The Silent Freak Show

I should have done this a long time ago but this past weekend I finally broke down and bought a pair of "sound isolating" ear buds for the IPod. Besides increasing the sound quality about 100X compared to the lame pair that came with it, these beauties block out the worst of the background noise. The sound quality is amazing too. I am hearing notes that I didn't know existed. Shure brand buds are highly recommended.

I am not the type to go around everywhere with an MP3 player. As a matter of fact, I rarely travel with my IPod preferring to have all the situational awareness that I can muster particularly on the commute to ground-zero. I detest the morons with the dreaded "screaming" earbuds. You know the ones, generally street urchins with their players turned up so loudly that you really have to wonder why they even bother with them in the first place.

The big reason for my purchase though was that I was pretty much fed-up with the crowd on my commuter bus especially on the ride home in the evening. The obnoxious cell phone chatter, the ridiculous ring tones, idle praise for the MIC, the guy who makes pig noises, the old fart that lets out a cough that would wake the dead just as you are trying to catch a nap. It definitely is the bar scene from StarWars; a freak show. Half of these people probably couldn't fine their way to the highway much less commute for an hour in their own vehicles.

Now I can set back in my acoustic cocoon and observe my fellow man. It's not pretty.

Oh the INDIGNITY !!

"The power of the secretary of State flows directly from the president. But Hillary does not have the inside track with Obama. Rice and Powers, close advisers in the campaign, and Gen. Jones — whose office is in the White House — all may have superior access. Holbrooke and Mitchell will have more immediate information about the world’s trouble spots."; Dick Morris, TheHill.com, 2/9/2009.

Miracle in Iraq

"When you become president of the United States you inherit its history, even the parts you would have done differently. Obama might argue that American sacrifices in Iraq were not worth what we achieved. But for the purposes of current and future policy, that is entirely moot. Despite Obama's opposition, America went on to create a small miracle in the heart of the Arab Middle East. President Obama is now the custodian of that miracle. It is his duty as leader of the nation that gave birth to this fledgling democracy to ensure that he does nothing to undermine it." Charles Krauthammer; Town Hall.com; 2/13/2009.

There IS a Silver Lining

Looks like there is a silver lining to the economic meltdown:

"With bad economic news and rising unemployment, some Latin American immigrants are giving up on America and going back home. The size of the exodus is difficult to discern. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, census data suggest that more than one million illegal immigrants left last year, even before the economy began its downward slide. Other sources believe the numbers are still only in the thousands. Immigrants who have made some kind of life here know that if they leave, returning would probably be impossible, so they hang on. Money sent back home by Mexican immigrants is one measure, at least, of falling employment. In 2008 remittances to families in Mexico fell for the first time since recordkeeping began 13 years ago, dropping from $26 billion in 2007 to $25 billion, according to Mexico's central bank. Remittances are important to Mexico -- they are second only to oil as a source of foreign income." Patriot Post, February 13, 2009

Thinking of a Hybrid Automobile? Think Again.

Steve Milloy puts some level-headed perspective on the topic of hybrid automobiles, the folly of biofuels, and carbon sequestration. Not included are all of the issues that go into high-tech battery technology and how they will end up being almost as toxic as nuclear waste.

An Institution That Actually Has a Pair

Who would have thought that we would have to look to genuine socialists, modern-day Germany, to find a financial institution that actually has a pair of balls.

Go read "Deutsche Bank Posts First Loss Since WWII, Rejects State Aid". We could use a bit of that thinking with the limp dicks in this country.

So What's in it for the Rest of Us?

The last few days have been great fun watching the debates on the bail-out plan and the MIC's failed choices for cabinet posts. Pretty much what one would expect when you take a junior senator with NO real experience (legislative or otherwise) and drop him in the Oval Office.

The libtards always claim that the "rich" don't pay their share of income tax. Well, Daschle made over $5M last year, is one of them, and didn't even have the brains to hire a decent tax accountant.

My question is: what about the rest of us? You know, those of us who have always paid our bills (and taxes) on time, bought sensible cars and houses, kept our credit ratings in the "excellent" range? Those of us who worked our butts off in college and grad school living for eight or more years below the poverty line to finally get to a comfortable lifestyle and raise a family. What do we get, other than having to pay for the lard-asses in their Escalades driving back to their McMansions they bought on an ARM?

The Gore Effect Continues

Interesting how cold weather and storms seem to show up where ever Al Gore makes an appearance. And of course the reception he got from the Senate libtards last week was equally astonishing. It would be nice to see a rudimentary level of science understanding and critical questioning from just one of these morons.

The Junkman gives a nice review of the circus here.