Champology 101 Re-Mixed -- The Diesel Lifestyle

2005-12-24T10:40:00.000-06:00

Bling is dead declares the Wash Post in this column from Friday.

Jems included this line about 50 Cent..."Rapper 50 Cent was draped in so many diamond and platinum medallions that one felt compelled to paraphrase a line from the film "I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka," which in 1988 first documented death by bling. "How'd he go to the bathroom with all that stuff on?"

Now, based on what I've been seeing out there, I don't think Bling is dead, but I think the ridiculous level of bling will be scaled back. As always things are taken to the extreme, backed up and then taken there again.

Not a fan of the bling ever, I recommend it being avoided at all costs, unless one likes looking like a clown.

2005-09-11T16:44:00.000-05:00

Weekend Read --- www.billcara.com -- This is a fantastic site updated by one Bill Cara, who reports on the capital markets. Bill offers daily updates, but my favorite post is his week in review column where he looks at the different sectors of the market and opines on equities, bonds and the overall trendof the market. Bill writes in an easy to read insightful manner and even likes to make some jokes. This week's review includes some thoughts about one of my favorite investment themes, the good old GOLD and where it is headed. If you need a new source for market data, look to Bill for some additional thoughts and ideas on where we were/are heading.

Two weeks ago, I wrote: “... gold is now ready to rock and roll.” And it did.

Then last week I said that my back was in spasms – seriously – perhaps from all the bowing I was doing in my mirror. But I said that this week would see more of the break-out.

So, where are we?

$GOLD has not broken into the 475-525 range yet, but give it time. It’s only a matter of time.

My little birdie tells me that when the U.S. Administration is writing checks it can’t cash, they must think its monopoly money. And, now that everybody has returned to Washington from summer holiday, it’s time to play Monopoly.

“Monopoly” as you know is a board game where the supply of money is unlimited – sound familiar?

2005-09-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

Two good weekend reads from two of my favorites, Gary North and Ron Paul.

Gary North scores it Katrina 1 and Fema 0, as he gives his take on the disaster and the disaster that is FEMA (or most other (all?) government agencies. This quote by the sheriff on Wal-Mart takes the cake.

Yesterday – yesterday – FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines." Sheriff Harry Lee said that if America – American government would have responded like Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis.

Paul tackles the Iraq operation, offers a summary of the situation and takes a historical view of other middle east oil projects (British) and why we should walk away now instead of continuing to throw good money after bad. Paul's column is called "Why We Fight" and he does a great job of showing why we should not fight. The primary reason, which people never take into consideration is ECONOMICS, ECONOMICS and ECONOMICS. Higlights include...

Changing our policy of meddling in the affairs of others won’t come quickly or easily. But a few signals to indicate a change in our attitude would go a long way to bringing peace to a troubled land.

We must soon, and Congress can do this through the budget process, stop the construction of all permanent bases in Iraq and any other Muslim country in the region. Think of how we would react if the Chinese had the military edge on us and laid claims to the Gulf of Mexico, building bases within the U.S. in order to promote their superior way of life. Isn’t it ironic that we close down bases here at home while building new ones overseas? Domestic bases might well promote security, while bases in Muslim nations only elicit more hatred toward us.
The plans for the biggest U.S. embassy in the world, costing nearly 1 billion dollars, must be canceled. This structure in Baghdad sends a message, like the military bases being built, that we expect to be in Iraq and running Iraq for a long time to come.
All military forces, especially on the Arabian Peninsula, must be moved offshore at the earliest time possible. All responsibility for security and control of the oil must be transferred to the Iraqis from the United States as soon as possible, within months not years.

The time will come when our policies dealing with foreign affairs will change for the better. But that will be because we can no longer afford the extravagance of war. This will occur when the American people realize that war causes too much suffering here at home, and the benefits of peace again become attractive to us all. Part of this recognition will involve a big drop in the value of the dollar, higher interest rates, and rampant price inflation.

2005-05-06T06:23:00.000-05:00

Blogging will remain light (read close to zero) until I finish up studying for CFA level II. Less than a month to go.

Also added Burik Model Design to the Friend's website. My buddy Jason Burik, from way back in the first grade, will make you a lego replica of anything and everything. Check it out.

1

2005-03-23T20:51:00.000-06:00

Ron Paul sums up the latest $82B in money that Congress needed in an emergency appropriation bill. Nice to see where the government is sending the cash it has stolen from our coffers. Enjoy...comments are Ron's not mine.

-$656 million for tsunami relief. As I’ve written before, Americans have sent hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations to tsunami victims. Why should we be taxed further? Why is flooding in Sri Lanka or Thailand more important than flooding in Wharton, Victoria, or Galveston, Texas?

-$94 million for Sudan, another candidate for charity rather than government aid;

-$582 million to build a new American embassy in Iraq, an outrageous sum considering that entire luxury resorts are built for less than $500 million;

-$76 million to build a new airport in Kuwait, one of the wealthiest countries on earth;

-Over $500 million to address the drug trade in Afghanistan, despite clear evidence that the production of opium has grown exponentially since America began pouring billions of tax dollars into that country in 2001;

-$200 million in economic aid for the Palestinians;

-$150 million for Pakistan, which is run by an unelected dictator;

-$34 million for Ukraine, where the U.S. already intervened in last year’s elections using your tax dollars. Ukraine recently repaid our generosity by dumping the U.S. dollar and adopting an exchange rate that includes the Euro.

2005-03-20T22:01:00.000-06:00

Roids, MLB and the government.....

This is a topic that I find terribly interesting and couldn't enjoy all the news surround anymore than I am. The sad part is that the entire thing is a joke. Why is the government involved in major league baseball and how they run their league? Why are guys like McGwire and co. being put on the witness stand in front of the world? What crime are they being tried for? Are we going to do the same thing to our Olympic athletes, to NFlers, to NHLers, to tennis pros and the rest.? This whole thing is BS to the max. Did guys juice? Well that is very clear now and if you read this article back in 2002 in T-mag, you would have known this. If you ever talked to anyone connected with any professional sports league who didn't walk around with blinders on, you would know that this is going on in all sports. Guys can't compete at the MLB, NBA, NFL level without doing something to get so much bigger, faster and stronger. Yeah training, diet and creatine help, but most if not near all these mofos took some kind of steroid at some point to get that extra juice. How many take growth hormones, that they can't test for so that they heal faster? NFLers??? NBAers??? And is it really that much of a heath risk? Didn't Arnie do roids? And not Canseco like amounts, but ridiculously high amounts according to guys that know. Should he be called in? How about all the women out there on birth control aka Estrogen....should they be tested? Is testosterone that bad? If you are mid 20s and under, it might be. If you are 45/50 or taking under a doctors supervision? Prob not. Instead of villianizing these guys we should start testing and see what the health benefits are. Can someone please bring that up?

2005-03-20T21:55:00.000-06:00

Wake Foreset goes down...

Well the Demon Deacons went done early in the NCAAs once again . Unfortunately not playing D and bitching at the refs didn't work out for us. The D was a concern all season, and proved to be the nail in the coffin. I still can't believe that Chris Paul fouled out on that lay-up attempt. Come on man...we needed you on the court. Def a WTF moment, and helped seal the deal. E Williams played ok though and we have a lot coming back including hopefully Mr. Paul though next year he won't foul out. Deacon hoops is a case study in disappointments since I've been there. Ohh well...there is always next year.

Don't let guys shoot wide open threes....PLEASE!!!

2005-01-17T22:29:00.000-06:00

Gary North offers up this piece on saving the dollar. Too bad it won't happen. He also as always offers some advice for foks who are looking to go into debt....

They should borrow short-term money to buy tools or get meaningful educations/licenses, and then pay off the debt, fast. This way, they will build a credit history. That’s the wisest strategy. But if there is a temptation to go into consumer debt, then it’s best not to borrow at all. Like other addictions, the first snort should be avoided.

Borrowing is not an evil. It depends of what you are borrowing for. If your debt supplies tools, education, or a comfortable but modest place to live, then it’s a tool of dominion. But if debt is used to buy depreciating assets, it is a curse. Most assets depreciate. Buy them used for cash from someone who is strapped for cash.

2005-01-17T22:25:00.000-06:00

The onion offers an interview with Rick Rubin (Note-- this is in the real section, not the goof acrticles). For those who don't now, Rick along with Russel Simmons helped create Def Jam and Rick produced LL Cool J, PE and the Beasties along with a platheora of others. Rick can be seen on the Jay-Z 99 Problems video and he also produced that track. Interesting how starting a label and acquiring talent has changed.

O: What led to the founding of Def Jam?

RR: I'd made a record with LL Cool J, his first single, which I think is called "I Need A Beat." I played it for Russell, and he loved it. Then I asked him what we should do with it. He said, "Oh, let's give it to one of the labels that I deal with." I said, "All you do is complain about these labels; why don't we just do it ourselves?" Eventually, we decided to do it ourselves.

O: How did you find out about LL Cool J? He was about 15 at the time?

RR: Fifteen or 16. He sent me a demo tape to my dorm at NYU, because on "It's Yours," the label was called Def Jam, and the address was my dorm at NYU. So I started getting demo tapes sent to the dorm.

O: Did he need parental permission to become a recording artist or anything?

RR: No. In those days, we didn't even do contracts, because we didn't know anything about business. We just started doing it.

O: Did you think, "This kid's got what it takes, he could be a star"?

RR: There were no stars in rap music. It was really just a work of passion. Everyone who was doing it was doing it because they loved it, not because anyone thought it was a career. We didn't even think about having a hit single. We just tried to do something we liked. There were no expectations whatsoever. The only hope was that we'd sell enough records to make enough money to make another record. If it didn't cost us money to have Def Jam, we'd be happy. If it supported itself, and we could keep doing it, we'd be doing it.

2005-01-17T22:21:00.000-06:00

Big Nick (another Wake Forest cat) lists his top ten tv shows. Now I don't watch TV almsot ever right now, but I've read his posts on okayplayer.com for a long time and know that he is usually on point, plus his top shows are the same ones that my brother likes (and he is also usually on point). My brother's list would probably have Scrubs at 1 (vs The Wire) and move down the Daily Show, up Dave Chappelle, and up Curb Your Enthusiasm. Check it out for yourself though.

2005-01-16T21:47:00.000-06:00

Team America has fallen out of the top ten when it comes to the freest countries. Most alarming is the downward trend that has fallen this once great nation (?). The true question is does anyone other than the libertarians in this country care?

Here is the intro to the Heritage foundations latest results...Hopefully someone is reading this...

All too often, bad news accompanies good news. And people usually want the good news first, so here it is: Economic freedom is expanding around the globe. Now, the bad news: It's not expanding here in the United States.

This isn't mere conjecture. For the last 11 years, The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal have joined to publish our annual "Index of Economic Freedom." We look at 10 key ingredients of free economies, from reasonable levels of taxation, tariffs and regulation to government spending, property rights and monetary stability.

2005-01-16T11:26:00.000-06:00

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are rolling (14-1) and have the best backcourt in college. Is this the yr that we are one of the final four teams standing? Me thinks so.....

Wake Forest's 95-82 win Saturday afternoon in front of a crazed Joel Coliseum crowd that rivaled any of its ACC brethren (which says something for how far the Deacs have come) quickly extinguished any Tar Heel thoughts of a runaway in the ACC.

That idea wasn't farfetched after the Tar Heels made Maryland and Georgia Tech look second tier in two home wins in the past week.

(via espn and Andy Katz)

2005-01-09T19:56:00.000-06:00

Posts will pick up. Sorry for the lack of content. Have been very busy, but NY resolution is to post at least once a week.

Here is a good post on the Tom Wolfe novel, "I am Charlotte Simmons". I have to say the book reminded me of Wake Forest to the max. Kind of sad that that is what college basically comes down to (if you look at how much $$$ it costs) , but hey it was a good time. Tom writes another classic, though the end gets a little slow. This book definetly sums up why it will kill me if I have kids and when I CTC (Rasheed Wallace speak for cut the check) to pay for schooling. Ohh yeah and I was a diesel.

