Friday, October 31, 2014
"Capito Win Could Cap GOP Transformation of W.Va"
The popularity of political parties comes and goes.
Here's the recently remarkable West Virginia story...
Here's the recently remarkable West Virginia story...
At RealClearPolitics.com, Sean Trende has the details, and then sums up:
"If there’s a bigger lesson to be learned here, it is the utter unpredictability of politics, and the foolishness of making long-term predictions.
An observer suggesting in 1996 that a Republican Senate candidate would win a seat in the state by double digits within the next two decades would have received the sort of incredulous stare normally reserved for those who claim to have been abducted by UFOs. Yet we see these sorts of long-term predictions made confidently by both sides, on a routine basis.
If there’s any meaning to the 2014 West Virginia Senate contest, it is that we should proceed with the utmost humility when trying to predict the future."
Thursday, October 30, 2014
"Marine who guarded Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons site reveals there was one called 'dragon's egg'"
On the Daily Mail's website, Ted Thornhill and Mia De Graff recently posted about it:
"'I have always wondered why it never became big news, as well as other incidents. I never doubted the existence of chemical and biological weapons in Iraq.'
One Marine, he said, 'picked [a shell] up and could literally hear the liquid sloshing around inside of it.'
The enter site was bombed by the US during the 1991 Gulf War, but the munitions there were only partially destroyed, according to the UN - then left to Iraq to take care of.
However, Iraqi officials wrote to the United Nations this summer claiming that abandoned weapons containing Sarin are still in the ruins of the Muthanna State Establishment, which made chemical weapons in the 1980s and early 1990s. This is now in the hands of the violent jihadists."
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
"The highly sophisticated hacking of Sharyl Attkisson's computers"
For me, here in America, it doesn't get any worse than this.
Of course, you can decide for yourself...
Of course, you can decide for yourself...
Howard Kurtz writes about what I would call an out of control government and/or agents thereof. It's not pretty:
"Big Mac told Attkisson, then a CBS News reporter constantly at odds with the Obama administration, that he was 'shocked' and 'flabbergasted' by his examination of her computer and that this was 'worse than anything Nixon ever did.'
Attkisson’s forthcoming book--“Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction and Intimidation in Obama’s Washington”—reads in part like a spy thriller. Just when you think Attkisson’s imagination might be running away with her comes wave after wave of evidence that both her CBS computer and personal iMac were repeatedly hacked and its files accessed, including one on Benghazi. A consultant hired by CBS reached the same conclusion. Further scrutiny of her personal desktop proves that 'the interlopers were able to co-opt my iMac and operate it remotely, as if they were sitting in front of it.' And an inspection revealed that an extra fiber-optics line had been installed in Attkisson’s home without her knowledge.
This is chilling stuff.
There is the strong implication that an administration that spied on the Associated Press and Fox News correspondent James Rosen might have been involved."
"'Baa Baa Black Sheep' deemed sexist, racist for using word 'black'"
On the Examiner.com website, Joe Newby has the story behind this:
"It seems that for a growing number of leftists, literally everything is racist. On Friday, the Daily Caller reported that child care centers in a Melbourne, Australia, suburb, are changing the lyrics of the centuries-old children's song 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' because the word 'black' has racist connotations. Additionally, one line is said to be sexist."
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
A Time for Choosing - Ashley Pratte
On the Townhall.com website, Ashley Pratte did remember and wrote about it:
"One of his most famous lines from the speech was, 'No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. So, government’s programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.' There have never been truer words spoken. If our government was overreaching and overspending a half-century ago, just think about what Reagan would say today about the state of our union and her leaders today."
Michael Brown and Race Hoaxes | RealClearPolitics
Those of us that have been around the block have seen this scenario before.
This writer is absolutely right when saying the news media went into delirium.
The race baiters are the real instigators, and the media is guilty of fanning the fire on all levels.
Oh, and then, there's the disgusting role of some elected officials...
This writer is absolutely right when saying the news media went into delirium.
The race baiters are the real instigators, and the media is guilty of fanning the fire on all levels.
Oh, and then, there's the disgusting role of some elected officials...
