Month: April 2009

A new ally against Somali pirates

Dolphins.[*1]

China Radio International reported the Chinese merchant ships escorted by a China’s fleet sailed on the Gulf of Aden when they met some suspected pirate ships. Thousands of dolphins suddenly leaped out of water between pirates and merchants when the pirate ships headed for the China’s.

The suspected pirates ships stopped and then turned away. The pirates could only lament their littleness before the vast number of dolphins. The spectacular scene continued for a while.

No. Seriously.

Chimp strength, secret to

Ah, this is more like it. Simians!

The secret to chimp strength[*1] , via Science Daily:

In an article published in the April issue of Current Anthropology, Walker argues that humans may lack the strength of chimps because our nervous systems exert more control over our muscles. Our fine motor control prevents great feats of strength, but allows us to perform delicate and uniquely human tasks.

Yes, we can

I really should start laying off posting these little observations about the Dear Leader of our Glorious New Democratic Socialist Paradise. But it’s just too damn easy.

Pew Research Center[*1] :

Partisan Gap in Obama Job Approval Widest in Modern Era

For all of his hopes about bipartisanship, Barack Obama has the most polarized early job approval ratings of any president in the past four decades. The 61-point partisan gap in opinions about Obama’s job performance is the result of a combination of high Democratic ratings for the president — 88% job approval among Democrats — and relatively low approval ratings among Republicans (27%).

Yep. The age of partisanship is over. After all, Dear Leader announced it himself, a while ago, with this correct and complete explanation[*2] of why his policies were both intellectually superior and economically correct:

I won.

Heckofa job, Barry.

Via Belmont Club[*3] .

The Mafia

or, the Government. It really is hard to tell, sometimes . . . Arnold Kling[*1]

Think of government as a charity. From a libertarian perspective, it is a charity run by the Mafia, which will break your knuckles if you don’t make your donations. It is also a badly mismanaged charity. It funnels lots of money into questionable causes, and even when the causes are good the programs that it funds tend to be very wasteful.

You voted for this guy? (A continuing series)

If you voted for Obama, you voted for a guy who thinks it’s an appropriate gift to give the Queen of England an iPod that contains . . . wait for it . . . Obama’s speeches.

I sh!+ you not.ABC News’ Jake Tapper reports[*1] :

Uploaded onto the iPod:

* Photos from the Queen’s 2007 White House State Visit
* Photos from the Queen’s 2007 Jamestown, Va., Visit
* Photos from the Queen’s 2007 Richmond, Va., Visit
* Video from the Queen’s 1957 Jamestown Visit
* Video from the Queen’s 2007 Jamestown Visit
* Video from the Queen’s 2007 Richmond Visit
* Photos from President Obama’s Inauguration
* Audio of then-state senator Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and
* Audio of President Obama 2009 Inauguration Address

On the other hand, Tapper has the skinny on the Queen’s gift to His Ohness:

Britain’s Press Association reports that the Royal couple gave the Obamas “a silver-framed, signed photograph of themselves.”

I guess we’ll call this one a draw, then.

Viva la Resistance!

Arnold Kling[*1] appears to be one of my new favorite bloggers:

I think the key issue in the contest between Progressive Corporatism and The Resistance might be summarized as this:

If you believe that politicians are about solving problems and need more power in order to do so, then you are going to side with Progressive Corporatism.

If you believe that politicians are about power and need problems as an excuse to get it, then you are going to side with The Resistance.

I vote the latter.