My favorite book of late has been "The Tipping Point" by Malcom Galdwell. Great business read on what causes a trend to take place and who are the catalysts that create it.

Check out my gf's blog on how to dress if you get a sec....She will also consult with you if you want to lose some of your cash to look hot. note -- the site is in construction phase, but hey there is one post up and it should take off from there. enjoy....

2004-11-21T11:15:00.000-06:00

Rep Ron Paul attacks the latest governmental increase in the debt limits. Too bad he is a lone wolf in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, Congress is once again engaging in fiscal irresponsibility and endangering the American economy by raising the debt ceiling, this time by $800 billion dollars. One particularly troubling aspect of today's debate is how many members who won their seats in part by pledging never to raise taxes, will now vote for this tax increase on future generations without so much as a second thought. Congress has become like the drunk who promises to sober up tomorrow, if only he can keep drinking today. Does anyone really believe this will be the last time, that Congress will tighten its belt if we just grant it one last loan? What a joke! There is only one approach to dealing with an incorrigible spendthrift: cut him off.

2004-11-14T11:43:00.000-06:00

An interesting piece from boston.com (via Drudge) about how Kerry's positioning on the Iraq war made the difference in the election. The article offers some interesting quotes from Kerry's family and friends. BTW --The first paragraph about Kerry not hearing a question correclty while standing above the Grand Canyon is a bit absurd in my eyes.

Wonder if anyone on the Kerry side realizes that he lost cause he was Bush lite and that the Republican's even though they act the same as the Democrates sell themselves as different and do a remarkable job at it. I guess it is hard to run a campaign under the idea that we want to steal your money and take power just as much as the other guy who claims he doesn't want to does.

2004-11-14T11:38:00.000-06:00

Solution to the Great Divide

Walter Williams breaks down the "divided America" and offers a solution (one that neither side will ever think to accept, but the right solution none-the-less).

"Suppose that instead of freedom in the music market, decisions on what kind of music people could listen to were made in the political arena. It would be either opera or rock and roll. Rock and rollers would be lined up against opera lovers. Why? It's simple. If the opera lovers win, rock and rollers would lose, and the reverse would happen if rock and rollers won. Conflict would emerge solely because the decision was made in the political arena. The prime feature of political decision-making is that it's a zero-sum game. One person or group's gain is of necessity another person or group's loss.

The best thing the president and Congress can do to heal our country is to reduce the impact of government on our lives. Doing so will not only produce a less divided country and greater economic efficiency but bear greater faith and allegiance to the vision of America held by our founders -- a country of limited government."

Via Out of Control

2004-11-06T10:38:00.000-06:00

Here is a sweet poll from USA Today. It shows why no matter what clowns are in office, good things will happen because of the people, not the legislation.

Those polled are members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Many alumni of that group have become political leaders.

In a nationwide survey, BGCA “tweens” (ages 11-13) turned thumbs down on the big job. Highlights:

•57% said they do not want to be president.

•66% want to run their own business or be entrepreneurs.

They're apparently more interested in fortune than in fame or public service. The Staples Foundation, which conducted the survey, didn't ask the kids why the White House now lacks appeal.

Via the Mises Blog

2004-11-06T10:35:00.000-06:00

One month almost and no updates....sorry folks. Moved from Lincoln Park to Wicker Park, had to get situated, got a new job, girl is now in town and now I have a car.....so blogging got hurt. I plan on being back in full force so watch out now.

2004-10-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

The Penn is a fool...

Sean Penn shows why he is a moron with this letter to Matt Stone and Trey Parker about their new movie..... (via Drudge)

I do mind when anybody who doesn't have a child, doesn't have a child at war, or isn't or won't be in harm's way themselves, is encouraging that there's "no shame in not voting" "if you don't know what you're talking about" (Mr. Stone) without mentioning the shame of not knowing what your talking about, and encouraging people to know. You guys are talented young guys but alas, primarily young guys. It's all well to joke about me or whomever you choose. Not so well, to encourage irresponsibility that will ultimately lead to the disembowelment, mutilation, exploitation, and death of innocent people throughout the world. The vote matters to them. No one's ignorance, indcluding a couple of hip cross-dressers, is an excuse.

Sorry Sean but both candidates are pro the warfare/welfare state. Guess it doesn't matter hombre. Plus the odds of your vote actually mattering (this is assuming that their is a difference between each candidate other than handing out the goods to their buddies--far fetched I know) is so statistically irrelevant that IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU VOTE.

2004-10-06T23:42:00.000-05:00

Choices and Echoes by Gary North

Gary North answers the vote or die crowd and all the folks who like to get on me when I tell them that I won't waste my time voting.

They ask themselves: "Why bother to vote?"

The answer is not what we are told in high school, let alone college: voting is a religious act. This was understood by the ancient Greeks, who regarded political life as central to religious life. But in a society that promotes the separation of church and state in the name of the separation of religion and politics, it is not politically correct to admit the truth, namely, that exercising the franchise is an act of promoting one’s religion, i.e., one’s worldview. It means picking up a ballot instead of a gun, so that people you approve of will possess the lawful authority to pick up a gun in your name.

This is what politics is: the right to decide who picks up a government-provided gun and then tells other people what to do or not do. We can fool ourselves as voters by refusing to admit this, but when push comes to shove, and political issues seem to be life-and-death issues, we go out and use our ballots to make sure that "our guys" have control of the guns.

So, the name of the political game today is two-fold: (1) to distract voters’ attention from the hard reality of politics, namely, that it’s all about who controls the biggest guns; (2) to convince swing voters that the party’s program is best for them, which really means that the party’s appointees can be trusted with the guns. No candidate is willing to admit in public that he and his agents intend to stick guns in the bellies of the political losers, but this really is the plan. When a politician says "Trust me," he means, "Trust me to use the gun on that guy over there, not you." He’s lying, of course. He intends to stick the gun in your belly, too.

Voters are beginning to figure out that the guns will be used on them, no matter who is elected, and there’s not much they can do about this. How does a patriot act today? He takes off his shoes before boarding a plane. "Your photo ID, please."

The bureaucracy holds the guns, and no President can do much, one way or the other, to prevent the bureaucrats from using these guns in a way that is convenient to them. The system is too large to control. Bureaucrats respond to only one pressure: the threat of a budget cut. Because modern politics is all about increasing the budgets of bureaucracies, there is no believable threat facing the bureaucrats with the guns.

2004-10-06T09:32:00.000-05:00

Conservatives/Liberals:

"The problem with conservatism,' says colleague Dan Denning, 'is that there is nothing left to conserve.'
Both parties stand for the same things: more spending, more debt, more meddling in people's lives all over the globe. This agenda used to be called 'liberal.' Now, it is 'neoconservative.' Neither party disagrees with the basic doctrines of the liberal welfare/warfare state; each candidate merely promises to do a better job of it."

Well said...

2004-09-29T23:46:00.000-05:00

TheAgitator.com: Debate Prologue

The Agitator, Radley Balko, does a subperb job of breaking down the election and why the Bushman will win. Though I don't view this as a positive event or a negative event, they both suck, it does appear that Radley's who you'd rather have a beer with matters most conculision makes perfect sense. Yeah Kerry does come off as a dick and Bush a blunder, but the blunder beats a dick.

And let's face it. Kerry's a schmuck. Or at least he comes off as one. If Gore was the kid who reminded the teacher to collect the homework, Kerry's the prep school trust-funder who drives Beamer and ties a pastel Izod across his shoulders. If swing state demographics resembled Greenwich, Connecticut, he'd be golden.

I can see only one scenario where Kerry betters himself tomorrow night, and that's if he somehow goads Bush into saying something the Kerry camp can conslusively prove is false, and for which they have a post-game assault alread prepared. If Kerry's staff's post-debate message can convincingly be "Bush Lied!" instead of "No! Seriously! Our Guy Isn't a Dick!" well, then maybe he can climb a few points in the polls. But that would require a significant Bush gaffe (certainly possible), and some competence from the Kerry campaign (no signs so far that that's possible).

This fits in well with a piece that was posted at the mises.org today about the basis of freedom. The author of this piece sites a work by Converse in 1964, "The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics." Converse finds that less than 4 percent of American voters can give a coherent account of what liberals and conservatives believe. These people he calls "ideologues." They understand the political division in society well, and their voting reflects it. A slightly larger group of voters partly understands and partly votes that way. A large group in the middle votes mainly by race, class, or other group affiliation. Below them is a fourth group, quite large, that votes on a politician’s looks, or whether he "cares about people like me."

Is this why democracy will one day fail? Perhaps we should have gone with the whole republic thing that the founders wanted after all.

2004-09-29T00:06:00.000-05:00

The Cult of Che - Don't applaud The Motorcycle Diaries. By Paul Berman

Another writer steps up to the plate to question the glorification of the moron Che Guevera and the new film that inaccurate shows Che's life. Paul breaks down the false legend and wonders if the lavish praise this film received at Sundance along with Che's false legacy continues to haunt the Cuban citizens still today.

Che was a totalitarian. He achieved nothing but disaster. Many of the early leaders of the Cuban Revolution favored a democratic or democratic-socialist direction for the new Cuba. But Che was a mainstay of the hardline pro-Soviet faction, and his faction won. Che presided over the Cuban Revolution's first firing squads. He founded Cuba's "labor camp" system—the system that was eventually employed to incarcerate gays, dissidents, and AIDS victims. To get himself killed, and to get a lot of other people killed, was central to Che's imagination.

The modern-day cult of Che blinds us not just to the past but also to the present. Right now a tremendous social struggle is taking place in Cuba. Dissident liberals have demanded fundamental human rights, and the dictatorship has rounded up all but one or two of the dissident leaders and sentenced them to many years in prison. Among those imprisoned leaders is an important Cuban poet and journalist, Raúl Rivero, who is serving a 20-year sentence. In the last couple of years the dissident movement has sprung up in yet another form in Cuba, as a campaign to establish independent libraries, free of state control; and state repression has fallen on this campaign, too.

2004-09-28T14:12:00.000-05:00

How to Keep Your Veggies Vitamin-Packed

Bill sends along this helpful link from webmd that explains the best way to cook and eat veggies. I personally use the frozen veggie option b/c it is easy, I am lazy and I eat 4-5 servings daily so this method works best for me. Some tips indcluded...

Go for frozen. Frozen vegetables are often just as healthy as fresh veggies, especially if the fresh ones have been collecting dust for a few days in your fridge. Filardo says frozen vegetables are still nutritious, because they often come right out of the field, and are blanched and frozen immediately.
Dress it up. Use a little fat or salad dressing on your vegetables. Filardo says a little fat will improve the uptake of lycopene. "But that doesn't give people the license to put huge amounts of salad dressings on their foods."
Try precooking. Blanch veggies before you pop them in the fridge, and you will save time. "It will also help kill some of the enzymes that can cause deterioration," says Filardo. Just don't overdue the reheating.
Slow down. Take more time to chew and enjoy your vegetables. Filardo says the more you chew, the more you will break down vegetables, and that will result in better absorption of nutrients from the gut. "Sometimes people stuff things into their mouths without paying attention, and you can eat a lot that way," she says. "If you slow down, and savor the taste of foods, you are likely to eat less." You are also allowing more time for the message to get from your stomach to your brain that you're full.
Spice things up. "People tend to eat the same fruits and vegetables over and over again. Every fruit and vegetable has a unique footprint -- a unique assortment of nutrients and phytochemicals," says Filardo. Variety will increase your enjoyment of fruits and vegetables, while also giving you more nutrients. She suggests that you use color as a guide when planning your meals. Instead of worrying about getting specific vitamins, for example, worry about getting your oranges, greens, and reds. It will also make for a more appetizing plate.

2004-09-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

Texas Music

The Z-man sent me this link. Pretty good read from a narcotics officer and army reservist. He attacks the ridiculous discusions about the assualt weapons ban and explains why it was a worthless piece of feal good legislation to begin with.

