Among neoconservatives, there is a movement to characterize the United States as “exceptional.” We are different. We are special. With an emphasis on its divine origin (Christian gods only need apply). In a series ofirregular posts, WC is examining the credibility of this claim. WC has taken flack in comments and emails for disputing that…
WC is undertaking an intermittent series on Medicare, and specifically on claims about Medicare that are simply untrue. WC earlier examined the claim that increasing the co-payment obligation – making seniors pay more – will save money. Now WC will examine the claim that the privatization fairy will save Medicare money. WC has borrowed the phrase “privatization…
WC has had some private email deploring the What Have We Done postings. The series, you will recall, have been honoring birds species in the U.S. that have gone extinct since the country was created. The emails argue that agonizing over the losses serves no purpose. WC disagrees, but admits the pieces are depressing to…
As a public service – and not because WC is approaching Medicare eligibility – WC is beginning an intermittent series on the mythology surrounding Medicare. One such myth lies at the heart of the Paul Ryan plan to dramatically increase the co-payment seniors would have to make. Yes, WC recognizes that Ryan has called it…
WC wants to use the latest failed call of the Apocalypse to draw a distinction between science and faith. It goes back to Thales of Miletus. Thales, in the Sixth Century BC, used astronomy and mathematics – science – to make a prediction. He predicted there would be an eclipse of the sun on May…
WC has railed about Patent Trolls before, specifically Paul Allen’s silly claims. WC has even written a modest field guide to trolls to assist his readers. But the Paul Allen silly claims benchmark has been surpassed by the recent claims of Lodsys, LLC: that every app developer for the iPhone has violated Lodsys’s patents, and…
At one time, the Eskimo Curlew may have been one of the most numerous shorebirds in North America with a population in the millions. As many as 2 million birds per year were killed near the end of the 19th century. The last confirmed sightings were in 1962 on Galveston Island, Texas (photographed) and on Barbados in 1963 (specimen).…
