Flotsam and Jetsam - Dilbert Creator Dies, Clintons Refuse Epstein Testimony

Tuesday afternoon, the time of the week all the work gets done, to quote another cartoonist. It was a very newsy day. First, comes word that Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, which poked fun at corporate hierarchies and their denizens, controversialist and podcaster, died from prostate cancer. IIRC, Scott Adams publicly announced his fatal diagnosis when it was Joe Biden had advanced prostate cancer. At the time he said he didn't expect to make it through summer, so at least he beat that. 

Althouse, Goodbye to Scott Adams., "He shared his dying with us right up to the end. We knew he was going, and now, suddenly he's gone. I received the news through my son John, who's put up this post at Facebook that provides a gift link to the Washington Post obituary, which has a headline that I don't like, "Scott Adams, ‘Dilbert’ creator who poked fun at bad bosses, dies at 68/His three-panel comic strip was once published in more than 2,000 newspapers. Publishers cut ties with Mr. Adams after he made racist comments on a YouTube live stream." From the obituary: "His former wife Shelly Miles announced his death in a live stream Tuesday morning, reading a statement she said Mr. Adams had prepared before his death. 'I had an amazing life,' the statement said in part. 'I gave it everything I had.'"" Also, "Many of my Christian friends have asked me to find Jesus before I go. I’m not a believer, but I have to admit the risk-reward calculation..." ""... for doing so looks so attractive to me. So here I go. I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and look forward to spending an eternity with Him. The part about me not being a believer should be quite quickly resolved; if I wake up in heaven, I won’t need any more convincing than that. I hope I’m still qualified for entry." Wrote Scott Adams, just before dying." At PJM, Cathy Salgado reports Trump Pays Tribute to Scott Adams: ‘Great Influencer’. Hat Hair's Capt. Ed has a Flashback to When Scott Adams Explained Trump, Persuasion, and 'Loserthink'. Ann Coulter @AnnCoulter, "From Scott Adams NYT obit:" (see above). VodkaPundit at Insty, HOWEVER MUCH YOU DESPISE THE MEDIA…: Phil Labonte @philthatremains, "you do not hate them enough." At Ace, Scott Adams, Humorist and Rebel, Dies at Age 68 After Long Fight with Prostate Cancer, "He's gone to the great Corporate Meeting in the sky."

From ET, US Annual Inflation Holds Steady at 2.7 Percent to Finish 2025. Capt. Ed, Affordability Win? Inflation Stays Level at 2.7%, Beats Expectations (Again). Dmitri Bolt at TownHall, The December Inflation Report Is Here, and It's Good News. From the Center Square, Bipartisan bill to cap annual deficits at 3% could curb debt growth. From Breitbart, The Fed Chairman’s Theatrical Martyrdom. 

VodkaPundit at Insty, Will There Still Be an Iran the Day After Tomorrow? Capt. Ed, NEW: Iran Death Toll at 3,000; US Orders Citizens Out; UPDATE: Trump: 'Help Is On the Way'. From NYPo, Iranian protesters are showing courage in the face of tyranny — but Israel-obsessed liberals don’t seem to care. Spiked thinks The courage of Iran’s women puts woke Westerners to shame. "The keffiyeh-clad class is utterly indifferent to this genuine struggle for liberty against Islamist oppression." From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog, “President Trump Has Joined The Revolution.” Vic Nava at NYPo, Trump threatens ‘very strong action’ against Iran if regime hangs protesters. Dave Strom at Hat Hair finds it Unbelievable: Nora O'Donnell Suggests That Reza Pahlavi Is Responsible for Iranians Dying in Protests.

Matt Vespa at TownHall has some news About That Sonic Boom Weapon We Reportedly Deployed During Trump's Venezuela Raid... Dave Strom, NYT Is Right About 'Perfidy,' But They Are the Ones Committing It. Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1, "Breaking NYT: The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack, according to officials briefed on the matter. The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status. That is a war crime called "perfidy."" Barry Latzer at Da Fed shows History Supports Trump’s Operation To Take Down Maduro. PJM's Sarah Anderson on Marco Rubio, For the Cuban Regime, He's a Supervillain — But in the U.S. He’s the Quarterback.

From Calgary City News, Calgarians gather to sign Alberta independence petition as data suggests sovereignty support is growing. Eric CIAramella’s Dirty Whistle @TheAndersPaul, "Wow. I did not know that." At Am Con, Trump is Reviving ‘Spheres of Influence.’ That’s a Good Thing "The age-old framework is a welcome alternative to liberal internationalism." Insty at his NYPo gig notes Trump has cut the technocratic Gordian Knot — and elites hate it.

