what if?

A Star is Born

Letterman.  Thursday night....

Snowball's story.

Why They Fight

Please take five minutes out of your day and watch this.

Buzz Cut

Is it possible that vibrating for a short period every day can build bone mass and cut fat?  If so - wouldn't that be an incredible breakthrough?!

If I were a betting woman, though, I'd bet on the last line in this article being more likely:

“It is almost too good to be true”

Fascism on Campus

My liberal friends tell me that conservatives want to squelch free speech.

Coulda fooled me!

“I’ve spoken at Emory University several times and I’ve never seen it this bad,” said Horowitz responding to the crowd as they shouted and jeered. “This is exactly what the fascists did in Germany in the 1930s.” The loud chants, sign-waving, and disruptive gestures continued to escalate from audience members until the atmosphere was so chaotic that even the police present were unable to subdue the crowd. Horowitz was led off stage and left the campus under tight security, and the event came to an abrupt end. After Senior Vice Provost for Community and Diversity Ozzie Harris announced that audience members should sit down and let the speech continue or risk being forcibly removed, protesters shouted, “Everybody stand up, they can't take us all!” and “Stand up in solidarity!” At the end, when Horowitz’ speech could no longer continue, chants of “This is what democracy looks like” shot up throughout the audience.

Wither Weather?

You can take all the Al Gore movies and Nobel Prizes you want.  This still seems to have far more common sense in it.

Climate change models, no matter how powerful, can never give a precise prediction of how greenhouse gases will warm the Earth, according to a new study.

The result will provide ammunition to those who argue not enough is known about global warming to warrant taking action.

Am I A Conservative?

When I was selecting the college I would attend, I chose the University of Wisconsin.  One of the reasons I selected that school was because I believed it to be liberal.  I thought that I was a liberal, and thus it would be appropriate for me to attend a liberal school.

I began my college studies in 1969, deep in the heart of the Vietnam protest era.  Though I was not a supporter of the war then, I was perplexed and dismayed by the nature of the protests that many of my fellow students adopted.  Signs, marches, speeches; all that, I could understand.  But the destruction of property?  Bombs?  Fires?  Not for me, thanks.  Seeing irrationality and wanton destruction for no good purpose was the beginning of my clue that perhaps I either wasn't a liberal - or "liberals" of today's age were not what I thought they were.

The American Thinker presented this today as to what it is that conservatives believe.  I'm not sure if this is indeed an accurate description.  Nevertheless, I do find that I agree with much of it.

What a World

Two columns in the papers this past week pained me to no end.

The first was this one about a father moving to get his child out of the DC schools.

In the end, though, I couldn't sacrifice my son to an education system that seems at best inefficient and at worst willfully corrupt. As much as I admire Mayor Fenty, I can't help noting that his children go to a private school.

And if he doesn't send his kids to D.C. schools, why should I?

Here was a parent who clearly was devoted to having his family living in a "diverse" neighborhood and who was committed to supporting "city schools."  Yet, not irrationally at all, this parent gave up. 

Not sure what all the answers are.  I only know that it is a sad day for city school children who must soldier on in such conditions, year after year. 

The other article is this one from the Christian Science Monitor about the "Jena 6".

Excerpting won't work.  If you have not already, you really must read the whole thing.

If it is all or mostly accurate, what an indictment!  Have so many journalists abdicated all responsibility and care for their craft?  Do they give no thought to the repercussions of their laziness, sloppiness and prejudice?

I do believe that much good is out there in the world.  At this moment, though - it is a bit tough not to think of how far short of good we humans can be.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

This penultimate weekend in October was glorious.  Saturday, we delighted in the sort of autumn day that approaches perfection.  Temps were mild, a few puffy clouds in a brilliant blue sky - and a kalaidescope of trees shimmering in sparkly sunlight.

Early in the afternoon, I did some real estate photography.  The next hour, however, I devoted to pure pleasure; some photography of young friends with their just-over-one year old daughter. 

