Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tips for using Google search phrases
Click below for some Google search tips.
Perhaps you'll learn something new...
Perhaps you'll learn something new...
In his 'Playground on the Net", Marco shares some of what he knows:
"You're probably one of the many Google users in the world. Ever had those days that you were searching on Google and you couldn't find what you were looking for? Try these tips to optimize your search phrase so that you'll most likely find what you've been looking for."
Kathleen Willey has a book out
It's obviously not complimentary and I expect there will be similar books, etc., within the next year...
At WorldNetDaily.com, Art Moore discusses it:
" 'Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton,' published by WND Books, an imprint of World Ahead Publishing, reminds readers how the Democratic presidential front-runner, despite her husband's 20 years of countless extra-marital relationships, famously came to his defense shortly after the Monica Lewinsky affair broke in 1998. Asked about the accusations, the then-first lady said, 'Certainly, I believe they're false. Absolutely.' Then, in a memorable interview with the 'Today' show's Matt Lauer, she explained years of accusations by women such as Willey, Gennifer Flowers and Dolly Kyle Browning. 'Bill and I have been accused of everything, including murder, by some of the very same people who are behind these allegations,' she said, pointing to a 'vast right-wing conspiracy.' '… So from my perspective this is part of a continuing political campaign against my husband.' Later, however, when placed under oath, Bill Clinton admitted to an affair with Flowers, as he did with Lewinksy."
The Tax Code
I think we'd all like to see the tax code simplified.
And I don't think we care who gets the credit as long as it gets done.
And then there is the morass of politics...
And I don't think we care who gets the credit as long as it gets done.
And then there is the morass of politics...
I found this opinion column at the Wall Street Journal :
"The virtue of the single-rate flat tax isn't merely its efficiency but also its moral component: It treats all taxpayers equally. If a person makes five times more money than his neighbor, he should pay five times more taxes, not 10 or 20 times more."
Trash - Cruising the Pacific
The trash is out there...
The problem is reported on by Alexandre Da Silva at StarBulletin.com:
"The University of Hawaii at Hilo has been hosting lectures by Moore and 13 other speakers about the threat to Hawaii of an estimated 50 tons of marine debris that washes ashore annually."
Americanize or Polarize?
I'm with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.) on this issue...
In the Wall Street Journal, John Fund discusses the use of English:
"Should the Salvation Army be able to require its employees to speak English? You wouldn't think that's controversial. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is holding up a $53 billion appropriations bill funding the FBI, NASA and Justice Department solely to block an attached amendment, passed by both the Senate and House, that protects the charity and other employers from federal lawsuits over their English-only policies. The U.S. used to welcome immigrants while at the same time encouraging assimilation. Since 1906, for example, new citizens have had to show 'the ability to read, write and speak ordinary English.' A century later, this preference for assimilation is still overwhelmingly popular. A new Rasmussen poll finds that 87% of voters think it 'very important' that people speak English in the U.S., with four out of five Hispanics agreeing. And 77% support the right of employers to have English-only policies, while only 14% are opposed."
In Our Schools - "Spiraling"
You used to learn something new every day.
No pun intended...
No pun intended...
At TownHall.com, Michelle Malkin asks parents:
"Do you know what math curriculum your child is being taught? Are you worried that your third-grader hasn't learned simple multiplication yet? Have you been befuddled by educational jargon such as 'spiraling,' which is used to explain why your kid keeps bringing home the same insipid busywork of cutting, gluing and drawing? And are you alarmed by teachers who emphasize 'self-confidence' over proficiency while their students fall further and further behind? Join the club.
Across the country, from New York City to Seattle, parents are wising up to math fads like 'Everyday Math.' Sounds harmless enough, right? It's cleverly marketed as a "University of Chicago" program. Impressive! Right? But then you start to sense something's not adding up when your kid starts second grade and comes home with the same kindergarten-level addition and subtraction problems -- for the second year in a row."
Politics - Who is on who's side, anyway?
Washington, D.C. must be a great place to work...
John R. Wilke writes in the Wall Street Journal:
"Mr. Bloch had his computer's hard disk completely cleansed using a 'seven-level' wipe: a thorough scrubbing that conforms to Defense Department data-security standards. The process makes it nearly impossible for forensics experts to restore the data later. He also directed Geeks on Call to erase laptop computers that had been used by his two top political deputies, who had recently left the agency.
Geeks on Call visited Mr. Bloch's government office in a nondescript office building on M Street in Washington twice, on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, 2006, according to a receipt reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The total charge was $1,149, paid with an agency credit card, the receipt shows. The receipt says a seven-level wipe was performed but doesn't mention any computer virus.
Jeff Phelps, who runs Washington's Geeks on Call franchise, declined to talk about specific clients, but said calls placed directly by government officials are unusual. He also said erasing a drive is an unusual virus treatment. 'We don't do a seven-level wipe for a virus,' he said."
Hitler's Secret Saucers
I like a little variety at times.
Perhaps you do, too...
Perhaps you do, too...
Here's the link to Henry Stevens book, "Hitler's Flying Saucers":
"A Guide to German Flying Discs of the Second World War"
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Ethanol - Pros, Cons, Opinions
It looks like everyone has a take on this.
That means there's a lot of money to be made...
That means there's a lot of money to be made...
The Wall Street Journal's Lauren Etter has the story:
"Little over a year ago, ethanol was winning the hearts and wallets of both Main Street and Wall Street, with promises of greater U.S. energy independence, fewer greenhouse gases and help for the farm economy. Today, the corn-based biofuel is under siege.
