Thursday, March 29, 2012

Doomsday dating sites: 'Don't face the future alone'

What We're NOT Talking About (But Should Be)

Where's the outrage here folks?

Tyson, who has the word 'Savage' tattooed across his chest didn't show a flicker of emotion, slumping in his seat as he was forced to watch a montage of photos showing the victims from early childhood to young men.

Two close friends of the dead men who had attended the eight day trial in Sarasota, Florida. had also delivered highly emotional impact statements to the court prior to the sentencing.

What's this about?

Two British tourists who had a few drinks and got lost in "the hood." They ran into a black teen that decided to try to rob them -- and when he was told they didn't have any money, he murdered them in cold blood.

There's no controversy in this case over whether or not self-defense played a role; the murderer was attempting to commit robbery at the time.

Barack Obama said that his son would "look like Trayvon Martin" (if he had a son) -- how about Shawn Tyson? Does that look like your putative son Barack?

And why is it that these two gentlemen who were gunned down in cold blood as part of an attempt to rob them, weren't even worth a mention -- or a phone call of condolance to their families?

We have a problem here in this country. We have black youth who think that handles like "NO_LIMIT_NIGGA" are cute names to apply to themselves on Twitter. We have youth that talk (and write) in language that is unintelligible, who wear "grills" made out of gold as some sort of indication of their gangsta "coolness" and walk around with their pants halfway down to their knees in "tribute" to the fact that if you go to jail the jailer will take your belt so you can't either use it as a weapon or hang yourself with it.

More @ The Market Ticker

Israeli military cancels traditional Passover break

Sounds like Tet '68

The Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz announced on Wednesday that all units must be on full alert during the traditional Passover holidays, though officials dismissed the idea that the decision is linked to planned military operations, Xinhua reported.

IDF officials said that although all units would have to report for duty, "commanders could allow every soldier to go on leave like the rest of the year," the Jerusalem Post reported.

The sudden decision, only a week before the holidays, comes amid heightened rumors of an Israeli strike on Iran, and tensions ahead of the Palestinian Land Day.

Afterburner with Bill Whittle: Merchants of Despair

My favorite subscription. Saying Bill is pissed is mild.

New Health Care Agencies

Old, but first time I have seen it.

Roundabout via Cousin Bill


Brazil Stiffs Obama on Oil Deal, Exposing President's Incompetence

Via Carl

President Barack Obama has suffered the second embarrassment over oil imports within the space of a week. Brazil, whose offshore deposits of oil were sought by the Obama administration, has signed contracts with China for the product.

According to the Washington Times, Brazilian offshore crude may number about 38 billion barrels. Obama went to Brazil last month to put in a bid for the oil, offering loans and other support to develop the oil in an "environmentally responsible matter," The Hill reported at the time. Republicans criticized that initiative, pointing out Obama has placed roadblocks in the way of domestic development of oil and gas reserves.

More @ Yahoo News

The Hutaree Case: Next Time, They'll Just Send In The Drones

Next time the Regime identifies a group of people as “domestic terrorists,” the result might be summary execution, or imprisonment in military custody, rather than a trial. This is one very plausible result of the dismissal of “seditious conspiracy” charges against members of Michigan’s Hutaree militia.

Thanks to the legal environment created by the NDAA, the Feds won’t have to run the risk involved in submitting the next “domestic terrorism” case to the scrutiny of a court. Now that Attorney General Eric Hoder has helpfully clarified that “due process” and “judicial process” aren’t the same thing, it’s entirely possible that the next group of American dissidents identified by the SPLC or other self-appointed political watchdog groups as “terrorists” could be targeted by a drone-fired missile or a presidential strike team.

A former small town cop on Zimmerman

Via The Feral Irishman

I, like you, at first cringed when I heard the story of the Zimmerman/Martin shooting. I too thought Zimmerman was guilty as hell of out right murder. But in light of recent reports, and after doing what I should have to begin with an LISTENING to the 911 call Zimmerman made, I've come to a totally different conclusion. Let me tell you why. As a former small town cop I finally did what I should have done before jumping to conclusions and really paid attention when listening to the youtube video of Zimmerman's 911 call and a few things caught my attention.