Matt Margolis hears No Charges Are Expected Against ICE Agent Whom Renee Good Attacked. JD Vance @JDVance, "This is an extremely important point: you're only seeing chaotic ICE raids in blue sanctuary cities where local officials are fighting against federal law enforcement. The chaos is created by "leaders" who would rather promote rioting in their streets than follow the law," Quote Inez Stepman @InezFeltscher, "A point that isn’t hammered hard enough by ICE and admin spox imo is that these dangerous raids - in more ways than one - happen BECAUSE of sanctuary city/state policies. In red states following our immigration laws, most of these people are getting picked up at the courthouse or jail." From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog, Hey Anti-ICE Morons: “Texas Is Not Minnesota.”

Beege Welborn at Hat Hair hears Anti-ICE Types Enjoy Their Alternate Reality Heroics Until They're Not MORE, CBS EDIT BUSTED. Dave Strom explains How the Propaganda Is Done. DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "Found a master list of protests from Richard Stallman, of all people. Over 1,500 in total. Many are candlelight vigils, but still. Many of them are scheduled well in advance with repeating sessions. They plan on keeping this up infinitely." ℕ@Shaysite1786, "Feels like this is the No Kings operation transforming seamlessly into a No ICE operation. All the same management and systems and people; just printing new signs." Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, Who’s Funding the Aggressive Anti-ICE Tactics Used by Activists Like Renee Nicole Good? Guess. At Reddit, She admits it. Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck, "When you see lunatics screaming at ICE or just acting insane about a far left cause, I want you to remember that they’re signing up to be election workers on Election Day. Does anyone really think they won’t cheat? If so, you’re an idiot. We must prioritize election integrity." Luke @LukeTaylorUSA, "Pause for a moment and notice something.. Look at this video from the perspective of “layers” Layer 1: you have frontline agitators who physically encroach but do nothing else aside from yell & hurl vulgarity Layer 2: Behind layer1 you have those I call grapplers. They will swoop in and shove or pull on an agent then fall back behind layer1. . . " On Reddit, Greg Gutfeld just dropped a MAJOR TRUTH NUKE on every leftist defending anti-ICE agitators and terrorists. “YOU are living a LIE!” Ace, Left-Wing Mentally-Ill Revolutionary LARPers Don't Know That Law Enforcement Officers Load Their Guns With Real Bullets, "They think this is all a Marvel movie." Blake Neff @BlakeSNeff, "A "whistleblower" just released the personal information of thousands of ICE and CBP personnel, and this Daily Beast ghoul is gloating about it. They're obviously not doing this to get agents fired. They're doing it to get them killed." Dave Strom has A Modest Proposal for Mayor Frey and Governor Walz "Wouldn't it make sense to keep the confrontations to a minimum by handing over the criminal aliens Minnesota currently holds in its custody? Renee Good died defending those 470 criminal illegal aliens that Mayor Frey and Governor Walz released into the community. And, since they are holding over 1300 more, handing them over would reduce the chances of a confrontation going badly." 

Teri Christoph at RedState, Harmeet Dhillon Refutes Claim That Lefty DOJ Lawyers Rage-Quit Over Handling of ICE Shooting (Updated) From Twitchy, Media Spins Mass Exodus Over ICE Shooting—Shipwreckedcrew Drops the Truth: It's All About Breonna Taylor. Shipwreckedcrew @shipwreckedcrew, "Let me tell you the real reason why the four prosecutors in Civil Rights Criminal Section resigned. It has to do with the death of Breonna Taylor. Louisville PD Officer Brett Hankison was retried after a jury in his first federal trial ended 11-1 for acquittal. These four individuals were part of the leadership team that agitated to retry him. . . " It's a bit long, but read it. We're well rid of them.

Hen Mazzig @HenMazzig, "According to the New York Times, Ilhan Omar is the face of the Somali refugee community that fled civil war. This despite the fact that her father was a high ranking officer in the Somali military as it carried out a genocide against the Isaaq people from the Somaliland region. He didn’t flee to the United States as a persecuted refugee, but as a war criminal running from accountability for his crimes. But I suppose that context wasn’t deemed newsworthy enough by the esteemed editors at the NYT." Ace notes Trump Ends "Temporary" Protected Status for Thousands of Somali Pirate Nomads, "Good. BTW, most Somalis are, unfortunately, citizens by now. This doesn't affect them. But... that's no reason for blackpilling. Change almost never comes with one magic silver bullet. It comes from a lot of small changes sustained over time." From Da Mail, Somalis plunge to bottom of America's favorability rankings after fraud scandal as poll reveals immigrant group voters like most. David Bernstein @ProfDBernstein, "One of the most bizarre things about Hamas is that it states explicitly that it's an Islamist movement aiming to replace Israel with an Islamist state, and the Western left insists that it's just a "resistance" movement dedicated to the Palestinian cause fighting "occupation.""

Matt Margolis, CNN Drops a Truth Bomb on the Left’s Legal Efforts Against ICE. A Larry video at Hat Hair, CNN Pours Cold Water on Pathetic Anti-ICE Lawsuit. Dave Strom cites Jonathan Turley: Keith Ellison's Lawsuit Makes Us All Dumber. 

