Complicated Mechanisms Explained in simple animations

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This is a way cool link that Stan Dubinsky shared, and I pass it on.

I would include some of the animations here, but I couldn’t figure out how to capture or imbed them. So you’ll have to go there to check them out.

These animations are very appealing. So appealing that they help me understand why someone would want to be an engineer rather than deal in political commentary the way I do. These simple illustrations ARE the way these things work (presumably), and no argument about it. (Unless, of course, these are hoaxes and they don’t actually work these ways. But they’re quite convincing nonetheless.)

Such certainty is very soothing.

My favorite animation? The sewing machine. I never could quite imagine how a needle going in and out, and not going all the way through, could possibly produce a stitch. Now I see.

And please, do follow me on Twitter

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I sort of forgot to include one of the main points I wanted to make in my earlier post about Twitter, which is…

… if you don’t follow me on Twitter, please do. Almost 700 people do so already (I’ll probably hit that number this week).

The value of it to you, as a blog reader, is that you would get a heads-up whenever there’s something new here on the blog, as I always put the headline and link to new posts on Twitter.

And there’s a bonus: All sorts of little things, from my own Tweets to the many reTweets I share from others, that give you more of what you get here on the blog. Many of my Tweets are actually the beginnings of blog posts that I never get around to — and often, even within the stricture of 140 characters, there’s enough there to start a conversation. The conversation itself is not as convenient as on the blog, which is a reason to keep blogging. But it’s a little something extra.

Also, there are days — such as when I’m traveling, or have a lot of appointments — when I can’t get to the blog at all, and the observations and links I share on Twitter are the closest thing I can offer.

I initially started doing Twitter to promote the blog, meaning that I’ve mostly sought non-blog readers to follow me there. But I think even regular readers of this venue can get something out of it. If you try it and find that’s not the case, you can always unfollow me.

Here’s the place to click to start following. I hope to see you there.

If only Karen Floyd cared about what I really think

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I got an invitation this morning, via e-mail, to participate in an opinion survey, from state GOP Chairwoman Karen Floyd. It was just another of those bogus surveys that the political parties send out — you know, the ones that are more about making partisan assertions and whipping up the faithful (so that they’ll give money), rather than actually trying to learn from what other people think.

To be fair, this one is better than most such. I get the impression that this one is more about testing messages with the faithful (which is a FORM of information seeking at least) than about merely whipping them up. So it could be worse.

But I can’t help wishing that a party would actually try to determine what other people think, and learn from that, rather than just spinning the plate. Of course, if it did that, I suppose it would no longer be a political party.

Here was the come-on to get folks to take the survey:

THE QUESTIONS: As we move through the 2010 election cycle, endure an economic decline and watch liberal leadership fail our nation, there are a lot of big questions that we must answer together.

YOUR ANSWERS: Please take the time to answer these short questions. We will be sending the results to every South Carolina Republican member of Congress and the General Assembly next week.

JUST 3 MINUTES: Will you take 3 minutes today to give us your opinion on the biggest issues facing South Carolina?

And here was the survey itself:

Please fill our out Summer Survey and give us your opinion on the biggest issues facing SC.
1. Do you think a mosque should be allowed to be built at ground zero?
Yes
No
2. Do you agree with our gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley that we can create jobs by cutting the income tax?
Yes
No
3. Should the Bush tax cuts be extended?
Yes
No
4. Do you agree with a judge’s decision to stop parts of Arizona’s immigration law from being implemented?
Yes
No
5. Should South Carolina should pass an Arizona style immigration plan?
Yes
No
6. Should South Carolina’s coastline be opened up for natural gas exploration?
Yes
No
7. Do you support or oppose the federal takeover of our health care system?
Yes
No
8. Should the state of South Carolina fight the nationalization of our health care system on the grounds that it is a violation of states’ rights?
Yes
No
9. Our Lt Governor candidate Ken Ard wants to resturcture the way we elect our Governor and Lt Governor so that they run together on a ticket and work more hand-in-hand to create jobs for our state. Do you agree with Ken Ard?
Yes
No
Do you think that Democratic 2nd Congressional district candidate Rob Miller should return the $370,000 he received from liberal activist group MoveOn.org?
Yes
No
10. Should South Carolina voters replace Nancy Pelosi’s chief budget writer John Spratt with a strong conservative like State Senator Mick Mulvaney?
Yes
No
11. What else would you like us to know today?

What gets me about these kinds of questions is that, aside from the last one they don’t allow you to answer truthfully. For so many of these questions, a “yes” or “no” answer is entirely inappropriate. But parties are about forcing people to choose “yes” or “no,” and unfortunately the MSM cooperate in rewriting our political language so that we can’t think in any other terms — which of course was the same idea behind Newspeak in 1984 — if you lack the words to think new thoughts, you can’t think them.

Here are the answers I gave, but please don’t do like the party and take them at face value. After each I am providing an answer, in italics, that tells what I REALLY think. But Karen didn’t ask for that, or provide me any way to give her that. Hence this post:

Please fill our out Summer Survey and give us your opinion on the biggest issues facing SC.

