Monthly Archives: February 2010

Sen. Richard Shelby, Thief

Posted on February 6, 2010 | 2 comments

One reason Democrats were so upset about losing their 60th Senate seat was that it would make it easier for Republicans to obstruct legislation.

Fair enough. But the revived possibility of a filibuster may turn out to be the least of their worries.

Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, has placed a hold on more than 70 of President Obama’s nominees.

His motivations are not partisan. He wants money. A lot of it. If Democrats simply throw a few billion federal dollars at his home state, he promises to release his holds.

Basically, Sen. Shelby is requesting a wealth transfer from federal taxpayers – that’s you and me – to politically favored groups in Alabama. Presumably the earmarks would make him look good to Alabama voters. Sen. Shelby is up for re-election this November. Who doesn’t like free goodies? Vote for Shelby!

But they aren’t free. The money to pay for them has to come from somewhere – us. Let us mince no words, then. Sen. Shelby is a thief. What a shame that such stealing is perfectly legal.

2 Comments

Posted in Earmarks, Elections, Political Animals

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Regulation of the Day 110: Watching the Super Bowl

Posted on February 5, 2010 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 110: Watching the Super Bowl

Hosting a Super Bowl party this Sunday? You might be interested to know that it is technically illegal to watch the Super Bowl on a tv larger than 55 inches under certain conditions.

Ars Technica’s Nate Anderson was kind enough to look through 17 USC 1.110 and lay out what’s legal and what isn’t.

This is serious stuff. The NFL sued a church three years ago for holding a Superbowl party… and won.

(hat tip to my fiancée)

Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 110: Watching the Super Bowl

Posted in Regulation of the Day, Technology

Tagged , , , , , ,

The Color of Dinosaurs

Posted on February 5, 2010 | Comments Off on The Color of Dinosaurs

Scientists have figured out how to tell what color some dinosaurs were just by looking at their fossils.

Here’s how they did it:

Dr. Prum and his colleagues took advantage of the fact that feathers contain pigment-loaded sacs called melanosomes. In 2009, they demonstrated that melanosomes survived for millions of years in fossil bird feathers. The shape and arrangement of melanosomes help produce the color of feathers, so the scientists were able to get clues about the color of fossil feathers from their melanosomes alone.

Human ingenuity never ceases to amaze.

Comments Off on The Color of Dinosaurs

Posted in Science

Tagged , , , , ,

Regulation of the Day 109: Unplanned Castles

Posted on February 4, 2010 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 109: Unplanned Castles

Robert Fidler is a farmer in Salfords, England. In 2002, he built his family a house that resembles a castle. It is his dream home. Authorities want to require him to demolish it.

“This was a blatant attempt at deception to circumvent the planning process,” [chief planner Mike Miller] said, adding that Fidler now has one year to destroy the castle, remove the ruins and return the property to its original state.

Britain’s High Court agreed with Mr. Miller in a recent decision. Mr. Fidler is appealing.

It is unclear what harm Mr. Fidler’s castle home is causing to anybody. Perhaps the lawsuit is part of a make-work program for the demolition industry?

(Hat tip: Brian McGraw)

Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 109: Unplanned Castles

Posted in Regulation of the Day

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Regulation of the Day 108: Murals in Front of Houses

Posted on February 3, 2010 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 108: Murals in Front of Houses

A Los Angeles couple recently paid an artist to paint a mural on the wall in front of their house. As you can see from the picture, it is filled with cute, cuddly forest creatures.

Now the city is threatening the couple with half a year in jail and $1,000 in fines for violating outdoor advertising regulations.

It is worth noting that the mural is clearly not an advertisement. Tacky, maybe. But definitely not an advertisement.

John Stossel has more.

Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 108: Murals in Front of Houses

Posted in Nanny State, Regulation of the Day, The Arts

Tagged , , , , ,

This Is How Terrorists Win

Posted on February 2, 2010 | Comments Off on This Is How Terrorists Win

Fear is a terrorist’s only effective weapon. There are so few of them, and their attacks are so rare, that fear is all they have. Yet they win victory after victory. People and governments have an irrational tendency to over-react to rare but conspicuous threats. Here’s our latest loss:

[Washington, DC] Metro Transit Police will hold a “major anti-terrorism show of force” Tuesday during rush hour at one of the agency’s “busiest Metrorail station,” according to a media advisory released by the agency…

Metro said about 50 officers from several Metro Transit Police units will participate in the exercise, including anti-terrorism and K-9 explosives detection teams, bomb technicians, mobile and foot patrols.

As a daily user of the DC Metro, here’s hoping this security theater production happens as far away from my commute as possible.

Comments Off on This Is How Terrorists Win

Posted in Security Theater

Tagged , , , , , , ,

School Choice: Mankind’s Doom

Posted on February 1, 2010 | Comments Off on School Choice: Mankind’s Doom

Caleb Brown points to a study that finds a novel reason to oppose school choice: global warming. In a competitive educational marketplace, it is likely that fewer children would attend schools in their own neighborhood. That would mean less busing, and more driving in cars to get children to school. School choice, then, would contribute to global warming.

The study does not appear to be satire.

Comments Off on School Choice: Mankind’s Doom

Posted in education, The New Religion

Tagged , , , , , ,