Category: Uncategorized

Troll sighting

And here we have the Spotted Blog Troll, a rare and unusually persistent subspecies in comparison with the common troll. (In a low, David Attenborough-style voice) Here we see how the stealthy troll, forced to operate out of its natural habitat, finds it hard to keep its camoflage consistent once it has been spotted by the pack it has been trailing.

 Carita November 05, 2013 9:47 AM 

   
“Or perhaps having the entire mainstream news industry running
interference makes one look smarter and more successful. Who can say?”

   
One thing is for sure, the President doesn’t need anyone to help him
look successful. The American people took care of that by electing him
twice.

    The question is whether some members of the
news media can help get the ACA up and running in a timely fashion. I
hope so. My experience with it worked perfectly and it’s a great step in
the right direction.

Cretin November 05, 2013 10:03 AM 

   
“Or perhaps having the entire mainstream news industry running
interference makes one look smarter and more successful. Who can say?”

   
The President doesn’t need the media to make him seem more successful.
The American people took care of that with two elections.

   
However, if the media can help get the ACA off the ground and running
well, then that would be a great contribution to an important program
and to making it both successful and worthwhile. I hope they succeed.

I guess dealing with those spam traps can be a bitch once you’ve been identified and spammed. The worst thing is that it follows you to every Google-related site on which you attempt to post.  And, by the way, Carita/Cretin is Tad/Golf Pro.

How bad is Obamacare?

It’s so bad that the New York Times is back to acting as Obama’s personal PR agent again:

So bad that the New York Times has to issue one of its patented awful editorial board op-eds in order to try to defend the law–and the administration that has botched its implementation. The whole thing is a laugh riot from soup to nuts.

The very title of the piece–”Insurance Policies Not Worth Keeping”–signals to the reader that the Times is fully prepared to cover up, paper over, and outright ignore the fact that President Obama and his political allies repeatedly and deliberately misled the nation by promising Americans that if they liked their health care plans, they could keep them. We are told that the president “clearly misspoke” when he told Americans that they could keep their plans in all instances; for the Times, “clearly misspoke” is a euphemism for “repeatedly consistently and deliberately told the exact opposite of the truth,” given that the prevaricators in this instance were political actors the Times approves of when it comes time to hand out endorsements (and when it comes time for Times employees to go to the polls and vote).

This talk about “clearly [misspeaking]” is about as blatant a signal that the Times is ready to engage in journalistic fraud and malpractice as is the opening paragraph, which tells us that the reason news reports are focusing on the cancellation of insurance policies–and the revelation that the Obama administration and its political allies lied to the American people–is that congressional Republicans “have stoked fear and confusion.”

As though the stories of cancellations and sticker shock themselves–told straight and without any congressional Republican lobbying for the stories to be told–were not enough to make Americans fearful, and as though the unbelievably malfunctions that have been suffered by the website are not enough in order to make Americans confused and outraged.

It’s an interesting logic behind the New York Time’s aggressive PR campaign. Obama clearly said Americans could keep their health insurance policies. But now his landmark law is not permitting them to keep those policies. But the new policies are better! Therefore, we should all ignore the fact that he lied and focus on the fact that he is forcing Americans to accept better policies than the ones they would freely choose if left to their own devices.

Surely we should apply this logic to everyone’s daily food choices as well. After all, what one eats tends to determine one’s health. And sexual choices too. It doesn’t matter what you happen to prefer, not when it is eminently clear that certain forms of sexual activity are healthier than others. Forget the closet and the fat farm, Obamacare serves as precedent to fine fatties and homosexuals if they insist on continuing to engage in their expensive and socially deleterious activities.

In any event, all of this is but a temporary sideshow. We are assured by Porky that all these reports of problems are mere strategery by the political supergenius Obama, who is simply suckering in those clueless Republicans for a few weeks, just long enough to befuddle them and amaze the general public when he reveals that the Obamacare system is working more slickly than a pair of greased penguins sliding over glare ice.

Obama is a cunning and masterful politician, though. Consider how carefully he chose his words to extricate himself from a briar patch that would easily ensnare less brilliant strategerists:

“President Barack Obama told his enthusiastic supporters Monday night
that he never promised what video recordings show him promising at least
29 times.”

Or perhaps having the entire mainstream news industry running interference makes one look smarter and more successful. Who can say?

Vaccines are raciss

Or perhaps it is only the viruses that discriminate on the nonexistent basis of “race”:

[T]he HPV subtypes included in the existing two HPV vaccines — Gardasil, developed by Merck, and Cervarix, made by GlaxoSmithKline — are most common among white women but are significantly less common in non-white women. Within Hoyo’s trial, 65% of white women with HPV had the subtypes known as 16 or 18 , while only 36% of African-American women did. That means African-American women are only half as likely to get the type of HPV against which the vaccine works.

