Odds And Ends

A few random thoughts...

Beware of Armed SUVs

I posted earlier about the tragic shooting of a young lady who was serving as the designated driver on New Years Eve. One of the points I made was the reluctance of media outlets to identify the race of the suspects. I mocked them by suggesting if they're going to leave out race, they should leave out gender as well.

The media reported the color of the SUV. Why is that fact relevant, but the color of the suspects not relevant? If we're going to neglect to report race, why don't we ignore gender as well?

"a black Lexus SUV occupied by five or six people..."

That's much better. It may not help police track down the suspects, but at least it won't offend anyone.

Evidently USA Today pays attention to what I say. In fact, they went one step farther and left out any mention of people at all.

Mutschlechner, a junior at the University of North Texas, was driving her friends home early Friday morning when a black SUV fired multiple shots, striking Mutschlechner in the head... (emphasis added)

I know self-driving cars are being developed, but I had no idea they had reached the point where a vehicle could fire multiple shots.

One question: is it racist to say the SUV was black?

A Glimpse Of Our Future?

You may have heard of the planned and coordinated New Years Eve attacks on German women "by gangs of men described by the authorities as having “a North African or Arabic” appearance." If not, here's a quick synopsis.

The tensions simmering beneath Germany’s willingness to take in one million migrants blew into the open on Tuesday after reports that scores of young women in Cologne had been groped and robbed on New Year’s Eve by gangs of men described by the authorities as having “a North African or Arabic” appearance.

Taking advantage of the New Year’s Eve street party, hundreds of young men broke into groups and formed rings around young women, refusing to let them escape, the authorities said. Some groped victims while others stole wallets or cellphones.

In Hamburg, the police said 10 women had reported that they were sexually assaulted and robbed in a similar fashion on the same night.

I won't go into much detail here (you can find more here and here). I will, however, make two quick points.

First, if you think our media is timid when it comes to reporting news about 'protected classes' (minorities, women, gays, liberals, etc.), wrap your head around this.

The assaults initially were not highlighted by the police and were largely ignored by the German news media in the days afterward...

The assaults set off accusations on the right and among some political commentators that the authorities and the news media had tried to ignore or cover up the attacks to avoid fueling a backlash against the refugees.

Gee, ya think?

Second, what does a good liberal do when there is a conflict between two protected classes - in this case, 'refugees' and women?

Answer: when in doubt, blame the victim.

The Mayor of Cologne says women should adopt a “code of conduct” to prevent future attacks following trouble on New Year's eve when women in the city centre were subjected to sexual assaults by hundreds of men.

I guess those women were just asking for it.

Escape From Chicago

One of my favorite movies is an old Kurt Russel flick titled "Escape from New York." In the movie, in a grim depressing future, Manhattan Island has been turned into a giant prison colony, surrounded by walls, fences, and armed guards.

It may be time to do that with Chicago.

Chicago is on fire. It’s America’s mass shooting capital. Its deadliest neighborhoods are gang territories prowled by thousands of killers with some of the highest murder rates in the world.

How did this happen?

The last Republican mayor of Chicago was born shortly after the Civil War...

Chicago Democrats are closely entangled with its 68,000 gang members who deliver the votes and the money. There are more gang members in Chicago than people of English ancestry. That makes them a powerful voting bloc. And Democrats bow to their wishes.

A Latin Kings member described how the vote organizing worked. “Every chapter had to vote for that guy… That was a direct order. That means you can’t say no.” Under the Dems, that’s Chicago democracy.

Chicago Democrats ritualistically demand gun control, but carefully avoid cracking down on their own political base. Obama calls for “common sense solutions” after every shooting, but like a good Chicago Democrat he voted against a 1999 bill to try anyone carrying out a shooting in school as an adult. Under Obama, Federal gun-crime prosecutions in Chicago have became as rare as honest Chicago Democrats.

What does the future hold?

Chicago’s population has been falling since the 50s. 200,000 fled between 2000 and 2010. Tens of thousands of homes stand vacant. In some neighborhoods 1 in 6 homes are empty. And with an underwater mortgage rate that hovers around 20 percent, they’ll soon have plenty of company.

Chicago’s bonds are already junk. If the radical wing of the welfare party gets its way, they’ll be toilet paper. If the moderate wing stays in power, they’ll still be toilet paper, but it’ll take longer.

Of course, the same thing is happening in other cities under long-term democrat control - Baltimore, Washington D.C., Detroit, and more, but Chicago is the bloodiest.

And the one most in need of a wall.

Finally, Some Good News 

Struggling with that New Years resolution to lose weight and get in shape? Yeah, me too. But there is hope on the horizon.

A Glass Of Red Wine Is The Equivalent To An Hour At The Gym, Says New Study

Research conducted by the University of Alberta in Canada has found that health benefits in resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, are similar to those we get from exercise.

Discussion over the health benefits of red wine have been well documented. Studies have revealed that those who drink a glass of red wine a day are less likely to develop dementia or cancer, that it's good for your heart, anti-ageing and can regulate blood sugar.

And now there's research backing that fact that it boosts heart rate? This is literally the best thing ever.

Don't get too excited, however. The study goes on to say that it only applies to one glass of red wine per day, and that so far only the effects on lab rats have been studied.

Nevertheless, I believe that the science is settled. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to engage in several hours of 'exercise'...