Steve's Serendipities

Comments and Links from my Internet travels. -- My comments are in bold blue italics. -- Clickable Links are in bold orange.

Steve's Current Quote or Thought:
Just a reminder: the Guantanamo Bay detention camp is still open; capacity is 800. Hmmmmm...

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Meanwhile - in the U.K. - Too Much Government?

See if you can agree with me that governments have granted themselves too many intrusive powers...
In the U.K. Daily Mail, Jack Doyle began his recent article with this, and there's more:
"Public officials have around 1,400 separate powers to enter homes – including the right to inspect fridges and even pot plants.

The number of ‘snooping’ powers available to town halls and public bodies has risen despite Coalition pledges to rein them in.

Among those which remain are powers to enter a home ‘to see if pot plants have plant pests or do not have a plant passport’ under the Plant Health Order 2005.

Another power allows officials to check the energy ratings on refrigerators under the Energy Information Household Refrigerators and Freezers Regulations 2004.

Officials can also use the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 to see if a garden hedge is too high.

Government departments have been given until next year to identify which powers should be repealed. Even then it may take months or years for them to be scrapped."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

"The Secret Language of Crime"

I have the idea that homeowners could use these "signs" to their own advantage...
Sam Webb has the story and the "codes" at DailyMail.co.uk:
"Burglars are scrawling secret symbols in the street to help other criminals know which homes to target.

The symbols may indicate that a home is wealthy, has already been burgled or may have nothing worth stealing.

Chillingly, they may also indicate if there is a vulnerable female in the home, or if the occupant is nervous, afraid or easily duped."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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The Facts About Assault Weapons and Crime - WSJ.com

This seems like worthwhile reading.
After all, very few of us really only know what the agenda driven media DECIDES to tell us...
In the Wall Street Journal, John R. Lott Jr. shares the facts that the state compliant media seems to ignore. Here's one of them:
"Since the Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired in September 2004, murder and overall violent-crime rates have fallen. In 2003, the last full year before the law expired, the U.S. murder rate was 5.7 per 100,000 people, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report. By 2011, the murder rate fell to 4.7 per 100,000 people. One should also bear in mind that just 2.6% of all murders are committed using any type of rifle. "
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

"$20 trillion shale oil find surrounding Coober Pedy 'can fuel Australia'"

I try to post oil discoveries whenever I come across them.
My point is that oil is not as scarce as some would have us believe.
Better yet, it is not only in countries unfriendly to America...
On the Australian news.com website, Cameron England recently reported:
"Brisbane company Linc Energy yesterday released two reports, based on drilling and seismic exploration, estimating the amount of oil in the as yet untapped Arckaringa Basin surrounding Coober Pedy ranging from 3.5 billion to 233 billion barrels of oil. At the higher end, this would be "several times bigger than all of the oil in Australia", Linc managing director Peter Bond said. This has the potential to turn Australia from an oil importer to an oil exporter."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"Developments in Northern Plains' Bakken field could change U.S. oil"

America seems to be moving steadily toward oil independence.
Hopefully that continues...
I saw this on the UPI.com Business News website:
"The company in 2010 said technology then suggested Bakken could yield about 24 billion barrels of oil equivalent. New developments in the play, however, have prompted it to raise its 2010 estimate 57 percent. "This could be a real game-changer," Harold Hamm, chairman and chief executive officer at Continental, said in a statement."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Monday, January 28, 2013

The Media - ABC News' Martha Raddatz

The American news media is flat out NOT doing their job.
Here's just another example... 
At NewsBusters.org, Noel Sheppard calls attention to this:
"ABC Gives Sen. Menendez Six Minute Interview With No Questions About FBI's Hooker Investigation"
posted by Steve @ 6:03 AM

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"CBO: Feds Borrowing $4.8 billion Per Day in FY 2013, So Far"

Borrow and spend; borrow and spend.
The beat goes on and on... 
Matt Cover posted this at CNSnews.com:
"The federal government ran a deficit of $292 billion for the first two months of fiscal year 2013 – October and November 2012 – amounting to $4.8 billion of borrowed money each day.