Earlier this month, Title XI of the Federal Violent Crime Control Act, better known as the Assault Weapon Ban, enacted a decade ago, expired. There was a massive outcry in the media about how, now that the ban has expired, anyone can run down to the local sporting good store and buy a machine gun. Well, they're right. Sort of.

The Assault Weapon Ban had no impact on a person's ability to legally own a Class III weapon. Anyone, provided they have a clean criminal background, who sends a couple of hundred bucks and the correct forms in to the ATF, can legally own a fully automatic weapon. Same as before the ban. Same as during the ban. Shocking, isn't it?

See, the ban was a feel-good piece of legislation tacked onto the Crime Bill. It was touted to the public as the answer to gun violence. All of those killer machine guns in the hands of children were going to be taken off the streets. School shootings and disgruntled postal worker massacres, a thing of the past. Thank you, Handgun Control Inc.

The problem with the Assault Weapon Ban was...well, everything, actually. Let's start with the name. Do you know what an assault weapon is? It's a military weapon that is capable of, by means of a selector switch, either semiautomatic or fully automatic fire. Semiautomatic fire means that each time the trigger of the weapon is pulled, a round is fired and another round is chambered. Pull the trigger again, and another round is fired. Fully automatic fire means that when the trigger is pulled multiple rounds are fired for as long as the trigger is depressed. The ban never dealt with true assault weapons. It had nothing to do with "machine guns", or fully automatic weapons. Shocking, isn't it?

The ban, misnamed though it was, was designed to eliminate a certain class of weapons deemed too deadly to be in the hands of the American public. Deemed too dangerous by certain legislators and Handgun Control Inc. In the wake of pressure by special interest groups, weapons that looked scary because they were black and had some features found on military weapons were banned.

Well, not exactly.

The Assault Weapon Ban didn't actually ban any weapons. That's right. Not a single one. Shocking, isn't it?

2004-09-22T12:50:00.000-05:00

Interview with the Editor of Men's Fitness

Pretty good interview with a guy who edited Men's Health and Men's Fitness. Louis offers some insight into his thoughts on training and nutrition along with some tidbits about the magizine biz both pro and con.

A paleontologist friend of mine, John Williams at SMU, told me something I’d never heard before: He said that humans are by far the fattest and least muscular primates, and the theory is that this is because of our brains. They’re so much bigger than other primate brains, and require so much more fuel to keep them working. Thus, our bodies need to store fat, and they’re damned good at it.

Looking at it that way, it’s a wonder anyone is thin, given that food is so cheap and abundant. This is kind of my soapbox issue, so I’ll throw this in here:

I think we’re making a huge, huge mistake in this country by talking about the obesity epidemic as a disease that people catch because they’re lazy. If I could single-handedly change the tone, I’d start by saying that fat happens. For some people, it’s perfectly natural to overeat when food is available.

But, because we all now understand how dangerous it is to have this excess weight, we have to work together on a solution. So let’s collectively find ways to eat less and exercise more. Let’s get the Coke machines out of schools and make PE a bigger priority. Let’s make it easier for kids to walk to school. Let’s change the work culture a little, build more corporate gyms, encourage people to take workout breaks.

And on the diet side, let’s focus on the positive instead of the punitive. Instead of telling people to eat less, let’s focus on eating strategically. Every guy reading T-Nation knows how important it is to time meals for the effects he wants. We need to get that message out to everyone else.

2004-09-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

Letter from Ali G to the mover and shakers that he tries to get on his show

The professional approach shows why Ali or his producers, more likely, are able to trick folks into an interview.

2004-09-21T02:23:00.000-05:00

BlogShares - Champology 101 -- Diesel Style

Here is the blogshare value of my blog. Not that pricey ehh....I like to think of it as a value play myself.

2004-09-21T02:07:00.000-05:00

Walter E. Williams: Danger of no tax liability

Walter Williams breaks down the problems with the 122m (on last count according to a tax foundation study) or 44% of the American public pays zip, zero stingy with dinero dollars in federal income taxes. Wow that is an amazing stat. Williams then warns us of the danger that people who are not paying taxes pose by voting for more free goodies that they aren't paying for, as he takes to task both Regan and Bush for celebrating how many people were removed from the tax rolls. His solution to this problem is brillant though.

So here's my idea. Every American regardless of any other consideration should have one vote in any federal election. Then, every American should get one additional vote for every $10,000 he pays in federal income tax. With such a system, there'd be a modicum of linkage between one's financial stake in our country and his decision-making capacity.

This is not a far-out idea. The founders of our country worried about it. James Madison's concern about class warfare between the rich and the poor led him to favor the House of Representatives being elected by the people at large and the Senate elected by property owners. He said, "It is nevertheless certain, that there are various ways in which the rich may oppress the poor; in which property may oppress liberty; and that the world is filled with examples. It is necessary that the poor should have a defense against the danger. On the other hand, the danger to the holders of property cannot be disguised, if they be undefended against a majority without property."

2004-09-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

Calling it what it is - PittsburghLIVE.com

Nice article from the old stomping grounds news paper about the socialist and there resistence to allowing individual indepence. He even invokes the great Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises. Hopefully the Burghers are listening, but based on the cities policies, I doubt it.

In 1922's "Socialism," one of Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises' seminal works, he offered that it is the "intellectual leaders of the peoples" who "have produced and propagated the fallacies" of socialism "which are on the point of destroying liberty and Western civilization."

It is "reason and ideas" -- not mythical and magical forces -- that determine the course of human affairs, Professor von Mises reminded. "What is needed to stop the trend toward socialism and despotism is common sense and moral courage."

2004-09-20T13:59:00.000-05:00

Reason Mag interview with the creator of HBO's The Wire

Interesting interview that offers some insight into the war on drugs and into the world that help lead to this great television show.

Simon: Ed Burns and I spoke at one of those groups. There came this point where a guy said, "Well, what is the solution? Give me the paragraph; give me the lede. What’s the solution, if not drug prohibition?" I very painstakingly said: "Look. For 35 years, you’ve systematically deindustrialized these cities. You’ve rendered them inhospitable to the working class, economically. You have marginalized a certain percentage of your population, most of them minority, and placed them in a situation where the only viable economic engine in their hypersegregated neighborhoods is the drug trade. Then you’ve alienated them further by fighting this draconian war in their neighborhoods, and not being able to distinguish between friend or foe and between that which is truly dangerous or that which is just illegal. And you want to sit across the table from me and say ‘What’s the solution?’ and get it in a paragraph? The solution is to undo the last 35 years, brick by brick. How long is that going to take? I don’t know, but until you start it’s only going to get worse." And the guy looked at me and went, "But what’s the solution?" He said it again. Ed Burns restrained me.

2004-09-17T12:28:00.000-05:00

Adam Smith Institute Blog - Appreciating patients

This entire post is worth noting. Further evidence of why the private sector always is the trump card. (Via Adam Smith Institute Blog)

Thanks to the market economy, we are used to companies that appreciate our business. If a company doesn't seem to care about us as consumers, we can go elsewhere. Consumerism empowers us. Yet in the state sector, we are expected to be grateful for what we're given. We rely on the 'benevolence' of the National Health Service, and should be grateful for the treatment we get, accepting waiting lists and dirty hospitals. If a supermarket that was being inefficient told us to be grateful for what they give us, we'd be outraged. In the NHS, however, we're supposed to think that attitude is OK. It is not.

2004-09-16T13:26:00.000-05:00

A Politician's Economic Policy.....
Was reading the WSJ this am on my walk to the train and saw the words "Kerry's Economic Policy" and I felt like I was struck by lightening. What can a president do to create economic prosperity? Now it is much easier for a president to destroy economic prosperity, as we have seen pretty much throughout history, but actually creating any....I don't think so. Well unless of course they ran under a policy of decreasing governmental power, increasing liberty and freedom, and basically rolling back years and years of laws that stifle productivity, inovation and creativity. The would also have to agree to end the government pillaging that takes place on a daily base for the wealth producers and gets redistributed as King government sees fit. It is kind of funny (or maybe I should say sad) that people talk about Regan's economic revolution or Clinton's "its the economy stupid" referring to these comical political figures as sort of demigods, who can create economic growth with the wave of a wand. Alan Greenspan is another economic clown, who the masses bow down to as a creator of wealth and prosperity as opposed to the redestibutor that he is (ask your real estate buddies about that). All that these characters can do is to create mal-investment and shift resources from what the market deems productive to what they deem productive (and they will always be wrong mind you) or to where they think the hand outs will most likely help them get re-elected. It is sad that the only place that one can go to realize this fallacey is to the Austrain Economists, who admit that the power is in the indivuduals and no one person can stop the business cycle (even you GWB). Reading Krugman, Kudlow or Delong conveys to the masses that government welds this power and history and common sense show us that this is just blatantly wrong. When will people listen to Hayek and Von Mises and not pray to the god of government, which will only lead to our destruction? Hopefully sooner rather than later. I have faith....

2004-09-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

Time Is Money by Gary North

Great piece by Mr. North on how to make money and how to make even more money. Gary has become one of my favorite weekly reads and his common sense solutions and adroit way of looking at society are refreshing. Another recent article that I more than fully relate to was on if college was actually worth it -- NO! Before you dismiss this idea as completely absurd, check out the article. I've harbored these feelings since entering the workforce and ever preceeding that date (they probably began in 6th grade when school began to bore the crap out of me). I also strongly recommend his archieves.

INVEST IN YOURSELF

Because most people don’t like their work, they don’t like to work. The pioneer likes his work. He understands that the extra hours invested in his work are in fact invested in himself. He chooses his work in such a way that he is happy to invest the extra time in developing his skills and his business.

If you hate your work, you will find it difficult to work the extra hours needed to master the field. This is why a young person would be wise to take less pay in a job that draws him deeper into it. He will then be willing to invest that extra 25% or more that it takes to be successful in any field.

If you have above-average intelligence – that is, if "reality TV shows" bore you, with the possible exception of "The Apprentice" – an investment of 1,000 hours will make you competent in any field for which you have innate ability. An investment of 5,000 hours will make you a master.

2004-09-15T11:33:00.000-05:00

OUT OF CONTROL: Another desparate shot at WalMart

This made me laugh today and goes to show why all the socialist thinkers out there are such morons.

Another desparate shot at WalMart
It's true, you know. The fact that we don't require all businesses to pay each employee $1 million is the only reason we are not a nations of millionaires.

I expect that to be the next report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

Their latest report digs into the wages and use of public benefits by WalMart employees. See, since WalMart pays less than other retail firms more of its employees use public benefits. So WalMart actually costs us taxpayers money. Get it?

Why aren't those workers getting jobs at the higher paying retail outfits? If we all paid 10-times higher prices, could everyone get 10-times higher wages?

Stop it! Questions like that just inject messy reality into a perfecly lovely ideological attack.

2004-09-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

I have 6 gmail invites. Shoot me an email if anyone is interested.

-

2004-09-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

From Paris to Turkey on a Bike!!!

This is an email that was forward to me from a friend from college. The emailer is another graduate of Wake Forest who I've met, but I am not intimately familiar with. She is biking around the world having started her journey in Paris. This is similar to the Jim Rogers exploits, but significantly less comfortable and more risky. Currently she should be back in Turkey and recently treked through Syria and Turkey and is planning a trip to Iran. Here is her latest email from abroad....

Hello Everyone, Sorry that we haven't given you any tidings for such a long time. To fill you in a bit, we left Ankara (Turkey's capital) in mid-July and biked to Cappadocia, a region in the central Anatolian plateau known for its unique rock formations, underground cities, and cave dwellings.

