Just A Reminder - The Blog Has Moved!

If you haven't switched over to the new site and feed, you're really missing out. TONS of new content, reviews, links, etc.

The new blog and site is: The Pretense of Knowledge - A Shout-Out To F.A. Hayek …

I would love to see you over there to visit and comment, spread the word, thanks! :-)

The Blog Has Moved!

Everyone, the blog has moved. I bought a new domain and switched to WordPress at the same time.

In addition, I changed the name. The new blog is The Pretense of Knowledge. The title is both a shout-out to the great economist F.A. Hayek, as well as a little (okay, a very little) self-deprecating humor. ;-)

[Here's the new RSS feed.]

So please head over to The Pretense of Knowledge and update your bookmarks. I look forward to your comments and feedback!

Hardened Criminals Finally Off The Streets

That's what the Feds would have you believe. I wonder if this is what the founding fathers had in mind?

Amish Raw-Milk Seller Raided by Feds - Ideas On Liberty: "A yearlong sting operation, including aliases, a 5 a.m. surprise inspection and surreptitious purchases from an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, culminated in the federal government announcing this week that it has gone to court to stop Rainbow Acres Farm from selling its contraband to willing customers in the Washington area. The product in question: unpasteurized milk."

Two on Big Oil: Taxes and Profits

From Dr. Perry, via Dr. Rizzo.

The Unbroken Window - Fun Facts to Know and Tell: Gasoline Profits Edition: "From Mark Perry:

- Each gallon of gas sold in 2010 generated … two … cents … of profits for Exxon.
- Each gallon of gas sold in 2010 generated … forty-eight cents … of tax “revenues” for government.

By the way, this does not include the tax … on the profits of the oil companies. I’d remind you too that their margins are 8%. How many of you would take hundreds of billions of dollars, explore the deepest, most inhospitable places on the planet, manage to get a well dug a mile below the bottom of the sea, pump it up, transport it, refine it, and be cast as the most obscene villain in the history of capitalism to earn … 8 cents on the dollar of revenue generated?"

QI: Exxon Paid Almost $1M per Hour in Income Taxes and Its Effective Tax Rate Was 42.3%: "1. ExxonMobil paid $8 billion in income taxes to various governments in the first quarter, which is about $22 million in income taxes each day, or almost $1 million each hour.
2. ExxonMobil spent $7.8 billion in the first quarter on capital equipment and exploration (73% of its earnings), or more than $21 million per day, which is an increase of 14% compared to the first quarter last year. Over the next five years, the oil company plans to invest about $175 billion in capital equipment and exploration. "

Quick Book Review: Up From The Projects by Walter Williams

One of the latest from the great Dr. Walter Williams. This time it's his autobiography: Up From The Projects by Dr. Walter Williams

A wonderful and enjoyable read. You'll walk away with a better appreciation of what the man overcame, and what made him who he is today. The pictures and anecdotes are worth the price of admission alone.

Not too much more to say about it. A brief paperback, and a deal at under $12 from Amazon. Also enjoy the video interview with Dr. Williams.



You can read the preface and first chapter for free.

Related links:
YouTube - Walter Williams: Up From the Projects
Up from the Projects - Thomas Sowell
Man Versus the State - Reason Magazine

Today's Quotes: Ehrlich, Harvey, Rand, & More

The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s the world will undergo famines--hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now.
-- Paul Ehrlich, 1968

It was self-serving politicians who convinced recent generations of Americans that we could all stand in a circle with our hands in each other’s pockets and somehow get rich.
-- Paul Harvey

A society that robs an individual of the product of his effort, or enslaves him, or attempts to limit the freedom of his mind, or compels him to act against his own rational judgment ... is not, strictly speaking, a society, but a mob held together by institutionalized gang-rule.
-- Ayn Rand

If you want government to intervene domestically, you're a liberal. If you
want government to intervene overseas, you're a conservative. If you want
government to intervene everywhere, you're a moderate. If you don't want
government to intervene anywhere, you're an extremist.
-- Joseph Sobran (1995)

Welfarism and excessive spending and deficits and socialism divide us, because everybody has to go to Washington. Those who have the biggest clout, those who are the best lobbyists, those who go and they grab. And whether it's the medical industrial complex, or the banking industry, or the military industrial complex, that's who ends up controlling our government... For so long, conservatives and constitutionalists have lost the argument, they lost the moral high ground. Because those who want to give things away, not talking about where they steal it from, but they want to give things and take care of people, they get the moral high ground and they come by as being compassionate. And we who believe in liberty, we lack compassion. But the truth is, there's only one compassionate system known to man, and that is freedom and personal responsibility, then there's enough wealth, and then we will all have personal responsibility to use this compassion that we have, first to take care of our families and friends and neighbors, and there would be so much wealth that we could spread this wealth around the world.
-- Dr. Ron Paul

A Few Random Morning Links ...

