Monday, December 06, 2010

Michigan rock fests 1967-1972

rock fests

May 24/Sunday: College Field, East Lansing
~ The Jefferson Airplane, Mountain, Chicago, John Sebastian, The Rotary Connection ~

I also remember Rod Stewart & The Small Faces, Ten Years After at the same concert.
Ah, the good old days!

WikiLeaks cables reveal how US manipulated climate accord

WikiLeaks cables reveal how US manipulated climate accord Environment The Guardian
"The US diplomatic cables reveal how the US seeks dirt on nations opposed to its approach to tackling global warming;
how financial and other aid is used by countries to gain political backing;
how distrust, broken promises and creative accounting dog negotiations;
and how the US mounted a secret global diplomatic offensive to overwhelm opposition to the controversial 'Copenhagen accord', the unofficial document that emerged from the ruins of the Copenhagen climate change summit in 2009."

Saturday, December 04, 2010

The sight of women's breasts won't deter Islamists – they're obsessed with sex

The sight of women's breasts won't deter Islamists – they're obsessed with sex – Telegraph Blogs
"Denmark’s government is being called upon to employ a lethal new weapon in the fight against Islamist extremism: bare breasts.

No, I’m not making this up – and also deny outrageous suggestions that I’m looking for an excuse to tear myself away from the world-changing Wikileaks exposé.

Peter Skaarup, the foreign policy spokesman of the Danish People’s Party, wants footage of topless women at beaches to be included in a video shown to prospective immigrants, in order to deter religious fundamentalists."

Cancún climate talks in danger of collapse over Kyoto continuation

Cancún climate talks in danger of collapse over Kyoto continuation Environment The Guardian
"The Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (Alba) group of nine Latin American countries – who claim they are backed by African, Arab countries and other developing nations – said they were not prepared to see an end to the treaty that legally requires all of its signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Friday, December 03, 2010

Muskegon Campaign Contributions -- Huffington Post

Muskegon Campaign Contributions -- Huffington Post

Interesting to see who really stands tall.

Military takes over air traffic control in Spain

My Way News - Military takes over air traffic control in Spain
"Spain's military took control of the nation's airspace Friday night after air traffic controllers staged a massive sickout that stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers on the eve of a long holiday weekend, forcing the government to shut down Madrid's big international hub and seven other airports."

This is what will happen when we unionize the TSA idiots.

Top Transit Chief Salaries Criticized by State Lawmaker

Top Transit Chief Salaries Criticized by State Lawmaker [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
"Last month, MichCapCon.com revealed that a bus driver in Lansing was paid $140,000 last year."

Spartans won't be one-season wonder in football

Spartans won't be one-season wonder in football MLive.com
"“I think it’s been a fundamental reason why we’ve been successful -- we are developing depth.
We have good young players and they’re coming.”"

Michael shoots his .45 with his feet

YouTube - Michael shoots his .45 with his feet

Pretty nifty!

Wave goodbye to Internet freedom

EDITORIAL: Wave goodbye to Internet freedom - Washington Times
"With a straight face, Mr. Genachowski suggested that government red tape will increase the 'freedom' of online services that have flourished because bureaucratic busybodies have been blocked from tinkering with the Web.

Ordinarily, it would be appropriate at this point to supply an example from the proposed regulations illustrating the problem.

Mr. Genachowski's draft document has over 550 footnotes and is stamped 'non-public, for internal use only' to ensure nobody outside the agency sees it until the rules are approved in a scheduled Dec. 21 vote.

So much for 'openness.'"

'You won't be able to sell your house,' Daley warns

'You won't be able to sell your house,' Daley warns :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Politics
"The Illinois Senate on Thursday approved police and firefighter pension legislation that Mayor Daley warned would blow a $550 million hole in the city budget, but the top Senate Democrat pledged to try softening that financial hit next month.

Municipalities won pension cutbacks for incoming cops and firefighters, including bumping up the retirement age with full benefits from 50 to 55, limiting retirement cost-of-living increases and capping the final salary upon which pensions are based, among other things. Existing public-safety workers aren't affected"

They can retire at 50?!!!!!

