tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64682762011-12-14T21:58:42.067-05:00The future is now: <strong>Be Practical and Get Real!</strong> A forum for practical politics, economics, science, technology, social commentary, and lifestyle to help you form your own opinions...hosted by Edward and Brendan.nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.comBlogger4331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1158072761265930492006-09-12T10:43:00.000-04:002006-09-12T10:52:41.296-04:00

There's a wonderful editorial by Bret Stephens in today's Wall Street Journal in which he describes the seeming paradox of European and American liberals' inability to act strongly against the Islamo-fanaticism of the Middle East. While on the one hand it has become their nature to stand for any and all races, creeds and cultures (perhaps the group-think here is that if you defend gay and black

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1155217719564489032006-08-10T09:47:00.000-04:002006-08-10T09:48:39.596-04:00

Simply put, politicians will say virtually anything to get elected or remain in the public eye. While some of you may think that we at The Realist Party have exhausted this claim in our posts, here's a little more proof that will help to jade your perspective a little bit more, courtesy of Peter Schweizer at USA Today:Al Gore has spoken: The world must embrace a "carbon-neutral lifestyle." To do

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1153833266215885922006-07-25T09:07:00.000-04:002006-07-25T09:14:26.236-04:00

It's time to turn to nuclear power and to spend the vast sums of money that are required to upgrade our decades old, and in some parts century old, electrical power grid to modern capacities. Otherwise, we are going to be hearing more and more about power failures and blackouts in Queens, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. Burning fossil fuels is so 1800s. It's time to make the leap into the 21st

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1150215832418648352006-06-13T12:16:00.000-04:002006-06-13T12:23:52.440-04:00

These are actually fantastic blogs from a GM worker talking about the recent article in the NYT by Tom Friedman:The GM Blog's initial post in response to the Times' op-ed pieceThe GM Blog's reaction to the Times' subsequent responseOne of my favorites lines from the first post follows:"Don’t get me wrong. Toyota's a fine company. But like GM, Toyota offers a full range of cars and trucks to

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1146838977238337902006-05-05T10:21:00.000-04:002006-05-05T10:22:57.273-04:00

It's tough to understand people when they speak in different languages. Accordingly, I have put together a helpful little guide when you find yourself in a tight spot and don't know what someone 'means' to 'say'. For example:When a Frenchman says, "Bon jour. Comme ca va?", he is saying, "Good day. How are you?"See how simple it is? Let's try another one.When a Mexican says, "Feliz cinco de

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1145880361084398242006-04-24T08:04:00.000-04:002006-04-24T16:36:46.296-04:00

"In a poor country like ours, the alternative to low-paid jobs isn't well-paid ones; it's no jobs at all."-Jesús Reyes-Heroles, Mexico's Ambassador to the USA

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1144774536881765902006-04-11T12:48:00.001-04:002006-04-11T12:56:28.170-04:00

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Mark Steyn, a columnist from the Chicago Sun Times, has this immigration problem solved: deport our politicians who spend more time quick fixes and sound bites than lasting solutions to legal immigration. In the interim, let's all remember that immigrants, who slave away for a chance to improve their lives, are a part of the engine that drives economic growth in this country.

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1142339664616805752006-03-14T07:28:00.000-05:002006-03-14T07:34:24.626-05:00

Rich Karlgaard, the editor of Forbes Magazine, made a spectacular point in his January column (yes, I am a touch behind in my magazine reading). Basically, he opines that the mainstream media wallow in a zero-sum world. There can be only one top anchor at each station and one top editor at each newspaper. Consequently, alarming stories about job losses, trade and fiscal deficits, global

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1140014451954349632006-02-15T09:34:00.000-05:002006-02-15T20:14:07.310-05:00

(EDITOR’S NOTE: I’ve never gotten this bottled water fad that is blasting through the country faster than you can say ‘Ipod’. The United States has the cleanest public water supply in the world, uses fluoride to help protect against cavities and tooth decay, and has federal regulations to ensure the safety and purity of the product. Bottled water manufacturers often simply filter our own tap

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1138112389048737552006-01-24T09:01:00.000-05:002006-01-24T09:19:49.123-05:00

It’s Macroeconomics 101: whenever the government gets involved, and I mean every time the government gets involved, output declines and prices increase. It’s a simple theory learned by first year college economics students the country over. Sadly, I had just resigned myself to this fact after living in the ‘real’ world for 14 years since graduation. Now and again, a reporter will reawaken my

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1137694278955303252006-01-19T13:05:00.000-05:002006-01-19T13:11:18.970-05:00

We all do it: we're inconsiderate boobs when it comes time to using mobile phones. Hell, half my friends think I'm a boob for calling them mobile phones instead of cell phones. Whatever.In any event, Wired News has some great recommendations on how to use your 'mobile phone' without irritating everyone around you and possibly (and in New York City, very probably) inviting the wrath of some

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1134660212683978582005-12-15T10:23:00.000-05:002005-12-15T10:23:56.413-05:00

Anyone living in and around New York City knows that a metro transit strike is imminent. Why? Subway workers want to get paid more, a lot more. How much more? The Wall Street Journal offers the following summary:...New York's poor, downtrodden transit workers, who earn an average of $55,000 a year and have gold-plated health and other benefits, [are] demanding 8%-a-year raises for each of the

