Filed under: Bureaucracy, Cool Site of the Day, Coronavirus, Economics, Freedom, Health Care, Law, Media Bias, Politics, Regulation, Science/Technology | Tags: Confusion and Concern, Re-Opening the Coountry, The Lockdown
Scott W. Atlas, MD, is a Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and the former Chief of Neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center. Here he writes on “How to Re-Open Society Using Evidence, Medical Science, and Logic.”
I like the title: and the qualifications for his advice, especially ‘logic’. Do read the whole thing. We need to be a little more informed in the wake of the media efforts to stir up something, anything, to keep Trump from winning re-election. It’s getting heated-up out there as accusations are flying and clarity is in short supply. Here is a link to Dr. Atlas’ biography.
Also from the Hoover Institution: Peter Robinson interviews Dr. Jay Bhattacharya on his new MLB COVID-19 study and the problems of the Lockdown for Major League Baseball.
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, Cool Site of the Day, Domestic Policy, Economics, Free Markets, Freedom, Health Care, History, Humor, News, Politics | Tags: A History of Invention, Boring Party Conversation, Timeline of Innovation
The photo is from Venezuela, a line of hungry people trying to get groceries, and scarce toilet paper. Here in the Seattle area we are having runs on toilet paper, people are desperately trying to stock up. Some stores are limiting how many packages of rolls one may buy. We have a delivery of groceries coming on Monday, and won’t know until then how much, if any, toilet paper will be included with the order. Thanks to Covid-19.
That leads those of us who read a lot to check into the history of toilet paper, and a lot of people are doing so. You may know that the “slang term” for the toilet is “the crapper.” This is not a bad word for the facility, but the name of the gentleman, Thomas Crapper, who patented his valve and siphon design in 1891. Philadelphia was the first city that switched entirely to cast iron pipes for their new system of water delivery.
Chicago was the first city in the country in 1885, to have a comprehensive sewer system. The Tremont Hotel in Boston was the first hotel of its kind to feature indoor plumbing for guests in 1829. Eight water closets were built by Isaiah Rogers. Until that time indoor water closets were commonly found in the homes of the rich and in luxury hotels. Soon soap was introduced during bathing,(!) and it was adapted widely for hygiene purposes. Think about that one, with what you know of history in general. Before there were comprehensive sewer systems, there was often a town pump where you went with your bucket. We live in such an age of invention that it’s hard to think about previous generations as not having them. My mother bought her first television so she could see the first moon landing. But there was a time when someone in the family bought their first toilet, and someone first bought toilet paper. Before that the pages of the Sears and Roebuck catalog usually were used.
The first water pipes were discovered by archeologists in the Indus River in India, dating back to 4000-3000 B.C. Egyptian ruler Menes supported a thriving civilization by constructing canals, irrigation ditches, and basins.
This comes from a History of Plumbing Timeline: The Invention of Indoor Plumbing posted by John C. Flood of Virginia, apparently a plumbing company. Do take the time to visit it and learn a bit about our history that you probably never knew. Always good for starting a new conversation at a boring party.
Filed under: Architecture, Art, Bureaucracy, Cool Site of the Day, Domestic Policy, Economy, Entertainment, Foreign Policy, Heartwarming, History, India, Islam, Middle East, Politics | Tags: A Spectacular Visit., President Trump and Melania, Scenes of India
Of course, the obligatory visit to the Taj Mahal, a stunningly beautiful building built of white marble. It is a mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra.
It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who reigned from 1628 to 1658, to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Muntaz Mahal, and also contains the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. It is the centerpiece of 42 acres that contains a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall. Muntaz Mahal died while giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. Her death left the emperor heartbroken, and his hair was said to have turned grey overnight. The construction began in 1632.
Here are the pictures from the President’s visit It’s fun to scroll through them. There’s a picture that’s my favorite of a man mounted on a camel, man and camel decorated lavishly with flowers. The camel seems to be smiling in a funny grin, and the gentleman riding him is carrying a Tuba, which he obviously plays at some point.
When you reach the end, do not click on the <2 or 3> which is just a repeat of what you already saw, unless, of course you want to see it all again.
