Thursday, January 24, 2008
Meanwhile - On our southern border
Do we Americans really know what's going on?...
At GOPUSA.com, Bobby Eberle reports this:
"According to the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection Office of Border Patrol, there has been a staggering 278 incursions into the United States by Mexican government personnel since 1996. In 2007, the Office of Border Patrol Field Intelligence Center noted 25 incursions, 4 by Mexican military personnel and 21 by Mexican police officials.
The DHS report on incursions was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Judicial Watch. The organization combed through the report and found a number of such as:"
Our Health - About that broccoli
Spock said "Live long and prosper".
I wonder if he knew about broccoli...
I wonder if he knew about broccoli...
Nic Fleming is the U.K. Telegraph's Medical Correspondent. He writes:
"Eating steamed broccoli reduces the risk of a heart attack by boosting the body's ability to fight off cell damage, researchers have found.
Previous studies have found people who eat broccoli, especially if raw or lightly cooked, are at lower risk of heart disease and some cancers.
Now scientists have found a clear link between high levels of certain substances found in the vegetable and reduced damage caused by hearts being deprived of oxygen."
Thank You George W.
I'm thinking that a lot of President Bush's decisions were unpopular but correct for the country in the long run. I know there are other opinions...
J.D. Crouch II and Robert Joseph have nice things to say in the Wall Street Journal:
"The surge may turn out to be Mr. Bush's most important decision. But he has made other such decisions since 9/11, including to commit ground forces to Afghanistan, to eradicate the regime of Saddam Hussein, to use the CIA to conduct strategic interrogation of high-level terrorists, and to conduct strategic surveillance of terrorists communications.
Mr. Bush has faced so many tough choices over the last seven years that ..."
Lights On - Lights Off
Just in case you need something else to worry about.
Then, maybe it's just a plot to increase candle sales...
Then, maybe it's just a plot to increase candle sales...
Tom Espiner reports this on the ZDNet News website:
"'We have information that cyberattacks have been used to disrupt power equipment in several regions outside the U.S.,' Donahue said. 'In at least one case, the disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities.'
Donahue added that the CIA does not know who executed the attacks or why but that all of the attacks involved 'intrusions through the Internet.'
The CIA analyst added that his agency had evidence of blackmail demands following demonstrations of successful intrusions."
The Clintons - Eating their own?
Obviously, it's not nice to cross the Clintons...
Ben Johnson reports this at FrontPageMagazine.com:
"The leftist outrage industry bagged a new trophy last week: MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. The Soros-funded wing of the Democratic Party took down the rabidly antiwar and anti-Bush talk show host because he dared to tell the truth about the Shadow Party’s anointed presidential candidate. However, the media have ignored the role Hillary Clinton claims to have played in founding one of the main organizations doing the protesting."
Double Taxation - Could this be?
I didn't know this. Did you?
It sure changes my perspective.
Now, I'm looking carefully at anyone who advocates the "fair tax"...
It sure changes my perspective.
Now, I'm looking carefully at anyone who advocates the "fair tax"...
At TownHall.com, Hank Adler informs us:
"H.R. 25, the legislative proposal inappropriately named the FairTax, would eliminate the Federal income tax and replace it with a national sales tax. It is axiomatic that if enacted, those individuals who have saved money during their lives would be faced with double taxation. (Under the Fairtax, someone who earned $1000 and paid income taxes of say, $250, would find his remaining $750 subject to a 30% sales tax on all retail purchases.)"
Global Warming - a Hawaiin perspective
I suspect that island dwellers have a personal interest in global warming issues; so, it follows that they would be likely to fact-check much more than mainlanders.
There used to be a saying, "Put your money where your mouth is."
So what's wrong with this picture?...
There used to be a saying, "Put your money where your mouth is."
So what's wrong with this picture?...
At the Hawaii Reporter, Christopher Monckton worked hard on this article. There is much more than this:
"Gore does not believe his own prediction. He has bought a $4 million condo near Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco (marked “A” above)."
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Our Health - About those cranberries
This really sounds good, and it may really be good; however, the article's last paragraph does give my skeptical side a tweak...
Here's some health news from Tel Aviv University:
"Prof. Ofek has found that cranberry juice exhibits anti-viral properties against the flu, can prevent cavities, and lessens the reoccurrence of gastric ulcers. Unhappily for half the human race, however, new research published this year in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research on ulcers, suggests that, like urinary tract infections, the healing power of cranberries apply only to women.
The remarkable healing property in cranberries stems from a heavy molecule known as non-dialyzable material or NDM. This molecule, isolated by Prof. Ofek and his colleagues, seems to coat some bodily surfaces with Teflon-like efficiency, preventing infection-causing agents from taking root."
Politicians - Sen John McCain
This writer questions Sen. John McCain's principles...
At the NewMediaJournal.com, Henry Mark Holzer gives us:
"Straight Talk About The Straight-Talker"
Politicians - Sen John McCain
This talk-show host defends Sen. John McCain...
At TownHall.com, Michael Medved titles his article:
"Six Big Lies About John McCain"
Politicians - Governor Deval Patrick
One describes it as "new and imaginative".
I assume they are code words for "crooked and unethical", if not "illegal".
I assume they are code words for "crooked and unethical", if not "illegal".
Frank Phillips describes it in the Boston Globe:
"Under the unique arrangement, Patrick, who ran for election sharply criticizing the "politics of money and connections," is raising contributions far in excess of the individual limit of $500 for a political candidate. Now, in many cases he is getting as much as $5,500 from individual lobbyists, corporate executives, developers, and other supporters.
The money goes into a special pot of money called the Seventy-First Fund (after Patrick's standing as the 71st governor) which, under a written agreement between the Patrick campaign and the Democratic Party, serves as a conduit to divide up contributions."
Fighting (gun)fire with (gun)fire
I'm very uncomfortable with any restriction that results in only bad guys having guns; so I think Mr. Thomas has a valid point here.
I also have this picture of a zillion poorly vetted, armed "security" guards, weaving their way through our populated areas every single day.
It's an interesting choice...
