Sunday, August 31, 2014
2014-08-31 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, August 30, 2014
"Leaked Memo Gives Away Dems' Weather Talking Points"
Could there be a connection to this?...
Michael Bastasch recently reported this at DailyCaller.com:
"Murray’s memo puts a lot of focus on budgetary impacts due to 'extreme weather' — a major talking point of President Obama during his second term. Murray argues that global warming will increase extreme weather events, like hurricanes and droughts, therefore increasing disaster relief, infrastructure and other types of spending."
Friday, August 29, 2014
"Wind farm 'needs 700 times more land than fracking site'"
In the U.K. Daily Telegraph, Emily Gosden offers this as part of her reporting:
"A wind farm requires 700 times more land to produce the same amount of energy as a fracking site, according to analysis by the energy department’s recently-departed chief scientific advisor. "
Thursday, August 28, 2014
"... Quick Review of False & Misleading Tricks Used In Ads"
On the Finances Online website, David Adelman recently had a fun and informative posting on the subject:
"If you drool over that gleaming pure honey flowing over steamy mashed potato you’ve seen on TV, hold your horses. You’re likely salivating over motor oil and freshly microwaved wet tampon placed behind the potato. These are some of the common techniques used by ad people to make products more visually tantalizing in advertisements. Other tricks include:"
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Welcome to the Billion-Man Slum - The Daily Beast
Joel Kotkin writes about them on the DailyBeast website:
"Here’s the difficult truth: Most emerging megacities, particularly outside of China, face bleak prospects. Emerging megacities like Kinshasa or Lima do not command important global niches. Their problems are often ignored or minimized by those who inhabit what commentator Rajiv Desai has described as the VIP zone of cities,' where there is 'reliable electric power, adequate water supply, and any sanitation at all.' Outside the zone, Desai notes, even much of the middle class have to 'endure inhuman conditions' of congested, cratered roads, unreliable energy, and undrinkable water.
The slums of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, swell by as many as 400,000 new migrants each year."
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Eric Holder, Racial Profiler
At National Review, Andrew C. McCarthy questions some of the Attorney General's decisions, including the current one in Fergusen, Missouri:
"Well, here he goes again.
Based on what is known about the unblemished six-year record of Officer Darren Wilson and the facts surrounding his shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, there is no reason to suspect racism, much less that any thought was given to Mr. Brown’s federal rights during the sudden, violent exchange. There is no way this is a civil-rights case . . . unless you are a backward-thinking dolt who spots racism based on nothing more than the fact that the police officer is white and the victim is black."
"Hetch Hetchy water tunnel in danger of 'catastrophic collapse'"
This looks like a "government at work" classic.
Let's hope it gets fixed without consequences.
I wonder how many similar things are pending in other states...
Let's hope it gets fixed without consequences.
I wonder how many similar things are pending in other states...
Marisa Lagos recently reported on this at SFgate.com:
"Mountain Tunnel, a key part of the Hetch Hetchy water system - which supplies 2.6 million Bay Area residences and businesses - is at risk of a "catastrophic collapse" and will cost more than $100 million to repair or up to $630 million to replace, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
City officials have known for 25 years that significant work is needed on the 19-mile-long tunnel just outside Yosemite National Park in a steep, hard-to-access wilderness area."
Monday, August 25, 2014
"The News Media Now Reports All Weather as 'Extreme' "
It makes me wonder what the next uptick word or phrase will be?
How about "possibly catastrophic"?...
Alan Caruba Included this statistic in his article in the Canada Free Prtess:
"The Media Research Institute recently analyzed broadcast network transcripts between July 1, 2004 and July 1, 2005, along with those between July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014. What it discovered was the network coverage of “extreme weather” had increased nearly one thousand percent!"
"NOAA Reinstates July 1936 As Hottest Month On Record"
It was BEFORE SUV's, you know.
Now, how do you suppose that jives with this?...
On the Daily Caller website, Michael Bastasch recently reported on this:
"'Two years ago during the scorching summer of 2012, July 1936 lost its place on the leaderboard and July 2012 became the hottest month on record in the United States,' Watts wrote. 'Now, as if by magic, and according to NOAA’s own data, July 1936 is now the hottest month on record again. The past, present, and future all seems to be ‘adjustable’ in NOAA’s world.'"