Fun Facts to Know and Tell: Gasoline Profits Edition.

Love this 1975 BMW R75/6 with Matching Sidecar.

The Messages a Man Sends With His Work Bag - WSJ.com

Nice FC pencils.

An incredible and unique Vacheron clock from the 1930s.

The Budweiser diet: How long can you survive on beer alone?

Hayek’s Nobel, Our Victory?

Space, the Ultimate Visual Frontier: 70 Amazing Infographics.

Protect yourself from the zombie apocalypse, in style.

Where Will Kate and William Live?

9 retro bomb shelters.

Cisco's Virtual Doctor Will See You Now.

The death of the typewriter? Don't write it off yet.

Free Markets Have Room for Everyone.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake, 1554 Black Ale Doughnuts with Mocha Black Ale Glaze, Chubby Hubby Brownies.

Contemporary Brazilian Residence. One in Stuttgart.

First Look: Brand New 85g Ivory Quo Vadis Habanas.

Calling animals 'pets' is insulting, academics claim.

An Evening with Credor Minute Repeater then some.

Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Round Two

The next installment, enjoy! (the first installment)

Watch it, enjoy, share it with friends, watch again, then read more Hayek.

Gingrich on Ethanol ...

In case you needed another reason to distrust this creature. (previous post)

Review & Outlook: Professor Cornpone Inc. - WSJ.com: "What an interesting turn in our running debate over ethanol with Newt Gingrich, the former GOP Speaker who wants to be President. Professor Gingrich says his ethanol support is grounded in his lifetime of studying history and intellectual problems, but what about that $312,500 from the ethanol lobby? The Center for Public Integrity has examined IRS records and reports that Mr. Gingrich's shop earned that sum for his role as a 'consultant' in 2009 for Growth Energy, one of the ethanol lobbies. The center cites documents listing his duties as speaking 'positively on ethanol related topics to media,' plus giving advice on 'strategy and communication issues.' Mr. Gingrich's salvos against us came in a lecture to the Renewable Fuels Association, a separate ethanol lobby, so we have to admit the Speaker is ecumenical in his salesmanship."

Related links:
Just Another Facile Politician
Yup, They Actually Said It: Newt Gingrich Edition

A Few Random Morning Links ...

Love this barn turned into a house. Imposing Concrete Residence in Warsaw.

Spreading the wealth around, with GPAs.

Not sure I would eat the jellyfish salad.

These new Moleskine rollerball pens look pretty slick. (much more) And the Muji Pocket Notebook. What's Poppin?

Visit Liechtenstein.

These could make me a Chukka convert.

By Air, Land, and Sea: 10 Great Animal Migrations to Witness.

Buying knock-off bags and watches in NYC could soon land you in hot water.

Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s antarctic hut has survived almost untouched – except by the occasional passing explorer – for 100 years.

The Preamble They Should’ve Written.

Iceberg photography.

The prince won't wear a wedding ring, what a player.

Qik Bridges Android-iPhone Gap With Cross-Platform Video Chat.

Again, with the typewriters.

Apple's Steve Jobs Defends iPhone Location Practices ... Jobs Concedes Apple’s Mistakes in iPhone Location Data.

Maple mousse served in an edible container.

Leica Helped Jews Flee Nazi Germany.

Edwardian Era Street Style.

Mr. ACL Meets the New Lambo.

The Newest on the U.S. Dungeon at Guantanamo.

