Steve's Serendipities

"High-speed rail, the third-fastest way to Chicago!"

2012-01-28T06:01:00.001-05:00

High-Speed Rail has such a favorable sound to it.
Unfortunately, actual facts seem to question it's feasabilty...

At TwinCities.com, Joe Soucheray has a really informative article as to how it actually works out:

"E.R. Companion, of Eagan, writing to the editor in Sunday's Pioneer Press, wondered why our elected officials would commit to spending billions of dollars for a so-called high-speed rail line from the Twin Cities to Chicago. (Well, because they're nuts.) Companion was referring to a story that appeared Jan. 12 featuring the idea that the Minnesota Department of Transportation has begun studying environmental impacts along the 400-mile route, which would take passengers to Chicago, through Milwaukee, in an advertised five hours and 30 minutes.

Companion wondered what was high-speed about that, and I could not agree more with his sentiment. Or maybe her sentiment.

That advertised time doesn't take into account the before and after times, the hassle clock, which Companion expertly detailed."

FACT CHECK: Obama pushes plans that flopped before

2012-01-27T06:02:00.002-05:00

The annual State of the Union Address gets a lot of attention.
This year is no different...

At MyWay.com, the Associated Press' Calvin Woodward provides fact checking of the State of the Union Address:

"A look at Obama's rhetoric Tuesday night and how it fits with the facts and political circumstances:"

Meanwhile - At the Moraga Orinda Fire District

2012-01-27T06:01:00.002-05:00

I bet this is common among many communities.
Significant debt hidden in obscurity within financial reports.
Fortunately, in this community, their news people are doing their job by watching, and reporting what they see...

At ContraCostaTimes.com, Daniel Borenstein reported on this:

"I suspect that one revelation in our editorial moved the community more than any other: The 15-year-old district already has run up $68 million in debt just for unfunded pension and retiree health care liabilities, or an average of $1,600 for each district resident. It's equal to the cost of running the district for nearly four years.

Many public agencies face similar obligations, and they don't disclose them in an easily accessible way. If public officials want to regain trust from voters and taxpayers, they need to begin by revealing all their obligations.

Indeed, the fire district's $68 million debt doesn't even appear in its financial statement. It must be cobbled together from
numbers buried in notes in the back:"

Jon Voight calls out Barack Obama

2012-01-26T06:03:00.000-05:00

Actor Jon Voight is worried about America...

"How Many Pipelines are There?"

2012-01-26T06:02:00.001-05:00

And these are only the big ones...

Pipeline101.com includes this in their posting about existing pipelines in the United States:

"Trunk lines include a few very large lines, such as the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, which is 48 inches in diameter. The larger cross-country crude oil transmission pipelines bring crude oil from producing areas to refineries. There are approximately 55,000 miles of crude oil trunk lines in the U.S."

"Destroying America by Denying Access to Energy"

2012-01-26T06:01:00.001-05:00

My sentiments, exactly.
I believe the current administration is purposely driving the price of fossil fuel energy higher in order to make it as expensive as alternative energy.
It's a "lose lose" for Americans because energy prices will be higher regardless of the source...

Alan Caruba writes about it at RightSideNews.com:

"It is common sense that a nation that cannot produce sufficient electricity to turn on its lights and power its manufacturing sector will be destroyed if current Obama administration regulations and actions continue. Our vital transportation sector and all others that utilize petroleum-based products will suffer, too.

While President Obama babbles about millionaires and billionaires, everyone will be impoverished by the loss of jobs and revenue our energy sector produces now and can produce in the future."

"Newt's Third Law"

2012-01-25T06:03:00.002-05:00

The Nazi regime clearly understood the power of the media.
Unfortunately, a reluctance to learn from history may be the cause of Americans not recognizing what seems to have been going on for the past half-century...

AtAmericanThinker.com, Clarice Feldman includes this in a recent article:

"If you are old enough to remember -- or well read enough to have learned -- the American press pictured Adlai Stevenson as a brilliant man and Dwight Eisenhower, the head of the European Theater of Command, an historic and monumental achievement, as a bumbling idiot. It was only well after the election that we learned that Stevenson had flunked out of his first year at Harvard Law School and the school's Dean had locked those records of that fact away. This press generated dichotomy -- of Democrats smart, Republicans stupid -- continues to this day. "

"In ‘Right to Work’ Battle, Narrative Trumps Fact on NPR"

2012-01-25T06:02:00.001-05:00

Taxpayer funded National Public Radio (NPR) is far from the agenda neutral it is depicted to be.
Their polished presentations are deceptively biased.
If they are your only source, you are NOT getting ther whole story about anything...

At PJmedia.com, Ray Hartwell writes about his recent exposure to NPR:

"NPR could have contrasted “right-to-work” states with “forced unionism” states, as proponents of the former might put it. But that contrast was not presented; rather, the premise of the NPR narrative — that workers always benefit from union membership — is not questioned in the stories I sampled. Perhaps it should have been noted that this premise is open to serious question."

Immigration Laws DO Matter

2012-01-25T06:01:00.001-05:00

It's time to eliminate the obstacles, so that this can be expanded to be country wide...

At DailyCaller.com, Neil Munro reports some significant statistics:

"December’s unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent, down from 8.7 percent in November and 9.8 percent in September.

'In the last three months alone, we’ve seen an unprecedented drop of 1.7 percentage points,' noted Alabama Republican Gov. Robert Bentley in a Jan. 20 statement."

FYI - Callista Gingrich - Biography

2012-01-24T06:03:00.003-05:00

Newt Gingrich and his wife are what they are...

The Internet Movie Database has info on Newt Gingrich's current spouse, beginning with these basics:

"Date of Birth
4 March 1966, Whitehall, Wisconsin, USA

Birth Name
Callista Louise Bisek"

"The Paradox of Merit Pay"

2012-01-24T06:02:00.001-05:00

Here's quite an interesting article.
To me, it seems to present the universe of professional educators a bit like the fox guarding the hen house.
If the study is right, we're not likely to ever see improvement...

Malcolm Unwell elaborates on this story at AmericanThinker.com:

"Andrew G. Briggs, coauthor of the aforementioned study, suggests that one reason why teachers should not be considered underpaid is the relative lack of rigor of education majors compared to other subjects of study and the relatively low SAT scores of education majors. It would be tempting to simply raise teacher pay and anticipate a similar elevation in the qualifications of those who enter the profession, along with raising standards in teacher preparation at the college level. But, as Briggs recently noted in a C-SPAN appearance, in similar policy situations, promises have been made to accompany pay raises with reforms. While the pay raises materialize, he notes, reform often does not.
Briggs is right to be skeptical of promised reforms. Change cannot be effected in teacher preparation because of the deep entrenchment of the educational establishment. Education courses are indeed less rigorous than other fields. They could be made more rigorous, but the current cadre of professors and university education departments would have to be completely overhauled in order to do so."

