The serious bloggers and thinkers, like Mish and Calculated Risk, and Bloomberg, etc. are all over this one, so you don't need to hear much about this from OS.
Financial Times has a good article summarizing the inevitable posturing and stupidity that precedes the really bad stuff happening.
They're all prickly and stuff about being quoted, so best to go there yerself.
Ireland is about to be enslaved by the banksters, 'cuz the taxpayers had to bail out the banksters a couple of years ago, 'cuz the banksters were acting like yer worst nephew with a meth habit and keys to the Porsche, and wrapped it 'round a telephone pole.
The Spanish and Portugese aren't far behind. The UK is getting hammered, and they're not even on the Euro.
There's something wrong with this picture. It's like the gorilla in the room no one wants to talk about.
The Euro is not so much a currency as a huge anvil attached to the ankles of every man, woman, and child from the Polish border to the west coast of the Emerald Isles.
That ten-year-old kid playing soccer in Dresden or rugby in Cork is gonna be stuck with the debts generated because a thirty-something banker in Barcelona rolls the dice on one more condo development on the Costa del Sol or sovereign debt offering from Athens. All profits are privatized, all risks are laid off onto the society at large.
Sweet. Where does OS go to sign up for that arrangement? (Just kidding...)
This will end in tears, ya'll, if we're lucky.
Only one question: Who's making money off this?
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
So Much To Give Thanks For...
...and not an adequate command of the language to express it all.
For those of us so blessed to live in the United States, our eternal gratitude first must go to our Maker, and to those wise and brave souls who sacrificed so much to make all this possible. Os hopes, in some small manner, to live up to their example.
For our friends overseas, especially those in the UK, thank you. We wouldn't be who we are, and have what we have, were it not for you.
Enjoy the day, everybody, and keep safe.
For those of us so blessed to live in the United States, our eternal gratitude first must go to our Maker, and to those wise and brave souls who sacrificed so much to make all this possible. Os hopes, in some small manner, to live up to their example.
For our friends overseas, especially those in the UK, thank you. We wouldn't be who we are, and have what we have, were it not for you.
Enjoy the day, everybody, and keep safe.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Math Matters: Tennessee Halts Further Enrollments In Tuition Prepay Program
The investment yields, say, 3.25%--or whatever ZimbabweBen has run the long bond down to...
State Treasurer David H. Lillard Jr. won approval for the suspension by the BEST program's board of trustees Monday afternoon. The state has pumped $40million of taxpayer money into the prepay program in recent years to cover the gap between its payout and investment earnings, including $14.75 million this year.
"I believe the prepaid tuition program was started with good intentions," Lillard said. "I do not believe it would be wise to potentially put future taxpayer dollars at risk by expanding the program."
The costs at university have gone up a multiple of that, for a long list of reasons.
The state has spent $40 million keeping the program solvent, and wisely, threw in the towel.
Next time we see TurboTax Timmy and BawneyFwank demanding Doz'Wascawy Wepubwikans stop criticizing Da Fed...could we perhaps remember what the inexorable math created by these sorts of people and policies actually does to people in the real world?
Yes, yes, the State of Tennessee should not have opened the program thirteen years ago, perhaps. And the first year the taxpayers had to pony up to maintain solvency, this action should have been taken.
But, this object lesson in the punishment of savers and rewarding of hustlers will not be lost on the young people whose families decided to save for college.
Math matters.
State Treasurer David H. Lillard Jr. won approval for the suspension by the BEST program's board of trustees Monday afternoon. The state has pumped $40million of taxpayer money into the prepay program in recent years to cover the gap between its payout and investment earnings, including $14.75 million this year.
"I believe the prepaid tuition program was started with good intentions," Lillard said. "I do not believe it would be wise to potentially put future taxpayer dollars at risk by expanding the program."
The costs at university have gone up a multiple of that, for a long list of reasons.
The state has spent $40 million keeping the program solvent, and wisely, threw in the towel.
Next time we see TurboTax Timmy and BawneyFwank demanding Doz'Wascawy Wepubwikans stop criticizing Da Fed...could we perhaps remember what the inexorable math created by these sorts of people and policies actually does to people in the real world?
Yes, yes, the State of Tennessee should not have opened the program thirteen years ago, perhaps. And the first year the taxpayers had to pony up to maintain solvency, this action should have been taken.
But, this object lesson in the punishment of savers and rewarding of hustlers will not be lost on the young people whose families decided to save for college.
Math matters.
Top Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Becoming a TSA Agent: David Letterman
As promised, David Letterman's Top 10 list from November 22, 2010.
Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before Becoming A TSA Agent
10."Do I need a degree in groping?"