1. Do you think a mosque should be allowed to be built at ground zero? Yes. I say that only because the mosque indeed has the RIGHT to build there. And of course, that right is an important part of who we are in this country, and what we’re fighting for in the War on Terror. If the question, therefore, is should it be ALLOWED, then the answer has to be “yes.” But if you asked whether it should be built there, I’d say no. If you asked whether I think the choice of this site is a deliberate provocation of American sensibilities, I’d say I’m afraid that is likely the case, on some level — although I lack enough information to know. I find it very disturbing that the leader of this group wants America to share blame for 9/11 and refuses to say whether Hamas is a terrorist organization. And it doesn’t help a bit that Hamas endorses the plan to build there. Finally, if you ask whether I think building there represents a sincere attempt to bridge differences and heal wounds, I would say that if that’s what they truly wanted to do, they’d do it elsewhere. But in the end, do they have the right? In America, they do.

2. Do you agree with our gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley that we can create jobs by cutting the income tax? No. Can cutting a tax be part of a rational plan to stimulate the economy and thereby create jobs. Absolutely. But do I believe cutting a tax CONSTITUTES a rational plan to stimulate South Carolina’s economy, absent any plans to build physical or human infrastructure? To that, I say you’ve gotta be kidding. Bottom line, Nikki Haley doesn’t have a plan for creating jobs. She has a series of cookie-cutter GOP talking points: Cutting taxes, decreasing regulation, and privatization. That’s not a plan.

2. Should the Bush tax cuts be extended? No. Actually, I have no idea. Frankly, I’m loath to end them right now because of the condition of the economy. Any increase in the tax burden at any level, before we’ve got the economy growing again, is problematic. I never saw any need for these particular tax cuts to begin with, and had I been in Congress would likely have voted against them, as they were presented. But I’m not certain this is the time to end them. But I answered “no” because I don’t side with your party’s belief in the magical goodness of tax cuts in all circumstances, absent other measures, and I wanted you to know that.

3. Do you agree with a judge’s decision to stop parts of Arizona’s immigration law from being implemented? Yes. For the simple fact that immigration is a federal function. Yeah, I get it — your base believes it’s time for states to step in because the federal government isn’t getting the job done. I’m unpersuaded by that. I also know that the people across the political spectrum most adamant about this issue have been the main obstacle to the federal government adopting a comprehensive solution to the problem that does exist. Work on that if you want to have a constructive effect. Don’t advocate states usurping a federal function.

4. Should South Carolina should pass an Arizona style immigration plan? No. Of course not, for the reasons cited above.

5. Should South Carolina’s coastline be opened up for natural gas exploration? Yes. I said yes because that’s the Energy Party answer. We should do anything and everything, within reason, to make this country energy-independent. The objections on the left to such exploration are rigidly faith-based, like your party’s belief in the magical powers of tax cuts. It’s an article of faith that is immune to argument or circumstances. That said, my “yes” comes with a caveat — seems to me I’ve heard that the SC coast isn’t that likely a place to explore (tell me if I’m wrong on that; I can’t recall where I heard it). So let me amend my answer to say that by all means, we should explore in likely locations. If SC is a likely location, explore away.

6. Do you support or oppose the federal takeover of our health care system? Yes. Absolutely. If such a thing were proposed, I’d be all for it. That is, I’d be all for a substitution of a single payer for the insane way that we pay for health care now. Which is not the same thing as a “takeover of our health care system,” but it would come a heckuva lot closer to being that than anything that has been seriously proposed in this country, but less actually enacted. As for your implication that something that could be characterized a “federal takeover of our health care system,” that is an absurd fantasy on your part, a lie that you are trying to propagate in order to have a straw man to knock over. And there’s no way you should be allowed to get away with that. In the meantime, we need to let this feeble “reform” that Congress passed have a chance to be implemented so that we can see if it helps at all — which I doubt, but let’s give it a chance before condemning it. Your attempts to repeal it before it’s been implemented is unconscionable, because the need for some kind of change to our system is unquestionably dire.

7. Should the state of South Carolina fight the nationalization of our health care system on the grounds that it is a violation of states’ rights? No. Oh, get a life, people! How can we fight something for being something that it is NOT?

8. Our Lt Governor candidate Ken Ard wants to resturcture the way we elect our Governor and Lt Governor so that they run together on a ticket and work more hand-in-hand to create jobs for our state. Do you agree with Ken Ard? Yes. Although a better way to put it would be that Ken Ard, someone I hadn’t heard of before three or four months ago, agrees with me on something I’ve publicly advocated for almost 20 years. Not to toot my horn, but to suggest this Ard guy (who I strongly suspect to be an MSM plant because headline writers love a guy with a name that short) should get credit for the idea is patently ridiculous. If he does what the rest of us reformers have failed to do and actually gets the idea implemented, I’ll applaud. But not until then.

9. Do you think that Democratic 2nd Congressional district candidate Rob Miller should return the $370,000 he received from liberal activist group MoveOn.org? Yes. But only because I think he and Joe Wilson have both raised far too much money already to waste on their campaign, which presents voters with a no-win proposition. That’s why I say yes, not because I despise. MoveOn.org. I mean, I DO despise MoveOn.org, but that’s not my reasoning here. I just think this race is a total waste, and wish I had a better candidate than either of these guys to vote for.