Filed under: Blogging, Cool Site of the Day, Domestic Policy, Election 2020, Free Speech, Freedom, History, Humor, Media Bias, News, Progressivism, The United States | Tags: Humor and Delight, White House Counsel, Words From The Past
Scott Johnson posted this at Powerline blog. Those wonderful moments when the enemy’s words come back to attack them right where it hurts! Scott said:
If there is anything in the sordid impeachment saga that is laugh out loud funny, the video compiled for White House Counsel Pat Cippolone’s closing argument on behalf of President Trump in the Senate this afternoon might be it . In the video somebody seems to have opened the door of the Dem clown car — the car carrying the once and future Dem clowns — and sent them out to perform. On Twitter Mollie Hemingway notes: “The laughter at the end is from Senators…”
Quotable quote (Chuck Schumer): “I expect history will show we’ve lowered the bar on impeachment…My fear is that when a Republican wins the White House, Democrats will demand payback.”
Filed under: Blogging, Cool Site of the Day, Domestic Policy, History, Humor, Intelligence, Law, The Constitution, The United States | Tags: Ranking Member Devin Nunes, The Tiresome Schiff Sideshow, Waiting for a "Bombshell"
Devin Nunes is now the Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, superseded by current Chair Adam Schiff. Congressman Nunes has been invaluable in the current miasma in that committee, and in Congress. Mr. Schiff continues to be an embarrassment as he strives ever more valiantly to find something, anything, for which to impeach President Trump. It provides daily entertainment for those with strong stomachs. Or at least it would if you could tolerate it. Do watch the whole thing, It’s not Long. Devin Nunes is very good!
From Scott Johnson at the powerline blog: Quotable quote: “They got caught trying to obtain nude photos of President Trump from Russian pranksters pretending to be Ukrainians….That is the Democrats’ pitiful legacy in recent years: they got caught.”
Filed under: Bureaucracy, Cool Site of the Day, Democrat Corruption, Domestic Policy, Free Speech, Freedom, Intelligence, Media Bias, Politics, Progressives, Statism, The United States | Tags: How To Massively Lose Customers, The Progressive Agenda
One of the most disturbing trends at present it the urge to be “woke”— currently defined as “alert to injustice in society, especially racism. “we need to stay angry, and stay woke”, or “I was sleeping, but now I’m woke.” from a dialect called AAVE. The Urban Dictionary defines it as “a person who pretends to be of greater intelligence than he or she in fact is.”
From the Witherspoon Institute’s Public Discourse: “How Woke Capitalism Corrupts Business”
One of the more disturbing trends to emerge throughout the business world is “woke capitalism.” Whether it is Nike recalling Betsy Ross flag-emblazoned shoes because it was counseled by activist advisors that the flag represents slavery, or almost 200 CEOs of major firms signing a full-page New York Times advertisement describing laws restricting abortion as “bad for business,” corporate America is rapidly aligning itself with progressive causes.
The reasons for this are manifold. Those active in commerce or who teach in business schools inhabit the same sentimental humanitarian milieu as the rest of us. There’s no reason why they should be less susceptible to this culture than anyone else. No one should be surprised that many business leaders consequently believe that their companies should aggressively promote the progressive agenda, ranging from gender ideology to radical curtailments of religious freedom.
For others, it’s just easier to go along to get along. Why risk your Wall Street job by telling the human resources manager that the firm’s commitment to “diversity” doesn’t appear to include a pluralism of political views? In some instances, corporate wokeness is all about placating militant progressives. But if CEOs think that liberals can be appeased, then they don’t know much about the contemporary left.
There is evidence that some businesses are responding to some consumers’ desires that their purchasing choices align with their political stances, as well as to pressures from institutional investors who have embraced liberal causes. But as companies such as Gillette and Dicks Sporting Goods have discovered, that often produces financial losses as a consequence of backlashes from consumers who hold different view.
Well, of course politicizing everything is such a splendid idea. Or rephrased, Progressives understand that herding American entrepreneurs and businesses into the pursuit of liberal concerns is an excellent pursuit. Many business leaders consider it the way of the future. We must critique woke capitalism clearly and strongly, remembering that a business exists to realize the particular economic ends that constitute its common good. They are not there to teach us how to think. Wave your Betsy Ross flag, if you have one. They couldn’t even get that one right. Tell a business when they get out of line, and take your trade elsewhere. Do read the whole thing. This is a trend that must be stamped out!
