tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568Sun, 03 Feb 2013 22:20:09 +0000By Rick Henderson, ink-stained, pixelated wretch; political writer and editor; alum, UNC-Chapel Hill (A.B. 1979); aficionado, American roots music and eclectic pop culture; cheap wine snob.<br><br><a href="http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2002_12_01_deregulator_archive.html#85334798">About Deregulator</a><br><br> <a href="mailto:rhenderson58@yahoo.com">e-mail me</a><br><br>http://deregulator.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Rick)Blogger339125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-4080454762371331965Sun, 03 Feb 2013 22:20:00 +00002013-02-03T17:20:09.071-05:00I'm not sure how you spent the early part of your Super Bowl Sunday, but I spent mine moving our Eastern prickly pear cactus. It began its journey with us in an unassuming, 8-inch pot. After languishing more than a year in our front yard, I built a scree (desert garden area) and transplanted it there, along with other succulents. I must have found the perfect growing medium, because after http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2013/02/cactus-moving-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-5751852236921584077Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:46:00 +00002012-11-21T13:46:48.476-05:00If you accept the notion that money has too much influence in politics, consider GOP strategist Karl Rove, who had visions of creating a "permanent Republican majority." Turns out that the all-powerful Rove was incapable of buying a few Senate seats. The two independent political groups he spearheaded, American Crossroads and Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, spent somewhere between $176 http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-political-parties-arent-quite-dead.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-8376446245457777921Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:28:00 +00002012-11-09T15:28:04.701-05:00It seems like I come back here every six or seven months, whether or not I need to. Since my last post, we've lost a beloved family member, Mandy (who left us at about age 110), gained a beloved family member (Grover, who's a genuine hoot, sweetheart, and the king of the daily walks) and appear to be on the verge of losing another beloved family member (the wonderful Nano, who's about ashttp://deregulator.blogspot.com/2012/11/disjointed-election-ruminations-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-2183058300091317135Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:19:00 +00002012-04-01T20:19:01.661-04:00We're entering the third full year in our house, and we learn something new about gardening here every season. Last year we tried growing most of our vegetables in large containers and put up a Topsy Turvy tree. That didn't work well, requiring lots of water and producing very little we could eat. This time, we're going more traditional, planting in our 12-by-12 and 3-by-3 raised beds (with a http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2012/04/gardening-2012.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-71581202683406362Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:28:00 +00002011-10-26T19:29:53.435-04:00Here's an interview I did with Carolina Journal Radio on a math problem we discovered when President Obama was promoting his jobs bill. http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/10/yours-truly-on-american-jobs-act.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-3501234248151672946Fri, 29 Jul 2011 01:37:00 +00002011-07-28T21:37:34.420-04:00No, I don't mean the Obama administration, dagnab it. I'm talking about the Butch Davis era at Chapel Hill. I probably couldn't find the posts now, but on Facebook I was calling for Davis to be fired a year ago, when the sordid mess came to light. And after the initial Marvin Austin tweets came to light, and the NCAA visited Carolina's campus, the situation worsened -- capped off by the http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/07/our-long-national-nightmare-is-over-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-2225193461764981888Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:19:00 +00002011-06-07T17:19:08.291-04:00Well, that was an interesting 36 hours. Sunday, Reuters reporter Ned Barrett quoted JLF Commander John Hood in a story on the John Edwards indictment. NBC's Today Show wanted to interview the boss, who was on vacation. So, after a few phone calls, Today found me. We did an interview at the office Sunday afternoon, and a sound bite aired in Monday's program. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/06/king-of-all-media.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-4345821373070223638Tue, 03 May 2011 00:55:00 +00002011-05-02T21:04:10.435-04:002011 marked my fifth Merlefest and Cara's fourth. Last year, we swore we would not attend more than two days of the four-day festival. No matter how wonderful the music, how delightful the surroundings, and how enjoyable the company might be, spending more than 20 hours in the elements is too exhausting at our age. So, of course, we ended up buying passes for all four days of Merlefest this http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/05/merlefest-2011.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-9045357863810679155Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:59:00 +00002011-03-20T18:59:55.410-04:00In recent months, I've noticed my daily routine changing. After waking, smooching my wife, starting the coffee, and feeding the pets, I stumble outdoors and pick up the paper. I'll check the headlines and see what idiocy is on the N&O edit page, and then boot up my laptop and read the news online. This is a big deal, and a total reversal of how I've consumed newspapers over the past four-plus http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/03/almost-ready-to-embrace-dark-side.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-8952315037577440437Sat, 05 Feb 2011 22:15:00 +00002011-02-05T17:15:07.246-05:00http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/02/drew-decision.htmlhttp://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/02/drew-decision_05.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-3864790131556573291Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:04:00 +00002011-02-05T15:04:09.720-05:00Well, that came out of nowhere. Larry Drew II was never likely to make frequent appearances in Carolina basketball highlight reels, but to quit the team in the middle of the season, five days before the Duke game? A guy averaging more than 20 minutes a game for a ranked basketball team just doesn't do that. Unless something's not right. Sure, Drew had lost his starting point guard job four gameshttp://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/02/drew-decision.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-4109917290460491857Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:04:00 +00002011-01-15T15:04:39.431-05:00Found on YouTube. Great tunes by one of my favorites. http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/01/four-decades-of-nick-lowe.html http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/01/four-decades-of-nick-lowe_15.