Saturday, December 31, 2011

Loss of faith in democracy could make 2012 the most frightening year ever

Loss of faith in democracy could make 2012 the most frightening year ever Mail Online
For the most chilling parallel, though, we should look back exactly 80 years, to the cold wintry days when 1931 gave way to 1932.
The ultimate warning from history: If our political leaders fail to provide adequate direction the results, as demonstrated 80 years ago, could be catastrophic
Then as now, few people saw much to mourn in the passing of the old year.
It was in 1931 that the Great Depression really took hold in Europe, bringing governments to their knees and plunging tens of millions of people out of work.
Then as now, the crisis had taken years to gather momentum.
After the Wall Street Crash in 1929 — just as after the banking crisis of 2008 — some observers even thought that the worst was over.
But in the summer of 1931, a wave of banking panics swept across central Europe.
As the German and Austrian financial houses tottered, Britain’s Labour government came under fierce market pressure to slash spending and cut benefits.

Grimm prediction.

The Air Force Just Bought Its Biggest And Fastest Armed Drone Ever

The Air Force Just Bought Its Biggest And Fastest Armed Drone Ever
After reports earlier this month that the drone would be sent to Afghanistan, Air Force officials now say the Avenger may be years away from active duty

Creepy

from an e-mail today:

Friend --
Today, the last day before 2012, we want to make sure you take the chance to be part of something special.

Before midnight tonight, donate $3 or whatever you can to be automatically entered to have dinner with the President and First Lady sometime soon.

And, don't forget -- if you're one of the winners, you'll get to bring a guest along with you.

So, if you're interested in potentially sitting across from the President and First Lady for a meal sometime soon, this is your very last chance to throw your name in the hat.

Donate $3 to be automatically entered to have dinner with Barack and Michelle:

https://donate.barackobama.com/By-Midnight

Good luck, and happy new year.

-Julianna
Julianna Smoot

Deputy Campaign Manager

Obama for America

Will Obama steal the 2012 election?

KUHNER: Will Obama steal the 2012 election? - Washington Times
In a recent speech, Mr. Holder said that attempts by states to pass voter identification laws will disenfranchise minorities, rolling back the clock to the evil days of segregation.
He said that a growing number of minorities fear that “the same disparities, divisions and problems” now afflict America as they did in 1965 prior to the Voting Rights Act.
According to the Obama administration, our democracy is being threatened by racist Republicans.
Hence, the Justice Department must prevent laws requiring a photo ID to vote from being enacted.

7 companies on the ropes in 2012

7 companies on the ropes in 2012 - big names at risk - MSN Money

National Park Service has new land-grabbing tool

National Park Service has new land-grabbing tool Ron Arnold Columnists Washington Examiner
Big Green has an unlikely new sales pitch to convince Congress to fund ever-expanding land grabs by the National Park Service -- save wildlife migration.
A map overlay showing all the U.S. wildlife migration paths would blot out nearly half the nation -- a very clever diagram for empire-building bureaucrats.

What The Rich People Really Drive

What The Rich People Really Drive - Forbes
61 percent of people who earn $250,000 or more aren’t buying luxury brands at all.
They’re buying the same Toyotas, Hondas and Fords as the rest of us.

Flying breast milk and death by rooster: the best of American madness, 2011

Flying breast milk and death by rooster: the best of American madness, 2011 – Telegraph Blogs
There are plenty of eccentric Britons, too, but it’s the openness and enthusiasm of American loons that makes them seem uniquely whack-a-doodle.

Too funny!
Read it!

Planned Parenthood tops $1 billion in assets

Planned Parenthood tops $1 billion in assets - The Hill's Healthwatch
The nation’s largest abortion provider topped $1 billion in total net assets in 2009-2010, its first time reaching that mark, according to Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report.
...Almost half of the group’s annual revenue — 46 percent — comes from taxpayers in the form of grants, contracts and Medicaid payments

Two Models for Europe

Two Models for Europe - Hans-Werner Sinn - Project Syndicate
The printing presses at the Banque de France and the Banca d’Italia are working overtime to make up for the outflow of money.
But this only furthers the exodus, because creating more money prevents interest rates from rising to a point at which capital would find it attractive to stay.

