Your Mandarin received the following electronic letters regarding the Education at What Cost post. Mandy, You hit that one out of the park. You’re pretty much dead on. There is only one element with regard to public schools in underserved … Continue reading →
The Volgi and the Czar will in the next couple of weeks have a lot more to say on the present and future of China, but let us take a moment to talk about another rising superpower that most of … Continue reading →
FotG Jonah Goldberg references the 50 Funniest Headlines of the Year. Any guess, would you say, on what percentage of these 50 were in fact our doing? No, higher. Higher still. Yep. You got it. The Czar of MuscovyБожію Поспѣшествующею … Continue reading →
(You’d know that that means, had you clicked through on my last post…) Pictures! Pictures! And a little bit on the less-sexy but maybe more-important DF-21D. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →China’s military: “Paper tiger or real?” You know what Confucius thinks… Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Via TJIC, thank you. The Czar of MuscovyБожію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia … Continue reading →
Your Mandarin would like to direct your attention to this article by Patrick J. Buchanan. Your Mandarin suspects that the article will send the educational industrial complex (the unions and Democratic politicians), the race baiters, and the progressives into an … Continue reading →
The always entertaining Borepatch (and you really oughta read him daily) suggests the Czar should “turn his cold, dread eye towards, say, the Climate Science establishment.” Okay, sure. Now a lot of you are already rubbing your hands together gleefully, … Continue reading →
Well, can you believe it is almost 2011? The Czar is still writing 1453 on his checks. Anyway, we are getting behind on mail again. First up, Dr. J writes in on what we should be doing with the rise … Continue reading →
Yes, I went and saw Tron 2 over the Christmas break. As a kid, I thought the original Tron, while campy and cheesy, had a certain cool element to it – at least in terms of Science Fiction entertainment. It … Continue reading →
President Obama signs repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Air Force falcon mascot takes off at opening ceremony of Independence Bowl, does not return. And here the Czar thought the repeal would not obviously affect the military. The Czar of … Continue reading →
And he’s right. Not that it may matter. From the president on down through his secretary of defense, the service secretaries, and a cast of generals whose decorations would choke an alpine meadow with color, we are told that further … Continue reading →
One of our favs, Dr. J, writes in with some holiday wishes: Dear Gormogon’s, Dr. J. wishes all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year. Best,Dr. J. We wish the Royal Surgeon and his extended family … Continue reading →
The Czar has spent a good portion of a snowy Christmas weekend watching the family play with a Kinect for XBox 360. Does it live up to the hype? Perhaps. It certainly is a different way to play a game. … Continue reading →
Follow this one: 1. An iTouch requires iTunes version 10.x or better (which, from the store displays isn’t readily apparent)2. iTunes 10.x on PowerPC-based Mac requires the “Snow Leopard” version of the Mac OS. (Side comment: get off the cutesy … Continue reading →
A nice, slow and relaxing morning in GorT’s house after midnight Mass. We had some flurries (no accumulation). Presents are open, stockings emptied…legos are being built, mini fashion shows going on and a little Wii gaming (by the way, “Just … Continue reading →
'PuterAlways right, unless he isn’t, the infallible Ghettoputer F. X. Gormogons claims to be an in-law of the Volgi, although no one really believes this. ’Puter carefully follows economic and financial trends, legal affairs, and serves as the Gormogons’ financial … Continue reading →
Well, forget WikiLeaks. The Czar has had it with all you people whispering these little movie spoiler secrets back and forth. All right, here goes. The Czar is now going to spill on all those little movie tidbits people have … Continue reading →
Gents (and ‘Puter), I wish you all a warm Merry Christmas* and a happy new year. Thanks for providing me with another year of insightful commentary, witty humor, and assorted buffoonery. XOXO, DT *yes, I realize that the Czar once … Continue reading →
Every year since 1984, PNC Financial Services has compiled the “Christmas Price Index” (CPI). It measures the cost of each group* of items in the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (a total of 78 items). They have a nice … Continue reading →
