Dis inviting Condolezza Rice as a graduation speaker shows a university locked in the grip of crazies. Condolezza Rice is an inspiring figure, a black woman, born into modest circumstances, who by pure ability rose to become US secretary of state, the third highest office in the land (after the President and the chairman of the federal reserve, and above the vice president). This is an amazing story, any university student should be inspired to emulate. Graduation speeches tend to stick with you, I can still remember some lines from my own graduation speech and that was a long time ago. I'm sure Condolezza Rice would have been memorable graduation speaker. And Rutgers drove her away.
Ringleader in the anti-Rice crusade is Rutgers professor Deepa Kumar. She "teaches" journalism and "media studies" what ever that might be. She writes about Islamophobia, imperialism, anti muslim racism. She appeared on Russia Today, a Russian government sponsored propaganda show bragging about her "victory" in driving Condolezza Rice off campus.
That Rutgers would have this kind of fruitcake on the faculty says a lot of things, all bad, about Rutgers.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
What would America fight for?
Cover story from The Economist, a London based weekly news magazine. Written from the point of view of Europeans, terrified that the Americans will let the Russki's eat them up. The article reaches no worthwhile conclusions. They don't know what the Americans might do. For that matter I don't think we Americans know what we might do.
With the exception of the Brits, the rest of Europe has disarmed, and can offer no more effective military resistance to a Russian invasion than the Ukrainians have. Plus, the Russians can turn off the heat all over Europe if they please, so the Europeans are timid about economic sanctions. In actual fact the Russians have more sanctions to lay on the Europeans than the Europeans have to lay on the Russians.
So far, the Russians are attacking an non NATO member, and are going to some trouble to disguise their land grab as another Anschluss, (the people really want to become part of Russia). After the Ukraine aggression has cooled off, say in a year or two, the Russians may try the same thing on a NATO member. Would the US live up to its treaty obligations and defend NATO members? The Europeans fear that we won't.
And if we don't, the Russians will move on Europe, country by country, and in a few years control everything up to the English Channel.
With the exception of the Brits, the rest of Europe has disarmed, and can offer no more effective military resistance to a Russian invasion than the Ukrainians have. Plus, the Russians can turn off the heat all over Europe if they please, so the Europeans are timid about economic sanctions. In actual fact the Russians have more sanctions to lay on the Europeans than the Europeans have to lay on the Russians.
So far, the Russians are attacking an non NATO member, and are going to some trouble to disguise their land grab as another Anschluss, (the people really want to become part of Russia). After the Ukraine aggression has cooled off, say in a year or two, the Russians may try the same thing on a NATO member. Would the US live up to its treaty obligations and defend NATO members? The Europeans fear that we won't.
And if we don't, the Russians will move on Europe, country by country, and in a few years control everything up to the English Channel.
Monday, May 5, 2014
So what is he guilty of?
A Florida high school student (I didn't catch his name off the TV) is in the dock for hacking into his high school's computer and changing other kids grades, for money. The TV showed him in orange coveralls and handcuffs. Clearly the prosecutor is preparing to throw the book at this teenage boy. Nice looking boy too, thick dark hair, combed neatly, regular features, slender, should have no trouble getting dates at school. Dates will be harder come by in the clink.
Clearly this is a practice to be discouraged. Changing people's grades, transcripts, medical records, land ownership records, bank account records, driving records, and you name it, should not be allowed. No way, No how.
But, what crime is this kid guilty of? It isn't robbery or burglary. It isn't murder, manslaughter, arson, barratry, assault, perjury, embezzlement, income tax evasion. Forgery perhaps? Traditionally forgery is printing false paper money, or creating other false documents. But we could expand it.
For once, I'm thinking we need to pass a law, criminalizing this sort of thing. Broaden the law to include altering records of any kind for profit. Give this crime a name, say fackery, for forging by hacking, Spell out the test of the crime, and the penalties. Give the judge some discretion to let first time offenders off with something less than prison, say probation or even a slap on the wrist
And let's have some penalties for officials who fail to take obvious security measures, such as requiring passwords to access sensitive records, demanding a password change every six months, keeping computers with sensitive records OFF the internet.
