-19T10:03:00.005-06:002015-01-19T10:03:56.653-06:00Restoring the Caliphate is an imperial projectWords have meaning. It seems perfectly obvious to me that the Caliph leads the Caliphate and that the caliphate is the multi-national collection of islamic states. In general terms, the Caliph is an emperor, which makes restoring the caliphate an imperial project, and radical islam, which wants to restore the caliphate, an imperialist venture.<br />
<br />
Then the world turns upside down.<br />
<br />
The putatively anti-imperialist forces in the west on the left tend to be the softest when it comes to radical islam. Bill Maher has made <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9i7fRy26V4">left wing softness on radical islam</a> a major theme of his career. But even Maher doesn't look at radical islam in terms of empire. For him, his opposition is part and parcel of his deep commitment to atheism. To him radical Islam is just religion on steroids.<br />
<br />
Finding anti-imperial critiques of radical islam arising from the left is tough going. This provides an opportunity to call out the left and for a new left to arise that is authentically anti-imperialist no matter where imperialism arises.TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-69615676492967226832015-01-16T17:18:00.002-06:002015-01-16T17:18:39.211-06:00Linus promotes competence, attacked for it by Social Justice Warriors<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
The Linux community needs to kick out Linus Torvalds.<br />
— Shanley (@shanley) <a href="https://twitter.com/shanley/status/555861584862388224">January 15, 2015</a></blockquote>
This is in response to a <a href="http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/01/linus-torvalds-on-why-he-isnt-nice-i-dont-care-about-you/">Q&A session</a> in New Zealand where Linus made it very clear that competence and good code are most important for him and everything else is just an also ran when it comes to the Linux kernel. For him, diversity didn't rate at all. In the inevitable partial walkbalk followup, Linus <a href="http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/01/linus-torvalds-responds-to-ars-about-diversity-niceness-in-open-source/">tosses more salt in SJW wounds</a> by raising the importance of diversity along other poles. The importance of genital equipment to programming continues to elude him.<br />
<br />
At least @shanley gets one thing right. When you're launching an attack on the Internet, attack someone bigger and more important than you.<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-5134845564160938312015-01-13T12:14:00.000-06:002015-01-13T12:14:19.230-06:00An Idiot's Guide to Distinguishing the Baga attack from the Paris attackIt seems someone needs to write this because some writers have exposed themselves as idiots who can't tell the difference between the attacks in Baga and Paris without making <a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2015-01-13-france-versus-nigeria-why-african-lives-matter-less">ugly racist accusations</a>. <div>
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<div>
1. Paris is a world capital in a country that generally believed itself not at war on its own territory. Combat breaking out in such a capital is big news. When capitals fall, regimes fall. Baga is a remote border town that is not even the capital of its local state. It has come under attack within the past two years and it's likely to happen again during the next two years as things go. </div>
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<br /></div>
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2. Boko Haram is a significant military force that at least sort of fits within the standard framework of how people go to war in the modern age. The irregulars attacking in Paris are an example of a systemic threat to the Westphalian system that has undergirded how nations interact with each other since the peace of Westphalia in 1648. If Westphalia goes, a lot of things change. If Boko Haram takes even a province or two, nothing systemic changes. </div>
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3. Nigeria's rulers have decided that it is in their interest to minimize the tragedy of Baga. France's rulers have decided that it is in their interests to play up the tragedy of Paris. The rest of the world's leadership rightfully take cues from the leader of the country in which the attack has taken place. </div>
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4. There is a political affinity between France's governing party (socialist) and the marxists that put out Charlie Hebdo. There is a political rivalry between the muslim north (where Baga is) and the christian south (where the current government is drawn from). This naturally leads to different treatment. While it's unfortunate, race has nothing to do with it in either case. </div>
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TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-75118964472051922612015-01-11T02:19:00.001-06:002015-01-11T02:19:32.765-06:00EducationIs it just me or are people looking to expand the time spent on preparing for life while shrinking the time spent actually living life productively? Instead of proposing <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/01/08/obama-free-community-college/21466969/">free community college</a>, turning the secondary education system into grades K-14, wouldn't it make more sense to work to stuff more learning into the present time available?<br />
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The problem with my proposal is that we'd have to pay attention, seriously ask <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc">what is school for</a>, and take action to fix what ails the education/employment system. There are entrenched interests standing in the way of that conversation and the likelihood of success is low. So why not just whistle past the graveyard as another year is lost by kids being taught inefficiently and ineffectively?TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-62457594481189238272015-01-07T18:25:00.000-06:002015-01-07T18:25:08.905-06:00Je Suis CharlieIslamic radicals, with their <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/gunmen-storm-paris-satirical-newspaper-killing-at-least-11/2015/01/07/f358b17a-9660-11e4-aabd-d0b93ff613d5_story.html">usual style</a>, have asked the world to repeat Everybody Draw Mohammad Day. As before this has caught me by surprise so I will simply <a href="http://www.snappingturtle.net/jmc/tmblog/archives/006727.html">repeat my earlier entry</a>.<br />
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<h3 class="title">
Is it draw Mo day already?</h3>
Here's something from the <a href="http://zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/islamic_mo_full/">Mohammed Image Archive</a>, a reproduction of Islamic art. </blockquote>
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<a href="http://zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/islamic_mo_full/0_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/islamic_mo_full/0_01.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a> </div>
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Ok, I'm ready for my fatwa now.