Capt. Ed, Hmmmm: Clintons Vow to Stonewall Congress on Epstein Files. Matt Margolis, Bill and Hillary Clinton Defy Subpoena, Refuse to Testify in Epstein Probe. Ace, Bill Clinton Is a No-Show At Congressional Hearing on Jeffrey Epstein; Comer Vows Contempt of Congress Criminal Charges, "Steve Bannon went to jail for refusing to show up for testimony.." Dave Strom, Should People Who Dislike Trump Answer Subpoenas? Or Is That Only For Republicans? General Mike Flynn @GenFlynn, "Here’s my gut assessment of the Clintons blowing off Congress today. They hold so much information on everyone from judges to members of Congress to business executives to world leaders. I pray they’re held accountable, but trying to analyze why they were no shows today tells me they’re feeling pretty untouchable about now."

John Sexton, Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on Trans Athletes. At Althouse, "Live Updates: Transgender Athletes Ask Supreme Court to Overturn State Bans." "I'll just make one observation, about something I was hearing for the first time, which is the idea that male-bodied persons who take puberty blockers might be disadvantaged in sports because they have larger bones but these bones are not powered by the strength and drive that the testosterone of puberty would have provided. By taking puberty blockers, they are choosing to go forward with underpowered bodies. That is, in this way, these children not only don't have an advantage if they play in girls' sports, they have a disadvantage!" Bullshit! Just because you can say it doesn't make it true. VodkaPundit at Insty sees BIDEN’S DEI SCOTUS HIRE IS AT IT AGAIN: Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "BREAKING: DEI Justice Ketanji Jackson is DEFENDING men in women's sports with an utter word salad at the Supreme Court. "Is treating someone transgender, but does not have, because of the medical interventions and the things that have been done, who does not have, uh, the same, uh, threat to physical competition and safety and all the reasons the state puts forward - that's actually a different class, says this individual. So you're not treating the class the same. And how do you respond to that?" Idaho AG Hurst didn't even seem to understand what she asked, and instead responded to her second question that named specific precedent. SCOTUS Justice Gorsuch then stepped in." Insty, NOT THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE JUDICIAL DRAWER: Dan McLaughlin @baseballcrank, "You gotta be pretty bad as a Justice to get schooled this hard by a lawyer arguing in front of you." Matt Margolis, As Expected, Justice Jackson Humiliated Herself During Today’s Oral Arguments. Nick Arama at RedState hears KBJ Comes Up With a New Word in SCOTUS Trans Athletes Case That Has Everyone in Stitches. Daily Caller @DailyCaller, "Ketanji 'I'm Not a Biologist' Jackson: "For cisGINGER girls, they can play consistent with their gender identity. For transgender girls, they can't."From the Volokh Report, Steve Calabresi, Justice Barrett, Trump v. Slaughter, and Presidential Removal Power from 1989 to 2009. "Presidential non-acquiescence in Humphrey's Executor from 1989 to 2009."

John Sexton, Would-Be Trump Assassin Pleads Guilty to Murder. Joe Chalfant at TownHall, Minnesota House Moves to Impeach Tim Walz. Republicans. It won't stick. John Kass sees Democrats in the Cheeze Barrel with Walz. Ace cites Scott Bessent: 10% of US Government Spending Is Stolen Every Single Year "I mentioned this on Friday but it's getting more notice now."

Beege Welborn sees Mayor Commie Mamdani Is SO Mad He Momentarily Lost His Twinkle. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor, "I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment. This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation." "Visa overstay - oh, shocker - but the kind of guy who also had an assault charge and was ordered deported, but decided he'd hang around instead because what were the chances of getting booted out of the country?" Mamdani Watch @MamdaniWatch, Commentary account "Eric Adams TEARS into weird Zohran Mamdani fan harassing him: “I’m not mayor anymore. Go fuck yourself,”"

At the View from the Wing, Chase Sues Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot—$11,078 United Credit Card Debt, 17 Months Without a Payment. John Sexton hears Newsom: Don't Blame Me for the Wealth Tax Fiasco. John Sexton reports The Palisades Fire Cover Up Continues.

From Althouse, "Philosophy professor Martin Peterson was ordered to remove excerpts from Plato’s 'Symposium' that seemed to violate the new guidelines..." ""... passages about Diotima’s Ladder of Love and Aristophanes’ speech regarding split humans. Peterson was told the course would be reassigned to someone else if he didn’t delete the readings from his introductory philosophy syllabus. Peterson says his course does not 'advocate' for any ideology but teaches students how to structure and evaluate moral arguments." From "Plato falls victim to campus culture wars/Jettisoning the Greek philosopher hurts students who yearn to learn how to reason, argue and think" by the Editorial Board of The Washington Post. What's really going on here? Wasn't this some sort of "malicious compliance" move by opponents of restrictions on left-wing gender ideology?"

