This guy gave me things to think about

I read a post by rdbrewer over at The Ace Of Spades blog.  These are some excerpts from his excellent article.  You can read the rest here.

Recall the Dunning-Kruger effect. In short, a person’s incompetence inhibits their ability to recognize his or her incompetence. The people who think they are the smartest are the dumbest, essentially, because they are blind to their stupidity. The people who think they know better know the least. And isn't it interesting that they are almost always the first to hurl the insult "you're stupid"?

Anyway, I was reading about the police busting OWS people and closing Zuccotti Park today, and it occurred to me that there is a variation on the Dunning-Kruger effect that has to do with other forms of self-awareness. Several examples:

• Doesn't it follow that the people who regard themselves as the most open-minded are in fact the most close minded? Their errant self-view causes them to be blind to how close-minded they are. Progressives in many institutions like academia, for example, talk endlessly about diversity while at the same time denying, marginalizing, and shutting-up voices on the right. Conservative professors don't get tenure. Conservative voices on campus are shouted down and silenced by left wing perma-children. A more specific example: Andrew Breitbart was often called a fag by the most wonderful people in the world.
•  
• Doesn't it follow that the people who think they're making the world a nicer place are the ones who are making it worse? They have a blind spot for their own bad behavior. A specific example: Al Gore and energy usage. Gore wants to make the world a better place by decreasing reliance on fossil fuels. (Assume for a moment he actually believes his bullshit. I don't think he does.) While having a bigger carbon footprint than anyone else on the planet, with the exception of the president... who at least has an excuse.
•  
• Doesn't it follow that the people who think they are the best suited to lead others would often be the least suitable/capable to do so? Here's a quick example: One of the creepiest people I ever knew sought out positions of authority on ethical panels. He had to be one of the least ethical, least well-suited people to serve in such a position, but he thought he was fantastic, and very well-suited to judge the behavior of others. A friend quipped, to paraphrase, "The type of people who seek out positions of authority like this are usually the people you would least want to serve in those positions." We agreed that it's almost as if we should automatically eliminate anyone who volunteers for a such positions and recruit from those who do not.
•  
• Doesn't it follow that the people who are the most selfish would believe themselves to be the most selfless? They want people to give more, to pay more taxes... so they themselves can have a bigger slice of the pie. Their self-view disables their ability to reality-test. Ever hear of a progressive avoiding a tax dodge? Related, doesn't it follow that the people most interested in redistribution of wealth would give the least? I recall reading an article about ten years ago that surveyed charity giving on a state-by-state per capita basis. Or maybe it was as a percentage of income. Anyway, the "flyover states" were the most giving. The least? Massachusetts. Followed by the usual suspects. 

But keep writing laws for the rest of us ... that'll be great

Well now, let me just, like, take the time to, like, LOL at this "student."  I hope he's in his first year or something because he has a ways to go, expecially if he's going to be like, an officer.

Who is Thomas Sowell?

 Thomas Sowell

Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow
The Hoover Institution
Stanford University
Stanford, California 94305

Thomas Sowell, (oops, sorry, ... DOCTOR Thomas Sowell) has written a new book ... "Intellectuals and Society."  I heard him discussing it in an interview the other day and decided to look him up and learn more about him.  Turns out, he's a black guy. 

You like what I did there?  You'd never have known he was a DOCTOR unless I had told you.  Oh, you might have guessed/discovered it sooner or later but it's not mentioned on the front of his webpage ... unlike lefties who cannot WAIT to tell you that some knucklehead or other is a "doctor" ... you know ... so you can quickly determine that a college degree means "smart."

I never would have suspected he was black just by hearing him speak. Naturally, the lefties will be calling him an Uncle Tom.  My guess is he's used to it, being in academia and he's about 80 years old.  The whole "Uncle Tom" thing is prolly a real yawner to him.

Anyway, as I was perusaling his website, I ran across a page of his favorite quotes.  I copy/pasted some below.

The study of history is a powerful antidote to contemporary arrogance. It is humbling to discover how many of our glib assumptions, which seem to us novel and plausible, have been tested before, not once but many times and in innumerable guises; and discovered to be, at great human cost, wholly false. 

 --Paul Johnson

Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm-- but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.

 -- T. S. ELiot 

There is no safety for honest men but by believing all possible evil of evil men. 

 --Edmund Burke

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

 -- C. S. Lewis 

A ruling intelligentsia, whether in Europe, Asia or Africa, treats the masses as raw material to be experimented on, processed, and wasted at will

 --Eric Hoffer

The intellectuals and the young, booted and spurred, feel themselves born to ride us.

