Very Good Read On The Koch Brothers ...

If you're like me, in the last few months you've seen them described as evil puppet masters behind the scenes of the tea party, big oil, and climate change "denial," an instrumental in what's happened in Wisconsin. They are also allegedly responsible for every human ill from halitosis to restless leg syndrome. The hard left definitely has a Koch brother fetish

I don't know everything about them, and I suspect they are not perfect human beings without failings. But I am confident they are being unfairly targeted and smeared for the most part.

The first column below is long, over 10 pages, but well worth the time.

The Paranoid Style in Liberal Politics: "The left’s obsession with the Koch brothers. David Koch’s secretary told him the news. This was in February, during the rowdy standoff between Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and demonstrators backing 14 Democratic legislators who’d fled to Illinois rather than vote on a bill weakening public employee unions. Koch’s secretary said that an editor for a left-wing website, the Buffalo Beast, had telephoned the governor posing as David Koch and recorded the conversation. And Walker had fallen for it! He’d had a 20-minute conversation with this bozo, not once questioning the caller’s identity. But then how could Walker have known? Sure, David Koch was a billionaire whose company had donated to his campaign. But Koch (pronounced “Coke”) had never talked to Walker in his life."

Money and politics: The Koch brothers and the progressive master narrative - The Economist: "I don't think many people understand how little these institutions depend on the Kochs' continued generosity. Of the brothers, Charles is the ideas man, and his idea has always been to build a set of complementary institutions which, once mature, can thrive without his (or his brother's) financial help."

A Few Random Morning Links ...

How did the NYT manage to spend $40 million on their paywall?! Oops.

Delayed Delivery: Message in a Bottle Turns Up after 24 Years!

Retro Thing: First Orbit: 50 Years Of Manned Spaceflight

Harry Houdini's version of "Sent from my iPhone."

Stunning home in Brazil. And one in Costa Rica, Medieval Building Turned Into Contemporary Living Space. And one in Madrid.

The Brain That Changed Everything - Esquire.

Mechanical typewriters.

Hong Kong Company Moves Swiftly on Ultrafast Broadband.

Bike and sidecar.

Some Watches: kind of intrigued by this $300 automatic watch with GMT hand (more), New Sarpaneva Korona K3 Northern Star, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore, Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback, new Rolex Explorer II teases and frustrates, BaselWorld 2011: Hublot.

Food: Hong Kong: Dim Sum at The Grang Hyatt, Nutella, Esperienza Italia 150, Frozen Hot Chocolate.

Who has a Royal Warrant?

Style: Stresemann suit, no pleats for me, nice jacket, Sartorialist Calls Fashion Blogger "Curvy," Shitstorm Ensues, Insult to Injury? Crocs Donates 100,000 Pairs of Shoes to Japan.

Travel: Eight Reasons to Visit Post-Communist Eastern Europe Now, Ships Woo Premium Passengers, Hike the 2,200-Mile Appalachian Trail in 4 Minutes.

Japan more than two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami, Faces of the displaced - The Big Picture

George Eastman House & Museum of Photography.

Tesla Sues ‘Top Gear’ for Libel.

California Points Gun At Own Head, Pulls Trigger.

Teachers in CA Receive More in Retirement Than Active Teachers in More Than Half of U.S. States.

There's nothing like a fountain pen.

Pakistan spiders flee floods in web-covered trees.

Design for the Real World: Interstate Signs.

Markets In Everything: Subway Scofflaw Insurance

Never underestimate markets.

Freeloaders Unite to Fight Subway Fares in Oslo - WSJ.com: "OSLO—Norwegian student Petter Slaatrem Titland strolls through the open gates of this city's subway system most days without a care in the world or a transit ticket in his pocket. No ordinary fare dodger, Mr. Titland has insurance against getting caught."

A Few Random Morning Links ...

A typeface based on Gandhi's specs, cool. (more)

360-Degree Panorama Takes You Inside Prague’s Off-Limits Baroque Library. (more)

Maybe you could power your gadgets with your heart? Wine glass engineering.

6,200 sq ft. house in Florida, beautiful cedar canoe, house in New Zealand, Seven Water Towers Transformed into Houses, Ten Astonishing Steampunk Timepieces . Taliesin West / Frank Lloyd Wright.

