37 Replies to “Reader Tips”

  2. And the reason for wanting me to watch this is, what? If it is to irritate me, succeeded.

  3. Well, excuse me, that was melodious compared to Dystopian Optimist’s choice. Now your name is starting to make sense.

  4. I thought it was a great tune for a Saturday night. 1980’s were great for me. Back n Black probably got me into more trouble than this song.

  6. I caught this gut back in the early 70s southwest London when he was known as the “Beast of Bromley” I seem to recall a pretty good show but it’s a bit hazy.must have been good.

  7. So CARB is going to require trucking operations with 53 foot dry van trailers to have “EPA Smartway” approved technology. This includes undercarriage aerodynamic devices (you may have seen these in the past couple years now) as well as low rolling resistance tires. CARB fact sheet:
    http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/hdghg/fact_sheets/HDGHG_Genl_Fact_Sheet.pdf
    “2011 and newer MY 53-foot or longer box-type trailers must, beginning January 1, 2010, be either:
    – SmartWay certified or
    – Retrofitted with SmartWay verified technologies, as follows:
    – Low rolling resistance tires, and
    – Aerodynamic technologies”
    Lets gander over to the EPA Smartway tire site:
    http://www.epa.gov/smartway/technology/tires.htm
    Go to the bottom and you see this after a large list of what I would consider to be good tires:
    “Individual tires of these models with a DOT date code of 0911 or earlier remain verified; tires with a DOT date code of 1011 or later are no longer verified.”
    Are they kidding? One tire with an older date code is legal in California but the EXACT SAME TIRE with a newer code is no longer legal? What about blowouts when a non EPA “Smartway” approved tire must be used?
    This is ridiculous! Imagine retrofitting hundreds of trailers with these supposed approved tires only to find they’re illegal because the date code is newer.

  9. still waiting for an answer here on the issue of privatization when it comes to, oh, busy busy busy border crossings:
    http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/08/02/18502681.html
    “Problem is, supporters of the new bridge are fighting a billionaire who’d like to keep his lucrative monopoly on bridge traffic and is willing to spend to keep U.S. politicians on his side.”

  10. Sugar snaps got caught in the wee filter..
    Sharia creep:
    Christie was just getting warmed up. He exploded when a reporter followed up with a question about sharia, the law of Islam. “Sharia law has nothing to do with this at all, it’s crazy!” he snapped, adding that this “Sharia-law business is just crap . . . and I’m tried of dealing with the crazies.”
    Maybe Governor Christie ought to ask S.D. if sharia law concerns are “just crap.” We know “S.D.” only by her initials to protect her from further indignity. She is a Muslim woman from Morocco who was serially raped and beaten in New Jersey by the Muslim man to whom she was wed as a teenager — one of those arranged marriages common in Islamic cultures. A New Jersey judge declined to give her a protective order, though. Under sharia, a man cannot rape his wife:
    http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/273865/christies-crazies-andrew-c-mccarthy?page=1

  11. Ah yes, CARB. It seems their only real objective is to make sure the California drives out as many productive people as is humanly possible.
    I use Adam’s products exclusively for my car care needs. It’s a small company run out of Boulder Colorado, that USED to be run out of southern California. Two years ago, Adam picked up his company and moved lock, stock and barrel to Boulder. Two of his stated reasons were the business climate in California,
    “”CARB” The California Air Resource Board. They are the fine organization that made it illegal to sell our In & Out Spray, and required us reformulate most of our products over the past three years. We were fined for not having dates on products which did not expire. (Our VRT, completely VOC compliant, which you can drink, didn’t have a date, which cost us $3,000 in fines.)”
    “The California State Board of Equalization. There are 58 counties in California, and each and every one of them has a different sales tax rate. Once a month, our controller and bookkeeper meet for two days to calculate the tax owed for each of them. We collected the tax from the customers, but still, just the hourly pay to calculate the sales tax was over $400/ month.”
    http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/78006-post1.htm

  12. Here is one of the Harpies: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/127067228.html
    Saying : “Barack Obama must wonder sometimes if his luck has run out.”
    Now, think about it, the man’s whole life is a long run on luck. 50 years of luck, somebody somewhere is short of luck.
    He does not know anything basic economic laws. You can’t get something for nothing, out of nothing without sweat. You may pretend for a period, though that, according to the law of economics will only last when you suck that last buck from everyone.
    It is seriously doubtful that the current occupant of the White House know anything about anything other than organizing a community and he probably would need a lot of help with that.
    His only claim to fame is rhetoric, he can spin and spin, wrap it in warm and fuzzy words, though the words may not be his, teleprompter comes to mind. The man has a good presentation, and that is all there is to it.
    Could sell used cars succesfully.

  13. Although Rebel Yell may have revved up some engines, I have to show my age and say that Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild” was the peddle to the metal song of choice for me.