A Free Website for Periodicals, Books, and Videos

A Free Website for Periodicals, Books, and Videos
This web site is intended to provide an extensive free library of written content to everyone on the Internet, eventually containing a comprehensive collection of high-quality books and periodical issues.

Since all this content is intended to be permanently and transparently available, students, academics, and journalists may freely use this valuable content, perhaps producing additional writings hyperlinked to these important source materials.

A written index for a book or a periodical is merely the precursor of a search-engine; a footnote in a book or article is merely the precursor of a hyperlink.
This web site might ultimately allow an unlimited amount of previously produced written content to be easily enhanced with these new capabilities.

Does Stripping Gender From Toys Really Make Sense?

Does Stripping Gender From Toys Really Make Sense? - NYTimes.com
Hamleys, which is London’s 251-year-old version of F.A.O. Schwarz, recently dismantled its pink “girls” and blue “boys” sections in favor of a gender-neutral store with red-and-white signage.
Rather than floors dedicated to Barbie dolls and action figures, merchandise is now organized by types (Soft Toys) and interests (Outdoor).

10 worst business predictions of 2011

10 worst business predictions of 2011 - The banks are healthy (1) - CNNMoney
From a muni meltdown to a recovery in bank stocks to a Yahoo turnaround, we were told a bunch of things would happen this year that didn't even come close.

P-38 was the First… | P-38 National Association

P-38 was the First… P-38 National Association
This short little video does an awesome job of pointing out all the “firsts” of the P-38 as well as so many other pluses that seem to get overlooked by some aviation historians.

Republican U.S. Senate candidates gathering Wednesday in Hart

HART — Five of the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate are expected to be in downtown Hart on Wednesday night for a candidate roundup hosted by the Oceana Tea Party.

Great opportunity to see who our next Senator will be.
It likely will boil down to Congressman Hoekstra or the non-Hoekstra, so here's your chance to see them in person.
I'll be there.
Dump Debbie!

Obama Recruits Qaradawi

Obama Recruits Qaradawi - Andrew C. McCarthy - National Review Online
The surrender is complete now.
The Hindu reports that the Obama administration has turned to Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s leading jurist, to mediate secret negotiations between the United States and the Taliban.
........For those who may be unfamiliar with him, he is the most influential Sunni Islamist in the world, thanks to such ventures as his al-Jazeera TV program (Sharia and Life) and website (IslamOnline.net).

In 2003, he issued a fatwa calling for the killing of American troops in Iraq.
As he put it,
"Those killed fighting the American forces are martyrs given their good intentions since they consider these invading troops an enemy within their territories but without their will. . . . Although they are seen by some as being wrong, those defending against attempts to control Islamic countries have the intention of jihad and bear a spirit of the defense of their homeland."

Qaradawi urges that Islam must dominate the world, under a global caliphate governed by sharia.
He maintains that Islam “will conquer Europe [and] will conquer America.”

Friday, December 30, 2011

How to master the art of passwords

How to master the art of passwords How To - CNET

Tasco to retire, but only for a day

Tasco to retire, but only for a day Philadelphia Inquirer 12/29/2011
Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco is retiring Friday, but only so she can collect a $478,057 pension check and return to work Monday, when she will be sworn in for her seventh term.
Tasco was one of six Council members to enroll in the city’s controversial Deferred Retirement Option Plan, better known as DROP.
She did not immediately return a request for comment.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

"A Tale of Two Missions" with Juan Williams promo

Even the Warmists Don't Believe In Global Warming

Even the Warmists Don't Believe In Global Warming - Forbes
The meeting in Durban provided an opportunity for Progressives to make their latest argument that ordinary people should surrender their freedom and hand all money and power over to unelected, unaccountable “experts” like, well, the people at the conference.
This is, of course, in order to “save the planet” from “climate change”.
(The issue that had for years been called “global warming” was rebranded as “climate change” when the most recent decade’s worth of data proved uncooperative.)

