Monthly Archives: July 2012

Going After The Whistle-Blower

Yet another appalling story of Federal bullying, this time courtesy of our e-pal David Duff. Here.

The Brighter Side Of VDH

In response to a recent post featuring Victor Davis Hanson’s series of essays on the decline of civilized life in California’s Central Valley, a reader complained about all this pessimistic “conservative porn”. Here, then, is Dr. Hanson showing some optimism. Perhaps readers seeing this will be inclined to take his reporting from Mexifornia more seriously.

Skunk Works

You’ve seen those ads for the Most Interesting Man In The World, I’m sure. Here’s someone who I think could give him a run for his money.

Watching The Sun Set In California

Victor Davis Hanson’s family has lived for generations in the agricultural heartland of California — an area that is now, after decades of ruinously misguided policymaking, in the vanguard of America’s decline into third-world decrepitude. Nobody tells this dismal story better than Dr. Hanson does in his periodic dispatches. His latest is here (with thanks […]

Cause Of Death: Blood Loss, Following Gunshot To Foot

Patrick Buchanan explains, clearly and sharply, why the GOP will die, a witless suicide. Here.

A Hideous Ecstasy

I haven’t commented on the Chick-fil-A affray — so much creeping totalitarianism, so little time! — but Mark Steyn has, and you can read it here. This is a horrible story, and a frightening glimpse of the road ahead. To his credit, Michael Bloomberg publicly refused to join the mayors of Chicago, Boston, and San […]

Drool, Britannia

I saw a little of the Olympic opening ceremony last night; it was playing on the television at a local eatery where our small nuclear family, soon to be riven to opposite hemispheres of the globe, had gathered for a bite. It was, from what I could see, a dismayingly shallow and garish entertainment. Apparently […]

Count Your Blessings

At least you haven’t got any of these. I hope.

Control This

In a tart item at NRO today, Kevin D. Williamson points out that eleven times more people die each year from neglecting to fill their heart-disease prescriptions than in gun assaults, and makes the piquant observation that “Gun control isn’t about guns; it’s about control.” Well, here’s something that should enliven the discussion: out there […]

Bromance

A year and a half ago, as the West enjoyed a collective thrill up the leg over the flowering of democracy in Tahrir Square, I suggested that the real beneficiary of the “Facebook revolution” would be the Muslim Brotherhood — an outfit our leaders apparently figured they could do business with, despite its mortal and […]

Slo-Mo

Here’s something worth having a look at: a lightning strike at 7,207 frames per second. See also here.

This Magic Moment

OK folks, here you go: Ayn Rand meets Johnny Carson.

A Primitive Thing

From longshoreman Eric Hoffer, November 29th, 1974: I cannot see myself living in a socialist society. My passion is to be left alone and only a capitalist society does so. Capitalism is ideally equipped for mastering things but awkward in mastering men. It hugs the assumption that people will perform tolerably well when left to […]

NYFD Gets Hosed

I rail often about our swaggering, authoritarian mayor, Michael Bloomberg. (He gave me yet another reason to do so, just last night — and for a really tangy rant about Hizzonner, check out the inimitable Fran Lebowitz, here.) One issue I think he’s clearly on the right side of, though, is the battle over the […]

Talk Amongst Yourselves

In the wake of the Aurora massacre, the usual groups are saying the usual things. Some of these things are flamboyantly stupid. For example, E.J. Dionne, complaining that dialogue about gun laws is “prevented” in America, wrote that ” where a gun massacre is concerned … an absolute and total gag rule is imposed on […]

You Didn’t Build That

Here.

Syria

Here’s an update on the situation in Syria, from John McCreary’s latest NightWatch newsletter: Opposition fighters attacked the provincial police headquarters in the Qanawat district of old Damascus, news services reported on the 19th . Gunfire was intense for an hour, a Qanawat resident said. Rebels also claim to have attacked and seized three border […]

Appointment In Samarra

By now you’ve heard about the mass murder in Colorado. Among those killed was a sports writer by the name of Jessica Redfield, who last night tweeted: Of course we’re seeing Dark Knight. Redheaded Texan spitfire, people should never argue with me.Maybe I should get in on those NHL talks… Ms. Redfield published a blog […]

It Just A Weed

Attention stoners: if pot ever becomes legal, you’re going to have more disposable cash. Learn more here.

End-game

Insurgency being centripetal, the lethal attack against the Assad family in Damascus marks a strategic tipping point in Syria. Assad is now said to have left Damascus for Latakia. No cheering, please. There is no good outcome here, no matter what happens.