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This sort of image of Mohammed, illustrated by muslims, is just as blasphemous to the iconoclastic primitives who just murdered a dozen french satirists in Paris as any of the other cartoons and drawings floating around. I picked it because we should not forget that these barbarians want to murder Islam's past as much as our present.<br />
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#IAmCharlieTMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-32043853177433191942015-01-07T00:31:00.002-06:002015-01-07T00:31:46.385-06:00Free associationThis is going to be an occasional series of notes to help me fix half formed thoughts, and nail down concepts that sound pretty good inside my head.<br />
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The inaugural one is this:</div>
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A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State</blockquote>
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What are the necessary and proper 10th amendment rights retained by the people that are implied by this clause of the 2nd amendment? </div>
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The anti-gunners never ask this question and I've never seen the pro-gun side ask this either. Is there any literature on this subject? </div>
TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-73972459802559697702015-01-05T09:42:00.002-06:002015-01-05T09:42:43.864-06:00How parts of the US manifest getting poorerMy local municipality monthly newsletter came in the mail over the weekend along with the local utility bill. News You Can Use put out a new snow policy and it's a statement admitting growing financial problems (at least between the lines).<br />
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Mains and secondaries will only be salted at intersections, railroad tracks, school zones, curves, bridges and around hospitals. Once the snow event has stopped, we will salt the mains and the secondaries all the way through and then we will move into the residentials. We will only salt residentials at stop signs once the snow event has stopped. We will no longer salt mid-block of the residentials</blockquote>
It's in little statements of service cutbacks and quietly deferred maintenance that between the lines often announce financial decay in the US. During the recent fiscal crisis, miles and miles of asphalted road were <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-02-03-gravel-roads_N.htm">converted back to gravel</a>. The trend is getting push back but even oil booming Texas <a href="http://www.texastribune.org/2013/11/26/gravel-plan-pause-fallout-continues/">tried it</a> out in 2013 on two roads before public anger made them permanently shelve the idea a year later. The Texas case might be a matter of a fiscally responsible state running into the high depletion nature of <a href="http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2013/sep/24/texans-americas-future-pac/texas-governors-bad-budgeting-not-blame-announced-/">shale oil wells</a> but that circumstance seems to be an outlier.<br />
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So keep an eye out for those little announcements. Lowered salt usage on icy streets, asphalt going back to gravel, changes like these that can be pushed through relatively quietly are going to be more frequent signs than big changes like government pension cuts and municipal bankruptcy.TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-18805968961243997312015-01-05T03:49:00.001-06:002015-01-05T03:49:24.312-06:00SpaceX making history this week? In 2014, I thought I was in luck. We were going to Disney World and SpaceX was going going to run its first attempt at launching a rocket with landing gear. I was going to see history being made. Except I didn't in the end. A range safety failure closed down Cape Canaveral to launches for a few weeks and the historic launch was postponed.<br />
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I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Tuesday's historic launch will fly without a hitch. This time, they're trying to <a href="http://www.popsci.com/spacex-will-try-land-one-its-rockets-next-week">actually land a 1st stage</a> Falcon 9 component. It's landing site is going to be on an autonomous barge in the Atlantic ocean for now but the ultimate aim is to have return flights go directly back to a maintenance facility where the stages can get refurbished and reused.<br />
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If a full Falcon 9 can get reused even once, it will chop off 40% or better of the cost to launch as the $54 million construction cost can be amortized over two launches. If the components can be reused more than once, the savings get even more spectacular.<br />
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These are heady days for spaceflight, even if Tuesday's launch develops a glitch. I'm very confident that they'll get it done relatively quickly.TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-67433294709941635812015-01-03T23:42:00.003-06:002015-01-03T23:44:07.503-06:00Unhackable systems and the dumbness of trying to get into it on twitterIt is theoretically possible to create an unhackable system. From <a href="http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/200536/">Instapundit</a> today Neil deGrasse Tyson shows <a href="http://twitchy.com/2015/01/03/neil-degrasse-tyson-blows-more-minds-with-idea-to-prevent-computer-hacking/">how not to talk about the subject</a>.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The problem fundamentally is that implementing an unhackable Internet to eliminate the North Korean hacking threat would destroy the Internet as we know it today as well as most business productivity programs as well as most other software running today. The economic loss would likely eclipse the entire IP industry's economic output over many years. In short, it's not worth doing this today and likely won't be worth doing for decades. We need better defenses against hacking a lot quicker than that.<br />
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For those interested in the people actually working to fix these problems, take a look at <a href="http://langsec.org/">LANGSEC</a>.TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-13524839814916674802015-01-02T18:24:00.001-06:002015-01-02T18:24:28.034-06:00Chasing your tail, California StyleInstapundit today offers up a Police Chief magazine article talking about <a href="http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=2108&issue_id=62010&utm_content=bufferc1a09&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer">increasing revenue streams</a> to fund policing in California. There is exactly zero attention paid to increasing economic activity. Of the twenty item list for revenue enhancers, the vast majority have a side effect of shrinking the local economy. The three exceptions are selling ride alongs, selling ad space on the police website, and allowing advertising and branding using the police department's name.<br />
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Socializing economic activity or launching government economic activity in competition with private firms occupies 7 of the 20 slots. The rest is mostly raising taxes and fees of various types.<br />
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Reducing nuisance laws in order to make economic activity cheaper (increasing ordinary tax revenue) is just nowhere in sight.<br />
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It really is just sad.TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848083029255621952.post-39416046868049648962015-01-01T12:52:00.002-06:002015-01-01T12:52:45.604-06:00New Year's DayNew Year's day is a time for reflection, a time for new beginnings. In my case it is a time to return seriously to blogging.TMLutashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033938954514865135noreply@blogger.com0