At RealClearPolitics.com, Mona Charen points out the facts on it and offers her opinion:
"Now, as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Washington Post are reporting, more evidence is emerging that supports the officer's account. The autopsy (first released in September) shows that Brown was not shot in the back. He was hit in the chest, arm and forehead. The entry wounds show that his hands were not raised when he was hit, and blood-spatter evidence suggests he was advancing on Officer Darren Wilson. A wound on Brown's hand contained gunpowder residue, supporting Wilson's claim that Brown went for his gun while Wilson was seated in the car. There is forensic evidence showing that the gun did, as Wilson testified, go off in the car. Seven or eight African-American eyewitnesses, reports the Post, support Wilson's account of what happened that afternoon but have remained out of the public eye for their own safety. Brown was found to have enough THC in his body to trigger hallucinations."
Monday, October 27, 2014
White House pool reporters test own news distribution system - Washington Post
With "help" from the White House, we can only wonder what really goes on...
In a recent Washington Post article, Paul Farhi writes about this issue:
"Pool reports — those summaries of the president’s public appearances that go to the news media at large and are used in countless news stories — are filed by a rotating group of journalists whose work is intended to be free of content changes by the White House. The pool journalists, however, must submit their reports to the White House press office, which distributes them via e-mail to hundreds of news organizations and others. The White House maintains the list of recipients.
Reporters have complained that the Obama White House exploits its role as distributor to demand changes in pool reports and that the press office has delayed or refused to distribute some reports until they are amended to officials’ satisfaction."
"Charts and maps of America’s Amazing Shale Oil Revolution; and the new ‘Big Three’..."
Considering world events, this is a big deal.
Oh, and have you noticed the price of gas?...
Oh, and have you noticed the price of gas?...
PRE-LINK TEXT Mark J. Perry has the story and information at AEI-Ideas.com:
"The chart above displays rig count data from Baker-Hughes and shows the increased share of horizontal drilling that was largely responsible for the dramatic increases in US shale oil production that started around 2008. From less than a 10% share a decade ago, horizontal drilling now accounts for more than two-thirds of US oil rigs today.
Without the 'technological marvel' of horizontal drilling, we would have never seen the dramatic increases in US oil production over the last six years, and the chart above helps to explain why the shale oil boom started in about 2008 – that’s when horizontal drilling started revolutionizing US oil production."
Sunday, October 26, 2014
2014-10-26 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, October 25, 2014
For Germany, It's Coal, Coal, Coal | RealClearEnergy
The editors at Real Clear Energy recently reported this and more:
"For all the talk about wind and solar, Germany's Energiewende is producing one big result - a return to coal. For an entire week last December, Germany's 23,000 windmills stood perfectly still. Solar didn't produce much power, either. Gas is still too expensive and so, unless the Germans are planning to do without power for weeks at a time, they need something to replace their nuclear reactors. That is coal."
"Report: Ford Mustang EcoBoost fakes some engine noise"
Now we have this.
I wonder if there could be a programmed "thumping" noise to get you to a mechanic...
At DailyDigestNews.com, Michael Green begins his article with this:
"When Road & Track’s Jason Cammisa busted a fuse during a recent drive of the 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost, he discovered something odd. Both the engine and the stereo went silent inside the car. It appears that the vaunted Ford Mustang – 'the original pony car,' according to Jalopnik – has succumbed to piping in enhanced engine noise through the speakers."
Friday, October 24, 2014
We're not getting the federal government we deserve - LA Times
This writer's points are more than well taken.
Government has become unresponsive to the citizens and taxpayers...
Government has become unresponsive to the citizens and taxpayers...
Doyle McManus writes about this in a recent L.A. Times article:
"The Secret Service can't protect the White House. Public health authorities can't get their arms around a one-man Ebola outbreak. The army we trained in Iraq collapsed as soon as it was attacked by Islamic extremists, and our own veterans can't get the care they need at VA hospitals. And, lest we forget, it was only a year ago that the White House rolled out its national health insurance program, only to see its website grind to a halt. Yes, you can argue that these problems all have different causes. But it's hard not to conclude that something basic is amiss in Washington."
Thursday, October 23, 2014
‘Calibration error’ changes GOP votes to Dem in Illinois county | Fox News
Really?
Well, I have a bridge to sell you if you believe this "error"...