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1134411170076138712005-12-12T13:12:00.000-05:002005-12-12T13:12:50.136-05:00

The quest for a flat tax has basically come to a complete end since George Bush's administration has tabled tax reform for the foreseeable future. It's unfortunate because most of the people that would finally have come under the 'jurisdiction' of a flat tax are those who are supposed to pay taxes under the 'progressive' system but invariably pay none at all, thanks to tax credits and deductions

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1134147437274143622005-12-09T11:57:00.000-05:002005-12-09T12:09:51.926-05:00

For a long time in my arguments with environmentalists and tree-huggers, I have urged them to modify their rallying cry from "Save Earth!" to "Save Humans!" in order to more accurately reflect their position. Sadly, my words are often ignored, or worse, met with a vehemence that would make a member of the mafia blush. You see, what most environmentalists are arguing for is keeping the Earth

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1133878718769661472005-12-06T09:18:00.000-05:002005-12-06T10:06:53.530-05:00

Unions: as if they ever added any long-term value. Their contracts have been the downfall of this country.First, Delphi entered bankruptcy protection and threatens to fire most US-based workers if they don't accept market wages of $9.50 an hour excluding benefits vs. the $63.50 per hour package that they are (were?) currently earning. Frankly, this seems fair since most workers were simply

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1133368924258098832005-11-30T11:42:00.000-05:002005-11-30T11:42:04.306-05:00

Toyota is laughing all the way to the bank. I have long wondered what kind of dope pays the absurd premium for a hybrid expecting to get any tangible benefit shy of the car's 10th birthday. Now, having read a column in the Wall Street Journal today, it appears that I'm not the only one: "Let us assure you that the Prius remains one of the most fuel-efficient cars on the road. Toyota applauds

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1133287682887871022005-11-29T13:08:00.000-05:002005-11-29T13:08:02.926-05:00

So I'm reading along an article in the New York Post about how PETA is absurd and hypocritical. It's always a great way to get myself riled up by reading about these far left groups that purport to care about the world while they sit in the back of their limousines and wax absurdly about poor ferrets and foxes bred specifically for their fur. Note the following: "Their credibility really has

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1132932072838993642005-11-25T10:21:00.000-05:002005-11-30T08:46:42.136-05:00

Here's the deal: I was once in a motorcycle accident. Why, you might ask? Simple, a driver (I won't mention the driver's sex for fear of starting a flame war) in a 'ginormous' SUV ran a red light on Park Avenue and stopped in the middle of intersection when the driver saw me. My options were to slam on the breaks and low-side it (that means slide out and crash) or try to weave around the SUV

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1130946978083971382005-11-02T10:56:00.000-05:002005-11-02T12:06:38.056-05:00

It often seems that the American public forgets that we live in a free market economy. Recent calls for taxes on 'windfall profits' demonstate just how little the average citizen understands the notion of supply and demand, well at least when it is removed from the ridiculous demand for SUVs or beanie babies. As usual, politicians sense an opportunity to spend other people's finances while

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1129645971314126552005-10-18T10:25:00.000-04:002005-10-18T10:32:51.323-04:00

It's understandable that people would want to take reasonable steps to stay clean, but anti-bacterial cleansers are like bringing bazookas to a fox hunt. Simple soap and water will most certainly do the trick on a daily basis. An increased number of people must be carrying portable antibacterial cleansers, such as Purel, as evidenced by my recent sojourn to the bathroom at a NY Jets game

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1128698246955866082005-10-07T11:05:00.000-04:002005-10-07T11:38:24.483-04:00

It seems that the U.S. Federal budget deficit for 2005 will be approximately $301 billion compared with a $412 billion deficit in 2004 (Source: US Treasury). One might view this as cause for celebration, but your humble friends here at the Realist Party do not share the sentiments.While receipts did increase 14% in the past year, despite the oft-maligned tax cuts, or in my humble opinion because

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1128518352502287472005-10-05T09:14:00.000-04:002005-10-05T09:20:08.433-04:00

The New York Times reported the results of an IRS report today:After falling for two years, the share of income going to the richest slice of Americans -- the top tenth of 1% -- grew significantly in 2003 while the share going to 99% of Americans fell, according to tax data released yesterday and reported by the New York Times. At the same time, the effective income tax-rates paid by the top

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1127998838129938142005-09-29T09:00:00.000-04:002005-09-29T09:00:38.186-04:00

It's interesting to consider why young men in the lower class today seem increasingly predisposed towards crime. Charles Murray, from American Enterprise Institute, offers the following theory in theWall Street Journal: Why has the proportion of unsocialized young males risen so relentlessly? In large part, I would argue, because the proportion of young males who have grown up without fathers

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1127395853293712942005-09-22T09:26:00.000-04:002005-09-22T09:30:53.300-04:00

Harvard University has finally agreed to allow military recruiters on campus. Indeed, this news came as some surprise to me considering the halls of ivy have always maintained a rather distant approach to honor as it pertains to country. However, an editorial in The Wall Street Journal today cleared up any misconceptions on my part as to why Harvard finally acquiesced:The news is that Harvard

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1120572586341263292005-07-05T10:09:00.000-04:002005-07-05T10:09:46.383-04:00