In the span of one growing season, ethanol has gone from panacea to pariah in the eyes of some. The critics, which include industries hurt when the price of corn rises, blame ethanol for pushing up food prices, question its environmental bona fides and dispute how much it really helps reduce the need for oil.
A recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development concluded that biofuels 'offer a cure [for oil dependence] that is worse than the disease.' A National Academy of Sciences study said corn-based ethanol could strain water supplies. The American Lung Association expressed concern about a form of air pollution from burning ethanol in gasoline. Political cartoonists have taken to skewering the fuel for raising the price of food to the world's poor.
Last month, an outside expert advising the United Nations on the 'right to food' labeled the use of food crops to make biofuels 'a crime against humanity,' although the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization later disowned the remark as 'regrettable.'"
Immigration - Illegals getting to college?
I'm pretty sure that North Carolina's politicians will be hearing a lot more about this...
This is from an article by Mark Johnson in the Charlotte Observer:
"RALEIGH - North Carolina's community college system has ordered the state's 58 campuses to admit illegal immigrants, overturning a policy of letting the heavily enrolled schools set their own rules for handling undocumented applicants.
David Sullivan, the system's top lawyer, dispatched a memo this month telling the community colleges that state regulations require the schools to admit illegal immigrants who meet the schools' basic requirements of being either a high school graduate or an adult in need of skills training.
'That's just wrong,' said Sen. Richard Stevens, a Cary Republican and co-chairman of the higher education committee. 'I can't believe North Carolina taxpayers would be asked to pay for the education of people who are in this state illegally.'"
Political Correctness - the University of Florida
In this case, it seems to border on censorship...
On his website, talk show host Neal Boortz criticizes the university president:
"Frankly, Doctor, I don't give a flying you-know-what that many Muslim students were offended. Know what? I'm somewhat offended that radical Muslims call for the death of America and as many Americans as possible with every passing day. During World War II there were many Germans, Italians and Japanese who wanted as many of us dead as possible. I don't think that there were many Americans who were afraid to make that point because, God help us, it might have offended some Germans, Italians or Japanese.
Tell you what, Dr. Irvin, I'm just a bit offended that Radical Islamists continue to call for death to America and my neighbors without more moderate Muslims making a point of standing up to denounce their brethren. My guess is that there are many students on the Florida campus who would love to see the Muslim students hold a demonstration just once a year protesting the goals and actions of radical Islamists around the world. Has any such demonstration taken place on the Florida campus? I rather doubt it. I'm sure you would let us know if it did."
Fallujah - Times have changed
This sounds much better than anyone could have anticipated...
I found this in Michael J. Totten's Middle East Journal:
"Fallujah, Iraq – 'You're probably safer here than you are in New York City,' said Marine First Lieutenant Barry Edwards when I arrived in Fallujah. I raised my eyebrows at him skeptically. 'How many people got shot at last night in New York City?' he said.
'Probably somebody,' I said.
'Yeah, probably somebody did,' he said. 'Somewhere.'
Nobody was shot last night in Fallujah. No American has been shot anywhere in Fallujah since the 3rd Battalion 5th Marine Regiment rotated into the city two months ago. There have been no rocket or mortar attacks since the summer. Not a single of the 3/5 Marines has even been wounded."
Iraq - “Al Qaeda is Defeated.”
That's certainly a strong statement.
Over there, something is definitely happening.
Let's hope it continues...
Over there, something is definitely happening.
Let's hope it continues...
Michael Yon has these comments at his online magazine:
"'Al Qaeda in Iraq is defeated,' according to Sheik Omar Jabouri, spokesman for the Iraqi Islamic Party and a member of the widespread and influential Jabouri Tribe. Speaking through an interpreter at a 31 October meeting at the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters in downtown Baghdad, Sheik Omar said that al Qaeda had been 'defeated mentally, and therefore is defeated physically,' referring to how clear it has become that the terrorist group’s tactics have backfired. Operatives who could once disappear back into the crowd after committing an increasingly atrocious attack no longer find safe haven among the Iraqis who live in the southern part of Baghdad. They are being hunted down and killed. Or, if they are lucky, captured by Americans."
Politicians - Ron Paul
What I know about Ron Paul is 99% from the media that I have so little trust in.
So, I wonder whether to believe this columnist or not?....
So, I wonder whether to believe this columnist or not?....
At NewMediaJournal.com, J.B. Williams writes:
"I am fast becoming the most unpopular man in America, among Ron Paul supporters that is. Truth is seldom popular among those at odds with that truth. Paul supporters have worked diligently to convince voters that their candidate is the “real deal” constitutionalist conservative in the ’08 presidential race and that he has a real chance of winning. But the facts simply don’t support either of these claims and pointing this reality out seems to drive Paul supporters into a fit of unbridled rage. The fact is, though Ron Paul himself is no threat to anyone or anything, his campaign is on a track that is very dangerous for America and the conservative movement in particular."
Citizens Against Government Waste: Homepage
If you like pork, there's enough here to actually make you ill...
It's the homepage of Citizens Against Government Waste:
Politicians - Pork, and more pork
Somehow, I don't think anything has really changed...