Sunday, I battled away at my other pleasure, bridge - though I snuck in some photography there, too!

A Class Act Passes

Though I used to be a passionate movie lover, I do not go all that often anymore.  Going to see a film that 25 years ago would have been dismissed as "pornography" - or a film infused with so much violence and profanity, most else is lost - is not my notion of a good time.

This week, we lost an actress whose talents were sublime.  Deborah Kerr performed in an era when directors and writers appreciated that "less is more." 

Surely this scene in the movie "From Here to Eternity" must stand as one of the sexiest and most erotic ever.  People when this film was created realized that our imagination is what contributes to passion. 

The first record album I purchased in my life was the soundtrack to "The King and I" - and when I saw Kerr perform in the movie, I was enchanted.

Perhaps I am doing nothing more than demonstrating my advancing age with all this wistful reminiscing.  You shall have a hard time convincing me, however, that the class, civility and restrained emotion in films of yesteryear didn't tower over the "in your face" techniques of today.

The Two Million Dollar Question

A letter, valued over two million dollars, which enshrines the Democrats' attempt to squelch free speech from the other side.

Will the MSM even cover this?

The letter is, in fact, an important historical document, representing an attempt to silence the single most prominent private citizen critic of the Democratic Party, written on official stationery of the Majority Leader of the United States Senate and bearing the signatures of the vast majority of his caucus, including the front-runner and other candidates for the Party’s presidential nomination. Should the purchaser be so-minded, it may someday be donated to the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives or some other nonprofit library or archive.

The mainstream media have taken a beating in viewership and readership and in credibility the past two decades that Rush Limbaugh has been on the air, and the Democrats are perpetually outraged that he dominates the entire medium of talk radio, while no liberal host has ever been able to mount a halfway comparable performance on the public airwaves.

Arrogance combined with the emotion of hate leads to dangerous mistakes. Reid and the media which gave initial credence to the Media Matters-generated smear of Rush have stepped in something whose smell may linger in the history of American politics.

Or, will the MSM instead be part of the cover up?

More on Markets

Is this economic wisdom, or what?

At the University of Chicago, economists lean to the right of the economics profession. They are known for saying, in effect, "Markets work well. Use the market."

At MIT and other bastions of mainstream economics, most economists are to the left of center but to the right of the academic community as a whole. These economists are known for saying, in effect, "Markets fail. Use government."

Masonomics says, "Markets fail. Use markets."

Market Perspective

Are you worried about the current real estate market?  As a Realtor, I see many buyers and sellers who are.  And - with some good reason.  Market activity today is certainly not at all what it has been for the prior 4-5 years.

But - just how terrible is that?

A USA Today editorial examines the stock market 20 years ago.

The 1987 stock market crash was truly something to behold. Twenty years ago today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 22.6% in a single day. That 508-point tumble is the equivalent of a 3,139-point drop in today's Dow.

And yet for all that unmitigated pain in the short term, the whole thing now looks like a blip, or a buying opportunity. It was not associated with a banking crisis or a recession. It didn't even erase the market's gains during the first eight months of that year.

And, oh yes, the market has done pretty well since. On that day, a company called Microsoft plunged from $64.75 to $45.25. Each of those shares, accounting for splits and reinvested dividends, is now worth $5,222.

No one can deny that the real estate market today is far less active than in recent years and associated with fears - and real issues (sub-prime, foreclosure and the like).  Yet, for those with the long view, tough times for certain parties can mean handsome opportunities for others.

Did you purchase Microsoft in 1987 after the crash?  No?  Alas; neither did I!

Some contrarians, however, recognized that in risk, one can find reward - if you only know where to look.

And yet for all that unmitigated pain in the short term, the whole thing now looks like a blip, or a buying opportunity. It was not associated with a banking crisis or a recession. It didn't even erase the market's gains during the first eight months of that year.

