I Question the Timing

I have said here before, somewhere, that Obama can’t win the Presidency, if he loses Pennsylvania. Now, this weekend, the right is clamoring for impeachment, because of an Executive Order about immigration. Tomorrow the Sunday shows will be all about the looney right. So do issues like this just fall out of the sky?

I got an invitation in the mail a few weeks ago to join Mitt on his bus tour. It went to the wrong mail box, so the person who got it threw it on the floor. This is New Jersey after all. So everybody has known where Mitt was going to be this weekend. Fast Eddie Rendell certainly knew, even though this time he was not fast enough.

In the bloodsport of political campaigns, it is about doing whatever is necessary to stop your opponent from delivering a harmful message. To do it well, you should “Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.“

Mitt, in case you didn’t know, delivered a speech at the Weathering Casting and Machine Co. today. In Pennsylvania. Will anybody talk about how Mitt “resonated” in Pennsylvania with all this other noise?

- Making Catholicism Illegal Again

Here's an interesting tidbit from our progressive cousins in Europe. The Irish government has made it a crime for a priest not to report child molestation, even if they came by the knowledge of the offense in the confessional.

I stand behind no man in my hatred of child molestation. It is a despicable act for which there is no doubt a special ring of hell. I am comforted only by the fact that the US prison population is so horribly abusive to those found guilty of the crime, that some measure of justice has managed to creep in to the process. I would just as easily see the penalty for such crimes be death, except then they would probably be getting off easy.

But if the Irish government thinks that Catholic priests are going to roll over and start giving up knowledge gained from the confessional, they've got another thing coming. There is literally nothing I can think of that you can do to a priest to make him tell that particular tale, and if there is, then he is certainly no priest. I wouldn't expect the Vatican to be willing to give up any ground on this.

The sanctity of the confessional is not just some randomly thought up rule designed to get the priest all the latest village gossip. It plays an absolutely central role in Christianity's oldest faith, and the salvation of the souls of the faithful. Give that up, and all of Catholicism crumbles around it.

So the Irish have put themselves in an interesting situation. They will have the option of either never trying to enforce this particular law, or being the first Catholic country in history to make Catholicism itself illegal.

It's a crazy world when the barbarians are all on the inside of the gates.

- A Little Pop-Culture

I know this item is a little "pop-culture" for this blog, but I have to call hypocrisy on this one. According to this report, Lady Gaga (an American entertainer of some kind) is being criticized by the Thai ministry over an "inappropriate use" of the Thai Flag. The use they have an issue with (Pictured above) was to tie it on to her motorcycle during her show.

OK, I get how they might have an issue with that, and they aren't exactly throwing her in prison or anything so I suppose it's all fair game. But speaking as a man whose been to Bangkok several times, I can tell you about a whole lot of uses for a Thai flag that are both fairly common there and WAY more inappropriate.

I'm just sayin.

- Never Let A (Constitutional) Crisis Go To Waste

I think we need to make the most of the 'new brand of legislature" that President Obama and the Democrats have generously put in place via this "executive order - immigration amnesty" rule. Sure it may cause a constitutional crisis, but like someone once said someplace, we should "Never let a crisis go to waste." And if we're going to give up the whole quaint "rule of law" thing then let's by all means make the most of it.

So I have a few suggestions for the future Romney Administration on how they can issue executive orders without the consent of Congress, just like President Obama is doing:

1. Put an executive order in place preventing the IRS from enforcing any corporate income taxes of any kind. (This is legally identical to Obama's new immigration rule BTW.)

2. Fail to provide any funding for the department of energy and the EPA. Those employees who feel it's their moral duty to continue to obstruct American industry can feel free to continue to do so on a volunteer basis without fear of repercussions.

3. Issue an order which denies funding for the human resources cost associated with the Department of Education. The funding for the department will then be divided up and cut as checks - one per student, for every parent who has a child in the US schools system either public or private.

President Obama's actions are blatantly unconstitutional and although I'm no lawyer, it reads to me like an impeachable act. But since impeachment is unlikely in this political climate, the only option we have is to beat them with the stick they've given us. So let's make the most of it. Let's start planning now, and in January, we can have a grand old time warming ourselves around the constitutional fire because (according to President Obama) "It's for the good of all Americans."

And like some other Liberal once famously said "Burn Baby Burn".

- Panderer In Chief

In an attempt to buy just a couple of more votes, President Obama unveiled an executive order to halt enforcement of America's immigration laws. The Drudge headline is listing it as: "Jobs Program For Illegals".

But even the press is getting tired of all this extra-constitutional wrangling. He was heckeld during his speech by a reported fro the Daily Caller. It also gave us all a chance to see what thin skin he has:

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I can remember very clearly when the public was so furious over the issue of immigration amnesty that they were inches from revolt. Tens of thousands of calls, faxes, and letters showered down on congress. Now Obama has found a way to peacefully get around rules that don't jive with his agenda... he just ignores them.

For that reason, I'm a little more put off on this issue than usual. I'm not even sure this will help him in the election. He says the people are Americans in every way except one... a piece of paper. By the same token, I'm a graduate of Harvard Law School in every way but one. That doesn't mean I can just put it on my resume.