9."Am I only doing this for the sweet-ass TSA uniform?"
8."If I find explosive underpants, may I keep them?"
7."Will I enjoy being cursed at 40 hours a week for minimum wage?"
6."If I find explosive underpants, may I keep them?" Dammit that was number 8. Who checks these things anyway?"
5."Should I practice by frisking people on the street?"
4."In five years, whose pants do I see my hands in?"
3."Do I really want to know what a fat guy's thighs feel like?"
2."May I frisk myself?"
1."What's the closest airport to Shakira's house?"
OS has put BigSis and TSA Head John Pistole on a personal countdown list, e.g., How many more days of utter idiocy, bullying of passengers, strip-searches of little boys and little old ladies, hour-long lines, unsold airline seats, flight delays (that will begin to affect air travel around the world) and daily humiliations at the hands of Letterman and his writers, before they are finally sacked.
They may make it through Christmas, maybe past January 1, but they won't survive the seating of the new Congress, when a Republican majority takes over the committees begins asking the hard questions, and issuing the subpeonas. By that time, the lawsuits will be stacking up on the doorstep of BigSis's office.
If they plan ahead, they can start now, shredding the papers and wiping the hard drives that document just how venal and inept they are. Circulate the resume for the next job, arrange to sell what they carry around in their heads to the Syrians, get a few talking head gigs on MSNBC scheduled, and generally prepare to get out of Dodge with some cash to keep them warm.
If Thanksgiving weekend goes pear-shaped, they'll be gone next week, with no time to cover their trail and arrange a pile of cash upon which to land. If planes start flying empty because passengers simply stay home, they'll be gone by Christmas, definitely. If the strip-searches of little children continue to be captured on video and posted, or scanner images of public people start showing up on the newsfeeds, they're gone the next day. In any case, 18 January will find them gone.
The non-stop spin at every media outlet betrays their level of anxiety.
About themselves.
Jest sayin', ya'll.....
Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before Becoming A TSA Agent
10."Do I need a degree in groping?"
9."Am I only doing this for the sweet-ass TSA uniform?"
8."If I find explosive underpants, may I keep them?"
7."Will I enjoy being cursed at 40 hours a week for minimum wage?"
6."If I find explosive underpants, may I keep them?" Dammit that was number 8. Who checks these things anyway?"
5."Should I practice by frisking people on the street?"
4."In five years, whose pants do I see my hands in?"
3."Do I really want to know what a fat guy's thighs feel like?"
2."May I frisk myself?"
1."What's the closest airport to Shakira's house?"
OS has put BigSis and TSA Head John Pistole on a personal countdown list, e.g., How many more days of utter idiocy, bullying of passengers, strip-searches of little boys and little old ladies, hour-long lines, unsold airline seats, flight delays (that will begin to affect air travel around the world) and daily humiliations at the hands of Letterman and his writers, before they are finally sacked.
They may make it through Christmas, maybe past January 1, but they won't survive the seating of the new Congress, when a Republican majority takes over the committees begins asking the hard questions, and issuing the subpeonas. By that time, the lawsuits will be stacking up on the doorstep of BigSis's office.
If they plan ahead, they can start now, shredding the papers and wiping the hard drives that document just how venal and inept they are. Circulate the resume for the next job, arrange to sell what they carry around in their heads to the Syrians, get a few talking head gigs on MSNBC scheduled, and generally prepare to get out of Dodge with some cash to keep them warm.
If Thanksgiving weekend goes pear-shaped, they'll be gone next week, with no time to cover their trail and arrange a pile of cash upon which to land. If planes start flying empty because passengers simply stay home, they'll be gone by Christmas, definitely. If the strip-searches of little children continue to be captured on video and posted, or scanner images of public people start showing up on the newsfeeds, they're gone the next day. In any case, 18 January will find them gone.
The non-stop spin at every media outlet betrays their level of anxiety.
About themselves.
Jest sayin', ya'll.....
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Barney Frank Joins LittleTimmy's Spin For The Fed
That paragon of good judgment, Barney Fwank, joins Timmy in decrying those Wascawwy Wepublikans who dare to criticize Da Fed.
Oh, the humanity.
“I was appalled to see a group of Republican economists from the Bush and Reagan administration” arguing against the Fed’s asset-purchase program. “Republicans are joining the central bank of China in attacking Bernanke. This is really distressing to me.”
Frank, who spoke in an interview today on Bloomberg Television’s “In Business with Margaret Brennan,” called the Fed program to purchase $600 billion in assets through June “a very reasonable thing” that isn’t fueling inflation, as Republican critics contend.
