Tom Faranda's Folly

Funny - past year worst quotes from the NY Times

From Timeswatch. Go here for the full list, which is very amusing:

2009 Worst quotes of the year

But for my money, here's the hands down winner(s). Some background - Carlos Slim is the richest man in Mexico (oil). He bailed out the NY Times this past year with a $250 million injection of capital.

Pre-bailout, back in 2007:

“Indeed, by this measure, [Carlos] Slim is richer even than the robber barons of the gilded age. John D. Rockefeller, America's richest man, was worth the equivalent of about 1.5 percent of the nation's G.D.P....But the momentous scale is not the most galling aspect of Mr. Slim's riches. There's the issue of theft. Like many a robber baron -- or Russian oligarch, or Enron executive -- Mr. Slim calls to mind the words of Honoré de Balzac: 'Behind every great fortune there is a crime.'” -- Eduardo Porter in an August 27, 2007 editorial on Mexican media mogul Carlos Slim.

vs. post bailout

“Carlos, a very shrewd businessman with an appreciation for great brands, showed a deep understanding of the role that news, information and education play in our interconnected global society....As he spoke at our meeting, he conveyed the quiet but fierce confidence that has enabled him to have a profound and lasting effect on millions of individuals in Mexico and neighboring countries. Carlos knows very well how much one person with courage, determination and vision can achieve.” -- Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. praising Slim for Time Magazine's 2009 “Time 100” list, soon after Slim had purchased 6% of NYT Co. shares and lent the company $250 million.

Hahahahaha!!!!!!

USATODAYGALLUP poll - the most admired women are

Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin.

Very interesting. Both finish way ahead of Oprah and Michelle Obama. The President blows away the competition for most admired man.

The Most Admired

Old idea updated, leads to new research approach for combatting cancer

Here is an excellent article in the always valuable health section of the NY Times. It's not a short article, but worth reading ...

Old Ideas Spur New Approaches in Cancer Fight

The basic idea — still in the experimental stages — is that cancer cells cannot turn into a lethal tumor without the cooperation of other cells nearby. That may be why autopsies repeatedly find that most people who die of causes other than cancer have at least some tiny tumors in their bodies that had gone unnoticed. According to current thinking, the tumors were kept in check, causing no harm.

It also may mean that cancers grow in part because normal cells surrounding them allowed them to escape. It also means that there might be a new way to think about treatment: cancer might be kept under control by preventing healthy cells around it from crumbling.

“Think of it as this kid in a bad neighborhood,” said Dr. Susan Love, a breast cancer surgeon and president of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. “You can take the kid out of the neighborhood and put him in a different environment and he will behave totally differently.”

“It’s exciting,” Dr. Love added. “What it means, if all this environmental stuff is right, is that we should be able to reverse cancer without having to kill cells. This could open up a whole new way of thinking about cancer that would be much less assaultive.”

Great story about a Mom and newborn cheating death

Great. Go here and watch the video -

Miracle at Memorial: Mom and baby die during labor, revived

"I guess I went into cardiac arrest and I really don't remember anything after that," Tracey recalls.

Three great (dumb) short lines from the past year

Actually all within the past couple of months.

#3 “A good solid B+.” President Obama, responding to Oprah's question as to how he grades his first year. "Tells Oprah he's headed for an A- if health reform passes  I can't imagine any past President, Democrat or Republican, answering that question, with anything but a modest and self-effacing response. Instead he comes across as an egomaniac.

#2 "I'm doing God's Work". Lloyd Blankfein, head of the investment bank Goldman Sachs, as he joked around (he claimed later) in an interview with the London Times I'm Doing God's Work  justifying the enormous bonuses being paid by his Firm. Blankfein paid himself $68 million in 2007.

#1 "... one thing I’d like to point out is that the system worked". Janet Napolitano, head of Department of Homeland Security, on the terrorist wannabe who failed to blow up the plane on Christmas.  The hands down winner for stupid statements.CNN transcript She tried to explain it away, of course. Does anyone feel safer with Napolitano on the job? The Terror This Time

So, three smart people, all demonstrating what the Faranda family guru Fr. Benedict Groeschel would describe as "the stupid use of intelligence."

Science says: The more you weigh the less wrinkles you'll have

Makes sense -

Today in obvious-yet-absolutely-necessary studies, scientists tell us that the more we weigh the fewer wrinkles we'll have.