The findings highlight the complex role that race plays in medicine, especially as genetic studies reveal more biological reasons behind why racial and ethnic groups may have different propensities for disease, and respond in varying ways to drugs. “We don’t like to admit that race and ethnicity count, but they certainly do in the distribution of infectious diseases,” says Dr. Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania. “Not to sound like a dope, but when [race] matters it matters.”

HPV infection is hardly the first disease to be linked to race. Tay-Sach’s is more common in Ashkenazi Jews, sickle-cell anemia is found mostly in Mediterranean or African populations, and cystic fibrosis has a higher incidence among people with Irish or English ethnicity. But all of those conditions are driven by genetic mutations that can be detected through testing. What makes the HPV findings trickier is the fact that the vaccine is designed to protect women before they become infected, and there is no way to tell which strains a woman will get — except, as Hoyo’s findings suggest, by her race.

That suggests that medical predictions should be based on some type of racial profiling; is it ethical to recommend different vaccines for different women based on race?

It’s fascinating that the magical belief in the nonexistence of something that is materially and scientifically observable appears to be on the verge of being elevated to an ethical principle that trumps medical science.

We already know that this magical belief trumps statistical correlation. But it is remarkable to observe that some of those who otherwise claim to value science uber alles should reveal themselves to have elevated their fixed ideas on human genetic and cultural sameness to a state of ethical priority.

Of course, this is very dangerous ground for the equalitarians. Once one admits that different racial and ethnic groups not only exist, but have different propensities for disease, it becomes considerably harder to deny that both logic and history dictate that different human population groups have different propensities for things like crime and building, maintaining, and participating in advanced civilizations.

Audiobook Review: A Magic Broken

eShamus reviewed A Magic Broken on Amazon:

This book seems to represent a clever marketing conceit: take the tight first five chapters of your book, make them stand alone (include all three acts) and sell it as a novella. This works well here. Yes, it’s a lead-in to a larger book, but it stands alone as both a fulfilling literary meal and an appetizer for more of the author’s work.

I recommend it highly.

The plot of the book is small in scope – appropriate to a novella – but hints at larger machinations, particularly in its conclusion. The story is told from the perspective of two seeming protagonists, a technique that pays off at the conclusion. (8/10)

A Magic Broken’s characters lack some complexity. They are archetypical, which is likely necessary in a novella intended to introduce the reader to an array of types and characters. Despite this, the key protagonist is strong and easily identified with. There’s no wishy-washy uncertainty or hand wringing over trivial issues. Our lead is strong, bold, competent and formidable. The author has skill with the ‘male voice’. It is passé to comment on authors (of either gender) and their ability with the ‘female voice.’ This author accurately captures a masculine hero’s point of view, wit, thoughts, and action. You want a direct, witty, slightly cocky hero? You got him. It’s easy to lose yourself in the character because he owns the traits you wish you’d embody were you in his shoes. This strength outshines the lack of complexity with which other characters may be rendered. Our hero could easily be Nicolai Hel traversing Middle Earth. Beautiful and captivating. How long do you think it would take Nicolai Hel to destroy the ring—or would he? This book opens possibilities that may (in future writings) blow through assumed limitations in fantasy. (8/10)

Scenery/Description is suited for the fantasy world. Pay attention in the beginning because the author seems to take words seriously and descriptions you may skim over will become strategically / tactically relevant soon. There is little wasted scenery. (8/10)

This review is specifically of the audio presentation. In the first 15-20 minutes, the narrator seemed to struggle to find his voice and the voices of the characters. It was the least valuable part of the presentation and hurt the delivery. But as the story unfolded, so too did the reader’s ability. Suddenly characters had unique vocal tics and tone. Accents, range, and emphasis more fully identified the characters. As much as the first 10% disappointed me, suddenly the narrator came to life and it was like listening to Aragorn reciting the history of the Two Towers. (9/10)

Strong writing, good plotting, a hero you will root for, and an audio presentation that grows stronger as it proceeds. I recommend this audio recording.

A common theme appears to be emerging in the early reviews of the AMB audiobook, which is that Nick Afka Thomas is the right man for the narrative job. I’m quite pleased that the listeners appear to appreciate him as much as I did when I first heard his demo reading.

How fit are you?

I tried the Fitness Calculator and the results were not too bad.