At the Politico.com, Martin Kady II reports some recent shenanigans:
"While conservative senators have boasted recently about ditching the $1 million 'hippie museum' earmark from a recent spending bill, they didn't bother touching billions for Louisiana. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), in fact, put out a press release late last night declaring Thursday as 'our $12 billion day.' Indeed, Louisiana received $3 billion in home reconstruction aid that was dropped into the Defense spending bill late in negotiations. That bill cleared the Senate on Thursday. Louisiana will receive $7 billion of the $23 billion water resources development act money thanks to the resounding override of President Bush's veto of that bill. And the Pelican State will receive $2 billion in defense funds for various military projects and installations in that state under the Pentagon spending bill. Bringing home the bacon for Louisiana certainly doesn't hurt Landrieu, who is the Republicans' top target in 2008 Senate elections."
Politicians - Working the Pork
Politicians are so permeated with pork, that instead of looking to eliminating it, they look for innovative ways to continue it...
Robert D. Novak reported this at TownHall.com:
"During a confusing week on Capitol Hill, lawmakers engaged in games difficult for insiders to understand and incomprehensible for ordinary voters. As the first Congress controlled by Democrats since 1994 nears the end of its first year, the desire to bring home the bacon trumped concern over the falling dollar, the crisis in Pakistan and the continuing conflict in Iraq."
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
We should remember this
Dear Politician,
There is most likely a record of everything you do or have done.
Case closed...
PS - I'm surprised to find this where I found it.
There is most likely a record of everything you do or have done.
Case closed...
PS - I'm surprised to find this where I found it.
On December 16, 1998, President Clinton explains his decision to strike Iraq:
"Good evening.
Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.
Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States, and indeed the interests of people throughout the Middle East and around the world.
Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons.
I want to explain why I have decided, with the unanimous recommendation of my national security team, to use force in Iraq; why we have acted now; and what we aim to accomplish."
Mirrors cut moose fatalities
Hunting season reminded me of this article from a while back.
Go figure...
Go figure...
In News from Norway, Nina Berglund we learn:
"Small mirrors hung alongside a major highway in Oppland County are proving highly effective at keeping wildlife off the road and preventing accidents. Moose aren't the only animals being spared.
The use of mirrors has been so successful at eliminating collisions between animals and cars, reported newspaper Adresseavisen this week, that the national railroad agency Jernbaneverket is interested in adopting the practice to keep wildlife off train tracks."
Meet Melanie Morgan
I realize that everyone has their opinion of what is fair and balanced.
Personally, I think PBS fails that test.
And I remind you that our tax money funds PBS...
Personally, I think PBS fails that test.
And I remind you that our tax money funds PBS...
Melanie Morgan tells her story and more:
"This week, the executive producer for the 'News Hour with Jim Lehrer' on the publicly funded PBS network put out a statement declaring that I was being banned from ever appearing on that show again."
Global Warming - Credible dissent
There's no ambiguity in this opinion...
The founder of the Weather Channel, John Coleman, says:
"It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM. Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create an illusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental whacko type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the “research” to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims. Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going. Soon they claimed to be a consensus."
Global Warming - NASA’s James Hansen
I saw this a while ago and saved it as worthwhile to know.
Don't miss the key phrase "the politicization of science"...
Don't miss the key phrase "the politicization of science"...
NewsBusters.com's, Noel Sheppard fills us in:
"As NewsBuster Jake Gontesky reported, an editorial in Investor's Business Daily Monday claimed one of billionaire leftist George Soros's foundations gave $720,000 in 2006 to the head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, James Hansen.
Since this editorial was published, according to LexisNexis and Google News searches, not one major media outlet has reported these allegations."
Concealed handguns as a deterrent
Let's read about something that is certainly controversial.
In general, I'm a fan of things that work.
Unfortunately, in today's litigious society, carriers would probably need legal protection so as not to lose everything via a "premeditation" conviction...
In general, I'm a fan of things that work.
Unfortunately, in today's litigious society, carriers would probably need legal protection so as not to lose everything via a "premeditation" conviction...
John R. Lott Jr. discusses some interesting history and ideas:
"So how did Israel solve the problem? By encouraging Israelis to carry concealed handguns. After the policy changed in the early 1970s, terrorist gun attacks have been rare."
The Media - "Feel" vs. Fact
I figure that anything goes when you have an agenda.
Apparently, it's even OK to change the long time meaning of things...
Apparently, it's even OK to change the long time meaning of things...
At Cleveland.com, Tom Blumer exposes CNN:
"Not to worry -- If you're CNN, you don't need any real evidence of a recession, you can just decide that there is one."
Politicians - Behaving badly?
I figure they were so anxious to separate themselves from this money that they got rid of it quickly without thinking about the "right" thing to do.
On the other hand, perhaps they saw an opportunity to get credit for benevolence, easily done with the money of others...
On the other hand, perhaps they saw an opportunity to get credit for benevolence, easily done with the money of others...
At the Politico.com, Ben Smith gives his opinion:
"When Democratic megadonor Norman Hsu was exposed as a scam artist, Democrats scrambled to get rid of the cash he had shoveled into their campaigns.
They gave his contributions away to recipients from Habitat for Humanity to the U.S. Treasury to an upstate New York school for autistic children.
There is a set of deserving recipients who haven’t seen a dime, however: Norman Hsu’s victims."
About the dollar
Bad is good?
Once again, history will be the final judge on this...
Once again, history will be the final judge on this...
Gerard Baker writes in the U.K.'s TimesOnline.co.uk:
"For the historically short-sighted, let's remember we have been here before. Between 1985 and 1995, the dollar declined by 43 per cent against the world's big currencies — somewhat more than it has in the past six years. That period was also marked by dire proclamations of the end of US economic power. But it turned out that in those years the foundations were laid for the strongest period of US economic growth in the past 35 years. If you're still sceptical, ask yourself this: is it probable that the shift in the relative value of the dollar and the euro represents a bet by the world's investors that Europe — strike-torn, productivity-challenged, demographically doomed Europe — is the world's economic future, rather than the US, or, let's say, China?"
