Friday, November 30, 2012
Do we really know what we're eating?
At Yahoo!, Senior Editor Lylah M. Alphonse has two stories.
One is about ketchup:
"Officials discovered the fake ketchup factory after tenants complained about flies and rotten odors coming from another part of the 7,000-square-foot warehouse in Dover, N.J. They found thousands of plastic bottles labeled Heinz ketchup, many of which had exploded after being abandoned in the hot building."
And another about honey:
"More than 60 types of honey from several major supermarkets, drug stores, and shopping clubs--including Stop and Shop, Safeway, Wegman's,A&P, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, Sam's Club, and Walmart--were tested by Vaughn Bryant, a professor at Texas A&M University. He found that most of them had all of the pollen filtered out. Without any pollen, it's impossible to figure out whether the honey came from a safe source, or whether it's even actual honey at all; much of the ultra-filtered honey may come from China, may be contaminated, or may be diluted with High Fructose Corn Syrup."
Thursday, November 29, 2012
The Hard Fiscal Facts - WSJ.com
So, the government is getting 26% MORE than two years ago!
At the same time they say they NEED more money.
And as usual, very little media coverage of the FACT that THEIR spending is the problem; NOT revenues...
At the same time they say they NEED more money.
And as usual, very little media coverage of the FACT that THEIR spending is the problem; NOT revenues...
The Wall Street Journal recently pointed this out:
"Tax revenue kept climbing, up 6.4% for the year overall, and at $2.45 trillion it is now close to the historic high it reached in fiscal 2007 before the recession hit. Mr. Obama won't want you to know this, but this revenue increase is occurring under the Bush tax rates that he so desperately wants to raise in the name of getting what he says is merely 'a little more in taxes.' Individual income tax payments are now up $233 billion over the last two years, or 26%."
"Who changed the Benghazi talking points?"
The answer is likely the obvious one as stated by the Republican Senators.
It was all about the election...
It was all about the election...
At CBSnews.com, Sharyl Attkisson continues to follow this story:
"Who within the Obama administration deleted mention of 'terrorism' and 'al-Qaeda' from the CIA's talking points on the deadly Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi? It isn't the only unanswered question in the wake of the tragedy, but it's proven to be one of the most confounding."
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Greta Van Susteren - "Let’s get something straight"
Since we have a black president, it's all too easy to call those who don't agree with him or his policies racist...
On her website, Greta Van Susteren makes this point, and calls out MSNBC:
"Here is a fact: not every challenge or criticism of anyone who happens to be African American is racist. This is not to say there is no racism in this country – there is and it is terrible – but by throwing the term around recklessly and cruelly against someone with whom you don’t agree dilutes the serious charge of racism when it is warranted. It is like crying wolf."
Government at Work - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
On his website, LD Jackson recently posted:
"As easy as these kinds of posts are to write, given the amount of waste and abuse taking place at our expense, they are getting a little old. $479,354 for sign language services? Does anyone really believe it takes that much money to educate two employees on how to use sign language? I am so tired of hearing stories like this. Do the people who are in charge of the CFPB believe they can spend our money, however they want, with no repercussions?"
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
"Black mob picks on ‘The Wrong Guy’"
After all, wrong is wrong, no matter the sensitivities...
WND.com precedes this posting by Colin Flaherty with this:
"(Editor’s note: Colin Flaherty has done more reporting than any other journalist on what appears to be a nationwide trend of skyrocketing black-on-white crime, violence and abuse. WND features these reports to counterbalance the virtual blackout by the rest of the media due to their concerns that reporting such incidents would be inflammatory or even racist. WND considers it racist not to report racial abuse solely because of the skin color of the perpetrators or victims.) And then the story begins: DeAndre Felton and his crew had a problem: The mall was closed. The curfew in effect. But they were still high on drugs and wanted to have more fun. So they decided to beat someone up. Turns out they chose The Wrong Guy."
Politicians - U.S. Senator Ron Johnson
This article is quite informative. The sentence below (too many lawyers) just might be the essence...
