Great Blog Award

I want to thank Rich and Cher over at Askcherlock for this wonderful award. Please take some time and visit their blog. I find that even though we do have different political views, they maintain a lively blog and they also have a very tolerant core group of visitors which is very rare on the blogosphere. Thanks again, guys!

Around the horn

1) Business as usual: More proof that the financial reform bill coming out of Washington is eyewash. The credit agencies get a free pass.

2) Just like Cash for Clunkers, Cash for Caulkers, Cash for Appliances, after the tax breaks end as they are now doing with the housing market, the positive numbers that some liberal economists would tout as proof of a a strong housing recovery start to fade away.

(Additionally, and on a macroeconomic scale, does anyone want to make a bet at what's going to happen when taxes go up next year when the Bush tax cuts expire? The Bush tax cuts act like a tax break for the greater economy in the same way that all these much smaller "Cash for" programs did; when the tax cuts go away, it's a sure bet that we are headed for the doldrums in the very same manner that auto sales slumped after Cash for Clunkers did.)

3) Even liberal news outlets are predicting a dire November for Democrats.

Around The Horn...Newsworthy Links And Posts!

1) Good luck in trying to tax the rich to close the deficit.

2) Nearly half of U.S. homes escape taxes.

3) Mortgage rates jump higher as Fed stops buying mortgage-backed securities.

4) Another liberal crusade and another evil chemical that they need to save us from.

5) Milton Friedman on hope.

6) Is the Tea Party like the KKK?

Welcome Back!

The Chef is back to blogging at The Economist's Cookbook. This is a great free-market blog and well worth visiting often. The more free-market bloggers, the better.

Take the news quiz

Test your news IQ in this Pew Research Center quiz. I got 10 out of 12.

HT: Carpe Diem

Around The Horn

Posts of worth and note!

From Shaving Leviathan: Ted Kennedy Dies, Saves Country Five Months Later.

From A Disgruntled Republican: Dear global warming scientist, I am not as smart as a global warming scientist but I think that I am as smart as a fifth grader.

From Watts Up With That: The scandal deepens-IPCC AR4 riddled with non peer reviewed WWF papers.

Simply odd

Everyone has heard about Pat Robertson's comment on Haiti, but I think that the strangest comment comes from actor Danny Glover. Yesterday, Mr. Glover uttered the following bit of stupid:

Actor Danny Glover says the earthquake in Haiti is a result of global warming. Glover told GRITtv that it could have happened to any of the Caribbean island nations: "They are all in peril because of global warming."

Then, he lamented the failure of the climate summit in Copenhagen. As a result of that failure, he says, "this is what happened."

Wow. What a nutcase.

In other strangeness, it seems that Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector that is somewhat of an iconic fiqure for anti-Bush types has been charged in an online child-sex case. This is the second time and this time he was caught on camera!

Boy, has the dating scene changed

An application to be someone's boyfriend. I hope she finds what she is looking for.

Pictures of the day

Amazing pictures of a dust storm in Australia

Mmmmm...Beer!

Did you know that the Oktobefest beer festival is on?

America's Smallest Bank

Ah, free-market capitalism.

Make Your Own Lambo

Some guy hand built a Lamborghini in his basement.

Bill Would Give President Power Over The Internet

In case of a national emergency; the devil is in the details, of course. The bill was introduced by a Democrat.

Rose Friedman, Economist Partner of Husband Milton, Dies at 97

Rose Friedman, champion of liberty and free market economics has passed away. Godspeed, Rose, godspeed.

How Not to Avoid Jury Duty

Don't do what this guy did.

Forced to become an expatriate. Now where to go?

Since our government seems driven to devalue the American dollar while continuing to implement massive wealth distribution schemes, some of us may sadly have to live out our retirement abroad where our dollars may have more purchasing power. Here are some lovely places for about $500 a month.

Your Fridge Tells a Story

Interesting snapshots of refrigerators and those that use them. I ran to see what my fridge looked like after viewing this. I need more veggies.

Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Liar

Michael Moore will subject the American public to more of his myth making Marxist propaganda when he releases his new documentary October 2, 2009. Yup, the guy who idolizes "free" Cuban health care and who does not understand a shred of economics is going to make a movie about capitalism. Hilarious.

HT: Carpe Diem

Markets In All Things

How about a pirate hunting cruise?

Enjoy That Cup Of Joe, Friends

Coffee is good!

Coffee drinkers, rejoice! The heavenly brew, once deemed harmful to health, is turning out to be, if not quite a health food, at least a low-risk drink, and in many ways a beneficial one. It could protect against diabetes, liver cancer, cirrhosis and Parkinson's disease.

What happened? Lots of new research, and the recognition that older, negative studies often failed to tease apart the effects of coffee and those of smoking because so many coffee drinkers were also smokers.