Be Responsible This New Year's Eve

I will be enjoying a nice, quiet New Year's Eve at home with the family tonight. However, if you are going out to celebrate, remember to be responsible. If you see any police, let other people know in advance, like this:

Be responsible and be safe. Happy New Year, y'all.

That's no moon...

It's an ice cube.

Scientists Trapped by Antarctic Sea Ice

Some scientists pushing the global warming climate change theory went on an expedition to the Antarctic to measure the decline of sea ice due to global warming. Guess what happened?

They got stuck in the record levels of sea ice.

The irony here is thick. How thick exactly? About 3 meters thick. The ice is so thick that not even a Russian icebreaker can rescue them, so it looks like they may need to be airlifted out of there.

FYI, it's summer time in the Antarctic. Good thing they didn't go in the winter, amirite?

I'm not a scientist, but it sounds like there is plenty of ice to go around.

Enjoy Your Weekend

Happy Friday.

Not much going on. It seems like everyone is still in holiday-mode.

Enjoy your weekend playing with your new Christmas presents. I know I will.

My Dialect Map - I Can't Name the Area Between the Sidewalk and the Road

You see that picture? I have no idea what to call the grass between the road and the sidewalk.

You've probably already taken this quiz from the New York Times. It's exploded across the internet faster than knife fight in a phone booth. Likely, it's gone viral because people love to talk about how they talk.

I don't normally take quizzes (online or otherwise) but since I had plenty of time this Christmas Day, I decided to go for it. It actually doesn't take very long and it pegs you pretty close to where you live. (At least it did for me and Mrs. Permanent Press). I can't show you my map because it's not linkable for some reason. Take my word for it, it's pretty accurate for someone who lives in Columbia, has a father from Augusta, GA and went to college in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia.

To me, the most interesting question was "What do you call the grass strip between the sidewalk and the road?". It just blew my mind. It's so common and everyday, but I've never given that a second thought and I don't have a word for it.  It's not like some weird thing that only exists in Norway.

Anyone got a word for that?

Anyway, I used to think that I had no accent at all, but that changed when I went to Northwestern Indiana for law school. Most of my classmates were from the midwest or the upper midwest. I certainly didn't sound like them. I'd be interested to see their maps. Maybe they have a word for what the grass between the sidewalk and the road is.

Monday Before Christmas - You Got Your Shopping Done?

Make sure to get all the Christmas shopping done, y'all. If you're still trying to decide on what to get your wife/girlfriend, I saw this ad.

I've taken care of everyone except for three people, and they'll all be getting something from Morganelli's.

In other news, today is the last day to sign up for Obamacare!

Enjoy your Christmas. If you get a chance, gather the whole family around, and enjoy the best Christmas movie ever.

Best Eggnog Recipe (Using Bourbon)

I don't normally like alcoholic drinks that are sweet. I avoid White Russians, drinks with excessive fruit, and other overly sweet drinks. However, one exception to this is a little (very little) bit of eggnog at Christmas.

Most eggnog recipes call for rum and/or a blend of alcohols. However, I like Alton Brown's version most, as the only alcohol you add is bourbon.

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pint whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 ounces bourbon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg whites

Enjoy!

Gear for Guys: Christmas Gifts for the Southern Man

For the most part, we guys are easy to shop for. We tend to have hobbies of one sort or another that make for easy gift giving. However, if you have a guy on your Christmas List and are struggling to come up with something, Permanent Press is here to help. All of these gifts are Permanent Press Lifestyle™ approved.

For the Sportsman/Hunter: If you're looking for a gift for a shooter/hunter, you're in luck. There are endless accessories for the Southern Sportsman. Even if this guy already has a pocket-knife or a flashlight, he could always use another. For pocket-knives, I recommend Benchmade. For flashlights, I recommend Mag-Lights.

Also, this guy is always going to need ammunition. You literally can never have enough. So if you're looking for a cheap stocking stuffer, a box or two of ammo will be a big hit. If you don't know what kind to get, look and see what he already has in his gun safe. You can buy it online, and it will ship right to your door. My favorite online ammo retailer is Lucky Gunner, but there are plenty out there.