In the Wall Street Journal, Allysia Finley interviews Wisconsin's Senator Ron Johnson:
"The plain-spoken Oshkosh businessman stands out in the Senate, and not merely because he's unaffected. As Mr. Johnson pointed out in one campaign ad, the Senate in 2010 included 57 lawyers (Mr. Feingold was one) but zero manufacturers and just one accountant. With Mr. Johnson, the Senate gained a manufacturer and an accountant."
Monday, November 26, 2012
"Obama drops God from Thanksgiving address for fourth year straight"
When it comes to God, President Obama's actions are often criticized...
John Jalsevac reports about it at LifeSiteNews.com. He begins:
"For the fourth year straight, President Obama has omitted any direct statement thanking God in his Thanksgiving address. In 2009 President Obama made history when he issued the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation that failed to directly thank God. There was an outcry, and Obama’s subsequent proclamations have made prominent mention of God. However, as Ben Shapiro of Breitbart points out, his Thanksgiving addresses (as opposed to the proclamations), which he reads to the camera, have continued to eschew mention of God. In his 2012 Thanksgiving address, Obama says that Thanksgiving is “a time to give thanks for each other, and for the incredible bounty we enjoy.”"
"Russian Reporter visits 'No go zone' in Paris"
It is my understanding than many cities in Europe have areas like this.
They certainly don't promote the idea of harmonious integration of immigrants.
I must admit I'm surprised the Russians would be filming something like this...
They certainly don't promote the idea of harmonious integration of immigrants.
I must admit I'm surprised the Russians would be filming something like this...
Sunday, November 25, 2012
2012-11-25 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, November 24, 2012
"Wind Power Can’t Cost-Effectively Be a Large Grid’s Main Source of Electricity"
Here's a really clear evaluation of wind power, explaining that it is NOT a "be-all and end-all" viable energy source...
In Oregon, the Cascade Policy Institute recently posted this on their website:
"Thus, if wind were to produce a large percentage of a grid’s electricity, it would be necessary to build expensive energy storage facilities, or to reserve power generation facilities to supply power, when there is insufficient wind to meet energy demands at any given time and to prevent brownouts and blackouts. 'Consumers will have to pay twice for power, since they will be supporting two duplicate generation systems,' said Cascade Policy Institute President and CEO John A. Charles, Jr."
Friday, November 23, 2012
Government at Work - On "cement bubbles on sidewalk corners"
More of the same when it comes to other people's (our) money...
At Philly.com, Stu Bykofsky has this story to tell:
"Philly was an early leader in installing ramps in 1995, under Mayor Rendell, Gillen says, 'because the advocacy community sued.' Curbs were cut to make them wheelchair-accessible. OK, the city needed to be goosed into action, but it moved, so far installing 4,958 ramps at 826 intersections. Here's the shocker: The cost of installing the now-mandated ramps at each of the city's 22,000 intersections will be $858 million, according to Streets Department Deputy Commissioner David Perri."
Thursday, November 22, 2012
2012-11-22 - Thankgiving Day
Happy Thanksgiving...
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
"From goat to hero in town cleanup"
This is NOT a bad idea...
At Philly.com, Sandy Bauers has this story:
"The officials in Millbourne Borough were at an impasse with an impenetrable, seemingly invincible enemy: the tangle of weeds on a hillside near the western reaches of the Frankford El.
Volunteers had failed to clear the mess. The bank was steep, so mowing was out. Herbicides might foul Cobbs Creek.
Finally, weeks ago, officials brought in weed control's top guns: goats."
"Hamas leaves Israel no choice"
What is happening now has been repeated many times in the past.
One side deliberatley targets civilians and the other side is forced to respond. Cease fires are never truly cease fires, and truces are only used to re-arm for the next flareup.
It's sad...