10. Should South Carolina voters replace Nancy Pelosi’s chief budget writer John Spratt with a strong conservative like State Senator Mick Mulvaney? No. Give me a frickin’ break. What you meant to say, of course, was “Should 5th District voters replace the smartest and most capable guy in our House delegation, the very moderate and sensible John Spratt, with some ideologue more to our suiting?

11. What else would you like us to know today? I’d love, absolutely LOVE, a survey that sought thoughtful answers, rather than mere fodder for keeping the partisan spin machine turning.

Oh, and thank you for the opportunity, Karen. My answers were rather hasty, and not as in-depth as such complex questions demand — but they’re far more thoughtful than what you were looking for. Which is my point.

This morning’s (re)Tweets

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There are days in which I Twitter FAR more than I post on the blog. And y’all miss it, which is not good, because a lot of the stuff I send can be interesting. Not necessarily my own meager observations, but the reTweets of other people’s interesting stuff can be good discussion fodder.

I have that Twitter feed you see at right, but I’m dissatisfied with it because the Tweets there tend to be 12 hours or more old. (If anyone can steer me to a better, more immediate, Twitter feeder, I’d appreciate it.)

So it occurs to me that, until I can get that fixed, I should start sharing my Tweets in posts on a semi-regular basis. So here goes.

This morning, I didn’t have many comments of my own, but went sort of wild on the reTweets:

  1. As he should… RT @postpolitics: Mike Huckabee leads 2012 GOP pack in Iowa http://wapo.st/atjKA0 #tcot #2012 #gop #p2about 2 hours ago via UberTwitter
  2. RT @FrumForum: What Went Wrong with the Islamic World?: Tamim Ansary’s Destiny Disrupted seeks an answer…http://bit.ly/agc0WF #tcotabout 2 hours ago via UberTwitter
  3. RT @wis10: New SC Farmers market opens outside Columbiahttp://bit.ly/dklOKWabout 2 hours ago via UberTwitter
  4. Oh, I feel SO much better about it now… RT @tweetdrudge: Hamas nod for Ground Zero mosque… http://bit.ly/bTAtZ1 #tcotabout 2 hours ago via UberTwitter
  5. RT @ChrisBatDell: Reading.. “BBC News – How the internet is changing language” http://bbc.in/aLm8jm #yamabout 1 hour ago via UberTwitter
  6. RT @johnroconnor: Esquire’s “Encyclopedia of Now” article this month includes a Nikki Haley entry. Calls her the next governor of SC…about 1 hour ago via UberTwitter
  7. RT @Reuters: Al Qaeda cell leader killed in Afghan north: NATOhttp://bit.ly/9O97wCabout 1 hour ago via UberTwitter
  8. OHHH, yeahhhh… RT @BurlB: If only Joan Holloway would do the in-flight safety video, I’d pay attention.about 1 hour ago via UberTwitter
  9. RT @ebertchicago: Notice how the news is playing more and more like those scary montages at the beginning of a disaster film?about 1 hour ago via UberTwitter
  10. Good for the general… RT @FrumForum: Petraeus Pushes Back on Obama’s Afghan Deadline: http://bit.ly/9REgMG #tcotabout 1 hour ago via UberTwitter
  11. Next: How to make a buggy whip… RT @romenesko: How to make a pressman’s hat. (An 11-step process.) http://journ.us/bsvwJPabout 1 hour ago via UberTwitter
  12. I’m beginning to fear that he did… RT @shellsuber: Elvis died 33 years ago today… or did he?about 1 hour ago via UberTwitter
  13. RT @TheOnion: American Voices: ‘Cathy’ Coming To An Endhttp://onion.com/9TMMnf26 minutes ago via UberTwitter

By the way, to help you follow… If you see words BEFORE the “RT,” that’s my addition to the Tweet.

As for the motivation behind those reTweets, sometimes they are because I like something. Other times it’s because I’m appalled by something. Yet other times it’s so that the topic will be in my timeline to remind me to look at it, or write about it, later. But in all cases, they are examples of something that grabbed my attention, and may interest you as well.

Whoa! Anton Gunn drops out to take federal post

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This just in:

Dear Friends, Constituents of House District 79 and the people of South Carolina,
As your State Representative, I have been blessed with the honor of serving you and taking your concerns and voiceswith me to the State House. This is a privilege that I have taken very seriously. Thank you for entrusting this office to me. I have not taken the opportunity for granted and I have served you each day with purpose and passion. My goal has always been to make our state and community better by improving the health, safety and well-being of all South Carolinians. By making sure our government was responsive and accountable, I have worked across the aisle to move closer to that goal. While serving as your Representative, I have done my best to help people and to serve with integrity, honor and humility.
It is with these thoughts in mind that I have been faced with a very honorable yet tough decision. Recently, The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius has asked me to accept a presidential appointment to serve as the Regional Director of the United States Department of Health & Human Services in the South (Region IV). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. It plays an important role in our nation. Whether helping children, seniors and the disabled, or protecting our public health, this agency plays a critical role in our nation’s security.
I am humbled by the consideration to accept this senior position. It is not every day that a person is given an opportunity to either serve their country broadly or to continue the pursuit of re-election for House District 79. This decision weighed upon me heavily as I consider it a privilege to be of service in any capacity to the people of this state. After much prayer and deliberation with my family, I believe I can benefit the people of my district and South Carolina by answering the call to serve as the Region IV Director in the US Department of Health and Human Services in Atlanta, Georgia.
Therefore, I will not be seeking re-election as your State House Representative. As most of you know, I have always considered South Carolina to be my home. After graduating as a Gamecock, this is where I chose to live, marry and raise my family. While living here for nearly 20 years, my experiences with the people and my ties to the community have always been my motivation to seek public service.
This is not only a tremendous honor for me personally but a tremendous opportunity for our state. There are dire human service needs in South Carolina and across the Southern Region. As regional director, I will be able to have a greater impact on the quality of life for South Carolina’s seniors, children, disabled and the working poor.
As the Secretary’s senior appointee in the Southern Region I will continue to work on these issues that I have been passionate about while serving as your representative. The commitment to God, family, community and my fellow man are the values that I will carry with me into this next endeavor.
My family and I ask for your prayers and understanding.
Sincerely,
Anton J. Gunn