John Sexton reports Trans Liberation Activists Accused of Hacking Free Speech Union.

More! at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.13.26

Tuesday Tanlines

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Danielle Rose Russell up on time at The Other McCain.

The Death of Apu

The'll just ghost him. ‘The Simpsons’ Is Eliminating Apu, But Producer Adi Shankar Found the Perfect Script to Solve the Apu Problem

In April producer Adi Shankar launched a spec script contest for “The Simpsons” to solve what has become known as the show’s “Apu Problem.” The long-running character, a convenience store owner voiced by Hank Azaria, has become a controversial figure because many believe him to be an inaccurate and hurtful portrayal of Indian-Americans.

It was Shankar’s intention to crowdsource a script that “in a clever way subverts him, pivots him, writes him out, or evolves him in a way that takes a creation that was the byproduct of a predominately Harvard-educated white male writers’ room and transforms it into a fresh, funny and realistic portrayal of Indians in America.”

Shankar’s primary hope was that Fox would produce the script as an episode of “The Simpsons,” but now that he has found what he calls the “perfect script” and announces the winner of his contest, he told IndieWire that he has heard from people who work for the show that “The Simpsons” is eliminating the character.

“I got some disheartening news back, that I’ve verified from multiple sources now: They’re going to drop the Apu character altogether,” said Shankar in an interview with IndieWire. “They aren’t going to make a big deal out of it, or anything like that, but they’ll drop him altogether just to avoid the controversy.”

You Don't Have to be Crazy to Have a PhD . . .

. . . But it sure does seem to go hand in hand. An editorial in Nature: Time to talk about why so many postgrads have poor mental health

Poor mental health is an issue for many of our readers. That fact is underscored by the response to a tweet sent by @NatureNews earlier this week, which highlighted that rates of depression and anxiety reported by postgraduate students are six times higher than in the general population (T. M. Evans et al. Nature Biotechnol. 36, 282–284; 2018), and asked what should be done to help. The figures are a shock, but it was the reaction that blew us away: more than 1,200 retweets and around 170 replies.

“This is not one dimensional problem. Financial burden, hostile academia, red tape, tough job market, no proper career guidance. Take your pick,” read one. “Maybe being told day in, day out that the work you spend 10+ hrs a day, 6–7 days a week on isn’t good enough,” said another.

The feedback emphasizes something that Nature has highlighted often in recent years: there is a problem among young scientists. Too many have mental-health difficulties, and too many say that the demands of the role are partly to blame. Neither issue gets the attention it deserves. “I’d love to see some of the comments under this thread published,” wrote one responder. “There needs to be real conversation about this, not just observation.”

We agree — which is why we are publishing some of the responses. (You can read the full thread here.)

Some commenters said that the way to improve things was through wholesale change. “The whole PhD+postdoc system must be reformed or abolished,” noted one.

Others focused on specific concerns. “Decent funding which runs until their subimission [sic] deadline, coupled with a culture shift to less focus on publications in certain journals defining success.”

The system has a lot of problems, but I'm not sure redefining failure as success is the solution

There is a problem with the culture in science, and it is one that loads an increasing burden on the shoulders of younger generations. The evidence suggests that they are feeling the effects. (Among the tweets, one proposed solution to improving the PhD is to “treat it like professional training instead of indentured servitude with no hope of a career at the end?”.) It will take a while to change that culture — and, unfortunately, it will probably take almost as long for some in the community to realize the need to change. But change it must.

A good place to start is the relationship between postgraduates and their supervisors. Surveys — including our own — suggest that too many senior scientists see a career outside academia after a PhD as a failure. Too often, this attitude drives expectations and conversations that do not reflect the reality: there are just not enough full-time academic posts to go around.

With my career behind me, allow me to comment.

First, the kind of people who tend to go for advanced degrees are often obsessive compulsive, at least as far as their career choice. Graduate careers don't necessarily pay especially well, although you can get significantly into the six figures as as a star senior scientist at a major research university. But like being an NFL star, don't bet your future on it. So to go through the time and trouble for relatively little reward requires a certain focus that is not quite rational.

Second, the system does have major flaws. Professors are judged on numbers of students, and numbers of papers, and students are expected to provide papers for their professors. Other than personal relationships, professors have less investment in the success of the student after graduation. There's considerable built in pressure to encourage too many students into a given field. Not all can become professors in return; there just aren't enough positions. This makes everyone in the field less safe. There are plenty of potential competitors.

Third, as noted above, the course of study is ill defined, and tends to be long and arduous in terms of time and trouble, and there is no certainty of success.

It's enough to drive a smart person crazy.

Clinton.com and the Cartoonist

That didn't work, try this link. It's worth it.