High-speed rail: A £250m lesson for Britain's rail enthusiasts

2012-01-24T06:01:00.000-05:00

"High speed rail" has a pleasant sound to it.
Unfortunately, at this point in time, it's is not financially feasible in many of the places that are trying to build it.
Once again, elected officials are ignoring facts in their zeal to be a part of this great sounding, money losing enterprise...

Andrew Gilligan writes about this issue in the U.K. Daily Telegraph:

"As the Government prepares to give the go-ahead to its hugely controversial London-Birmingham high speed rail project, its closest equivalent in Europe has had to be saved from bankruptcy with a £250 million government bailout."

"Bankrupt Solyndra Caught Destroying Brand New Parts"

2012-01-23T06:03:00.001-05:00

This is disrespectful of our money...

CBS San Francisco has reported this:

"FREMONT (CBS 5) — After filing for bankruptcy last year, Fremont solar company Solyndra still owes American taxpayers half a billion dollars. But CBS 5 caught them destroying millions of dollars worth of parts.

At Solyndra’s sprawling complex in Fremont, workers in white jumpsuits were unwrapping brand new glass tubes used in solar panels last week. They are the latest, most cutting-edge solar technology, and they are being thrown into dumpsters."

Ga. Judge Orders President to Appear at Hearing - ABC News

2012-01-23T06:02:00.005-05:00

This issue continues to have life.
Of course, I'm sure there are "rules" that prevent a president from having to actually "appear" in court...

In Atlanta, the Associated Press reported this:

"A judge has ordered President Barack Obama to appear in court in Atlanta for a hearing on a complaint that says Obama isn't a natural-born citizen and can't be president."

Government at Work - in Cook County, IL

2012-01-23T06:01:00.000-05:00

Examples of government mismanagement abound.
And would you want to bet as to whether any politicians relatives made money on this?...

Carol Marin and Don Moseley have this story at SunTimes.com:

"Project Shield was supposed to make citizens safer. But in the end, the $45-million Homeland Security program more resembled a disaster, wasting taxpayers’ dollars and failing to make a single citizen more secure.

The failed Cook County initiative was replete with equipment that failed to work, missing records and untrained first responders according to a report by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The report, to be released Monday but obtained by The Sun-Times and NBC5 News, found 'millions of tax dollars may have been wasted.'"

2012-01-22 - Words of Wisdom

2012-01-22T06:01:00.001-05:00

"Illinois’ Unpaid Bill Crisis Just Keeps Getting Worse"

2012-01-21T06:02:00.001-05:00

Illinois is in financial trouble...

CBS Chicago reports this:

"But Illinois State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka says when one factors in other bills, the figure is closer to around $8.5 billion.

Those other outstanding bills include tax refunds, employee health insurance, and bills that have not yet reached her desk.

Topinka says this is extremely disappointing, since a year ago, the state sharply increased income taxes (by 67 percent) and corporate taxes."

Meanwhile - in the U.K. - Managing the border

2012-01-21T06:01:00.001-05:00

Apparently, securing borders is a worldwide issue...

In the Daily Telegraph, Tom Whitehead writes about a current case in the U.K.:

"Lady Justice Hallett demanded to know if serious criminals were allowed to just 'walk in to the country' after hearing the case of Victor Akulic."

Internet War

2012-01-20T06:01:00.003-05:00

Right or wrong, some clearly know more about computers than others.
As "the Hulk" said, "Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry"...

Obviously, "Anonymous" has been made angry and have responded with a show of power:

"We Anonymous are launching our largest attack ever on government and music industry sites. Lulz. The FBI didn't think they would get away with this did they? They should have expected us.

The following sites were taken down in response to the FBI shutting down megaupload.com"

Badly Written Bad Rules - WSJ.com

2012-01-19T06:02:00.000-05:00

It bears repeating that our elected officials are basically bunglers forever trying to gain favor (votes) by enacting legislation to "help" us.
Unfortunately, bad rules only create the opportunity to "rescue" us again.
It's a never ending story...

Late last year, the Wall Street Journal opined about the quality of federal regulations:

"The Mercatus Center evaluates all major rules that cost over $100 million a year on a composite score of a dozen regulatory best practices. The Health and Human Services Department's highest-scoring ObamaCare rules came in at 25 out of 60 points, the lowest at 13. These are not merely bad grades. They are relative Fs on the regulatory curve—about 35% to 40% lower than the averages for the other rules that the executive branch put out in 2008 and 2009. The ObamaCare rules score lower than other HHS rules in 2009."

Government at Work - Value Added Taxes (VAT)

2012-01-19T06:01:00.004-05:00

Value Added Taxes are often presented as the cure and/or replacement for existing tax inadequacies.
European countries have moved substantially in that direction.
It's difficult to know for sure without personal experience; however, a review of their rates and rate increases does NOT inspire confidence...

The TMF Group keeps track of VAT rates:

"Below is an overview of the European VAT rates in 2012."

Explanations of VAT and it's terms and conditions...

are here at the U.K Revenue and Customs website:

"VAT rates explained: standard, reduced, zero, exempt"

Batteries and Alternative Energy

2012-01-18T06:03:00.001-05:00

As a sometime critic of alternative energy's viability, I see this as moving in the right direction.
Unfortunately, the Chinese appear to have a big head start...

James Burgess writes about it at OilPrice.com:

"However a major problem with renewable energy sources is that they can rarely provide consistent power levels, due to a myriad of factors outside of human control.

Eric Wesoff, an industry analyst with Greentech Media, explains that, 'A wind farm only works when the blades are spinning. It might have a nameplate capacity of 100 megawatts, but it never puts out that much. Sometimes it’s 70; sometimes it’s nothing. To a grid operator, that kind of resource is a headache rather than an aspirin.' To overcome these fluctuations energy storage systems can be used to store excess power at peak generating times and release it when needed to provide a more constant level. “So now that 100-MW wind farm can say, ‘We’re a 40-MW, steady-state, 24/7 energy source’—more like a coal plant. That’s more valuable to society.'"

"Taxpayers' Leaf: Four Recharging Stops Needed to Go 180 Miles"

2012-01-18T06:01:00.003-05:00

I'm going to fault the media on this issue.
It should be publicized that, (at this time) electric cars have serious shortcomings when compared to the hype.
Additionally, taxpayers are footing a large bill to make them "seem" OK...

At NLPC.org, Paul Chesser wrote an article to inform us:

"Now comes what must be the definitive example of the Leaf’s impracticality – this time from a (still) hard-core advocate, whose 180-mile Tennessee trek to visit family over the holidays required four lengthy stops to keep the vehicle moving.

Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, set out from Knoxville on Monday with his wife and son, headed for the Nashville area. His plan (appropriately) was to follow Interstate 40 West, where a series of Cracker Barrel restaurants – equipped with so-called 'fast' vehicle chargers (if you want to call 30 minutes or more 'fast') along the route – would provide an electricity security blanket as the Leaf’s charge diminished."

