Now this could be fun!

Evidently, the Obama administration and Congress are gearing up to humiliate companies which have released statements indicating that the recently passed health insurance deform law will cost them a bundle of money. (H/T Stark Raving Sane and a bunch of others)

What's cool about this? Well, the statements are required by Sarbanes-Oxley disclosure laws and regulations. So what we have is the chief executive and his office--required by the Constitution to uphold the laws of the country--deliberately working to intimidate companies to NOT disclose information which SOX requires to be disclosed.

In other words, the White House is aiding and abetting felony failure to disclose financial statements. That would in itself be a felony punishable by impeachment and removal from office.

Thinking about the Girl Scouts for your daughter?

Think again. (H/T Hyperbole for 1000) Apparently, the Girl Scouts' partnership with Planned Infanticide ("oops," Planned Parenthood) extends to sharing Planned Infanticide's "Teenwire" "wisdom" with young girls.

What's in it? According to the Washington Times article, encouragement to ignore social norms and laws regarding sexual expression, including tacit encouragement to explore having sex while intoxicated. I've taken a quick look at Planned Infanticide's "Teenwire" site, and suffice it to say that it gives a tacit endorsement to some things that I'd guess drug addled hookers just won't do.

So if you want your little girl to have a few STDs, several broken hearts, and perhaps a pregnancy or two by age 15, I can heartily recommend the Girl Scouts to you. On the other hand, if you'd rather not have your child on retroviral drugs and antidepressants to deal with the fallout of fornication, I'd suggest that she could do better things than sell Thin Mints this time of year.

Climategate continues....

....with NASA's admission that their measurements of world temperature are among the most flawed of any agency--including that of the shamed University of East Anglia. The words of Deming have never been more appropriate as the world contemplates the collapse of the "scientific consensus" of the IPCC:

In God we trust. All others must bring data.

Update: apparently, the "inquiry" into the leaked emails that scandalized the University of East Anglia's climatology centre has lasted all of one day and has produced the "definitive" result that there was no manipulation of data. And if we believe that, they've got a bridge they'll sell us, too. More and more, it seems as if climatologists desire to discredit themselves for a generation.

More good news

Another study finds that eating chocolate is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. As the study was done in Germany, I would have to guess that I'll need to eat good German or Swiss chocolates to get the most help. I assure my readers, of course, that I'm ONLY doing this because of its medicinal effects. Can't stand the taste, really.

:^)

Now why again was it that I'm not dropping much weight?

I just can't figure it out!

Since getting married, my wife and I have learned how to make yeast breads, sourdough breads, pasta, gnocchi, nan, chapati, matzo, pies, tortes, cakes, corn and flour tortillas....to the point where our children won't even eat the store bought versions.

....and somehow I'm not able to lose weight. Now why is that? I'm thinking it's because my bike is too old.

She ain't smiling, boys...

Two things in the news recently demonstrate something that really ought to be obvious; women generally don't disrobe for strangers unless something very, very wrong has happened. First, fashion models have come forward with clear allegations of abuse by photographers. Next, Iceland has apparently banned strip clubs, pointing out that women are, not surprisingly, abused there. (a gentleman I know used to work at one, and commented that an amazing amount of cocaine was used by the "dancers" to overcome basic shyness and modesty)

In other words, that "pout" and hardened face isn't a woman trying to be "sexy." It's a hurt heart inside.

Just for reference....

My 1979 Schwinn LaTour III has similar acceleration, horsepower, and crash test scores to the Tata Nano, but I dare suggest that it has a much lower chance of this.

Another great example.....

.....of our nation's inability to think. Apparently, a Denver "nutritionist" thinks she has proven that Happy Meals do not rot by apparently leaving one out for a year.

Why does this demonstrate Americans can't--or at least don't--think anymore? Simple; in a nation full of people who have cleaned reeking dead hamburgers and dead stale fries out of the back seats of minivans, this woman was taken seriously with her absurd claim. Nobody appears to have bothered to ask her if she actually ate a stale year old Happy Meal, or have asked if what she really demonstrated is that food can be dried and look much the same a long time later if you keep it away from mice.

Put in historical terms, Louis Pasteur dealt with this woman's claim with his famous demonstration of the impossibility of abiogenesis. (thanks to Pentamom for correction)

Some good news for a change

Private guards on a merchant vessel help Somali pirate assume ocean temperature. The only bummer here is that the body was found with numerous "small caliber" wounds. As I've noted before, the proper way to deal with pirates is really Ma Deuce. Nothing says "welcome" to pirates like 100 .50 caliber holes in their fishing skiff when they're still 500 yards out of range with their own weapons.

Politically incorrect proverbs revisited

Apparently, "barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen" may be a good bulwark against suicide for a woman, according to this study reported on by Fox News. Now if two children reduces suicide risk by 40%, and three by about 60%, one would figure that a mother of five would be practically immune. That would be good news for me, and for "Pentadad." (not to mention our wives!)

I also got to thinking about the old wisdom given to women in "less than happy" marriages: more or less to have a baby to bring a couple together. My wife and I were actually counseled to reject this in our marriage counseling.