Creative Destruction: Typewriters and Space Shuttles

Two good examples of creative destruction. And a funny subtext - note the last entities still using typewriters. ;-) (ht: Rachel Barnhart)

The World's Last Typewriter Factory Is Closed - Global - The Atlantic Wire: "Up until recently, there was a typewriter factory still in existence in India. And, for the better part of this past decade, Indians were still buying the unwieldy device in droves. Even this February, the AFP ran an article explaining that the seemingly-ancient technology was 'flourishing' in the nation. Sadly, that era has now ended. Godrej and Boyce shut down its Mumbai, India plant because of declining orders. The company has only 'a few hundred' typewriters in stock, most of which are Arabic language models. 'Till 2009, we used to produce 10,000 to 12,000 machines a year,' the factory's general manager told the India's Business Standard newspaper. 'Now, our primary market is among the defence agencies, courts and government offices.'"

With Flights Winding Down, NASA Astronauts Seek New Opportunities - NYTimes.com: "What happens when you have the right stuff at the wrong time? Members of NASA’s astronaut corps have been asking just that, now that the space shuttle program is ending and their odds of flying anywhere good anytime soon are getting smaller. The Endeavour is scheduled to launch this week, and the Atlantis is supposed to fly the last shuttle mission in June — and all the seats are spoken for."

Wristwatch Updates: Chocolate Frog, Racing Chronos, Sinn, & More!

I never tire of these amazing MB&F pieces. Enjoy the rest of the links. (pic courtesy of aBlogToRead)

MB&F HM3 Chocolate Frog & ReBel Hands-On: "I decided to cover both of these Horological Machine Number 3 variant watches together to illustrate just how creative MB&F can be with their models and marketing practices. The original HM3 debuted in 2008 and I did a review of the watch as well here. Since then MB&F has offered a range of HM3 based models, including these two watches which are the HM3 Chocolate Frog and the HM3 ReBel."

Take A Trip With Us Into The Future Of Complications : The Watch Lounge: "Before talking about the future of complications, Stéphane Belmont, Head of product development at Jaeger-LeCoultre, introduces an interesting distinction: “We can speak of two types of complications. One type is inherent to watchmaking art, those are classical complications that we will continue to interpret in our own way."

Racing Chronographs of the ’50s: "We recently uncovered an amazing cache of rare motorsports chronographs from the Fifties at Collector Studio – Motorsport Gallery in Toronto and were as intrigued by the watches’ histories as much as their vintage good looks."

Review: Panerai PAM00372 - Luxury Insider: "In this new column, we offer a verite-style take on luxury watches, with a few quick snaps, some witty banter and unapologetically personal opinions. Here, I try my hand at the Officine Panerai PAM00372"

Camaro 73443 NT 30 Dato (Stardust) - Heuerville: "It was Jack Heuer who was the driving forced behind the design and production of the Camaro. Despite the name, he commented recently that the watch had no commercial connection with the American muscle car. Sadly, the Camaro range was a short lived, only being seen in the 1970 to 72 catalogues."

1961 - 2011: 50 Years of Sinn: "For Watchuseek, I just finished this article on 50 years of Sinn Spezialuhren. A German brand with a focus on functionality and technology, celebrating their 50th anniversary this year with a special pilot’s chronograph Model 358."

The Lady or the Tiger: The Evolution of the Hublot Clef du Temps: "Now the Clef du Temps was a sort of act of horological subversiveness. Basically, you could make the watch run at either half or double speed, depending on whether you wanted to feel like time was running slowly or quickly (depending on, say, whether you were spending time with a sumptuously compelling member of the opposite sex, or going through an IRS audit.)"

Ochs und Junior Due Ore Tinta and Mesa Tinta- choose your own color of dial: "Ochs und Junior just launched a pilot series of these ‘Tinta’ models and they are ready and available for immediate delivery. However… just one watch per colour is the pilot series! Even the straps can be colored, so this is customization to the max."

OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Chrono Cal.9300/9301 - Perpetuelle: "As well, the watch boasts the usual Planet Ocean diver features including 600 meter water resistance rating, unidrectional rotating bezel, helium escape valve — all of the high quality divers we have come to expect from Omega. The new Caliber 9300 chronos are available in the variations shown below, black ceramic or orange bezel insert. Available Fall 2011."

Devon Tread 1 Watch Review: "While the Tread 1 is large, Devon did a good job with the design to ensure wearing comfort. The case is 53.3mm wide by 47mm tall and 19mm thick. I have small wrists, so the watch will likely not look at large on your arm."

