Friday, February 28, 2014

I can see trouble from my house

Remember people ripping on Sarah Palin's comments on Russia?
Or Mitt Romney thinking Russia was a major geopolitical concern for the country?
Check the news today.
Time to reset the reset button, before it's too late.

Caution at our exit

VDOT has issued an alert for road work at the Fishersville exit on I-64.
Watch out for steel beams being placed March 10-11.
I'll stay on my side of the bridge those days.

Weekend watchdog

Tired of winter?
Spring is getting closer.
Spring training baseball starts this week, and MASN has a pair of games over the weekend.
The Orioles take the stage Saturday at 1 p.m., facing the Blue Jays. The Nationals take on the Marlins Sunday at 1 p.m.
Just four more weeks before the teams head north and start playing for real.
Virginia looks to clinch the ACC regular season championship Saturday at 4 p.m., hosting fourth-ranked Syracuse on ESPN. The day starts with Cincinnati-Connecticut at noon, then Wichita State tries to stay perfect against Missouri State. Kentucky hosts South Carolina at 6 p.m., and the GameDay crew will catch Kansas against Oklahoma State at 9 p.m.
On ESPN2, Iona goes against Manhattan Friday at 7 p.m., and there's six games on Saturday. Vanderbilt takes on Tennessee to start the day at noon, then it's Notre Dame-Pittsburgh and Illinois meeting Michigan State. St. Louis tries to stop VCU at 6 p.m., then it's out west for UC Santa Barbara playing UC Davis and Gonzaga against Saint Mary's.
CBS gears up for March Madness with doubleheaders both weekend days. Louisville meets Memphis Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by LSU-Florida. Marquette heads to Villanova Sunday at 2 p.m., with Ohio State facing Indiana at 4 p.m.
The ACC network has two games Saturday - Miami against North Carolina State at noon and Virginia Tech facing North Carolina at 2:30 p.m. Maryland meets Clemson Sunday at 1 p.m.
 Creighton meets Xavier Saturday at 5 p.m. on FoxSports1, then Sunday Oregon State battles UCLA at 9 p.m.
Comcast offers William & Mary against Towson Saturday at 4 p.m.
MASN2 has a Big 12 doubleheader Saturday, with Texas Tech facing Baylor at 1:30 p.m. followed by Texas-Oklahoma.
In the Atlantic 10, Saint Joseph's meets St. Bonaventure Saturday at 3 p.m. on NBC Sports network. LaSalle plays Fordham Saturday at 5 p.m., and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. it's George Mason-George Washington.
The ACC women's regular season closes Sunday at 1 p.m., when North Carolina meets Duke on ESPN. Miami faces Pittsburgh Sunday at 1 p.m. on Comcast. Kansas hosts Iowa State Saturday at 8 p.m. on MASN2.
There's a pair of games on ESPN2 Sunday - Nebraska against Purdue at 2 p.m. before Vanderbilt faces Kentucky.
FoxSports1 brings Creighton against Marquette Saturday at 3 p.m., and West Virginia tangles with Baylor Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
ESPN has the Warriors' visit to New York Friday at 8 p.m., then the Pelicans battle the Suns.
ABC offers Knicks-Bulls Sunday at 1 p.m. The Wizards face the 76ers Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast.
NASCAR hopes to avoid rain in the desert, with the Sprint Cup in Phoenix Sunday at 3 p.m. on Fox. ABC has the Nationwide race Saturday at 3:30 p.m
The Capitals travel to Boston Saturday at 1 p.m. on Comcast and host the Flyers on NBC Sunday at noon.
The Stadium Series continues Saturday on NBC, with the Penguins at Chicago's Soldier Field to face the Blackhawks.
NBC Sports network has a pair of contests Sunday, with Ottawa at Vancouver at 4 p.m. followed by Bruins facing the Rangers.
There's college ice hockey between Penn State and Minnesota Saturday at 7 p.m.
The PGA tour heads to Florida for the Honda Classic on NBC Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
There's a pair of Premier League contests on NBC Sports network Saturday - Fulham against Chelsea Saturday at 10 a.m. followed by Southampton-Liverpool. Tottenham Hotspur meets Cardiff City Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Farewell salute

Jamie Jeffords has decided to close his Eye of Polyphemus blog.
How best to say farewell to a blogging cohort?
Kaley Cuoco, of course.





Vanity of vanities; all is vanity

Ace takes a fellow atheist to task for his sin - Vanity.
You are guilty not of atheism (which is not a crime) but the great sin of our age, the great Vanity, that of Tribalism.
You believe that your membership in a tribe makes you superior to others; I think your devotion to a tribe makes you inferior.
You are desperately searching for affirmation of self in trivial proofs. I believe this, I don't believe that; ergo, I'm superior.
You might as well be basing your ego upon your favorite ice cream flavor.
The teacher had it right all those years ago.

Still cooking

It's the fifth anniversary of the Tea Party movement.
Party like it's 2010.

Tolerance disconnect

How do you weigh the rights of one group against the rights of another?
Especially when they are yelling at each other.
The Anchoress tries.
Years ago at First Things, I wrote about the “tolerance disconnect” that we are now experiencing. I warned that we, as a church, were going to have to improve on how we teach and speak on homosexuality, and that gay-rights-and-the-church was going to be the great confrontational issue between us and society, dividing us, even in the church.
This morning, after talking to our writer, I thought about this coming, catastrophic confrontation into which we are irrevocably headed and I think maybe I understand why people are staking out their territory and defending it with absolutes; it’s because things are about to become more and more confusing. The evil one sows confusion and we will begin to feel disoriented.
No last words.
Yet.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Understand. Don't shout

Powerline has two posts about Arizona's proposed law for extending Religious Freedom.
Read and learn.
Instead of rant and shout

Repeal is a fix

Democrats keep thinking they can get the better of Republicans on Obamacare in the coming election.
They think people want to fix and improve it.
But Republicans agree.
Repeal is a fix, and an immediate improvement.
We could put Democrats in charge of fixing Obamacare.
It's just like putting the Three Stooges in charge of fixing something they just broke.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Millionaires against inequality

It's almost the big day.
Robert Reich will be screening his movie "Inequality for All."
Reich and Senator Elizabeth Warren will be hosting watch parties Thursday.
Millionaires trying to say they want to fight inequality.
I'll take a thousand bucks from each of us.
That can start the road to equality.
Give of your own riches, not demand money from others.