And, oh yes, the market has done pretty well since. On that day, a company called Microsoft plunged from $64.75 to $45.25. Each of those shares, accounting for splits and reinvested dividends, is now worth $5,222.

Lo How the Mighty Have Fallen

Some may cheer this.

Most newspapers adopted the always dangerous strategy of trying to become more like one's competitors rather than establishing the defensible position of being even more true to oneself. Like most newspapers, the Times decided to become more timely, more hip, and more judgmental than the electronic media -- when it should have become better reported, more objective, and better written; professionalism being the one arena where the new competitors would have a hard time competing.

What made the Times' decision not to pursue this strategy particularly stupid was that it was, after all, 'America's newspaper of record', a role in which it justly reveled. But you can't hold that title while pandering to the political and cultural views of readers on the Upper West Side. And you can't claim "all the news that's fit to print" when you neglect to notice that an American soldier in Iraq just won the Medal of Honor. In the old days, if the Times didn't cover it, it didn't happen. That insulation is long gone: if the Times doesn't cover it, the blogosphere will -- and millions of readers will starting wondering about the judgment and biases of the New York Times.

I can recall when it was a real treat to spend the extra $$$ and subscribe to the New York Times.  It was the Tiffany of newspapers; something of real class and quality.

It's not up to me to judge whether it is possible for the so-called "Paper of Record" to restore its tarnished image.  All I know is that the paper has fallen far from its once lofty heights... and that this is something that all who value a good newspaper and quality journalism should regret.

Now Hear This

Anyone who reads my blog (all nine of you :)) know that Booker Rising is one of my favorite blogs.  It is so in large part because of one remarkable young woman:  Shay Riley. 

Because I agree with so many of Shay's positions on issues, I imagine I am prejudiced in favor of her.  Nevertheless, there is simply no denying that Shay is highly admirable on many counts.  She provides her readers with a wealth of statistics about the black community.  She culls the web for a huge array of issues and posts to educate her readers.  And, if you listen to this show from NPR, you can hear how reasoned, well-spoken and thoughtful Shay is when discussing topics.

For those of us who are concerned about racial issues - but not a member of the black community - Shay does a service for us all in informing and enlightening us. 

I have been reading Booker Rising since its inception.  Shay's fine abilities, energy and strength only continue to grow. 

Continue to expect great things from this excellent woman!  And do listen to the NPR show, too.  Definitely worth your time.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Is it possible that "teach your children well" might not be as important as "sleep your children well"?

YES.

Convinced by the mountain of studies, a handful of school districts around the nation are starting school later in the morning. The best known of these is in Edina, Minnesota, an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, where the high school start time was changed from 7:25 a.m. to 8:30. The results were startling. In the year preceding the time change, math and verbal SAT scores for the top 10 percent of Edina’s students averaged 1288. A year later, the top 10 percent averaged 1500, an increase that couldn’t be attributed to any other variable. “Truly flabbergasting,” said Brian O’Reilly, the College Board’s executive director for SAT Program Relations, on hearing the results.

And Brickbats

You probably did not notice it in the photos from my previous post.  But, one of the American ladies held up a sign as their team received their award for winning their prestigious prize in Shanghai.  Here is another shot; you will be able to better see what their sign said.

Bouquets

My posting has been slim the past 10 days or so for two reasons.  First - yes, you guessed it, a tournament.  Actually, two tournaments.  One in Omaha, and one in Sioux Falls, SD.  Success was not mine in the first, but in the second, my partner and I managed to come out on top of the heap for points accrued.

In reality, though, three tournaments kept me busy these past days!  The third one was far away from my home; Shanghai.  No, I never snuck over to the other side of the planet.  But, good friends of mine from around the world were competing in an international championship, and I did do some commentary on the matches.  Just the first set alone kept me up until well after midnight.  I was pooped, with little time nor energy for much more than some work, bridge and sleep!

