Saturday, December 24, 2011

BP solar business exit counters trend by Google, Buffett, TransCanada

BP solar business exit counters trend by Google, Buffett, TransCanada Alternative Energy Energy News Financial Post
BP Plc is exiting the solar business after 40 years

'Key Driving Sector': Greece Turns to Energy as its Economic Savior

'Key Driving Sector': Greece Turns to Energy as its Economic Savior - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
Now, energy officials in the financially beleaguered nation are naming a major solar project after Helios and banking on energy more broadly as a possible way out of the financial crisis.

The EPA's Mercury Madness

The EPA's Mercury Madness - Investors.com
The EPA thinks it's worth spending billions of dollars each year to reduce already minuscule amounts of mercury in the outside air.
So why is it trying to shove mercury-laced fluorescent bulbs into everyone's homes?

College Football Wins Lower Guys' GPA

College Football Wins Lower Guys' GPA - Miller-McCune
The gap in grade point averages between male and female students widens when their college football team is winning.

Editorial: Even profitable firms fleeing California

Editorial: Even profitable firms fleeing California california, businesses, business - Opinion - The Orange County Register
While a limited number of businesses go through the trouble of pulling up stakes and high-tailing it to Texas, Nevada or Arizona, many others just quietly go out of business.
Others keep their headquarters here, but expand their operations elsewhere.
Many jobs are never created or opportunities pursued because of the punitive regulatory and tax climate in California, where Steinberg's true constituency – the public-sector unions that enforce the myriad regulations and laws – does its work.

Pakistan Military Tries to Quash Rumors of a Coup

Pakistan Military Tries to Quash Rumors of a Coup - NYTimes.com
But the focus in Pakistan on Friday was talk of a military coup.
The rumors were set off a day earlier when the prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, warned publicly of a conspiracy to topple the government.

Mark Steyn: An upside-down family tree

Mark Steyn: An upside-down family tree people, women, percent - Opinion - The Orange County Register
In Greece, 100 grandparents have 42 grandchildren – i.e., the family tree is upside down. In a social democratic state where workers in "hazardous" professions (such as, er, hairdressing) retire at 50, there aren't enough young people around to pay for your three-decade retirement.
And there are unlikely ever to be again.
Look at it another way: Banks are a mechanism by which old people with capital lend to young people with energy and ideas.
The Western world has now inverted the concept.
If 100 geezers run up a bazillion dollars' worth of debt, is it likely that 42 youngsters will ever be able to pay it off?

First in-store Father Christmas was from Edinburgh

First in-store Father Christmas was from Edinburgh - Edinburgh, East & Fife - Scotsman.com
"he first took to dressing as Santa in 1890, inspired by the drawings of political illustrator Thomas Nast."

Michigan's Snow Cone Machines

Michigan's Snow Cone Machines - The Colbert Report - 2011-08-12 - Video Clip Comedy Central
Michigan's Snow Cone Machines
The soft-on-terror-crats mischaracterize Michigan's ice shaving machines as a frivolous waste of tax money, but there's no reason that fighting terror shouldn't be fun.

Funny...in a tragic way, video.

Snow Cone Machines for Homeland Security

Schneier on Security: Snow Cone Machines for Homeland Security
Snow Cone Machines for Homeland Security
When you give out money based on politics, without any accounting, this is what you get:
The West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC) is a federal- and state-designated agency responsible for managing and administrating the homeland security program in Montcalm County and 12 other counties.
The WMSRDC recently purchased and transferred homeland security equipment to these counties -- including 13 snow cone machines at a total cost of $11,700.
Wait.
It gets funnier:
"It is used to attract people so they can be educated and prepared for homeland security," Dey said from his office in Muskegon.

"More importantly, they (homeland security officials) felt in a medical emergency the machine was capable of making ice packs which could be used for medical purposes."


We got one here in Muskegon!
Give Sheriff Roessler a call and ask him where it is!

