Assorted Links 7/22/09 Archives

Assorted Links 7/22/09

Drafting Effective Federal Legislation and Amendments, July 29, 2009
Preparing and Delivering Congressional Testimony, July 30, 2009
Advanced Federal Budget Process, August 3-4, 2998
Advanced Legislative Strategies, August 5-7, 2009
Law Schools’ Ward Churchill Moment - "Sonia Sotomayor’s shameless repudiation in the Senate of her past statements on gender, race, and judging is not just hypocritical, it is a lost opportunity."
UK National Portrait Gallery threatens Wikipedia over scans of its public domain art - "[Britain's National Portrait Gallery argues] that they can service the public -- whose taxes sustain them -- by extracting additional rents from photos instead of seeing to it that they are widely distributed. This is an increasingly common argument by public institutions, for example, the BBC jealously guards its additional DVD income and shies away from any kind of public archive that might undermine it, saying that the five percent of its budget derived from commercial operations is so important that the material funded with the other 95 percent of its income -- which comes directly from the public -- should be locked up."
Bailouts Could Hit $24 Trillion? - "We used to complain that George W. Bush had increased spending by ONE TRILLION DOLLARS in seven years. Who could have even imagined new government commitments of $24 trillion in mere months? These promises could make the implosion of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac look like a lemonade stand closing."
States' budget pain eclipses last recession - "State tax revenues plunged nearly 12 percent in the first three months of 2009, the worst in the 46 years for which quarterly data are available, the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government said in its latest state revenue report. The drop exceeds those of recent recessions, the report said."
New Yorkers, Give A Hoot! - "As the Metropolitan Transit Authority raises fares and reduces spending, it will undoubtedly be tempted to economize further by cutting the subway cleaning budget. The agency must avoid doing so at all costs. Nothing signals a city out of control more decisively than a filthy public-transit system. If trash starts piling up again on subway platforms and in subway cars, New Yorkers will know that the time to despair has arrived.

But it need never come to that point. Subway litter is a problem that New Yorkers can solve for themselves simply by changing their ways. There is no possible excuse for leaving a half-drunk cup of coffee on a subway floor, dropping a candy wrapper on a platform or abandoning a newspaper on your seat as you exit a train. The execrable habit of dropping trash in public areas does not belong in a world-class, civilized city."
Nat’l Arbitration Forum to cease consumer work - "The Minnesota Attorney General’s office announced Sunday it reached a settlement with National Arbitration Forum, under which the St. Louis Park-based company will stop consumer credit arbitrations by July 24.

The company was sued July 14 by Attorney General Lori Swanson, who charged the company with masking its extensive ties to the collection industry.

National Arbitration Forum had represented itself to consumers facing debt disputes with creditors as an independent body that operated like an impartial court system. In fact, Swanson alleged, the company worked alongside creditors and against the interests of consumers."
Media groups seek end to "off the record" events in Washington
Daniel Levy's Defense of Human Rights Watch - "And note that this was a speech to an American audience. God knows what she said in Saudi Arabia. And God knows what she thinks privately, as opposed to what she reveals publicly. Somehow Levy hasn't persuaded me that this speech shows that Whitson doesn't single out Israel for criticism in the U.S., much less when she's on a fundraising trip to Saudi Arabia."

Optical Illusions and The Sensory Order

Location of 3D Image Processing in Brain Identified

Power Your Car With Pee - "A scientist at Ohio University has developed a catalyst capable of extracting hydrogen from urine. That’s right. Urine. Now you can fill one tank while draining another."
The 10 Most Dangerous Foods to Eat While Driving - "It should be said this is by no means scientific; it’s a rundown of things actuaries don’t think you ought to have in your hand (or mouth) when driving. That said, the list is more frightening than the repair bill we got when our Jag needed a transmission rebuild.

1. Coffee. It’s hot. It can spill. That’s bad. That said, we’re guilty of this. So are you. Admit it."
Is pomegranate juice healthy? - "In your quest to increase the flavonoids in your diet, do you overexpose yourself to fructose? Remember: Fructose increases LDL cholesterol, apoprotein B, small LDL, triglycerides, and substantially increases deposition of visceral fat (fructose belly?). How about a slice of whole grain bread with that glass of pomegranate juice? The Heart Association says it's all low-fat!"
Dissolve the (White) People - "The most dominant and common tribal, race-obsessed, and vengeful racism in America today is found among black and Hispanic activists who make no bones about their anti-white agenda."