Monday, December 31, 2018

How? Now, cash cow

Elizabeth Warren looks like she plans to enter the 2020 presidential nomination contest.
Why on the final day of 2018?
A source close to Warren has said the timing of Monday's announcement -- on New Year's Eve, when most people aren't plugged into the news -- had more to do with a need to "build an apparatus" by "identifying and hiring staff" than influencing other contenders' plans.
But some Democratic operatives are skeptical, and one fundraiser suggested the Warren team might be hoping that a hefty day-one haul, made public in early 2019, could cause potential rivals to reconsider their options.
"It's a gamble that folks will give a ton of small money today," the Democrat said.
Squaw needs wampum, I guess.

Battlelines drawn

How can Donald Trump have a good 2019?
By Democrats starting to tear each other apart looking forward to the next election.
Like Bernie Sanders supporters fighting those who like Beto O'Rourke.
O’Rourke’s burgeoning image as the next Obama is the very reason socialists reject him. “I think they are suspicious of Beto because he has taken oil and gas money, he’s becoming the darling of big donors, and Obama likes him,” says historian Michael Kazin. “Beto is a lot like Obama, true;” writes Breunig, “it’s perhaps time for left-leaning Democrats to realize that may not be a good thing.” Of course, given that 95 percent of Democrats approve of Obama, this message has fairly limited utility as a line of attack.
The Democrats have not yet begun to fight - each other.

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Down to the last strand

The poor Pittsburgh Steelers.
To make the playoffs, they've had to depend on the Cleveland Browns and then Blaine Gabbert to do the job.
That's putting yourself in a bad situation.

If you can't stand the heat

Let's talk climate change.
If you agree.
If not, you can't talk.
Remember, baby it's cold outside.

Friday, December 28, 2018

Weekend watchdog

The Steelers tied the Browns in the season's opening week.
As the season concludes, the Steelers need a Browns win, or a tie, to advance to the playoffs.
The Steelers face the Bengals Sunday at 4:25 p.m., while watching the scoreboard as the Browns take on the Ravens on CBS. A Ravens' win clinches the AFC North, while a Browns' win gives the Steelers a chance.
NBC has the winner-take-all game between the Titans and Colts at 8:25 p.m. The winner claims the final playoff spot, unless they tie. Then the Steelers would advance if they beat the Bengals.
The NFL slate begins at 1 p.m. with Cowboys-Giants on Fox and the Jaguars meeting the Texans on CBS. The Eagles try to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Redskins on Fox at 4:25 p.m., while the Vikings face the Bears in hopes of claiming the final NFC wildcard spot.
The college football bowl season continues Friday as Purdue plays Auburn in the Music City Bowl at 1:30 p.m., followed by West Virginia-Syracuse from Orlando at 5:15 p.m. and the Alamo Bowl contest between Iowa State and Washington State at 9 p.m.
Saturday brings the National semifinals, with Clemson facing Notre Dame at 4 p.m. on ESPN before top-ranked Alabama battles Oklahoma at 8 p.m.
Virginia tangles with South Carolina in the Belk Bowl Saturday at noon on ABC, while Michigan meets Florida in the Peach Bowl on ESPN at noon. CBS Sports network has the Arizona Bowl between Arkansas State and Nevada.
The Wizards host the Bulls Friday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington and the Hornets Saturday at 7 p.m.
On the college court, Marquette meets Southern on FoxSports1 Friday at 8 p.m. and ESPN2 has Illinois-Chicago against Wright State Friday at 7 p.m.
Texas Tech tangles with Texas-Rio Grande Valley on MASN2 Friday at 7 p.m.
North Carolina meets Davidson Saturday at noon on ESPN, followed by Louisville-Kentucky.
Georgetown faces Howard Saturday at noon on FoxSports1, then it's Xavier-DePaul. Belmont battles Purdue at 4:30 p.m.
Miami meets Campbell on NBC Sports Washington Saturday at 4 p.m.
NBC Sports network brings Georgia Southern against Dayton Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
It's Oklahoma State against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday at 2 p.m. on MASN2 and Seton Hall tangles with St. John's at 8:30 p.m.
VCU faces Rider on MASN Sunday at 2 p.m.
In women's hoops, Iowa tangles with Michigan State Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Capitals visit Ottawa Saturday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington-plus.
Southampton faces West Ham United Thursday at 2:55 p.m. on NBC Sports network. Tottenham Hotspur takes on Wolverhampton Saturday at 9:55 a.m. NBC covers Liverpool against Arsenal at 12:30 p.m.
Crystal Palace clashes with Chelsea Sunday at 6:55 a.m., followed by Southampton-Manchester City. It's Manchester United against Bournemouth at 11:25 a.m.
Juventus meets Sampdoria in Italian Serie A Saturday at 6:25 a.m. on ESPN2.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