Oh most eminent and outrageous one— Concerning quadratic equations and their relation to accelerating objects: the comment “Quadratic equations are necessary for an understanding of acceleration” should more accurately have read, “Quadratic equations are necessary for an understanding of the … Continue reading →
Hey, Czar. Nice bit on the metric system. I get why the metric guys go with zero for freezing, and 100 for boiling. But what’s up with Fahrenheit? If water freezes at 32, what happens at 0 degrees Fahrenheit? And … Continue reading →
Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Your Czarness: FHIW: Here’s the current satellite image of Nikumauroro. Long way from anywhere. Fresh water would have been the problem. No solar stills in those days, although the Mandarin probably already had one. / erc No doubt Volgi would … Continue reading →
News to us. He takes one little uptick in the polls, and suddenly a couple of news stories begin circulating that he is making a comeback. Ya know, Nixon used to do something. Whenever he felt his popularity was slipping … Continue reading →
Şɵ ʛøɾŤ שׂɾɨʈēʂ ʊק ʈħɨʂ ɳēשׂ קɨēçē øʄ ʂøʄʈשׂăɾē ħē ɕăɭɭʂ ɤøɭğɨɳɨʑēɾ, שׂħɨçħ ʈɾăɳʂʄøɾɱʂ ўøʊɾ ʈēϰʈ ʈɵ ɭøøк ɭɨкē ʂøɱēʈħɨɳğ ʈħē ɤøɭğɨ ɱɨğħʈ ħăɤē שׂɾɨʈʈēɳ. Ťħē ʂøʄʈשׂăɾē ɨʂ קɾēʈʈў ɳēăʈ; ʈħē ɕʑăɾ ɾăɳ ɨʈ ħēɾē, ăɳɖ ɨʈ ɭøøкʂ קɾēʈʈў ğøøɖ. … Continue reading →
Scientists at the University of Oklahoma are investigating whether bone fragments found on a deserted South Pacific island might in fact be those of Amelia Earhart. Heck, why bother investigating? The press has already decided they are, and that ought … Continue reading →
For those of you awake around 1:33am tomorrow morning (21st), there is a lunar eclipse. Eh, so what, you might say. Well, it is the first time in 372 years that the lunar eclipse falls on the winter solstice. Plus … Continue reading →
No, not really. This is a thoughtful piece that deserves your time, though. But both books come around to a similar argument: this month’s ubiquitous carols and crèches notwithstanding, believing Christians are no longer what they once were — an … Continue reading →
Sssh. Do not tell. The Czar has completed his Christmas shopping for the others. Fortunately, as you know, they do not actually read the Czar’s posts, so we can be quite safe here. For GorT, the Czar got him one … Continue reading →
…while the kids bring up the bread, wine, and birthday cake! From the great Dr. Boli. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →In answer to Dr. J’s question, while the Volgi isn’t strapping on the leather and garters like ’Puter, nor can he rouse himself to great indignation about the repeal. He has two observations, though. First, it’s curious how DADT quickly … Continue reading →
ERC responds to DT’s letter about California. Your link to Dr. Hanson’s article was a real downer. I’m a second generation Californian in my mid sixties. “I’ve seen California destroyed by Progress.“ I’m one of those 20-to-100-acre orchardists: used to … Continue reading →
Hey, the Gormogons are very happy you are here visiting with us today. You all come here literally by the thousands. And many of you probably wonder how real the emails are that we get (see numerous examples below). Actually, … Continue reading →
Almighty Czar, With regard to Net Neutrality, I was with you up until the paragraph starting, “The solution is butt-dumblingly simple.” You may have missed the memo, but in order to coin a new phrase (ingenious as that one may … Continue reading →
We have not discussed “net neutrality” here much. If you are a conservative, you know from conservative pundits that you are supposed to hate this. If you are a liberal, your liberal overlords have stipulated you must embrace this. Okay, … Continue reading →
Examples of how California is royally screwed are many. Look at Victor David Hanson’s survey of the central valley, ponder the idiocy of a state-paid food nazi suing McDonalds for her own poor parenting, or just ponder the unionized financial … Continue reading →
There is an article in the Tech section of the WaPo yesterday that points out that only 4-11% of the federal government allocated R&D funds are being applied towards individual agencies’ R&D efforts. This is yet another prime example of … Continue reading →
Guess who is closet reader of Your Gormogons? That’s right! None other than Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), who is perusing the Gormogons hard copy website. The fine folks FoxNews.com snapped this picture, catching Gormogon fan Rep. Frank not working and … Continue reading →
And filled with seamen? Why, the HMS Gay Viking of course! With her World War II record of service, the Gay Viking may be the first openly homosexual participant in a major Western military since those flaming Spartans and Athenians … Continue reading →
