Sunday, September 30, 2012

Let me explain why this is different than previous bias.

Ace of Spades HQ
"Let me explain why this is different than previous bias.
Previously, the press has been both biased in a partisan way and an in an ideological way, but usually the partisanship was driven by ideology.
As you may have noticed, the press are great fans of gay marriage and abortion, and they shape their coverage to put the best possible face on these positions, and the worst possible face on opponents. (To the extent they feature contrary voices at all.)
That's bias, of course. We've gotten used to that.
But in the Benghazi debacle, there is no possible ideological grounding to explain their bias.
There is, I trust, no ideological movement that advocates for intelligence failures and the deaths of good-guy diplomats.
There is no ideological movement in favor of reckless incompetence bordering on malice in providing security for consulates abroad (which, as a legal matter, are considered US territory).
There is no ideological movement -- or at least there was not before -- championing the government's right to lie to the public about its failures in order to avoid accountability.
There is no room here where one can say, "Ah well, they can't help but be pulled a bit to the left by their own beliefs."
Because no one champions the right of government to let people be murdered and then lie about it.
This isn't ideological bias, then.
This is pure advocacy for a political party.
Obama's embarrassment is not an ideological issue -- or should not be.
 I hope we can all agree that a president should attend security briefings -- especially as 9/11 approaches -- and provide adequate warning and security for US government personnel.
I hope we can all agree that the government does not suddenly gain a Right To Shamelessly Lie about its failures, simply because it finds it politically advantageous to do so.
But, as Nina Totenberg's chuckle indicates, the press now in fact believes exactly these things -- so long as the president we're talking about is Democrat, and Obama in particular."

Read This While You Can

Blog: Read This While You Can
"Read West's insightful column in its entirety.
 Her conclusion is chilling: "I can't think of another instance in which an American president has publicly uttered such a rank betrayal of American principles.
And the media censored it!"

Ottawa County Patriots | West Michigan Patriots – Standing for individual rights

Ottawa County Patriots | West Michigan Patriots – Standing for individual rights

Muskegon County - Economic Vitality Incentive Program

Muskegon County - Economic Vitality Incentive Program

Super Gonorrhea Here to Ruin Blow Jobs Forever

Super Gonorrhea Here to Ruin Blow Jobs Forever - The Cut
Antibiotic-resistant strains of gonorrhea have been showing up in Japan and Europe over the past three years, according to a terrifying story in this week's New Yorker.
The Neisseria gonorrhoeaeis bacteria is now showing decreased sensitivity to the most powerful antibiotics in 21 countries in Europe.
While drug companies are slow to develop new antibiotics (drugs that cure people quickly are much less lucrative than lifetime prescriptions for cholesterol or ADD), gonorrhea is mutating and spreading quickly owing to its spacious new digs in the back of our throats.

Hundreds of thousands of war vets still waiting for health benefits

Hundreds of thousands of war vets still waiting for health benefits - CNN.com:
Confusion is 'monumental'
The Department of Veterans Affairs said it is on track to process 1 million disability claims this year.
With the war in Iraq over and the one in Afghanistan winding down, the VA is sorting through a backlog of more than 860,000 disability claims from American veterans.
More than a quarter of those vets -- 228,000 -- have been waiting for a year or more.
Rioux has been trying to get his disability claim fully processed since January 2011, shortly after he returned from Afghanistan.

The Next Subprime Crisis Is Here: Over $120 Billion In Federal Student Loans In Default

The Next Subprime Crisis Is Here: Over $120 Billion In Federal Student Loans In Default | ZeroHedge

Muskegon meeting-MONDAY!


WHY IT MATTERS: Social Security

My Way News - WHY IT MATTERS: Social Security
In 1960, there were 4.9 workers for each person getting benefits.
Today, there are about 2.8 workers for each beneficiary, and that ratio will drop to 1.9 workers by 2035.

To Encourage Biking, Cities Forget About Helmets

To Encourage Biking, Cities Forget About Helmets - NYTimes.com
In the United States the notion that bike helmets promote health and safety by preventing head injuries is taken as pretty near God’s truth. Un-helmeted cyclists are regarded as irresponsible, like people who smoke. Cities are aggressive in helmet promotion.
But many European health experts have taken a very different view: Yes, there are studies that show that if you fall off a bicycle at a certain speed and hit your head, a helmet can reduce your risk of serious head injury.
But such falls off bikes are rare — exceedingly so in mature urban cycling systems.
On the other hand, many researchers say, if you force or pressure people to wear helmets, you discourage them from riding bicycles.
That means more obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
And — Catch-22 — a result is fewer ordinary cyclists on the road, which makes it harder to develop a safe bicycling network.

EyeOnMuskegon 9-30-2012


Muskegon County unemployment down, but labor force also shrinks

Muskegon County unemployment down, but labor force also shrinks | MLive.com
Muskegon County’s unemployment rate fell by a full percentage point in August, but the number of people with a job also fell.
Muskegon County’s unemployment rate dropped to 9.1 percent in August, down from 10.1 percent in July and 10.0 percent a year ago.
At the same time, 1,290 people left the labor force and 945 fewer people were listed as employed.
The labor force is the number of adults working or looking for a job.
In August 2012, 898 fewer people were unemployed than in August 2011 and 448 fewer people had jobs.
Statewide, the unemployment rate fell from 10.3 percent in July to 9.2 percent in August.

In Ottawa County, the unemployment rate fell from 7.9 percent to 6.7 percent from July to August.
The county posted a small increase in the number of jobs, but apparently most of the jobless rate decrease came from unemployed workers ending their search for a job.

Outgoing Muskegon County commissioners attending conference, thanks to policy change

Outgoing Muskegon County commissioners attending conference, thanks to policy change | MLive.com
Chairman Ken Mahoney, Lew Collins, Rillastine Wilkins, Ben Cross, Jim Derezinski, Plummer and Longmire voted to change the rule.
\Vice-chairman John Snider, Alan Jager and Marvin Engle voted against the change.

Rick Haglund: While Michigan's unemployment is up, so is job creation

Rick Haglund: While Michigan's unemployment is up, so is job creation | MLive.com#incart_river_default
While the state’s unemployment rate has been rising since May, Michigan added 5,400 payroll jobs in the same period.
That’s not great, but at least it’s an increase.

NYT: More suspicious voter forms found in Fla.

NYT: More suspicious voter forms found in Fla. - politics - The New York Times | NBC News
The number of Florida counties reporting suspicious voter registration forms connected to Strategic Allied Consulting, the firm hired by the state Republican Party to sign up new voters, has grown to 10, officials said, as local election supervisors continue to search their forms for questionable signatures, addresses or other identifiers.

Gold Star Mother's Day for Gold Star Mothers-Today

Gold Star Mother's Day for Gold Star Mothers
On Gold Star Mother’s Day, we come together to honor those who have lost a son or daughter serving in the U.S. military by lighting a luminary on the last Sunday in September.
From the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mothers throughout America’s history have always seen their loved ones heed the call to duty. And with that duty comes the ultimate burden that these mothers must bear.
Lighting a luminary on Gold Star Mother’s Day lets them know they don’t stand alone.

Never forget!

Muskegon County sheriff, treasurer to take over dog law enforcement, licensing

Muskegon County sheriff, treasurer to take over dog law enforcement, licensing | MLive.com

Romney, MSNBC, and the McGurk Effect

Romney, MSNBC, and the McGurk Effect « Commentary Magazine
It would seem that MSNBC has been caught in an act that can only be called tantamount to journalistic prostitution.
Ace of Spades reports (h/t Instapundit) that the cable news network ran a clip showing an airport rally where Mitt Romney introduces Paul Ryan and the audience starts shouting, according to the chyron at the bottom of the screen, “Ryan! Ryan!” and Romney interrupts saying,
“No, it’s Romney-Ryan! Romney-Ryan!”
This, of course, makes Romney look both churlish and pathetic at the same time.

The only trouble is that the crowd wasn’t yelling “Ryan! Ryan!” it was yelling “Romney! Romney!” when Romney interrupts and graciously insists that his running mate is a vital part of the team–just about the exact opposite.
The video, apparently, came from a left-wing blogger who put the clip on YouTube, including the chyron, and it was just much too good for MSNBC to check.