This doesn't look like Mar-a-lago

Donald Trump surprised and irritated the press by visiting Iraq Wednesday.
The troops there seemed to welcome him.
The media will try to downplay it.

Monday, December 24, 2018

Yule shoot your eye out

What's the perfect movie to watch Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
Christmas Story, of course.
Just watch out for bullies.

Trump's right, but also crazy

Via Instapundit, Mickey Kaus sums up Andrew Sullivan's piece on Trump and Syria.
There's a sort of Newtonian principle at work: The more a column implicitly praises Trump's action, the nastier the To-Be-Sure-I-Hate-Trump graf has to be. And this is a very pro-Trump column

Do you remember?

A topic for the hot stove league - should the Washington Nationals have a throwback day to honor the Montreal Expos?
A game where the old uniforms come out - although not in their original city.
Not so fast, my friend.
I think - think, not know - more people would be against it than for it. Based on the responses I get anytime I reference a Nationals player surpassing a former Expo on the franchise leaderboard, I sense D.C. baseball fans aren’t interested one bit in embracing this club’s original roots.
Like it or not, though, the Expos and Nationals officially are considered one continuous franchise by Major League Baseball. This team played for 36 years north of the border, compared to only 14 years in the nation’s capital.

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Favorite Christmas Carol

Ten years ago, I posted "I heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Enjoy again.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men

I thought how, as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men

And in despair I bowed by head
"There is no peace on earth," I said
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men"

Yet pealed the bells more loud and deep
"God is not dead nor doth he sleep;
For wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men"

Then ringing, singing on its way,
The World revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men

Friday, December 21, 2018

Weekend watchdog

What's ESPN's present to you before Santa arrives?
The Broncos taking on the Raiders Monday at 8:15 p.m.
At least most fans won't be distracted from their Christmas activities.
Before the big day, NFL network has a pair of games on Saturday. The Redskins visit the Titans at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Ravens' contest with the Chargers.
Fox has the Cowboys' clash with Tampa Bay Sunday at 1 p.m. The Eagles host the Texans on CBS at 1 p.m., followed by Steelers-Saints.
The Chiefs tangle with the Seahawks on NBC Sunday night.
Bowl season continues Friday at 12:30 p.m. when Florida International takes on Toledo. BYU battles Western Michigan at 4 p.m. from Boise.
ESPN has four bowls on Saturday, starting at noon with the Birmingham Bowl matching Memphis and Wake Forest. Army takes on Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl at 3:30 p.m., followed by Buffalo-Troy from Mobile. In the nightcap, Hawai'i faces Louisiana Tech at 10:30 p.m.
The Bucks battle the Celtics Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN before the Pelicans meet the Lakers.
NBC Sports Washington has the Wizards' clash with the Suns Saturday at 7 p.m. They visit the Pacers Sunday at 5 p.m.
On the college hardcourt, Oregon battles Baylor on ESPN2 Friday at 7 p.m., followed by Providence-Texas.
FoxSports1 has Butler against Cal-Irvine at 6:30 p.m. and Buffalo tangles with Marquette at 8:30 p.m.
Villanova clashes with Connecticut Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on CBS. Ohio State takes on UCLA at 3 p.m. followed by Kentucky-North Carolina.
ESPN2 has five contests on Saturday, starting with Wake Forest-Tennessee at noon. Clemson faces South Carolina at 2 p.m. and it's Wichita State against VCU at 4 p.m. Vanderbilt meets Kansas State at 7 p.m. before Kansas-Arizona State.
DePaul hosts Boston College Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on FoxSports1, followed by Seton Hall-Maryland. Sacred Heart meets St. John's at 8 p.m. and it's San Diego against Washington State in the nightcap.
There are semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic Sunday on ESPN2 at 4:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
In women's hoops, Notre Dame meets Marquette on FoxSports1 Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The Capitals host the Sabres on NBC Sports Washington Friday at 7 p.m. and visit Ottawa Saturday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington-plus.
The Kings take on the Sharks Saturday at 4 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
NBC Sports network has Wolverhampton's contest with Liverpool Friday at 2:55 p.m. Arsenal battles Burnley Saturday at 7:25 a.m. followed by Chelsea-Leicester City. NBC offers Cardiff City against Manchester United Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Everton faces Tottenham Hotspur Sunday at 10:55 a.m. on NBC Sports network.
In the Bundesliga, Dortmund faces M'gladbach Friday at 2:30 p.m. on FoxSports1. Leipzig tangles with Werder Bremen Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and it's Augsburg-Wolfsburg Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Pregnant pause