Your VO2MAX is calculated to be 51
Your estimated “fitness age” is 32

Well, they weren’t too bad except in comparison with SB’s score, which I will not report for fear of inspiring widespread suicide among the female population. The estimated fitness age is interesting, in that I am able to hold my own in veteran’s soccer despite my advanced age, but simply cannot play with the first team the way I could back when I was actually 32.

Annotating Bacon

In which an essay by Francis Bacon is contemplated.

OF ATHEISM

I had rather believe all the fables in the Legend, and the Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a mind. And therefore, God never wrought miracle, to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it. It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.

For while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them, and go no further; but when it beholdeth the chain of them, confederate and linked together, it must needs fly to Providence and Deity. Nay, even that school which is most accused of atheism doth most demonstrate religion; that is, the school of Leucippus and Democritus and Epicurus. For it is a thousand times more credible, that four mutable elements, and one immutable fifth essence, duly and eternally placed, need no God, than that an army of infinite small portions, or seeds unplaced, should have produced this order and beauty, without a divine marshal.

The Scripture saith, The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God; it is not said, The fool hath thought in his heart; so as he rather saith it, by rote to himself, as that he would have, than that he can thoroughly believe it, or be persuaded of it. For none deny, there is a God, but those, for whom it maketh that there were no God. It appeareth in nothing more, that atheism is rather in the lip, than in the heart of man, than by this; that atheists will ever be talking of that their opinion, as if they fainted in it, within themselves, and would be glad to be strengthened, by the consent of others.

Nay more, you shall have atheists strive to get disciples,(1) as it fareth with other sects. And, which is most of all, you shall have of them, that will suffer for atheism, and not recant; whereas if they did truly think, that there were no such thing as God, why should they trouble themselves?

Epicurus is charged, that he did but dissemble for his credit’s sake, when he affirmed there were blessed natures, but such as enjoyed themselves, without having respect to the government of the world. Wherein they say he did temporize; though in secret, he thought there was no God. But certainly he is traduced; for his words are noble and divine: Non deos vulgi negare profanum; sed vulgi opiniones diis applicare profanum.(2) Plato could have said no more.

And although he had the confidence, to deny the administration, he had not the power, to deny the nature. The Indians of the West, have names for their particular gods, though they have no name for God: as if the heathens should have had the names Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, etc., but not the word Deus; which shows that even those barbarous people have the notion, though they have not the latitude and extent of it. So that against atheists, the very savages take part, with the very subtlest philosophers.

The contemplative atheist is rare: a Diagoras, a Bion, a Lucian perhaps, and some others; and yet they seem to be more than they are; for that all that impugn a received religion, or superstition, are by the adverse part branded with the name of atheists. But the great atheists, indeed are hypocrites; which are ever handling holy things, but without feeling; so as they must needs be cauterized in the end.

The causes of atheism are: divisions in religion, if they be many; for any one main division, addeth zeal to both sides; but many divisions introduce atheism. Another is, scandal of priests; when it is come to that which St. Bernard saith, non est jam dicere, ut populus sic sacerdos; quia nec sic populus ut sacerdos. A third is, custom of profane scoffing in holy matters; which doth, by little and little, deface the reverence of religion. And lastly, learned times, specially with peace and prosperity; for troubles and adversities do more bow men’s minds to religion.(3)

They that deny a God, destroy man’s nobility; for certainly man is of kin to the beasts, by his body; and, if he be not of kin to God, by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble creature. It destroys likewise magnanimity, and the raising of human nature; for take an example of a dog, and mark what a generosity and courage he will put on, when he finds himself maintained by a man; who to him is instead of a God, or melior natura; which courage is manifestly such, as that creature, without that confidence of a better nature than his own, could never attain.

So man, when he resteth and assureth himself, upon divine protection and favor, gathered a force and faith, which human nature in itself could not obtain. Therefore, as atheism is in all respects hateful, so in this, that it depriveth human nature of the means to exalt itself, above human frailty.(4)

As it is in particular persons, so it is in nations. Never was there such a state for magnanimity as Rome. Of this state hear what Cicero saith: Quam volumus licet, patres conscripti, nos amemus, tamen nec numero Hispanos, nec robore Gallos, nec calliditate Poenos, nec artibus Graecos, nec denique hoc ipso hujus gentis et terrae domestico nativoque sensu Italos ipsos et Latinos; sed pietate, ac religione, atque hac una sapientia, quod deorum immortalium numine omnia regi gubernarique perspeximus, omnes gentes nationesque superavimus.(5)

(1) Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. There was nothing new about “the New Atheists”.

(2) “Not the man who denies the gods worshipped by the multitude, but he who
affirms of the gods what the multitude believes about them is truly
impious.”
– Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus 

Epicurus has a legitimate point, but I suspect this is usually read in the crude and superficial sense, which, contra Bacon, is neither noble nor divine.