A Nation of Laws—Sort Of

Any fair reading of State Department and general federal government laws regarding the use of classified information by federal employees makes it is clear that Hillary Clinton violated the law—both by improperly setting up her own private server, and then by sending information through it that was classified. And it is evident that Clinton went to such extraordinary lengths in order to mask her communications and shield them from the sort of Freedom of Information Act suits that now are plaguing her—and that she arbitrarily decided which of her private server emails were public and which private, and then simply destroyed thousands of them without audit.

If she is not indicted by the Obama administration for violations of federal laws or conspiracy to obstruct justice, in the future it will be almost impossible to prosecute successfully any federal employee for violating government protocols about the handling of classified information. If Clinton avoids indictment, it will make a mockery of the Obama Justice Department that sought to prosecute Gen. David Petraeus for showing his personal journals, which contained classified information, to his biographer and mistress Paula Broadwell. The government leveraged Petraeus on the basis that he knew his notebooks contained classified information though they were not formally identified as such; Hillary Clinton knew the same about her own communications, but unlike Petraeus was sneaky enough not to admit to that fact on tape or to associates.

Bernie supporters, this is what Hillary Clinton will say after indictment



Alcoholic blackout? She seems to have completely lost seven years. Hillary Clinton Admits The Job Market Stinks But BLAMES GEORGE W. BUSH

Under Obama, over 11 million Americans have left the workforce completely. For Hillary Clinton to blame Bush is not only inaccurate, it’s a desperate lie.

At some point, Obama must be held responsible for his disastrous policies.

It won't happen under a democrat.

Exciting, isn't she:

A Cartoon Character

Kay Pike (Designer/ Model)'s Body Paint Skills Will Blow Your Mind! Thanks for the exclusive video!www.instagram.com/JosiPaula
Posted by Josi Paula on Thursday, March 3, 2016

More



Time Lapse Video of Artist Kay Pike Painting a Robin Costume on Her Body at 1,000x Speed

The mega-links from Wombat-socho, "Rule 5 Sunday: Looking Back, All I Did Was Look Away", is up at The Other McCain.

Washington Post Portrays Hispanics as Monkeys

Of course there's a catch, they were the daughters of Republican Senator Ted Cruz:

Via Wombat-socho in "Live at Five: 12.23.15"

The artist, Ann Telnaes argues that the children are fair game because they have starred in a Cruz advertisement. Never mind that Obama's daughters were used in campaign ads as well, and a we all know what would happen if a cartoonist were to portray them as dancing monkeys.

Nothing to see here, folks!

After someone noticed, Fred Hiatt, WAPO editor, pulled the cartoon and left a note:

It’s generally been the policy of our editorial section to leave children out of it. I failed to look at this cartoon before it was published. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree.

Outrage; nobody does it better. Take it away Ace:

Pulled Down, Now With This Bullshit Explanation: "I Didn't Look At It."

Right, right, right.

I know you looked at it -- you seemed to have required her to write a defense of the cartoon in order to give it "context" and make it acceptable.

I am having a lot of trouble believing that a hot piece like this, so controversial the cartoonist had to pre-justify her own stupid doodle with a written explanation, gets past the editors without people taking a look-see.

I mean it's a frickin' cartoon. You know -- a scribbling for babies and illiterates. Who doesn't have the time to look at a doodle?

Anyway, it's gone, and here's some self-exculpating bullshit, which also seeks to exculpate the cartoonist.

He seems to be saying there's a good reason for Ann to think this was an "exception" -- because Cruz' kids were in a ad.

Okay, well Obama's kids were also in an ad -- would the liberal Fred Hiatt agree, or at least "understand," why people might think that also serves as a "warranted" "exception" to justify an attack on his kids?

Note my point is not to go after Obama's kids. I never go after his kids. I have no reason to do so.

But this liberal game of piously claim Democrats' children are completely off-limits, while concocting "warranted exceptions" for Republicans' kids (every Republicans' kids, pretty much -- ask the Bush Twins and Palin Kids), is infuriating beyond my capacity to express.

At the minimum, Talnaes must lose her position at the Washington Post.

Did Bugs Bunny Do In the Neandertals?

Tricky Rabbits.

One of the classic themes of Loony Tunes is Elmer Fudd trying to hunt rabbits, and being unable to get Bugs Bunny because he is just too smart. Now, a British scientist hypothesizes that Neandertal Man died out because he was unable to take advantage of rabbits as a food source:

Dr John Stewart, Associate Professor in Paleoecology and Environmental Change at Bournemouth University (BU), is part of a team which analysed data on rabbit bone remains, found in archaeological excavations of caves in the Iberian Peninsula. They found that while rabbits were a crucial part of the modern humans’ diet, they were relatively under-utilised by Neanderthals.

“Rabbits originated in Iberia and they are a very special kind of resource, in that they can be found in large numbers, they are relatively easy to catch and they are predictable,” said Dr Stewart. “This means that they are quite a good food source to target. The fact that the Neanderthals did not appear to do so suggests that this was a resource they did not have access to in the same way as modern humans.”

