GraniteGrok

When is a poll not to be taken seriously? Why, when it doesn't show the results you wished for...

*                *                *

The Hegemon rises... Gordon G. Chang writes,

The Chinese have always threatened neighbors in order to enforce their outsized territorial claims. Now, it is threatening an American firm. It’s time for Washington to defend every nation’s right of passage-and the interests of its own businesses.

I believe we maintain carrier strike groups for this very purpose.

Will China overtake us? When looked at in some ways, the question is "How could they NOT?"

*                *                *

To those that claim the newest fad to hit NH in education, the International Baccalaureate Programme, is all about education, I say look at the facts. This posting, by a writer who is in FAVOR of IB, glowingly reports of its main raison d'etre:

The IB combines high academic standards with a powerful humanist purpose. Its mission statement speaks of developing “inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”

"But Doug--It'll also help our kids be more competititve when it comes to getting into college. Sure, maybe they teach peace and all that, but surely it's a small piece of the overall programme." Maybe you think so, but that's not how the cheerleader/blogger views it:

Because the IB’s mission is centered on changing the world, it is constantly learning and changing itself.

See? And you thought your kids were going to school to learn readin', writin', and 'rithmetic...

*                *                *

We're not really going to give the Iranians another bite at the apple, are we? Max Boot on the crazy notion of an American Interest section in Tehran:

who can ever doubt that the current Iranian regime, which is exactly the same regime that presided over the barbaric seizure of our personnel during the Carter administration, is capable of such acts in the future?

And the news in today's papers tells us that engaging in diplomatic talks with the Iranians is nothing more than a joke, anyway...

Posted by Doug at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm tired.  Too much going on.  Just random thought from surfing...

=============

Nice word - Nestapo!  Nanny State Police!  Love the word - it brings forth just the right amount of snark towards these  busybodies that have nothing better to do (especially elected politicians) that haven't grown up enough to leave the rest of us alone.

Somebody ought to inform the EPA of the word "Nestapo".  Going after lawnmowers? And may start regulating speed on the highways - more speed, more CO2? ("...vehicle speed is the single largest operational factor affecting CO2 emissions from large trucks,” and that “every mph increase above 55 mph increases CO2 emissions by more than 1%.” The ANPR puts speed limiters on large trucks on the table as a means of reducing carbon dioxide...").  So much for the Dept. of Transportation...

*****

Comedians don't find Obama funny.  Our pal John at RWN solves the problem:

What makes this so delicious is that most of his supporters are too young to understand the joke.

*****

Change I can believe in (Erick at RedState):

Barack Obama Purges His Website. No Longer Critical of the Surge.

When the situation in Iraq was going badly, Barack Obama wanted us to retreat. When the surge took hold and the situation in Iraq improved, Barack Obama wanted us to retreat. No turn in Iraq went unstoned in Obama's commitment to retreat and surrender.

Not any more. Obama has thrown his old positions under the bus. And, for a guy whose campaign claims to get the net, he's done an extremely dumb thing -- he purged his website of his former positions. Apparently he's never heard of a cache.

Just like with Kerry, I can hear those summer time shoes a-movin': flip-flop, flip-flop

*****

This is going to hurt:

Until recently, the impact of Title IX, the law forbidding sexual discrimination in education, has been limited mostly to sports. But now, under pressure from Congress, some federal agencies have quietly picked a new target: science

As in quotas in college.  Title IX, while helping women in a positive way, has also wrecked havoc on men's sports.  Might this be the feminists ultimate revenge?  Or just pour our nation down the toilet?  After all, in sports, there are only so many slots that can be filled with scholarships.  Now, they want to turn away men with money who want to pay to study subjects?  

So far, these Title IX compliance reviews haven’t had much visible impact on campuses beyond inspiring a few complaints from faculty members. (The journal Science quoted Amber Miller, a physicist at Columbia, as calling her interview “a complete waste of time.”) But some critics fear that the process could lead to a quota system that could seriously hurt scientific research and do more harm than good for women.

*****

Betsy's Page:

We've all heard humorless America-haters promote themselves by announcing, As Thomas Jefferson said, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

Continue reading "Ruminations - 7/15/08" »

Posted by Skip at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"Buddy C"

I know this has little to nothing to do with anything here in the Granite State, but I figured I'd note it anyway, as it involves one of the most interesting and colorful politicians to ever hit the scene. From the RI Film & TV Office: 

PLEASE WELCOME THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE

Please join Rhode Island native and renowned Director/Producer Michael Corrente and representatives from the Rhode Island Film & TV Office and the Providence Mayor's Dept. of Art, Culture and Tourism at 3PM on Thursday, June 12, 2008 at the Soldier's and Sailor's Monument in Kennedy Plaza facing Providence City Hall, as Mr. Corrente announces plans for filming his long-awaited political biopic THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE.  