'The federal budget deficit was $292 billion for the first two months of fiscal year 2013, $57 billion more than the shortfall recorded in October and November of last year,' CBO said in its Monthly Budget Review Friday."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"Using Children To Pass Gun Laws Is Grotesque And Childish"

By now, most of us know, that anything goes in politics.
What is unfortunate is that so many of us are still susceptible to the outrageous antics of using children as a prop for whatever agenda they are pushing at the time...
Carrie Lukas shares this thought and more at Forbes.com:
"Using children’s pleas to end violence is about the most grotesque rhetorical tool available to politicians. Our natural instincts are to want to shield children from life’s pain. Yet fixating on our desperate desire to protect children from harm distracts from the truly important, adult business of assessing what solutions are actually available. So it is with the gun debate."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

2013-01-27 - Words of Wisdom

posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Saturday, January 26, 2013

Fracking Is OK, Says Buried Report From New York State’s Health Department

Here we go again.
A study disagrees with the agenda of the powers that be.
So, what happens?
They hide it from publication...
Bob Adelmann recently reported on this at theNewAmerican.com:
"A report favoring fracking that was buried for nearly a year was given to the New York Times yesterday by a whistleblower who 'did not believe it should be kept secret,' according to Danny Hakim. The eight-page analysis summarizes 'previous research [done] by the state and others, and concludes that fracking can be done safely.'"
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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Meanwhile - in West London - the Moneybox

Cameras are becoming popular to capture traffic violators.
Here's an example of how it can work.
You can decide for yourself whether it's intentional or not...
In the U.K.'s Daily Mail, Andrew Levy writes about it:
"The Bagley's Lane Junction with New King's Road, Fulham, described as a trap because an average 11 drivers are caught on camera stopping in the yellow grid every single day"
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Friday, January 25, 2013

The Auto Bailout Failure Is Now Complete - Reason.com

Perhaps there are intangibles; however, the taxpayers clearly lost a bundle on this "investment"...
At Reason.com, David Harsanyi gives us a report:
"The Treasury Department has just revised its estimate upward to $25 billion in losses, and it will probably be more than that when it's all said and done. Taxpayers also suffered a $2.9 billion loss in Chrysler (the carmaker had received $12.5 billion through TARP programs) in 2011. "
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"In the Energy Debate between Palin and Obama...Obama Lost"

"Drill, Baby, Drill" I think most of us know who that mantra belongs to...
At AmericanThinker.com, Ben Voth highlights the evidence to support his article's title:
"American energy production in oil and gas is booming the budgets of the production states into staggering surpluses! While the federal government continues sailing off every conceivable fiscal cliff imaginable, governments in states such as North Dakota and Texas are racking up billions of dollars in annual surpluses to their state treasuries. For 2012, Texas recorded an $8-billion surplus. That is expected to grow to $20 billion in 2013. The debate in the Lone Star legislature is what to do with all that extra money."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

CNN video of police charge at Sandy Hook is not Sandy Hook

CNN has changed from what they started out to be.
More than once, hey have been caught creating false presentations for public consumption.
These days, CNN's "most trusted name in news" seems to be questionable...

Ralph Lopez presents the evidence at DigitalJournal.com:
"At the words 'they arrived to carnage,' the CNN Anderson Cooper report cuts to helicopter footage of seven police officers charging across a parking lot and toward a school. It is breaking news coverage of the Sandy Hook shooting just hours earlier.

The three-minute report posted on the day of the shootings at the official CNN website is entitled 'Tragedy Strikes at Elementary School.' But the school is almost certainly not Sandy Hook.

It is St. Rose of Lima School, a private school a few miles away, also in Newtown."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Islamism - What We Are Up Against

Personally, I think this is worthwhile reading.
I might even suggest saving it somewhere and sharing it with those that just don't understand that fighting Islamism is different from fighting anything else.
While writing about the recent issue in Algeria, this writer includes so many things we need to know about this issue...