Xtra homosexual magazine says “we will teach your kids new norms”

2012-01-18T06:01:00.001-05:00

Our society has created a voting age, a drinking age, a driving age, and other barriers to allow children to mature before having to deal with "adult" decisions and their consequences.
I'm not for censorship; however, children should NOT be subjected to this stuff...

I found this at LifeSireNews.com:

"It may have gone relatively unnoticed, but this boast by a homosexual spokesman encapsulates what so many of those who claim to stand for traditional morality fail to acknowledge: Pro-homosexuality activists are not poor, down-trodden members of a minority who simply want to live their own lives as they choose. They are seeking to change the hearts and minds of our children and our grandchildren. They are seeking to establish 'new norms' for our society."

Can you believe this?

2012-01-17T06:04:00.001-05:00

The combination of this being Chinese, my natural skepticism, and awareness that videos can be manipulated, make this quite interesting...

Meanwhile - in California - Sports & Gender

2012-01-17T06:03:00.002-05:00

Some things are pretty hard to believe.
I'm offering this as a prime example...

CBS Los Angeles recently reported on this issue:

"Under the proposal, a boy who claims a female 'gender identity', for example, would have the right to try out for a girls sports team.

In addition, the bill would also require opposite-sex access to 'sex-segregated facilities' that could possible include locker rooms."

Court: Obama must be ‘constitutionally’ eligible

2012-01-17T06:02:00.001-05:00

Obama's eligibilty issue and birth certificate authenticity continue to simmer in various court venues...

Bob Unruh follows the issue at WND.com. Here's a part of his recent posting:

"For the first time in dozens of court cases challenging Barack Obama’s eligibility to be president, a judge has ruled that Obama must, in order to be a candidate on the Georgia ballot for president in 2012, meet the constitutional demands for candidates for the office.

A hearing has been scheduled later this month for evidence on the issue that has plagued Obama and his presidency since long before he took office."

The Media - The New York Times

2012-01-17T06:01:00.001-05:00

The New York Times is under duress.
Their biased agenda, as in articles like this, justs shows right through.
If they continue, their reputation will continue to get worse...

At Reason.com, Jacub Sullum uses facts and statistics to dispute their story:

"A front-page story in today's New York Times tries to stir up alarm about liberalized carry permit laws, which let people carry concealed handguns if they meet a short list of objective criteria. To illustrate the hazards of that policy, the Times cites crimes committed by permit holders in North Carolina."

"The Travesty of the Missing Heat — deep ocean or outer space?"

2012-01-16T06:02:00.000-05:00

When I read articles like this, it makes me wonder why there's no apparent effort to pick them apart.
Could it be it's not happening because they are right?...

Joanne Nova begins her blog posting with these reasonable paragraphs:

"If there is one topic that trumps all others in climate science, it’s ocean heat.

If there is a planetary imbalance in energy, and Earth is acquiring more heat than it’s losing, we ought to be able to find that heat. Energy can not be created nor destroyed. It has to be somewhere.

On this Water-Planet, virtually every scientist agrees that the vast bulk of the extra energy ought be stored in the water. The oceans cover 70% of the surface, and are 4km deep; water has a high heat capacity (meaning it can store a lot of energy), and, because water flows quickly (unlike rock), turbulence and mixing can take that heat energy away from the surface.

Every skeptic (and taxpayer) ought to know that since 2003 (when we started measuring oceans properly) the oceans have been cooling: Douglass and Knox 2010."

Meanwhile - in Canada - The economy hums

2012-01-16T06:01:00.002-05:00

If my neighbor had greener grass, I'd sure give a lot of thought about copying everything he does to it...

Investors.com had this in a recent editorial:

"On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that he will slash corporate taxes again on Jan. 1 in the final stage of his Economic Action Plan, dropping the federal business tax burden to just 15%.

Along with fresh tax cuts in provinces such as Alberta, total taxes for businesses in Canada will drop to 25%, one of the lowest in the G7, and below the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development average.

'Creating jobs and growth is our top priority,' said Minister Jim Flaherty. 'Through our government low-tax plan ... we are continuing to send the message that Canada is open for business and the best place to invest.'

It's not just that Canada's conservative government favors makers over takers. Harper's also wildly popular for shrinking government. 'The Harper government has pursued a strategic objective to disembed the federal state from the lives of citizens,' wrote University of Calgary Professor Barry Cooper, in the Calgary Herald."

2012-01-15 - Words of Wisdom

2012-01-15T06:01:00.002-05:00

Meanwhile - in California - Tax wars continue

2012-01-14T06:02:00.002-05:00

California needs money and the governor wants taxes.
There is significant, well-organized opposition...

Torey Van Oot has this Jon Coupal quote in a post at SacBee.com:

""The Legislature does these crazy things. It's a very easy sell to the voters to say, 'They want more money from you, while they're (giving staff raises), while they're doing high-speed rail, while they're doing, quite frankly, the Dream Act,' " he said, adding: "Every day that building gives us another nugget that we take to voters." "

"The harm Obamacare's already inflicting"

2012-01-14T06:01:00.001-05:00

Business people clearly don't like the uncertainty of Obamacare.
That doesn't bode well for the employment picture...

John Stossel reports in New Hampshire's Union Leader:

"President Obama says his health care 'reform' will be good for business.

Business has learned the truth.

Three successful businessmen explained to me how Obamacare is a reason that unemployment stays high. Its length and complexity make businessmen wary of expanding."

"Healthy food effort backfiring"

2012-01-13T06:02:00.001-05:00

How smart would one have to be to have seen this coming?
Even an average kid can figure out if a door is blocked, look for another one.
Duh!...

At OneNewsNow.com, Becky Yeh recently reported this:

"Since school officials decided to introduce healthier foods to the district's menu, students in the Los Angeles Unified School District have actually been eating more junk food. The Los Angeles Times reports that the attempt to encourage healthier alternatives -- such as black bean burgers, vegetarian curries, quinoa and tamales -- over chicken nuggets and corn dogs has been less than successful. Students have begun bringing their own lunches, which often consist of chips and soda."

10 Of The Best Economics Quotes From Milton Friedman

2012-01-13T06:01:00.001-05:00

If I wasn't already, these quotes would make me an instant fan of Milton Friedman...

John Hawkins has them at Townhall.com:

"Milton Friedman was an extraordinary Nobel Prize-winning economist whose ideas helped underpin modern conservative economic theory. His contributions to economics and the conservative movement cannot be underestimated. Sadly, Milton Friedman passed away a little more than five years ago at the ripe old age of 94. Although Friedman is no longer with us, his words, his ideas, and his legacy live on. In honor of Friedman, here are some of his best quotations."

Dead People Receive Ballots in NH Primary

2012-01-12T06:02:00.003-05:00

James O'Keefe uses videos to expose things.
His style may SEEM amusing; however, there's usually no doubt about the point he is making...

"

Government at Work - (Not) Building the Fence

2012-01-12T06:01:00.000-05:00

Once again, an example of why we should be extremely cautious about giving government the power to do almost anything...