OK, I’m stunned. And saddened. Anton has easily been one of the most promising young lawmakers in the State House.

Also, does this mean that Sheri Few wins this time? Wow, what a loss.

Virtual Front Page, Friday, August 13, 2010

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The news on this lucky date:

  1. Germany experiences ‘record’ 2.2% growth (BBC) — Well, that’s encouraging — assuming this has effect beyond Germany’s borders. If it doesn’t, perhaps we should relocate. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
  2. Relief Well to Be Completed in Gulf (NYT) — Which will be a relief to us all.
  3. Most Americans Still Onboard With Afghan Plan (NPR) — Despite what you may have been hearing. And hearing. And hearing.
  4. Longshot US Senate candidate from SC indicted (WashPost) — Kinda surprising that they’re still paying attention, isn’t it? Well, all the national media still are…
  5. Fed’s Hoenig: Rates Need to Rise (WSJ) –He says this is because things are getting better (in spite of all that “the world’s ending again” stuff yesterday). But maybe the Fed is worried about deflation. Or something. Like I’m an economist or something.
  6. Maxine Waters speaks out against ethics charges (LAT) — Another slow news day, so more inside the Beltway buzz.

What Vincent Sheheen’s been up to lately

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Up until a couple of weeks back when he finally came out swinging on Nikki Haley’s painfully obvious hypocrisy on transparency (not to mention her inability and/or refusal to pay her taxes on time — and this from the candidate who wants to run the state the way she runs her business), I was getting worried because I wasn’t hearing anything from Vincent Sheheen.

Yeah, I knew he was busy with a reorganization, and rebuilding from a primary to a general campaign, and quite likely fund-raising (something he needs to do a LOT of, considering all the free national media Nikki gets). But still, the precious days were passing, and given how critically important it is that our state not be subjected to another four years like the past eight, and how hard a Democrat would have to work to change the electoral math, I was worried.

I feel better now that I’m seeing a lot more life out of his campaign, although I’m still not feeling as good about it as I’d like. He really, really needs to be doing something extraordinary to overcome the inertia that causes the SC electorate to remain in a state of stagnation.

Anyway, in light of all that, I was glad to get this form e-mail today from his campaign manager:

We wanted to bring you an update of all the wonderful things that your campaign has been doing the past couple weeks in our mission to transform South Carolina!

Almost every day, Vincent has hit the road taking his message of hard work and hope to our citizens.  From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, Vincent has been meeting with businesspeople, educators, the young, the old and just plain folks talking about his vision for South Carolina.

During the last two weeks, Vincent visited healthcare professionals from all over South Carolina to share his plans to grow opportunities for our workers in health care.  Nurses, medical technicians and physicians represent growing opportunities for our workforce.With our medical universities, technical colleges, dental school and growing population, South Carolina has the potential to grow its health care economy exponentially. Our state should be a destination for Americans looking for the best medical care.

Recently, Vincent visited the SC State Ports Authority in Charleston. Vincent has called on political leaders from both parties to join forces to ensure funding to deepen the Charleston Harbor to remain competitive with North Carolina and Georgia. As governor, Vincent will focus on increasing our ports’ volume to attract business and jobs to our state.

Vincent has also met with local builders and green energy advocates to discuss the continued opportunities our state has to jump start the housing market and grow new industries in the state. We can create jobs in South Carolina while reducing our energy costs and improving our vitally-important conservation efforts.

The message we hear loud and clear from all parts of South Carolina is the same – South Carolinians are ready once again for a leader we can be proud of! A governor who will be focused on job creation for all of South Carolina. We can do it!

Thanks for your continued support,

Trav

Trav Robertson
Sheheen for Governor

Of course, what an update like that implies is that the campaign itself is realizing that people have been wondering what Vincent’s been up to. And if they are realizing that, good — as long as they keep working harder to do something positive about it.

Greene juggernaut could be in trouble now

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Those of you — and there must be someone out there who fits this description — thought Alvin Greene was a shoo-in to unseat Jim DeMint this fall may have to re-evaluate your assessment in view of this shocker:

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Longshot U.S. Senate candidate Alvin Greene was indicted Friday on two charges, including a felony charge of showing pornography to a South Carolina college student.

A Richland County grand jury indicted Green for disseminating, procuring or promoting obscenity – a felony – as well as a misdemeanor charge of communicating obscene materials to a person without consent.