If only, the Czar has been thinking, not once but twice. And so, like every year, atheist groups are kvetching that municipalities are spending tax dollars purchasing, erecting, and maintaining Nativity scenes. Frankly, in a time when every collected tax … Continue reading →
As an update to ‘Puter’s post immediately below, in a shocking move, the Democrat leader of the Wisconsin State Senate voted with Republicans to vote down the Assembly approved giveaways. Unions and Democrats are said to be “stunned.” Well, good. … Continue reading →
Gormogon Operative MC writes in with the most recent display of Democrats’ brazen thievery. In order to pass 16 separate union contracts, Democrats in the Wisconsin legislature sprung one of their colleagues from the hoosegow so he could vote. Quoth … Continue reading →
It’s not a new ABC reality show. It’s instead an all too real result of an unfortunate drunken brawl in Las Cruces, New Mexico. A guy, his wife and his mother get rip-roaring drunk, and — unexpectedly! — a 3:00 … Continue reading →
‘Puter is always right – yes, it’s been a while since we’ve thrown that phrase about. But let me supplement his post with one other aspect of the democrats’ argument for the Estate Tax – they will attempt to claim … Continue reading →
In today’s Washington Post, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD8) lays out the Democrats’ best argument for reinstatement of the estate tax. As near as ‘Puter’s tiny brain can figure, the argument is this: 1. Rich people have money.2. Congress needs … Continue reading →
So a lot of sites have these discussion topic diagrams, in which some software analyzes your writing and draws up a diagram based on word frequency and topic count. The Mandarin, who has been working feverishly on an alternative to … Continue reading →
Well, we have another Dr. J running amok at the Castle. This time, we have Dr. KNJ writing in with a massively helpful idea: O Most Dread and Awful, etc., etc. I most humbly suggest an approach to the MPG … Continue reading →
So Mitt Romney—who probably does not quite meet any Tea Partier’s expectations of a fiscal conservative—says he would vote No on the Obama-McConnell tax deal. That’s fine, because he is unable to vote on it either way. Romney, in a … Continue reading →
The Czar is a big fan of the metric system, and thinks everyone should use it. Yes, even Americans. Sigh. Yes, even you. If you hate the metric system, the Czar knows why: because you are old enough to remember … Continue reading →
CBS News Poll reveals most Americans hate the GOP plan to extend tax cuts to wealthy. Gallup Poll reveals most Americans hate the GOP plan to extend tax cuts to wealthy. Bloomberg National Poll reveals most Americans hate the GOP … Continue reading →
‘Puter notes that a United States District Court Judge sitting in Richmond, Virginia struck down (on motion for summary judgment, no less (a very high bar)) the individual mandate portion of President Obama’s health care debacle. ‘Puter has a few … Continue reading →
Very nice essay from Borepatch regarding the European rioting that has, sadly, come to England. More particularly, he advocates why America must watch this carefully. After all, the formula is simple: liberal progressivism divided by anarchy = fascism, eventually. Each … Continue reading →
So there you have it. The foundational assumptions of American intellectuals as a group are firmly based on the assumptions of the progressive state and the Blue Social Model. Those who run our government agencies, our universities, our foundations, our … Continue reading →
Dear Czarina of Eastern Ukraine, I really liked your post about ‘Why Liberals Fight.’ I think you’re spot on in your analysis of the liberal base- divided. I think this was most evident at the last Democratic National Convention, and … Continue reading →
‘Puter appreciates the Czar’s kind words. It is a pleasant change from the 3:00 a.m. closing time drunken beatings. ‘Puter has had similar thoughts kicking around in his head for a while. What to make of the lack of cohesion … Continue reading →
Dread & Awful Czar, Dr. J., as you know, has been following Washington’s tax dilemma with baited breath here, here and most notably, here. President Obama presented his so-called compromise with the congressional Republicans to the wailing and gnashing of … Continue reading →
You know, for a guy who eats Jell-O with his bare hands and wanders naked a little too often around the public areas of the Castle for it to be an accident, ‘Puter is an impressively smart guy. His smackdown … Continue reading →
‘Puter’s been watching Democratic shenanigans with a genuine mix of incredulity and schadenfreude. ‘Puter figured the mid-term elections were going to shake up the Democrats, but ‘Puter did not foresee this level of self-immolation. It’s as if the Democrat’s liberal … Continue reading →
