Daily Archives: August 30, 2012

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

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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