IRS to Implement New 2% 'Recapture Tax' in Two-Month Payroll Tax Cut Extension

TaxProf Blog: IRS to Implement New 2% 'Recapture Tax' in Two-Month Payroll Tax Cut Extension
This provision imposes an additional income tax on these higher-income employees in an amount equal to 2% of the amount of wages they receive during the two-month period in excess of $18,350 (and not greater than $110,100).

New Air Jordans cause nationwide shopping frenzy

My Way News - New Air Jordans cause nationwide shopping frenzy
Fights, vandalism and arrests marked the release of Nike's new Air Jordan basketball shoes as a shopping rush on stores across the country led to unrest that nearly turned into rioting.

Ah yes, the starving 99%....right......
But what the heck is "nearly turned into rioting"?
I'm sitting at my computer kinda pissed off.
Am I "nearly turning to rioting"?
Rot!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Are Volts for dolts? It's starting to look that way

Are Volts for dolts? It's starting to look that way NJ.com
This is a pretty funny dispute.
The head of the American division of Audi called the sort of people who buy Chevy Volt's "idiots," upsetting a lot of people who like the new plug-in hybrid.
Whatever your opinion, the facts show that Volts aren't exactly selling like hotcakes.
It's not hard to see why.
As Audi’s president of North America Johan de Nysschen said, "No one is going to pay a $15,000 premium for a car that competes with a Corolla.”

China trade: Myths vs. reality

China trade: Myths vs. reality
Chinese goods account for 2.7 percent of U.S. personal consumption expenditures, about one-quarter of the 11.5 percent foreign share.
Chinese imported goods consist mainly of furniture and household equipment; other durables; and clothing and shoes.
In the clothing and shoes category, 35.6 percent of U.S. consumer purchases in 2010 were items with the “Made in China” label.
Much of what China sells us has considerable “local content.” Hale and Hobijn give the example of sneakers that might sell for $70.
They point out that most of that price goes for transportation in the U.S., rent for the store where they are sold, profits for shareholders of the U.S. retailer, and marketing costs, which include the salaries, wages and benefits paid to the U.S. workers and managers responsible for getting sneakers to consumers.
On average, 55 cents of every dollar spent on goods made in China goes for marketing services produced in the U.S.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Hate Crime at Williams?

Roger’s Rules » Hate Crime at Williams?
Think about it: A student expresses his opinion about something.
The administration doesn’t like his opinion. Ergo, the administration turns him over to the FBI for interrogation.
That was the way they did things in Stalin’s Russia, but many of us thought a different tradition regarding freedom of expression prevailed in American colleges.

Embarrassing family Christmas pictures show how festive season brings out the absurd

Embarrassing family Christmas pictures show how festive season brings out the absurd Mail Online

Dorothy Rabinowitz: What Ron Paul Thinks of America

Dorothy Rabinowitz: What Ron Paul Thinks of America - WSJ.com
It seemed improbable that the best-known American propagandist for our enemies could be near the top of the pack in the Iowa contest, but there it is.

FALSE FRONTS, AT HOME AND ABROAD

FALSE FRONTS, AT HOME AND ABROAD :: SteynOnline
Consider how utterly incomprehensible that headline would seem to an American from a mere 30 years ago.
Back then, the smart guys assured us that economic liberalization would force political liberalization upon China.
Instead, we helped them come up with the only economically viable form of Communism

The Donkey Whisperer

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

kim jong-il looking at things

kim jong-il looking at things

Grab a hankie and remember our dear leader......

Qantas QF72 accident | Plunge passengers win payout from Airbus

Qantas QF72 accident Plunge passengers win payout from Airbus
The amount is understood to run into the millions of dollars.
The highest individual payout is believed to be several million dollars.

Remembering Kim Jong-il’s Ventures Into the Sporting World

Remembering Kim Jong-il’s Ventures Into the Sporting World - NYTimes.com
In his first match at Pyongyang Lanes, Kim bowled a perfect 300, according to state-run news media, which did not say whether the bumpers were raised.
But that is nothing compared with the five holes in one and 38 under par that Kim reportedly shot in his maiden round of golf.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

EyeOnMuskegon 12-18-2011 Municipal consolidation

Tweedlemitt and Tweedlenewt

Tweedlemitt and Tweedlenewt - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online
As I’ve said for years, government health care fundamentally (as Newt would say) redefines the relationship between the citizen and the state into one closer to junkie and pusher.
Once the Obamacare goodies kick in, getting back across the Rubicon will be a tough job.