Additional links:
Watchscapes: Grand Seiko GMT SGBM003
JLC SIHH 2011: The Duometre à Quantième Lunaire.
2 year anniversary with my 1971 Seiko 6138-0011 aka "Yachtman"
May 15th Antiquorum Important Vintage & Modern Timepieces
New brand: M. Benjamin by Benjamin Muller
Baselworld 2011: The big PuristSPro report --- Linde Werdelin

A Few Random Morning Links ...

As a kid, this was my dream car.

Stunning place in Cali. And another in the Netherlands.

Smugglers are just free-traders.

QTvan Mini Camper Trailer Designed For Use With Electric Scooters.

RomneyCare might be the canary in the mine. At the very least it should remove Romney from any serious consideration for POTUS.

Soviet Postcards From The Soviet-Finnish War.

More on the rot that is the union-run U.S. government school system.

Beefeater's master distiller shares his gin secrets.

It's like junior-high all over again. "I didn't do it, it was Android!"

Working with the Chaos Monkey, Netflix style.

Krugman exposed.

Record the police, always. Las Vegas Man Beaten for Filming a Cop.

Why are we entranced by the Titanic? And Titanic's Unknown Child Given New, Final Identity.

In One Hour, For Less Than a Buck, a Sensor Made of Jell-O and Foil Detects Acute Pancreatitis.

They've been making buttons for 150 years.

Food: Tiffany Derry's 5 course dinner. Spicy Cashew Brittle, Crunchy Nutella Brownies, belgian ale waffle with ale ice cream and chocolate sauce, Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream.

Where Did the Anti-War Protestors Go?

I've asked this several times in the last two years, and I see John Stossel's latest column wonders as well. See the double-standards and hypocrisy of the political Left on full display. Yes, I realize the political Right is just as bad, they just happen to often choose different topics. (pic via Wiki)

Where Did All the Anti-War Protestors Go? - John Stossel: "The anti-war movement was all over the news before President Obama was elected. But apparently they weren’t really anti-war

... they were just anti-President Bush. Two college professors just released a study of national protests between 2007 and 2009. What did they find?
… After January 2007, the attendance at antiwar rallies [measured in] roughly the tens of thousands, or thousands, through the end of 2008.

… After the election of Barack Obama as president, the order of magnitude of antiwar protests dropped [...] Organizers were hard pressed to stage a rally with participation in the thousands, or even in the hundreds. For example, we counted exactly 107 participants at a Chicago rally on October 7, 2009. Amazing. Especially because the war in Afghanistan ramped up after Obama was elected. American fatalities shot up in 2009 and 2010. The protesters have remained silent over Libya. And I’m struck by the hypocrisy of the supposedly “anti-war” politicians who voted against Iraq, like Nancy Pelosi. Since Obama was elected, she has voted to continue the war in Afghanistan … and supported the attack on Libya."

Related links:
Liberty & Govt. At Work: War Protests, Where Is Cindy Sheehan?, & More

Who Watches The Watchers? and Nullification.

One of the arguments against states' rights is that if a state (or other non-federal entity) becomes corrupt or tyrannical, the Feds would be unable to intervene.

I'm left with two thoughts:

1. With multiple, even numerous, states and locales, they would compete for citizens.
2. If the federal government has primacy, what to do if (when?) that government becomes corrupt or tyrannical? (answer here)

This is why I support nullification.

Two stories from the news on topic:
Military patrols start Friday night in downtown Columbus
NOLA cops so corrupt Feds have taken over

Nullification.
Book Review: Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century
Nullification: Answering the Objections by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
Interview with a Zombie - Tom Woods
Nullification and the Thought Controllers

A Few Random Morning Links ...

AD Classics: Willey House / Frank Lloyd Wright.

Some super-clever animated .gifs. (more)

If you've ever felt the need to send a ransom note on a mug, this is for you.

Are Maiden Names Really Worth $500,000?

Why we fear Daleks.

Could You Do Better Than Eisenhower?

Toyota's Xplore Adventure Series FJ Cruiser.

Here's a murdered-out Panny.

10 Things Your Coworkers Won't Tell You - SmartMoney.

The Pelikan 101N Tortoise is a beauty. Midori Traveler’s Notebook – Passport size.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Bowls, I'm sold.

You can rent a designer home.

This is some scary business.

A few items for earth day: Happy Mother Earth Day, Citizen!, Sustainability: Empty Rhetoric or a Bad Idea?, What Greens Really Believe, What About a Capitalism Day?