TURKEY

We stayed with a family for almost a week, while we explored the valleys, gorges, and canyons by foot. Our hosts were Mehmet (the first guide of Cappadocia who spoke perfect French), his wife Binas, and his 14-year old daughter Tuba. This area of Turkey was very conservative. Just to give you an example, although Mehmet had been a guide of the region for 22 years, his wife and daughter have never seen the area. They didn't even know where the closest town was, which was only 5 km. away. The women stay at home, between the four walls of the house, while their husbands go to town to socialize with other men, to work, or to do the grocery shopping at the local market. We absolutely loved Cappadocia. The area must be one of the most beautiful in the world. Mehmet took us to the valleys to barbecue with his friends, they played the Turkish instrument called the saz, and cooked eggplant, potatoes, and meat in a large pot over a fire. One night, we hiked to the top of a mountain and watched the sunset over the fairy chimneys and then pitched our tent for the night, barbecuing chicken for dinner. We hiked through valleys, climbed up and down mountains, crossed rivers, and even found a mass grave in a rock church at the top of a mountain filled with old bones. Cappadocia was unforgettable.

SYRIA

Afterwards, we headed south for an unscheduled detour to Syria. We planned on biking the small country in two weeks, but were there for almost a month because of an injury I had to my neck. The injury was caused by something so stupid that I'm embarrassed to admit what happened, except that some of you may worry that it was a biking or car accident if I don't tell you. Actually, it was just caused by sleeping in a bad position for one night. From something so idiotic has come six weeks of neck and head pain, unending. The doctor said it may last months. We spent 2 1/2 weeks in Aleppo, Syria because I needed to rest. (And this is why you had no news, because I was between the four walls of a hotel room in 105 degree heat most of the time and didn't make it out to the Internet cafe). The first doctor called the condition "acute something". I think he must have meant "acute pain." Two doctors, one hospital, one massage therapist, and one X-ray later, and the diagnosis was that it was better for me to move. Biking would be fine, the last doctor said. So we finally left Aleppo and headed south and east towards the Syrian desert. One good thing did come out of our stay in Aleppo. We befriended a man our age named Abdul-Hamid, who had invited us to stay at his house upon our arrival in the city. After four days, we decided we couldn't lean upon his hospitality any longer, so we moved to a hostel. But he came every day after work to take us around the city, and took us to some of the must-see tourist spots in Syria on Fridays, his day off. Some of the laws in Syria are interesting. Abdul was told by the hotel staff that he shouldn't come to visit us as the hostel because it was illegal for Syrian people to talk to tourists in hotels. The government worries that they will say something bad about the government. One man had been caught talking to a tourist in the same hostel a week previously and had been carted off to jail for two weeks. The plain-clothes police officers came to the hostel every day at a different time and acted like tourists, joining in conversations and listening to what people had to say. Abdul insisted on coming anyway, and more than once, we had to leave in a hurry as the hostel staff warned us that the police were there. Then, the staff warned him that he could be arrested for talking to me because I might be an American spy looking for information about the Syrian government. Another time, as he and his friend Ali drove us on his motorcycle (with a sidecart) to a Byzantine citadel outside of the city, one of the men working at the site gave them a lot of trouble because they were with us. We had to enter and leave the site separately and meet them at the bottom of the hill so that no one would see us coming or going together (in case they might be giving secret information to us...). Ali himself has to change residences every six months because he is still hunted by the police for having spoken out against the government back in the late 90s. He has had more recent run-ins with them, but being a champion athlete, he can always outrun them. Syria was a mixed bag. The people were very hospitable - if you were from the right country - but sometimes their smiles would freeze when they found out I was American. The talk always centered around "Bush, Bush, Bush." "Don't tell anyone you're American," they would say."or people will hate you." Of course, they were always the exception. "Why? Will they be violent?" I asked one man. He didn't respond. The conversation, which had been friendly when he believed I came from France like Stephane, turned rather heated when he found out where my family lived. "France is good. America is bad." is something I got sick and tired of hearing. People seem uncapable and unwilling to distinguish between a government and its people. Although the people seem very hospital and welcomed us into their houses everywhere we went, I was ready to leave. (The political view changed in northern Syria, where the Kurds adored Bush and called the Arabs "terrorists". The war has allowed the Kurds to set up their own government in Kurdistan Iraq, with their own president, even though it is not recognized officially by the UN).

SYRIAN DESERT

We did enjoy the Syrian desert, however. 400 km. of biking through desert, on a little-travelled road, either staying with people we met or sleeping outside under the stars, as we chose. The days were extremely hot - up to 114-117 degrees - and there was always a strong breeze in the morning and at night, from the difference in temperature as the earth would either cool down or heat up. Pretty much the only company we had as we biked was the bedouins (semi-nomad sheep and camel herders), clothed in white robes and red and white checkered head scarves. Small dusty villages with make-shift tents were sparse in this arid landscape. On day 3, I found myself thinking about the ocean and the Jersey shore, and then about swimming in the river. Every day afterwards in the desert, I thought about the ocean. Even a drop of water would have been welcome. We stopped in the oasis town of Palmyra, hottest spot in Syria, where we explored the 2000-year old ruins. This was supposed to have been Solomon's city. We had a special invite one night to a special show at the Roman ampitheather. A Syrian fashion show (fabulous - from Cleopatra-type dresses and crowns to evening gowns to more modern clothing) and a Syrian dance troupe enacting the history of a Syrian princess become Roman queen. We spent one evening with a group of Syrian construction workers who were finishing work on a new hotel in the oasis (palm trees in the middle of the desert - there is water in the winter!). They sang and danced and clapped and Stephane was made to join in the synchronated dancing. Not me! There were too many men! We ate sheep meat and rice from huge bowls in the middle of the floor under a tent. Another night, we spent drinking tea and camel milk in a bedouin's tent. The camel milk was rather salty - I prefer cow milk. All of the men insisted a hundred times over that I would be very happy if Stephane would drink camel milk every day, as it makes men very strong, and thus they can make their wives happy all night long! I drink camel milk every day, they all said. One of the men offered to take us for a little tour on his camel. However, the saddle was made for only one person, and after a short time, our weight pulled the saddle backwards off of the camel's hump and we fell backwards off the camel as we were climbing up a hill! Only a few cuts and bruises, and I was happy enough that it wasn't worse! All I could see was the sky and the camel above us. In the desert, a man's wealth is measured by how many camels he owns. Most men brag about how many camels they own, and more than one told me that every time there is a camel on Syrian TV (like in the soap operas, for example), it was only his camels. Pretty funny. They also seem proud of how much they weigh (the more the better - the men were always proud to compare how much they weighed to how much Stephane weighs!). And proud also of how many children they have. Most families we stayed with had between 15 and 20 children. Sometimes this was with two wives. But several times we met women, who alone, had 19 or 20 children. They start young. Marry young. Have kids young. Kids having kids. And then, while they're still having babies, their babies are having babies.

TURKEY AGAIN

We're back in southeast Turkey and will be entering Iran on September 15. Between 3 and 4 weeks in Iran, then we'll be meeting Vince for two weeks in India. I can't wait! Two weeks with the best brother in the world!!! Hope you all had an enjoyable summer.

2004-09-13T11:14:00.000-05:00

ESPN.com - NFL - High times

Interesting ESPN piece on Shawn King and getting high in the NFL. I don't understand why the NFL tests for marijuna, and according to King 1/3 of the league is getting high (then again they test for roids too..hahaha). The amazing thing to me is the length that King went to be able to smoke weed.

King was in the NFL's drug program his entire career, and smoked marijuana through 2½ of those years. He was caught only six times because during his early years he said he substituted clean urine for his "dirty" urine. He got away with it because, contrary to NFL protocol, the man assigned to administer his tests failed to watch him urinate.

"During the [rookie] season I didn't smoke, so I just filled up a bunch of Gatorade bottles [with clean urine] and put them in my carport," he said. "I said to myself that after the last game I'm going to start smoking during the offseason. You know, because I had three years to go in which I couldn't smoke or drink, and I couldn't fathom that. So I saved up about 18 months' worth of urine." Since he could be tested anytime and anywhere, he said he brought along a bottle of the clean urine on vacations. During the football season, on test days, he placed the urine in pill bottles and condoms -- anything small enough to carry in the waistband of his pants. And the urine he emptied into the cup was not just clean, but warm, as he knew the NFL also performs a spot test to make sure the fluid is body temperature. To achieve that effect, he turned to his home whirlpool.

"I'd put it in the Jacuzzi all night," he said. "I'd get up in the morning, get it out of the Jacuzzi, tape it to the vents in my truck and turn the heat on. I would drive to [the test site]. I'd have it stashed right there on my waistline, and when I got there I was ready to use the bathroom.

"I put a lot of work into it. I incorporated it into my everyday life like I wasn't going to get caught. Probably wouldn't have gotten caught if I had called this other girl."

2004-09-13T00:41:00.000-05:00

Agitator on Sept 11th 2002

Radley Balko opined on the WTC tragedy one year after. One of the best thoughts on this subject I've read.

An interesting thought occurred to me. It was reported that U.S. fighter jets were a mere eight minutes from the planes when they hit the WTC. My thought: what if they had made it? What if they had intercepted them? Then what? Shoot them down? Imagine the world reaction. Bush would’ve had to have convinced the world that these planes were hijacked, that they had been commandeered by terrorists, and that these terrorists were ready and capable of flying a an unwieldy passenger liner into a skyscraper. No one would’ve believed him. Lawsuits would’ve flown. Conspiracies would have peppered the newspapers. Can you imagine? Two U.S. military planes shoot down two unarmed passenger planes, raining fire, metal and civilians down onto the whole of New York. Perhaps the third plane may have hit the Pentagon, bolstering the case. But what if they’d shot that one down, too? Who’d have believed such an unlikely scenario? Perhaps the investigation would’ve uncovered what we now know – that the hijackers had pilot training. Would that have helped? Could a civilian with six months of flight training under his belt have navigated a passenger jet into so precise a target? Who’d buy such a story? Historical what-ifs have long been the subject of academic fancy. The sad answer is that once those men boarded those planes, once those planes took flight, there was likely no stopping them. Once the back wheels separated from earth, those bastards likely bubbled with glee. Because in their fucked up mythology, once those planes separated from earth, a door opened for them to heaven.

2004-09-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

Power of Governments....

This is from a letter that The Daily Reckoning published on Friday. It is amazing how much wealth the government of Zimbabwe has destroyed in just four years. Watch Argentina and Venezuela for a possible similar type of result. Anarchy with private property anyone?

"I came across this recently and thought it a sufficiently interesting illustration of inflation and a collapsing economy that I should share it with you...

"At one time, agricultural output accounted for about 45% of the Zimbabwean economy, and tobacco was by far the single biggest export. The Zimbabwean government deserves credit for the entirely successful implementation of a policy: redistribution of land to poor peasant farmers.

"It's just a pity they got it backward; instead of sharing the wealth at the top with the poor masses at the bottom, they shared the poverty of the masses throughout the system!

"Zimbabwe tobacco production 2000: 237 million kilograms Zimbabwe tobacco production 2004: 64 million kilograms One packet of 20 cigarettes in 2000: $22 One packet of 20 cigarettes in 2004: $4,500

"Zimbabwe wheat production 2001: 314,000 tons Zimbabwe wheat production 2003: 50,000 tons One loaf of bread in 2000: $21 One loaf of bread in 2004: $3,500

"Zimbabwe milk production 2001: 160,000 tons Zimbabwe milk production 2003: 100,000 tons One liter of milk in 2000: $15 One liter of milk in 2004: $2,600

"One dozen eggs in 2000: $36 One dozen eggs in 2004: $7,500

"One bag of sugar in 2000: $40 One bag of sugar in 2004: $5,303

Harare Agricultural Show total livestock exhibits 2004: nine cattle, two goats, three sheep.

Zimbabwe tourism earnings 1999: $200 million Zimbabwe tourism earnings 2003: $44 million."

I end this week with numbers using a quote from the Zimbabwe Independent: "Baton-wielding riot policed on Wednesday broke up pro-democracy demonstrations in the capital, arresting at least 44 activists."

2004-09-11T16:20:00.000-05:00

LewRockwell.com Blog: Mandated Mental Health Testing:

This is awesome....