A group of 23, including former Republican government officials and economists, published a letter to Bernanke urging him to halt the expansion of monetary stimulus because it risks an inflation surge. Separately, John Boehner, nominated to be the next House speaker, and three other Republicans leaders last week sent Bernanke a letter expressing “deep concerns” about a policy they said risked weakening the dollar and fueling asset bubbles.
Mr. Frank might be better served attending to his paper shredders.
Oh, the humanity.
“I was appalled to see a group of Republican economists from the Bush and Reagan administration” arguing against the Fed’s asset-purchase program. “Republicans are joining the central bank of China in attacking Bernanke. This is really distressing to me.”
Frank, who spoke in an interview today on Bloomberg Television’s “In Business with Margaret Brennan,” called the Fed program to purchase $600 billion in assets through June “a very reasonable thing” that isn’t fueling inflation, as Republican critics contend.
A group of 23, including former Republican government officials and economists, published a letter to Bernanke urging him to halt the expansion of monetary stimulus because it risks an inflation surge. Separately, John Boehner, nominated to be the next House speaker, and three other Republicans leaders last week sent Bernanke a letter expressing “deep concerns” about a policy they said risked weakening the dollar and fueling asset bubbles.
Mr. Frank might be better served attending to his paper shredders.
When Is Obama Gonna Locate His Huevos And Fire Napolitano And John Pistole
Answer, never, because he actually is working toward creating his HopeyChangeySociety where anyone, anywhere can be 'patted down', i.e. groped and violated by any agency He designates. When anyone dare record the event, and publicize it, they become targets of intimidation by thugs. The gropers are doing His bidding, creating an atmosphere where any and all understand that they have no expectation of privacy. They are just grooming the targets for more violations later.
John Pistole, that paragon of courage, was on every morning news show trying to spin this thing to Kingdom Come, with Washington jargon about 'flexibility', 're-examining procedures', etc.
Remember, he's a Jargonista, one who views language as nothing more than noises to be made in order to get one's way. Words do not have intrinsic meaning, and individuals have no intrinsic dignity. This is the same guy who, in very blunt language before a Congressional committee declared last week that this is going to be the policy, and no one will change it. Those words, he meant. He just assumed nobody was paying attention last week.
This week, the HopeyChangies discovered people are in fact, well, paying attention. And posting incidents like the following, a strip-search of an eight-year-old boy in Salt Lake City, who did not set off a scanner alarm, and who understandably was reluctant to have a stranger grope his private parts. That made him suspect in the minds of the agents of the TSA.
Sickos.
This was posted by the college student who witnessed the incident, and made the video. Read his description of the incident, and the attempts to intimidate him in the wake of his recording of the outrage.
This is our future, unless we stand up and scream NO NO NO. Never.
Not me. Not my spouse. Not my aged parents. Not cancer patients with ostomy bags, who are left soaking in their own urine, without aid or apology. Not breast cancer survivors, with surgical wounds still healing (like a good friend of OS's, who won't likely be flying and taking that risk.)
And certainly not my children.
NO.
What part of NO does that narcissist in the White House not understand?
TSA claims this is preventing another 'underwear bomber attack'. Not, it's not. It's about refusing to do realistic, hard work, to keep known dangerous people off flights. The Underwear Bomber had warning flags all over him. His own father had contacted US authorities at a high level to warn them his son had become a jihadist. He flew from Africa, paying cash for his ticket. In the interests of political correctness, the authorities refused to question him and search him.
That's what happened. The Obama Adminisitration are now using it as a pretext to crack down on the culture, to make it as unfree as possible, as quickly as possible.
Letterman's Top 10 list tonight covered this scandal, and it was devastatingly funny. OS will find and post it as soon as possible. One earlier joke in the evening, though, said much: The TSA is getting so many complaints about their agents groping children, that they've begun transferring them to other parishes.
That about says it.
There is so much more to say. But it's late.
Tell your friends, call your Congressman, tell the airlines you'll be driving instead.
John Pistole, that paragon of courage, was on every morning news show trying to spin this thing to Kingdom Come, with Washington jargon about 'flexibility', 're-examining procedures', etc.
Remember, he's a Jargonista, one who views language as nothing more than noises to be made in order to get one's way. Words do not have intrinsic meaning, and individuals have no intrinsic dignity. This is the same guy who, in very blunt language before a Congressional committee declared last week that this is going to be the policy, and no one will change it. Those words, he meant. He just assumed nobody was paying attention last week.
This week, the HopeyChangies discovered people are in fact, well, paying attention. And posting incidents like the following, a strip-search of an eight-year-old boy in Salt Lake City, who did not set off a scanner alarm, and who understandably was reluctant to have a stranger grope his private parts. That made him suspect in the minds of the agents of the TSA.
