The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Like the New York Times, But Better

Posted on | August 23, 2012 | 8 Comments

Dan Riehl called me the other day to tell me he was re-launching his site with a design similar to the New York Times.

The New RIEHL WORLD VIEW Is Here

The new design is impressive, and Dan provides an interesting selection of headlines, including this one:

Lesbian Charlie Rogers faked hate
crime to advance political agenda?

Let that be a lesson to you newbie bloggers: Never miss an opportunity to use “lesbian” in a headline. And this story of bogus homophobia is quite interesting itself:

A Nebraska woman was arrested for faking an anti-gay hate crime in which she claimed three masked men bound her, cut words into her skin and spray-painted slurs on her wall before setting her house on fire.
Charlie Rogers, 33, had told police that the three assailants broke into her Lincoln, Neb., home on July 22. . . .
Reports of the alleged assault outraged the gay community, and hundreds of people participated in rallies outside the Nebraska capitol building, and at a park in Omaha.

So she’s the Tawana Brawley of the gay-rights movement. But that’s just one of today’s headlines at Dan’s new site. A few more:

Notice that Dan’s choice of news is not all-politics-all-the-time. Dan understands that one reason readers turn to New Media is to seek a different perspective in aggregating and curating news.

It’s not all about politics and opinions, but rather about the ability of the blogger/editor to present the reader with facts that might otherwise go unnoticed. A blogger may have a specialty or a particular viewpoint that makes his work distinctive, but success in online New Media ultimately depends on the news value of the site: How well does it serve the function of keeping the reader informed? That’s one reason why Wombat’s daily “Live at Five” headline roundup has been such a valuable addition to this blog.

Not every site on the Internet is (or should be) a general-interest news site. But whatever the topic, the value to readers is in facts, not opinions.

Dan Riehl understands that, and his site’s re-design provides a new, improved format for appreciating his work. Good on ya, Dan.

Visit RIEHL WORLD VIEW Now

Category: Dan Riehl

Lowry to Climate-Change Zealot: Put Your Hockey Stick Where the Sun Don’t Shine

Posted on | August 23, 2012 | 21 Comments

For my money, the funniest thing in National Review editor Rich Lowry’s reply to global-warming guru Michael Mann is this:

Is it too much to ask that world-renowned climate scientists spend less time on Facebook?

Mann posted a number of enraged Facebook rants because his notorious “hockey stick” graph, projecting a sharp increase in global temperatures caused by CO2 emissions, was brutally mocked by Mark Steyn.

Mann is on the faculty of Penn State, which claimed to have conducted an “investigation” of scientific fraud in Mann’s climate-change studies. Is Mann therefore “the Jerry Sandusky of climate change”? It’s a fair question, said Steyn:

If an institution is prepared to cover up systemic statutory rape of minors, what won’t it cover up?

Since the 2009 release of the ClimateGate e-mails — remember “hide the decline”? — it has become obvious to most lay observers that Mann and his colleagues valued their hypothesis more than they valued facts. Among other things, the ClimateGate e-mails showed that caretakers of the global-warming “consensus” conspired to delegitimize their critics and exclude skeptics from the peer-review process.

In response to Steyn’s post, Mann’s lawyer sent a letter to National Review demanding a retraction and an apology, and citing a number of investigations that had found no proof of deliberate fraud by Mann and his colleagues. Ah, but there’s the rub.

To skeptics, these investigations seemed very much like part of a cover-up, a whitewash intended to protect the climate-change industry, which has become a mammoth academic boondoggle funded almost exclusively through government grants. With hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants at stake, with major government agencies having staked their own prestige on the validity of the anthropogenic global warming (AGW) hypothesis, the inherent incentives to suppress the appearance of scandal were obvious enough: Follow the money.

Mann’s threat of a lawsuit is, Lowry recognizes, merely a threat — and an empty one, at that. “Discovery is a bitch,” as the lawyers say:

If Mann sues us, the materials we will need to mount a full defense will be extremely wide-ranging. So if he files a complaint, we will be doing more than fighting a nuisance lawsuit; we will be embarking on a journalistic project of great interest to us and our readers.
And this is where you come in. If Mann goes through with it, we’re probably going to call on you to help fund our legal fight and our investigation of Mann through discovery. If it gets that far, we may eventually even want to hire a dedicated reporter to comb through the materials and regularly post stories on Mann.

