12.31.03
Posted in Politics and Issues at 9:40 am by Jeff
I just purchased Basic Economics: A Citizen’s Guide to the Economy by Thomas Sowell and will review it when I finish reading it. The lack of basic economic comprehension by the average American is staggering–and dangerous. The “profit motive” is seen as evil, and here in California, the legislature continues to do everything it can to make our state unfriendly to business.
Here are a few articles related to economic issues from TownHall.com.
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12.27.03
Posted in Personal at 10:02 pm by Jeff
We spent Christmas at Hume Lake and got what we wished for–a white Christmas.
Have a Happy New Year!
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12.23.03
Posted in General at 11:38 pm by Jeff
I hope you have a great holiday celebration with family and friends. I’ll be back Monday.
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Posted in Science and Technology at 11:13 am by Jeff
I walked into The Sharper Image last night and saw one of these:
It’s the Yamaha EZ-AG guitar learning system. It definitely would not qualify as an instrument to be used in any public setting or performance, but I wonder if it could ease the process of teaching someone to play guitar? I remember the seemingly insurmountable tasks of learning to play guitar (hurt fingers, broken strings, how do I strum?, where do I put my fingers?, which string is which?, how do I tune?, etc.). This product just might lower the attrition rate of guitar students.
Or, would it be better to just spend your $200 on a real guitar? Your thoughts?
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12.22.03
Posted in Culture and Ideas at 1:38 pm by Jeff
How would you like to have three day weekends every week? Would you be willing to work six days each week in order to get the long weekend? A nine-day week would be the ticket. Check out this article on the idea:
The Glories of the Nine Day Week by Harold Howe II
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12.19.03
Posted in Politics and Issues at 11:37 am by Jeff
I have long advocated the view that our Congress (specifically the House of Representatives) should not have capped membership at 435 seats. Jonah Goldberg’s article today at TownHall.com highlights this viewpoint and talks about some of the advantages, especially as it relates to some of the current redistricting debates and lawsuits.
“The founding fathers wanted the U.S. Congress to grow with the population - and it did until 1920 when it froze at 435, largely as a failed effort to limit immigrant political influence.”
It’s time to ditch this relic of a policy. Go read Jonah’s article and come back here to comment.
Continue Reading…
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12.17.03
Posted in Culture and Ideas at 12:37 pm by Jeff
The actor who portrays Gimli in the film version of The Lord of the Rings apparently shares J. R. R. Tolkein’s affinity for Western Civilization. Make sure to check out his unique perspective on the film and on the importance of Western thought and culture
Continue Reading…
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Posted in Culture and Ideas at 9:05 am by Jeff
Want to live in a Libertarianesque, Free Market Utopia? Do you agree that the sole purpose of government is to protect its citizens from force and fraud? Do you read John Locke and Adam Smith for pleasure? Are you a Libertarian, “classical Liberal” or Paleoconservative who is ready to put your money where your mouth is?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then check out the
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Posted in Politics and Issues at 9:01 am by Jeff
There is a great new Thomas Sowell article at TownHall.com. He exposes many dangerous presuppositions that have taken root in our educational system.
“One of the reasons our children do not measure up academically to children in other countries is that so much time is spent in American classrooms twisting our history for ideological purposes.”
Continue Reading…
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Posted in Politics and Issues at 8:53 am by Jeff
Chirac to Seek Law Banning Head Scarves from AP News.
Not that freedom of expression was ever guaranteed by the French, but for a western nation to commit such an atrocity as banning religious symbols is abhorrent and dangerous.
Read the rest of this entry »
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12.16.03
Posted in Politics and Issues at 12:45 pm by Jeff
Straight talk from a Canadian who doesn’t have the jaded view of many liberals regarding her country’s dictates (I mean, policies).
Think Canada’s the place to be? Think again.
My husband and I left Canada six years ago to start a new life in the United States. Tens of thousands of university-educated, middle-class Canadians leave Canada for the U.S. every year. The Canadian government even has a name for us — “The Brain Drain.”
Why do we leave?
Continue Reading…
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Posted in Faith and Practice at 10:04 am by Jeff
“The greatest story ever told. Or at least the start of it. From angels to murderers, sheep to gold, not to mention God becoming a human baby, this famous story has got everything. But can you remember the right order?”
File found at http://www.rejesus.co.uk
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12.15.03
Posted in Politics and Issues at 8:35 am by Jeff
Here’s an excerpt of what Robert Novak had to say about the political ramifications of Saddam’s capture.
“Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), previously scheduled for Sunday morning interview programs on television, were caught short by the big news from Iraq. They could only offer the lame argument that Bush should seize the opportunity now to bring foreign troops into the Iraq mix. That confirmed the judgment by the Bush political high command that the Democrats would sink themselves, if given a chance.”
Continue Reading…
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12.12.03
Posted in Politics and Issues at 10:16 am by Jeff
No, not the Democrats; the GOP. Jeff Jacoby hits the nail on the head with this great article.