Wake up your breakfast

How well will Taco Bell's entry into the breakfast market go?
McDonald's has breakfast burritos, so why not the burrito and taco place?
I'll be eating my usual breakfast for now.

I'll shill for you

Mike Rowe took some grief for appearing in a Wal-Mart ad.
And gave grief back.
I’m just at a point in my career where I want to associate myself with messages that speak directly to the issues that are important to me. That’s why the Walmart ad was so appealing. A $250 billion investment in US manufacturing is worth talking about, and very much in keeping with the goals of my own foundation. If any other “Oppressors” are looking to make a similar investment in America, drop me a line. I’m happy to “shill” for any company that get this country back to work.
We know he'll have plenty of work.

Today's Tied with me

Technorati has this blog tied with Golden Age Painting, which looks at a British firehouse in 1910.

Monday, February 24, 2014

We used "the wheel of death"

Fox has been all over the proposal - quickly smacked down - to have monitoring of newsroom decision making.
I've been in a newsroom.
It's not that exciting.
There's a daily "what do you have" meeting.
You get updates from the Associated Press on what they are doing.
You watch the local TV to see if they found something you missed.
One of our copy editors joked about how to decide if a disaster made the front page - or got pushed inside. He called his proportion wheel "the wheel of death," with enough death in a foreign country warranting better coverage.
Individuals can get their story angles pushed to the front page. But there are many personalities and many outside pressures that go into the daily front page.
Government doesn't need to be one more pressure.

Pier-less

I never watched Piers Morgan on CNN.
Or anywhere else he's been.
So I'm not sad about his show ending.
Although I couldn't resist the headline idea.

Walker, standing high

Commentary sees fear in the eyes of Democrats about Wisconsin governor Scott Walker.
The nation confronts a future in which the costs of public-sector salaries and benefits could push a host of cities off the same fiscal cliff that landed Detroit in bankruptcy and civil ruin. Though the unions that lost their power to raid the public treasury will never forgive Walker, his courage in standing up to them and achieving results provides a compelling story that could very well inspire a run to the White House.

Exercise in magical thinking

Powerline doesn't have much faith in the assumptions of the upcoming Obama budget.
Bear that in mind when Obama says that he has proposed a budget that controls future deficits: deficits will be contained if Obamacare magically reduces health care spending–assuming that Obamacare even exists a year from now–and if vast numbers of new immigrants somehow contribute more to the federal coffers than they cost. None of that is going to happen. Obama’s budget, as usual, is an exercise in magical thinking.

Unchanged

Breitbart understands Ted Cruz better than Politico.
Republicans from red states have often gone to Washington vowing to change it, only to have Washington change them. Even Grieder admits to being surprised that Cruz actually means what he says and is not "all hat no cattle" when he declares that he is "not at all" afraid of losing fights after standing on principle.
Cruz said something to get elected, and planned to follow that in Washington.
What a surprise?

Sunday, February 23, 2014

The new alternative

Being wise beyond his years earned Olympian David Wise an unlikely title - living an alternative lifestyle.
So said the NBC website headline writer and NBC writer.
Wise is 23, married and has a child.
Too alternative for NBC employees.
Wise belongs to a nice church in Reno.
As a teenager, he attended another nice church in Reno - where the pastor also my church's pastor back in the 1980s.
Does that mean I live an alternative lifestyle by connection?

They can learn

Doing the Sunday shopping, I found a great deal on soft drinks at Target.
A lady walking by mentioned to her family member that they don't like that brand.
I think they can learn.

Happy Leap Circular

If you like the ads in this week's Kroger circular, you have a few more days to pick up your favorites.
Kroger moves its circular start date from Sundays to Wednesday on March 5, joining a trend in the business.
Why move from Sunday?
In the past, Sunday newspapers were the way to show off your deals to the largest audience. But that's the other end of the week from the busiest shopping day.
Now, you can get your circular on an app. Anytime you want.
Food Lion has been on Wednesdays for years.
It still gives plenty of time to plan for your weekend shopping, and a chance to catch what you need early in the week before the new circular debuts.
Just as long as I know when the soft drinks are on sale.

Enjoy the gold

Congrats to Canada for winning Olympic goal medal in ice hockey.
Will the NHL send its players to the next Olympics, to be played in South Korea?
I just hope Sweden keeps wearing the same cool uniforms.

Put a stamp on it

Charlton Heston will be on a upcoming stamp issued by the Post Office.
It will be Hollywood-era Heston, not NRA president Heston.
But lots of Heston fans can't wait to get their hands on it.

Dance the night away

It's a big weekend at Penn State - The Thon dance marathon to raise money for cancer research.
They dance for 46 hours - just a few more to go.
They raise money - and that can continue if you miss the weekend.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

End it before it ends us

Poor Obamacare.
Unloved by most.
Can it be fixed?
Depends on the meaning of "fixed"
If it's like getting your dog "fixed.," that's the best plan.
Doubt the fixes Democrats want to do will be real fixes.
Since they got us into this fix in the first place.

Saturday song

Styx says farewell to Babe. The guitarist must be a fan of the "Staypuft Marshmallow man."


Get your hands dirty

Mike Rowe's support of Wal-Mart drew some dirty looks.
The idea seems like one that would be commended by the vast majority of the American public, especially those in the manufacturing industry. Not so, for some.
Jobs with Justice, the group that bids itself as the organization “fighting for workers’ rights and an economy that works for everyone,” was none too pleased that the former Dirty Jobs host agreed to lend his voice to an ad made by – gasp! – Walmart.
Wonder if his critics have ever done a dirty job?