Exactly. Never pick a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel (or pixels by the terrabyte, as the case may be). Above and beyond handing Lowry the journalistic license to go rooting around in Mann’s life and career, a legal fight with Mann would provide National Review with a lucrative fundraising opportunity and a publicity bonanza. How many Drudge links, talk-radio segments and Fox News interviews would be inspired by such a lawsuit?

By God, I envy Lowry for having received this threat from Mann’s lawyer. If I’d only known that calling Mann “the Jerry Sandusky of climate change” was the Golden Ticket . . . Wait a minute.

Look, I’m not saying that Mann has done anything illegal, OK? But just because something is legal doesn’t mean it isn’t scandalous.

For example, it is apparently legal to have sex with a 17-year-old boy at an interstate rest stop, but a Minnesota Democrats has decided that it’s sufficiently scandalous that he shouldn’t seek re-election.

Michael Mann: The Kerry Gauthier of Climate Science!

Sue me. Please. I need the money.

 





 

Category: Global Warming

LIVE AT FIVESEVEN: 08.23.12

Posted on | August 23, 2012 | 1 Comment

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Obama’s Divide & Conquer Strategy Versus Romney’s Focus On The Economy

The President sweet-talks part of his base

How’s that working? Not very well, apparently.

Romney’s Energy Plan: Independence By 2020
More oil & gas drilling, devolve some permitting to states



Tropical Storm Isaac A Threat To GOP Convention?
So far, no problem seen, but state emergency management is working closely with RNC



POLITICS
Washington’s Budget, Tax Impasse Could Make A Bad Economy Even Worse

Ground zero for the impending disaster

CBO projects contracting economy, increased unemployment if current standoff continues

Temple Massacre Has Sikhs Mulling (More) Gun Ownership



Akin Victory Seen As Difficult But Still Possible

Six Hidden Fault Lines In Obama Campaign

Networks Black Out Ann Romney’s Keynote Speech

Facebook Extends Its Reach Into US Politics With “I’m Voting” App

Fight Over Poll Hours In Ohio Isn’t Just Political



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Oil Surges On Expected Stimulus, Gulf Storms: NYMEX $98.12, Brent $115.82
Gold Rallies To 16-Week High As Fed Indicates More Stimulus
PRC Manufacturing Activity Hits 9-Month Low
Sales Of Existing Homes Up 2.3% In July
Half Of Mortgage Holders Under 40 Also Underwater
FTC Approves Facebook’s Purchase Of Instagram
Sony Mobile To Cut 1000 Jobs, Move To Tokyo
Clumsy Computer Users Rejoice! The Washable Keyboard Is Here
Deathmatch: Windows 8 Versus OS X
Google Building Privacy “Red Team” After FTC Settlement
Facebook Messages Gets A Dual-Pane Makeover
How Nokia’s Asha-Series Basic Phones Are Buying Time For A Comeback
Beat Up Obama, Romney In “Infinity Blade” Creators’ New Political Game



SPORTS
Giants Sweep Dodgers With 8-4 Win

Giants SS Joaquin Arias racks up 5 RBIs including 2-run homer

Giants leave LA with 2.5-game lead in NL West

A’s Pitcher Colon Suspended 50 Games For Testosterone Use

PSU Ex-Prez Attacks Report’s Claims That He Covered Up Abuse

Jeter Suggests ESPN’s Bayless Ought To Check Himself For HGH Use

Mets Waste Another Fine Harvey Start, Lose To Rockies 5-2

Youngsters Pitch Snakes To Doubleheader Sweep Over Fish

Braves  Avert Sweep, Beat Detwiler & Nats 5-1



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Kennedy Mom: Taylor Swift Crashed Wedding

Taylor Swift goes boating with Conor Kennedy over the weekend

“She’s no wedding crasher,” Swift’s publicist replies

Wills Not Impressed With Harry’s Nude Pix

Vivienne Jolie-Pitt Lands Role In Mom’s Movie “Maleficent”