Greene, who surprised the Democratic party establishment with his primary victory, was arrested in November after authorities said he approached a student in a University of South Carolina computer lab, showed her obscene photos online, then talked about going to her dorm room.

Actually, I didn’t realize he hadn’t already been indicted. Guess I should have paid closer attention.

By the way, I saw the semi-famous Alvin Greene sign last week outside Manning on my way back from the beach. I was past it before it fully registered on me what it was. There was a little (green, of course) Greene yard sign next to it. In retrospect, I really should have turned around to go get a picture, because I sorta doubt I’m going to see many more of those.

At breakfast this morning someone wondered aloud whether there would be any confusion among voters (who we know were already pretty confused back during the primary) between Greene and the Green Party candidate.

That caused me to wonder: I wonder which of them would be harmed more by that confusion?

Huck says nay to Graham citizenship proposal

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Lindsey Graham may have decided to go way harsh on letting the U.S.-born children of illegals be citizens, but Mike Huckabee, charting his own course among leading GOP lights these days, begs to differ:

Huckabee on Immigration: Don’t Punish the Kids

Posted by John Wihbey on Wednesday, August 11, 2010

In a Wednesday interview with NPR’s On Point, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, an ‘08 GOP candidate for president and a potential candidate again in 2012, said he did not favor repeal of the 14th Amendment — which grants citizenship to all children born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status – and said that all children of illegal immigrants should have a path to citizenship.

Asked if he would favor changing the Constitution, Huckabee said, “No. Let me tell you what I would favor. I would favor having controlled borders.”

He also elaborated on his views on illegal immigrants’ children who came to the U.S. later on. “You do not punish a child for something the parent did,” he told On Point host Tom Ashbrook. “…I’d rather have that kid a neurosurgeon than a tomato picker.”

Huckabee’s positions likely represent dividing lines in any future GOP presidential primary. As the illegal immigration issue has flared up again in American politics, the issue of birthright citizenship has become a hot topic in GOP circles, as various people have called for its repeal or reinterpretation by the courts. (Listen back to On Point’s Monday segment on the issue.)

Huckabee is an interesting guy who thinks for himself on a number of issues. Sort of like Lindsey Graham, so this contrast is all the more interesting for that.

Big day for Pawmetto Lifeline

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First, a disclaimer: Pawmetto Lifeline, previously known as Project Pet, is a client of ADCO. We did their new Web site, which launched today. I wrote some of the copy for it. That’s why I was at the groundbreaking today.

Now, to my report…

Project Pet has been around since 1999. It started with the activism of some well-connected local folks such as Deloris Mungo, Samuel Tenenbaum and a host of others. With the groundbreaking today for the organization’s new home on Bower Parkway (near Harbison), it’s about to take a giant leap into realizing the dream of the founders and others who have worked to advance the cause over the past decade. Here’s an excerpt from the Web site:

In 2008, more than 23,000 companion animals entered the municipal animal shelters in Richland and Lexington counties. More than 19,000 of these animals were euthanized.

What we are all about is reducing that number to zero. That’s the dream, and we’re going to make it a reality. Actually, perhaps “dream” is too insubstantial a word. We are approaching our goal systematically and pragmatically. We have developed, and are well on the way to implementing, a solid plan employing specific, identified solutions – solutions that have been proven to work. Wishful thinking is not our way.

How will we know we’ve succeeded? When no healthy, treatable, adoptable pet is euthanized in Lexington or Richland counties. A giant leap in that direction was the ground-breaking Aug. 12 on our new facility on Bower Parkway – the Meyer-Finlay Pet Adoption Center of Lexington and Richland Counties.

Of course, we’ve already accomplished a great deal. Since 1999, Project Pet – now Pawmetto Lifeline – has been the conscience of compassion for the Midlands community and a vital area resource for humane care for our abandoned and homeless animals. Our legacy is one of devotion to responsible and compassionate care for the homeless animals of our community, and of fostering the animal-human bond. The core purpose of Pawmetto Lifeline is to promote and practice the principle that every life is precious.

Since our founding, we have rescued over 6,000 animals that would have been put to death otherwise.

When our new home is ready, we’ll be able to do so much more.

We will be able to rescue an additional 2,200 cats and dogs annually from shelters – up from our current rate of 800 annually – which means 3,000 animals that otherwise would not have a chance will live full and healthy lives. More than that, we will be working to break the cycle that has in the past led to hopelessness for so many helpless creatures: With the addition of full-time vets and a medical clinic housed in our new building, we will be able to spay and neuter more than 30,000 animals annually.

In our new building, one staff veterinarian will be able to spay or neuter 7,560 animals each year. But we aren’t going to have just one vet – eventually, we will house four. That adds up to a potential 30,240 procedures per year!