Facebook quote of the week

So I am waiting for my history class to start. These two girls are talking about how they were wearing pig costumes and handcuffing each other. The one said, (In all seriousness) I drank vodka out of a wine glass so that makes me classy! Yeah! I am sure the costume helped also! HAPPY MONDAY!

Friday, February 21, 2014

Time for trial lawyers to slim down

Megan McArdle looks at the idea of lawyers suing food companies over obesity - and quickly finds the real loser.
These sorts of lawsuits do suggest dire things about the future of one industry: trial law. As the great money machine that was asbestos finally grinds to a halt, having bankrupted nearly every firm that ever touched the stuff, the trial lawyers will have to find more promising territory to launch mass torts from. If this sort of thing is the best they can come up with, then they’re in real trouble.

No go on Tebow

Augusta Free Press questions Democratic glee at the latest defeat of the Tebow bill, which would allow home school kids to participate on public school athletic teams.
The more insulting comment came from Senate Democratic Leader Dick Saslaw, rebutting arguments made by Tebow Bill supporters that home-school families pay taxes like everybody else and thus should be able to access public schools for athletics purposes like everyone else.
“It‘s true that home school families pay taxes that fund our public schools, but that doesn’t mean they’re automatically entitled to use those schools. Your tax dollars pay for a B-1 bomber or fire trucks, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to hop in and ride it,” the politically tone-deaf Saslaw said.
Fox News doesn’t need to call Democrats egghead liberals when you have Democratic leaders making comments like these.

Weekend watchdog

Just a few more days before bobsledding and curling leave the scene for four more years.
It's the final weekend of the Sochi Olympics, capped by Sunday's men's ice hockey gold medal game at 7 a.m. The closing ceremonies air at 7 p.m., then the preparation for the 2018 Winter Games begin.
Friday's action on NBC will be at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and events Saturday will be shown at 2:30 and 8 p.m.
NBC Sports network brings the men's ice hockey semifinals are at 6:30 a.m. and noon. There's cross-country skiing Saturday at 4:30 a.m., followed by the bronze medal men's ice hockey game at 10 a.m. and figure skating at 12:30 p.m. Coverage closes with bobsledding Sunday at 4 a.m.
While the Olympics close out, the new NASCAR season starts with the Daytona 500 Sunday on Fox. ESPN has the opener of the Nationwide racing season Saturday at 1:15 p.m,
The flag drops on the first Truck Series race Friday at 7:30 p.m. on FoxSports1.
Duke gets another chance at top-ranked Syracuse Saturday at 7 p.m., followed by Arizona-Colorado. LSU takes on Kentucky at 4 p.m.
VCU meets Massachusetts on ESPN2 Friday at 7 p.m.
Virginia takes on Notre Dame on ESPN2 Saturday at 2 p.m., after Wisconsin-Iowa at noon. Iowa State takes on TCU at 4 p.m., followed by UCLA-Stanford and Missouri against Alabama. San Diego State faces New Mexico at 10 p.m., and the slate closes at midnight with Gonzaga taking on San Diego.
North Carolina meets Wake Forest at noon Saturday on ACC network, and other areas see Boston College-Miami.
CBS has regional action Saturday at noon, with Florida facing Mississippi and Louisville meeting Cincinnati. Michigan and Michigan State battle Sunday at noon.
FoxSports1 starts its action Saturday at 11:30 a.m. when Xavier travels to Georgetown. It's St. John's-Villanova at 1:30 p.m., followed by UAB at Charlotte. Providence meets Butler Sunday at 6 p.m., followed by Southern Cal against California.
There's three games on Comcast Saturday, starting in the ACC with Clemson-Georgia Tech at noon. Virginia Tech plays North Carolina State at 2 p.m., followed by Northeastern against William & Mary. Drexel tangles with Delaware Sunday at 3 p.m.
West Virginia hosts Baylor Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on MASN, followed by Kansas State-Oklahoma. Texas Tech takes on Oklahoma State Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on MASN2.
NBC Sports network brings Ivy League action, with Brown at Cornell Saturday at 8 p.m. Yale heads to Columbia Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Comcast offers Wake Forest meeting Miami Sunday at 1 p.m. Charlotte visits Middle Tennessee on MASN2 Saturday at 4 p.m. and Kansas heads to Oklahoma at 8 p.m. Sunday at 3 p.m., Oklahoma State faces Texas Tech.
Notre Dame meets Duke in a battle of top 10 squads Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN. ESPN2 has a Sunday doubleheader, with Kentucky against Texas A&M at 2 p.m. and Maryland-Georgia Tech at 4 p.m. Georgetown hosts Villanova on FoxSports1 Sunday at 1 p.m.
ESPN offers Denver-Chicago at 8 p.m. Friday, followed by the Celtics taking on the Lakers. Sunday at 9 p.m., the Rockets head to Phoenix. ABC has the Clippers and Thunder Sunday at 1 p.m., then it's Bulls at Heat.
The Wizards host the Pelicans Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast, then travel to Cleveland Sunday at 6 p.m.
CBS has the final two days of the Match Play Championship Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
In Premier League, Crystal Palace meets Manchester United on NBC Saturday at 12:30 p.m., while USA shows Arsenal against Sunderland.
Chelsea clashes with Everton Saturday at 7:45 a.m. on NBC Sports network, and there's a pair of contests Sunday - Liverpool plays Swansea City at 8:30 a.m. followed by Norwich City against Tottenham Hotspur.
Notre Dame hosts Boston University Friday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
The USA Indoor track and field championships are on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Learn the best from failure

Megan McArdle has a book out.
Don't fail to learn her lesson - which she illustrates by telling the story of a 15-year-old girl afraid of taking a class that might harm her 4.0 GPA.
Now is when this kid should be learning to dream big dreams and dare greatly. Now is when she should be making mistakes and figuring out how to recover from them. Instead, we’re telling one of our best and brightest to focus all her talent on coloring within the lines. This is not the first time I’ve heard this from kids and teachers and parents. But I’ve never heard it phrased quite so starkly.

