Adam Davidson is Awesome

Last year the New York Times Magazine hired Adam Davidson to write a weekly column on the economy and at this point I’ve got to say I love the guy. His weekly pieces are razor sharp and insightful.

His byline says he is the co-founder of “Planet Money” on NPR (whatever that is, haven’t heard it).

I don’t know his politics, but love his writing and tend to agree with him.

No time at the moment to share samples, but had to mention it.

More later.

UFC on FX – Very rough, but I’m still a fan

Last night I watched the UFC preliminaries on the FX network, which is owned by FOX (for those who don’t know, UFC is the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is mixed martial arts fighting, where one can see fighters with training in different martial arts styles go up against one another). MMA, mostly via UFC, has been a rapidly growing business, often eclipsing boxing as a spectator sport over the last ten years (much to the dismay of certain boxing enthusiasts, such as Mark Wahlberg).

Dana White, the CEO of UFC, has done a brilliant job of promoting the sport and in the last year moved its broadcast platform from the SPIKE cable network to FOX and its affiliated networks as he seeks to broaden MMA’s appeal to a mainstream audience. As with any transition, there are bumps in the road, and last night’s broadcast was no exception.

I’ll start with the positives:

• The theme music in between the action is now the same FOX jingle that you hear during NFL football games, and this certainly communicates a level of mainstream credentials.
• The four fights shown were generally good and occasionally excellent and embodied a good mix of MMA techniques.
• Joe Rogan (the analyst calling the fight with Mike Goldberg) started slowly but then really found his groove for the duration, bringing some energy to the action at times when the crowd seemed lackluster. He also provided excellent technical commentary, which is typical for him.
• The mega-hype segment just before the pay-per-view broadcast was, as always, perfectly executed by Rogan and Dana White. This segment is designed to make you want to buy the main event, and so the energy of it is huge, even though there is no fight going on and the arena is still. How do they do this? They play loud rock music throughout the arena and then have Rogan and White virtually screaming at each other describing the upcoming main event bouts. It gives you the appearance and feeling of tremendous crowd involvement at a time when the fans are actually picking their noses and otherwise silent. Brilliant promotion, no doubt.

Now here are the negatives:

• The FOX jingle normally used during NFL football games is in a major key musically speaking, whereas MMA is an incredibly raw combat sport better suited to a minor key in my opinion. For those who are not musically inclined, a major key sounds ‘happy’ and like the sun is shining, whereas a minor key sounds mysterious, tortured, angry, and sad (Blues and Jazz are nearly always in a minor key). The historical UFC theme music is definitely of the power chord/minor key variety (no doubt White made savvy decisions in this area), and the FOX jingle is almost incongruous in this context.
• The seats in the arena near the octagon were mostly empty, in contrast to what looked like a packed house when the full arena was in view. This undermined the message that there is a high level of enthusiasm for MMA in Japan.  The UFC needs to fill those seats with people — one way or the other.
• The selling of Mike Goldberg’s signature line “HERE WE GO” (delivered as fights begin) to Budweiser was a TERRIBLE decision for at least two reasons. First, it is the equivalent of a newly famous rock band selling its best record to a car company in year one instead of in year 40. Second, many viewers who are new to the UFC will mistakenly believe that Goldberg is doing a commercial plug when using the line, rather than the other way around. This cheapens the UFC brand and the experience. I hate it.
• Mike Goldberg was not in sync with Rogan as much as he normally is.
• The judging on the first fight was terrible (the judges awarded the wrong guy the victory), and this never helps a sport trying to gain mindshare in the culture. Fans want legitimate competition, and I had a flashback to the debut of Heath Herring, which was the only time I felt the outcome was being engineered. Not good.

But I love the UFC nonetheless and look forward to seeing more fights. Good work Dana, and keep it up.

Liberal Hollywood Hates Patriotism

But Americans don’t…….

A Nation’s Priorities: Stop, then Defeat, Obama

The Manchurian had this to say, again, about high gas prices:

“We know there’s no silver bullet that will bring down gas prices or reduce our dependence on foreign oil overnight,” Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. “But what we can do is get our priorities straight and make a sustained, serious effort to tackle this problem.” <source>

First of all, we are not buying — not for one second — that mr. Obama is interested in (a) bringing down gas prices, or (b) reducing our dependence on foreign oil. All of his actions, as I’ve recounted for several days in a row now, have been designed to (a) increase gas prices, and (b) increase our dependence on foreign oil (see Inside the (Disgraced) Liberal Mind: Henry Blodget).

Second of all, yes, let’s get our priorities straight and make a sustained serious effort to tackle this problem.