Three quick scientific updates. Remember the Czar going on about being careful with a claim about what the universe was like prior to the Big Bang? Fortunately, even the legendary Dr. Penrose is not above being lectured to. Evidently, other … Continue reading →
Alas, law enforcement stopped him just short… CHICAGO (CBS) – Even though it was snowing, it was apparently not too cold for one man who was arrested after people saw him running around wearing nothing but socks and carrying a … Continue reading →
The Japanese space agency (JAXA) suffered a sudden loss of communications with its Akatsuki probe, recently arrived in orbit around Venus. An unexpected and unexplained blackout occurred for about 22 minutes, during which time they lost total contact with the … Continue reading →
Last week a number of “celebrities” killed-off their digital selves on Twitter and Facebook as part of a fund raising drive for an HIV/AIDS relief organization that services Africa and India. The objective was to raise $1 million. Once the … Continue reading →
This is what it looks like outside ‘Puter’s house this morning. There’s 12 to 18 inches on the ground as of now. Upstate is supposed to get perhaps another 6 to 12 inches by tomorrow morning. And, perhaps a significant … Continue reading →
Well, if we’re doing obits to the great Don Meredith, then we’re sure as hell doing an obit for Ron Santo. Ron was a guy that not only symbolized Chicago, but also the Cubs: no matter how bad things got, … Continue reading →
Well, there are a few things that history ought to remember about 2010. 2010 was the year that racism officially died. Yeah, in the sense that anytime someone is called a racist, now, everybody laughs because we all know he … Continue reading →
I read this and almost did a spit take on my keyboard. Nice! GorTGorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from the future and return it to the past for retroinvention. … Continue reading →
From the Dallas Morning News: Don Meredith died at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, a hospital spokesman confirmed this morning. The Meredith family’s attorney, Lisa Fine Moses, said his wife, Susan, and daughter Mary were at his side.Meredith had … Continue reading →
Well, you can always count on EC to read one of our essays, no matter how long or tangental it gets. And he always writes in substantively: Your Czarness: Your thoughts on gays in the military are, naturally, profound and … Continue reading →
Too good to even spoil this. read it (h/t Ed Driscoll – nice!) GorTGorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from the future and return it to the past for retroinvention. … Continue reading →
The Czar has not picked up on the subject of gays in the military, so we should probably say something about it. Here it is: there are gays in the military. They are already there. But what a weird thing … Continue reading →
Via Instapundit, ‘Puter came across this article on the imminent student loan crisis, coming soon to a theater near you. Essentially, students have mortgaged their futures and will be unable to meet (or, inconveniently for them, discharge in bankruptcy) their … Continue reading →
So look what the Volgi dug up in the basement. It’s from a 1954 issue of Collier’s magazine. Yep, before all the global cooling… wait, global warming… heck, now it’s cooling again… began. Do your Gormogons believe in man-made climate … Continue reading →
So liberals out in the Intranets are getting are riled up over the announcement by the GOP leadership that they plan on blocking all new legislation until two things are accomplished: (1) resolve the continuing resolution and (2) the tax … Continue reading →
JB from over at Picobusiness writes in to chide ‘Puter. Regarding ‘Puter’s contention that unemployment insurance is not stimulative at all, since it is merely a redistribution of existing wealth: This would be absolutely true if the only way to … Continue reading →
Foreman says these jobs are going, boys, and they ain’t coming back. Unemployment benefits start to end today for up to two million Americans. To hear the liberals tell it, heartless Republicans are stealing Christmas from children, and burning Toys … Continue reading →
This is going to be a bit of a gripe. Now, you know, the Czar isn’t one to complain, but about fifteen minutes ago, his mouse stopped working. Just died, cold. So the Czar unplugged it, and plugged it back … Continue reading →
Sorry, we are a bit backed up here at the Castle. The Czar of MuscovyБожію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated … Continue reading →
For a second, the Czar got excited there when he spottted the headline “Obama Dispatches Geithner, Lew to Negotiate on Tax Cuts.” Ah, they mean the President ordered the two on a special assignment. See, when the Czar dispatches somebody, … Continue reading →
