Musical Interlude

For this first Sunday of Advent 2013, Of the Father's Love Begotten, a poem paired with the medieval plainchant melody Divinum mysterium:



Another arrangement of the same Christmas carol:


Please take a few moments to consider this meditation for today.

Thanksgiving Humor

With a hat tip to Adrienne's Corner:

[In keeping with the spirit of gratitude for our many blessings, Nincompoopery is on hiatus until December 7]

The Spirit Of Celebration

See In Celebration of the Spirit of Thanksgiving and the Advent Season...an excerpt from LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott at FreeThinke's blog.  Offers quite the contrast to the mania of Black Friday!

Thanksgiving 2013

(Custom graphic by Stogie of Saber Point)

The true meaning of our American Thanksgiving:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.

— Psalm 100:4-5 (KJV)

I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

— Philippians 4:00 (KJV)

[In keeping with the spirit of gratitude for our many blessings, Nincompoopery is on hiatus until December 7]

Tales From The Classroom

("Tales from the Classroom" is a new feature posted occasionally here at this blog.  All tales are true and present matters about which I have personal knowledge.  The following tale relates the story of something that happened in November 2013)

On November 12, I received the earliest Christmas card ever from one of my students — the youngest student in the homeschool group. This little girl is only eight years old, and we admitted her on one-month probation last year to the middle school classes, classes for those from ages 11-14.

Local Businesses Helping Veterans

This year, Mr. AOW was nominated to receive various services for our house and property. Just in time for Christmas!

The first crew came on Saturday and worked all day. These young men served in the USMC! The first thing they did upon arrival to our house: thank Mr. AOW for his service.

The general yard work will be done the week of December 1.

The services we're receiving include tree trimming, tree removal, gutter cleaning, leaf raking. and the placing of outside Christmas decorations — tasks that I have been unable to do. Before his stroke of September 15, 2009, Mr. AOW used to do that kind of work.  I have kept up the best that I could, but many maintenance tasks have been neglected.

Read more about Decorate A Vet HERE.

THIS STORY provides one example of the kind of reaching out that Decorate A Vet does:

Met with one of our Veterans family today to discuss decorating details. Tragically, this Vietnam Veteran was struck and killed by a texting driver in September. He left behind a loving wife and three sons. Since moving into this home in 1987, he has religiously decorated the house each and every Christmas. This year we will do the job to help carry on that family tradition and hopefully help in the grieving a tiny bit.

2012 VOLUNTEERS

More than lip service to the popular mantra "Honor our veterans"!

Famous Child Stars Of The 50's, 60's, and 70's

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Where are they now?  See THIS SLIDE SHOW, which provides an update on 16 child stars of that period.

Nincompoopery — And Worse

(Weekend roundup post. For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Obama biography, required reading, tells fourth-graders that white Americans are racists

Strange consequence of illegible penmanship?

The Hidden Marriage Penalty in Obamacare: Childless couples and empty nesters pay more. Much more

Your share of the national debt is now $1.1 million

Fifty Years Ago Today

One of the most-watched videos on YouTube:


As most old enough to remember November 22, 1963, I recall that day is if it were yesterday....

A seventh grader at the time, I was in study hall and working diligently to get my Virginia History homework done. Mr. Carson, all the students' favorite teacher, came in to tell us, "The President of the United States is dead.  He was shot in Dallas, Texas." Classes at the private school I attended in 1963 were held in the Richardson House, a brick Antebellum mansion with at least four porches.  All classes for those above fifth grade were immediately halted, and we went to the porches to pray and to sit in silence after the prayers.  None of us students headed for the playground.  Instead, we waited for the buses to be readied for early dismissal because of the concern that our entire country's national security was in jeopardy. After all, the Cuban Missile Crisis and bomb-shelter drills still loomed large in our nation's consciousness. Once home, everyone sat glued to the television sets until after the funeral for President John F. Kennedy.

For other personal comments about that day, see the comments section at the Washington Times article Share your memories of JFK’s assassination 50 years ago.

If John F. Kennedy were alive today, he would be ninety-six years old.

Comprehensive web page: The Kennedy Assassination.

For those interested, there is an animated video about that day in Dallas below the fold.