In the U.K. Daily MaIL, Melanie Phillips explains the realities and also the mind-set required to deal with people who don't respect our values, and certainly don't think like we do:
"Unlike other hostage-takers, they usually have no interest in getting out alive; they intend to die as ‘martyrs’, and of course have no compunction about killing their captives. Moreover, the purpose of taking hostages is either to kill ‘infidels’, or to extract ransom money for them — which will merely finance more kidnappings and terrorist atrocities.

Such terrorists thus regard with contempt all negotiation as a sign of weakness. And in the world of Islamic fundamentalism, weakness is an incentive to further violence.

Only a display of uncompromising strength — including, most importantly, strength of resolve — has any chance of being a deterrent. The Algerians understand this very well. The West does not — instead assuming that everyone on the planet thinks like it does and is thus similarly governed by self-interest.

But in dealing with Islamist fanatics who regard themselves as the army of God, and for whom death is the highest calling, this is a catastrophic mistake"
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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European Minister of Parliament Daniel Hannan

Daniel Hannan shows up in the media from time to time with his typical British way of presenting issues.
As usual, on this occasion, he delivers very nicely...

posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Meanwhile - in the U.K. - Courage to Speak Up

Apparently, real people know what's going on, while elected officials remain in denial, or maybe even something more sinister...
Barbara Davies, in the U.K. Daily Mail, reports on one person speaking truth to power:
"When she finally finished speaking, there was a moment’s silence and then rapturous applause.

In less than a minute, this ordinary working mother had given a snapshot picture of a town at the end of its tether and voiced the fears of huge swathes of the population.

After the show had finished, audience members were still feting Mrs Bull like a heroine, shaking her hand and congratulating her for daring to speak out about the lasting impact of mass immigration."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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Politicians - Virginia Democratic Delegate Joseph Morrissey

I assume Virginia's voters knew who they were voting for.
Enough said...
At DailyCaller.com, David Martosko writes about him and his escapades:
"A Virginia lawmaker who drew gasps from his colleagues when he brandished a borrowed AK-47 during an anti-gun speech Thursday was found guilty in 2002 of committing a vicious 1999 assault, was sanctioned for legal misconduct while prosecuting a rape case, spent six months in jail for contempt of a federal court, and saw his law license revoked in 2003.

Democratic Delegate Joseph Morrissey brought the rifle to the floor of the House of Delegates to demonstrate how easy it is to carry firearms in Virginia. Republican Delegate Todd Gilbert interrupted Morrissey’s speech to ask him to remove his finger from inside the gun’s trigger-guard — a basic gun-safety practice.

'I don’t think you should be able to possess an assault rifle,' Morrissey told ABC News on Friday."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Monday, January 21, 2013

"Nature paper: Global droughts unchanged in 60 years"

More of the same.
Climate phenomena are paraded about to "prove" global warming theories; and then, historical statistics are discovered that ruin the parade.
Sadly, the media rushes to publish the "alleged" links, while the statistical proof rarely makes it to any major publication...
Joanna Nova calls attention to this on her blog:
"How many images have we seen of drought-stricken cracked land, or been told this is the future? How many headlines have suggested that global warming causes droughts? Since the end of World War II humans have produced some 85% of all their CO2 emissions, but here is a new study showing that for all those emissions, and for all that warming, droughts back then were just as bad globally as they are today."
posted by Steve @ 6:03 AM

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"U.S. Drone Strikes Are Causing Child Casualties"

Collateral damage has always been a questionable consequence of war.
I don't have an answer to that.
And killing children one way is treated different than other ways.
That being said, what I do know is that the media treats Commander-in-Chiefs differently, and it seems to be based on their political affiliation...
On the Huffington Post website, Robert Greenwald calls attention to it:
"War Costs’ latest video (with accompanying report) brings attention to the children who have died as a result of drone strikes. The video names some of the children who perished in these strikes, and points out the obfuscation tactics of American officials who will not own up to the significant amount of civilian casualties that have occurred due to this legally- and morally-dubious policy."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"Using Children To Pass Gun Laws Is Grotesque And Childish"

I wholeheartedly agree with this entire opinion column.
There is no need to "abuse" our caring for children by using them as a tool to advance an adult agenda...
On the Forbes.com website, Carrie Lucas gives this as part of her opinion and much much:
"As if the massacre of children in Newtown, Connecticut wasn’t emotional enough, the President is now posing with children and publicizing kids’ pleas for the government to take action to prevent gun crimes. The Administration’s messaging strategy is clear: If you care about children, then you’ll do what we say and support new regulations and restrictions. Never mind questions about whether there is any evidence that the new restrictions will actually disarm would-be killers. We have to do something. You are either with us and the children, or you are on the side of mentally-ill, child-murdering maniacs.