The Astonishing Collapse of MF Global

The Astonishing Collapse of MF Global
In the chapters ahead, we will lay out the unraveling of MF Global, from the first major alarm bells heard during the 2008 wheat trading scandal to the broker's dying days and the revelation that a significant amount of customer money had disappeared.
We'll show how a once-venerable broker was thrust into a risk-heavy strategy by a deeply conflicted leader who was trying to play both CEO and chief trader.
We'll explore why internal risk controls, the company's board of directors, and outside regulators failed to curb the company's reckless direction and protect its customers.
And, finally, we'll discuss the lessons that can be gleaned from this collapse, as well as the changes needed to prevent a similar disaster.

Fascinating read!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Radio Host Bill Press Tells Tebow: 'S-T-F-U!' About Jesus...

Radio Host Bill Press Tells Tebow: 'S-T-F-U!' About Jesus... National News - NEWS TALK 1090
The leftist commentator used this acronym (which stands for “shut the f**k up”) while speaking on his radio show this morning about his dislike for Tebow’s “in-your face” Christian faith.
“…And you know what I want to say, S.T.F.U. I’m tired of hearing Tim Tebow and all this Jesus Talk,” Press said.
”He better be praying hard this week, because he’s up against a real quarterback on Sunday — against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.”

Beach Boys announce a reunion tour, with Brian Wilson, to mark 50th anniversary

Beach Boys announce a reunion tour, with Brian Wilson, to mark 50th anniversary - The Washington Post
The founding members of the classic rock group — Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine — announced Friday they are getting back together to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
They’re working on a new album and also plan a 50-date tour that will take them around the world

Pete Hoekstra questions U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow's 'cozy' past with MF Global CEO Jon Corzine

Pete Hoekstra questions U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow's 'cozy' past with MF Global CEO Jon Corzine MLive.com
Stabenow's campaign operatives sought donations from MF Global CEO Jon Corzine earlier this year and took $5,000 in campaign donations from Corzine and his wife in 2006 and 1999

Big Green's endangered species money machine

Big Green's endangered species money machine Ron Arnold Columnists Washington Examiner
"Based upon data collected from the PACER National Case Locator federal court data base, attorneys fees were paid in cases where there was no federal court decision, let alone a decision that the plaintiff was a prevailing party," Budd-Falen said.
That should be sufficient to raise suspicions of some sweetheart arrangement between supposedly opposing parties, but actually between blood brothers with the same ideology -- "you sue us, and we'll make sure you're taken care of, even if the court doesn't order it."

60 Minutes Broadcast Edits Out Laughable Obama Claim as 4th Best President

The issue here is not gonna be a list of accomplishments.
As you said yourself, Steve, you know, I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president -- with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln -- just in terms of what we've gotten done in modern history.

Rosemount principal apologizes

Rosemount principal apologizesfor parent-on-student kissing prank
Here's how the practical joke, originated by school staff members, played out during the assembly on Dec. 8.
The captains of the school's winter sports teams -- boys and girls -- were lined up and blindfolded.
They were told they would be kissed and then asked to guess who was on the other side of their lip....

12 Creatively Placed Street Art

12 Creatively Placed Street Art - Oddee.com (street art)

Thirty-three Year Temperature Update - Well Below Computer Model Predictions

Thirty-three Year Temperature Update - Well Below Computer Model Predictions - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine
While Earth’s climate has warmed in the last 33 years, the climb has been irregular.
There was little or no warming for the first 19 years of satellite data. Clear net warming did not occur until the El Niño Pacific Ocean “warming event of the century” in late 1997.
Since that upward jump, there has been little or no additional warming.

My Way - Sports News

My Way - Sports News: The Best Traditions in College Hoops

Friday, December 16, 2011

Congressmen can't say 'Merry Christmas' in mail

Congressmen can't say 'Merry Christmas' in mail Campaign 2012 Washington Examiner
Members who submit official mailings for review by the congressional franking commission that reviews all congressional mail to determine if it can be "franked," or paid for with tax dollars, are being told that no holiday greetings, including "Merry Christmas," can be sent in official mail.