Well, I have a bridge to sell you if you believe this "error"...
I found this story on the Fox News website:
"The conservative website Illinois Review reported that “While using a touch screen voting machine in Schaumburg, Moynihan voted for several races on the ballot, only to find that whenever he voted for a Republican candidate, the machine registered the vote for a Democrat in the same race."
James O’Keefe Strikes Again | National Review Online
Based on some recent really close elections and recounts, I question one party's lack of concern about voter fraud.
Interestingly, members of that party are in the majority of voter fraud convictions and hidden video exposes' as shown here...
John Fund writes about it on the National Review's website:
"James O’Keefe, the guerilla filmmaker who brought down the ACORN voter-registration fraudsters in 2010 and forced the resignation of NPR executives, politely disagrees. Today, he is releasing some new undercover footage that raises disturbing questions about ballot integrity in Colorado, the site of fiercely contested races for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, and the governorship. When he raised the issue of filling out some of the unused ballots that are mailed to every household in the state this month, he was told by Meredith Hicks, the director of Work for Progress, a liberal group funded by Democratic Super PACS.: 'That is not even like lying or something, if someone throws out a ballot, like if you want to fill it out you should do it.'"
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
"Leaked DHS Document: 167,000 Convicted Criminal Aliens At Large In US"
See what you think of this...
In her posting at Breitbart.com, Caroline May includes this startling information:
"-The number of aliens who have received a final order of removal, but who are still in the United States, has risen to nearly 900,000. Nearly 167,000 of these are convicted criminals who were released by ICE and are currently at large."
"Hagan Firm Keeps Stimulus Project Savings, Sends None to Taxpayers"
I don't think it's a secret that elected officials seem to get richer beyond their salaries.
This is how it's done...
This is how it's done...
Don Carrington has the story on this one at Carolina Journal Online:
"REIDSVILLE — JDC Manufacturing, a company co-owned by Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan’s husband Charles “Chip” Hagan, lowered the total cost of a 2010 stimulus-funded energy project but kept all of the savings, sending none back to taxpayers who had funded the stimulus grant.
The company’s original application stated the total project would cost $438,627, and said JDC would contribute “leveraged funds” amounting to $187,983, or 43 percent of the total. As the project reached completion, however, JDC revised the total budget downward by $114,519 and applied all the savings to its share, keeping all the taxpayer funding.
Also, JDC’s decision to hire Solardyne/Green State Power, a separate company co-owned by Chip Hagan and the Hagans’ son Tilden, to install a portion of the stimulus-funded energy project at the JDC building appears to violate a conflict-of-interest provision that was included as part of the original application for the stimulus grant."
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
"Ted Cruz Schools Candy Crowley on Travel Ban From Hot Zone Ebola Countries"
Senator Ted Cruz doesn't get much favorable commentary from the liberal media. On the other hand, he baffles them with logic when they invite him on their shows...
At NewsBusters.org, P.J. Gladnick takes the time to tell us about this time:
"Candy Crowley should always be prepared to be schooled on her liberal assumptions whenever Senator Ted Cruz is a guest on her State of the Union show as happened today when Crowley parroted the administration line that a travel ban from the Ebola Hot Zone nations of West Africa was both unnecessary as well as harmful. Watch how well Cruz set Crowley's mind on the path to learning that a ban on such travel, not liberal shibboleth talking points, is what is needed to halt the spread of that disease into this country. Cruz follows up with a tasty after dinner mint in the form of a bonus zinger where he entertainingly slam dunks Crowley."
"Surprise: ‘Disarmed’ Assad regime has been hiding chemical weapons facilities"
At HotAir.com, Guy Benson tells us:
"And now, your inevitable grim punchline: Syria has four chemical weapons facilities that it did not previously disclose to the United Nations, a Western diplomat told CNN on Tuesday. The diplomat said Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. special envoy overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical stockpiles, briefed the U.N. Security Council. Three of the sites are research and development facilities and one is a production facility, according to the source."
Monday, October 20, 2014
"Social media is now influencing credit scores in the UK"
Times have changed, and we all should be aware of it...
