For something this complicated,
it’s really hard to design products
by focus groups.
A lot of times, people don’t know
what they want
until you show it to them.
Steve Jobs
Schiff Pins the Tail on the Donkey
Paul "Watch My Eyes Roll at You" Krugman is so undeservedly cocky and full of himself; some consider him the Keynesian answer to Bastiat (in their dreams!).
Did you ever notice, for example, years after a devastating fire, a forest will regenerate itself,without human intervention?
Although most people regard fire as a destructive force that should be fought and quickly extinguished, the fact is the boreal forest evolved in the presence of fire and adapted to it. Forrest Hall says it’s not a question of if a given region of the boreal forest will burn, it’s a question of when. Hall, a physicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, explains that wildfire is an integral part of the boreal ecosystem. Indeed, the high northern latitude forests would be quite different were it not for frequent fires (Hall 1999).
The largest, most intense of boreal wildfires are called 'crown fires.' These explosive fires burn up into the forest canopy and spread quickly from treetop to treetop, releasing smoke and gases high up into the atmosphere. Crown fires are responsible for most of the areas burned in the boreal forests of North America and Eurasia.
"Fire is the mechanism by which the forest is continually regenerated," states Hall. Fires consume dead, decaying vegetation accumulating on the forest floor, thereby clearing the way for new growth. Some species, such as the jack pine, even rely on fire to spread their seeds. The jack pine produces "seratonous" (resin-filled) cones that are very durable. The cones remain dormant until a fire occurs and melts the resin. Then the cones pop open and the seeds fall or blow out.This, of course, does not mean we should help Mother Nature out and throw gasoline on the fire. The point, of course, is that economies are very resilient and do not need frenetic Chicken Little central planning economists jumping around like during the 2008 tsunami, spreading panic, generally exacerbating, obfuscating and prolonging the crisis; how is the economy going to repair itself, letting dead, decaying businesses diverting resources, otherwise enabling new businesses to flourish, go? Watching the smug, self-important, condescending Krugman constantly extol the virtue of government digging holes and filling them back again (because it "adds" to GOP) and going from one fad (e.g., platinum coins) to the next is nauseating, even to a non-economist. I think Schiff's rant is long overdue.
Homecoming Game for Navy Brat Cheerleader:
Father-Daughter Reunion
On this Memorial Day weekend, Let us also not forget the sacrifices made not only made by brave soldiers on the battlefield, but the time they spent away from their loved ones. How many fathers miss their baby's birth, her first steps, his first day of school or Little League game? Their professionalism for national service is matched only by their love for their families. I notice during the National Anthem a tear streaking down the proud Navy diver Daddy's cheek; his sweetheart teenage daughter is a beautiful, loving gift from God.... (Unfortunately, not all veteran family stories are storybook; see the story at the bottom of this post.)
Some others (a couple of duplicated vignettes, a couple I've seen before, but most new to me):
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Bob Gorrell and Townhall |
Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, "Radio Nowhere"
Not All Veterans Are Treated Honorably By Family Members
John Potter, who fought against the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands campaign, built a house in Zaleski, OH for him and his family nearly 6 decades ago; he also served in county law enforcement and as his village's mayor before retirement. Almost a decade ago, Potter and his late wife gave their daughter Janice Cottrill power of attorney, basically over concerns with their declining health and the fate of an autistic son in his 60's. As some point, without the knowledge or consent of Potter, Cottrill took ownership over the Potter house. There was some sort of falling out between father and daughter over custody of the son, Potter became aware Cottrill had taken possession of his home, but the courts eventually ruled that he had waited too long to dispute the transfer. The daughter has since had her father served eviction papers from his home; it is believed that she wants to put the house up for sale. Cottrill's estranged daughter, Jaclyn Fraley, decided to make a public plea in a drive to keep her grandfather in his house; the Internet appeal has now raised $140K (above target), which she hopes will be enough to pay off her mother, whom has been replaced as power of attorney.
I do not know Cottrill's side of the story, but the fact that the original court decision was to restore Potter's property rights but got overturned on a technicality that he didn't object in time to dispute an unknown property transfer (because he didn't know about it) makes it clear Cottrill's actions, if not legally, were certainly morally outrageous.
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| Jaclyn and Grandpa Potter |