Hot Air finds a great sentence in a story about Planned Parenthood hassling employees who are pregnant or might think of getting pregnant.
“Planned Parenthood’s policies, though, can make it hard for employees to scrape by after giving birth.”

Raise my footprint

Tim Blair is looking at his offset of other's carbon offsets.
Including:
Doing everything I can to destroy the planet and looking forward to a fantastic end-of-world party
What can you do to irritate green warriors?

Monday, December 17, 2018

Recycling update

The price for aluminum cans has dropped - from 50 to 40 cents per pound.
A leading economic indictator.

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Starbucks meets Ace Ventura

Via Legal Insurrection, Starbucks is having bathroom troubles.
Employees are finding situations like Ace multiple times.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Ladies first

For those who think President Trump belong in jail.
He's a gentleman.
It's ladies first.


Friday, December 14, 2018

How Democrats will blow it

Jonah Goldberg sees the looming problem for Democrats in 2020.
Instead, the Democrats are poised to re-create the same dynamic that got Trump the GOP nomination in the first place. While it’s technically true that Trump beat 16 opponents, as he likes to say, the truth is a bit more complicated. Trump never won a majority of votes in the primaries. He benefited from a collective-action problem in which various candidates defeated each other while a sticky plurality of voters stuck with Trump.
If the field had been narrower, with only two or three contenders other than Trump, his base of support might not have been enough. But with each additional player, the number of votes he needed to win shrank.

Weekend watchdog

As we await the National Championship contest Jan. 7, several teams will get to hoist trophies from their season-ending bowl triumphs.
Bowl season starts Saturday at noon with the Celebration Bowl between North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State on ABC.
The New Mexico Bowl matches North Texas and Utah State on ESPN at 2 p.m.
Tulane takes on Louisiana on CBS Sports network in the Cure Bowl at 2:30 p.m.
It's Arizona State against Fresno State on ABC at 3:30 p.m. in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Georgia Southern meets Eastern Michigan in the Camellia Bowl on ESPN at 5:30 p.m., and the day concludes in New Orleans with Appalachian State taking on Middle Tennessee.
NFL Network has a pair of contests Saturday, with Texans taking on the Jets at 4:30 p.m. and Browns-Broncos at 8 p.m.
The Ravens host the Bucs on Fox Sunday at 1 p.m. , with some areas of Virginia getting the Colts' contest with the Cowboys. The Redskins travel to Jacksonville at 1 p.m. on CBS, with Steelers-Patriots in the late afternoon slot.
The Eagles meet the Rams on NBC Sunday night, with Saints-Panthers on ESPN Monday night.
South Dakota State faces North Dakota State on ESPN2 Friday at 8 p.m. while Maine meets Eastern Washington Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Pacers face the 76ers on ESPN Friday at 7:30 p.m. and it's the Thunder against the Nuggets at 10 p.m.
The Wizards take on the Nets Friday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington-plus and face the Lakers Sunday at 6 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington.
On the college hardcourt, FoxSports1 has Illinois-Chicago against DePaul Friday at 7 p.m. and Green Bay meets Creighton at 9 p.m.
CBS has the Crossroads Classic Saturday, with Notre Dame facing Purdue at 1:30 p.m. followed by Indiana-Butler.
Villanova takes on Kansas on ESPN Saturday at noon.
ESPN2 has four contests Saturday, starting at noon with Tennessee-Memphis. Utah faces Kentucky at 5 p.m. and Gonzaga battles North Carolina at 7 p.m. Baylor battles Arizona at 11 p.m.
SMU visits Georgetown on FoxSports1 Saturday at noon, followed by Rutgers-Seton Hall. Eastern Kentucky travels to Xavier at 8 p.m.
College of Charleston battles VCU on NBC Sports network Saturday at 4 p.m.
Providence clashes Central Connecticut Sunday at 2 p.m. on FoxSports1 and Wagner battles St. John's at 4 p.m.
In women's basketball, South Carolina faces Purdue on ESPN2 Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Capitals visit Carolina Friday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington and host Buffalo Saturday at 7 p.m.
Manchester City meets Everton on NBC Sports network Saturday at 7:25 a.m., then it's Tottenham Hotspur-Burnley. NBC carries West Ham's contest with Fulham.
It's Brighton & Hove Albion against Chelsea Sunday at 8:25 a.m. and Liverpool battles Manchester United at 10:55 a.m.
In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich battles Hannover Saturday at 9:25 a.m. on FoxSports1. Leipzig faces Mainz Sunday at 9:25 a.m. with Eintracht against Leverkusen at noon.
SPAL clashes with Chievo in Italian Serie A Sunday at 6:25 a.m. on ESPN2.
NBC Sports network has the European Champion Cup rugby match between Leinstar and Bath Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
 ESPN has championship of the women's volleyball tournament Saturday at 9 p.m. on ESPN.
Penn State battles Arizona State in college wrestling on ESPN2 Sunday at 6 p.m.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

