Innocent Bystanders

We’re Number Two, So We Don’t Try April 30, 2014

Saw this over at Hot Air:

China poised to pass U.S. as world’s leading economic power this year

I don’t like registering for sites, so I couldn’t read the whole article at the Financial Times (ah – you can read the whole thing here), but the gist is apparently that the World Bank adjusted its purchasing power parity (PPP) values. [PPP takes into account that $1 in China will buy you about twice as much stuff as in the US] When you account for PPP differences, China’s GDP is larger than ours.

So no real change in circumstances, just a change in bragging rights. China’s raw GDP still isn’t supposed to surpass ours until 2019, though that date keeps moving forward.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Or maybe it does, given the brilliance of our leadership. The leadership who…

• … takes the manufacturing sector which has miraculously fought its way back to international competitiveness (not sure I believe this, but let’s pretend it’s true) and decides that raising minimum wage will help boost the economy. And then doubles down by pursuing the Trans Pacific Partnership deal with Asian countries won’t make things even worse. Here’s what a Democrat had to say about the deal:
  

  “TPP would force Americans to compete against workers from nations such as Vietnam, where the minimum wage is $2.75 per day,” DeLauro said on a press call this week.

• … notices that people are driving less due to the poor economy, so gas tax revenues are down. Their solution? Make it more expensive to drive by adding tolls on interstates!
• …has been bragging for 5 years about jobs added, apparently oblivious to the shift from high-paying jobs to low-paying jobs. And without addressing the drop in workforce participation.
• …bet the farm on increased exports, more manufacturing jobs, an explosion of economic activity from green energy & technologies, and retraining. None of which happened.

Five years ago we all predicted that the President’s economic policies would delay recovery, increase debt, and suppress long-term economic growth. After five years we’ve seen an anemic recovery, increased debt, and suppressed long-term economic growth. Meanwhile the President continues flailing and making things worse, all the while telling us how simply awesome his economic performance has been.

Maybe China’s growth will wake him up a bit.

A Little Bisaxual Action on the NYC Subway April 27, 2014

I don’t normally blog about reed-suckers, but this was very fun. A fellow decides to entertain his fellow subway passengers with some bari sax, and somebody breaks out a tenor and has at him (I think I have the instruments right – you know they all look the same to me).

[second guy appears at about 1:15]

H/T: Spawn #2

Amnesty for Illegals April 25, 2014

Well let me just say this about that. If the GOP is going to push for amnesty for illegal immigrants, then I’m voting 3rd party henceforth. This issue is one of my lines in the sand.

I held my nose and pulled the lever during the last couple of elections, and my reward is this?

Boehner, McCain, Cantor, Jeb: you can go suck it. Even if it means Pelosi gets to reprise her role as Most Gargantually Incompetent Speaker in History. Even if it means bossyHilary! becomes President. And even if it means Reid gets to make up fantastical crap and then claim he never said it for years to come.

Only the GOP could possibly take complete dominance on all policy issues and turn it into another humiliating defeat.

At least this time it won’t bother me.

Time Travel in Google Maps April 23, 2014

In 20 years this will be a really cool feature:

Every day, Google’s Street View cars capture massive amounts of data and the company then publishes them on Google Maps at regular intervals. Until now, the only images you could see on Google Maps were the latest images. Starting today, however, you will also be able to go back in time and see older images.

When you’re in the Street View interface, you will now see a small clock icon on the page. Once you click that, a preview image with a timeline underneath it will appear and allow you to see the older images.

[Image borrowed from Tech Crunch site]

The Lost Art of Debate April 20, 2014

I used to be on our debate team in high school – spent 3 years doing the research, preparing the arguments, and going into battle against other teams. It was a great way to discipline your mind: you had to build a logical framework supported by evidence and reason within a short period of time. Then you had to convey that framework coherently, nay eloquently, to the judge within your strictly monitored span of time. And did I mention that you had to coordinate all that with your partner?

The game was to try to bulletproof your case against logical attack, while trying to find logical flaws or countervailing evidence to crush your opponents’ case. As I said, it was a great learning experience, and I would have highly recommended it to anybody in high school or college.

Until I read this:

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Rabbit Tale April 20, 2014

How Not To Prove the Existence of God April 19, 2014

I mentioned in the comments section a while back that I saw, and enjoyed, the movie God is Not Dead.  One thing I enjoyed about it is that I spent my money on conservative filmmakers, which is a nice change.  The main reason I like the movie is because it’s really about the importance of standing up for your convictions.  At least, that’s what I got out of it.  I say that because as a work of apologetics – the reasoned defense of a system of faith – I found it quite lacking.  The opening credits actually refer to the apologetics researcher for the film (I don’t remember who it was), and I’d frankly be a little embarrassed if it were me.

So before I explain why, here’s a promo for the movie.  I add this because before Mrs. S said we should watch it, I had never even heard of it.  I don’t know how many of you are in the same boat.

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From the “Indescribably Awful, Yet Fascinating,” Headlines Department April 16, 2014

Raccoon Eats Baby’s Face; Now 11, She Gets New Ear