tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post751397522357060153..comments2024-03-27T11:16:36.951-07:00Comments on One Cʘsmos: Doing Battle with Hope Fiends, Crockheads, and Moonbatshiners (3.21.09)Gagdad Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-77771020538489597422008-02-26T09:01:00.000-08:002008-02-26T09:01:00.000-08:00You're right, Magnus, about psychologists being id...You're right, Magnus, about psychologists being idiots by and large. The distinction, though, is that psychoanalytic thinking, such as Bob often refers to and relies upon, has always been more about the psyche, vertical and otherwise, than about the synaptic and biological preoccupations that fascinate our modern brethren.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-10722986488909892422008-02-26T08:45:00.000-08:002008-02-26T08:45:00.000-08:00Speaking of the New Deal, Lileks has some interest...Speaking of the New Deal, Lileks has some interesting observations about the NRA (and no, that's not the gun folks) on today's <A HREF="http://www.lileks.com/bleats/index.html#archive/08/0208/022608.html" REL="nofollow">Bleat</A>.juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15975754287030568726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-88102691468710736882008-02-26T06:45:00.000-08:002008-02-26T06:45:00.000-08:00I don't think Bob's strength is that he is a psych...I don't think Bob's strength is that he is a psychologist, although it does come in handy at times. But a lot of psychologists are "profession idiots" as we say around here, with a narrow mind. Probably fewer than you would believe from the leftist bent of their organizations, though: Leftists love to organize, after all, as opposed to just doing their job.Magnus Itlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18445902788427523461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-21469680529045355532008-02-26T06:35:00.000-08:002008-02-26T06:35:00.000-08:00"Well, you got it wrong. Bob IS an expert at psych..."Well, you got it wrong. Bob IS an expert at psychology. However, I agree that he is not so hot on many of the other fields he gets himself tangled up in."<BR/><BR/>Anon 5:05pm,<BR/><BR/>You betray distinctly non-holistic thinking. <BR/><BR/>Psychology, especially of the kind in which il Bobbo is trained, is "tangled up" in everything. Understanding human nature, thinking, and psychopathology is the key to the whole (i)deal, and that's why he's usually right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-16313441793677271402008-02-26T06:25:00.000-08:002008-02-26T06:25:00.000-08:00Now, it should go without saying that my heart was...Now, it should go without saying that my heart was in a different place from my head. I was so looking forward to being able to start a leading Maine winery.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-57915801172191105182008-02-26T06:22:00.000-08:002008-02-26T06:22:00.000-08:00I knew the whole Global Warming thing was a fraud ...I knew the whole Global Warming thing was a fraud early on due to an infallible methodology. I watched to see who was the most invested in the hypothesis and noticed that the group was composed of those who had been wrong about EVERYTHING for over a century.<BR/><BR/>And then the Nobel committee stole my thoughts and proved me correct last year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-35768993123351865722008-02-26T05:17:00.000-08:002008-02-26T05:17:00.000-08:00All it took was a second cup of coffee this mornin...All it took was a second cup of coffee this morning to begin to connect up the terrific <I>opportunities</I> involved in the coming Global Cooling.<BR/><BR/>For instance, Sal <I>already</I> knows how to make first-class sweaters for children, who will need to be kept warm! And Smoov: think <I>international</I> distribution of Raccoon Caps (faux fur, <I>of course</I>), to help seekers preserve their <I>agni</I> -- AND, as a "vehicle" to promote Bob's book, causing sales to skyrocket! And now Robin is offering a series of "racy and edgy" DVD's, just in time for entertainment-starved snow-bound citizens!<BR/><BR/>We could distribute from sunny Florida (Joan) and spring-is-here Arizona (Julie).<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>There are <I>possibilities</I> here, people....walthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388218390016612051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-14863780594060241712008-02-26T05:10:00.000-08:002008-02-26T05:10:00.000-08:00FM said "Cloud Hidden""...Whereabouts unknown"FM said "Cloud Hidden"<BR/><BR/>"...Whereabouts unknown"Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-16821207371862430772008-02-26T03:19:00.000-08:002008-02-26T03:19:00.000-08:00Keynesian economic policies gave us the age of sta...Keynesian economic policies gave us the age of stagflation. The problem with the Bush era economics was not too much Friedman but too little. Then again, it is hard to get too much Friedman. I may quibble with details of his predictions, but I still wish all men were Friedmen, if you know what I mean.Magnus Itlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18445902788427523461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-20564583473102423162008-02-25T21:21:00.000-08:002008-02-25T21:21:00.000-08:00Bob,"Cloud Hidden" - Alan Watts?I like it here -- ...Bob,<BR/><BR/>"Cloud Hidden" - Alan Watts?