tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-247990322010-03-02T20:50:17.129-08:00Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comBlogger3124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-76564734028231878272010-03-02T19:32:00.000-08:002010-03-02T20:50:17.141-08:00

By way of Are We Lumberjacks?, by way of Oregon Guy, an interesting TED talk by Temple Grandin, who was featured in the Weekend Interview Saturday before last. I understand HBO has also released a biopic. Wonder if it's on Netflix?

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-26705906135874573512010-03-01T19:12:00.000-08:002010-03-01T19:21:06.513-08:00

In the Daily Mail (via Lucianne). A seven-month-old baby girl survived three days alone with a bullet in her chest beside the bodies of her parents and toddler brother. Argentines Francisco Lotero, 56, and Miriam Coletti, 23, shot their children before killing themselves after making an apparent suicide pact over fears about global warming.... The youngster is recovering in hospital in the town

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-64471910263690105612010-02-28T18:00:00.000-08:002010-02-28T18:10:00.217-08:00

Edward Shorter, Why Psychiatry Needs Therapy in the Weekend Journal.This is exactly the sort of article I never would have plowed through online, but I enjoyed it thoroughly as I carried it from room to room today, reading a bit at a time.Now, theoretically at least, you could do that with a laptop or iPad, but not really. Eric Raymond explains why.

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-54833564531638451072010-02-28T10:25:00.000-08:002010-02-28T11:42:49.418-08:00

I spent an hour yesterday morning at the dining room table reading The Wall Street Journal before I even bothered to check my email. During that time I skimmed and absorbed probably twice the volume of information that I might have found in the same time from the internet. Only then did I log in and check the links in my sidebar.There are pros and cons to both media. The paper presents a more

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-59726367998335682092010-02-26T20:15:00.000-08:002010-02-26T20:31:27.320-08:00

If you're going to fly in Alaska, and I'm starting to think about it, you should have some idea of what it's like to land on short gravel strips in challenging terrain. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities right here in Southern Oregon. In fact, the Department of Aviation has compiled a nice list of State Warning Airports. These airports do not meet normal dimensional standards and have

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-64577337300919423832010-02-25T08:32:00.000-08:002010-02-25T08:38:50.685-08:00

Valuable consumer advice from Weasel & Stoat: Guess what? Many voice recognition systems have been programmed to recognize bad language. If you get frustrated and start shouting wirty-dords down the line, you'll get connected to a human being, pronto. I learned to explode with profanity the moment I came up against a robot voice. I hope somebody's grandma wasn't "monitoring the call for quality

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-51336755150198800642010-02-24T20:54:00.000-08:002010-02-24T21:02:40.781-08:00

The Times Online. The son of one of Hamas's founding members was a spy in the service of Israel for more than a decade, helping to prevent dozens of Islamist suicide bombers from finding their targets, it emerged yesterday. Codenamed the "Green Prince" by Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of the Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, supplied key

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-43142739940129053942010-02-23T17:39:00.000-08:002010-02-23T17:44:17.421-08:00

Randy (Toby's Bloggie-doo) is in the hospital with acute pancreatitis.He's blogging it, when he can stay awake long enough to click Publish.

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-7264871945045312072010-02-22T19:23:00.000-08:002010-02-22T19:26:40.241-08:00

Rivkin and Casey in The Wall Street Journal. As every school child once was taught, all federal laws must be first agreed to by both houses of Congress, which are themselves fundamentally different institutions with different constituencies, powers and interests. In addition, federal legislation must be acceptable to the president, or both houses must vote to override his veto by a two-thirds

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-31942958832614975542010-02-21T20:53:00.000-08:002010-02-21T21:02:59.383-08:00

“I'm sick of having cocktails with them. I'm now at war with them. No more cocktails!” — Andrew Breitbart Film at Max's.

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-21043483679343619992010-02-21T10:40:00.000-08:002010-02-21T11:01:34.203-08:00

Oregon senator Ron Wyden may have some competition. The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 telephone survey of likely voters in Oregon finds incumbent Democratic Senator Ron Wyden with a 49% to 35% lead over law professor Jim Huffman, the most prominent Republican reportedly considering running against him.... ... Huffman, a political newcomer, is an unknown quantity to 43% of the voters in

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-48082874863192510142010-02-21T09:20:00.000-08:002010-02-21T09:22:14.903-08:00

The server at www.ronpaul.com is taking too long to respond. Was it something he said?More later, when I can find a transcript.

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-47780273126256839712010-02-18T21:54:00.000-08:002010-02-18T22:02:12.963-08:00

“Raw Story pretty much puts a surreal, David Lynch-like cap on the big news story of the day. Meet Joe Stack — IRS kamikaze, country musician. Stack played accordion and bass for Texas singer and songwriter Billy Eli. He’s on the accordion in the video above.... ”There's more, either at MediaElites or Raw Story, if you have the same morbid fascination with this story I have.

