what if?

Cream Rises to the Top

If you'd like to hear the cream of the crop, tune into NPR on September 5th.  My friend Shay, who blogs at Booker Rising, can be heard then.

In advance, she gets a good review from me!  You go, girl!

The Fred Astaire of Restrooms

When you're done pondering the import of Larry Craig doing the light fantastic in men's restrooms, you might wish to wonder about the import of all this.

Where does Hsu get the money? All of his supposed resources are frauds. Hsu himself is a convicted con man, but the money he threw around was very real. Where did it come from, and what was its purpose?

Don't get me wrong.  I actually think that issues such as gay rights, accepting the sexuality of others, hypocrisy, public deportment of politicians and the like are all important issues.  I only wonder, though, how many more days we will face stories about Larry Craig's repressed sexuality rather than topics like our politicians getting suspect monies, and even whether or not we really ought to have all the restrictions that we currently do on campaign spending.

Don't Hide; Don't Lie

Is there anyone out there happy with "Don't Ask; Don't Tell?"  If so, seems as if we could count them on the digits of two hands.

Dale Carpenter, who frequently blogs at The Volokh Conspiracy, writes about the Republican Party and its dysfunctional relationship with gay people:  the elephant in the room.  I usually like to excerpt from pieces.  This is so well done, however, that I would hope you read the whole thing.

People's sexual orientation is about as relevant to the quality of their character as their height or their hair color.  Once the Republican Party accepts this, they will find that most people will view their party with more respect, more humanity - and they'll receive more votes, too.

Bottom line:  accepting gay people just as they would straight is the moral thing to do.

The Tortoise and The Hare

As you well know, I frequently applaud the innovation and rewards that the free enterprise of the American marketplace affords us.  It seems, however, that we are seriously lagging in one area:  Internet access and speed.

Via Little Green Footballs, an illuminating report of how Japan is kicking our Internet rear ends.

Broadband service here is eight to 30 times as fast as in the United States -- and considerably cheaper. Japan has the world's fastest Internet connections, delivering more data at a lower cost than anywhere else, recent studies show.

Accelerating broadband speed in this country -- as well as in South Korea and much of Europe -- is pushing open doors to Internet innovation that are likely to remain closed for years to come in much of the United States.

The speed advantage allows the Japanese to watch broadcast-quality, full-screen television over the Internet, an experience that mocks the grainy, wallet-size images Americans endure.

Ultra-high-speed applications are being rolled out for low-cost, high-definition teleconferencing, for telemedicine -- which allows urban doctors to diagnose diseases from a distance -- and for advanced telecommuting to help Japan meet its goal of doubling the number of people who work from home by 2010.

"For now and for at least the short term, these applications will be cheaper and probably better in Japan," said Robert Pepper, senior managing director of global technology policy at Cisco Systems, the networking giant.

It's not simply a matter of convenience.  As the article demonstrates, markets will go to other nations unless we begin to correct this.

I'm not sure how it should be accomplished.  I do know, though, that it needs to be addressed and solved!

THIS is Chutzpah

The dictionary explains "chutzpah" as "unmitigated effrontery; audacity."  Seems like no superior way to describe a man who lectures housewives for carpooling the school kids in their SUV's, as this man's family sucks up an enormous amount of resources in his 28,000+ square foot home.

Nevertheless, John Edwards explains why it is all right for him to own the largest home in his state, as he castigates others for driving vehicles of which he disapproves:

He said he came from nothing, worked hard all his life, has always supported workers and fought big corporations as a lawyer.

"I have no apologies whatsoever for what I've done with my life," he said to loud cheers. "My entire life has been about the same cause, which is making sure wherever you come from, whatever your family is, whatever the color of your skin, you get a real chance to do something great in this country."

I see.  But, I don't quite get it.  Wouldn't this mean that other Americans, who "worked hard all their lives and supported workers" should get to drive the vehicles of their choice, irrespective of their skin color and irrespective of where they come from?

As always, the Captain captures it all well.

Sex Week

Well, not really.  Calling what Larry Craig did at MSP (Minneapolis St. Paul Airport) "sex" would mean a quick demise of the porn industry.  And - speaking of which, here is our second "sex" link of the week.

A MELBOURNE schoolboy has cracked the Federal Government's new $84 million internet porn filter in minutes.

Tom Wood, 16, said it took him just over 30 minutes to bypass the Government's filter, released on Tuesday.

Tom, a year 10 student at a southeast Melbourne private school, showed the Herald Sun how to deactivate the filter in a handful of clicks.

Although - mercifully - this did not occur in these United States, it's still a bit sad to think that western governments are spending millions of dollars to prevent us from viewing PORN ... and sadder still to think that a schoolboy "cracked the code" in less time than it takes most voyeurs to select their obscenity du jour. 

Maybe we could get this kid hired by the CIA to do a bit more productive work?

My thanks to Jeff Miller, friend, expert bridge player, and fund manager extraordinaire.  (I hope Jeff didn't find this article while he was tapping away in the restroom!)

WARNING!

This link could be hazardous to your funny bone.