An important thing to note: This operation is a public-private deal. Richland and Lexington counties have formed a partnership with Pawmetto Lifeline to address the over-population issue of companion pets in the two counties. The counties are depending on the organization to provide:

  • an aggressive spay and neuter program that includes a mobile component that will focus on rural areas.
  • a no-cost spay/neuter voucher program
  • adoptions for a minimum of 2,400 dogs and cats from the two counties’ animal shelters.
  • an education program that focuses on proper care for companion pets, including not only such basics as food, water, and shelter, but proper annual medical care.
  • animal behavior training.
That’s why there were several officials from the two counties at the ceremony. From Richland County Council there were Jim Manning, Norman Jackson and Bill Malinowski. From Lexington County Council, Debbie Summers, Smokey Davis, Johnny Jeffcoat and John Carrigg.
Also sitting front and center was Austin Meyer, who with his wife gave the biggest chunk of money to build the new center — $1.5 million. Which is why the center is named for them and their family. Austin, a member of the prominent local Finlay family, is quite a story on his own. He’s the creator of the wildly successful X Plane flight simulator — which I hear recently ran the Microsoft version right out of the sky. And he lives here. Bet you didn’t know that.
Anyway, it was a big day in the lives of thousands of critters in the Midlands — and folks who care about them. It was hot, but there was quite a celebratory atmosphere now that this big day has arrived. The center is to be up and running in Fall 2011.

Cut out the swooning already and get it together

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I’ve just really been getting fed up with domestic and world markets the last couple of days, what with headlines such as this one in the WSJ this morning:

Markets Swoon on Fears

Stocks Pummeled on Signs of Global Slowdown; Money Flees to Dollar and Yen

Investors around the world scrambled for safe havens as fears of a global economic slowdown grew.

The yen briefly touched a 15-year high against the U.S. dollar, the euro suffered its worst selloff in nearly two years, and global stock markets tumbled.

A day after briefly cheering the Federal Reserve’s announcement it would buy Treasury debt to bolster the U.S. economy, investors Wednesday began fretting about the negative implications of the move: The world’s biggest economy still needs extraordinary government help…

And then there’s stuff like the stories I just put on my virtual front page about the three-day market slide, and the sharp upswing in foreclosures in SC in July.

Enough! No more bad news on the economic front!

Here’s the thing: I firmly believe that this whole business of the economy being up or down is all in our heads. Or if not our heads, in whatever parts of our bodies are extremely emotional and easily frightened about the future. (Yes, there can be conditions that are not in our heads — like a pestilence that wipes out our food supply. But I haven’t noticed anything like that happening. We just panicked back in September 2008, and we’ve been panicking ever since.)

If we have confidence, we will act in a way that justifies confidence. We’ll take risks, make investments, spend money; people will be hired and will in turn take risks, invest, and spend, and things will just be booming.

But if we’re all nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, everything freezes up. There’s no commerce, no jobs, no hope.

So enough with the swooning. The last two years have been more than enough for me.

I can’t afford it, but I think I’m gonna run out and buy something. Of course, you other several billion people need to do the same thing. So let’s get on the stick.

Virtual Front Page, Thursday, August 12, 2010

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OK, I’m going to do a quick one, because it’s late (meetings and stuff all day), and I need to do an ADCO blog thingie before I leave tonight. And Mamanem’s gonna cook fried okra for dinner, so I’ve gotta hurry:

  1. Foreclosures up more than 36% across S.C. for July (CRBR) — I keep seeing signs we’re backsliding. We need to cut this stuff out, buck up, get out our wallets and go boost this economy, people!
  2. Dow’s Losing Streak: 3 Days (WSJ) — Amid fears that we are slipping back into recession. Seriously. We need to get off our duffs and turn this thing around. Maybe the rest of you are having fun, but I’m tired of it.
  3. Pakistani president visits flood relief camp in Sindh (BBC) — Not much of an angle, but I wanted to get something about this disaster on the front. And if you want to read a similar angle on the wildfires in Russia, click here.
  4. Senate Law-Making Made Simple: No Senators (WSJ) — Only Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Ben Cardin were there, so they got a lot done. Such as approving a $600 million border-security bill in 31 minutes, from opening gavel to final passage.
  5. Judge keeps California gay marriage ruling on hold (LAT) — I don’t normally take an interest in this Kulturkampf stuff, but I thought some of y’all might be interested.
  6. Did Humans Give Up Easy Sex for Easy Beer? (Gizmodo) — We all know that mankind started farming so we could grow barley to make beer (NOT bread — who would give up hunting and gathering for that?), but now some boffins are positing that there was a terrible price of opting for brew.

I gave blood again. So should you (he said with an inflated sense of his own moral superiority)

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Yep, those are my shoes. They need polish...

Sorry about no Virtual Front Page last night. I was giving blood instead.

I did the Alyx system again, the process in which they draw out TWO pints of blood, take the red cells out of it, and put what’s left back (along with a tad of cool saline, which chills one ever so slightly on a hot day). Nice things about this: The needle is smaller (I don’t know how, since it has two channels, but it is) and therefore less uncomfortable — and you don’t get called to give again for 16 weeks, rather than the usual 8.

It was fine. I’m feeling a tad iron-poor this morning (I can sense that there are fewer things carrying oxygen to my brain, or something), but I think I did sleep a little better last night. And the iron will return.

Anyway, they’re short of all sorts of blood as always, not just my “universal donor” O positive.

So you should give, too. Be like me. ‘Cause I’m such a heckuva guy.

Where could we go but up? We ARE the acorn!