How does it work?
It’s the McGurk effect, which, I confess, I had never heard of before this afternoon.
Vision rules the human sensory apparatus.
If our eyes tell us one thing and our ears another, the eyes, to coin a phrase, have it.
We “hear” what our eyes tell us we heard.
There’s a fascinating video at Ace of Spades of a professor explaining it.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Top Five Worst Obamacare Taxes Coming in 2013

Americans for Tax Reform : Top Five Worst Obamacare Taxes Coming in 2013
Of the twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare, below are the five worst that will be foisted upon Americans for the first time on January 1, 2013.

As LG Chem imposes furloughs, Pete Hoekstra recalls Obama's putdown at groundbreaking

As LG Chem imposes furloughs, Pete Hoekstra recalls Obama's putdown at groundbreaking | MLive.com#incart_river#incart_river
That “no” vote was justified, said Hoekstra Friday after news surfaced that the factory on 48th Street has not produced a single battery to date and that the plant’s 200 employees have been on “rolling furloughs” since April.

League of Womens Voters president tours Michigan, tells of efforts to stop 'voter suppression' movements

League of Womens Voters president tours Michigan, tells of efforts to stop 'voter suppression' movements | MLive.com
Already MacNamara has made stops in Ohio, Colorado and Missouri and is scheduled to cover Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
These are all states that MacNamara says have had voter suppression attempts from state legislatures or courts.
“It doesn’t matter to us which party is doing it.
Our only concern is that citizens have the right to vote without barriers that suppress their vote,” Holland LWV Co-President Jean McFadden said.

Flash Editorial: Water pact a first step toward collaboration that could benefit entire county

Flash Editorial: Water pact a first step toward collaboration that could benefit entire county | MLive.com
As Muskegon Heights' new ad hoc committee begins its own study of how best to supply water to its customers and residents, we urge it to take the same approach.
Review all the information, ask the hard questions, develop relationships with the staff of other communities.
Find out what it will take to remove roadblocks to the community's goals.

Political entities are self-serving by design, Mayor Steve Gawron said Friday morning.
They think of how to take care of themselves first.
But that doesn't mean they can't make a decision that will benefit the greater community -- as happened with the water collaboration.

We urge Fruitport, Norton Shores and Muskegon elected officials to approve this pact.

We also urge Muskegon Heights to go through the same extended process to determine the best way to provide water to its citizens -- and the greater community.

Muskegon, Norton Shores, Fruitport Township tout lower rates, 'stability' with new agreement

Muskegon, Norton Shores, Fruitport Township tout lower rates, 'stability' with new agreement | MLive.com#incart_river#incart_river
Norton Shores and Fruitport Township will pay 15 percent more than the cost of producing filtered water, but won’t pay for the cost of operating and maintaining Muskegon’s water distribution system. Because they will build their own pipeline and won’t pay for Muskegon’s distribution costs, it could work out to less than 115 percent of what customers within the city of Muskegon pay.

Judge strikes down law affecting long-term state employees' pensions

Judge strikes down law affecting long-term state employees' pensions | MLive.com
An Ingham County judge on Friday struck down a requirement that long-term state employees contribute 4 percent of their pay to stay in a defined benefit pension plan as opposed to switching to a 401(k)-style system.
The ruling by Circuit Judge Joyce Draganchuk is a win for workers hired before April 1, 1997, who get a traditional pension benefit.
All new hires after that qualify for a defined contribution plan.

Inter-governmental water agreement: Why now? What about Muskegon Heights?

Inter-governmental water agreement: Why now? What about Muskegon Heights? | MLive.com#incart_river
Muskegon Heights Mayor Darrell Paige announced earlier this week that he is appointing an ad-hoc committee to formulate a recommendation and possible solution to the expected loss of Norton Shores and Fruitport Township as customers.
Norton Shores and Fruitport Township account for about 70 percent of the current usage from the Muskegon Heights water plant.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Analysis: Nation's Water Costs Rushing Higher

Analysis: Nation's Water Costs Rushing Higher - - CNBC
Higher rates still ahead
The costs continue to rise even though residential water usage dropped sharply nationwide in the past three decades amid conservation efforts.
U.S. water systems will need as much as $1 trillion in infrastructure improvements by 2035 to keep up with drinking water needs, according to a survey of industry experts released in June.
The bond debt needed to fund those projects' work will be passed on to consumers, including the many Americans struggling with the economic fallout of the great recession.
A virtually irreplaceable resource that Americans rely on for health and daily living "could potentially get more and more expensive," says John Chevrette, who heads the management consulting arm of Black & Veatch, the firm that conducted the industry survey.
He predicts rate increases of 5% to 15% every few years, saying the cost of water "could take a larger and more significant bite out of otherwise disposable income."

Bernanke’s ‘Ruinous’ QE Will Lead to Rapid Inflation

Bernanke’s ‘Ruinous’ QE Will Lead to Rapid Inflation: SocGen’s Albert Edwards —  Business News - CNBC

Our Feckless First Leader

Our Feckless First Leader - Thomas Sowell - National Review Online
Barack Obama is not the first leader of a nation whose actions reflected some half-baked vision, enveloped in lofty rhetoric and spiced with a huge dose of ego.
Nor would he be the first such leader to steer his nation into a historic catastrophe.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Obama Voter Says Vote for Obama because he gives a free Phone


Muskegon Heights forming committee to investigate water options without Norton Shores, Fruitport

Muskegon Heights forming committee to investigate water options without Norton Shores, Fruitport | MLive.com
Convinced that their two current customer communities will be buying water from another source, Muskegon Heights city officials are making preparations to move forward without them.

All quiet by 9 p.m.? Readers debate how early is too early in proposed Norton Shores noise ordinance

All quiet by 9 p.m.? Readers debate how early is too early in proposed Norton Shores noise ordinance (with poll) | MLive.com
Police Chief Dan Shaw emphasized that the ordinance would be enforced only if someone complained, and that officers would ask the people making noise to quiet down before issuing a citation.

Melching vision: Hotels and marinas are possible on Sappi mill property on Muskegon Lake

Melching vision: Hotels and marinas are possible on Sappi mill property on Muskegon Lake | MLive.com
Melching said the former Sappi site will become his demolition company’s Muskegon base of operations with the creation of the metal scrap processing operation.

Vision for Muskegon area's future the focus of five community forums

Vision for Muskegon area's future the focus of five community forums | MLive.com
Those who want to be part of generating an area-wide vision and planning document for Muskegon County are encouraged to provide input during community forums in October.

Study: Female GOP politicians look more feminine

Study: Female GOP politicians look more feminine - Washington Times
If a new academic study is to be believed, Republican women politicians look more feminine than their Democratic counterparts.
The study, by two UCLA researchers, found that female politicians with what are described as stereotypically feminine features tended to be Republicans, and the reverse was also true for Democratic women. GOP women rated, on average, twice as stereotypically feminine as Democrats. In fact, the authors said the correlation was so strong that undergraduates were regularly able to guess someone's party affiliation just by the way she looked.

Men-You MUST own this shirt!

Amazon.com: The Mountain Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeve Tee: Clothing
"The Three Wolf Moon shirts power is obvious.
This video is living proof that you will get women, and fly.
Most importantly my son was born without bones and when I put this shirt on him he grew bones.
Don't ask me how it happened but the magic is there.
I wish I could hug the designer of this shirt and thank them for everything they have done for my family."

Watch the video (http://www.amazon.com/review/R29Z83O4AK10UD/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm), read the other comments and try to deny the power of a simple piece of clothing!
Own it and rise above it all!

One hard-boiled egg and crackers for lunch

EAG FOCUS: One hard-boiled egg and crackers for lunch
At the Tewksbury school district in New Jersey, children who fall $3.10 behind on their food payments get one hard-boiled egg, a package of crackers and a carton of milk for lunch.
Seriously.

Kyle Olson on healthy school lunches


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Hunger on the Rise in Spain

Hunger on the Rise in Spain - NYTimes.com
For the wholesalers who have businesses here, the sight of people going through the scraps is hard.
“It is not nice to see what is happening to these people,” said Manu Gallego, the manager of Canniad Fruit. “It shouldn’t be like this.”

Tax Credit in Doubt, Wind Power Industry Is Withering

Tax Credit in Doubt, Wind Power Industry Is Withering - NYTimes.com
But without the tax credit in place, the wind business “falls off a cliff,” said Ryan Wiser, a staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who studies the market potential of renewable electricity sources.