Public workers' perkhits taxpayers

Public workers' perkhits taxpayers - USATODAY.com
The practice, called buying "air time," lets state, municipal and school employees pay to add up to five years to their work history so they are eligible to retire and collect a lifetime pension.
Workers already eligible for retirement can buy extra years to boost a pension by up to 25%.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Ludington, Whitehall, Hart newspapers being sold to Illinois-based group

Ludington, Whitehall, Hart newspapers being sold to Illinois-based group MLive.com
The new ownership for the White Lake Beacon in Whitehall, Oceana's Herald-Journal in Hart and the Ludington Daily News will be effective Sunday.
West Frankfort, Ill.-based Community Media Group

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

WaPo Faith Section: 'Christmas Means the Redistribution of Wealth'

WaPo Faith Section: 'Christmas Means the Redistribution of Wealth' NewsBusters.org
The Christmas Eve article was headlined: “Christmas means the redistribution of wealth.”
The holy day certainly should lead us to share what we have, but socialists always mistake individual giving with government taking. Stevens-Arroyo lobbed this bomb: “Christmas 2011 comes on the eve of an election year when Catholic America is confronted with an escalation in society’s class divisions and a concentration of wealth worse than under the Roman Empire.”

Benched: Muskegon County District Court's old ones going up for sale

Benched: Muskegon County District Court's old ones going up for sale MLive.com
Buyers will be required to remove benches between 1 and 3 p.m. Jan. 19.
County staff will be available for questions but not to help with moving the benches.

Local gun shop reports near record sales for holiday

Local gun shop reports near record sales for holiday wzzm13.com
....the FBI is reporting dropping crime rates for the first six months of 2011.
Violent crime dropped six percent and property crimes dropped four percent.
Wokers at the Silver Bullet say they attribute the increases, not just to self protection, but people who like target shooting or hunting.

More guns in the hands of honest citizens results in lower crime.
I guess Holder and his neo-gun grabbers gotta come up with a new lie to disarm our American citizens.

Mom hopes new car will change her life

Mom hopes new car will change her life WOOD TV8
Unfortunately, not everybody was in the holiday spirit.
Before the giveaway, the car had a huge red ribbon on the hood, but somebody stole it.

Muskegon County moves toward net phones

Muskegon County moves toward net phones WOOD TV8
A number of agencies have signed on to participate to some degree.
They are the central dispatch board, the cities of Muskegon Heights and Norton Shores, Muskegon and Fruitport townships, and the White Lake Ambulance Authority.
Muskegon and other communities are considering joining.

Interesting that the near broke city of Muskegon holds out.

Holland to cut election sites in half

Holland to cut election sites in half
HOLLAND, Mich. (AP) - Holland is cutting the number of polling sites from 13 to seven as a way to save money on election day.

Deputy City Clerk Anna Perales says the western Michigan community won't save much in rental costs, because it only pays $60 for use of each site.

But she says there are greater savings in labor.
That's because each polling site needs three inspectors for local elections and as many as six or seven during state and national elections.

The Holland Sentinel says inspectors get $11 or $12 an hour.

Next year's elections are scheduled in February, May, August and November.

Smart move!

W Mich horticulturalists get $20k

W Mich horticulturalists get $20k
LANSING, Mich. (AP)
The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs has approved grants totaling $2.1 million to 221 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, educational institutions and local governments.

The council is under the Michigan Economic Development Corp .

The grants announced last week include 173 for $1.3 million to go toward operations and project support.

Grants of $20,000 each are going to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the West Michigan Horticultural Society in Grand Rapids and the Edison Institute in Dearborn.

The Detroit Recreation Department is getting $39,200 out of a $499,000 regional re-granting program.
The Detroit agency is to distribute the money to other arts and cultural projects in the area.

Noooo problem.
We've got LOTS of your moolah.......right.....

Monday, December 26, 2011

TSA

TSA Viper Units Ron Paul The Daily Caller
In 2012, the agency is planning to expand its operations at train stations, subway stations, ferry docks and other transportation hubs.