The cast includes Dermot Mulroney, Adam Goldberg, Bradley Cooper, Ed Burns and Oliver Platt, who will portray former Providence Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci in the David Mamet adapted screenplay of Michael Stanton's 2003 book about one of America's longest-serving mayors.  Robin Williams is currently in negotiations to join this talented group of actors. 

"The passion I have for THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE is stronger then any film I've made to date. Through much scrutiny and speculation, I've spent six long years preparing for this picture. I have painstakingly taken the necessary time to make sure that all my ducks are in a row. This is my home state, and I have an obligation to ensure that the quality of the production matches the brilliance of the material. At the end of the day, and every day does end, nobody ever cares about how long it takes to make a movie; they only care if it's good", stated Mr. Corrente.

I have not read Mr. Stanton's book about the Mayor, but I did read another book about a prince. In fact, the name is just that: The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli many centuries before Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci arrived on the scene. And yet, based on my recollection of the years I lived in Rhode Island, and what I've heard since I left, one can almost imagine the infamous master political observer would certainly find a degree of familiarity with Providence's very own "prince". 

Writes Machiavelli in The Prince,

Continue reading " "The Prince" and "The Prince of Providence"" »

Posted by Doug at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier today on our radio program, Michigan Congressman Thadeus McCotter discussed why he doesn't think President Bush should go to the Beijing Olympics, stating

We don't think that the president, for the first time in US history should attend a foreign hosted Olympics because... his presence at the Games has deviated from the norm and set a political gesture into the Olympics.

In a letter to the president last September, Congressman McCotter wrote that in light of a long list of

the communist dictatorship's rogue actions against our nation and others, your attending these games in communist China will subvert the moral authority of your position as the Leader of the Free World-- a Free World which will be watching and weighing your participation.

To that end, he has filed legislation in Congress which, according to his website, is 

"a bill in Congress restricting all government officials and employees from attending the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics in communist China. The bill does NOT affect America’s Olympic athletes. The bill H.R. 5668, The Communist Chinese Olympic Accountability Act, is a follow up to a September 11, 2007, letter to President George W. Bush in which Congressman McCotter and a bi-partisan coalition of Members of Congress, state: 'We urge you [President Bush] to reconsider your decision to attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics in communist China.'"

This is a great idea, in that it allows the athletes to participate in the games without becoming political pawns, while at the same time sends a message that we are not going to accept a rival system of government that seeks to undermine ours through deception and espionage while trampling the human rights of its citizens in ways not tolerated elsewhere in the civilized world.

You would think President Bush would know better than to even consider such a trip, especially given the the violence in Tibet and elsewhere that's recently been all over the news.

I challenge New Hampshire's two Congressional Representatives, Democrats Shea-Porter and Hodes, to step up and join Congressman McCotter in his effort to stop President Bush from making a huge mistake.

How about it? Will the two of you support HR 5668? I wonder what the variaous candidates running for Congress this fall think? Albeit, it will be over before they get to Congress, but I'd still like to know how they would vote. This is a fantastic way to send a huge message without punishing a single athlete.

Posted by Doug at 4:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't travel all that much anymore, but I used to - was a Premier Exec in United's frequent flier program for years.  Now, I may not be the brightest bulb in the lot, but this is one thing I would never have tried to make it easier in the cabin:

Family's Laptop Missing From Checked Luggage

Ugh!  For me, this is akin to sneaking a ride in the nose wheel of the jet - never to be tried!  Now, I realize that I may have a tad more experience in riding in planes and bringing stuff with me (too  much too often) but what thinking person would ever think of putting something both expensive and BREAKABLE in a suitcase or duffel bag?  And then letting it be stuffed in the bottom of a plane, often with lots of other suitcases on top of it with handling not to be described with the words 'white kid gloves" in the same sentence?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ― Each day this holiday weekend more than 100,000 people will travel through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and most of them will check baggage.

Most people expect their stuff to make it safely to the destination but for one Minnesota family that didn't happen. Somewhere between check-in at MSP and luggage pickup on the other end their brand new laptop disappeared.