However, consider what it meant for a theoretically fertile couple prior to the mass availability of affordable, effective, contraception; it meant that, most likely, the couple was not "one flesh" routinely. In other words, when a women decided to open herself up to children, that....meant most likely that she was finally taking 1 Corinthians 7 seriously and giving her husband something he most earnestly desired.

Hence, I would guess this also meant that a lot of marriages were saved by the advice "have a baby." Who knew? It's like God was serious when he told our forefathers to "be fruitful and multiply."

Be Jealous, Haggis Fans!

I got an email today from Robert Burns at Bannockburn. Thankfully, I resisted the urge to respond with his ode to an haggis.

A man is known by his actions

Judging by the number of supposedly "pro-life" Democrats who cannot bring themselves to vote against a bill that would bring government funding of prenatal infanticide, I would dare suggest that it's a safe bet that (like early Al Gore, Joe Lieberman, and others) their "pro-life convictions" are only good until the votes are counted.

Exodus 20:16, folks.

Addendum: it might be objected that due to a proposed executive order by Dear Leader, there is no public funding of prenatal infanticide....to those who believe that, remember that Article 1 of the United States Constitution does not allow the President to overrule law. So what we have here is either a Constitutionally illiterate Congress and President (very likely), or the assertion that th executive claims the power to make law, or both.

We are in very dangerous times, as Dear Leader seems to be trying his best to override the Constitution and the limits self-imposed by President Washington.

A life well lived

This past Wednesday, my family and I went to honor the memory of my great aunt Dorothy--more or less, one of those whose prayers of 19 years helped a then 19 year old "Bubba" see his need for Christ. She had lived 96 years and more, and had spent most of those years serving those she loved in her churches--not to mention her husband of over 30 years, Albert, who died in 1990. It was a sweet, but hard, time--especially as my mother was Aunt Dorothy's favorite niece. While going through her home afterwards, my five year old daughter found this picture of my mom at...well, about age five.

Hopefully my step-dad will enjoy having a copy....

What color is the sun on his planet?

In campaigning (what else?) for his health insurance deform plan in Ohio, President Obama noted that he wanted to return control of healthcare to the people.

Which is, of course, why he was pushing a 2300 page health insurance deform bill that authorizes the government to tax and spend trillions of dollars. If you want evidence that Ivy League degrees don't give you a lick of sense, President Obama is Exhibit A.

This explains some things about Hollywood

Check out Fox's interview of Gilligan's Island star DawnWells, who asserts that finding someone to play her character will be difficult in a remake of the classic show. Why? Let's take a look at her own words:

Mary Ann is a good girl. She was a virgin, so casting now is going to be difficult.

In short, the level of lewdness in Hollyweird has risen to the level that Wells can't think of someone who can even act like she's innocent. So when we have an entertainment culture that values scandals, special effects and "plastic surgeon effects" over little niceties like plot and character, we not surprisingly find that it's hard to find actors and actresses who can't even portray youthful innocence.

It's a lesson we ought to remember when we consider whether we ought to go to the movies.

It boggles the mind.....

Evidently, the BATFE has confiscated a large number of toy guns which fire plastic pellets because they "could be" converted into a real machine gun.

In the same way, I suppose, that my pickup could be converted into an M1A1 Abrams tank simply by replacing the entire powertrain, suspension, body, and frame. You could keep.....oh, maybe the steering wheel, gas pedal, and driver's seat, if you were lucky.

If you support greater government involvement in health insurance, this is the kind of thinking you're supporting. Personally, I'd like to keep these guys as far away as possible from my health insurance.....

....and, for that matter, my guns as well.

Repeating my annual plea....

End Daylight Savings Time! It's a scam, it actually wastes energy (people coming home from work while it's still hot and running AC, efficient light bulbs), and it tends to make me late for church. Remember that it started as a joke by Ben Franklin at the expense of the French.

But on the off chance that it won't be ended by this weekend, don't forget to set your clocks ahead this Saturday.

A great picture of liberal thinking

Senator John Kerry is apparently recommending that the CDC and FDA end the ban on blood donations by homosexual men, claiming that there is no scientific reason for the ban.

Except, of course, for the "little" fact that around one in six homosexual men have AIDS, and furthermore this subsection of our population is known for donating blood to get a free AIDS test. Even if testing blood for HIV was 100% effective--and it is not--adding a group that will have blood rejected one out of six times is not exactly going to help the business of blood donation, never mind the reality that people will be understandably more nervous about receiving blood.

It is truly impressive how Senator Kerry is blind to this reality.

Seriously good news

Drinking four or more cups of coffee a day may actually REDUCE the risk of some heart conditions. God is SO good!

Not clear on the concept....

.....are many climate change scientists, who are responding to recent embarassing revelations about dirty tricks and poor research techniques done by their own colleagues by....

.....planning more dirty tricks against climate change theory skeptics, making the fray even more of a political battle. Now normally, "science" includes sharing methods, data, and results so that others can reproduce or refute them, not political dirty tricks. I would hence assume that their very threat of making it a bigger political battle is....