He's the man

Do Republicans have a new House member who can gain attention like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?
Found one.
If the Right keeps betting on young guns in rolled-up sleeves, it loses the future. Lucky for Republicans, Crenshaw doesn’t talk supply-side economics in front of whiteboards. He shoots from the hip on “Face the Nation” and does pretty well. He roasts comedians on “Saturday Night Live,” an ability developed among enlisted troops in Iraq instead of donors at cocktail parties.
He just gets it. He is real, not manufactured. And Crenshaw isn’t a one-to-one match for Ocasio-Cortez. He is significantly better.
The bartender-turned-politician has a martyr complex fed by an indulgent and sympathetic media. She has talent but whines as often as she says nonsensical things about the benefits of her discredited ideology. The soldier-turned-legislator, in contrast, actually understands what he talks about. And Crenshaw has a smart strategy when personally attacked, as one commentator summed up nicely: “engage, don’t rage."

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Best, brightest and most selfish

Ross Douthat takes another shot at the troubles with our current meritocracy.
First, meritocracy segregates talent rather than dispersing it. By plucking the highest achievers from all over the country and encouraging them to cluster together in the same few cities, it robs localities of their potential leaders — so that instead of an Eastern establishment negotiating with overlapping groups of regional elites (or with working-class or ethnic leaders), you have a mass upper class segregated from demoralized peripheries.
Second, the meritocratic elite inevitably tends back toward aristocracy, because any definition of “merit” you choose will be easier for the children of these self-segregated meritocrats to achieve.

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Power of the beard

Slate swallows hard and declares that Ted Cruz looks good with a beard.
The Texas Republican first appeared in public with traces of facial hair just after Thanksgiving. Back then, the beard was just a shadowy, patchy mess that crept down his throat while wholly avoiding his chin. It looked a bit more professional in better lighting, but it reeked of desperation, too feeble and thin to do anything but serve as a physical manifestation of Cruz’s personality.
That all changed this week, when Cruz showed up in the Senate with a filled-out salt-and-pepper beard, giving his face a defined jawline and its first-ever hints of ruggedness and affability. The bloated, downy visage of a college debate team showoff is gone. A marginally less insufferable mug has arrived.