The Word Is Untrustworthy

by Sam Huntington

“We have to pass the pass the bill so that you can, uh … find out what’s in it … away from the fog of the controversy.” —Nancy Pelosi

Does this make Nancy Pelosi a liar, like Barack Obama?  No, not really.  She was only obfuscating the issue because no one in the Democratic Party wanted (then or now) clarity for the American people.  Although, I think it must be said that while Pelosi wasn’t lying, she was still demonstrating dishonesty.  Who votes on a bill as important as one affecting one-sixth of the entire economy without reading it, understanding it, and being able to explain it to one’s constituents?  The answer is no one.  But there are, I suppose, two possible exceptions: the first possibility is that Nancy Pelosi is an incompetent boob who should never have been elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives.  The second likelihood is that Nancy Pelosi knew full well what the bill entailed, and she intentionally and conspiratorially misled the American people.  It is hard to know which is worse.

What we know now is that it was always a Democratic intention that the American people should lose their existing health insurance, and their doctor.  It is the only way to force the American people into the ACA, or as some would have it —Commie Care.  And President Obama lied to the American people a second time. 

“I’m sorry that they, you know, are finding themselves in this situation, based on assurances they got from me.” —Barack Obama

It simply doesn’t wash, Mr. President.  You knew all along that the American people would find themselves in this situation because it was your intention to force people into Obama Care.  

But you know, it does make me curious whether Barack Obama has a compulsive lying disorder … and I wonder if it is possible that such a disease can be unhappily transmitted to other members of his administration.  If we aren’t careful, this lying to the American people could become pandemic.

Harvard Must Be So Proud

On November 14, 2013, Obama apologized to the nation for the non-functional Healthcare.gov web site. On November 18, 2013, Obama claimed in a conference call with OFA volunteers that "more than a 100 million Americans" have signed up for ObamaCare health-insurance plans.

Who Will Do The Driving?

For decades, as both children and adults, the Baby Boomers drove our economy:

Almost exactly nine months after World War II ended, “the cry of the baby was heard across the land,” as historian Landon Jones later described the trend. More babies were born in 1946 than ever before: 3.4 million, 20 percent more than in 1945. This was the beginning of the so-called “baby boom.” In 1947, another 3.8 million babies were born; 3.9 million were born in 1952; and more than 4 million were born every year from 1954 until 1964, when the boom finally tapered off. By then, there were 76.4 million “baby boomers” in the United States. They made up almost 40 percent of the nation’s population....

Consider the situation today.

Mind-Boggling Stupidity

Proof positive from this November 16, 2013 article in the Washington Post:

...[A former Democratic Party Chairperson has stated that] she thinks HealthCare.gov will be functioning well by the Nov. 30 deadline because that’s what the president said....

This statement was apparently made after Obama's announcement last Thursday, November 14, 2013.  The words denial of reality don't begin to cover this absurd statement.

Ah, The Irony!

Obama's "leadership" style (hat tip to Reliapundit of THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS):

Nincompoopery — And Worse

(Weekend roundup post somewhat shorter than usual as explained in my post of October 11 and my post of October 18. For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Exclusive [Reuters]: U.S. official in July feared HealthCare.gov 'crash'

Too Funny: DNC Praises Obama For Pledging To Protect Americans From Obamacare

Honesty doesn't pay off for ex-homeless man

[London] police arrest two over genital mutilation of baby girl who was only around FIVE WEEKS old

Muslim convert [in London] heard chanting that he wanted to kill non-Muslims before trying to kill policemen and firefighters in knife rampage

Woman who Helped UK Soldier Murdered by Muslims, Targeted by Muslims and Police

Book Review: Elizabeth Smart's My Story

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Today, Elizabeth Smart, recently married to Matthew Gilmour, is twenty-six years old and over ten years distant from the kidnapping and abuse perpetrated upon her by serial pedophile Brian David Mitchell and his complicit wife Wanda Ileen Barzee. A particularly naive and innocent fourteen-year-old, Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her bedroom during the night on June 5, 2002.  She was rescued nine months later on March 12, 2003, because she outsmarted her captors.  I remember the day of her rescue so well.  America was surprised and overjoyed that the girl presumed dead for many months had been found alive!