Filed under: Cool Site of the Day, Democrat Corruption, Environment, Global Warming, History, Junk Science, Science/Technology, The United States, YouTube | Tags: Facts are those True Things, Look at the Facts, The Hottest July On Record
When President Trump complained about “Fake News” the media, en masse, had a hissy-fit. How Dare He!! In the interest of the “Climate Crisis” the media has been touting “The Hottest July on Record.” File that one along with the Amazon Rainforest burning up.
When climate happens to you, it seems like the worst one ever. If you sweltered in New York this July, I’m sure it felt like the hottest ever, but the statistics don’t support your feelings. There’s some pretty impressive graph work here. And graphs are another one of those things that seem to get too complicated for us poor mortals. You have to spend a little time to really absorb what they are saying. The hottest was way back in 1936. 2019 wasn’t even in the running. Fake news indeed!
Filed under: Capitalism, Conservatism, Cool Site of the Day, Democrat Corruption, Domestic Policy, Economy, Environment, Global Warming, Junk Science, Politics, Science/Technology | Tags: Dr. Patrick Michaels, Mark Levin, The Climate "Crisis"
Mark Levin asks Dr.Patrick Michaels to explain Climate Change and why it seems to be a major crisis just now. AOC claims that we have just 12 years left, which gets lots of attention because she is “click-bait” for the media, largely because she is so ignorant about the Constitution, and how the government works. But we have Climate Marches, lots of people who, never having learned anything about the science, believe that there is a crisis and we have to save the planet or we’re all doomed.
This is what I was trying to explain in my previous post. The internet, and the ability to “surf,” picking up little bits and pieces, has given us the illusion that we know more than we do. We no longer understand things in depth, because we don’t stick around long enough. The talking-heads and the ideas change with a click of the mouse, and a move to a new site.
We apparently have a new generation who have learned that socialism – means that everybody will be equal, and we won’t have unpleasant battles and there won’t be any super-rich to hog all the money — or something like that. They clearly have no idea whatsoever of what socialism is all about. Well, stick around and listen to Dr. Michaels explain the climate crisis.
Filed under: Cool Site of the Day, Global Warming, Heartwarming, History, Junk Science, Law, News, Science/Technology | Tags: ClimateGate, Michael Mann's Hockey Stick, Skeptic Tim Ball PhD
Back when today’s environmentalists suddenly became anxious about the climate, government agencies began giving grants to those scientists who were studying the climate seriously, and coming up with information to protect the government officials who might be accused of not tending to business and protecting the climate of the earth. ‘
Obviously the scientists who got the good-sized grants were those who could write a good grant proposal, for getting a grant enhanced the prestige of the scientist and the university where he taught, and meant new equipment and perhaps a raise, and maybe even an assistant. So naturally there was a flurry of grant proposals churned out. Then they had to start producing useful science. Many turned to the computer programs used by Wall Street to predict what the market was going to do. So they entered what they knew about climate, but there was an enormous amount they didn’t know, so they put in what seemed likely, and what they thought was probable and a few wild guesses, and started predicting what the climate would do 20 or 50 years hence. [Please remember that this is a non-scientific estimate of what was going on by a sheer amateur observer.] The point is that there was a lot they just didn’t have any information about, like the action of clouds, and some things that they assumed were correct, like the temperatures at official thermometer sites (though many were located next to air conditioning outlets and heat-reflecting concrete walls, and even next to trash burners.) In other words, the official temperature records were vastly overestimating the warming.
Anthony Watts, proprietor of the valued website wattsupwiththat.com, meteorologist and former TV weatherman, became suspicious, and asked his viewers to take photographs of the official thermometer locations, and since many were located where factors other than weather were influencing the recorded temperatures. That’s when the “heat island” notion became common.