"So the government wants to test all kids for their mental health? Hmm. I noticed after I graduated high school that peak drug use was from 10th grade to 12th. After that, it dropped off tremendously. School'll do that to you. So, I suggest the feds perform this experiment: test the mental health of those forced to go to public high school, against a group that isn't. Since the latter group will test much more healthy (and use far less drugs), the government will be forced to close all public high schools. Next test: grade and middle school."

2004-09-11T16:10:00.000-05:00

Mises Blog: "Free market" magazine attacks free markets and thrift in "communist" China:

While I was reading the Economist this week, I was thinking the samething as Stefan Karlsson, whose post over at Mises I am linking to. What is up at the Economist?

"Allegedly according to The Economist, the abandonment of Mao Zedong's wise health care policies in favor of more free market oriented policies has brought on countless evils, including lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality. What is also extraordinary is that another alleged evil that the free market oriented health care policies create is a higher savings rate which according to The Economist is and I quote 'Public anxiety over the collapse of affordable health care is reflected in China's high savings rate...Worries about the fast-rising costs of health care and education...is restraining consumer demand and thereby imperiling China's long-term economic growth.' That's right, The Economist thinks that a high savings rate is 'imperiling long-term economic growth'. "

2004-09-10T16:50:00.000-05:00

The Onion What Do You Think? -- Kobe Bryant Case Dissmissed

"At last, Kobe is vindicated before the eyes of the nation: He's not a rapist; he just constantly cheats on his wife."

2004-09-09T10:53:00.000-05:00

Fraud In Venezuela's Electin...Shocking

WSJ reports that some economists from Harvard and MIT have shown that the recall of Chavez was corrupt. This throws dirt in the face of Jimmy "attacked by crazy rabbits" Carter and the US government who said that the election was fair. Governments not telling the truth....wow.

Instead, the CNE insisted on its own program, run on its own computer. Mr. Carter's team acquiesced, and Messrs. Hausmann and Rigobon conclude that, in controlling this software, the government had the means to cheat.

"This result opens the possibility that the fraud was committed only in a subset of the 4,580 automated centers, say 3,000, and that the audit was successful because it directed the search to the 1,580 unaltered centers. That is why it was so important not to use the Carter Center number generator. If this was the case, Carter could never have figured it out."

Mr. Hausmann told us that he and Mr. Rigoban also "found very clear trails of fraud in the statistical record" and a probability of less than 1% that the anomalies observed could be pure chance. To put it another way, they think the chance is 99% that there was electoral fraud.

via the Devil's Excrement

2004-09-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

The New York Times > Business > Business Travel: The Cellphone That Doesn't Work at the Hotel

Are hotels illegally jamming cell phone signals? This is an interesting theory, unfortunately I don't travel enough to have an opinoin.

The doubts are not limited to guests. When a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers survey showed the number of calls made from hotel room phones had fallen by 40 percent in the last four years, the firm's lodging consultants wondered whether hotels were fighting back by investing in wireless jamming technology.

An investigation, however, turned up nothing. "It's possible that there are hotels using cellphone jammers," said Bjorn Hanson, a PricewaterhouseCoopers hotel analyst. "But we couldn't find them."

Then again, it is nearly impossible to prove that jamming technology is being used. "If you turn your phone on and it says 'no service,' then that's the only hint that you're being jammed," said Barry Zellen, editor of Technologyinnovator.com, a Web site that covers wireless security issues. "If you're in an area that has good coverage and you pull into a hotel driveway, and suddenly there's a dead zone, then you can probably speculate that there's something unnatural going on."

Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the Federal Communications Commission, which could easily sniff out a blocker with its direction-finding equipment, has never issued a fine for the use of a cellphone jammer, according to an agency spokesman.

Not everyone sees that as proof that the devices are not in use. "The F.C.C. rule prohibiting cellphone jammers is unenforced," said Howard Melamed, the chief executive of the CellAntenna Corporation, a cellular-communications technology company in Coral Springs, Fla.

At the same time, consumer complaints to the F.C.C. about telecommunications service quality, a catch-all category that includes possible cellular-blocking devices, busy signals and roaming service, surged to 704 in the fourth quarter of last year, the latest period for which numbers were available, from 450 in the first quarter.

"If you do the math, if you connect the dots, it's obvious that these cellphone jammers are catching on," said Mr. Zellen of Technologyinnovator. "Especially in the hotel industry."

hmm.....

2004-09-07T19:31:00.000-05:00

Reason 3,081 that Politicans are Morons

"Christ would not stand idly by while an infant child in that situation died," Keyes said. "And I'm not the only person, obviously, who thinks if you are a representative of me, I cannot vote for you if you would ignore the dignity and claims of that child's life. So, yes, I did respond quite logically -- you'll see it's quite logical, right -- with the conclusion that Christ would not vote for Barack Obama, because Barack Obama has voted to behave in a way that it is inconceivable for Christ to have behaved."

This is a dumb as Christ caring that Terrel Owens just scored a touchdown or caring what Bush does as president. Joke is on us.

2004-09-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

Morons Run for Office Example 3,080:

"Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday warned Americans about voting for Democratic Sen. John Kerry, saying that if the nation makes the wrong choice on Election Day it faces the threat of another terrorist attack."

Why vote, they are all fools?

2004-09-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

Germany in 1800s vs US and A of today

Historical analogies are always enjoyable because as they say, "History always repeats itself." After checking out the Andrew Sullivan quote from below I ran into this interesting email of the day on his blog.

"The new Kaiser, Wilhelm II, was cool to this approach and thought it limited Germany's freedom of action in things like colonial policy. So, with the departure of Bismarck, Germany, now clearly the dominant economy in Europe, set out to make its way outside the nuanced collective security system. It let lapse the Reinsurance Treaty which set in motion a dynamic which eventually resulted in an alliance between France and Russia clearly aimed at Germany. France began a long term effort to establish an entente with Britain, up to now its chief rival. Germany, seeking to project its power overseas, began to build a major navy, finally pushing Britain, on the eve of the Great War, to an understanding with France and Russia.
The irony was that Germany, in trying to assert itself more forcefully, now found itself isolated, surrounded by the other powers, and less secure than ever.
Any resemblance to current events is purely coincidental."

2004-09-07T19:21:00.000-05:00

2blowhards.com: Dems or Repubs? Feh

Great post from 2blowhards.com about the difference or lack there of between the two dominate parties in American politics. As I've posted and stated numerous times there really is no difference between the parties and these guys do a good job of exploring that topic.

The extent to which the parties have flipped positions on the little-guy/rich-guy divide is illustrated by research from the Ipsos-Reid polling firm. Comparing counties that voted strongly for George W. Bush to those that voted strongly for Al Gore in the 2000 election, the study shows that in pro-Bush counties only 7% of voters earned at least $100,000, while 38% had household incomes below $30,000. In the pro-Gore counties, fully 14% pulled in $100,000 or more, while 29% earned less than $30,000 ...

The financial pillars for Democrats are now super-rich trial lawyers, Hollywood entertainment executives, and megabuck financiers. Both parties have their fat cats, obviously, but Federal Election Commission data show that many of the very wealthiest political players are now in the Democratic column.

Today's most aggressive election donors by far are lawyers. As of July, law partners had donated $112 million to 2004 political candidates; by comparison, the entire oil and gas industry donated only $15 million. And wealthy lawyers now tilt strongly Democratic: 71% of their money goes to Democrats, only 29% to Republicans.

Wall Street, traditionally thought of as a GOP bastion, is no longer any such thing. Ultra-income brokers and bankers now give heavily to the party of Andrew Jackson. Six of the top 15 contributions to Democratic nominee John Kerry came from partners at firms like Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and J.P. Morgan.

more...

In a good piece (not online) for The American Conservative magazine, James Kurth argues that Leftie political elites root for French Englightenment ideals, and Rightie elites root for British Enlightenment ideals -- but that neither elite expresses the slightest bit of caution about Enlightenment absolutism:

Ever since the coming of the Enlightenment, Western elites have adhered to a variety of secularist and universalist faiths, which in effect have been religions without God ... The universalist ideology of Olympian elites is largely consistent with, and perhaps reflective of, the expanding interests of global corporations ... Those in the intellectual sectors are largely multiculturalists; those in the business sector are largely globalists; and those in the political sector largely represent these business and intellectual views. All adhere to the universalist ideology.

And they quote Andrew Sullivan's comments on Bush's speech...

Just remember all that Bush promised last night: an astonishingly expensive bid to spend much more money to help people in ways that conservatives once abjured ... I look forward to someone adding it all up, but it's easily in the trillions ... To propose all this knowing full well that we cannot even begin to afford it is irresponsible in the deepest degree. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the only difference between Republicans and Democrats now is that the Bush Republicans believe in Big Insolvent Government and the Kerry Democrats believe in Big Solvent Government.

Scary stuff these Bushie and Kerry clowns...eh?

2004-09-07T11:50:00.000-05:00

Yoga no good for weight loss

I like Yoga and went in the winter (beach volleyball in the summer) and thought this study was interesting. Good for flexibility, but maybe not much else.

"Yoga offers less than half the physical benefits of even a light to moderate walk, the study by researchers at Texas State University concluded.

'Yoga's a good form for flexibility and muscular fitness, but it's not so good for weight loss and aerobic conditioning,' said Lisa Lloyd, an assistant professor of health, physical education and recreation at Texas State. "

2004-09-02T14:58:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Day

Vote for Bush/Kerry. We must destroy our freedom in order to save it.

(Via the Lew Rockwell blog)

2004-09-01T15:05:00.000-05:00

Where HipHop and Libertarianism Meet: You Still Thinking About Voting

Ulmann blogs on a Talib Kweli interview where Talib states that he won't be voting. Talib makes some very good points, but still has some socialistic leanings. The not voting idea is great though.

I don't buy the argument: accept the lesser of two evils. I see a lot of evil stuff about George Bush but there's a lot that I see about John Kerry that I don't like. By the time a politician gets to that level, to be considered for a presidential nomination, he's so safe, that he can't stand for anything. In this country, in order to be a consummate politician, you have to want to please everybody, and someone who wants to please everybody can't be trusted.

(Via Where HipHop and Libertarianism Meet)

2004-09-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

Wired News: Vote Swaps Revamped for 2004

Want to vote for Badnarick or Nader, but don't want to hurt Bush or Kerry's chances (mutual exclusive on that one) because you live in a swing state? How bout swapping votes with someone in a non-swing state. This articles tackles some sights that are attempting to facilitate just that kind of trade.

I'll just skip the vote instead of deciding between terrible and horrible. Any candidate out there that will give us back some freedom? Ron Paul?

2004-09-01T14:49:00.000-05:00

TCS: Tech Central Station - Economic Girlie-Men of the Right:

Glassman challenges the girlie-men who are running Bush's economic policy. Too much government, too much government, too much government....

"Girlie-men fear what the economist Joseph Schumpeter called 'creative destruction' and instead, like CNN's Lou Dobbs, advocate constraints on trade and immigration. The last thing girlie-men want is competition.">

(Via Instapundit)

2004-09-01T11:20:00.000-05:00
Samizdata slogan of the day | Samizdata.net

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of jackals by jackasses.
- H. L. Mencken

No comments necessary.

2004-09-01T11:16:00.000-05:00
DVD: Da Ali G Show: Da Compleet First Seazon

DVD.IGN.COM reviews the recently released Ali G season one dvd. Reading the review is the next best thing to watching the show. If you are at Best Buy, this dvd should be purchased.

The never before seen Borat footage is reason enough to make the purchase...

Aside from the commentary, there is some never-before-seen footage of a couple new Borat segments, and they are hilarious. In the most painful bit on any of the episodes, Borat visits the Hamptons Horse Show and interviews an unsuspecting equestrian. The interview consists of a lengthy comparison of horses and humans, and it's completely one-sided.

