A place to meet with friends, make new ones and talk about whatever comes to mind.
August 30, 2010
Hey Harry, Who's Your Son's Daddy?
August 28, 2010
Alveda King Throws a Spanner into the Left's Spin - updated
Update: It's a matter of honor, states Ms. King. She explains why she will be speaking at the event here.
Americans are hungry to reclaim the symbols of our liberty, hard won by an unlikely group of outnumbered, outgunned, underfunded patriots determined not to live in servitude to the British Empire. If we want to sing the national anthem at a memorial to the man who led this fledgling nation out of slavery, and made my people free, we should be able to send our voices soaring to the heavens.
Glenn Beck’s “Rally to Restore Honor” this Saturday will give us that chance, and that’s why I feel it’s important for me to be there.
...
Though critics see it as partisan, Beck’s rally is not a political event, per se. Instead, it is designed to be a refreshing exercise of freedom of speech.
The rally will be a celebration of who we are as a nation and a chance to stop for a moment, reflect, reorganize, and re-energize. It’s a chance to think about character; both our character as a nation and our character as individuals.
August 27, 2010
Style Fridays: Murano Chandeliers
Whimsical, ornate, decadent, yet stunningly beautiful in modern rooms, Murano glass chandeliers are one of my vicarious pleasures.
Happy weekend!
August 20, 2010
Style Fridays: American Color Slides and Photographs from the Thirties and Forties
Happy weekend!
August 18, 2010
Harry Reid, Racist
August 13, 2010
Style Fridays: Color Photographs from Imperial Russia
This just blew me away.
Russian chemist and photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii travelled throughout Russia from 1909-1912 and again in 1915 photographing the life and environment of the Russian people using then-nascent color imaging technology. The result is breathtaking.
To view more photos from the Prokudin-Gorskii collection, click here.
Next Friday: early American color photography.
Happy weekend!
August 12, 2010
The View from Great Britain
There is a distinctly Titanic-like feel to the Obama presidency and it’s not hard to see why. The most left-wing president in modern American history has tried to force a highly interventionist, government-driven agenda that runs counter to the principles of free enterprise, individual freedom, and limited government that have made the United States the greatest power in the world, and the freest nation on earth.
This, combined with weak leadership both at home and abroad against the backdrop of tremendous economic uncertainty in an increasingly dangerous world, has contributed to a spectacular political collapse for a president once thought to be invincible. America at its core remains a deeply conservative nation, which cherishes its traditions and founding principles. President Obama is increasingly out of step with the American people, by advancing policies that undermine the United States as a global power, while undercutting America’s deep-seated love for freedom.
August 11, 2010
iPods and Circuses
First, a look at the programs themselves. The iPods were loaded with educational applications such as bird call guides. Students are required to meet certain academic benchmarks in order to keep the devices. As for the DC smokers, the Blackberries will enable the recipients to call a hotline and access software to help them overcome their addiction.
These are laudable goals, to be sure. However, I would posit that this is also old-fashioned, demagogic, third-world vote-buying. This White House is handing out goodies in the hope that the Democratic party will get votes in return. The assumption is not unreasonable. There are people, many in fact, who will harbor feelings of gratitude towards an organization that gives them cool gadgets that confer a certain status above that of their peers, as would be the case with high school students and low-income individuals. These persons will have an incentive to support that generous group with the hope that they will get even more free stuff in the future.
The difference between this vote-buying scheme and run-of-the-mill pork barrel spending lies in the stated intent of the Administration in pushing the stimulus bill. We were regaled here, here, here and here, for example, with stories of all the many shovel-ready infrastructure projects that were simply waiting for some federal dollars to break ground. The American people were told that these programs would create much-needed jobs. The resulting increase in the federal deficit was to be offset by the reduction in unemployment.
As for the two programs described in the LA Times article, the one in Utah resulted in no additional jobs while the DC program did create two positions. Had these programs funded a significant number of jobs, the Democrats would have rightfully earned the support of the beneficiaries and the rest of the American people. It seems however that the programs are mere handouts intended to purchase the loyalty of an electoral block.
While it is disappointing to think that there are voters who will be swayed by an iPod or a Blackberry, the Administration’s cynical view of human nature is probably correct.
August 3, 2010
The Illustrated Guide to Obamacare
- $569 billion in higher taxes;
- $529 billion in cuts to Medicare;
- swelling of the ranks of Medicaid by 16 million;
- 17 major insurance mandates; and
- the creation of two new bureaucracies with powers to impose future rationing: the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and the Independent Payments Advisory Board.
I'm going to take a few days to go over this chart. If you decide to study it as well, please let me know what you find and how much it's going to cost the American taxpayer.