Splendid Abandoned Airplanes

Dark Roasted Blend: Splendid Abandoned Airplanes
"When Flying Is No Longer An Option (Jet Planes in Backyards)"

Boehner to create ladies' room off House floor

Boehner to create ladies' room off House floor - Yahoo! News
"House Speaker-to-be John Boehner is planning to install the first-ever women's restroom next to the floor of the House of Representatives.
Boehner's office says he'll direct the Architect of the Capitol to convert an office into a ladies' room just steps away from where lawmakers cast votes and debate legislation.

Female members of the House have long complained that while their male colleagues can duck in and out of a men's room right next to the chamber, their closest available restroom is much further away in the Congressional Women's Reading Room, across the ornate Statuary Hall filled with sculptures of prominent Americans."

Sexist GOPers!

Thursday, December 02, 2010

The 25 Funniest Analogies (Collected by High School English Teachers)

The 25 Funniest Analogies (Collected by High School English Teachers) « Writing English

"5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up."

Yes, there are many more!

The Danger of a Global Double Dip Recession Is Real

The Danger of a Global Double Dip Recession Is Real - US News and World Report
"Among Spengler's convictions was that money, instead of serving mankind, would betray the Western civilization as it had others—and money in politics and media especially.
If he could have seen this election season, he would have been even more downcast!
Money is surely the great corrupter of American democracy.

Congressmen have to spend more of their time raising money for misleading and defamatory television commercials—and resisting briberies of one kind or another—than they spend studying our predicaments."

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Into the fray - LSJ Blogs: Hey, Joe

Into the fray - LSJ Blogs: Hey, Joe
"After a practice here today, MSU did what few, if any, opponents have done.
The Spartans marched right through Krzyzewskiville.

For those who don't know, K-ville is the name of the area where the Duke students camp out, grill, eat, drink, play frisbee and generally act rowdy as they camp out before big games (I just walked through it -- wild scene).

Tom Izzo and his team walked right through it this afternoon, a scene athletic director Mark Hollis called 'surreal.'

The Cameron Crazies apparently were stunned at first, but eventually Izzo threw the football around with a few of them, and came away with a brat."

Underclothes That Display The 4th Amendment When X-Rayed by TSA

Underclothes That Display The 4th Amendment When X-Rayed by TSA

IMF: US Ready to Back Bigger EU Stability Fund

IMF: US Ready to Back Bigger EU Stability Fund: Official - CNBC
"The United States would be ready to support the extension of the European Financial Stability Facility via an extra commitment of money from the International Monetary Fund, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday."

Well, Barry did promise that he'd make Europeans love us, right?

Mystery Surrounds Cyber Missile That Crippled Iran's Nuclear Weapons Ambitions

FoxNews.com - Mystery Surrounds Cyber Missile That Crippled Iran's Nuclear Weapons Ambitions
"The construction of the worm was so advanced, it was “like the arrival of an F-35 into a World War I battlefield,” says Ralph Langner, the computer expert who was the first to sound the alarm about Stuxnet.
Others have called it the first “weaponized” computer virus.

Simply put, Stuxnet is an incredibly advanced, undetectable computer worm that took years to construct and was designed to jump from computer to computer until it found the specific, protected control system that it aimed to destroy: Iran’s nuclear enrichment program."

An amazing story!

Women accused of hiding merchandise in body fat

Women accused of hiding merchandise in body fat - KFOR
"Two women are arrested for shoplifting and police say they used their bodies to conceal the goods. Edmond police authorities say it was at the Edmond TJ Maxx that loss prevention officers found the duo stuffing items under their belly fat and breasts."

Official: Gov't won't end drilling ban off Fla.

My Way News - Official: Gov't won't end drilling ban off Fla.
"The Obama administration won't allow any new oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico for at least the next seven years because of the BP oil spill, a senior administration official told The Associated Press on Wednesday."

7 YEARS!!!!

Oh, wait a minute..... Jan. 2013 is only 2 years away.
Whew!

