Domain: parapundit.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to parapundit.com.
Comments · 17
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Re:Misleading
produce some fucking evidence
Google drugs not available in canada
anything put out by the Heritage Institute, American Enterprise Institute or Competitive Enterprise Institute doesn't count as evidence
There was a piece in The Washington Post . But is the Pacific Research Institute too much like the three blacklisted think tanks you mentioned?
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Re:too much political bias
1. Lebanon is a RINO - Republic in Name Only. Consider the huge population of disefrachized Palestinians who have been living in camps for the past fifty years. Lebanon-born "Palestinians" have it as bad as they would have it in Israel. Jordan is also guilty of this.
2/ Why is Hezbollah a "terrorist" organization? They fight in wars to keep their land free of occupation. Wars result in civilian deaths. Is this news? IDF kills civilians. Hezbollah kills civilians. Hamas kills civilians. Islamic Jihad kills civilians. US Army kills civilians. Either one is terrorist or they all are; as for Hezbollah, at least they fight on their own land and not the land of others.
3. Whatever your opinion, Hezbollah has stated that while it receives funding and support from Iran, they are not a puppet and are Lebanese fighting for Lebanese sovereignty. Consider that in the last war Christians and Druze both fought in Hezbollah and supported Hezbollah by overwhelming majority. In fact, Hezbollah offers a non-confessional alternative to the country's entrenched political system which is based entirely and sickeningly on religion -
Re:Boohoo
this is about not having the supplies that directly contribute to your child's education
We have one of the highest per-student education spending rates in the world, and yet so little of that money ends up going where it's actually needed -- to competent teachers and classroom supplies.
D.C., specifically, is an amazing example of waste:
D.C. spent about $13,400 per student in 2006, which was only exceeded by New York and New Jersey.
Despite the city's high per-student spending, scores on math and reading were the lowest in the country last year, according to results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests.
To make matters worse, less than half of that money is actually going to instruction; most of it goes to administration, with 14 administrators raking in at least $150,000 per year.
We've doubled education spending but test scores haven't improved at all:
And while many people say, "We need to spend more money on our schools," there actually isn't a link between spending and student achievement.
Jay Greene, author of "Education Myths," points out that "If money were the solution, the problem would already be solved
... We've doubled per pupil spending, adjusting for inflation, over the last 30 years, and yet schools aren't better."He's absolutely right. National graduation rates and achievement scores are flat, while spending on education has increased more than 100 percent since 1971. More money hasn't helped American kids.
Much of the money never makes it to our children; instead it goes to tenured incompetents who only bother to show up to work for the paycheck, useless bureaucrats, and other waste.
World's highest per-student spending rates, and yet our teachers can't afford to make photocopies. How the hell did we get here?
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Re:Homework
The short version is that those outages where engineered to drive up the price of energy.
The long version is they were able to do it because there was not enough transmission capacity to import the power to replace the spike in demand from the heat wave and the shortage of online generation capacity.
Enrron was fighting price caps. It was done by selecting an upcoming period of increased demand as a time to shut down several plants for maintenance knowing the transmission infrastructure couldn't carry the load. They were hoping to use the shortage to force their hand. They pushed higher prices to ensure increased generation capacity. It fell apart when the books were examined. Somehow they didn't see that one coming.
look for the movie 'Enron
That's the Hollywood version. They take some facts and then add scriptwriters to make a drams out of it. Often the facts are ignored to make a good drama even though the movie is based on a true story. The movie doesn't have time to educate the moviegoers into the VA limitations of transmission lines, the problems with high power factor loads such as air conditioning putting additional reactive power components on the line. (How many times was MegaVars mentioned?) I'll have to watch the movie just to see if they even mention the Volt-Ampers capacity of the line. I wonder if they simply mention Mega Watts and ignore Power Factor.