Our priorities:

1. Oppose Barack Hussein Obama’s legislative and executive agenda at every turn, ensuring that his willfully destructive energy and other policies continue to fail to be implemented
2. Actively reverse Obama’s 7-tear oil drilling ban in the Gulf of Mexico
3. Actively reverse Obama’s rejection of the Canada-Texas pipeline
4. Defeat the Manchurian in the 2012 presidential election and consign his corrupt and treasonous regime to the ash heap of history
5. Begin in 2013 to promote American energy independence

Inside the (Disgraced) Liberal Mind: Henry Blodget

I stumbled upon a recent Henry Blodget blog post and had a good chuckle about the fact that the disgraced former stock analyst could be so willing to humiliate himself further. His subject was the recent spike in oil prices, and he had this to say (watch the Liberal mind start out with common sense and then go right over the cliff of insanity):

The way to help offset changes in supply and demand is to increase supply (drilling, exploration, alternative energy, pipelines) and reduce demand (conservation, alternative energy)–in other words, the development and implementation of an intelligent National Energy Policy. Congress has only to look in the mirror if they’re looking for someone to blame for that one. <source>

Congress? He wants to blame Congress?

What an idiotic thing to write, Henry.

Who banned drilling in the Gulf for seven years?

Barack Obama.

President Barack Obama will not be allowing new drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico for at least seven years, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Wednesday. <source>

Who blocked the Canada-Texas pipeline?

Barack Obama.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday rejected a Canadian company’s plan to build a U.S.-spanning, 1,700-mile pipeline to carry oil across six U.S. states to Texas refineries. <source>

Whose “energy policy” is openly inimical to fossil fuels?

Barack Obama’s.

“…So if someone wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can.  It’s just that it will bankrupt them because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted…”

But that’s not all. Manchurian Obama had more to say about his plan, including that “…electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket…”   Yes, he really does say this, and he really does hate the United States, and perhaps even civilization itself.

So carry on, Henry Blodget, and live out your shame in all its forms, including your impotent attempts to shield Barack Hussein Obama from accountability.

Occupy White House: “I Kill The American Energy Industry”

 

Witnesses to American Suicide

We are all witnesses to a country that is destroying itself. I want to warn you that reading this essay may cause you tremendous distress and grief, as it has caused me in writing it. I am in agony over the sad truth of events that are not only reported, but tolerated as if it is any other news day.

And so we begin with the astounding revelation that 11 illegal immigrants sued the United States for racial profiling and won $350,000.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Eleven men who claimed immigration agents violated their rights in 2007 raids on their New Haven neighborhood have won a $350,000 settlement from the U.S. government, which also agreed to halt deportation proceedings against the plaintiffs, their attorneys said Tuesday.

The raids on the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Fair Haven came a day after the city became the first to offer identification cards to illegal immigrants, and critics including the mayor have contended the federal sweep was retaliation for the ID program — a charge denied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. <source>

I note the phrase “…the U.S. government, which also agreed to halt deportation proceedings against the plaintiffs…” The mind gravitates to the verb “halted” and almost fails to realize that these defendants are in fact illegal immigrants — people who broke the law the moment they stepped inside the USA and people who, as non-citizens, have no standing to even bring such a lawsuit.

It is clear that this is no longer a nation of laws. With this settlement, America has become a land where the criminal is king and the citizen is trash. Or perhaps worse than trash, because it is the citizen who must foot the bill for the thieves.

But the nausea is only beginning.

The Mayor of New Haven, John DeStefano Jr., had this to say about it:

“Today’s settlement is bigger than a lawsuit. It is about who we are as a nation,” he said. “Today’s settlement is a victory of law, but the real case yet to be tried is a matter of the character and temperament of this nation as it relates to immigration, and how we as a nation, a state, and a people view our legacy as a nation of immigrants.”

First of all, I agree with his statement that the settlement is “bigger than a lawsuit”: as I said, it is a national suicide, and so he is correct but not for the reason he thinks.

Second of all, how is the settlement a “victory of law”? Those who lack standing can never achieve a “victory of law”. It is quite impossible.

Third of all, his use of the word “immigrants” is offensive. Those who came to America through the front door, and waited, and did the paperwork, and submitted to the physical evaluation, and incurred the expense, and were perhaps separated from a spouse or family for years in some cases, are immigrants, and god bless each and every one of them.

But those who illegally crossed the border — a criminal act for which a judge can impose six months’ jail time — are not the same and in fact are the polar opposite. They are not immigrants and can never be called immigrants.

And now the final insult to all who gave so much to build and defend our country, the beacon of freedom and democracy in a dark world:

DeStefano tightened his embrace of newcomers in December by announcing a proposal to extend voting rights to illegal immigrants and other noncitizens.

Voting rights to illegal immigrants.

I enjoy persuasive writing and advocating for points I believe in. But I will not write one word in explanation of why mr. DeStefano’s proposal is virulently malignant and wrong. If it is not obvious to you, and in fact if you are not suffering at this moment in abject horror at having read such a thing, then you are blind to the bounty and the responsibility of your American citizenship. As the enlightened Founding Fathers once said, certain truths are self-evident.

Unfortunately for us all, 2012 includes this truth: that the United States is crumbing before our eyes, and the destroyers are dancing on our graves.

Me. DeStefano’s political affiliation? Here, you fill it in as you don’t need me to tell you: [...................]

