New Years Eve 3d Livestreaming
— Genghis

This is way way early in the day and it'll get bumped and/or folded into tonight's ONT, but if you have the urge to watch what's being called The World's First 3d Webcast then you'll want to have all your ducks in a row.

I'm not even entirely clear how it works and whether or not you have to have a 3d TV, or you can view online in 3d-ishness, or whether there are even 3 dimensions in our universe to begin with. (Personally I believe there are only 1.73 dimensions.)

But the site helpfully provides instructions (or links to instructions) on how to make your own 3d glasses Kind of like an arts and crafts project. Sadly there's no Elmer's Glue called for but why let that stop you from buying a bottle and keeping it on the side as an occasional snack?

Artist's depiction of the source of Elmer's Glue and/or Surf n' Turf

Posted by: Genghis at 04:32 AM | Comments (19)
Post contains 166 words, total size 1 kb.

Top Headline Comments 12-31-10
— Gabriel Malor

E pur si muove.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 03:16 AM | Comments (98)
Post contains 12 words, total size 1 kb.

Hawaii $1.5M-O
— Slublog

How much does Obama's vacation cost?

Short answer - a lot.

Just consider these estimates on part of the costs of the latest Obama Hawaii trip:

* Mrs. ObamaÂ’s early flight to Hawaii: $63,000 (White House Dossier)

* ObamaÂ’s round trip flight to Hawaii: $1 million (GAO estimates)

* Housing in beachfront homes for Secret Service and Seals in Kailua ($1,200 a day for 14 days): $16,800

* Costs for White House staff staying at Moana Hotel: $134,400 ($400 per day for 24 staff) – excluding meals and other room costs

* Police overtime: $250,000 (2009 costs reported by Honolulu Police Department)

* Ambulance: $10,000 (City Spokesperson)

TOTAL COST: $1,474,200

The guys at HillBuzz show just how unprecedented this vacation is, compared to where other recent presidents spent their Christmas vacations. Most presidents chose to spend Christmas either at the White House or at Camp David, which is 70 miles away from D.C. Obama's choice of vacation spot is about 4,800 miles from Washington and his decision forces security and other staff to miss Christmas with their families. Other recent presidents showed more consideration for the needs of those who work for them. The Obamas...have not.

Their decision really should not be that surprising, since they haven't shown much consideration for how their vacations impact citizens in the past. Sure, millions of Americans may be out of work, and the economy is in the crapper, but this president won't allow such distractions to get in the way of his desire to spend time basking in the Hawaiian sun.

The worst aspect of this story? The same media that freaked out over a Republican president spending time at a ranch he owned free and clear are writing puff pieces about the current president's indulgences on our dime.

So, fellow wingnuts...how's the cake? Mine is a bit dry. more...

Posted by: Slublog at 07:08 PM | Comments (122)
Post contains 308 words, total size 2 kb.

Overnight Thread-The I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Edition [CDR M]
— Open Blogger

WhatÂ’s up Moron Nation and Happy Eve before New YearÂ’s Eve! Back at the helm as Maet is out and about looking for the perfect hobo to capture and feed his family during these hard, hard times. Remember earlier this year the uproar over vuvuzelaÂ’s? Well, it takes a real manÂ’s sport to properly use this noisy contraption properly.

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM | Comments (578)
Post contains 830 words, total size 9 kb.

Co-Author of Original Cloward-Piven Strategy Calls For Mass Protests, Disruptions
— Ace

Frances Fox Piven doesn't seem to advance a sneaky new strategy here as she did so long ago. Mostly it's just calling for typical leftist roil. But Ron Radosh went behind the firewall at The Nation to read her new aggrievements, and here's what she'd like to see:

What is needed, she suggests, are “mass protests” that might influence Obama and press “him hard from his base.” To do that, however, she notes that they have to get past the many obstructions to mobilize the unemployed. This is especially the case that the unions today “do little for their unemployed,” who don’t pay dues and “are likely to be malcontents.”

Piven argues that their task is harder than it was in the past, because the unemployed are diverse, are not in one area of the country and have no common institutional setting. It is hard to bring people together, even in welfare and unemployment centers, she complains, since often administrators try to avoid long lines and crowded waiting areas, where organizers could proselytize and inflame the dissatisfied applicants.

But most important, she writes, “they have to develop a proud and angry identity and a set of claims that go with that identity. They have to go from being hurt and ashamed to being angry and indignant (Radosh's emphasis) …Losing a job is bruising; even when many other people are out of work, most people are still working. So, a kind of psychological transformation has to take place; the out-of-work have to stop blaming themselves for their hard times and turn their anger on the bosses, the bureaucrats or the politicians who are in fact responsible.”

They also need targets, which she sees as “the most difficult of the strategy problems.” Since she knows well that “local and state governments are strapped for funds,” the poor and the unemployed must demand “federal action.” It is, in other words, another “fiscal crisis of the state” that, as in the past, can be used to advance the radical goal. There first have to be local protests that have to “accumulate and spread,” then “become more disruptive” (Radosh's emphasis) in order to pressure our national political leaders. What does Piven mean when she calls for disruption? She is clear and up front about her intent:

An effective movement of the unemployed will have to look something like the strikes and riots that have spread across Greece in response to the austerity measures forced on the Greek government by the European Union, or like the student protests that recently spread with lightning speed across England in response to the prospect of greatly increased school fees. (Radosh's emphasis)

What she is calling for is nothing less than the chaos and violence engulfing Europe. Disgruntled leftist unionists, students who expect an education without cost, and citizens of social-democratic states cannot accept that the old terms of the social contract they thought would last forever have worn out their welcome. The European welfare-state governments can no longer function with the kind of social programs that now far exceed their nationÂ’s budgets and hence are moving their countries to the precipice of total collapse.