For the Well-Dressed Gentleman: If the Southern guy in your life dresses up during the workweek, there are accessories he might need. For instance, every guy needs a good shoe-shine kit, but it's not something that we would normally buy for ourselves. Allen Edmonds has a nice kit, but there are plenty of others out there. Don't buy this guy another tie or more cufflinks.

For the College Sports Fan: If the Southern man on your list is a college sports fan (and he likely is) then you can get him something to show his team spirit in the fall. If he's an SEC sports fan, there's always this awesome koozie. But even if he isn't an SEC fan, this link should still probably have you covered.

For the Guy Who Likes a Drink: If the Southern man on your Christmas list is over 21 and enjoys a nice cocktail, bourbon is always a nice gift. Belle Meade Bourbon is an easy-drinking boubon with a smooth finish. It also has a little bit of a horse-racing history, so it would be an appropriate drink this spring when the horse racing gets into full swing.

There you have it. If you have any other ideas, I'd be interested to hear them. Hope this little holiday guide helps!

Columbia City Council members Courted by Individuals Charged with Corruption

The State has the whole piece here. From a cursory reading, it looks like lots of circumstantial evidence without any hard ties between the criminal defendants and Columbia City Council members. However, that aside, it doesn't look good.

Maybe there's something here, and maybe there isn't. All I know is that it doesn't look good.

Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company. -George Washington

Indeed.

Federal Appeals Court Rules SC Occupy Protesters Have a "Viable Claim"

Remember back when "Occupy" was a thing? It was was back in November of 2011 or so. The protesters who were forcibly removed from the Statehouse grounds back then haven't just gone away. Maybe the Governor should have consulted with Permanent Press first.

Anyway, the Occupy folks have taken their case all the way to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which just decided that the Occupy protesters "have a viable claim" that the State of South Carolina violated their First Amendment rights.

You can read the full text of the opinion here.[PDF]

Here's where I am on this: Let's assume that the State did violate the Occupier's rights by forcibly removing them from the Statehouse Grounds. Ok, so what are the damages? The Occupy protesters want damages for the State violating their First Amendment rights. Well, for you law-geeks out there, there is a whole area of jurisprudence on who to measure such damages. You can read about it at length in this law review article, which just happens to be published by my law school alma mater.

I'm not sure I would award them much money, but I'd be fine with letting them go back to the Statehouse Grounds and protesting as much as they want, as long as they don't fall asleep. Sleeping isn't political speech, it's...well it's sleeping.

All I know is that if Governor Haley had followed my advice and just ignored these people, they'd probably be gone by now.

240th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party

I couldn't let today go by without mentioning that it's the 240th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Maybe it was an act of lawlessness, but it was certainly a turning point in the relationship between the colonists and the British government.

What would our government have to do to provoke a similar response now?

Peter O'Toole Dead at 81 - Lessons from Lawrence of Arabia

Peter O'Toole, best known for his role as T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, passed away on Sunday after a long illness.

If you haven't seen Lawrence of Arabia, it's a great movie, dealing with certain issues that are  timeless, and other political issues that are still relevant today.

Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia

One theme through the movie is the West's relationship with the Middle-East. In the movie, the relationship is against the larger backdrop of WWII, but the relationship is still fractious and unstable today. The British have the Arabs as a small appendage to their army, but it's not until T.E. Lawrence figures out how to properly use the skills and resources of the Arabs, do they become a serious fighting force.

The movie deals with racial issues, in how the British view the Arabs. In one scene, after walking through the desert, Lawrence and a young Arab boy is picked up and brought into the British Headquarters. Lawrence pushes forward with the young boy and goes into the officer's club demanding a glass of lemonade for each of them, much to the consternation of the British officers there.

The movie also explore how the Arabs themselves struggle to find their place in the world. In the setting of the movie, the Arabs are dealing with the same issues they confront today, perfectly summed up by Lawrence in this line:

Sherif Ali! So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people. Greedy, barbarous and cruel, as you are.

Sound familiar? In 2013, the Middle-East is still dealing with the problem of sectarian, tribe on tribe violence. We know about Shiites fighting the Sunnis, as was made clear in the Iraq War. Much of that issue still plagues the Middle-East today.