Asking the hard questions

You need a Minnesota citizen to get to the bottom of the failed Obamacare promises.
KEYC’s Ryan Gustafson captured a priceless moment when one attendee wanted to know why Democrats promised that ObamaCare would save families $2500 a year in premiums.
Democrats better practice their answers.
Because the questions will continue.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Ignore the spin

Legal Insurrection looks inside the numbers of "does the sun revolve around the earth" question.
When the the political orientation was further subdivided, conservative Republicans — the group many would identify as the “religious right” — out performed even those intellectual titans known as liberal Democrats.
Screen Shot 2014-02-19 at 11.17.08 AM
The American public certainly may have a scientific literacy problem. However, in remedying that problem, it looks like we need to begin first and foremost with our liberal Democrat friends.

Stuck in the Obamacare quagmire

How will Democrats fare in the 2014 elections?
Depends on how much Obamacare has hurt the voting population by November.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that more voters support "fixing" something than repealing a law; as any professional wordsmith can tell you, it always sounds more constructive to fix something that's broken. But it doesn't address how voters dissatisfied with the health care law will act when given the choice between a lawmaker who voted for a broken law and a challenger with the freedom to run against it however he sees fit.
We had to pass the law to find what's in it - lots of angry voters.

Good use for MSNBC

With both the United States and Canada playing at noon today, MSNBC will be showing Canada's quarterfinal contest against Latvia.
Much better than anything else they usually show.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Oodles of higher prices

Pat in Shreveport looks at the rising cost of her favorite foods.
I've all but quit buying red meat, and not for health reasons or that I've become a vegetarian: I'm a red meat carnivore, but who in the world can afford a $24 rump roast for Sunday dinner?  Mr. SIGIS bought groceries at the commissary on base last week and paid $4.00 per lb. for ground beef.  A whole chicken runs about $6 now as opposed to about $4 a year ago at my grocery store.  Milk?  About $4.50 a gallon.  Our weekly splurge of ribeyes for the grill is a thing of the past.  Even my own favorite food group, beer, now costs about $2 more a six-pack.

Do you regret doing this poll?

Shocker poll - 71 percent of Obama voters in 2012 regret their vote.
Shocker look at the numbers - the 71 percent comes from those who won't vote for him now, not all 2012 Obama voters.
Do they regret releasing such numbers?

Achievement by Association

Ace has a great post looking at how people link themselves to successful people to seem successful as well.
The argument of Achievement by Association is always made by the least-achieved members -- and the lowest-ranking members -- of any particular group. It is a low-level MSNBC line producer who will say something along the lines of "Liberals (implicitly: "such as myself") are much more creative and talented, as proven by all the great liberal directors, such as Steven Spielberg."
You will never hear Steven Spielberg say "Liberals are much more creative and talented, as proven by this low-level MSNBC line producer I never heard of and doubt I ever will."

This will bug the unions

Some interesting insights into the UAW's loss at the Tennessee Volkswagen plant.
Because most workers weren’t particularly looking for a union to address problems they didn’t believe they had with the company in the first place — because VW was drafted into a cooperative relationship by the UAW, rather than seen as an galvanizing adversary — they didn’t think that the (literally) foreign concept of works council presented much of value proposition for them that would be worth one to two percent of their income in dues payments. As the very shrewd labor historian Erik Loomis wrote, in a sharp campaign post-mortem, “the usual union victory results from dissatisfied workers organizing with demands. That really wasn’t the case here.”
The workers didn't like the UAW model.
Time to go back to the drawing board.
Redesign worked for the Bug.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Not thrilled with Bill

Powerline eyes the several reasons for Rand Paul to stir up bad memories of Bill Clinton's time in office.
3) Bill Clinton is incapable of staying on the sidelines. He is the Democrats’ most popular figure, and Hillary’s best weapon. He will be a leading figure in her campaign. Is it possible for Bill to be front and center as a fundraiser and an advocate, running interference for his wife and vouching for her competence, while at the same time remaining shielded from any scrutiny? I don’t think so.
Bring 'em down together.

Solution to climate change - smaller government

If the "science is settled" on climate change/global warming, can we save money by not funding those scientists anymore?
If the "science is settled," why do they need more money?
What more can be found?
If they said the cure for climate change was a 25 percent tax cut, I'd listen.
Claiming the cure means more money going to those who find a problem only encourages them to find "problems" that can bring them money.

Enjoy it while you can

NBC News ran a feature Sunday on the visitors to an ice cave on Lake Superior.
It's usually in 40-feet of water, but this winter's cold weather have made a solid path for people to check it out.
They interviewed a park ranger, who maintained the climate change line.
This is a fluke year, and we won't see much of it again as the climate warms.
Doesn't a frozen Lake Superior hurt the idea that the climate is warming?
Nah, ignore it.
Stop shivering - the world is getting warmer.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Trolling for dollars

Althouse examines a story on internet trolls - if you disagree with me, you must be crazy.
So how did the researchers determine who counted as a troll so that they could study what these people are really like inside? If you restrict the category to horrible people, it's no surprise that you find that the horrible people are horrible.

Good job, good cop

The Other McCain highlights a story where Jesus breaks through a heart that didn't expect it.
But God's promises rolled in like sets of waves into my world. One Lord's Day, Ken preached on John 7:17: "If anyone wills to do [God's] will, he shall know concerning the doctrine" (NKJV). This verse exposed the quicksand in which my feet were stuck. I was a thinker. I was paid to read books and write about them. I expected that in all areas of life, understanding came before obedience. And I wanted God to show me, on my terms, why homosexuality was a sin. I wanted to be the judge, not one being judged.
Read the whole thing.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

We have enough for now

Someone posted on Facebook a story with the headline "Gun sales are plunging."
What is the plunge?
January 2014 sales were lower than January 2013 sales.
But still higher than January 2012 sales.
People got their guns last year.
Not as many people need a new gun.
For now.