The Magnitude of the Mess We're In

Shultz, Boskin, Cogan, Meltzer and Taylor: The Magnitude of the Mess We're In - WSJ.com
Did you know that the federal government had 46 separate job-training programs?
Yet a 47th for green jobs was added, and the success rate was so poor that the Department of Labor inspector general said it should be shut down.

Chevy Volt Battery Plant Floundering Despite $151M from Obama

Chevy Volt Battery Plant Floundering Despite $151M from Obama
Two years ago, President Obama visited the LG Chem battery plant in Holland, Michigan.
He then hailed the plant, saying,
"You are leading the way in showing how manufacturing jobs are coming right back here to the United States of America."
But today, those LG Chem jobs Obama claimed were "coming back" are seeing intermittent layoffs instead of growth.
In 2010, the plant, which supplies batteries for the Chevy Volt, received $151 million in tax money from the U.S. Department of Energy, but it has been good money after bad.
Today, $133 million of that $151 million has been spent, but since April, the company's 200 workers have been on "rolling furloughs" because the electric vehicle market has failed to blossom as promised by many.
In 2010, the plant was projected to create 443 new jobs within five years.
Those projections have been shelved as the company says it can't predict when the furloughs will stop for its current employees.

Obama suddenly slips, Romney gains in updated Rove Electoral Map

Obama suddenly slips, Romney gains in updated Rove Electoral Map by Andrew Malcolm - Investors.com

"Mr. Obama is down to 196 'safe Electoral College votes with four states (51 EC votes) 'leaning' in his favor.
"Mr. Romney's 'safe' EC votes increased to 159, with three 'lean' states (32 EC votes) that are more than likely to be in his column on Election Day.
"It should be noted this is the first time since August 1st that Mr. Obama's 'safe' EC vote total decreased while Mr. Romney's grew.
"There are also eight 'toss up' states and a coveted 100 EC votes are up for grabs.
These states remain too close to call and show little movement, even after a week of rigorous polling (52 surveys conducted in 18 states)."

EYE ON MUSKEGON -9-23-12.


EYE ON MUSKEGON -9-23-12


UnSkewed Polls -- erasing the bias to show an accurate picture of politics

UnSkewed Polls -- erasing the bias to show an accurate picture of politics

USDA offering women, Hispanic farmers over $1.3B in discrimination payouts

USDA offering women, Hispanic farmers over $1.3B in discrimination payouts | The Daily Caller
As part of “a new era of civil rights” at the Department of Agriculture, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Monday that Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who believe USDA discriminated against them can file claims to get a piece of at least $1.33 billion in cash awards and tax relief payments and up to $160 million in farm debt relief, beginning this week.

We Are Hungry


Not only is the mandated food not popular and often wasted, there also is not enough of it, and students are protesting. Students in one district have released a YouTube video parodying their quest for enough to eat during the day. A Facebook page asks kids to send in pictures of their meager lunches.
According to Livestrong.com, teenagers need between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day to be healthy, and athletes can need as many as 5,000 calories. But the new regulations limit the intake to just 750-850 calories on the tray. Which, if the food is unpalatable, means the students may not be getting even that much.

USDA spends millions for globe-trotting conferences

Watchdog: USDA spends millions for globe-trotting conferences | WashingtonExaminer.com
In one instance, the USDA spent nearly $57,000 for a conference attended by only one of its employees, according to agency disclosures that do not provide any explanation of the cost.

Wasted Food, Hungry Kids: Michelle Obama’s Bill in Action

PJ Media » Wasted Food, Hungry Kids: Michelle Obama’s Bill in Action
The cinnamon rolls and chili everyone loved from their childhood are now gone.
Bands and other school groups can no longer sell candy bars as a fundraiser.
The government is mandating everything from portion size to how many tomatoes have to be on a salad.

P.J. Moran, a food service director for a small district in rural Kansas, said wastage has gone up “at least 20 percent” over last year, as students, particularly at the grade school level, cannot refuse anything on their trays — but, of course, cannot be forced to eat it.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Is this the funniest 'For Sale' sign ever? Owner puts house on market 'because neighbor's an a**hole'

Is this the funniest 'For Sale' sign ever? Owner puts house on market 'because neighbor's an a**hole' | Mail Online

Lots more!

Opened hatch blamed for sinking of Port Authority boat

EXCLUSIVE: Opened hatch blamed for sinking of Port Authority boat - NYPOST.com
The sidelining of the boat is big blow to the PA’s efforts to keep the waters off JFK safe.
The PAPD is already reeling because its high-tech $100 million airport security system, the Perimeter Intrusion Detection, has been a bust.
In August, a man whose Sea-Doo ran out of gas in Jamaica Bay climbed a JFK fence, crossed two active runways and flagged down a baggage handler for help — all without being detected.

Muskegon vs Ottawa county


EyeOnMuskegon 9-23-2012


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Graphic: The Great bridge debate

Graphic: The Great bridge debate | Michigan Business | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

More Americans take their own lives than die in car crashes

$56 million suicide prevention programme launched as study reveals more Americans take their own lives than die in car crashes | Mail Online

Houston cop kills double amputee in wheelchair

Houston cop kills double amputee in wheelchair - US news - Crime & courts | NBC News
A Houston police officer shot and killed a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair Saturday inside a group home after police say the double amputee threatened the officer and aggressively waved a metal object that turned out to be a pen.

US State Dept. blasts CNN report on Stevens' diary

My Way News - US State Dept. blasts CNN report on Stevens' diary
CNN reported on the personal journal of slain American ambassador Christopher Stevens over objections from his family, a State Department spokesman said Saturday.

Bill lets multistate lottery winners keep mum

Bill lets multistate lottery winners keep mum | MLive.com
If legislation working its way through the Michigan Senate had been law last month, the world might never know the name and face of Donald Lawson — the 44-year-old father of two and self-described "hillbilly" from Lapeer who held court with the media on the day he claimed his prize for winning the $337 million in the Powerball lottery game.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Americans for Prosperity: Michigan

Americans for Prosperity: Michigan

President Dukakis

Roger’s Rules » President Dukakis

Some conservatives are surprised and worried about the fact that Romney is not far ahead in the polls. On the domestic front, Obama has been such a conspicuous failure — the $16 trillion federal debt, the 8.3 percent unemployment when he promised to have it down to 5.6 percent, the annual deficit, which he promised to halve, hovering around 1.5 trillion, etc. etc. — how could it be that Romney is not killing him in the polls?
And add to this the disaster that is Obama’s Islamophilic mideast policy — our consulate overrun in Benghazi, our ambassador murdered, Obama is told 90 minutes into the assault, he goes to bed — where does it end?

It ends with President Dukakis.
In other words, I am sticking with my prediction that Romney will win and win big. I even have a few modest bets on the race.
Of course, it’s possible that Obama will win.
It was possible that Michael Dukakis could have won, too.
He had the illusion of momentum, just as Obama does.
All the beautiful people who teach at Yale or Harvard or read the news for CNN or MSNBC, or write for The New York Times or The Washington Post, all the swell folks who entertain all the right opinions about abortion, taxes, Islam, and anything described as “green”: they are always right about everything and they just know Obama will win because (per impossibile) were he to lose it would not simply be an electoral defeat, it would be a repudiation of their entire world view: their brief for “a sustainable future” will have turned out to be unsustainable, George W. Bush would not be the Antichrist, and their Priuses would no longer be the golden chariots they had been assured they were.

Again, I might be wrong. Possibility is cheap.
It is possible Romney will lose.
It is possible that Joe Biden will be coherent at his next rally.

We’re not talking about possibility but probability.

There is a famous though possibly apocryphal anecdote about the movie reviewer Pauline Kael (the movie critic the beautiful people most love).
When Ronald Reagan [or maybe Nixon, see the comments] was first elected, the story goes, Kael found herself in a state of dumbfounded consternation: how could this be?
How could this ignorant right-wing war mongering B-actor have been elected?
The electoral result was not just mistaken, it was impossible.
“I don’t know anyone who voted for him,” quoth la Kael.
I wonder if anyone introduced her to President Dukakis?