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“Who could grow more than me?… Talk about massive potential for growth… I am the little acorn that becomes the oak!”
— Bill Murray as John Winger in “Stripes,” trying to stop his fed-up girlfriend from leaving him
Thought I might share with you this bit of good news from Mike Fitts’ publication:

Business Facilities magazine has given South Carolina a series of high rankings for its business environment, including being named No. 1 for economic growth potential.

The state also was ranked No. 3 nationally for auto manufacturing and No. 4 for best business climate.

In its coverage, the publication cites the coming of Boeing’s second 787 assembly line in North Charleston as the primary reason South Carolina was top in growth potential.

“We believe the selection of North Charleston as the manufacturing site for Boeing’s best-selling commercial jet cements South Carolina’s status as a top-tier aerospace player, providing the basis for tremendous growth potential in coming years,” the magazine wrote.

Three other Southern states ranked right behind South Carolina on growth potential: Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina…

After all, the way things have been going for us in SC in recent years, where could we go but up? We are that tiny acorn!

Gay bar planned next to Ground Zero mosque

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Well, I got a hoot out of this item, shared by Stan Dubinsky:

Greg Gutfeld To Open A Gay Bar Next To Ground Zero Mosque To Cater To “Islamic Gay Men”

No, this is not a joke. In fact, it is instead one of the most brilliant pieces of provocations in recent years. Greg Gutfeld from Fox News’ Red Eye announced today via his blog that he is actively speaking to investors and plans on opening a gay bar next to the controversial mosque being built near Ground Zero in New York. To make matters worse (better?) the bar will be specifically designed to cater to homosexuals of the Islamic faith. God, this is going to be an exciting block.
Here’s Gutfeld’s entire post which he will expand upon during tonight’s Red Eye:
“So, the Muslim investors championing the construction of the new mosque near Ground Zero claim it’s all about strengthening the relationship between the Muslim and non-Muslim world.
As an American, I believe they have every right to build the mosque – after all, if they buy the land and they follow the law – who can stop them?
Which is, why, in the spirit of outreach, I’ve decided to do the same thing.
I’m announcing tonight, that I am planning to build and open the first gay bar that caters not only to the west, but also Islamic gay men. To best express my sincere desire for dialogue, the bar will be situated next to the mosque Park51, in an available commercial space.
This is not a joke. I’ve already spoken to a number of investors, who have pledged their support in this bipartisan bid for understanding and tolerance…

I just don’t know what I can add to that, other than to point out the obvious: The folks who want to build this mosque there have every right to do so, no matter how it may offend the sensibilities of many touchy Americans. In keeping with that principle, they are under NO obligation to, say, move it a few blocks away. At the same time, this guy is perfectly within HIS rights to start this bar, no matter how deeply offensive it would be to many touchy Muslims.

As a sorta kinda communitarian, I’m always interested in the tension between what people have a RIGHT to do, and what they OUGHT to do if they are sensible folk.

“Rubicon”: Better than “Mad Men” — so far

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I sort of vaguely griped about the season opener of “Mad Men,” and I don’t seem to be alone in feeling a certain ennui regarding the doings of Don Draper et al. (although I agree the recent episode centered on the admirable Joan was an improvement).

But just to show that I don’t just gripe and criticize… the new AMC original series that runs right before it, “Rubicon,” is thus far excellent.

I still don’t know why it’s called “Rubicon” — who or what has crossed a line that means there is no going back? — but so far it invites comparison to the very best British dramas one finds on PBS (not just in terms of content, but the direction and cinematography; it just LOOKS and FEELS like one of those shows). It’s not quite up to the standard — yet — of the greatest spy drama ever shown on the telly, the BBC’s “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” but it’s very good (perhaps comparable to “Game, Set and Match“). And unlike with “Mad Men,” the characters don’t repel you; you can actually CARE what happens to them.

I was reminded to say something about “Rubicon” by my good friend Jim Foster, who wrote me earlier this week praising it. To which I responded:

I’ve watched the first two, and taped the third last night (I had to reach way back in my memory to recall how to tape anything, but I did it).
Way better than Mad Men so far.
Although I have problems. For one, let me ask you as a former newspaper features editor: How credible do you find it that a spy agency would be ABLE to coordinate messages in several different newspapers’ crossword puzzles? I mean, really? Hell, if you were the executive editor, you wouldn’t be able to coordinate it in your OWN paper…
Second: I find it incredible that this desk man walks the streets alert to surveillance and such, in his own home city. No way. A field agent in Moscow, or Beijing, or Tehran, mayBE — but a desk man walking home from work in the States? I don’t think so…

Jim answered that while a desk man’s tradecraft would be sloppy, he didn’t find it that incredible that he spotted a tail — especially when the follower was clumsy himself. As for my other point, he said, “I agree with you about the crossword puzzles but am willing to suspend my disbelief on that, just because it’s fun.” As the former editor who among many other things was responsible for the crosswords in The State, Jim knows the mechanisms involved in that process, and therefore how incredible this plot device is. But point taken; I’ll suspend my disbelief.

The whole thing’s good enough that it makes me rethink not wanting to see “Breaking Bad,” even though I’ve always found the premise and promotion so off-putting. AMC is developing quite a reputation for quality. Although I’d hate to see them give up showing classic movies, since that’s probably the main thing for which I have cable.