LL Cool J Lays Beatdown On Home Invader


Avril Lavigne Shows Off 14-Karat Engagement Ring

Unspeakable Armenian Indulges In Rear-End Action On LA Freeway

John Mayer Goes To Dinner Without Katy Perry

Ellen DeGeneres In Talks To Return For “Finding Nemo” Sequel



FOREIGNERS
PRC Telco Keeping Syria On The Internet
South Africa Mourns Victims Of Mine Violence
PRC Talks Tough With Japan But Reins In Senkaku Island Activists
UN Chief Brushes Off International Pressure, Will Attend Tehran Summit Of Non-aligned Movement
Death Toll From Intra-Muslim Fighting In Lebanon Climbs
Queen Not Amused By Harry’s Nude Romp In Vegas
Ethnic Clashes In Kenya Kill 52
US, Turkey Meet To Speed Assad’s End
Egyptian Tank Deployment Tests ’79 Treaty With Israel
Tokyo Re-Examines Cooperation With Seoul
NDA Sticks To Demand For PM Singh’s Resignation



BLOGS & STUFF
American Power: The President’s Utility – How Chicago’s Exelon Reaped Stimulus Cash And Fast-Track Merger Approval From The Administration
WyBlog: Now We Know How To Spell Ohio In Austrian
Modicum Of Insanity: Look Who’s Jumped In On The Akin Pounding
Power Line: Are The Democrats Delusional On Abortion?
Lonely Conservative: Democrats Finally Settle On Convention Theme – It’s An Abortion Festival!
Jammie Wearing Fools: Bourbon Soaked-Lush Maureen Down Calls Paul Ryan “Just A Fresh Face On A Taliban Creed”
Wizbang: The First Rule Of Fight Club Is That You Do Not Talk About Fight Club
Kevin Williamson: Like A Boss
Ralph Z. Hallow: GOP Takes Tough Platform Approach
Gateway Pundit: Video Shows Obama On Board With Late-Term Abortions
Twitchy: “O-I-H-O” – Obama’s Dan Quayle Moment
NewsBusters: WaPo Reporters Claim Actual, Embarrassing Photo Was Really Photoshooped
Riehl World News: Lesbian Fakes Hate Crime To Advance Political Agenda
Jim Pethokoukis: No, Stephanie, Obama Hasn’t Created More Jobs Than Reagan
Weasel Zippers: Joe Biden Is Like “A Sunny Day”
Professor Bainbridge: Skeel On The Eroding Rule Of Law

Category: Live at Five

R-Money, Alpha Male

Posted on | August 22, 2012 | 15 Comments

Kevin Williamson of National Review got all Darwinian about how Mitt Romney is such a dominant beast — a living expression of primal urges — and the funniest thing about it is the reaction (via Memeorandum) from a certain blogger we call Jazzy McPonytail:

You’ll never see a clearer depiction of right wing values, and it’s not a pretty picture.

Lighten up, Charles. Your own beta-male failures are not Mitt’s fault.

UPDATE: Permit me to point out the extreme irony of Charles Johnson’s whiny I’m-so-offended objections to Williamson’s article.

Who does CJ hate worse than anything? Creationists who are skeptical toward evolutionary theory. Yet here is Williamson, taking Darwinism to what is arguably its logical conclusion — the science is settled! — and Johnson rejects it because Williamson’s conclusion is “right wing.”

However, let some fundamentalist invoke the authority of the Creator — as in, “all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator,” etc. — and Johnson would have a conniption about that, too.

Lacking self-awareness, CJ is blind to his own contradictory biases and yet adamantly certain of his own intellectual supremacy.

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools . . .”

Category: Charles Johnson

Is Elizabeth Warren Willing To Go Deeper Than ‘Diving Klaxon’ Kennedy’s ’67 Olds To Win Back ‘His’ Seat? Why, Yes.