A pen you can eat, various pen reviews, I want a Tombow AirPress, and these suitcases.

I definitely need to visit Prague one day. Maybe wearing longwings. Or maybe a mohair suit.

Basel Rolex pics, Glashütte Original, Seiko chrono, odd clocks, new Speedmaster Co-Axial, Ikepod hourglass, GO perpetual calendar. And I still love the Opus XI.

Missing Bronx cobra turns up on Twitter.

Some daily kit.

Problem solving.

An iPod battery shortage?

Rolling Stone on Afghanistan, more.

Paying for Libya, Ron Paul on Libya here and here, Obama's Doctrine of Preemptive War.

Stossel on the welfare state.

Amazon Cloud Drive Stores 5 GB of Your Stuff Online and Streams Your Music Back to You.

A Stealth Downsizing, as Shoppers Pay More for Less Food - NYTimes.com

A column on Krugman, Academic Freedom and Phony Whining.

Moleskine Branding

I'll admit to being a longtime Moleskine guy. I've filled up many of them over the last 8 years or so. But they've become quite expensive. Just last week I was at Border's looking for a new journal. The Moleskine was $17.95, the very good knock-off (and nearly identical) Picadilly was $4.95.

Unify, Simplify, Amplify: How Moleskine Gets Branding Right - Co.Design: "Ken Carbone dissects how the Moleskine brand is both expanding and staying true to what makes people love their brand. Last month I offered some branding advice based on the belief that, in order to win, companies need to Unify, Simplify and Amplify their brand message. This month I will showcase my first example of a brand that puts this formula into practice -- the Italian brand Moleskine, or as they pronounce it in Italy, 'mol-a-skeen-a.' Moleskine is the “little black dress” of notebooks. Like that fashion staple, it is a blank canvas for personal expression ready to be dolled up at the creative whim of its owner. "

Could Public School Teachers Be Cheating?

Read on and see what you think (D.C. standardized tests).

And plenty to be concerned about with these comments on education from the president. (pic via AP)

When standardized test scores soared in D.C., were the gains real? - USATODAY: "A USA TODAY investigation, based on documents and data secured under D.C.'s Freedom of Information Act, found that for the past three school years most of Noyes' classrooms had extraordinarily high numbers of erasures on standardized tests. The consistent pattern was that wrong answers were erased and changed to right ones. Noyes is one of 103 public schools here that have had erasure rates that surpassed D.C. averages at least once since 2008. That's more than half of D.C. schools."

Additional links:
D.C. School Success Comes under Suspicion
Administrative Bloat in Michigan Public Universities
Obama says too much testing makes education boring - Yahoo! News

Markets In Everything: Whole-Animal Dinners, Girlfriends, & Carriers

Interesting. (pic via Boston Magazine)

New Company Promises to Give You a Pretend Facebook Girlfriend: "Cloud Girlfriend has yet to officially launch, but the site is already generating overwhelming interest, advising visitors to 'register early to get in line.'"

Inside Scoop SF - Bring me his head: "As I was sitting in the casually elegant dining room at the Fifth Floor, perusing the menu and deciding whether to order the tasting menu, the waiter began to describe the dishes and when he got to the soup it gave me pause. It was a consomme with tender packets filled with pig head and served with a small crouton topped with a slice of head cheese. While it may have been offal, the taste and look was refined and elegant. The waiter explained that the chef buys the whole animal and uses it in many dishes. It made me realize realize that “whole animal” is now a buzz word used (and probably misused) as frequently these days as ”local, sustainable and humanely raised.”" (more)

HMS Ark Royal put up for sale on 'military eBay' - Telegraph: "The Royal Navy's former flagship HMS Ark Royal has been put up for sale on the Ministry of Defence's auction website."

A Few Random Morning Links ...

How dead is dead? Dead enough?

Cool home in Queensland. And one in Tel Aviv. 7 Hotels That Don’t Look Like Hotels.

Ron Paul on the Constitutional problems with Libya.

Too crowded, I need my space. Cocos Islands by Dmitry Miroshnikov.

Video/Photos: Inside new Haunted Mansion interactive queue at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

Gingrich, again. Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. I need this Robert Higgs sticker.

Web browser popularity over time, an infographic.