Serf's up

The Other McCain highlights an interesting argument at Volokh Conspiracy.
E.J. Dionne tries to take on "Road to Serfdom."
The Volokh author explains economic theory so even Dionne can understand.
Hayek says that given this it is not tenable to argue that central planning can simply control the means of production–it must eventually control the ends too, meaning that the central planner will have to decide whose ends are satisfied in and whose are disappointed. This means, in turn, that the central planner must choose among the moral worth of individual’s competing ends. The central planner must have the authority to decide how many resources to spend on books and how much on movies, how much on breast cancer research vs. prostate cancer research, and how much on bikes v. cars. Those choices are inescapable.

What difference did it make?

Paco finds a great Valentine's Day card.
We'll see more of it next year.

Saturday song

Go sail away with Styx.


Facebook quote of the week

Ladies there is nothing wrong with your man...... This is the "football is over syndrome" "March Madness" can be a cure or "the NBA Finals" for some it could be "MLB Opening Day" best thing to do is just make them a ham sandwich and let this pass.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Universal Snowblower Act

When you have more than a foot of snow, you notice driveways after the storm.
Some have clean, crisp lines after a snowblower has been used.
Others the haphazard use of a shovel to make just enough room for a car to try and get out.
Is that fair?
Shouldn't everybody have a snowblower?
You need them to get to work more quickly after a storm finishes.
Those without snowblowers can be left behind.
If they can't get out of their houses, they could lose paychecks.
While the rich get richer.
President Obama should get behind this idea.
Sure, in some areas of the south people don't really need snowblowers.
But not everybody needs all the health insurance coverage they must pay with Obamacare.
Snowblowers in Florida make as much sense as maternity coverage for a single guy.
I'm waiting for this universal benefit - it will benefit everyone.
As long as you don't try to count a cost.

Weekend watchdog

allstar2014The best NBA players are gathering in New Orleans.
The best NASCAR drivers are gathering in Daytona.
Even the Winter Olympics are in the southern part of Russia. Can't you tell by the warm temperatures?
NBA's mid-season break begins Friday with the Celebrity game on ESPN at 7 p.m. TNT has the Rising Stars contest at 9 p.m. All-Star Saturday, including the 3-point shot and dunk competitions, will be on TNT starting at 8 p.m.
The stars shine starting Sunday at 8 p.m. on TNT.
NASCAR gears up for the season with the Unlimited Saturday at 8 p.m. on FoxSports1. Qualifying for the Daytona 500 will be Sunday at 1 p.m. on Fox, with two racers securing their spots in the Great American race.
NBC's Olympic coverage continues Friday at 3 and 8 p.m. There's more action Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday's coverage will be at 3 and 7 p.m.
There's live ice hockey on NBC Sports network starting Friday at 7:30 a.m., followed by figure skating at 10 a.m.
Saturday has ice hockey at 3 a.m., 7 a.m. and noon along with cross-country skiing and skeleton. Sunday it's cross-country skiing at 5 a.m. and ice skating at 10 a.m.
USA network joins the action Friday at noon with Canada facing Austria at noon. The Swedes meet Latvia Saturday at noon and there's three games on Sunday- Norway meets Austria at 3 a.m., followed by Russia-Slovakia at 7:30 a.m. and Finland against Canada at noon.
Second-ranked Arizona battles Arizona State Friday at 9 p.m. on ESPN. Saturday's slate starts at noon with Memphis-Connecticut. VCU visits Saint Louis at 2 p.m., followed by Indiana against Purdue and Maryland playing Duke at 6 p.m. The Gameday crew catches Florida and Kentucky at 9 p.m.
Virginia travels to Clemson on ESPN2 Saturday at noon, followed by Oklahoma-Oklahoma State. It's Tennessee-Missouri at 4 p.m., then Georgia State meets Troy and BYU faces St. Mary's at 8 p.m. Rutgers goes against Louisville Sunday at 6 p.m.
Syracuse tries to remain unbeaten against North Carolina State Saturday at 3 p.m. on the ACC network.
CBS offers Pittsburgh's trip to North Carolina Saturday at 1 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. it's Michigan-Wisconsin.
There's three contests on FoxSports1 Sunday, starting with Oregon-Oregon State at 3 p.m. Villanova travels to Creighton at 5 p.m. before St. John's battles Georgetown.
James Madison hosts UNC-Wilmington Saturday at noon on Comcast, then Massachusetts meets George Washington before another CAA battle between Towson and William & Mary. The day concludes with two ACC contests, as Virginia Tech takes on Miami at 6 p.m. and Florida State tackles Wake Forest.
Hofstra and Drexel battle Sunday at 8 p.m.
MASN starts Saturday with a Big 12 doubleheader, starting with Texas Tech against Iowa State at 1:30 p.m. TCU takes on Kansas at 4 p.m., then it's off to the Atlantic 10 for St. Bonaventure-George Mason. The night closes at 8 p.m. when Boston University meets Loyola.
MASN2 brings VMI at Liberty Saturday at 7 p.m.
There's an ACC women's doubleheader on Comcast Thursday, with N.C. State facing Clemson at 6:30 p.m. followed by Virginia Tech-Wake Forest. Sunday's schedule starts at 1 p.m. with Syracuse at Boston College, then it's off to the CAA for Hofstra-College of Charleston at 3:30 p.m. before James Madison heads to Drexel.
ESPN has Tennessee-Kentucky at 1 p.m. while ESPN2 offers a pair of games at 1 p.m. - Wisconsin against Penn State or Oklahoma-Oklahoma State - while at 3:30 p.m. South Carolina faces LSU and North Carolina battles North Carolina State.
Baylor tangles with Texas Sunday at 1 p.m. on FoxSports1.
MASN2 has Middle Tennessee meeting Florida Atlantic Saturday at noon.
The PGA tour stays in California for the Northern Trust Open Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. on CBS.
On the college ice, Boston University plays New Hampshire Friday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports network. Wisconsin skates with Ohio State Saturday at 8 p.m.
Everton takes on Swansea City Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on FoxSport1.
NBC Sports network has a college lacrosse twinbill Sunday, with Jacksonville facing Notre Dame at 7 p.m. before Massachusetts meets Ohio State.
The Millrose Games are on NBC Sports network Saturday at 3 p.m.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Now you're cooking

Powerline has the story of the solar array in California that's been lethal to birds.
Some of the birds have been found with their wings burned up.  Here’s an idea: put a ring of giant wind turbines around the solar farm, and the birds can be whacked on the head instead of fried to a crisp.