Race and Economics

RealClearPolitics - Race and Economics
Minimum wage laws are classic examples.
The last year in which the black unemployment rate was lower than the white unemployment rate was 1930.
That was also the last year in which there was no federal minimum wage law.

The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 was in part a result of a series of incidents in which non-union black construction labor enabled various contractors from the South to underbid Northern contractors who used white, unionized construction labor.
The Davis-Bacon Act required that "prevailing wages" be paid on government construction projects-- "prevailing wages" almost always meaning in practice union wages.
Since blacks were kept out of construction unions then, and for decades thereafter, many black construction workers lost their jobs.

Minimum wages were required more broadly under the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 and under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, with negative consequences for black employment across a much wider range of industries.

Doctors, moms take on No. 1 polluter in Utah

My Way News - Doctors, moms take on No. 1 polluter in Utah
They have filed a lawsuit against Kennecott Utah Copper, accusing it of violating the U.S. Clean Air Act.

The enviro-cultists live and breath their own home brewed smog of ignorance and unearned hubris. They simply hate American industry, corporations and any hint of profit.
"Moms".....gimme a break!

And the headline writer's "No. 1 polluter...." lie is proof of the MSM's membership in this insane cult of morons.

Decades later, a Cold War secret is revealed

My Way News - Decades later, a Cold War secret is revealed
He recalls the very first briefing on Hexagon after Perkin-Elmer was awarded the top secret contract in 1966. Looking around the room at his 30 or so colleagues, Brickmeier thought, "How on Earth is this going to be possible?"

Photo of the Day: Last Dodge Caliber rolls off the assembly line

Photo of the Day: Last Dodge Caliber rolls off the assembly line MLive.com

from the comments:
craigyjoebob December 23, 2011 at 7:09PM "So they are flushing the Caliber to bring back a turd in the Dart?"

Gov. Rick Snyder signs bills on crime victim compensation

Gov. Rick Snyder signs bills on crime victim compensation MLive.com
Snyder signed three bills that clarify definitions and strengthens compensation requirements and programs for crime victims.
The bills were sponsored by fellow Republican state Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker of Lawton.

Snyder also has signed a bill that amends the Michigan Liquor Control Code.
The measure removes a barrel production limit and allows brewers that aren't licensed as micro brewers to sell their beer to the public for on-site drinking.
Republican state Rep. Margaret O'Brien of Portage is that measure's backer.

Good governance attracts businesses and innovators.
Good job GOPers!

Michigan State's football future remains bright with talent expected to return next season

Michigan State's football future remains bright with talent expected to return next season MLive.com
The Spartans have two reasons to wear sunglasses: Florida sunshine and their bright future in the new year and beyond.

Defense department agrees to allow Muslim cadets to wear hijabs

Defense department agrees to allow Muslim cadets to wear hijabs – The Religion World – Orlando Sentinel
CAIR requested constitutionally-protected religious accommodations for the girl and for future Muslim JROTC participants.

"Constitutionally-protected religious accommodations"?!!!!!!!!!!

California To Ban Police From Towing Cars Of Unlicensed Drivers

California To Ban Police From Towing Cars Of Unlicensed Drivers Fox News
Jan. 1 when a new law takes effect in California to prohibit police from impounding cars at sobriety checkpoints if a motorist's only offense is being an unlicensed driver.

Obamaland: American Mules Must Eat Certified Weed-Free Hay

Obamaland: American Mules Must Eat Certified Weed-Free Hay - Page 2 - Marita Noon - Townhall Finance
The Forest Service was willing to offer a conditional drilling permit. Among the conditions were these requirements:
The drill sites must be cleared using hand tools,
The drilling equipment and fuel must be transported to the site by a team of pack mules,
The mules must be fed certified weed-free hay, and
Drill site and trail reclamation must be done using hand tools.

The company gave up.

Ronald Reagan's 1981 Christmas Address

Ronald Reagan's 1981 Christmas Address ZeroHedge
"Things sure have changed in the past 30 years..."