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tax Cuts - Psst! They work!
Apparently, no amount of good results, can get this message across.
And, considering the amount of political discourse, it's clear that certain politicians don't want it to...
And, considering the amount of political discourse, it's clear that certain politicians don't want it to...
Stephen Moore writes in the Wall Street Opinion Journal:
"I recently spoke with Mart Laar, the former prime minister of Estonia and the godfather of that nation's flat tax. The major opposition to his tax reform, he explained, was not the citizenry; rather it came from the economists and the other Wise Men of government. 'I was told, 'We cannot do a flat tax. It is untested. It will not work. It will cause budget deficits,' Mr. Laar recalls. However, he believed it would work because of what he'd read about it in Milton Friedman's classic, 'Free to Choose.' And so, in 1994, Mr. Laar ignored the economic pundits and snapped into place a 23% flat tax. Estonia has since experienced one of the most rapid growth spurts of any nation in the world. There's a lesson here for our country: Revolutionary ideas in economics, especially if they don't leverage the power of the state, are often resisted by the intellectual elite. Ronald Reagan discovered this in 1980 when he was ridiculed by the establishment for proposing cuts in marginal tax rates as a cure for the high inflation and economic malaise of the 1970s."
Unfinished Church Business
Apparently, this issue still hangs on in some dioceses...
In the Los Angeles, Jason Berry asks:
"But did the church really learn its lesson? Cardinal Francis George, the archbishop of Chicago, is currently preparing to assume the presidency of the Conference of Catholic Bishops, whose annual meeting begins Monday in Baltimore. His new position would make George highly visible when Pope Benedict XVI arrives on his first trip to the U.S. next spring, which is fitting because George was a valuable ally of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger when the cardinals' conclave chose him to be pope in 2005. The problem is that George shows little indication of having internalized the lessons of the scandal. He displays a stunning insensitivity to the church's failures. And twice since the 2002 conference in Dallas that adopted the youth protection charter, George has flouted the church's supposed zero-tolerance attitude in his handling of abusive priests."
"Why do they even bother?"
Maybe they should be asked to keep quiet until they are sure they can get it right...
Martin Merzer reports in the Miami Herald:
"Just before the season started on June 1, the nationally prominent Gray-Klotzbach team at Colorado State University predicted that 17 named storms would grow into nine hurricanes, five of which would be particularly intense, with winds above 110 mph.
A different team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted 13 to 17 named storms, seven to 10 hurricanes and three to five intense hurricanes.
The actual results for the 2007 season: 14 named storms, five hurricanes, two intense hurricanes.
That turned a season predicted to be extremely active into one that was about average in number of storms and well below average in total intensity.
Even mid-season corrections issued by both teams in August -- somewhat akin to changing your prediction about a baseball game during the fifth inning -- proved wrong.
Their pre-season predictions in 2005 and 2006 were even worse."
Good News for Everyone! - Isn't it?
Well, maybe it's not...
At the North Star Writers Group, Dan Calabrese elaborates:
"It appears as if it may soon become easier for lives to be saved without lives being destroyed. Great news, right?
You’d think so, but in the everything-is-partisan world in which we live, celebrations are limited to one side of the aisle.
Dr. James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin – the man who pioneered embryonic stem cell research even while harboring ethical misgivings about the destruction of life it required – is now reporting he may have found a way to get the same kinds of stem cells from adult skin.
If true, the debate is over. Those who object to the creation of life for the purpose of destroying it can rest assured that no such abomination is necessary. And those who want to press ahead with stem cell research in the pursuit of cures for horrible diseases will be able to do so.
Everybody wins!
Oh, you silly. It’s never that easy, now is it?"
Believe "none" of what you see (in photos)
I think the saying is "Believe HALF of what you see and NONE of what you hear".
It may be time for a revision...
It may be time for a revision...
At LifeScience.com, Andrea Thompson explains why:
"In 2003, Los Angeles Times photographer Brian Walski caused an uproar when it was discovered that his picture of a British soldier yelling at fleeing residents in Iraq, published prominently by many U.S. newspapers, had been altered.
Walski had combined two snapshots taken moments apart of the British soldier urging residents to take cover as Iraqi forces opened fire. This digital alteration is one of several in recent years to cast doubt on the old saying that the camera doesn't lie.
Some researchers are worried that digitally altered photos could alter our perceptions and memories of public events."
Iraq - from the Boston Globe
There are problems with being a skeptic.
For example, this article reports what I complain about not being reported.
However, the Globe is owned by the New York Times; and, that makes me suspicious.
Like I said, there are problems with being a skeptic...
For example, this article reports what I complain about not being reported.
However, the Globe is owned by the New York Times; and, that makes me suspicious.
Like I said, there are problems with being a skeptic...
For what it might be worth, Jeff Jacoby reports:
"THE NEWS from Iraq has been so encouraging in recent months that last week even the mainstream media finally sat up and took notice. Can the Democratic Party be far behind?
In a story titled 'Baghdad Comes Alive,' Rod Nordland reports in the current Newsweek on the heartening transformation underway in the Iraqi capital:
'Returning to Baghdad after an absence of four months,' he writes, 'I can actually say that things do seem to have gotten better, and in ways that may even be durable . . . There hasn't been a successful suicide car bombing in Baghdad in five weeks . . . Al Qaeda in Iraq is starting to look like a spent force, especially in Baghdad.'