Nanotechnology May Lead To The End Of Laundry - Forbes

Nanotechnology May Lead To The End Of Laundry - Forbes

Mark Steyn at Restoration Weekend

Mark Steyn at Restoration Weekend FrontPage Magazine
These are serious times.
Federal regulation accounts for 10 percent of GDP.
That’s to say we take the equivalent of the entire economy of India or Canada and throw it down the toilet every year just in complying with federal paperwork

Bracketology - NCAA College Basketball Brackets and Predictions - ESPN

Bracketology - NCAA College Basketball Brackets and Predictions - ESPN

Climategate Bombshell: Did U.S. Gov't Help Hide Climate Data?

Climategate Bombshell: Did U.S. Gov't Help Hide Climate Data? Fox News
Are your tax dollars helping hide global warming data from the public?
Internal emails leaked as part of “Climategate 2.0” indicate the answer may be "Yes."

Bill Banning the Use of Public Funds to Collect Union Dues Stalls in Senate

Bill Banning the Use of Public Funds to Collect Union Dues Stalls in Senate [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
There is disagreement in the Senate, apparently, since some Republican senators say they would vote “no” on the bill unless it applies to all labor unions.
It appears that there would be no chance of the bill passing, however, if the language in it was broadened in such a way.

Omnibus spending deal blocks funding for light bulb efficiency standards

Omnibus spending deal blocks funding for light bulb efficiency standards - The Hill's E2-Wire
The legislation, which would avert a government shutdown, prevents funding from being used for the implementation of certain Energy Department light bulb standards.
The standards would begin phasing in next year.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

A VOTERS' GUIDE TO REPUBLICANS

2012 Primary Schedule « 2012 Election Central

2012 Primary Schedule « 2012 Election Central

The 2012 GOP primary/caucus schedule is nearly set in stone.

The Volokh Conspiracy » Charles Murray on Elite Ignorance of Ordinary Americans

In his new book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960–2010, Charles Murray argues that a new elite class has emerged that is much more ignorant about the lives of ordinary Americans than were the elites of earlier generations:

Tom Friedman Goes Mearsheimer and Walt

Tom Friedman Goes Mearsheimer and Walt Power Line
Support for Israel is strongest among conservatives, but the poll data suggest that it is likely the broadest bipartisan consensus that Americans share on any contentious issue.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

JustiaGate: 'Natural Born' Supreme Court Citations Disappear

Articles: JustiaGate: 'Natural Born' Supreme Court Citations Disappear
Did Justia.com deliberately aid Barack Obama in 2008 by helping to hide the one legal case that might prevent him from legally qualifying for the presidency?

Light rail dies a sudden, painful and expensive death in Detroit

Light rail dies a sudden, painful and expensive death in Detroit Crain's Detroit Business
After all, Detroit's finances are a nightmare:
The city expects to run out of cash by April. By the end of the fiscal year in June 2012, the shortfall is estimated to be $45 million.
The city has an accumulated deficit of about $180 million in its $1.2 billion general fund.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Obama: My Plan Makes Electricity Rates Skyrocket

Toncontin Feb 2009 - Risky Landing

Frozen Planet scandal: Sir David Attenborough defends fake polar bear footage

Frozen Planet scandal: Sir David Attenborough defends fake polar bear footage - mirror.co.uk

Sir David - another presenter we cannot totally trust

Sir David - another presenter we cannot totally trust - mirror.co.uk

Scott Brown’s daughter reveals the key to singing the national anthem

Scott Brown’s daughter reveals the key to singing the national anthem - TheHill.com
The singer tells us she was about 16 years old and singing at a church festival when the lyrics suddenly slipped her mind.
Her solution?
I just made them up. Made up the entire verse,” Brown says.