The memoir My Story is somewhat repetitive — in part, because the author does not graphically relate or sensationalize the numerous vile deeds perpetrated upon her but rather couches the events in the same words over and over again.  But don't abandon the book because of the repetitiveness.  Reading this memoir until its conclusion is worthwhile!

A Conversation about Three

by Sam Huntington

Why is the number three so significant to human societies? We may credit Pythagoras ( a² + b² = c²), but if the Egyptian pyramids suggest anything at all, the notion appears to have been around for a lot longer than that. What may make this significant in terms of human society are its several applications —beginning with the three great pyramids.

Tales From The Classroom

("Tales from the Classroom" is a new feature posted occasionally here at this blog.  All tales are true and present matters about which I have personal knowledge.  The following tale relates the story of something that happened in the mid-1980s)

Jodi was a very bright seventh grader — or so we thought until time for the science fair came.

Jodi had submitted an elaborate plan for testing her hypothesis as to how certain factors affected plant growth. She planted corn in various containers and subjected those containers to different factors.

Jodi on the day of a progress check (frowning with dismay): I may have to change my project.  None of the corn I planted is sprouting!

Teacher: Corn is usually very easy to grow.  Maybe you planted hybrid kernels.  Hybrid kernels do not usually reproduce.  Where did you get the kernels you planted?  What kind of corn did you plant?

Jodi: Libby's.

Teacher (incredulously): You planted canned corn?  Canning kills the kernel!

Today, Jodi is a state-certified science teacher at the elementary-school level.

Veterans Day 2013

The meaning of Veterans Day is often lost today.  Many people have a mistaken idea as to what this day signifies.

Veterans Day is not only a day to remember those who have perished in the service of our nation but also a day to honor the living.

Remember to thank a member of our military serving now.

Remember to thank a living veteran today.

Remember to honor the meaning of this solemn day.  Pause at 11:00 A.M. on the 11th day of the 11th month.

Video below the fold (hat tip to Western Hero):

Idiocracy

SPEW ALERT! SPEW ALERT!
SET DOWN YOUR BEVERAGE!

Proof positive of idiocracy — at Northeastern Illinois University:

More information HERE.

More proof of idiocray (hat tip to Bloviating Zeppelin):


"Mizled"? Are you kidding me?

At the University of Florida, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa. Please take a moment to look at the list of distinguished alumni of Omicron Delta Kappa.

Nincompoopery — And Worse

(Weekend roundup post somewhat shorter than usual as explained in my post of October 11 and my post of October 18. For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Whopping 932,000 Americans Drop Out Of Labor Force In October; Participation Rate Drops To Fresh 35 Year Low

At fancy St. Regis dinner, Obama tells supporters he never said, 'If you like your plan you can keep it'

Des Moines imam argues sex charges violate religious freedom

Next Big Shoe to Drop: Over 100 Million to Lose Insurance When ObamaCare Exemption to Employers Ends

Recommended Reading

See Liberal entitlement-state dream is crumbling at CNBC.  First two paragraphs:

May I ask this question? Why is it that Americans don't have the freedom to choose their own health insurance? I just don't get it. Why must the liberal nanny state make decisions for us? We can make them ourselves, thank you very much. It's like choosing a car, buying a home or investing in a stock. We can handle it.

So why must the government tell me and everyone else what we can and cannot buy?

Read the rest HERE.

Obama Statesmanship: an oxymoron

By Sam Huntington

No one I know believes that statecraft is as easy as a walk in the park, but I do think that the United States of America has made it far more difficult than necessary. We should begin with our understanding that foreign relations are an interdisciplinary art and science. It involves a knowledge base in international law and policy, trade, history, culture, environment, and human rights. In the realm of diplomacy, I think there only two kinds of states: those that do negotiation well, and those that do not. It may be entirely fair to say that Thucydides would not be much impressed with Obama’s state department. I think this is true even if we ignore Obama’s initial apology tour in 2009, his speech in Cairo, and the disaster that we now refer to as the Arab Spring.

Personal Update

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

I saw my retinal surgeon on Monday, November 4.

I got a good report!  Vision in my left eye is 20/50+2! That's better than I had two days before surgery! In a few months, I can be fitted for a change in eyeglass prescription.

The Benefits Of Good Literature

I can't say that I'm surprised that science supports something I've always contended: reading literary classics, particularly works of fiction, has benefits beyond enjoying the plot and building vocabulary.