I'm glad this guy from the Daily Caller spoke up when he did because it's forcing the network news guys to cover the story. And based on past history, their reaction to the President ignoring the US Constitution is to "forget" to mention it on the news broadcasts.

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I think we're at a point now where it would do the Republic some serious good to take one of these politicians, impeach him, and if possible, throw him in jail for violating his oath of office. Clearly we need to find some way to put the fear back into them because this guy is literally doing whatever he likes. It's not a matter of politics, or policy. He's ignoring the law. He is not allowed to pick and choose what laws to enforce - and it's especially callous of him to do so as part of an effort to buy himself another election.

I'm not kidding, I think he should get thrown in jail for this. It's where all Chicago politicians belong anyway.

- The Future Of NYC

Grabbed from here.

HT ...Debby Witt

- Microsoft Arrogance

Because we don't have nearly enough megalomaniacal corporations in the technology industry lately, Microsoft has decided to go into the Tablet business. Their product will no doubt elevate treating the customer like the product to entirely new level, and bring shame and embarrassment to Apple, Google and Facebook, who have based their business models around a similar idea, but must have left just a few drops of blood un-sucked from their user's veins.

Apple, as you are no doubt aware, has centered their "consumer as product" business around the seamless integration of the user's entire life under their I-tunes cloud. The client software is automatically updated every 30 seconds, and so far includes the integration of you online purchases, offline purchases, restaurant choices, clothing selection, hairstyle changes, bill payments, medical records, dating history, sexual preferences, golf scores, tax returns, and travel arrangements. The updates are specifically designed to help guide the user to a more enhanced Apple experience, and the Apple stores are designed to put you in touch with just the kind of people to help you handle your entire life, in the Apple way.

Apple wants faithful unthinking zombies who have embraced the Apple way. But Google is content to simply have obedient slaves. They've focused their 'customer as product' business on tracking of your physical location through your cell phone, and any other electronic signatures you may accidentally leave behind. You have the option of turning off your notification of the tracking, but not the tracking itself which is integrated into the core of all Google products. In addition, Google has also dispatched tens of thousands of 360 degree cameras which will map your entire world. They map your home, your office, your bedroom, your medicine cabinet, your refrigerator, and are working on an even smaller more portable camera to help you map your colon. All of this information will allow google to custom target advertising - which explains why so many people are now reporting seeing google ads for nothing but sexual enhancement drugs, and herpes medications.

Facebook has taken a subtly different track and has focused exclusively on the difference between how your 'friends' see you as compared to how you see yourself. They not only track your entire relationship history, but also track all the things you say you like, and all the things your online habits indicate that you actually like. Which has made it ground zero for online porn advertising, and a thinly veiled proxy for online dating sites. They put special effort into the online stalker market, by connecting you (like it or not) to people from your past that you thought you'd managed to evade. Their goal has always been to take all aspects of the social experience online, so they are devoting most of their effort into enabling users to lie online effectively, particularly about their weight, income, and general success level.

Microsoft has a long history of reorganizing the Windows OS experience every few years to confound those users who have learned how to solve the problems the last update created for them. While these updates represent nothing but a nuisance to its users, it represents a great boon to Microsoft who has spent the last 20 years trying to exploit is pseudo-monopoly status to turn itself from a company which sells products to a company which sells software as a service. This is a terrible thing for Microsoft users, but like most slaves they have grown accustomed to their chains. These days Microsoft's businesses clients are happy to "upgrade" to a new version so long as Microsoft denies them support for the old one.

But Microsoft has recently become aware that if you keep beating a dog, sooner or later it won't play with you anymore. While their business users now wear their chains proudly, they've begun to lose ground to Apple and Google in the individual computing space and in cell phones. This Pad effort must be an attempt to get some of those dogs back on the leash.

Microsoft systems have always been second rate designs in terms of security, efficiency and speed. But they have been relatively easy to use. The "We know better than you idiots do" design philosophy of Microsoft has never worked well in environments where users want an individual experience, or where they have a higher than average intelligence. And since they've shown nothing but open contempt for their users for more than 20 years, I don't expect it will be a success on their part. They aren't clever enough at design to do better, and their "loyal customers" are really only loyal because they have no choice. So I doubt their dreams of global Pad domination will be well received. At least not until they stop supporting PC's.

Born to be Yummy Cakes

Every day Abby will come to me and ask for a treat. Treats are nice but they can be unhealthy too. So I was intrigued when I heard about Born to be Yummy cakes, which claimed to be healthy and full of goodness. The owner was very kind and sent me their whole range to try.

According to their ingredients and information on the box, each of their products has hidden fruits or vegetables, at least 1/3 less sugar and 2/3 less saturated fat compared to other similar individually wrapped cakes. They also contain at least 1/3 less sugar than many other children's fruit based lunchbox snacks. There are no added salt nor artificial additives. It all sounded too good to be true!

Each of their individually wrapped cakes comes with a reusable sticker on it, so the little ones can stick it on themselves while eating the full of goodness cakes. Abby has been harassing her daddy with them though!

When I opened the wrapping, my first thought was how easy it was to unwrap the cakes. Little ones can easily unwrap these themselves by showing them how to do it, and it's easy to hold the cakes with the other half of the wrapper still wrapped around the cake to prevend mess.

