Monthly Archives: August 2012

Obama’s Mother A Mormon?

That was never her intention, but she is, in fact, a Mormon. Because, Mormons can baptize anyone they want and make them into a Mormon. (Catholics can do this too, but for Catholics, I think the person has to be present. For Mormons, the Baptism can be transported through spacetime.)

From ABC:

Last June 4 — the day after then-Sen. Obama secured enough delegates to win the Democratic presidential nominee — someone had the president’s mother Stanley Ann Dunham, who died in 1995 of cancer, baptized.

On June 11, she received the endowment.

The White House had no comment.

That was reported in May, 2009. I totally missed it, but America Blog has decided to remind us all of it at this appropriate time. In relation to the Mormon Church officially saying that this was inappropriate and some sort of goof:

Yeah, I’m sure no one at Mormon headquarters noticed that the woman’s husband was named Barack Hussein Obama. She just “happened” to be baptized 13 years after her death, five months before the presidential election. All a big unfortunate coincidence.

All I can say is this: Chair.

What If Romney's Bain was Saved by a Federal Bailout?

That would be funny.

Tim Dickinson has some pretty amazing investigative reporting in which he notes that the origin story for Romney is that he …

… took leave of his duties at the private equity firm Bain Capital in 1990 and rode in on a white horse to lead a swift restructuring of Bain & Company, preventing the collapse of the consulting firm where his career began … campaign aides spun Romney as the wizard behind a “long-shot miracle,” bragging that he had “saved bank depositors all over the country $30 million when he saved Bain & Company.”

What really happened was somewhat different.

… Romney’s initial rescue attempt at Bain & Company was actually a disaster – leaving the firm so financially strapped that it had “no value as a going concern.” Even worse, the federal bailout ultimately engineered by Romney screwed the FDIC … out of at least $10 million. And … Romney rewarded top executives at Bain with hefty bonuses at the very moment that he was demanding his handout from the feds.

There is more to it than this, including what may be a bit of inside dealing and some whitewashing. Go have a look.

Is reality real?

I like to ask people who believe in reality the following question: “What is the one single piece of evidence that convinces you that reality is real?” The answer is always easily debunked. For example:

“Evidence”: Reality is real because I can sense the world around me.

Answer: Senses have been known to fool people, quite often.

“Evidence”: Reality is real because if I base predictions on my understanding of it, they are generally accurate, so my understanding of it is probably pretty accurate.

Answer: Predictions are not evidence.

“Evidence”: When people from entirely different backgrounds and personal histories and different parts of the globe compare notes, they find that their realities are fundamentally the same.

Answer: Since when is a sample size of “2” acceptable for anything?

“Evidence”: Reality is internally consistant.

Answer: So are mirages.

“Evidence”: Math based on simple observations of the universe requires reality to be real.

Answer: Since you don’t understand the math it would be all to easy for you to be fooled by this.

For more on how reality is not real, see this post by S. Fred Singer

Menz With Penz?

You’ve heard about Chicks with Bics. I decided to see if there was an equivilant for the guys, and there really isn’t. But these items did some up in a search:

Chicks with Bics?

The Bic Cristal For Her Ball Pen (which I would have named the Bic Cristal For Her Point Pen, but whatever) is a thing. These are pens for the ladies. It says:

BIC Cristal For Her has an elegant design – just for Her! It features a thin barrel designed to fit a women’s hand. It has a diamond engraved barrel for an elegant and unique feminine style.

Bic actually makes several feminine pens:

I recommend getting the assorted pack, and they you can try them all out and see how each one feels, and then if you settle on one that works really well for you, order that one on line in bulk to save money. Always carry a couple of the with you in case you want to write something.

Oh, and just in case you did’t know, the reviews on these products are a blast! Its a new internet meme.

Someone has answered my gentle prayers and FINALLY designed a pen that I can use all month long!…

Finally! For years I’ve had to rely on pencils, or at worst, a twig and some drops of my feminine blood to write down recipes …

I don’t know why they didn’t put a clearer warning on the label, they really should have because if you are a boy and use this pen you put yourself at great risk. My little brother turned into a unicorn…

See also Menz with Penz

Romney’s Fundraiser Party Yacht Does Not Fly American Flag

I remember back in the old days when failure to wear an American Flag Lapel Pin was a politically bad move for any politician. I wonder if Mitt Romney and his friends wore American Flag Pins on their lapel’s while they had a fund raiser earlier today on a foreign yacht that flew the flag of the Cayman Islands. And, I wonder if that place…the Cayman Islands…is where Romney keeps all his money, and if some of the “Missing Tax Returns” would show that?

The yacht, called the Cracker Bay and which has a dinging room large enough to seat 30 people, is owned by Gary Morse, who has given about $1,000,000 to a pro-Romney superPac. Morse is one of the very few super donors who have been supporting Romney who’s name we know, as Romney has refused to allow any of their names to be known. He is the first candidate in over a decade to withhold the names of his major donors. I assume that this is because among them there are names of criminals or leaders of terrorist states or something. I mean, why would you risk the bad press from being so secretive otherwise? I quickly add that when asked about all this, a top Romney aid said “”I think Gov. Romney is going to do what he has to to follow the law.” OK, whatever.

Also among those dining with the presidential hopeful were Mel Sembler, a supporter of Georg Bush, and oil executive Charlie Moncrief. The press was able to ascertain the names of these individuals by looking at their name tags as they left the area of the Yacth, but other attendees covered up their name tags like common criminals cover their faces with their prison-provided t-shirts or hoodies.

“I think it’s ironic they do this aboard a yacht that doesn’t even pay its taxes,” said a woman who lives aboard a much smaller boat moored at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina.

Romney’s Cayman-based investments have come under fire during the campaign.

“It was a really nice event. These are good supporters,” said billionaire Wilbur Ross, an energy industry executive.

Source: ABC News

Why Minnesota Can't Have Nice Things

In Minnesota’s Lakes Country, what we sometimes call “Up North,” the people have various degrees of knowledge of the land and its wildlife. Cabin people and campers visit briefly and may learn in detail the workings of a particular lake or patch of forest, but are usually poorly informed of the true nature of the landscape. People with “lake homes” (seasonally used cabins on steroids owned by people who live elsewhere) may spend more time in Lakes Country but actually know less about it than campers might because having central heating and air conditioning, a paved driveway, and big-ass SUV tends to isolate one from Nature’s tooth and claw, as it were, even if one spends more time than others in proximity to the wild lands. People who live year round in Lakes Country would be expected to have the best understanding of the landscape on which they live, but knowledge does not really seep into one’s brain from mere propinquity (well, sure, maybe a little) and as skeptics we know that many people over-estimate the value and extent of their own knowledge and understanding that comes from categorical association and undervalue the importance of purposeful learning and research. Continue reading Why Minnesota Can't Have Nice Things

Isaac is a Hurricane

This isn’t even in the advisories and discussions yet on the Hurricane Center site, but they are calling Isaac a hurricane. Here’s a recent snapshot:

Hurricane Isaac

The current track puts Isaac just southwest of New Orleans with the heaviest winds and storm surge along the outer reaches of the delta and Lake Pontchartrain.

Expect a storm surge in Southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi east of where the landfall occurs of 6-12 feet, with diminishing storm surge reaching as far as the Florida West Coast. Rainfall will be between 7 and 14 inches across a large area, with isolated areas being potentially much more. Sustained winds of 70 mph and more, up to 110 mph, will affect coastal areas. Isaac is a Category I hurricane.

Landfall will be between 12 and 14 hours from now. And you know what that means.