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

How Gross is Double Dipping that Chip?

Dip Once or Dip Twice? - New York Times: "On average, the students found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip.

Each cracker picked up between one and two grams of dip. That means that sporadic double dipping in a cup of dip would transfer at least 50 to 100 bacteria from one mouth to another with every bite."

Top Four Tips For Driving Like A Pro | Editorial Blog at Motor Trend

Top Four Tips For Driving Like A Pro | Editorial Blog at Motor Trend

1. Be smooth.
2. Turn later.
3. Look ahead
4. Brake like you are taking a ...

Air Traffic Safety vs. Capacity

Get the Flick: Air Traffic Safety vs. Capacity

Blog by an air traffic controller explains the pressures of the airline industry vs. the absolutes of runway capacities. Excerpt:

But it won’t solve the core problem -- runway capacity. Remembering the lessons above, you still need a minimum of three miles (or one minute) between landing airliners. Controllers are capable of running airplanes closer together now -- with the current radar-based system -- but safety won’t allow them to do it. Until the safety-mandated rule that only allows one airplane on the runway at a time changes, a system that allows controllers to run aircraft closer together won’t increase the runway’s capacity.

While we are on this subject, I need to call your attention to another point about wake turbulence. Wake turbulence exists behind departing and landing airliners. Behind the largest aircraft -- classified as “heavy” aircraft -- the spacing requirements increase to 5 miles. Remember that theoretical line of aircraft stretching out 180 miles from JFK airport ? Throw in a couple of “heavy” airliners and the line will stretch past Washington, D.C.

www.woot.com

Only the internet could have a store that only sells one item per day, with a new item every day:

What is Woot and who's behind it?

Woot.com is an online store and community that focuses on selling cool stuff cheap. It started as an employee-store slash market-testing type of place for an electronics distributor, but it's taken on a life of its own. We anticipate profitability by 2043 – by then we should be retired; someone smarter might take over and jack up the prices. Until then, we're still the lovable scamps we've always been. But don't take our word for it: see what the online community has to say at this Wikipedia article.

I see only one item, do you sell anything else?

No. We sell one item per day until it is sold out or until 11:59pm central time when it is replaced (see next entry for details). However, each item we sell is in stock and typically ships within 2-3 business days.

Camp Hoover Updates

I finally updated the foster lab blog. You can find the link on the right side of this page.

On January 1st we had our 25th graduate of Camp Hoover. Participants at Camp Hoover are expected to learn how to sit before dinner, walk on a leash, and not to bite when being handed a cookie. If they get out of line they shouldn't be surprised to find themselves locked up for a time-out.

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Reagan on Surrender

Hand Bell Hero

Hand Bell Hero - VML

Peter Jackson to make two Hobbit movies

The Sound of a Million Elves Celebrating: "Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, December 18, 2007) Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM); Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:

* MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.

* Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously."

Environmentalism hits a new low

Don Surber » Blog Archive » Baby tax

For years I've believed that environmentalism has replaced Christianity as the official religion of western governments. For those who think that is "progressive" think again.

Now comes Professor Barry Walters of Australia who wants to impose a $5,000 childbirth tax and an annual baby tax of $800 to pay for the carbon footprint of children.

Writing in a medical journal, the professor said, “Every newborn baby in Australia represents a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions for an average of 80 years, not simply by breathing but by the profligate consumption of resources typical of our society. Far from showering financial booty on new mothers and rewarding greenhouse-unfriendly behaviour, a ‘baby levy’ in the form of a carbon tax should apply, in line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle.”

Self-loathing on display. First step Kyoto on the march to government forced abortions in the name of stopping climate change.

Stop Worrying and Love Nuclear Power

Former 'No Nukes' Protester: Stop Worrying and Love Nuclear Power

Just think how much better-off the planet would be if people had been smart enough to ignore the no-nukes crowd 30 years ago.

Thank God I didn't go to Delaware

Indoctrination At Delaware (Forum)

Many universities try to indoctrinate students, but the all-time champion in this category is surely the University of Delaware. With no guile at all the university has laid out a brutally specific program for "treatment" of incorrect attitudes of the 7,000 students in its residence halls. The program is close enough to North Korean brainwashing that students and professors have been making "made in North Korea" jokes about the plan. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has called for the program to be dismantled. Residential assistants charged with imposing the "treatments" have undergone intensive training from the university. The training makes clear that white people are to be considered racists - at least those who have not yet undergone training and confessed their racism. The RAs have been taught that a "racist is one who is both privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremacist (racist) system. The term applies to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States, regardless of class, gender, religion, culture, or sexuality."