 --Eric Hoffer

Nowhere at present is there such a measureless loathing of their country by educated people as in America.

 --Eric Hoffer

We shall not grow wiser before we learn that much that we have done was very foolish.

 -- F. A. Hayek

Relax -- there is no inflation

Excerpts from here:

A good friend of mine, who has family living abroad, called me this weekend. One of the first things out of his mouth was about his sister in London and how she was dealing with “terrible inflation.” No doubt he was talking about the spike in gasoline prices that have risen to more than $8 a gallon. (The official inflation rate in the UK is around 3.6%, but I’m sure the numbers over there are as reliable as the inflation numbers in the U.S. where fuel and food are not counted in the so-called “core” inflation.)

What?  The price of food and gas isn't counted?  LMAO! Of course not, after all, they don't affect the economy in any way, do they?

Part of this price spike is due to Iran cutting off crude oil shipments to the EU recently, but part of it is the fact the UK has been engaging in quantitative easing (QE), or money printing, to help its ailing economy and insolvent banks. Just in the last few weeks, it announced another $50 billion in QE. The UK is not alone as most Western countries are engaging in QE to prop up an insolvent system bloated on bad debt.

According to millionaire investor Jim Rogers, the Fed has already started its third round of QE. In an interview on Reuters, last week, Rogers said, “We already have QE3 … Get out the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet. You’ll see that they’ve been pumping up – you can see unadjusted M2 is going through the roof. Look at their balance sheet. … All sorts of assets are suddenly appearing on their balance sheet. Where did they come from? They didn’t come from the Tooth Fairy; they came because they’re in there buying in the market as fast as they can. There IS QE3 already. They don’t call it that but it’s there.”

Objective jourrrrnalists let you know what to think

Ha ha, I LOVED it when the crapstain jourrrrnalist said that high gas prices were creating jobs.  Aren't you grateful for the media?  They're like a rock ... grounded in their principles.  They aren't one bit biased, nossir.  Baaaaa - Bleat. 

It's too funny the media think they're fooling anyone.  What's that?  Oh, right ... actually they ARE fooling idiot-libs some people. Found it at Moonbattery:

Of course I support Obama, I'm a socialist ...

Bold is mine:

Supermodel Elle Macpherson told shock jock Howard Stern Tuesday that she's pulling for Barack Obama to be reelected.

"I’m living in London and I’m socialist," she told her host. "What do you expect?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

HOWARD STERN: Who should be the next President of the United States Elle MacPherson, go ahead.

ELLE MACPHERSON: I think Obama’s going to do it.

STERN: You like Obama?

MACPHERSON: Yeah, I’m living in London and I’m socialist. What do you expect?

STERN: And you’re living in London and you sense what other foreigners feel. Do they like him?

I almost forgot ... "to be liked" is also very important to libs.  It's part of their holy grail, to be perceived as cool and smart.  They are the farthest thing from cool and smart (and they know it,) that's why this image is so crucial for them.

MACPHERSON: I think foreigners like him. He’s very popular.

STERN: Don’t we look good having a black president and everything? Makes us kind of cool. From  Newsbusters.org:

LOL, yes ... and the idiot-lib criteria permeates all they do.  "Makes us kind of cool" ... and you know how critical "coolness" is to an idiot lib.  All things revolve around it.

This is so pathetic.  Reminds me of high school where certain kids would abandon their values do ANYTHING to hang out with the cool kids.  Their lives revolved around it.  I guess they grew up to be libs.  It sure seems to me this drive they have makes them easy prey.

Attorney General Eric Holder "We must brainwash people about guns"

Breitbart.com has uncovered video from 1995 of then-U.S. Attorney Eric Holder announcing a public campaign to "really brainwash people into thinking about guns in a vastly different way."

Holder was addressing the Woman's National Democratic Club. In his remarks, broadcast by CSPAN 2, he explained that he intended to use anti-smoking campaigns as his model to "change the hearts and minds of people in Washington, DC" about guns.

"What we need to do is change the way in which people think about guns, especially young people, and make it something that's not cool, that it's not acceptable, it's not hip to carry a gun anymore, in the way in which we changed our attitudes about cigarettes." More here:

Right.  And the libs use this method all the time to assign the "witch" label to people. 

And it works great, you know why?  Because, if you're an idiot-lib, the most important thing of all is "being with the cool crowd" ... followed closely by "being perceived as smart."

This is why they always agree with nonsense.  It achieves both goals simultaneously ... they can take the side of their mental superiors whom the press will ALWAYS present as "cool and smart."

Idiot-libs don't realize they are just sheep to be used, manipulated, and "brainwashed" by their mental superiors.  Their mental superiors have an agenda my friends ... and it doesn't include your liberty.