(3) The fourth cause is the big one. It should be no surprise that atheism came into vogue at the end of the biggest economic bubble and longest period of international peace in history. But the pendulum is already swinging back.

(4) This is what renders atheism, rather than atheists per se, hateful. It intrinsically degrades Man. It is a literally soul-killing philosophy.

(5) “Let us, O conscript fathers, think as highly of ourselves as we
please; and yet it is not in numbers that we are superior to the Spaniards,
nor in personal strength to the Gauls, nor in cunning to the Carthaginians,
nor in arts to the Greeks, nor in the natural acuteness which seems to be
implanted in the people of this land and country, to the Italian and Latin
tribes; but it is in and by means of piety and religion, and this especial
wisdom of perceiving that all things are governed and managed by the divine
power of the immortal gods, that we have been and are superior to all other
countries and nations.”
– Cicero, On the Responses to the Haruspices

Why do you make me hit you?

A couple of observations. First, neither the woman nor the man knew how to box. Second, the woman was considerably tougher than I expected; she didn’t fold or go down after taking the first, second, or third shot. Third, this underlines what I’ve said about women being slow as molasses; not only can’t she touch an inexperienced guy, she can’t even block or evade his initial jabs! Fourth, people tend to forget that F=MA. Her punches don’t make contact because she is so slow, but even if they did, they wouldn’t do any damage.

Fifth and most importantly, notice the female mindset in action and how bizarre it looks from the male perspective. She knows nothing and learns nothing. She wildly overrates her own ability; an even moderately trained fighter would likely have knocked her out in the first exchange. She stubbornly continues after it is abundantly clear that she is in well over her head and the referee is manufacturing excuses for her to stop. Then, after being utterly humiliated, she doesn’t have the good grace to acknowledge the victor her superior.

This is exactly the mindset one sees from the Left in intellectual discourse here and elsewhere. They know nothing and learn nothing. They wildly overrate their own ability, don’t understand they are losing while in the very process of doing so, and then refuse to acknowledge they have been beaten despite thousands of people witnessing their defeat.

I have little doubt that tomorrow, the woman will be right back to bragging again about how she can beat any Marine on the base. That’s why you shouldn’t bother to reason with these people or attempt to convince them of anything. Just wait until the bell rings, then hit them in the face until you knock them out. Repeat as needed.

So let this be a warning to the usual suspects. No one has any interest in your performance art or whatever it is you think you are doing. If you are a troll or an anklebiter, any assertion you make will either be accompanied by your evidence supporting that assertion or it will be spammed. It doesn’t matter how many names you attempt to hide under, because if you do not present an actual argument in your comment every single time you attempt to criticize any post or anyone’s comment, your comments will end up in the spam filter.

No one has to agree with me. I welcome substantive criticism. I appreciate rational dissent. I enjoy genuine debate. Everyone is entirely free to have their own opinion, to express it, and to defend it. But there will be no more empty posturing, no more meaningless affectations of superiority, and no more insubstantial critiques that stand on nothing but hot air.

The constant ad hominem attempts to ritually cast me out are redundant. I am not part of your group, I never was, and I have nothing but pure contempt for your pathetic warrens. If you are working out the fear and rejection issues that stem from your shrunken amygdala, that’s understandable, but you’ll have to do it someplace else. This is not your in-group. You do not belong here, and you are not welcome here, because you have repeatedly demonstrated that you bring nothing of substance to the discourse.

This isn’t an echo chamber, but it also isn’t group therapy for leftists unsettled by reality.

VPFL Week 8

86 Suburban Churchians (4-4)
60 Mounds View Meerkats (3-5)

79 63Mercury Marauders (4-4)
59 Greenfield Grizzlies (6-2)

77 RR Redbeards (4-4)
64 Boot Hill Hangmen (2-4)

81 Fromundah Cheezheads (7-1)
60 Bailout Banksters (3-5)

94 Bane Sidhe (5-3)
45 Bradford Gamma Rays (2-4)

The Meerkats are scoring, they’re just not scoring enough to keep up with the Grizzlies and Cheezheads. Both Aaron Rodgers and Arian Foster are underperforming this year, which is disappointing.

Though not as disappointing as the meltdown at Minnesota QB. If, as per Coach Frazier, starting Ponder gives the Vikings their best chance to win today, they obviously don’t have much of a chance to win.

No reason

The Fed is testing susceptibility to counterparty credit risk in 2014. Just to, you know, be on the safe side. Nothing to worry about here. No problems are anticipated. Hey, look there, green shoots!