Sunday, August 24, 2014
2014-08-24 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, August 23, 2014
"Uh oh: California solar plant fries thousands of birds in mid-flight"
"Streamers".
As the title says, Uh Oh!...
As the title says, Uh Oh!...
Mary Katharine Ham has the story at HotAir.com:
"Workers at a state-of-the-art solar plant in the Mojave Desert have a name for birds that fly through the plant’s concentrated sun rays — 'streamers,' for the smoke plume that comes from birds that ignite in midair. Federal wildlife investigators who visited the BrightSource Energy plant last year and watched as birds burned and fell, reporting an average of one 'streamer' every two minutes, are urging California officials to halt the operator’s application to build a still-bigger version."
Friday, August 22, 2014
"The howl of the mob: Race-based justice"
"Rush to judgment" fanned by an controversy hungry media is now standard procedure in America.
It's not pretty to watch...
It's not pretty to watch...
At WND.com, Patrick J. Buchanan shares his opinions and then discusses Attorney General Holder:
"What has been going on for two weeks now in Ferguson, with the ceaseless vilification of Darren Wilson and the clamor to arrest him, is anti-American. It is a mob howl for summary judgment, when this case cries out, not for a rush to judgment, but for a long tedious search for the whole truth of what happened that tragic day."
Feds: Obama Broke Law with Bergdahl Swap | National Review Online
It seems to me that we're in trouble when government violates it's own laws, and that this should mean something...
On the National Review website, Joel Gehrke is reporting:
"President Obama violated a 'clear and unambiguous' law when he released five Guantanamo Bay detainees in exchange for Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the Government Accountability Office reported Thursday.
'[The Department of Defense] violated section 8111 because it did not notify the relevant congressional committees at least 30 days in advance of the transfer,' the GAO report said. 'In addition, because DOD used appropriated funds to carry out the transfer when no money was available for that purpose, DOD violated the Antideficiency Act. The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from incurring obligations exceeding an amount available in an appropriation.'"
Thursday, August 21, 2014
"MH 17 versus TWA 800"
See what you think of this...
This is from Hugh McInnish's recent post at AmericanThinker.com:
"Now let us flash back to July 17, 1996. That evening, at 8:19, TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747, was cleared for takeoff at New York’s JFK Airport.
The pilot wheeled the jumbo aircraft into position on Runway 13R, opened his four throttles, accelerated smoothly down the runway, lifted off, and took up a course for Paris.
Twelve minutes later, TWA 800 exploded, the parts raining down in the Atlantic ten miles south of Long Island. The essences of the MH 17 and TWA 800 accidents are identical: a large passenger aircraft is cruising along high above. Observers on the ground watching it see an object rise from the ground and intercept it. An explosive fireball follows. Radar observations are consistent with the reports of the ground observers.
But here the parallel ends. The investigation of TWA 800 required four years,"
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
"Young Black Men in the Crosshairs"
That being said, I think the article is spot on...
At NationalReview.com, Bernard Goldberg writes about the issue and includes this:
"According to the Justice Department’s latest statistics (2005), although African Americans make up 13 percent of the population, they represent 49 percent of the nation’s homicide victims — and 93 percent of those black victims were killed by other blacks."
The Big Chill | National Review Online
On the National Review website, Deroy Murdock offers some data on global temperatures. He begins:
"Where is the warming?"
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
"Reporter Thought Earplugs Were Rubber Bullets. Does It Matter?"
I'm not a fan of most media; and, especially those that don't know what they're talking or writing about.
I think this article demonstrates my point...
I think this article demonstrates my point...
On the Federalist.com website, Mollie Hemingway reports this:
"The thing about not knowing that earplugs are not rubber bullets is that it makes it really hard to take any other reporting about police tactics, much less guns, seriously. It’s one of those unfortunately boneheaded errors that destroys credibility. Heck, it makes me wonder if Reilly has never been to either a gun range or a concert, where such earplugs are commonly found."
"The Perry Indictment’s Predecessor"
It seems likely that this explains a desperate attempt at changing the status quo in Texas...