You Didn’t Build That (Slight Return)

There’s been quite a ruction over Mr. Obama’s “you didn’t build that” remark. Are you one of the legions of his supporters who insist that his words were twisted out of context? Fine, then. Here’s Jim Geraghty responding, point, by point, to the rest of that horrifying, deeply revealing speech.

A Remarkable Coincidence

One thing connects to another in unexpected ways. Last Friday I had lunch with a well-known conservative blogger. We didn’t meet to talk about politics, though: I had noticed, in some of this writer’s posts, references to the “Fourth Way” teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff and his pupil, P.D. Ouspensky — and having both a personal […]

Pretty Pictures

OK, here’s something completely uncontroversial and apolitical: some beautiful images from a National Geographic photo contest. And don’t miss these.

Forget It

Took ’em down. Too overwrought. Back in a little while.

Brooklyn’s Premium Community For the Previously Living

I live not far from Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery (which, as mentioned in this breezy and highly informative little post from 2006, contains Brooklyn’s highest point, Battle Hill). It’s a beautiful cemetery, and a lot of notable folks are buried there. Who, exactly? Well, I’ve just found a list, courtesy of the fantastic website FindAGrave.com. Have […]

Color And Language

It’s just too warm and humid to write. So here’s an article, in two parts, about the way we parse the world, and why. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.

Lost World

This is pure gold: a dance montage featuring the heartbreakingly lovely Rita Hayworth, set to a familiar soundtrack. How vulgar our modern “culture” seems in comparison to the artistry, elegance, and allure on display here. It would have been even better with the original music, but what a treat nevertheless. Have a look.

Sexual Predators

If you’re into “vintage” erotica, it’ll be hard to top this.

Surprise Ending!

With a hat tip to VFR, here’s Charles Krauthammer on the “Arab Spring”: Many Westerners naÁ¯vely believed the future belonged to the hip, secular, tweeting kids of Tahrir Square. Well there were, after all (ahem!), some observers here in the West who saw things a bit more clearly. Alas, this sliver of Westernization was no […]

That Which Survives

From Letters of Note: an exchange between Isaac Asimov and Gene Roddenberry that began when Asimov wrote an item for TV Guide criticizing inaccuracies in televised science fiction. The first letter in the series, from Roddenberry to Asimov, contained the following: In the specific comment you made about Star Trek, the mysterious cloud being “one-half […]

The Dark Mark

I don’t go to my employer’s Manhattan office much anymore; mostly I work from home, to save the time and inconvenience of riding the subway from Brooklyn to Midtown. I did go in today, though, for a lunch meeting with some other members of our software-development team. It’s July, and so there is plenty of […]

Hot Stuff!

You’ve no doubt heard about the runaway erotic bestseller 50 Shades of Grey. If you’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about, here’s a steamy excerpt, as read by a noted celebrity.

The Physics Of The Fastball

Really fast. Here.

Checking In

From Big Think, a glimpse at the ongoing Graduate Studies session at Singularity U.

Gunwales Awash, Cont’d

Here are some further thoughts on the Corpus Christi police-standards issue that was the subject of our previous post. A reasonable response might be: Malcolm, you grumpy old fossil: can’t you see the obvious benefits of putting women on the police force? Women, who handle social interactions and conflict very differently from the “rough men” […]

Gunwales Awash

Here’s a brief transcript from Radio Derb’s most recent podcast: If you thought the federal Department of Justice could not get any crazier, try this. The Police Department of the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, has fitness standards for people who want to be police officers. Applicants must complete a 300-meter run, a 1½ mile […]

Doggerland

Britain’s isolation by salt water throughout historical time had a lot to do with its stability and rise to global power (though of course there is more to a nation’s destiny than geography). It wasn’t always that way, though. Learn more here.

More Free Stuff!

John Stossel gives President Obama’s ACA victory speech a brisk fisking, here.

Happy 4th!

From this morning’s parade here in Wellfleet: As you can see, not much changes around here.

If You’re Blue…

Here’s something really wonderful, from our friend Horace Jeffery Hodges. Go and enjoy.

That Was Pretty Good — Let’s Keep It And Do Another

Here’s one sent our way by our reader “The Big Henry”: the history of rock music in 100 guitar riffs. One man, one Strat, one take.

Bottoms Up!

For tonight, an interesting item from the frontier of advancing technology. One of the the most promising innovations we discussed and saw demonstrated at Singularity University back in April was 3-D printing, in which a movable printer head builds up solid objects by depositing one very thin layer at a time. The extraordinary thing about […]