First from our Royal Surgeon: “The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers,” Princess Leia. Your GorTness: Great post on how if the ‘rich suffer’ then everyone suffers. The Gormos are well … Continue reading →
First, let’s be clear, I’m not advocating the demise of any person here but when I came across this tidbit on the news (courtesy of MTV): If you see headlines this Wednesday about Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian giving up … Continue reading →
Thanks, Katō! Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →The Volgi just let me know that actor Leslie Nielsen has passed away at the age of 84. For once, don’t you know, the Czar is truly shocked. His money was on Gene Hackman. And let it be said, our … Continue reading →
This debate continues to rage on, particularly in Washington, and sometimes in social circles where people of various political leanings mingle. Eventually, one will toss out a statement much like the title of this post, “Well, the rich can afford … Continue reading →
The Czar is inclined to agree with FotG Claire Berlinski that it does not matter whether the mainstream media acknowledges that Portland teenager Mohamed Osman Mohamud is a Muslim terrorist, because anybody more than two seconds into the story can … Continue reading →
…you’re supposed to put the kibosh on ideas like when the Mandarin says, “Let’s invest forty mil in a beachfront resort on Yŏnpyŏng-do.” ‘Club Yellow Sea,’ my 至聖 ass… Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. … Continue reading →
The Big Guy from Listen To Uncle Jay writes in: “The peasants are revolting!” —Sir Rodney, The Wizard of Id, Parker & Hart O Cruel and Vicious Czar, By the Grace of God, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias, … Continue reading →
The Czar was alarmed this morning when he had great difficulty walking downstairs to breakfast at his dacha in Muscovy. Was something broken? A neurological problem? He mentioned in passing to the Царица with some hesitation, because she tends to … Continue reading →
From Irish: Flaithiúlacht, which means ruinous generosity, especially with someone else’s money. Whither this gem? Andrew Stuttaford at the Corner. Click through to see where he got it. How to pronounce that? Something like this. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent … Continue reading →
Checked your homeowner’s insurance lately? A lot of people pay off their mortgage with property taxes and homeowner’s insurance rolled into a lump sum (“escrow”). Each month, they either write a check or use an auto-deduction to pay that off. … Continue reading →
…from the Gormogons! (from left to right, the Mandarin, GorTechie, the Œcumenical Volgi (id est, 孔夫子, The Notorious ŒV), the Czar of Muscovy, and Ghettoputer Gormogon. Taking the photo, and not in the picture, is Sleestak (one of the few … Continue reading →
Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →The Volgi pointed us to this: it’s an amateur’s assessment of North Korean military options, and the Czar has gotta tell you, this thing is more detailed and well reasoned than some actual military SWOT documents he has seen. Our … Continue reading →
The Czar is finally getting around to tackling a backlog of mail. First up, BG writes in: I read this and all I could think was, “Arghhh! The stupid! It burns!!!!!!!!!” E.J. Dionne writes: So on the one hand, we … Continue reading →
Before your local newspaper screws this up, the Czar thought he should try to explain a curious news item going around the scientific circles. The story is that famous physicist Roger Penrose has described evidence that supports a controversial theory … Continue reading →
Crap, the Czar has a lot of email to respond to. He got some really good ones over the last two days, and he promises he will answer. But what about this North Korean thing? To catch you up, because … Continue reading →
At least that’s what ‘Puter’s liberal friends all claim. You see, every single tea partier is an inbred, knuckle-dragging trogolodyte within an inch of resorting to utter, catastrophic violence to return America to the dark ages before President Clinton. Yet … Continue reading →
You know Confucius takes issues of war, peace, strategy, diplomacy, and so forth seriously. Maybe a little too seriously. Defeats and bad press for the U.S. depress him mightily. Still. He can’t stop laughing at this. We’ve apparently be negotiating … Continue reading →
Ah, history. Where would we be without ya? The Czar thinks much of history. Today, he is thinking about a belief once shared by American politicians: the best presidents, the thought goes, neither seek the Presidency nor reject the call … Continue reading →