It goes like this: "In my country, we say horse is tall… like man is tall." Then, "In my country, we say horse walks on grass… like man walks on grass." This continues for what seems like an infinity, as the interviewee grows more and more uncomfortable. Like all of Cohen's victims, she is too polite to laugh or tell him off, so the whole debacle stretches on and on. It's very amusing and very uncomfortable to watch. The other Borat bonus clip has him attending a patriot rally. It's not nearly as long or painful as the Hamptons bit, but just as funny, as Borat converses with a Vietnam vet and discusses which country is better—US and A or Kazakhstan.

2004-08-30T11:20:00.000-05:00
Die, Fatty, Die

Chris Shugart (who use to be fat) on his blog attacks the excuses that fat people use and argues that they should be treated differently and being fat does reflect your character. He pulls no punches with this piece and had me nodding my head in agreement.

The only thing worse than you self-delusional "I've tried everything" fatties are the ones who demand they not be treated any differently than non-fatties. Sorry, that's like walking around the mall with a four-foot green mohawk and getting pissed when people stare at you or treat you differently. What did you expect?

Listen, tubby, you don't need "acceptance." That's just a nice word for enablement. Hey, if you can have a "fat acceptance" activist group (although "active" may be the wrong root word here) then maybe the child molesters, booze hounds, and crackheads should have acceptance groups too?

Why should poor, mistreated crack addicts have to be subjected to discrimination by fascists employers who insist on firing them for stealing company funds to buy drugs and then not showing up for work? That's just wrong! Crackheads should just be "accepted." And those priests who rape little boys? Just accept them! This is America

Ouch....

2004-08-30T11:14:00.000-05:00
Marginal Revolution: Cutting the fat

Alex Tabarrok blogs on the success of the California prison guards program that attemts to reward guards that get in shape. It is a success of course if you are a guard because the requirements keep getting less and less stringent and everyone gets paid. Only the taxpayers who the government steals from lose. Yipppe....

As a result, the fitness test started to get easier as the bonus got larger. Last year, California shelled out $33.2 million for fitness bonuses and some 80 percent of prison employees, not just guards but wardens and mangers also, now get the fitness bonus. Of course, a test is no longer required - all the employee need do to get the bonus is visit a doctor once per year.

2004-08-30T11:09:00.000-05:00
ESPN.com: Page 2 Spots Guy - Cleaning out the mailbox

A classic Bill Simmons laugh-a-thon article that had me laughing hysterically on the train. Highlights included:

And how did beach volleyball become an Olympic sport when we already hand out medals for team volleyball? Isn't that like making three-on-three hoops an Olympic sport? In fact, why don't we just do that? And touch football, too. And wiffleball. Where does it end?

I mean, last week I threw something like 79 consecutive tennis balls down the sidewalk to the Dooze, using that ball flinger contraption they sell at Petco, and none of those 79 throws accidentally bounced onto the street. Can that be a sport? I honestly think I could beat anyone in the world at this. I'm like the Eric Gagne of tennis ball flinging. So where's my gold medal? How can I show off my talents in 2008? At the very least, they should adopt my idea of making gold medals different sizes, depending on the importance of the event. Like if you win the Decathalon, you get a Gold Medal so big that Beenie Man would wear it. But if you win for wind surfing, your gold medal would be the size of a nickel.

Q: Remember in "Rocky IV" when Apollo climbs in the ring after dancing around to "Living in America?" Well when he enters the ring he's in full costume with his boxing gloves on and the very next scene when he's telling Drago "I want you", his gloves have magically disappeared! How many other flaws can you find in "Rocky IV"?
--Corbin, Crisfeld, Md.

Honestly, years later, how fun would it be if your wedding ended up like this?
SG: You mean, other than the fact that Rocky drove a 35-gear Laborghini without ever looking at the road ... fought in Russia on Christmas Day for no money ... climbed a 55,000-foot mountain wearing running boots ... had the Russian crowd cheering against their own guy ... and singlehandedly ended the Cold War? Other than those?

2004-08-29T20:42:00.000-05:00
Best of Reason Magazine Book

One of the publications that I think is worthy of subscribing to is offering a free (well not really free I guess) soft cover copy of their best articles to all new subscribers. If you are looking for an interesting read that bucks conventional wisdom and isn't a mouth piece for the Demopublicans and actually makes you think about things in a different light, then do yourself a favor and subscribe.

2004-08-26T23:58:00.000-05:00
From Chris Sugart's Blog at t-nation.com

Chris breaks down the truth about getting in shape, looking good and how clueless people are on what it takes to actually accomplish this goal.

And therein lies the rub. How do you tell someone the truth about getting and staying in shape without discouraging him? I mean, if I invited Office Boy to train with me, he'd never walk into a gym again - assuming he ever walked out.

Because the truth is that it takes longer than 20 minutes a day three times a week. You can't just order a diet soda with your extra value meal and expect to have abs. And while you can quickly get into better shape, you may not build your so-called dream body for years, maybe never depending on your expectations.

2004-08-26T23:49:00.000-05:00
Olympics RIP-- Reason Mag

Great Reason magazine piece on why the Olympics have lost their luster and why that is a good thing.

In short, the Olympics matter less because we live in a better world, one filled with innumerable options for leisure and one mostly—though by no means completely—free from the most onerous aspects of geopolitical strife. We live in a world where nations matter less than individuals, a reality that is mirrored by the increasing number of "nation-hopping" Olympians.

2004-08-24T10:06:00.000-05:00
Olympic Dope Show

A collection of T-Nation articles on the Olympics and Roids, which will help us keep everything in perspective. Just remember when one athlete is pointing a finger, there should probably be a finger pointing back at that athlete too. Charlie Francis, best known as Ben Johnson's coach, offers some biting insight into the world of the olympics.

I also know it goes much deeper than the occasional cheating athlete. I've read too much about the politics, the bribery, the State-funded doping, the sabotage, and the millions of dollars changing hands under the table. The athletes are just the pawns. In fact, the steroid using athletes are probably the most innocent pieces on the international chess board. Heck, I like the athletes, but I hate the shadowy games they're forced to play.

2004-08-19T14:42:00.000-05:00
Democrate Miller to give key note address at GOP convention: "Miller%20himself%20was%20a%20Democratic%20keynote%20speaker%20at%20the%201992%20convention%20that%20nominated%20Bill%20Clinton%20%28news%20-%20web%20sites%29%20for%20the%20presidency"

Further proof that there is no difference between the Demopublicans.

Also it is interesting to note (most interesting to note actually) that:

Miller himself was a Democratic keynote speaker at the 1992 convention that nominated Bill Clinton (news - web sites) for the presidency.

Which goes to show that Miller is accepted by the Democrates too.

2004-08-17T12:05:00.000-05:00
Cocaine and Blunts

Cool UK based mp3 blog with some classic hiphop tracks. Check it out.

2004-08-12T15:06:00.000-05:00
Marginal Revolution: The Bush vision for term two

No chance that any of this would ever happen, but if so, I'd actually vot for him. This is assuming he would become a libertarian and have some policies that actually make economic sense, so nothing to get excited about cause it ain't happening.

2004-08-02T10:48:00.001-05:00
Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Pepperoni by Bill Bonner

Bill Bonner offers up another stellar analysis of the current election for US president.

The race in November has turned out to be a classic contest between a fool and a knave; we're not quite sure which is which. On the one hand, George W. Bush – scion of a rich, New England family, with the most powerful connections in the nation, a Yale graduate, Skull & Bones member and Harvard MBA – pretends to be a dumb cowboy who just follows his instincts. On the other, John Kerry – also from Yale, also a Skull & Bones member, with a billionaire wife, fabulous homes all over the place, and a 'go along' attitude to practically every piece of pork-barrel legislation ever served up in Washington – pretends to be a 'man of the people' determined to restore justice to the tax system.

Both the men, and the process that put them where they are, are frauds. But Americans love fraud and self-delusion. They take up one flim-flam after another as if they were free drinks. They keep at it until their legs buckle.

2004-08-02T10:48:00.000-05:00
Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Pepperoni by Bill Bonner

Bill Bonner offers up another stellar analysis of the current election for US president.

The race in November has turned out to be a classic contest between a fool and a knave; we're not quite sure which is which. On the one hand, George W. Bush – scion of a rich, New England family, with the most powerful connections in the nation, a Yale graduate, Skull & Bones member and Harvard MBA – pretends to be a dumb cowboy who just follows his instincts. On the other, John Kerry – also from Yale, also a Skull & Bones member, with a billionaire wife, fabulous homes all over the place, and a 'go along' attitude to practically every piece of pork-barrel legislation ever served up in Washington – pretends to be a 'man of the people' determined to restore justice to the tax system.

Both the men, and the process that put them where they are, are frauds. But Americans love fraud and self-delusion. They take up one flim-flam after another as if they were free drinks. They keep at it until their legs buckle.

2004-08-02T10:44:00.000-05:00
ESPN.com - NCB - Wake Forest guards fuel U.S. run to U-21 gold

Props to Justin Gray and Chris "soon to be the #1 pick in the NBA draft" Paul....Can't wait to see what they do in the NCAAs next yr.

The Wake Forest backcourt might be the best pair of running mates in this election season.

They don't just politic. They produce.

2004-07-29T11:29:00.000-05:00
FOXNews.com - A Few Questions for the Presidential Candidates

My man The Agitator, whose fantasy football league I am playing in this yr, offers up some questions that shows we have two flip-floppers. It would be outstanding if the first debate including any of these questions, but it would just show what a fraud all these people are, so doubt we will see that.

For the Bush man...

— You also said in 2000 that you trust Americans to spend their own money more than you trust the government. But during your first term, with your party in control of both houses of Congress, you’ve spent more taxpayer dollars (adjusted for inflation) than Bill Clinton (search), Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon — more than every administration since Lyndon Johnson (search). That’s true no matter how we measure “spending.”

Even when we adjust for defense and homeland security spending, you’re still the biggest spender in four decades. You’ve increased funding to such non-conservative causes as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Education, the Peace Corps, and of course the prescription drug benefit (which your administration pushed through Congress based on misleading information about its cost).

Given your professed views on government spending, how do you justify growing government faster than any president in 40 years?

— You ran in 2000 as a “free trade president.” Since you took office, you’ve imposed tariffs on steel, shrimp, furniture, lumber, sugar, lingerie, wire, computer chips, catfish, cotton, textiles, clothing, and flowers, to name just a few. You also signed a $190 billion bill to reinstate the federal farm subsidies program, which was scheduled to be phased out. Are these the policies of a “free trade president?”

For Kerrymister...

— You’ve demagogued the outsourcing issue throughout the primaries and so far in the general election. You’ve said corporate executives who export manufacturing jobs overseas are “Benedict Arnold CEOs.” But you and your wife still own 4 percent of the H.J. Heinz Corporation, which operates 57 factories overseas, but just 22 here in the United States. The Hill newspaper reports that your campaign has accepted $370,000 from the CEOs of companies that heavily outsource jobs to other countries.

Given your vigorous opposition to outsourcing, are you prepared to ask Heinz to close all of those overseas factories, or to sell off your stake in Heinz if it doesn't? Will you give back campaign contributions from corporate executives whose companies outsource?

— You recently said of the Patriot Act: “We are a nation of laws and liberties, not of a knock in the night. So it is time to end the era of John Ashcroft. That starts with replacing the Patriot Act with a new law that protects our people and our liberties at the same time. I’ve been a District Attorney and I know that what law enforcement needs are real tools not restrictions on American’s basic rights.”

Eloquently put. So why did you vote for it?

Ouch.....

2004-07-29T11:13:00.000-05:00
Democracy of Dolts by Bill Bonner

Mr. Bonner sums things up pretty succinctly with these words....

When times are really good, government is an inevitable but amusing flim-flam. In small, annoying ways, government bosses around its citizens, pretending to do so for their own good – that is, as a ‘public service.’ When times are bad, government murders people – either its own citizens or those of some other government – again, for the good of those who are left living.

"Government," said George Washington, "is not reason. It is not eloquence. It is force."

