This week in The Tentacle for Wednesday January 14 2009

This week in The Tentacle for Wednesday January 14 2009

Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Barack Rhymes With Tupac
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Noticeable, yet relatively underreported in the scandal-filled rhetoric that passes for meaningful political commentary these days, is the passing of an historic era that will occur when President George W. Bush takes off in the presidential helicopter after President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office next week.


From The Desk of the Publisher:
John W. Ashbury
Tom McLaughlin, whose column normally appears on The Tentacle every Wednesday, has extended his travels into the Internet void known as the interior of The Far East. So, for the present, his wi-fi connection has been disabled. However, we can expect several fascinating pieces about the wilds of interior Borneo – and what the people he encounters think about the “West” – when he returns to civilization.


Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Celebrate and Enjoy Next Week
Roy Meachum
It's easy to remember my first day on The Washington Post. It was January 20, 1953. Ike's first Inauguration found me as the Post copy boy assigned to carry the paper's chief photographer Arthur Ellis' camera equipment; news photogs still toted around Speed Graphics. I loved being an insider in the big event.


Missed Opportunities? Perhaps!
Farrell Keough
If you wake up tomorrow and go out to warm up your car before leaving for work – you could be facing a $60 fine and one point on your driving record. This is yet another sign of not actually thinking through an idea, and what unintended consequences are.


Monday, January 12, 2009
General Assembly Journal 2009 – Volume 2
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
You stand at the base of the impressive marble steps and gaze up at the Georgian-era brick edifice to state governance laid out before you. This building, the Maryland State House, has served as the home of the state legislature since 1772.


The Benefits of Bottoming Out
Steven R. Berryman
Not all progress is linear in nature. As in mountain climbing, sometimes one has to travel down to get up. A glacial valley can lead to a better summit trail.


Friday, January 9, 2009
Statue for George Wenschhof
Roy Meachum
Frederick and its citizens should erect a new statue on the City Hall lawn. George Wenschhof earned it.


Bumper Stickers Say It All
Joe Charlebois
In a recent survey (unofficial) of vehicles that travel the highways and byways from Washington to Pittsburgh over the past few months, it was noted that 99% of vehicles with a Democrat or left leaning bumper sticker did not have a United States flag flanking it with pride. That is, they did not have the United States flag emblazoned upon their tailgate, bumper or rear window.


Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Matt Millens of Our Economy
Tony Soltero
The Detroit Lions just set a new standard for futility in the NFL, having just wrapped up the first winless season by a team since the league went to a 16-game schedule 30 years ago.


New Year Wisdom
Patricia A. Kelly
It’s a New Year again. For me, that’s always time to reflect. There is so much wisdom in the world, and so much idiocy. This time, at the beginning, I’d like to focus on the wisdom.


Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Pallywood – When Pictures Lie
Kevin E. Dayhoff
After Hamas, the terrorist organization that has controlled the Gaza Strip since June 2007, unilaterally broke a cease-fire on December 19 and resumed shelling southern Israel, Israeli warplanes sprang to Israel’s defense December 27 by attacking Hamas throughout Gaza. Hamas responded immediately with “Pallywood.”


Land Below The Wind
Tom McLaughlin
Santubong, Borneo – The Israeli incursion into Gaza has been met with indifference here in this Moslem land. The news has been buried in the second sections or on pages 14-15 in The Borneo Post, the local English language daily.


Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Kingdom of Jerusalem Redux
Roy Meachum
Once there was a Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem. The men who founded it wore a huge cross from their shoulders down to their knees. Many did not always do Christian things. They judged the natives as infidels. They killed many. Random cruelties were allowable on those worthless. That was anybody who did not bow to the cross. They moved right in.


Dumbing Down Mathematics – Part 1
Nick Diaz
Since the 1980's, there have been substantial efforts nation wide to weaken mathematics education in America, and, unfortunately, these efforts have largely been successful.


Monday, January 5, 2009
This Shakeout Year
Steven R. Berryman
There is really nothing overtly negative about encountering an economic shakeout period such as the one we have entered. In fact, what we will discover this New Year is that long-term national prosperity for America herself depends on a boom and bust cycle.

20090114 This week in The Tentacle for Wednesday January 14 2009

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/