20 December 2008

Political correctness

The following is the winning entry in an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term: This year's term was Political Correctness.

The winner wrote:

Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

H/t: gomids.com

18 December 2008

Monstrously clever

How to get the junk off of a bank's balance sheet.

Credit Suisse Group AG’s investment bank has found a new way to reduce the risk of losses from about $5 billion of its most illiquid loans and bonds: using them to pay employees’ year-end bonuses.

From Ritholtz.

Try this using game theory

Freakonomics asks us to answer the following standardized test question without knowing what the question is:

Which of the following is the correct answer?
a) 4π sq. inches
b) 8π sq. inches
c) 16 sq. inches
d) 16π sq. inches
e) 32π sq. inches


Did you get it right, too? I still got my game.

17 December 2008

Do you know your car's GPM

Very interesting when thinking about becoming more fuel efficient we should be using GPM not MPG. For example over 10,000 miles - a jump from 10 MPG to 11 MPG gives the same savings as going from 33 MPG to 50 MPG. In each case, you'rve reduced your consumption by about 100 gallons.

Check yours here.

10 December 2008

Building allies against Sharia in the US

Take the libertarian stance and legalize gay marriage.

05 December 2008

Galrahn unmasks

Anonymous blogger drops the shields. Maybe he is looking for a job with DONCIO? Just kidding.

04 December 2008

Where was this program when I was in school?

I don't remember this episode

More here.

03 December 2008

OMG, no!

Liberal milblogger, who apparently doesn't know the man, suspects a familiar face for Obama's SECNAV:
Anyway....no mention of keeping Winter around. To me, that silence sounds like a political obit.
And, if we're in the guessing business, somebody, a few days ago, wrote in and suggested we here at the Springboard float Joe Sestak for SECNAV. But...more on that later...
Wonder what Phibian would say?

02 December 2008

Constitution lecturer to nominate ineligible cabinet officer

Pajamas media (Steve Gill) reports:
The selection of Hillary Clinton for secretary of state reveals that President-elect Barack Obama does not limit his lack of appreciation for the Constitution to just the First and Second Amendments. While there has been plenty of analysis focused on whether or not this is a good political decision, the choice may actually reveal more about Obama’s respect or disrespect for the Constitution than about his political judgment.

The Emoluments Clause in Article I, Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution provides: “No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time.” On January 4, 2008, President Bush issued Executive Order 13454, which increased the “Emoluments” (salary) of the secretary of state position. Hillary Clinton, as an elected senator from New York at the time and with a current term of office that runs through the end of 2010, would seem to fall clearly within the definition of a “senator” under this clause.

I don't expect any more adherence to this provision of our supreme law than the Tenth Amendment.
Much more detailed analysis here and here.