Tommy Wyher has the story on theEpochTimes website. He begins:
"It might be time to whittle down your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. Not just because they continually post “news” articles from The Daily Mash or because they upload twelve pictures of their newborn baby every day, but because they could be negatively affecting your credit scores and credit worthiness. In a society where online data is abundant and easy to obtain, creditors are starting to use this information to their advantage."
Re: NY Times Partially Vindicates Bush on WMD � Commentary Magazine
WMD's must be current and of a certain type in order to be concerned about?
Not to mention, I'm NOT a believer in anything involving the United Nations...
Abe Greenwald has the latest on that never ending story and more:
"A recent New York Times article reported that the United States found roughly 5,000 old but dangerous chemical weapons in Iraq. The author, C.J. Chivers, claims the Bush administration covered up these discoveries because the old weapons ran counter to administration claims about active Iraqi WMD programs. As I noted a couple days ago, the Bush administration had always maintained that Saddam Hussein’s old undeclared chemical weapons were part of the threat that needed addressing. On that point, the Times has proved Bush correct. But here’s who it proved wrong: the UN."
Sunday, October 19, 2014
2014-10-19 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Saturday Reading - "Science Left Behind 2014: The Anti-Vaccination Update"
This article requires some thought in that the term "progressive" is not commonly understood.
It is different from "liberal" and/or "Democrat" as the writer explains...
It is different from "liberal" and/or "Democrat" as the writer explains...
On the Science20.com website, Hank Campbell explains:
"Thus, the problem is progressives, just as I said. If you hear or read someone who claims to be liberal but is primarily interested in bans, government rules and social authoritarian control, that is a progressive. They are as distinct from liberals as the Moral Majority on the right is distinct from fiscal conservatives. Progressive thinking corresponds to anti-vaccination and even anti-GMO beliefs, which is why Washington state, Oregon and California are so prominent in the denial movement and New York State is less so. Anti-science progressives used to get a free pass from fellow Democrats but fortunately for everyone those days are gone. Even the President would not be exempt. In 2008, Senator Obama said he thought vaccines might cause autism. He wouldn't be able to say something so silly today, liberals in science have shown they are willing to turn on people who spout dangerous nonsense, even if they vote the same way."
Friday, October 17, 2014
"Student’s photo of skimpy Michelle O school lunch sparks outrage"
Kyle Olson has the story on his EAGnews.org website:
"CHICKASHA, Okla. – Lunch meat, a couple of crackers, a slice of cheese and two pieces of cauliflower qualified as lunch in Chickasha Public Schools Monday.
Student Kaytlin Shelton took a photo of the skimpy lunch and showed it to her parents.
'It makes me want to take that and take it to the Superintendent and tell him to eat it for lunch,' the girl tells Fox 25.
'I can go pay a dollar for a Lunchable and get more food in it,' her father, Vince Holton, says."
"O'Keefe video: Gay rights leader says Mark Pryor supports gay marriage"
Somehow, even though we know politicians lie, a video showing it is disconcerting.
It's really sad what candidates will do or say to get elected...
It's really sad what candidates will do or say to get elected...
In this U.K. Daily Mail sory by David Martosko we see one more of those cases:
"Pryor spokesman Michael Teague told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last year that the senator had a 'moral belief that marriage is between a man and a woman,' and believed that homosexuality is a choice and not an inborn trait of biology.
Those positions are now ripe for speculation in the light of Wednesday's video exposé. Bibb, the Democratic activist, confirmed in a follow-up phone call what Pryor had said privately.
Project Veritas Action founder James O'Keefe told MailOnline that in Arkansas, 'key workers, donors, supporters and elected officials have an expectation that their Democratic Senate candidates are lying in order to gain votes and it doesn't bother them one bit.'
'We are talking about a casual disregard for the truth from the grassroots all the way to the top.'"
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Obamacare: Nothing Short of a Disaster | The National Interest
Obamacare's shortcomings have been replaced in the news by other negative events.
That doesn't change the bad things that occurred and bad things that are coming...
That doesn't change the bad things that occurred and bad things that are coming...