Read the whole thing if you'd like to get depressed. The human tendency to totalitarian systems never stops unless you fight back.

Winter Park High School Bands

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Orlando Foreclosures Database

Orlando Foreclosures - OrlandoSentinel.com

Currently 77 foreclosures in zip code 32819

Death Star Canteen

The Great American Melting Pot - Assimilation vs. Multi-Culturalists

Update: My dad sent me an email about Baba in response to this post, which does a much better job of describing his immigrant experience than I did, particularly about how important family is:

Dear David,

I read your comments that you felt that Baba was a bit envious of the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. I think we have some different experiences about how my Dad regarded the success of his children and grandchildren and I wanted to share them with you.

It was my experience that he was very proud of my work at Honeywell. In fact, I know that he was often complemented on my performance and contribution to the success we had with the first implementation of a large mainframe computer at the Aero Division of Honeywell. We both worked in the same plant in Minneapolis and I know that the V.P. and General Manager talked to my Dad often regarding my work because my Dad would tell me about those conversations. My Dad promoted my accomplishments in the army to those senior executives and was responsible for getting my name and letters of recommendation from the army to their attention. My Dad was highly regarded as a long-time professional manager in the manufacturing operation at Honeywell and was known throughout Honeywell in the Minneapolis area at that time. I know that I worked especially hard knowing that my success was also a reflection on my Dad. I got a lot of fast promotions and at ! one time, was the youngest supervisor at the Aero Division and had around 80 people working for me with a budget of $2.5 million (including the computer and IBM equipment). but it was a very responsible job and I was 30 years old. That was a lot of money in 1962.

Baba, was also very proud of his grandchildren. You probably didn't experience that adulation because you didn't get to Minneapolis very often as an adult. But, he always asked how David was doing. He got to see Leslie often because she went to St Olaf in Northfield, MN and often visited everyone in Minneapolis. Then, when she graduated, she worked as a teacher in Minneapolis and often visited her grandparents.

Whenever Mom and I visited Minneapolis, it was a ritual to visit the homes of all of Lorraine's children. My Dad just loved showing off their houses and activities. He really loved to show-off Dede's, Jimmy's and Rickie's houses and would then give us a tour of Jimmy's plumbing company.

I never felt that he was at all envious of their accomplishments. In fact, I always felt that he believed that he was more of a catalyst and was somewhat responsible for their work ethic and success. I always felt that he was excited with their accomplishments. He was a leader and a good manager.

I know that in my house, my parents and grandparents would renew the memories of their old Swedish food, music and traditions. But, I never saw that there was a desire or yearning to return to their homeland to live or to change their American way of living. My dad was proud to be an American. He was also proud to be a Swede, but he was now an American. And, from what I can remember of my grandparents (my mother's parents), they were now Americans too. In fact, my grandparents always had a 2'x3' portrait of President Franklin Roosevelt hanging in a prominent location in their dining room. Both of my uncles were in World War ll and my grandmother went to work at Honeywell during "the War" to help with the war effort.

I didn't know if I had shared some of these feelings with you but they are important memories to me.

Dad

Betsy & I did get to Minneapolis on our honeymoon trip across America. We will never forget Baba driving us around to see all of the cousins homes. It was a real experience.

Thanks Dad.

************************
Melting pot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eric, the above link is to the Wikipedia about the melting pot. It is pretty detailed and is a pretty large topic including arguments about if the "melting pot" is truly inclusive, or was pretty much only white Europeans and they excluded non-whites such as the black slaves and the Chinese.

There seem to be two points of view discussed in the article, and they are worth considering.

1. "The melting pot idea is most strongly associated with the United States, particularly in reference to "model" immigrant groups of the past. Past generations of immigrants to the United States, it is argued by some, became successful by working to shed their historic identities and adopt the ways of their new country. Typically immigrants absorbed the ways of the "host" society, while loosening to varying degrees their connection to their native culture." That is, immigrants left behind their old life, and embraced the crazy mixed-up cultural stew that is American life. By doing so, they were no longer "German" or "English" and became "Americans."

2. Multiculturalists claim that assimilation can hurt minority cultures by stripping away their distinctive features. They point to situations where institutions of the dominant culture initiate programs to assimilate or integrate minority cultures.

Although some multiculturalists admit that assimilation may result in a relatively homogeneous society, with a strong sense of nationalism, they warn however, that where minorities are strongly urged to assimilate, there may arise groups which fiercely oppose integration. With assimilation, immigrants lose their original cultural (and often linguistic) identity and so do their children. Immigrants who fled persecution or a country devastated by war were historically resilient to abandoning their heritage once they had settled in a new country. These are peoples who want to move to the U.S. but not embrace the U.S. way of life. They want to remain whatever they were: European, African, Chinese, whatever.