This is not an intelligent way to approach public policy."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Sunday, January 20, 2013

2013-01-20 - Words of Wisdom

posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Saturday, January 19, 2013

Drive Thru Invisible Driver Prank

A bit of fun for a Saturday...


posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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Politicians - Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

See if you can make sense or logic about this...
At CNSnews.com, Melanie Hunter calls attention to this quote of his:
"'It is time to put an end to the practice of deporting non-serious criminals,' said Villaraigosa. 'Our neighborhoods will be safer and our families will be more secure.'"
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Friday, January 18, 2013

Meanwhile - in Texas

Texas likes their independence.
I think we should all have a heavy dose of that trait...

On the Radio.WOAI,News website, Jim Forsyth reports:
"A Texas lawmaker says he plans to file the Firearms Protection Act, which would make any federal laws that may be passed by Congress or imposed by Presidential order which would ban or restrict ownership of semi-automatic firearms or limit the size of gun magazines illegal in the state, 1200 WOAI news reports.

Republican Rep. Steve Toth says his measure also calls for felony criminal charges to be filed against any federal official who tries to enforce the rule in the state."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time

This doesn't seem to bother enough of us.
I think that translates into our elected officials not being bothered either...
According to a recent view of the U.S. National Debt Clock:
"... each taxpayer’s share of the Total Public Debt is $145,737. And each taxpayer’s liability for unfunded entitlements is $1,083,342. And growing!"
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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Government at Work - "The Cash for Clunkers Conundrum"

Another example of how government's central planners are frequently deficient...
At eMagazine.com, Jennifer Santisi recently reported the real results of that highly promoted program:
"That Cash for Clunkers Program Was Not an Environmental Success Story"
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

"Texas Legislature to Wrestle Over What to Do with Unexpected Budget Surplus"

Texas has an interesting problem.
Wouldn't it be nice if the U.S. government had the same problem?...
Yahoo contributor Mark Whittington recently wrote about it:
"Bloomberg reports that when the Texas Legislature begins its 2013 session it will face a problem that most states will kill for. Texas will likely have a budget surplus of around $8 billion. The question arises, how to spend it?"
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

"SAT Report: 77% of Latinos Not Ready for College"

This appears troublesome.
Should the government give student loans to those who have a questionable chance of college success?...
At FoxNews.com, Bryam Llenas recently called attention to this:
"Of the 272,633 Latino students who took the standardized test, only 23 percent met the SAT benchmark score of 1550, which shows a 'level of academic preparedness associated with a high likelihood of college success.' To put it another way, according to the college board, more than 7 out of 10 Latinos who took the SAT are not adequately academically prepared for college success."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"The Fall of the House of Labor"

Assuming Mr. Buchanan has his history correct, he has presented an informative concise view of the labor movement in America...
At Townhall.com, Pat Buchanan says this is the result of something that has been inevitably coming for quite some time, and then he explains what those things are/were:
"There are now 24 right-to-work states. But while these laws arrested the rise of the house of labor, there was an inevitability to its fall. Who are the collective killers? Like the murder on the Orient Express, just about everyone on the train."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Monday, January 14, 2013

The Racializing of American Politics - WSJ.com

I wonder if you would agree with me that politicians AND the media exacerbate racial differences and tensions in America?...
Daniel Henninger writes about that theme in the Wall Street Journal. He calls attention to this meme:
"In 2008's election, many Republicans and independents voted for Mr. Obama to put a final nail in the coffin of Justice O'Connor's racial anxieties. The millions of them who then cast votes against Mr. Obama in 2012 did so almost wholly because of the status of the economy after four years of his presidency. No matter. They lost in 2012 because they're 'too white.'"
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"Despite Tax Increase, California State Revenues in Freefall"