They would probably try to say the same thing about conservatives except there is one major difference.  Conservatives just want libs to leave them (and their wallets) the hell alone.  And idiot-libs always want conservatives to live the way libs tells them ... you know ... as if they were our slave masters ... only much smarter and cooler, of course.

Inflation? What inflation?

Billionaire Donald Trump says the U.S. economy is poised for “massive inflation” and is warning investors to take steps now to protect themselves.

In the gripping CNBC interview, Trump also told investors they should not trust official government statistics.

He even questioned the “official unemployment” numbers. “It’s over 20 percent. It’s not 8.3 percent,” Trump said. 

No kidding ... but keep listening to the media parrot the government's party line.  This way they can steal more of your money and liberty before you wake the hell up.

Have you noticed the prices of things going up fast?  I have.  Does the government acknowledge it?  Have you heard inflation is bad?   Or have you heard "inflation isn't a problem right now?"  Right, that's what I thought.

Trump also thinks skyrocketing oil prices will cripple the U.S. economy. “Right now, [oil] is at an all-time record for this time of the year, in the summer they predict $5 gasoline, maybe $6.”

Very true but it seems the consequences of these facts aren't really apparent to most folks.  The part I like best is, no matter how bad things get, many people do not realize the cause is government strangling the hell out of the economy.

But Trump isn’t the only expert warning the U.S. economy may go off the cliff. Robert Wiedemer, author of the New York Times best-selling book Aftershock, stated in a recent interview, “The data is clear, 50% unemployment, a 90% stock market drop, and 100% annual inflation . . . starting in 2012.” More with video  here:

Tough way to check out

PALMS (CBS) — A Westside woman was found dead on Thursday after she apparently killed herself by using a chainsaw, police said.

KNX 1070′s John Brooks reports the gruesome death was discovered early Thursday morning by the victim’s sister.

Nash was discovered with a chainsaw wound on her neck, Parks said.

“At this point, we’re investigating it as a suicide, as she left a suicide note,” he added. More here:

I see.  Well, I have some questions:

Shall there be an investigation of her handwriting? Or was the note written on the computer?

Did she have a permit for this chainsaw?  Was it an assault chainsaw?

How did she get the chainsaw started?

I've been having a tough time starting mine lately and I could use the pointers.

Another standard "study" - I mean "media fodder"

Bold is mine:

Health researchers said on Thursday they had found a troubling link between higher consumption of rice and Type 2 diabetes, a disease that in some countries is becoming an epidemic.

"Health researchers, my ass.  More like "let's find an excuse to extend our funding" researchers (as are almost ALL "researchers".)

I've noticed I can usually replace the word "research"  with "Klown's money" and can replace "researchers" with "bullshit artists."

Further work is needed so we don't have to get a real job and so we can keep living off Klown's money  to probe the apparent association and diets that are notoriously high in sugar and fats should remain on the no-go list, they cautioned.

I'll tell you what should be in the "no go" list ... stealing my money for "research" and then saying  "more research is needed."

"What we've found is white rice is likely to increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, ..." 

Every time I hear a "researcher" say "What we found was ..." I know the load of bullshit is about to come. It's one of the very FAVO-O-RITE phrases of libs researchers.  They love it because it's so high and mighty sounding ... they like it almost as much as "It's not about xxxxx, it's about yyyyy."

Sun said the study did have limitations, including full details about what the volunteers ate in addition to rice.

"I don't think I can put forward a 100-percent confirmed case, given that this is a meta-analysis of four original studies," he said.

"But I see a consistency across these studies, and there is biological plausibility that supports the association between white rice consumption and diabetes."

He added: "More trial data are needed to corroborate or refute our observations." More here:

Whaaaa?  More data huh?  Then I have to ask, why did you do the "research in the first place if you knew you didn't have enough data to make a conclusion?  Oh, wait, I see ... you did it so you can say "if we just had more money we could make a conclusion."

This is the "out" they have.  When they're proven wrong (as they usually are - like with coffee, eggs, wine, etc etc) they can say "but we told you we needed more research but you wouldn't give us the money."

Diet is only one factor in Type 2 diabetes, a complex disease that involves high levels of blood sugar that cannot be processed by the hormone insulin. Obesity and lack of exercise are also cited as culprits.

Whaaaa?  A complex disease?  Imagine that.  I mean, we all know what's causing the increase in diabetes ... it's global warming.

