I'm in the process of relocating and it's getting down to crunch time. So in a few minutes I'll be disconnecting my broadband (sob!) and going offline in the real world for a while. Sometime next week I'll be back. Probably on dialup...
In the meantime there are seventeen gazillion links all over this site, including some on the right that you're not likely to find anywhere else. Enjoy!
Friday, October 03, 2003
Heh heh
the only people who would be affected by the abandonment of Kyoto "would be several thousand people who make a living attending conferences on global warming"...I think it's no exaggeration to say that the Russians have b*tchslapped the enviro movement, and in the process done the world a favor.
Via Glenn Reynolds
Thursday, October 02, 2003
Eastern Sportswriters Promote Negros
On ESPN last Sunday, Rush Limbaugh dared to suggest that Donovan McNabb was getting credit for the Philadelphia Eagles' success that more properly belonged to the defense. Correct or not, this is clearly a matter of opinion.
He went on to say that this extra credit was because the sports media wanted a very successful black quarterback. And next thing we know, it's the Night of the Rush Haters and Race Hustlers. Rush decided to resign.
IOW the worst he said was not that McNabb wasn't good, but that he wasn't as good as some sportswriters had suggested. And in fact McNabb has some lousy stats so far this season, which was the whole reason he was being discussed in the first place.
So just what is the problem anyway? McNabb now has a terrific motivator for the rest of the season. Let him put Rush down by being the quarterback he is billed to be, not by whining into a microphone.
And oh yeah, if Rush came to an Eagles practice to apologize, he would not be welcome. Just what is Rush supposed to apologize for? Failing to bow deeply enough?
Re race, McNabb said he thought we were "past that". He'd better tell the NFL. Lately the big issue is that there aren't enough black coaches, and it's to the point that the Detroit Lions were fined for failing to interview a black candidate for their head coaching opening. Steve Mariucci got the job. Which black candidate would you propose who would have been a better choice?
Yo McNabb - take the Eagles to the Super Bowl championship and then you can say anything you want. In the meantime, grow up.
He went on to say that this extra credit was because the sports media wanted a very successful black quarterback. And next thing we know, it's the Night of the Rush Haters and Race Hustlers. Rush decided to resign.
IOW the worst he said was not that McNabb wasn't good, but that he wasn't as good as some sportswriters had suggested. And in fact McNabb has some lousy stats so far this season, which was the whole reason he was being discussed in the first place.
So just what is the problem anyway? McNabb now has a terrific motivator for the rest of the season. Let him put Rush down by being the quarterback he is billed to be, not by whining into a microphone.
And oh yeah, if Rush came to an Eagles practice to apologize, he would not be welcome. Just what is Rush supposed to apologize for? Failing to bow deeply enough?
Re race, McNabb said he thought we were "past that". He'd better tell the NFL. Lately the big issue is that there aren't enough black coaches, and it's to the point that the Detroit Lions were fined for failing to interview a black candidate for their head coaching opening. Steve Mariucci got the job. Which black candidate would you propose who would have been a better choice?
Yo McNabb - take the Eagles to the Super Bowl championship and then you can say anything you want. In the meantime, grow up.
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
The Bush Plan
Some people are awfully testy about mention of President Bush's Iraqi recovery initiatives to the Marshall Plan. The objections don't pass the Gigl Test - Steve writes about them here. (Even though he defends the cheeseheads, he's still OK).
The Navy Walrus
The Indepundit was a very popular blog when it suddenly closed up shop last December. Sometime afterwards we got LT Smash, Live from the Sandbox. Now we have Citizen Smash, back from Kuwait and reassimilating. Welcome back.
Drunk abuse
There are many reasons to avoid drug and alcohol abuse. And if you pass out there are even more.
Oh yeah, there's the summer camp abuse techniques like immersing a hand in some warm water in hopes of making the victim wet their pants - I have no idea why that would work, but it was an article of faith even though nobody ever seemed to have seen it work themselves. It's more effective if you put shaving cream or worse on their hands, then tickle their noses. But we were more sophisticated.
A college buddy of mine is lucky that cameras weren't as common when I was in college as they are now. Otherwise the Internet would be inundated with priceless (not work safe!) pictures of him as we found him one night after a party, nude on the floor of a toilet stall embracing a commode.
Another one took a butter knife into the housing project next door and proceeded to shout racially unenlightened things, like a scene out of "Kentucky Fried Movie". He's lucky it was a cold night so nobody was out to hear him. He finally got cold and came back in, but the combination of alcohol and shivering was so bad he couldn't work his key to get back into the dorm. We finally opened the door and dragged him by his arms face down up a flight of steps, then threw him in the showers. The next day he didn't remember a thing.