 Even I can catch a rabbit.

The fact that Neanderthals – typically associated with hunting large prey over short distances in woodland settings – were seemingly unable to catch and kill such creatures is compounded by rapid changes in the environment. “The climate was changing and the ecology was decreasing in terms of the amount of animals they were able to hunt,” Dr Stewart explained. “If Neanderthals were more tied to these large mammals, the loss of them could have driven them to extinction.”

Cute outfits
but lousy cosplay

Evidence that modern humans were more able to hunt across large, open spaces – and used technological innovations such as twine and traps to help them catch faster,smaller prey, including rabbits – suggests that they adapted better to this change in surroundings. Dr Stewart said: “Modern humans had more that they could do – they had more possibilities and were more able to cope with the deterioration of climate than Neanderthals were. If modern humans thrived when Neanderthals did not, it must mean that modern humans were better at exploiting resources than Neanderthals.”

Unable to find a suitable "cave girl" with a rabbit, how about an unsuitable one? Maybe she could have caught a rabbit. . .

Wombat-socho checks in with "Rule 5 Sunday: Force It".

Midnite Music - "Oh My God"

With a cartoon of Lily Allen, who I recently featured:

You're Nobody Until You're Hate-Listed by the SPLC.

‘Draw Mohammed’ Contest Winner Will Be Added to SPLC ‘Hate’ List

Attacked by Islamic terrorists and listed by the SPLC:

Bosch Fawstin, a former Muslim who won the Muhammad cartoon contest at the Texas free speech event attacked by two gunmen Sunday, will soon be added to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) list of hate groups.
Mr. Fawstin won $12,500 in prize money at the event, sponsored by Pamela Geller’s American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), for a drawing that showed a sword-wielding prophet in a turban shouting, “You can’t draw me.” In reply, a cartoon bubble portrayed the artist as writing, “That’s why I draw you,” Reuters reported.
The SPLC, which already includes AFDI on its annual list of U.S. hate groups, plans to add the artist to its 2016 report, Heidi Beirich, who leads SPLC’s Intelligence Project, told Reuters on Monday.
Ms. Beirich said Mr. Fawstin would have been listed before Sunday’s attack, but the center did not know his location. The organization has since learned that his website is registered in New York City, Reuters reported.
“He’s like the artist of the movement,” Mr. Beirich said, calling his website “virulently ugly.”
“His views, they are hate views,” she added.

Much like being sued by Brett Kimberlin, having your name on the SPLC’s hate list is becoming a badge of honor.

Amusingly for an organization that prides itself on identifying "hate groups", some of the SPLCs listees, such as the Family Research Council have themselves been attacked by progressive gunmen.

As Corkins told the FBI after his arrest, he learned of the FRC online, “It was a, uh, Southern Poverty Law, lists, anti-gay groups. I found them online. I did a little bit of research, went to the website, stuff like that.”

Corkins attempted a mass shooting on Aug. 15, 2012, opening fire at the Family Research Council and wounding Security Guard Leo Johnson.

Armed with more than 95 rounds of ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-a sandwiches, Corkinstold the FBI that he chose the FRC as his first target after looking at a list of “anti-gay” groups on the SPLC’s website.

The Family Research Council is still listed on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s“Hate Map” as “anti-gay.”

Some libertarians should sue them to force them to list themselves as a hate group.

It's Satire When We Say It's Satire!

The bodies of the hostages taken at the Kosher Deli in Paris hadn't even hit the floor before liberals across the Western world began to walk back their sudden support for freedom of speech in the wake of the Charlie Hedbo terrorist attack. I won't bore you with a long list; they're depressingly common, but I was particularly unimpressed with the logic behind this one: Je Ne Suis Pas Exactement Charlie - Why I condemn the killings in Paris—but don’t endorse the mockery of Islam.

The terrorist attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo has resulted in widespread condemnation of the violent suppression of free speech, as well as general support for the concept of satire. But while it is right that our disapproval of violence be unconditional, perhaps Charlie Hebdo’s particular brand of satire should be examined before we all change our profile pictures to say “Je suis Charlie.”
. . .
Charlie Hebdo is a weekly paper containing cartoons and reports that is known for being very irreverent and extremely antireligious. It publishes a kind of satire, but what kind? Is it real satire, or is it pseudo-satire? And therein lies an important distinction.
. . .
True satire, which should be healthy and beneficial, must be distinguished from what Russell Peterson terms the simple mockery of pseudo-satire. True satire never punches down—the target must always be someone in a position above the satirist, not someone less privileged. So while it might be funny, pseudo-satire lacks the social benefits of true satire, which include increased political awareness and engagement among viewers. Instead, pseudo-satire fosters cynicism, apathy, and intolerance—the very things true satire combats.