Treasury to stop producing unneeded dollar coins

Treasury to stop producing unneeded dollar coins – The 1600 Report - CNN.com Blogs
In 2005, Congress enacted the Presidential $1 Coin Act, which mandated that the United States Mint issue new Presidential $1 Coins with the likeness of every deceased President.
But more than 40 percent of the $1 coins that the United States Mint has issued have been returned to the Federal Reserve, because nobody wants to use them.

As a result, nearly 1.4 billion excess dollar coins are already sitting unused in Federal Reserve Bank vaults – enough to meet demand for more than a decade.
But until today, the Mint was on pace to produce an additional 1.6 billion dollar coins through 2016.

Morons!

Crony capitalism sinks the Navy

Crony capitalism sinks the Navy « Don Surber
Move over Solyndra. You are not the only politically connected alternative-energy company to slop at the public trough thanks to the election of Barack Obama as president.
Over at Hot Air, J.E. Dyer reported that the Navy is forced to pay $16 a gallon for buckets of biofuel from a company named Solazyme — So Lazy Me — I kid you not.

Household electricity bills skyrocket

Household electricity bills skyrocket – USATODAY.com
Michigan well above the national average.
How's that "hope/change" workin' out for ya?

EPA's Shaky Science Used Used By Green Movement To Attack Fracking

EPA's Shaky Science Used Used By Green Movement To Attack Fracking - Investors.com

Obama on jobs: Words, not action

Obama on jobs: Words, not action - Chicago Sun-Times
Saying the administration has lifted the BP-inspired moratorium “only in name,” Gregory Rusovich, chairman of the Business Council of Greater New Orleans, declared, “The governmental work stoppage has gone on long enough.
Now is the time for action to prevent further job loss.”

Obama’s union goon squad

Obama’s union goon squad NetRight Daily
So why didn’t Boeing fight for its right to open future manufacturing facilities wherever it pleases – free from government interference?
.......Such thuggish tactics are sad but not surprising coming from our “spread the wealth around” president, who is engaging in full-time command economic class warfare against American job creators on an unprecedented scale.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Hoekstra Holds Wide Lead in Mich. Senate Primary

Hoekstra Holds Wide Lead in Mich. Senate Primary
Michigan's respected MIRS news wire is out with a new poll showing that former Congressman Pete Hoeskstra dominates the GOP primary field for the U.S. Senate race set for next year.

The poll had Hoekstra leading his main rival 84 to 10 percent.

Top 11 Big Government Busts Of 2011: #10

Top 11 Big Government Busts Of 2011: #10 NetRight Daily
Here is a look at jobs that could have been but were blocked.
Here’s the tale of the Keystone XL pipeline.
See how this made our Top 11 Big Government Busts of 2011.

Canada withdrawing from Kyoto

Canada withdrawing from Kyoto, says official - Yahoo! News

Will Pension Plans Run Out of Money?

Will Pension Plans Run Out of Money?
That's because of an innocuous and easily overlooked column called the Run-Out Date.
That is the calendar year when the pension trust fund would be projected to literally run out of money under the proposed governmental accounting standards methodology for evaluating the funding condition of public pension plans.
GASB kibitzers call it the "depletion date."

Now do I have your attention?
Running out of money -- completely -- is a pretty big deal where I come from.
That's the pension equivalent of the collapse of a Ponzi scheme.
This is far worse than Social Security which can at least pay 75 cents on the dollar to the next generation under its current design.

The real unemployment rate is 11 percent

Wonkbook: The real unemployment rate is 11 percent - The Washington Post
Let's say you've been looking fruitlessly for five months and realize you've exhausted every job listing in your area.
Discouraged, you stop looking, at least for the moment.
According to the government, you're no longer unemployed.
Congratulations?

Tebow Works in Mysterious Ways

RealClearSports - Tebow Works in Mysterious Ways

PEOPLE ARE AWESOME (DON'S VERSION)



WOW!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Discouraging Unemployment Picture

The Discouraging Unemployment Picture America's North Shore Journal
Fewer people are working and more people have dropped out of the labor force.

U.S. Proposes Unmanned Border Entry With Mexico

U.S. Proposes Unmanned Border Entry With Mexico Fox News
By the spring, kiosks could open up in Big Bend National Park allowing people from the tiny Mexican town of Boquillas del Carmen to scan their identity documents and talk to a customs officer in another location, at least 100 miles away.