Some of you ladies don't know how to hold your liquor either. Hey, some of us guys need all the help we can get.
But of all the things we ever did to abuse or sober up helpless drunks, we never considered doing anything like this. Don't even try it with Vicki.
Oh yeah, there's the summer camp abuse techniques like immersing a hand in some warm water in hopes of making the victim wet their pants - I have no idea why that would work, but it was an article of faith even though nobody ever seemed to have seen it work themselves. It's more effective if you put shaving cream or worse on their hands, then tickle their noses. But we were more sophisticated.
A college buddy of mine is lucky that cameras weren't as common when I was in college as they are now. Otherwise the Internet would be inundated with priceless (not work safe!) pictures of him as we found him one night after a party, nude on the floor of a toilet stall embracing a commode.
Another one took a butter knife into the housing project next door and proceeded to shout racially unenlightened things, like a scene out of "Kentucky Fried Movie". He's lucky it was a cold night so nobody was out to hear him. He finally got cold and came back in, but the combination of alcohol and shivering was so bad he couldn't work his key to get back into the dorm. We finally opened the door and dragged him by his arms face down up a flight of steps, then threw him in the showers. The next day he didn't remember a thing.
Some of you ladies don't know how to hold your liquor either. Hey, some of us guys need all the help we can get.
But of all the things we ever did to abuse or sober up helpless drunks, we never considered doing anything like this. Don't even try it with Vicki.
Security
Bitter is off on her own now and worrying about self-defense. Good for her - I wish I could have managed to get that message across to some young women I've known.
One of them, a relative, could never be troubled even to lock doors. She had been brought up out in the sticks, after all, and forgot about how they had dogs and other deterrents. I deliberately showed up in her apartment unannounced a couple of times when she knew I didn't have a key, but she never got the message. She's older now, married with kids, and now she leans more toward the paranoid end of the spectrum.
Once I lived in the same apartment building with a friend and coworker who likewise acted invulnerable. What made it weirder was that she had a stalker at the time - although he lived 400 miles away, it wasn't hard to imagine him driving up.
She would at least lock the door, but she wouldn't use the deadbolt. Then one day I borrowed a dinner knife from her, had her lock her door, and I was in her apartment about 5 seconds later.
Did I make an impression? Oh, sure, but don't go thinking that she started using the deadbolt. Some time later she had effectively moved in with her fiance and the apartment became a warehouse/bargaining chip. And when she needed something from the apartment, she'd call me and ask me to break into her apartment and bring it to her at work. That was known to include lingerie - I just knew that one day I'd get caught and nobody would ever believe my story.
Basic security isn't that hard. Your external doors should have deadbolts, perhaps even the kind that are keyed on both sides. If not, it's no trick to put them in, and a landlord shouldn't pitch a fuss. Of course it's no help if you don't use it.
Door chains are good, but I like these* better - IMO they're a lot sturdier, they're quicker to use and more resistant to defeat once the door is open. But you can have both if you want. Throw in a surface-mounted bolt too if you like - $20 would get you all three in most places.
Then there are door viewers. These can be had for less than $5 and permit you to see out with the door closed. Most motel rooms and many apartments will already have them. Sure, someone can cover the viewer, but then you know someone is there, don't you?
Sliding glass door security can be had fairly cheaply too - just lay a length of dowel stock in the tracks. Screens are no defense at all.
There's much more that can be done quickly and cheaply. Do it now!
*UPDATE - I was sure I'd find a link for what I was looking for, but then I spaced out and didn't find one before posting. Whoops, now I'll find it or I'll change my name to Ishmael. What? - no luck at Walmart, Kmart, Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and True Value Hardware (and I won't link any of the @#$! because they failed me). Alright, I do still have a life, dammit. Anyway, the one moving part is shaped like a tall skinny U connected to a mounting plate by pins at the open end that permit the U to swing in a horizontal plane toward and away from the door. The U engages a protrusion mounted on the door, which can slide within the U to permit opening the door a couple of inches. Other details are such that you can easily flip the U to engage the protrusion when the door is closed, but not when it is open. You've probably seen them in motels and elsewhere - you don't fumble with a chain, it requires no manual dexterity, and unlike a bolt you can still open the door a crack.
Oh yeah, if you mount something like this use nice long screws so you connect to the structure of the house. If the screws only hit trim and drywall they will have no strength.