'Earth Hour' won't change the world By Bjorn Lomborg.

And on to food: 30 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Instant Noodles, Cadbury Creme Deviled Eggs, 13 Secret Ingredients for Irresistible Cookies, a scary tea robot, Foreign Grocery Friday: The Luxemburgerli of Zurich.

Jocke's Basel report, random Basel pics, & Nord Zeitmaschine.

The last decade was the best ever.

Milton Friedman on poverty and equality. See the master at work.

And on to watches: my dream Rolex Exp II again, De Bethune in search of lost quality, new Casio Edifice, funky vintage Breitling, new Rotary diver. Want a Chinese tourbillon? (more) I love this Clerc Hydroscaph GMT Watch. More Opus Eleven.

Budapest looks like a beautiful place. As does New Zealand.

Burt Folsom on taxes.

Your Toxic Waste bubble gum may be bad for you.

Dr. Hans-Hermann Hoppe on the Impracticality of One-World Government and the Failure of Western-style Democracy.

Private Wojtek, the 35 stone bear who battled Nazis to be remembered with statue.

UPS, no left turns.

The Origins of the First Arcade Video Game: Atari's Pong.

What your phone says about you.

Milton Friedman Schools A Young Michael Moore?!

Thanks very much to Dr. Mark Perry for digging up this video. It's allegedly a young Michael Moore getting schooled by the great Milton Friedman back I would guess in the late 70s. Google around, it may very well be Michael Moore. Either way, whomever the lad is, Dr. Friedman mopped the floor with him. :-)

As an aside, I guess I'll be the one to say it, Michael Moore has really let himself go.



Related Michael Moore links:
It's Much Worse Than An Ignorance Of Economics
Moore embarrassed by cronyism
Frustrating Michael Moore
Michael Moore Eviscerates A Straw Man

Follow-Up On Von NotHaus And The Liberty Dollar

Remember this recent post on Von NotHaus and the Liberty Dollar?

I'm glad to see that not only did Sheldon Richman have a nice follow-up piece, but he agrees with me that the Feds have a Constitutional right to coin money, but not an exclusive right. It's a solid read.

Also note the the Feds aren't necessarily always against alternative currency, the pentagon has its own "private" system. (ht: Laurent Belkacem)

A Victim of the State - The Freeman - Ideas On Liberty: "Sometimes we don’t see the trees for the forest. Advocates of liberty focus on the big picture: war, inflation, taxation, government spending and borrowing, drug prohibition, economic restrictions, privilege, the erosion of civil liberties, limits on immigration, and more. Sometimes the flesh-and-blood victims of government get lost in the theoretical discussion. But victims abound. One of the latest is Bernard von NotHaus."

A Few Random Morning Links ...

Cutest Siberian Husky pup ever? (pic via DailyPuppy)

Huge auction prices for watches are attracting the attention of investors and funds.

There is plenty about Buchanan that I disagree with, but he asks all the right questions in this piece on Libya.

Freaky steampunk creation from DeWitt. This new Citizen watch looks slick. Don't miss the Harry Winston Opus Eleven video. If Renaud & Papi are involved, it's worth checking out. Also see: Michael Parmigiani and the Golden Ratio/Fibonacci.

And still smitten over here with the new Rolex Explorer II w/ the orange hand. More here, and here.

Predictions and century-old postcards.

Top 20 Ultimate Ways to Use a Disposable Camera.

Few things are sweeter than a perfectly executed joint-lock.

This panic button looks better than the big red one Staples sells.

How does one get large excavator trucks into the mountains?

Another great Milton Friedman video.

Tudor Snowflake on a Bond strap. Casio Edifice F1 watch. (more from Casio) Vintage Omega PloProf, love it. Patek Philippe 5208 triple comp. w/ minute repeater monopusher chron &d instantaneous perpetual calendar ... ummm, WOW!!!!

10 Modes of Transportation that Never Got Into Gear.

Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Raw Cookie Dough Milkshakes, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars, & everything about the avocado.

60 TV Shows You Didn’t Know Had Full Seasons Online For Free, The Top 13 Classic Commercials.

Sunday Grab Bag of Links ...