Clearly this is a practice to be discouraged. Changing people's grades, transcripts, medical records, land ownership records, bank account records, driving records, and you name it, should not be allowed. No way, No how.
But, what crime is this kid guilty of? It isn't robbery or burglary. It isn't murder, manslaughter, arson, barratry, assault, perjury, embezzlement, income tax evasion. Forgery perhaps? Traditionally forgery is printing false paper money, or creating other false documents. But we could expand it.
For once, I'm thinking we need to pass a law, criminalizing this sort of thing. Broaden the law to include altering records of any kind for profit. Give this crime a name, say fackery, for forging by hacking, Spell out the test of the crime, and the penalties. Give the judge some discretion to let first time offenders off with something less than prison, say probation or even a slap on the wrist
And let's have some penalties for officials who fail to take obvious security measures, such as requiring passwords to access sensitive records, demanding a password change every six months, keeping computers with sensitive records OFF the internet.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
340,000 layoffs equals 288,000 "new" jobs?
The Obama administration keeps touting figures for "new" jobs. They never did spell out what makes a job "new". I'm thinking that every single hire is counted as a "new" job. In the same week they claimed 288,000 "new" jobs, they also announced 340,000 new claims for unemployment benefits, i.e. 340,000 people got laid off. First thing anyone does after getting laid off is go right down and file for unemployment. Put the two numbers together and we lost about 52,000 jobs last month. They don't say that on the evening TV news.
They do say that GNP growth has dropped to just about nothing. 0.1% is the number given, which is so low it might as well be zero.
Obama doesn't talk about that either. At least he isn't blaming it on George Bush any more.
They do say that GNP growth has dropped to just about nothing. 0.1% is the number given, which is so low it might as well be zero.
Obama doesn't talk about that either. At least he isn't blaming it on George Bush any more.
White House Coorespondent's dinner
Getting a lot of press coverage this morning. Obama has a fancy dinner for all his lovers in the press. How is this news? We know the press loves him and covers for him.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Up here trees are the enemy
Damn things keep growing, spreading, reseeding, putting up shoots, dropping leaves on the grass. Around the edge of my lawn, the brush and the saplings try to move in on the grass. Shade it, bury it in dead leaves, emit hostile pheromones. The trees were staking a claim to 4-5 feet into the lawn.
Can't have that, they will be tearing down the house next.
Hedge clippers, very good against the pricker bushes, the saplings, the low hanging branches. And lopping shears for the stuff too thick for the hedge clippers. And a rake, a metal leaf rake. I used to use a big bamboo rake but it isn't strong enough to tangle with the brush. Any how, I pushed the woods back a good 5 feet. Long live the grass.
Gotta wait for the grass to green up this year. At least I got it all raked and looking better before the trees leafed.
Can't have that, they will be tearing down the house next.
Hedge clippers, very good against the pricker bushes, the saplings, the low hanging branches. And lopping shears for the stuff too thick for the hedge clippers. And a rake, a metal leaf rake. I used to use a big bamboo rake but it isn't strong enough to tangle with the brush. Any how, I pushed the woods back a good 5 feet. Long live the grass.
Gotta wait for the grass to green up this year. At least I got it all raked and looking better before the trees leafed.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Meet and Greet Jim Rubins, running for US Senate
I'm doing a meet and greet at my place for Jim Rubins next Thursday 8 May 6 PM. Jim is a Republican running for US Senator for New Hampshire. My place is up at the top of Franconia Notch.
22 Ridge Cut Road
Mittersill
Franconia, NH 03580
The Mittersill driveway is a couple of hundred yards down the road from the Peabody Slopes parking lot at Cannon. You can get off I93 at the Peabody Slopes/Echo Lake/ State Rt 18 exit. It's one exit north of the Cannon Mt Tramway exit.
22 Ridge Cut Road
Mittersill
Franconia, NH 03580
The Mittersill driveway is a couple of hundred yards down the road from the Peabody Slopes parking lot at Cannon. You can get off I93 at the Peabody Slopes/Echo Lake/ State Rt 18 exit. It's one exit north of the Cannon Mt Tramway exit.
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