John Fund writes about it at National Review Online:
"'It has been since 1994 that a Democrat has been elected in Texas.' Given that Texas has 15 elected officials, that is indeed a long and extensive drought.
But the way to overcome political obstacles is with superior ideas and better political organization. That’s how you win elections, and that’s something Texas Democrats haven’t done well at. Criminalizing political differences and celebrating indictments is a poor substitute for winning votes. It also undermines public confidence in the very system that all elected officials — regardless of party — depend upon for their legitimacy."
Monday, August 18, 2014
"Almost No Teachers In District's Low-Performing Schools Considered 'Ineffective'"
I guess that's wishful thinking...
At Michigan Capitol Confidential, Tom Gantert posts about this:
"For the last two years, every high school student in the Lansing School District received a letter from the district stating that all three high schools are on the state’s low-performing watch list.
The letters are mandated after a school is designated as one of the worst performing in the state by finishing in the bottom 5 percent academically.
Yet, according to the district, the effectiveness of its teachers is increasing significantly while it has had more schools put on the state’s low-performing watch list."
"Pentagon weaponry in St. Louis County"
Military waste and surplus are periodically in the news.
How to stop the waste and how to dispose of the surpluses are interesting subjects...
How to stop the waste and how to dispose of the surpluses are interesting subjects...
On the USAtoday website, David Mastio and Kelsey Rupp posted an article about this:
"Michelle McCaskill, media relations chief at the Defense Logistics Agency, confirms that the Ferguson Police Department is part of a federal program called 1033 that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars of surplus military equipment to civilian police forces across the United States. The materials range from small items, such as pistols and automatic rifles, to heavy armored vehicles such as the MRAPs used in Afghanistan and Iraq.
'In 2013 alone, $449,309,003.71 worth of property was transferred to law enforcement,' the agency's website states."
Sunday, August 17, 2014
2014-08-17 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, August 16, 2014
"Infographic reveals 100 incredible facts from the around the globe"
Fun stuff...
Connie Allfrey posted about it in the U.K. Daily Mail:
"So brush up on some surprising statistics to amaze your family and delight your friends: you will be sure to win Trivial Pursuit if nothing else."
Friday, August 15, 2014
"AP Poll: Country Moves Towards GOP On Every Significant Issue"
At Breitbart.com, John Nolte has reported this:
"Buried in the 'pox on both houses' rhetoric we're hearing from the media, what you will find in a little place I like to call Reality are the actual numbers, which show consequential movement towards the GOP on almost every issue voters are most concerned with."
Thursday, August 14, 2014
"11,472,000 Americans Have Left Workforce Since Obama Took Office"
Somehow, this doesn't match up with the stories that the economy is improving...
On the CNWnews website, Ali Meyer writes about this:
"11.4 million Americans age 16 and over have left the workforce since President Obama took office in January 2009, according to data released today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
In July 2014, there were 92,001,000 Americans, 16 and over, who were classified as 'not in the labor force,' meaning they not only did not have a job, but they didn’t actively seek one in the last four weeks.
This number has increased by 11,472,000 since January 2009, when the number of Americans not in the labor force was 80,529,000."
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
'The border fence is a joke': Filmmaker crosses from US to Mexico dressed as Osama bin Laden as Border Patrol says 'we can't be everywhere at once' | Mail Online
The government "says" the border is secure.
The citizen journalist says the border is NOT secure (backed up with video).
The media for the most part is silent...
The citizen journalist says the border is NOT secure (backed up with video).
The media for the most part is silent...
On the U.K. Daily Mail website, David Martosko has the story and the video:
"James O'Keefe, known for guerrilla documentaries targeting liberals, says US Border Patrol was nowhere to be seen when he crossed border twice
The conservative firebrand wore a bin Laden mask to show the national security implications of unmonitored borders
A Border Patrol official said agents who ought to be on the 'front lines aren't even on the front lines anymore'
Texas sheriff showed how a section of border fencing ends abruptly, providing easy access for immigrants to sneak in from Mexico"
"How the specious concept of ‘proportionality’ became code for Israel-bashing"
Clearly, the media covers the killing of civilians inconsistently.