I found this story by Edwin Mora at CNSnews.com:

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a division of the Department of Homeland Security, has spent about $9.8 million to store $44 million in steel that it bought but did not use to build fence along the U.S,-Mexico border, according to a report from the DHS Inspector General.

CPB has in storage about 27,000 tons of “extra steel” that could be used to extend the estimated 650 miles of fencing mandated by Congress along the approximately 2,000-mile long southwest border, according to the IG."

More Jobs Again - WSJ.com

2012-01-11T06:04:00.001-05:00

Well, no one should be cheerleading for LESS jobs.
That being said, I think we SHOULD be concerned that the work force is shrinking.
Several years of high school and college graduates (it's no small number) must be going somewhere.
I think it's time to question the government's system of counting...

This Wall Street Journal opinion column discusses the issue:

"As the nearby chart shows, in 2007 when jobs were plentiful the labor force participation rate was 66%. The two percentage point decline is the equivalent of about three million fewer Americans working or looking for work."

"Does Airport Security Really Make Us Safer? "

2012-01-11T06:03:00.000-05:00

My logical nature is what makes this article appealing to me.
I believe much of what we do is driven by the fear factor, and fear disconnects our thinking processes.
When combined with the misconception that we always have to react immediately, we find find ourselves buying into whatever "marketing" and "propaganda" that is pushed at us.
In addition, the very useful investigative reporting profession has become almost non-existent...

Charles C. Mann has quite an interesting article at VanityFair.com. He begins:

"As you stand in endless lines this holiday season, here’s a comforting thought: all those security measures accomplish nothing, at enormous cost. That’s the conclusion of Charles C. Mann, who put the T.S.A. to the test with the help of one of America’s top security experts."

"Shell investing billions in Alaska to chase ‘giant’ offshore opportunity"

2012-01-11T06:02:00.002-05:00

Oil. In America. Isn't that cool?
Let's go Shell!...

Lisa Demer has this in her story about it at CalgaryHerald.com:

"'This is the stuff that most of the world was finding in the 1930s, the 1950s, the 1960s, in places like Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, Nigeria,' Phelps said. 'This one potential resource far outweighs any single field we’ve got in the Americas’ portfolio.'

More than in the Gulf of Mexico, where drilling rigs checker the ocean and Shell led the way into deepwater zones that produce more oil than anyone predicted.

More than in Brazil, where Shell is the second-biggest oil producer after the state energy company.

More than in Canada, where Shell is investing billions to extract thick, sticky crude from tarsands."

Government at Work - and "Signing Statements"

2012-01-11T06:01:00.002-05:00

Historically, everyone looked for "loopholes" in poorly written laws.
These days, elected officials and their legal advisers are becoming more and more clever at finding ways to circumvent what they don't agree with.
Of course, the flaw is that elected officials have passed laws that allow themselves to ignore what they don't like...

Ed Morrissey recently posted about it at HotAir.com:

"It’s not for the first time, either — and not even the first time for a defense authorization bill. Under fire from civil libertarians on his left, Barack Obama will add a signing statement objecting to the McCain-Levin amendment on the jurisdiction of terror suspects captured in or out of the US. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the decision in an interview with the Wall Street Journal"

"Obamaland: American Mules Must Eat Certified Weed-Free Hay"

2012-01-10T06:04:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad I can use links to the articles I read because some are so seemingly outrageous that you might think I'm dreaming them up...

Marita Noonrecently wrote about this one at Townhall.com:

"In Montana’s Finley Basin there are known tungsten deposits. An Australian company wanted to bring revenue and jobs to the state by developing the resource. While the property was successfully drilled and recognized by Union Carbide in the seventies, it is now about 200 yards inside a roadless study area. The Forest Service was willing to offer a conditional drilling permit. Among the conditions were these requirements:

The drill sites must be cleared using hand tools,
The drilling equipment and fuel must be transported to the site by a team of pack mules,
The mules must be fed certified weed-free hay, and
Drill site and trail reclamation must be done using hand tools.

The company gave up.

How can America remain competitive in a global marketplace when we are required to use pick axes and mules? How does this help America’s heavy equipment manufacturers like Caterpillar?

No wonder we are in trouble."

"Good news! Sea levels aren't rising dangerously"

2012-01-10T06:03:00.002-05:00

The advocates of human caused climate change continue with their scare tactics, and the people with opposing views keep firing back with disproving data.
It is clearly not "settled science" as some would have us believe...

James Delingpole writes about it at the U.K.'s Coffee House Spectator Blog:

"This week's Spectator cover star Nils-Axel Mörner brings some good news to a world otherwise mired in misery: sea levels are not rising dangerously – and haven't been for at least 300 years. To many readers this may come as a surprise. After all, are not rising sea levels – caused, we are given to understand, by melting glaciers and shrinking polar ice – one of the main planks of the IPCC's argument that we need to act now to 'combat climate change'?

But where the IPCC's sea level figures are based on computer 'projections', questionable measurements and arbitrary adjustments, Mörner's are based on extensive field observations. His most recent trip to Goa in India last month – just like his previous expeditions to Bangladesh and the Maldives – has only served to confirm his long-held view that reports of the world's imminent inundation have been greatly exaggerated for ends that have more to do with political activism than science"

My Time at Walmart: Why We Need Serious Welfare Reform – The College Conservative

2012-01-10T06:02:00.000-05:00

It nice to see young people get this kind of education.
Unfortunately, far too few of them, and us, ever get to see this first hand...

At theCollegeCpnservative.com, Christine Rousselle weites about her work experiences:

"During the 2010 and 2011 summers, I was a cashier at Wal-Mart #1788 in Scarborough, Maine. I spent hours upon hours toiling away at a register, scanning, bagging, and dealing with questionable clientele. These were all expected parts of the job, and I was okay with it. What I didn’t expect to be part of my job at Wal-Mart was to witness massive amounts of welfare fraud and abuse.

I understand that sometimes, people are destitute. They need help, and they accept help from the state in order to feed their families. This is fine. It happens. I’m not against temporary aid helping those who truly need it. What I saw at Wal-Mart, however, was not temporary aid"

Justia.com surgicall removed “Minor vs Gappersett” from 25 Supreme Court opinions in run up to '08 election

2012-01-10T06:01:00.003-05:00

This conspiracy plot seems to reach everywhere.
There are more than enough artifacts, factoids, examples, questionable documents, and missing information, all of which could support the premises implied.
I still don't know what to make of it...

The NaturalBornCitizen website is just packed with such "stuff", including this:

"In all 25 instances of tampering, the case name 'Minor v. Happersett' was removed from Justia’s publication of each SCOTUS opinion which cited to it. Anyone searching for cases citing Minor at Justia or Google were led into a maze of confusion. In some instances, not only was the case name scrubbed, the numerical citation was also removed along with whole sentences of text."

"17-year-old wins 100k..."

2012-01-09T06:02:00.002-05:00

When young people do bad things it makes the news.
But, there are also those who are exceptional.
You read the media reports on this one, didn't you?...