All of their products has crushed linseeds to add that extra texture, and I loved feeling for them and biting on them.

Their Choca Doodle Choo (Chocolate & Apricot Crispies) are crispy but not harsh to the gum at all. It's got a chewy texture from the dried apricots, and is deliciously chocolatey. 

Bonkers Choca-na-na (Banana & Chocolate Flapjacks) has a hint of banana from the banana mash, and more of a oaty flavour. It also contains 2% of dark chocolate chips, which has a 66% cocoa mass.

The Flapple Jacks (Pineapple Flapjacks) are my favourite. It is sweet but not sickly sweet. The golden syrup flavour is there but not overpowering, and there is a hint of the pineapple puree.

Finally, their Ooey Gooey (Chocolate Brownies) contain freshly grated carrots that gives an interesting crunch to the dense but soft brownies. They are very tasty and chocolatey, with 72% cocoa solids.

I really liked their cakes and thought that they are great for my children as a snack. Although hubby thought that the flapjacks was a bit dry. I agree with him, but nothing can't be fixed with a good glass of milk!


Because of the owner's passion for creating nutritious treats that uses fresh ingredients, it was quite unfortunate that a couple of the chocolate brownies I was sent (not the one in the above picture) has started to go off due to natural spoilage before their best before date.

I liaised with the owner before publishing this review, as I think that their cakes are delicious, and it is unfair if I didn't give her a chance to investigate the problem. By doing this, you, the reader, can also find out how they deal with a problem like this.

According to their Quality Assurance Statement issued in July 2011, they were awarded 5 star/ Excellent Food Hygiene Rating, and they implement a systematised checklist, which is internationally recognised and recommended system of food safety management. This allows them to find out quickly where the problem occured when they receive a customer complaint. You can read more about their statement here.


And indeed, the owner was quick to respond and kept me up to date during the investigation process. She only needed to know which shop the brownies were bought from (in my case, she already knew) and she can quickly connect it to the bakery responsible for the batch.

After some investigation, they have found out that a small batch of fresh carrots used for that particular batch of chocolate brownies contained an exceptionally high moisture content, causing the brownies to prematurely spoil before the best before date (26th June, 2012).

My case was their 5th premature natural spoilage case reported to them since July 2011, and have in that time produced 10s of thousands of cakes. (How lucky am I! I should have bought a lotto ticket!)

They are recalling the brownies from this batch, and urge anyone who bought them to contact them. Money will be refunded together with a complimentary replacement pack. You can read more about the case and their investigation report here.

The owner and her team are now looking into a solution that will enable them to continue using fresh carrots in their brownies while allowing the brownies to last longer.


After the incident, I still ate the other 3 cakes. I just made sure I checked them out beforehand, which should really be done with anything you put in your mouth. The cakes are retailed £3.00 per pack, with 5 in each pack. You can find the stockists information here.


Disclosure: I was sent 4 packs of cakes to try and review; all opinions are honest and my own.

- It Depends On Your Definition Of Fairness

Harvey Golub in the WSJ:

President Obama says over and over again that high-income Americans don't pay their fair share of income taxes. He says this with such conviction and confidence that many believe him—the tax code is unfair because high-income people pay too little. True, there is a lot wrong with our tax code and it is unfair, but the president is simply wrong if he believes our highest earners are not paying their fair share.

The top 1% of taxpayers pay more in federal income taxes than the bottom 90%. (The bottom 50% pay no income tax at all.) Clearly, our tax system is highly progressive, either when considering income taxes alone or consolidating personal income, corporate, estate and payroll taxes. I suppose one could argue that the code should be even more progressive, but that is a tough argument to make on the basis of fairness.

The fact is, Obama and the far left's "fairness" brigade don't want anything that the rest of us would think even resembles "Fairness". What Obama wants is the power to decide who pays what. He wants to be the one who says "You... you build windmills so you can pay a little less, but you with the coal mine, you have to pay more. You there, you were a big campaign contributor so you can get a tax break ... this time... but you there who supported my opponent, you must pay much... MUCH more." He's selling it on the premise that it would be more "fair" if we all just left it up to him, but it's not really so.

What his followers want, isn't even that noble. They want the ability to punish people who have more than they do. They want to say "Look great master... that man has a private jet... I don't have a private jet... take his away and give it to me! He has a nice car, but I want a nice car... give me his!" This is a base an evil sentiment, but it's what really drives all the people out there demanding "fairness".

It's the same exact sentiment that drove Rhodesia off the fiscal cliff when all the land owned by white farmers (many had owned the farms for generations) was taken away from them by force and given to black citizens who knew nothing of farming but had good political connections. They said they wanted "fairness" too. That's what "Fairness" means to the far left. Obama knows better than to really give them more than just a taste of it. But that's still what they're after.

Quosh Squash Mix

For some reason, water does not quinch our thirst during a Hot Summer. It has to be something icy cold with some flavour. Yet all these flavoured drinks contain lots of sugar and E numbers. The Quosh Squash Mix I was sent to try not only doesn't have either, it still turn my ordinary water into something exciting and refreshing.

