The Troglodyte

Friday Video - Merle Haggard - Are the Good Times Really Over

2012-06-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Hag is so awesome that Merle Month has been extended one day, with this thought...

"[T]he best of the free life is still yet to come..."

Link to video.

For Memorial Day, May 31st

2012-05-31T11:50:00.001-05:00

(JD Crowe/Mobile Register 2004)

Sex-selective Abortions on the Rise, Thanks to Planned Parenthood

2012-05-29T09:31:00.000-05:00

I'm not big on the war metaphor thing (you know, War on fill-in-the-blank), where the so-called "War on Women" is just the latest. But what else do you call the increased popularity in gendercide that is happening courtesy prenatal testing and abortion on demand?

Live Action released a new undercover video showing a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Austin, TX encouraging a woman to obtain a late-term abortion because she was purportedly carrying a girl and wanted to have a boy. The video is first in a new series titled “Gendercide: Sex-Selection in America,” exposing the practice of sex-selective abortion in the United States and how Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry facilitate the selective elimination of baby girls in the womb.

...

Six studies in the past four years indicate that there are thousands of “missing girls” in the U.S., many from sex-selective abortion. The U.K., India, Australia, and other countries ban sex-selective abortion, but the U.S., save for three states, does not. On Wednesday, Congress will debate the Prenatal Non-Discrimination Act (PRENDA), which would ban sex-selective abortions nationally.

“Planned Parenthood and their ruthless abortion-first mentality is the real ‘war on women’,” says [Lila] Rose [founder and president of Live Action]. “Sex-selective abortion is gender discrimination with lethal consequences for little girls.”

(HHT: Pro Life Blogs)

Others on the Story:

The Daily Caller
Jill Stanek

Memorial Day

2012-05-29T01:07:00.000-05:00

This month marks the 147th anniversary of one of the first memorial days, then called Decoration Day, in Charleston, SC.

Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who have died in our nation's military service. Our national observance has slipped away with the long weekend, but the real sense of loss will hang about those left behind: mothers, wives, children, comrades, friends, ... For them and their fallen loved ones, I include these thoughts from Arlington National Cemetery through the famous photograph by John Moore, and the words of Rich Galen:

Arlington National Cemetery, on Memorial Day, has nothing to do with the sweep and grandeur of history, nor the gigantic commitment of resources to battles and wars; nor grand strategies and brilliant tactics.

Mary McHugh at the grave of Sgt. James Regan
(photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

It is a place where - and the day when - we remember the individual men and women who were killed at Bull Run, and Belleau-Wood, at Iwo Jima, on Omaha Beach, and in Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and Iraq and all the other un-locatable places with unpronounceable names where we have too-often sent young men and women to fight and, too often, to die.

Arlington National Cemetery, on Memorial Day, has everything to do with a single white headstone nestled in a neat row among all the other white headstones next to it, in front of it, and behind it. Up hills and down swales.

It stands, along with the others, in silent acceptance of a nation's gratitude.

Update:

For more on John Moore's photo, check out this video:

Friday Video - Merle Haggard - A Soldier's Last Letter

2012-05-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

This week's song from The Hag is provided in honor of the fallen for Memorial Day.

The mother's prayer:

"Protect all those... who are fighting tonight, and, Dear God, keep America free."

Link to video.

Friday Video - Merle Haggard - The Fightin' Side of Me

2012-05-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Troglodyte tribute to The Hag continues with one of my all-time favorite country tunes.

Link to video.

Life is Beautiful

2012-05-15T09:51:00.001-05:00

Here is a classic example of why I like TED. This is more than a fair trade for the nuttery it sometimes propagates.

From the INK Conference in December 2010, image-maker Alexander Tsiaras shares a powerful medical visualization, showing human development from conception to birth and beyond.

Even though I am a mathematician, I look at this with marvel of how do these instruction sets not make these mistakes as they build what is us? It's a mystery, it's magic, it's divinity.

Link to video.

(HHT: Judd)

Friday Video - - Merle Haggard - Okie from Muskogee

2012-05-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

A song of the Silent Majority, although The Hag didn't set it out intentionally that way.

Link to video.