EyeOnMuskegon-Race in Muskegon part2

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE:

Instapundit » Blog Archive » HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Khan Academy: The Videos Are The Public Face, But The Real Action …
One root of the problem is the fact that the college degree is issued by the same institution that is in charge of setting, and enforcing, the standards of that credential, says Khan, who holds four degrees himself.
This is tantamount to investment banks rating their own securities

Don't pretend we know what causes climate change

Don't pretend we know what causes climate change World News Toronto Sun
So ask the warmers with their spuriously precise predictions of a "greenhouse effect" involving floods, famines, hurricanes a'blowin and a bad moon rising:
Can you plug in known year 1000 data and have your computer model produce a Medieval War Period then let New Yorkers walk across the ice from Manhatten to Staten Island in 1780 and drop snow on Dickens' London Christmases?
If not, why should anyone believe you can plug in year 2000 data and predict 2215 or 2875?

Saturday, December 10, 2011

EyeOnMuskegon NEW time starting this Sunday!

EyeOnMuskegon: EyeOnMuskegon NEW time starting this Sunday!
Whoooo nellie!
The people have spoken!
You wanted more insight into how our wonderful county, cities, townships, school boards and the rest are running amuck?
Well, you got it!

We're getting an additional half hour of EyeOnMuskegon.
Starting this Sunday, Dec. 11, EyeOnMuskegon will run from 8:30-10:00am giving us a full hour and a half of community conversation.So set your alarm folks, 8:30 every Sunday morning is BLAST OFF time for EyeOnMuskegon!

Friday, December 09, 2011

Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Liberals?

Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Liberals? PBS NewsHour Dec. 9, 2011 PBS
One of the biggest correlates with happiness in our surveys was the belief of a meritocracy, which is the belief that anybody who works hard can make it.
That was the biggest predictor of happiness.
That was also one of the biggest predictors of political ideology.
So, the conservatives were much higher on these meritocratic beliefs than liberals were.

Iowa caucuses - GOP winners

Iowa caucuses - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Republican Winners
2008 - Mike Huckabee (34%), Mitt Romney (25%), Fred Thompson (13%), John McCain (13%), Ron Paul (10%), Rudy Giuliani (4%), and Duncan Hunter (1%)
2004 - George W. Bush (unopposed)
2000 - George W. Bush (41%)[citation needed], Steve Forbes (30%)[citation needed], Alan Keyes (14%), Gary Bauer (9%), John McCain (5%), and Orrin Hatch (1%)
1996 - Bob Dole (26%), Pat Buchanan (23%), Lamar Alexander (18%), Steve Forbes (10%), Phil Gramm (9%), Alan Keyes (7%), Richard Lugar (4%), and Morry Taylor (1%)
1992 - George H. W. Bush (unopposed)
1988 - Bob Dole (37%), Pat Robertson (25%), George H. W. Bush (19%), Jack Kemp (11%), and Pierre DuPont (7%)
1984 - Ronald Reagan (unopposed)
1980 - George H. W. Bush (32%), Ronald Reagan (30%), Howard Baker (15%), John Connally (9%), Phil Crane (7%), John B. Anderson (4%), and Bob Dole (2%)
1976 - Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan

Red=winner who went on to win GOP nomination (unopposed not included)

Amazing Video of Dare Devil Pilot Pulling off an Epic Landing on a Ship

LiveLeak.com - Amazing Video of Dare Devil Pilot Pulling off an Epic Landing on a Ship
Harrowing footage of test pilots landing a Lynx Mark 90B helicopter on a pitching and weaving Knud Rasmussen class Patrol Ship.