I also have this picture of a zillion poorly vetted, armed "security" guards, weaving their way through our populated areas every single day.
It's an interesting choice...
I read and saved this article by Cal Thomas at the time of that church shooting:
"I have been waiting for this to happen. For years we have witnessed the carnage when innocents were mowed down at schools, colleges, shopping malls and post offices. The unarmed (disarmed?) were easy targets for crazed gunmen armed with grievances, weapons and ammunition.
Now someone has shot back, probably saving many lives. All of the gun-control laws that have been passed and are still being contemplated could not have had the affect of one armed, trained and law-abiding citizen on the scene like 42-year-old Jeanne Assam, a volunteer security guard at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs."
Fairy Tale Politics? - Not!
There's a war going on.
And that's not a fairy tale...
And that's not a fairy tale...
According to Monica Crowley at HumanEvents.com:
"Here's another rich but sad irony: the Mythical First Black President and the Wife claim to embrace minorities, to work for their advancement, to help them achieve equality, and to work toward racial unity. And yet they stoke the flames of racism, dismissing a black man of undeniable ability as a 'fairy tale,' and dividing by race.
For two people who claim to admire Dr. King, the Mythical First Black President and his Wife have turned his most powerful adage upside down: they are asking us to judge the black candidate by the color of his skin, NOT by the content of his character.
Then again, would you expect anything different from two people whose own characters are empty and malignant?"
Government at Work - Shaping?
This may seem like just more of the never ending story; however, the scenario being reported seems to border on actually being sinister...
I found this posted by Ed Morrissey on his CaptainsQuarters blog:
"Judicial Watch has tried to gain access to the records from Hillary Clinton's task force on revamping the American health-care system, and has been met with considerable resistance. After seeing the first batch released by the Clinton library, one can certainly understand why. In a press release from Judicial Watch earlier this evening, they excerpted some explosive passages within the documents, passages which will create some uncomfortable questions for Hillary on the campaign trail."
Politicians - Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.)
Remember, this guy was in the news for getting caught with money in his freezer around the time of Hurricane Katrina...
On thehill.com website, Susan Crabtree reports:
"Jefferson reported the trip, taken with his daughter Jelani, to the ethics panel, and estimated its costs at $20,753. But he never reported three subsequent visits to the country, which Botswana’s government argues were funded illegally.
The Botswana government has charged Louis Garvas Nchindo, the former director of Debswana Diamond Co. Ltd., with illegally funding trips to Botswana, including the three Jefferson and his family took. The trips cost a total of $102,000, according to the Botswana charging documents obtained by The Associated Press. "
Government at Work - Fleecing us!
Ugh!
I'm guess I'm not "artistic" enough to understand this...
I'm guess I'm not "artistic" enough to understand this...
At GOPUSA.com, Doug Patton tells us about the National Endowment for the Arts:
"That's why they gave Jamie O'Shea an 1800-square-foot studio and a $750-per-month stipend to 'alter time.'
That's right. Apparently it was important for us to know what it would be like for someone to change the normal, God-given 24-hour day into a 36-hour day. By closing the drapes and using artificial light, this genius entered his alternate universe on January 1st and (drum roll, please), didn't emerge for three weeks. And the point of this? Well, apparently Jamie felt like he had only been there for two weeks because he had changed time. Or, as Jamie put it, 'Sort of.' Isn't that amazing? Aren't you pleased that your government chooses to spend your hard-earned tax dollars on important projects like this?"
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Technology - an X-ray vision gun
I guess it's only a matter of time.
This will surely be interesting when it bumps up against privacy laws...
This will surely be interesting when it bumps up against privacy laws...
In the U.K. Telegraph, Ben Farmer reports:
"Mr Shie said: 'The LEXID works by emitting a low-level X-ray and then the lobster eye interprets what is returned and the image is produced on a screen.'
'We are still in the research stage but have conducted successful trials and the government is keen to test it.' 'It can detect bombs, contraband or people and will show up anything within a couple of metres.'"
ICECAP
There are many articles about climate change here.
They seem to be concerned with facts...
They seem to be concerned with facts...
ICECAP.us says:
"ICECAP is not funded by large corporations that might benefit from the status quo but by private investors who believe in the need for free exchange of ideas on this and other important issues of the day. Our working group is comprised of members from all ends of the political spectrum. This is not about politics but about science."
Monday, January 21, 2008
John McCain - per Ross Perot
Ross Perot says what's on his mind, and this is no exception.
I wonder how right he is about it?...
I wonder how right he is about it?...
At Newsweek.com, Jonathan Alter discusses Perot's opinions:
"Perot's real problem with McCain is that he believes the senator hushed up evidence that live POWs were left behind in Vietnam and even transferred to the Soviet Union for human experimentation, a charge Perot says he heard from a senior Vietnamese official in the 1980s. 'There's evidence, evidence, evidence,' Perot claims. 'McCain was adamant about shutting down anything to do with recovering POWs.'"
Taxes - a big deal for this election
The less of our money the government has, the less they can waste.
Let's keep those taxes low, low, low!...
Let's keep those taxes low, low, low!...
The Wall Street Journal editorializes:
"With Democrats insisting on a giant tax increase, taxes will be a major issue this fall no matter who wins the GOP nod. And if a Republican does win the White House, a tax reform showdown is inevitable in 2009. The AMT continues to swallow more taxpayers, the death tax is due to expire for a single year in 2010 and then rise back to 55%, and the Bush tax cuts expire after 2010. This is a perfect storm that means the next President will have no choice but to make taxes a political priority.
It also presents the best opportunity for major tax reform since the 1980s. Even if Democrats retain Congress, Charlie Rangel will run House Ways and Means and he seems open to lower tax rates in return for a broader tax base. Republicans are right to make tax reduction and reform a major campaign theme, and voters who really do want to shake up Washington should consider who'd be best for that job."
Polticians - Mike Huckabee
This writer thinks that Huckabee's candicacy will not stand the test of time...
At TownHall.com, Rich Lowry writes about him:
"Mike Huckabee has pulled a neat trick. His appeal so far has been limited exclusively to evangelicals, yet the press has taken him seriously as a new populist force in the Republican Party who could at any moment 'break out' to appeal to lower-income voters.