The signs of life, Nordland acknowledges 'grudgingly' - his word - are undeniable."
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Coming soon to your neighborhood
The use of unmanned aircraft by law enforcement should not be a surprise.
I am willing to bet that the news media will also be using them eventually. Then, it will be interesting to see how they deal with the "privacy" issue...
I am willing to bet that the news media will also be using them eventually. Then, it will be interesting to see how they deal with the "privacy" issue...
Stephen Dean reports from Waller County, Texas:
"Neighbors in rural Waller County said they thought a top-secret military venture was under way among the farmland and ranches, some 70 miles northwest of Houston. KPRC Local 2 Investigates had four hidden cameras aimed at a row of mysterious black trucks. Satellite dishes and a swirling radar added to the neighbors' suspense.
Then, cameras were rolling as an unmanned aircraft was launched into the sky and operated by remote control.
Houston police cars were surrounding the land with a roadblock in place to check each of the dignitaries arriving for the invitation-only event. The invitation spelled out, 'NO MEDIA ALLOWED.'"
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Black Friday - Time-CNN vs. Reality
I admit to having no clue as to the final outcome of holiday sales; however, you just have to read these two articles.
They should give you a thought that either the "experts" also have no clue, or that certain media outlets seek out and publish negative economic commentary...
And then, the results are in!...
They should give you a thought that either the "experts" also have no clue, or that certain media outlets seek out and publish negative economic commentary...
Here, from TIME-CNN, on the day before Thanksgiving, Kristina Dell reports:
"The supposedly biggest shopping day of the year falls on the earliest possible date, November 23, giving Americans 32 days before Christmas to find the perfect gift. But with the specter of a possible looming recession and a lack of must-have items in stores, fewer Americans are likely to leave the couch and hit the mall with the same kind of alacrity and determination they have in years past. 'Black Friday is going to be a gray Friday,' says Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at the NPD Group, a market research firm in Port Washington, New York.
Most forecasts share Cohen's pessimistic outlook, predicting that sales growth this holiday season will be anywhere from 3.3% to 4.5%, down as much as 1.6 percentage points from last year's comparable 4.9% sales growth."
And then, the results are in!...
As reported by the AP's Anne D'Innocenzio:
"The nation's retailers had a robust start to the holiday shopping season, according to results announced Saturday by a national research group that tracks sales at retail outlets across the country.
According to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets, total sales rose 8.3 percent to about $10.3 billion on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, compared with $9.5 billion on the same day a year ago. ShopperTrak had expected an increase of no more than 4 percent to 5 percent.
"This is a really strong number. ... You can't have a good season unless it starts well," said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak, citing strength across all regions."
The Media - Employing friend or foe?
This story has been around for quite a while.
I'm siding with the U.S. Military on this.
This guy would have the world's best luck in order to be in the "right" place for the pictures he's been awarded for...
I'm siding with the U.S. Military on this.
This guy would have the world's best luck in order to be in the "right" place for the pictures he's been awarded for...
This is from the Investors Business Daily editorial web page:
"The core of the problem is that infiltrating media organizations is very attractive for terrorists who are outnumbered and outgunned. During the Vietnam War, Pham Xuan An, a North Vietnamese intelligence agent, infiltrated the mainstream media, tainted the news with enemy propaganda and got away with it.
End result: Readers are deceived. That AP would risk its credibility for the sake of someone who may have terrorist ties is a breach of objectivity in itself."
The Right of the People
As with most things, one's agenda often influences how they see things.
The U.S. Constitution is no exception...
The U.S. Constitution is no exception...
It's discussed in a Wall Street Journal editorial:
"The phrase 'the right of the people' or some variation of it appears repeatedly in the Bill of Rights, and nowhere does it actually mean 'the right of the government.' When the Bill of Rights was written and adopted, the rights that mattered politically were of one sort--an individual's, or a minority's, right to be free from interference from the state. Today, rights are most often thought of as an entitlement to receive something from the state, as opposed to a freedom from interference by the state. The Second Amendment is, in our view, clearly a right of the latter sort."
Jobs - Here's a really tough one
I'm sure technology is making this a safe as possible, but still...
Tom Berg describes it in the Orange County Register:
"Over here, death waits in discarded rice bags. In motor-oil cans. Even in the carcasses of dead dogs on Iraqi roadsides. That's where the bombs lie hidden. Waiting. Most U.S. troops hope they never see an 'improvised explosive device,' or IED – the No. 1 killer of Americans in Iraq. But Marine Staff Sgt. Matt Bateman goes out looking for them every day. That's his job."
The Media - Ignoring progress
I think we all have to agree that the American media is not exactly jumping on these stories...
On the subject of Iraq, Investors Business Daily is trying to keep us informed:
"Winning: News from Iraq gets better by the day, but the media have done their best to downplay the turnaround and congressional Democrats have basically pulled the covers over their heads and pretended it doesn't exist."
Meanwhile - on Diego Garcia
This You can draw your own conclusions about this one...
In an article at www.inteldaily.com, Bill Van Auken reports:
"The Herald cited unnamed military officials as reporting that the Pentagon 'is secretly upgrading special stealth bomber hangars on the British island protectorate of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.'"
The Media - And the "majority of Americans"?
Ann Coulter always has something to say. Sometimes it's over the top, and sometimes she gets it exactly right...