Lenders including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Citigroup Inc. (C) will have to show they can survive the demise of a trading partner or a plunge in value of high-risk business loans in the 2014 version of U.S. stress tests.

The scenarios for the annual tests, outlined by the Federal Reserve in a statement yesterday, reflect some of the most pressing threats seen by regulators as they gauge the ability of the U.S. financial system to withstand economic shocks. Bankers will have to show what would happen to the value of leveraged loans they hold, the impact of another housing bust and how they’d fare if a firm that owes them substantial sums collapses.

The test was designed in part to build resiliency against what some see as emerging asset bubbles, said a Fed official who spoke on a conference call with reporters. The counterparty failure test aims to prevent a repeat of the 2008 crisis, when distress at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and American International Group Inc. threatened to destroy their biggest trading partners.

Of course, regular readers here know another way to spell “a plunge in value of high-risk business loans”. C-R-E-D-I-T-D-E-F-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Twice as hard

The public persecution of Orson Scott Card is an indicator that it is time for the Right to, in Instapundit’s words, start punching back twice as hard.

A friend posted on Facebook about his interest in the new Ender’s Game film based on the classic novel by Orson Scott Card.  Another person chimed in with joy over a news story that Card would not profit personally based on the performance of the film.  Why would such a thing be an occasion for joy?  The answer is that Card (a Mormon) is a known opponent of same-sex marriage.

Card’s career of late has been affected by his view of marriage.  He lost prospective work writing for a Superman project when voices piped up in opposition to him.  Was it because of his poor writing?  No.  It was because of his politics.  These same people who villify Card and hope to destroy his career are surely the same persons who curse the “Red Scare” and “McCarthyism.”  What is the phenomenon in either case?  It is the attempt to prevent a person with a particular worldview from getting work or to prevent others from associating with that person.

The Right has long sabotaged itself through its pride in playing fair and refusing to bar leftists from employment on the basis of their ideological allegiances. Where did that get them? Barred from the mainstream media and the universities. What did that accomplish? Nothing more than the complete loss of the intellectual high ground.

Now that it is in the ascendant in the decision-making positions at the publishers and the large technology companies, we are seeing the same process at work. The leftists at Tor Books aren’t dumb enough to drop Card while he’s still their best-selling author, but they are going to prevent the next Card from publishing there. In fact, they have done so for years, if not decades.

It is no use for the Right to primly disapprove and declare “that’s not sporting, old chap”. When one side clings to the Marquess of Queensbury rules while the other is making use of the full range of MMA options, the outcome is certain. The Left is increasingly confident, in part because its numbers have been swollen through immigration and forty years of public school indoctrination, in part because, rather like Hitler, they simply don’t believe the other side has the backbone to stand its ground.

But the Right still has the bigger numbers. Despite the Left’s loathing of him, it is Card who is Tor’s best-selling novelist, not their left-wing poster girl. Despite the fact that I am not published by any major publisher, I have the most-trafficked blog of any SF/F writer. By every objective measure, the Right remains more culturally powerful than the destructive parasites of the Left. But it is an impotent, mostely unused power.

So, it is time to use it. It is time for the sleeping dog to wake up and bite back. It is time to treat them the way they have been treating us for decades. Don’t hire them. Don’t publish them. Don’t support them. Express social disapproval of them. If you suspect them of left-wing sympathies, if you suspect them of equalitarianism and feminism and other intellectual diseases, inquire further and then drive them into social quarantine. Force them to rely upon their own kind rather than subsisting like vampires upon the human cattle they despise.

Don’t whine about how they won’t let you into the clubs and companies they invaded and occupied and made their own, create new ones, make them bigger and better, and then, (and this is the crucial part), DO NOT LET THEM IN. To “foxnews” should be a verb in every right-winger’s vocabulary; Fox News is the model that shows how easily the Right can dominate and destroy the Left on the Left’s own turf so long as the Right stops trying to appease and accommodate the Left.

Punching back is punching back twice as hard, because the Right has more muscle.

So stop priding yourself on your open mind and your tolerance. Stop thinking you are going to shame them, or inspire them, or convince them into following your lead. Their minds are closed and they see you as an evil enemy. Accept that and treat them accordingly. Support your own kind, give preference to your own kind, and stop paying tribute to the enemy.

As for their vilification, wear it with pride. Feed on it and grow strong. I would be embarrassed, I would be downright disgusted with myself, were the intellectual dwarfs of the Left to approve of me in any way, shape, or form. Persecution either breaks a faith or makes it stronger, and the more they try to increase the pressure, the stronger and harder and more confident they will make us.