From the Washington Post:

Why literary novels are better for you than Danielle Steel
By Science News and Reuters, Published: October 7

Reading good literature may help you socially, psychologists suggest

Think of it as the bookworm’s bonus: People who read first-rate fiction become more socially literate, at least briefly, a new study suggests.

Researchers randomly assigned nearly 700 volunteers to read excerpts of “literary” novels by recent National Book Award finalists and other celebrated authors, to read parts of fiction bestsellers, including one by Danielle Steel, or popular nonfiction books, or to not read anything. Those who read literary works then scored highest on several tests of the ability to decipher others’ motives and emotions, say David Comer Kidd and Emanuele Castano, psychologists at the New School for Social Research in New York.

One test asked participants to describe the thoughts or feelings of one or two individuals shown surrounded by various items in a series of images, based on written and visual clues. In another test, participants tried to match emotion words to facial expressions shown for two seconds on a computer screen.

By prompting readers to ponder characters’ motives and emotions rather than just a fast-moving plot, literary fiction recruits mind-reading skills used in daily encounters, Kidd and Castano propose in the journal Science. The researchers don’t know whether regularly reading literary fiction yields mind-reading upgrades that would last.

Will Common Core take into account these findings? Common Core emphasizes reading more nonfiction and less fiction.

New Forever Stamp, Plus Video Flashback

With thanks to Mustang, who emailed me the graphic below:

Jen's Nightstand Project

If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Jen Nifer proposed this little project.

Here is my narrow little nightstand, an antique made of black walnut, and it allows for no clutter:

Mr. AOW's nightstand is a lot more interesting than mine!

Nincompoopery — And Worse

(Weekend roundup post somewhat shorter than usual as explained in my post of October 11 and my post of October 18. For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

CBS News: Obamacare Website Failed Every Test Just Before It Went Live

Could the Kenya attack happen here? It did [in 2007]

Scotland shuts down childhood immunization program after Muslims complain

IMF Proposal to Tax Bank Deposits

UNREAL: Senate Deal Changes Rules For Future Debt Ceiling Increases, Congress Would Need Two-Thirds Majority To Stop Obama From Raising Borrowing Limit

Top Hospitals Opt Out

Obama stated:

“If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what.”

From U.S. News and World Report:

Americans who sign up for Obamacare will be getting a big surprise if they expect to access premium health care that may have been previously covered under their personal policies. Most of the top hospitals will accept insurance from just one or two companies operating under Obamacare.

[...]

Chances are the individual plan you purchased outside Obamacare would allow you to go to these facilities....

Much more information at the link.

The loss of policies goes well beyond non-participating hospitals and the dumping of private health-insurance policies. Please see Mid-range estimate: 51% of employer-sponsored plans will get canceled.

WE THE PEOPLE have yet to plumb the full depths of the ObamaCare nightmare  Meanwhile, most mainstream media network anchors continue to intone Obama's very name in dulcet tones.

Solving Suicide

by Sam Huntington

I used to drive my sensei to distraction, always asking about the suicide rate in Japan. What does it matter, she would ask. I would always argue, “It matters because young people are taking their own lives, rather than facing up to the challenges that everyone must face.” She persisted, “People who commit suicide are facing their challenges —and they are making a decision that is suitable to them. Plainly, this is none of your business —or mine.”

This was a conversation that took place in 1985. Since then, the suicide rate in Japan has only gotten worse. Every year, the suicide rate exceeds 34,000. Of these, 70% are men. Approximately 3,000 children commit suicide every year when they learn that they have failed their high school entrance examinations. Forty percent of suicides among men occur between the ages of 20—44. Suicide among Japanese women is the leading cause of death between the ages 15—34. One Japanese suicide every fifteen minutes is more than twice the frequency of suicide in the United States.

Music Fit For Halloween

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns and one of my favorite pieces of music:


According to YouTube:

Promises, Promises

Video Of Obama telling Americans, 19 times, that their health insurance premiums would be lowered by $2500 (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance):

What You See...

...may not be what you get. When it comes to premiums quote on the ObamaCare web site, that is.

The CBS News video "ObamaCare Website Dramatically Underestimating Costs For Consumers":

Break From Politics: The Writer Automaton

(with thanks to FreeThinke, who emailed me the link below)

Video of the only surviving, working automaton, 240 years old.


