Nov 26, 2009

Inscrutable my butt

News flash! China breathlessly announces it will go along with the climate gag and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 or 45 per cent in the next 15 years.

Funniest thing. This Middle Kingdom bulletin comes just as the world's most powerful climate hand wringers get ready to meet in Copenhagen and draw up a plan to make cold, dark American homes seem like fun -- and as the cap-and-tax Obama initiative clings vigorously to life.

The holdouts on de-industrializing the developed world have long pointed out that if China won't go along, emissions taxes in Europe and North America would have only one certain result: A richer China dominating a poorer West.

So China finally caves in to the degree of saying it will reduce emissions because it wants to be a by-gawd exemplary citizen of Planet Earth. And I will bet the farm that every year, China will announce that it is indeed reducing smokestack nasties, silencing the skeptics and adding to the pressure for a Kyoto-like economic death wish among the leftists in control of the U.S. government.

Premier Jiabao to nosy reporter: "That big black smog over Shanghai? Why, that's American pollution blown here from Los Angeles by the trade winds. As is well known, China no longer emits."


Nov 25, 2009

Bowie Knife teaser

There is no such thing as a Bowie knife. Film at eleven.

In Progress

<-- That old three-dollar Kabar/Navy blade en route to a new life as a knockabout hunter. Some pits remain, and the "blood groove" shows residual grinding marks. I decided to let well enough alone after already reducing the blade thickness by at least 1/16th.

I decided I didn't like the koa wood and subbed the walnut . Everything is done through the 100-grit level. I'll probably stop at 180 and may just spray some leftover fake parkerizing on the blade. The grip -- shaped to be comfortable in my hand -- gets a few of coats of highly thinned linseed oil. The finished product will represent about four bucks and something like three hours of pleasant tinkering.




Good People Down There

The New Zealand Libertarians were kind enough to let me join their mailing list, and it's pleasant to keep an eye on our colleagues in the South Pacific. They're fighting the same sorts of statist diddlydowops we are.

The latest I have from them is a notice that their next meeting won't be a talkity-talk session. They're gathering to lend a hand to one of their own who has a mission:

"A friend of Liberty is running a working bee to continue upgrading his facilities north of Auckland. Graham Crawshaw continues his independent campaign to provide literacy skills to boys (mainly) falling through the cracks in our education system so I thought we could have lunch there and pitch in."

So, if you happen to be in the Aukland vicinity this weekend ...