On the National Interest website, Robert E. Moffit reports on it:
"For starters, everyone now knows that federal officials are challenged when it comes to setting up a website. But they’ve demonstrated the ability to dole out a huge amount of taxpayers’ money for millions of people signing up for Medicaid, a welfare program. And they’ve proved they can send hundreds of millions of federal taxpayers’ dollars to their bureaucratic counterparts in states, like Maryland and Oregon, that can’t manage their own exchanges. But there are many other lessons to be gleaned from Year One of Obamacare. Here are three of the most important ones."
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
"Liberal Group's Ad Blames Congressional GOP for Ebola"
This seems to qualify as a "Say anything to get elected" fib.
It would seem that incorrect political ads should NOT be allowed to be shown.
I guess that's wishful thinking...
It would seem that incorrect political ads should NOT be allowed to be shown.
I guess that's wishful thinking...
At National Review Online, Jim Geraghty called attention to these facts that disprove the ad in question:
"The NIH budget has doubled since 2000, allocations to the U.S. National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases rose to $4.3 billion in 2004 from $1.8 billion in 2000, and as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal notes:"
"CDC: Gay Men Represent 2 Percent Of US Population, 52 Percent Of People With HIV"
The CBSlocal website in Atlanta posted the story behind this:
"Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) make up 2 percent of the U.S. population but are the group most definitively affected by HIV, with 63 percent of those newly infected by HIV representing this group. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly 'Morbidity and Mortality' report shows that among persons newly infected with HIV in 2010, 63 percent were men who have sex with other men. Among Americans living with HIV, 52 percent were MSM – and a significant number of men with HIV are not receiving treatment."
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
"Hysteria watch: The truth about China's economy"
At FoxNews.com, Elizabeth MacDonald brings her extensive business knowledge to bear:
"However, China is not now nor will it become the world’s largest economy in the next decade, despite the hyperventilation.
This short-sighted and incomplete analysis is based on one data point that recasts GDP based on consumer purchasing power, adjusted for local prices and wages. The 'cost of living' narrative says that, because China has more consumers than anywhere else, and because the wages of its workers are growing, just those facts alone will push the Middle Kingdom to the number one ranking.
But the analysis overlooks the serious weaknesses in the Middle Kingdom’s economy, based on a number of statistics released by China, the U.S., and the IMF itself, which shows China is still significantly smaller and less wealthy than the U.S. China does not have the soft economic power in the form of influential brands, nor the wealth that the U.S. has.
Even the IMF does not forecast China overtaking the U.S. later this decade. Currently, U.S. GDP is $16.8 trillion, while China’s is about $9.2 trillion, despite the fact China’s population is more than four times bigger at 1.36 billion."
"Politico Mag Implies George Wallace Was GOP, Blames Country's Divisions Entirely on Whites' Resistance to Civil Rights"
That often involves MISrepresenting things as seems to be the case here.
George Wallace was NOT a Republican!...
At NewsBusters.org, Tom Blumer recently called attention to this:
"A number of center-right and New Media outlets have noted Politico Magazine's disingenuousness in the opening photograph in its 'Race and the Modern GOP' article.
At the item's top is the iconic 'Stand in the Schoolhouse Door' photo showing onetime segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace 'try(ing) to block the entry of two black students' into the University of Alabama. The aforementioned article title appears beneath the words 'History Dept.' The magazine is clearly trying to lead anyone not old enough to remember or anyone unfamiliar with U.S. history to believe that Wallace, who ran for president as a Democrat in 1964 and 1976 and as an Independent in 1968 and 1972, was a Republican."
Monday, October 13, 2014
"Seattle OKs $1 fine for adding too much food to garbage bins"
I fully understand that this is well intended; however, I cannot agree trying to legislate issues like this is the right way to accomplish that intent...
In the Seattle Times, Daniel Beekman reports the details on this:
"Under the new rules, collectors can take a cursory look each time they dump trash into a garbage truck. If they see compostable items make up 10 percent or more of the trash, they’ll enter the violation into a computer system their trucks already carry, and will leave a ticket on the garbage bin that says to expect a $1 fine on the next garbage bill."
"Big Brother's Right to Censorship and Erase History"
I'm thinking George Orwell would have big trouble with this concept.
See what you think...