DAL: A Day at Love Field

2011: The Year in Photos

2011: The Year in Photos, Part 1 of 3 - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic

Just As We Suspected, The Fast And Furious Program Was A Gun-Control Plot After All

Just As We Suspected, The Fast And Furious Program Was A Gun-Control Plot After All - Investors.com
Scandal:
Newly obtained documents show that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives discussed using its covert operation Fast and Furious to argue for new rules about gun sales.
We told you so.
As we observed in June, the way Fast and Furious — the government's gun-running operation that resulted in the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry — was conducted made no sense unless its intent was to facilitate violence with U.S. weapons in the interests of pursuing the administration's gun-control agenda.
Now documents obtained by CBS News confirm that our first suspicions were correct.

Taxes and disinvestment: Illinoyed

Taxes and disinvestment: Illinoyed The Economist
Businesses are threatening to leave

TaxProf Blog: University of Texas Law School Dean Resigns Immediately in Wake of Faculty Division Over Compensation

TaxProf Blog: University of Texas Law School Dean Resigns Immediately in Wake of Faculty Division Over Compensation
I'll just note one bit that struck me as especially telling: the revelation that one faculty member negotiated an arrangement with the Law School according to which she would be notified each year of who on the faculty earned more than she did.
That gem captures rather well what this turmoil is really all about.

Air France 447 Flight-Data Recorder Transcript - What Really Happened Aboard Air France 447

Air France 447 Flight-Data Recorder Transcript - What Really Happened Aboard Air France 447 - Popular Mechanics
For more than two years, the disappearance of Air France Flight 447 over the mid-Atlantic in the early hours of June 1, 2009, remained one of aviation's great mysteries.

MUST READ!
Plus read the comments.

The Health Risks Of Being Left-Handed

The Health Risks Of Being Left-Handed - WSJ.com

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

New Video Proof of Media Lies About UC Davis Protests

Trevor Loudon's New Zeal Blog » New Video Proof of Media Lies About UC Davis Protests
UC Davis Republicans have released a new video showing what actually transpired on the campus before some protesters were pepper-sprayed. The almost nine-minute video shows that the UC Davis campus police were encircled by the demonstrators, who tell the police to free some of their arrested comrades.
“If you let them go,” the protesters say, “we will let you leave.”
Later, the protesters can be heard chanting, “F— the police.”

The national media have made it appear that the police attacked demonstrators peacefully protesting on a sidewalk for no good reason at all.
NBC anchor Brian Williams called them “kids” and suggested that parents in the audience should be outraged over their treatment.

Why the euro liars must stop deceiving us - and themselves

Why the euro liars must stop deceiving us - and themselves Mail Online
It remains almost beyond belief that Mrs Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy should solemnly announce their assent to what is, in effect, a pact to agree that the Earth is flat.

Monday, December 05, 2011

Trump-ed up: You won’t believe what Eason Jordan’s up to now

Trump-ed up: You won’t believe what Eason Jordan’s up to now
Remember Eason Jordan?
Every conservative political blogger worth his/her salt knows and remembers who he is.
Former CNN head Eason Jordan is the disgraced journalist who admitted in a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece titled “The News We Kept to Ourselves” that he deliberately and intentionally whitewashed Saddam Hussein’s atrocities and regurgitated Hussein propaganda for a decade in exchange for access.
Let me underscore that: In 2003, after the U.S.-led Coalition invasion of Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein, Jordan confessed that CNN had deliberately reported Baathist propaganda during the Saddam era because it was more urgent to keep their Baghdad bureaus than to tell the truth about that brutal regime.
Former CNN head Eason Jordan is the disgraced journalist who suggested our U.S. troops were wantonly targeting journalists for murder at the 2005 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Pole dancing pushes bid as Olympic sport

Pole dancing pushes bid as Olympic sport - Sports Blog - CBS News
The campaign to get pole dancing into the Games has been in the works for a couple of years.
But now, according to the Washington Post, the Pole Fitness Association and other like-minded groups are circulating petitions to get the dance form in the 2012 London Games.

Graphic: How coaches voted in USA TODAY poll

Graphic: How coaches voted in USA TODAY poll – USATODAY.com
Ever wonder which coaches voted for your team? Now you can search our interactive database of the coaches' ballots in the final USA TODAY Top 25 college football poll of the regular season.
See every vote for every team.