See the snow

It's been a while since I visited Mount Crawford weather.
Probably since the last big snow.
They do have a cool webcam set up to catch a snowstorm.
If the snow would stop covering the camera overnight.

We salute you

To whoever first had the idea of raising your windshield wipers before a storm, we salute you.

We know his line

Powerline finds 50s vintage Ronald Reagan on "What's My Line?"
What's that accent?

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Not stuck in obscurity

With Sid Caesar's passing, remember the famous beach scene from his parody "From Here to Obscurity."
Do you have a towel?


Facebook snow patrol

It's good to have friends on Facebook who live south of you.
You can tell when snow will hit you by their posts.
Fishersville snow started at 5 p.m.
When will it stop?

No peace with Pax

Since the Weather Channel started naming winter storms - better than "that blasted blankety-blank snow" - we've had some fun.
People were scared of cute little Nemo.
















Now we have Pax.
There's no peace as Pax looms.

Staying clear in Waynesboro

Via WHSV, Waynesboro's website about snow removal.
Follow the snow trucks, and cheer them on.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Good news from Obamacare

Best of the Web liked this story from California - Planned Parenthood is worried about its finances in California.
She says clinics will lose money on every Medicaid patient. Health centers in rural areas and some urban areas that already have trouble breaking even will have no other choice but to limit how many patients they can see.
Clinics may also have to shorten the time providers can spend with each patient. That's because the state program reimburses clinics for counseling time, but Medicaid does not. Kneer says this presents a critical challenge for explaining the proper use of contraceptives to people who are using them for the first time, especially young people and immigrants.
Guess they are finding out what's in the bill.

Enough climate change

I watched the local news at noon to find out how much snow we're getting - around a foot.
Then I switched to Fox News, where President Obama was in the midst of his press conference.
Talking about a climate change conference to be held in France.
I think a foot of snow cools any worries I have about global warming.

Turn your fleet into plowshares

Ed Driscoll has a great turn of phrase in discussing leftists changing the meaning of words - and not living by what they preach.
Including driving fancy cars while fussing about global warming.
If the situation is so grim that you should downsize your business, why not simply quit entirely for the sake of Gaia? George Clooney, who is supporting Westwood, has also called for the end of internal combustion vehicles — which would mean the end of his industry — but personally owns a Lexus, Careera and a 1959 Corvette. Shouldn’t he take the first step by transforming his fleet into plowshares?

Monday, February 10, 2014

Had enough?

Snow can be nice heading up to Christmas.
Another big storm in February can get on your last nerve.
A wail went up from the Northeast, a cry went up from every mother. Like Chinese water torture, the thought of even one more day off began to make the mothers weep. Please, God, they prayed, take my children back to school. I love them, I do, but I need my routine! I need my quiet!
Lots of moms have enjoyed posting this on Facebook this week.

Putting a Dent in the problem

If demographics is destiny, then Harry Dent Jr. thinks we're in trouble.
Too many old people who won't be spending isn't helpful for the economy. Just ask the Japanese.
As the Japanese have hit their 60s and 70s, they became stingier. Artificial, forced spending like government stimulus is not going to spark real voluntary spending because that isn’t what old people do. They’ve already paid for their houses, cars and their children’s schooling. Merchants try to goose lackluster sales by cutting prices, which increases the incentive for people to save their money, expecting things will be cheaper in the future than they are today.
That’s a deflationary spiral, and Dent sees it coming here next, and soon.
If he's right, the next few years will be rough.

Wish you had a Rt. 29 bypass today?

President Obama's visit to Monticello threw Charlottesville traffic into chaos Monday.
A 10-mile trip over the main highway through town left workers stuck when they wanted to go home at regular hours.
Wouldn't a Western Bypass be worth it on days like this?
Take the bypass, motorcade, and let the workers go home.

How's the visit going?

I like checking Trafficland during bad weather to see if there are problems on the road.
Can you check out the Charlottesville traffic when President Obama arrives?
Nope.
All the traffic cameras are taken down.
Temporarily.
Maybe he'll get a red light ticket at Rio Road and Rt. 29.

Be cool - join the Climate Change gang

Wyblog wasn't impressed with a column about convincing your friends about climate change.
I can't plant any seeds. The ground is frozen solid. But since you agree that "changing someone's mind is a slow, laborious process," why not try a little introspection of your own? Maybe this climate change thing isn't something we can control. Maybe nature is more powerful than we are. Maybe we should be looking for ways to adapt rather than trying to maintain an untenable status quo.

What did she do exactly?

DaTech Guy highlights the main problem with Hillary Clinton - what did she do as Secretary of State?
Yet one year after Hillary Clinton left the office of Secretary of State,  Andrea Mitchell when discussing that record on Meet the Press while easily naming Benghazi as a problem declared Mrs. Clinton’s accomplishments were up in the air?
Clinton's major accomplishments seem to be
  • traveling
  • being a woman.
So is Brittany Spears.
Hillary's over 35, but Brittany probably went farther on her talent than Hillary could have gone without Bill.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Good reading in Arkansas

The Free Beacon highlights some of information on Hillary Clinton's Arkansas and White House years.
The full contents of the archive, which before 2010 was closed to the public, have not previously been reported on and shed new light on Clinton’s three decades in public life. The records paint a complex portrait of Hillary Clinton, revealing her to be a loyal friend, devoted mother, and a cutthroat strategist who relished revenge against her adversaries and complained in private that nobody in the White House was “tough and mean enough.”
Hillary's friends may give her opponents plenty to prepare for 2016.