I was sent Orange and Tropical flavours to try. A 10g sachet will flavour 500ml of cold water, shaken in a bottle or stirred in a glass or jug, really simple. The good thing is that you can carry these sachets in bags for picnics or lunch, instead of carrying a bottle of concentrated drink around.

I loved the tropical fruit flavour, it's almost like eating an ice lolly! I think I might just make some with these. The orange was nice too and very much like those vitamin C tablets drink. For my personal preference I would use a 10g sachet with perhaps 550-600ml water, and for my children I'd use less of the mix as they are used to water and any flavour is delightful enough for them.

You can buy these for £1 only in ASDA and each box contains 6 x 10g sachets. There will be more retailers stocking them soon as well. £1 is fairly cheap already for 6 sachets, but if you prefer your drink to be more diluted like I do, then you can get even more out of it!

Disclosure: I was sent 2 flavours of squash mix to try; all opinions are honest and my own

- Since It Looks Like It Might Take Obama Down...

Well... at least Eric Holder.

Here's a quick review of the facts with regard to the Fast & Furious Gun Walker scandal that may result in the Attorney General of the United States being charged with contempt. (I defy you guys to find something this cogent about if from the network news media.)

And some more detail for those interested:

- Be Thou Familiar, But By No Means Vulgar

I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to introduce the other recent addition to our Author list "Frithguild", but I find I'm at a bit of a loss. I don't know why exactly. I know him better than Ikaika, In fact, Frithguild and I are friends. We hang out together fairly often. We are about the same age, of similar ethnic and religious backgrounds and he even lives fairly close to me. So why all the writer's block when discussing him- I can't really understand.

Actually maybe I can. I think it's because I do know what's going on in his life and I can't tell you about the things I admire about him without giving away more than I think is appropriate. We aren't really anonymous here, but I leave it to each man to set the level of his anonymity. It's not my place to make their personal lives public. But since he left a few words in the comments section once, I think I can say just a little bit.

Frithguild is an attorney. I've seen him in front of a judge and he's every bit as smooth as you would expect from a guy who makes a living in litigation. He's one of those lawyers who can joke with the judge without angering him, and is clever enough to be entertaining even while he works. They don't put conservatives on TV, even in the courts, But if they did, he has the style to pull it off. He's a guy who can get away with wearing a seersucker suit - which you don't see very often on Wall Street or in NJ's court system I'd imagine. But he can manage it well. Picture someone with a style roughly like Tucker Carlson , only with Phil Donahue's hair color.

With that said, and partly because of his vast intelligence rather than in spite of it, he's admitted himself that he's had a tough year. He's faced the kind of challenges that we all have to cope with sometimes, but his "troubles have come not in single spies but in battalions". It's a testimony to his character that he's coped as well as he has, and that he's stood fast and faced down his issues instead of running from them. No feigning madness nor slaughtering in-laws for him. (OK... last Hamlet reference.) He's tougher than he thinks... I think. And I admire his strength. I'm proud to call him my friend.

We met, strangely enough in court - while we were both in the pool for Jury duty. Neither of us was picked for the case being too conservative for one of the attorneys. But seeing what I thought was the only other conservative in Monmouth county (he mentioned FreeRepublic in his questioning), I took the opportunity to introduce myself, and we have since become friends.

He's one of those guys who's so smart you have to remind him to tone it down for the rest of us. He's thankfully done so, and done it well if the comments are any indication. As a lawyer, language is his first weapon of choice. So he can get quite a bit out ahead of us if he tries. We finance guys can barely string two sentences together without a spelling error. But Frithguild's weapon of choice is a pen and language.

His contribution around here is an obvious strength and a benefit to us all. Particularly because he brings an expertise that the rest of us lack, but is still on a topic that touches all of our lives. I'm very happy to be sharing this space with him.

Preview: Raa Raa the Noisy Lion New Episodes

The first word Clay said wasn't daddy or mummy, it was actually 'Wraa'. He has been watching Raa Raa the Noisy Lion and absolutely loved it. Even Abby is a big fan. When I told her that we get to preview a couple of the new episodes that is not even out yet on TV, she was really excited and asked me to put it on. 'Can we watch it now mummy? Please mummy, can we watch the new Raa Raa now?' Of course we can!

Episode 1: Doctor Raa Raa

In the first episode, Raa Raa was trying to be a helpful doctor by helping his friends who seem to be hurt. By doing what he thought was right, he's created some hilarious moments. I used the opportunity to teach Abby how important it is to listen. I love shows that teaches children the right behaviours.

Episode 2: Raa Raa's Noisy Challenge

Raa Raa is being challenged by Crocky to make a noise with everything in the Jingly Jangly Jungle in the second episode. When he failed, he was really disappointed. I used the chance to teach Abby that it's not all about winning. Not very sure whether she understood though!

There are 5 new episodes in total, each lasting ten minutes, and will be airing on CBeebies from 25th June 2012 at 3:30pm. Although there are only 5 episodes, I'm really impressed with their work. It is not easy to make stop-frame animation, where they have to rearrange the scene for every frame. The show is colourful, fun, and really gets the little ones' attention. No wonder it's such a big hit on CBeebies!