If our readers thought that only US citizens tried to make ridiculous and frivolous lawsuits, one need look no further than Russia, courtesy of AP: NASA's mission that sent a space probe smashing into a comet raised more than cosmic dust - it also brought a lawsuit from a Russian astrologer. Marina Bai has sued the U.S. space agency, claiming the Deep Impact probe that punched a crater into the

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1119962069404139832005-06-28T08:22:00.000-04:002005-06-28T08:34:29.410-04:00

(EDITOR’S NOTE: There seems to be a giant disconnect between the quality of education offered in this country (on a state by state basis) and the amount of money spent in pursuit thereof. While I have long been a proponent of augmenting the educational system in the United States, it hardly seems that taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. Pathetic test scores, a student body that is

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1118979082182041402005-06-16T23:20:00.000-04:002005-06-16T23:32:01.013-04:00

But I'm sure you already knew that subconsciously. Another great post from Powerline:Reflections on How Things Keep Getting BetterLiberalism is more or less synonymous with pessimism, so every time we point out something good, it feels like a subversive act. I'm thinking of this in part because I spent the day in a meeting in Washington--a quick in-and-out trip that wasn't long enough to check

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1118977751710588002005-06-16T22:50:00.000-04:002005-06-16T23:09:11.716-04:00

The Sunni leaders have been sending signals for quite some time now that they want to join the political process and get with the program. Now an agreement has been brokered to do just that. What this means is that things will eventually quiet down significantly and the only violence will be from Jihadi/Al-Qaeda types, and their operations will be much impeded once the local sunni tribes stop

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1118427674391189152005-06-10T14:17:00.000-04:002005-06-10T16:25:17.203-04:00

This just seems vaguely "wrong" (as in yuck) to me for some reason. But who knows what will be the norm 50 years from now?Rings of bone grown for couples Couples who want to share more than vows are getting the opportunity to share their bone too in a "bio jewellery" research project. Using bioglass, a special bioactive ceramic which mimics the structure of bone material, researchers are growing

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1118012811624670272005-06-05T18:56:00.000-04:002005-06-05T19:11:26.056-04:00

Published on the Winds of Change Blog, these are short humorous stories from one of the peaceful voives in Islam, called Sufi. Their teachings are passed on in this way, as well as with mystical or romantic poetry. There are weekly installments. Enjoy.Archives of prior posts can be found in the link below.Sufi Wisdom: Deceitful Donkeyby T.L. James of MarsBlog.Part of our weekly Sufi Wisdom series

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1116793993746504992005-05-22T16:02:00.000-04:002005-05-22T16:33:13.753-04:00

You may have heard about recent claoms of sonoluminsecence fusion recently. These experiments use ultrasound at resonance frequencies to creat tiny bubbles in duterated acetone. Collapse of these bubbles results in a tiny burst of light as temperatures approach those in stars....possible high enough to cause fusion."When bubbles in a liquid get compressed, the insides get hot — very hot," said

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1116791841850034652005-05-22T15:46:00.000-04:002005-05-22T15:59:34.556-04:00

By way of the excellent Oxblog.MAKING THE ROUNDS ON THE INTERNET: If anyone knows who wrote this, considerations of plagiarism and honesty aside, I'm not quite sure I'd exactly want to be regarded as its author.....This Time on Jeremy Springer: Catfighting Political TheoristsCrowd: Jer-ry! Jer-ry! Jer-ry!Jerry: Today's guests are here because they can't agree on fundamental principles of

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1116466669729637162005-05-18T21:34:00.000-04:002005-05-18T21:37:49.736-04:00

To stop evolution: New way of fighting antibiotic resistance demonstrated by Scripps scientistsNew way of fighting antibiotic resistance demonstrated by Scripps scientistsA team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of Wisconsin have demonstrated a new way of fighting antibiotic resistance: by stopping evolution.In the June issue of the open-access journal PloS

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1116466052465664462005-05-18T21:23:00.000-04:002005-05-18T21:29:50.076-04:00

Excellent points from Energy Outlook:SUVs and their owners get the blame for all sorts of ills, including higher traffic fatality rates and parking lot congestion. They are even lampooned in Dilbert. And with gas prices sky high, at least in nominal dollars, SUVs take the brunt of concerns about our growing dependence on imported oil. The data needed to assess the validity of this complaint are

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1116221816066299722005-05-16T01:28:00.000-04:002005-05-16T01:36:56.073-04:00

Sorry for the light posting, but its been a pretty slow news month. So far we have millions of dollars in bribes diverted by Saddam from the UN Oil for Food going to French and UN officials (who opposed holding Saddam accountable to the UN resolutions) as well as to a prominent anti-war British MP. Is it really a surprise that there were millions going to Russian as well?Oil-for-food aided

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1114741604989158992005-04-28T22:20:00.000-04:002005-04-28T22:30:13.586-04:00

From Powerline:Unsustainable?Last night we noted that Dartmouth College has hired its first "sustainability director," Jim Merkel. The Dartmouth Daily story on Merkel's hiring reported that Merkel -- "who is currently bicycing through Spain to promote his book 'Radical Simplicity'" -- has lived "on only $5,000 a year -- close to the global average income -- for the past 14 years." The article

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1114741188432959362005-04-28T22:09:00.000-04:002005-04-28T22:19:48.433-04:00