1. Zimmerman sounds very calm if a bit agitated during the beginning of the call. He describes Martin's clothing, expresses his concern over Martin's actions, etc in a calm level tone. He does mutter "They always get away" or something like that at one point, possibly referring to the burglaries the neighborhood had been experiencing.

2. At one point he describes Martin coming toward him and checking him out. At this point Zimmerman is still in his vehicle. Even then he doesn't sound excited or extremely concerned. You can hear a hint of anxiety in his voice, but not a lot.

2. At around 2:05 on the playback Zimmerman says "Shit, he's running" and you can hear the quality of the sound on the call change shortly thereafter. It sounds to me like he exited his vehicle as you can hear the wind noise over the phone. Also, you can hear Zimmerman panting, like he's running. Several reports now say that Zimmerman was an overweight and had asthma, which would lead me to believe he wasn't running very hard, LOL.

3. At 2:20 the dispatcher asks Zimmerman if he's following Martin. When Zimmerman says yes the dispatcher tells Zimmerman "We don't need you to do that". Listen closely after than.

4. Within just a few seconds Zimmerman stops running, you can hear it in the way he's breathing and not gasping as he talks. This shows me Zimmerman STOPPED chasing Martin as instructed by the dispatcher.

5. At 2:37 Zimmerman states "He ran." Now if he was still chasing Martin he would have said "He's still running" or something along those lines. "He ran" tells me Martin is no longer in his sight and that Zimmerman is NOT chasing him, as does the fact Zimmerman isn't breathing hard anymore.

6. At 2:40 to 2:55 Zimmerman is NOT gasping for air, his voice is calm for a man in his situation, and there is no indication he is still following Martin or that he can even see Martin at this point.
Through the remainder of the call Zimmerman doesn't express any interest in chasing Martin down. He's not out of breath and there is NOTHING that indicates he's still actively looking for Martin. He does express concern over giving the dispatcher his address out loud since he isn't sure where Martin is and doesn't want Martin to overhear him and thus get his address. A smart move as it turns out, since it appears Martin did return and confront Zimmerman. Add to this recent news reports that Zimmerman was attacked from behind by Martin, and that Martin broke his nose, and it changes the whole context of this incident. I'll reserve my final judgement for when/if we ever get all the facts (we know how factual the media is in their news reports), but this is looking more and more like a case of the liberal media twisting a story for their own agenda. A few links you might find interesting on the story.



How to Build a Small Game Survival Snare

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Creek Stewart of Willow Haven Outdoor.

I practice and learn survival skills not because I need them on a daily basis, but rather for the one day when I must use them to stay alive. Survival is the intersection between knowledge and necessity. The outcome in a survival scenario can be dramatically influenced by practicing survival skills before you need them. One such skill that requires thoughtful practice is How to Build a Small Game Survival Snare. A primitive make-shift snare can be used to trap and kill a variety of animals for food in a survival situation. This basic concept can also be modified and used as a “man-trap” or “perimeter alarm”–both of which are commonly deployed in guerrilla warfare.

While constructing a survival snare is fairly simple, it is often oversimplified with vague instructions and limited photos. By the time you finish reading this article you will know the who, what, why, when, where, and how of the simplest and most efficient survival snare known to man. If your knowledge ever crosses paths with necessity, this may prove useful.

The Why

More @ The Art of Manliness

Hindu girl tells Supreme Court she would rather die than convert to Islam

Seized by an influential Muslim, with the "political cover" of an elected official, 19 year old Rinkel Kumari launches a desperate appeal to the courts. “Justice is denied Hindus in Pakistan” and therefore asks to" kill me here "in the courtroom. The family, after reporting to police, forced to leave the village in Sindh. Each year there are 300 forced marriages and conversions

Islamabad (AsiaNews) - "In Pakistan there is justice only for Muslims, justice is denied Hindus. Kill me here, now, in court. But do not send me back to the Darul-Aman [Koranic school] ... kill me". This is the desperate, heartbreaking outburst of Rinkel Kumari, a Hindu girl aged 19, who has entrusted her heartfelt appeal to the judges of the Supreme Court in Islamabad. Her story is similar to that of many other young women and girls belonging to religious minorities - Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Ahmadis - kidnapped by extremist groups or individuals, most of the time lords or local mafia, which convert them by force and then marry them . And that is what the girl said on 26 March, before the judges of the capital's court.