Who knew a candidate of Christian identity politics would be afforded such respect? But Huckabee has managed it, which is one reason why he should open a strategic-communications firm the day after he leaves the presidential race. The ability to gull analysts into making so much from so little is a rare and potentially lucrative talent."
Meanwhile - in California
Dating: "the times they are a changin"...
This is from Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee:
"Ma's proposal, Assembly Bill 1771, would require the state attorney general to create a searchable Web site to identify people convicted of one felony or two misdemeanor domestic violence crimes.
The goal is to provide a resource similar to the state's existing Megan's Law Web site, which identifies sex offenders."
Barack Obama - and his friends
Mr. Obama seems to be involved with some heavy-duty "advisers"...
At AmericanThinker.com, Ed Lasky discusses some of them:
"Now that Obama has become a leading Presidential candidate, he has assembled a body of foreign policy advisers who signal that a President Obama would likely have an approach towards Israel radically at odds with those of previous Presidents (both Republican and Democrat)."
Meet Fred Dicker
New York's Governor, Eliot Spitzer, already has...
In the Wall Street Journal, James Freeman tells us about him:
"Memo to politicians: If you think media scrutiny is tough in New York City, try Albany.
A year ago Eliot Spitzer, the most feared man on Wall Street as New York's attorney general, became the state's governor. After a landslide victory, and with an adoring media trailing him from Manhattan, Mr. Spitzer arrived in Albany.
That's when he became eligible for coverage by one Fredric U. Dicker, state editor for the New York Post. "
Government at work - Sales going on?
Just another day in the translation cubicle...
Chris Gourlay, Jonathan Calvert, Joe Lauria report this in their U.K. TimesOnline article:
"Among the hours of covert tape recordings, she says she heard evidence that one well-known senior official in the US State Department was being paid by Turkish agents in Washington who were selling the information on to black market buyers, including Pakistan.
The name of the official – who has held a series of top government posts – is known to The Sunday Times. He strongly denies the claims.
However, Edmonds said: 'He was aiding foreign operatives against US interests by passing them highly classified information, not only from the State Department but also from the Pentagon, in exchange for money, position and political objectives.'"
IRAN 1, USA 0
It's hard to know what the Iranians are thinking.
That said, this scenario certainly sounds plausible...
That said, this scenario certainly sounds plausible...
Ralph Peters gives his opinion in the N.Y. Post:
"At the tactical level, the Revolutionary Guards' naval arm was testing our responses: How soon do the American weapons radars activate? At what range do the lasers begin to track targets? How close can a small vessel get to a major American warship? How do the Americans respond to possible mines? Can we use phony mines to steer them into real ones? How long does it take an American commander to make a decision?
Above all: Does an American commander have the courage to make a decision on his own? When he doesn't have time to deflect responsibility onto his superiors?
And it wasn't just some madrassa dropout with salt spray on his glasses scribbling notes on the lead Iranian boat. On shore, the Iranians would've had all their intelligence facilities tuned in to map our electronic profile as our ships prepared to defend themselves. Rent-a-Russian military experts would've been onhand to assist with the newest gear purchased from Moscow."
Government at work - Americans with Disabilities Act
I saw this article some time ago.
It strikes me as a good example of government "fixing" things.
I feel safe posting it because I doubt anything has changed since then...
It strikes me as a good example of government "fixing" things.
I feel safe posting it because I doubt anything has changed since then...
At RealClearPolitics.com, John Stossel wrote:
"Complicated laws like the ADA eventually hurt the people they were meant to help. The ADA has led many employers to avoid the disabled. One poll found that since the ADA was passed, the percentage of disabled men who were employed dropped. 'Once you hire them, you can never fire them. They are lawsuit bombs,' one employer said. 'So we just tell them the job has been filled.'"
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Politicians - Rep. Jeff Flake, AZ
Jeff Flake sounds like what we need. I hope he gets the chance...
Pat Toomey endorses him in the National Review:
"Over his seven years in the House, the mild-mannered contrarian has become the bane of porkers everywhere. To the chagrin of his congressional colleagues, the Arizona representative has made a career out of targeting some of Congress’s most outrageous pork projects by introducing amendments to eliminate those projects from congressional spending bills. In 2006, Flake introduced nineteen amendments, putting each member of Congress on record either in favor or in opposition to spending taxpayer dollars on such crucial projects as the National Grape and Wine Initiative, a swimming pool in California, and hydroponic tomato production in Ohio."
The Clintons - one man's perspective
It doesn't take long to conclude that this writer is a professional.
Refreshingly, he seems to have done his homework and supports his points extremely well...
Refreshingly, he seems to have done his homework and supports his points extremely well...
At BlackStarNews.com, Ishmael Reed discusses the Clintons and their relationship with the black community at length. He begins:
"During Bill Clinton's first run for President, I appeared on a New York radio panel with some of his black supporters, including Paul Robeson, Jr., son of the actor and singer.
I said that Clinton had character problems. They dismissed my comments and said that I didn't know anything about politics and should stick to writing novels. (Clarence Page, who has monopoly on the few column inches and airtime made available to black columnists by the corporate media, said the same thing about me. I should stick to creative writing and leave politics alone.)
These criticisms didn't deter me. Writing in The Baltimore Sun, I was the first to identify Clinton as a black president as a result of his mimicking a black style. (I said he was the second, since Warren G. Harding never denied the rumors about his black ancestry.)
As a result of his ability to imitate the black preaching style, Clinton was able to seduce black audiences, who ignored some of his actions that were unfriendly, even hostile to blacks."
And there is much more.
The American Spectator
This article is mainly about the current process for selecting presidential nominees.
Even though, it was the comment below that caught my eye, I think the entire article presents some excellent points...
Even though, it was the comment below that caught my eye, I think the entire article presents some excellent points...
This is from an article by R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. posted at the American Spectator:
"Increasingly the Clinton campaign puts me in mind of presidential campaigns waged by the late segregationist George Wallace. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton even has Wallace's surly style. Yet Wallace was rarely accused of lying. Hillary is caught lying every few days, and the lies are not even as clever as those of her mendacious husband, the sex maniac."