In this column Ann Coulter wonders about the New York Times:
"On Sunday, Times readers learned that despite this year's historic revolt of normal Americans against amnesty for illegal aliens: 'Some polls show that the majority of Americans agree with proposals backed by most Democrats in the Senate, as well as some Republicans, to establish a path to citizenship for immigrants here illegally.'
Was the reporter who wrote that sentence the Darfur bureau chief for the past year? By 'some polls,' I gather he means 'a show of hands during a meeting of the Times editorial board' or 'a quick backstage survey in the MSNBC greenroom.'"
Friday, November 23, 2007
The Media - Surveys Say
I bet this is being discussed a lot in your world.
Oh, you didn't hear about it.
No surprise there!...
Oh, you didn't hear about it.
No surprise there!...
"...even Harvard sees it", according to this Investors Business Daily editorial:
"A new study finding the media give far more favorable coverage to Democrats than Republicans could have settled once and for all the debate over whether the news we get has a liberal bias. After all, it was done by the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government — hardly a bastion of conservative orthodoxy. But given the study's reception in the mainstream media, it's doubtful the issue has been put to rest. Like similar studies in the past, Harvard's went largely uncovered. A Nexis search found 20 news mentions of the report, with only a handful highlighting the revelation of extreme bias."
Iraq - Meanwhile in Baghdad
I think the motto for the American media should be: "All the news that we "choose" to print"...
I found this at Khalee Times Online. I guess it didn't quite make the standard for publication by the American media:
"BAGHDAD - An armed Sunni group has ended Al-Qaeda’s tight two-year grip on north Baghdad’s volatile Adhamiyah neighbourhood and is now in control, an AFP correspondent witnessed on Friday.
A local militia calling itself the 'revolutionaries of Adhamiyah' took over the Sunni district on the east bank of the Tigris on November 10 in a swift and audacious raid that sent Al-Qaeda fleeing from its last stronghold in Baghdad."
The Media - WWE vs. CNN
And the winner is: WWE.
They prove that CNN's bias shows in everything they do...
They prove that CNN's bias shows in everything they do...
TMZ's Staff reports this:
"Needless to say, the folks at World Wrestling Entertainment are pissed! They've posted the original, unedited video on their official website, along with the following response: 'In a country in which the news media is highly suspect, and the quality of unbiased reporting has been thrown into the trash can, CNN has stooped to new depths. Notwithstanding the fairness, or lack therein, of CNN's recent piece entitled 'Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling,' perhaps the best example of how CNN misrepresents and unfairly presents their biased, if not illegal, point of view is the comparison of WWE's unedited video above to CNN's edited version. CNN's depiction of John Cena as it relates to steroids is not only professionally and morally wrong, but damaging to his character.' Now 'dems fightin' words!"
Can anyone spare a dime?
If things are bad, as we are constantly being told, I wonder if anyone reads/publicizes the following...
The Wall Street Opinion Journal exposes some "hokum":
"Much as they always have, Americans on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder continue to climb into the middle and sometimes upper classes in remarkably short periods of time. The Treasury study examined a huge sample of 96,700 income tax returns from 1996 and 2005 for Americans over the age of 25. The study tracks what happened to these tax filers over this 10-year period. One of the notable, and reassuring, findings is that nearly 58% of filers who were in the poorest income group in 1996 had moved into a higher income category by 2005. Nearly 25% jumped into the middle or upper-middle income groups, and 5.3% made it all the way to the highest quintile. Of those in the second lowest income quintile, nearly 50% moved into the middle quintile or higher, and only 17% moved down. This is a stunning show of upward mobility, meaning that more than half of all lower-income Americans in 1996 had moved up the income scale in only 10 years."
There's oil out there
The writer doesn't say it so I will.
It might be worth considering to become good allies of Brazil.
And wouldn't it be nice if we were "allowed" to drill within our own jurisdictions and put some of this problem to rest?...
It might be worth considering to become good allies of Brazil.
And wouldn't it be nice if we were "allowed" to drill within our own jurisdictions and put some of this problem to rest?...
At WorldNetDaily.com, Jerome R. Corsi reports:
"Sergio Gabrielli, the chief executive officer of the state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA told Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Monday that reserves in the pre-salt area off Brazil's coast are much larger than the Tupi field, possibly containing as much as 80 billion barrels in oil reserves."
'Tis the Season
I guess this kicks off another politically correct Christmas (not "holiday") season and the subsequent controversies...
Randy Hall reports at CNSNews.com:
"'We are apologizing to customers today for any confusion our holiday catalog created,' Rich said. She explained that the full-color document is called a holiday catalog 'because it encompasses all the holidays from October through January.'
Rich's comments came in response to an 'Action Alert' sent out earlier in the day by the Mississippi-based American Family Association. The e-mail stated: 'In an effort to avoid the use of the term 'Christmas tree,' Lowe's [is] now calling them 'family trees.'"
'In their Holiday 2007 catalog, containing 56 pages of Christmas gifts, Lowe's advertises hundreds of gift items, including scores of 'family trees,'" the message continued. "In fact, the word 'Christmas' only appears two times in the entire holiday catalog."
Politicians - Bobby Jindal
Louisiana has a new governor; without a runoff; and he's a Republican.
Remembering Hurricane Katrina and the blame games, that should tell us something.
Remembering Hurricane Katrina and the blame games, that should tell us something.
In the Washington Times, Wesley Pruden fills us in:
"The governor-elect is a technocrat, and a bureaucrat as well, born of immigrant parents from India, where bureaucracy is the national sport. He vows to make war on sloth as well as rot, to banish evildoers to the unemployment lines if not to prison. 'They can go quietly or they can go loudly,' he said during the campaign, 'but they're going to go.'"