In other words, true satire supports the goals of progressives , while "pseudo-satire" is satire aimed at the progressives or their client interests, who are, of course, always the underdogs.

Never mind that the satire at issue here is satire aimed at the Prophet of one of the largest religions in the world, hardly someone "less privileged" than the cartoonist at Charlie Hedbo  (even assuming he were alive). That hardly strikes me as a case of "punching down."

Why Cat People are Liberals and Dog People are Conservative

Yeah, it's a gross overstatement.  I know devout liberals who love dogs, and conservatives with cats, but there is a trend out there where the urban people that vote predominantly liberal prefer cats as house pets, while the rural rednecks prefer dogs.  Is there a reason other than the relative ease of having cats in the city, and the utility of dogs in rural life?  Is there a preference based on their politics and the perception of the role of government in the family? 

I ran into this intriguing blog post in a comment thread at Althouse:

Big Cats, and human relationships

Ever watch a Big Cat Video? That is, a National Geographic or similar production on cheetahs, or lions, or leopards, etc. Back in the VCR, pre-On Demand days, I gave my husband a boxed set for Christmas one year, though we haven't watched them lately, even though I suppose that now they're probably readily available.

The same storyline repeats itself regardless of species (except for lions): the hapless female struggles to feed her cubs single-handedly, while a predatory male lurks in the background, at best useless, at worst, a danger to the cubs. Somewhere early in the program, one of the cubs dies, maybe eaten by hyenas, but by the end, after much struggle, the cubs usually make it to adulthood, thanks to the endless search for food by their dedicated mother.

Sounds like a  story out of the Washington Post about once a week.  I'm sure the story is told in all the major metropolitan papers with some regularity.

Don't you, sometimes, in your more pessimistic moods, wonder if that's where human relationships are headed? A mother and children as the family unit, and the male as a lone individual? Of course, the mortality rate in the Big Cat world is hardly something we'd tolerate (your kid died because you couldn't feed it? Too bad, but no big deal, since you've still got another one.) but we solve that with food stamps and other welfare benefits at this point anyway.

It makes you wonder, though -- has there been any society which organizes itself this way, in which the father is not expected to be responsible for his children?

We might also take note of a recent book on cats, which, while noting that cats probably just think of us as bigger, non-aggressive cats, notes that:

The current domestic cat population remains in a semi-feral state, Bradshaw argues, because 85 percent of cat-matings are “arranged by cats themselves.” The result of remaining in this semi-feral state is that they behave toward humans as they would to other cats — but not just any other cat, Bradshaw claims, but their mother.

On the other hand, the wolf, the progenitor of the dog, has a rich family life. The pack is headed by a mated pair, the alpha male and female, who produce all the pups. The remainder of the pack is extended family; uncles, aunts and children of the alpha pair, with the whole pack taking part in the feeding and rearing of the pups. As human families do, they have their hierarchies, their spats and their fallings out.

Dogs, to some extent, have lost that strict family life.  I doubt that life in domestication was favorable to the strict breeding pair model.  However, dogs still have a strong pack instinct and a tendency to form dominance hierarchies when kept together and it's reasonable to suggest that they see "their" people as members of their pack, for whom they owe some fealty?

Wombat-Socho has this week's Rule 5 Sunday post "Under the Wire" in, well, under the wire.

Tuesday Morning Obamacare Schadenfreude

Today's dose of Obamacare Schadenfreude brought to you by suckers around the nation.

Students suffer ObamaCare sticker shock as premiums soar, plans get cut

For decades, universities and colleges have offered students bare-bones policies. But because of the Affordable Care Act, those policies no longer cut it – and universities are forced to decide whether to offer significantly higher-cost plans or cancel coverage altogether.

The new rules affect a broad swath of American schools, especially the small ones. At Bowie State University in Maryland, the cost of student health insurance policies went from roughly $100 a year to $1,800 a year.

The cancelled plan offered $5,000 worth of medical coverage to students for just $54 per semester. University administrators said an acceptable replacement under the Affordable Care Act would have cost $900 per semester, a 1,500 percent increase.
...
“You’ve haven’t done anything Obama and I am disappointed in you,” one student said. Another told Campus Reform, “We don’t have that money. We can barely afford books.”

Young and naive tends to be how college students go through life, which is why they vote heavily for democrats and Obama in particular.  Consider this a valuable lesson in the realities of populism and politics. But at least you can stay on your parents policies until you're 26.  If your parents have a job in the Obama economy. and if the postponed  employer mandate doesn't cause your parents to lose it.

Woman Hailed by President as Obamacare Success Story Now Can't Afford Obamacare

...The CNN report quotes President Obama as saying, "I recently received a letter from a woman named Jessica Sanford in Washington state. And here's what she wrote, I am a single mom, no child support, self-employed. and I haven't had insurance for 15 years because it's too expensive. I was crying the other day when I signed up, so much stress lifted."