Politics - We must Fact Check everything?
Yes, I know they all do it; and it's sad.
It's difficult enough to get your own thoughts in line, let alone trying to match up with politicians who mislead...
It's difficult enough to get your own thoughts in line, let alone trying to match up with politicians who mislead...
At FactCheck.org, Brooks Jackson looked into a recent mailout by John McCain and concluded:
"Our judgment, however, is that McCain's 'Straight Talk Express' took a wrong turn with this mailer."
Lightbulbs and Lobbyists
This mandatory transition seems to be the result of "shoot from the hip" politicians who are desperate to please.
I honestly think they have failed to do their homework about the downsides, and have just blindly accepted the advice of lobbyists, corporations, and environmentalists...
I honestly think they have failed to do their homework about the downsides, and have just blindly accepted the advice of lobbyists, corporations, and environmentalists...
At the American Conservative Union Foundation, Timothy Carney discusses it:
"The provision would make it illegal for American retailers in most cases to sell light bulbs that do not meet certain standards of efficiency — that is, a bulb in 2012 as bright as today’s 60 watt incandescent must get by with 42 watts of electricity.
Today, the clear successor to Thomas Edison’s incandescent bulb is the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). CFLs are more expensive, but they last longer and use less electricity. They have real downsides, however."
Candidates Clinton & Obama
This writer presents a point of view that I wouldn't have thought of...
At NationalReview.com, Victor Davis Hanson writes:
"I once thought it was suicidal of Obama to simply smile, talk inanely of “change,” offer no concrete proposals, and play rope-a-dope deflection to nonstop Clinton innuendo and rumor-mongering. But he may have far more insight that most of us: The more Hillary talks, attacks, cries, pontificates, and rewrites history, the more he appears sympathetic and above her petty fray as she punches herself out."
"The Killer-Vet Lie"
The Post goes after the Times...
I found this in the N.Y. Post:
"Indeed, it's impossible to take issue with the statistics cited by reporters Deborah Sontag and Lisette Alvarez - because their article doesn't have any.
For most editors, that would be a red flag. Not at the Times, not in a piece that appealed to the editors' dearest prejudices.
The article, said to be the first of several, reports that there have been 121 homicides involving active-duty or recently discharged Iraq/Afghan combat veterans."
Only in America
Maybe, the good samaritan law applies here...
U.P.I. reports:
"NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A daring parachute jumper sued the owners of the Empire State Building Tuesday because security guards prevented his leap from the New York structure in 2006.
Jeb Corliss, 31, of Malibu, Calif., told reporters security guards and police shouldn't have prevented him from making his leap from the skyscraper's observation deck on April 27, 2006, The New York Times reported."
Love thy enemies?
Interesting...
This is from Cindy Adams in the New York Post:
"The notorious Bush-bashing New York Times columnist fell ill during a recent trip to Israel and was cared for by White House doctor Richard J. Tubb, the Washington Post reports. A press aide arranged for Dowd, who sufferred from what sounds like dysentery, to see Tubb at the 'over-the-top $3 billion luxury hotel' where Bush stayed in Bahrain. Dowd then skipped the press charter to the United Arab Emirates and hitched a ride on Air Force One,..."
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Cape Wind project clears federal environmental review
Here's hoping that some certain politicians [Ted Kennedy] get to enjoy the new view.
But, I won't be surprised if something changes. Will you?...
But, I won't be surprised if something changes. Will you?...
I found this post by Martin Lamonica at CNET.com:
"The project calls for 130 very large turbines capable of generating 420 megawatts of electricity to be placed offshore between Cape Cod and Nantucket island to the south. Backers say it will provide 75 percent of the electricity needs of Cape Cod."
Hillary Clinton and Sir Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Hillary and his "namesake".
Poor devil is he...
Poor devil is he...
Snopes.com sets the record straight:
"Claim - Hillary Clinton was named after famed mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary"
Bill Clinton - in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lest we forget who we're dealing with...
From the pages of Wikipedia:
"In a separate case, Clinton was disbarred from his Arkansas law license for five years and ordered to pay $25,000 in fines to that state's bar officials.[121] The agreement came on the condition that Whitewater prosecutors would not pursue federal perjury charges against him.[122] In October 2001, Clinton was suspended by the Supreme Court and, facing disbarment from the high court as well, Clinton resigned from the Supreme Court bar in November.[123]""
Government at work - Healthcare in the U.K.
And this is an improvement!
Be careful what you wish for...
Be careful what you wish for...
In the U.K.'s Daily Mail we learn:
"Almost 400,000 patients are still waiting more than a year for NHS treatment, a think tank claimed today.
Government figures showed a rise in the number of patients being admitted for treatment within the 18-week target from referral.
The latest figures, for October 2007, showed 60 per cent were treated in that timeframe, up from 57 per cent the previous month.
But right-wing think-tank Civitas warned the figures were concealing a high number forced to wait far longer."
"Who Will Control Your Thermostat?"
Here's another article discussing that pending California building code change...
At the American Thinker, Joseph Somsel has this closing thought:
"While nowhere in the Bill of Rights is there explicitly a right to set one's own thermostat to whatever temperature one desires (and is able to pay for), the new PCT requirement certainly seems to violate the "a man's home is his castle" common law dictum."
Free Speech? - Give me a break!
I see this as wanting to be able to say absolutely anything, reap the benefits if you DON'T get caught, and have NO consequences whatsoever, if you DO get caught...
I saw this Associated Press story at SFGate.com:
"An elected official charged with falsely claiming he earned the military's highest honor has filed a motion to dismiss the federal case against him on free speech grounds.
The motion argues that the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, under which water board member Xavier Alvarez was charged, is incompatible with the First Amendment because it restricts free speech by criminalizing false claims of military honors."
Mercury for everyone?
What are our politicians thinking?
Hopefully, these bulbs will be improved, or else, our dim bulb law creators should reconsider...