Snyder to Nationalize Railroad Lines for Another Pet Project

Snyder to Nationalize Railroad Lines for Another Pet Project | Americans for Prosperity: Michigan
As our nation nears $16 trillion in debt, Governor Snyder is using $140 million of taxpayer money that was sent back by Florida’s Republican Governor to nationalize railroad tracks for a high-speed rail project between Chicago and Detroit.

“…Electricity Rates Would Necessarily Skyrocket”

“…Electricity Rates Would Necessarily Skyrocket” | Blue Crab Boulevard
Look, folks, I am in this field.
I have been for more than 30 years. Losing 36,000 MWs of the most cost-efficient generation capacity in the US is a disaster.
You have no idea how bad the increases are going to be.
They will be disastrous to the individual energy consumers and apocalyptic to large users – those who create jobs.

I shudder to think of what this is going to do to grid reliability as well.
A lot of those coal plants help support the grid during disruptions.
They regularly provide both energy and MVARs (Mega Volt-Ampere Reactive) that keep the grid from collapsing when large loads are added or lost. (That’s about as simple as I can make it and still be understood.)
Losing these stabilizers will make it very hard to hold the grid.
I pity the load dispatchers.

Trust me, people, this is a very big, very bad thing that is happening as a direct result of Barack Obama’s war on coal.

New International Trade Crossing

New International Trade Crossing | Michigan's Bridge to the Future
The Morouns are pursuing their interests –monopoly rents, in perpetuity– loudly and proudly.
On the other hand, Business Leaders for Michigan, the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Grand Rapids Regional Chamber, the Michigan Chamber, Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, agricultural producers and a host of unions that would benefit from the jobs created in building a new bridge, all say they support a new publicly owned bridge.
The evidence of that support, so far, is a paltry $300,000 TV ad flight that ran in some media markets in June.

The U.S. Suffered Its Worst Airpower Loss Since Vietnam Last Week and No One Really Noticed

The U.S. Suffered Its Worst Airpower Loss Since Vietnam Last Week and No One Really Noticed - Global - The Atlantic Wire
Eight irreplaceable aircraft (the AV-8B has been out of production since 1999) have been destroyed or put out of action – approximately 7 percent of the total flying USMC Harrier fleet.
Worse yet, the aircraft involved were the AV-B+ variant equipped with the APG-65 radar and AAQ-28 Litening II targeting pods – the most capable in the force.
Given the current funding situation, it’s likely that the two damaged AV-8Bs will become spare parts “hangar queens” and never fly again.
A Harrier squadron commander is dead, along with another Marine.
Another nine personnel have been wounded, and the nearby Marines at Camp Freedom are now without effective fixed-wing air support.
The USMC’s response to this disaster will be a telling report card on its leadership and organizational agility.
2nd Marine Air Wing during the Vietnam Nam war. VMA 211 suffered its worse since WWII at Wake Island?
 

Romney May Be the End of the Line for the Republican Establishment

Romney May Be the End of the Line for the Republican Establishment - Rasmussen Reports™
..... a fundamental reality in American politics today:
The gap between the American people and the political class is bigger than the gap between Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C.
Romney's remarks are the GOP equivalent of Obama's notorious comments about small-town Pennsylvania voters bitterly clinging to their guns and religion.
Both Romney and Obama highlighted the condescending attitude that political elites hold of the people they want to rule over.
A National Journal survey found that 59 percent of political insiders don't think voters know enough to have meaningful opinions on the important issues of the day.
That's a handy rationalization for those who want to ignore the voters and impose their own agenda.

Proposal 6: The International Bridge/Tunnel Voting Requirement

Proposal 6: The International Bridge/Tunnel Voting Requirement [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:

Why The Polls Understate Romney Vote at DickMorris.com

Why The Polls Understate Romney Vote
Republicans are getting depressed under an avalanche of polling suggesting that an Obama victory is in the offing.
They, in fact, suggest no such thing!
Here’s why:
1. All of the polling out there uses some variant of the 2008 election turnout as its model for weighting respondents and this overstates the Democratic vote by a huge margin.
2. Almost all of the published polls show Obama getting less than 50% of the vote and less than 50% job approval. A majority of the voters either support Romney or are undecided in almost every poll.

Read it and feel the hope!

GM offers big discounts to boost Volt sales

My Way News - GM offers big discounts to boost Volt sales
GM executives have conceded from the start that they were losing money on the Volt, and that was before the big discounts. Now the losses could be even higher. It costs $60,000 to $75,000 to build a Volt, including development, manufacturing and raw materials, estimates Sandy Munro, president of Munro & Associates, a Troy, Mich., a company that analyzes vehicle production expenses for automakers. Much of the cost comes from an expensive combination of two power systems - electric and gasoline. With a sticker price of $40,000, minus the $10,000 the company pays in incentives, GM gets roughly $30,000 for every Volt. So it could be losing at least $30,000 per car. "It certainly wasn't a rousing success," says Carter Driscoll, senior analyst for CapStone Investments who follows electric cars, discussing the Volt.

Michigan's unemployment rate up again

Michigan's unemployment rate up again, economist says news isn’t as gloomy as it appears

The Obama You Don't Know | Washington Examiner

The Obama You Don't Know | Washington Examiner

Friday, September 21, 2012

Michigan Powerball winner Donald Lawson wants to meet a new love online, report says

Michigan Powerball winner Donald Lawson wants to meet a new love online, report says | MLive.com: In the meantime, on his profile on Match.com the father-of-two describes himself as: 'Tall mexican who loves yo (sic) women to have a good time with me anything they want Im (sic) up for it so try me.

'Younever know what we can do what else I like to please a women any way she wants and thats (sic) all that matters what she wants she gets'.

Future dates can look forward to the Mark Twain-reading man who is interested in 'exploring new areas', along with video games, cooking, camping, fishing, hunting and, rather improbably, performing arts.

He admits to never exercising but is an animal lover who has cats, dogs, fish and horses.

Under sports, Mr Lawson says he likes motorcross, bowling, and weights and claims to be a college graduate.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Muskegon Heights police chief keeps his job, gets small raise, goals for improvement

Muskegon Heights police chief keeps his job, gets small raise, goals for improvement | MLive.com
The goals the council wants Gill to meet are both short- and long-term, Paige said.
They include improved management of the department, more interpersonal communication and contacts with outside agencies such as the Michigan State Police and Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office, and being more proactive in the community, such as frequent contacts with neighborhood associations and schools “to have more of a positive influence,” Paige said.
“He’s the leader there (in the department) and we want him to be pretty much the spokesman for the community,” the mayor said.
“The council feels as though the chief is making strides.
We’d like to see him make more.
We feel as though he’s doing a good job, but it can be much, much better,” Paige said.

U.S. officials clarify administration description of two heroes in Libya attack

U.S. officials clarify administration description of two heroes in Libya attack | WashingtonGuardian
Why It Matters:
The Obama administration's initial account of the Libyan consulate attack didn't give the full story about two ex-Navy SEALs who helped repel the security breach until they were killed.
Now officials are confirming those two heroes' real jobs at the embassy along with evidence of ties between the attack and al-Qaida.

ObamaStore-creepy

Our Stripes: Flag Print

Our Stripes: Flag Print(SKU OFA1540)
Screen print designed by Ross Bruggink and Dan Olson of Studio MPLS. Limited edition (250 units), hand-numbered, 24'' x 36'' and made in the USA.

$35

"Our Stripes"

No Housing Bottom Near

GARY SHILLING: No Housing Bottom Near - Business Insider
The main reasons Shilling is so pessimistic:
There is a huge supply of excess inventory not being accounted for, and prices still have not fallen to anywhere near long-term historical averages.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Antarctic Ice Area Sets Another Record

Antarctic Ice Area Sets Another Record – NSIDC Is Silent
Real Science: Day 256 Antarctic ice is the highest ever for the date, and the eighth highest daily reading ever recorded.
All seven higher readings occurred during the third week of September, 2007 – the week of the previous Arctic record minimum.

Antarctic Sea Ice Sets Another Record

Antarctic Sea Ice Sets Another Record - Forbes
NPR failed to mention anywhere in its article that Antarctic sea ice has been growing since satellites first began measuring the ice 33 years ago and the sea ice has been above the 33-year average throughout 2012.