If not, Matthew Humphries will gladly inform you:

"Her creation is being heralded as a 'Swiss army knife of cancer treatment.' Zhang managed to develop a nanoparticle that can be delivered to the site of a tumor through the drug salinomycin. Once there it kills the cancer stem cells. However, Zhang went further and included both gold and iron-oxide components, which allow for non-invasive imaging of the site through MRI and Photoacoustics"

Vince Lombardi: What It Takes to Be Number One

2012-01-09T06:01:00.002-05:00

Speakers ON.
Obviously, much more than a football coach...

2012-01-08 - Words of Wisdom

2012-01-08T06:01:00.001-05:00

"Why Guard Mideast Oil While Not Building Keystone Pipeline From Canada Tar Sands?"

2012-01-07T06:02:00.001-05:00

"Passing strange".
That's really putting bad policy very nicely...

Investors.com includes this in their recent opinion column:

"The economic impact of the West's being denied, even temporarily, the oil that passes through the Strait of Hormuz would be significant.

We find it more than passing strange that while we ponder an armed conflict to keep this economic lifeline open, we deny ourselves our own secure energy riches and that of our friend and ally to the north, Canada."

"...19 Statistics About The Poor That Will Absolutely Astound You"

2012-01-07T06:01:00.001-05:00

As this article implies, most of us never see real poverty conditions because we just don't frequent those areas.
In addition, I suspect there are those that don't want us to even know that it even exists...

Michael Snyder has this at theEconomicCollapseBlog.com:

"But in 2010, the rate of extreme poverty hit a whopping 6.7 percent. That means that one out of every 15 Americans is now considered to be 'very poor'. For many people, this is all very confusing because their guts are telling them that things are getting worse and yet the mainstream media keeps telling them that everything is just fine. Hopefully this article will help people realize that the plight of the poorest of the poor continues to deteriorate all across the United States. In addition, hopefully this article will inspire many of you to lend a hand to those that are truly in need."

Government at Work - "CAFE Spells RIP for Trucks"

2012-01-06T06:02:00.002-05:00

This sure looks like one of those great ideas that has unintended consequences.
Government is just so helpful (sarcasm)...

Eric Peters makes some interesting points at Spectator.org:

"The just-canceled Ranger managed 23 city, 27 highway -- so, about 25 MPG average. For a truck, that's not bad. But Ford would have had to get another 10 MPG out of Ranger to make the CAFE cut -- and avoid CAFE fines. I suspect Ford dropped the Ranger from its U.S. product portfolio because it realizes that getting a truck (any truck) to achieve 40 on the highway and 30 in city-type driving will probably -- almost certainly -- require:

• A dramatic reduction in weight via the use of composites rather than steel while maintaining the same level of crashworthiness.

• Very high-efficiency turbodiesel engines or other advanced technology, such as a hybrid powertrain.

• Significant reduction in power/capability.

All of which will increase the cost of the vehicle, perhaps to the extent that it is no longer economically viable to manufacturer."

Meanwhile - in Santos, Brazil

2012-01-06T06:01:00.001-05:00

Well, it sure is a different concept.
I'm curious about the pricing. Do top floors cost more?...

Msgr. Charles Pope writes about this on the Archdiocese of Washington website:

"A View to Die For – 32 Story High Rise Cemetery"

"LePage: More Mainers receiving welfare than paying taxes"

2012-01-05T06:02:00.002-05:00

It seems like the argument is that the numbers aren't exactly right when it should be how precarious the state's finances really are...

The A.P.'s Clarke Canfield has this story at BangorDailyNews.com:

"There are more Mainers receiving welfare benefits than there are income tax filers paying taxes, Republican Gov. Paul LePage said Saturday.

But Democrats said LePage’s numbers are deceptive and not entirely truthful.

In reiterating his call for the need to cut human services programs to save money, the governor said in his weekly radio address that Maine had 453,000 people receiving welfare benefits in 2010. At the same, he said, the state had only 445,000 tax filers who paid taxes."

"What the Frack is Going on Here?"

2012-01-05T06:01:00.000-05:00

Here's an article about the highly successful hydraulic fracturing that releases natural gas for our use.
It's from last fall, but it's premise remains valid, and I think it's worthwhile reading...

At Townhall.com, Paul Driessen does a great job of explaining the concept and the benefits (of which there are many):

"Oil companies have been using hydraulic fracturing for 60 years to get the most petroleum possible from grudging rock formations deep beneath the Earth. A few years ago, Mitchell Energy and others combined HF with horizontal drilling to tap into hydrocarbon-rich shale deposits that previously refused to surrender their energy riches. Countless fracking operations later, the results have been spectacular.

Tapping the Marcellus, Bakken, Barnett, Haynesville and other formations has created jobs, generated revenues and rejuvenated moribund industries in many states that have shale deposits or manufacture the fluids, pipes and other equipment used in these operations. US natural gas production and estimated reserves have soared, and wellhead prices have dropped from $11 per thousand cubic feet in 2008 to $4 today. Canada is actively drilling, while Poland and Britain are evaluating early exploration results.

The Fort Worth Chamber says fracking supports 110,000 direct and secondary jobs in the region and added billions in property and sales tax revenues. Loren C. Scott & Associates calculates that shale drilling has added $11 billion to Louisiana’s economy. Pennsylvania’s Labor and Industry Department reports that HF has already generated 72,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in state tax revenues, and could bring another $20 billion by 2020. West Virginia and North Dakota report similar success."

Government at Work - the E.P.A.

2012-01-04T06:03:00.001-05:00

Wow. Something is seriously wrong here.
It sounds so outrageous that you would think there was another shoe to drop.
The fact that it's reached the Supreme Court implies it is just what it is...

Mark Hyman writes about it at PJmedia.com:

"However, construction screeched to a halt upon the order of three agents of the Environmental Protection Agency. The property was a federally protected 'wetlands,' the Sacketts were told, and they were served with a compliance order to immediately restore the property to its prior condition.

In fact, the EPA compliance order went even further. Relying on authority it claimed to have received under the Clean Water Act, EPA officials prescribed a set of conditions that went beyond the prior condition of the property when the Sacketts purchased it.

The Sacketts were ordered to plant “native scrub-shrub, broad-leaved deciduous wetlands plants and [have the property] seeded with native herbaceous plants.” Further, they were ordered to fence the property and monitor plant growth for three years."

Government at Work - Making laws

2012-01-04T06:02:00.000-05:00

40,000 new laws in 2011!
I don't even know where to go with this.
You can decide for yourself.
How about deciding in the voting booth?...

Josh Levs had this beginning of the year story at CNN.com:

"New laws going into effect Sunday cover some of the nation's most contentious issues, from immigration to abortion, while others deal with tanning beds, tuition and where you can sell a pet.

In all, nearly 40,000 laws were enacted in 2011, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Some take effect New Year's Day."

America's New Energy Security - WSJ.com

2012-01-04T06:01:00.001-05:00

I'm taking this as a positive.
I'm "hoping" it gets even better...