I got this e-mail from the democrat party today

Dear xxxxx,

I wanted to let you know about an important development at the DSCC.

Senator Murray will be taking the helm here at the Committee at a critical time for Senate Democrats and there’s truly no better choice.
In 2010 we proved that strong candidates running aggressive campaigns can beat expectations.
We faced very strong headwinds this November, but we held off Republicans because grassroots donors and the truth were able to stop Karl Rove’s billionaire friends and their lies.

Patty Murray led this charge with a smart, aggressive campaign - a model for what all of our incumbents need to do in 2012 to be successful.
Patty is a great senator, a true fighter, and will no doubt have a strong term as Chair of the DSCC.

Send a message to Sen. Murray welcoming her to the DSCC.

Patty M is arguably the dumbest senator in recent history.
And the dumbocrats elected her to run their senate races for the next election?!!!
Take a look at the list and laugh:
http://muskegonpundit.blogspot.com/2010/10/united-states-senate-elections-2012.html

Back in my day

The Washington Post

Report from Week 228, in which you were asked to tell Gen-Xers how much harder you had it in the old days:

Second Runner-Up: In my day, we couldn't afford shoes, so we went barefoot. In the winter we had to wrap our feet with barbed wire for traction. (Bill Flavin, Alexandria)

First Runner-Up: In my day we didn't have MTV or in-line skates, or any of that stuff. No, it was 45s and regular old metal-wheeled roller skates, and the 45s always skipped, so to get them to play right you'd weigh the needle down with something like quarters, which we never had because our allowances were way too small, so we'd use our skate keys instead and end up forgetting they were taped to the record player arm so that we couldn't adjust our skates, which didn't really matter because those crummy metal wheels would kill you if you hit a pebble anyway, and in those days roads had real pebbles on them, not like today. (Russell Beland, Springfield)

And the winner of the velour bicentennial poster: In my day, we didn't have no rocks. We had to go down to the creek and wash our clothes by beating them with our heads. (Barry Blyveis, Columbia)

Honorable Mentions:

In my day, we didn't have dogs or cats. All I had was Silver Beauty, my beloved paper clip. (Jennifer Hart, Arlington)

In my day, attitudes were different. For example, women didn't like sex. At least that is what they told me. (Tom Witte, Gaithersburg)

When I was your age, we didn't have fake doggie-do. We only had real doggie-do, and no one thought it was a damn bit funny. (Brendan Bassett, Columbia)

Back in the 1970s we didn't have the space shuttle to get all excited about. We had to settle for men walking on the crummy moon. (Russell Beland, Springfield)

In my day, we didn't have days. There was only "time for work," "time for prayer" and "time for sleep." The sheriff would go around and tell everyone when to change. (Elden Carnahan, Laurel)

In my day, people could only dream of hitchhiking a ride on a comet. (David Ronka, Charlottesville)

In my day, we didn't have hand-held calculators. We had to do addition on our fingers. To subtract, we had to have some fingers amputated. (Jon Patrick Smith, Washington)

In my day, we didn't have mouses to move the cursor around. We only had the arrows, and if the up arrow was broken and you needed to get to the top of the screen, well, you just hit the left arrow a thousand times, dadgummit. (Kevin Cuddihy, Fairfax)

In my day, we didn't get that disembodied, slightly ticked-off voice saying 'Doors closing.' We got on the train, the doors closed, and if your hand was sticking out it scraped along the tunnel all the damn way to the Silver Spring station and it was a bloody stump at the end. But the base fare was only a dollar. (Russell Beland, Springfield)

In my day, we didn't have water. We had to smash together our own hydrogen and oxygen atoms. (Diana Hugue, Bowie) In my day, we didn't have Strom Thurmond. Oh, wait, yes we did ... (Peg Sheeran, Vienna)

Kids today think the world revolves around them. In my day, the sun revolved around the world, and the world was perched on the back of a giant tortoise. (Jonathan Paul, Garrett Park)

In my day, we wore our pants up around our armpits. Monstrous wedgies, but we looked snappy. (Bruce Evans, Washington)