Moonbats in education


Via Patriot's Lament

During the drill, some students and school staff were instructed to pretend to be injured. In addition, parents were instructed not to call the school during the drill and children were instructed not to call their parents.

For example, during a terror drill at a public school in Muskegon County, Michigan, students and teachers were told that "homeschoolers" were the ones attacking them....


"The exercise will simulate an attack by a fictitious radical group called Wackos Against Schools and Education who believe everyone should be homeschooled. Under the scenario, a bomb is placed on the bus and is detonated while the bus is traveling on Durham, causing the bus to land on its side and fill with smoke.

More @ LRC

Why you CC everywhere

Via NC Renegade

As they are before most worship services, the doors of Boiling Springs' NC South Side Freewill Baptist Church were open on Sunday morning.

The Rev. Henry Guyton, pastor of the church, said Jesse Gates, who has attended worship services at the church on Upper Valley Falls Road as recently as Wednesday, came to the door about 10 a.m. on Sunday.

“He came in before the service and acted like he was having a heart attack,” Guyton, 71, said. “He asked us to call Channel 7 news. I called 911 instead.”

Sheriff Chuck Wright said deputies and Spartanburg EMS arrived, and checked out Gates, and Gates left.

About 11:20 a.m., Jesse Gates returned to the church. The Rev. Guyton's grandson, Aaron Guyton, 26, was in the recreation building separate from the church and saw Gates get a shotgun from the trunk of his car.

“At that point, I knew I had to do something,” Aaron Guyton said. “I wanted to try to contain him outside.”

Aaron Guyton went into the main building and locked the doors.

Henry Guyton said he was in the pulpit, preaching about how Jesus spoke the word of God and healed the sick, when Gates kicked open the side door of the sanctuary and entered with the shotgun, pointing it at the pastor and congregation.

Church members, including Aaron Guyton, a concealed weapons permit holder, acted quickly.

Aaron Guyton held Gates at gunpoint, as church members Jesse Smith and Leland Powers held him on the floor and waited for deputies to arrive. The Rev. Guyton said he stepped onto a chair, climbed down a 3-foot bannister surrounding the pulpit and took the shotgun from Jesse Gates.

“The gun was loaded,” Henry Guyton said. “I said, ‘Jesse, what did you do it for?' He said, ‘They took my children and won't let me see them.' I'm glad the Lord took care of everything. The police did a good job too.”

More @ Go Up State

SAF VICTORY STRIKES DOWN NORTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY POWERS GUN BAN

Via Don


A federal district court judge in North Carolina has just struck down that state’s emergency power to impose a ban on firearms and ammunition outside the home during a declared emergency, ruling that the provision violates the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

The case, Bateman v. Purdue, was brought by the Second Amendment Foundation, Grass Roots North Carolina FFE and three individual plaintiffs. Defendants in the case were Gov. Beverly Purdue and Reuben F. Young, secretary of the state’s Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, in their official capacities.

In his opinion, Judge Malcolm J. Howard, senior United States district judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina, wrote, “…the court finds that the statutes at issue here are subject to strict scrutiny…While the bans imposed pursuant to these statutes may be limited in duration, it cannot be overlooked that the statutes strip peaceable, law abiding citizens of the right to arm themselves in defense of hearth and home, striking at the very core of the Second Amendment.”

“When SAF attorney Alan Gura won the Heller case at the Supreme Court,” noted SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “the gun ban crowd said that we were a ‘one-trick-pony’ and that we would never knock out another gun law. Well, SAF has now knocked out gun laws in Maryland, Illinois and North Carolina.

“We filed this lawsuit on the day we won the McDonald case against Chicago,” he added, “extending the Second Amendment to all 50 states. This was part of our strategy of winning firearms freedoms one lawsuit at a time.”

Gottlieb pointed to language in Judge Howard’s ruling that solidifies the Second Amendment’s reach outside the home. The judge noted that the Supreme Court in Heller noted that the right to keep and bear arms “was valued not only for preserving the militia, but ‘more important(ly) for self-defense and hunting.”

“Therefore,” Judge Malcolm wrote, “the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms ‘is not strictly limited to the home environment but extends in some form to wherever those activities or needs occur."