For the Dillons of Edina, Minn. it was supposed to be the perfect vacation for this family of seven. When you travel with five kids it's usually easier to check as much luggage as possible.

"My carry on bag wasn't big enough," said 14-year-old Samantha Dillon. So she checked her new laptop in her suitcase. When she got to San Diego it was gone.

Now, this is a young teenager - I'll cut her some slack...but what about her Dad or Mom?  Egad, a laptop is generally a valued item - WHY would they allow her to put it in th bag? My carry-on bag IS my computer bag and when I have to use the RJs, I know it doesn't fit either overhead or under the seat in front of me.....I carry a sleeve to make sure that breakable electronics stay with ME! 

Note to infrequent travelers - look out the window just after you have boarded and just WATCH how your luggage is treated!  You quickly will adopt new attitudes towards packing..... 

"I thought someone might have stolen it at the airport maybe," she said.

In her suitcase was a notice from the Transportation Safety Administration. Agents had opened her bag and searched it so Samantha's father immediately called them.

Continue reading "Some things should never, ever be checked" »

Posted by Skip at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My favorite method for turkey is to cook the bird upside down . It makes the whole thing so moist-- with no basting required.

• Prep your tukey with spice and rub with butter and olive oil.
• Place quartered apples, oranges, onions, carrots and celery in the cavity. You may use just the fruit or just vegetables. This provides flavor and moisture from within, steaming all the while it cooks.
• Close cavity up and place the bird upside down in a deep turkey pan and cover. Cook in the oven for desired time depending on the size of your bird.
• Allow to rest for 20 minutes, then remove very carefully. The meat will pull off the bone (Unless it falls off on its own, as it most likely will do. Mmmm!). If you want the skin to be crispy you may flip your tukey over for the last 20 minutes-- although, this could be difficult, due to the fact the meat might fall from the bone, as noted above.

              Enjoy!

This is a great recipe for the non turkey lovers, my husband does not like turkey but enjoys this meal every year. Thanksgiving has always been a special time with our children to reflect on the many blessings in our lives.

.

.

In the Lords Prayer we ask the Lord to “give us this day our daily bread.” Every day we have food to eat is itself a blessing from the God. So take this time to thank Him for each and every day. "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!"

Posted by Doug at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

BOSTON, MA (November 15, 2007) – Boston’s Talk Station, WRKO AM 680 and Howie Carr announced today that he will return to his afternoon drive-time show on Friday, November 16.

"We are thrilled that Howie is back on WRKO," said Entercom New England Vice President and Market Manager Julie Kahn. "Howie is a one-of-a-kind talent, and I’m sure all of Howie’s listeners are looking forward to hearing him on our air again."

Carr returns to his 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. slot, where he gives his inimitable take on local and national politics and current events. Carr’s contract runs through 2012.

"I'm very happy to be reunited with my loyal listeners on WRKO. I said I'd be back on the air before Imus and now I am!"

Talk about a long vacation! Since the beginning of July, the wit and wisdom of Howie has been AWOL, and it was beginning to look like we weren't going to get to hear him ever again. As I reported in this post in July,

Searching for some more info on the matter, I found this detailed story from the Boston Phoenix. Apparently, there's a lot more than meets the eye. And it turns out, the divorce between Carr and RKO might be a rocky one. Writes Adam Reilly:

Howie Carr’s jump from WRKO-AM (680) to WTKK-FM (96.9) isn’t a done deal just yet. Carr’s new morning drive-time show is supposed to begin in October. But after the Herald reported this past Monday that Carr was poised to bolt WRKO, station spokesman George Regan released a statement hinting that WRKO might take legal steps aimed at keeping Carr from leaving — or, barring that, at making his exit as unpleasant as possible.

Posted by Doug at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Doug at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's a shameless plug...I'm substitute co-hosting the morning show starting today from 6-9 am through next Friday on wntk.com out of New London.

It's live streamed so check it out if you can't get it on 97.7 fm. Call in number is 888-299-3151.

Fergus Cullen is on from 7:35-7:45 am this morning. He'll be talking about the RNC's executive committee recommendation to strip half of NH's delegates at the convention.

Go Sox, eh?  

