In NJ this man might be in a lot of trouble, but no jury anywhere in the state of Texas will convict him of anything. (The prosecutor might even be in trouble if he's charged with something).
Monday, June 11, 2012
- Emily O'Neill: Dangers of Government Dependency
Someone at the Center for Freedom & Prosperity has figured out how to sell.
- The Immiseration Of It All!
We live in strange times, when an arcane rule of law may become a burning national interest. Well, ok - I used a rhetorical flourish to grab your interest. Sometimes law can be pretty dry, so please forgive me. But the U.S. Supreme Court is now deciding whether the commerce clause permits the federal government to compel Americans to enter contracts they don’t want. This is the biggest case of our lifetimes. That is no rhetorical flourish.
The law of accumulation, it has been said, results in the immiseration of the working class. Congress was probably well aware of this, when it funded the Spanish American War in 1898 by passing a tax only on the rich owners of telecom equipment. Congress finally let that point of immiseration go by the wayside in 2006. So as I see it, there is a Law of Accumulation of Laws, which keeps the Washington Department of Redundancy Department fully funded and operational. I guarantee that our founders knew a lot about the Law of Accumulation of Laws and immiseration, when they set the confines of federal power within the commerce clause, even though there were no coffee houses with intellectuals wearing goatees speaking those exact words. Thank goodness the American Revolution was a little different than that.
Supreme Court “tests” have made the original concept of commerce power so misshapen, that our Congress now views our voluntary and agreed upon mutual exchanges as the subject of compulsion. So let’s just start at the beginning, to see how we arrived here. “Congress shall have the power to … To regulate Commerce … among the several States …” U. S. Const., Art. I, §8, cl. 3. Yes, Martha, that’s all it says.
The word “Commerce” comes from the idea of being “with merchandise” (com--"with"; merci--"merchandise"). We as a nation thought about whether “Competitions of commerce” and predatory “regulations of trade” by any particular State might lead to an armed conflict, in deciding whether there should be a federal power over commerce, when Alexander Hamilton gave us “The Federalist,” No. 7. The framers looked at “commerce” and “trade” as essentially the same, interchangeable thing. We can also see in “The Federalist” No. 36 that the Americans ratifying the Constitution viewed agriculture, manufacturing and the professions as animals totally different from commerce. There, “Publius” discussed that federal "commercial impost” revenue would be entirely distinct from state taxes on such activities. Clearly, Mr. Hamilton thought it worthy to prevent the rise of the Department of Redundancy Department, with its “double sets of revenue officers, a duplication of their burdens by double taxations,” etc. So the States would keep police power to regulate internal trade, and the feds would get the power to regulate trade between the States. The States adopted the Constitution, and the rest is history.
The Supreme Court carefully to steered clear of regulating “internal trade,” in its first commerce power case, Gibbons v. Ogden. There, commerce power was enough to stop the immiseration New Jersey boat owners, when the Court found that a New York State steamship monopoly immpermissibly regulated commerce between the states. Buried deep in Gibbons, however, was a statement by Justice Marshall which remained asleep for over 75 years. Commerce power reaches to activities that, “affect other States.” Be warned, only trained professionals should read Gibbons.
The crack in time and space appeared again in 1905, this time with an “e”, when the Court found commerce power permitted federal regulation of Upton Sinclair’s meat packing Jungle in Swift& Co. v. US, because the trade restraining, price fixing “effect upon commerce among the States is not accidental, secondary, remote or merely probable.”
From there, the Court’s commerce power decisions began our national elevator ride to the Department of Redundancy Department. All Congress needs to do now is find a substantial effect on commerce, and it can emiserate (I thought I would try the verb form with an “e”) all of us by say, prolonging the Great Depression through stopping any one farmer from growing beloved waves of grain, like in Wickard v. Filburn. The whole test of commerce power now focuses on a word that just does not appear in the Constitution. So here we stand, more than 100 years after Swift, with easy commerce power tests, and Congress telling us we must buy health insurance, or else.
Maybe all is not lost, thanks to our Second Amendment buddies (RFNJ readers say “Yay!”). In US v. Lopez, the Court found that commerce power did not allow Congress to make it a federal crime to possess a gun in a school zone. In a concurring opinion, Justice Thomas presciently mused that, the “substantial effect on commerce” test, “if taken to its logical extreme, would give Congress a ‘police power’ over all aspects of American life.”