The clockwork was created by Pierre Jaquet-Droz.

Nincompoopery — And Worse

(Weekend roundup post somewhat shorter than usual as explained in my post of October 11 and my post of October 18. For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Michelle Obama’s Princeton classmate is executive at company that built Obamacare website

Ohio Mosque Religious School: "if they do not learn their religious passages as they are instructed," they are sometimes "chained to a wall by their wrists and ankles and beaten with a long stick."

TWO MUSLIM SOLDIERS ARRESTED IN MISSOURI ASKING FOR SEXUAL FAVORS AND TRYING TO ABDUCT 12 YEAR OLD GIRL FROM IN FRONT OF HER HOUSE

Recommended Reading

See Saudi Prince Warns Fracking is a Threat To the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Infidel Bloggers Alliance, citing Vlad Tepes Blog.

Ten Things to Expect from Obama Care in 2014

By Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D.

It's been clear to anyone paying attention that the October "rollout" of Obamacare has been a turbulent, confusing disaster. Sloppy IT systems and technological failures combined to cripple Obamacare's sign-up systems. Security flaws put Americans at risk for identity theft.

In an almost comical understatement, President Obama summarized these massive failures as "a few glitches." I think that Luke Chung, IT expert and president of database solutions firm FMS, explained the situation much more accurately:

"What should clearly be an enterprise quality, highly scalable software application felt like it wouldn't pass a basic code review. It appears the people who built the site don't know what they're doing, never used it and didn't test it."

Chung went on to call it a "technological disaster."

Think about what this ineptitude means in the bigger debate about Obamacare. The administration spent 3½ years and $698 million of taxpayers' money to develop this software. They've known since earlier this year that the system wasn't ready to support the rollout of the exchanges. Yet they proceeded anyway, apparently unconcerned about their faulty software costing Americans millions of hours of frustration and lost productivity.

These same bureaucrats continue to assume more and more control of our medical care. What does their incompetence say about how they will handle making life-or-death medical care decisions?

Like a parasite taking over its host, Obamacare will commandeer almost 20% of our economy, crowding out private options. With 2014 fast approaching, what should we expect in its next phase?

Here's my list Top Ten list for 2014:

Mathematical Realities And ObamaCare

"You’re not exempt from math if you’re a Republican, and you’re not exempt from math if you’re a Democrat."

The video below the fold is a bit long, but I urge you to watch it and comment thereon. Pay particular attention during the last 30 seconds (hat tip to Adrienne's Corner):

A Few ObamaCare Analogies

President Obama has admitted the launch of ACA has not worked as smoothly as it was supposed to, and the New York Times has pointed out that as many are five million lines of code may need to be rewritten.

The analogies are below the fold (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance commenter Ciccio):

In other news:

The Russian communist party admitted it has suffered some slight setbacks in its goal of Marxist-Leninist utopia.

The Titanic ran into some ice on its maiden voyage to New York.

Western Union has lost some ground in its telegram business.

Kodak seems to have some problems with the sales of its films and cameras.

Tales From The Classroom

("Tales from the Classroom" is a new feature posted occasionally here at this blog.  All tales are true and present matters about which I have personal knowledge.  The following tale relates the story of something that occurred in September 2013)

Student A decided to help her classmate Student B. Both students, graduates from high school last June, attend a community college, the credits from which are accepted at all universities in the state of Virginia. Student A and Student B are enrolled in a precalculus course.

Upon helping Student B for a few minutes, Student A discerned that Student B's mathematics skills were woefully inadequate for embarking upon a study of precalculus.

Student A (frowning with dismay): What math courses did you take in high school?

Student B (cheerfully): I had a hard time with Algebra I.  Next, I tried Algebra II, but I failed.  I took a class in function and did okay with that.  I'm taking calculus now because I heard that calculus was easier.

A few weeks later, the day of the midterm exam...

Student B (euphorically): I'm going to get an A on this exam.  My fourth grade sister tutored me over the weekend.

