The light blogging lately
It’s been kinda content light here the past couple of weeks, but things have been a bit busy.
For one of those reasons, I’d like to give a shout out to the really top notch team as the Foster Hospital for Small Animals, which is part of the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.
They did some really amazing work with one of my Golden Retrievers.
Speaking of small animals, the cat is actually in the bag…
Monday Book Pick: The Shaolin Grandmasters’ Text
The Shaolin Grandmasters’ Text: History, Philosophy, and Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch’an
A very good book for the serious martial artist. A lot of history as well the basics behind various techniques and philosophy. It explains why there are no real Shaolin in mainland China anymore (the Communists were better at driving them out than the War Lords), and why you are better off going to the Chinatowns of San Francisco, New York City and Boston, to find real Shaolin Gung Fu than going to Communist China (where they have Tai Chi practitioners and WuShu artists in orange robes to bilk tourists of the their cash).
Film Camera spotted in the Wild
An actual Film Camera spotted in the wild! The person with the camera was taking a photography class, and some of her assignments required an actual film camera to be used.
Originally posted at Slices of Life
Happy Lenin’s Birthday!
Yup, “Earth Day” is on Lenin’s Birthday. Not a coincidence, given that the “founder” of Earth Day was much more a “Watermelon” than an actual environmentalist.
Watermelon: Thin layer of green of the outside, red to the core.
So, we are going to look back at some Lenin’s Birthday classics, including this clip from the late George Carlin.
Let us not forget this list of Earth Day Predictions from 1970
“Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.” — George Wald, Harvard Biologist
“Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make. The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.” — Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist
“By…[1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.” — Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist
“It is already too late to avoid mass starvation,” — Denis Hayes, chief organizer for Earth Day
“Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions….By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.” — Peter Gunter, professor, North Texas State University
“Scientists have solid experimental and theoretical evidence to support…the following predictions: In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution…by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half….” — Life Magazine, January 1970
“At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, it’s only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our land will be usable.” — Kenneth Watt, Ecologist
“Air pollution…is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone.” — Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist
Ok, Ehrlich was sorta right on this, if you restrict his predictions to modern Communist China, where they are showing the typical communist/socialist contempt for the environment.
“By the year 2000, if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate…that there won’t be any more crude oil. You’ll drive up to the pump and say, `Fill ‘er up, buddy,’ and he’ll say, `I am very sorry, there isn’t any.’” — Kenneth Watt, Ecologist
Now we get to my personal favorite, although probably not Al Gore’s…
“The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years,” he declared. “If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.” — Kenneth Watt, Ecologist
Remember kids, there is way to get Clean Energy and plenty of it
Friday B-Movie Pick: Good Guys Wear Black
From the late 70s comes Chuck Norris’ first starring role. He plays a Vietnam Vet who’s unit was wiped out because politicans back home sold them out to the enemy. Years later, he gets his vengence! Bonus points for being Anne Archer’s first film role.
I’m surprised that many Americans are paying attention
According to a recent Gallup poll, 63% of Americans expect their taxes to go up over the next year. Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey points out that this poll doesn’t target likely voters or even just voters, it’s a poll of the general adult population. This not a good sign for the democrats. If everybody is expecting their taxes to go up, that means the percentage is probably higher amount likely voters.
I’m betting that more and more Americans are identifying with the two unifying themes of the Tea Party protests, less government spending and a smaller government.
Quote of the Day
“What did you do to the cat? It looks half-dead.” — Schroedinger’s wife
The Hidden Cost of the Federal Tax Code
Is Hillary really on BHO’s short list?
Selecting Hillary Rodham Clinton for the upcoming vacancy in the Supreme Court has been floated by a few sources.
Jammie Wearing Fool is correct in stating it would be a safe pick. She is in her second term in the Senate and will get support from enough other Senators in both parties (including the Socialist who, no surprise here, caucuses with the democrats) because they will support a member of their oh so exclusive club. Selecting HRC allows our Dear Leader to claim victory in putting a far left liberal woman on the court with expending any of the little political capital he has left.
Ed Morrissey also correctly notes: “… best of all, Obama would be dispatching the one Democrat who could conceivably win a primary race against him in 2012 if his numbers continue to fall. Once on the Supreme Court, Hillary would not step down to run for President, and Bill Clinton would be effectively neutralized as well.”
I stand by my advice from last October for Senator Clinton, run for Governor of New York State!
Either way, the President can appoint anybody he wants and can expect the same support from the Senate that previous Presidents have gotten from that body. The President should keep in mind that both he and Vice-President Biden voted against Supreme Court nominees appointed by President George W. Bush on purely political reasons.
Monday Book Pick: The BIG Black Lie: How I Learned The Truth About The Democrat Party
The BIG Black Lie: How I Learned The Truth About The Democrat Party by Kevin Jackson
Kevin Jackson tells how he escaped the trap liberal democrats have set for Black Americans and became a conservative Republican.