Content by civil truth
Posted at 8:58pm on Jul. 5, 2008 Google & day-care: a parable for our times
By civil truth
The New York Times carried an article today about the turbulent waters that Google has fallen into regarding its in-house day-care program, which it has discovered is getting too expensive compared with the fees it has been assessing its employees.
The NYT author titled his article On Day Care, Google Makes a Rare Fumble, presumably on the basis that Google had overriden the findings of its focus groups and had upset its employees by planning to sharply increase the prices it charges its employees for day care.
Actually, (although this is not the author's intent) this story is a parable for the education sector and/or a parable for one-payer healthcare/Medicare.
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Posted at 2:54am on Jul. 4, 2008 Fourth of July Tribute 2008
By civil truth
-inscription on the Iwo Jima Monument
Three of the six Marines in this photograph died in later fighting on Iwo Jima. A fourth lived the rest of his life a broken man, wracked by survivor guilt. Overall, 6,825 Marines perished in the battle. [Source]
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Posted at 1:03pm on Jul. 3, 2008 More thoughts on the Initiative process
By civil truth
Blue Collar Muse has written a very thoughtful post concerning the current debate in Connecticut over convening a Constitutional convention and the efforts to introduce an initiative process.
I started to write a comment, but it got so long that I thought it better to turn it into a diary.
Having lived some twenty-five years now in an initiative state, I must say that I have mixed feelings regarding the wisdom of having an initiative process.
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Posted at 12:49pm on Jun. 21, 2008 The other half of the Hillary voter equation: character and other intangibles
By civil truth
Susannah has written an excellent blog earlier today How to Reach Out to Clinton Voters Using Specific Issues that follows up on the excellent comment to a blog several days ago titled Hi--I'm a Clinton Democrat Now Supporting McCain.
However, especially when dealing with an opponent whose campaign rests on image rather than substance, we need to engage Hillary voters not only at the rational level regarding issues, but we also need to engage at the emotional level regarding the intangibles, since this level can be as powerful or even more powerful in driving voting behavior. This will be critical for electoral success.
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Posted at 6:06pm on Jun. 19, 2008 Judge usurps role of teen parenting
By civil truth
Just when you think the nanny state lawyers and judges up in Canada can't find more areas to stick their noses in where they don't belong comes this newest gem: 12-Year-Old Grounded for Too Much Internet Use Gets Punishment Overturned in Court.
You read that right, as the news story relates:
A Quebec Superior Court judge has overturned a father's punishment for his daughter in which the father denied her permission to attend a school trip. Her offense was to disobey her father's instructions to stay off the internet by continuing to utilize online chat sites and posting posting "inappropriate" pictures of herself online using a friend's computer. Her behavior was the culmination of a history of disciplinary problems.
However, the judge in her infinitely superior wisdom decided the father's punishment was too severe.
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Posted at 5:48pm on Jun. 16, 2008 Dancing with the Devil: government versus the environment
By civil truth
Todays Wall Street Journal features a fascinating article by Mary Anastasia O'Grady that brought to my attention for the first time the two-faced game that government plays with environmentalism with regards to natural resources development.
In her article, titled Why Brazil Isn't Ashamed to Exploit Its Oil, the author provides a number of examples to defend the following thesis:
I have another theory. And mine fits the pattern of resource development – or lack thereof – all over the Western Hemisphere. It comes down to this: Where government has the property right, restrictions on development tend to be low. But when the private sector is the owner, environmental concerns blossom.
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Posted at 4:34pm on May 26, 2008 The fruit of one man's campaign to honor our troops
By civil truth
I spotted this Wall Street Journal article today Protesting the Antiwar Protestors highlighting the Chester County [PA] Victory Movement, which began nine months ago as one man's protest at the Chester County Courthouse against anti-war protesters and has now become a weekly presence to challenge the anti-war group that has regularly protested there since 2003. Here's a video of their May 3, 2008 action.
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Posted at 12:12pm on May 23, 2008 Sen Obama, here's what it means to ignore one's enemies
By civil truth
In a recent RS post, MarkI skewers Sen. Obama's lastest dictat on talking to our enemies.
The only phrase missing from Sen. Obama's declaration is his declaring that all previous statements are now inoperative. But then again, surely we've heard and know that Messiah means never having to be held accountable to the same standards as other political leaders. (Sound vaguely familiar?)
Among Sen. Obama's disturbingly illogical and dangerous blather, what was most absurd and fatally misguided was the following sentence:
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Posted at 7:39pm on Mar. 30, 2008 The Democratic Party platform delineated in seven comics panels
By civil truth
Today's edition of the comic strip Pearls before Swine contains the most concise précis of the program of the Democratic Party that I've seen to date.
Since I couldn't copy it here, you'll have to follow this link to read the original comic.
However, I've copied the essential dialog here below:
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Posted at 7:27pm on Mar. 29, 2008 A book title that needs no text
By civil truth
Today's top story is the eagerly-awaited announcement of the winner of The Bookseller's Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year.
The winner, by a large voting margin, was a self-help book by the title: