Blah blah blah

finding answers

Am  I prescient, or what?  This morning while I was copying stuff to put on the new computer, this one locked up.  Then,  after trying everything to get it back, the screen blinked and I get a Microsoft message telling me the error was caused by "equipment malfunction."   I've been having hiccups for a while, so I think this baby is getting ready to die.  Whew. I bought in the nick of time. Coincidentally, my e-mail has been spotty all day; wouldn't send at all; spotty incoming.  Of course I blamed it on me; but oh no.  After searching around Verizon I found a bunch of people asking wtf is wrong with the mail server?   There is no answer.   What the hell is wrong with Verizon?   When my Internet provider is having trouble, as soon as I log on there's a bulletin describing the situation. I had to ...  are you at all interested in this?  I had to do a total recovery of the Windows 7 box yesterday; all stemming from me,  like a dummy,  entering a log-in password,  and then trying to undo it with a sledgehammer.  But, I am most impressed with Windows 7.  The blazing speed relative to what I'm used to is of course because the new machine is 7 years younger.  I did learn this however.  Several times I found myself unable to install new stuff; an "administrator privilege" thing that abounds.  You just right click the mouse and select "run as administrator," and Bob's your uncle.  Why it  doesn't recognize me as the Administrator to begin with is another thing. Windows will always do stuff like that.  I would buy Windows 7 again.  But ...  Hearts is totally retooled, which is okay, but is ungodly slow.  S-L-O-W!  I start playing the game when I begin feeling guilty about not doing what I should be doing, so that's a lot of Hearts.

What he had ...

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USA WINS

5-4: SUPREMES AFFIRM GUN RIGHTS NATIONWIDE Well, this is settled law.  Even democrats obey court decisions they don't agree with. Right?

Glenn H. Reynolds, law professor, University of Tennessee - the Second Amendment has now become normal constitutional law. Donna Schuele, legal historian, U.C. Irvine -- blah-blah hot air James Alan Fox, criminology professor, Northeastern University -- The irony of this ruling is that the now-moribund Chicago handgun ban had, according to statistical evidence presented in an amicus brief submitted to the court, resulted in as many as 1,000 fewer homicides since it was enacted in 1983 John Feinblatt, adviser to Mayor Bloomberg-  You bastards! Last year, New York City had fewer murders than any year since 1963. And according to the F.B.I., we are the safest big city in the country. Jack M. Balkin, Yale Law School  --  more of a pop gun than a big bang. The result was widely expected, and now the case goes back to the lower courts to apply the 2008 decision in District of Columbia v Heller. The Real King of France - Go ahead and call them.   I warned you to keep that cat off my bird feeder.

Zippety-Doo-Dah

A Special Treat

Here's something some of you have never seen, and nobody since 1977 when Song of the South was last released by Walt Disney. (I am fortunate to own a VHS copy, made in Europe where it is, or at least was, in distribution).

What's that smell?

Byrd Dead at 92

Robert Byrd often professed his love for the United States Senate; a love so great that he refused to give the nation a break, and leave.  His mastery of senate rules often provided the key to getting difficult, read repugnant, legislation to a vote, and 151,241 West Virginia highways, outhouses and other pork barreled projects named after him.  Privately, Byrd was known by colleagues for incessant farting, including at times (ahem) under the sheets.  It's Byrd's legacy that his death today will inspire millions to Google up what party West Virginia's  Governor belongs to, hoping for an American replacement. Disappointingly, he's a democrat, so expect more of the same.   RIP.

Milkin' the cow

Retired, then rehired: How college workers use loophole to boost pay.

“ Greg Royer ranks among the state's top-paid employees, with a salary of $304,000. But that's just part of his income. For nearly seven years, he's also collected an annual pension of $105,000. Royer, the vice president for business and finance at Washington State University, tops a long list of college administrative staff members who've been able to boost their incomes by up to 60 percent by exploiting a loophole in state retirement laws. A Seattle Times investigation has found that at least 40 university or community-college employees retired and were rehired within weeks, often returning to the same job without the position ever being advertised. That has allowed them to double dip by collecting both a salary and a pension. ” Royer, 61, has collected about $700,000 in retirement benefits while continuing to draw his salary. In recent years, he's been responsible for overseeing some of the deepest budget cuts in the university's history. Last year, for instance, WSU announced it was cutting about 360 jobs, axing its theater and dance program and hiking tuition by 14 percent.

Inject! Inject! Inject!

Now, to correct the historical mistake of Obama

Sweeping achievments

There's a remarkable scene in the movie Goodfellas, where the camera follows, in one continuous unedited stream,  Ray Liotta escorting Lorraine Bracco from the street, through the winding bowels of a New York nightclub, to their table. The political discourse equivalent may be this measured, unbroken monologue delivered by Dr. Richard L. Rubinstein, Yale fellow, “Distinguished Professor of the Year,” Harvard PhD and personification of gravitas.   Obama's intention , says Rubinstein, is to “correct the historical mistake of the creation of the state of Israel."  He calls Obama the most radical U.S. President ever. ASIDE - The YouTube page comments are worth reading.  These two, where the ubiquitous pasty-face lib invokes the race card, and attendant response, are noteable. “ DarkstarNV 3 hours ago Its sad how many racist, and un-American people post videos. Obama was elected by a popular majority!!!! You either support democracy or you don't, and if you don't, YOU are the radical!!! If you don't like the decisions made by the majority of Americans by popular vote and the electoral process, perhaps you should live elsewhere. ehunter2 2 hours ago Wrong . You cannot understand Obama apart from his race.  He is the stereotypical black, third world demagogue.  He is Robert Mugabe, Jacob Zuma, Hugo Chavez., . Race is identity, it is personality, it is capability for truth and reason. Obama is absolutely perfectly true to racial stereotype. ” Ka-Ching!, via jmarkcampbell)