“What is even more outrageous about this Republican immoderation is how much of it is devoted to pure pork — local projects that have no national significance or constitutional justification.”
Isn’t it outrageous for Jacoby to expect “consitutional justification” for federal spending? How dare he.
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12.11.03
Posted in Science and Technology at 2:19 pm by Jeff
For you Wi-Fi enthusiasts, here’s a new take on War Driving…War Flying!
This guy flew a small plane over the Greater LA area and it is amazing what he found on his journey!
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Posted in Science and Technology at 9:07 am by Jeff
Another oops today from Microsoft. Apparently you can trick Internet Explorer into displaying a different address that doesn’t match the current page. A less-than-scrupulous person could use this to make you think you are surfing at, for example, E-bay. In reality, they could harvest any information you key into the page.
For an example of how this works, you must be viewing this page in IE. When you click on the link and arrive at the page, the URL does, in fact, say “www.microsoft.com”. But I believe you will be patently aware when you arrive, that the site is, in fact, not www.microsoft.com. (If you are using a browser besides IE, you should see “http://www.microsoft.com%01@www.jeffdoolittle.com/” as the URL).
Click Here to Test Exploit
For more information on this bug, go read this PCWorld.com article.
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12.10.03
Posted in Faith and Practice at 3:28 pm by Jeff
I used to try to read through the Bible using a One Year Bible, or some other time sensitive reading plan. My typical experience has been frustration when trying to follow these plans, and self-inflicted guilt when I forget to read.
I found a great resource that removes the time element, while still allowing me to eventually read through the whole Bible. The Bible Reading Chart (pdf) contains an abbreviation of each Biblical book, and a list of numbers corresponding to the number of chapters in the book. This lets me track which chapters I have read without that guilty “I’m so behind” feeling. I just keep a printed copy in the front of my Bible and cross off the chapters I have read.
If you’ve been looking for a way to revitalize your experience in the Word, give this a try. I’d love to hear about your experience using this resource. Just click below to comment.
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Posted in Politics and Issues at 12:42 pm by Jeff
The buzz over our expanding Federal Government continues in force. Townhall.com Has three must-read articles on the subject today.
It is encouraging to see that stalwart GOPers are not sitting idly by as the party swings toward expanded government powers and out of control spending. The Republican party must return to its roots as the party of individual liberty and limited government. If spending cuts were implemented to match all the tax cuts we could diminish the excessive fiscal burden that our children will one day have to carry.
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Posted in Politics and Issues at 9:45 am by Jeff
Can someone please explain to me why this is considered news-worthy?
“President Nixon didn’t think much of fellow Californian and Republican icon Ronald Reagan, calling him ’strange’ and not ‘pleasant to be around,’ newly released White House tapes show.”
So what?
Continue Reading…
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12.09.03
Posted in Politics and Issues at 12:57 pm by Jeff
Today’s column from Bruce Bartlett takes issue with George W. Bush regarding his handling of various foreign and domestic policy issues. Bruce makes an interesting case to support his “Bush = Nixon” conclusion.
The biggest frustration I have with Bush is that I have some philosophical agreement with him, but the policies he implements do not jibe with these ideals. President Bush pays lip service to fiscal conservatism, but has allowed (even stoked) government spending to unprecendented levels.
Go read Bruce’s article and come back here to discuss your thoughts.
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Posted in Personal at 9:41 am by Jeff
Visitors to my Weblog, here’s a special treat for you. You get to preview our Christmas Card picture for 2003! Enjoy.
(Kyle - 22 Months | Kaitlyn - 3.5 Years)
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Posted in Science and Technology at 9:13 am by Jeff
Spam. Everyone agrees it is the scourge of the Internet (except the spammers, of course!). If you are a Microsoft Outlook user, there is a great solution out there called SpamBayes. I’ve been using this Open Source, freeware plug-in for a few months now and have seen my InBox become entirely cleaned up. It is amazing what this filter accomplishes with just a few days of training. It’s easy to use and very non-intrusive. Visit the SpamBayes site to find out more.
If you’re like me and just have to know how things work, process.com has a great article on how Bayesian filtering works. Recommended reading for anyone who wants to know more about this great statistical analysis algorithm.
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12.08.03
Posted in Politics and Issues at 12:05 pm by Jeff
How are your representatives wasting (sorry, using) your hard earned tax-dollars? Be sure to read these Congress Spending Highlights from Yahoo.
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Posted in General at 12:00 pm by Jeff
No comment. Just remember…
Don’t read God’s mail!
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12.03.03
Posted in Politics and Issues at 9:53 am by Jeff
Another great article from Townhall.com written by Jonah Goldberg. Jonah says,
“This is a time for big ideas and I’ve got one: Let’s scrap the United Nations…. Here’s an idea that will get everyone’s attention: Let’s create a League of Democracies.”
Continue reading…
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