Thursday, November 22, 2007
The United Nations - advising Canada
It appears that the U.N.'s ideas are not popular in some Canadian circles.
I'm not surprised...
I'm not surprised...
This is from an editorial in Canada's National Post:
"Perhaps the UN's obsession with government-directed solutions can best be seen in its call on Ottawa to do more to curb the 'epidemic' of childhood obesity. Is this really an issue that Ottawa is well-placed to address? Obesity is a lifestyle problem that could most easily be cured if parents stopped feeding their children high-fat, high-sugar foods, and encouraged activities that revolve around exercise as opposed to television. It does not fall to our federal government to intrude into the kitchens and rec rooms of the nation."
Hollywood - At Work
The more I learn about Duncan Hunter, the more I like him...
Sara A. Carter reports in the Washington Times:
"Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, sent a scathing letter regarding Brian De Palma's new film to MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman asking that he not forget that there are heroes who have sacrificed their lives for the United States and Iraqi people.
'Unfortunately, Brian De Palma's new movie 'Redacted,' which opened in several theaters this week, portrays American service personnel in Iraq as uncontrollable misfits and criminals,' Mr. Hunter stated in his letter to Mr. Glickman. 'While incidents of criminal behavior by members of our military should never be ignored, the isolated incident on which this film is based negatively portrays American service personnel and misrepresents their collective efforts in Iraq.'"
The Media - CNN at work
SO, I wonder if CNN's research is so good that they found these people; or, is CNN's research so bad that they didn't "know" who these people were?
It's hard to believe, that in this day and age, CNN doesn't know or care that this kind of stuff cannot be hidden for very long...
It's hard to believe, that in this day and age, CNN doesn't know or care that this kind of stuff cannot be hidden for very long...
I found this on Doug Ross's blog:
"All six of CNN's 'undecided voters' were Democratic operatives "
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Liberalism betrayed by liberals?
This opinion column is about judgment being impaired by hatred; however, I find this paragraph particularly clarifying...
In the Wall Street Opinion Journal, Peter Berkowitz writes:
"Of course, these very examples illustrate nothing so much as the damage hatred inflicts on the intellect. Many of my colleagues at Princeton that evening seemed not to have considered that in 2000 it was Al Gore who shifted the election controversy to the courts by filing a lawsuit challenging decisions made by local Florida county election supervisors. Nor did many of my Princeton dinner companions take into account that between the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, 10 of 16 higher court judges--five of whom were Democratic appointees--found equal protection flaws with the recount scheme ordered by the intermediate Florida court. And they did not appear to have pondered Judge Richard Posner's sensible observation, much less themselves sensibly observe, that while indeed it was strange to have the U.S. Supreme Court decide a presidential election, it would have been even stranger for the election to have been decided by the Florida Supreme Court."
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Risky Mortgage Loans - Root Cause
Why am I not surprised at this?
For all the good that Congress might do, their political haste and shortsighted laws create some really big problems.
We should be really nervous when they set out to "fix" something...
For all the good that Congress might do, their political haste and shortsighted laws create some really big problems.
We should be really nervous when they set out to "fix" something...
The Wall Street Opinion Journal discusses this example:
"Throughout the 1980s and '90s, Congress prodded, even strong-armed, banks into making more mortgage loans to low-income and minority families. Washington enacted anti-discrimination and community lending laws with penalties against lenders for failing to issue riskier mortgages to homebuyers living in poor neighborhoods or with low down payments and subpar credit ratings. And so it was that the modern subprime mortgage market was born.
Now, and for a variety of reasons, some two million of those loans have gone sour, and the same politicians are searching for villains."
Sunday, November 04, 2007
In Our Schools - "Extra Credit"?
I understand the concept of learning by doing; but, I also understand that there are limits.
Try to imagine what might be "extra credit" if this guy taught "criminal justice" or "forest fire prevention"...
Try to imagine what might be "extra credit" if this guy taught "criminal justice" or "forest fire prevention"...
At BangorNews.com, Toni-Lynn Robbins reports:
"ORONO, Maine - A University of Maine student alleges her former professor offered extra credit to class members if they burned the American flag or the U.S. Constitution or were arrested defending free speech.
On the first day of class, associate professor Paul Grosswiler offered the credit to members of his History of Mass Communications class, according to sophomore Rebekah McDade. Disturbed by the comment, McDade dropped the class and intends to take the course again next semester with a different professor."
The Media - According to Tony Snow
In this speech, Tony Snow says it all.
I can't imagine anyone describing the media better...
I can't imagine anyone describing the media better...
Tony Snow gave a speech at a recent award ceremony. He began:
"Thank you for this award. I am not quite sure why I have received it, but I'm not inclined to ask or complain. Instead, I'll express my gratitude by giving the First Amendment a good workout for the next few minutes."
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Global Warming - About the hot air
This expert says man-made global warming is NOT TRUE.
Apparently, he doesn't support political correctness; and, I'm glad for that...
Apparently, he doesn't support political correctness; and, I'm glad for that...
Front Page Magazine's Bill Steigerwald recently talked to Fred Singer, Princeton Ph.D in physics, author, etc. :
"Q: A lot of people have seen the movie but they don’t really keep up on this global-warming debate, which is very complex and very nasty sometimes about which science is true and which isn’t.
A: It is nasty, but it shouldn’t be complex. The issue is very simple. The only really important issue is, is the warming we are experiencing now natural or is it man-made? That’s really the only issue. Everything else is commentary.
