Author Archives: BZ

Welcome to Tuesday: “U.N. to Seek Control of the Internet.”

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From the WeeklyStandard.com:

Next week the United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union will meet in Dubai to figure out how to control the Internet. Representatives from 193 nations will attend the nearly two week long meeting, according to news reports.

“Next week the ITU holds a negotiating conference in Dubai, and past months have brought many leaks of proposals for a new treaty. U.S. congressional resolutions and much of the commentary, including in this column, have focused on proposals by authoritarian governments to censor the Internet. Just as objectionable are proposals that ignore how the Internet works, threatening its smooth and open operations,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

“Having the Internet rewired by bureaucrats would be like handing a Stradivarius to a gorilla. The Internet is made up of 40,000 networks that interconnect among 425,000 global routes, cheaply and efficiently delivering messages and other digital content among more than two billion people around the world, with some 500,000 new users a day.

The internet IS and WAS a major “game changer” on the planet.

Bill O’Reilly hates it.  I happen to love it: the Libertarian in me —

— for any number of reasons, not the least of which is its freedom.  It’s — as yet — total and rampant freedom, within purpose.

It’s the absolute Wild West and an amazing gift — all at once — in a tumultuous rumble of staggering mayhem.

Just like human beings, it’s as good or as bad as we are.

But it’s also The Great Equalizer.

If I knew the HTML, I could have a website every bit as gorgeous, intuitive, extensive, professional, graphically intense or beautiful as that of Rolls-Royce or Exxon-Mobil or Hyundai or Fuji Heavy Industries.  Sometimes the most powerful companies have the worst-looking websites.

There is, truly, great equilibrium in the internet.

It is terribly bad.  Yet it is terribly good.

It deserves — it must — have its freedom protected.

BZ

 

 

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Welcome to Monday: “Morgan Stanley’s Doom Scenario: Major Recession in 2013”

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From CNBC.com:

The global economy is likely to be stuck in the “twilight zone” of sluggish growth in 2013, Morgan Stanley has warned, but if policymakers fail to act, it could get a lot worse.

The bank’s economics team forecasts a full-blown recession next year, under a pessimistic scenario, with global gross domestic product (GDP) likely to plunge 2 percent.

“More than ever, the economic outlook hinges upon the actions taken or not taken by governments and central banks,” Morgan Stanley said in a report.

Ladies and gentlemen, you can’t keep printing money.

You can keep businesses in the dark with little or no way to ensure at least a few years of societal and fiscal consistency and security.  Everyone, from private citizen to small mom-and-pop business to major national powerhouse needs to be able to plan for the future.  To have some certainty about the future.

Bush started things with TARP.  But Obama took the ball and geometrically expanded it into QEs 1 – 3.  Ben Mountfield writes here that the “quantitative easing” thrusts — i.e., printing more money — are no panacea.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you think it’s not coming — bad things — just go on back to watching The Voice and Honey Boo Boo.

BZ

 

 

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Goodbye to the USS Enterprise, CVN 65 — the Big E

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It is the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier in US history — and that of the world, as well.

 

The USS Enterprise has now completed its 25th and final deployment as a major integral portion of our Blue Water navy.  It pulled into its home port of Naval Station Norfolk, VA, on Sunday, November 4th.

Her decommissioning is part and parcel of Mr Obama’s overall military sequestration, and will assist in taking our navy down to base numbers not seen since 1918.

Some things I really shouldn’t be telling you: because of her large number of nuclear reactors, the USS Enterprise was one of the fastest ships in all of US history. Former captains used to “drag race” the ship against other smaller, lighter ships.  And win.

It was rumored that the Enterprise could actually keep up with the fastest submarine in global history, the Russian Alfa class — itself rumored to occasionally exceed 50 mph (76 kph) submerged (47 mph “officially”).  I wouldn’t know anything about this.  But perhaps I might.  Or not.

Of this there is no doubt: the USS Enterprise was the fastest ship in any CG (carrier group) assembled.  It would customarily have to slow down for the other ships in its assigned group.  She could easily outrun her escorts.

The USS Enterprise has now returned from its final deployment: at age 51.

A few notations, if I may, about the USS Enterprise:

– At 1,123 feet, the Big E is the longest naval vessel on the planet.
– She has a crew of 4,600 personnel.
– She was the only ship of her class.
– She is the second-oldest commissioned ship in the entire US Navy, after the USS Constitution.
– There were 6 of the class planned; only one was built.
– She is the only carrier to have 8 reactors instead of the current 2.
– She has 4 rudders, twice as many as current carriers.

A note of interest: In April 1983, USS Enterprise ran aground on a sandbar in San Francisco Bay while returning from deployment.  She remained stuck there for several hours.[25] Coincidentally, George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship Enterprise was aboard at the time as a Distinguished Visitor of the Navy.[26] Even though groundings and collisions are usually career-ending events for U.S. warship captains, the captain at the time, Cmdr Robert J. Kelly, who had already been selected for promotion to commodore, eventually became a four-star admiral and commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.[27]

The USS Enterprise is scheduled to be deactivated on December 1st of 2012.[13]

The USS Enterprise was a challenge.  Sailors either loved or hated her.  Many fell into the latter category.  Because of her age as the sole class, there were no so-called “replacement parts.”   Many of these critical parts had to be, by necessity, fabricated from scratch and then custom-fitted by personnel who were challenged to fulfill the demand.

The USS Enterprise will be the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to ever be decommissioned and its reactors scrammed, deadened, removed and transported away from her final resting place.

Her place?  As a potential museum — despite the staggering and completely unanticipated costs of nuclear decommissioning?  For such a major task?  Truthfully, as yet accurately uncalculated.

Heritage?  A petition has also been set up for the next carrier (CVN-80) to be named as the ninth USS Enterprise.[51]

The name, may, in fact — live on.

Such as this:

God bless the Big E, all her officers and crew.

May she return anew.

BZ

 

 

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Obama for 2013: “You didn’t build that, but I WILL take your business cash for my inaugural.”

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“I can see my needs better than you can.”  – Barack Hussein Obama

On two fronts:

In terms of taxes, and

In terms of fleecing businesses for personal reasons:

Obama Considers Allowing Corporate Cash for Inauguration

“President Barack Obama’s fundraising advisers have urged the White House to accept corporate donations for his January 2013 inaugural celebration rather than rely exclusively on weary donors who underwrote his $1 billion re-election effort. People involved in his re-election campaign said White House staff and campaign advisers have been debating whether to accept corporate money to stage the events but haven’t made a final decision,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Again, more flip-flops anyone?  Bueller?

BZ

 

 

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