The Drone Wars

2012-05-10T08:10:00.002-05:00

President Obama has escalated the use of drones begun by President Bush in fighting the Long War. And he continues to do so, not only in terms of frequency, but now extending them outside the original theaters of Iraq and Afghanistan (the latter of which has included Pakistan) to Yemen. Given the mobility of terrorists, we could end up chasing them with drones across the world. Jeff Mirus notes how problematic that could be, despite the obvious advantages, or, perhaps because of them:

Drone strikes have the advantage of being quite precise, and their limited firepower tends to cause less collateral damage than clumsier options. The technology enables the United States to target specific individual persons at known locations and send in a drone to “eliminate” them. Such surgical strikes have one other great advantage to the United States: They are completely robotic; they do not put our own personnel at risk. At least not directly, as part of each specific mission: the overall results may be very different.

But there are dangers, I think, in the separation of warfare from risk. Bomber pilots have long commented on the oddness of dropping their payloads on the nameless and faceless, which is so different from hand-to-hand combat. And now sending robots against living persons raises a new set of questions about what it means to be dehumanized.

And do drones make presidents trigger happy? It seems that some “terrorists” have been targeted who have not been guilty of anything but advocacy, and today’s policy of “intelligence signature strikes” permits drones to be sent out when a combination of sources indicates the presence of a member of al Quaida. One wonders how often the requirement for a “clear indication” is stretched. One wonders how often innocent persons are inadvertently targeted. It is not so long since we’ve fought an entire war based on faulty intelligence reports.

Another problem with this and other very precise military operations is that they blur the distinction between war and police work, between fighting a battle and executing a criminal. Of course, terrorism itself blurs this distinction. But the whole situation is too easily used to morally justify actions which lie outside of the just war tradition, such as preemptive strikes, whether against individual persons or nations as a whole.

Moral dangers exist on every side, including the danger of redefining enemies as criminals. One may attempt to establish friendships and alliances with enemies; one would not ordinarily do so with criminals. And when it comes to combatting terrorism, it would seem obvious that establishing friendships is at least as important as military efficiency. Which nation, I wonder, appreciates having America’s robotic drones zipping in and out whenever America wants to take out a target?

The war against terrorism is complex and many-sided. None of this is simple. But even if some drone attacks are justified, as they almost certainly are, this is a very dangerous path. Once we’ve gone down it, will we be able to return?

3 ½ Time Outs

2012-05-09T12:01:00.000-05:00

A Day Late and Still not a Flying Car Edition

Hosted by Acts of the Apostasy.

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Link to video.

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I've heard it said that if aspirin were created today, it would be called a super drug. In a similar fashion, toothpaste may be a super cleaner.

From Gizmodo:

11 Other Uses for Toothpaste

Besides keeping your teeth sparkly, toothpaste offers a wide range of cleaning, cosmetic—even healing abilities around the house. Just be sure to use the white pasty stuff, not gel. And for any of these tips that call for an actual toothbrush, just consider that tool off-limits for the mouth from here on out.

1. Perfume your palms - Cutting onions, cleaning fish, or handling garlic can leave a strong odor on your hands. Wash them with toothpaste to remove the smell.

2. Clean your Jewelry - Use a soft toothbrush with a tiny amount of toothpaste to brush dull metal jewelry, then rinse and polish it to a shine with a soft cloth. Soak seriously grungy metal in a cup of water with dissolved toothpaste. Don't use it to get a pearly white finish on actual pearls—toothpaste damages the surface.

3. Put paste on a damp sponge to wipe crayon off painted walls

4. Defog goggles - The mild abrasive in toothpaste is perfect for removing the crud that causes your sporty eyewear to fog up. As a preventative measure, just lightly rub toothpaste inside a diving mask, motorcycle goggles, or on a hockey helmet face guard. Wipe and rinse the surface clean. (Note: YMMV—toothpaste can remove special coatings like anti-glare treatments.)

5. Clear zits - Cover pimples with a dab of toothpaste before you hit the sack, then wash your face clean in the morning. This works for bug bites and bee stings too—just remove the stinger first. The paste will dry out and shrink your offending blemishes.

6. Do your nails - Toothpaste works on toenails and fingernails like it does on teeth. Clean your nails with a toothbrush and paste to make them strong and shiny.

7. De-funk a bottle - Wash baby bottles with toothpaste and a bottle scrubber, making sure to rinse them very well with water. The paste will get rid of that nauseating sour milk smell.