The scientific study of 65 volunteer groups of twins revealed that after the age of 54, being overweight made the subjects look younger in the face. (Aside: So people volunteered to get fat and have people judge — with science! — how old they look. How much does that pay these days?) However, if you want to get fatter, don't rely on sugar, because it breaks down collagen (the stuff that keeps us young) faster.

 

My email letter to Financial Times (UK) columnist Clive Crook

I sometimes read Clive Crook's column on ft.com (the Financial Times of the UK). He is the Washington columnist for the FT.

His latest column is here The Real Missed Opportunity in Obama's First Year and it ranges widely on domestic and foreign policy.

But Crook really blows it in his one paragraph on healthcare reform. Hit the link above to see what he has to say; here's my email to him last night.

Dear Mr. Crook,

 

Don't take this too personally, but I found your comments on health care reform - "...far better than the status quo". etc, to indicate that you know little or nothing about health care, at least as it's practiced on the USA.

 

I have almost 30 years experience providing health insurance to small and medium sized businesses as part of my financial planning practice. I also have a number of physician clients, AND I have been a massive utilizer of health care myself (lymphoma) including chemotherapy and an autologous stem cell transplant. I have been in remission since 2006 - four year anniversary of my high dose chemo and stem cell therapy next month.

 

So I have some expertise.

 

The Senate plan is a mess from a financial perspective, it's going to stifle innovation, and it will lower the quality of heath care.

 

It's such a disaster I don't know where to begin - but I will give you just one example.

 

Insurers will have to cover pre-existing conditions (that is the current rule anyway, in the state of NY, where I have many of my clients). Insurance premiums will be community rated, meaning that 25 year olds will pay the same cost as 60 year olds (again, that is the rule in NY State). MAYBE you'll be required to by insurance, or pay a penalty - enforced by the IRS. But if you are that 25 year old, the rational economic decision is to forgo insurance and pay the penalty, which is much cheaper than a community rated policy. . If you get sick, you can always get the insurance, since the insurers must provide it. In insurance circles, this is a form of "adverse selection."

 

A rational reform would have done things like expand medicaid and medicare, offer vouchers to the poor to buy insurance, and possibly opened the already established medicare program as the "public option." Since medicare reimbursement is lower then private health insurer reimbursement, that would have to change if you are going to use medicare as the public option, but it makes vastly more sense than starting a whole new program.

 

I'm afraid what the last six months has proven is that the purpose of the reform has little to do with lowering the cost of health care (impossible without rationing) or providing insurance to the uninsured. Rather, it has everything to do with expanding the size and scope of the federal government - the great dream of the Democratic Party - for crassly political reasons.

 

Cheers,

Tom Faranda

www.tomfaranda.typepad.com 

A young college prof contrasts American students and foreign students.

An op ed in the Boston Globe by a Babson college teacher. Very interesting. How many of us are just plain spoiled?

My Lazy American students

By the time students are in college, habits can be tough to change. If you’re used to playing video games like “Modern Warfare’’ or “Halo’’ all night, how do you fit in four hours of homework? Or rest up for class?

Teaching in college, especially one with a large international student population, has given me a stark - and unwelcome - illustration of how Americans’ work ethic often pales in comparison with their peers from overseas.

Ms. Miller's op ed prompted a huge volume of comments, pro and con, as well as her receiving personal email.  She responded with this further column.

Lazy American Students: After the Deluge

I worked hard on the column and lay in bed Sunday night hoping that – amidst the flurry of Christmas shopping – someone would read it.

And that's when the avalanche started.

By Monday morning, “My Lazy American Students” was the most e-mailed article on the Globe’s website. By late Monday, it was the most e-mailed article in the last 30 days, even though it had been online for less that 48 hours. Hundreds of comments piled up on Boston.com; on Wednesday, there were nearly 500.

Meanwhile, my personal inbox and school account were deluged with e-mail from people across the country. Some thought I was brilliant; some thought I was horrible (and that’s putting it mildly).

Hit both links to read the full columns - they aren't too long.

"When you hear a pop on the plane you're awake, trust me,"

The passenger, Jason Shuringa from the Netherlands, who helped subdue the wannabe terrorist on the Delta flight on Christmas day.

"I basically reacted directly. I didn't think. When you hear a pop on the plane you're awake, trust me," Schuringa said.