Musical Interlude

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Hat tip to Mustang of A Montpelier View:

Nincompoopery — And Worse

(Weekend roundup post somewhat shorter than usual as explained in my post of October 11 and my post of October 18. For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Analysis: Less than 1 percent of visitors to ObamaCare exchange enrolled

McAfee: ‘Hackers can empty bank accounts of Obamacare enrollees’

The List: Unnecessarily Shut Down by Obama to Inflict Public Pain

US adults score below average on worldwide test

First Week Back

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Rough and exhausting. Surgery and two weeks off have taken their toll. In addition, while in the building, I am pouring in streams of artificial tears so as to deal with the dry air in the building.

Vision in the operated eye is distorted and distracting and of no practical use whatsoever. The surgeon says not to expect otherwise for at least several weeks.

I am thankful for the homeschool group with whom I work.  The parents are taking turns driving me to and from work because the surgeon has given me strict orders not to drive even short distances during rush hour.  My students are excited to be back in class and exercising restraint and civility well beyond their chronological age.

The Fraud Revealed

By Sam Huntington

"Health and Human Services spokeswoman Joanne Peters said Tuesday the government omitted a window-shopping function because officials first wanted consumers to know the amount of the subsidy they might be eligible for. Those income-based tax credits can dramatically reduce premiums for people with modest incomes, and personal financial information is needed to calculate the subsidies."

“Our process allows us to show consumers plans with prices that reflect what they will pay with the tax credit they may be eligible for,” Peters said. “Window shopping would not allow for this.” —Associated Press

Sign Up For ObamaCare, and Get a Free SmartPhone

From NashvilleBizBlog:

Community Health Alliance, Tennessee's health insurance co-op, is running a unique promotional program to drive enrollment in its plans for sale on the exchange: health insurance in exchange for a smartphone.

As part of its Community Health Connection Program, CHA is offering qualified individuals an LG Lucid 2 4G smart phone (or equivalent model), a phone plan and tech support, included as a cost of their health plan benefits. The phone plan includes unlimited talk, unlimited texting and 1.2GB of data..

Even Ezra Klein acknowledges that the launch of ObamaCare is "a big failure":

Who Is To Blame?

The survey below is not scientific but amusing, nonetheless:


The University of Colorado-Boulder is typically a bastion of liberalism.

Poetry Corner (Columbus Day)

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Columbus by Joaquin Miller (1837 – 1913)

BEHIND him lay the gray Azores,
Behind the Gates of Hercules;
Before him not the ghost of shores,
Before him only shoreless seas.
The good mate said: "Now we must pray,
For lo! the very stars are gone.
Brave Admiral, speak, what shall I say?"
"Why, say, 'Sail on! sail on! and on!'"

Nincompoopery — And Worse

(Weekend roundup post, somewhat shorter than usual as explained in my post of October 11.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Mental health nurse [in Southampton, England] handed a patient a razor blade after patient declared intent for self-harm. The nurse said later that she was trying to turn a negative situation into a positive one

Grocery story owner sues IRS over seizure of $35,000

Obama’s Park Service Removes Handles From Water Fountains In Park Frequented By Joggers And Bikers

In The Blink Of An Eye

The ophthalmic surgeon's diagnosis at my emergency appointment on Monday, September 30, 2013: You have a detachment.

Then he phoned a retinal surgeon. My dear friend S, who had fortuitously and coincidentally arrived late Saturday to redecorate my back porch, drove me to the day's second appointment a few minutes away.

By Wednesday afternoon, I was on the operating table: vitrectomy, pneumatic retinopexy, and scleral buckle. Mr. AOW has more information at his blog, including a graphic video.

A "How to" Guide

The successful politician

by Sam Huntington

If becoming a politician were difficult, if working as a politician was challenging, or even stressful, then we would not find so many people lining up to get into the politician racket. That’s right: racket. Few jobs offer the kinds of benefits we extend to members of Congress. Try to imagine working for corporate America and then telling your boss that you need to make a fact finding trip to Syria —and that he or she has to pay for it. Be sure to inform your boss that you have decided to take your wife along; or, your mistress/secretary/administrative assistant.

This “How to” guide has been developed for the individual who wants to get into the rackets more than he or she wants to gain admission to Heaven: they can’t have both. Nevertheless, there are a few things to remember in your quest for eternal damnation.