Q: Now the Gore camp will say global warming is man-made and they'll point to all kinds of things to prove that.
A: And they’re all wrong."
"DoubleSpeak" in the Middle East
I'm sure President Bush won't get any credit for being the first American leader to call for a Palestinian state.
And sadly, I doubt this issue will be "really solved" anytime soon...
And sadly, I doubt this issue will be "really solved" anytime soon...
In the Toronto Sun, Salim Mansur discusses Middle East "doublespeak":
"President Bush became the first American leader to openly call for a Palestinian state when he presented a timetable and clearly stated plan for Palestinians to follow in reaching their goal. But the truth of the matter is that there is nothing to broker when one party, the Palestinians and their Arab-Muslim financiers and supporters, remains committed to the destruction of the other party, the Israelis."
Politicians - Harry Reid
Politics is certainly a strange business.
In a perfect world, this would be a national news story...
In a perfect world, this would be a national news story...
In the Las Vegas Review Journal, Sherman Frederick reports:
"The political headline of last week, 'Reid's popularity falls among Nevadans,' wasn't all that surprising. Nevada's never been particularly wild about Harry Reid. But he's always managed to cobble enough of a constituency to ward off opponents, even if by the narrowest of margins.
The surprise was in the degree of voter disenchantment. The poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's unfavorable rating had moved past the 50 percent mark -- 51 percent, to be precise. His favorable rating was 32 percent, 2 points lower than embattled, lame duck President George W. Bush.
As bad as the ratings were, you could see it coming.
In fact, I did. In a column published May 21, 2006, I wrote that if Sen. Reid continued to kowtow the liberal wing of his party, 'Nevada voters will march to the polls and replace (him), thus ending one of the longer, more powerful political runs in state history.'"
Politicians - Hillary Clinton
There sure are a lot of stories about the Clintons.
Here's one that's still burning...
Here's one that's still burning...
At FoxNews.com, Sharon Kehnemui Liss discusses a new movie:
"One gift that Hillary Clinton is unlikely to enjoy on her 60th birthday Friday is the premiere of 'Hillary Uncensored,' a scathing documentary whose 13-minute trailer has been No. 1 on Google Video since Oct. 10, with more than 1.1 million views to date.
The film's first full-length showing is scheduled for Friday night at Harvard University, followed by viewings at universities through the weekend and a wrap Tuesday at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.
Among the allegations summarized in the documentary: ..."
Politicians - Mike Huckabee
Do we really want a second President from Hope, Arkansas?
I guess stranger things have happened...
I guess stranger things have happened...
In the Wall Street Opinion Journal, John Fund discusses former Governor Huckabee:
"During a visit to the Journal last spring, Mr. Huckabee joked that one of his biggest challenges is that 'like Bill Clinton I hail from Hope, Arkansas, and not every Republican wants to take a chance like that again.' But it's Mr. Huckabee who is creating the doubts. 'He's just like Bill Clinton in that he practices management by news cycle,' a former top Huckabee aide told me. 'As with Clinton there was no long-term planning, just putting out fires on a daily basis. One thing I'll guarantee is that won't lead to competent conservative governance.'"
Politicians - Bobby Jindal
Here's a politician that seems genuine.
Now, we'll see what Louisiana politics does to him...
Now, we'll see what Louisiana politics does to him...
David S. Broder writes about him in the Washington Post:
"He is a phenomenon -- as much of a star here as Barack Obama was when he was elected U.S. senator from Illinois three years ago. Jindal is even younger than Obama, just 36, and is as slim and intense. An intellectual match for Obama, Jindal is a graduate of Brown University and won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford."
The Clintons - Pardons for votes?
Perhaps, this was just a coincidence [smile]...
JudicialWatch.org, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today:
"... that its researchers obtained 34 photos from the Clinton Presidential Library of Hillary Rodham Clinton, then-President Bill Clinton and Grand Rabbi David Twersky at a White House meeting during which the Grand Rabbi and other community leaders allegedly lobbied the Clintons to commute the jail sentences of four Hasidic men convicted of stealing $30 million in government education aid. The meeting took place in December 2000, just after the New York based Hasidim sect delivered 1,400 votes to Hillary Clinton's Senate 2000 campaign and only 12 to her opponent Rick Lazio."
Dear Syria - Cameras are everywhere
Peek-A-Boo in Syria...
At the WashingtonPost.com, Joby Warrick and Robin Wright tell about it:
"The new satellite photo clearly depicts the same site visible in the earlier images, but the tall building has vanished, replaced by a dirt lot. Trucks and construction equipment seen in earlier photos are also gone.
The only structure still visible is a small adjunct building on the river bank about 800 yards from the main site. Nuclear experts say the small building apparently was a pumping station of the type that could be used to supply water to nuclear reactors.
Albright said the photo suggests the Syrians were abandoning the site, though he expressed surprise at the speed with which the main structure had been dismantled and cleared away."
In New Orleans
I guess we all know by now that New Orleans is not exactly America's model city.
Not to mention the lack of news coverage on this reverse discrimination issue...
Not to mention the lack of news coverage on this reverse discrimination issue...
I found this at Breitbart.com:
"NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Mayor Ray Nagin says the state could take over the New Orleans district attorney's office as early as Monday as the agency faces a multimillion-dollar civil judgment. A federal judge ruled this past week that district attorney office assets could be seized to pay off a $3.65 million judgment pending from a 2005 case in which dozens of white office workers successfully sued District Attorney Eddie Jordan for replacing them with black workers. Jordan is not personally responsible for the payment."