Ophthalmologists implant five patients with artificial silicon retina microchipOphthalmologists at Rush University Medical Center implanted Artificial Silicon Retina (ASR) microchips in the eyes of five patients to treat vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The implant is a silicon microchip 2mm in diameter and one-thousandth of an inch thick, less than the thickness of a human

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1114546475965028032005-04-26T16:03:00.000-04:002005-04-26T16:21:44.676-04:00

Recently I read some good posts over at FuturePundit on some issues that may pop up as biotechnology becomes more advanced and widespread. Some of the suggestions were so funny I had tears in my eyes (particularly in the second article), but they also do raise some interesting questions. Enjoy.What Happens When Everyone Can Do Genetic Engineering?Some popular fears about dangers that will arise

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1114290263507143752005-04-23T16:23:00.000-04:002005-04-25T20:30:58.976-04:00

Battery technology has been improving a lot recently, and this latest breakthrough is especially interesting. One wonders about potential automotive applications especially with plug-in hybrids (essentially hybrid cars with more batteries and smaller gas engines that are designed to run the first 20 or so miles of a trip on purely electric power and be charged up at night or at work, thus

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1114134874971633042005-04-21T21:47:00.000-04:002005-04-21T21:54:34.976-04:00

I'm sure you've all heard the old saw that Scandanavians enjoy the highest standard of living in the world. Yes, they have universal healthcare coverage, but at the cost of enormously high taxes. But even though they don't have to pay for their own defense, (essentially freeriding off of the American taxpayer), and enjoy the commerce-promoting international stability provided by the USA (again,

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1114134409059158892005-04-21T21:40:00.000-04:002005-04-28T09:39:39.666-04:00

Amazing. What is the French phrase for "no shame"? Instapundit remarks on some of the more peculiar French diplomatic efforts in recent memory:France is supporting preemptive war -- so long as it's by a major customer!During a state visit to China, French Premier Raffarin threw support behind a law allowing China to attack Taiwan and continued to push for a lift of the EU arms embargo. At the

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1114042842101219872005-04-20T20:17:00.000-04:002005-04-28T09:35:33.516-04:00

The Independent reports that scientists have begun to unlock the secrets of papyrus scraps bearing long-lost words by the literary giants of Greece and Rome. It is a 'classical holy grail' that may rewrite the history of the world.For more than a century, it has caused excitement and frustration in equal measure - a collection of Greek and Roman writings so vast it could redraw the map of

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1113965824702520062005-04-19T22:47:00.000-04:002005-04-28T09:32:35.640-04:00

Here’s some more updates from Iraq, courtesy of Chrenkoff:Our special correspondent and translator Haider Ajina wants you to know about a new opinion poll from Iraq. It was published in the April 18 edition of Iraqi Arabic newspaper "Almidhar":778 Baghdadis were asked:"Do you support the pull out of foreign troops?"At once - 12.56%According to a future timetable - 81.80%Do not know - 5.64%"“Has

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1113319334911183232005-04-12T11:22:00.000-04:002005-04-12T11:22:14.910-04:00

A great column in The New York Times tries to address why the news media has lost almost all of its credibility with the public. Interestingly, this assessment has bipartisan support. People have come to view news organizations as harbingers for influencing current events rather than simply reporting them. It has left a bitter taste in most viewers' mouths because they are being pandered to

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1112675023593495452005-04-05T00:18:00.000-04:002005-04-05T07:36:26.226-04:00

The Pope is the head religious figure for 17% of the world's population, or approximately 1 billion people. With the recent passing of Pope John Paul II, Charles Krauthammer offered the following comments on the power of Pope John Paul II's faith, via Powerline:During the papacy of John Paul II, we heard much chatter about a "third way" in politics -- an approach that would be neither that of

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1112671876119948362005-04-04T23:30:00.000-04:002005-04-05T09:34:15.400-04:00

An interesting article appearing on the Motley Fool, excerpts of which appear below, suggests that companies like Wal-Mart may be costing the US taxpayer billions by transferring costs from their payroll (by paying a sub-living wage) to the US government by way of the welfare system and tax credits:-"The average pay of a sales clerk at Wal-Mart was $8.50 an hour, or about $14,000 a year, $1,000

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1112274457226072562005-03-31T08:02:00.000-05:002005-03-31T11:08:56.683-05:00

AP reports that the city of Dubai initiated plans to build the world's tallest building.Courtesy of APThe Burj Dubai skyscraper, now under construction, and how it compares with the top five worldwide skyscrapers.Though the exact height has not been publicly revealed, at a suspected 2,313 feet, it will surpass the competition in Kuala Lampur, Taipei, and Chicago by a landslide. The building will

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1112066708670842032005-03-28T21:49:00.000-05:002005-03-30T21:59:50.656-05:00

Personally, I'm beginning to think that Hydrogen may not be the best way to alternatively power vehicles, mainly because it is just so much more efficient to power vehicles directly with electricity rather than to generate energy, convert it to hydrogen, distribute it and then convert it back into electricity with expensive technology (like fuel cells). This process will require more advances in

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1112035556622910632005-03-28T13:45:00.000-05:002005-03-28T13:53:48.573-05:00

Anomalies-unlimited has a shocking but hysterical collection of photographs detailing the horrific transformation of Michael Jackson's face throughout the years. I'd post a couple of samples here, but the pictures are truly unsettling and it seemed wiser to let our readers go to their site for the full history.My personal favorite? The "Planet of the Apes" Michael Jackson action photo.(UPDATE:

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111802761761446022005-03-25T20:51:00.000-05:002005-03-31T08:20:41.940-05:00

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Once again, we see the limits of UN-style multilateralism. Why is the UN unable to even condemn the horrific situation in the Darfur region of Sudan? Two veto-wielding members, China and France, have extensive oil investments and interests in Sudan. They do not wish to jeopardize their good relations with that government. Furthermore, they do not want to be seen as siding

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111801472097976782005-03-25T20:38:00.000-05:002005-03-29T12:34:14.770-05:00

Courtesy of FuturePundit some intriguing research is taking place in efforts to advance the state of modern transportation:Hydrogen storage faces a few problems. Getting hydrogen out of a storage medium is just one of them. Another problem is the stage when the hydrogen is stored. Some hydrogen storage methods either require energy be expended continuously to keep hydrogen cold or the storage

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111713098790953022005-03-24T20:07:00.000-05:002005-03-25T12:43:43.746-05:00

If there are cells, there will be DNA, which happens to be incredibly resistant to degredation. How cool would it be to pull off a real life Jurassic Park?MSNBC reports that a 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil dug out of a hunk of sandstone has yielded soft tissue, including blood vessels and perhaps even whole cells, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.Paleontologists forced to

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111689881502697612005-03-24T13:44:00.000-05:002005-03-24T13:46:25.903-05:00

ZUG goes crazy trying to get caught with credit card fraud in a post called The Credit Card Prank II.Courtesy of ZUGNotify the Post Office Immediately if You Change Your Address.Some of the more memorable excerpts from the post include:I signed my receipt "UNDETECTABLE SMALL PURCHASE." Just in case that wasn't subtle enough, I signed a hearty "YEE-HAW!!" This time, I actually lifted the receipt

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111594789814233302005-03-23T11:07:00.000-05:002005-03-28T13:53:29.336-05:00

The Washington Post makes some interesting observations about the increased levels of rhetoric and hypocrisy that are making the rounds in response to the fate of Terri Schiavo in Florida:Lots of conflicting interpretations today about the 1999 Texas law that Bush critics say shows how hypocritical he is being about the Schiavo case.Joel Havemann and Peter Wallsten write in the Los Angeles Times:

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111548250256999542005-03-22T22:17:00.000-05:002005-03-24T11:48:03.736-05:00

The good news keeps coming in Iraq. The following excerpts detail just a few of the goings-on that give cause to hope for some strong progress in the Middle East, courtesy of Instapundit:Quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, the fractious tribes of Iraq are sorting things out:The Sunni Arabs never expected all this armed resistance, to Shia and Kurdish rule, to get Sunnis back in power. What

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111547798670544192005-03-22T22:08:00.000-05:002005-03-23T11:27:50.486-05:00

Not surprisingly, the 35 hour work week has been a disastrous experiment for the French economy. Not only did it not create jobs, but lower productivity directly resulted in a lower standard of living. Production costs increased leading to a wage freeze and also increasing the price of goods and services for consumers. Doubtless this has contributed to lower tax revenues and to France's large

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111531008203932442005-03-22T17:33:00.000-05:002005-03-22T17:37:41.100-05:00

My apologies for being somewhat lax in posting the past few days. Things have been all consuming in other venues and have thus distracted me from my duties at The Realist Party. However, I promise to resume posting with regularity as soon as possible.All the best.

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111167432663697022005-03-18T12:37:00.000-05:002005-03-18T12:37:12.663-05:00

The Wall Street Journal reports that "the $284 billion highway bill that passed the House last week [is] a 33% increase over the previous six-year spending level." Just what has gotten into the minds of our elected officials these days? We are battling the largest deficit in US history and they continue to find new and absurd uses for our hard-earned dollars. Here are some examples, again

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1111156097187464532005-03-18T09:27:00.000-05:002005-03-18T09:28:17.193-05:00

An article on Reuters suggests that global warming is unstoppable:Even if people stopped pumping out carbon dioxide and other pollutants tomorrow, global warming would still get worse, two teams of researchers reported on Thursday."Even if we stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations, the climate will continue to warm, and there will be proportionately even more sea level rise," said the NCAR's

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1110817018656176222005-03-14T11:16:00.000-05:002005-03-14T11:16:58.660-05:00

A report on Reuters finally reveals what many who followed the 2004 Presidential election already realized: The media was particularly flagrant in their efforts to vilify George W. Bush.U.S. media coverage of last year's election was three times more likely to be negative toward President Bush than Democratic challenger John Kerry, according to a study released Monday.The annual report by a press

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1110578800425267802005-03-11T16:55:00.000-05:002005-03-14T09:16:39.740-05:00

The only thing that will seemingly get the Hollywood left out to a protest is the imminent toppling of a dangerous, outlaw, human-rights abusing dictator. The cold-blooded murder of one of their own does not even stir their ire, particularly when he was murdered for standing up for free speech and women's rights.It has been some time since the murder of Theo van Gough, a Dutch filmmaker executed

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1110564349074034762005-03-11T13:05:00.000-05:002005-03-11T13:05:49.073-05:00