The other 3 episodes are:

Catch That Page, where Raa Raa will be trying to help Topsy to create a book for story time,

Raa Raa Gets Squeaky, where Raa Raa disappeared while helping his friends, and 

Wake Up Hufty, where everyone tries to wake Hufty up in time for the Dawn Chorus.

For more information, visit Raa Raa the Noisy Lion's official site or their facebook page.

Disclosure: I was sent the first 2 episodes for review purpose; all opinions are honest and my own

- Ah Don't Mind That, It's Just Another Drone...

... One day - and I hope I'm not around to hear it, the thread title will probably be a typical utterance.
Military Drone Mistaken for UFO along DC highways

Yikes!

- The President's Fundraising Schedule

I see that the President is going to be fundraising in Manhattan again today. I didn't vote for the guy, but I would never consider harming any President of the United States or advocating in any way that others harm him. I would never want to see anything like that happen. But that isn't to say that I don't have an anti-government sentiment as broad as my perverse sense of humor.

I know the area around the Plaza Hotel really well - I worked a block from there for years. And given the SEVERE anti-gun bias of the local government, and the hyper-partisan views of this President, I wonder what would happen if I were to take one of my soft gun cases - say the one that says "Browning" on it - fill it full of curtain rods, and go hang around outside the hotel for a while this afternoon?

There are no laws that I know of against gun cases or curtain rods in NYC. I would make no threatening gestures toward any authority figure and be in complete compliance with all instructions from security. But I have to believe that it would get under someone's skin - particularly the oblique statement made by the curtain rods.

Given my feelings about the Mayor I have to admit, that sounds like fun. Tragically I have too much to do today.

- Somehow I Knew Disco Frank Was Involved

Taking the "Failed Policies of the Past" to an absurd New Level.

I kid our recently revived Senator Frank Lautenberg for wanting to put NJ on the cutting edge of 1970's thinking with careful top down central planning. But I was wrong. He must be having one of those 'senior moments' because he actually seems to think it's still 1935.

On his lucid days he's not a smart man. He's managed to be on the losing side of history on virtually every policy back to the Magna Carta. And now this idiot would like to see us re-embrace one of the most destructive polices of the New Deal:

The Union of Unemployed (UCubed) Activists is an Internet-centric “community service project” of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) — one of the country’s largest industrial trade unions.

...

The group is currently pushing passage of New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s recent “21st Century WPA Act” to reinstate the New Deal employment program, and Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s attempt to rejuvenate another New Deal program with her “21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Act.”

Because nothing leads to full employment like a policy of national slavery. Half the people dig the holes, the other half fill them in. Presto: huge annual GDP growth. What fools.

I think it would be better for everyone if whoever it is assigned the task of keeping Frank on his meds and making sure he wears pants to his office every morning, would simply keep him home. Let him be the Senator in absentia for NJ. As we saw yesterday at the Finance Committee hearings, Bob Menendez is certainly capable of embarrassing NJ enough all on his own.

But if he really insists on sleeping at the Senate offices rather than at home, then his staff should keep him from proposing any new business of state. It never works out well. And it's hard enough being from NJ without having to continue apologizing for this guy's senility.

- Here Comes Accountability

This is the reason that conspiracies fail. You simply can't keep a lid on them. Someone always talks about something, either out of principle or to save their own skin.

I think Eric Holder is getting close to his John Dean moment.

Seabrook Bread Crisps

Although I make lots of desserts, I'm more of a savoury person. Or perhaps I just like flavoursome food! We love our crisps, and it is one thing that is always stocked in this house. One of our favourite brand is Seabrook, their crisps are full of flavours, and go well with any fizzy drinks. One of their product claimed to have no potato at all - Seabrook Bread Crisps.

Their bread crisps are almost like croutons, but tastier! I took one and couldn't stop. I did however tried to stop my husband though. It's so flavoursome a fizzy drink is a must to go with it. 

Cheddar Cheese & Red Onion

Their Cheddar Cheese & Red Onion is absolutely my favourite. I loved the cheesiness. It's the kind that'll make you want to lick off all the flavourings from the tub!

Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar

I'm normally not keen in Salt and Vinegar, but somehow the 'sea' and the 'balsamic' enticed me. I can taste more of the bread/ crouton taste from this one, and it reminded me of eating bread dipped in salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Maybe I should dip them in olive oil! This one is surprisingly hubby's favourite as he normally isn't keen in salt & vinegar as well. He said it's special and nice!

It is a nice change from potato crisps, and the flavour you expect from Seabrook is still there. You can buy them from Morrissons for £1.99 per 100g tub. I do think that they could have filled the tub up a bit more though *sheepish grin*.

Disclosure: I was sent 2 tubs of bread crisps to try; all opinions are honest and my own

- The Invincible

 

RFNJ has been way out front talking about the dim prospects for an Obama reelection.  You can put me in the pounded veal camp.  Common sense calls for that conclusion, but there is there is an undercurrent from a simpler time, which may move voting opinion in ways the eyeball counters have not considered.  I give you the Espionage Act of 1917. 