“Under the laws at issue here, citizens are prohibited from engaging, outside their home, in any activities secured by the Second Amendment,” Judge Malcolm wrote. They may not carry defensive weapons outside the home, hunt or engage in firearm related sporting activities. Additionally, although the statutes do not directly regulate the possession of firearms within the home, they effectively prohibit law abiding citizens from purchasing and transporting to their homes firearms and ammunition needed for self-defense. As such, these laws burden conduct protected by the Second Amendment.”

Stop U.S. Funding for Negotiating the UN Arms Trade Treaty

For years Americans have been hearing about the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and its probable infringement of our Second Amendment rights. With all the preliminary conferences and pre-meetings out of the way, the UN Arms Trade Treaty Conference will be held July 2-27 mostly in closed sessions in New York City.

According to a Heritage.org research paper on the subject, the United States must stand its ground on the UN's ATT and "should make clear ... that it will not accept the inclusion of hunting and sporting weapons or ammunition in the ATT. Nor will it accept treaty language that impinges on rights protected by the Second Amendment, requires any new internal controls, legitimates arms trafficking by dictators or terrorists, inhibits its ability to support friends and allies, or creates any additional burdens for U.S. manufacturers, importers, or exporters."

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) is trying to limit Second Amendment infringements from any new UN Arms Trade Treaty that would include civilian arms and ammunition by introducing the Second Amendment Sovereignty Act, S. 2205. Sen. Moran and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the only cosponsor so far, believe that our Second Amendment rights are not negotiable. “America leads the world in export standards to ensure arms are transferred for legitimate purposes, and this bill will make certain that law-abiding Americans are not wrongfully penalized,” Moran stated.

The pertinent portion of S. 2205 reads:

No funds may be obligated or expended to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States, in connection with negotiations for a United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, to restrict in any way the rights of United States citizens under the second amendment to the Constitution of the United States, or to otherwise regulate domestic manufacture, assembly, possession, use, transfer, or purchase of firearms, ammunition, or related items, including small arms, light weapons, or related materials.

Currently S. 2205 has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Each and every member of the committee should be pressured into releasing this bill for a proper vote. Here’s a list of committee members:

John Kerry Chairman
Richard G. Lugar Ranking Member
Barbara Boxer
Robert Menendez
Benjamin L. Cardin
Robert P. Casey Jr
Jim Webb
Jeanne Shaheen
Christopher Coons
Richard J. Durbin
Tom Udall
Bob Corker
James E. Risch
Marco Rubio
James M. Inhofe
Jim DeMint
Johnny Isakson
John Barrasso
Mike Lee

Of course it is best that no deal on the UN's ATT is ever reached. This would be the surest way to protect our Second Amendment rights under the Constitution.

In the meantime, contact your Senators and Representative and tell them this treaty is neither wanted nor supported by Americans, and that S. 2205 must be passed as a safety measure. Remind them to protect what is rightfully ours, the freedom to keep and bear arms.

Thanks.

Your friends at The John Birch Society

TIP OF THE ICEBERG - THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR BRITAIN?

Via The Feral Irishman


Where was Sharpton when Channon Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23, were kidnapped, brutally tortured, raped, and murdered in 2007?

The shooting and subsequent death of 17 year old Trayvon Martin is the story of a tragic waste of life – both his and that of the neighborhood watch captain who shot and killed him. It now appears that there are questions about the chain of events that led to the shooting, but that is not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about what we know for a fact.

What we know is that two families and a community are suffering and being ripped apart because of the incident. It is also a fact that race mongers and the anti-gun cabals will attempt to use this tragic situation as currency to further their disastrous agendas.

I am in no way downplaying or attempting to minimize the gravity of the situation. But it is a fact, that the lawyers giving their opinions, the prosecutors being used on various news programs to take sides, those lining up to cry racism, Obama, and Al Sharpton are not helping things, they are deliberately fanning the flames of discord and grief for television ratings and personal gain.

As I said, this is a tragic situation for all concerned, but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the sinful duplicity of Sharpton and Obama. These days Sharpton runs from me like a dog running from scalding water and Sean Hannity is typically there to hold his hand. But I want Sharpton to answer a couple questions for me.