One of my favorite economists, Donald Luskin, really gives it to one of my least favorites, Paul Krugman of The New York Times, in today's post over at the always noteworthy Conspiracy to Keep You Poor and Stupid. It's not so much that I don't like what Krugman has to say, because I clearly don't. Rather, it's the fact that he seems to say things just to come across as confrontational when all

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1110549511992275712005-03-11T08:58:00.000-05:002005-03-11T08:58:31.993-05:00

The monumental challenge in the months ahead for the current administration in driving entitlement and tax reform begs the question: When precisely did the United States become a nation of entitlement rather than accomplishment? It is particularly galling when one considers that any efforts to return any responsibility to the public, be it in the form of social security private accounts or

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1110548347061324692005-03-11T08:22:00.001-05:002005-03-11T09:10:38.813-05:00

Business Roundtable issued their updated principles for tax reform earlier this year. Most striking in their analysis, regardless of whether or not your political persuasion urges one to support one method of tax reform over another, is a statistic from the OECD:The U.S. corporate tax rate is the third highest (including state and local taxes) among all developed nations.Think about this figure

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1110500007439835502005-03-10T19:11:00.000-05:002005-03-11T12:49:56.356-05:00

(EDITOR'S NOTE: By way of California Yankee. -BBM)According to the Associated Press, the fatwa issued on the first anniversary of the Madrid train bombings, calls bin Laden an apostate and urging others to denounce the al-Qaida leader:The ruling was issued by the Islamic Commission of Spain, the main body representing the country's 1 million-member Muslim community. The commission represents 200

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1110492327038070492005-03-10T16:58:00.000-05:002005-03-11T12:55:08.310-05:00

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Transgenic crops are here in a big way. -BBM)Scattered across at least seven provinces in China are more than 1 million common poplar trees with an uncommon bite. They can kill the insects that nibble their leaves. Their unusual defensive system is a genetically engineered bomb: Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, a naturally occurring toxin inserted into the tree's DNA. Other such

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1110394099087054902005-03-09T13:33:00.000-05:002005-03-09T13:48:19.090-05:00

Bloomberg News interviewed Milton Friedman in regards to the former Nobel prize winner's thoughts on the state of social security and the current federal income tax. His commentary was particularly enlightening and certainly corroborates many of the observations and recommendations that we have been championing here at The Realist Party for some time. Witness the following excerpts from the

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1110295623740399192005-03-08T10:27:00.000-05:002005-03-08T10:27:03.740-05:00

A letter to the editor at The Wall Street Journal opines on the benefits of a long morning and evening commute: I commuted on the Long Island Railroad from the late 1950s into the early 1970s, and it was always a positive experience. Absolutely. The newspaper man at the bottom of the stairs every morning always made sure I got my Journal, and when else could I find time to read all those

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1109872069479836462005-03-03T12:47:00.000-05:002005-03-03T12:47:49.480-05:00

Nothing makes a grown man cry like bad backs and worse women.

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1109799218935550242005-03-02T16:07:00.000-05:002005-03-03T14:18:24.330-05:00

First The New York Times editorial board, now NPR's Daniel Schorr? Could the mainstream liberal media finally be ready to acknowledge the good with the bad effects of an interventionalist foreign policy? Whatever our differences on policy, it is commendable that they finally have the intellectual honesty to at least question their long held beliefs as evidenced by the following excerpts...From

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1109272098050384162005-02-24T14:01:00.000-05:002005-03-03T12:51:19.503-05:00

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following press release detailing research efforts at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona about the North Pole is interesting because a similarly mysterious buildup of freshwater was documented recently in the North Atlantic. The etiology is presently unclear. Emphasis added. -BBM)Scientists Discover Why the North Pole Is FrozenEurekAlertWednesday, February 23, 2005Ice has

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1109266255747592592005-02-24T11:28:00.000-05:002005-02-24T12:30:55.753-05:00

In excerpts from an article in the Wall Street Journal, Terri Cullen details the outlandish lengths that mortgage lenders are willing to pursue in order to drive new business in the housing market. Emphasis added:Ms. Hill received a mailer from a California-based mortgage company that advertised a "new 1.95% payment fixed for five years" loan that said it would shave about $618 off her existing

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1109209358044876582005-02-23T20:04:00.000-05:002005-02-23T22:38:38.983-05:00

As many of you know, recent events in Lebanon have touched off a protests, first lead by political elites, then spreading to a popular base, to evict Syria from the country.Currently, the Lebanon is (illegally) occupied by Syrian forces, as it has since the mid-seventies. The occupation extends into every corner of political and economic life.But now, inspired by the sight of Arabs voting freely

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1108782782637523782005-02-18T21:48:00.000-05:002005-02-23T09:04:14.226-05:00

As I have highlighted before, some disturbing sounds are emanating from the great bear. Revenge for the Ukraine? A warning not to interfere (by supporting pro-democracy elements) in Belarus? The following articles detail a few of the more questionable political objectives being pursued by Russia:Garry Kasparov, world's leading chess player, writing in The Wall Street Journal, suggests that

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1108736451715883742005-02-18T09:10:00.000-05:002005-02-18T13:43:55.960-05:00

Walking off the subway this morning, I was struck by two incidents that put a smile to my face and warmed my heart on this cold winter morning:First, a young man in a torrid pace to race up the stairs stopped instantly in his steps to allow an older lady the courtesy of climbing the staircase before him. It created a bit of a logjam behind him as passengers sought to leave the station, but no