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-1838719836779230913Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:50:00 +00002011-01-15T14:50:55.544-05:00Amazing what you'll find on YouTube. Here's an overview of one of my favorite singer-songwriter's careers. Starting with the Pub Rock legends Brinsley Schwarz, who formed in the late '60s (great 'do, Nick). That's Lowe on guitar, Ian Gomm bass, Billy Rankin drums, Bob Andrews B-3 and Brinsley piano. Next, from '78, with Rockpile (Billy Bremner and Dave Edmunds guitars, Terry Williams drums). http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/01/four-decades-of-nick-lowe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-3540925552540969608Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:26:00 +00002011-01-07T14:26:46.999-05:00http://www.facebook.com/#!/henderson.rick/posts/191356510878738http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/01/about-that-cbo-estimate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-5826011104534376769Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:32:00 +00002011-01-06T10:32:26.395-05:00Liberal? People hate it. Progressive? Headed that way ... http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/01/democrat-decline-president...http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/01/liberals-are-going-to-have-to-come-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-8175497609860398427Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:25:00 +00002011-01-05T20:25:04.576-05:00For you NRBQ fans, gittar picker Scott Ligon channels Big Al. http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/01/one-and-only-terry-adams-with-his-r.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-8941319648660056639Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:56:00 +00002011-01-05T19:56:40.578-05:00http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/01/028073.php The hissy fit the left is throwing over the new Congress' fidelity to the Constitution is puzzling, since all members of Congress take an oath to protect and defend it. It's puzzling, that is, unless the left (like Ezra Klein) believe it has not true authority.http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/01/maybe-instead-of-jeering-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-2104034255188811408Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:42:00 +00002011-01-05T19:42:04.661-05:00A sensible view of the Beam kerfuffle. http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/the-specter-of-minarchy/http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/01/libertarians-and-nonthreat-they-pose.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-1921681583362378079Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:53:00 +00002011-01-05T13:53:20.932-05:00http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110104/lf_nm_life/us_pinkfloyd_emi_1http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2011/01/in-case-you-dying-to-download-all-23.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-723342474750775920Mon, 15 Nov 2010 01:10:00 +00002010-11-26T17:18:13.970-05:00We have about three dozen succulents and cacti in containers. Each fall I would haul them indoors to protect them from the elements and then in the spring I'd place them outdoors. They don't really like this, but I thought it was the only way to keep them alive. Until I saw this blog post about a xeric cactus garden at the N.C. State Fairgrounds, leading to a visit to the JC Raulston Arboretum http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2010/11/you-load-16-tons.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-3360762713705732863Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:31:00 +00002010-10-12T22:43:26.327-04:00 I became a fan of the Atlanta Braves in 1969, as I listened to the Braves (on WKBC-AM in North Wilkesboro) win the National League West in the first year of division play. My interest waxed and waned over the years, but never my loyalty. When Ted Turner bought the team and broadcast the games on his network of UHF stations, I watched and heard Skip Caray, Pete Van Wieren, and Ernie Johnson http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2010/10/more-than-few-words-about-bobby-cox.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-8600948717308919198Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:29:00 +00002010-09-20T22:29:19.948-04:00NC State opens the 2010 season 3-0, improved in no small part because its aggressive defense has forced turnovers and put relentless pressure on opposing QBs. The architect of that defense is Jon Tenuta, State's new linebackers coach, hired from Notre Dame after Charlie Weis was fired. Tenuta appears to be one of the oddities: a genuine teacher at the highest levels of the NCAA, someone who can http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2010/09/jon-tenuta-canary-in-coal-mine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-6742735138659817367Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:10:00 +00002010-06-20T14:10:32.125-04:00I finished the project this morning. (And did some more stuff, mainly weed removal from another bed.) For the story so far, go here. I started this morning by giving the bed one last blast of Roundup and then covering the dirt with newsprint. (A few years ago, a single Sunday paper might have done the trick, but we all know what's happened to the newspaper biz.) I even managed to find a http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2010/06/garden-blogging-part-second.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-7191580130512513307Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:57:00 +00002010-06-19T15:57:16.435-04:00Greetings, folks. Anything happen while I've been away? We've bought a house -- a classic early-'60s ranch -- and moved to the east side of Raleigh. The sellers were under contract with another buyer last summer and fortunately for us, the deal fell through. So the sellers didn't really tend to the lawn or garden from about June until we took occupancy in February. We inherited some cool stuffhttp://deregulator.blogspot.com/2010/06/garden-blogging.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988568.post-1313801619329353844Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:10:00 +00002010-01-24T14:10:04.513-05:00Between the election of Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate, the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United, and (in North Carolina) the 51-count indictment of former Gov. Mike Easley's top aide Ruffin Poole, this week Democrats, especially those loyal to the Obama adminstration's leftward agenda, have absorbed a barrage of body shots. So far, we see little indication that these blows have made an http://deregulator.blogspot.com/2010/01/gut-check-time-for-democrats.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rick)0