UPDATE: Here's the NYT article - Passengers’ Quick Action Halted Attack - NYTimes.com and another one Officials Point to Suspect’s Claim of Qaeda Ties in Yemen - NYTimes.com

Avatar 3D - my take

One of the best days of the year to go to the movies (small crowds) is the day before Christmas, December 24th. So this past Thursday the four of us we went to the 3 o'clock showing at the Greenburgh theatre (actually in Elmsford) of Avatar 3D. This is actually the first movie I've seen in a theatre in a couple of years. I figured, a 3D movie needs to be seen on a big screen.

So, here's my take - somewhere between 2 and 3 stars (out of four). Certainly, much of the computer generated special effects are super, but the story line was oh so predictable, and some of the acting was surprisingly weak.

Here's the story in one paragraph. Earthlings (the cowboys) are on the planet Pandora where there's an uncomfortable relationship with the local natives (think indians), who are thin and 12 foot tall. The humans are there to exploit some mineral resource, while the locals are very plugged (literally!) into nature and their fellow Pandoran creatures. The heroes are a paraplegic marine, played by Sam Worthington, and a lady scientist, played by Sigourney Weaver (one of my fav actresses). There's a boy meets girl thing, and then the conflict between the exploitive humans and tree-hugging locals climaxes in a grand battle, with a very predictable winner. Worthington and Weaver were good; I thought some of the other acting was below par.

If you go to the official website here Avatar you can watch a very good three and a half minute preview.

Brigid, Joe, and Tim all thought the movie was pretty good, while as you can tell, I had mixed feelings (the story line!) - somewhere between OK and good. Glad we all went though.

The Avatar creator, producer, and director is James Cameron , who has lots of movie credits to his name - Terminator, Aliens, Titanic, True Lies, and others. After we saw the movie Joe gave me a glossy magazine all about Cameron. Basically a puff piece. Cameron has been married five times which = lots of alimony, which = he's got to keep working hard.

Hitler flips out over Climategate

Ha!

As California goes, so goes the rest of the Country!?

Hope not.

 Schwarzenegger Seeks Obama’s Help for Deficit Relief (Update4) - Bloomberg.com

Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, anticipating a $21 billion state budget deficit, plans to ask President Barack Obama to ease mandates and minimums on social programs to save as much as $8 billion.

>>>>>>

The arsenal of one-time accounting maneuvers he and lawmakers have previously used to temporarily paper over parts of the gap -- such as accelerating income-tax collections -- has been mostly depleted, making efforts to erase the latest $21 billion deficit more difficult.

Christmas Vigil in Ossining, in my family's old neighborhood

My brother Phil has an interesting and nostalgic posting on his weblog -

One of the really cool local traditions in my old neighborhood on Osage Drive and Susquehanna Rd was to put rows of candles out along the street to light the way for St Nicholas. As I was driving to my office on an elf errand around 11:30pm, I drove through the street to admire the view of the Holy Child's birthday candles. The photos do not do it justice; in person it is breathtaking.

Merry Christmas!

 

Arnold Stang

91 years old. If you're of a certain age, you'll remember this actor and spokesman.

Like Wally Cox, who was a friend, and Don Knotts, Mr. Stang was a natural for roles requiring a milquetoast, a pest or a nerd. At 5 foot 3 and never much more than 100 pounds, he once said of himself, “I look like a frightened chipmunk who’s been out in the rain too long.”

Some email Christmas greetings I've received from big shots

I guess because of email lists I'm on. I'm still waiting for one from moveon.org and  info@barackobama.com (also known as Organizing for America) but here's one from my new pal, Governor Paterson of New York

and Sarah -

Wishing you a Merry Christmas
and a Blessed New Year!

The Palins -

Todd, Sarah, Track, Bristol,
Willow, Piper, Trig and Tripp

Here's an interesting coincidence

Sent to me by our friend Antoinette -

Herd of elephants attacks Christian persecutors

In July 2008 a severe persecution of Christians broke out in the Indian state of Orissa. A 22 year old nun was burnt to death when angry mobs burnt down an orphanage in Khuntpali village in Barhgarh district, another nun was gang raped in Kandhamal, mobs attacked churches, torched vehicles, houses of Christians destroyed, and Fr. Thomas Chellen, director of the pastoral center that was destroyed with a bomb, had a narrow escape after a Hindu mob nearly set him on fire.  The end result saw more than 500 Christians murdered, and thousands of others injured and homeless after their houses were reduced to ashes.  Recently a strange and dramatic event took place in Orissa, which has many people talking and wondering.