EU, China May Be Dragging Down Rest of Global Economy

EU, China May Be Dragging Down Rest of Global Economy — US Business News - CNBC
In the United States, the Institute for Supply Management said its services index fell to 52.0 last month — the lowest since January 2010 — from 52.9 in October.
The reading was below economists' forecasts for 53.5

Autolib' - France Today

Autolib' - France Today
Vélib’ rental bikes, introduced in Paris in July 2007, have been a big success, despite ongoing problems of theft and vandalism.
In December the city and a ring of 46 surrounding communities are slated to take a bigger step, with Autolib’, a public system of self-service, point-to-point electric rental cars.

I imagine we'll have to wait a bit for the Detroit branch to open.....

Sunday, December 04, 2011

GM Non-Story: Dealer Inventory Build-up Continues

GM Non-Story: Dealer Inventory Build-up Continues NewsBusters.org
General/Government Motors unduly dressed up its financial statements in advance of its late-2010 initial public offering by foisting an unreasonable level of vehicle inventory on dealers.
The effect of this was to enable the company, which in accordance with general industry practice recognizes sales when it ships vehicles to dealers, to book an estimated $900 billion in sent-ahead pre-tax profit largely not supported by dealer sales.

EyeOnMuskegon-Racism in Muskegon

Detroit on the Brink

Detroit on the Brink Via Meadia: Detroit on the Brink

2011 West Virginia University Marching Band Armed Forces Salute



This is a MUST watch!
Don't miss the end with jet propulsion and a real diving submarine-propeller included!

Saturday, December 03, 2011

Zero Tolerance, Zero Proportion

Zero Tolerance, Zero Proportion - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online
If officials of the Boston public schools system genuinely believe that when a seven-year old kicks another seven-year old in the crotch that that is an act of “sexual harassment”, then they are too stupid to be entrusted with the care of the city’s children.
If, on the other hand, they retain enough residual humanity to understand that a seven-year-old groin-kick is not a sexual assault but have concluded that regulatory compliance obliges them to investigate it as such, then they are colluding in an act of great evil.

Read the comments!

The Most & Least Taxing States to Retire In

The Most & Least Taxing States to Live and Retire In: How Does Your State Tax Burden Compare? - Bloomberg

Friday, December 02, 2011

8.6% unemployment? Baloney

8.6% unemployment? Baloney « Don Surber
The federal government said employment increased by 120,000 in November (an increase of less than 1/1,000th) and the unemployment rate fell by 0.4%? Baloney.
It is a statistical lie aimed at making it sound as if the economy is growing.
Indeed, Bloomberg reported that 315,000 people left the workforce — meaning the number of dropouts was nearly triple the net gain in jobs.

Pundit & Pundette: "Newtworld" then and now

Pundit & Pundette: "Newtworld" then and now
"That Newt is why I can't take today's Newt seriously.
He's full-to-bursting of himself and his multi-point "solutions," which he cranks out at will and inflates with portentous language.
(Try it at home.
It's mostly in the adverbs.
Instead of saying, "Gee, Aunt Martha, this new pumpkin pie tastes delicious," spice it up with a few of Newt's favorite modifiers and your simple compliment will take on a grand and weighty significance:
"This dramatically reconfigured, deeply compelling pumpkin pie tastes extraordinarily delicious.")

I heard Mark Steyn refer to this on the Rush show this week.
The POWER of adverbs!

Thursday, December 01, 2011

For Democrats Class Warfare Trumps Job Creation

For Democrats Class Warfare Trumps Job Creation - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
The latest example is their 3.25% small business surtax (5% in the Obama "jobs bill" version), a purely punitive device that all parties know has no chance of becoming law.

Wisc. Election ‘Watchdog’ Assumes ALL Recall Signatures Are Valid, Will Only Verify Contested Entries

» Wisc. Election ‘Watchdog’ Assumes ALL Recall Signatures Are Valid, Will Only Verify Contested Entries - Big Government
The board that oversees the state’s elections admits they will not check the validity of any of the signatures or addresses contained on the recall petitions expected to be submitted in January.
For $625,699 the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board will make sure all the blanks are properly filled out on petitions to recall Governor Scott Walker, but that’s all.