CRS report: number of able-bodied adults on food stamps doubled after Obama suspended work requirement

CRS report: number of able-bodied adults on food stamps doubled after Obama suspended work requirement | WashingtonExaminer.com
Obama administration officials have insisted that their decision to grant states waivers to redefine work requirements for welfare recipients would not “gut” the landmark 1996 welfare reform law.
But a new report from the Congressional Research Service obtained by the Washington Examiner suggests that the administration’s suspension of a separate welfare work requirement has already helped explode the number of able-bodied Americans on food stamps.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

DHS Purchases 200 Million More Rounds of Ammunition

» DHS Purchases 200 Million More Rounds of Ammunition Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!
“All of the sniper grade ammunition is being used by trained, or in-the-process-of-being-trained snipers,” writes Smith, noting that the math adds up to 135,384 potential kills for the snipers to make, using the 176,000 rounds of ammunition, basing the figures on the fact that United States Army and Marine Corps snipers in the Vietnam War expended 1.3 rounds of ammunition for each claimed and verified kill.

As this police training website documents, .308 caliber 168 grain bullets are the ammunition of choice for experienced law enforcement snipers.

WORDS MATTER- An Obama Documentary (in his own words)


5 Things That Would Improve Black Unemployment

5 Things That Would Improve Black Unemployment | Loop21
So, what are the five things that the president, Congress or another entity need to do to increase employment figures in the African American Community?

Mom sues police over arrest

Mom sues police over arrest | News - Home
He proceeded to tell me he had received a call from one of my neighbors that my kids were riding their scooters unsupervised.
Cooper said she was handcuffed, put in the back of a police car and forced to spend the night in jail.
"Orange jumpsuit, in a cell, slammed the door, for 18 hours," Cooper said.

SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

Instapundit » Blog Archive » SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH
"Okay.
Here are some bug-out bag recommendations, plus a list of things to keep in your car or SUV.
Here are some more key supplies.
And you may want to visit Bill Quick’s disaster-prep discussion forum.
Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 8:18 am"

EMP threat: Trent Franks and other politicians worry about wide power outages like in NBC's Revolution.

EMP threat: Trent Franks and other politicians worry about wide power outages like in NBC's Revolution.
A storm on the scale of what the EMP fears has occurred has occurred only twice in the past 200 years in the United States— in 1859 and in 1921.

Tom Mangelsen - Polar Play


Monday, September 17, 2012

Classic 1978 Milton Friedman Lecture on Trade

CARPE DIEM: Classic 1978 Milton Friedman Lecture on Trade
MP:
"Here’s a formula summarizing Milton Friedman’s insights:

1. The stuff we import

MINUS

2. The stuff we export =

3. Our standard of living

In other words, in economic terms, our standard of living is highest when we maximize imports and minimize exports, which is exactly the opposite of the political thinking and policies, which generally seek to maximize exports and minimize imports."

Atlantic City sets up electric car charging stations in flood-prone parking garage

Atlantic City sets up electric car charging stations in flood-prone parking garage | NJ.com
ATLANTIC CITY — Some people are finding something shocking about a new parking garage in Atlantic City.
It comes with six charging stations for electric cars. But they're in an area where no overnight parking is allowed because of the risk of flooding.
Casino Reinvestment Development Authority spokeswoman Kim Butler tells The Press of Atlantic City that the spot was chosen so the charging stations would be highly visible and to showcase the agency's commitment to being green at its garage in the Ducktown neighborhood.
An engineer with the National Fire Protection Association says a flood-prone area is a bad spot to put stations pumping out up to 240 volts of power.

EYE ON MUSKEGON 9-16-12


Pakistani Rioter Dies From Inhaling Burning American Flag Smoke

Pakistani Rioter Dies From Inhaling Burning American Flag Smoke - Katie Pavlich
If you don't believe in karma, you might now. During a riot held by Islamists in Pakistan over the weekend, one participant was sent to the hospital after too much American flag burning.
He later died.

Wi-fi now available in downtown Muskegon

Wi-fi now available in downtown Muskegon | wzzm13.com
An internet provider is offering an additional option for surfing the web from downtown Muskegon.
Officials with Frontier launched their new wi-fi hot zone Friday.
50 small antennas blanket most of Muskegon's downtown with the wireless internet signal.
Frontier expects to expand the coverage area next year.

Discount for minority contractor wins bid to install Grand Rapids sidewalk ramps

Discount for minority contractor wins bid to install Grand Rapids sidewalk ramps | MLive.com
Grand Rapids will spend up to $100,000 installing 65 curb ramps around the city to increase Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, but the city recently decided not to take the cheapest option for the work.

Gretchen Carlson Tries To Salvage Incredibly Awkward Interview With ‘Former Obama Supporter’

Gretchen Carlson Tries To Salvage Incredibly Awkward Interview With ‘Former Obama Supporter’
Fox & Friends host Gretchen Carlson had to contend with a truly awkward moment Monday morning as she attempted to get through an interview with Max Rice, a man described as a recent college grad and former Obama supporter who is now switching his vote to Romney

Most of Michigan is 'Poor' or 'Marginal' For Wind Energy

Most of Michigan is 'Poor' or 'Marginal' For Wind Energy [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
The newest wind turbines are nearly 500 feet tall and will be needed in Michigan to try to meet the demands of Proposal 3, the 25 percent renewable energy mandate, if voters pass the amendment in November.
That's because almost the entire state of Michigan is “poor” or “marginal” for wind as a resource at 50 meters above ground (see image), according to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

PSY - GANGNAM STYLE (강남스타일) M/V


Electrician tasered with 50,000 volts after police bring him down for having a SCREWDRIVER in his pocket

Electrician tasered with 50,000 volts after police bring him down for having a SCREWDRIVER in his pocket | Mail Online
An armed response vehicle had been called after he had been spotted by security staff in BHS with the screwdriver protruding from his pocket, and then followed by city centre rangers.

Police: Fla. boy, 13, killed 2-year-old brother

News From AP | TBO.com
Now 13, Fernandez is accused of two heinous crimes himself: first-degree murder in the 2011 beating death of his 2-year-old half-brother and the sexual abuse of his 5-year-old half-brother.
He's been charged as an adult and is the youngest inmate awaiting trial in Duval County.

France's Hollande outlines 'green' energy policy

France's Hollande outlines 'green' energy policy - FRANCE 24
But in a deal with the Greens before this year's parliamentary and presidential elections, Hollande's Socialist party promised to cut reliance on nuclear energy from more than 75 percent to 50 percent by shutting 24 reactors by 2025.

'They Are A Bureaucratic Machine That Got Out of Control'

'They Are A Bureaucratic Machine That Got Out of Control' [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
Excessive spending on salaries and politics are among the reasons teachers in the Roscommon Area Public Schools severed ties with the Michigan Education Association

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Oakland County employees likely to get an extra $500

Employees will not get a salary bump, and the $500 won't be added to their base pay for purposes of calculating benefits.
But after workers have gone several years without a raise, County Executive L. Brooks Patterson proposed the $500 payment as a way to reward them.
Elected officials will voluntarily forgo the extra pay.
County commissioners on the Finance Committee, in a 5-3 vote Thursday, decided not to accept the money.

'Answer evil with good': Metro Detroit religious leaders address Libya violence

 http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120915/METRO01/209150389#ixzz26avjcRQx
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, the leader of the Islamic House of Wisdom, who said the violence should be condemned as well as the abuse of freedom of speech.
Elahi denounced as "irresponsible" the anti-Muslim video that sparked widespread discord in the Middle East and played a role in the Libya attacks.
"The man they insulted is a holy leader for all the Muslim world who is honored and remembered in our prayers every day at least five times a day, so we understand why the Muslim community is upset and pained and bothered with this kind of irresponsible abuse of freedom of speech," he said.
From The Detroit News

Readers debate election fraud with David Kolb

Readers debate election fraud with David Kolb | MLive.com

Barack Obama Is a Dangerous Leftist of a New Kind, not a Communist, Muslim, Marxist, or Socialist

Rubin Reports » Barack Obama Is a Dangerous Leftist of a New Kind, not a Communist, Muslim, Marxist, or Socialist
Obama and those who control much of America’s academia, mass media, and entertainment industry — plus a number of trade unions and hundreds of foundations, think tanks, and front groups — are believers in a new, very American form of leftism.
It is very statist, very dangerous for freedom, and economically destructive.
But we first have to identify what “it” is.