California may be finding that RAISING taxes is NOT the answer.
Of course, they're not the only one who DON'T know it.
Get my drift?..
On the Breitbart.com website, Chriss W. Street reports November's results:
"California State Controller John Chiang has announced that total state revenue for the month of November 2012 fell $806.8 million, or 10.8%, below budget."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Sunday, January 13, 2013

2013-01-13 - Words of Wisdom


posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Saturday, January 12, 2013

"Washington Post Goes Full Bigot"

The Washington Post is one of several obviously liberal media outlets.
It's been my opinion for a while that they practice just about the same things that they condemn others for.
This writer agrees...
At PJmedia.com, Bob Owens includes some sarcasm in his writing about the Washington Post:
"The Post claims of Republicans that “we can’t know their hearts,” but assures us those hearts are sexist and racist all the same.

Oh, to have known this years ago, back when the Post thought I was newsworthy, and even asked me to guest blog for a short while. I didn’t know that for them it amounted to adventures in cracker-sitting.

I guess I should consider myself fortunate to have even appeared on their radar as an anthropological experiment, being a white, southern, public university graduate. It is not something of which the Post editorial board approves.

The Post editorial board, you see, is a thing of rare beauty and diversity."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"The meanings and origins of sayings and phrases"

Perhaps this website will interest you...
It is Phrases.org where they have compiled...:
"The meanings and origins of thousands of English sayings, phrases, idioms and expressions:"
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Friday, January 11, 2013

"Rich Lefties and Their Taxes"

The White House AND the media have apparently convinced Americans that raising taxes on "the rich" (which will amount to $80 billion a year) will somehow alleviate our debt that is increasing by over a trillion (that's 1,000 billion) a year.
We must be really stupid.
There's no other answer...
At Townhall.com, Larry Elder elaborates on his article title:
"Ah, the hypocrisy of tax-hikers who do everything they can to avoid the taxes they wish to impose on others."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"How the Implementation of Obamacare Will Make the GOP a Majority Party"

I don't know if this premise will turn out to be true.
I do know that the concepts in this article seem relevant to that end...
At PJmedia.com, Risk Moran explains some of the possibilities. They are quite interesting:
"QHow many businesses will be forced to close shop? How many will cut back on the number of employees to stay in business? How many will refuse to expand, unable to handle the increased costs? How many jobs will Obamacare cost?"
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

"Brrr! China's coldest winter in decades at new low"

This story highlights what I think are shortcomings in our media's critical thinking and subsequent reporting.
The story indicates a link between current extreme temperatures and global warming.
In China, temperatures 43 years ago were just as cold as they are now.

So, was it global warming related back then?...
The Associated Press reports it in what I think is a questionable manner:
"China Meteorological Administration on Friday said the national average was -3.8 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit) since late November, the coldest in nearly three decades. The average temperature in northeast China dipped to -15.3 degrees C (4.5 degrees F), the coldest in 43 years, and dropped to a 42-year low of -7.4 degrees C (18.7 degrees F) in northern China..." "...The national meteorological administration said China is seeing dropping temperatures partly because of south-moving polar cold fronts, caused by melting polar ice from global warming."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"Fiscal Cliff's Dirty Secret: It's Not About Taxes At All, But Too Much Spending"

It's my opinion that the financially astute know that spending is THE problem.
Unfortunately, our elected officials keep kicking that can down the road.
Even worse, the apparently state run media will not even pose a hard question to those who can do something about it...
Senator Rand Paul gives us some straight talk at Investors.com:
"Is it any wonder people are fed up with their government? The president announces we have no time for spending reforms, but when the deadline passes I predict not one committee will step into the breach to begin the process of reform.

Why? Because Democratic leadership still insists that Social Security and Medicare are just fine. Meanwhile, Social Security actuaries tell us that Social Security this year will spend $165 billion more than it receives. Medicare will spend $3 for every $1 it collects. Yet, the president says he doesn't have time for entitlement reform.

The "fiscal cliff" scenario has come and gone. The only question now is: How do we recover?