8. Remove soap scum - Rub a glass shower door with a damp sponge and a squirt of toothpaste. For heavy scum and soap stains, let the toothpaste sit on the door for several minutes before rinsing it off.

9. Polish chrome faucet fixtures

10. Hide drink rings - If you aren't fanatical about putting coasters under your drinks, then you probably have water rings on your wooden furniture. Rub them off with toothpaste and a soft cloth.

11. Remove stains - Scrub a carpet stain with toothpaste on an abrasive brush, then rinse with water. Tough stains require a couple of scrubbings. Toothpaste can also remove stains in cotton clothes, but it doesn't work for all types of fabric.

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Link to video.

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And about those flying cars that should only be three years away if life imitates art:

Link to video.

They may be closer than you think.

Isn’t it Wrong for Churches to be Involved? What about Separation of Church and State?

2012-05-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

The HHS mandate isn't the only religious freedom question on the table.

Link to video.

Minnesota For Marriage Releases New Marriage Minute Video:

Shrouded in the widely misunderstood concept of separation of church and state, some secular groups want to confine religious viewpoints to the four walls of the church. This is as un-American as it is unconstitutional.

All churches have a right and a duty to speak out on important issues like the Marriage Protection Amendment no matter their position on the amendment itself.

Santorum Endorses Romney and Signals His Impending Return to the Game

2012-05-08T17:08:00.000-05:00

An e-mail sent to supporters:

Thank you again for all you did as one of my strongest and committed supporters. Your belief in our campaign helped us start a movement of Americans who believe deeply that our best days are ahead as long as we fight to strengthen our families, unshackle our economy and promote freedom here and around the world. Karen and I will be forever grateful for the support, kindness and commitment you showed us, as well as our children, over these last months.

On Friday, Governor Romney came to Pittsburgh for an over-hour long one-on-one meeting. The conversation was candid, collegial and focused on the issues that you helped me give voice to during our campaign; because I believe they are essential ingredients to not only winning this fall, but turning our country around.

While the issue of my endorsement did not come up, I certainly have heard from many of you who have weighed in on whether or not I should issue a formal endorsement. Thank you for your counsel, it has been most helpful. However, I felt that it was completely impossible for me to even consider an endorsement until after a meeting to discuss issues critical to those of us who often feel our voices are not heard by the establishment: social conservatives, tea-party supporters, lower and middle income working families.

Clearly without the overwhelming support from you all, I never would have won 11 states and over 3 million votes, and we would not have won more counties than all the other candidates combined. I can assure you that even though I am no longer a candidate for president, I will still continue to fight every day for our shared values - the values that made America the greatest country in the history of the world.

During our meeting I felt a deep responsibility to assess Governor Romney's commitment to addressing the issues most important to conservatives, as well his commitment to ensuring our appropriate representation in a Romney administration.

The family and its foundational role in America's economic success, a central point of our campaign, was discussed at length. I was impressed with the Governor's deep understanding of this connection and his commitment to economic policies that preserve and strengthen families. He clearly understands that having pro-family initiatives are not only the morally and economically right thing to do, but that the family is the basic building block of our society and must be preserved.

I also shared with Governor Romney my belief that we cannot restore America as the greatest economic engine the world has ever seen until we return America to being a manufacturing superpower. He listened very carefully to my advice on this matter, and while our policy prescriptions differed, he clearly expressed his desire to create more opportunities for those that are feeling left behind in this economy.

As it is often said, "personnel is policy." I strongly encouraged Governor Romney as he builds out his campaign staff and advisors that he add more conservative leaders as an integral part of his team. And you can be sure that I will work with the Governor to help him in this task to ensure he has a strong team that will support him in his conservative policy initiatives.

Of course we talked about what it would take to win this election. As you know I started almost every speech with the phrase that this was the most important election since the election of 1860 and four more years of President Obama is simply not an option. As I contemplated what further steps I will take, that reality weighed heavy on me. The America we know is being fundamentally changed to look more like a European socialist state than the land of opportunity our founding fathers established.

Freedom and personal responsibility are being replaced with big government dependency. The greatest and most productive workers in the world are being hamstrung by excessive regulations making it impossible to compete. Our healthcare system had been socialized, and the worth of each life dictated by some government bureaucrat. Our allies are insulted while our enemies are appeased. And our religious beliefs and freedom have come under attack.