Our founders knew that governments make mistakes, so they divided up power, to help insure that policy errors stayed small. We adopted the Constitution, believing that the states alone could use police power to regulate everything but trade. The division of power among many federal States ensures that policy errors will become clear, if the economy of one State fails, while other States prosper.
But with an all-encompassing commerce power, the Department of Redundancy Department can make rules on just about anything. They act, and then the Ministry of Truth tells us they can do what they did because "Poof!", it “significantly effects” commerce between the States. So you can draw the curtain of immiseration and say goodnight, if the Court validates the individual mandate of Obamacare.
- Corzine Charged? I Don't Think So.
Charlie Gasparino seems to be under the impression that we live in a different America than we really do. He seems to believe that we live in a world where a person with a great deal of political power and influence can still be charged with a crime, just because it looks like they broke the law. This is in my opinion, utterly ridiculous.
Law enforcement has become extremely political - as the left always intended it to be - as they intend everything to be. The highest law enforcement officer in the country is about to be cited for contempt. He's publicly stated that he has no intention of enforcing America's election tampering laws equally, and he looks to me to be working at least as hard at subverting the rule of law as enforcing it.
Jon Corzine is a former Democrat Governor, former Democrat Senator, former head of Goldman Sachs, and a continued Democrat party financial powerhouse. I don't go in for conspiracy, but I have no doubt in my mind that this is precisely the kind of corruption that our system has spent the last several decades enabling. This is the 'individual special case". The 'special treatment under the law'. If you have powerful friends, then no crime is so great that they'll see you fall. If there is one thing we all learned when Corzine was the NJ governor, it's that as far as he's concerned, laws are really just for the little people.
James Martin Bakery - Chocolate & Cherry Cup Cake Mix
As mentioned before in my post about James Martin Bakery's New York Style Baked Lemon Cheesecake Mix, I was also sent his Chocolate & Cherry Cupcake Mix to try. I found an opportunity and tried to let Abby do everything, but it's just faster and less messy to do them on my own! I must resist helping her with her baking next time.
The cupcakes came out looking pretty and impressive.
Like the other James Martin mixes, this cupcake mix is fairly easy to use, and it included what looked like greaseproof cupcake cases, which unfortunately I couldn't use as I didn't have the right tray for them (instruction showed that these cases can be placed on a baking sheet without support but I didn't dare to try), so I replaced the cases with my own that will fit into my cupcake tray. I think the ones provided were slightly bigger. They've also provided ingredients for the icing and decorations. The only things needed were an egg, butter and milk.
Abby helped measuring the additional ingredients, and poured the cake mix and milk into the bowl. She didn't like my electric mixer though! While mixing, we smelled a very strong fragrance coming from the mixture. I thought it smelled like marzipan, but it appeared to be the cherry flavouring. I have also mistaken the chocolate chips as lumps of mixture! Imagine me trying to crush the chocolate chips!
The mixture was runnier than I expected, so I scooped them into the cases instead of Abby in case she spilled some. There was just enough mixture to fill the cases half way up. I thought there wasn't much but after they came out from the oven, they raised up to the perfect height and half of them even had a lovely smooth flat top.
After they have cooled down, we got on with the icing. It built up to a lovely pink/ purplish colour with tiny pieces of cherry. I thought the final icing was a bit thick, but that could be because I haven't mixed it for long enough. I helped Abby cover the cakes with the icing (as it wouldn't stick because of the thickness) while she sprinkled the provided chocolate curls on top. There was plenty of icing left, and a good amount of chocolate curls for Abby to play with.
The cakes were soft, moist and nice even on its own. They were quite chocolately with an obvious cherry flavour. The icing was a bit on the sweet side, so we didn't need a lot of it. My hubby who loves cherry cakes loved the cupcakes, saying that they were really nice.
You can get the cake mixes from Tesco for £1.99 or ASDA for £1.50, although I think they are out of stock at the moment.
Disclosure: I was sent the cake mix for review purpose; all opinions are honest and my own
Friday, June 8, 2012
Fathers' Day for the Geeky Fathers Gift Guide
08/06/2012: Now that the Jubilee bank holiday is over, it's time to think of what to get for the fathers. If you happen to know a geeky father who is into gadgets and technology, have a read through this guide, you might find something that will make them very happy!
25/05/2012:
Do you remember that it will be Fathers' Day soon (17th June,2012), or do you think it has been over-shadowed by the Queen's Diamond Jubilee? Nonetheless, here is a gift guide to give you some quick ideas for the more geekier fathers, so that you can get well prepared and celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee worry free!