The only solution is to cut spending. It's no secret to anyone, except perhaps Washington leaders, that our current levels of spending are not only unsustainable, but the main culprit in our fiscal crisis."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Wednesday, January 09, 2013

"UK Endures Coldest Autumn Since 1993"

The media have us thinking Hurricane Sandy is related to global warming.
I wonder what (if anything) they will publish about this?...
Paul Homewood posts this on the "What's Up With That" blog::
"The year as a whole is currently running as the second coldest since 1996, beaten only by the exceptionally cold year of 2010. Temperatures so far in December are 2 degrees below normal, and the Met Office are forecasting that this will continue for the foreseeable future."
posted by Steve @ 6:03 AM

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"Illinois firefighters stand idle while man drowns"

Unless I'm missing something, this is pretty awful.
See what you think...
Neil Munro wrote about it at DailyCaller.com:
"A Champaign, Illinois man drowned Jan. 1 in a mall pond as increasingly angry observers demanded a rescue, at least 13 minutes after the local fire department arrived at the scene. The man, Kenneth Brown, 20, slipped under the freezing water 18 minutes after falling through the ice, but local firefighters didn’t launch an inflatable boat until just before he disappeared. The firefighters pulled Brown’s body out of the water roughly an hour after they arrived. At least one passing resident recorded much of the event, including the moment when Brown went under the water. Onlookers demanded firefighters rescue the man, and even volunteered for the task, but were told by the Champaign police to stay away."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"The Socialist Mind Game: A Brief Manual"

Some see things as they really are, while others just cannot.
Perhaps it's because some are more capable of deep thinking, while others are caught up in the "fluff".
Read this article and decide what you see...
At AmericanThinker.com, Oleg Atbashian presents part of his case that we are being duped:
"Listening to Obama now, one could have never guessed that these are the same 'Bush's tax cuts,' against which he had vigorously campaigned in the past -- just like one could have never learned from his previous speeches that the reviled 'tax cuts for the rich' had been saving middle-class families as much as $2,200 a year.

Until recently, the $2,200 amount was treated as classified information, which the Administration and the compliant media deemed unfit for consumption by the unwashed masses.

Now that Obama wins reelection and needs to postpone the economic disaster caused by his first term, he 'declassifies' the previously subversive amount and parades it on My.BarackObama.com as a centerpiece of his new glorious campaign for the people. Simply put, Obama first discredits his predecessor's idea, then steals it, bundles it with a job-killing tax hike, and rebrands it as his own benevolent gift to the toiling masses.

Judging by responses on Obama's official blog, WhiteHouse.gov, and Twitter, many of his supporters believe they are actually getting something out of it -- but in reality they are about to lose what they have due to the resulting cutbacks, layoffs, and price increases.

As the Game goes on..."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Tuesday, January 08, 2013

"Oops: Massachusetts finds itself unable to locate 19,000 welfare recipients"

Some would like to see more government involvement in things.
Wouldn't that just be dandy?...
At HotAir.com, Erika Johnsen calls our attention to this Fox News report:
"Governor Deval Patrick is downplaying the Department of Transitional Assistance admission that it could not locate 19,000 people who have either been receiving welfare benefits or have applied for them, saying the number represents a “\'broader class of people than those who are actually on the rolls today.' …

At a news conference, the Governor kept referring to the number of people whose addresses could not be located as just 'four percent' of the mailings. …"
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"Half the Facts You Know Are Probably Wrong"

Actually, in my personal experience, this doesn't surprise me.
It's getting really difficult to absolutely argue something you think you know...
At Reason.com, Ronald Bailey writes about this and Samuel Arbesman's new book The Half-Life of Facts: Why Everything We Know Has an Expiration Date (Current):
"As facts are made and remade with increasing speed, Arbesman is worried that most of us don’t keep up to date. That means we’re basing decisions on facts dimly remembered from school and university classes—facts that often turn out to be wrong."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Monday, January 07, 2013

NASA - 2012 Antarctic Ozone Hole Second Smallest in 20 Years

I found this on NASA's website.
I have to think it's good news for the inhabitants of Planet Earth...