At Townhall.com, Mike Shedlock reports on this new European ruling:
"Let's take a look at disturbing aspects of censorship, in which thousands of references to people have virtually disappeared from the internet following an EU ruling on the 'Right to Be Forgotten' in which individuals have the right to ask search engines to remove links with personal information about them."
Sunday, October 12, 2014
2014-10-12 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, October 11, 2014
In Oregon Green Card Fraud Case, No Fear Of The Law Or 'La Migra' - Investors.com
The article asks "When is the law going to mean something?"
In these times, it certainly is a legitimate question...
In these times, it certainly is a legitimate question...
This is the beginning of an Investors.com editorial:
"The Law: Does immigration law even exist? It's not enough that illegals cross our border with impunity. Now we have Oregon's 'first lady' brazenly admitting to green-card fraud. When is the law going to mean something?
Calculating that Oregonians will excuse any teary-eyed woman, as shown in a recent hit-and-run case involving an illegal who killed two girls and got away with it, the state's so-called 'first lady' Cylvia Hayes, the girlfriend of sitting governor John Kitzhaber, admitted Thursday to having taken $5,000 to marry an Ethiopian teenager on the East Coast to qualify him for a green card — which he got.
Abraham B. Abraham now lives comfortably in the Washington, D.C., suburbs while Hayes profited. Now all she's worried about is how her fraudulent deal might damage her boyfriend's re-election prospects."
Global warming statistical meltdown | Climate Etc.
Regardless of fear factors promoted by global warming advocates, this article tells us it's NOT an emergency situation.
We need more study time to get this right BEFORE making any shortsighted costly and potentially futile investments to fix what we are sure about...
We need more study time to get this right BEFORE making any shortsighted costly and potentially futile investments to fix what we are sure about...
On her website, Dr. Judith Curry offers some climate change commentary:
"Our paper is not an outlier. More than a dozen other observation-based studies have found climate sensitivity values lower than those determined using global climate models, including recent papers published in Environmentrics (2012), Nature Geoscience (2013) and Earth Systems Dynamics (2014). These new climate sensitivity estimates add to the growing evidence that climate models are running 'too hot.' Moreover, the estimates in these empirical studies are being borne out by the much-discussed 'pause' or 'hiatus' in global warming—the period since 1998 during which global average surface temperatures have not significantly increased."
Friday, October 10, 2014
NSA | Data Captured Ordinary Americans | Snowden
And distressingly, it seems we accept it...
At Townhall.com, Bruce Carroll recently described the situation and circumstances:
"After an extraordinary four-month data-crunching investigation of material leaked by Edward Snowden, the Washington Post let off some fireworks this Fourth of July weekend. Their investigation proves that the National Security Agency (NSA) has monitored many more ordinary Americans’ internet usage than non-American foreigners under suspicion of terrorist activities."
Thursday, October 09, 2014
"'Face the Nation' Leaves Out Netanyahu's Criticism of Obama"
I see this as very, very bad.
For the most part, the American media continues to filter out negative commentary about Mr. Obama.
Unfortunately, that means most Americans have no idea about what is really going on...
For the most part, the American media continues to filter out negative commentary about Mr. Obama.
Unfortunately, that means most Americans have no idea about what is really going on...
Ben Shapiro tells about this one on the Truth Revolt blog:
"Anyone watching Sunday's broadcast of Face the Nation on CBS did not hear critical comments about President Obama from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Those were edited out and sequestered to CBS's website, leaving only the positive comments aired."
"Sea ice surrounding Antarctica reaches record levels..."
Without hundreds of years of data, what conclusion can one really make?
Secondly, even when it's NASA, my skeptical side wonders how accurate ice measurements can be...
Secondly, even when it's NASA, my skeptical side wonders how accurate ice measurements can be...
The U.K. Daily Mail has the latest information:
"Sea ice surrounding Antarctica has reached a new record high.
NASA says it now covers more of the southern oceans than it has since scientists began a long-term satellite record to map sea ice extent in the late 1970s.
They say that even though Antarctic sea ice has been increasing, 'the planet as a whole is doing what was expected in terms of warming.'"