Friday, December 7, 2018

Weekend watchdog

The Naval Academy will finish 2018 with a losing record, just the second time since 2002.
But the Midshipmen can still end the season on a high note when they face Army Saturday at 3 p.m. CBS has coverage of the contest from Philadelphia.
 Army will be going for its third straight win over Navy. A win clinches the Commander-in-Chief's trophy for the second straight year, after beating Air Force in November.
ESPN has the Heisman Trophy presentation Saturday at 8 p.m.
In the FCS playoffs, Maine meets Weber State Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Colgate clashes with North Dakota State Saturday at noon on ESPN.
The Ravens tangle with the Chiefs on CBS Sunday at 1 p.m. Fox spends its day in the NFC East, with the Redskins taking on the Giants at 1 p.m. followed by Cowboys-Eagles.
The Rams visit the Bears on NBC Sunday night, with Vikings-Seahawks on ESPN Sunday at 8:20 p.m.
Major League Soccer crowns its champion Saturday at 8 p.m. on Fox, with Atlanta hosting Portland. The Pistons host the 76ers on ESPN Friday at 7 p.m., with the Warriors taking on the Bucks at 9:30 p.m.
The Wizards clash with the Cavaliers Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington-plus.
Massachusetts meets Providence on the college hardcourt Friday at 7 p.m. on FoxSports1 and Southern Cal battles TCU at 9:30 p.m.
James Madison visits George Mason Friday at 7 p.m. on MASN with Nevada against Arizona State at midnight.
CBS has Michigan State facing Florida Saturday at noon.
Kentucky battles Seton Hall on Fox Saturday at noon, followed by Louisville-Indiana and Wisconsin's contest with Marquette at 5 p.m.
Georgetown tangles with Syracuse on ESPN at 3:30 p.m., then it's Yale-Duke.
ESPN2 has six contests on Saturday, starting at noon with West Virginia-Pittsburgh. It's Xavier-Cincinnati at 2 p.m. before Clemson's clash with Mississippi State. Florida State faces Connecticut at 6:30 p.m., then it's New Mexico State-Kansas and Notre Dame meeting UCLA in the nightcap.
Michigan meets South Carolina at noon on FoxSports1.  It's St. Joseph's against Villanova at 2 p.m. and Northern Illinois battles Butler at 4:30 p.m.
Oklahoma State hosts Houston on MASN2 Saturday at 4 p.m.
It's Alabama-Arizona on ESPN Sunday at 1 p.m., followed by Tennessee-Gonzaga.
Texas takes on Purdue on ESPN2 at 6 p.m.
Princeton plays St. John's Sunday at 1 p.m. on FoxSports1.
Virginia hosts VCU Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington.
In women's college basketball, ESPN2 has a pair of contests Sunday with Tennessee-Texas at 1 p.m. and Oregon against Michigan State at 3 p.m.
The Capitals visit Columbus Saturday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington.
Liverpool faces Bournemouth Saturday at 7:25 a.m. on NBC Sports network, followed by Manchester United-Fulham. It's Leicester City against Tottenham Hotspur at 2:40 p.m. NBC has Chelsea's clash with Manchester City Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Newcastle United battles Wolverhampton Sunday at 10:55 a.m.
 Juventus meets Internazionale in Italian Series A play Friday at 2:20 p.m. on ESPN2.
In the Bundesliga, Schalke takes on Borussia Dortmund Saturday at 9:30 a.m. on FoxSports1.
The United States takes on China in mixed doubles at the Curling World Cup Friday at 8:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network. The United States women face Canada Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Inside the Warren 2020 campaign

Staffer: It looks like the DNA test has become a major issue.
Warren: How?
Staffer: It keeps raising questions about your career.
Warren: How?
Staffer: Did saying you had Indian ancestors help you get a job? Other candidates can exploit that.
Warren: How?
Staffer: You boosted your career by taking the place of someone else by using an Indian identity.
We think it's going to be trouble going forward.
Warren: How?

All in favor say "Rib-eye"

Dustbury now has a steak in the upcoming Oklahoma legislative session.
Thanks to a bill to designate Ribeye Steak as the state steak.
Our government at work.

Sting of the yellow jackets

There may be more protests in France this weekend.
People across the country are coming out against higher gas taxes and many other things.
Now Facebook is getting blamed.
The Yellow Jackets movement — named for the protesters’ brightly colored safety vests — is a beast born almost entirely from Facebook. And it’s only getting more popular. Recent polls indicate the majority of France now supports the protesters. The Yellow Jackets communicate almost entirely on small, decentralized Facebook pages. They coordinate via memes and viral videos. Whatever gets shared the most becomes part of their platform.
Due to the way algorithm changes made earlier this year interacted with the fierce devotion in France to local and regional identity, the country is now facing some of the worst riots in many years — and in Paris, the worst in half a century.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Climategate carol

Time for my Christmas classic, to the tune of Winter Wonderland.
Established in 2009 and still going strong.