Architecture. (pic via Freshome)
Artist’s Crib with an Intriguing Architecture in Melbourne
First Crescent / SAOTA
Cul-de-sac Family Retreat in Brisbane’s Chapel Hill
Incredible Floating Pre-Fab Neighborhood Pops Up in The Netherlands
Calcara House / Modulor Progettazioni Vincenzo Zito

Photography.
Japan Earthquake: Two Weeks Later
Car Designer Walter de'Silva Crafts New Leica M9 Titanium

Travel.
The Lure of Capri - Smithsonian Magazine
Nine Unique Ways to Explore the World by Water

Food.
101 Pringle Flavors from Around the World (Mostly USA and Japan)
Dirty Pickle Martinis, and a Martini Lesson
What I miss about winter, and Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili
Three Days at a Trappist Monastery
A little bit of everything: Chocolate filled Buns

Retro.
The Boat Race & Oxford, 1958

Cars.
Giallo Perfection: 10k-Mile 1972 DeTomaso Pantera
Steve McQueen Porsche Set For Auction
Renard Grand Tourer GT
Needs Finishing: Chopped 1951 Mercury Sled
Parker Brothers Green Machine

Style / Shoes / Boots.
Hickey Freeman’s Secret Weapon (more, Rochester)
John Lobb – Chapel in Parisian Brown Misty

Fountain Pens / Writing.
Ink Links - The Pen Addict
Tale of a Vandal Pen User: Getting Smaller
Friday Link Share :: Rhodia Drive
Titanic exhibition sails into Hawick as anniversary nears
Noodler's Piston Filler's secret identity
Noodler's piston filler fountain pen review
Artia Gen-Emon Kilin Koimari Furoukasuma, Sakura and Castle
Writing’s on the wall for fountain pens
Manila Standard Today -- A beginner’s guide to fountain pens

Liberty / Govt.
NYC Taxi Medallions Approach $1 Million!!
The Weekend Interview with Walter Williams - WSJ.com

Animals.
Einstein, the world's smallest horse, gets set for first birthday
Barney the Weimaraner

Economics.
G.E.’s business strategy - Our Dinner Table
Another Open Letter to Sen. Sherrod Brown
CARPE DIEM: The Price of Taxing the Rich

Earth Hour.
Earth Hour: a dissent
Hilton Worldwide Turns Out the Lights for Earth Hour 2011
Human Achievement Hour 2011

Education.
The Outrageous Hidden Costs of College

Misc.
Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census - NYTimes.com
Tools of Tradecraft: More Spy Gear From the CIA, Others
The James Bond lifestyle: 007′s apartment
The Secret Bunker Congress Never Used : NPR

Wristwatch Updates: Harry Winston Opus XI, Silberstein, Basel Updates, & More!

This new Harry Winston Opus XI is not to be missed. (pic via aBlogToRead)

Here's the video. You have to see how the minutes display changes.

And I still can't get enough of this new Rolex Explorer II! The price is approx a year of tuition at my kids' high schools, so sadly it won't happen anytime soon, if ever, but wow! This is the kind of watch you could wear for everything for 20+ years.

Harry Winston Opus XI Watch: "This year the Opus man is watch maker Denis Giguet of MCT, who created the amazing Sequential One. Giguet lends his talents to the Opus game and wins with the Opus XI. While the Harry Winston DNA is a bit hard to see in this watch, the piece is amazing and quite unlike anything I have ever seen before. It takes complexity to a new level. Never has the display of just the hours and minutes been cause for such jaw-dropping wows." (more)

Introducing The Bell & Ross Red Radar (Live Pics & Video) - HODINKEE: "Just like the Compass and previous Radar, the new Basel 2011 introduction, dubbed the 'Red Radar,' uses a disc system mounted to a traditional ETA movement to create a completely unique look. This particular model resmebles a red radar screen (cue the 'Hunt of Red October' bleeping sound) via red tinted crystal and clever fading on the time indication discs."

Patek Philippe 5270 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Watch: "This is it folks, this is the Patek Philippe watch (of today) that you are going to want. Brand new for 2011, and likely hard as hell to get for the foreseeable future, this is the Reference 5270 perpetual calendar chronograph watch (5720G). In white gold the case is Western-wearable at 41mm wide and looks spectacular." (more)

The mathematics of Parmigiani - livemint.com: "In the slightly bizarre world of high luxury, the recency of Swiss watches is anathema. Newness is something that is not only frowned upon, but actively campaigned against."