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
The New Bureaucratic Brazenness - Peggy Noonan - WSJ
In the Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan offers her opinions on today's bureaucrats. She begins:
"We're all used to a certain amount of doublespeak and bureaucratese in government hearings. That's as old as forever. But in the past year of listening to testimony from government officials, there is something different about the boredom and indifference with which government testifiers skirt, dodge and withhold the truth. They don't seem furtive or defensive; they are not in the least afraid. They speak always with a certain carefulness—they are lawyered up—but they have no evident fear of looking evasive. They really don't care what you think of them. They're running the show and if you don't like it, too bad."
"Poll: Majority of 18-24 Year Olds Believe Every Kid Should Get a Trophy"
Personally, I disagree because this idea cheapens the reward of real accomplishment. For me, learning to deal with failure seems an important part of building character...
On the Breitbart.com website, Tony Lee recently posted this poll result among others:
"The poll found that among 25-34 year olds, 43% believe everyone should get a trophy. In addition, 39% of those aged 35-54 and 29% of seniors want trophies for all."
Tuesday, October 07, 2014
"Judge: IRS Obamacare Rule 'Is Arbitrary, Capricious, and Abuse of Discretion'"
It's not pretty...
On the CNS News website, Craig Bannister reports on the latest ruling as well as some previous ones. He begins:
"In his decision, U.S. District Judge Ronald White concluded Tuesday that the IRS rule altering the Obamacare law and providing billions in subsidies is "arbitrary, capricious and abuse of discretion": 'The court holds that the IRS rule is arbitrary, capricious, and abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law, pursuant to 5 U.S.C.706(2)(A), in excess of summary jurisdiction, authority or limitation, or short of statutory right, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 706(2)(C), or otherwise is an invalidation of the ACA [Affordable Care Act], and is hereby vacated. The court's order of vacatur is stayed, however, pending resolution of any appeal from this order.'"
"Obama Prohibits FBI From Scrutinizing Muslims When Seeking Domestic Terrorists"
Selwyn Duke writes about this at theNewAmerican.com:
"Yet Holder’s new rules may mean that some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists won’t be caught and prosecuted successfully. As McQuillan also wrote, 'The chief danger Steven Emerson sees is that there are three to four hundred ISIS killers in Syria and Iraq with American passports, who can return whenever they want, and the Obama administration is blocking the FBI from monitoring them in mosques.' He went on to tell American Thinker that ISIS already is in the United States, 'and the only reason there has not been a terror attack is that they have not decided to do it yet.'"
"Grimes Staff Caught on Hidden Camera: She’s Lying About Support for Coal Industry"
You're not surprised that politicians lie; are you?...
Lachlan Markay has an incriminating video at FreeBeacon.com:
"Some Grimes supporters captured in the hidden-camera video likewise suggest that Grimes is lying about her support for the industry in order to get elected.
'She has to say that,' remarked Juanita Rodriguez of the Warren County Democratic Party. 'But you know what? Politics is a game. You do what you have to do to get [elected]. … It’s a lying game unfortunately.'
Rodriguez speculated that Grimes does not in fact support the industry to the extent that she has declared publicly."
Monday, October 06, 2014
"Old and In the Way?"
Secondly, I'm sure there are more than few contributions to society made by senior citizens...
On the Townhall.com website, Victor Davis Hanson writes about:
"Normally, no one would care that in a recent Atlantic essay -- 'Why I hope to die at 75'-- 57-year-old Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel argued that living to be 75 years old was long enough for anyone. After 75, Emanuel suggests, 'We are no longer remembered as vibrant and engaged but as feeble, ineffectual, even pathetic'.
But Emanuel is no garden-variety crackpot. Nor is he a wannabe science-fiction writer dreaming of a centrally planned planet of robust youthful humanoids. Unfortunately, he was one of the chief architects of the troubled Affordable Care Act and a key medical advisor to the Obama administration.
The ACA's conservative critics have long knocked Obamacare as a first step toward medical rationing. Read Emanuel's diatribe against living too long, and suddenly Sarah Palin's attack on Obamacare's 'death panels' does not seem so far-fetched."
"Cancer Screening in Seniors Yields Few Benefits"
On the MedPageToday website, Charles Bankhead recently wrote about this:
"'A substantial proportion of the U.S. population with limited life expectancy received prostate, breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening that is unlikely to provide net benefit,' Ronald C. Chen, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues concluded in an article published online in JAMA Internal Medicine."