In recent months, herds of wild elephants have begun to storm villages that are home to some of the worst persecutors of Christians during the troubles.  In one village, where in August a year ago the Christians had to run for their lives while their homes were being destroyed by rioters, a herd of elephants emerged from the surrounding jungle exactly one year later, in July 2009, at the same time of the day of the attack.

there's more in the article (hit the link above for full story), but here's the last sentence -

But is not clear how and why these elephants reached Orissa.

 

A sale offer at a Texas service station that can't be beat

Sent to me by my invaluable humor consultant, Karen

This day in history, 1783

Thanks to Ed Mechmann for pointing to this.

Today is a rarely remembered, but important day in history, as George Washington surrendered his commission to Congress at the end of the Revolutionary War. This assured civilian controlled and ultimately constitutional government

July 23rd, 1783, Washington resigns his commission

On this day in 1783, following the signing of the Treaty of Paris, General George Washington resigns as commander in chief of the Continental Army and retires to his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Washington addressed the assembled Congress:

"Happy in the confirmation of our independence and sovereignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded the United States of becoming a respectable nation, I resign with satisfaction the appointment I accepted with diffidence; a diffidence in my abilities to accomplish so arduous a task; which however was superseded by a confidence in the rectitude of our cause, the support of the supreme power of the Union, and the patronage of Heaven.”

Washington’s willingness to return to civilian life was an essential element in the transformation of the War for Independence into a true revolution. During the war, Congress had granted Washington powers equivalent to those of a dictator and he could have easily taken solitary control of the new nation. Indeed, some political factions wanted Washington to become the new nation’s king. His modesty in declining the offer and resigning his military post at the end of the war fortified the republican foundations of the new nation.

Although he asked nothing for himself, Washington did enter a plea on behalf of his officers:

"While I repeat my obligations to the army in general, I should do injustice to my own feelings not to acknowledge, in this place, the peculiar services and distinguished merits of the gentlemen who have been attached to my person during the war. It was impossible the choice of confidential officers to compose my family should have been more fortunate. Permit me, sir, to recommend in particular, those who have continued in the service to the present moment, as worthy of the favorable notice and patronage of Congress.

Of course five years later, Washington was elected to the first of his two terms as President.

Jack Bauer interrogates Santa. I don't watch "24", but this is still amusing

The rats are abandoning ship

The first Democratic congressman has jumped parties. Afraid to face the voter backlash over the fiasco health bill. According to some of the info, it's not necessarily a move based on principle, rather he knows how to count ...

And he's a physician (a radiology oncologist)!

Alabama congressman announces switch to GOP

UPDATE: From the Washington Post - "no longer align myself with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country."

He was elected with 51% of the vote in a district where Obama only got 38% of the vote.  

Another UPDATE: from the Wall Street Journal -Parker Griffith Defects to Republicans - WSJ.com

At a press conference, the oncologist-turned-politician said he could not continue to align himself with a Democratic Party pushing a health-care bill that is "bad for our doctors . . . bad for our patients, and . . . bad for the young men and women who are considering going into the health-care field."

Six issues the House must cave on, for the Senate health bill to become law.

The Heritage Foundation (right wing think tank) has a good summary.

Morning Bell: The Six Key Issues the House Must Cave On Before Obamacare Becomes Law » The Foundry

Wall Street Journal: the reckless Senate health bill

A sickening editorial, as the Journal lays out what's coming if the Senate bill eventually becomes law. It's so bad, that I'm really not sure the bill will ultimately pass. I've only excerpted two paragraphs - including the closing one. The editorial lays out the costs, the inevitable declines in quality, ugh, the whole sorry story.   

If you value your health, you'll read the whole thing.

A Reckless Health Care Bill That Nobody Believes In

The rushed, secretive way that a bill this destructive and unpopular is being forced on the country shows that "reform" has devolved into the raw exercise of political power for the single purpose of permanently expanding the American entitlement state. An increasing roll of leaders in health care and business are looking on aghast at a bill that is so large and convoluted that no one can truly understand it, as Finance Chairman Max Baucus admitted on the floor last week. The only goal is to ram it into law while the political window is still open, and clean up the mess later.

>>>>>>

These 60 Democrats are creating a future of epic increases in spending, taxes and command-and-control regulation, in which bureaucracy trumps innovation and transfer payments are more important than private investment and individual decisions. In short, the Obama Democrats have chosen change nobody believes in—outside of themselves—and when it passes America will be paying for it for decades to come.