Posted by Judy at 4:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

• Pat Robertson
• Pat Buchanan (I can't believe I'm saying this)
• Chuck Hagel
• Joe Scarborough
• Mitt Romney
• Arlen Specter
• Colin Powell ( a plant, no doubt, for the left)
• Andrew Sullivan (is he on the right at all?)
• John McLaughlin (this one pains me too)
• Trent Lott
• Tucker Carlson
• William Cohen (actually, all "Republicans" from Maine, now that I think about it-- Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins)

Posted by Doug at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

They came from Hopkinton, Derry, Windham, Sandown, Freemont, Plaistow, Kingston, Exeter and Florida to join Hampstead‘s residents for the American Solutions Day workshops at the Hampstead Middle School.

.

Forty-six attendees—42 registered and 4 who chose not to register—were in the room when the meeting convened at 12:55 PM.  What we lacked in numbers was more than made up by the enthusiasm and stimulating discussions of the participants.

.

After welcoming remarks and some administrative details by host Jorge Mesa-Tejada, moderator Peter Bearse opened the meeting at 1:00 PM with Newt’s introduction.  The attendees raptly listened and utterances of “YES!!” and “Right on!!” were heard during Newt’s 30-minute introductory remarks.

.

The group overwhelmingly chose illegal Immigration as the first topic of discussion.  The common feeling was that Washington had surrendered border and immigration control to world politics because there are existing laws and tools to handle the situation. What is lacking is the will to use and enforce them.

.

The consensus to fix the problem was that we should 1) enforce the existing laws, 2) close the border, 3) develop a secure Social Security Card with photo [NOT a national ID card] and 3) hold employers directly accountable for hiring illegal immigrants with concomitant severe penalties leading to closing the business after three convictions.

.

The topic for the second session led to a spirited discussion because some were in favor of the flat tax and others favored the fair tax.  After an explanation of the differences, the fair tax won.  Even then, the subsequent brainstorming showed certain reticence about imposing a fair tax and not some kind of income tax. The main argument was that it would really affect the poor. In the end, there was overwhelming support for the institution of a fair tax over a flat tax.  The concern then turned as to doubts that the powers that be would allow it to become law.  It was pointed out that that was precisely where we, activists, came in—one here, one there until there was a veritable army behind it.

Continue reading "Solution Day Debriefing. Report from Hampstead." »

Posted by Doug at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Thoughts as solid as the Granite upon which they were thought....

Just like what I posted yesterday, some protected classes of folks get to talk in ways (and get away with it) that I cannot.  Once again, thanks to Political Correctness and rascism.  Jesse Jackson went after Barack Obama.  Why?

Jesse Jackson sharply criticized presidential hopeful and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for “acting like he’s white”  according to The Associated Press.  

Let's keep that "is he black enough" meme going, eh Jesse? Imagine if I said that... 

**************************

"You know, you look back over our history, and it doesn't take you long to realize that our people have shed more blood for other people's liberty than any other combination of nations in the history of the world.'' - Fred Thompon  9/7/07

Operative word - other. 

The folks over at the Washington Post can't listen well, it seems.  They totaled up our casualties over the decades defending others: 623,288.  They tried to claim that the 8 million lost in WWII by the Soviets were, in part, to "liberate" Western Europe from the Nazis. 

Right....and then they spent spent the next few decades trying to take over.  That's "liberating"?

Thompson's jingoistic assertion cannot be supported by facts, barring some tortuous definition of the phrase "other people's liberty."

Journalists....please try learning history before twisting it....and trying a take down in doing so.  Jingoistic - showing a bit of a bias, eh? 

News to WaPo - Most Americans and I want someone who is proud of the US to be the US President!

More after the jump 

Continue reading "Ruminations - 9/19/08" »

Posted by Skip at 8:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continue reading "Announcing the GraniteGrok reader survey results: NH's Power Players" »

Posted by Doug at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (1)

Attention New Hampshire GraniteGrok readers... We need your help!

QUESTION: Who are the NEW power players here in New Hampshire? Who are the most influential in today's Granite State?

Posted by Doug at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I had seen this post over at the Belmont Club last week and it just wouldn't let go.  No, it wasn't the subject matter: WTO and the case of Antigua vs the US.  Stuff of international trade, while of more interest as I better understand how the world actually works, is not stirring stuff - at least not to this blogger.