This writer points out the shortcomings...
This writer points out the shortcomings...
Here's one paragraph from Rex Murphy's article in the National Post:
"Even more murderous than ISIS, perhaps, is Syria’s Bashar Assad, who has been conducting a mass-murder campaign against his own citizens. Conservative estimates put the number of dead at almost 200,000 — the Gaza war multiplied by more than a hundred, in other words. Has Assad been arraigned by the world’s judges for his lack of 'proportionality?' Do reporters ask questions even remotely like those that are routinely asked of Israel’s leaders? Other conflicts rage, are more bloodly, see civilians deliberately and mercilessly hounded and murdered, yet this standard of proportionality never seems to make an appearance."
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
"Wisconsin Backs Traditional Marriage, Allows Domestic Partnerships"
See what you think...
On the Townhall.com website, Sarah Jean Seman explains Wisconsin's idea:
"The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Thursday to allow domestic partnerships within the state while acknowledging a marriage between a man and a woman is distinct from a union between a same-sex couple."
Patterico's Pontifications � No Rainbow Families
On the Petterico Blog, "Dana" writes about this issue:
"A private fertility clinic in Calgary has caused a commotion with their policy that refuses to use sperm, eggs or embryos from donors who do not match their client’s ethnic background."
Monday, August 11, 2014
Romney got so much right - Chicago Sun-Times
I'm not surprised because I thought so back then.
eems a good argument that voters made the wrong choice...
eems a good argument that voters made the wrong choice...
In the Chicago Sun-Times, Steve Huntley explains, as well as providing examples:
"Almost every day, it seems, brings a headline demonstrating how right 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was, and how wrong President Barack Obama was, on the critical issues facing America."
Hamas Tells the Truth about Itself
Even though this seems important to know, you probably won't see these on anyone's front page...
On the American Thinker website, Michael Curtis tries to inform us on things the media declines to report and more:
"After numerous appearances by Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal on CNN television denying that Hamas uses people as human shields to protect its fighters, a Hamas publication found in a tunnel states the opposite. Among the documents seized by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza is a handbook on urban warfare issued by the Shuja’iya Brigade of the Al-Qassan Brigades of Hamas. It issues instructions to citizens on how to make explosives, on hiding them in places such as television sets and wall mounts, and on planting them in locations that IDF personnel were unlikely to expect."
Sunday, August 10, 2014
2014-08-10 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, August 09, 2014
"Is that call from Microsoft a scam? - Security Tips & Talk"
Scammers, no matter what their venue, prey on fears, inexperience and sometimes greed...
On the Microsoft website, Eve Blakemore posts about some that are computer related:
"Cybercriminals often use publicly available phone directories, so they might know your name and other personal information when they call you. They might even guess what operating system you're using. It’s still a scam.
Don’t let scammers encourage you to install dangerous software Once cybercriminals gain your trust, they might ask for your user name and password or ask you to go to a legitimate website (such as www.ammyy.com) to install software that will let them access your computer to fix it. Once you do this, your computer and your personal information are vulnerable."
Friday, August 08, 2014
"Grouse hits 400,000 Acres Out of Energy Production"
I'm noticing a lot of decisions being put off until after the November election.
That should tell us something...
That should tell us something...
Audrey Hudson recently reported this on the Colorado Observer website:
"The federal government’s decision to ban energy development across a wide swath of Colorado and eastern Utah to protect the Gunnison sage grouse habitat has raised concerns the action would inflict economic damage.
Although the Obama administration was not expected to make its decision as to whether the bird warrants the endangered listing until November, the Bureau of Land Management’s decision this week effectively puts an oil, gas and coal moratorium on 400,000 acres – roughly 90 acres per bird.
The final decision was “pushed back until after the election, because when people understand the impact on jobs, people get mad,” said Kathleen Sgamma, vice president of the Western Energy Alliance."
Thursday, August 07, 2014
"Watch: In Just 3 Words This Border Patrol Agent Admits Something..."
I found this posted by Andrea D. Combs at WesternJournalism.com
"A truck driver was rolling through the border’s security checkpoint in Texas when he caught this refreshingly honest conversation with his iCam glasses. In the description of his clip on YouTube, he said, 'I asked the question and got the truth!'"