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1108605403273137262005-02-16T20:28:00.000-05:002005-02-18T11:08:40.013-05:00

Following the theme from the past few posts...Wave PowerSeveral companies have developed simple devices for capturing wave energy. Interestingly, the energy density in waves is much higher than solar or wind. Here is a link to an animation of how it works.A typical 30MW installation would occupy a square kilometre of ocean and provide sufficient electricity for 20,000 homes. In other words, 33

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1108566981739701282005-02-16T10:16:00.000-05:002005-02-16T10:17:51.280-05:00

USA Today has an interesting article that details the results of a study conducted in Japan comparing coffee consumption to the rate of cancer in the population:A study of more than 90,000 Japanese found that people who drank coffee daily or nearly every day had half the liver cancer risk of those who never drank coffee. The protective effect occurred in people who drank one to two cups a day and

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1108395099878895892005-02-14T10:31:00.000-05:002005-02-14T10:31:39.876-05:00

Oil is the very substance that greases (no pun intended) the United States economy. It powers our manufacturing plants, our cities, our vehicles, and our homes. Simply put, it has become essentially irreplaceable. Or has it? Last week, Brendan authored a post describing a variety of plausible, if not easily attainable, alternative energy sources. From my perspective, nuclear power offers a

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1108165867212894562005-02-11T17:24:00.000-05:002005-02-12T09:55:34.926-05:00

(EDITOR's NOTE: The following fun facts, in addition to many more, can be found at this site. -BBM)* "In 2000, Social Security accounted for about 25% of all federal taxes collections" - that is a huge problem for privatization.* "For workers with average incomes, the government collects the equivalent of 6 weeks worth of their salary in Social Security taxes every year"* "By law, Social Security

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1108130168010596002005-02-11T08:56:00.000-05:002005-02-11T08:56:08.010-05:00

When it comes to printers, I have always been a fan of the laser over the ink-jet variation. Inkjet printers always seemed to have weak color saturation, were notoriously slow, and ate through expensive refill cartridges like a fat kid at a pie-eating contest. Well, as it turns out, a particularly innovative chef has concocted an adaptation that allows frustrated printer users to eat right back

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1107833022830623362005-02-07T21:23:00.000-05:002005-02-07T22:39:43.026-05:00

(Editor's Note: Putin is exactly the type of leader that the hard left accuses Bush of being; an autocratic, antidemocratic, demogogic, corrupt dictator who flouts the rule of law and suppresses freedom of the press. We have to tread lightly because Russia is an ally in the war on terror, and they do still have thousands of nuclear missiles. But you never hear a peep from the NGOs that constantly

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1107757930784120912005-02-06T23:09:00.000-05:002005-02-09T08:57:00.406-05:00

What would it take to wean the United States off foreign energy dependence in favor of self sufficient production? How might we limit the emission of CO2? There are a lot of alternative energy technologies, but they only sound great until you run the numbers and recognize that they are beset with problems of scalability and expense. In the near term, nuclear power and low emission coal seems

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1107457140320816532005-02-03T13:59:00.000-05:002005-02-03T13:59:00.320-05:00

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Paul Bremer, the former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, offers the following cogent commentary: Americans impatient with the process [in Iraq] should remember that it took America seven years to win independence, 12 years to write a constitution and 20 years to develop political parties. And America in the 18th century was the inheritor of

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1107396172660023972005-02-02T20:56:00.000-05:002005-02-03T08:53:41.763-05:00

Well, I finally watched Fahrenheit 9/11 (after having read the transcript 6 months ago) on the night of the January 30th. Goebbles would have been proud. It’s ironic that I watched it on the night of the birth of Iraqi democracy, yes? Now that I have watched it, it is important to watch the following rebuttals: FahrenHYPE 9/11 Michael Moore Hates America (Two thumbs up from Ebert and Roper)

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1107395569297140932005-02-02T20:28:00.000-05:002005-02-02T20:52:49.296-05:00

This demonstrates starkly the nature of the enemy. Hopefully this will convince people that the "insurgents" really are just enemies of civilization and decency. It now seems as if the current "insurgency" was Saddam's plan all along. Documents show that in the runup to war (extended thanks to the French and Russians throught the UN), Saddam deftly cached billions of dollars and tons of weapons

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1107183943133376232005-01-31T10:05:00.000-05:002005-01-31T10:05:43.133-05:00

A letter to the editor in The Wall Street Journal offers one of the more coherent and prescient opinions on the disrepair of our education system. From Indiana, Ken Powell writes: [A]s teachers unions [have come] to dominate public education over the past 40 years, the results have been bad for students and taxpayers alike. Consider these sobering statistics: since 1960, despite a threefold

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1107122452919493052005-01-30T16:59:00.000-05:002005-01-31T07:49:21.920-05:00

This picture says it all: Courtesy of PowerlineThe Vote for Iraq.

