William F. Buckly Jr. R.I.P.

National Review Online:

Once when Bill was asked what job he wanted in the Administration of his friend the President, he replied in his typically retiring and deferential way: 'Ventriloquist.' -- Ronald Reagan

More coverage at nationalreview.com

The Al Gore Effect

DailyTech - Temperature Monitors Report Widescale Global Cooling

All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously.

A compiled list of all the sources can be seen here. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to wipe out nearly all the warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year's time. For all four sources, it's the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down.

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=332289

Snow cover over North America and much of Siberia, Mongolia and China is greater than at any time since 1966.

The U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) reported that many American cities and towns suffered record cold temperatures in January and early February. According to the NCDC, the average temperature in January "was -0.3 F cooler than the 1901-2000 (20th century) average."

He is not alone. Kenneth Tapping of our own National Research Council, who oversees a giant radio telescope focused on the sun, is convinced we are in for a long period of severely cold weather if sunspot activity does not pick up soon.

The last time the sun was this inactive, Earth suffered the Little Ice Age that lasted about five centuries and ended in 1850. Crops failed through killer frosts and drought. Famine, plague and war were widespread. Harbours froze, so did rivers, and trade ceased.

It's way too early to claim the same is about to happen again, but then it's way too early for the hysteria of the global warmers, too.

Response to Lehman Bros vs. Passarelli & Potts - Appraisers Forum - Improving the Profession

In case the link works, this is the thread on the Appraiser's Forum

Response to Lehman Bros vs. Passarelli & Potts - Appraisers Forum - Improving the Profession

Passarelli suit settled

Late in the article:

Lenders including Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., the biggest underwriter of mortgage-backed bonds in 2007, say they too have been victimized by fraudulent appraisals. New York-based Lehman sued 14 people and five companies including Passarelli & Potts Appraisal Service and appraiser Fred Passarelli in federal court in Tampa, Florida, alleging ``grossly inaccurate'' appraisals that valued residences in the Sunset Bay development at about $733,000 when they were only worth $73,000.

. . . Passarelli & Potts Appraisal was ordered to pay $4.5 million.

Bloomberg.com: Finance

Homer Simpson For President

The Plight of the American Middle Class

To hear the Lou Dobbses and Bill O’Reillys of the world--not to mention politicians ranging from Ron Paul to Hillary Clinton--the middle class of America (however you define that term) has never had it so tough . . .

Americans Are Better Off Than Anyone In Politics Or The Media Would Like To Admit - Say Anything

Asus Eee

Asus Eee 4G-Galaxy 7" PC Mobile Internet Device

This sounds like a remarkable device. It is a mini laptop that comes with Linux, Wifi and 4 GB of FLASH memory and speakers, microphone and a WebCam. No hard drive at all. This would be perfect for surfing the web at home. With online tools like Gmail and Google Documents you can manage to write a Word like memo or Excel like spreadsheet. If you need more memory for storage, you can add an 8GB SD Flash card using the machines available memory card reader.

Unlike a Windows machine it boots up very fast. Unlike a Windows machine you don't have to download a new set of anti-virus tools everytime you turn the notebook on. The lack of hard drive boosts battery life.

Play, relax, and entertain on the go with shock-proof design. At 7" and weighing only 2lbs, you can take the Eee PC anywhere. Bumps and shocks are no longer issues. With a dependable solid-state disk, you get unparalleled shock-protection and reliability. Power-efficient design provides longer operating time when on the go. With a rapid start-up time, the Eee PC is always ready to get into action. No technical manual required with the specially designed, user-friendly and intuitive graphic interface. You're always connected with built-in WiFi 802.11 b/g that automatically detects and connects to the Internet at any hotspot. The Eee PC includes the documents and the e-mails software, and a suite of other productivity software to help keep you on track. Upload photos and videos and share them instantly on Flickr or YouTube without waiting till you get home. Enjoy music and videos with extensive support for a wide range of digital multimedia. Log on to Skype or other network, and you can connect with friends anywhere, anytime. Clear up wire clutter with the built-in card reader, camera, speakers, and microphone. Since it's so easy to use and durable this makes a perfect gift for children. 4GB flash drive Built-in webcam Over 40 built-in applications for learn, work and play Linux based operating system 2 Year Limited Warranty Approximate Unit Weight - 2lbs Windows compatibility but comes with Linux OS only