Warfare in the days Congress passed this law involved great unitary actions, which could turn on a small bit of information.  British Admiralty intelligence in Room 40 intercepted a May 30, 1916 signal at 14:00 that Admiral Scheer of the German High Seas Fleet sent to his submariners.  Admiral Jellicoe used this information, to completely change the dynamics of the largest naval engagement in the history of warfare.  Across the pond, Congress learned that secrets matter. 

Political campaigns are a kind of warfare, where a big secrets have been enough to make or break a candidacy.  Past Presidential campaignes, I think, have steered clear of poking the intelligence community bee hive out of fear of the big secret. 

That was then and this is now.  Modern military strategy seems to focus upon asymmetry and the damage that swarms of unmanned weapons may achieve.  Vast amounts of digital information have changed warfare and politics alike.  Yet, intelligence remains as important as ever. 

The Obama administration has begun more prosecutions under the Espionage Act of 1917 than any other administration.  At the same time, the chattering class now observes that intelligence leaks seem to be strangely selective and geared toward shaping the public image of the President.  Men and women in the intelligence services put their lives on the line, with the inviolability of a secret as their only protection.  Their community is small, their information is vast and their memories are long.  They are also very good at staying hidden. 

The days of big information from out of nowhere resulting in fatal damage to a big campaign may be more in the past than in the digital present because public attention is nowhere as unitary as when our information came from singular and iconic sources.  Today we have swarms of information.  Military planners fear the swarm.  I am not so sure big political campaigns have a strategy to defend against an information swarm.  This administration does not seem to fear on getting airborne, if you look at how it has used the Espionage Act of 1917 and the trove that law seeks to protect.  Perhaps it should.   

The battlecruiser HMS Invincible sank in 90 seconds at the Battle of Jutland, after a 12 inch shell penetrated its thinly armored deck.  You might say it had thin skin. 

- Dimon's Testimony

This is just embarrassing. It's like watching chimps gathered around their first fire. It's so stupid, I can't even reasonably criticize it.

If we let these congressional imbeciles run the whole economy, we will get exactly what we deserve.

They would never think about trying to teach chemistry to a chemist, or medicine to a doctor (actually the Democrats would try that... but I digress.)

We need to accept that financial risk management is the providence of experts. It's not even mathematicians - in fact, it's pure math guys that are making most of the mistakes. It's a special discipline that requires years of training. And you are not going to be able to do it effectively from a congressional committee. Trying to regulate it, will only brake it.

Now go away you buffoons and see if you can't find a house page to molest, or some nice small business to extort a campaign contribution out of. Stick to your strengths.

- More From Mike Ramirez

Not a good way to get reelected.

- Life Imitating Computer Games? (Oh I Hope Not)

Battlefield 3 is very nearly a perfect computer game for gun guys. There are hundreds of different weapons, each in different calibers, and with dozens of attachments, scopes, and other features available. Each attachment offers both an advantage and disadvantage. A suppressor for example will prevent you from showing up on the player map when you fire but will cause greater bullet drop at long range. A heavy barrel means better aimed accuracy but greater weight. It goes on and on like that.

Plus all the people you play against are other humans. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to have their sniper on that side of the ridge shooting at you while you're shooting at him from this side. Well... when you hit him it's satisfying. And I've gotten pretty good at that. But in truth, I'm really just an average player. I have too much going on in my life to be really good at computer games. Real dedication to them can take hundreds of hours.

Take this mildly frightening example. A man has played the classic Game "Civilization 2" for ten years. The game was extremely well regarded for it's complexity and similarity to the realpolitik world of global interaction. And the fact that he's played the game steadily for 10 years has allowed him to take the game far into the future. This says terrifying things both about him and civilization as well:

The year is 3991 A.D. Multiple nuclear wars have decimated the planet, melting ice caps and leaving the world useless for farming. The only land left for the three remaining superpowers to lord over are mountain tops. Those superpowers — the Celts, Vikings and Americans — have been waging war for 1,700 in-game years. And it doesn't look to be ending anytime soon.

"Peace seems to be impossible," writes Lycerius. "Every time a cease fire is signed, the Vikings will surprise attack me [he plays as the Celts] or the Americans the very next turn, often with nuclear weapons - even when the U.N forces a peace treaty. So I can only assume that peace will come only when they're wiped out. It is this that perpetuates the war ad infinitum."

Roughly 90 percent of the world's population is dead in the game, due to famine and nuclear fallout. It's not a pretty picture, though it is a totally fascinating one. But it gives rise to one big question: Who the heck would play a single game for nearly 10 years?

Maybe the Derb was right about his eternal pessimism on the future of mankind. Or maybe this guy is just nuts and needs to get out of the house a little.

Black Glutinous Rice Dessert

Originally a Thai dessert (I think), I made sure that the black glutinous rice is only just cooked (when they started to split), instead of cooking them until soft. The texture of the rice is crispy outside and soft (but not soggy) inside, making the dessert much more interesting to eat.

As many South-East Asian desserts, we drink the liquid as well, which is sweetened with sugar. Coconut milk is poured on top or mixed in the dessert, making it more creamy and fragrant.


Ingredients:

2 cups Black Glutinous Rice
1.5 - 2 cups Granulated sugar
1 can coconut milk


Method:

1. Wash the rice and drain the water. Add the rice to a large pot, and add cold water on top until it filled 1/2 of the pot.