NYT kindly supplies the info on what various senators received in return for their "yes" votes on the health bill

Deep in Health Bill, Very Specific Beneficiaries - NYTimes.com

Mr. Axelrod said the provisions benefiting specific states, like Nebraska, and favored constituencies were a natural part of the legislative process.

“Every senator uses whatever leverage they have to help their states,” Mr. Axelrod said on the CNN program “State of the Union.” “That’s the way it has been. That’s the way it will always be.”

Republicans said they would resist the legislation with every tool available, and they denounced the deal struck on Saturday. “This process is not legislation,” said Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, referring to a variety of special-interest provisions. “This process is corruption. It’s a shame the only way we can come to a consensus in this country is to buy votes.”

No need to read this, if you're sure you'll never be sick

An op ed from last week, by republican physician-senator Tom Coburn.

Remember, in the pending health care bill, there are no death panels, there is no rationing.

excerpts below, but hit the link for the whole column.

The Health Bill is Scary 

My colleagues who defend the bill—none of whom have practiced medicine—predictably dismissed my concern as a scare tactic. They are wrong. Every American, not just seniors, should know that the rationing provisions in the Reid bill will not only reduce their quality of life, but their life spans as well.

My 25 years as a practicing physician have shown me what happens when government attempts to practice medicine: Doctors respond to government coercion instead of patient cues, and patients die prematurely. Even if the public option is eliminated from the bill, these onerous rationing provisions will remain intact.

For instance, the Reid bill (in sections 3403 and 2021) explicitly empowers Medicare to deny treatment based on cost. An Independent Medicare Advisory Board created by the bill—composed of permanent, unelected and, therefore, unaccountable members—will greatly expand the rationing practices that already occur in the program. Medicare, for example, has limited cancer patients' access to Epogen, a costly but vital drug that stimulates red blood cell production. It has limited the use of virtual, and safer, colonoscopies due to cost concerns. And Medicare refuses medical claims at twice the rate of the largest private insurers.

Section 6301 of the Reid bill creates new comparative effectiveness research (CER) programs. CER panels have been used as rationing commissions in other countries such as the U.K., where 15,000 cancer patients die prematurely every year according to the National Cancer Intelligence Network. CER panels here could effectively dictate coverage options and ration care for plans that participate in the state insurance exchanges created by the bill.

>>>>>>

But the most fundamental flaw of the Reid bill is best captured by the story of one my patients I'll call Sheila. When Sheila came to me at the age of 33 with a lump in her breast, traditional tests like a mammogram under the standard of care indicated she had a cyst and nothing more. Because I knew her medical history, I wasn't convinced. I aspirated the cyst and discovered she had a highly malignant form of breast cancer. Sheila fought a heroic battle against breast cancer and enjoyed 12 good years with her family before succumbing to the disease.

If I had been practicing under the Reid bill, the government would have likely told me I couldn't have done the test that discovered Sheila's cancer because it wasn't approved under CER. Under the Reid bill, Sheila may have lived another year instead of 12, and her daughters would have missed a decade with their mom.

The couple who sneaked into the White House without any credentials

Who can disagree? From my occasional humor consultant Bernadette -

The Pope's message for World Day of Peace is on environmental stewardship

This is just a great short "message" published by Benedict XVI. Takes less than twenty minutes to read. You can hit the link below and print it (5 and a half pages, not counting footnotes), and/or I've embedded the whole message in the extended posting below the link.

"If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation"

A chart to help you determine what religion you should belong to

Remember this posting The religion mish-mash  I put up about a new Pew Foundation study?  

If you're unsure yourself, just go here for useful help -

A flowchart to determine what religion you should follow

Two British articles on the Copenhagen Summit and the prez's speech there

First the UK Guardian, probably the most widely read left wing newspaper in Britain -

"Speech disapponts and fuels frustration"

I heard portions of Obama's speech today and yeah, it was petty mediocre. Nothing new, no passion.  

Then there's this, in the UK Telegraph, not so much about the speech, but about the whole "Summit".

