Environmental Extremism - Breaking Winter

Winter is a relative thing... we go to visit relatives then... in Florida.

After a few brisk days, the warm, sunny days are returning to that area. So, after several months of gathering dust, my golf clubs were put back to use. As they say in North Dakota... oofdah! Getting out on the grass is different from hitting from a mat in a covered driving range. There were the errant 8-iron shots and the spectacular 3-wood drive (145 yards from the pin on a 415-yard hole) over trees. Naturally, the putting was just as erratic.

But having a sunny, 70-degree day with a nice breeze and a good pace of play (3-1/2 hours for the round), made ever shot a winner.

Winter was totally forgotten... for at least one day.

Environmental Extremism - Global Warming Cooling It's Heels

Okay, cold in Michigan isn't unexpected. Snow in Kentucky is not unexpected. 27" of snow in NYC is a little unexpected. Snow in Georgia is pretty unusual. Freezing temperatures in mid-Florida is just a bummer.

So much for our trip south, so far. But on the bright side, the outside is the bright side. Nice, clear, sunny skies. And it will get better. So, we don't mind cooling our heels visiting inside while global warming takes a break outside.

Meanwhile, our youngest son didn't waste too much time occupying the house and keeping the large screen TV warm. Hey, we don't mind as long as the dishes are done.

Maybe I'll get the golf clubs out tomorrow. Definitely on Wednesday. And if the VP is around, I'll be sure to yell "fore" before I shoot.

Excessive Spending - Buy Chinese

... and this is why....

whaddayathink?

BTW, TCS is the site that generally supports non-PC positions; e.g., there is no global warming.

Excessive Spending - Headlines

A few headlines from The Detroit News business section today:

U.S. business:

• (GM) Salaried retirees hit again
• Pfizer considers selling drug unit
  
• Spirit scales back for future gains
• Governor searches for job openings
• Costs soar, Coca-Cola's net falls 28%
• Toll (Brothers) orders plunge 29%; forecast cut
• Liz Claiborne will cut 500 jobs
• Consumer borrowing slows to a 13-year low

Non-U.S. economic news:

• Toyota reports soaring profits
• BMW Jan. worldwide up 15%
• India says economy will grow 8.1%
  

Nope, I don't see any pattern there. November 20, 2005

Ethnic Divisiveness - I'll Kill You If You Call Me A Terrorist

Violence Spreads Over Muhammad Caricatures

Anti-Cartoon Clashes Spread, Turn Deadly

Why has a cartoon turned into a crisis?

... and if you think that we react badly to cartoons, wait until you see what we will do if you write a book or produce a motion picture that says something bad about Mohammed....

What? What's sad? What's ironic?

No, YOU are barbaric for allowing cartoons. Our reaction is totally, like, civilized, you know. After all, you hurt our FEELINGS!

Okay, all kidding aside, I wrote to the author of the third article (who did respond with a thanks) that:

While the Danish cartoons were, unfortunately, in bad taste, the reaction of Middle Eastern Muslims only reinforces the stereotype in the West of a culture of one-minded, one-thought, one-truth, humorless fanatics who will kill you if you disagree with them.

It's much less the offensiveness of the cartoons that hurt Muslims than their own parochial emotions. But perhaps it is just that in the West, children learn from an early age that "sticks and stones...."

The West really cannot comprehend the reaction of those Muslims who are spreading violence as a means to protest a cartoon that says they have a violent religion and culture. It seems juvenile and too well staged to be genuine as far as non-Muslims are concerned.

It is as if they are going out of their way to create a parody of themeselves.

Super Sunday

Woke up to about 3" of wet snow on the driveway. Looks as if Winterfest may have a good ending downtown. The streets look pretty good, so I don't think the Superbowl fans will have any trouble getting around.

My brother and second son are going to show up and shout a lot... probably not shout... too much food to keep their mouths busy.

Looks like we'll take off for Florida for a couple of weeks... next weekend. Winter has been pretty easy this year, so we didn't feel the need to rush off south right away. Besides, there were rooms to paint and skunks to chase off.

Comments about the rest of the world can wait until later.

Excessive Spending - Jobless Rate or Jobless?

WRAPUP 3-U.S. January jobless rate drops to 4-1/2 year low
Fri Feb 3, 2006 1:04 PM ET

The jobless rate "is probably at or slightly below the level the Fed is thinking is full employment, so it will strengthen their resolve to lean against inflation pressures," said economist Elisabeth Denison of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in New York. "We expect another quarter-point hike in March."

I just discovered that Michigan is now considered part of Canada for purposes of Jobless Rate statistics.

January 18, 2006 – Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December edged-upward by one-tenth of a percentage point to 6.7 percent, according to data released by the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG). The annual unemployment rate for 2005 showed a decline of three-tenths of a percentage point from the 2004 annual rate.

Excessive Spending - Federal Reserve

Go back to 1999-2000 and see what the Fed did. They are following the same pattern for 2005-06.

If it ain't broke, the Fed will fix it... and good!

Ethnic Divisiveness - Islam: Humor Prohibited and Punishable by Death

Just in case anyone failed to understand the mentality of those who believe in the one-mind, one-thought, one-truth approach that certain Middle-Eastern followers of Islam have...

Rage at Drawings Spreads in Muslim World (long, drawn-out exhale)

The Nation Thu Feb 2, 11:12 AM ET
Islam forbids any visual depiction of Mohammed, and since these cartoons basically argue that terrorism is inherent to Islam, Muslims across Europe have taken offense, some countries have boycotted Danish goods, and a few are up in arms--literally.

Now that's delicious IRONY!

Maybe the world will not end with either a wimper or a bang, but just a lot of humorless people waiting to die so that they can have paradise.

Environmental Extremism - Or Maybe Not

Remember all of those warnings about how fossil fuels were contributing to the greenhouse effect by increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? New warning: fossil fuels are contributing to the cooling of the atmosphere (what's next, an ice age scare?).

Yep, the most populated portion of our planet has increased its use of fossil fuels so much that it is actually cooling the planet.

It seems that if China continues to pollute at its current rate of increase, we won't have to worry about global warming because a large portion of the world will die from toxins. On the other hand, if the Chinese become good world citizens and clean up their act, then we will all drown or die from heat stroke.

Geez!