He is coming to Florida to lead a rally, and do what he does best, foment discord – but where was he when the black New York undercover Detectives, Rodney J. Andrews and James V. Nemorin, were brutally murdered execution style by Ronell Wilson who is black? Why didn’t Sharpton lead protests or a march in their honor, to show their families and children that New York appreciated their work their to get machine guns off the streets that were being sold by Hispanic and black thugs? I made a promise to myself that I would never forget those two brave officers – but for Sharpton they never existed.

More @ The Daily Rant

Gang Rape in Mariannelund

Cultural Enrichment News

We’re all used to culturally enriched horror stories from Sweden, but this one is more horrific than usual. Kitman has gone through the latest material and produced a translated summary. He includes this introduction:
Mariannelund is famous as the hometown of the beloved author of children’s books Astrid Lindgren. It prides itself on its idyllic scenery, known throughout the world from the movies about Emil from Lönneberga. The area also features the largest so-called “Runkesten” in the world — a huge stone which happens to be positioned in such a way that it can be moved back and forth by the simple touch of a hand.

However, the construction of an asylum centre has recently made Mariannelund home to many strangers from backward countries. Suddenly the quiet little town is making much more sinister headlines: robberies, rapes, and attempted murders have been occurring lately in Mariannelund, all somehow related to the population replacement policy of the current regime.

The victim in the case below knew one of the perpetrators and “thought she was going to a party in Vimmerby”. Instead the trip went to the immigration facilities, and here her nightmare began.
Below is his translated summary (Mohammed Coefficient: 25%) from Avpixlat.

WARNING: Sensitive readers may want to skip the rest of this story. It contains clinical details that may be disturbing:

Vimmerby Tidning: Worst crime ever
Gang-rape without parallel in Swedish criminal history

More @ Gates of Vienna

Lawmakers push to interview ex-White House aide in 'Fast and Furious'

Two top Republican lawmakers investigating the Fast and Furious controversy are demanding the White House make a former aide available for testimony to see whether the scandal reached the upper echelons of the administration, according to a letter obtained by Fox News.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, fired off the letter Wednesday urging the White House to make available Kevin O'Reilly, a former National Security Council staffer who is currently stationed in Iraq for the State Department.

The lawmakers are giving White House staffers the deadline of April 4 to respond, with Republican aides privately saying the back-and-forth could provoke a showdown over executive privilege if the administration tries to shield O'Reilly from talking to investigators.

More @ Fox News

It’s an Obama World… Gay Flag Flies at Afghan Base But the Christian Cross Is Banned

Via Don

EXCLUSIVE: Robert Zimmerman interview

Robert Zimmerman: Former magistrate judge and Vietnam War veteran.

For the first time since that fateful night on February 26, the father of a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager sat down for a television interview.

Robert Zimmerman, father of George Zimmerman, said he decided it was time to speak out for his son, against the advice of others. He shared with us what George said happened on the night that 17-year-old Trayvon Martin died.

More @ My Fox Orlando


Funding Government by the Minute

Seems like I've seen this before.

Via Knuckledraggin My Life Away


Feds refuse to release Obama draft docs to Sheriff Joe

The Selective Service System has declined Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s request to see the original copy of Barack Obama’s Selective Service registration form.

Arpaio’s Cold Case Posse investigating Obama’s eligibility announced at a March 1 press conference that it believes there is probable cause that the registration is fraudulent.

A three-sentence March 22 letter written on behalf of Selective Service Director Lawrence G. Romo, however, dismissed the request.

“This Agency has no evidence that President Obama’s 1980 registration is not authentic,” wrote Richard S. Flahavan, associate director of public & intergovernmental affairs

Apparently refusing to take seriously Arpaio’s investigation, Flahavan referred the sheriff to the FBI.

“However, if you have any credible evidence to the contrary and believe that a Federal crime has been committed, we suggest that it be turned over immediately to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to pursue,” Flahavan said.

In response, Arpaio yesterday sent a second letter to Romo, requesting clarification.

“If your office has the original, authentic Selective Service registration form for Barack Obama from July 29, 1980, please indicate whether or not you are in possession of this document,” Arpaio wrote.

“If the document is in your possession, please make it available for inspection by my Sheriff’s Office investigators. We will travel to your facility to analyze it.”