Finally, the most over-arching theme is the idea of a man's fate, and how a man can make his own fate through his free will and actions. The idea that nothing is written deals with what is preordained by God, and how man can shape his own destiny.

In one instance, Lawrence sets out against all extreme odds to avert an event (someone's death) that a Muslim companion (Omar Sharif) declares "is written," and has accepted. Lawrence resuces the man and then caps off his act by emphatically declaring, "Nothing is written."

Later, Lawrence even goes so far as to proclaim of his own bold plans, "That is written — in here" (tapping his head). Eventually Sharif is forced to admit, "Truly, for some men, nothing is written, unless they write it."

If you've never seen Lawrence of Arabia, now might would be an appropriate time to do so.

Sunday Morning Thread - Test Taking Tips

No, the Obamacare website isn't fixed yet, but I did make you some tasty french toast. Don't worry, french toast makes everything better.

On an unrelated note, here are some funny answers to test questions from what appear to be elementary school and middle school students. A few of my favorites are:

1. Name the quadrilateral.

2. How do you change centimeters to meters.

Duh.

Study hard, kids.

Go Army, Beat Navy!

One of college football's best games of the year is today. At 3:00PM today, Army and Navy meet for their traditional battle. This game represents everything good in college football: teamwork, sacrifice, and discipline. No one from this game will be going to the NFL next year. No one will be getting a big paycheck and driving a fancy car next year. They'll be going into harm's way.

All the graduating seniors (or first-classmen) will be going into their commissions as officers with either the Army or Navy. These boys play football because they love their school, and they love the game.

It's what college football is all about.

Army-Navy Program from 1945

For over a hundred years, West Point and the US Naval Academy have played each other. However, in the recent years, the series has been one-sided, with Navy winning the last eleven games.

Pretty much everyone in my family comes from the Army side of the military, so I'll be cheering for the Black Knights to break the losing streak today.

GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!

Friday Open Thread (Slow News Day)

Happy Friday.

Not much for news out there, other than a "meh" kind of budget deal in Congress.

Not much is new with the complete failure of Obamacare, other than it's still a train-wreck. The most recent news is that HHS is requiring that insurers allow people until December 31 to pay for coverage that would start January 1. How in the world is that going to work? You've got to at least have time for people's checks to clear. Remember, insurance is a contract - you don't get coverage unless you pay.

This is shaping up to be a serious mess come January 1. In other related news that's depressing here are three reasons that today's teenagers can't find jobs. (And why this is really bad for America.)

If you want, you can keep up with my profile on the Farmer's Only dating website.

Devine Night Out is Tonight!

The 2013 Devine Night Out is tonight. About 50 different stores and restaurants will be open late for an evening of shopping, and festive cheer. There will be food, drinks, and an oyster roast at Home Advantage Realty. You can find more details here.

Devine Street is one of the few retail locations in Columbia where pretty much every business is locally owned. If you want to support local business in Columbia while having a great time, come on out and enjoy a Devine evening. It's also a great way to get your Christmas shopping done. Last year, I knocked out about 80% of my shopping in one night.

Mrs. Permanent Press and I will likely take Permanent Press, Jr. out for this event, since he's enchanted by Christmas lights. Also, I believe that Fig Columbia will be there as well.

Hope to see you there!

365,000 Have Signed Up for Private Insurance through Obamacare

I say "signed up" for insurance rather than "obtained" insurance because I still think it remains to be seen how many people have actually had their information properly transmitted to the private insurance company. I'm not assuming a 100% success rate like the Washington Post seems to be. I'm also not sure this number is requiring that people to have actually mailed a payment.

 

 

Remember, an insurance policy is a contract. It doesn't exist until a payment is made. Let's assume everyone's paid though. (Ok, try to suppress your laughter. I'll wait.) I'll tell you what the real problem is.

Done laughing? The real problem is that 803,000 have been enrolled onto Medicaid. That's not exactly the same as private insurance. That means most of the people who have "signed up" aren't paying any premiums at all. They're getting free health insurance from the taxpayers.

