The Doctor Is In

One of the features I enjoy on some of my favorite blogs is a periodic summary of interesting things they are reading. After all, if you enjoy reading a blog, and value their thoughts and insights, it makes sense that you might well be interested in the things they find interesting. And so, I will […]

It’s time to cook up another batch of weekly web wanderings to wet your whistle.
So here goes:

♦ From the Cultural Cuisinart Department: Some people and situations just beg to be sliced and diced, verbally pureed and served over ice with whipped cream. Such is the case with one of our finer bench jockeys, the […]

Dude, its time for Sunday ruminations! Inhale deeply of the finest weed the web has to offer this week.
• From the “Things I Thought I Knew How to Do” Department: They say an expert is one who knows more and more about less and less, until he or she knows everything about nothing. So here’s […]

Well, it’s that time again — it’s been a prosperous week for web links, with loads of good stuff. Here’s a sample:

From the Cultural Cuisinart: Over at First Things, Francis Beckwith drops Richard Dawkins into the blender over the inherently contradictory worldview of his deterministic naturalism. Dawkins is taking to task a fellow scientist, Kurt […]

Well, it’s time for a summary of some of the highlights of the web this week:

Putting the cat back in the bag: The Dutch have always been at the vanguard of liberal social policies — but are finding they’re not quite so easy to undue after they’re in place: Changing Patterns in Social Fabric Test […]

This week’s links:

The New Boeing 787 & the history of commercial aviation:
What’s all this “revolutionary’ stuff?
Postmodern war in the media age: How Al Qaeda is Winning Even as it is Losing 
The Middle East Tinderbox: Slouching Toward Bethlehem
 
And a related post: Dark Ages Redux?
VDH on Education: Victor Davis Hanson is one of the most insightful […]

Well, the race to the weekend is finally over — here’s some links found along the way:

Medicaid woes: I’ve been tooting this horn for a while (see also here): Medicaid, (with Medicare closing fast), is paying physicians substantially less than their cost to see the patient, and it’s causing a huge and growing access problem. […]

I’ve had the week off, but I haven’t been sitting around idly — I have been in dogged pursuit of actors for my new movie, Poodles of the Caribbean. All-star cast (although Johnny Depp said he wasn’t interested in the lead — loser), but Ben my 70-pound standard poodle was enthusiastic about the part (he’s […]

Well, it’s that time again — time to shepherd some tidbits from my weekly web wanderings:

Clueless healthcare solution: This WSJ letter to the editor shows the typical cluelessness (a favorite of libertarians) to the solution of high medical costs, to wit: lets just increase the supply of doctors. Sorry, no workee: 1) If you pay […]

This week’s links:

More is not better: Our sex-crazed culture seems to believe that saturation — in advertising, pornography, media, and everywhere else we look — will “free us from our sexual inhibitions” and make our sex lives better. Their real effect is just the opposite, as Naomi Wolf points out: it kills the eros of […]

OK, troops, time to look sharp and get smart with our weekly web linkfest:
 

World’s most interesting bridges: I’m quite fascinated by bridges, having followed the construction of the new Narrows Bridge from its beginning. Here’s some really cool ones. (They neglected one of the coolest, however: the extraordinary Millau Viaduct in France)
 
Update: A commenter […]

This week’s links:

Not man’s best friend: Pets are great, but pick yours carefully. Skip this one if you have arachnophobia, or a queasy stomach: Man Killed by Pet Spider. (HT: Evangelical Outpost)
 
 

No wonder he was late for his job interview: Another criminal mastermind bites the dust. Bank Robber Left His Resume, Photo At Scene
 
 
Tiny minds […]

The week has just whizzed by, but there’s been a trainload of great stuff in out in webland:

On Government the solid Rock I stand: Obama was preachin’ to the choir again, in a New Orleans church, quoting the Sermon on the Mount.
 
