SPOTD #160

Again I have a long-delayed edition, as well as failing to produce as much on the blog. I found some of these articles months ago. I hope the links still work.

Today's Phrase:
Back to basics. I've been trying to teach this one to Joseph so he can impress his Mima.

Actual
Me voy al baño.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable
May voy ahl bahn-yo.

Translation
I'm going to the bathroom.

Hollywood History
I've always considered Walt Disney one of my heroes. This article about the Disney Family museum in San Francisco has added another place to my to-visit list.

Survivor
These are four interesting stories of survival that we can profit from. Also, interesting tips for survival kits. I think that a good book is a great suggestion for any occassion.

Husbandry
If you want to raise your own livestock, these are good animals to consider.
I would avoid this one, a purported chupacabra.

Extraordinary
An extremely impressive collection. Lacy's opinion? "What a waste of money!"

Books
I recently read the first 5 books in the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. It is a fantasy series and I've really enjoyed each one. Also enjoyable is the author's photo on the back cover. He appears to be the High Lord of Nerdlery.

Hard Hits
The NFL commissioned a study that has demonstrated a correlation between higher occurrences of neurological disease in NFL players than what is found in the general populace. This will add to continued debate about what role the NFL should play in the ongoing health issues of retired players.

Link of the Day
Behold...or don't behold, the Invisible Man! Pretty cool trick, with no digital fakery involved.

Awesome Video Saturday CXI

California Un-Love

My wife is from California. I enjoy traveling there to visit her family. I love the great climate and there is always something fun to do. But as most people know, California is in trouble. From today's L.A. Times-

Starting Sunday, cash-strapped California will dig deeper into the pocketbooks of wage earners -- holding back 10% more than it already does in state income taxes just as the biggest shopping season of the year kicks into gear.
Technically, it's not a tax increase, even though it may feel like one when your next paycheck arrives. As part of a bundle of budget patches adopted in the summer, the state is taking more money now in withholding, even though workers' annual tax bills won't change.
Think of it as a forced, interest-free loan: You'll be repaid any extra withholding in April. Those who would receive a refund anyway will receive a larger one, and those who owe taxes will owe less.

This may amount to $25 a month for a family of four earning $90,000. That really doesn't seem like much, but I'm not comfortable with the budgetary shell game being played by the California government. Having to repay the monies at tax time is not a real fix for the state, and it demonstrates a disregard for the rights of the taxpayer. Moreover, as this op-ed suggests, the benefits provided by the State of California in exchange for those taxes is not what it used to be:

In America's federal system, some states, such as California, offer residents a "package deal" that bundles numerous and ambitious public benefits with the high taxes needed to pay for them. Other states, such as Texas, offer packages combining modest benefits and low taxes. These alternatives, of course, define the basic argument between liberals and conservatives over what it means to get the size and scope of government right.
It's not surprising, then, that there's an intense debate over which model is more admirable and sustainable. What is surprising is the growing evidence that the low-benefit/low-tax package not only succeeds on its own terms but also according to the criteria used to defend its opposite. In other words, the superior public goods that supposedly justify the high taxes just aren't being delivered.
California and Texas are not perfect representatives of the alternative deals, but they come close. Overall, the Census Bureau's latest data show that state and local government expenditures for all purposes in 2005-06 were 46.8% higher in California than in Texas: $10,070 per person compared with $6,858. Only three states and the District of Columbia saw higher per capita government outlays than California, while those expenditures in Texas were lower than in all but seven states. California ranked 10th in overall taxes levied by state and local governments, on a per capita basis, while Texas, one of only seven states with no individual income tax, was 38th.

The author addresses education, population inflows/outflows, and transportation to demonstrate the decline of Californian excellence in those. I think the article is well-written, and although there may be other areas not addressed by the author where California excels, but this Florida-boy is staying put. Any thoughts? A.J.?

Real Hope

This post may not be for the faint-hearted. While at BYU I took a political science class that looked at non-traditional issues affecting peace and security. Among them was the status of women. We learned that due to the very young age at which young women in the developing world are given in marriage, severe complications in childbirth can leave them incontinent, and completely cut off from society. This is especially prevalent in Africa.

In the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof profiles the work of anthropologist-turned-obstetrician who has made it his life's work to correct this condition, known as a fistula. This work has an immediate and transformative impact in the lives of the women it touches:

Just about the happiest thing that can happen to such a woman is an encounter with Dr. Lewis Wall, an ob-gyn at Washington University in St. Louis. A quiet, self-effacing but relentless man of 59, Dr. Wall has devoted his life to helping these most voiceless of the voiceless, promoting the $300 surgeries that repair fistulas and typically return the patients to full health.
“There’s no more rewarding experience for a surgeon than a successful fistula repair,” Dr. Wall reflected. “There are a lot of operations you do that solve a problem — I can take out a uterus that has a tumor in it. But this is life-transforming for everybody who gets it done. It’s astonishing. You take a human being who has been in the abyss of despair and — boom! — you have a transformed woman. She has her life back.”
“In Liberia, I saw a woman who had developed a fistula 35 years earlier. It turned out to be a tiny injury; it took 20 minutes to repair it. For want of a 20-minute operation, this woman had lived in a pool of urine for 35 years.”