Killing Off Native Americans

by Sam Huntington

It was not all that long ago when Margaret Sanger (may she burn in hell) decided what a great idea it would be if the progressive side of the Democratic Party could in some ways reduce the Negro population of the United States beyond lynching them. Apparently, even Sanger was smart enough to know that white conservatives frowned upon such ideas. Sanger then came up with this idea of birth control.

“The most merciful thing that a family does with one of its infant members is to kill it.” —Margaret Sanger

“Negros are human weeds, reckless breeders, spawning human beings who never should have been born.” —Margaret Sanger

Commander in Hiding

by Sam Huntington

According to the United States Constitution, the President serves as commander in chief of the Armed Forces. I suppose the founding fathers placed this provision into the constitution because of George Washington’s service during the American Revolution —believing that future commanders in chief would lead from the front. Over the years, however, the amount of military detail handled personally by the President has varied considerably. America’s military structure is rooted in British tradition, with the president (as with the monarch) taking the highest military rank of all.

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was deeply involved with devising, approving, and implementing military strategies. Overall, Lincoln earned high praise from many historians for his strategic sensibilities, and in the selection of his commanders. Here is where I may find room for disagreement. Before U. S. Grant, most of Lincoln’s senior commanders were anything but effective commanders.

Lowering the Bar

By Sam Huntington

According to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Obama Care will be a resounding success if, by the end of 2013, 7 million people have enrolled in the program.

Seven million —that equates to about 16% of the more than 41.3 million Americans that Sebelius claims need health insurance. I wonder if anyone besides me notices that the numbers this administration claims to be uninsured shifts like the sands of the desert. Frankly, it makes me wonder if someone in the government isn’t full of “it.”

Break From Politics: The English Language

John McWhorter offers a brief history of plural nouns in the English language (hat tip to 1389 Blog):


TEDEd: Lessons Worth Sharing

Nincompoopery — And Worse

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

[UK] The state school where girls are forced to wear hijabs in classrooms AND outside school

Nigeria (September 29, 2013): Jihadists murder at least 50 agricultural students as they slept in dormitories

USC students say Obama deserves his Nobel Peace Prize because he's "mellow" — or something [video]

Iran drama obscures concerns over Obama approach to Mideast

California college bars student from handing out copies of Constitution [on Constitution Day, September 17]

Obama’s Long List of Broken Promises

Your tax dollars pay off federal workers school loans

U.S. disability rolls swell as jobs vanish

Future Barbarians At Play

Filmed in Syria and posted to YouTube on September 22, 2013 (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance):

Compassion in America

How to de-incentivize the work force without really trying

By Sam Huntington

One of the most fundamental principles of economics is that people tend to purchase more when prices are lower, and they purchase less when prices are higher. No matter, those who think that the way to stimulate the economy is through federal spending of borrowed money also think that the way to increase employment is to raise the minimum wage. There is simply no shortage of incredulousness on the political left, but they do celebrate how kindhearted they are. Sadly, and this is a trend, no one on the left considers the consequences of their poorly contrived schemes.

Here is an interesting fact: nations with minimum wage laws almost always have higher rates of unemployment, compared to those without minimum wage laws. One of these is Switzerland, which in 2003 reported a five-year unemployment high of 3.9 percent. Ten years later, the unemployment rate is 3.1 percent. You will not find such low numbers in the United States since the administration of Calvin Coolidge, and there is a reason for this: when the cost of labor to employers is low, unemployment is low. When the cost of labor to employers is high, unemployment is high.

Mark Levin: "I Think Obama Is Unstable"

Worth your time (hat tip to Will of MFS - The Other News):

Don't Make me Kill You

by Sam Huntington

According to a news report yesterday, MIT scientists may have stumbled on a way to construct an actual light-saber. Until recently, photons (mass-less particles) that constitute light thought not to interact with one another, but rather simply pass through each other—two beams of luminescence.

Well, according to the Harvard Gazette, this isn’t so. Scientists have improbably coaxed photons into hardened molecules that you could whack against each other—in a duel to the death in the well of the Senate.

I would like to have one of these. I would probably walk through downtown Chicago in the middle of the night daring some a-hole to start something. After all, isn’t light faster than a speeding bullet? 

No?

No matter; just day dreaming.  With the economy in its present shape, who could afford it? Just wondering, though … would you want one of these if they were available and affordable?

Next week: the inside scoop on the X-Wing fighter.