What is even more troubling is what a second term of an Obama administration could bring. President Obama's admission to the Russians that he will have more flexibility in a second term can only be translated to "if you thought I was liberal in the first four years you haven't seen anything yet!"

The primary campaign certainly made it clear that Governor Romney and I have some differences. But there are many significant areas in which we agree: the need for lower taxes, smaller government, and a reduction in out-of-control spending. We certainly agree that abortion is wrong and marriage should be between one man and one woman. I am also comfortable with Governor Romney on foreign policy matters, and we share the belief that we can never allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons. And while I had concerns about Governor Romney making a case as a candidate about fighting against Obamacare, I have no doubt if elected he will work with a Republican Congress to repeal it and replace it with a bottom up, patient, not government, driven system.

Above all else, we both agree that President Obama must be defeated. The task will not be easy. It will require all hands on deck if our nominee is to be victorious. Governor Romney will be that nominee and he has my endorsement and support to win this the most critical election of our lifetime.

My conversation with Governor Romney was very productive, but I intend to keep lines of communication open with him and his campaign. I hope to ensure that the values that made America that shining city on the hill are illuminated brightly by our party and our candidates thus ensuring not just a victory, but a mandate for conservative governance.

Karen and I know firsthand how difficult the campaign trail can be particularly as governor Romney faces relentless attacks from the democrats. We have been praying for him and his family and will continue to do so in the weeks and months ahead.

Thank you again for all you have done for us, and I look forward to working together to defeat President Obama this fall and to protect faith, family, freedom and opportunity in America.
With Gratitude,

Rick Santorum

P.S. As promised, very soon we will be making another big announcement, and I will be asking you to once again join forces with me to keep up the fight, together. Stay tuned.

Making Your Work Space Holy

2012-05-04T16:47:00.000-05:00

"Imagine how much time you spend at work throughout your life," directs Nicholas Cole:

With the direction our society is moving it seems that people are working longer and longer hours for more years of their lives and therefore spending more time in their cubicle, office, etc. The office has become our home away from home which should encourage us to treat it as such.

If this is true for you it is important that you try to make your office space comfortable, peaceful, and encouraging. It’s easy to pick the basics for decorating your workspace: plants, pictures of family, pictures of nature, or the all important stress ball. I think that it is important to add Christian items to your office space which call you to prayer, bring you peace, help you focus, and help you handle stress more effectively.

Many different items exist which are perfect for making your office space into this kind of environment. For example, prayer cards make a wonderful edition to your office space as they are simple, easy to put up, and are typically very beautiful with a simple prayer or pleasing image. If prayer cards aren’t to your liking, then maybe a simple crucifix or rosary speaks to your needs more effectively. Whatever works for you, whether it is prayer cards, icons, a rosary, or a crucifix, it is important that you make your office a good holy space in which you will spend a substantial amount of time.

If heavily religious articles are not welcome in your work place, perhaps a contemporary piece of Catholic art might be a better choice. You can display a Biblical or inspirational verse, your patron saint, or a Biblical scene.

For the amount of time most people spend in their cubicle or office space, you might as well make it as enjoyable and pleasant as possible. Consider also that if your work environment is more peaceful and serene then perhaps the stress of work will be minimized and not come home with you. Taking a moment when times are tough to meditate with a religious devotional can help you better deal with stress, be better able to leave that stress at work, enjoy work more, and live a life filled with more peace and comfort.

What do you add to your office in order to make it holy?

Friday Video - Merle Haggard - Impersonations

2012-05-04T15:25:00.001-05:00

In honor of The Hag's 75th birthday last month, May is Merle Month at The Troglodyte.

Link to video

3 ½ Time-outs

2012-05-01T13:51:00.001-05:00

Some Catholic Stuff Edition

Hosted by Acts of the Apostasy.

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With it being the first day of the month, here are Pope Benedict's prayer intentions for May. Feel free to join me in a daily "Hail Mary" for the pope's intentions.

General Intention - The Family. That initiatives which defend and uphold the role of the family may be promoted within society.

Mission Intention - Mary, Guide of Missionaries. That Mary, Queen of the World and Star of Evangelization, may accompany all missionaries in proclaiming her Son Jesus.