2004-07-29T11:10:00.000-05:00
If you do Vote...Vote for Gridlock

That's why, in the context of November's election, a victory for Kerry, who will finally officially become the Democrats' standard-bearer in Boston this Thursday - even though he's a big-government man all the way - could paradoxically be the most likely hope for curbing excessive government growth in the next four years. Why? The party stereotypes don't always hold up, and a Democratic president and a Congress led by Republicans creates a kind of institutional impasse that actually slows the momentum of government.

It seems counterintuitive, though, to expect limited government from a Democratic president. Ever since the Goldwater vs. LBJ contest of 1964, the two major parties have staked out rough philosophical positions along these lines: the Republicans are, at least rhetorically, for a lean and limited government; the Democrats are unreconstructed advocates of state power, state spending and state solutions to every problem.

But the facts - the performance of the parties when they have the power - have never borne that out. We got such regulatory state measures as the Clean Air Act and wage and price controls under Nixon, and the Americans with Disabilities Act under the first George Bush. And it was under Democrat Bill Clinton that we got meaningful welfare reform that has knocked nearly 3 million families off the federal dole so far, even as child poverty rates shrink.

But the most vivid example that Republicans can't be relied on as consistent defenders of smaller government is our current Republican president. Bush has increased domestic discretionary spending 25 percent in less than four years, compared to an increase under Clinton over his entire two terms of only 10 percent.

2004-07-28T14:21:00.000-05:00
Conventions

Reason mag has the best coverage by far of the DNC convention. Click the link to ch-ch-check it out.

2004-07-28T14:19:00.000-05:00
Deaniacs

Howard Dean at the convention....yeah he is really anti-war?????

What does Dean tell the Deaniacs? Much of what you'd expect -- that intense exposure to their anti-war enthusiasm and lefty agenda:

"I ran for the president because I wanted to balance the budget and expand health care for all Americans," he said. He was a "centrist" who had supported the previous four military interventions: Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, and the Gulf War. But then came the Iraq War, which he opposed, mobilizing a passionate anti-war base he hadn't been overly exposed to before. "I noticed folks to the left of me … were saying stuff that turned out to be true."

2004-07-28T09:57:00.000-05:00
BOTH PARTIES GET BLAME FOR THE ECONOMIC MESS - NY Post

John Crudele is one of the good guy newspaper reports, who digs for the dirt in business and in politics. This interview with Pete Peterson, former chair of the NY Fed Reserve and now chair of the financial powerhouse Blackstone Group. Peterson actually believes that the current system could fix the problem that our government has created, unfortunately I am more pessimistic on that front, but optimistic that once the system breaks things will improve.

Crudel: In your book, you blame the Republicans, as well as the Democrats. You're a Republican. Can your party be brought back to fiscal responsibility?

Peterson: I always thought my party was about fiscal conservatism. We have morphed into a kind of any-tax-cut-anytime mentality. And some big spenders have joined us in the Republican Party.

Now we have the worst of both worlds fiscally ? the biggest tax cuts and the big spending increases. What's ironic about this is that the most conservative sectors of the Republican Party agree. The Cato Institute refers to this as a "spending explosion."

Dick Armey says we can't pin this one on the Democrats. We're in charge of both the Houses and the White House.

Chuck Hagel, a conservative, says this [Republican] party has lost its moorings.

The Democrats, on the other hand, have never met an entitlement they didn't like. Even though many of them will privately admit that Medicare as now constituted is unsustainable, their principal complaint about the Medicare drug bill is that it doesn't go nearly far enough.

The question is: What can we do about it?

There are two approaches, one far more constructive than the other. First, have a massive truth-telling effort, where the American people really understand what we are inflicting on the future and their kids. Then, bold action by a president who is willing to show leadership.

Both the current and the previous presidents set up Social Security commissions and then proceeded to flush them.

2004-07-28T09:52:00.000-05:00
TCS: Tech Central Station - Highway Robbery - Or Why Republicans are Clowns Too

In honor of the Democratic National Convention, I've been meaning to write about why both the Republicans and Democrates are clowns (or suck if you prefer that term). A couple years ago I realized that I could no longer support the DemoPublicans (save for a Ron Paul type candidate here and there that actually wants to decrease the Federal government) and began voting as often as the Vote Or Die celebs (never). At one point I was a naive college student who bought the teaching of the government schools and believed that we had great leaders like Lincoln and the rest of the croonie. Thankfully I at some point realized that the war mongering power grubbers like not very honest Abe, Tricky Dick and Bill I Didn't Inhale (and the rest of the lot) were all of the same breed. Now I'm also not a Michael Moore type of character who hates America, the government perhaps, but not the people. What makes this country and the world in general so amazing is the plethora of just wonderful and talented folks that are out there accomplishing things in spite of their governments. Anway in honor of the election I will be posting nothing but all the rediculous ideas that the two parties of the people are proposing. The laws of economics and commonsense (letting people make their own decisions) will be ignored because that is what people that make laws for this country do. Once again we find ourselves facing an election that offers us the choice of shooting overselves in the left arm or the right arm.

Here is our first example.....

Lately, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay have been touting the substantial job growth they claim will occur if Congress would just spend an extra $280 billion or more in federal taxpayer money on proposed transportation projects. In a February press release, Frist states the 2004 transportation bill would "create 47,500 new jobs" for each $1 billion spent. In a March press release, DeLay was even more ambitious: Citing the same figure, he couched the issue in terms of the federal government's attempt at "kicking the economy into high-gear… This is a jobs bill, pure and simple." In fact, that's been the mantra of Hill supporters of the highway bill on both sides of the aisle for months.

The problem with all of this is that it is wrong. Government spending won't actually create any "new" private-sector jobs. To understand why, take a look at Bastiat's famous essay, "What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen." There he explained what has become known as the "broken window fallacy." The story goes like this: When a shopkeeper's window is broken, a window repairman receives a job and compensation for his handiwork. To someone simply looking at this transaction in isolation it seems that the broken window, while the result of an accident, is actually a benefit to the economy - the window repair industry did receive business, didn't it? That, as Bastiat wrote, is what is "seen."

What is "not seen," however, is what the shopkeeper might have spent that money on if the window were never broken. Perhaps he would have bought any number of other goods or services, or hired another employee to work in his shop, but now he cannot. The breaking of a window does not increase net employment in the economy as a whole, even though it increases the employment of the window repairman.

Bastiat extends this logic to taxation and government spending. To spend money on anything, the government has to first tax that money out of the economy or borrow it from the capital markets. While supporters of a government project will argue that it creates employment for some, they fail to mention that the taxes or debt -- a form of future taxes -- will inhibit employment of others. As Bastiat wrote, "public spending is always a substitute for private spending," which "adds nothing to the lot of the working class taken as a whole." When politicians say that highway spending will create new jobs, taxpayers need to remember that the fuel taxes used to finance that spending have already taken a chunk of productive capital out of the economy.

He then ends the article with this gem...

To put it another way, if these types of government-financed transportation projects were indeed sources of real job growth, West Virginia would be an economic dynamo and pork-master Senator Robert Byrd would have won the Nobel Prize in economics by now. The truth is that increased government spending on highways usually only guarantees new jobs for bureaucrats. That's not the type of jobs program that the U.S. economy needs.

2004-07-26T09:35:00.000-05:00
Mises Economics Blog: Austrian Economics and Libertarian Political Theory

Great post from the Mises Blog...

Isn't Capitalism Great?

Sheldon Richman

This month in 1979 Sony introduced the first Walkman (initially called the Soundabout), a small portable cassette-tape player designed to be used with headphones. It was priced at $199.95. In today’s dollars that’s $540. Today, of course, you will spend considerably less for a product that is considerably better. A Sony CD Walkman at Best Buy costs $50. Lesser-known brands can be had for about 20 bucks. MP3 players are more, but that will be temporary. Par for the course even in a badly hampered capitalist economy.

2004-07-20T23:25:00.000-05:00
Puke err Duke is giving away Ipods to incoming freshman...

I thought it was cool when Wake gave us laptops, but this is even better. You know Coach K will throw this out there as a recruiting tool to the future Bobby Hurley and Gran Hills. I'll I know is that I would load mine up with jams...would use it about um zero percent for school.

2004-07-20T23:18:00.000-05:00
Another Wake kid with a blog..... that is worth checking out. This makes three Wake Forest bloggers that I know of including Letters from Tucson and Cella's Review. Three blogs, ESPN's number one ranking in hoops going into the summer and the best player in the NBA. Damn Wake is on the come up...Watch out now.

2004-07-20T17:36:00.000-05:00
Mos Def back with first album in five years - NME.COM

Mos Def is back!!!! I was in college when his last one dropped, so it is about time that he hit us up with some new flavor. Can't wait. Talib, Com, Mos and The Roots with new albums all in one yr....fuhhhgetaboutit.....

2004-07-20T10:40:00.000-05:00
The New York Times > Fashion & Style > Flying Shirttails, the New Pennants of Rebellion

Interesting piece on wearing one's shirt untucked. I actually am a big support of the no socks, shirt untucked movement...assuming you are wearing cool clothes with that look.

"It's a kind of nonfashion fashion look," Mr. Zee said. "All the young Hollywood types, the young heroes who are cool, like Jake Gyllenhaal, Orlando Bloom and Spike Jonze, wear their shirts untucked. It's one of those looks that's meant to seem like there's no effort, although we know that it's really thought out."

It is so considered, in fact, that designers build the look into their collections. "It's just much cooler to have it out," Tomas Maier, the creative designer of Bottega Veneta, said one morning. Atop his own $730 cotton chino biker pants and fringed suede moccasins, Mr. Maier wore a pricey cotton Bottega Veneta shirt with the tails left out.

"It's like men wearing shoes with no socks," he said. "There is the same shift in how men wear their clothes to be casual rather than all tucked in and tidy. It is a style that wouldn't work in the boardroom, but pretty much anywhere else it would look really cool."

Men wearing khakis or suits or jeans and with their broadcloth shirts tucked in look boring or worse, said Michael Macko, the men's fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue. They look like the late Tony Randall, natty but distinctly of another time. "It's going to sound contradictory, since everyone is talking about dressing up again, and young kids are wearing blazers," said Mr. Macko, whose current Fifth Avenue windows display the first of the fall suits and jackets, all shown over untucked shirts.

2004-07-20T00:06:00.000-05:00
ESPN.com - NCB - Katz: In their Wake

Deacs #1 according to Andy Katz at Espn....

2004-07-19T12:51:00.000-05:00
Ali G interviews Posh and Becks for Comic Relief

Heaar me now...Check Dis--In honor of the first episode of Ali G (Ali in da US of A) returning to HBO last night. I've added a link to the transcript from the Posh-Beckham interview from last year.

Ali: For real. Their's is something real going on there, what!

(To Beckham) Now you is being real quiet there in the corner. Now don't
think, I mean, now this ain?t like a classroom where if you keep your head
down, I won't ask you questions. You sitting there like, you know, I seen
you hiding behind that lady! Now why do you think you is a pin-up for so
many gaylords? I'm not gonna call them batty boys now cos me is
politically correct. I mean just because you wear skirts, have a suntan
and a skinhead, talk like a girl and hang out with Elton John.

So how does it feel about being the picture for batty men?

B: You tell me Ali: I don?t know how you feels.

V: That's cos you?re a batty man yourself anyway.

Ali: Lucky I ain't carrying me Uzis on me.

2004-07-13T14:37:00.000-05:00
RIP Joe Gold

Joe Gold founder of Gold's Gym and World Gym passed away today. This great brother at arms even got a mention on the front page of the WSJ. Here is Ron Harris' take on Joe from a daily email that I receive. Joe seemed like one tough SOB who also got stuff done.

Born in Los Angeles in 1922, Joe Gold was a true bodybuilder whose love of the sport led him to create the modern gym chain operation, which included Gold's Gym and World's Gym. Gold joined the Navy during World War II and was injured during the Battle of Leyte, which took place in the Philippines in 1944. After the war, he joined the merchant marines and sailed around the world for the next 30 years. With every voyage he took a set of weights with him and built a great physique. In 1965, he opened the first Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, welding most of the equipment himself and designing unique machines that were beneficial to the serious competitive bodybuilder. He called it "the first gym made specifically for bodybuilders." Joe sold Gold's Gym in 1970 and resumed his career as a merchant marine. In 1977 Joe decided to open a new gym and so World's Gym was established. Today it is a global franchise, famous throughout the world, and even toward the end of his life, Joe could still be found at the front desk of the Marina Del Rey headquarters.