First, the obvious: can you imagine a Republican preaching in a church and […]

A little late on getting the links up this week, but these should be worth the wait:

Brave tribal warrior bags great gray whale: Ya gotta love it when the liberal entitlement/victim groups harpoon one another. The Makah Indians in Washington state are trying to get an exemption to hunt gray whales from the feds, who […]

This week’s links:

Global warming slapdown: There’s plenty of heat and very little light in the global warming hysteria. Here’s a breath of fresh air: Challenge to Scientific Consensus on Global Warming:
 
A new analysis of peer-reviewed literature reveals that more than 500 scientists have published evidence refuting at least one element of current man-made global warming […]

A little photography for your enjoyment –the above shot I grabbed earlier this month, of the moon rising over the Cascade Mountains. It was, as I recall, the night of the recent lunar eclipse.
Been rather busy of late, but here’s some links you might enjoy:

The Hindenburg: Amazing video of the Hindenberg over Manhattan — […]

Been crazy busy the past several weeks, so I’m a bit behind on posts. Here’s some recent links worth checking out:
 

Arnold Kling on Health Economics: Well Treated: The Road to McMedicine
I had wanted to do a more detailed post on this essay, but just haven’t had time. Arnold Kling’s a smart guy, and has […]

Here’s a smattering of links for your Thursday enjoyment:

The Backstreet Boys never had a smarter fan:

The original Frankenstein movie: A little late for Halloween, but here’s betting you haven’t seen this version of the classic movie:

More background on Frankenstein here.
Don’t give this gal any lip: Woman arrested after she bites off ex-boyfriend’s lip.
[…]

Octopus vs. Shark: guess who wins?
 

Pay for performance zinged: Pay for performance is a freight train headed toward American medicine. The Brits have been trying something similar — with not-unexpected poor results. Over at DB’s Medical Rants, DB nails the core problem with these “quality” initiatives, quoting from a British journal: Understanding quality - the […]

Here’s some links to start your week off on a good note — no ifs, ands, or buts about it:

The problem of evil: How can an all-good, all-powerful God permit evil? Here’s a nice review of this theological dilemma: A Brief Primer on the Problem of Evil
The essence of poetry: How do you […]

Talk about bad PMS…: Cutting Off Her Own Testicles in Prison. His trapped inner female must’ve been really pissy that day. Just another amazing abuse of the legal system — he’s suing the Department of Corrections. Not for the squeamish, e.g.:
 
The lawsuit says Brewis castrated himself in his cell using his fingernails … It took […]

Still staying very busy — here’s a few interesting links accrued over the past few weeks:

Big Insurance strikes again: UnitedHealth gets fined.
Proof of God: Jen over at Et tu? has a powerful story about her journey from atheism to faith. Here’s one of her recent posts on the knowledge of God’s existence: On […]

On barter: an interesting rumination on the origins of economic transactions: Why do humans barter?
Tanks for the memory: Strange Tanks
Blade runner: Woman falls head-first onto a knife. Amazingly, recovered virtually unharmed. Take-home message: always use high-quality knives (looks like Chicago Cutlery, as you can see here, if you have a very strong stomach.)
Police on short […]

Here’s some good links for your consideration:

Cloaking technology: Their Deepest, Darkest Discovery
He writes real good: Another short but elegant essay at Sippican Cootage: Infinite Calculus. Read it just for the shear pleasure of beautiful writing.
Your health insurance company has your best interest at heart — no, really!:
California Insurers Canceling Policies
The City Attorney … is […]

Saving sinking ships: I’ve heard of flipping houses, but flipping ships? A massive, 55,000 ton super-freighter packed with cars from Japan nearly capsizes off Alaska. Who ya’ gonna call? These guys: High Tech Cowboys of the Deep Seas. This is an amazing story, superb narrative, photos and illustrations. Don’t miss it.
Cain-ing the neo-atheists: R.R. Reno […]

“Charlie bit me!”
 