He has started work on a hospital in Niger, dedicated to fistula repair. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, you can go to Kristof's blog.

Awesome Video Saturday CX

Only the first part of this episode was Halloweeny, but it was great. Enjoy.

Back to Normal

Having made my post in praise of Obama's impact on perceptions of the U.S., I now have a whole slate of reasons regarding some of his poor choices.

• Why is it that some on the Left think being tolerant means limiting the liberty of others? This is evident in certain restrictions on speech deemed offensive to different religious groups. I avoid offending people over religion whenever possible (pretty much always), but the impact of our country supporting laws that restrict free speech sets a dangerous precedent. I do not want the government determining whether my views are inappropriate, outside of the traditional restrictions on speech that have existed since before the founding.
• The United States should always stand for liberty, and side with those who would expand it. Our recent dealings with oppressive regimes do not provide a strong sense that we intend to do so.
• Obama isn't the first president who has faced difficult foreign policy questions upon assuming the office. Victor Davis Hanson makes reference to Harry Truman, and hopes Obama will be more like him than a spiritual successor to Jimmy Carter.
• Obama is no "uniter." He is more openly critical of the preceding administration than any president in memory. It does not help him appeal to the significant portion of the population that happens to like the last administration, notwithstanding its fault.
• Politics as usual continues in the Obama administration.

Chilling

Here are two good pieces from the Wall Street Journal on the damage being done to liberty in two Latin American countries with leftist goverments.

O'Grady looks at how Argentine president Cristina Kirchner is putting pressure on the free press, following the Chavez playbook.

In Nicaragua, President Danny Ortega has used a shady process to move toward the abolition of term limits in that country.

Changeup

Since I've only posted 3 times in the last 2 weeks I wanted to do something tonight in the few minutes I have before bed.

Time to look at what has worked for Obama, and by the measure of the world's admiration of our country, there has been dramatic improvement.

I have been dismissive in the past of some efforts to curry favor around the world, and I haven't changed my mind, but there is no question that this kind of change is good for America.

The War on Fox

The Obama administration has declared FoxNews organization non grata. When confronted about it by ABC News' Jake Tapper the following exchange occurred:

Tapper: It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one –
(Crosstalk)
Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.
Tapper: But that’s a pretty sweeping declaration that they are “not a news organization.” How are they any different from, say
–
Gibbs: ABC -
Tapper: ABC. MSNBC. Univision. I mean how are they any different?
Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o’clock tonight. Or 5 o’clock this afternoon.
Tapper: I’m not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I’m talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a “news organization” -- why is that appropriate for the White House to say?
Gibbs: That’s our opinion.

There is a lot of debate about whether FoxNews' coverage is skewed, but no more than for CNN or MSNBC. The White House is setting a bad precedent here.

Awesome Video Saturday CIX

Hilarious.

Awesome Video Saturday CVIII

A fun little video to play with your mind. Would have been cooler before computerized special effects became so accessible, but at just over a minute it is a small investment of time.

CHOP CUP from :weareom: on Vimeo.

Nobel Farce Prize

President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Not everyone thinks it was a good call.

I don't. From the above-linked Times (UK) piece:

Mr Obama becomes the third sitting US President to receive the prize. The
committee said today that he had “captured the world’s attention”. It is
certainly true that his energy and aspirations have dazzled many of his
supporters. Sadly, it seems they have so bedazzled the Norwegians that they can
no longer separate hopes from achievement. The achievements of all previous
winners have been diminished.

It has been reported that Obama himself is surprised at the award, and if he is honest will admit to himself that his resume is very thin at this point.

The Peace Prize has grown more irrelevant over time. It is unfortunate, though not altogether surprising, that it has continued down that path. There is no doubt that other people have done more to deserve it. It is too bad that their deeds will not be better known.

Extremism on the Latin Left

You can't draw conclusions about someone based solely on their supporters. You can learn about their supporters from their supporters.

Honduras' Zelaya has some extreme supporters. At least one prominent supporter has espoused anti-semitic views. I don't understand why anyone in Honduras should be complaining about Zionism, but given ties that are strengthening between Iran and Zelaya supporter Venezuela, it is a nasty connection.

Read O'Grady's article for more.

Clunked

A tough critique in the Wall Street Journal of the Cash for Clunkers program. If there is any data or explanation about why the program was a good one I'd like to know.

I just don't feel like taking the time to find out for myself.