Sunday, October 05, 2014
2014-10-05 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, October 04, 2014
Liberal doves run as war hawks - James Hohmann - POLITICO.com
On the Politico website, James Hohmann writes about the flexible stances on using force overseas:
"QA host of Democratic Senate hopefuls who rode anti-war sentiment into office in the past decade are running for reelection now as hawks, staking out hard-line positions on the latest upheaval in the Middle East."
"Why Isn't The Media Outraged About The Kansas City Chiefs?"
It is interesting how similar things get different media coverage...
On theFederalist.com website, Ben Domenech offers some opinion on this:
"Last night on Monday Night Football, the ESPN crew couldn’t stop praising the loud, engaged home crowd at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. They opened the game with a ceremony where running back Christian Okoye, 'The Nigerian Nightmare', pounded on a giant drum as tens of thousands of Chiefs fans cheered on. The crowd, many of whom wore feathers and American Indian-themed garb, chanted and did the Tomahawk Chop."
Friday, October 03, 2014
"Louisiana VA hospital lacks pajamas and sheets, but spends millions on new furniture, TVs and solar"
The story by Tori Richards appeared at FoxNews.com:
"Veterans at the Shreveport, La., Veterans Affairs hospital have been going without toothbrushes, toothpaste, pajamas, sheets and blankets while department officials spend money on new Canadian-made furniture, televisions to run public service announcements and solar panels, a Watchdog investigation has revealed."
Thursday, October 02, 2014
Generation Wuss - by Bret Easton Ellis | Vanity Fair
In a lengthy Vanity Fair article, Bret Easton Ellis offers this and a lot more:
"I have been living with someone from the Millennial generation for the last four years (he’s now 27) and sometimes I’m charmed and sometimes I’m exasperated by how him and his friends—as well as the Millennials I’ve met and interacted with both in person and in social media—deal with the world, and I’ve tweeted about my amusement and frustration under the banner 'Generation Wuss' for a few years now. My huge generalities touch on their over-sensitivity, their insistence that they are right despite the overwhelming proof that suggests they are not, their lack of placing things within context, the overreacting, the passive-aggressive positivity, and, of course, all of this exacerbated by the meds they’ve been fed since childhood by over-protective 'helicopter' parents mapping their every move."
Report: Obama Has Missed over Half His Second-Term Daily Intel Briefings
Mr. Obama DOES NOT attend 58% of his daily intel briefings.
Mr. Obama prefers a written version to be read on his iPad.
So, my curious mind wonders how many of them he actually DOES read?...
On Breitbart.com, Wynton Hall has details on this story:
"A new Government Accountability Institute (GAI) report reveals that President Barack Obama has attended only 42.1% of his daily intelligence briefings (known officially as the Presidential Daily Brief, or PDB) in the 2,079 days of his presidency through September 29, 2014."
Wednesday, October 01, 2014
Swiss reject switch from private to state health insurance - Yahoo News
This "AFP" story by Joathan Fowler appeared on the Yahoo! News website:
"Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a plan for a seismic shift from the country's all-private health insurance system to a state-run scheme. Referendum results showed that almost 62 percent of voters had shot down a reform pushed by left-leaning parties which say the current private system is busting the budgets of ordinary residents. The results also underlined the national divisions over the hotly-contested issue as the country's German-speaking regions voted against the plan, while their French-speaking counterparts were in favour."
"China's Self-Created Demographic Disaster Is Coming"
We are deluged with the idea that we should be worried about China.
Then, there's this...
Then, there's this...
On the National Interest blog, Olivia Enos presents what I would call a "thinking person's" view:
"Since implementation in 1979, the one-child policy has reduced China’s population by an estimated 400 million people. In addition to creating a gender imbalance, numerically favoring men over women, the policy also skewed the age demographic.
Economists estimate that China’s elderly population will increase 60 percent by 2020, even as the working-age population decreases by nearly 35 percent. This type of demographic shift is unprecedented and presents serious challenges to the economic health of the nation. Studies suggest that as a direct result of the one-child policy, China’s annual projected GDP growth rate will likely to decline from 7.2 percent in 2013 to around 6.1 percent by 2020.
