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December 2015 posts
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Why Is Bill Cosby Finished While Bill Clinton Is Beloved?
Mark Steyn: "Predators for Hillary".
Nobody needed criminal convictions to drop Cosby - just multiple accusations of sexual assault and some out-of-court payouts. But multiple accusations of sexual assault, out-of-court payouts and the loss of his law license [were] apparently not enough to bar Bill Clinton from another eight years in the White House.
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Johanna Katharina Steiger, Aged 2
"Born in Strasbourg, the Swiss painter Albrecht Kauw (1616–1681) spent most of his working life in Bern, where he worked mainly in the field of landscape and still life painting. According to Swiss genealogist, Valentine von Fellenberg, Kauw lived close to and became friendly with the Steiger family, and in 1645 painted their daughter, Johanna at the age of two. The family’s crest, an ibex rampant, is included in the upper right hand corner.
"Kauw has brought all his skills at realism, so essential to still life painting, to this portrait.
Johanna stands dressed in all her finery, her solid little face peering out at us beneath her starched white lace cap. Her family’s wealth is demonstrated in the richness of her embroidered and lace-trimmed costume, as well as the jewelled rosette at her waist. She also has a tiny ring on the little finger of her right hand. She holds a spray of flowers in her hand, their white petals a symbol of purity and innocence. Interestingly, a similar meaning was often attributed to the parrot, which sits on a swing at her side. In the ancient world, the parrot was valued for its ability to imitate human speech, while in the medieval bestiaries its reputation for cleanliness saw it equated with both Christ and the Virgin Mary, both of whom were free from the stain of sin. "As a symbol of innocence and purity it is an appropriate attribute for children. At a more venal level, the parrot might also have been included as a demonstration of the family’s wealth, as the bird is an import from South America."
Putin Is An Opportunist...
...and under Obama we have offered him many opportunities.
To be sure, Putin has an Bamster-sized ego. But he also thinks strategically, unlike our political class, which apparently decided that with the election of Obama, peace and love were here to
stay. The Norwegians embarrassed themselves by giving the Bam their most prestigious bauble, the Nobel Peace Prize, without even waiting for him to serve his first term. In a permanently peaceful world, why bother to spend money on defense?
Well, Russia is still a poor nation economically, but in the last ten years, Putin has quintupled its military budget. He didn't do that to build up his self-esteem.
Attack Owl
Returns in Oregon, "Targeting government workers..."
"It's silent. You're just walking along, minding your own business, and an owl comes silently at you from behind"...
Photo: Barred owl in flight.
You Will Be Made To Care
One more time. A wedding is a sacrament to some, not the same as a dinner party. Why could we not just leave the bakery owners alone to practice their faith as they see fit? If this was tried with a Muslim bakery, not that it would be, what would happen? Why?
Big Short Genius Says Another Crisis is Coming
Michael Burry: "Water embedded in food is what I found interesting." What makes him most nervous about the future? Debt." Interview in NY Magazine. Photo Burry and actor Christian Bale who portrayed him.
The postcrisis perception, at least in the media, appears to be one of Americans being held down by Wall Street, by big companies in the private sector, and by the wealthy. Capitalism is on trial. I see it a little differently. If a lender offers me free money, I do not have to take it.
And if I take it, I better understand all the terms, because there is no such thing as free money. That is just basic personal responsibility and common sense. The enablers for this crisis were varied, and it starts not with the bank but with decisions by individuals to borrow to finance a better life, and that is one very loaded decision. This crisis was such a bona fide 100-year flood that the entire world is still trying to dig out of the mud seven years later. Yet so few took responsibility for having any part in it, and the reason is simple: All these people found others to blame, and to that extent, an unhelpful narrative was created. Whether it’s the one percent or hedge funds or Wall Street, I do not think society is well served by failing to encourage every last American to look within. This crisis truly took a village, and most of the villagers themselves are not without some personal responsibility for the circumstances in which they found themselves. We should be teaching our kids to be better citizens through personal responsibility, not by the example of blame.