How did my friends fare in competition?  Well, the U.S. performed magnificiently.  In the Senior competition, U.S. claimed gold and bronze with a first and third spot.  In the Venice Cup (women's competition), U.S. also seized first place.  Finally, in the Big Kahuna of bridge matches, dear friends of mine got to the finals, ultimately succumbing to a powerful Norweigan team.  Yes, the silver was also claimed by U.S.A.

Congratulations to all these great players and to the Norweigans for their first Bermuda Bowl title!

What Lies Within

My PhD. dissertation advisor at the University of Minnesota, Professor John Dolan, was right to life.  He was in every sense of the phrase; at the beginning of life, at the end, and all that came between.

Frequently we were at odds.  I was (and still am) pro-choice - at least in the first trimester.  Heroic efforts for those at the last stages of life were not for me.  And those in a persistent vegetative state?  Letting them go gently always seemed more humane.

Perhaps I was wrong....

Ten years ago, Adrian Owen, a young British neuroscientist, was working at a brain-imaging center at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, at the University of Cambridge. He had recently returned from the Montreal Neurological Institute, where he used advanced scanning technology to map areas of the brain, including those involved in recognizing human faces, and he was eager to continue his research. The imaging center was next to the hospital’s neurological intensive-care unit, and Owen heard about a patient there named Kate Bainbridge, a twenty-six-year-old schoolteacher who had become comatose after a flulike illness, and was eventually diagnosed as being in what neurologists call a vegetative state. Owen decided to scan Bainbridge’s brain. “We were looking for interesting patients to study,” he told me. “She was the first vegetative patient I came across.”

For four months, Bainbridge had not spoken or responded to her family or her doctors, although her eyes were often open and roving. (A person in a coma appears to be asleep and is unaware of even painful stimulation; a person in a vegetative state has periods of wakefulness but shows no awareness of her environment and does not make purposeful movements.) Owen placed Bainbridge in a PET scanner, a machine that records changes in metabolism and blood flow in the brain, and, on a screen in front of her, projected photographs of faces belonging to members of her family, as well as digitally distorted images, in which the faces were unrecognizable. Whenever pictures of Bainbridge’s family flashed on the screen, an area of her brain called the fusiform gyrus, which neuroscientists had identified as playing a central role in face recognition, lit up on the scan. “We were stunned,” Owen told me. “The fusiform-gyrus activation in her brain was not simply similar to normal; it was exactly the same as normal volunteers’.”

The Audacity

Of Justice Clarence Thomas.

How dare he believe that a man can be true to his own principles, irrespective of his skin color?

What are the principles expressed in the book that are so worthy of vitriol and cannot be acknowledged as legitimate? As a former law clerk to Thomas, I have heard these principles from him for many years: All people are created equal, with inherent worth and dignity; freedom includes freedom of thought; hard work and education are important elements of success; aim for self-reliance so that you can help not just yourself but others too; stand up for what you believe in; never give up in adversity, keep trying to put one foot in front of the other; and great things are possible in this nation. I have never understood what was so "dangerous" about these ideas. Indeed, most Americans would have little quarrel with these propositions.

Silly me.  Just like Thomas' law clerk, I thought these would be principles most would applaud.

Missing in Action: Sioux Falls and Shanghai

You've missed me, haven't you, all 7 of my readers?!  My apologies.  Lots of bridge - both for me, here in the states.  And for friends of mine - in Shanghai.  The biggest world championship of them all - the "Bermuda Bowl" - is currently in the final match there.  Very near and dear friends of mine are playing Norway.  So - in the little free time I have, I've been doing a combination of watching the matches and occasionally providing commentary.

Unfortunately, with the time zone differences, the match (played live) doesn't start until 10PM - and runs until dawn.  I only get to watch the first set of hands - but it is quite a show!

Here's hoping my buddies become champs - and I am successful, too, at my far more modest competitions.

I should be back on track next week!