Daniel Yergin recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

"U.S. petroleum imports, on a net basis, reached their peak —60%— of domestic consumption in 2005. Since then, they have been going in the other direction. They are now down to 46%."

"US exports millions of chopsticks to China"

2012-01-03T06:02:00.002-05:00

Somehow, this is hard to believe...

Nick Allen recntly reported in the U.K. Daily Telegraph:

"A shortage of chopsticks in China has become so acute that a US company has begun exporting millions of pairs to the country."

The Volt Administration - Mona Charen

2012-01-03T06:01:00.004-05:00

I can understand that we'd like to know if non-fossil fuels are a viable alternative.
I also think than in a serious national security crisis, the military would have a priority and never be without whatever fuel they needed...

Mona Charen reports this and more at Townhall.com:

"It seems that, fresh from its success with Solyndra, the Obama administration is slated to spend $12 million to buy a biofuel/gasoline blend that runs $15 a gallon to power a portion of the Navy's fleet in a demonstration project.

'We are doing this for one simple reason,' explained Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, 'It makes us better war fighters. Our use of fossil fuels is a very real threat to our national security and to the U.S. Navy's ability to protect America and project power overseas.'

Really?"

And then, there's this...

From Investors.com:

"A look at the lucky seller of this environmentalist version of the proverbial $600 Pentagon toilet seat indicates that the move is not just wasteful, but ethically suspect.

As J.E. Dyer noted over the weekend on the Hot Air Green Room, 'a member of Obama's presidential transition team, T. J. Glauthier, is a 'strategic advisor' at Solazyme, the California company that is selling a portion of the biofuel to the Navy. Glauthier worked — shock, shock — on the energy-sector portion of the 2009 stimulus bill.'

Solazyme had already gotten a nearly $22 million chunk of change out of the taxpayers thanks to the 2009 stimulus."

From Science Daily

2012-01-02T06:03:00.002-05:00

Scientists and inventors are always working on "stuff".
Many times it seems far fetched, but sometimes it works out...

ScienceDaily.com reported on this a while back:

"Power from the Air: Device Captures Ambient Electromagnetic Energy to Drive Small Electronic Devices"

"One Year to Go Until Largest Tax Hikes in History"

2012-01-02T06:02:00.004-05:00

Next year, as every year lately, Congress will be talking about many tax increases.
Notice how it will happen AFTER the elections.
No coincidence with that, I'm sure...

At American for Tax Reform, Ryan Ellis says this is just one of them:

"Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which the majority of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:

- The 10% bracket rises to a new and expanded 15%
- The 25% bracket rises to 28%
- The 28% bracket rises to 31%
- The 33% bracket rises to 36%
- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%"

"Microsoft Co-Founder To Build Giant Plane To Launch People, Cargo Into Space"

2012-01-02T06:01:00.004-05:00

Well, kudos to Mr. Paul Allen.
THIS is "the American Way"...

From CBS News - Seattle:

"Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan are building the world’s biggest plane to help launch cargo and astronauts into space, in the latest of several ventures fueled by technology tycoons clamoring to write America’s next chapter in spaceflight.

Their plans, unveiled Tuesday, call for a twin-fuselage aircraft with wings longer than a football field to carry a rocket high into the atmosphere and drop it, avoiding the need for a launch pad and the expense of additional rocket fuel."

And there's more...

Rand Simberg writes about the future implications and possibilities at PJmedia.com:

"But more important is the increase in operational flexibility. A fixed launch pad can’t avoid weather. It is also restricted in launch azimuth (the direction that the launch takes) because of geographical overflight constraints. Moreover, an aerial launch platform can fly to the precise location needed to allow an injection into an orbital plane at just the right place and time to allow a rendezvous and docking with an orbiting object (such as the International Space Station, or a tourist hotel) within a few hours, rather than a day or two, which is typical for a launch from a more constrained pad."

2012-01-01 - New Year's Day

2012-01-01T06:01:00.002-05:00

- Happy New Year! - ...

"Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s ‘Green’ Company Scored $1.4 Billion Taxpayer Bailout"

2011-12-31T06:02:00.001-05:00

Our elected officials have become so arrogant that they do stuff like this almost in broad daylight.
As the book title says: "Throw Them All Out"...

Wynton Hall recently posted this as part of his story at BigGovernment.com:

"The details of how BrightSource managed to land its ten-figure taxpayer bailout have yet to emerge fully. However, one clue might be found in the person of Sanjay Wagle.

Wagle was one of the principals in Kennedy’s firm who raised money for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. When Obama won the White House, Wagle was installed at the Department of Energy (DOE), advising on energy grants.

From an objective vantage point, investing taxpayer monies in BrightSource was a risky proposition at the time. In 2010, BrightSource, whose largest shareholder is Kennedy’s VantagePoint Partners, was up to its eyes in $1.8 billion of debt obligations and had lost $71.6 million on its paltry $13.5 million of revenue."

"Orange Juice: Some Moms Say It Has a 'Secret Ingredient' That Worries Them"

2011-12-31T06:01:00.001-05:00

Year old "fresh" orange juice?...

ABC News has this in some recently reported health news:

"'One of the moms said she had read about [how the juice is made] and they held it in tanks for up to a year and it pretty much lost all of its flavor and had to be reinvigorated with these flavor packs, which are essentially chemicals," said Murakhver, 40, and co-author of "They Eat What?: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Weird and Exotic Food from around the World.'

'For the last 30 years, the citrus industry has used flavor packs to process what the Food and Drug Administration identifies as 'pasteurized' orange juice. That includes top brands such as Tropicana, Minute Maid, Simply Orange and Florida Natural, among others."

"Bankruptcy judge skeptical about Las Vegas Monorail plans"

2011-12-30T06:02:00.002-05:00

When are we going to wake up and only fund projects that can pay for themselves?.
I bet more than one elected official's friends, relatives, and/or campaign contributors got rich on this one...

Steve Green writes about it at VegasInc.com:

"The Las Vegas Monorail was developed at a cost of $650 million — but based on its meager ridership and revenue levels it’s now worth just $16 million to $20 million.

That caused a bankruptcy judge to express skepticism Monday about Las Vegas Monorail Co.’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy in which it would still be encumbered by $44.5 million in debt — more than twice its value as a company.

On top of that, Judge Bruce Markell noted, the monorail’s own financial projections show it facing a deficit of $38.4 million in 2019."

"Stephanie Celandine Gyamfi | Perjury"

2011-12-30T06:01:00.002-05:00

This IS the Department of Justice, so what kind of message does this send.
I don't like anyone losing their job; however, this behavior clearly justifies that type of penalty...

The Daily Caller's Matthew Boyle has the story:

"Throughout the inspector general’s investigation, one individual that Spakovsky said investigators interviewed multiple times was Gyamfi. 'According to numerous sources within the section, Ms. Gyamfi had been asked in two separate interviews whether she was involved in the leaking of confidential and privileged information out of the Voting Section,' Spakovsky wrote. 'Each time, she flatly denied any knowledge as to who was responsible for the leaks. In a third interview, she was once again questioned about her role in the leaks.'