Hopefully, these bulbs will be improved, or else, our dim bulb law creators should reconsider...
Posted at WorldNetDaily.com is this from the UK Environment Agency:
Warning: Vacate room when CFL bulb breaks:
"Less than a month after the U.S. Congress passed an energy bill banning the incandescent light bulb by 2014, the UK Environment Agency issued guidelines calling for evacuation of any room where an energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulb is broken, releasing toxic mercury.
The warning comes a month before the British government begins its phase-out of tungsten bulbs, scheduled to be completed in 2011. The switchover to CFL bulbs will save at least five million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, the government said."
Whistle-Blower or Traitor
Even though I don't like to see anyone's demise, I know what my answer is...
Matthew Balan had this at NewsBusters.com:
"According to a Human Events article from 1993, Agee 'had thanked the Cuban Communist Party for the assistance it had given him' in preparing 'Inside the Company.' The book also 'contained the names and identities of over 700 people in all parts of the world who Agee insisted were CIA officers, agents and cooperators.'"
Judicial Watch - “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” for 2007
I have to think this was really difficult to do...
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2007 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes:
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Oliver Stone - for what he's worth
Tough one, Oliver.
At least for now, I guess you'll have to show your appreciation for what this great country gives you the freedom to do, in some other way...
At least for now, I guess you'll have to show your appreciation for what this great country gives you the freedom to do, in some other way...
In the Wall Street Journal, Mary Anastasia O'Grady reports:
"When the news of the child's whereabouts broke Mr. Stone went away spitting mad, not at his FARC heroes, who had been exposed as child abusers, but at Mr. Uribe and Mr. Bush. Of the FARC he said, "Grabbing hostages is the fashion in which they can finance themselves and try to achieve their goals, which are difficult. I think they are heroic to fight for what they believe in and die for it, as was Castro in the hills of Cuba.""
About those "green" people
Did I hear someone say "hypocrites"?...
The U.K Telegraph reports:
"A survey of travel habits has revealed that the most environmentally conscious people are also the biggest polluters."
Bush vs. Gore - Bush wins again!
"Actions speak louder than words"...
Urban Legends has this as true:
"HOUSE #1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore."
"HOUSE #2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford, Texas. Also known as 'the Texas White House,' it is the private residence of the President of the United States, George W. Bush."
The Media - Will they publish this?
I doubt it.
I think these ratings are even worse than the politicians'.
And that's saying something!...
I think these ratings are even worse than the politicians'.
And that's saying something!...
A Sacred Heart University Poll found:
"significantly declining percentages of Americans saying they believe all or most of media news reporting. In the current national poll, just 19.6% of those surveyed could say they believe all or most news media reporting. This is down from 27.4% in 2003. Just under one-quarter, 23.9%, in 2007 said they believe little or none of reporting while 55.3% suggested they believe some media news reporting."
The Media - New York Times at work
For those bashers at the New York Times, I propose that they research how many pro football players have committed physical violence off the field; or how about postal employees; or law-enforcement types?
Do they really think we are blind to their agenda driven bias?...
Do they really think we are blind to their agenda driven bias?...
The Democracy-Project reports:
"The New York Times starts a new series, called 'War Torn': 'A series of articles and multimedia about veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have committed killings, or been charged with them, after coming home.'"
Meanwhile - in Iraq
This seems pretty significant.
I guess our news media had the day off...
I guess our news media had the day off...
At the middle of the page, Mudassir Rizwan posted this:
"Major General Abdul Karim Khalaf, director of operations at the Interior Ministry, told KUNA here 'we have succeeded in establishing a capable intelligence apparatus to penetrate the al-Qaeda organization in Iraq and all armed groups targeting Iraqi national security.' He said emphatically that the sectarian sedition in Iraq has virtually ended, adding that the new intelligence apparatus is able to achieve its objectives regarding all armed groups operating in Iraq.
He went on to say that 'al-Qaeda is now an open book for us, now that we have succeeded in penetrating it.' Khalaf did not reveal the extent of al-Qaeda's reach in Iraq but asserted that trained Iraqi security elements currently operate under cover within this terrorist organization which he said will be dismantled soon."
The Democrats and their racial history
I think most of us know some of this, even though the media does their best to have us believe otherwise...
Bruce Bartlett is interviewed by FrontPageMagazine. He is the author of the new book, Wrong on Race: The Democratic Party's Buried Past:
"FP: What have you done in this book that no one has done before?
Bartlett: What I have done is assemble in one place the whole history of Democratic racism from Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson down to the present day. There are lots of obscure books published by university presses and articles in academic journals that examine this racist episode or that racist politician, but no one has ever connected all the pieces together before now. Frankly, I was astounded when I first became interested in the Democratic Party’s racist past that no one had done what I have done before now.
FP: Tell us a bit about the Democrats’ dark past when it comes to race, especially in regards to Woodrow Wilson, FDR, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson."
Government - And your thermostat
There must be a better way.
I don't like this at all. How about you?...
I don't like this at all. How about you?...
At WorldNetDaily.com, Chelsea Schilling reports on new California building regulations:
"The Programmable Communication Thermostat, or PCT, will allow power authorities to control home temperatures while denying consumers ability to override settings during 'emergency events.' Nowhere in the proposal does it clarify what type of situation would qualify as an 'emergency,' but Chandler offered her own explanation: 'An emergency is when the utilities need to implement rolling blackouts and drop load in order to be able to meet their supplies because the integrity of the grid is being jeopardized.'"
Our Health - Cholesterol may not be all bad
So, now what are we supposed to do?...
I found this at ScienceDaily.com:
"Researchers at Texas A&M University have discovered that lower cholesterol levels can actually reduce muscle gain with exercising. Lead investigator Steven Riechman, assistant professor of health and kinesiology, and Simon Sheather, head of the Department of Statistics, along with colleagues from The Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, have recently had their findings published in the Journal of Gerontology.
Bottom line: Before you have that second helping of oatmeal, it’s very possible that cholesterol may not be the mean Mr. Evil thing we tend to believe it is.
'We were not expecting to get these kind of results,' Riechman explains."