Seriously, I wouldn't give a damn about these "studies" if they didn't:

1 - Steal my money to fund them;

2 - Attempt to control my life based on their idiotic conclusions

3 - Give the idiot libs something to lecture me flap their lips about

fri pins

Sorry, you'll just have to die

(AP/CBS) LINDENHURST, N.Y. - A preliminary investigation into the death of a woman who fell on an escalator at a Long Island Rail Road station reveals that she died after her clothes got entangled in the escalator's treads and she was asphyxiated. More here:

You mean nobody had a knife with which to cut her loose?  That's mighty strange ... oh, wait.

Rules and Regulations Governing the Conduct and Safety of the Public and Use of the Long Island Rail Road Company Terminals, Stations and Trains


1097.11 Firearms or other weapons

No person, except for those licensed to do so and in immediate possession of such license, shall bring into or carry in a terminal, station or train firearms or other weapons.

What about wasabi?

I've had wasabi plenty of times and it always just seems like green "Chinese mustard" to me.  So I decided to do some research.  I found a lot of people saying the same thing and posted a sample from here:

Q	Wondering About Wasabi? Does wasabi, the Japanese mustard that comes with sushi, have any health benefits? It always seems to clear my sinuses, at least temporarily.
A	Answer
The answer to your question is yes... and no. First of all, you should know that the green paste that usually comes with sushi isn't really wasabi. It is a combination of horseradish, Chinese mustard and green food coloring. And it may surprise you to learn that this imitation product is now so widely used that - with the exception of some top-flight restaurants that still use genuine wasabi - it even accompanies sushi in Japan. (I've been told by wasabi experts that only about five percent of the restaurants in Japan serve the real thing, and I've found real wasabi in the United States only in high-end Japanese restaurants in New York and California.) The ubiquitous bright-green paste that you are familiar with will make your eyes water and can clear your sinuses, but it has no significant health benefits, and much of it is artificially colored. Just what I thought ... Chinese mustard with green food coloring.

Idiot lib calling himself a republican

If elected, he promises to “vigorously” enforce laws that “prohibit distribution of hardcore (obscene) pornography on the Internet, on cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TV, in retail shops and through the mail or by common carrier.” More here:

Can't ... leave ... people ... alone.  Must ... control them.  Must ... tell them ... how to live their lives.  If they don't listen ... must punish them and force them to bend to our will.

 

Luckily, this moron has no chance.

Another dumbass just made my list

The New York Times bestselling author of the explosive new book, Hollywood Hypocrites: The Devastating Truth About Obama’s Biggest Backers, Jason Mattera, had his crew’s camera snatched and hurled by comedian Chris Rock when he asked the star why he has called the Tea Party racist (video below).

 “I was stunned,” said Mr. Mattera in an exclusive interview with Big Hollywood. “Tea Party members get called the worst things imaginable and still remain peaceful. But ask a big Hollywood celebrity to explain himself and the guy goes ballistic, wrestles the camera away from my camerawoman, chucks it 50 feet, and then challenges me to a fight. It’s unreal. And it perfectly illustrates why I decided to investigate and writeHollywood Hypocrites.”

The confrontation, which took place around 2:00 a.m. on January 23, 2012, at Spike Lee’s Sundance Film Festival after party at Tao night club, ended with Chris Rock challenging the conservative author to a fight, says Mr. Mattera: “Chris Rock shouted, ‘You want to throw down? Let’s throw down right now!’ Of course, he was standing safely behind two bodyguards when he said it.”

The clash was ignited when Jason Mattera inquired about disparaging comments Chris Rock made about the Tea Party in an Esquire article in 2011:

When I see the Tea Party and all this stuff, it actually feels like racism's almost over. Because this is the last — this is the act up before the sleep. They're going crazy. They're insane. You want to get rid of them — and the next thing you know, they're fucking knocked out. And that's what's going on in the country right now. More here:

I have to tell you, long ago I knew most of the whoop-dee-doos in Hollywood/entertainment were idiots ... idiots that put out mostly movies suitable for the entertainment of children.  But then I realized, the movies weren't actually aimed at children, no ... instead they were aimed at, shall we say, people of low IQ limited knowledge.  Yes, they "bring it down to your level" ... you know ... so you don't miss anything.

Hell, I can't bring myself to watch 30-Rock (which I'll bet  I'd love) on TV because Alec Baldwin is such a huge idiot-lib. He prolly doesn't even realize it (as I am convinced most libs don't.)  

I don't think they realize it but libs are always busy telling other people what to do ... under various "unassailable" pretenses, of course.  Or maybe they realize it but they're so brainwashed as to think it's perfectly fine to steal the freedom of people you consider dumber than you ... for their own good, of course.