<BR/><BR/>I like it here -- it's warm, and it smells good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-52725550551145267382008-02-25T20:47:00.000-08:002008-02-25T20:47:00.000-08:00Ximeze said "What's with being enamored of ceding ...Ximeze said "What's with being enamored of ceding your ability to think clearly about issues to an 'expert'? Can't ya'll logic your own way out of a paper bag on your lonesome? Somebody else gotta tell ya what to think? Don't trust your own judgment?"<BR/><BR/>I had the same reaction on reading that. I wanted to say "Can't you use your own common sense?!" And then it struck me what he'd said, and I felt like the old movie bit where the gruff guy says to the guy who bumps into him "What?! You <I>BLIND</I> or something?!" and the blind guy says "Yes, I am." and then the uncomfortable "Oh... ah... I see...doh! I mean... argh..."<BR/><BR/>Economics in principle, is pretty blasted simple, like mathematics... while it can be extended into some high end calculus, the simple principles never vary or contradict each other; 2+2 will always equal 4, and 2 -4 will always leave you -2 in the hole, and 0's... no matter how many, added to 2, won't add anything more to it (unless they're added behind the 2, in which case they call you a Lotto winner in Georgia).<BR/><BR/>The 'expert economist's' like Keynes tried a system of taking away more than you add, then going through a flurry of three card monty movements and all manner of adding zero's to numbers, and pretending the sheer speed of adding the zero's would add something to the system. Like the good three card monty player's, he wow'd the crowd who bought his expertise, but in the end his system was shown to try to add 2 + -4 and claim it amounted to 6, when in fact reality showed it to leave you with nothing more than -2, and a lot of other bad negatives stuff to boot.<BR/><BR/>Keynes’s many awards and acclamations are now mostly met with uncomfortable silences, while the award givers attempt to switch the conversation to another topic. (BTW, Keynes's was the system FDR used. It didn't work. It now has a 70 year track record of not working. Good economists (meaning non-Krugman-ninnies) no longer put any stock in Keynes' system... because... it ... doesn't... work. It doesn't add up. That's a bad thing in economics.<BR/><BR/>Start with the basics. As Gagdad mentioned, Thomas Sowell's book's are an excellent place to start. Or Milton Freidman's "Free to Choose" or if you prefer the free lunch route(duh!), these classics are available on the net, the essay <A HREF="http://www.econlib.org/Library/Essays/rdPncl1.html" REL="nofollow">"I Pencil" </A>, or Fredrich Bastiat's (one of the last worthwhile Frenchmen) <A HREF="http://www.econlib.org/library/Bastiat/basSoph.html" REL="nofollow">"Economic Sophism's"</A> (this one with an introduction by Henry Hazlitt an excellent economist himself) or <A HREF="http://www.econlib.org/Library/Essays/rdPncl1.html" REL="nofollow">"The Law"</A> (this link has an Introduction by Walter E. Williams, also a good educator of economics).<BR/><BR/>I know that's assuming you don't mind reading and would like to know what you presume to be able to condemn without knowing... but I am an optimist. A pessimistic one, but an optimist all the same.Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-39840997104699472632008-02-25T20:41:00.000-08:002008-02-25T20:41:00.000-08:00WTF? Another friggin' feast.WTF? Another friggin' <A HREF="http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/news/2008/02/ted_walkup" REL="nofollow">feast.</A>QPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15827536245376441948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-74348629617376923222008-02-25T20:34:00.000-08:002008-02-25T20:34:00.000-08:00Will has a mighty keen gnos. He smells something ...Will has a mighty keen gnos. He smells <A HREF="http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/peace.html" REL="nofollow">something</A> cooking.<BR/><BR/>There's going to be a <A HREF="http://muslimsforobama08.com/" REL="nofollow">feast.</A>QPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15827536245376441948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-57402456525858338982008-02-25T19:14:00.000-08:002008-02-25T19:14:00.000-08:00Maineman,I'm with you. I've got ice on the ground,...Maineman,<BR/>I'm with you. I've got ice on the ground, rain falling all day, and snow coming tonight.<BR/><BR/>Ximeze said "Looked out the back door & the plum tree is in bloom. "<BR/><BR/>Julie said "...overnight it is Spring,..."<BR/><BR/>Rggrllgrfulgnegdk...[insert obscene comment here] gryllg-dugunken rglyfff....<I><B>Whooo's dat trip trappin' across MY BRIDGE!?</B></I><BR/><BR/><BR/>;-)Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-60486841707355769022008-02-25T19:11:00.000-08:002008-02-25T19:11:00.000-08:00Frankly, Cuz, it seems clear to me that we aren't ...Frankly, Cuz, it seems clear to me that we aren't doing nearly enough to make AGW a reality; better a warming period than an ice age, methinks.juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15975754287030568726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-85843177233767889162008-02-25T19:09:00.000-08:002008-02-25T19:09:00.000-08:00Will said,"Obamasuppository"ROFLOL!!!Will said,<BR/><BR/>"Obamasuppository"<BR/><BR/><B><I>ROFLOL!!!