Sickos.
This was posted by the college student who witnessed the incident, and made the video. Read his description of the incident, and the attempts to intimidate him in the wake of his recording of the outrage.
This is our future, unless we stand up and scream NO NO NO. Never.
Not me. Not my spouse. Not my aged parents. Not cancer patients with ostomy bags, who are left soaking in their own urine, without aid or apology. Not breast cancer survivors, with surgical wounds still healing (like a good friend of OS's, who won't likely be flying and taking that risk.)
And certainly not my children.
NO.
What part of NO does that narcissist in the White House not understand?
TSA claims this is preventing another 'underwear bomber attack'. Not, it's not. It's about refusing to do realistic, hard work, to keep known dangerous people off flights. The Underwear Bomber had warning flags all over him. His own father had contacted US authorities at a high level to warn them his son had become a jihadist. He flew from Africa, paying cash for his ticket. In the interests of political correctness, the authorities refused to question him and search him.
That's what happened. The Obama Adminisitration are now using it as a pretext to crack down on the culture, to make it as unfree as possible, as quickly as possible.
Letterman's Top 10 list tonight covered this scandal, and it was devastatingly funny. OS will find and post it as soon as possible. One earlier joke in the evening, though, said much: The TSA is getting so many complaints about their agents groping children, that they've begun transferring them to other parishes.
That about says it.
There is so much more to say. But it's late.
Tell your friends, call your Congressman, tell the airlines you'll be driving instead.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
A Moment Of Inspiration For Sunday: The I-TEC Flying Auto
A Green Shoots nominee, without a doubt. A wonderful contrast to the darkness visited upon the culture by WeimarBen, Timmy, the ECB, and the ClownCircus.
Steve Saint, the son of a missionary doctor, one of that group of four murdered by tribesmen in South America in the late fifties (another story, another day--or look up 'Jim Elliott), has created what appears to be a workable drive/fly auto.
This promotional video was produced about his drive from Florida to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, about 1500 miles. It's street-legal, with Florida tags. 0-60 in under four seconds, about 25 mpg, and with the wing deployed, and its push-prop enganged, it flies about 40 mph. Wouldn't want to run into a thunderstorm with it, but hey!--look at this thing, ya'll! It really could have a lot of uses. It can be fitted with pontoons, and run over water. It can drive over ice. There are a lot of hard-to-reach places in this country, and this could reach them, especially when roads are closed.
Not an Obama recovery sign to be seen on it. Wonder why....wonder why....
And his real reason to develop and market it? To be able to fund production of this sort of aircraft for missionary pilots in the bush and jungles--for humanitarian relief.
A big cheer for these folks. Let's just hope the soulless beings who run our guv'mint don't take too much notice.
We wouldn't want both entreprenurial spirit and Christian Charity to have a chance to flourish in the open now, would we? Folks might get all ambitious and uppity, decide they can do without Himself, Ben, Timmy and Big Sis.
They might (OMG!!) succeed.
Jest sayin'...
In the meantime, the boys at Top Gear could have a ball with this! Imagine The Stig behind the wheel...or perhaps Captain Slow!
Steve Saint, the son of a missionary doctor, one of that group of four murdered by tribesmen in South America in the late fifties (another story, another day--or look up 'Jim Elliott), has created what appears to be a workable drive/fly auto.
This promotional video was produced about his drive from Florida to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, about 1500 miles. It's street-legal, with Florida tags. 0-60 in under four seconds, about 25 mpg, and with the wing deployed, and its push-prop enganged, it flies about 40 mph. Wouldn't want to run into a thunderstorm with it, but hey!--look at this thing, ya'll! It really could have a lot of uses. It can be fitted with pontoons, and run over water. It can drive over ice. There are a lot of hard-to-reach places in this country, and this could reach them, especially when roads are closed.
Not an Obama recovery sign to be seen on it. Wonder why....wonder why....
And his real reason to develop and market it? To be able to fund production of this sort of aircraft for missionary pilots in the bush and jungles--for humanitarian relief.
A big cheer for these folks. Let's just hope the soulless beings who run our guv'mint don't take too much notice.
We wouldn't want both entreprenurial spirit and Christian Charity to have a chance to flourish in the open now, would we? Folks might get all ambitious and uppity, decide they can do without Himself, Ben, Timmy and Big Sis.
They might (OMG!!) succeed.
Jest sayin'...
In the meantime, the boys at Top Gear could have a ball with this! Imagine The Stig behind the wheel...or perhaps Captain Slow!
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