VIDEO: Louis Vuitton Steps Up Their Game, Builds A Tambour Minute Repeater - HODINKEE: "Housed inside the shapely Tambour case, LV's minute repeater caters to world travelers, providing a slight twist from most repeater watches. The watch features a dual-time configuration, with a second time zone visible in the window at the center of the dial."

Basel/SIHH 2011 - Alain Silberstein: "In the sun-filled halls of the 'Palace' - a tent-like structure set up outside the main hall that feature some of the most sought after small and independent companies such as Christophe Claret, MB&F and De Bethune, I find the colorful booth of Mr. Alain Silberstein."

Tudor Grantour Chrono Flyback (Ref 20550) - Perpetuelle: "Here’s a first look at the 2011 Tudor Grantour Chrono Flyback watch, Ref 20550. Rolex sister-brand Tudor had one of the big hits last year with its Tudor Heritage Chronograph watch, and while this particular model is not part of the Heritage line, it is another solid chrono — including a flyback function"

First Look: TAG Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000 - Calibre 11: "The Mikrotimer has two central Chronograph hands. The first green central hand measures the 1/100th and 1/1000th of a second on the external scale. The second, smaller central hand indicates elapsed minutes and 1/12s of a minute (i.e. 5 seconds)."

Patek Philippe Chief Says China Overinvestment Is a Mistake - Bloomberg: "Patek Philippe SA Chairman Thierry Stern said Swiss watchmakers that concentrate investment in China are making a mistake as the market will eventually slow."

Girard Perregaux - SIHH 2011: Girard-Perregaux celebrates its 220th anniversary! "Girard-Perregaux is celebrating its 220th anniversary this year. The year is just beginning and they are quite discreet so far but this year of celebration begins with several new watches presented at the SIHH. I can say to begin that I'm quite appealed by many of those. Several were pre-launched in the winter and it was the first opportunity to see them. The jewel of the crown was a surprise. My visit to Girard-Perregaux at the SIHH was also the opportunity to see again some already known very beautiful pieces."

Additional links:
Harry Winston Opus 11 - Perpetuelle
Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time Ref.5164
Basel 2011 – Breguet Classique Moonphase
Basel 2011 – Andersen Geneve Rodinia
Dark Chocolate Daytona Rose Gold with All-New Ceramic Bezel
Rolex Yacht Master II (Ref 116681)
Some picts from the Glashutte meeting yesterday
The new Stowa Flieger Chronograph
Time no longer the essence for luxury watchmakers | Reuters

Wristwatch Updates: Basel Updates, Rolex, Ulysse Nardin, & More!

Still more fun stuff coming in from Basel and elsewhere. This new Breguet is a stunner. (pic via Perpetuelle)

I LOVE the look of the new Explorer II w/ the black dial.

Incoming Rolex Explorer II v. Outgoing Explorer II Design Analysis and Comparison: "The incoming all-new 2011 Rolex Explorer 'Orange Hand' really is Night and Day compared to it outgoing predecessor as you can clearly see ..."

Basel 2011: Ulysse Nardin presents the new movement UN-118 - Ulysse Nardin: "Caliber 118 follows in the footsteps of Ulysse Nardin's Caliber 66/67 Sonata, the first timepiece conceived and manufactured in house and Anniversary Caliber 160, but takes innovation in movement technology a further giant step forward." (more from UN)

Basel 2011: Ulysse Nardin presents the "Alexander the Great": "The unconquerable hero of Greek history and symbol of strength inspires Ulysse Nardin's Alexander the Great Westminster Carillon Tourbillon Jaquemarts Minute Repeater, an exceptional timepiece that showcases the mastery of Ulysse Nardin watchmakers. Technically advanced, while keeping the storied tradition of mechanical watchmaking intact, the Alexander the Great Minute Repeater is as mighty as the warrior for whom it is named."

Nostalgia for a Golden Age of Elegance - NYTimes.com: "GENEVA — To celebrate the reintroduction of its Portofino collection of classic, gentlemanly wristwatches, the Swiss brand IWC Schaffhausen welcomed 900 guests in late January to a warehouse adjacent to the airport here."