 This week has been truly historic. It has marked the beginning of the landslide that is collapsing the whole AGW imposture. The pseudo-science of global warming is a global laughing stock and Copenhagen is a farce. In the warmist camp the Main Man is a railway engineer with huge investments in the carbon industry. That says it all. The world’s boiler being heroically damped down by the Fat Controller. Al Gore, occupant of the only private house that can be seen from space, so huge is its energy consumption, wanted to charge punters $1,200 to be photographed with him at Copenhagen. There is a man who is really worried about the planet’s future.

So, $100 billion to allow third world countries to adjust to supposed climate change, purportedly coming at us over the next century. How about taking that same $100 billion, and using it to (1) supply clean and safe water to the 100's of millions of people on the planet who lack it, and (2) inoculate children against childhood diseases? That's where the Faranda vote would go.

Al Franken proves beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is an ass

Yeah, he's a comedian allrighty. This must embarrass his fellow Democratic Senators. But maybe not ...

What's John Madden, everyone's favorite retired football analyst, doing now?

Lots. including plenty of football involvement.

I loved listening to Madden. I'm sure many people would pick the game he was calling, to watch on TV.

For John Madden, at 73, the Game’s Still On - NYTimes.com

In his new life, Madden misses the camaraderie of broadcasting, watching game film, attending practices, talking to coaches and spending time with the NBC crew. But he is pleased with his decision, his son Mike says.

Good video imploring Senator Casey of Pennsylvania to not abandon his principles

Senator Casey, son of the late Democratic Governor Robert Casey (who stood up for his principles), claims he's prolife. Here's one group calling him on it, as the heath care debate continues ... 

Casey at the Bat

How's the Croton water supply?

Not too bad, according to the NYT

Croton-on-hudson Village Water System - Toxic Waters - The New York Times

Bid on Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" jacket

UPDATE: Auction ended with winning bid of $57,000. That's $57,000 that will go to wounded veterans!

You betcha. The one she wore for the cover of her book. 

 

Proceeds go to help veterans through The Wounded Warrior Project and The Fisher House.

Go here for info-  Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" Jacket Auction

Bidding ends later today.

Jennifer Jones

For an actess who won an academy award for portraying a Catholic Saint (The Song of Bernadette", in 1944 - think Lourdes) she led an, uhhh, colorful life. And a tragic one...

Jennifer Jones, Film Star With a Turbulent Life, Dies at 90 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

We do it by color - here's how other countries terrorism threat levels are named

A forward from my humor consultant Kevin in Australia. it was forwarded from a Scot in Jamaica!

Email sure makes the world a smaller place -

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats
 and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon,
 though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A
 Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940
 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from
 "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a
 "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.
 
 The Scots raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the
 Bastards" They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have
 been used on the front line in the British army for the last 300 years.
 
 The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror
 alert level from "Run" to "Hide". The only two higher levels in France are
 "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire
 that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively paralysing the
 country's military capability. It's not only the French who are on a
 heightened level of alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout
 loudly and excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels
 remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."
  
 The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to
 "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher
 levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose".
  
 Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only
 threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels .
  
 The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy.
 These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy
 can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
  
 Americans meanwhile and as usual are carrying out pre-emptive strikes, on
 all of their allies, just in case.
  
 And in the southern hemisphere...
 
 New Zealand has also raised its security levels - from "baaa" to "BAAAA!".
 Due to continuing defence cutbacks (the air force being a squadron of spotty
 teenagers flying paper aeroplanes and the navy some toy boats in the Prime
 Minister's bath), New Zealand only has one more level of escalation, which
 is "Shit, I hope Australia will come and rescue us". 

 Australia , meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to
 "She'll be right, mate". Three more escalation levels remain: "Crikey!', "I
 think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend" and "The barbie is
 cancelled". So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final
 escalation level

Does the Afghanistan surge fit the just war criteria?

An interesting article in OSV about the "surge" (which I suppport, so I think it does). Excerpt below, hit the link for the full article, giving various viewpoints.

OSV | Our Sunday Visitor December 27, 2009 | Does troop surge meet just war conditions?

and here's the url if the link doesn't function - http://www.osv.com/tabid/7621/itemid/5756/Does-troop-surge-meet-just-war-conditions.aspx

But eight years later, are those goals still just? U.S. Army Lt. Col. Father Eric Albertson, one of 10 Catholic chaplains in Afghanistan in the last 18 months, addressed just war questions in an e-mail.

“Some wonder if dialogue with the enemy might prove fruitful,” he said. “Yet when we look at their pattern of devastating attacks on the innocent, it is hard to imagine any reasonable success.”

