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March 4, 2010

I'm not quite so glad*

This was not the kind of morning I had leaving for work today:

*NB: The title of the video, according to Google Translate, is "I am very glad, because I'm finally back home"

Posted by Don Roberts at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

March 2, 2010

California craziness

Over at National Review Online, Mark Steyn excerpts a John Stossel piece on California micro-regulation run amok:

Micro-regulation is tyranny with extra paperwork. With its uncanny ability to prioritize, California, land of Golden Statism for unionized bureaucrats, is cracking down on complimentary coffee. From John Stossel:

For 15 years, the B & B Do it Center, a local hardware store in the small California town of Camarillo, has been putting out coffee and doughnuts for its morning customers. Actually longer, says owner Randy Collins; the previous owner did it too. Customers liked the courtesy, but . . . well, you know where this is going.

Indeed.

Inspectors told Collins that unless he was willing to install stainless-steel sinks with hot and cold water and have a prep kitchen to handle the food, he was violating the law. . . . "What some establishments do is hire a mobile food preparation services or in some cases a coffee service," said Huff. "Those establishments have permits."

In California, what doesn't? Stossel adds:

It's amazing that they still allow people to have children without permits.

You can read the original Ventura County Star story here.

Posted by Don Roberts at 6:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 4, 2010

Not "vegetables" after all

An article from today's Washington Post describes amazing work that demonstrates that some patients in a so-called "vegetative state" are in fact quite conscious:

an international team of scientists decided to try a bold experiment using the latest technology to peek inside the minds of 54 patients [in "vegetative states'] to see whether, in fact, they were conscious.

One by one, the men and women were placed inside advanced brain scanners as technicians gave them careful instructions: Imagine you are playing tennis. Imagine you are exploring your home, room by room. For most, the scanner showed nothing.

But, shockingly, for one, then another, and another, and yet two more, the scans flashed exactly like any healthy conscious person's would. These patients, the images clearly indicated, were living silently in their bodies, their minds apparently active. One man could even flawlessly answer detailed yes-or-no questions about his life before his trauma by activating different parts of his brain.

"It was incredible," said Adrian M. Owen, a neuroscientist at the Medical Research Council who led the groundbreaking research described in a paper published online Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine. "These are patients who are totally unable to perform functions with their bodies -- even blink an eye or move an eyebrow -- but yet are entirely conscious. It's quite distressing, really, to realize this."

...

"This should change the way we think about these patients," said Nicholas D. Schiff, an associate professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. "I think it's going to have very broad implications."

The pressing challenge now is to figure out a way to communicate effectively with these patients, both as part of their treatment and as a means of allowing them contact with the outside world.

H/T National Review Online

Posted by Don Roberts at 6:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 26, 2010

Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life

ABC News reports on an upcoming Super Bowl ad featuring Heisman Trophy winning quarterback (and homeschooling hero) Tim Tebow:

The University of Florida campus is slowly catching wind of Tim Tebow's decision to star in a Super Bowl ad slated to air on CBS on Feb. 7, and some say the ad's message is bound to spark controversy.

The ad spot was purchased by Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian organization that places emphasis on marriage and parenthood.

The Associated Press reported this week that the ad's theme will be "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life," with Pam Tebow sharing the story of her difficult 1987 pregnancy -- instead of getting an abortion she decided to give birth to Tebow, the now-famous quarterback who went on to become a Heisman Trophy winner, leading the Gators to two BCS wins.

I find it somewhat bizarre that when ABC reporter April Dudash quotes the usual collection of left-wing campus malcontents for reaction, she includes two representatives of the "LGBT community." Presumably unplanned pregnancies are not a burning issue for this group, which nevertheless seems to have strong views on the matter. Anti-religion bias, perhaps?

Posted by Don Roberts at 8:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 22, 2010

The only thing missing is

In honor of the President Obama's comments to George Stephanopoulos that Scott Brown's victory resulted from the One (in his first year as president: 411 speeches, 158 interviews. Source - CBS News) not spending enough time talking to the American people:

Posted by Don Roberts at 6:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 8, 2010

Conservative Young Guns

From today's Wall Street Journal, an article on the new "Young Guns" of the GOP, who are hoping to use the 2010 midterm elections to inject some new energy — and new faces — into the Republican party:

Meet the new Young Guns.

The recent wave of Democratic retirements bodes well for Republicans. Yet they are still largely winning by default. The public doesn't like the Democratic agenda, but it hasn't forgotten the GOP's own corruption and loss of principle. And crafting a new image is a tough haul for a minority that is stuck responding to events, and that is still populated by many of the same, entrenched faces.

What is happening instead is a real (if underreported) effort to reshape the party from the bottom up--to, in effect, repopulate it with a crop of reformist candidates in the midterm. Behind the effort are three congressmen--Wisconsin's Paul Ryan, Virginia's Eric Cantor and California's Kevin McCarthy.

In 2007, Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard profiled this trio as the "Young Guns" of the GOP. Hailing from different parts of the country, from different perspectives, what the three shared was a core belief in fiscal conservatism, a wonkish interest in tackling systemic government failures (budget, entitlements), and an ability to connect to younger voters.

At a recent interview, Rep. McCarthy remembers that not long after the article, the three sat down and vented frustration that party leaders seemed more interested in protecting old faces than investing in new talent. Inspired by Mr. Barnes's label, they began the Young Guns program, to recruit and bring along a new generation of House Republicans.

[...]

Kevin McCarthy is the congressman for the district where Lisa's parents live. My father-in-law has always had good things to say about him, much of it based on personal experience. Paul Ryan has always impressed me in TV interviews, and Eric Cantor has been a key player in the effort to kill Obamacare. Here's hoping their "Young Guns" project gets some real traction!

Posted by Don Roberts at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brit Hume, evangelist

Somewhat old news now, but Brit Hume is still in hot water for his remarks a few days ago during the panel discussion on Fox News Sunday inviting Tiger Woods to a personal conversion:

Way to go, Brit!

Peter Wehner has more to say in a thoughtful piece on National Review Online, including reference to an exchange between William F. Buckley, Jr. and Malcolm Muggeridge on living/sharing one's faith.

UPDATE: You can view the exchange between Buckley and Muggeridge here.

Posted by Don Roberts at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

December 17, 2009

American Thanksgiving in Gricigliano

The American website of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest has a story (with pictures!) of last month's celebration of American Thanksgiving at the Institute's seminary near Florence, Italy. As the number of American seminarians grows, this feast becomes a bigger celebration each year, helping the international cadre of future priests learn something about the U.S. and our traditions.

Parenthetically, we've had two of the young men in the picture above over to our house for dinner, and I can vouch that they're solid guys and will, God-willing, someday be good, holy priests.

Posted by Don Roberts at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Roy E. Disney, RIP

Walt Disney's nephew, Roy E. Disney, who was the last member of the Disney family to work for the company and the man who revitalized Disney's animation efforts 20 years ago, has died in Newport Beach at the age of 79 from stomach cancer. Roy Disney served as the conscience of the entertainment giant in his well-publicized battles with then-CEO Michael Eisner. If Disney survives as a family-friendly entertainment company, it will be thanks to Roy Disney's influence.

Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen. (Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Rest in peace. Amen.)

Posted by Don Roberts at 6:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 16, 2009

Hockey Stick over Time

Here's an interesting video putting the recent global temperature rise (aka, the "Hockey Stick") in perspective:

H/T the Planet Gore blog at NationalReview.com

Posted by Don Roberts at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)