More @ WND

George Zimmerman on Police Surveillance









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New police surveillance video shows George Zimmerman on the night of the shooting. While initial reports stated that Zimmerman was bleeding from the back of his head and nose, blood cannot be seen in the video. But as Sean Hannity points out, he had been attended to by medics at the scene of the shooting before arriving at the police station.

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Expanded Homicide Data Table 6

Murder
Race and Sex of Victim by Race and Sex of Offender, 2009
[Single victim/single offender]

homicide-stats-by-race


I’m worried that American college graduates are becoming more obviously birdbrained by the year.

Ain't no question about it. :)


Old English v. New Elites

Intelligent people worry that our new “meritocratic” elite may become a hereditary caste. Charles Murray sees something ominous in the fact that for 25% of modern married couples, both partners have a college degree, whereas only 3% did in 1960. He and others worry that such assortative mating will produce a caste of high-IQ overlords. I have no such worries.

More @ Taki's

Multiculturalism: When Will the Sleeper Wake?

Photo says it all.

Multiculturalism: When Will the Sleeper Wake?

London Mayor Boris Johnson spoke the other day about the riots that devastated London and other English cities last summer:

The biggest shock for me from the riots was the sheer sense of nihilism—perhaps I should not have been shocked, but in my view literacy and numeracy are the best places to start. In seven particular boroughs in London one in four children are leaving functionally illiterate. In a few schools it is nearer 50%. We have to intervene at an earlier stage, and I think the mayor can help.

Here is a thing that The New York Times said on Tuesday, March 20. The subject is the shootings at a school in Toulouse, France, the previous day. The victims were Jewish, but the gunman’s identity was unknown, so the Times defaulted to basic liberal assumptions:

The political debate around the shootings, and whether the deaths of an instructor and three young children were somehow inspired by anti-immigrant political talk, is likely to continue.…In the middle of a long and heated presidential campaign, with President Nicolas Sarkozy trying to win back disaffected supporters who have drifted to the far-right National Front party, the shootings at Toulouse have raised new questions about the tone and tenor of the debate here about what it is to be French.

Here is a thing that General Wesley Clark, then the supreme commander of the NATO alliance, said back in 1999. The subject was the NATO bombing of Serbia:

“Cultural diversity within a nation causes nothing but trouble—what could be more obvious?”

There is no place in modern Europe for ethnically pure states. That’s a 19th century idea and we are trying to transition into the 21st century, and we are going to do it with multi-ethnic states.

The common thread there is multiculturalism, the notion that entire populations of different cultures can coexist in reasonable harmony together under a common sovereignty.

In Europe and the Anglosphere, this is the Age of Multiculturalism—an age when the doctrine is so much taken for granted, at least by elite types such as the Mayor of London, editorial writers at The New York Times, and American generals, that it has seeped into the tissues and bones to the degree that contrary notions cannot be thought.

My three quotes all illustrate that. The Mayor of London cannot think the following thought: Last summer’s riots were initially and essentially race riots, with what is left of England’s native underclass only joining in later as scavengers.

As for “functionally illiterate,” well:

Across the 14 boroughs that make up Inner London, there are 98,000 schoolchildren whose first language is not English, compared to just 79,000 native English speakers.

So the dismal educational outcomes the mayor cites were not the cause of the riots. Rather, both London’s mass functional illiteracy and the riots are effects of a common cause: fifty years of insane immigration policies turning the capital into a Tower of Babel (while simultaneously gifting it with beauties like these). Multiculturalism’s horrible consequences can, this fool mayor tells us, be cured with a little extra algebra.

More @ Taki's

Earl Scruggs, banjo legend, dies

Country Music Hall of Famer Earl Scruggs' native of North Carolina, a singular talent of collective import, died Wednesday morning at a Nashville hospital. He was 88.

A quietly affable presence, Scruggs popularized a complex, three-fingered style of playing banjo that transformed the instrument, inspired nearly every banjo player who followed him and became a central element in what is now known as bluegrass music.

But Scruggs' legacy is in no way limited to or defined by bluegrass, a genre that he and partner Lester Flatt dominated as Flatt and Scruggs in the 1950s and '60s: His adaptability and open-minded approach to musicality and to collaboration made him a bridge between genres and generations.