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-46121646258911751872010-02-18T12:49:00.000-08:002010-02-18T13:03:47.593-08:00

From Janet Ruhl's excellent book Answers For Computer Contractors. Section 1706 did nothing but eliminate the exemption that had prevented computer programmers from having to meet the IRS's usual tests for independence. It was lobbied into law by a consortium of large consulting firms... [who] hoped that shifting contractors to W-2 status would drive smaller consulting firms out of the market...

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-52973124458183091592010-02-17T21:25:00.000-08:002010-02-17T21:30:56.943-08:00

Karl Rove. The Republican Party and the tea party movement have many common interests right now. But they are, and should remain, distinct from one another. This is one instance when, if they merged, the sum would be less than the parts. Mr. Rove, hated by both sides, may have no bedrock principles. Be that as it may. In his area of expertise, as a political tactician, he has no peer. Take his

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-71095269203746212962010-02-16T22:29:00.000-08:002010-02-16T23:12:36.571-08:00

I'm going to steal this video from Oregon Guy because you've got to see it. Anybody who says "no" to LNG is saying "no" to family-wage jobs, and "no" to thier children. Anyone who says "no" to pipelines is saying "no" to family-wage jobs and those people's children. Anyone who says "no" to getting back in the forest and taking advantage of the abundant, renewable, sustainable, bio-friendly

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-17515440504622906752010-02-16T19:00:00.000-08:002010-02-16T19:22:44.601-08:00

Hot off the press at Oregon's finest fish wrap: Oregon assistant AG accused of strangling and punching her wife"She" is Oregon's assistant attorney general Susan R. Gerber. Her "wife" is Janice Dulle. Does that make Ms. Gerber Ms. Dulle's "husband?"All together now: Eeew.I can't remember the last time in my adult life I was proud to be an Oregonian, but it was a long, long time ago.

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-71982789656508661172010-02-15T13:58:00.000-08:002010-02-15T14:04:44.810-08:00

Given the current state of the art and my generally foul mood, I thought I'd just post a picture of a giant rodent and let it go at that.Story in the Daily Mail.We've seen largish rabbits before.

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-90240397957246325502010-02-12T17:13:00.000-08:002010-02-12T17:35:47.993-08:00

I can't tell you how nice it is to read a real pulp newspaper again, particularly those three pages, A21, 22, and 23, the opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal, on which I have squandered so many of the happy hours of my youth.Yes, I've subscribed again. After working out a deal to actually have it delivered to my door on the date of publication — previously I could only get it through the

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-81169998370291462010-02-11T19:26:00.000-08:002010-02-11T19:36:25.014-08:00

ExxonMobil Production Company announced today that it has successfully drilled and cased PTU-15, the first development well for the Point Thomson project on Alaska's North Slope. ... ExxonMobil drilled the well to a measured depth of over 16,000 feet. The shore-based rig directionally drilled under the Beaufort Sea to the targeted gas reservoir more than 1.5 miles offshore. ... The Point Thomson

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-45074335505295509522010-02-10T21:52:00.000-08:002010-02-10T21:57:45.064-08:00

Michelle says childhood obesity is a national security issue.You know why, don't you?Can't fit the fat kids through the airport scanners!

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-33723942433574458972010-02-10T12:12:00.000-08:002010-02-10T12:12:01.008-08:00

With absolute power, Team Obama grows stupidLow intelligence among top heart health risks

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-17934063506129950112010-02-09T19:57:00.000-08:002010-02-09T20:05:01.034-08:00

(Just a note to myself, and perhaps Max Redline.) Most of these historical observations came from the colonial and missionary physicians like Schweitzer and Hutton, administering to populations prior to and coincidental with their first substantial exposure to Western foods. The new diet inevitably included carbohydrate foods that could be transported around the world without spoiling or being

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-62699602777664657812010-02-09T18:39:00.000-08:002010-02-09T18:48:05.984-08:00

Mark Steyn has fun even at funerals. Ahead of us, the pallbearers emerged from the hearse, very sober and reserved. And at that point they produced a contraption halfway between a supermarket cart and a gurney. "What's that?" asked someone.... "Oh, that's to roll the coffin in on," replied one of the pallbearers. "Hang on," I said. "You're pallbearers. Aren't you going to carry the coffin?" "Not

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24799032.post-17903611050223310562010-02-09T17:27:00.000-08:002010-02-09T17:29:11.513-08:00

Paulette is 66 years old. She and her husband are retired. She has an active social life which includes lots of friends and competitive amateur tennis. She babysits her granddaughter and checks on her 92-year-old father in Florida every day. She told me she'd never been politically active, "except for voting, of course." But all that changed after Barack Obama's election.... Read it all at

Gordon R. Durandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00153840447094854854noreply@blogger.com