Michael Mann (Penn State) came up with was was called “the hockey-stick” graph. Envision a hockey stick. Goes along straight and then suddenly jogs straight up. That’s what his climate graph showed that the heat of the planet was going to do. That got a lot of attention,. Naturally it was called “ClimateGate”) Mann’s graph was featured news, Mann became a recognized scientist, with all the hoopla that entails. Dr. Tim Bell, climate skeptic, from B.C. suggested that Mann was exaggerating and making phony claims, as did Mark Steyn as a journalist. Mann sued for defamation. How dare you criticize my famous hockey stick graph. And the case has dragged on in Canadian courts for nine years. and Dr. Tim Ball won, Michael Mann deservedly lost and has to pay Dr. Ball’s court costs. Here is Anthony Watt’s story on the whole long, long ClimateGate battle. More interesting because he has long been a participant. And here is the report from Marc Morano at Climate Depot. We are pleased.
If you can, take the time to prowl around wattsupwiththat.com and climatedepot.com. These are excellent websites that will reward your visits.
Filed under: Bureaucracy, Cool Site of the Day | Tags: Climate Depot, Congressional Testimony, Marc Morano
Here is Marc Morano, who is the proprietor of Climate Depot, an excellent source of information about what is going on in the Climate wars, testifying before Congress about the phony “97% consensus” among climate scientists about how panicky to be about the problem of Climate Change. Seated next to him are Patrick More, a climate scientist who was one of the founders of Greenpeace and Sir Robert Watson, British climate scientist.
Today’s headline at Climate Depot: “We had expected more melting” Thick Arctic Ice forces Norwegian climate research icebreaker to turn back.” Another headline reads “Scientists Find Antarctica Is Rapidly Cooling and Any Ice Sheet Melt is not Due to CO² but Natural.” And “NASA faces Lawsuit/Demanding Removal of False 97% Consensus Global Warming Claim”.
Filed under: Cool Site of the Day, History, Humor, Law, Military, The United States | Tags: The Betsy Ross Flag, The First Official Flag, U.S. History
Perhaps you have seen this picture from Barack Obama’s Inauguration which has been widely circulated in response the the Nike shoe flap. You will notice the Betsy Ross flags at each end of the display. And the other flags depicting a time when we had fewer than 50 states. Hawaii and Alaska became the 49th and 50th states in 1959.
The Betsy Ross flag was the first official flag of the United States of America.
Jane Hampton Cook does a nice job of dispelling the myths about the Betsy Ross Flag at The Federalist.:
The Betsy Ross flag is not a colonial flag. It is the first official flag of the United States of America.
While submitting to the authority of the Continental Congress, the new states began to set up new state governments and write new state constitutions. At the same time, Gen. George Washington knew that his army and the American people needed a new flag to symbolize this change from a government based on royalty to one based on representation. Betsy Ross, a known upholsterer in Philadelphia, sewed the first flag, according to sworn affidavits given by her descendants.
When Congress officially issued this flag on June 14, 1777, they emphasized the symbolism of the thirteen new states, not the thirteen colonies. “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation,” declared the Journal of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.
Do read the whole thing. Someone might send a copy to the idiots at Nike.
Filed under: Blogging, Bureaucracy, Cool Site of the Day, Crime, Democrat Corruption, Domestic Policy, Economy, Free Speech, Freedom, Heartwarming, History, Humor, Immigration, Latin America, Law, Media Bias, Mexico, National Security, News, Politics, Regulation, The United States | Tags: A Friendly Conversation, A Judicial Watch Special, Invite Some Insiders In
This amazing video from Judicial Watch was like sitting down with a bunch of well-informed insiders and getting answers to most of the questions I had, and some I hadn’t thought of. Judicial Watch is a wonderful organization that works hard at forcing the federal government to fulfill their requirement to be reasonably transparent. They sue. They take one department after another to court to get the information that is being withheld. I would love to see a list of the things that we know about only because Judicial Watch has been on the case.
We have just had an attempted coup, with one of our political parties attempting to get rid of a president they are afraid of, that they don’t like, because he’s on to them. He knows how crooked they are and wants to know why they are attacking every good thing he is trying to do for the country and the American people.
It’s fairly long, but broken up in modest segments so you can stop conveniently should you wish. But do watch it. You will be a better informed citizen.
American Elephants 