Here are also a couple of things to consider. First, millions of people have had their private insurance cancelled because of Obamacare, so the 365,000 number still means that we're in net negative territory for total private plans.

Second, the 365,000 total is still far below what the original estimate of success was. Sure, measured against a total trainwreck of ZERO, it's better. Sure, anything is better than zero. But let's not start congratulating ourselves just yet.

Remember that HHS has a goal of 3.3 million signups by the end of the year. That means we're going to need another three million more people to get the private insurance (not Medicaid option) in the next two weeks. Don't forget, that's what the prices are based on. If they don't hit that total number, the policies are getting re-priced, in the upwards direction.

Finally, there's still no information on the demographics of who has signed up for these plans. Personally, I'm not optimistic that the necessary number of young people have signed up. Don't forget, getting enough premiums from the young, healthy people is one of the necessary conditions to make this whole thing work.

This whole business is going to get out of control. It's going to get out of control, and we'll be lucky to live through it.

TSA Agent Confiscates Sock Monkey's Gun

As part of our government's ongoing efforts to keep us safe as we fly commercial airlines, the TSA has done us all the favor of disarming rogue sock monkeys of their tiny toy pistols.

Rooster Monkburn: Thwarted by valiant TSA agent

Yes, this desperado, who goes by the outlaw name "Rooster Monkburn" tried to make it through the TSA security checkpoint in St. Louis, but a sharp-eyed TSA agent acted quickly to make sure that the threat was neutralized.

“She said ‘this is a gun,’” said May. “I said no, it’s not a gun it’s a prop for my monkey.”

“She said ‘If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn’t know if it was real or not,’ and I said ‘really?’” said May.

The TSA agent told May she would have to confiscate the tiny gun and was supposed to call the police.

Luckily the ruse didn't work. The TSA agent didn't fall for the ol' Sock Monkey With a Toy Gun ploy. As we all know, that's the oldest trick in the book.

I know, being a TSA agent isn't always safe. There are late nights and dangerous terrorist agents who are ready to pounce upon an unsuspecting public. Only the watchful eye of the highly trained TSA agents stands between the unsuspecting public and evil sock monkeys bent on world domination.

Yes, for the true TSA agent, the reward is knowing that you've made the world a safer place. As true evil never rests, the TSA agent must likewise be on constant guard against Little Army Men with their plastic guns, crayon drawings of cowboys and Indians shooting it out, toy aliens with their highly dangerous toy laser blasters, and all other manner of evil toys.

Luckily, a TSA agent was astride the ramparts of liberty, protecting you. Next time you see a TSA agent, thank them for having the courage to stare down such dangerous toys every day.

Top Hospitals Opting Out of Obamacare

Remember the "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor" promise that President Obama made? Yeah, about that. I have some bad news. Well, it's only bad news if your doctor works at a premier hospital. If your doctor works at a podunk hospital in the middle of nowhere, I'm sure you'll be fine.

If your doctor works at Sloan Kettering, M.D. Anderson, or Cedars-Sinai you're probably out of luck.

Amid a drive by insurers to limit costs, the majority of insurance plans being sold on the new healthcare exchanges in New York, Texas, and California, for example, will not offer patients’ access to Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan or MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, two top cancer centres, or Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, one of the top research and teaching hospitals in the country.

Hey, it's just Sloan Kettering and MD Anderson. Those just happen to be the top two cancer treatment hospitals in the world. No biggie, right? You don't really need the best cancer care, right?

This Obamacare thing keeps getting better every day.

So just to recap: You can't necessarily keep your plan, you can't necessarily keep your doctor, and you might not be able to sign up for a new plan because the website is all wonky, and you'll pay a tax if you don't get that new plan that you've been ordered to purchase. And if you do get a new plan, it will cost you more in premiums, if you're young and healthy.

The Five Worst Christmas Songs Ever

Happy Monday.

Brad's got the list of worst Christmas songs over at his place, and my only quibble with it is that I like Frank Sinatra's version of Little Dummer Boy. Otherwise, I concur.

On a related note, one of my pet peeves with Christmas music is people who play it before Thanksgiving. There should be a law allowing people to make a citizen's arrest when that occurs.

Anyone got any other Christmas songs they could do without?