Around The Blogs 2014-03-23

There’s plenty to report from the blogosphere over the last week or so.

I was intrigued to learn that there may be a rational explanation for the old saying, “Mad as a lighthouse keeper”.  I’d heard it before in South Africa, and I know it was common in 19th-century England, but now it seems that loneliness and isolation – traditionally blamed for the condition – may not be to blame.  Instead, there may be a medical reason.  The Old Salt Blog has the details.

Captain Capitalism points out that we bloggers are in the Truth Industry, in comparison to the eight groups of people to whom we owe our success.  It’s an interesting theory, and I think he has a point.

The Hawsepiper brings us some giggleworthy images, including this one that had me spitting coffee on my keyboard.

Heidi Roizen shares what she learned negotiating with Steve Jobs.  It’s a story of a collision between very different value systems – but how she ‘got to Yes’, as they say in the business books, is an interesting story, with lessons for all of us.

Laura tells us of the trials and tribulations – and joys – of trying to raise a hyper-energetic puppy, which she blames for light blogging recently.  She links to this video, which conveys the same lessons.  Both links will be of interest to dog-lovers.

Enola Gay informs me of the existence of a military creature I’d never encountered before – Apocalypse Barbie.  Some examples:

You Might be Apocalypse Barbie if…..

1. You’ve ever uttered the words “Does this plate carrier make my butt look fat?”
2. You have combat boot in multiple patterns and colors.
3. You’ve ever received body armor for Christmas… and were excited.

XBradTC reports on one particular problem with naval officer retention and the lesson it holds for other branches of the armed forces.  His article resonated with me:  it summed up the difference between rear-echelon and administrative personnel (who get promoted based on the number of paper cuts they incur) and those in operational areas, who ‘see the elephant’ and consequently discard bureaucratic bumpf and administrative red tape to concentrate on what’s essential to accomplishing the mission.  Looks like it’s a never-ending process that has to be repeated with each new generation of leaders . . .

Glenn B. brings us a classic example of bureaucratic overreach, illustrating the ‘us-versus-them’ mentality of so many cretins who weasel their way into a position of administrative authority.  As a South African comedy show put it some years ago, “It’s the progression from ‘I am, Sir, your obedient servant’ to ‘You are, mate, my obedient slave’!”

An Ordinary American puts forward the position that the civil rights of child molesters have been revoked by the very nature of their crime, and provides a graphic example of how he and others handled one such problem in their neighborhood.  I can’t say I disagree with him – I helped deal with a predatory situation in my own neighborhood some years ago, in a similarly direct fashion.  It works.

JayG points out that GM’s recall of one-and-a-half million vehicles is yet another black mark on the company’s very spotty record.  He sums up:

This was a company that was “too big to fail”, so we threw several billion dollars of taxpayer money at them. And the end result is that they went back to the same tired way of doing things that had them on the brink of insolvency.

Then again, when you remove all penalties for underperforming, why change?

Word.  I’ve already made clear my own position on GM and its vehicles.  I’ve seen no reason to alter that position since 2009.

I never thought – I’d never have believed! – that I’d see a blog article with this headline:

I was wrong.

Warren Meyer has two good articles this week.  In the first, he laments the ever-increasing burden of trying to keep pace with ever-growing government regulation.

At some point regulation will accrete so fast that it will be impossible to keep up.  I am going to call that the Regulation Singularity, and for businesses my size, we are fast approaching it.

In the second, he makes some valuable points about compelled testimony, and why it’s not necessarily a good idea – even for Congressional committees.

Warren Meyer cites the Popehat legal blog as a reference in the second article linked above.  One of the contributors there, Ken White, put up a very trenchant reminder this week that one should never, repeat, never talk to law enforcement without the advice and assistance of a lawyer.  He sums up:

It’s now routine for federal agents to close out an investigation with a false-statement-trap interview of a target in an effort to add a Section 1001 cherry to the top of the cake.

The lesson — other than that criminal justice often has little to do with actual justice — is this: for God’s sake shut up. Law enforcement agents seeking to interview you are not your friends. You cannot count on “just clearing this one thing up.” Demand to talk to a lawyer before talking to the cops. Every time.

He’s dead right.  As a prison chaplain, I came across more than one business executive who was behind bars solely – and I do mean solely – because he contradicted himself in one or more statements to federal authorities, and as a result was in due course convicted of lying to them, and sentenced to a term of imprisonment.  Ken isn’t exaggerating.  Believe him.

Al Fin points out that NASA has once again ‘abandoned space and embraced global collapse’.  He cites numerous examples of how the agency has followed this path before under previous Administrations.  It’s a useful reminder that just because a government agency says so, doesn’t mean that it is so.

(This is reinforced by Mr. B., who brings us a very interesting video clip purporting to show how the global warming scare began.  It ties in nicely with Al Fin’s article.)

Glenn B. has a very funny video on ways (not) to grip your pistol.  Gangbangers of the world, unite!  You have nothing to lose but your aim!

Jane of Virginia offers ‘An Indictment of the Churches‘.  It must have been a difficult article for her to write.  I’ve run into several of the situations she describes, and they’re very distressing indeed to those looking for support.  I only hope (and pray!) that I’ve never been like some of the pastors she describes.

Random Nuclear Strikes points out that modern education has “created a class of people who would rather have free stuff than freewill”.  It’s hard to argue with him . . .

Country Rebel reminds us that there really was a time when it was legal to mail your children to another city.  I did not know that!

Last but not least, Greylocke explains to us why teachers drink.

That’s all for this week. More soon!

Peter