What this proves is that men are really REALLY not like women. It shows what romantic life in most homes would be like if men called the shots. "Honey, as long as you're already on the toilet, blowing your nose on the floor and squeezing that giant boil..."

Oh, God. I think I'm going to be sick. I almost want a sex change. But then I wouldn't be able to do math in my head or parallel-park.

After you get finished laughing yourself silly, I have a few serious (and some non-serious) comments of my own.

First, why oh why is it that so many people in societies all around the planet are so concerned with the sex that other people have?  I can surely understand wanting your own sex to be a particular way.  After all, as Sally says in "When Harry Met Sally":  "I just like it the way I like it."

But, if your idea of great sex is a chilled, dark bedroom with a romantic duvet and plenty of red wine, or on the floor with the TV blaring and your cockatiel watching, or someone on top or someone on the bottom or both of you on the side.... if your sex takes 2.7 minutes or 6.3 hours, or if it something that you love but would make most others wretch - does it matter, just as long as everyone involved is an adult and consenting to what occurs?  Why do some of my neighbors not care if I have sex with a man - but would start foaming at the mouth if my cockatiel watched me and a lady do something?

As for Larry Craig and the bathroom, I'm with Steve.  I had no idea that this was going, and right here, at the airport in my River City!  I gotta admit that I even wonder a little bit about how many of our tax dollars are going to battle this scourge...  Really.  Do we need Lots of Cops on the Job to make certain that our elected representatives (or anyone else for that matter) are not tapping love calls on the floor of Stall #4?  I suppose I do not want my fellow citizens to be subjected to people "having it the way they like it" in a public restroom.  Still...  aren't there murderers to be caught, infiltrating terrorists to be stopped, and the like?

Pride and Prejudice

The pride of prosecutor Nifong and the prejudice of much of the academic Duke community led to injustice at Duke.

Prejudice against people due to their race or their sex is ugly - irrespective of the details.

Ditto

What Cory Booker, mayor of New Jersey, has to say about assisting people who have "done their time" back into the mainstream of society is spot on. 

These Americans have a host of urgent needs, from housing to hunger and, of course, to children and families that desperately need their help. And as they try to meet these needs, they face a nearly insurmountable hurdle -- a community stigma that prevents many employers from hiring them. I meet dozens of men every week with dramatic and painful stories of what they have been doing to survive, stay out of trouble and try to maintain financial stability. I see their sense of personal vic tory that they have resisted the easy, yet dangerous, call back to criminal activity that can afford quick but costly answers to their financial needs. However, I also see their frustration that, despite years of walking the right path, they still face a persistent punishment that costs them the right to return to society as a full and productive member and is depriving America of an enormous swath of its potential human talent.

Our nation does need sensible reforms in calculating how to aid these people.  Better for them; better for all of us.  No argument from me with da Mayor!

Thanks to Booker Rising for the post!

Grey Goes Black and White

A potentially amazing discovery that could transform diagnosing brain illnesses! 

A University of Minnesota scientist has discovered a way to detect Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and other brain disorders by using a device that tracks magnetic signals in the brain.

Although the research is still in its early stages, it could lead to a relatively quick and painless test for a wide range of conditions that affect the brain, experts say.

The scientist, Dr. Apostolos Georgopoulos, calls it an "elegantly simple test" that has been surprisingly accurate so far in assessing nearly 300 patients and healthy volunteers.

Think how useful it would be if we had straightforward knowledge of what is going on in our grey matter....

Redecorating

As a Realtor, I have lots of experience with re-do's.  New carpet, fresh paint, maybe a recovered sofa or some granite in the kitchen....

One of my "must read" daily blogs has gone through a renovation.  Please visit Captain's Quarters to view his new digs! 

I guarantee you it is beautiful, outside and in!

Lew is Correct

My friend Lew sent out this news item with the comment "You've got to see it to believe it."

Lew is correct - except that, even after seeing this, I still find it difficult to comprehend.

What kind of monsters do this to a child?

Laugh of the Day

Let it not be said that I can't appreciate humor!

Stacking the Deck

You do not have to be a card player to understand stacking the deck.  If you set something up in advance to come out the way you like it; surprise!  It does.

John Stossel details why it is that the U.S. purportedly performs so poorly in the World Health Organization's health ratings.

Let's acknowledge that the U.S. medical system has serious problems. But the problems stem from departures from free-market principles. The system is riddled with tax manipulation, costly insurance mandates and bureaucratic interference. Most important, six out of seven health-care dollars are spent by third parties, which means that most consumers exercise no cost-consciousness. As Milton Friedman always pointed out, no one spends other people's money as carefully as he spends his own.

Even with all that, it strains credulity to hear that the U.S. ranks far from the top. Sick people come to the United States for treatment. When was the last time you heard of someone leaving this country to get medical care?

Read the whole thing.  Like Stossel says:  if U.S. health care were so terrible, why would people come here from around the world to experience it??

The Difference between Republicans and Democrats

I normally attempt to stay away from this type of thing - but - the devil made me do it!  Hope that at least most of you enjoy!