It's going to be a rocky two years. They won't quit fighting until they know, really know in their bones, they've been beaten, and they're pretty oblivious as a general matter, so it's going to take a serious pounding to get through.

Posted by: Ace at 04:04 PM | Comments (267)
Post contains 587 words, total size 4 kb.

Oh My, Chairman Of GOProud Beclowns Idiot Host On MSNBC
— DrewM

Via Allah and The Right Scoop, it's a bit slow to get going but well worth it.

(I'm having trouble loading the video, if you are too, head over to The Right Scoop to watch it)

My favorite part? The idiot subbing for Ed Schultz mocks GOProud for only being at CPAC for two years, to which the guy from GOProud says, "we've only been around for two years".

Liberal genius!

I wish more members of Congress could handle lefty TV idiots as well as this guy did. more...

Posted by: DrewM at 03:30 PM | Comments (80)
Post contains 120 words, total size 2 kb.

Murkanskey Certified Winner of Alaska Senate Race
— Dave in Texas

Bacon wins in Alaska. Damn shame.

Here's a graphic which really doesn't have anything to do with this post, just puttin it out there and all. It reminded me of something, don't know why.

more...

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 02:45 PM | Comments (63)
Post contains 54 words, total size 1 kb.

Hot Tamales: Man Arrested For Masturbating On Flight; Claims He Was Just Trying to Relieve Burning from Spilled Tabasco
— Ace

In flight entertainment.

Arrested this week for allegedly masturbating while seated next to a teenage girl on an airplane flight, the 50-year-old suspect told police that he was actually massaging and itching himself because he had spilled Tabasco sauce on his penis.

The girl, 17, saw him doing the deed under the fold-down tray, in the, uhh, upright and locked position, IYKWIMAITYD.

There's a time for that, and that time, of course, is overnight flights.

Posted by: Ace at 01:38 PM | Comments (263)
Post contains 113 words, total size 1 kb.

Iowahawk Spoofs Ezra Klein's High School Essay, "The Constitution Is Like Super-Old 'n Stuff"
— Ace

Funny!

According to Wikipedia¹, the Constitution was discovered over 100 years ago, but is still going strong today. It was discovered by the "Founding Fathers" such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and so forth. Although we often call them the "Founding Fathers" there were many women who were also important in this process who have been far too overlooked. Although these people are now mostly passed away, we still remember them for their importance.

It is important to remember that there are three main parts to the Constitution. First there is the first part. Then comes the middle part of the Constitution. Finally, there is the last part. In the first part of the Constitution we are introduced to the colorful characters, who can often be juxtaposed. This first part helps to, i.e., set up the "tone" for the rest of the Constitution.

I asked Iowahawk what source material he uses as a template/inspiration for his T-Cod pieces. I think he answered vaguely that he didn't know. I know what the template was for this piece, though.

Thanks for that last link to rdbrewer.

Posted by: Ace at 01:00 PM | Comments (108)
Post contains 219 words, total size 2 kb.

Good News! China's Defense Minister Says They Are Preparing For, "Military Conflict In Every Strategic Direction"
— DrewM

Boy good thing we are facing any peer level competitors and could afford to scrap F-22 production since it was "waste" and "outdated".

Seems not everyone got the message that it is now all about unicorns (and domestic programs) and not defense.

"In the coming five years, our military will push forward preparations for military conflict in every strategic direction," said Liang Guanglie in an interview published by several state-backed newspapers in China. "We may be living in peaceful times, but we can never forget war, never send the horses south or put the bayonets and guns away," Mr Liang added.

China repeatedly says it is planning a "peaceful rise" but the recent pace and scale of its military modernisation has alarmed many of its neighbours in the Asia-Pacific, including Japan which described China's military build-up as a "global concern" this month.

Mr Liang's remarks come at a time of increasingly difficult relations between the Chinese and US armed forces which a three-day visit by his counterpart Robert Gates is intended to address.

And yet we expect them to be helpful with Iran and North Korea. Yeah, good luck with that.

Now, the Chinese Defense Minister may or may not be a big player in their power structure but the fact that he's making this kind of bellicose statement with the North Korea situation boiling up again and Gates about show up for a visit shows China's leadership wants to send a message.

Statecraft isn't simply about going to war, it also involves making your adversaries think you might to influence their decision making, create opportunities to extract concessions and a whole host of other things.

What's our response going to be?

The story was via "Galrahn" who runs the indispensable Navy-centric blog "Information Dissemination".

He also has an interesting piece up now at the US Naval Institute's blog on the Top 5 Navy stories of the year.

Check out the whole list but Number 5 is recent and it's big....

#5 – Russia Buys Mistral Amphibious Ships from France.

There is already a lot of complaining coming from NATO nations with the recent Christmas surprise that France will sell Mistral class amphibious ships to Russia. While it is absolutely true the Mistral class is a dynamic ship capable of supporting several peacetime missions for Russia, it is the capabilities of waging war that has RussiaÂ’s neighbors nervous. From the US perspective, promises that Russia will be utilizing the ships in the Pacific is hardly better news considering that means the ships will be primarily for demonstrating Russian resolve in territorial disputes with Japan. It could be worse, Russia could base the ships in the Black Sea and give Georgia plenty of reasons to be nervous. No matter how one looks at it, the Mistral class is a weapon of war well designed towards Russian strengths (like attack helicopters) and Russian requirements for power projection, and does represent a major transfer of knowledge and capability from a NATO friend to a former enemy. The dynamics of the deal itself are tailor made for political firebranding.

How's that reset thing working out again?

Never mind, we got the START deal done so it's all good.

Posted by: DrewM at 12:48 PM | Comments (63)
Post contains 566 words, total size 4 kb.