However, there were a couple of sections that did grab my attention as they made a lot of sense.  Wrongly, but made sense:

Where have we seen this before? Pretty much everywhere. While not exactly the same, the Antigua decision has structural similarities to the way some international lawyers think about the Geneva Convention and human rights legislation. The US is "bound" by the letter of the law, and if a terrorist mass murderer can find a legal loophole to escape then he is "entitled" to use it. But the Convention is not obeyed by weaker parties because it is impractical to enforce it. Just as pirated DVDs can be found being openly sold in many street corners in Asia without being similarly available in places like Australia, countries with well-functioning legal systems find themselves at a disadvantage compared to countries with no enforcement. In the area of human rights, for example, America has courts before which lawyers can appear. Al-Qaeda has a cave in Pakistan where accommodations are notoriously poor. The US will obey a legal judgment. Legal judgments against al-Qaeda are an exercise in futility. Who will lawyers sue? Under these conditions the full weight of international law will always come down hardest on the most law-abiding.

[snip]

The power disparity between countries like the United States and other countries is offset by the disparity in expectations of compliance. It would be considered natural for Khalid Sheik Mohammed to ask for his "rights" under international law, but an American soldier captured by al-Qaeda can hardly make the same request -- unless he wants to kill his captors with laughter -- which might be a violation of the Geneva Conventions itself.

I taught my kids (at least I tried) that taking the "high road" was the right thing to do; the better morality.  Sure, it is hard and often not as profitable in the way that many account for profit.  I try (though not always attain) that ideal.  For me, the higher road is its higher reward.  But I also know that many do not share this sentiment.  But as with most things, when folks who try to take that high road fail, ridicule and scorn are soon to follow.

However we play it, we have to remember one thing - morality is for humans - not countries.  Countries have self-interests and self-inflicted manners of behavior (or, as it seems, none at all).  

I guess the moral of the story here is that perhaps expectations need to rise for those that choose to not follow the high road.... 

Posted by Skip at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Attention New Hampshire GraniteGrok readers... We need your help!

QUESTION: Who are the NEW power players here in New Hampshire? Who are the most influential in today's Granite State?

Posted by Doug at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Attention New Hampshire GraniteGrok readers... We need your help!

QUESTION: Who are the NEW power players here in New Hampshire? Who are the most influential in today's Granite State?

Posted by Doug at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The church in the background is the Alter Dom, where Anton Bruckner played the organ from 1855 to 1868. After the Anschluss of Germany and Austria in March 1938, the Hauptplatz was renamed Adolf-Hitler-Platz.

Have you ever experienced something seemingly coincidental that brought you back to another time in your life where a similiar thread intertwined? It's a kinda strange feeling as though maybe we're all a little more connected then we think, and the world is getting smaller every day.

I've had a few of those moments. I graduated from high school in Oklahoma City. Four or so years later, I was walking down the hallway at the University of Alaska and passed a guy who looked familiar. We both stopped and turned around and started talking and comparing notes to try to figure out where we knew each other from. Well, it seems we both were from Okie City. In fact, he had been a basketball player and we realized that we had had one of each of our legs tied to the other to play basketball for some silly fund raiser at school. We hadn't really known each other well at all, and this was the closest we ever got. He was a mediocre basketball player and I was one of many from the pep club who had their names drawn to pair up and play b-ball.

I've had several moments like that that seem almost like de'ja vu but not really. Just that intertwined string not the feeing that you lived something before kinda feeling.

Saturday one of those things happened again that seemed even more remote and coincidental.

Continue reading "Odd Coincidents?" »

Posted by Judy at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Hollingworth said she continues to have concerns about the hiring criteria in the contract for people guarding a facility that

includes weapons of mass destruction.

What exactly does Councilor Hollingworth know that few others don't?

Posted by Doug at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Update:  ugh....what were my fingers NOT doing last nite.....spelling and other errors fixed....sheesh...

===================================== 

Well, nothing in particular...I think....just a few things that caught my attention:

This should prove to either be interesting, or amusing. 

Given that it will be based on "San Fran values", it could be both with Cindy Shaheen perhaps gunning for Nancy Pelosi for derelection of duty!

These never seem to work...at least when the attempt is used against those with will power.

If someone wishes to voluntarily go hungry or starve themelves for any purpose, fine by me, as I've never really understood the reasoning behind it (it assumes that their issue is important to me, which generally, it isn't).  If these kids want to starve themselves because of the DREAM act not being enacted, knock yourselves out. Why?  This bill discrimates against the children of legal citizens as illegals are treated more preferentially than mine; I have no stock in the argument of "these kids are innocent - why make them suffer for the sins of their parents?".  By allowing this to happen, the incentive stands for illegals to get their kids into the US.  Second, this "kids on a diet" frankly have no skinny in the game - if they wish (and all others of the same mind) want  illegals to get breaks on tuition, then start fund raising for them out of their own pockets instead of forcing the rest of us to do  so.  I'm betting that most of these hunger strikers are not even paying their own way; having to fork over the cost of sending illegals would themselves may change their outlooks in a hurry.  It's just too easy to spend other peoples' money... (H/T: Inside Ed)

At 19% approval rate, how come Congress is giving itself a $4,400 raise in the House? 