"But days, just really three days after she was mentioned by the president, Jessica Sanford started having problems, she was receiving letters from the Washington state health exchange," reports CNN. "The first letter telling her that tax credit was reduced, therefore, increasing the cost of her health care plan and the,n take a look at this, then she received a letter just last week telling her that her tax credit had been taken away all together. Show you another document here, showing what the tax credit worked out to be... zero dollars according to this document that was provided to us by Jessica Sanford. She describes all of this as a roller coaster ride. Now she says she can't afford insurance in Washington state because of the new developments."

Another satisfied customer... As Otter said to Flounder..."You f_cked up!  You trusted us!"

Obama Suck-Up Gwen Ifill: ‘We Haven’t Been Laughing Much in Washington This Week’

PBS NewsHour host Gwen Ifill may have slipped Sunday when she said “we haven’t been laughing much in Washington” after President Obama’s brutal week, perhaps referring to herself and other press corps members.

Speaking on ABC’s This Week, the panel began with a clip of a fake advertisement from NBC’s Saturday Night Live mocking Obama’s “presidential depression” and medication he might take to combat it.

Speak for yourself Gwen; some of us have be laughing a lot while watching this rollout, though, to be fair, relatively few of us live in DC.

Defund PBS, now.  If they want to run on pledge drives, bake sales and  Soros money, more power to them.

Rasmussen: A New High of 58% Opposes Obamacare, With 45% Viewing the Law "Very Unfavorably"

Obamacare hits like a ton. 15% say they view the law "very favorably." That's the Democrats' super-base.

45% view it very unfavorably. That's very close to an outright majority. And people "very" concerned about an issue will vote on that issue.
...
This must be rejected.

Even to the extent Frum is right about the impossibility of ending the Medicaid expansion, it must still be done in the context of full repeal. Permit a year-long extension of Obamacare on this plank (and any other difficult-to-repeal parts, like the under-26-"children" part) but which sunsets after a year. This would mean the GOP would have a full year to work out a different solution while not disrupting the current regime -- but, as these parts of Obamacare would sunset without action in a year, we would not be under the gun as far as making concessions to Obama. If Obama won't work with us, then we do nothing, and just let it all sunset and go away.

Rather than coming at the law with a full-scale "replacement" (which would have to compete with Obamacare as far as deliverables to Obama's coalition), come at it with a year-long extension plus sunsetting, during which time a workable replacement could be fashioned.

Or, if not, then the whole thing goes away...

The administration managed to overlook ample warning that the roll out was going to be rocky.  The deserve every bit of criticism that comes their way.

Private consultants warned of risks before HealthCare.gov’s Oct. 1 launch

The Obama administration brought in a private consulting team to independently assess how the federal online health insurance enrollment system was developing, according to a newly disclosed document, and in late March received a clear warning that its Oct. 1 launch was fraught with risks.

The analysis by McKinsey & Co. foreshadowed many of the problems that have dogged HealthCare.gov since its rollout, including the facts that the call-in centers would not work properly if the online system was malfunctioning and that insufficient testing would make it difficult to fix problems after the launch...

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said “flags were definitely raised throughout the development of the Web site, as would be the case for any IT project this complex. . . . But nobody anticipated the size and scope of the problems we experienced once the site launched.”

And I just couldn't help adding this one...   Another Website, Another Problem for Obama

Some supporters who tried to log in to hear President Obama defend his embattled health care law on Monday night were unable to hear him because the website of the group behind the call, Organizing for Action, failed to work for them.

The website problems were an inconvenient moment for a president who has spent the last six weeks trying to explain the failure of HealthCare.gov, the online marketplace for Mr. Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

The event on Monday was intended to offer Mr. Obama’s most ardent supporters a chance to hear directly from him. It was the latest conference call to be hosted by Organizing for Action, the nonprofit group that grew out of the president’s 2012 campaign organization.

Now that, my friends, is some AAA quality schedenfreude...

Sunday Morning Washington Post Obamacare Schadenfreude

A selection of stories from this morning's Washington Post, illustrated with some random cartoons...

It turns out the governments goal was that 80% of people would be able to enroll in Obamacare.  Wow, a built in 20% error rate.  And they missed by a mile.

HealthCare.gov goal is for 80% of users to be able to enroll for insurance

The Obama administration will consider the new federal insurance marketplace a success if 80 percent of users can buy health-care plans online, according to government and industry officials familiar with the project.

The goal for how many people should be able to make it through the insurance exchange is an internal target that administration officials have not made public. It acknowledges that as many as one in five Americans who try to use the Web site to buy insurance will be unable to do so.
...
The internal 80 percent target is the basis of a promise that has become an administration mantra in recent weeks: HealthCare.gov will “work smoothly for the vast majority of users” by the end of November.

We may not have his college records, but a minimum B seems to be a good guess.