....a confession that there's not much scientific about climate change theory. Hopefully cooler heads prevail in the halls of academia before an entire branch of science lies discredited for a generation.

Thoughts on business

Although I'd quibble with his word choices at times, Cal Thomas nails what is all too often wrong with business these days. Specifically, too many business leaders have a time preference that ends with the vesting of their stock options, and hence they tend to make decisions for short term, rather than long term, profitability.

Addendum: GM is demonstrating, by changing managers to "boost profitability," that they're not getting the message from Toyota's troubles. Emphasis on turnover without addressing the root causes (the system any manager must work with) is simply rearranging deck chairs on you-know-what ship.

Another reason people leave the Church?

Take a look at this bit copied by Terry at Breathing Grace; what is described is to a great extent what I desire for my family--modest attire, good music, homeschooling, mother at home, and more. There is one big exception, however; the person writing it obviously sees these as externals unmotivated by a coherent theological argument.

And though I disagree with portions of the original writer's application, having seen a few of the books in which this lifestyle is presented to women, I can't blame her. Many of them do fall into the "I don't drink and I don't chew, and I don't go with girls that do" category. There is also the curious exhibit of women writing books encouraging--in the name of Biblical femininity--women to disregard their husbands' tastes and convictions in various areas.

Unfortunately, far too much "Biblical" advice falls into this category, especially that in areas like relationships, parenting, and stewardship. There are a lot of good ideas, and some of them are even Biblical. However, in failing to connect behavior and motivations with the Gospel and the character of God, the church may too often be generating that most terrifying of infidels; the one inside the church, whose external behavior may be good enough to convince others that he should be a deacon or elder.

Another attempt to cut the Gordian knot,

as friend Mr. Dilettante would put it; this time Socialist Insecurity. How do you fix it?

You end it gracefully, of course. There is no way to "fix" a system that is already actuarially bankrupt, presumes upon the future, and will destroy its own actuarial assumptions by its very existence. The choice is between ending it gracefully and bankrupting the country, really. Even AARP members might be able to process the possibility of bankrupting their grandchildren.

Step 1; reduce cost of living adjustments to the actual inflation rate, which is about 1% less than is actually granted each year.

Step 2; reduce benefits for incoming recipients by 5% per year. Give people a chance to adjust savings (generating capital for new jobs), but definitely phase out the current structure of payments.

Step 3; reduce payroll taxes as expenditures drop.

Step 4; reform Social Security disability rules to allow more part time work for recipients. A lot of people, including my sister in law, are capable of doing part time work, but don't even try because they might lose their benefits. It's time to allow people to start taking care of themselves.

Step 5; increase the dependent deduction to 1950s levels so people can better afford to take care of aging parents.

The theological collapse of Christianity Today

....is exemplified in this article to which ColdFusionGuy linked. How so?

Very simple; in the article, extensive attention is paid to the psychological roots of the movement attempting to apply Proverbs 22:6 to deterministic childrearing--more or less B.F. Skinner--but does not even mention the theological name for this belief; Pelagianism. Nor does the author even make a serious attempt at a Biblical theology of parenting.

Given that God describes Himself in many places as "Father," one would think that this would not be too difficult for someone on staff at Christianity Today. However, in today's rush to "theology lite", apparently that would be incorrect.

On the light side....

....my manager is about to retire, and he informed us that two candidates for his position were undergoing psychological exams to determine their fitness for the position. Given that too many managers (thankfully not my own) I know more or less work by intimidation and bullying, I have to wonder what they're looking for.

Then again, maybe I don't want to know.

Another way to cure subordinates' lust for advancement; make clear in your address to employees that the CEO that you've got blood in your caffeine instead of vice versa.

What kind of games?

SCSU scholars links to an article indicating that over 108,000 "disposable latex contraceptives" were distributed to 7000 athletes and officials during the recent Winter Olympics. Up to 30 "uses" among people who, by and large, came to the Village without knowing one another--and only spent two weeks there.

It's something to think about when people ask for money for athletic events or venues, or for that matter when our children desire to take their sport to the next level. What risks are we willing to take in a world gone mad for sport?

This explains some legislation I've heard about....

Evidently Dr. Pachauri has some company in writing horrifically bad "bodice ripper" novels; Senatress Barbara Boxer (CCCP-CA). While admittedly (and thankfully) I have little experience in this genre of "literature," the kind of drivel that Pachauri and Boxer have managed to get into print speaks volumes to the kind of nonsense that appears in official IPCC reports and Senate bills.

Not to mention, ahem, that if the article is representative of Mrs. Boxer's writing skills, something else besides literary genius was, as for Dr. Pachauri, at work in getting her published. Not that the Senate Ethics Committee will be getting around to it, of course--Senatress Boxer heads it, and apparently didn't think that big pay for bad writing violated any ethical standard.

And if you wonder why a truly "liberal", literary education is important, well, take a look at Senatress Boxer and the head of the IPCC. A little bit more time with Aristotle and logic class could have been enormously helpful to them.