Reported by CNSNews, do you realize that over the last decade or so, the House and Senate members have put themselves into the most highly compensated group of citizens in the country?  They may rail against the rich in corporate America - but you hardly ever hear them talk about their own pay. 

I forget where I saw it, but I like this idea - Representatives and Senators receive 2,000 X their approval rating as pay.  Instead of $165,200 they actually get (close to or in the top 5% of all income in the nation), they'd be getting $38K.

I like this idea.....pay for performance!

Whadda ya know, a Dem in Congress wants to discriminate against poor people by making them pay more for gas and oil....much more....and give it to Congress to spend -

"A powerful House Democrat said on Friday that he planned to propose a steep new “carbon tax” that would raise the cost of burning oil, gas and coal, in a move that could shake up the political debate on global warming.

The proposal came from Representative John D. Dingell of Michigan, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and it runs directly counter to the view of most Democrats that any tax on energy would be a politically disastrous approach to slowing global warming."

Talk like this would have made my late Uncle Clarence spitting mad (he always voted Democratic because FDR's policies put him thru college, and that was the ONLY reason he could ever muster up)....because it is true (H/T: Captains Quarters)

Captain Ed ruminates on George Will's column.  Me?  War - run dandy....economy, not so much.  Kinda backwards today.....although the surge IS starting to work....

Our friend DCE over at Weekend Pundit has it right - English NOW

Posted by Skip at 8:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I said that blogging (from me) would light, and it sure has been!  However, Doug's been real busy playing with his new toy - VLogging!  And has seemed to have gotten a hit right out of the box with his YouTube from Congressman Hodes (D-NH, D1) - An InstaLaunche resulted!  And a lot of links from others (including our friend Pat over at AnkleBitingPundits).

*****

In the mean time, the project to get MTNP livestreaming using Winamp and Shoutcast continues on.  We've progressed from (Winamp playing) to (Winamp / DSP to Shoutcast on one system to Winamp catching it on another) to (Winamp on one node sourcing a stream to Shoutcast on another and catching it on another).  But only on my internal network.

With the help of our buddy DCE from WeekendPundit and his brother John, the next step is to put the server out on the 'Net and start experimenting with that.  We'll try a few different players and ways to catch the stream, so hopefully in a couple of weeks, Meet The New Press will be out on the 'Net!

***** 

Speaking of Pat, he did an interview here at AnkleBitingPundits with Congressman Chris Cannon (UT-03) concerning immigration.  Now, the 'Grok likes Pat a lot (as Doug, Pat, and I all own Meet The New Press together), but Doug and I do tend to razz him a bit on immigration as we don't quite see eye to eye (we're not all the hep on guest workers and his take is not primarily on a wall).  THAT said, it is a well done interview - Pat does a good job.  Go listen!  Really!

*****

My local paper, the Laconia Citizen, has a short piece (sorry, only the dead paper version) on the NH legislators adding $3 million to help support the local dairy farmers as the weather hasn't c0operated with plantings, costs are up, and the national pricing for milk has stayed the same the last few years.

Yup - government sets the price to what they think it should be, causes a distortion in the market, and then uses more taxpayer money fix the problem they started in the first place by trying to regulate prices.

Hey, why stop with milk farmers?  I know some programmers that have suffered due to globalization....

Government should stay out of the marketplace in this area.  Supply and Demand will take care of inequities and pricing.   

*****

This whole Imus thing?  When rappers are held to the same standard, I'll take it seriously.  Double standards hurt everyone.  Political correctness ("I can say it but you cannot") is prejudiced.

*****

I always thought that the Constitution said that foreign policy was the domain of the Executive branch.  Seems that when Ms. Pelosi ascended the Speakership and being third in line to the Presidency, I guess she thought she gets the chance to practice in Syria and possibly Iran.

Has she read the reviews from our enemies on her performance so far?  Listen to her, listen to our "non-friends"  - what's the difference?

*****

Well, back to streaming stuff...... 

Posted by Skip at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)