2004-07-12T12:59:00.000-05:00
The Myth of Republican Conservatism by Laurence M. Vance

The New American offers up their Conservative Index (aka Liberty Index) for 2004 and Vance conveys what these results mean. Ron Paul scored 100 out of 100 after that it gets very ugly.

So how does this index refute the myth that Republican Party is the party of "conservatism"? Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the only member of the House of Representatives who admits to being a socialist, scored a 47 – about average. Former Republican Jim Jeffords (I-VT) scored an even 50. But 174 Republicans in the House (76 %) and 23 Republicans in the Senate (45 %) scored less than Sanders. Twenty-one Republicans in the Senate scored the same as or less than the 40 of Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton. None of the Republican leadership in the House or the Senate managed to score over 50. House Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) scored a 50. Senate president pro tempore Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Senate Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) each scored a 40 – tying Senate Democratic Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD).

2004-07-12T12:12:00.000-05:00
Okayplayer.com - Giving You True Sites Since 1999

Okayplayer.com is ready for the release of the Tipping Point, the new ablum by The Roots. Make sure to go to the store to cop a copy tomorrow and support the best group in the world.

2004-07-12T11:57:00.000-05:00
Shaq to the Heat....got to love the Laker show destroying any hopes of winning another championship. Don't get me wrong, Lamar Odom is nasty when he isn't suspended for smoking the weed out or hurt, but the big guy is the hardest player to defend in the NBA (notice I didn't say the best---that would be Timmy D or Kevin G). Kobe and Lamar will be a semi-final team at best and will get smoked by the Spurs, Wolves and Rockets not to mention the Nuggets (if they get Martin), Jazz and Kings. Good luck Kobe (if you don't go to jail that is).

2004-07-12T11:54:00.000-05:00
ESPN.com: Page 2 - Links of the week

More goodness from the Sports Guy. Now that he quit working for the Jimmy Kimmel show he blogs almost daily and added a links of the week.

2004-06-28T23:58:00.000-05:00
TheAgitator.com: Placing Fault for Fat

About half the news stories debated the causes of obesity, and a large majority of these (66) blamed America’s weight problems on the behavior of food corporations rather than on the personal behavior of those who eat the food (just 26 stories). Only 11 stories treated readers or viewers to a balanced debate over the causes of obesity...

ABC aired 15 stories blaming business practices for obesity, compared with just one story highlighting personal responsibility. New York Times stories were similarly skewed against business by a margin of 20 to two. CBS, NBC and USA Today were much more balanced.... via media research center's free market project

Corporations don't make fat people, fat people make themselves fat.

2004-06-23T15:05:00.000-05:00
Stossel vs. Super Size Me

This super size me movie is a joke.....1- The guy claims to eat 5000 calories a day and then goes on CNBC where Maria B jumps down his throat and he admits he didn't count calories. 2- The guy says he was addicted to Mickey D's like all these people that it caused to get fat and then admits that he couldn't wait to stop eating there. So is it addicting or not? 3 - He use to pay people on MTV to eat crap (hypocrite....me thinks so). 4 - This is what gets me --- if you eat any kind of food be it "healthy" or not (krispy kreame, oranges, lean beef etc) and you will get fat. Why didn't the guy pick on lefty Ben and Jerry's ice cream? When I go to the grocery store to pick up my frozen berries and frozen veggies, fat chicks are always buying ice cream. This should be exposed!!!

From Stossel...
Film 'Rigged'?

I told Spurlock about their weight loss. He pointed out that they ate less and exercised, which is something "no Americans do." I then told Spurlock I thought the film was rigged because he bought the fattiest foods.

What if you went to the finest French restaurant and took in 5,000 calories a day, wouldn't the same thing happen?

Spurlock replied: "I don't know. Maybe you should make that film."

2004-06-17T12:14:00.000-05:00
Tan Man

This made me lol at work today.

Have you ever noticed that if you need a tan, people will make fun of you for being so white, but if you admit to tanning, those same people will make fun of you for being "gay"? What's up with that?

Interesting historical fact: It's only been recently in history that being tan was considered attractive. For hundreds of years before that, true beauty, the kind of stuff that inspired poets, was all about being porcelain white.

Why? Because being tan meant you were a common laborer forced by your poverty to work in the sun. Only the rich and powerful were white skinned; therefore, white skin became a status symbol.

Being fat, or at least chubby, was a sign of beauty and wealth too. (Just look at classic works of art.) After all, back in the day, you had to be rich to be fat. Only the social elite could afford to eat enough to get fat, so fat became synonymous with money and status!

Funny that in today's society we strive to be tan and lean – to look like lowly field workers. Meanwhile, the poor are among the most obese in the US. My how times change.

2004-06-15T15:24:00.000-05:00
TIME.com: Meet Joe Blog -- Jun. 21, 2004

Time mag finds out about blogs...

2004-06-15T15:10:00.000-05:00
How will China and Japan get along in the future?

My roommate Ian sent me this piece that is rather prescient in the face of all the Asian economic growth that has been taking place of late. The China-Japan dynamic is something interesting to watch as is the China-Taiwan relationship. The future holds some interesting times and the Asian countries will continue to play a more integral part in the future of the US and the global economy.

Japan does not want to form a situation of competition with China or be put in a position where it has to make a choice. This doesn't mean it can stand aloof. For example, on the question regarding accession into the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation In Southeast Asia, Japan's reaction is rather complicated: It does not want to give others an impression of its competition with China, neither does it want to distance itself too far from ASEAN, it also hopes that the ASEAN may contain China. This kind of psyche means: I don't want to take the lead neither do I want you to. Instinctively Japan doesn't hope China to dominate East Asian affairs while at the same time it doesn't show up to compete with China. Former Japanese Prime Minister Makasone Yasuhiro said "I'm absolutely not advocating that Japan should strive to compete with China. I think this idea is rather foolish. We should avoid doing so". Why? What is Japan waiting for? Is it waiting for a substantive change in China-US relations?

Some Japanese politicians and scholars believe that 2015 will be the year when qualitative change will take place in China-US relations. By then China's military strength would be on a par with that of the United States. There would be three possible situations in China-US relationship: confrontation, alliance or cold war. Japan believes that the first two possibilities are very unlikely. The most possible situation in Sino-US ties would be one of interdependence under a cold war state. Japan must now consider how to handle relationship with China under a Sino-US cold war state.

2004-06-15T15:06:00.001-05:00
Stretching Article

I've been working on my flexibility of late and thought this was a useful article on stretching.

DeFranco: I agree, you can be too flexible, but this shouldn't deter people from stretching. I say this because I've met lazy athletes who don't work on their flexibility because they claim they don't want to become too flexible. These are the same athletes who aren't flexible enough to bend over and tie their own shoes!

As if stretching a couple times a week is going to turn them into contortionists! This is equivalent to the fat aerobics instructor who eats McDonald's every day, but she won't lift weights because she doesn't want to get "big and bulky." It's ridiculous.

The fact is, you should try to achieve a level of flexibility that enables you to feel good and optimally perform your everyday tasks or your athletic event. Flexibility can benefit everyone, but you don't have to take it to the extreme. In other words, an NFL lineman shouldn't try to achieve the flexibility of a 95-pound yoga instructor.

2004-06-15T15:06:00.000-05:00
Stretching Article

I've been working on my flexibility of late and thought this was a useful article on stretching.

DeFranco: I agree, you can be too flexible, but this shouldn't deter people from stretching. I say this because I've met lazy athletes who don't work on their flexibility because they claim they don't want to become too flexible. These are the same athletes who aren't flexible enough to bend over and tie their own shoes!

As if stretching a couple times a week is going to turn them into contortionists! This is equivalent to the fat aerobics instructor who eats McDonald's every day, but she won't lift weights because she doesn't want to get "big and bulky." It's ridiculous.

The fact is, you should try to achieve a level of flexibility that enables you to feel good and optimally perform your everyday tasks or your athletic event. Flexibility can benefit everyone, but you don't have to take it to the extreme. In other words, an NFL lineman shouldn't try to achieve the flexibility of a 95-pound yoga instructor.

2004-06-11T13:36:00.000-05:00
Graduation Speech from T-Nation

TC Luoma writes this fantastic speech at the new T-Nation website that while hacing blogs and more info than the original t-mag website, is not the most user friendly of sites.

Before I begin, I’d like to explain the oratory format I’ve chosen this afternoon. While unorthodox, I’ve decided to make two speeches. The first one is targeted towards the majority--the 99% of you who are little more than sheep that will keep this country economically strong for years to come by dispensing Slurpies and fries and tearing ticket stubs in half at the local Cineplex.

I thank you for your lack of intelligence, ability, and ambition.

The other half of my speech is targeted towards the 1% of you that will truly reflect whatever integrity our society retains. You’ll forgive me, of course, if I first address the 99% as their attention spans are woefully unprepared for anything that doesn’t involve Play Station, bitchin’ music, blood, fast moving objects or fellatio, hardly any of which are part of my planned speech.

So, let me begin by quoting one the troubadours of the sheep generation, Eminem

2004-06-11T12:54:00.000-05:00
TheAgitator.com: Sullum on Teletubbies: Comments

The Agitator has become a weekly read and Radley Balko has been banging on the food police of late. Today he quotes Jacob Sullum of Reason mag fame.

Since rising weight trends appeared in adults before they showed up among children, it looks like kids are imitating their parents' habits. "For better or worse," Zywicki said, "kids eat what their parents eat."

In his book Food Fight, Yale obesity expert Kelly Brownell—who, like Kunkel, wants to eliminate advertising to children—says, " It is easy to blame parents." No, it's not. It is easy to blame big corporations. Blaming parents means expecting them to take an active role in monitoring their kids' diets.

2004-06-08T09:32:00.000-05:00
The Economist on the Housing Bubble

I've been banging on this topic for sometime now (is it cause I still rent and don't own...naahh), and the Economist tackles this problem head on this week. The bubble will pop, the only question is how quickly and how much pain will it create. The 50% of new mortgages from quarter one of this year that have ARM's will probably feel the most heat. Good luck to those folks...

The drop in house prices in Australian cities undermines a popular argument heard in Britain and America that even if house prices do look frothy, they are unlikely to fall unless there is a big rise in interest rates or a jump in unemployment. Neither has been needed in Australia. Interest rates have risen by only half a percentage point during the past year, to 5.25%—less than half the level during the previous housing downturn in 1990. Meanwhile, unemployment is close to a 20-year low.

2004-06-06T18:54:00.000-05:00
Reason magazine -- July 1975 Interview with Ronald Regan

Why Ronald Regan was the best president of my life time in one of the few magazines that I think is actually worth being a subscriber (add the economist to that list also) and appears to have been just as enjoyable back in '75.

If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals–if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.

Well, the first and most important thing is that government exists to protect us from each other. Government exists, of course, for the defense of the nation, and for the defense of the rights of the individual. Maybe we don’t all agree on some of the other accepted functions of government, such as fire departments and police departments–again the protection of the people.

2004-06-02T15:39:00.000-05:00
Seth's Blog: The Curse of Great Expectations

Seth Godin, of "Purple Cow" fame, has an interesting piece on benchmarking and how we are always trying to continuously improve or match everyone else and how this is sometimes not for the best.

In addition to the stress, benchmarking against the universe actually encourages us to be mediocre, to be average, to just do what everyone else is doing. The folks who invented the Mini (or the Hummer, for that matter) didn’t benchmark their way to the edges. Comparing themselves to other cars would never have created these fashionable exceptions. What really works is not having everything being up to spec… what works is everything being good enough, and one or two elements of a product or service being AMAZING.