Monday, January 07, 2008
Here's a refreshing outlook
Mr. Briggs appears to be a "just the facts" kind of guy...
William M. Briggs says:
"All manner of statistical analyses cheerfully undertaken"
and then applies his trade to some topics of today.
The Clintons - Yikes!
I assume Mrs. Clinton must have been "1984 Arkansas Mother of the Year".
The website obviously takes issue with the Clintons' behavior.
Not a pretty picture, and not subtle, either.
This stuff could curl your hair...
The website obviously takes issue with the Clintons' behavior.
Not a pretty picture, and not subtle, either.
This stuff could curl your hair...
This Web Site documents what they call:
"Hillary and Bill: a Lifetime of Violating People"
Global Warming - IceCap.us
This site appears to have compiled more than a few articles concerning global warming.
I don't know where to start. I found their "FAQS and Myths" link to be quite informative...
I don't know where to start. I found their "FAQS and Myths" link to be quite informative...
On their "About Us" page, IceCap.us states:
"Through ICECAP you will have rapid access to our experts here in the United States and to experts and partner organizations worldwide, many of whom maintain popular web sites or insightful blogs or newsletters, write and present papers, have authored books and offer interviews to the media on climate issues. We spotlight new findings in papers and reports and rapidly respond to fallacies or exaggerations in papers, stories or programs and any misinformation efforts by the media, politicians and advocacy groups."
"Worst-case thinking"
It's funny how we perceive our well-being.
Do you think the media could have something to do with it?
I do...
Do you think the media could have something to do with it?
I do...
On his website "Spiked", Frank Furedi summarizes:
"Events over the past 12 months suggest that what we think and how we think influences how we experience our reality. Compared with the past, people living in most parts of the world today experience less pain, debilitating disease and death than ever before. We are far better placed to deal with the outbreak of new diseases or unexpected weather incidents than we were even 20 or 30 years ago. And yet we continually fear the worst.
Worst-case thinking, the principal legacy of 2007, will most likely thrive in the years ahead. That is unless we can rediscover a sense of purpose in what it means to be human."
Hillary Clinton - Under the microscope
These people have worked pretty hard.
I saw more than enough just browsing through their summary...
I saw more than enough just browsing through their summary...
The Progressive Review lists:
"Things worth knowing about Hillary Clinton"
About those rain forests
It sounds like this "serious problem" may not be what it is publicized to be.
At the least, more study time is surely needed, before we a judgement came be made with any certainty...
At the least, more study time is surely needed, before we a judgement came be made with any certainty...
According to this article at ScienceDaily.com:
"Claims that tropical forests are declining cannot be backed up by hard evidence, according to new research from the University of Leeds.
This major challenge to conventional thinking is the surprising finding of a study by Dr Alan Grainger, Senior Lecturer in Geography and one of the world's leading experts on tropical deforestation.
'Every few years we get a new estimate of the annual rate of tropical deforestation,' said Dr Grainger. 'They always seem to show that these marvellous forests have only a short time left. Unfortunately, everybody assumes that deforestation is happening and fails to look at the bigger picture -- what is happening to forest area as a whole.'"
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Politicians - Earmarks Still A Problem
This subject seems to have gone onto the back burner...
At HumanEvents.com, Mike Franc writes about them. Here's one of his examples:
"Despite repeated promises by lawmakers to kick their habit, nothing much changed over the last year. Altogether, in 2007 Congress approved over 11,900 earmarks, many for indefensible purposes.
The list is long and embarrassing but, to choose one at random, how about Rep. David Hobson’s (R-Ohio) allocation of $800,000 for a new Speedway SuperAmerica gas station, convenience store and pizza parlor on U.S. Route 42 in Wilberforce, Ohio (population: 2,000)?"
The Media - Who can believe it?
This post has two themes.
One is the bias of the media.
Two is the inaccuracy of the media.
Sadly, many unquestionably continue to believe whatever they report...
One is the bias of the media.
Two is the inaccuracy of the media.
Sadly, many unquestionably continue to believe whatever they report...
At NewsBusters.com, Mark Finkelstein noticed:
"ABC declared that McCain is 'surging,' 'rising in the polls,' may have 'the most momentum,' used 'The Mac Is Back' as its screen graphic, and portrayed Mitt Romney in a highly unflattering light.
There was only one small problem with ABC's depiction of a McCain surge: the latest poll numbers from the organization that nailed the Iowa results . . . reveal that McCain slipped in the polls overnight and lost ground to Mitt Romney."
Politicians - in Pakistan
When it comes to foreign politics we are clearly at the mercy of the media.
That's bad enough just in it's own right, and totally suspect when stories originate in a not necessarily free speech country...
That's bad enough just in it's own right, and totally suspect when stories originate in a not necessarily free speech country...
In the Washington Times, Arnaud de Borchgrave reports about Pakistan:
"There is a fresh and sordid postscript to Benazir Bhutto's assassination. Tainted by her husband Asif Ali Khan Zardari's penchant for graft and corruption, Mrs. Bhutto was twice fired as prime minister (1990 and 1996). Her closest friends now say she did not appoint Mr. Zardari to succeed her as party leader in case of death. The political testament Mr. Zardari read on television was his recent creation, not hers.
These friends of longstanding had never heard of such a document. Mr. Zardari is known as 'Mr. 10 Percent' and is widely reviled as one of the most corrupt political hacks of the last 30 years. As 'Minister of Investment' in Mrs. Bhutto's second Cabinet, all government contracts passed through his hands. They were not approved until a kickback was deposited in a numbered foreign bank account. There are cases pending against him in three foreign jurisdictions, including Switzerland, for money laundering."
Kennedy (Joe) and Hugo Chavez
Considering the apparent authenticity of this, I guess some people just choose to look the other way...
This is from an opinion column by Mona Charen in Investors Business Daily:
"'The report said the human rights violations in Venezuela included unlawful killings, disappearances reportedly involving security forces, torture and abuse of detainees, harsh prison conditions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and attacks on the independent media.'