On the U.K. Guardian's website, Danny Ayalon writes this and elaborates on Israel's predicament:
"Since Israel left Gaza in 2005, thousands of rockets have rained down on Israeli cities and towns in deliberate contravention not just of international law, but all humanity and morality. While some might suggest the so-called blockade is the cause of the attacks, it is actually a consequence. The restrictions were only implemented two years after Israel left Gaza, when it was clear that instead of building a "Singapore of the Middle East", Hamas was interested in importing stockpiles of weapons from places like Iran. Instead of building a future for its people, Hamas built an open-air prison for the million and a half inhabitants who fell into its grasp."
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Bloggers Spot More Dead Child Fakery by Hamas; CNN Fooled
The world's media is continuously played and duped by terrorist groups.
Apparently, any idea of verification before publication, has long since gone by the wayside...
Apparently, any idea of verification before publication, has long since gone by the wayside...
At Breitbart.com, Joel S. Pollak explains what's going on:
"Hamas has a well-established pattern of faking civilian deaths in Gaza, even as it seeks civilian deaths in Israel (and fakes that, too, pretending it is firing at military targets). Last week, Breitbart News caught Hamas using a month-old photo of a dead Syrian boy and claiming he had been killed by Israel--a double irony, since the Assad regime that killed the boy hosted Hamas for years before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.
The international community has reinforced Hamas’s pattern of fakery by applying a double standard to Palestinian civilians killed by Israel and Palestinian civilians killed by Hamas. When Israeli artillery inadvertently killed civilians in Beit Hanoun in 2006, the world sprang into action with accusations of 'war crime'; when errant Palestinian rockets have struck civilians in Beit Hanoun, the world has said nothing at all."
Monday, November 19, 2012
Government at Work - "Lake County considers 'trash-cams' at school cafeterias"
Of course, I forget elected and appointed officials likely have a different regard for taxpayer money...
Kristin Giannas posted this at ClickOrlando.com:
"Lake County School Board officials are considering attaching cameras to school cafeteria trash cans to study what students are tossing after officials found that most of the vegetables on the school menu end up in the trash can. New federal laws require students to take a healthy produce at lunchtime, but last year in Lake County, students tossed $75,000 worth of produce in the garbage."
"Opening the Gates of Hell"
Hundreds of rockets a day are being fired at their civilian population, and it's their RETALIATION that is criticized.
It's Bizarro World indeed...
In an article at AmericanThinker.com, Lauri B. Regan writes and elaborates on what's going on:
"Alas, Israel must not only defend its borders and protect its people. The world forces it to defend the military intervention required to ensure its survival while ignoring its autonomous right to do so. It is like walking into Bizarro-World as we learn of the anti-Israel protests occurring across the globe, complete with chants supporting terrorists and attacking Israel.
From New York to Tel Aviv, London to Quebec, Boston to Paris, and Sydney to Beirut, the pro-Palestinian misinformation campaign is out in full force, continuing to co-opt the narrative and portray the bad guys as the victims rather than the terrorists they really are. And while the pro-Israel demonstrators say prayers and psalms, their counterparts scream hate and call for vengeance and destruction.
What type of insane society do we live in where murderers are defended by citizens across the globe? What hope does the world have when the division between right and wrong no longer exists and murdering innocent civilians is deemed a fundamental right of a people who do not like their neighbors? It is a mad world and one that will not be able to sustain itself if the forces of evil have their way."
Sunday, November 18, 2012
2012-11-18 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Weekend Reading - "Democrats... Would Not Pass Civil Rights!"
A thorough review of events shows a much different story...
On her Maggie's Notebook website, Maggie documents them by date of the political parties with regard to civil rights issues:
"In a discussion of Civil Rights in America, how often do you hear the name of Republican Senator Everett Dirksen from Ilinois? Not often. How often do you hear the name of Democrat Senator Robert Byrd in connection to civil rights? Not often but for very different reasons. Dirksen was a champion for civil rights. Robert Byrd was not. But you do hear the name of Senator Strom Thurmond practically spat from the mouths of those accusing Republicans for the plight of Negros African-Americans Blacks when civil rights are on the table. but Strom Thurmond was a Democrat in those days, and he was VERY active in trying to kill the bill. It was later that Thurmond became a Republican. Most people do not know that.