Democrats start clock ticking on Haley

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Today I got this from the S.C. Democratic Party:

Dems Challenge Nikki Haley:  Where Are Your Emails?
Sanford disciple says she’s “compiling” taxpayer-funded email for release; what’s she hiding?

COLUMBIA- It’s been three days since The State reported that Nikki Haley, Mark Sanford’s favorite to succeed him asGovernor, was “compiling” her taxpayer-funded email for public release, but she’s not moving fast enough for South Carolina Democrats.  This morning the SCDP re-launched HaleyinHiding.com, a website devoted to holding Mrs. Haley to her own promises of transparency.

“Mrs. Haley has been refusing to release her taxpayer-funded emails for months now, so naturally I’m happy to see her even giving lip service to a position that was the heart of her primary campaign,” said SCDP Chair Carol Fowler.  “Unfortunately, she’s tipping her hand by stalling and delaying.  Just as with her tax returns, it’s clear that there’s something in those emails that Mrs. Haley doesn’t want us to see.”

Sigh… I guess that’s the party’s role to play in this.

Nikki, end this silliness! Release the blasted e-mails already…

Virtual Front Page, Tuesday, August 10, 2010

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Here you go, folks:

  1. Former Sen. Stevens dies in Alaska plane crash (WashPost) — Four others were also reported dead.
  2. China landslide: More than 700 people confirmed dead (BBC) — I wonder whether this will make front pages in China? I hope so.
  3. U.S. Study Indicates Driver Error in Most Toyota Crashes (WSJ) — I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: For reliability, I’ll go with a Toyota. Wish I had the money to run out and buy a new one right now.
  4. Public meetings to discuss possible police merger (thestate.com) — Not much to this story beyond meeting dates and times, but I thought y’all might like to know.
  5. Fed action signals new activism on economy (WashPost) — SC boy Bernanke and his cohorts move to try to get the economy going.
  6. Despite charges, Rep. Rangel says he won’t resign (WashPost) — Did we really expect he’d go peacefully?

Privacy gone mad (again)

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In a book review in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal — of The Five-Year Party, by Craig Brandon — there was a passage about yet another weird path down which our national obsession with, and perversion of, the notion of “privacy” has led us:

Mr. Brandon is especially bothered by colleges’ obsession with secrecy and by what he sees as their misuse of the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which Congress passed in 1974. Ferpa made student grade reports off-limits to parents. But many colleges have adopted an expansive view of Ferpa, claiming that the law applies to all student records. Schools are reluctant to give parents any information about their children, even when it concerns academic, disciplinary and health matters that might help mom and dad nip a problem in the bud.

Such policies can have tragic consequences, as was the case with a University of Kansas student who died of alcohol poisoning in 2009 and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student who committed suicide in 2000. In both instances there were warning signs, but the parents were not notified. Ferpa’s most notorious failure was Seung-Hui Cho, the mentally ill Virginia Tech student who murdered 32 people and wounded 25 others during a daylong rampage in 2007. Cho’s high school did not alert Virginia Tech to Cho’s violent behavior, professors were barred from conferring with one another about Cho, and the university did not inform Cho’s parents about their son’s troubles—all on the basis of an excessively expansive interpretation of Ferpa, Mr. Brandon says. He recommends that parents have their child sign a Ferpa release form before heading off to college.

Good advice. Those of you who argue with me about curfews and bar closings and the like may side with those who gave us this situation. But I have a parent’s perspective. I want to know what’s going on with my kids. And moreover, I have a right to know — one that in a rational world would easily supersede any imagined “rights” granted by FERPA.

An “alternative” Nikki Haley? Nope. Her sister…

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Twisted Sister — whose music both Nikki Haley and Sarah Palin employ as a theme, in spite of their Family Values messages — represents one kind of irony. Here’s another kind, and it also involves a sister — specifically, Nikki’s. (At least, it’s her sister unless there’s another person with the same name who looks this much like Nikki.)

When I first saw the picture above, I thought it WAS Nikki — maybe Nikki in an alternative universe — but then I saw it was her sibling, Simran Singh. Her Web site describes her this way, in part:

Simran Singh, Visionary, Life Coach, Talk Show Host, Publisher of 11:11 Magazine, Founder of C.H.O.I.C.E. (Collaborating Holistic Organizations Inspiring Conscious Empowerment) and Creator of BELIEVE…Choices for Conscious Living, utilizes the mind, body, and heart to support individuals in realizing authentic personal expression by tapping inherent power and potential via self-inquiry and conscious choice. Through honoring and illustrating value for each step in the journey, her products and services bring to awareness one’s inherent value.

So many choices! N.O.W. has “reproductive choice.” Nikki has private school “choice.” And her sister has “Collaborating Holistic Organizations Inspiring Conscious Empowerment.” What a country we live in! Something for everybody.

Be sure to check out the video on the site. Way, WAY New Age:

Tune in and turn on… feed the mind… embrace positively… release the tension… step out of fear. Host Simran Singh will help you broaden your mind and open your heart toward a greater understanding… on Seventh Wave radio… because shift happens.

You might want to check out the recordings of some of her shows. Like this one about Jesus’ “30 Lost Years” and his connections to Eastern religions. The coming Age of Aquarius and the quest for the philosophers’ stone are mentioned in connection with her guest, “a renowned American clairvoyant.”

Yup. It’s a very interesting world we live in.