Journe Brings It All Under One Roof - NYTimes.com: "Growing up in Marseilles, Mr. Journe was, by his own admission, an unruly student at the horology school he entered at age 14. Still, four years later he was working at his uncle’s watch-restoration workshop in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area of Paris and spending weekends handcrafting pocket watches."

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Titanium Liquidmetal - Perpetuelle: "The new Omega Planet Ocean Titanium & Liquidmetal – 45.5mm titanium case with Liquidmetal bezel. Movement is Omega’s Co-Axial Calibre 8500. Blue rubber strap. An absolute beauty. Look’s like Omega is not going to let Rolex entirely steal the show this year!"

Watch industry gets smartphones to keep wristwatches ticking: "BASEL, Switzerland - With the younger generation opting to use their smartphones to tell time, the watch-making industry is being forced to get smart and high-tech to recapture consumers."

Wow Watch Wednesday: Christophe Claret Blackjack 21 Watch (VIDEO): "If you find yourself in the enviable position of having a large amount of money taking up unnecessary space in your bank account, then this may just be the watch for you. Touted as a miniature casino for your wrist the all new Blackjack 21 watch from Christophe Claret has been designed with aficionados in mind and offers three classic games; dice, roulette and cards."

Watchscapes: High Resolution Photography by Peter Chong: Kari Voutilainen Observertoire: "Kari Voutilainen's simple time only watch...a la Dufour's Simplicity is the Observertoire. I had the oppportunity to photograph this masterpiece in Motiers in January, after the SIHH when I visited with some good friends."

Additional links:
AP: Watchmakers compete for the young, old and rich
Omega Speedmaster Pro Apollo XI 40th Anniversary Review
Collectors' Items Bring Spectacular Returns - NYTimes.com
For Watchmakers, the Trick Is Keeping Prices in Sync - NYTimes.com
Omega Basel 2011 so far ...

A Few Random Morning Links ...

Remember these campaign promises? Why aren't his supporters and the media taking him to task on each and every one?!

I'd love to visit every one of these train stations.

Now they want to tax driving and even toilet paper.

Step-by-step, make your own hipster trap, catch them in their native habitat!

This story doesn't even make any sense, why would you want a waiver from something promised to give you better care AND save money at the same time? Something doesn't add up.

The World’s Largest Cruise Ship: Allure of the Seas, in pics, this is amazing.

On the surface, this makes complete sense to me, why should I have to pay taxes to buy food for someone won strike, who is INTENTIONALLY not reporting to a job that they already have?! It doesn't seem right to make a person subsidize someone who already has a job and just doesn't want to go to it.

Protectionism is ignorance of economics.

The Best MPG Vehicles - Forbes.com. Beautiful vintage Lamborghini. Radical Screw-propelled Vehicles. Old Honda 750 cafe racer. And a bad-@ss truck. Slick Dutch bike. (more)

God bless Walter Williams, an American treasure and one of our greatest minds.

Kinetic warfare and Orwellian language.

See how Red Wing repairs boots.

Photography and the U2 spy plane.

NY skyscraper.

We need more affirmative action in college.

Photos Of The Fukushima 50.

This Danitrio fountain pen is a stunner. And a great review of the Lamy Dialog2 RB.

Tidal Islands: Heaven or Hell?

Admirable On The Large Scale ... Monstrous On The Small

Last night I watched the DVD of Night Of The Generals again (1967, Peter O'Toole & Omar Sharif ).

The movie includes a great quote, during the discussion between two detectives regarding a Nazi general possibly being a murderer.

Inspector Morand: But, murder is the occupation of Generals.
Major Grau: Then let us say what is admirable on the large scale is monstrous on the small.
Since we must give medals to mass murderers, why not give justice to the small ... entrepreneur.
-- The Night of the Generals (movie, 1967)

It reminded me of this quote from Uncle Joe Stalin.

A single death is a tragedy, are million deaths is a statistic.
-- Joseph Stalin

Related links:
St. Augustine Anticipates H.L. Mencken and Walter Williams

First Updates From Basel 2011 ...

One of the best times of the year. ;-)

See what's coming from Hamilton. The New 2011 Seiko Grand Seiko 130th anniversary LE, and 2011 Seiko Ananta, Sportura. The first new GO pics.