Al-Qaida attacks on civilians in Pakistan near the Afghan border have been so severe Catholics had to cancel major Christmas celebrations.

Father Albertson stressed that “we have never had to fight a war quite like this one.” He added, “if terror is allowed freedom of movement and left unchecked, then what we experience in Afghanistan and in Iraq would be commonplace in the United States.”

Father Duesterhaus said key to just war questions in Afghanistan now are questions of how the war is fought.

“Very tight ROEs (rules of engagement) have been in play in both Iraq and Afghanistan for many years,” he said. “The ROE card that every Marine and soldier carries on their person is a clear listing of procedures that express the uniquely Western way of fighting a war.”

He said the commanders are likely to err on the side of caution. “This can lead to frustrations and even anger at times, but ‘blowing everyone up’ is not only immoral, it also will not win the day.”

New Jersey - bible reading during "quiet time" creates a problem?

Nutty. Think there would have been an issue if it was the Koran?

NJ teacher tells student Bible not appropriate quiet-time reading | LoHud.com | The Journal News

The principal at Madison Park Elementary School in Old Bridge apologized and said the teacher made a mistake.

Top ten quicky science tricks for Christmas parties

Sent to me by another of my my humor consultants, Antoinette.

This was put together by a professor in the UK (like many academics, he clarly has too much time on his hands). For more weird stuff, go to his blog http://richardwiseman.wordpress.com./

Religious intensity and party affiliation

Very interesting. Not A very long article. Guess I'm in the 10% group on the left.

Religious Intensity Remains Powerful Predictor of Politics

At MSNBC - the network of all-white anchors and correspondents - Chris Matthews decries "white triablism"

This is almost funny.

Here'sthe MSNBC lineup -

 
All white, all the time.  They've got women covered, they have lesbians covered, but no African-Americans or Asians. What other channel is this lily white? The answer is - none.

Well, Michelle Malkin has a humorous posting on a typical brainless Matthews harangue.

Michelle Malkin » White anchor at indelibly white network decries “white tribalism”

Matthews: “In this world of ours today, it seems that any idiot – almost any idiot can rally the forces of tribalism, including white tribalism in this country. You can do it with a frown or a smile – easiest thing in the world to rile people back to their roots, get them thinking with all the rage of their grandparents.”

Some people are beyond embarrassment.

From USA Today - amazing stats on government salaries vs. the private sector

Of course right now the only job sectors showing growth are government jobs and healthcare. most of the private sector has been completely hobbled.

But to my mind the stats below are astonishing AND enlightening -

USATODAY.com  headline - "For Feds, More Get Six Figure Salaries", subhead - Average Pay $30,000 Over Private Sector"

here's the url if the link doesn't work http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20091211/1afedpay11_st.art.htm?loc=interstitialskip

The number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal salary data.

Federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% of civil servants during the recession's first 18 months — and that's before overtime pay and bonuses are counted.

Federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time — in pay and hiring — during a recession that has cost 7.3 million jobs in the private sector.

>>>>>>

When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000.

Incredible!

USA TODAY analyzed the Office of Personnel Management's database that tracks salaries of more than 2 million federal workers. Excluded from OPM's data: the White House, Congress, the Postal Service, intelligence agencies and uniformed military personnel.

The growth in six-figure salaries has pushed the average federal worker's pay to $71,206, compared with $40,331 in the private sector.

The private sector shrinks while government expands. What's going to happen when they run out of private sector tax money? hit the link for the whole analysis.

Torch the University chancellor's home - peace and justice Berkeley style

Go to San Francisco, be sure to put a flower in your hair -

8 arrested in vandalism of UC chancellor's home

BERKELEY -- Eight people were in custody Saturday after a crowd of angry protesters broke windows and threw burning torches at UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's campus residence in protest of fee hikes and budget cuts, authorities said.

>>>>>>

The crowd, including a man taken into custody in a university protest a day earlier, chanted, "No justice, no peace," and began smashing planters, windows and lights. Several hurled their torches at the building, said campus spokesman Dan Mogulof.

Birgeneau was sleeping at the time and was awakened by his wife, Mary Catherine, Mogulof said. They were frightened, but unharmed, he said.

"These are criminals, not activists," Birgeneau said in a statement issued Saturday morning. "The attack at our home was extraordinarily frightening and violent. My wife and I genuinely feared for our lives."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger condemned the attack Saturday as a form of terrorism.

