It has been quite some time since I have posted a Top 10 list and the quality of posting in the blogosphere continues to impress; as a result it has become harder and harder to distill the 10 Best posts of the hundreds that I peruse on a weekly basis. Here is a sampling of posts which made the cut:
1) Start with this disturbing idea from Dinocrat that The logic of nuclear terrorism is that retaliation becomes the crime. I hope he is expressing an unreasonable fear but suspect there is enough to it to concern anyone who believes that Mutual Assured Destruction is the best policy to address the threat form Iran.
2) Yaakov at the Dry Bones Blog offers a very succinct view of the world from On the (Israeli) Beach.
3) Oil prices have been much in the news recently and several posters have done their part to bring some reality to the discussion. There is almost no chance that reality can make a dent in the demagoguery about gasoline prices and energy policy, but its nice to see people dream the impossible dream. Take a look at Maxed Out Mama, who writes about Edgy Adji Of Iran And US Folly, and points out the obvious:
Ethanol is not the answer. The corn us Georgians grow on our land is an excellent food for animals, birds and humans, but it has low energy density and cannot be grown and transported in sufficient quantities to make a real difference. Environmentalists (of which I am one) need to recognize a few basic facts, starting with the reality that it requires huge amounts of energy and capital investment to allow human populations to live so as to have a minimal impact on the environment. In order to protect the environment we require more energy, not less. The alternative is to kill off about eight-tenths of the human race.
4) Sigmund, Carl & Alfred gives us An SC&A Reality Chomp And The Phony Oil 'Crisis'; they try their best to offer some perspective on our energy supplies, but once political calculations enter the fray, reason flees. His post is worth reading to understand how bizarre our energy policies and discussion has become.
5) Anyone who wants to discuss our energy problems in an adequately informed way should take a look at this article from Popular Mechanics which answers the question, How far can you drive on a bushel of corn?Crunching the numbers on alternative fuels.
6) The stench of hypocrisy, as reported in the EU Referendum, emanates from the unintended consequences of European Greens writing and enacting wonderfully complex and complete environmental laws that have one small flaw, they don't have anything to do with reality. If not for that minor detail, the laws would be protecting all of us from terrible problems with pollution. Of course, the laws do work to make some people quite wealthy.
7) Recently, much ado has been made over recent crime statistics showing that crime rates in Britain, a nation with very strict gun control laws as well as laws against home owners defending themselves from home invaders, have been soaring. The Speculist points out that, in fact, crime rates are significantly lower than at some points in the past. The post is short and to the point; take a look at Crime Rate Down.
8) GM Roper tries to bring us back through the looking glass to a place where words still have a more or less fixed and accurate meaning. He comments on The Words They Use ~ A Study In Misdirection and offers a rich compendium of the elegance of redefined words.
9) While this post from Villainous Company may move you to tears, the sense of Community involved should give hope to all of us as a community celebrates the life of a good man.
10) Finally, don't go off line without reading this most excellent post, "The Complete Military History of France" Dept, from Redneck Peril. I don't want to spoil it but it starts with this:
THE COMPLETE MILITARY HISTORY OF FRANCE
- Gallic Wars: Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by of all things, an Italian.
To all my readers who are Mothers, or may someday become a Mother or have a Mother, Have a Happy Mother's Day.
Recent Comments