December 14th 2008
Sunday Scan – 12/14/08
Welcome To The World Of Idiots
T
here’s a fire! Quick, grab the fire extinguisher! … No, wait … we’re too stupid to use a fire extinguisher!
At least that’s how the world’s ultimate nanny state, the once-proud global empire of the United Kingdom:
Fire extinguishers could be removed from communal areas in flats throughout the country because they are a safety hazard, it has emerged.
The life-saving devices encourage untrained people to fight a fire rather than leave the building, risk assessors in Bournemouth decided.
Dorset Fire and Rescue defended the move, saying: ‘Obviously, in some cases, an extinguisher could come in useful but, with new building regulations, every escape route should be completely fireproof.’
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents backed their removal because different extinguishers should be used on different types of fire. (Source, via What Bubba Knows)
Yeah, that’s definitely too much for mere citizens like us to understand. Better we burn up than try to fend for ourselves without the help of our state-employed saviors, who are are smart enough to save us. Bring on the Nannies.
Some Special Christmas Joy
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‘is the season to be jolly … very, very, very jolly! For this moment of joy we turn to an unlikely source: Arabian Business, and its annual list of the 50 richest Arabs:
[T]he top 50 [lost] a staggering $25 billion between them in the last year due to the impact of the global financial turmoil and credit crunch.
The figures are all revealed in the Arabian Business 2008 Rich List, which was published earlier on Sunday.
The list shows that the average fortune of the top 50 has slipped to $3.99 billion. In total, the top 50 now hold between them $199.48 billion – a fall of 12 percent on last year.
Sniff. Enjoy your next fill-up of under $2 a gallon gas.
Recessionistas
E
conomists can crank out their models and crunch and re-crunch their spreadsheets, but in the real world, there are plenty of more accurate ways to gauge the economy. Like running across ads like this in Craig’s List:
I am a female in my mid 60′s and I am looking for a room mate. Times are tight and I need some extra money.
I am willing to rent out my bathroom in my 1 bedroom east village home.
My bathroom is large. You can easily put a twin air mattress in there. I only ask that when I need to use the bathroom, you or your air mattress are not in it.
I do ask that when you are in the apartment, you confine yourself to the bathroom. I do not feel comfortable with a stranger walking around my living room. This might change as I get to know you better.
You may have guest over as long as they are confined to the bathroom as well. This might seem a bit odd but please remember the rent is $400 and the bathroom is large. (source)
When I was in college, we had a guy living in our closet for a while – but that was college and it was a closet – a big closet – for cryin’ out loud. Still, someone just might take the lady up on it; who knows? Elsewhere, there are signs that frugality is making a big comeback, even earning its own word:
Welcome to “recession chic” and its personification, the “recessionista,” the new name for the style maven on a budget.
In part, the word reflects the efforts of fashion and beauty publicists to spin the economic downturn as an attractive retail trend. For instance, Bourjois, a moderately priced makeup line from France, sent a recent press release by e-mail to reporters promoting the brand’s cheapest mascara and lip glosses as “the Recessionista Collection,” an antidote to gloom. An e-mail message sent last week on behalf of Salon Eliut Rivera in Manhattan promoted “Recessionista Beauty,” offering discounts on haircuts and eyebrow shaping. (NYT)
And it’s even got its own blog.
I’m happy to see it. One of the “real” housewives of OC just spent $8,000 for a set of bed linens, according to a TV spot that just wormed its way into my consciousness and giving me lots of ill feelings about the sin of gluttony. Maybe, even, some of the outrage at the Palin wardrobe was legit – in retrospect, it would have been very cool if the GOP had put her wardrobe together at Nordstrom Rack and Target.
Global Warming Update
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he biggest ice storm in a decade has hit New England (and we’re dyin’ here in SoCal with temps in the mid-50s), leading to declarations of states of emergency in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and parts of Maine and New York. How bad is it?
The state’s largest utility company, Public Service of New Hampshire, said the damage was “extensive” and that an accurate assessment was a challenge due to the many impassable roads.
“What is facing us is the apparent need to rebuild the entire infrastructure of some sections of the electrical delivery system,” Martin Murray, a PSNH spokesman, told the Associated Press.
Yep, this global warming sure is a bitch.
Idiot Disclaimer: Yes, Warmie hysterics, I realize that one extreme weather incident doesn’t mess up your entire theory of global warming. But it certainly doesn’t prove it, either.
Tough Day For Bush
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ince the Islamists declared war on the West, we’ve learned lots about Islamic culture. Don’t mess with the Qu’ran, don’t talk about Jews, and if someone throws a shoe at you, it’s worse than every middle finger on the block rising in your direction … so:
A surprise visit by US President George Bush to Iraq has been overshadowed by an incident in which two shoes were thrown at him during a news conference.
An Iraqi journalist was wrestled to the floor by security guards after he called Mr Bush “a dog” and threw his footwear, just missing the president.
“All I can report is size 10,” Bush said afterward of his goodbye present from the disgruntled Iraqi, revealing his good sense of humor. The left showed its sense of humor … if you can call it that … as it prepared to wish W goodbye. Not surprisingly, though, there’s not a single snippet tasteful enough for me to pull off the “humorous” Web site in question, so here’s the link and the accompanying art.
Sheesh. What’s the left going to do without President Bush to blather about?
Adieu, John
S
ince the emergence of the never-run McCain ad on Rev. Wright, much has been written about whether amping up the negatives could have won McCain the election. (I don’t think so; negatives are no replacement for his lack of a coherant economic policy, but I digress …). The fact is, the man is a maverick – in all the worst sences of the word, as he showed this morning on ABC’s This Week, when asked about GOP pressure on the Obama camp on the Blagojevich affair:
“You know, in all due respect to the Republican National Committee and anybody — right now, I think we should try to be working constructively together, not only on an issue such as this, but on the economy stimulus package, reforms that are necessary. And so, I don’t know all the details of the relationship between President-elect Obama’s campaign or his people and the governor of Illinois, but I have some confidence that all the information will come out. It always does, it seems to me.”
If there’s one truth that was reinforced on the trail this time around, it is that the Mainly Marginalized Media would just as soon not cover negative news about liberal politicians, so pressure has to be applied. McCain still doesn’t get it. I would like for Obama to have a honeymoon so he can figure out how best to deal with the problems we face, but too bad; it’s not going to happen. Blagojevich is a force of nature that can’t be ignored, and he has given the GOP the opportunity to begin re-casting itself as a party that can win.
No, not winning by going negative, but winning by being what it is – which is everything Blagojevich, and Obama’s response to Blogojevich, isn’t. We are the decent party, the party that stands against corruption, the party that pushes hard for tighter voting registration laws and fair elections, the party that is of the people, not the machine.
At least we’d better be, and we can start by all cheering John McCain on his departure from a position of influence.
Posted in Bush, Global warming, GOP, Leftism, McCain, Obama | 3 Comments » | |
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December 15th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Comments
December 14th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
I love your BLOG! I just came across it when I got some click-thrus to my blog The Recessionista from your post today. Thanks for highlighting my blog.Your note about the Craig’s list add for the roomate is true & amazing.
RE: Sarah Palin, it would’ve been VERY cool if she would’ve picked up her clothing at Loehmann’s or Nordie’s Rack. In contrast, I’ve lauded Michelle Obama for being a Recessionista. So looks great & wears stuff from H&M, Gap & J Crew. I’m glad a change is on the way to the White House
MH, The Recessionista Blog
December 15th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Re: Fire Extinguishers. The (required yearly) JSC safety course basically says the same thing. One is not to use an extinguisher unless one has been trained to use an extinguisher. I suspect the same message is sent at most gov’t facilities.