If you made stuff like this up for a movie, it would be too ridiculous to believe. The NSA intercepted shipments to insert backdoors into electronics. (H/T JB in comments)
And another sign of the times. Great one! College shooting ranges are on the rise. (Tip o’ hat to L.A.)
The president of Uruguay. No matter what else you may think of him (or not think of him, since I’m guessing you spend a very, very small portion of your life thinking anything about Uruguay), he is poor, humble and leads an admirably simple life. (Lord Obama: Take note!)
And let’s close with 33 goofy dogs. (With big H/T to fellow dog lover and dog rescuer, MLS.)
And here’s the lovely story of a young woman who reached out from beyond her death to send Christmas wishes to her husband and his new wife. (Have a hankie ready.)
Senator Joe Manchin may be a conniving anti-gun suck. But he has just become the biggest Democrat truth-teller on Obamacare. “Meltdown … falls of its own weight … becomes more than we can absorb.” Devastating stuff!
Ever hear of Ocorrafoo Cobange, a scientist at the Wassee Institute of Medicine in Asmara? Neither has anybody else. But 157 professional journals were happy to accept the extremely fake-sounding scientist’s extremely fake article.
And here’s one that deserves to lose billions thanks to its blatant collaboration. (The news about what RSA did isn’t new; that came out in September and was in fact suspected for years before that. But the fact that they profited so handsomely by it … well, let’s just hope they pay for that profit by going completely out of business. In this case, mere millions in losses might do the trick.)
To end on a cheerier note, here’s a little dog that served as a living, breathing monitor while his little girl underwent surgery. “It sounds silly, in this age of technology, when we have millions of dollars worth of equipment beeping around me, that we had a little dog who was more sensitive than all the machines.”
Obamacare (again). It’s as if they figured out everything that would make insurance and health care better, then did the exact opposite. Localizing coverage even further instead of enabling insurance companies to sell across state lines was one of those things. That’s gotten some mention, thanks to the cancer patients it’s going to kill. But in all the other hand-wringing, I don’t think most pundits have yet figured out some of the more far-reaching impacts of this huge step backwards. This one’s ominous, as well. (H/T H 4 2.)
But the O-care follies get stranger yet. Be glad you don’t live in a U.S. territory. Their troubles make the most egregious state catastrophes look … well, like glitches. (You remember October’s “glitches,” yes?)
Per jed in comments: The 35 naughtiest dogs on the planet. (Very funny, but Distractify.com really ought to note a little more clearly that all those come from the fabulous site Dogshaming.com, which has given me a year of laughs since friend A. sent me their URL.)
And speaking of nerds (and homeschoolers and the merely educated and curious): Free ebooks! No, not the usual free-for-the-day Kindle special. But astronomy books, math books, physics books, and general science books for many levels of expertise. (H/T H.)
Were Tolkein’s hobbits inspired by Kentucky hillbillies? Hm. Not persuaded (particularly since all those hobbity surnames came originally from Tolkein’s own country), but it’s a charming story nevertheless. (Tip o’ hat to A, who probably won’t mind in this case.)
Dog dying in a trashheap is saved and in turn helps another rescue dog. Awww, thank you, Shel, for this one. (I once rescued a dog in that condition; what the video can’t convey is the incredible stench from the combo of mange and all those opportunistic infections. My Suki stayed with me for five years and got the best vet care possible, but she never grew all her fur back and when she was stressed, that odor would come wafting out, very faintly, right to the end)
And not to leave out you cat people. Jed dropped this link in comments the other day to prove that the LOLcat meme didn’t just begin with the Intertubz.
“Acing the background check.” Bazillions for “security,” entourages, cavalcades, vast theaters of protective deception … and they stick Obama 18 inches away from a crazy accused murderer. (If you’re thinking what I think some of you may be thinking, please don’t say it out loud. It wouldn’t have helped a bit.)
Tax people for working. Subsidize them for not working. And anybody less “brilliant” than Obama (or any typical congressthing) understands that you turn working poor into non-working poor.
Forgive me for not remembering who deserves the hat tip for this, but it’s one of those stories a dog lover must read: Injured dog saves even more badly injured human after they’re both hit by a car.
While on the subject of dogs (and I suspect this dog may not be in the world any more), this is a beautifully written expression of love: “Regarding my 1000-year-old dog.” (H/T MLS, a champion for canines and other critters, herself.)
I usually don’t post anything by Charles Krauthammer. I think he’s an elitist, anti-gun suck who represents the worst of alleged “conservatism.” But he hits the nail bang on in his assessment of “Obama the Oblivious.”
Kevin D. Williamson is becoming quite a freedomista voice for a mainstreamer. His latest is about the NSA (etc.) vs us: “Spooks off the leash.”