An agenda can be identified by what is NOT being said. The names of Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Everett Dirksen and the many Republicans who fought for, and or/voted for the bill are never uttered. Neither is it mentioned that Republicans voted for the Civil Rights bill in far greater percentages than did Democrats, or that Democrats had a sufficient majority to pass it without a single Republican vote."
Friday, November 16, 2012
"...TrapWire, a CIA-connected global spying system"
At NetworkWorld.com, Ms. Smith writes about this:
"TrapWire is run by Abraxas Corp's Abraxas Applications. The 2007 whitepaper [PDF] described TrapWire as 'a unique, predictive software system designed to detect patterns of pre-attack surveillance.' No wonder photographers continue to be treated as potential terrorists, since TrapWire says terrorist pre-attack surveillance includes 'photographing, measuring and signaling.' This Private Paste from Justin Ferguson, who helped spread the word of this leak, states, 'It's essentially a system setup to detect surveillance, so if you've ever taken a picture of basically anything 'important' you were probably flagged in a 'suspicious activity report' (SAR). It's logged to a central database and then cross-site reports are disseminated.' "
Thursday, November 15, 2012
"White House 'secede' petitions reach 660,000 signatures, 50-state participation"
My first thought was this can't really go anywhere.
Then I had a second thought.
What did the British first think about the "Declaration of Independence"?...
Then I had a second thought.
What did the British first think about the "Declaration of Independence"?...
At DailyCaller.com, David Martosko reports this:
"By 6:00 a.m. EST Wednesday, more than 675,000 digital signatures appeared on 69 separate secession petitions covering all 50 states, according to a Daily Caller analysis of requests lodged with the White House’s 'We the People' online petition system.
A petition from Vermont, where talk of secession is a regular feature of political life, was the final entry."
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Black middle class economically vulnerable
It is surely to everyone's advantage to enable this group of people to be more successful.
Could it be that politicians and elected officials like it this way?...
Could it be that politicians and elected officials like it this way?...
The Chicago Tribune's Dawn Turner Trice wrote about this before the election:
"The Pew Charitable Trusts' Economic Mobility Project recently released a report projecting that 68 percent of African-Americans reared in the middle of the wealth ladder will not do as well as the previous generation.
In August, the National Urban League's State of Black America 2012 report found that nearly all the economic gains that the black middle class made during the last 30 years have been wiped out by the economic downturn.
'This is a very dire situation,' said Valerie Rawlston Wilson, an economist with the National Urban League Policy Institute. 'Even for blacks who have college degrees, we've seen a doubling of their unemployment (rate) between 2007 and 2010.'"
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
"The Real Reason Obama Got Elected"
Is "Free Stuff" now the driving force in America?...
On the FoxBusiness website, Gerri Willis explains:
"Here’s an interesting plot twister; Republicans made the assumption, incorrectly as it turns out, that voters in states with high-unemployment would kick the bums out. That is, that they’d vote Obama out of office and try to find someone who could solve the jobs problem in this country.
Turns out, the opposite has happened. Voters in high-unemployment states actually like the president, and the reason is obvious; the Federal Government is paying the jobless, extending unemployment benefits, food stamps, and even underwriting disability payments from Social Security.
Think we’re different from the Europeans? Think again. The proportion of Greek men in their 30’s that are working is higher than the proportion of men who work in the United States. That’s what this election was all about. People voted for free stuff, free money, and free benefits. A chicken and health care in every pot."
Obama's Great Alaska Shutout - WSJ.com
The Wall Street Journal recently reported this:
"President Obama is campaigning as a champion of the oil and gas boom he's had nothing to do with, and even as his regulators try to stifle it. The latest example is the Interior Department's little-noticed August decision to close off from drilling nearly half of the 23.5 million acre National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The area is called the National Petroleum Reserve because in 1976 Congress designated it as a strategic oil and natural gas stockpile to meet the 'energy needs of the nation.'" Alaska favors exploration in nearly the entire reserve. The feds had been reviewing four potential development plans, and the state of Alaska had strongly objected to the most restrictive of the four. Sure enough, that was the plan Interior chose."