Anyway, I finally had to stop going to the movies because I had been so disappointed so many times.  But now the reasons are coming clear, aren't they ... they're libs ... and they think everyone is stupid ... so they put out a product aimed at their target audience. I make an exception about once a year to see a movie ... and every time I feel like someone just read me a children's book (often heavy on the condescending "lesson") and then robbed me.

It occurs to me that the lefties are much better at boycotts than conservatives.  I think conservatives used to think that libs don't really affect them so, what's the point.  It seem to me that conservatives are only now starting to wake up to the fact that these people affect us every day and are making our lives miserable through blocking energy (high gas/electricity prices) and regulations that strangle our businesses which makes it harder for them to profit and hire people.

I got off track a bit there but in conclusion, let me say I don't automatically refuse to watch the show/product of a lib.  To get me to that point the lib must have repeatedly (or spectacularly) done something terribly egregious and/or brazen to get my attention ... to make it so I can't think of anything else when I look at his/her face.  Chris Rock just made the list.

The "Democratics" give to the poor

The Senate Tuesday killed legislation to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to encourage companies to use natural-gas powered vehicles. The legislation also would have benefited wealthy backers of the Democratic measure, including George Soros, T. Boone Pickens, and Kevin G. Douglas. 

The amendment to the highway bill required 60 votes to pass but was defeated 51 yeas to 47 nays. More here:

LOL -- clearly the WRONG thing to do and they still almost managed to pull it off.  This is what the governmet does with your money ... they give it to their friends.  They tell their friends how to profit from the government ... what forms forms to fill out etc ... and then they rob you to "redistribute" the money.  Pure genius.

Can you imagine though?  The government trying to siphon off your tax dollars to give to their buddies/contributors.  Unthinkable, right?  Yes, we're all shocked.

Government "rules" lead to great efficiencies

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) – Trenton’s Health Department could shut down some city buildings if a toilet paper shortage isn’t resolved soon. 

 “It could be an inconvenience for anybody, young, old, male, female,” said Maryann Wooten of Hamilton Township. 

The toilet paper and paper towel supply for at least 11 buildings, including City Hall, are dangerously low. 

“We have one box with about 15 rolls of toilet paper and that’s it,” acting Public Works Director Harold Hall said. More here:

Hmmm, seems their rules for bidding contracts require them to jump through some hoops or something.  I guess nobody could have seen this coming.  Nope, totally blindsided them.  What tells me a lawyer is behind this?

We should definitely leave all very important decisions up to morons government.

Free Jukebox

JukeBox Time Machine

Each of the years below connects to the best 20 hits of that year via a Jukebox. Click on a year, wait a few seconds, and a Jukebox will appear showing you 20 hits from that year to select from. You can play all 20 hits, or.. click on just those that you like. Enjoy the ride!

> > > 1940	> > > 1950	> > > 1960	> > > 1970	> > > 1980	> > > 1990
> > > 1941	> > > 1951	> > > 1961	> > > 1971	> > > 1981	> > > 1991
> > > 1942	> > > 1952	> > > 1962	> > > 1972	> > > 1982	> > > 1992
> > > 1943	> > > 1953	> > > 1963	> > > 1973	> > > 1983	> > > 1993
> > > 1944	> > > 1954	> > > 1964	> > > 1974	> > > 1984	> > > 1994
> > > 1945	> > > 1955	> > > 1965	> > > 1975	> > > 1985	> > > 1995
> > > 1946	> > > 1956	> > > 1966	> > > 1976	> > > 1986	> > > 1996
> > > 1947	> > > 1957	> > > 1967	> > > 1977	> > > 1987	> > > 1997
> > > 1948	> > > 1958	> > > 1968	> > > 1978	> > > 1988	> > > 1998
> > > 1949	> > > 1959	> > > 1969	> > > 1979	> > > 1989	> > > 1999

Pretty cool. Found it at Bits and Pieces:

Ever wonder why it's called "Light, sweet crude oil?"

Sweet crude oil is a type of petroleum. Petroleum is considered "sweet" if it contains less than 0.5% sulfur, compared to a higher level of sulfur in sour crude oil. Sweet crude oil contains small amounts of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. 

High quality, low sulfur crude oil is commonly used for processing into gasoline and is in high demand, particularly in the industrialized nations. "Light sweet crude oil" is the most sought-after version of crude oil as it contains a disproportionately large amount of these fractions that are used to process gasoline (naphtha), kerosene, and high-quality diesel (gas oil). 

The term "sweet" originated because the low level of sulfur provides the oil with a mildly sweet taste and pleasant smell. Nineteenth century prospectors would taste and smell small quantities of the oil to determine its quality. From Wikipedia - more here:

You're welcome.