I LOVE the orange hand Rolex Explorer. More on it here. (pic via Perpetuelle)

Rolex Explorer 2 Watch (aBlogToRead): "For 2011 Rolex offers a new Explorer 2 to follow up last year's new Explorer. While the Explorer was bumped up to 39mm last year, the Explorer 2 is the Rolex sport watch with a modern size of 42mm in width. That is 2mm larger than the Submariner, and it likely wears better than the 43mm wide Submariner Deep Sea." (more from Jake's Rolex Blog)

Casio G-Shock Bluetooth Watch Revealed: "How else will the watch interact with your phone? First of all Casio says that you'll get an alert on your watch of incoming calls and text messages. I am not sure if this means that called IDs and address book information will sync as well. By pressing a button on the watch you can silence the phone from ringing or vibrating."

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Titanium Liquidmetal - Perpetuelle: "The new Omega Planet Ocean Titanium & Liquidmetal – 45.5mm titanium case with Liquidmetal bezel. Movement is Omega’s Co-Axial Calibre 8500. Blue rubber strap. An absolute beauty. Look’s like Omega is not going to let Rolex entirely steal the show this year!"

Patek Philippe Introduces The Reference 5270 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph - HODINKEE: "The manually wound movement features a central chronograph hand and instantaneous 30-minute counter. Day, month, leap year , and day/night indication are also present. The dial is silver opaline and the hour markers are black oxidized (a very cool look, btw). The case is in white gold and sized at 41mm. Price will be around $155,700." (more one this Patek)

McGonigle Tuscar is ready to be admired: "Last year McGonigle released it’s new Tuscar in a remarkable way, by posting a sketch on Facebook. The Tuscar 1 of 10 launch series sold out in a bliss, even before one piece was made. Now the Tuscar is ready for delivery and a new Tuscar in rose gold is ready to be shown in all it’s glory."

Cartier Ballon Bleu Extra-Flat Watch: "Thin profile watches are hot in 2011. There are a lot of reasons for that, but cost is one of them. Brands can charge the same amount for a watch with less precious metal - and they can claim you are paying for the complexity of miniaturization. That argument might make sense, but thin watches have been around for generations."

Basel News: Introducing The Tudor Heritage Advisor, As Close As We'll Ever Come To An Alarm From Rolex - HODINKEE: "The original Tudor Advisor was launched in 1957, and we have, of course, covered it before. The newly launched Advisor also features a clearly ringing mechanical alarm just like the original, but also includes a power reserve and 'on/off' switch."

Additional links:
What Does Your Watch Say About You? - WSJ.com
First Look: TAG Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000 - Calibre 11
Pre-Basel 2011 - Gronefeld One Hertz
Quick-Look Review: Vacheron Constantin's Patrimony Traditionnelle, Ref 82172
Hublot: “Key of Time” The first watch to indicate “your” time the way you want it
Grönefeld's One Hertz Live Photos
Baselworld 2011 (Press Day): The Divers

A Few Random Morning Links ...

How I prefer to remember Elizabeth Taylor. (more, more, even more)

Stossel on corporate welfare, let's end it.

How much are we spending on/in Libya?

Orphaned wallaby gets a new home, and pouch.

Cars? A 1986 Citroen 2CV Driver. AT&T Will Provide Wireless Control of Ford Focus Electric. Toyota 2000 GT, a beautiful sports car. Sharp 1971 BMW.

Media Matters is hardly the impartial source you've been told about.

What's the future of nuclear rectors post-Japan?

Japan and the broken window.

I like this omelette pan.

$461 million project will speed train trip to Raleigh, by 13 minutes ...

I could use some new khaki chinos.

Do check out Harry Bishop's watch blog.

Badass of the Week: Hideaki Akaiwa.

Nice studio. And a house in Chiba, Japan. And one in Melbourne. Lindholm Service Station / by Frank Lloyd Wright, and his Turkel House.

Walt Mossberg Reviews Verizon's ThunderBolt - WSJ.com

Biden on Attacking Other Countries, 2007

Biden talking about Bush and Iran in 2007.

So has Biden already begun the paperwork on impeaching Obama in 2011 over Libya?