My own thoughts:

I will propose, from personal experience, that both happen all the time. First generation immigrants want to fiercely cling to the language, culture and customs of their youth. In turn, they want the established culture of their new country to accommodate them. Their children, exposed to a different (American) way of life want to assimilate. It causes a clash of cultures between generations that is hard to bridge.

My own grandfather Gus who immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager was a success, and his absolutely American children were even more successful and his grandchildren are all very successful. Ultimately, though, I think that Baba the immigrant was stuck between two worlds and was a tad resentful of the American way of life of his children and grandchildren. And that is pretty common.

I work with several immigrants now and hear them talk about how much better their homelands are, how much better the culture is, how much better the restaurants, etc. And they are really upset at how American their kids are acting. When I casually mentioned to one that it's great that their kids are assimilating he really got angry. He doesn't like it at all, probably because his children's assimilation will prevent him from ever moving back to his beloved homeland. (And he has applied for U.S. citizenship!)

I like the idea of tying the essay to food. If you think about what cultural traditions are, they revolve around family, language, entertainment and food. One of the great blessings of living in America is the wonderful diversity of foods we have available to us at both the grocer and at restaurants. Many of our favorite foods we eat at home have nothing to do with our northern European lineage, but come from Mexico, Spain, China and Italy. The assimilation of many different cultures into the American way of life is like a stew. Each ingredient adds something important. The results are delicious and unique.

TCS Daily - Gore Dodges Repeated Calls to Debate Global Warming

TCS Daily - Gore Dodges Repeated Calls to Debate Global Warming:

Klaus reserved his unkindest cut of all for the movement that has joined forces with Gore is spreading fear about global warming:

"As someone who lived under communism for most of his life, I feel obliged to say that I see the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity now in ambitious environmentalism, not in communism. This ideology wants to replace the free and spontaneous evolution of mankind by a sort of central (now global) planning."

Gore's refusal to take on the likes of Klaus, Avery and Lord Monckton is no isolated incident of the former vice president's lacking the courage of his convictions. In June, Professor Scott Armstrong of the University of Pennsylvania urged Gore to put his global warming money where his mouth is. Armstrong, one of the world's leading experts on forecasting, has studied the forecasts made by Gore and such organizations as the UN's Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) and found their methodology wanting.

Convinced that Gore and the IPCC are overstating how much temperatures will rise in the years to come, Armstrong has challenged Gore to the following wager: Each man bets $10,000 on how much temperatures will go up in the next ten years. The money will stay in escrow until 2017. The one whose forecast come closer to the actual change in temperature will be declared the winner and be allowed to donate the $20,000 plus accumulated interest to the charity of his choice. But despite being flush with cash from his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," and from lucrative speaking engagements around the world, Gore has not taken Armstrong up on the bet.

The Nuclear Renaissance Begins

Interesting article on Nuclear Power in the U.S. The Clinton White House had planned for nearly all the existing Nuclear plants to be eliminated by now. But that hasn't happened, and in fact these plants are now very profitable. Buried in the story is one of the reasons -- nuclear Navy veterans have taken over and made the plants much more efficient and safe.

Sadly the U.S.,which invented nuclear power, no longer has the skills to build new plants. We will have to sub-contract that to the Japanese.

Read the whole article, it is pretty interesting and will give you something to do while we wait for our abysmal politicians to come up with an energy policy.

The American Spectator

last Tuesday, September 25, was a milestone. For the first time since 1973, a new application for building a reactor was placed before the federal government.

The proposal submitted Tuesday is to build two new reactors with a total capacity of 2,700 megawatts at the South Texas Project site in Matagorda County, where two nuclear units have already operated for 25 years. The size of the reactors is unprecedented -- the biggest American plants generally produce about 1,200 MW.

...Soon these new owners -- heavily staffed with veterans from the nuclear Navy -- were revitalizing the industry.

The results have been stunning. Whereas power plants traditionally ran at a "capacity factor" of 60 percent -- meaning they are up and running 60 percent of the time -- the nation's 104 reactors now run at a previously unimaginable capacity of 90 percent. (In South Korea, where nuclear provides half the electricity, the figure is 95 percent.) The average nuclear plant now runs uninterrupted for nearly two years before shutting down for refueling. Safety improvements have been spectacular. While there were 26 shutdowns of more than a year for safety reasons from 1987 to 1997 and 21 in the decade before, there has only been one over the past decade.