Monday, November 12, 2012
RFID chips - Sign of the times?
Obviously, there are pros and cons...
This story is from the RT.com USAnews website:
"Since October 1, students at John Jay High School and Anson Jones Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, have been asked to attend class with photo ID cards equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips to track every pupil’s location. Educators insist that the endeavor is being rolled out in Texas to stem the rampant truancy devastating the school's funding. If the program is judged successful, the RFID chips could soon come to 112 schools in all and affect nearly 100,000 students.
Students who refuse to walk the school halls with the card in their pocket or around their neck claim they are being tormented by instructors, and are barred from participating in certain school functions. Some also said they were turned away from common areas like cafeterias and libraries."
"Britain’s High-Tech Thought Police"
Wherever you are, you might do well to be careful what you say.
You know, this HAS happened before...
At Reason.com, Brendan O'Neill recently wrote about this topic:
"The frequency with which the police and legal system now throw into jail anyone judged to have committed a 'speech crime' is alarming."
Sunday, November 11, 2012
2012-11-11 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Weekend Reading - "America's Demographic Cliff"
Over time, with relentless inevitability, their changes take place...
At ZeroHedge.com, Tyler Durden recently took the time to explain it all, including this important point among many:
"Social Security and Medicare spending are projected to grow exponentially as healthcare costs explode and the biggest population wave in the history of the US starts to enter retirement. The Congressional Budget Office expects spending to increase by 150% over the next 25 years, which is hardly sustainable with barely 2 workers for every retired person in 2035... there’s a storm a comin’"
Friday, November 09, 2012
"What Happens When a Ponytailed Defense Attorney Gets Mugged?"
As with many who make money from certain things, fate and/or irony often intervene, sometimes in a very revealing way...
At AMericanThinker.com, Tina Trent recently elaborated on this story:
"The lawyer famous for using every trick in the book to denigrate police and spring violent offenders back onto the street expects a different response from the system when he's the alleged victim of a minor crime -- in this case, a fistfight Kuby acknowledges instigating."
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Is this where we are?
Could Alexis de Tocqueville have been right when he wrote?:
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years."
"Govt spent $1.028 trillion on welfare in FY 2011"
Caroline May reports on this at DailyCaller.com:
"The government spent approximately $1.03 trillion on 83 means-tested federal welfare programs in fiscal year 2011 alone — a price tag that makes welfare that year the government’s largest expenditure, according to new data released by the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee."
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
"Study: ‘Green’ cars might cause as much or more pollution than gas cars"
At this point in time, "green" cars are costly and "feel good" in nature.
In the future, I'm sure they will be more viable...
Recently, at DailyCaller.com, Jessica Stanton wrote about a recent study:
"The researchers compared the overall life-cycle impact of petrol or diesel-powered cars and electric vehicles and concluded that the latter can significantly damage the climate. 'The global warming potential from electric vehicle production is about twice that of conventional vehicles,' the report said. 'It is counterproductive to promote electric vehicles in regions where electricity is primarily produced from lignite, coal or even heavy oil combustion.' Batteries and electric motors are composed of minerals like nickel, copper and aluminum, which are toxic."
"Berlin 'abandons one million electric cars goal'"
It's just not now...
I found this at TheLocal.de, Germany's new in English website:
"'The hype is over,' the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung wrote, citing information from the Ministry of Education and Research. The high expectations for electric cars, which have no carbon dioxide emissions, has been replaced by huge disappointment, the paper wrote. Environment Minister Peter Altmaier admitted that there are problems with electric cars and Economy Minister Philipp Rösler has refused to encourage electric car sales with economic incentives."
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
2012-11-06 - Presidential Election Day
If you don't do anything else today, please make sure you vote...
Monday, November 05, 2012
"Are Obama's 1961 Birth Announcements Fake?"
There are just NO definitive answers.
Documents that are basic and public about all of us, are just not available for Mr. Obama.