There are some pictures here. Eight Arrested After Attack on Chancellor's House - The Daily Californian

As programs get cut back in states with collapsing economies (like California, NY, Michigan, etc)  they'll be more and more of this kind of stuff, as the entitlement mentality dudes get disappointed.

End of year rugby tours - summary highlights video

Snips and pieces of the action

Here's the url if the vid doesn't open - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7g2Hj-J_wg

The religion mish-mash

Pick, choose, and re-combine. Why deal with old rules if you can make up your own?

A commentary on this recent study Pew Forum: Many Americans Mix Multiple Faiths

Op-Ed Columnist - Paranormal Flexibility - NYTimes.com 

Entitled “Many Americans Mix Multiple Faiths,” the report points out that many Americans are now choosing to “blend Christianity with Eastern or New Age beliefs” and that “sizable minorities of all major U.S. religious groups” said that they have had supernatural experiences, like encountering ghosts.

Belief in reincarnation among Protestants and Catholics is way up, and it's nice to know that more of us are having visions.

Furthermore, 16 percent of Protestants and 17 percent of Catholics said that they believe that some people can use the “evil eye” to “cast curses or spells that cause bad things to happen.” I have to say that based on the looks my mother used to shoot me when I was misbehaving, that evil eye thing might have legs.

Since 1996, the percentage of Americans who said that they have been in the presence of a ghost has doubled from 9 percent to 18 percent

There seems to be a political angle to all this -

Democrats were almost twice as likely to believe in ghosts and to consult fortune-tellers than were Republicans, and the Democrats were 71 percent more likely to believe that they were in touch with the dead.

The op ed finishes with this obvious comment: "Americans continue to cobble together Mr. Potato Head-like spiritual identities from a hodgepodge of beliefs — bending dogmas to suit them instead of bending themselves to fit a dogma. ..."

Remember Karl Marx line about "Religion is the opium of the people"? Ann Althouse commented on the above article and finishes her posting with "Religion is the snack food of the people." Althouse: Why believe in a religion? Why not believe in 2 or 3 or more?

 

Queen Elizabeth to start sharing duties with her grandson?

Kind of interesting.

The Daily Mail in the UK is a tabloid, so who knows how accurate this is -

 Prince William to share Queen's duties: Treasury document reveals secret plan to make him the 'Shadow King' | Mail Online

It is bound to lead to new speculation that when the Queen dies, the monarchy could skip a generation, with the Crown bypassing Charles and being handed straight to William, although Royal sources strongly discount this option.

The Queen is 83. Her son Prince Charles is 61 and he's next in line. William is 27, and the oldest son of Prince Charles and (the late) Diana. So William should be second in line for the British throne, behind his father Charles.

All veddy, veddy interesting - if you have an interest in this kind of stuff. ... 

Here's an (horrendously evil) idea - extend China's one child policy worldwide - good for the environment ...

To quote Ed Mechmann of the NY Archdiocese Family Life office, "One of the great things about free speech is that it allows us to easily identify people with incredibly dumb or horrendously evil ideas."

The real inconvenient truth  Subtitle - "The whole world needs to adopt China's one-child policy"

Right - People are the enemy

William C. McInnes, SJ

He was the Pesident at Fairfield University when I was there -

The Rev. William C. McInnes, Leader of 2 Jesuit Universities, Dies at 86 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

William Shatner and Sarah Palin, together on the Tonight Show

As they read from each other's autobiographies this past Friday. Amusing. 

If the video doesn't show below, go to the url here - http://www.hulu.com/watch/114848/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien-shatner-gets-served-by-palin

Brigid's birthday today

Tim's birthday Tim turns 13 was three days ago - December the 9th - which also happens to be the feast of St. Juan Diego. Juan Diego (you will recall) was the Mexican Indian who in 1531 had the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary) appear to him.

Now, that appearance has led to the cult of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and her feast is celebrated today, December 12th.

Same as Brigid's birthday! Is there a message there? Picture below is not Brigid ...

Here's Brigid - all 106 pounds of her - as she dropped me off for my Appalachian Trail overnighter, the day after Thanksgiving

For more pictures of the life of Brigid, go here as we celebrated one of those landmark birthday's a couple of years ago - Tom Faranda's Folly: Brigid's Birthday

If the link doesn't work here's the url - http://tomfaranda.typepad.com/folly/2007/12/brigids-birthda.html