WHY BARACK OBAMA SHOULD RESIGN

Instapundit » Blog Archive » WHY BARACK OBAMA SHOULD RESIGN.
 . . . . That’s why it seems to me to actually be safer — not just better for First Amendment principles, but actually safer for Americans — to hold the line now, and make clear that American speech is protected even if foreigners choose to respond to it with murder.
That would send the message, “murder won’t get you what you want.”
Not a perfectly effective message to be sure, but a better one than “murder will get you what you want.”

Chicago teachers rally after tentative labor deal

Chicago teachers rally after tentative labor deal | Reuters

The confrontation has left many Democratic mayors and politicians supporting Emanuel, a former White House chief of staff for President Barack Obama. Other Democrats have sided with the unions, which are major financial supporters of the party and are needed to help Obama win re-election in November.

Service that matches disabled people with jobs to be hit with layoffs

Service that matches disabled people with jobs to be hit with layoffs | MLive.com
About 490 MRS employees will remain after the layoffs, including 270 rehabilitation counselors.
Some of the employees will be redirected toward job placement duties, Porter said.

Disgrace in Benghazi

Disgrace in Benghazi - Mark Steyn - National Review Online
But no, that would be an utterly fantastical America.
In the real America, the president is too busy to attend the security briefing on the morning after a national debacle, but he does have time to do Letterman and appear on a hip-hop radio show hosted by “The Pimp with a Limp.”
In the real State Department, the U.S. embassy in Cairo is guarded by Marines with no ammunition, but they do enjoy the soft-power muscle of a Foreign Service officer, one Lloyd Schwartz, tweeting frenziedly into cyberspace..... about how America deplores insensitive people who are so insensitively insensitive that they don’t respectfully respect all religions equally respectfully and sensitively, even as the raging mob is pouring through the gates.
.....The men who organized this attack knew the ambassador would be at the consulate in Benghazi rather than at the embassy in Tripoli.
How did that happen?
They knew when he had been moved from the consulate to a “safe house,” and switched their attentions accordingly.
How did that happen?
The United States government lost track of its ambassador for ten hours.
How did that happen?
Perhaps, when they’ve investigated Mitt Romney’s press release for another three or four weeks, the court eunuchs of the American media might like to look into some of these fascinating questions, instead of leaving the only interesting reporting on an American story to the foreign press.
.....For whatever reason, Secretary Clinton chose to double down on misleading the American people. “Libyans carried Chris’s body to the hospital,” said Mrs. Clinton.
That’s one way of putting it.
The photographs at the Arab TV network al-Mayadeen show Chris Stevens’s body being dragged through the streets, while the locals take souvenir photographs on their cell phones.
A man in a red striped shirt photographs the dead-eyed ambassador from above; another immediately behind his head moves the splayed arm and holds his cell-phone camera an inch from the ambassador’s nose.
Some years ago, I had occasion to assist in moving the body of a dead man:
We did not stop to take photographs en route.
Even allowing for cultural differences, this looks less like “carrying Chris’s body to the hospital” and more like barbarians gleefully feasting on the spoils of savagery.

akil Afridi: The Man We Left Behind

Shakil Afridi: The Man We Left Behind « Commentary Magazine
“They said ‘The Americans are our worst enemies, worse than the Indians,’” Afridi, who spoke from inside Peshawar Central Jail, said as he recalled the brutal interrogation and torture he suffered after he was initially detained.

“I tried to argue that America was Pakistan’s biggest supporter – billions and billions of dollars in aid, social and military assistance — but all they said was, ‘These are our worst enemies. You helped our enemies….’
It is now indisputable that militancy in Pakistan is supported by the ISI […] Pakistan’s fight against militancy is bogus.
It’s just to extract money from America,” Afridi said, referring to the $23 billion Pakistan has received largely in military aid since 9/11.

D'Souza Gets Boffo Results By Exploding Obama Story

D'Souza Gets Boffo Results By Exploding Obama Story - Investors.com
Since its initial release on July 20, "2016" has taken in $26 million, the sixth-highest grossing documentary of any kind.

OBAMA FLASHBACK: The Day I'm Inaugurated Muslim Hostility Will Ease

OBAMA FLASHBACK: The Day I'm Inaugurated Muslim Hostility Will Ease
Then-Senator Barack Obama makes the case for an Obama Presidency on November 21, 2007 by saying he is uniquely qualified to bring stability to America's relationships in the Muslim world because he lived in an Islamic country during his youth and his half-sister is Muslim.

Amazing audio you'll NEVR hear on the MSM.

Grand Rapids police chief compares decriminalizing marijuana to legalizing fireworks

Grand Rapids police chief compares decriminalizing marijuana to legalizing fireworks | MLive.com
At a DecriminalizeGR press conference this morning, Mayor George Heartwell and his predecessor, John Logie, voiced support for the proposal.
So did state Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids.
Among other decriminalization supporters: Grand Rapids city commissioners Rosalynn Bliss, Ruth Kelly and James B. White, Kent County Commissioner Jim Talen, D-Grand Rapids, and Rachel Hood, executive director of the West Michigan Environmental Action Council.

US Credit Rating Cut by Egan-Jones ... Again

US Credit Rating Cut by Egan-Jones ... Again - US  Business News - CNBC:
In its downgrade, the firm said that issuing more currency and depressing interest rates through purchasing mortgage-backed securities does little to raise the U.S.'s real gross domestic product, but reduces the value of the dollar.

Little Giants - Fake FG in OT


Only 2 years ago?
Ah, the Spartan memories!
MSU vs ND this weekend!

B1G Mascots "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae


Friday, September 14, 2012

Coverage Of The 2012 Presidential Campaign Is Way Beyond Biased

Coverage Of The 2012 Presidential Campaign Is Way Beyond Biased - Investors.com
In an interview this week, the president of CBS News insisted his network isn't biased.
We agree.
When it comes to the current election campaign, calling the mainstream press biased doesn't go nearly far enough.
These days, the media aren't just tilting stories, they're acting like paid employees of the Obama campaign's PR shop.

Obama's Daily Intelligence Brief… Who Cares?

The American Spectator : Obama's Daily Intelligence Brief… Who Cares?
According to a study by the Government AccountabilityInstitute, based on the publicly available White House calendar,Obama failed to attend a single Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) inthe week leading up to 9/11 and the chaos that erupted in the Arabworld.
The mere fact that we were approaching 9/11 was itself acrucial reason for attending not one but all of the briefings.Obama attended none.

Worse, this is apparently nothing new. Obama attended only 43.8percent of his Presidential Daily Briefs in the first 1,225 days ofhis administration; that's less than a majority.

Again, this is shocking, and there's no excuse for it.

Arabian Fall Update: Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Morrocco, Tunisia, Sudan And Now Lebanon

Arabian Fall Update: Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Morrocco, Tunisia, Sudan And Now Lebanon | ZeroHedge
From the Arabian Spring of hope (although technically protesting soaring food prices, something which is about to happen all over again) to the Arabian Fall of anti-American revulsion in under two years: has to be a blowback record.
The latest casualty: the German embassy in Sudan:
Protestors now inside German Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan - RTRS
Protesters pull down emblem at German embassy in Sudan, raise Islamic flag, Reuters witness says - RTRS
Protesters set KFC restaurant on fire in Lebanon over pope's visit, anti-Islam film -RTRS
So: Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Morrocco, Tunisia, Sudan and now Lebanon. Did we miss anyone?

What is it about Irish music that sets your toes tapping?

Question of the Day: What is it about Irish music that sets your toes tapping?
 The Michigan Irish Music Festival returns today for its 13th year.
As in past years, you can get in free tonight if you're at Heritage Landing before 6 p.m

Euro Zone: Euro Zone Epicenter of ‘Worst Crisis Since WWII’

Euro Zone: Euro Zone Epicenter of ‘Worst Crisis Since WWII’: Trichet - Business News - CNBC

4th Place-80 degree days

4th Place | WOODTV.com Blogs
That puts us in 4th place behind 1988 (37), 1894 (35), and 1931 (34) and one ahead of 1921 (31).
In 6th place is 1901 (29), 7th is 1934 (28) and 8th is 1898 (27).