2. Bring to boil. Turn the fire down to low-medium, and add 1 cup of sugar. Stir till dissolved.

3. Cover and boil for approximately 25 minutes, making sure that there is enough water to cover the rice.

4. Check that the rice is at the right consistency. The skin should have started to split. Then try a few. The rice should be done when they are crispy and slightly chewy but not starchy nor soggy.

5. Pour in more sugar until the right sweetness, and then add the coconut milk. Remove from fire and stir until combined.

6. Can be served hot or cold.

- What Exactly Does He Mean... Compromise?!

Eric Holder:

"I want to make it very clear that I am offering – I myself – to sit down with the Speaker, the chairman, with you, whoever, to try and work our way through this in an attempt to avoid a constitutional crisis, and come up with ways, creative ways, in which to make this material available."

What the hell is he talking about? Is there any valid reason for an Attorney General to withhold documents from a Congressional committee charged with oversight? When he says a "constitutional crisis" does he mean that tossing the obviously and openly racist attorney general out on his kiester for obstructing a duly authorized investigation into the death of US law enforcement officers, will cause some sort of constitutional issue?

The water's looking pretty deep for Eric from here.

- Discussing The "Smart Fraction"

I had a very interesting discussion with a friend this past week about something called "The Smart Fraction". The theory goes like this. On a nation-state level, per capita GDP and mean IQ correlate pretty well - even better if you exclude a few reasonable outliers like Qatar for its oil revenue and Barbados for tourism. This is true whether the economy is an advanced economy or a developing economy, and is independent of the size of the population.

Without making your eyes glaze from the math, the basic "Smart Fraction" theory states that in order to maintain a modern "developed" economy, you need a certain percentage of people with a higher than average IQ (average being the global average) to do those jobs that require an excess of intelligence.

Civil engineers, systems designers, doctors, chemists, bankers , software engineers and many other intellectually demanding jobs make up a set percentage of any modern economy. And the number of these jobs required to sustain your modern economy scales with population. So if the percentage of your population that meets that requirement is below a certain threshold, then there simply aren't enough of them to keep a modern economy going. Either you import the 'smart' people from elsewhere, or things just 'don't work'.

I had to confess, this had never occurred to me. I always assumed that if you have enough people you have enough smart people. But the data would reasonably lead one to believe otherwise. Think about Nigeria for example. It's Africa's most populous country and I know from personal experience that there are a ton of REALLY smart Nigerians. I've met dozens and worked with many on and off throughout my career. I'm exposed to brilliant Nigerians all the time. But the IQ of Nigerians is below the global average. And even though there are a great many brilliant Nigerians, the percentage of the population that's brilliant is actually quite small.

Since the percentage of smart people in Nigeria isn't high enough, they can't sustain a modern economy. Meanwhile, Nigerian culture is still dominated by it's lower than (global) average mean IQ. So instead of those brilliant Nigerians staying home and inventing Africa centric Facebook Apps, founding Lagos based Venture Capital firms, or developing the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry, they spend their time trying to figure out how to steal from one another, inventing online inheritance scams, or fleeing to London or NY where their brilliance will be rewarded.

As you can probably imagine, I found the idea very interesting.

So for a the sake of argument let's accept that premise - that a modern economy requires a certain percentage of above average IQ people working in highly productive positions in order to sustain it. If that's so, then I think this raises an interesting question about the future of our economy here in the US, particularly if we extrapolate the current socioeconomic trends. Imagine for instance that instead of doing productive things in the private sector, a great many of our intelligent people are deciding that there is a better future for them working in government instead. Government does not require a higher than average IQ (as is evidence by most of Congress), but it's employees can game the system to arrange for higher compensation than a free market would provide them. So instead of adding value to the economy, they only add rules for others.

Suppose at the same time, we also put social welfare programs in place that hand out a comfortable existence to anyone who applies - essentially importing a huge population of people who may not be below average, but are certainly not a part of the "Smart Fraction". Both of these policies will drive the 'smart fraction' down, lowering the per capita GDP. Theoretically it could be lowered enough to drive the world's dominant economy out of the 'developed world' and into the third world.

This is a long way from the most likely scenario of course, but it's at least reasonable speculation. But roughly a third of our population can't even discuss it (and must declare it an unspeakable heresy) because it represents uncomfortable truths for them. It's too ... controversial... too awkward. It points to facts that they are emotionally incapable of facing.

But that doesn't make the facts any less persuasive. And for those of us who are able to rise about our sentiments on such issues, I think there is opportunity in accepting the truth before others can. I think there is money to be made on this information. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm thinking about it. And I've found that people are able to accept anything if it is both 1: The Truth, 2: Profitable to them.

Maybe that's the key to accepting the facts on the issue of IQ heritability.

Clay's 1st Birthday Cake - Rainbow Cake

Ton Ton is our nick for Clayton

Although Clay's birthday was last month, we did a bigger celebration when we went to London to meet up with our family during the Jubilee weekend. As my parents live in Hong Kong, it's not often we get to gather together like this.

I was planning to make a 3D bear cake for his birthday celebration, but I had to do a last minute change of plan when we were hit by a heat wave. It was soooo hot I just couldn't bear the thought of making a complicated cake! So I went for the simpler option instead - Rainbow cake.