'The OAS report on Venezuela said it was concerned about the administration of justice in that country, the problem of sicariato (paid killings) and the 'impunity that surrounds reports of extrajudicial executions at the hands of agents' of the Venezuelan government.'
'Extrajudicial killings are a particular concern in Venezuela. More than 6,370 people were victims of homicides committed between 2000 and 2005 by the 'agents' of Venezuelan state security forces.'"
The Media - Some deaths reported; others are not
Here's another interesting comparison of how the media makes headlines of some things, while hardly reporting at all on other things; even when they are statistically worse...
Investors Business Daily asks:
"Quick, which nation shows average civilian deaths at 33 a day in the last third of 2007? Now name the one where civilian deaths average 19 a day? If you guessed Iraq and Venezuela, you'd have it backward."
Friday, January 04, 2008
Politics - the inside workings
This article might be the best description of politics ever...
At TownHall.com, John Hawkins describes:
"10 Things a Political Junkie Hates About Politics"
Thursday, January 03, 2008
In Our Courts - Brownsville, Texas
This is so outrageous that it seems there must be more...
At TheMonitor.com, Allen Essex reports:
"News: Eight-time DWI offender released from jail after serving 36 days.
BROWNSVILLE — A repeat drunken driving offender whose seven-year prison sentence was suspended got out of jail after serving just 36 days, records show."
Beware of government "deals"
This writer thinks FDR's "New Deal" wasn't such a great one.
I think we might learn something from her review of it's history.
It seems to highlight that government's are extremely inefficient in the realm of management...
I think we might learn something from her review of it's history.
It seems to highlight that government's are extremely inefficient in the realm of management...
Amity Shlaes writes in the Wall Street Opinion Journal:
"Is a public-sector job really as good as a job created in the private sector? I've been wondering about this a lot lately, in part because I just finished a book about the period of the first great American experiment in public job creation, the New Deal. Critics have written that I failed to appreciate the value of New Deal emergency jobs. But the quality of government-paid jobs is also relevant because of the Democratic presidential candidates' interest in that 1930s experiment.
To hear the candidates talk, a repeat of 1930s-scale government job creation is dangerously overdue. John Edwards has proposed that government take the lead in creating types of jobs--'green collar' and 'stepping stone'--to serve the two goals of protecting the environment and giving lower earners new skills. Dennis Kucinich is calling for a new green version of FDR's Works Progress Administration."
The Clintons - "Flexible"?
Apparently, President Clinton is quite "flexible".
The article says his opinion has apparently "changed"...
The article says his opinion has apparently "changed"...
I found this in a N.Y. Post editorial:
"Former President Bill Clinton, in his role as public point-man for wife Hillary's presidential campaign, has taken to carrying on about supposed evils of wealthy political candidates financing their own campaigns."
Politicians - Hillary Clinton
Uh-Oh! Someone's "slip" is showing...
In the Middle East Times Thomas Houlahan reports:
"And then it hit me:
Sen. Clinton really didn't know that the upcoming elections were for individual seats in Pakistan's parliament. She actually believed that Bhutto, Nawaz and Musharraf would be facing off as individual candidates for leadership of the country in the upcoming elections.
Sen. Clinton didn't know that Nawaz Sharif isn't allowed to run for office in Pakistan because of a felony conviction. She didn't know that President Musharraf won't be on the ballot because he's already been elected.
Sen. Clinton, a candidate for the leadership of the free world, apparently doesn't know the first thing about the country referred to by some as 'the most dangerous place on earth.'"
The Clintons - Rewriting History
Sadly, I think the Clintons are fooling most of the people.
(WITH the help of the media)...
(WITH the help of the media)...
At FoxNews.com, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann write:
"Recently, as only Hillary can do, she claimed that she was 'deeply involved in the Irish peace process.' Bill has also picked up the theme, citing her “independent” role in resolving the century-old conflict as 'experience' with which to justify a White House run.
How odd that Hillary forgot to mention her pivotal role in Ireland just four years ago, when she wrote her $8 million memoir, Living History. There, she told a very different story.
Her first mention of Ireland was in a discussion of Bill’s October 2004 trip:
“The trip highlighted Bill’s milestones in foreign affairs. In addition to his pivotal role in easing the tensions in the Middle East, he was now focusing on the decades Long Troubles in Northern Ireland.” (Emphasis added)
No memories of her own involvement in the Irish 'troubles.'"
The French are right. Right?
This strikes me in a funny way.
Recently, the French were often implied to be absolutely correct in their criticism of all things American.
In this case, we aren't hearing a thing about it...
Recently, the French were often implied to be absolutely correct in their criticism of all things American.
In this case, we aren't hearing a thing about it...
At Bloomberg.com, Jorg von Uthmann discusses Frenchman Claude Allegre's opinions:
"He calls Gore a 'crook' presiding over an eco-business that pumps out cash. As for Gore's French followers, the author likens them to religious zealots who, far from saving humanity, are endangering it. Driven by a Judeo-Christian guilt complex, he says, French greens paint worst-case scenarios and attribute little-understood cycles to human misbehavior."
You CAN read it in the NY Post
New York Post or New York Times?
You can decide.
I already have...
You can decide.
I already have...
In the N.Y. Post, Ralph Peters calls it "the greatest media story of 2007":
"AS 2007 drew to a close, embarrassed journalists sought to play down American military successes and avoided questioning Democratic presidential contenders about their predictions of inevitable failure in Iraq.
Magically, Iraq disappeared from the headlines - except on those rare occasions when a problem could be reported. At the close of a year of stunning progress, media stories on New Year's Eve leapt to report that 2007 had been the deadliest year for US troops.
You had to read deep into the columns to learn that those casualties occurred in the first half of 2007, as we battled and defeated the terrorists and militias - or that, in recent months, American and Iraqi casualties have plummeted as a relative peace broke out.
Still, all that was just hushing up dirty family secrets in the media clan and an effort by left-leaning journalists and editors to protect the politicians they favor.
The greatest media story of 2007 was the one you never read (unless you read The Post): The year was a strategic catastrophe for Islamist terrorists - and possibly a historic turning point in the struggle against al Qaeda and its affiliates."