'At first, she adamantly denied involvement,' Spakovsky continued. 'Then, however, she was confronted with e-mail documents rebutting her testimony. At that point, she immediately broke down and confessed that she had lied to the investigators three separate times.'

Gyamfi reportedly said that she lied to protect others within the DOJ."

"... what Walker did in his first budget"

2011-12-29T06:03:00.001-05:00

Apparently, Wisconsin is now far better off than in the past.
Even so, there is a movement underway to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
He is being demonized for his efforts to create a balanced budget.
Can you spell "vindictive"?...

George Lightbourn, of Wisconsin's Free Market Think Tank, spends time explaining the details of the situation, and what really is happening:

"The unexciting truth is that Walker’s budget represented nothing more than a course correction. The two-year budget he signed into law increased state general fund spending by 2.5%, hardly the scorched-earth budget that has been described as “right-wing social engineering.” Local governments will be raising property tax bills by 1.2% the first year and 1.3% the second year. Again, these are relatively modest increases, requiring belt-tightening, to be sure, but they are still increases, not decreases. Many industries have been forced to make major cuts to their budgets and to their workforces. Neither has happened in state government.

There have been no state employees laid off, and under the Walker budget, furloughs are a thing of the past. All state workers retain their defined-benefit pensions, enviable health insurance and generous post-retirement health coverage.

The noisy defenders of the status quo would have us believe that Walker’s budget is the defining moment in the future of Wisconsin. Well, as a state, we can put down the paper bag and stop hyperventilating. This is not the end of life as we know it; it is just a balanced budget"

"Perry Is Right—There Is a Texas Model for Fixing Social Security" - WSJ.com

2011-12-29T06:02:00.001-05:00

So, we live in a country where there is a proven (30 years) solution to the problem of funding retirement.
And our elected officials (read we) are too stupid to even consider it.
What does that say about our intelligence?...

Merrill Matthews wrote about it a while back in the Wall Street Journal. Nothing has changed:

"To highlight the problems facing Social Security, Texas Gov. and Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry is pointing to three Texas counties that decades ago opted out of Social Security by creating personal retirement accounts. Now, 30 years on, county workers in those three jurisdictions retire with more money and have better death and disability supplemental benefits. And those three counties—unlike almost all others in the United States—face no long-term unfunded pension liabilities."

Burzynski, The Movie - Cancer Is Serious Business

2011-12-29T06:01:00.001-05:00

Sounds interesting...

:

"Burzynski, the Movie is the story of a medical doctor and Ph.D biochemist named Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski who won the largest, and possibly the most convoluted and intriguing legal battle against the Food & Drug Administration in American history.

His victorious battles with the United States government were centered around Dr. Burzynski's gene-targeted cancer medicines he discovered in the 1970's called Antineoplastons, which have currently completed Phase II FDA-supervised clinical trials in 2009 and could begin the final phase of FDA testing in 2011–barring the ability to raise the required $300 million to fund the final phase of FDA clinical trials.

When Antineoplastons are approved, it will mark the first time in history a single scientist, not a pharmaceutical company, will hold the exclusive patent and distribution rights on a paradigm-shifting medical breakthrough.

Antineoplastons are responsible for curing some of the most incurable forms of terminal cancer."

As Iowa Goes, So Goes Iowa - WSJ.com

2011-12-28T06:04:00.002-05:00

The media hype about the Iowa caucuses would have us believe that it's the be-all and end-all for presidential candidates.
History indicates that's NOT exactly so...

Michael Barone has this reminder in the Wall Street Journal:

"Every American should love Iowa (and all the other 49 states plus the District of Columbia and the territories, for that matter). But amid the pre-Jan. 3 buzz, it's worth remembering that Republicans in most states, for better or worse, haven't been doing much in the way of following Iowa's lead in selecting a GOP presidential nominee."

Homeowners Association vs Veteran

2011-12-28T06:03:00.001-05:00

Some stories you just have to read for yourself...

I found this on the Reaganite Republican blog:

"Remember that Tough Ole Coot in Virginia Who Refused to Lower Old Glory...?"

"The fifth horseman of the apocalypse"

2011-12-28T06:02:00.000-05:00

As we go about our daily lives, this scenario seems almost impossible to fathom.
Of course, if we're really paying attention, it's exactly why some are concerned here in the U.S. as we contemplate future entitlements...

This 3-page article, posted by Spengler on the Asia Times website, depicts a pretty frightening future:

"Population decline is the elephant in the world's living room. As a matter of arithmetic, we know that the social life of most developed countries will break down within two generations. Two out of three Italians and three of four Japanese will be elderly dependents by 2050. [1] If present fertility rates hold, the number of Germans will fall by 98% over the next two centuries. No pension and health care system can support such an inverted population pyramid. Nor is the problem limited to the industrial nations. Fertility is falling at even faster rates - indeed, at rates never before registered anywhere - in the Muslim world. The world's population will fall by as much as a fifth between the middle and the end of the 21st century, by far the worst decline in human history.

The world faces a danger more terrible than the worst Green imaginings. The European environmentalist who wants to shrink the world's population to reduce carbon emissions will spend her declining years in misery, for there will not be enough Europeans alive a generation from now to pay for her pension and medical care. [2] For the first time in world history, the birth rate of the whole developed world is well below replacement, and a significant part of it has passed the demographic point of no return."

The Cellulosic Ethanol Debacle - WSJ.com

2011-12-28T06:01:00.001-05:00

Regardless of your political leaning, you can rest assured that elected officials are (mostly) all cut from the same cloth.
They are just so anxious to help us out (get votes) that they (continue to) fail to investigate anything before they mandate or pass into law something that the free market won't support...

The Wall Street Journal tells us about the ethanol story:

"Congress mandated purchase of 250 million gallons in 2011. Actual production: 6.6 million."

The Media - their reported "Poverty Figures May Be Wrong"

2011-12-27T06:03:00.003-05:00

I guess we can't know if this was an honest mistake, or just sloppy journalism.
That said, I'm sure quite a few of us now think 50% of Americans are classified "poor", which is not actually true...

Sharon Bernstein recently wrote about it at NBClosangeles.com:

"You may have heard worried news reports that 50 percent of Americans had either fallen into poverty or are considered low income.

But while poverty in the United States is certainly an important issue, those figures appear to be wrong, perhaps based on a misunderstanding of the data by journalists who did not go back to the source to doublecheck their figures, said analysts at the U.S. Census Bureau district office in Los Angeles.

NBCLA worked with three data analysts at the Census Bureau to check the data, and the real figures do indeed appear to be quite different."

"Walking through doorways causes forgetting, new research shows"

2011-12-27T06:02:00.000-05:00

Perhaps this is why the "open concept" has become popular...