CozyBot Desktop Smartphone holder
easyPhone (mobilephone)
FLU Card Pro (wireless SD card)
Hard Drive Sq (USB 3.0)
Motorbike Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Pinball Master
Tetris Heat Change Mug
USB Whack It (New on the guide)
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-25 Gift Set (1:24 Model Kit)
Note: Links to the product's page are highlighted in blue below unless stated otherwise
CozyBot Desktop Smartphone holder
easyPhone (mobilephone)
FLU Card Pro (wireless SD card)
Hard Drive Sq (USB 3.0)
Motorbike Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Pinball Master
Tetris Heat Change Mug
USB Whack It (New on the guide)
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-25 Gift Set (1:24 Model Kit)
Note: Links to the product's page are highlighted in blue below unless stated otherwise
CozyBot Desktop Smartphone Holder £4.99
An android icon smartphone holder for devices up to 7", which can be placed vertically or horizontally, and can be used as a charging dock with space to hide charger cable.
The android icon is really cute and will please the android lovers to have him guarding their phone! You can charge the phone on the holder and still be able to lift your phone up without unplugging the cable, so it is very handy. It is also great for watching something on the screen without tiring your arms out or breaking your neck (did you notice that your head drops lower after a while since your hands couldn't constantly hold the phone up?)
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| Names and number has been covered for privacy purpose |
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| Left: A light indicates the phone being switched on or off |
easyPhone £45.00 + monthly plan payment (between £7.50 to £15)
A customised mobilephone (7mm thick and weighs 40g only) that connects you to the people you need to talk to most by simply pressing one of the buttons that has their name on.
Mobilephones are getting smarter nowadays, but also more complicated to use with all the functions and settings. Sometimes people just want to simply dial a number without going into the address book, scrolling to the number and choosing to dial or to message.
easyPhone gives the option to do so. Their design is very simple (but with plenty of patterns to choose from), and all you have to do is to power it up and press the button with the name on that you need to connect to. It is fantastic, in my opinion, for emergency purpose. The phone itself doesn't use that much power so you can keep it switched on. I think it is great for the elder fathers (and mothers of course), and children as well. The connection is quite good, and you can turn the volume up or down from the front.
You can add up to 12 buttons, each connected with a number, and you can also opt in for having a 999 number to be included. The phone's number is on the back of the phone in case they have forgotten the number.
FLU Card Pro USD80.00 (Current sale price) 8GB
Now this is what I call innovative! A wireless SD card that once is placed in your camera, laptop or smartphone, etc, will turn your device into a wireless device without needing a wi-fi hotspot! Your device will be the hotspot should you choose to share it, or be like me, lock it up with a password and keep it to yourself *smirks*
At first I was a bit confused with the instruction, but it really is very easy to use. Just place it in your camera (for example), switch the camera on and you will start hearing a beeping noise. Go to preview and search for the above image ' Setting/ Review'. Then press your delete button to delete that image (yes!) and you will hear more beeping noises. Once it's stopped, your camera's wi-fi is up and running! You just need to access the wi-fi as you normally would and yourdevice will be connected to the camera's wi-fi.
The good thing about this is that when you take awesome pictures with say your DSLR, you either have to move the card from your camera to say your laptop to upload the pictures, or connect your camera with a cable to show it on your laptop, which can take some time. This, however, is wireless. No fiddly cables, no removing SD card, nor do you need a wi-fi hotspot, and you can instantly see or upload the pictures on your laptop. I have tested it with my Smartphone and it worked really fast!
The only problem is that the SD card can get very hot by switching the wi-fi on, and you must make sure that your camera stays on while transmitting. Nonetheless, it is still a very awesome gadget to have especially for the photography crazed people. I don't think there is anything like it on the market yet, and those that has a wireless connection embedded in their camera requires a wi-fi hotspot to connect to.
Another thing is, I can use it to do a quick download outside without using my 3G data *evil laughter*
Hard Drive Sq Desktop Hard Drive £149.00 rrp (2TB)
(Available from any good Computer and Appliance stores)
3.5" External Hard drive with USB 3.0 and USB TV connectivity. Its unique square design, which was collaborated with acclaimed industrial designer Arman Emami, has won a Reddot Design Award 2012. It is less susceptible to fingerprints and scratches, impact proof and lightweight.