One of them, a relative, could never be troubled even to lock doors. She had been brought up out in the sticks, after all, and forgot about how they had dogs and other deterrents. I deliberately showed up in her apartment unannounced a couple of times when she knew I didn't have a key, but she never got the message. She's older now, married with kids, and now she leans more toward the paranoid end of the spectrum.
Once I lived in the same apartment building with a friend and coworker who likewise acted invulnerable. What made it weirder was that she had a stalker at the time - although he lived 400 miles away, it wasn't hard to imagine him driving up.
She would at least lock the door, but she wouldn't use the deadbolt. Then one day I borrowed a dinner knife from her, had her lock her door, and I was in her apartment about 5 seconds later.
Did I make an impression? Oh, sure, but don't go thinking that she started using the deadbolt. Some time later she had effectively moved in with her fiance and the apartment became a warehouse/bargaining chip. And when she needed something from the apartment, she'd call me and ask me to break into her apartment and bring it to her at work. That was known to include lingerie - I just knew that one day I'd get caught and nobody would ever believe my story.
Basic security isn't that hard. Your external doors should have deadbolts, perhaps even the kind that are keyed on both sides. If not, it's no trick to put them in, and a landlord shouldn't pitch a fuss. Of course it's no help if you don't use it.
Door chains are good, but I like these* better - IMO they're a lot sturdier, they're quicker to use and more resistant to defeat once the door is open. But you can have both if you want. Throw in a surface-mounted bolt too if you like - $20 would get you all three in most places.
Then there are door viewers. These can be had for less than $5 and permit you to see out with the door closed. Most motel rooms and many apartments will already have them. Sure, someone can cover the viewer, but then you know someone is there, don't you?
Sliding glass door security can be had fairly cheaply too - just lay a length of dowel stock in the tracks. Screens are no defense at all.
There's much more that can be done quickly and cheaply. Do it now!
*UPDATE - I was sure I'd find a link for what I was looking for, but then I spaced out and didn't find one before posting. Whoops, now I'll find it or I'll change my name to Ishmael. What? - no luck at Walmart, Kmart, Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and True Value Hardware (and I won't link any of the @#$! because they failed me). Alright, I do still have a life, dammit. Anyway, the one moving part is shaped like a tall skinny U connected to a mounting plate by pins at the open end that permit the U to swing in a horizontal plane toward and away from the door. The U engages a protrusion mounted on the door, which can slide within the U to permit opening the door a couple of inches. Other details are such that you can easily flip the U to engage the protrusion when the door is closed, but not when it is open. You've probably seen them in motels and elsewhere - you don't fumble with a chain, it requires no manual dexterity, and unlike a bolt you can still open the door a crack.
Oh yeah, if you mount something like this use nice long screws so you connect to the structure of the house. If the screws only hit trim and drywall they will have no strength.
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Celebrate diversity
There's more than one way to raise a daughter, you know.
Sometimes you just need a little tough love. Via Drudge.
Or how about giving a gift that will last a lifetime.
If you raise her right, even after she's out of the house she'll still do her duty to her society. We could learn a lot from such cultures - if we did this in the US we could save Social Security.
Yeah, that's some ugly stuff. But I've heard enough about "cultural diversity" to last a lifetime. And if we wind up steamrolling over some indigenous cultures in Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever the trail might lead, I say the locals should welcome a little cultural diversity themselves.
Sometimes you just need a little tough love. Via Drudge.
Or how about giving a gift that will last a lifetime.
If you raise her right, even after she's out of the house she'll still do her duty to her society. We could learn a lot from such cultures - if we did this in the US we could save Social Security.
Yeah, that's some ugly stuff. But I've heard enough about "cultural diversity" to last a lifetime. And if we wind up steamrolling over some indigenous cultures in Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever the trail might lead, I say the locals should welcome a little cultural diversity themselves.
Monday, September 29, 2003
Sunday, September 28, 2003
Chunky Soup Jinx?
All during football season we see Campbell's Chunky Soup commercials featuring pro football players. The ones I recall had Terrell Davis, Kurt Warner, and now Donovan McNabb.
And now Davis is out of the league, Warner is on his second bad season, and McNabb is stinking so far this year.
And now Davis is out of the league, Warner is on his second bad season, and McNabb is stinking so far this year.
Individualism, not environmentalism
So says Robert Bidinotto, a scourge of environmentalists and founder of ecoNOT.com. His manifesto is here, and his blog is here.
Worst jobs in science
Have you ever wondered just how they judge the effectiveness of deodorants? Or what company has personnel who have the slogan "#1 in the #2 business"?
Read about it right here, thanks to Greg Hlatky.
Read about it right here, thanks to Greg Hlatky.
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