In the old days, nobody asked you to sign petitions. The sheriff just came to your house and told you you was part of a posse. (Barry Blyveis, Columbia)

Back in my day, "60 Minutes" wasn't just a bunch of gray-haired liberal 80-year-old guys. It was a bunch of gray-haired liberal 60-year-old guys. (Russell Beland, Springfield, and Jerry Pannullo, Kensington)

In my day, we didn't have virtual reality. If a one-eyed razorback barbarian warrior was chasing you with an ax, you just had to hope you could outrun him. (Sarah M. Wolford, Hanover)

An Error By Dems May Allow The Lawsuit Against Health Care Reform To Succeed

An Error By Dems May Allow The Lawsuit Against Health Care Reform To Succeed TPMDC
"Quite often, legislators include what's known as a 'severability clause' in their bills.

These are meant to protect the bulk of a law in the event that a small portion of it is determined to be unconstitutional.
That small portion must go, or be changed, but pretty much everything else is allowed to stand.

In a sin of omission, Democrats left such a clause out of the health care law, and now the plaintiffs in at least one of the cases against it want the court to take an axe to the whole thing if the judge decides that the individual mandate provision is unconstitutional."

The democrooks are as stupid as they are dishonest.

Social Security cuts are part of deficit plan

My Way News - Social Security cuts are part of deficit plan
"proposed cuts to Medicare, curtailment of tax breaks and a doubling of the federal tax on a gallon of gasoline."

But federal spending on union employees and never-ending annual raises, bonuses and benefits and earmarks are just "ducky"!

whats-mine-is-yours

whats-mine-is-yours: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance
"in 2009, he found 150 companies or organizations that provided sharing platforms.

Now he counts 6,000.

Among them: Zipcar, which allows urban dwellers to access a vehicle for as little as $6 an hour;
ThredUp, where parents can trade kids' clothes;
Airbnb.com, which allows people to rent out rooms to travelers;
and landshare.net in the United Kingdom, which matches land and garden owners with growers, who then share the produce."

This may be the best way to avoid predatory taxes and the mega-corporation's hold on us little people.

Michigan Legislative Scorecard

Michigan Legislative Scorecard Americans for Prosperity-Michigan
"Michigan Legislative Scorecard
See how your legislator measures up with AFP-Michigan’s Legislative Scorecard.
Each Michigan State Senator and State Representative was scored based on votes selected by AFP-Michigan as being the most critical to limiting taxation, controlling spending, and reforming government."

This is an excellent tool to score our electeds on 10 key votes.
Let's keep a keen eye on them and let them know that our Michigan primary election is only 20 months away!

November Speaks, But Is Lansing Listening?

November Speaks, But Is Lansing Listening? Americans for Prosperity-Michigan
"A recent Associated Press article pointed out that “there are nearly 20 lobbyists for every lawmaker” in Michigan; a total of 2,783.
In 2009, Michigan fulltime lobbyists (many paid for with your tax dollars) spent almost $12 million more than in 2001, a 60% increase."

And who speaks for the Michigan taxpayer?
The Tea Parties are our only hope!

How Immigration and Multiculturalism Destroyed Detroit

Frosty Wooldridge -- How Immigration and Multiculturalism Destroyed Detroit
"Immigration will keep pouring more and more uneducated third world immigrants from the Middle East into Detroit—thus creating a beachhead for Islamic hegemony in America.
If 50 percent illiteracy continues, we will see more homegrown terrorists spawned out of the Muslim ghettos of Detroit.
Illiteracy plus Islam equals walking human bombs."

Can Republicans Talk?

RealClearPolitics - Will Dems Go the Class Warfare Route?
"These are the facts.
But facts do not 'speak for themselves.'

In terms of facts, the Republicans have the stronger case.
But that doesn't matter, unless they make the case, which they show little sign of doing.

Democrats already understand the need for articulation.
Robert Reich is only one of many articulate Democratic spokesmen.
But where are the articulate Republicans?
Do they even understand how crucial articulation is?"