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1107121101666446462005-01-30T16:35:00.000-05:002005-01-31T19:48:26.746-05:00

(Editor's Note: No, I don't think that the success ofthe Iraqi elections will end all problems there overnight. The full scale of the implications will take decades to play out. But I do think that a little celebration is in order. Entries from Instapundit, Tim Blair, Powerline, and others. -BBM) 1989 was the beginning of the end of communist utopian totalitarianism. Will 2004 be the beginning

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106795489540602962005-01-26T21:38:00.000-05:002005-01-27T14:28:10.513-05:00

Writing in an editorial this morning in The Wall Street Journal, Mark Helprin comments on the seeming parallels between present day Iraq and the war-torn nations of Germany and Japan after World War II. His conclusion as detailed in the following excerpts: the obstacles are daunting in Iraq. I do not doubt that the tasks that lay ahead are daunting. Certainly there are differences between the

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106791729244645032005-01-26T21:05:00.000-05:002005-01-27T10:39:54.876-05:00

Space.com has incredible insights on scientists' vision for the future of space exploration. In an article entitled, "High-Tech Spacesuits Eyed for 'Extreme Exploration'", Leonard David writes: Future explorers on the Moon and Mars could be outfitted in lightweight, high-tech spacesuits that offer far more flexibility than the bulky suits that have been used for spacewalks in the 1960s.

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106584193042652812005-01-24T11:29:00.000-05:002005-01-24T11:30:27.856-05:00

Writing in an editorial this morning in The Wall Street Journal, Mark Helprin comments on the seeming parallels between present day Iraq and the war-torn nations of Germany and Japan after World War II. His conclusion as detailed in the following excerpts: the obstacles are daunting in Iraq. If we could transform Germany and Japan, then why not Iraq? Approximately 150,000 troops occupy Iraq,

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106269454087550832005-01-20T19:57:00.000-05:002005-01-22T23:38:05.193-05:00

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's a pretty interesting post, courtesy of FuturePundit. -BBM) Hypnosis Studied With Functional Magnetic Resonance Imperial College of London psychologist John Gruzelier used hypnosis on 12 patients resistant to hypnosis and 12 susceptible to hypnosis while watching their brains with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and gave them orders to follow. The

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106235721196284622005-01-20T10:42:00.000-05:002005-01-20T10:52:20.560-05:00

Why is the social security tax of 12.5% only limited to the first $90,000 of income? By my measure, and anyone else's for that matter, it is clearly a 'regressive' rather than 'progressive' tax. In other words, it penalizes the poor, who have the least capacity to afford this absurd levy in the first place (the notion that the individual, and not the government, should be securing their own

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106231367718335372005-01-20T09:29:00.000-05:002005-01-20T09:29:27.720-05:00

In his editorial column in The New York Times, Tom Friedman waxes poetic on continued European negative sentiment towards George W. Bush on the day of his presidential inauguration. There is no real new news here: the European social state simply runs counter to the American model that was selected last November. I am speaking of the public's desire for lower taxes, entitlement and healthcare

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106164584832167082005-01-19T14:45:00.000-05:002005-01-19T15:06:50.393-05:00

AnkleBitingPundits wrote a terrific review of the Senate confirmation hearings for the nomination of Condoleeza Rice as Secretary of State. The post on their site is very long, but very much worth the read. For the benefit of our readers at The Realist Party, please find some of the more salient excerpts below: We Bust Buffoon Babs Boxer on Her Blatant Iraq Lie The big news today was Michael

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106163904928921592005-01-19T14:39:00.000-05:002005-01-19T14:45:04.930-05:00

Donald Luskin, one of the good guys over at The Conspiracy to Keep You Poor and Stupid, highlights an article from the Ayn Rand Institute that describes the failings and morality of the Social Security program. Though the media has focused the public's attention almost entirely on the funding problems inherent in Social Security and the potential options to resolve it, perhaps a better question

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106163509847883932005-01-19T14:32:00.000-05:002005-01-19T14:38:29.846-05:00

This post is not to suggest that cracking one's knuckles in public is particularly appealing or even courteous. But, it does bear mentioning that I knew it. Knuckle cracking causing arthritis later in life was about as believable as cold weather causing the common cold (http://realistparty.blogspot.com/2004/10/common-myths-about-common-cold.html). An article in The New York Times disposes of

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106163115713020922005-01-19T14:18:00.000-05:002005-01-19T14:31:55.713-05:00

The New York Times today detailed the growing discontent towards recent comments made by Harvard president, Larry Summers, discussing the proportion of female professors working in the sciences: [A]n outcry continued to follow remarks Mr. Summers made Friday suggesting that biological differences between the sexes may be one explanation for why fewer women succeed in mathematic and science

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106103541574505062005-01-18T21:01:00.000-05:002005-01-19T19:59:29.073-05:00

Seymour Hersh has once again published leaked information that may be damaging to national security. Not surprisingly, it has produced a lot of anxious hand wringing. From CNN: The Bush administration has been carrying out secret reconnaissance missions to learn about nuclear, chemical and missile sites in Iran in preparation for possible airstrikes there, journalist Seymour Hersh said Sunday.

BBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935561102183358028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468276.post-1106057965541238342005-01-18T09:12:00.000-05:002005-01-18T09:19:25.540-05:00

Truthfully, I have never been a fan of theme parks. Unless you manage to acquire VIP status at Disney World or Six Flags (email me if you want to learn how to do so), it can be such a tremendous hassle what with the lines, crowds, children screaming, and so on and so forth. Besides, the entertainment content is always so devoid of any intellectual or historic purpose as to mute the benefit of

nycebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11906899269697187662noreply@blogger.com0