Coming from a computing (and I don't just mean IT) background, we have a lot of external hard drives within the family. The Desktop Hard Drive Sq is one of those that I am happy to have lying on my desk as it is very neat.
The power button is in the front, so you don't have to point the cables at you just so that you can reach the power, which is the case in a lot of hard drives. It also doesn't have a flashing LED light to burn my eyes. It is very quiet and completely unnoticeable even when I'm sitting right next to it, unlike the one we currently have where you can hear the fan blasting its life away.
The good thing about this drive is that you can connect it to your SmartTV for USB recording and playback. With 2TB of space you can download all your favourite shows without missing any, nor do you need to buy a freeview kind of box.
The minor problem would be a short USB cable, which you can easily replace, and you will need to reformat the drive if you want to use it for a computer instead, meaning that you can't use the drive for both TV and computer at the same time. The file transfer wasn't reaching its maximum potential for us, but it was still faster than using USB 2.0.
Having said that, I still think that it is a very stylish drive, and I'm sure any geeky computing fathers or TV fanatics would love to receive this as a present.
Motorbike Tyre Pressure Monitoring System £99.00
An easy to install and simple to operate wireless tyre pressure system that monitors tyre pressure and temperature.
A must have gadget for the motorbike lovers! Monitor their tyre pressure and temperature in real time to ensure safety, enhancing the performance, save fuel and increase the life span of tyres. Simply fit the wireless sensor/ transmitter around the inside tyre to ensure accurate readings, and attach the monitor with in-built antenna to the dashboard.
If your husband or father (you'll never know!) is a motorcyclist, you will want to buy him this. If you can't stop them loving the bike more than you, the least you can do is to make their hobby safe!
Pinball Master £19.99 rrp (Currently on Sale for £13.99)
A tabletop version of the classic arcade game that has an automatic scoring board, sound and light display.
I was surprised (in a good way) with how big it was when it arrived, it's certainly not the small tabletop size I was expecting! This is a gadget to keep a group of gadget lovers entertained for hours, and you can do this at home (or in the office *ehem*) while enjoying a drink with your mates without spending a penny.
The light, sound and automatic scoring board really keep the mood high and you will just want to beat the high score over and over again! Just make sure they don't cheat (tilting it here and there, tsk tsk)
When not in use, you can pack it flat in the box without taking up a lot of space.
Tetris Heat Change Mug £5.99
Now this is what I call innovative! A wireless SD card that once is placed in your camera, laptop or smartphone, etc, will turn your device into a wireless device without needing a wi-fi hotspot! Your device will be the hotspot should you choose to share it, or be like me, lock it up with a password and keep it to yourself *smirks*
At first I was a bit confused with the instruction, but it really is very easy to use. Just place it in your camera (for example), switch the camera on and you will start hearing a beeping noise. Go to preview and search for the above image ' Setting/ Review'. Then press your delete button to delete that image (yes!) and you will hear more beeping noises. Once it's stopped, your camera's wi-fi is up and running! You just need to access the wi-fi as you normally would and yourdevice will be connected to the camera's wi-fi.
The good thing about this is that when you take awesome pictures with say your DSLR, you either have to move the card from your camera to say your laptop to upload the pictures, or connect your camera with a cable to show it on your laptop, which can take some time. This, however, is wireless. No fiddly cables, no removing SD card, nor do you need a wi-fi hotspot, and you can instantly see or upload the pictures on your laptop. I have tested it with my Smartphone and it worked really fast!
The only problem is that the SD card can get very hot by switching the wi-fi on, and you must make sure that your camera stays on while transmitting. Nonetheless, it is still a very awesome gadget to have especially for the photography crazed people. I don't think there is anything like it on the market yet, and those that has a wireless connection embedded in their camera requires a wi-fi hotspot to connect to.
Another thing is, I can use it to do a quick download outside without using my 3G data *evil laughter*
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| Image from Freecom |
Hard Drive Sq Desktop Hard Drive £149.00 rrp (2TB)
(Available from any good Computer and Appliance stores)
3.5" External Hard drive with USB 3.0 and USB TV connectivity. Its unique square design, which was collaborated with acclaimed industrial designer Arman Emami, has won a Reddot Design Award 2012. It is less susceptible to fingerprints and scratches, impact proof and lightweight.
Coming from a computing (and I don't just mean IT) background, we have a lot of external hard drives within the family. The Desktop Hard Drive Sq is one of those that I am happy to have lying on my desk as it is very neat.