How to solve the immigration problem

Smitty enjoyed Laura Ingraham's takedown of George Will during today's panel on Fox.
Personal experience informs his appreciation.
As the husband of a legal immigrant, my most generous position is that we overlook whatever rules were broken by people overstaying, and permit everyone who is here now applying for citizenship, and using the existing system to legalize themselves.
Anything that eases the way for illegal immigrants into the country mocks the hard work of those who followed the laws and fought through the system.
The government set a system. It should be followed.

Hello, Newman

Weasel Zippers has a great picture to go with the idea of the postal service being allowed to offer banking services.
Hello, Newman.
Your move, Democrats.

All downhill from here

It's still hard to top Franz Klammer's downhill win in the 1976 Olympics.


Live from Sochi

If you like live sports, a Winter Olympics in Europe doesn't work now.
NBC saves the best for prime time.
In the morning, when ESPN and the internet tells you about live winners, NBC interviews yesterday's winners.
And don't get me started on the prime time commercials.
Although it is cool to watch luge training runs on NBC Sports network.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Ready for more zombies

AMC is counting down the hours until the next new episode of Walking Dead.
Some people are thinking about the show ... a little too much.


Saturday song

The crew that usually loads Sixteen Tons doesn't look like this crew with Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Facebook quote of the week

People, when you are going into Costco, have your member card ready, don't stand blocking the entrance while you dig in your suitcase of a purse. Second, if you are using your cart as your walker, don't let your hubby take it away from you, as you come to a complete stop, and I run into you. Well, almost.

Why NBC praised Russia

Did you watch the Opening Ceremonies?
Poor NBC had to fill hours of airtime, and Bob Costas among others said some nice things about President Putin and Russian communism.
Why?
If they did, they'd get a real pillow for their hotel room.
Maybe a shower curtain if they were enthusiastic.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Worse than a snowstorm

Time for a presidential visit to shut down Charlottesville.
So much for watching Virginia play Maryland - the game moves to 9 p.m. and ESPNU instead of ESPN.
Schools will close early.
Traffic will be a mess - especially since there's a long distance between the airport and Monticello. Glad I work west of town.

How do you justify post office buildings?

The Post Office is trying to figure how to branch out, and stem the tide of money losses.
One idea is doing payday lending.
Banks and lenders are wary.
But what are the post office's strengths?
They are everywhere.
People pick up their mail at the post office boxes daily or weekly.
While they are there, what else can they do?
Probably won't work, but at least they are thinking outside the post office box.

Weekend watchdog

sochiFor the youth of the world interested in cold weather sports, Sochi is the place to be.
The Winter Olympics begin their two-week run on NBC with the Opening Ceremonies Friday at 7:30 p.m. There's coverage Saturday at 2:30 and 8 p.m., and more action Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.
NBC Sports network brings live action starting Saturday at 3 a.m. with ice hockey. There's speed skating and cross-country skiing around dawn eastern time, with figure skating starting at 9:30 a.m.
Ice hockey starts at 3 a.m. Sunday, followed by speed skating, luge at 8:30 a.m. and ski jumping at 1 p.m.
Before the best NHL players head to Sochi, the Capitals host the Devils Saturday at 8 p.m. on Comcast.
On the college ice, Maine travels to Notre Dame Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
Portland visits Indiana Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN, then the Timberwolves take on the Pelicans at 9:30 p.m. ABC offers Oklahoma City against the Knicks Sunday at 1 p.m., followed by the Bulls against Lakers.
Cleveland visits the Wizards Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast and Sacramento comes to town Sunday at 6 p.m.
There's five games on ESPN Saturday, starting at noon with Alabama-Florida. Michigan meets Iowa at 2 p.m., followed by West Virginia against Kansas and Duke-Boston College. The GameDay crew catches Gonzaga against Memphis at 9 p.m.
Cleveland State against Wright State starts the slate on ESPN2 Saturday at 1 p.m. Florida State heads to Maryland at 3 p.m., then it's Saint Louis facing LaSalle and Baylor-Oklahoma. The night concludes with Wichita State battling Northern Iowa at 9 p.m.
Connecticut ventures to Central Florida Sunday at 6 p.m.
ACC network offers Virginia-Georgia Tech and Notre Dame's visit to North Carolina Saturday at noon.
Butler meets Georgetown Saturday at 1 p.m. on CBS, and Sunday at 1 p.m. it's Michigan State-Wisconsin.
FoxSports1 offers a Big East doubleheader Friday, with Seton Hall-Villanova at 7 p.m. and DePaul against Creighton in the nightcap. Providence plays Xavier Saturday at 3 p.m. before Oregon takes on Arizona State.
Creighton and St. John's clash Sunday at 7 p.m.
There's a trio of games on Comcast Saturday, starting at noon with Virginia Tech-Pittsburgh. The College of Charleston clashes with Towson at 2 p.m., then Fordham takes on George Washington.
Boston College meets Florida State Sunday at 1 p.m. on Comcast, followed by Towson traveling to James Madison.
The Big 12 plays on MASN Saturday, with Texas against Kansas State at 1:30 p.m. before TCU takes on Iowa State at 4 p.m.
MASN2 has a pair of women's games Saturday, with Texas Tech taking on TCU at 1 p.m. before Old Dominion battles North Texas.
It's Providence facing St. John's on FoxSports1 Saturday at 12:30 p.m., then Sunday at 1 p.m. Creighton takes on DePaul before Iowa State heads to Texas.
Connecticut meets Louisville Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN, while ESPN2 has Penn State facing Ohio State at 2 p.m. before Oklahoma takes on Baylor.
The PGA tour visits Pebble Beach, with coverage on CBS Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
Swansea City hosts Cardiff City on NBC Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
NBC Sports network has the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

I'm melting

Don Surber doesn't need an outside heat source to melt snow for bath water.
He's steaming mad at Rachel Maddow.
Well, now to melt me some snow so I can take a bath. Wait, it's not Saturday night.

