Visitors to the Golden State like to joke about “The Big One” turning Las Vegas into oceanfront property. But what if the “Big One” was an economic earthquake rather than a physical one? Like a salmon swimming upstream, I figured I was the only person to raise an eyebrow when Alan Greenspan stoked the flames of adjustable rate mortages by… Read more →
A Better Tax System
For anyone who owes money to Uncle Sam, April 15th is not a day you look forward to. Even if you’re getting money back, Tax Day can cause a migraine by virtue of the sheer volume of paperwork required to comply with federal and state tax laws. What’s even worse, though, is hearing people like Kevin Drum claim that a… Read more →
Apache FLIR Video
Warning: graphic stuff. This is a 4.7 megabyte mpeg video taken from an Apache AH-64D helicopter in Iraq using the ship’s FLIR (forward looking infrared) camera. The Apache crew was two kilometers away and spied the Iraqis with weaponry in a field the night. It’s unclear weather the weaponry is a gun, RPG launcher, or what. Unfortunately for those on… Read more →
A ventitre ore!
I have four free tickets available for a performance of “Pagliacci” and “Carmina Burana” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Anyone interested in these? We did this production five or six years ago and it was so well received that Opera Pacific decided to bring it back. Pagliacci is a one-act opera, and Carmina Burana is a dance piece… Read more →
Kooks and Tinfoil Hats
Kooky: Kevin Drum of Washington Monthly thinks it’s high time we redacted the Fifth Amendment: I’d like to see videotaping required for all police interviews, and in return I’d suggest that the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination be discarded. If police interviews are all recorded and trials are all held in public, it’s not at all clear to me what… Read more →
The X-Prize
One of the RV6 pilots on the Socal RV list was out at Mojave today and witnessed the lastest Scaled Composites rocket powered test flight. Scaled is likely to be the first to make a run at the $10 million X-Prize. The U.S. government has already issued Scaled a spaceflight permit — the first of its kind ever issued. Seems… Read more →
Baseball Salaries Drop
Major leage baseball players take a pay cut? I never thought I’d see the day. Of course, if you read carefully, you’ll find this “pay cut” chopped the average salary by 2.7% from $2.56 million to $2.49 million. This definitely belongs on the front page, don’t you think? Just to show you how skewed this article is, it actually left… Read more →
Rwanda: Have We Learned Nothing?
Mention the word ‘genocide’ or make reference to the systematic murder of millions and most people in the Western world will immediately think of the Holocaust. But that dark period represents only one of three such events to occur in the last century. During World War I, the forces of nationalism within the faltering Ottoman Empire lead to the 20th… Read more →
The Daily Kos
When it comes to bloggers, the biggest name in liberal politics on the web is The Daily Kos. He’s raised a lot of money for political candidates, is frequently referenced by campaigns, and Hugh Hewitt has even discussed putting him on the air. All this as a result of his successful web site. But yesterday Kos stepped over the line… Read more →
Air America… Radio?
A new radio network with a liberal slant called Air America hit the airwaves today. It’s getting a lot of press — as it should. I wish them all the best. Their marquee host thus far is Al Franken. Not exactly my cup of tea politically, but Al’s certainly funny guy. He’s good enough, he’s smart enough, and I guess… Read more →