  15. Cross post by me: in tandem with the Tottenham riot yesterday in London, here is the excellent Theodore Dalrymple in a long—but well worth the time—interview about the welfare state and its ruinous effect on morals and accountability. (As I’ve said, I’ve watched the ruin from the front row in our public schools.) He’s a retired psychiatrist (real name: Anthony Daniels), who spent most of his career in the lower to lowest echelons of British society. He notes that the combination of low to no expectations and entitlement has been a total disaster for both a critical mass of individuals and for society as a whole. (He does NOT let the ruling class off the hook by any means!)
    http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/ncrv/netwerk/X64739_dalrymple-compl_WM_bb.wmv

  18. I had to chuckle…
    “Many are not convinced Mr Berlusconi, 74, who is simultaneously embroiled in an underage-sex-scandal trial, accused of corporate fraud and locked in a feud with his most important coalition allies, is a credible figure to carry the fate of the eurozone in his hands.”
    On the upside, he’s trying to amend the constitution to prevent future governments from going into debt. Sounds like a heckuva good idea…

  21. “Here is a link to the US Debt Clock which is quite fascinating…”
    http://www.usdebtclock.org/
    H/T As of: >>> “Tuesday, January 26, 2010
    Quebec Debt Growing Out of Hand
    Quebec debt is piling up faster than one can imagine. I found this nifty tool over at the Montreal Economic Institute website. The province is piling up debt at a rate of 9 billion dollars per year, $25 million per day, $17,215.27 per minute, or $287.00 per second.
    The federal government is piling on debt at a rate of $153 million per day.”
    http://nodogsoranglophones.blogspot.com/2010/01/quebec-debt-growing-out-of-hand.html

  24. Deep Purple used to be a bad mix with alcohol and horsepower.
    I was listening to the 80’s channel on satellite radio, while doing a field tour, in SW SK. I caught myself hitting 130 on the grid roads a couple of times. Thank goodness my polar bear killing 4×4 handles like a corvette, on loose gravel.

  25. After subduing the northern town of Hama, Syrian President Bashar Assad Sunday, Aug. 7, sent a division of 200 tanks and dozens of armored
    Turkey revives military threat as Syrian tanks storm Deir al-Zour
    vehicles to blast their way into another rebellious city, Syria’s oil center of Deir el-Zour in the Euphrates Valley. At least 70 people were reported dead. debkafile: Local tribesmen who withdrew to the papyrus groves are expected to wage guerrilla warfare against Syrian forces. And Ankara (therefore NATO) warns Assad he faces Turkish military intervention.
    http://debka.com/article/21188/

  26. I thought it was a great tune for a Saturday night. 1980’s were great for me. Back n Black probably got me into more trouble than this song.
    Posted by: jim at August 7, 2011 12:02 AM
    For all those who want a taste of the ultimate 80’s rock mixture thrown into a blender…I present to you, Sugar Rock…enjoy!!!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpNrqxBWxQM&feature=player_embedded
    Check out the other songs, pretty awesome how they transition between songs and bands without missing a beat! By the way, Sugar Rock will be in Idaho Falls, Idaho, this Wednesday, August 10th for anyone in the area wanting to rock your face off to 80’s tunes.

  27. Billy Idol is hot. I don’t know why he is, but still it is a truth universally acknowledged. (I kne one chick who claimed she didn’t find Billy Idol hot, but I think she was just being contrary.)
    I’m not saying Spike was the whole reason I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The show was very well written.

  28. I watched some old video from the early days of the Sex Pistols. Billy Idol can be seen standing, front row, in one shot from a London concert. I guess he studied their act, then created a marketable version, and made a successful career out of it. Nothing wrong with that, but Johnny Rotten is still king of punk. I’d like to meet Johnny, and have a good fistfight with him. You can’t help but like a guy who gets inducted into the R&R hall of fame, and tells them to piss off.

  30. “The message — and it is not only for the lords of the feast — is that we aren’t great enough for our times.”
    …-
    “The Invisible Hand Is Writing On Our Wall”
    “Walter Russell Mead”
    “The invisible hand has been writing on our wall of late, and the message is scaring the markets. The markets should be scared; there is real trouble afoot, and the world’s political and economic leaders are terrifyingly out of their depth.
    In the Book of Daniel, King Belshazzar of Babylon held a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and as they ate and drank from the vessels captured when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, they praised the false gods of gold and of silver and of brass, iron, wood and stone.
    Suddenly when the party was at its height the fingers of an invisible hand appeared and wrote on the wall: MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN. The shocked king called for his sages and soothsayers to interpret the message; none of them could until Daniel, one of the Hebrews brought up in the royal court, appeared. The king promised Daniel any reward he wanted if he would interpret the message. Said Daniel, rather unlike a modern consultant, “Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy …”.
    http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2011/08/05/the-invisible-hand-is-writing-on-our-wall/

