Sailing the Last Voyage with Newton and Pascal
From the "GeoCurmudgeon" column in the March/April 2009 Issue of GeoStrata: Consider the nine wonders of the modern world; the nine men who comprise the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, led by PRC President Hu Jintao, a hydraulics engineer; Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, a geotechnical engineer; five other engineers; and two economists. …
Continue reading "If You Don’t Like Unscientific Policies, Choose Scientific People"
As a follow-up to this, we have this: Here's what it means in real terms for the 5% of Americans whose household income exceeds $250,000 a year. Those families can currently save $350 in taxes for every $1,000 donated to charity; under Obama's plan, that amount would drop to $280 per $1,000 donation. "By doing …
Barack Obama's comparison of his bowling game with the Special Olympics (which is unfair; there are people in the Special Olympics who can handily beat him) has gotten a lot of press. There are those, however who view this as a passing gaffe. But, as the French would remind us, "what fills the heart will …
Continue reading "Promoting a Compassionate Agenda vs. Making Fun of the Special Olympics"
They've done it again: A chaplain at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton has resigned, she says, over a ban on use of the words "God" or "Lord" in public settings. Chaplains still speak freely of the Almighty in private sessions with patients or families but, the Rev. Mirta Signorelli said: "I can't do …
Continue reading "Chaplains Without God? Only in South Florida!"
He may not think of himself in this way, but... Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley suggested that AIG executives should take a Japanese approach toward accepting responsibility for the collapse of the insurance giant by resigning or killing themselves. The Republican lawmaker's harsh comments came during an interview with Cedar Rapids, Iowa, radio station WMT on …
Continue reading "The Pagan Charles Grassley: From Victory at Sea to Defeat in Manhattan"
This, under the Roman Emperor Gelarius: But that which gave rise to public and universal calamity, was the tax imposed at once on each province and city. Surveyors having been spread abroad, and occupied in a general and severe scrutiny, horrible scenes were exhibited, like the outrages of victorious enemies, and the wretched state of …
He's right, but... Rep. Barney Frank charged Monday that a decision by financially strapped insurance giant AIG to pay millions in executive bonuses amounts to "rewarding incompetence." Echoing outrage expressed on both sides of the political aisle in the wake of revelations that American International Group will pay roughly $165 million in bonuses, Frank said …
Continue reading "Rewarding Incompetence: Not Only in the Private Sector"
He's trying to make inroads with Washington socialites: While publicly identifying with the nation's have-nots, the Obama administration has been cultivating the Beltway social elite behind the scenes. Earlier this year, the Obama administration invited top editors of three of Washington's local luxury lifestyle magazines - Capitol File, DC magazine and Washington Life - to …
Continue reading "The Elitist Snob Needs to Spend Time in Palm Beach"
The Chinese are worried about the status of the enormous sum the U.S. owes them: China's premier expressed concern Friday about its massive holdings of Treasuries and other U.S. debt, appealing to Washington to safeguard their value, and said Beijing is ready to expand its stimulus if the economy worsens. Premier Wen Jiabao noted that …
Continue reading "What We Owe the Chinese: A Debt to Equity Conversion?"
"Well, for openers...where will Christianity be centred? In the U.S.A.? Just think!--by the way, you can read this in Position Paper 6--under the title of 'The USA religiously considered and the American way of life,' as they call it." He gives a summary of the Paper. The United States as a socio-political entity was set …
Continue reading "So Where Should the Centre of Christianity Be? In the United States?"
Positive Infinity 