Al Gore speaks, no one's listening
In the lane, lights are glistening
Oh what a sight
With houses really bright
Seeing all the Christmas lights are on

Gone away is good science
Here to stay, blind allegiance
We're singing our song
Yet lights come on
Look how all the Christmas lights are on

On computers we can cook some data
then pretend that it is warmer now
They'll ask: Are you sure?
We'll say: You know, man
And here's the hockey stick
that we have found

Later on, we'll conspire,
With warnings, that are dire
Make the people afraid
We'll pass cap and trade
No more seeing Christmas lights turned on

On computers we can cook some data
And say skeptics are just circus clowns
We'll have lots of fun with our bad data
Until our own emails knock us down.

When we speak, ain't it thrilling
People's hearts, they are chilling
We'll frolic and play, the socialist way,
No more seeing Christmas lights turned on

Friendly farewell





Michael W. Smith honored late President George H.W. Bush by singing "Friends."

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Disconnected

Do you have satellite TV?
You're part of a dwindling group.
The US pay-TV industry reportedly lost a record number of TV subscribers last quarter, and the satellite services from DirecTV and Dish Network (which also owns internet-TV service Sling TV) were the hardest hit.
In 2017, AT&T lost 554,000 satellite video subscribers, and it continued to hemorrhage customers this year, according to company filings.

Happy Hanukkah

The Federalist explains why it's good to wish "Happy Hanukkah," while some might protest.
Hanukkah itself is a reminder that Jews have a singular, millennia-long historic relationship with Jerusalem. By the time Mattathias rebelled against Hellenistic Syrian king Antiochus, who had not only ordered a statue of Zeus to be erected in the Holy Temple but that swine be sacrificed to him, Jerusalem had likely been a Jewish city for more than 1,000 years. As some readers have suggested, Hanukkah might be the only Jewish holiday that celebrates events confirmed by the historical record. The Hasmonean dynasty, founded by Mattathias’ son Simon, is a fact.

Monday, December 3, 2018

What a fuel tax means

France has had three weekends of protests of a hike in the gas tax.
The "Gilets Jaunes" are wearing their yellow fluorescent jackets, which the government requires them to have in their vehicles to make them visible during vehicle breakdowns, etc., to protest Macron's newest round of gas taxes to fight "global warming."
Will the government learn their lesson from these protests?

Twitter troubles

Instapundit details the troubles with Twitter.
Worse yet, the heaviest users of Twitter are journalists and political operatives. They tend to have lots of short episodes of downtime — waiting on hold or in line for a congressional hearing, say — and fill them with Twitter. There’s a big psychic reward to issuing a bon mot — usually a put-down — and being cheered for it by your friends and political allies. But the end result is a lot of off-the-cuff meanness. Few tweeters even follow the links they retweet to read beyond the headline. And spending hours a day in this environment can’t help but affect their other work.
Some say the sharp partisanship we see on Twitter from allegedly objective journalists is a useful revelation: Finally, we’re seeing their true selves. While there’s some truth to that, I also think that Twitter actually makes people meaner and less thoughtful. People I’ve followed both on Facebook and Twitter are generally much meaner on Twitter, where they’re in the political arena, than on Facebook, where their friends and family are a big part of the audience.
Read the whole thing.

Sunday, December 2, 2018

Yukon Cornelius rules

Evil Blogger Lady offers her praise for Yukon Cornelius and Rudolph.
Yes most of the characters in Rudolph have flaws (especially Santa), but in the end it works out (even for the misfit toys).
HuffPost apparently missed the resolution at the end. You know who has issues, HuffPost.

Saturday, December 1, 2018

Baby, it's crazy out there

Mark Steyn sings the praises of "Baby, It's Cold Outside.
"Baby, It's Cold Outside is a fun song, but one line in particular is apparently a major micro-aggression that come December is mass-triggering the safe-spaced generation across our winter wonderland.

Ten years and going strong

DaTech Guy offers his memories on 10 years of his blog.
He got to attend many events with the mainstream media. He wasn't impressed.
There is an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt and nothing has increased by contempt for the MSM then observing them closely for 10 years except for one thing, that is being in the room with them as credentialed press and simply watching and listening to what they say and do. Those who decry the words “fake news” live in a bubble, I’ve entered their bubble world and like an immigrant who sees the grandeur of American freedom have seen first hand what is obvious to anyone outside of the bubble.