The delivery capacity is real. The GP was right. The parent missed some simple homework. Here is a couple items on the capacity issue.
http://www.parapundit.com/archives/001581.html
"The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency that oversees transmission, has been trying for years to prod power companies into forming new, multi-state regional grids with authority over planning and system reliability measures. But utilities in the Southeast and Northwest fear that a more wide-open system would allow their cheaper power to be siphoned away from their customers. They have made war on FERC's plans and some members of Congress are trying to block the commission's transmission initiative from going forward until 2005 or 2007."
http://tdworld.com/mag/power_california_bulks_provide/
"The Path 15 upgrade in California represents the first public-private partnership organized to improve a transmission system that has become seriously congested. Pointing out that Path 15 is not the only circuit that has suffered from congestion problems, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI; Palo Alto, California, U.S.), estimates that US$100 billion must be spent to upgrade the U.S. electricity grid."
"When the lights went out in Northern California in 2000-2001, a long-standing transmission bottleneck received national attention. A contributing factor to the crisis was a transmission constraint in Central California known as Path 15, where three 500-kV lines linking northern and southern California narrowed to two lines for 84 miles (135 km) through the Central Valley. The corridor's lack of transfer capacity hampered efforts to move available generation north from southern California and the desert southwest."
California may have enough Santa Anna winds to localy provide much wind power, but in the dog days of summer, the transmission system is not up to the task of importing sufficient power from out of state.
"By late 1998, load growth had become a significant factor for grid operators, who were prevented from moving power across the congested Path 15. The congestion hit hard in 2000 and 2001 when scarce generation forced the ISO to declare stage-three emergencies, indicating reserves were so low that rolling blackouts were imminent and resulting in several days of rotating outages of firm customer load. The emergencies extended into the winter with threats of outages continuing. Between Sept. 1, 1999, and Dec. 31, 2000, consumers spent an -
Re:Different situation north vs south border.
It's offensive enough to a wide enough swath of Americans as to make it a non-starter, particularly after the defeat of the bill today (which contrary to TFA was more because it was hated, by both sides, than because of Real ID).
Furthermore, the number of Americans who support "legalization" varies widely depending on who's conducting the poll and how you word the questions therein; a while back there was a poll that showed that 66% of Americans would "say 'yes' to ordinances that suspend the business licenses of employers who hire illegal aliens, penalize landlords who rent to illegal aliens with fines and make English the official language," (unfortunately the actual article that was linked to on Digg has gone subscription-only). There's a fairly widely quoted Rassmussen poll that claims that "Sixty-nine percent (69%) of voters would favor an approach that focuses exclusively on 'exclusively on [sic] securing the border and reducing illegal immigration.'"
The fact that the percentages drop to around 20-30% when you alter the wording means that there are a lot of people, I think, who don't really know what they think about it, or don't have a very cohesive opinion. (Or they're just inconsistent or feel differently based on the issue; they might come across as pro-immigration in one poll that asks about deportation, but anti-illegal in another that asks about punishing employers.)
I'm not really pushing for any poll over any other -- they all can be manipulated to tell one side of the story or another (and frequently are) -- but the bottom line is that the bill that was finally killed today was a path to legalization, and nobody liked it. It's an issue that's divisive enough that I think Congress will think twice before bringing it up again, and that means that border security needs to move forward without depending on an amnesty plan to win Mexican cooperation with. -
In ...* UK,
it's already there. The first time I saw this I was sure it's some kind of pro-privacy ad, but apparently it's dead serious
:(
*- Insert your favorite totalitarian government style -
Re:Why not just buy from U.S.?
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt could easily obtain reactors from the U.S. given their allied status and being favored trading partners.
Maybe you missed the memo.. but Saudi Arabia is NOT considered an ally anymore! 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi Arabian- the operation was financed by Saudi Arabians, and members of the Saudi Arabian government knew about 9/11 and were very uncooperative in helping the United States investigate 9/11 in the aftermath (mostly to cover up their involvement). Furthermore- Saudi Arabia was one of few countries to recognize the Taliban government of Afghanistan and they were actually a major source of FUNDING for them!
The Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 said point blank that the September 11 attacks could have been prevented but for the Saudi Arabian government's lack of cooperation with US investigations during the lead up to 9/11. The reason for their lack of cooperation? Because they were involved!
The main leaders of the government of Saudi Arabia may want to be allies, but they are basically under tremendous internal strife with other powers in Saudi Arabia who are anti-US, and in the end their policies are tempered by this strife to our detriment.
They were our allies before, and because of this we gave them preferential treatment, overlooking transgressions and suspect citizens visiting the US, etc ... this preferential treatment was also cited as something that could have prevented 9/11!
Here are some choice quotes from Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 for your consideration below.
Looks like this guys article is coming true...
quotes:
"According to a U. S. Government official, it was clear from about 1996 that the Saudi Government would not cooperate with the United States on matters relating to Usama Bin Ladin. **REDACTED**, reemphasized the lack of Saudi cooperation and stated that there was little prospect of future cooperation regarding Bin Ladin. **REDACTED** told the Joint Inquiry that he believed the U.S. Government's hope of eventually obtaining Saudi cooperation was unrealistic because Saudi assistance to the U.S. Government on this matter is contrary to Saudi national interests. "
"The Treasury Department General Counsel testified at the July 23, 2002 hearing about the lack of Saudi cooperation: There is an almost intuitive sense, however, that things are not being volunteered. So I want to fully inform you about it, that we have to ask and we have to seek and we have to strive. I will give you one-and-a-half examples. The first is, after some period, the Saudis have agreed to the designation of a man named Julaydin, who is notoriously involved in all of this; and his designation will be public within the next 10 days. They came forward to us two weeks ago and said, okay, we think we should go forward with the designation and a freeze order against Mr. Julaydin. We asked, what do you have on him? Because they certainly know what we have on him, because we shared it as we tried to convince them that they ought to join us. The answer back was, nothing new. . . . . . . . I think that taxes credulity, or there is another motive we are not being told. "
"A number of U. S. Government officials complained to the Joint Inquiry about a lack of Saudi cooperation in terrorism investigations both before and after the September 11 attacks.**REDACTED**. A high-level U. S. Government officer cited greater Saudi cooperation when asked how the September 11 attacks might have been prevented. In May 2001, the U.S. Government became aware that an individual in Saudi Arabia was in contact with a senior al-Qa'ida operative and was most likely aware of an upcoming al- Qa'ida o -
Re:Would you like Mexicans with that?
And here in California, there is fruit rotting in the fields because border tightening has cut the supply of farm workers.
Are you sure that isn't from excess supply? -
rights of criminals
Do they order the police and national guard to round up all gang members and get them off of our streets?
You seem concerned with the government stripping you of your rights, but you have no concern for the rights of others. I hate to break it to you, but gang bangers, murderers, and rapists have rights, too. It's a little thing called the Bill of Rights. It doesn't just apply to the good guys. We ALL have the right to associate (even people from El Salvador). We ALL have the right to a fair trial (even illegal imigrants). We ALL have the right to not be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment (even rapists and murders). ... And what happens when an individual police force tries to get tough on gangs? Civil lawsuits! The police "violated" these murderers', rapists', drug-dealers', and illegals' "rights."...
I live in fear of my own government.
People like you, who think that the government can take away rights from people just because they're from a different country or have a different skin tone than you, are the reason that the current Congress thinks it can get away with legislature like the bill we are talking about now. You cannot have it both ways. You either support the Bill of Rights and the rule of law, or you can support dragnet round-up of gangs, and mass incarceration and deportation. We cannot bypass due process. That sort of flagrant disregard for the law is what led to a Canadian citizen getting deported by the CIA to be tortured in Syria. Besides, some MS-13 members use deportation as a free trip home, and others use it as a recruitment technique. By the way, El Salvador is in Central America, not South America.
Please think of the implications of your accusations.
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Re:Stupid activists (not a flame here.)
