I finally managed to break away from painting and so on, to blog.

* I note that James has a story posted where the idea is raised that Americans have too MUCH wealth saved for retirement. After years of being told how Americans aren’t saving nearly enough, this story seems problematic on its face.  As I told James, I can’t help but wonder if this new meme showing up, doesn’t have some connection to the recent change in power in Washington, particularly given the tendency of the party currently in power regards taxing and spending.

* Cosh wails:

It would be kind of useful if weblogs could get together on a single standard for the meaning of “previous” and “next” in links between pages, and better still if webloggers would just stop using those words.

Yeah, well… about that… let’s face it; most of the people that are running blocks these days, simply take the software is designed, and let it go at that.  It’s the rare person indeed that will actually create their own template , and redesign the internal linkages.  I think you may be asking a little much from the average blogger.

On the other hand such standardization would go a long way toward making the 80% of people who don’t read such sites more prone to reading them. I’m not convinced, that any extra valley imposed standards on form and function is ever going to take hold in this environment; the denizens of blogdom are just too independently minded.  Then again, perhaps that’s kind of a self imposed limitation on the number of readers attracted to such sites.

*

Kerry Backs Up Iran’s N. Rights

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Former US presidential nominee John Kerry voiced full support for the Islamic Republic’s right to use civilian nuclear technology on the basis of the rules and regulations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NTP).

Like I said, I don’t think the city is going to be able to keep his mouth shut, even though he’s not running for the office, this time around.  And isn’t it interesting, that when the pressure is off, the true wishes of the democratic party start getting mentioned?

Thank God this moron did not get elected.

‘ll tell ya, folks; the realistic view here is that Iran has been waging secretive war against the United States since 1979.  You remember, Jimmy Carter?

Describing the world’s indifference in the face of the Palestinian crisis as a catastrophe, he asked, “Why should the existence of a nation be ignored and why shouldn’t a legal government like Hamas which has ascended to power through democratic elections be recognized?”

If you have to ask that question, John, you don’t deserve the office you hold, much less than a president.  Do the nation and the world a favor and resign… now.

* Remember the million man march?  Yeah that was the one where a few thousand people showed up….  If that.  It appears the press is being similarly stretchy on its estimates for antiwar protests.  I mean, I know it’s difficult to believe that the press would lie to us about such a thing.  But there it is

* An interesting article today in the Washington Post. The thrust of the article is to dispel the myths surrounding the automobile and it’s supposedly damaging effects. Of note:

Some claim that Europeans have developed an enlightened alternative. Americans return from London and Paris and tell their friends that everyone gets around by transit. But tourists tend to confine themselves to the central cities. Europeans may enjoy top-notch transit and endure gasoline that costs $5 per gallon, but in fact they don’t drive much less than we do. In the United States, automobiles account for about 88 percent of travel. In Europe, the figure is about 78 percent. And Europeans are gaining on us.

Another important point:

Polls often show that Americans think that air quality is deteriorating. Yet air is getting much cleaner. We miss it because, while we see more people and more cars, we easily overlook the success of air-quality legislation and new technologies. In April 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that 474 counties in 31 states violated the Clean Air Act. But that doesn’t mean that the air is dirtier. The widely publicized failing air-quality grades were a result of the EPA’s adoption of tougher standards.

Air quality has been improving for a long time. More stringent regulations and better technology have allowed us to achieve what was previously unthinkable: driving more and getting cleaner. Since 1970, driving — total vehicle miles traveled — has increased 155 percent, and yet the EPA reports a dramatic decrease in every major pollutant it measures..

So much for the clueless and ranting and raving about “global warming”

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