You can also check out reflections from the Apostleship of Prayer (website or pdf.)

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"Workmen and all those laboring in conditions of poverty will have reasons to rejoice rather than grieve, since they have in common with the Holy Family daily preoccupations and cares." - Pope Leo XIII

Today is the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, which was established in 1955 by Pope Pius XII as a counter to the celebrations in Communist countries as the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers. St. Joseph gives all workmen a model and a protector and helps inform the Christian understanding of the dignity of work and providing for one's own family, as he provided for the Holy Family.

CatholicCulture.org suggests that today also would be a good day to pray for atheistic Communism's influence to cease and a proper application of the principles explained by Leo XIII in Rerum novarum and John Paul II in Centesimus annus to be the guide used by nations.

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For Greater Glory, tells the largely untold story of the Cristero War and Mexico’s struggle with religious liberty.

The Cristero War (also known as the Cristiada) of 1926 to 1929 was an uprising and counter-revolution against the Mexican government. The rebellion was rooted in the persecution of Roman Catholics, namely the strict enforcement of the anti-clerical provisions of the Mexican Constitution of 1917 and the further expansion of anti-clerical laws. After a period of peaceful resistance, a number of skirmishes took place in late 1926 with the formal rebellions beginning in January 1927. The rebels were called Cristeros because their fighting cry was for "Cristo Rey" ("Christ the King").

The movie stars Andy Garcia, Peter O'Toole, and Eva Longoria. It is scheduled to release in the US in June.

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Keeping with both the religious liberty theme and in honor of the many May crownings with flowers happening today... We will know the end of our great republic is near when this joke ceases to be funny to 2nd and 3rd graders:

Q: If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
A: Pilgrims!

Thankfully, giggles aplenty were heard from Troglotykes #5 and #6.

Friday Video - Chuck Colson - Like I Am

2012-04-27T13:18:00.000-05:00

RIP

Link to video.

(HHT: PowerBlog)

7 Answers to "You Know How That Happens, Don't You?"

2012-04-27T07:36:00.000-05:00

7 Quick Takes for the weekend of April 27th

It might be the question that expectant parents of large families hear most often (when maybe child number 4, certainly child 5, 6, 7, ... is on the way).

The first 112 times you just laugh it off. At some point you want to say, "Do you think that's clever?" or "Do you think I haven't heard that one before?" but refrain because you don't really want to start something, and most people don't know what to say and try to get by by attempting humor.

By the time number 8 rolls around, you do hear a lot more "Congratulations," I guess because people do eventually realize that you seriously think children are a blessing and not something you're trying to avoid. For those who still insist on asking the question, your patience is about at an end and you have a visceral need to respond differently, if for no other reason than there seems to be a biological limit to pretending to laugh at something that was never that funny to begin with. Clearly, charity suffers; here is an incomplete list of things you think, but still rarely say.

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Umm. [chuckling along]. I'm sorry, how what happens?

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As a matter of fact, we do. But I don't know how to get my wife to stop dreaming about baby unicorns.

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Oh, do you need some pointers? Go ahead, ask anything. What are friends/relatives for?

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Honestly? No, we don't. Perhaps you could explain it to me.

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[awkward silence as you let the question just hang there]

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No, I wasn't paying attention in health class. I was too busy sneaking peaks at the Catechism.

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Well, we thought about having a nicer house and a lake place and new cars, but decided it just wasn't worth it.

Going Back to That Amazing Statistic: 92.3 Percent of all the Jobs Lost During the Obama Years have been Lost by Women

2012-04-27T06:48:00.000-05:00

It's been a couple of weeks since Mitt Romney peddled that point to counter the gender gap meme, with reasonable success. Now, while it does not demonstrate that a real "War on Women" is being waged by the Obama Administration, as Mr. Romney asserted, it is worth noting two things:

The statistic is real.
President Obama owns it.

Women have lost 92.3% of all the jobs lost since Barack Obama took office. The Administration and its allies in the media are quick to point out that that fact doesn't tell the whole story, and, in a rare moment of clarity, argue that the context does matter, at least in this case.

Yes, yes, yes:

The recession began in early 2008, well before Obama became president.
Recessions generally hit men first by beginning with traditional male jobs like construction, well before traditional female jobs, like teaching, are affected.
The number of jobless men resulting from the Great Recession is 2x that of women.