*Shrug*. My country has been targetted by Islamic terrorists for about two decades. They are backed by a Chinese/US/Saudi Arabia supported, armed and funded nuclear power. The Islamic terrorists already have nukes. Believe me, it really can't get worse from where I sit.
http://www.kashmir-information.com/Terrorism/
https://lists.cs.columbia.edu/pipermail/ornet/2002 -June/004544.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_Kashmir
http://www.kashmirherald.com/january2002/kashmirte rrorismupdate.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10958641/
http://www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/fellows/beher a_20020525.htm
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/publication/faultlin es/volume16/Article1.htm
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/nuke/index. html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/12/terror/m ain648733.shtml
http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/1577.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_weapons_ of_mass_destruction
http://www.parapundit.com/archives/000575.html
http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20040104-102921-916 6r.htm
And you think I worry about teeny little things like giving nukes to Lebanon forcing Israel to openly declare its nuclear status? I suspect you need to learn a little bit more about the rest of the world. -
Re:You're not too bright, are ya?
Or the map that a contractor carries that could possibly find its way into the hands of a soldier, is a weapon.
Or a government-issue visitor's map that finds it's way into the hands (or rather shared-use truck) of a driver who once served with mujahedeen militia in Afghanistan in the 1990s, is a weapon.
The satellite in question is clearly a weapon: it is designed to disrupt enemy communications, which are a vital aspect of war-making. But those communications systems are not themselves weapons. Not everything used in war is a weapon, but not all legitimate targets are weapons, either. -
Algerian military base?
I was browsing for patches of mapped areas and noticed a little plot in northern Algeria that appears to be the only mapped area of that country as of now.
My first guess is that it's of some sort of military base judging by the helipad on the west. It's virtually isolated and surrounded by some sort of structure. According to this article the US states it has no military bases in Algeria, so it must be a local establishment or of some other nation.
I don't know why this trips my curiosity - I know nothing of Algeria or military installations (assuming that's what it is). Still, if anyone has any ideas it might be fun to speculate.
Also, there is a patch north of Poland that appears to be entirely of just the sea zoomable down to the finest level. What's with that? -
Re:Drinkin' the koolaid"And, currently, the wait is 80 weeks for a tonsillectomy in Canada."
Another elective procedure an no its 60 days at most. Your delusions are getting really grand now, 80 weeks is 1 and 1/2 years. I wonder if you find many Libertarians to con with this outlandish drivel. What a stupid, brazen liar you are.
Hmm, here's a reference. A bit dated, admitedly, but still relevant. 80 weeks wait for a tonsillectomy is never acceptable.
Your ad-hominem attacks are typical of most modern liberals. You just can't bear the truth.
Methinks renehollan exposes more of the truth, perhaps a bit exagerated, than do you.
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Blogs I like
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Re:My favorites
Altercation (what liberal media?)
There's another blog called Oh, That Liberal Media.Here are some blogs I like that are often political, but not stupidly partisan, such as:
- The Volokh Conspiracy -- mostly libertarian law professors
- Marginal Revolution -- a couple of economists, one of whom also posts at The Volokh Conspiracy
- Daniel Drezner-- a political scientist
- Foreign Dispatches--a Nigerian-American programmer with many interesting perspectives.
- ParaPundit--some random bloke named Randall Parker, a computer programmer, I think.
In case you haven't heard, BlogLines is a great way to read blogs online.
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Re:Chess, Islam, and Arab governments
This is insightful? That it would be better if chess were banned in these places because it offends some religious sensibilities? What a world. Should this person have been fired? I love the twisting of the 1st amendment in that one. Priceless.
Should my daughter wear a burqa lest someone be offended? Or is it ok that she doesn't as long as I understand that she is inviting rape?
Wouldn't it actually be better if "their own Muslim populations and others of that faith around the world" were more tolerant of others? I'm not holding my breath for that one. -
Re:It was self defense
Oh, and by the way, the term is "pre-emption," not "strike first" or "first strike."
Actually, it's "Anticipatory Defense" now.