Posted on | August 22, 2012 | 11 Comments

by Smitty

Via Instapundit, we have a Boston Herald editorial wherein Pseudajawea the Motorcyle Godess tries to say that, because Todd Akin (R) said Something Dumb, and all Republicans think alike, and Scott Brown is (OMG!) a Republican, that Scott Brown is liable for Todd Akin’s comments:

“Scott Brown and other Republicans want to pretend Todd Akin is an isolated individual, but he is clearly in line with the Republican agenda,” Warren said in a statement.

But what triggered this post was:

This is how low Liz Warren is willing to go, how much of her own dignity she’s willing to destroy, just to — as her campaign put it in a fundraising mailer — “win back Ted Kennedy’s seat.”

Maybe we should pity Warren; she seems to think that conservatives, have a Borg-like thought process. Conservatives no more think exactly alike than conservatives think that Senate seats are linked to any specific occupant. Bless her heart, she may not be capable of conceiving of liberty and independent thought. If only Ezra Klein had not succeeded in convincing Warren that the Constitution is too old to understand.

Category: Democrats, Instapundit, Legal Insurrection, Massachusetts

‘Free Speech’ Causes Syphilis

Posted on | August 22, 2012 | 16 Comments

One of the brilliant — and by “brilliant,” of course, I mean evil — innovations of 1960s-era liberalism was the Supreme Court’s invention of a Constitutional protection of pornography. We scarcely can imagine what George Mason and other Founders might have said if they had been told, in 1789, that the First Amendment would be used to justify the commercial distribution of Naughty Nurses 3 and such.

That thought came to mind when I read this Los Angeles Times story:

Jolted by the possibility of a syphilis outbreak among its ranks, a Los Angeles-based trade group that represents the adult film industry announced a nationwide moratorium on X-rated productions while more than 1,000 porn performers are tested.
The Free Speech Coalition issued the call on its website after reporting that one performer tested positive for syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease, and had begun notifying sexual partners of that information.
The moratorium was announced Saturday, a day after Los Angeles County’s Public Health Department said it was investigating a cluster of possible syphilis cases within the porn industry. The agency said it had received reports of at least five cases involving adult performers within a week.

Porn stars have a First Amendment right to transmit those diseases! How dare any group calling itself the “Free Speech Coalition” infringe the constitutional protection of these diseases which are, after all, a natural expression of the biological order?

If the First Amendment guarantees an exhibitionist’s right to commit sodomy for profit, why doesn’t it protect the rights of viruses and bacteria?

Category: Constitution, Sex

What I’m Up To This Friday Night:
“2016: Obama’s America”
UPDATE: “The Hope And The Change”

Posted on | August 22, 2012 | 7 Comments

by Smitty

I’m looking to catch 2016: Obama’s America this Friday night with the Alexandria Tea Party. Instapundit links Hollywood Reporter:

An anti-Obama documentary based on conservative author Dinesh D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage will expand nationwide this weekend after doing notable business in select markets across the country — including in liberally minded New York City.

So let’s all get out there and watch this flick and quantify precisely #OccupyResoluteDesk precisely how much we love him. Negative numbers are acceptable.

Update: and then there is this:

I just don’t see how BHO is going to weather all the blowback when He’s. Got. Nothing.

Category: Barack Obama

Paul Ryan in Roanoke, Virginia: ‘This is President Obama’s Imaginary Recovery’

Posted on | August 22, 2012 | 6 Comments

“There’s this guy I’ve known for a number of years — I am going to be talking to him in mid-October — his name is Joe Biden. You might have heard of him. He just said, that the middle class is coming back. We got 23 million people out of work, struggling to find work today. Unemployment has been above 8 percent for 42 straight months and the real unemployment rate’s more like 15 percent. He said last summer was going to be the ‘Summer of Recovery.’ It’s a summer later and it’s still worse. . . . This is President Obama’s imaginary recovery. It’s not here.”
— Paul Ryan, Roanoke Virginia, Aug. 22, 2012

CBO warns of deep recession
if Congress fails to avert ‘fiscal cliff’
— The Hill, Aug. 22, 2012

Budget analysts project
$1.1 trillion federal deficit this year
— Fox News, Aug. 22, 2012

 


Category: Economics, Election 2012, Paul Ryan, Video, Virginia
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