"Grim Milestone: Current Administration Adds $7 Trillion to National Debt "
On the Townhall.com website, Daniel Doherty writes about this CNSnews article:
"The total federal debt of the U.S. government has now increased more than $7 trillion during the slightly more than five and a half years Barack Obama has been president. That is more than the debt increased under all U.S. presidents from George Washington through Bill Clinton combined, and it is more debt than was accumulated in the first 227 years of this nation's existence--from 1776 through 2003…"
Wednesday, August 06, 2014
Is Thinking Obsolete? - Thomas Sowell
At Creators.com, Thomas Sowell begins with this and then explains:
"Some have said that we are living in a post-industrial era, while others have said that we are living in a post-racial era. But growing evidence suggests that we are living in a post-thinking era."
Environmental Pessimism - Andrew Follett
This seems like a calm, level view of this issue...
At Townhall.com, Andrew Follett explains his reasoning behind this conclusion:
"Human innovation through the free market is continually solving problems that environmental groups have spent decades merely “raising awareness” about. Global warming won’t end civilization. Our ability to comprehend and meet environmental challenges is evolving rapidly, and the problem is not as urgent as you have been told. So don’t believe the pessimists. Humankind will be here for a long time to come."
Tuesday, August 05, 2014
"Public servants acting as public masters"
The American people are suffering because of it...
In USA Today, Glenn Harlan Reynolds wrote about how our government's separation of powers is becoming dishonored. He concludes with this:
"The sad truth is that when you elect irresponsible people into positions of power, you get irresponsible government. President Obama oozes contempt for Congress, and for longstanding unwritten political accommodations among the branches, at every opportunity. It's unsurprising that his underlings feel — and act — consistently with that view.
If the American electorate votes more responsibly next time, things will get better. Until then, alas, elections have consequences, and this is one of them."
"Maryland Hospital Bans Employees From Smoking -- Anywhere"
Tristyn Bloom posted the story behind this at DailyCaller.com:
"This so-called 'job screening' will bar any applicants who smoke cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff, hookah, and even e-cigarettes from being eligible for employment. While the hospital already has a smoking ban on the premises and surrounding sidewalks, this policy forbids new employees from consuming tobacco anywhere, at any time."
Monday, August 04, 2014
The War Isn't On Coal, It's On The People It Helps | The Daily Caller
Clearly, as with so many things, there is both good and bad about coal.
Considering that America is only a "part" of the world, the impact of whatever we do should be carefully considered as to it's effects on Americans...
Considering that America is only a "part" of the world, the impact of whatever we do should be carefully considered as to it's effects on Americans...
There are interesting points in Jason Stverak's recent opinion posted at DailyCaller.com:
"Affordable energy isn’t incompatible with emission reduction and if the EPA were at all willing to come to the negotiating table in good faith, it would find that coal is part of the solution, not part of the problem."
Sunday, August 03, 2014
2014-08-03 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, August 02, 2014
Saturday Reading - A Presidential Sized List
I'm NOT sure that every president's list is this egregious or all encompassing...
On his blog, Dan from Squirrel Hill keeps adding to this monumental list:
"Obama supporters will go hysterical over this well sourced list of 800 examples of his lying, lawbreaking, corruption, cronyism, etc."
Friday, August 01, 2014
Plastic Bag Banners Rebuked In New Study | The Daily Caller
At DailyCaller.com, David Williams recently reported on plastic bag bans and concluded:
"Don’t be fooled by such delusions of grandeur, plastic bag bans do nothing to fulfill their promise of lower costs economically and greater protection environmentally. It’s the opposite across the board. Bag bans offer no gains for the environment, in fact the opposite when it comes to conserving energy, and will straddle taxpayers with more costs at a time when our GDP just contracted. In just one paper there’s enough evidence to justify scrapping plastic bag bans altogether. Wanton fees, higher costs, and more regulations aren’t a prescription California, or the rest of the nation, can afford to pay for something that’s not a problem in the first place. Consumers lose and governments win, which is always a bad combination."