*** Sidebar 1

This is one of those instances-so-rare-they-occur-as-often-as-random-mutation-and-natural-selection-leads-to-a-new-species, i.e., an admission from the left that there is such a thing as traditional male and female jobs, or even (non-derisively) "tradition," for that matter.

*** End sidebar 1

Therefore, in the proper context, that 92.3% of all the jobs lost since Barack Obama took office is nothing more than a curious numerical artifact. And only shows how big a mess he inherited from George W. Bush.

*** Sidebar 2

Of course, the Administration would prefer to play the correlation is causation game like this:

(image source: Matthias Shapiro, politicalmathblog.com)

But then that leaves them open to this:

(image source: Matthias Shapiro, politicalmathblog.com)

*** End sidebar 2

This is where the ownership question enters. Now, there are actual limits to how much a president "owns" the state of the economy. In fact, he does not deserve all the credit for when things go well, nor does he deserve all the blame when they don't go well. But consider this:

Prior to being president, Barack Obama advocated for the very policies that led to the financial crisis that triggered the recession.
While running for president, Barack Obama participated actively in the discussions regarding the diagnosis and the prescription for the financial crisis.
As a US Senator, while running for president, Barack Obama voted for the TARP bail-outs.
As president-elect and president, Barack Obama advocated for the $800 billion so-called stimulus, including, with his surrogates, making claims that the stimulus would prevent the unemployment rate from exceeding 8%.

OK. So what?

The president claiming he inherited the financial crisis is a bit like the son who was working as a manager for the company that was augering in before the old man died and who then had the gall to complain that he inherited such a lousy company.

Nevertheless, the recession didn't start on his watch and that will allot him the benefit of the doubt with many people. What was on President Obama's watch, however, with him being the Mr. Cool, Wizard of Smart, that he's alleged (hoped?) to be, was that the recession wasn't supposed to be that deep, or certainly not that long and that deep, such that the job losses were never supposed to migrate from those traditional male jobs to traditional female jobs.

That's what. Those female job losses were never supposed to happen.

The president got the Keynesian stimulus he wanted, and he's had 3+ years to "pivot to jobs." In the context that the nation's biggest issue continues to be the economy and jobs, the women's jobless rate being so dramatically affected since Obama took office is but one way to keep that issue front and center during the campaign. And we don't need a dead-cat bounce before we look for the many ways to skin that cat.

The 2012 National Debt Road Trip

2012-04-25T17:22:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes, yes, this representation of the national debt story is misleading/unfair/whatever.

Well. Except the last 35 seconds. It's been pointed to before about the president's economic philosophy. There. Is. No. Plan.

3 ½ Time-outs

2012-04-24T12:05:00.000-05:00

Around the Horn Edition
(sports, culture, economy, science/tech)

Hosted by Acts of the Apostasy.

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The University of Minnesota has hired Norwood Teague as its new athletic director. Mr. Teague comes to the U from Virginia Commonwealth, where he established a record of fundraising and facilities development, both of which are glaring and growing needs at Minnesota. Critics are concerned that VCU does not have a varsity football program indicates a hole in his background, but supporters are quick to point out that that should make Teague feel right at home with the Golden Gophers.

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The split earlier this month of “Mike and Ike” over “creative differences” has been characterized on both the left and the right as a gay “divorce.” However, as Anderson Cooper has reported, Mike and Ike are not gay, much less “married.” Just sayin’.

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As of about noon CDT…

US National Debt: $15,680,107,000,000 and counting
US National Debt to GDP: 103.67% and counting

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It looks like there is more hope on the horizon for the “folically challenged,” this time through stem cell therapy:

Un/Underemployment Rate Hits 50% for New College Grads

2012-04-24T00:27:00.001-05:00

There is welcome news of sorts for Troglotykes #1 & #2, who will be both be in college this fall with academic interests that align with current employer demand. However, on average, a college degree isn't worth what it once was. Like with most everything, the value of a diploma follows supply and demand. From USA Today:

While there's strong demand in science, education and health fields, arts and humanities flounder. Median wages for those with bachelor's degrees are down from 2000, hit by technological changes that are eliminating midlevel jobs such as bank tellers. Most future job openings are projected to be in lower-skilled positions such as home health aides, who can provide personalized attention as the U.S. population ages.