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Michigan business tax incentives get D+ in report

Michigan business tax incentives get D+ in report (Rick Haglund column) MLive.com
Its report, “Money for Something,” gives Michigan’s business tax incentives a D+ for their effectiveness in producing good jobs.
The state ranked 33rd — tied with Montana and Ohio — in the quality of its incentive programs.

Ravenna teachers union votes to leave MEA-backed insurance plan

Ravenna teachers union votes to leave MEA-backed insurance plan MLive.com
Ravenna teachers have voted to leave the health insurance plan backed by the Michigan Education Association for a plan school officials said would save each family $1,000.
..... The district's contribution to teacher health insurance is capped at $14,000 for a family plan.

The 50 Best Political Quotes For 2011 (Third Annual)

The 50 Best Political Quotes For 2011 (Third Annual) Right Wing News

YouTube Christmas #3 - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - danielle...

Egypt Islamists take two-thirds of 2nd-round vote

Egypt Islamists take two-thirds of 2nd-round vote Reuters

"Arab spring" looking more like "springtime for Hitler".
Not good.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Michigan City of Troy, Led by Tea Party Mayor, Rejects Federal Dollars

Michigan City of Troy, Led by Tea Party Mayor, Rejects Federal Dollars - NYTimes.com
A city turns down $8.5 million in federal grant money.
In what could be a new high water mark of anti-Washington sentiment, the city of Troy, Mich., is rejecting a long-planned transportation center whose construction would have been fully financed with federal stimulus money.

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.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The 5 Best Toys of All Time

The 5 Best Toys of All Time GeekDad Wired.com

Weather’s Too Nice For Global Warming Alarmists

Weather’s Too Nice For Global Warming Alarmists - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
Sunday will be the 2,232nd consecutive day that the U.S. has gone without being hit by a major hurricane.
This is a big enough deal to be covered by the mainstream media.
But of course it won't be.
On Dec. 4, a new record will be set for the number of days between landfalls of category 3 or stronger storms.
The previous streak, according to Roger Pielke Jr., began on Sept. 8, 1900, and ended on Oct. 19, 1906, when the Great Galveston Hurricane hit.

Islamist parties on course to dominate Egypt's parliament

Islamist parties on course to dominate Egypt's parliament - Telegraph
Both the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which is backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, and its rivals agreed that it was leading the count...

As predicted but still terrible news for the world.

'Prepare for armageddon'

'Prepare for armageddon' The Sun NewsSun City
BRITAIN'S banks have been told to prepare for the end of the Eurozone, it emerged today.

The ugly truth about pension reform

GUEST OPINION: The ugly truth about pension reform PressDemocrat.com
Any pension reform proposal that hopes to make a meaningful, positive impact on a public employer's budget must address the cost of pensions for current employees.

Obama's Christmas Tree Tax

Obama's Christmas Tree Tax
".... in the Federal Register of November 8, it was announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace.”
Among its goals: “to enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States.”
Yes, you read that correctly.
The Obama Administration wanted the federal government to handle public relations for Christmas trees.
How did the White House want to pay for it? With a 15-cent fee on all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year.
As Addington wrote, “Of course, the Christmas tree sellers are free to pass along the 15-cent federal fee to consumers who buy their Christmas trees.”
More taxes for American consumers in the middle of the Christmas season? Some present. Especially with the economy barely growing and 14 million Americans out of work.
As Addington wrote, “Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do?”

America's Tallest Singing Christmas Tree




The Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show starts tomorrow night.
http://muskegonpundit.blogspot.com/2011/11/more-from-americas-tallest-singing.html
(don't miss clicking on the TLC TV link at the bottom of the Chronicle article)

and this:
http://muskegontaxpayers.blogspot.com/2011/11/americas-tallest-singing-christmas-tree.html

Obamaisms - Dumb Barack Obama Quotes - Gaffes and Obama-isms

Obamaisms - Dumb Barack Obama Quotes - Gaffes and Obama-isms

World traveler Barry Hussein's latest missed by MSM: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/11/29/does-obama-know-the-difference-between-great-britain-and-england/

But the democrat media made big news of this yesterday:http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/rick-perry-flubs-voting-age-and-election-date/