  31. H/T Mao Stlong* Lepolt.
    …-
    “6. westerncanadian
    This article by Janet Daly describes the White Swan perfectly and asks the question “is it possible for a free market economy to support a democratic socialist society?”
    Three key paragraphs are:
    ‘We have arrived at the endgame of what was an untenable doctrine: to pay for the kind of entitlements that populations have been led to expect by their politicians, the wealth-creating sector has to be taxed to a degree that makes it almost impossible for it to create the wealth that is needed to pay for the entitlements that populations have been led to expect, etc, etc.
    The only way that state benefit programmes could be extended in the ways that are forecast for Europe’s ageing population would be by government seizing all the levers of the economy and producing as much (externally) worthless currency as was needed – in the manner of the old Soviet Union.
    That is the problem. So profound is its challenge to the received wisdom of postwar Western democratic life that it is unutterable in the EU circles in which the crucial decisions are being made – or rather, not being made.’
    A gazillion committee meetings followed by sonorous emissions of BS won’t fix it. Is Europe going to move to command economies in one last spasm of self destruction?”
    “The White Swan”
    http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2011/08/07/the-white-swan-2/#more-16194
    …-
    “If we are to survive the looming catastrophe, we need to face the truth”
    “The idea that a capitalist economy can support a socialist welfare state is collapsing before our eyes, says Janet Daley.”
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/janetdaley/8685945/If-we-are-to-survive-the-looming-catastrophe-we-need-to-face-the-truth.html
    …-
    *Mao Stlong is Liberal leader Basement Bob Rae’s Uncle Mo Strong.
    “Isn’t the only hope for the planet that the
    industrialized civilizations collapse?
    Isn’t it our responsiblity to bring that about?”
    – Maurice Strong,
    founder of the UN Environment Programme”
    (green agenda)

  32. PET Cemetery Unearthed.
    Ooops … it’s a whispering campaign.
    …-
    “This story is no longer available”
    “MetroNews Canada – ‎1 hour ago‎”
    “REGINA – Somewhere along the South Saskatchewan River, lying beneath whispering prairie grass, is a secret aboriginal burial ground owned and …”
    http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/canada/article/937020–this-story-is-no-longer-available
    http://news.google.ca/news?pz=1&jfkl=true&cf=all&ned=ca&hl=en&q&js=0

  34. “To: erkyl”
    “It begins…”
    “This was one of the worst weekends for America that I can remember. Our troops (RIP) took heavy losses. In fact we are simply getting our butts kicked in the Middle East. We are pouring money into Iraq, Afghanistan and our illegal nonwar in Libya, plus God knows where else and we are still losing. Once again, just like Nam, our troops are willing but the politicians are making sure they lose the war AND their lives. And once again like Nam this will all be for nothing. 50K in Nam and what 5K in the Middle East so far?
    Then there is the matter of our historic credit downgrade. Who in their right mind wants to invest in America? Our cities and infrastructure are rotting, racial crimes are rampant, we are under invasion on our Southern flank, record numbers of families are on welfare and food stamps, our manufacturing base has fled for the slave labor of other countries, our real unemployment figures are North of 25% and Obama throws a hip hop birthday party. To the rest of the world have become a laughing stock. Certainly not a place to invest.
    Oh yes, “It begins…” is the understatement of the week. Hold on tight cause the roller coaster is just cresting the big hill. Good luck to all.”
    “U.S. stock futures drop in Asian trading”
    “U.S. stock futures were trading sharply lower in Asian trading hours on Monday … Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down 248 points at 11,156, Nasdaq 100 futures fell 42.25 points to 2,144.75 while S&P 500 futures dropped 25.90 points to 1,171.90.
    (Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com …”
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2760142/posts

  35. Benny’s Socialist Central Planning Plan: All balls in the air.
    Count ’em: 12345 …
    “Three, expanding access to social services.”
    “One, a change in priorities, with the goal of easing the economic burdens on Israel’s citizens.”
    “Two, a change in the mix of tax payments.”
    …-
    “Netanyahu anticipates ‘enormous change’ in Israel’s economy”
    “As market spirals down, the prime minister announces formation of panel to meet with protest leaders.”
    “Netanyahu said that Trajtenberg’s panel will submit recommendations on the following issues: “One, a change in priorities, with the goal of easing the economic burdens on Israel’s citizens. Two, a change in the mix of tax payments. Three, expanding access to social services. Four, increasing competition and efficiency in the goods and services markets, with the goal of reducing prices. Five, implementing the housing plan we’ve already launched.”
    http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-anticipates-enormous-change-in-israel-s-economy-1.377497

  36. H/T Mao Stlong* Lepolt.
    …-
    “Today, China brings its message of helpless (for now) fury to the FT, where Yu Yongding, a former member of the Monetary Policy committee of the Chinese Central Bank has just said what everyone who realizes that mean reversions after 30 years worth of a “great moderation” can and will be a nasty, nasty thing, thinks. Namely:
    “Former PBOC Member: “The Situation Is Unsustainable. The Longer It Continues, The More Violent And Destructive The Final Adjustment Will Be.”
    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/former-pboc-member-situation-unsustainable-longer-it-continues-more-violent-and-destructive-fin
    *Nephew Liberal leader Bob Rae unavailable for comment.

  37. Macd, thanks for mentioning that Walter Russell Mead article, it’s well worth a read.
    It reminds me that there aren’t many Old Testament references that a lay audience will find amusing. But many – many! – tickle a parson…

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