The power button is in the front, so you don't have to point the cables at you just so that you can reach the power, which is the case in a lot of hard drives. It also doesn't have a flashing LED light to burn my eyes. It is very quiet and completely unnoticeable even when I'm sitting right next to it, unlike the one we currently have where you can hear the fan blasting its life away.
The good thing about this drive is that you can connect it to your SmartTV for USB recording and playback. With 2TB of space you can download all your favourite shows without missing any, nor do you need to buy a freeview kind of box.
The minor problem would be a short USB cable, which you can easily replace, and you will need to reformat the drive if you want to use it for a computer instead, meaning that you can't use the drive for both TV and computer at the same time. The file transfer wasn't reaching its maximum potential for us, but it was still faster than using USB 2.0.
Having said that, I still think that it is a very stylish drive, and I'm sure any geeky computing fathers or TV fanatics would love to receive this as a present.
Motorbike Tyre Pressure Monitoring System £99.00
An easy to install and simple to operate wireless tyre pressure system that monitors tyre pressure and temperature.
A must have gadget for the motorbike lovers! Monitor their tyre pressure and temperature in real time to ensure safety, enhancing the performance, save fuel and increase the life span of tyres. Simply fit the wireless sensor/ transmitter around the inside tyre to ensure accurate readings, and attach the monitor with in-built antenna to the dashboard.
If your husband or father (you'll never know!) is a motorcyclist, you will want to buy him this. If you can't stop them loving the bike more than you, the least you can do is to make their hobby safe!
Pinball Master £19.99 rrp (Currently on Sale for £13.99)
A tabletop version of the classic arcade game that has an automatic scoring board, sound and light display.
I was surprised (in a good way) with how big it was when it arrived, it's certainly not the small tabletop size I was expecting! This is a gadget to keep a group of gadget lovers entertained for hours, and you can do this at home (or in the office *ehem*) while enjoying a drink with your mates without spending a penny.
The light, sound and automatic scoring board really keep the mood high and you will just want to beat the high score over and over again! Just make sure they don't cheat (tilting it here and there, tsk tsk)
When not in use, you can pack it flat in the box without taking up a lot of space.
A Tetris novelty mug that changes colour when the mug becomes hot.
A mug for the Tetris lover! Watch the game begin when hot liquid is poured in the mug, and watch closely! I almost couldn't take the in between shot as it happens quite quickly. The heat change is fascinating and the colours are vibrant, making that cup of hot drink that much more interesting to drink!
USB Whack It £10.99
A smaller version of the classic Whack It arcade game that can be plugged into your PC. There is an option for a 30 seconds or 1 minute game play, and a LCD score board. Can be powered with batteries or USB cable
A fantastic replacement for the traditional stress balls, this 'mini' Whack It game can certainly release some stress from the hard working fathers. All they need is 30 seconds to 1 minute break from what they are doing to whack at the funny faces, which squirms and yelps, and then back to work with a fresh mind
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-25 Gift Set £34.99 rrp
(Stockist: all good toy stores, for more info see above blue link)
Model kit for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button's racing cars (1:24), including glue, 5 paints and a brush.
This is THE gadget gift for the geeky fathers who love building model kits. You get 2 kits in the box and I think must be hours of fun for them! I tried building one myself but I just don't have the patience! According to my brother and hubby, you should be using a specific pen knife to slice the parts off the frame, and use a sand paper to sand the rough bits down. Then you paint each parts (perhaps a few times) before sticking them together. Once done, you might want to paint another coating on top, before sticking the stickers on. While listening to hubby going on about the process, I starred at him and shooked my head saying: geeks!
Ah, but then it could be good for you too! Buy this for your hubby and you can guarantee
Anyway. It's by Revell, THE model kit giant, so good quality is guaranteed and to the ratio. I tried building the what looked like part of the engine (please don't correct me if I'm wrong) and each piece fits perfectly well together. I love that glue, I remember it from my brothers' in the past. I love how the needle guide the glue to the smaller parts, and it sticks them together instantly. I would recommend buying your own paint brush though. The one provided works but it's nicer to have a softer, thinner brush.
Disclosure: I was given the above samples to review, compensated for the hard drive as it must be returned, and included the tyre pressure monitoring system out of personal interest; all opinions are honest and my own
Last Published: 25/05/2012
Re-Published: 08/06/2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
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