Taking underemployment into consideration, the job prospects for bachelor's degree holders fell last year to the lowest level in more than a decade.

Take into account the spiraling costs, and the easy access to student loans to cover them in the short term, and, with the earning power shrinking with declining demand when exiting college, it is easy to conclude we are blowing up another economic bubble. The question will be whether we ignore it until it pops, or have the will to try to deflate it. It also means the Troglodytrix and I likely will have to counsel against any potential changes in college majors.

7 Quick Takes

2012-04-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

for the weekend of April 20th

The Baseball Commercial with a Local Connection Edition

In no particular order...

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What's the local connection on that one? Tom Glavine, co-starring in the Nike commercial, pitched in Game 2 of the 1991 World Series (won by the Twins, of course) during which this play occurred:

<p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p>

Taking Offense

2012-04-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Chris Pelicano from Catholic Culture:

"Being offended" is in such vogue these days. It is either the basis for or the dominant element in most major news stories. "Offense" is a kind of fuel that keeps the fire of "righteousness" alive. And "righteousness" is crucial to news stories, it is what gives them urgency and relevance—it is what makes the story a big deal.

But, not all offenses are created equal. There are mortal offenses, venial offenses, and even phony offenses. It is important to know how to tell the difference between them. To do so, we cannot just rely on the ardor of the "offended" to show us the gravity (or even reality) of the "offense." No one is more prone to exaggeration than a person who has been "offended." And the one who screams the loudest is not necessarily the most wronged—they may just have the biggest mouth.

To ascertain the truth one must look for the truth. Some real effort must be made to find the third side to every offense—to find the substance of genuine offense beyond the relativism of personal indignation of what "he said" and what "she said." But alas, this sort of investigating and reporting falls outside the limits of sound bite journalism. In fact, sound bite journalism was invented because substance no longer really matters, and "being offended" is really just for effect anyhow. It is a garment, an article of clothing that provides the appearance of "righteousness" intended to make the story or the issue appear more important than it really is.

As long as this is the case, I hope more and more people will respond to the endless stream of people "being offended" by saying ... "Big deal!"

While I certainly appreciate Mr. Pelicano's sentiment, wasn't this also basically the preferred response by the Clinton team to the bimbo eruptions?

Oh, These Dog Days

2012-04-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Jake Tapper nudged along the tongue-in-cheek story that Jim Treacher has been pushing in response to the story from 30 years ago that Mitt Romney transported his dog, Seamus, in a kennel on the roof of the car during a family trip:

The discovery that the president had eaten dog meat [as a child in Indonesia] prompted wise-cracks on twitter (hashtag — #ObamaDogRecipes) and this tweet from Romney strategist Eric Fehrstrom, who re-tweeted Axelrod’s original message with a different take on the picture of the president and Bo.

This is all great fun, of course, and perhaps an indicator that cats really know how to work a meme. Or more likely that perhaps Rick Santorum was right for reasons he never imagined that a shorter national campaign would be better. Nevertheless, particularly in the context of the president's incredible, shrinking agenda, I can't help but get the sense that all this is tempting the fate (if you believe that sort of thing) of the release of "Happy Days are Here Again" right before the crash of 1929.

3 ½ Time-outs

2012-04-17T23:51:00.000-05:00

The Tax Day Edition

Hosted by Acts of the Apostasy.

-1-

Ugh! Glad that's over.

-2-

One silver lining for this year (I guess) of making less money than last year is that our effective tax rate penalty for large families (aka AMT) was only about 1%. Small favor.

-3-

I'm not one to get too worked up about millionaire politicians who insist that the "rich," who have "won life's lottery," do their "fair share" to "lend a hand up, not give a hand out" by "giving back(!)" to those who have been "less fortunate," while they themselves only have single digit percentages of charitable donations on their tax returns. After all, there is no law that requires anyone to declare charitable giving on his taxes. In fact, I, for one, don't declare everything for various reasons (call me crazy), some reasons more saintly than others, and would like to be generous in giving them the benefit of the doubt. However, on this day, perhaps more than others during the year, the feeling I get is that they believe authentically that paying taxes to the government at the point of a gun is a charitable act.

"If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

-3 ½-

Now it's off to chaperoning 6th graders on their field trip to Camp St. Croix.