</I></B>Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-50553474143151031932008-02-25T19:04:00.000-08:002008-02-25T19:04:00.000-08:00Snow cover over North America and much of Siberia,...Snow cover over North America and much of Siberia, Mongolia and China is greater than at any time since 1966: <A HREF="http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=332289" REL="nofollow">Welcome to the New Ice Age</A>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-51267310711167076412008-02-25T18:53:00.000-08:002008-02-25T18:53:00.000-08:00Obamasuppository asked the other day re: the objec...Obamasuppository asked the other day re: the object of his veneration, "what's wrong with excitement?", ie, what's amiss with the excited intoxication of O's fan base.<BR/><BR/>Excitement is by definition "ex", without, this as opposed to enthusiasm, "entheo", God resonating from within. Excitement thus tingles the material senses, nothing more.<BR/><BR/>More, excitement often depends on glamorization, which really amounts to having a spell cast on one - glamorization is a soporific, it induces a kind of sleep, one doesn't see what is really there. <BR/><BR/>Enthusiasm, as generated by a Reagan, for example, does not induce sleep but rather conduces wakefulness - it is literally consciousness-raising. Enthusiasm doesn't give one the heady sensual rush of excitement/glamorization. It affects real change from within.<BR/><BR/>I have to think that Obama's ascendency is due in great measure to the fact that there is now - has been for quite a while now - a collective addiction to glamour via the electronic media, entertainment-saturation in general with all its numbing trivialities. This glamorizing, this spell-casting has been going on for generations and may now be near a completion of sorts. One might even suspect a diabolic conspiracy, the origin being a place where dominions reside and plot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-53619198222678089052008-02-25T18:45:00.000-08:002008-02-25T18:45:00.000-08:00Yeah, more mind parasites. And more light! Wher...Yeah, more mind parasites. And more light! Where's the reincarnation of Will Rogers. This stuff just writes itself.... Obama's gonna be the savior because he was a child of a white mom? (WSJ) I don't make this stuff up, I just read the paper. <BR/><BR/>Saw a turtle... little bitty guy basking in the sun on the roots of the oak the other day. Spring and new hope. <BR/><BR/>I've always rued the looooong election cycle. Now I have to hope that the disinfecting force of light will strike the great sensible majority in the middle of the US electorate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-40135352141920710122008-02-25T18:39:00.000-08:002008-02-25T18:39:00.000-08:00Expert texpert choking smokers, don't you think th...Expert texpert choking smokers, don't you think the joker laughs at you? <BR/><BR/>Ho ho ho, he he he, ha ha ha!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-75306575347755723302008-02-25T18:15:00.000-08:002008-02-25T18:15:00.000-08:00What's with being enamored of ceding your ability ...What's with being enamored of ceding your ability to think clearly about issues to an 'expert'? Can't ya'll logic your own way out of a paper bag on your lonesome? Somebody else gotta tell ya what to think? Don't trust your own judgement?<BR/><BR/>Quick! Find an Expert!<BR/><BR/>You know, the types with which we're all familiar: tons of certificates proudly displayed on every surface in sight & barely two little-gray-cells to rub together when you talk to them.<BR/><BR/>Humm, I'm thinking this inability of individuals to think critically has gotta be tied to that group-grope stuff Julie linked to a couple of days ago. <BR/><BR/>A whole generation of consensus wonks. Good Lord.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-6660668053891198012008-02-25T18:13:00.000-08:002008-02-25T18:13:00.000-08:00All I know is, I've been living in Bob's garage no...All I know is, I've been living in Bob's garage now for a little over two years, and I've been freezing my ASS off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-10691072683488594332008-02-25T18:02:00.000-08:002008-02-25T18:02:00.000-08:00From Bob's linked article, an example of Left Wing...From Bob's linked article, an example of Left Wing <I>clarity</I>:<BR/><BR/>"In 2005, a Canadian Greenpeace representative explained “global warming can mean colder, it can mean drier, it can mean wetter.” In other words, all weather variations are evidence for global warming."walthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388218390016612051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-31716211926391435962008-02-25T17:52:00.000-08:002008-02-25T17:52:00.000-08:00More on the problem of Global Cooling.More on the problem of <A HREF="http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/COMMENTARY/10575140" REL="nofollow">Global Cooling</A>.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-25526144893904632862008-02-25T17:47:00.000-08:002008-02-25T17:47:00.000-08:00Julie--Yes, unlike the global warming fraud, the g...Julie--<BR/><BR/>Yes, unlike the global warming fraud, the global cooling scenario is a potentially serious situation.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.com