NTSB Looking At Phoenix Airspace

AVwebBiz Complete Issue#205809#205809
He also told newspaper that the aircraft flew in a straight line at 4,500 feet, 500 feet below the Class B floor in that area directly into a cliff in the Superstition Mountains.
Local pilots fought changing the floor from 8,000 feet to 5,000 feet when the FAA proposed it in 2006 and their spokesman didn't mince words on its role in the Thanksgiving Eve crash.
James Timm, executive director of the Arizona Pilots Association, suggested an accident was inevitable.
"You expect (an accident) to happen, and you hope it never will.
It has come to pass," Timm said.
"We were concerned about it from the very beginning.
We pushed very hard to get more space."

Chapter 11 For American Airlines

AVwebBiz
Chapter 11 For American Airlines
American said its labor contracts cost $600 million more each year than other legacy airlines pay.

Scientists Behaving Badly

Scientists Behaving Badly - Jim Lacey - National Review Online#.TtRDLXx20vQ.mailto#.TtRDLXx20vQ.mailto#.TtRDLXx20vQ.mailto
In truth, virtually the entire warmist edifice is built around a small, tightly knit coterie of persons (one hesitates to refer to folks with so little respect for the scientific method as scientists) willing to falsify data and manipulate findings; or, to put it bluntly, to lie in order to push a political agenda not supported by empirical evidence.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Obama's Job Approval Drops Below Carter's

Obama's Job Approval Drops Below Carter's - Washington Whispers (usnews.com)
President Obama's slow ride down Gallup's daily presidential job approval index has finally passed below Jimmy Carter, earning Obama the worst job approval rating of any president at this stage of his term in modern political history.

Want To Be Carbon-Free? Bring On The Nukes

Want To Be Carbon-Free? Bring On The Nukes - Latest Headlines - Investors.com

Monday, November 28, 2011

Loved by media, Barney Frank Helped Cause Financial Crisis

Loved by media, Barney Frank Helped Cause Financial Crisis - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
"I, like many others, did not see the crisis coming," Frank said Monday.
He sure didn't.
Back in 2003, what did he say when the Bush administration proposed what the New York Times described as "the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago," including a new agency to supervise Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
Frank said: "The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing."

Consumer Delinquencies Starting To Creep Back Up

Consumer Delinquencies Starting To Creep Back Up
5 Charts That Show That Suddenly Something Is Going Wrong With The Consumer

The Great Global Warming Fizzle

Stephens: The Great Global Warming Fizzle - WSJ.com
Consider the case of global warming, another system of doomsaying prophecy and faith in things unseen.
As with religion, it is presided over by a caste of spectacularly unattractive people pretending to an obscure form of knowledge that promises to make the seas retreat and the winds abate.
As with religion, it comes with an elaborate list of virtues, vices and indulgences.
As with religion, its claims are often non-falsifiable, hence the convenience of the term "climate change" when thermometers don't oblige the expected trend lines.
As with religion, it is harsh toward skeptics, heretics and other "deniers."
And as with religion, it is susceptible to the earthly temptations of money, power, politics, arrogance and deceit.

Secret Fed Loans Helped Banks Net $13B

Secret Fed Loans Helped Banks Net $13B - Bloomberg
Add up guarantees and lending limits, and the Fed had committed $7.77 trillion as of March 2009 to rescuing the financial system, more than half the value of everything produced in the U.S. that year.

Editorial: Full Emails Show Climategate 2.0 is More Than Just Hot Air

DailyTech - Editorial: Full Emails Show Climategate 2.0 is More Than Just Hot Air
Full emails show inarguably the researchers fought transparency, to keep public in the dark

Following Delay of the Keystone XL Pipeline to U.S, China is Anxious to Tap Into Canada's Tar Sands Oil

CARPE DIEM: Following Delay of the Keystone XL Pipeline to U.S, China is Anxious to Tap Into Canada's Tar Sands Oil
"Canadian politicians and energy executives are ratcheting up support for several big infrastructure projects aimed at redirecting the country's growing oil output to thirsty Asian markets—a move seen as crucial in preventing a looming bottleneck of crude.