Meanwhile in California, we have this bit of news:

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said he supports the idea of allowing illegal immigrants to have driver’s licenses as long as they have been in the United States for a number of years without committing other crimes. Baca’s comments Thursday come as Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has also expressed support for driver’s license for illegal immigrants. <source>

Perhaps one could forgive these two men for advocating national suicide out of desperation for the way millions of illegals have made their jobs nearly impossible. But their solution is wrong, as are all policies designed to acquiesce to a slow and insistent invasion from south of the border.

It does not have to be this way.

Obama Martian Chronicles (16): The Hillary Interviews – Part 1

When last we saw the proceedings of the Martian Council to Destroy the United States, Agent Obama was begging his masters not to run Hillary Clinton against him in the Democratic presidential primaries (Obama Martian Chronicles (15): Thanksgiving?).

His pleading made no impact, and the Council pushed forward on interviewing Hillary as a backup candidate in case Agent Obama blows his re-election chances.

Keep Your Own Counsel & Decide Now How You’ll React

I keep reading examples of cases where adults follow orders to their great detriment (including their deaths in some cases) and I thought I’d catalog a few of them here in hopes that you will be inspired to trust your own counsel — you — in times of emergency or even normal social discourse (attendance at a sporting event, for example).

The most recent horror of this variety was the Italian cruise ship that crashed.

A video has emerged showing the crew of the Costa Concordia reassuring passengers nothing was wrong, after the cruise ship had begun taking in water. In the amateur footage, a crew member says “everything is under control” and asks passengers to go to their cabins. <source>

But the crew member used an extra bit of persuasion to gain compliance:

“On behalf of the Captain, we are kindly asking you to go back to your cabins or, if you wish, to stay in the corner by the lounge.” <source>

I’d bet that the addition of “On behalf of the Captain” caused more people to comply than otherwise would have. We all started out as infants, which for homo sapiens means that we were helpless blobs raised by adults who could could look out for us and whose authority we had to respect. But then we grew up and assumed decision-making responsibility (except Democrats, but that is not the subject of this essay).

But there is always some degree of willingness to be told what to do, and for some people it even becomes a comfort zone throughout their entire lives. We tend to respect experts and those in positions of societal authority. But it can be deadly:

It is thought the delay in deciding to abandon the ship may have cost lives. At least 11 people died. <source>

And who can forget the sad stories of people on 9/11 who made it to the lobby of the towers only to be told to go back up to their offices because everything was under control — and they went back up. Many of them also died.

Now let’s say you are not on a cruise ship or in an office tower, but in a Yoga studio instead. You are doing your best to stretch and breathe, and then the instructor demands more:

“Today many schools of yoga are just about pushing people,” Black said. “You can’t believe what’s going on — teachers jumping on people, pushing and pulling and saying, ‘You should be able to do this by now.’ <source>

Do you do it? Perhaps you are persuaded by an “expert” to hyperflex your neck:

Hyperflexion of the neck was encouraged by experienced practitioners. Iyengar emphasized that in cobra pose, the head should arch “as far back as possible” and insisted that in the shoulder stand, in which the chin is tucked deep in the chest, the trunk and head forming a right angle, “the body should be in one straight line, perpendicular to the floor.” He called the pose, said to stimulate the thyroid, “one of the greatest boons conferred on humanity by our ancient sages.”

Hey, that sounds really good!! I will listen to the master translate the wisdom of the “ancient sages” and bend my neck right-and-proper. Except for one thing….

He [Timothy McCall] found that doing the headstand led to thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that arises from the compression of nerves passing from the neck into the arms, causing tingling in his right hand as well as sporadic numbness. McCall stopped doing the pose, and his symptoms went away. Later, he noted that the inversion could produce other injuries, including degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and retinal tears (a result of the increased eye pressure caused by the pose). “Unfortunately,” McCall concluded, “the negative effects of headstand can be insidious.”

Oh. 

So how can we find the right balance between having trust in authority figures but not so much that we get injured or killed?

Sometimes it takes having made the wrong decision before to avoid making it again, as some survivors of 9/11 disaster attested:

On the 74th floor of the North Tower, Dharam Pal, chief mechanical engineer for plumbing and fire protection for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, thought the noise he heard was only the explosion of the television antenna transformer on the roof, but he didn’t hesitate to leave immediately. In 1993, he and his coworkers had stayed because they didn’t realize the severity of the situation. “I might have stayed this time, too, if I hadn’t gone through 1993,” Pal says. “In 1993, evacuating later, I almost died in the stairway because of the smoke.” <source>

Other times it may require a conscious effort to overcome peer pressure and go your own way despite the fear of being ostracized or ridiculed by the “In” group.

My personal advice is to make up your mind now — in a relaxed state — for what you are going to do when the crisis comes. Decide now that you will not freeze up, and you will not “just do what you are told” by some authority figure. You will weigh options and follow your best instincts. If confronted, you will not waste precious moments pondering the usual “How can this be happening to me???”; instead, you will act, with conviction.

Decide now, and survive.

Coming Shortly: The Hillary Interviews by the Martian Council to Destroy America