I prefer not to be a "birther"; however, I guess that's what I will remain until I see something I can really believe in...
At AmericanThinker.com, Shawn Glasco wonders, and then provides quite a few really "interesting" points that are absolutely NOT clear about Obama's origins:
"What a long, strange journey it has been for the records of Barack Obama's birth. Couldn't the Obama camp just 'release a copy of his birth certificate'?"
Sunday, November 04, 2012
2012-11-04 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Weekend Reading - The Obama You Don't Know | Washington Examiner
It's far more than what the American "mainstream" media has ever told you...
On the Washington Examiner website, this is from the Introduction:
"Over the years and in two autobiographies, Obama has presented himself to the world as many things, including radical community organizer, idealistic civil rights lawyer, dynamic reformer in the Illinois and U.S. senates, and, finally, the cool presidential voice of postpartisan hope and change. With his air of reasonableness and moderation, he has projected a remarkably likable persona. Even in the midst of a historically dirty campaign for re-election, his likability numbers remain impressive, as seen in a recent AP-GFK Poll that found 53 percent of adults have a favorable view of him. But beyond the spin and the polls, a starkly different picture emerges. It is a portrait of a man quite unlike his image, not a visionary reformer but rather a classic Chicago machine pol who thrives on rewarding himself and his friends with the spoils of public office, and who uses his position to punish his enemies."
Friday, November 02, 2012
"Website pagination: Stories should load into a single page every time"
I've noticed this pagination thing become pervasive, don't like it, and now know I'm not alone...
At Slate.com, Farhad Manjoo recently wrote about it:
"Pagination is one of the worst design and usability sins on the Web, the kind of obvious no-no that should have gone out with blinky text, dancing cat animations, and autoplaying music. It shows constant, quiet contempt for people who should be any news site’s highest priority—folks who want to read articles all the way to the end. Pagination persists because splitting a single-page article into two pages can, in theory, yield twice as many opportunities to display ads—though in practice it doesn’t because lots of readers never bother to click past the first page. The practice has become so ubiquitous that it’s numbed many publications and readers into thinking that multipage design is how the Web has always been, and how it should be."
Government at Work - "NY Public Restroom Costs $2.3 Million"
William Bigelow recently posted about this at Breitbart.com:
"How much should a public restroom cost? If you have to go to the bathroom in Elmhurst park in Queens, New York, you can go in style. A new facility there that features two urinals and one stall for men and three stalls for women cost $2.3 million to build."
Thursday, November 01, 2012
The Media - the New York Times
In my opinion, the Times has become horribly biased, and continues full speed ahead on that road.
That often quoted definition of insanity comes to mind. You know what one I mean...
That often quoted definition of insanity comes to mind. You know what one I mean...
At Reuters.com, Jennifer Saba reported on this story:
"(Reuters) - The New York Times Co (NYT.N) posted worse-than-expected results on Thursday as advertisers cut spending on both print and digital outlets, sending its shares down 22 percent."And then, there's this...
At Townhall.com, John Ransom posts the headline:
"In Despair, New York Times Pens Suicide Note"
and then explains it.
"Global warming stopped 16 years ago"
The article explains the headline and the overall issues as they've been portrayed over the last few years.
Of course, if media bias doesn't, the election will probably push it to the back pages...
In the U.K. Daily Mail, David Rose is reporting this:
"Global warming stopped 16 years ago, reveals Met Office report quietly released... and here is the chart to prove it... The figures reveal that from the beginning of 1997 until August 2012 there was no discernible rise in aggregate global temperatures... This means that the ‘pause’ in global warming has now lasted for about the same time as the previous period when temperatures rose, 1980 to 1996"
"Revolt of the Spooks"
The examples of the media failing American citizens are becoming so numerous that we regard "everything" they publish with a most skeptical eye...
At FreeBeacon.com, Bill Gertz elaborates on this:
"Intelligence officials angered by Obama administration cover up of intelligence on Iranian, al Qaeda surge in Egypt and Libya"