Major problem with his story

Salon and friends are trying to spin the news of job losses due to Obamacare.
It's just like Bill Gates giving away money.
Except.
Bill Gates doesn't demand everyone pay $5 a month for life so he can give away the money.
Gates would be giving away his own money.
Obamacare subsidies come from hard-working people - those who can't leave their jobs behind.
If they do, the subsidies and all else collapse.
Now, if the federal government reduced its employment rolls by 2.5 million, we could handle that.
But I don't think government workers would all chip in so others can have new opportunities.
Like they ask us to chip in.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Smoke 'em if you got 'em

So CVS plans to pull cigarettes and tobacco products from its stores later in the year.
Will it make a difference?
How many people visit CVS to buy their cigarettes?
There's plenty of places to buy cigarettes, and probably cheaper than CVS.
We'll see how CVS does financially with this move.
As government has found, you may not like cigarettes but you like the revenue they bring.

Obamacare is not working

The CBO's projection that 2.5 million people will not be working due to the Obamacare regulations fired up the internet.
The Obama administration and their friends tried to say it's a good thing.
Except.
How will the 2.5 million pay for their health insurance?
By government subsidies.
From people who are working.
I'm sure the working people will be really happy to be paying for others' benefits.

NFL or Penny

So CBS has grabbed a slate of Thursday Night football games.
First important question.
What happens to Big Bang Theory those eight weeks?
Will they start games at 8:30, so we can get our fix of Penny and friends?
They'd better think about that soon.

Spring forward

Time to think ahead.
Time to think warm thoughts.
It's four weeks until spring training games will be going on in Florida and Arizona.
Two months until baseball season starts.
Forget the ice.
Spring is coming.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

More time to loaf

Allahpundit gives into frustration at the latest news - losing 2.5 million jobs is good according to the Obama administration.
If giving people more “choice” in whether to be employed or not is now our cardinal social good, we might as well go for a guaranteed minimum income and clear out all the wage slaves. Let’s see how small we can get the labor force before the wheels come off the economy.
I think the wheels are fairly loose now.

Obamacare has lost its appeal

Interesting story from the Washington Post - if you made a mistake with your Obamacare signup, there's no place to appeal and fix it.
Roughly 22,000 Americans have filed appeals with the government to try to get mistakes corrected, according to internal government data obtained by The Washington Post. They contend that the computer system for the new federal online marketplace charged them too much for health insurance, steered them into the wrong insurance program or denied them coverage entirely.
For now, the appeals are sitting, untouched, inside a government computer.
Who still feels good about the law?
Anybody?

Today's Tied with me

Technorati has this blog tied with Ticket Liquidator, which looks ahead to the summer country concerts.

Monday, February 3, 2014

You trusted him? That's your mistake

Unions backed President Obama in his presidential runs.
Unions thought they had a friend.
With Obamacare, they are finding that's not so.
Leaders of two major unions, including the first to endorse Obama in 2008, said they have been betrayed by an administration that wooed their support for the 2009 legislation with promises to later address the peculiar needs of union-negotiated insurance plans that cover millions of workers.
He got their votes.
Now he take the money they didn't expect to have to pay the government.

Making the wrong assumptions

Michael Barone looks at the wrong decisions make in starting Obamacare - based on lack of knowledge of the majority of the population.
The trouble that has resulted—from the architects' apparent failures to anticipate the behavior of fellow citizens who don't share their approach to the world, and the architects' determination to impose their mores, such as contraception coverage, on a multicultural nation—is a lesson to national policy makers, conservative as well as liberal. Govern lightly if you want to govern this culturally diverse nation well.

Bad news from New York

All the monkeys from the Central Zoo Park are gone.
They are now all on Peyton Manning's back.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Wiggle around just a little bit

We go to bed Sunday night with no clue how the weather will be in the morning.
Augusta County may get snow. But there's no winter weather advisory yet.
One county north of us, Rockingham County has the winter weather advisory.
Which tells you how close the line will be between a nuisance snow and a real bother.
Good luck, weathermen.
And those deciding whether to open school in the morning.

Working Super Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday brings back the memories of days when it was a regular work day.
Super Bowl XVII, I was in fast food. The restaurant was basically silent through the game.
We were getting ready to close at 10 when the game ended around 9:30 p.m. And we were swamped by hungry post-game crowds.
For six seasons - 1989 to 1994 - I put together the sports page Sunday night. With game time around 5 p.m., work was easy.
I went in around 3 p.m., put together the early sports items and left before kickoff for a game-watching party.
By halftime, it was time to put the front page with game photos together. Watch the game, do a little more work, and wait for the story with quotes an hour after the game ended.
I had a nice system, aided by several blowout contests.
I'm glad my last Super Bowl was in 1994.
The games drag on longer now.
You're lucky to have the first story by 11 p.m.
When your reader wakes up at 6 or 7 a.m., there's so much more good stuff available to read that wouldn't be ready when the presses had to roll.
If you work this evening, fire up the phone or computer and enjoy what you can.
The best commercials will be everywhere by morning.

Muppets Most Wanted

Via Paco, the police artist drawing that didn't look the best but did work.
And that's what matters.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Recycling update

Another Saturday with aluminum cans to unload.
Another 45 cents per pound.

He has no cents

Here's another destruction of the "77 cents" myth President Obama uses in talking about gender inequality.
The 23-cent gender pay gap is simply the difference between the average earnings of all men and women working full-time. It does not account for differences in occupations, positions, education, job tenure, or hours worked per week. When all these relevant factors are taken into consideration, the wage gap narrows to about five cents. And no one knows if the five cents is a result of discrimination or some other subtle, hard-to-measure difference between male and female workers.

Simple deduction

Legal Insurrection highlights the reaction of people facing the new higher deductibles under the "Affordable Care Act."

Rolling up to 8,000

Another milestone post.
It's number 8,000 since the blog started in October 2008.
Now to see how fast I can reach 9,000.

Facebook quote of the week

yep Facebook is a complete waste of time now guys... good riddens

Saturday song

Back to the 70s singing about the Prohibition-era - The Night Chicago Died.