Muslim students walking out of lectures on Darwinism because it 'clashes with the Koran'

Muslim students walking out of lectures on Darwinism because it 'clashes with the Koran' Mail Online
Muslim students, including trainee doctors on one of Britain's leading medical courses, are walking out of lectures on evolution claiming it conflicts with creationist ideas established in the Koran.

EyeOnMuskegon 11-27-2011 "The Rich"

Memo to the Occupy protesters: here are ten things we evil capitalists really think

Memo to the Occupy protesters: here are ten things we evil capitalists really think – Telegraph Blogs

Climategate 2.0

James Delingpole: Climategate 2.0 - WSJ.com
Like the first "climategate" leak of 2009, the latest release shows top scientists in the field fudging data, conspiring to bully and silence opponents, and displaying far less certainty about the reliability of anthropogenic global warming theory in private than they ever admit in public.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Colin Powell Blames Media and Tea Party for Divisive Tone in Washington

Colin Powell Blames Media and Tea Party for Divisive Tone in Washington NewsBusters.org
Colin Powell on Sunday blamed the media as well as the Tea Party for the divisive political tone in Washington.
Not surprisingly, neither the class warfare stoked by President Obama and his Party nor the resulting Occupy Wall Street movement was mentioned during this seven minute interview with Christiane Amanpour on ABC's This Week (video follows with transcript and commentary):

And the GOPers wanted this liberal moron to be their presidential nominee?

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Curbing class-action suits that benefit lawyers, but not plaintiffs

Curbing class-action suits that benefit lawyers, but not plaintiffs Washington Examiner
Imagine that you get a congratulatory note in the mail because you won a multimillion-dollar settlement in a class-action lawsuit.
Only problem is, you didn't even know you were involved in the case, so what does "your" victory mean for you?
You get nothing, but the lawyers who brought the lawsuit will be paid handsomely, and some obscure charities also get big financial windfalls.

The class action lawyers are pure democrat supporters.
Remember in November.
There is a difference between the political parties!

Report: Michigan's jobless benefit system falls short of other Midwest states

Report: Michigan's jobless benefit system falls short of other Midwest states

Pensions strike will hit thousands of NHS operations

Pensions strike will hit thousands of NHS operations, says Andrew Lansley - Telegraph
The Department of Health estimates one in five NHS staff could strike on November 30, which officials think might lead to a 20 per cent drop in capacity.
That would equate to 5,500 pre-planned operations having to be rescheduled as well as 12,000 diagnostic tests.
It would also mean 40,000 outpatient appointments being delayed, and 7,500 ambulance transfers.

"Free" government "health care"!

Why E.U. Collapse is More Likely Than the Fall of the Euro

Guest commentary: Why E.U. Collapse is More Likely Than the Fall of the Euro MLive.com
But the thing that could cause the European Union to topple, or at least shrink in size, would be the outright withdrawal of Britain.
And that has started to look quite possible.

Global Warming Models Called Into Question By New Study

Global Warming Models Called Into Question By New Study - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
The study in the journal Science found that global temperatures appear to be far less sensitive to the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere than originally estimated.
This sounds prosaic, but it's a bombshell — another in a long line of revelations showing the scientific fraud at the heart of the anti-global warming movement.

As Banks Struggle, U.S. Gov't Tries To Take Them Down

As Banks Struggle, U.S. Gov't Tries To Take Them Down - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
Bankers were ordered to "reinvest" in unprofitable areas, and reallocate capital to people who posed credit risks.
When those risky loans went bad, radicals blamed "greedy" bankers and "predatory" lenders.
Today, they want to punish bankers and lenders by forcing them to "repair the damages" that they themselves caused.
And they don't care if it drives many of them out of business.

Pepper-Spraying Taxpayers

Pepper-Spraying Taxpayers - Heather Mac Donald - National Review Online
his 2009 base pay of $194,000 was nearly four times that of starting assistant professors.
Basri was given responsibility for a $4.5 million slice of Berkeley’s vast diversity bureaucracy when he became the school’s first Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion in 2007;

The Non-Green Jobs Boom

Review & Outlook: The Non-Green Jobs Boom - WSJ.com
While Washington has tried to force-feed renewable energy with tens of billions in special subsidies, oil and gas production has boomed thanks to private investment.