It wasn't quite a rainbow as I've only used 3 colours, but I thought it was quite nice for a 1st birthday, and it was made with my delicious sponge recipe with a cute marble/ rainbow effect.

Everything was perfect until I decided, yet once again, to touch the cake while it was still hot. I tried flipping it upside down, to get the bow shape the right way up. But because the cake was still soft, and the top was not flat, the cake fell apart after being flipped over.

I guess that just shows that sometimes you can improve your personality, but you can never change it! I patched the top up with whipped cream and decorations, and it seemed like no one has noticed. The cake was moist and soft, but probably a bit too colourful to eat?

Anyway, it was lovely to have everyone there for his first birthday, and he had a lovely time.

Woodchuck mama and four young woodchucks

Yikes! i thought there was one, then two, then three- but there seem to be four baby woodchucks on this latest video. Darling until they eat the garden. I have several woodchuck posts on this blog, put woodchuck in the search bar to the right to view.

- They Will Ask, “What Do You Have?”

I have taken a quick look at some of the opinion pieces out there, which almost pray that the Supreme Court will save at least the popular parts of Obamacare.  I don’t pay much attention to the chattering class.  It interferes with the peace and serenity I find in my own little world, where I can read actual transcripts and Supreme Court opinions.  Then I can make my own guess how Justice Kennedy will decide whether the commerce clause can support the individual mandate. 

Tom has cautioned me to keep my writing “accessible.”  So I have tried to write as plainly as I can about how severabilitymay heave all of Obamacare into the dustbin of history.  I have also talked about how the judge made substantial effect on commerce test upset the balance our framers struck between state and federal power.   So now, being the kind of guy who confounds whoever tells him what to do, I will try to make the inaccessible accessible.  The conventional wisdom makes Justice Kennedy the swing vote in almost any case.  So the punditocracy impress each other by conjuring the middle ground of any old issue, and then saying which way he may swing.  Instead, I have looked at what seems important to Justice Kennedy - federalism. 

At the root of our federal system is the Westphaliannotion that the individual States possess inviolable autonomy to regulate economically, while the federal government ensures the peace by facilitating free commercial intercourse.  After all, our founders knew well that Europe’s then most destructive conflict, the twin Thirty Years War and Eighty Years War, ended in 1648 when the combatants recognized exclusive sovereignty of each party over its own lands.  They also knew Westphalian peace gave rise to a patchwork of German principalities that taxed and inspected commerce until they all impoverished their subjects.  As a result, the founders created an innovative American federal/state balance, which lit an engine of peace, stability and economic growth. 

I think Justice Kennedy understands the importance of federalism, because in his concurring opinion in U.S. v. Lopez (Yay!), he summarized the history of the Court’s commerce clause jurisprudence.  He then wrote that, “only concerning [federalism] does there seem to be much uncertainty respecting the existence, and the content, of standards that allow the judiciary to play a significant role in maintaining the design contemplated by the Framers.”  He mused that, “There is irony in this, because … federalism was the unique contribution of the Framers to political science and political theory.” 

He even quoted an opinion he penned, that states, "Federalism serves to assign political responsibility, not to obscure it."  FTCv. Ticor Title Ins. Co., 504 U.S. 621, 636 (1992).  There, the Court found title companies immune from federal price fixing regulations, because they followed state regulations: “Immunity is conferred out of respect for ongoing regulation by the State.”  Justice Kennedy understands, I think, that a clear and understandable division between State and federal power makes our national experiment more profitable, while he also observed in Lopez that commerce clause cases have not been marked, “by a coherent or consistent course of interpretation.”  History seems now to present an opportunity for Justice Kennedy to leave a lasting impression in an area of law he understands well, and finds attractive. 

I have stated many times that Obamacare stands apart from the rest of the commerce clause cases, because it requires Americans to enter into an unwanted contract.  Gibbons v Ogden notes that long ago the States were at serious odds, nearly taking up arms, because New York confiscated the boats and other property of New Jersey mariners involved in navigation, and therefore “commerce.”  So the Court had something meaty to sink its commerce power teeth into.  With Obamacare, there is no ongoing confiscation of property used in commerce, or anything of the like.  There are only healthy people, who don’t want to buy health insurance and who now are facing a fine because of it.  There is an "absence" of commercial activity.  The substantial effect on commerce came into existence, only after Obamacare was passed. 

So a collective shudder went through the punditocracy when Justice Kennedy asked Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, right out of the box, “Can you create commerce in order to regulate it?”  His later colloquy continued it:

And here the government is saying that the Federal Government has a duty to tell the individual citizen that it must act, and that is different from what we have in previous cases, and that changes the relationship of the Federal Government to the individual in a very fundamental way.

He also asked, “Can you identify for us some limits on the Commerce Clause?”  The answer is there are none, as long as Congress satisfies the substantial effect on commerce test. 

At the end of the day, all this boils down to whether the Department of Redundancy Department can make Johnny Strablerbuy health insurance.  I think Justice Kennedy will say, “No,” even if I can’t picture Anthony tooling down the road on a Triumph next to Meatball.