Fish Oil and Alzheimer's
Apparently, fish oil is NOT a "fish story"...
From ScienceDaily.com:
"Greg Cole, professor of medicine and neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and associate director of UCLA's Alzheimer Disease Research Center, and his colleagues report that the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in fish oil increases the production of LR11, a protein that is found at reduced levels in Alzheimer's patients and which is known to destroy the protein that forms the 'plaques' associated with the disease.
The plaques are deposits of a protein called beta amyloid that is thought to be toxic to neurons in the brain, leading to Alzheimer's. Since having high levels of LR11 prevents the toxic plaques from being made, low levels in patients are believed to be a factor in causing the disease."
America's position in the world
This excerpt from the transcript of "The Journal Editorial Report" makes it sound like America's so called loss of worldwide respect was only a fabrication of the media.
I'm not surprised!...
I'm not surprised!...
In the latter part of the show, Dorothy Rabinowitz made this comment:
"Rabinowitz: My big story is the turn of our European allies, which they always were, to the United States. I have to say one of the most successful pieces of propaganda ever put forth against the Bush administration and the war was the notion that we have caused--lost face all over the world. Every bore you meet at a bar mitzvah or at some cocktail party will back you into a corner and say, "But don't you think it is terrible how much we have lost face in the world?" So this is a terrific antidote."
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
The Media’s Top 10 Economic Myths of 2007
May I suggest that if you don't read anything else, you find time to read about these...
The Business & Media Institute reports:
"The Media’s Top 10 Economic Myths of 2007"
Global Warming - It's in the NY Times!
Holy Cow!...
NewsMax.com reports:
"Critics are calling it clear evidence that the climate of opinion on alleged global warming is shifting in favor of skeptics, especially since it comes from the New York Times, until now a fervent acolyte of climate change guru Al Gore and his doctrine of ongoing and disastrous climate change.
In his Times column for the first day of the new year, 'In 2008, a 100 Percent Chance of Alarm,' columnist John Tierney took a close look at the global warming debate and found that the climate change scenario being peddled by Mr. Gore and his legion of followers is anything but the settled scientific fact they claim, with the sole doubters being the equivalent of those who believe the earth is flat. Tierney, critics say, has nailed the climate alarmists and exposed their propaganda!"
Global Warming - Has it stopped?
Here's something to think about before we overreact...
David Whitehouse reports at NewStatesman.com:
"With only few days remaining in 2007, the indications are the global temperature for this year is the same as that for 2006 – there has been no warming over the 12 months.
But is this just a blip in the ever upward trend you may ask? No.
The fact is that the global temperature of 2007 is statistically the same as 2006 as well as every year since 2001. Global warming has, temporarily or permanently, ceased. Temperatures across the world are not increasing as they should according to the fundamental theory behind global warming – the greenhouse effect. Something else is happening and it is vital that we find out what or else we may spend hundreds of billions of pounds needlessly."
Global Warming - More experts
The list of signatories seems quite impressive....
I found this in Canada's National Post:
"Dear Mr. Secretary-General,
Re: UN climate conference taking the World in entirely the wrong direction"
Global Warming - Other experts
Notice that this article's origin is France.
It seems that stories disputing global warming aren't often published in the U.S. ...
It seems that stories disputing global warming aren't often published in the U.S. ...
NewsMax.com has this on their website:
"A small group of US experts stubbornly insist that, contrary to what the vast majority of their colleagues believe, humans may not be responsible for the warming of the planet Earth.
These experts believe that global warming is a natural phenomenon, and they point to reams of data they say supports their assertions. "
Politics - The Iowa Caucuses
Maybe it should be, "What's the matter with us?" in that we attach so much credence to this event...
John Fund wonders in the Wall Street Journal:
"What's the Matter With Iowa?"
"The caucuses are anything but a Norman Rockwell exercise in small-town democracy.
The trouble with the Iowa caucuses isn't that there's anything wrong with Iowans. It's the bizarre rules of the process. Caucuses are touted as authentic neighborhood meetings where voters gather in their precincts and make democracy come alive. In truth, they are anything but."
Global Warming - A 3000 Expert Hoax?
The U.N. is not my favorite organization.
They are bureaucrats, supervised by bureaucrats, overseen by bureaucrats, and audited by bureaucrats.
Did I mention that the U.N. is not my favorite organization?...
They are bureaucrats, supervised by bureaucrats, overseen by bureaucrats, and audited by bureaucrats.
Did I mention that the U.N. is not my favorite organization?...
Tom Harris reports this in the Canadian Free Press:
"In total, only 62 scientists reviewed the chapter in which this statement appears, the critical chapter 9, 'Understanding and Attributing Climate Change'. Of the comments received from the 62 reviewers of this critical chapter, almost 60% of them were rejected by IPCC editors. And of the 62 expert reviewers of this chapter, 55 had serious vested interest, leaving only seven expert reviewers who appear impartial.
Two of these seven were contacted by NRSP for the purposes of this article - Dr. Vincent Gray of New Zealand and Dr. Ross McKitrick of the University of Guelph, Canada. Concerning the 'Greenhouse gas forcing …' statement above, Professor McKitrick explained “A categorical summary statement like this is not supported by the evidence in the IPCC WG I report. Evidence shown in the report suggests that other factors play a major role in climate change, and the specific effects expected from greenhouse gases have not been observed.”"
Politicians - Fred Thompson
Government at Work - on light bulbs!
After looking around my house, garage, shed, attic, etc., I'm having some trouble liking this "bright" idea...
In the Wall Street Journal, Brian M. Carney seems to tell it like it is:
"Just like that--like flipping a switch--Congress and the president banned incandescent light bulbs last month. OK, they did not exactly ban them. But the energy bill passed by Congress and signed by President Bush sets energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs that traditional incandescent bulbs cannot meet.
The new rules phase in starting in 2012, but don't be lulled by that five-year delay. Whether it's next week or next decade, you will one day walk into a hardware store looking for a 100-watt bulb--and there won't be any. By 2014, the new efficiency standards will apply to 75-watt, 60-watt and 40-watt bulbs too."