To Whom It May Concern: How to Write a Business Letter That Gets Results
The second Jerusalem temple: Cool video of a recreation of the site.
The environmentalists clever plan to make earth human-free: Famine watch
… and if that doesn’t work, population control will: The Demographic Winter and the Barren Left
But at least the sexual […]

Those hateful, racist fundamentalists: Vanderleun goes looking for racism and hate in a broad swath of fundamentalist churches — and finds it in a most surprising place: Graven Images: Racist Fundamentalist Churches of America
Of course, you know, this means war: the intractable, insoluble problem of web standards and OS upgrades: no winners, no matter how […]

 
White dogs can’t dance….

On forgiveness & race: An Open Letter to Senator Obama
Neuhaus on ‘The Speech’: quietly demolishing Obam Obama Dana: The Strange Ways of Black Folk
Watch out for customers with swinging watches: ‘Hypnotist’ thief hunted in Italy
Elephants in the living room: QandO on the Medicare and Social Security financial black hole. Let’s expand these […]

 
Narcissistic elephant paints himself.
Perhaps we could teach the Republicans in congress to do this … naaah, not smart enough …
Here’s some links from the past week or so — enjoy:

Non-profit hospitals strike it rich: Nonprofit Hospitals, Once For the Poor, Strike It Rich. Spot-on in my experience.
Predatory lawyers: Small Victories for Tort Reform
Racial pandering: Obama […]

Shipwreck photography: The Beauty and the Mystery of the Wrecked Ships
The lost art of grammer: What’s a Participle?
Man is inherently good … or not: we are all capable of evil
The medical Sopranos: The Health Insurance Mafia
Fingerpainting in human blood: On the Banality of Abortion as Art
Sorry, your doctor can’t see you now: As Doctors Get […]

Been busy, so here’s a few links of interest:

The denial of human nature: Christ Against the Multiculturalists. How “higher” education destroys our humanity through false equality:
 
Here is how the game is played: They will first try to convince you that you are a racist, a sexist, and an enemy of social justice. Then they will […]

How does your salary compare with others?: 2006 National Compensation Survey. The full report is here
No Amber Alert needed: Lost parrot tells veterinarian his address
Costly oil is good for (some) (U.S.) businesses: This report on the effects of expensive oil on transport costs and the globalization of economies shows some surprising winners, such as U.S. […]

For the ultimate Marguerita: The Gas-Powered Blender with Handlebars. Are you man enough to get one?
Donald Sensing on D-Day: The awful stakes of D-Day. It could have turned out very, very differently.
Airline travel in the golden years: Back in the Air. Yeah, they were slow and noisy, but check it out: large, comfortable seats, beds(!), […]

 
A few links for your weekend browsing pleasure:

Cloud warfare: Army Adds Its Own Aviation Unit. Bottom-up changes in the military for asymmetrical warfare using Pin-Point Liquidations and Network Collapse
Dean Esmay sobers up: and writes a very enlightening piece on the progression of alcoholism: Alcoholism Progression
Protecting your credit and identity: Been dinged a few times […]

Richard Neuhaus: An Election About the Nature of the Church:
American Babylon is our culture. It is not the culture of our choice, although, given the other cultures on offer, it may be the culture we would choose if we had a choice. It is certainly the culture in which we have been chosen and for […]

Is there a spell-checker for tattoo artists?
 ♦ John Robb: The Coming Urban Terror. Written in 2007. Prescient — think Mumbai.
 ♦ More John Robb: An essay looking back at the privatization of America from the year 2025. Written in 2007, and disturbingly accurate about the economic developments.
 ♦ Keeping you abreast of the news: Tempest in a C-cup - 130,000 […]

For your weekend reading pleasure:
 ♦ On Edmund Burke, the French Revolution, and our current culture war: Conservatism and the Culture Wars:
Therefore, establishing an empire of desire requires more than political triumph, more than legal protection. Like all progressive ideals, it requires the destruction of the sentiments and pieties that lead people to think otherwise. This ideological […]

There’s lot’s of discussion going on about health care lately– very little of substance from our politicians (is anyone surprised?), who are more interested in ramming through a massive government “solution” than actually figuring out what a good solution might be.
Here’s some articles worth looking through to get yourself better informed:
 ♦ TennCare’s troubling history: Tennessee tried […]