Fred Thompson and Hillary Clinton were walking down a DC street together when they came upon a homeless person.  Thompson immediately pulled out a business card, handed it to the man and told him to come to his office for a job.  Thompson then took $20 out of his pocket and handed that over, too.

Hillary was impressed.  They came upon another homeless person, and Hillary felt compelled to help.  She walked over to the man and gave him detailed directions to the welfare office.  She then reached into Thompson's pocket and took out $20 of Fred's cash.

Hillary kept $15 for her administrative fees, and gave the homeless person the remaining $5.

Now do you understand the difference between Republicans and Democrats?

 

          

Canadian Health Care

Canadians don't come here merely for vacations.  See what can happen when you have "free" health care.

News alert:  there is no free lunch, and no free health care.

Boys Will Be Boys?

If they are, then they may be marked as sexual predators and sent to jail. 

For the unbelievable details, see this.

At Patton Middle School in McMinnville, Oregon, students created something called "slap butt day." On one such day in February 2007, according to The Oregonian (July 22, 2007): "Two boys tore down the hall of Patton Middle School after lunch, swatting the bottoms of girls as they ran -- what some kids later said was a common form of greeting. But bottom-slapping is against policy in McMinnville Public Schools. So a teacher's aide sent the gawky seventh-graders to the office, where the vice principal and a police officer stationed at the school soon interrogated them."

A police officer interrogated them?

"After hours of interviews with students," The Oregonian continues, "the day of the February incident, the officer read the boys their Miranda rights and hauled them off in handcuffs to juvenile jail, where they spent the next five days."

Two seventh-graders were read their Miranda rights for butt-swatting?

And hauled off to jail for butt-swatting?

And kept in jail for five days for butt-swatting?

This is worse than a bad joke; it is actually sick.

Salem Witch Hunts of the 21st Century

What if some politically incorrect concepts were really true?  Suppose we found excellent confirmation that men had IQ's that were, on average, 2 points higher than those of women?  Suppose people of African descent were 3% faster runners than the rest of us?  What if Semites were more likely to die of heart disease than non-Semites?  What if there were good evidence that natural blondes tended to be more extroverted than redheads and brunettes?

I do not have hard scientific evidence that anything I wrote above is actually true.  Nevertheless, it seems to me that it is not impossible to imagine that there are distinctions between the sexes, or people of different genetic heritage, that could mean they have a propensities that differ, too.  If it is the case, and someone can demonstrate that it is, shouldn't we want to know about it?

It seems that in many circles, the answer is a resounding "no."  Moreover, those who are vocal about any sort of politically incorrect ideas may find themselves incurring the 21st century version of a witch hunt.

J. Michael Bailey, a psychologist at Northwestern University, has promoted a theory that his critics think is inaccurate, insulting and potentially damaging to transgender women. In the past few years, several prominent academics who are transgender have made a series of accusations against the psychologist, including that he committed ethics violations. A transgender woman he wrote about has accused him of a sexual impropriety, and Dr. Bailey has become a reviled figure for some in the gay and transgender communities.

To many of Dr. Bailey’s peers, his story is a morality play about the corrosive effects of political correctness on academic freedom. Some scientists say that it has become increasingly treacherous to discuss politically sensitive issues. They point to several recent cases, like that of Helmuth Nyborg, a Danish researcher who was fired in 2006 after he caused a furor in the press by reporting a slight difference in average I.Q. test scores between the sexes.

“What happened to Bailey is important, because the harassment was so extraordinarily bad and because it could happen to any researcher in the field,” said Alice Dreger, an ethics scholar and patients’ rights advocate at Northwestern who, after conducting a lengthy investigation of Dr. Bailey’s actions, has concluded that he is essentially blameless. “If we’re going to have research at all, then we’re going to have people saying unpopular things, and if this is what happens to them, then we’ve got problems not only for science but free expression itself.”

I think it is important to not confuse what may be the case, on average, about groups of people, with how we treat individuals.  For example, even if men might turn out to be generally superior to women when it comes to mathematical abilities, we should not infer from that that any given woman can't be an incredibly talented mathematician.  We shouldn't assume that because someone is female, that they should be excluded from careers that stress mathematical abilities.  Yet, if we find more men attracted to such fields than women, we might conclude that it is not a function of prejudice and exclusion, but rather innate abilities.

Please understand; I am not making judgments on any of the above.  I'm only asserting that we should keep open minds that some of the world may not be as we wish it to be.  And we shouldn't shoot the messenger for telling us about it.

For the Ages

Philosophers for centuries have confronted the question:  "Does God exist?"  While some are convinced - either affirmatively or not - others of us still ponder what the correct answer to this might be.

Professor Burgess-Jackson discusses the categories of believers, disbelievers and "others" in this post.

Beyond the question of God's existence or lack thereof, though, we must face the issues of respect for viewpoints different than our own.  This post, from USA Today, offers cogent arguments about how we ought to comport ourselves when we discuss such topics.

That you and I might not agree does not necessarily make either of us an idiot!

Jews of Color

In my home town, the Windy City.