[also see the previous post on this topic]

Today's Quotes: Obama, Webster, Sowell & More

The Obama quote is rather amusing considering the unprovoked attack on Libya. It's a rare day that I agree with both Kucinich and Nader. But apparently it can happen.

"The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."
-- Barack Obama on December the 20, 2007

"Barack Obama has now been responsible for firing more cruise missiles than all other Nobel Peace prize winners combined."
-- John D. Cook

A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any
circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or to advocate
or delegate its initiation. Those who act consistently with this principle
are libertarians, whether they realize it or not. Those who fail to act
consistently with it are not libertarians, regardless of what they may
claim.
-- L. Neil Smith

If the Union was formed by accession of States then
the Union may be dissolved by the secession of States.
-- Daniel Webster
(1782-1852), US Senator
Source: U.S. Senate, Feb 15, 1833

"Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it."
-- Thomas Sowell

"Destroy the family, you destroy the country."
-- Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

Stat Of The Day - SSDI Edition

"... nine of the top 10 U.S. zip codes for disabled workers receiving benefits can be found on Puerto Rico."

Insolvency Looms as States Drain U.S. Disability Fund - WSJ.com: "CAGUAS, Puerto Rico—This mountainside town is home to a picturesque cathedral, a tobacco museum and a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Another defining feature: Caguas's 00725 zip code has more people who receive a disability check than any other in the U.S. Puerto Rico has emerged in recent years as one of the easiest places in the U.S. to get payments from the Social Security Disability Insurance program, created during the Eisenhower administration to help people who can't work because of a health problem. In 2010, 63% of applicants there won approval, four percentage points higher than New Jersey and Wyoming, the most-generous U.S. states. In fact, nine of the top 10 U.S. zip codes for disabled workers receiving benefits can be found on Puerto Rico."

A Few Random Morning Links ...

Basset Hounds running, a photo gallery.

A nice look at the classic Montblanc 149.

How about some watches? The Aqua-Dive Model 50, Paul Gerber, the McGonigle Tuscar, and Tissot Seastar 1000. Some vintage Rolex.

Apparently, carrots are a junk food now.

The new Sony Ericsson's latest Xperia ad scares the cr@p out of me.

Remember what I said a few days ago about the Liberty Dollar conviction? Well see what the Coyote Blog has to say.

The washing machine miracle, via TED.

Stunning home (more). Huge church converted to home.

A Sebago boat shoe, literally.

Remember these old cameras from Fisher-Price?

And the Confessions of a Preppy Snob.

The Secret Messages in 12 Logos.

Time dilation and twins, for kids.

That's a lot of plastic in one turtle!

These Royal Enfield bikes look fun.

Make the perfect chocolate-almond biscoti. Black Velvet to cure what ails you.

John Miller looks at the great Dr. Walter Williams.

Obama's top-secret tent in Brazil.

Don't miss Rand Paul on Choice, Liberty, & Consumer Sovereignty.

Dog survives a month in burned-out house, Chicago.

The USA Is #1! ...

In taxes. Don't believe the "the rich don't pay their fair taxes" meme. (ht: Mark Perry)

	B. Percentage share of richest decile
	1. Share of taxes of richest decile	2. Share of market income of richest decile	3. Ratio of shares for richest decile (1/2)
Australia	36.8	28.6	1.29
Austria	28.5	26.1	1.10
Belgium	25.4	27.1	0.94
Canada	35.8	29.3	1.22
Czech Republic	34.3	29.4	1.17
Denmark	26.2	25.7	1.02
Finland	32.3	26.9	1.20
France	28.0	25.5	1.10
Germany	31.2	29.2	1.07
Iceland	21.6	24.0	0.90
Ireland	39.1	30.9	1.26
Italy	42.2	35.8	1.18
Japan	28.5	28.1	1.01
Korea	27.4	23.4	1.17
Luxembourg	30.3	26.4	1.15
Netherlands	35.2	27.5	1.28
New Zealand	35.9	30.3	1.19
Norway	27.4	28.9	0.95
Poland	28.3	33.9	0.84
Slovak Republic	32.0	28.0	1.14
Sweden	26.7	26.6	1.00
Switzerland	20.9	23.5	0.89
United Kingdom	38.6	32.3	1.20
United States	45.1	33.5	1.35
OECD-24	31.6	28.4	1.11