2012-9-13 Meet county commission candidate Fred Bertsch


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Employees ran up big hotel, restaurant bills on Madison school credit cards in 2011

Employees ran up big hotel, restaurant bills on Madison school credit cards in 2011 - EAGnews.org :: Education Research, Reporting, Analysis and Commentary
We have a question for the taxpayers of Madison:
Do you have any idea how your education tax dollars are spent?

If the answer is no, well, you are not alone. It turns out that Madison school officials have very little idea, either, particularly when it comes to expenditures involving district credit cards and checks.

The district issues multiple credit cards for various departments in each of its 55 schools and other buildings, according to Candie Steffen, manager of the district’s accounting office.
Each building has a site manager who is supposed to keep track of all purchases and receipts for seven years.

Clinton's new diplomatic tool, an army of US chefs

Clinton's new diplomatic tool, an army of US chefs - FRANCE 24
More than 50 of the nation's finest culinary wizards, many of whom are household names across the United States, have signed up to join The American Chef Corps, newly launched at the State Department.

MIT Study: Ethanol Doesn’t Reduce Gasoline Prices

MIT Study: Ethanol Doesn’t Reduce Gasoline Prices | Heartlander Magazine
The MIT study, “Ethanol Production and Gasoline Prices: A Spurious Correlation,” analyzes and refutes claims by the ethanol industry that ethanol reduced gasoline prices by nearly a dollar per gallon in 2010 and more than a dollar per gallon in 2011.

Presumed Egelston Township supervisor-elect Doug Chappell dies unexpectedly

Presumed Egelston Township supervisor-elect Doug Chappell dies unexpectedly | MLive.com
Doug Chappell, 52, died Monday.
He was virtually assured of being the township’s next supervisor after winning the Democratic primary in August.
With no Republican opponents, only a write-in candidate could have kept Chappell out of office.

Waiting for "Superman"

Waiting for "Superman" | Official Site | Take Action

Mona Shores schools-of-choice openings under review, public forums planned

Mona Shores schools-of-choice openings under review, public forums planned | MLive.com
The issue has two sides.
On one hand, too many choice students could make it difficult for Mona Shores to convince voters to pass bond projects that benefit children who live outside the district, Peden said. On the other hand, more students mean more money and potentially more program offerings, he said.

Andrew Klavan: How to Behave During an Islamic Massacre


Apparently, Obama's islamic policy.

Russian ships displayed at DNC tribute to vets

Navy Times Mobile - Russian ships displayed at DNC tribute to vets
On the last night of the Democratic National Convention, a retired Navy four-star took the stage to pay tribute to veterans.
Behind him, on a giant screen, the image of four hulking warships reinforced his patriotic message.

But there was a big mistake in the stirring backdrop: those are Russian warships.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Omega-3 fatty acids don't reduce stroke or heart attack, study finds

Omega-3 fatty acids don't reduce stroke or heart attack, study finds | News.com.au
Researchers said patients at the University Hospital of Ioannina did not show a statistically significant reduction in death or heart illness, and questioned whether omega-3 should be administered proactively when trying to optimise a patient's heart health.
"Our findings do not justify the use of omega-3 as a structured intervention in everyday clinical practice or guidelines supporting dietary omega-3," said Evangelos Rizos, chief author of the study.

Does this look like an economy that’s moving forward? 9 reasons why it really doesn’t

Does this look like an economy that’s moving forward? 9 reasons why it really doesn’t | AEIdeas
If the participation rate were the same today as it was in February 2010, when the job market supposedly bottomed, the unemployment rate would be 10.1%.

Jim Lakely and Joy Pullmann: Chicago Teachers Strike | Heartland Institute

Jim Lakely and Joy Pullmann: Chicago Teachers Strike | Heartland Institute

350,000 Chicago Students Out of School for Teachers Strike

350,000 Chicago Students Out of School for Teachers Strike | Heartlander Magazine
Union Rejected Pay Raise
CPS offered teachers a four-year package worth $400 million that would have increased the average teacher’s compensation by 16 percent over that time, said Chicago School Board President David Vitale. The city expects to face a $3 billion budget deficit over the next three years, plus a $2 billion pension deficit over the next two years.
CPS’s annual spending is approximately $5.5 billion.

A Short History of the Obama Campaign Against Education

Chicago Daily Observer » Blog Archive » A Short History of the Obama Campaign Against Education
This Strike is a perfect example of what happens when Democrats, in the Chicago Way, take control of both government and the unions.
Each side in this strike is controlled by Democrats, all avid supporters of Obama.
Instead of working together in the best interests of kids in school, these factions fight over how much more of the tax payers’ dollars will wind up in their pockets.
The union leadership and Chicago politicians, Democrats all, get fatter, and the kids and people of Chicago suffer more.

You break it, you buy it? Whitehall considers charging users for damage to parks

You break it, you buy it? Whitehall considers charging users for damage to parks | MLive.com
Whitehall City Council is scheduled to consider making people and festivals who rent the city’s parks pay for any damage they cause.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Killing bin Laden, part 1 - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Killing bin Laden, part 1 - 60 Minutes - CBS News

In case you missed it.
Compelling!

FIRE's Red Alert List Exposes the Worst Violators of Campus Rights

FIRE's Red Alert List Exposes the Worst Violators of Campus Rights - The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education - FIRE
Michigan State University

Michigan State University (MSU) joined FIRE's Red Alert list after finding student government leader Kara Spencer guilty of "spamming" and misuse of university resources for criticizing the administration's plan to change the school calendar.
Spencer had carefully selected and e-mailed 391 faculty members to encourage them to express their views on the proposed changes.
Despite the fact that Spencer merely wished to alert a small percentage of the campus community—roughly 8 percent of MSU's faculty—to an important administrative decision, MSU found her to be in violation of the university's Network Acceptable Use Policy and of engaging in an "unauthorized" use of the MSU network.
After FIRE intervened, MSU dropped the charges but made its policy even more restrictive.
Read Full Article

43 Months of Depressing Misery

PJ Media » 43 Months of Depressing Misery
Mort Zuckerman accurately contended in a Friday evening Wall Street Journal op-ed, “we are experiencing, in effect, a modern-day depression,” where “dependent millions” relying on food stamps and swelling the disability rolls “are the invisible counterparts of the soup kitchens and bread lines of the 1930s.”
....

  • Full-time employment only increased by 43,000 in August. It’s down (yes, down) by 902,000 since March, and by over 1.4 million since Obama took office.

  • 562,000 fewer married men and 700,000 fewer married women were employed in August than were when the recession officially ended in June 2009.

  • 22% of the 3.47 million private-sector jobs created since the recession’s end have been at temporary help services.

  • What about what the new jobs created actually pay? The National Employment Law Project recently reported that “Lower-wage occupations were 21 percent of recession (job) losses, but 58 percent of recovery growth. Mid-wage occupations were 60 percent of recession losses, but only 22 percent of recovery growth.” The leftists at the NELP wouldn’t state the obvious, so I will: Their research proves that the Obama administration’s economic policies are gutting the middle class.

  • Insight: GM's Volt - The ugly math of low sales, high costs

    Insight: GM's Volt - The ugly math of low sales, high costs | Reuters
    Cheap Volt lease offers meant to drive more customers to Chevy showrooms this summer may have pushed that loss even higher.
    There are some Americans paying just $5,050 to drive around for two years in a vehicle that cost as much as $89,000 to produce.

    The Disappearing DUI: MLive finds wide disparities in drunk driving arrests; see how your police rank

    The Disappearing DUI: MLive finds wide disparities in drunk driving arrests; see how your police rank | MLive.com
    The totals do not include additional arrests by campus police at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, though the trend there was similar.
    MSU police arrested three times as many drunken drivers as Michigan’s.
    Ann Arbor Deputy Police Chief Gregory Bazick said he could not explain the differences, or why his department ranks so low overall.

    Muskegon seems to be a great county to drive drunk!

    Obama's Communist Party Endorsement

    Articles: Obama's Communist Party Endorsement
    Nevertheless, we must not allow the extreme rhetoric in which the endorsement is couched to distract us from a more fundamental issue, which is this: the CPUSA endorses Barack Obama on the very same grounds -- even in the same words -- that Obama uses in defense of himself.
    If a communist were operating under the official umbrella of the Democratic Party, and were thus forced to use Democrat talking points rather than speak his own radical mind, we would interpret this as typical leftist cynicism and subterfuge.
    But this time the words appear on the CPUSA's own website.