Acoording to N.A.S.A.:
"Atmospheric ozone is no longer declining because concentrations of ozone-depleting chemicals stopped increasing and are now declining."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"Preparing for era of Bigger Government"

Ugh!
Happy New Year to you, too...
In the New York Post, Michael Goodwin presents these thoughts and more:
"The Obama administration is happy to keep borrowing 40 cents of every dollar it spends, or nearly $4 billion a day, seven days a week. Each day brings plans for added regulations and new ways to rob Peter to pay Paul.

The combination creates a huge cloud hanging over every family and business. Debts and inflation exact penalties, perhaps for generations, and already are stifling innovation and job creation. Ours has become the world’s largest debtor nation and still needs more lenders.

The certain result will be an economic pie that doesn’t grow fast enough, which will lead to new demands for more redistribution under the guise of 'fairness.' Always, the government redistributes by taking the first bite for itself."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Sunday, January 06, 2013

2013-01-06 - Words of Wisdom


posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

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Saturday, January 05, 2013

"73% of New Jobs Created in Last 5 Months Are in Government"

I don't think this is the way America wants to go.
I wonder what you think?...
At CNSnews.com, Terence P. Jeffrey writes about employment gains within government:
"Seventy-three percent of the new civilian jobs created in the United States over the last five months are in government, according to official data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

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"Long Beach Best Western staff to be laid off as Measure N date nears"

So, is this what it's coming to?...
Kelsey Duckett writes on the ContraCostaTimes website:
"Best Western Golden Sails Hotel on Dec. 10 posted a notice for employees, which was obtained by the Press-Telegram, stating that 'all employees will be considered terminated after their last shift of duty on or before Dec. 15.'

The memo, sent by Golden Sails General Manager Mathew Daniel, also says that the hotel has been running 'with a low room occupancy for the last few years and (we) have been thinking all these years to downsize the hotel with fewer rooms to stay in business.'

It goes on to say that 'the time has come now and we have reduced the size of the hotel.'

The memo doesn't say whether the downsizing will bring the hotel at 6258 E. Pacific Coast Highway under the Measure N wage law's 100-room threshold."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

 0 comments

Friday, January 04, 2013

Google is expanding it's data gathering - On You!

If not already, everything you do will soon be available to anyone who will pay for it...
The U.K.'s Daily Mail website reports on it including this comment from Business Insider:
"As one example of how this new connection between online browsing and real world shopping will work, Jim Edwards imagines one scenario for Business Insider.

'If you bought a T-shirt at the Gap in the mall with your credit card, you could start seeing a lot more Gap ads online later, suggesting jeans that go with that shirt,' Edwards writes."
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

 0 comments

Thursday, January 03, 2013

Celebrities showing hypocrisy?

The point made here is clear enough.
It really doesn't need the strong language...

posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

 0 comments

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

"Wind turbines 'last for half as long as previously thought' as study shows they show signs of wearing out after just 12 years"

Clearly, we're being duped.
Whether it's light bulbs, solar panels, or windmills, alternative energy sources do NOT live up to their advertised benefit, life span, or cost effectiveness...

This is from an article by Tamara Cohen in the U.K. Daily Mail:
"Wind farms have just half the useful lifespan which has been claimed, according to new research which found they start to wear out after just 12 years.

A study of almost 3,000 turbines in Britain – the largest of its kind – sheds doubt on manufacturers claims that they generate clean energy for up to 25 years, which is used by the Government to calculate subsidies."
posted by Steve @ 6:02 AM

 0 comments

U.K. Education Secretary Michael Gove

Here's an elected (perhaps appointed) official that I actually like...
In the U.K. Daily Mail, Jonathan Petre writes about Secretary Gove's plans:
"Gove faces war with equality activists as he axes Labour's PC curriculum that dropped greatest figures from history lessons.

Historic figures, including Winston Churchill, Oliver Cromwell and Lord Nelson will again feature in history lessons.

The 'back-to-basics' shakeup will see overhaul of social reformers like Jamaican-born nurse Mary Seacole"
posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

 0 comments

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

2013-01-01 - New Year's Day

- Happy New Year! - ...

posted by Steve @ 6:01 AM

 0 comments

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