Why blacks aren’t embracing Occupy Wall Street

Why blacks aren’t embracing Occupy Wall Street - The Washington Post
“Occupy Wall Street was started by whites and is about their concern with their plight,”

Friday, November 25, 2011

Climategate 2.0: Lawson squishes Huhne

Climategate 2.0: Lawson squishes Huhne – Telegraph Blogs
But here he is with Lord Turner, gently suggesting in a roundabout way that Huhne is both incredibly stupid and a big fat liar.

Deconstructing Solyndra

Deconstructing Solyndra - Yahoo! News
The pressure the White House was putting on the Energy Department to ensure Solyndra, its first recipient of a stimulus-backed loan guarantee, would quickly succeed was intense and unrelenting. Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Chu made public statements about how Solyndra was the prototype for both stimulus jobs and clean-energy innovation in 2010 when the company’s finances were going south.

Climategate 2.0: the most damning email of them all

Climategate 2.0: the most damning email of them all – Telegraph Blogs
The worst, most toecurlingly awful, damning, vile, reprehensible, stomach-churningly dreadful email – the one that shows the Warmist junk-scientists in a light of such festering syphilitic repellance they can never possibly recover is this, the Christmas ditty specially written by Kevin Trenberth in celebration of the Nobel committee's comedic decision to award the Peace Prize to Al Gore and the IPCC.
Hold onto your stomachs real tight boys and girls, here we go

Spending Wars

Articles: Spending Wars
The ideas that federal spending exploded under George W. Bush, that "Bush's wars" account for our spending explosion, that Reaganism died with Reagan, and that we are on a spending binge that started decades ago are all nonsense.

Yet We Still Don't Drug Screen Welfare Recipients

RightMichigan.com Yet We Still Don't Drug Screen Welfare Recipients
"So, let me get this straight... we are supposed to be outraged that employees are doping it up at a business that prohibits drug use, which is paid by our tax dollars.
Yet, we have individuals on welfare, some for generations, which are funded by our same tax dollars that are not screened for drug use?
Yessiree.
Only in Michigan!"

World News: Seniors scammed into buying 70 years’ worth of toilet paper

World News: Seniors scammed into buying 70 years’ worth of toilet paper - thestar.com
MIAMI—Florida scam artists told elderly victims the government had changed the laws regulating toilet paper and that their septic tanks would be ruined unless they bought specially formulated rolls, court documents said.

Wanted: Ebonics Translator for Federal DEA Job

#.Ts9dhGNFunA#.Ts9dhGNFunA#.Ts9dhGNFunA#.Ts9dhGNFunA#.Ts9dhGNFunA
The U.S. Department of Justice is looking for fluent Ebonics speakers to fill nine drug enforcement jobs, giving merit to a dialect that experts say is often mimicked and little understood.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Massive global health fund says it's broke

Massive global health fund says it's broke - CBS News
The fund had to make some "tough decisions to protect some of the gains that have already been delivered," he added.
Among those decisions were that hundreds of millions of dollars in grants planned for China, Brazil, Mexico and Russia will now be used for other purposes, fund officials said.

CHINA?

Death of a currency as eurogeddon approaches

Death of a currency as eurogeddon approaches - Telegraph
No, what this is about is the markets starting to bet on what was previously a minority view - a complete collapse, or break-up, of the euro.

George Washington thanked God for USA

Column: George Washington thanked God for USA – USATODAY.com
In his 1789 proclamation, President Washington listed the blessings for which his countrymen should be thankful.
As we gather with our family and friends, we Americans still have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving — including the wisdom and foresight of the founders' remarkable vision of religious freedom.

A Special Thanks From Sparty

Exposing the Cost of Health Care

Exposing the Cost of Health Care - Technology Review
Travelocity for medicine: Castlight's data-driven tool sheds light on the costs of medical care, information that can be difficult for consumers to find on their own.
Credit: Castlight Health