    Sunday, September 09, 2012

    Newport Beach Lifeguards Make $200,000 and Can Retire at Age 50

    PensionWatch » Blog Archive » Inside Edition: Newport Beach Lifeguards Make $200,000 and Can Retire at Age 50

    EyeOnMuskegon 2012-9-9


    CARPE DIEM: There's One Place with Jobs, Jobs, and More Jobs

    CARPE DIEM: There's One Place with Jobs, Jobs, and More Jobs
    The jobs report today was pretty grim even though the jobless rate fell to 8.1%.
    But there's at least one place where the job market is booming like never before, where the state jobless rate is only 3%, where there are ten counties with jobless rates below 2% and where one county with a jaw-dropping 0.7% unemployment rate: North Dakota.

    At Top Business Schools, an MBA Application Drought

    At Top Business Schools, an MBA Application Drought - Businessweek
    A handful of schools reported even steeper drops, including Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business, where applications fell 18 percent

    '2016: Obama's America' Now No. 2 Ever in Political Documentary Genre

    '2016: Obama's America' Now No. 2 Ever in Political Documentary Genre | NewsBusters.org

    The Making of the Pure Michigan Sing-Along Video | Pure Michigan Blog

    The Making of the Pure Michigan Sing-Along Video | Pure Michigan Blog

    The Pure Michigan Statewide Singalong


    Debt collectors cash in on student loan roundup

    NYT: Debt collectors cash in on student loan roundup - Business - US business - The New York Times - NBCNews.com
    In all, nearly one in every six borrowers with a loan balance is in default.
    The amount of defaulted loans — $76 billion — is greater than the yearly tuition bill for all students at public two- and four-year colleges and universities

    Jeff Bezos And The End of PowerPoint As We Know It

    Jeff Bezos And The End of PowerPoint As We Know It - Forbes
    I know what some of you are thinking—it works for Bezos because he’s revealing products that people can see and touch.
    Let me be clear—picture superiority works in any presentation, even for the most complex ideas.

    Is America the greatest nation on earth? MLive readers join the debate

    Is America the greatest nation on earth? MLive readers join the debate | MLive.com

    Decision on Muskegon County jail, juvenile facilities still weeks away following planning event

    Decision on Muskegon County jail, juvenile facilities still weeks away following planning event | MLive.com
    However, the final decision by the County Board of Commissioners is likely still several weeks away, perhaps coming after the Nov. 6 general election.

    Muskegon County commissioner, township trustee candidates maintain primary wins after recounts

    Muskegon County commissioner, township trustee candidates maintain primary wins after recounts | MLive.com
    Based on the recount, Hughes gained three votes and finished with a 772-748 edge over Plummer, who is completing his first two-year term as a county commissioner.

    Congressman Huizenga facing Muskegon Democratic challenger who received 1,800-plus write-in votes

    Congressman Huizenga facing Muskegon Democratic challenger who received 1,800-plus write-in votes | MLive.com
    Muskegon City Commissioner Willie German Jr. received nearly 2,000 write-in votes in the Aug. 7 primary election

    Saturday, September 08, 2012

    The Terrifying Line in Obama's Speech That Everyone Missed

    The Terrifying Line in Obama's Speech That Everyone Missed - Investors.com
    Instead of stirring rhetoric filled with hope and promise, Obama pledged that under his leadership, "our path is harder" and "our road is longer."
    Seriously?
    After four years of the worst economic recovery since the Depression, falling incomes, lower-paying jobs, increased hopelessness and exploding debt, all Obama has to offer is that he'll make this nightmare last even longer?

    Molitor Meet & Greet 9 6 2012


    Canada cuts ties with Iran, closes embassy, orders Iranian diplomats home

    Canada cuts ties with Iran, closes embassy, orders Iranian diplomats home http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Canada+cuts+ties+with+Iran+closes+embassy+orders+Iranian+diplomats+home/7206256/story.html#ixzz25tapdxGi
    Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has severed Canadian ties with Iran over its sponsorship of terrorism and amid fears about the safety of diplomats in the country.
    Baird says the Canadian embassy in Tehran will close immediately and Iranian diplomats in Canada have been given five days to leave.

    No talk of auto bailouts' ugly side

    No talk of auto bailouts' ugly side | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com
    In moving to get GM through bankruptcy, the task force and its bosses at Treasury effectively shafted 22,000 salaried retirees of the former Delphi Corp., the long-time GM parts supplier the automaker spun off in 1999.
    Despite an 85 percent funding level in its pension fund, Treasury urged the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. to seize the Delphi pension plan.

    The net effect: Many retirees saw their annual payouts cut by as much as two thirds, even as union members were "topped up" with taxpayer dollars from the Troubled Asset Relief Program; their former colleagues at GM saw comparatively minor cuts to their pensions; and key members of the auto task force still won't tell congressional investigators who made the call to treat Delphi's salaried retirees differently than everyone else.

    State canvassers finalize six initiatives for Nov. ballot

    State canvassers finalize six initiatives for Nov. ballot
     http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120908/POLITICS01/209080346#ixzz25t0ZrAZp
    Proposal 1 will be a referendum on the repeal of Public Act 4 — the emergency manager law — followed by proposals for constitutional amendments to guarantee the right of collective bargaining (Proposal 2), increase use of renewable energy (Proposal 3), allow home health care workers to bargain (Proposal 4), require a two-thirds vote by the Legislature to pass any tax increases (Proposal 5) and mandate a public vote on any new international border crossing (Proposal 6).

    Those Jobless Numbers Are Even Worse Than They Look

    Mortimer Zuckerman: Those Jobless Numbers Are Even Worse Than They Look - WSJ.com
    They are working part-time only because they've been unable to find full-time work.
    This involuntary army of what's called "underutilized labor" has been hovering for months at about 15% of the workforce.
    Include the eight million who have simply given up looking, and the real unemployment rate is closer to 19%.

    Baby Boomers and Strategic Defaults - a Demographic Study

    Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis: Baby Boomers and Strategic Defaults - a Demographic Study: Why Did People Walk Away? Did They Struggle With Morality? Would they Recommend Walking Away to Others?
    Moreover, a massive debt overhang still remains and the pending foreclosure pool is mammoth.

    Friday, September 07, 2012

    Frank Marshall Davis and the Subversion of the Democratic Party

    Articles: Frank Marshall Davis and the Subversion of the Democratic Party
    In other words, the Hawaiian Communist Party went underground, realizing that it lacked political viability.
     Hawaii's communists changed their tactics, concentrating instead on the mainstream Democratic Party, even running their members in local elections to seize delegate positions.
    One of those who not only urged this tactic, but was himself elected to a Democratic precinct was Frank Marshall Davis.
    With that, the steady subversion of the Democratic Party was on.
    This began a long march to transform the Democratic Party from the party of Truman and JFK to the party of Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama.

    Going Ape

    Going Ape - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online
    Oh, dear. Speaking of animals, several bloggers note that Dr. Mann’s lawyer’s last celebrity client was Joe Camel – the tobacco industry’s anthropomorphized dromedary.
    By “anthropomorphized dromedary,” I mean they put him in a suit and got rid of the hump — in much the same way that the “hockey stick” graph got rid of the hump of the Medieval Warm Period.

    Eastwood says his convention appearance was 'mission accomplished'

    The Carmel Pine Cone's first story of the week
    But in a wide-ranging interview with The Pine Cone Tuesday from his home in Pebble Beach, he said he had conveyed the messages he wanted to convey, and that the spontaneous nature of his presentation was intentional, too.

    Breitbart film bares roots of 'Occupy' movement

    Breitbart film bares roots of 'Occupy' movement | Fox News
    “The Occupy movement is far from over.
    We are approaching a European-type financial crisis. we are coming to a radical austerity and then you are going to see it taken to the streets and it’s not going to be pretty.”

    Are Chinese Banks Hiding “The Mother of All Debt Bombs”?

    Are Chinese Banks Hiding “The Mother of All Debt Bombs”? | The Diplomat
    Chinese LGFVs are known mainly for their unique ability to sink perfectly good money into bottomless holes in the ground.
    So taking on such a huge mountain of debt can mean only one thing — a future wave of default when the projects into which LGFVs have piled funds fail to yield viable returns to service the debt.