Gabriel Radvansky posted this at EurekaAlert.com:

"New research from University of Notre Dame Psychology Professor Gabriel Radvansky suggests that passing through doorways is the cause of these memory lapses. "Entering or exiting through a doorway serves as an 'event boundary' in the mind, which separates episodes of activity and files them away," Radvansky explains."

"Portugal Is Latest Country To Go "MF Global", Raid Pensions Funds To Delay Fiscal Death"

2011-12-27T06:01:00.002-05:00

This should give all of us something to think about...

Tyler Durden tells about this at ZeroHedge.com:

"the Telegraph writes: 'Portugal has raided €5.6bn (£4.8bn) of pension fund assets in a controversial scramble to meet its deficit targets.' And since the money is once again implicitly and explicitly used to patch broken fiscal models, it is as good as gone."

"Police employ Predator drone spy planes on home front"

2011-12-26T06:01:00.002-05:00

With so much "news" these days, it's easy to miss things like this.
I suspect there eventually will be much controversy over this kind of activity...

Brian Bennett recently posted this story at the L.A. Times:

"Fearful of an armed standoff, he called in reinforcements from the state Highway Patrol, a regional SWAT team, a bomb squad, ambulances and deputy sheriffs from three other counties.

He also called in a Predator B drone.

As the unmanned aircraft circled 2 miles overhead the next morning, sophisticated sensors under the nose helped pinpoint the three suspects and showed they were unarmed. Police rushed in and made the first known arrests of U.S. citizens with help from a Predator, the spy drone that has helped revolutionize modern warfare."

2011-12-25 - Christmas Day

2011-12-25T06:01:00.009-05:00

- Merry Christmas to ALL - ...

If the Lights Go Out - WSJ.com

2011-12-24T06:01:00.001-05:00

Although our air seems pretty clean, I'm sure it could be better, and that should be the goal.
That being said, it doesn't seem to be a "crisis", so I'm thinking there is time to "do no harm"...

This is from a recent Wall Street Journal opinion column:

"Last week FERC convened a conference on the wave of new Environmental Protection Agency rules that are designed to force dozens of coal-fired power plants to shut down. The meeting barely fulfilled the commission's legal obligations, but despite warnings from expert after expert, including some of its own, the FERC Commissioners refuse to do anything about this looming threat to electric reliability.

The latest body to sound the EPA alarm is the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which last Tuesday released its exhaustive annual 10-year projections. 'Environmental regulations are shown to be the number one risk to reliability over the next one to five years,' the report explains.

NERC's forecasts are the gold standard for the U.S. power system because they are built from the bottom up, starting with finely grained data from individual plants. NERC has been doing this work since 1967, and since 2005 it has operated under the FERC umbrella as an 'electric reliability organization' similar to Finra, the securities regulator with quasi-governmental duties."

1981-12-23 - Thirty Years Ago

2011-12-23T06:02:00.001-05:00

Say whatever you want. I like this guy...

Meanwhile - in San Francisco - Plastic Bags

2011-12-23T06:01:00.001-05:00

I'm all for preserving the environment; however, "City documents report that single-use plastic bags represent 0.13 percent of California's total waste stream".
It seems that there must be something else that would benefit more from being "fixed"...

At Townhall.com, Debra J. Saunders writes about San Francisco's thinking:

"Exhibit A: San Francisco's groundbreaking Happy Meal law. McDonald's got around the ordinance that banned free toys with meals that don't meet City Hall's nutritional standards by announcing it will charge customers an extra 10 cents if they want a toy with the food.

Exhibit B: The Mirkarimi plan. Supervisors will vote on Plastic Bag 2.0 this month. It would come with a mandatory charge of at least 10 cents per bag starting July 1, possibly rising to 25 cents in 2014. Retailers would get to keep your dimes."

The Financial Crisis on Trial - WSJ.com

2011-12-22T06:03:00.002-05:00

Government at work destroying the economy.
That sounds harsh, doesn't it? Unfortunately it's true.
I doubt it was intentional; however, that's not much, considering the damage done because they always want to meddle where the free market would do better...

Peter J. Wallison writes about it in the Wall Street Journal:

"The Securities and Exchange Commission's lawsuits against six top executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, announced last week, are a seminal event.

For the first time in a government report, the complaint has made it clear that the two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) played a major role in creating the demand for low-quality mortgages before the 2008 financial crisis. More importantly, the SEC is saying that Fannie and Freddie—the largest buyers and securitizers of subprime and other low-quality mortgages—hid the size of their purchases from the market. Through these alleged acts of securities fraud, they did not just mislead investors; they deprived analysts, risk managers, rating agencies and even financial regulators of vital data about market risks that could have prevented the crisis."

"Colo. School Funding Methods Ruled Unconstitutional"

2011-12-22T06:02:00.001-05:00

This looks like a real "house of cards" problem.
I wonder how many other states operate in the same way...

The Denver Channel's Wayne Harrison recently reported this:

"DENVER -- A Denver judge ruled Friday that Colorado's education funding system is 'irrational and inadequate' and violates the state's constitution -- a decision that's a victory for school districts and parents who sued but hardly the end of a years-long debate.

'There is not one school district that is sufficiently funded,' Denver District Court Judge Sheila Rappaport said about the state's system in her ruling. 'This is an obvious hallmark of an irrational system.'"

"The Decline of American History in Public Schools"

2011-12-22T06:01:00.002-05:00

Apparently, history is just not a favored subject in our schools.
Considering some of the things that ARE being taught, I think history deserves some consideration...

Daniel Doherty recently went to hear David McCullough, one of only a handful of Americans to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. At Townhall.com, he reports on his experience:

"I was surprised to hear him speak about the condition of U.S. public schools, and in particular how students lack a basic understanding of American history. Incidentally, the reason people were often thrilled to read his books, he said, was because they had never learned about these important subjects in school.

Nonetheless, after investigating what I imagined to be an exaggerated contention, I was appalled by what I discovered:"

"Newt's Past and Future Leadership"

2011-12-21T06:03:00.001-05:00

There are always interesting choices to be made.
In professional sports, coaches often have a highly skilled player whose personal antics leave much to desire.
Similar to a cost-benefit analysis, they have to decide their overall value to the team.
The choice about Newt Gingrich seems somewhat similar...

Tony Blankley was House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s press secretary for many years. At Creators.com, he reminds us of some things that aren't being mentioned lately:

"... what kind of candidate is most likely to make sense of the terrible events and forces that weigh down our country; be capable of vividly describing our plight and what needs to be done; and convince the public that he or she has the intelligence, courage, experience and sheer willful capacity to force events favorably to America's historic interests and needs?

As I have chosen to phrase that question, the question answers itself. It is the GOP candidate currently at the top of the polls — my former boss, Newt Gingrich.

But most Washington politicians don't see it that way. They see a conventional, close election — not a bold, historic lunge by the voters to save the country. They suggest Mitt Romney may be better positioned to stitch together a safe campaign that noses out Obama by a point or two, or comes up short by a point or two. He might be that candidate.

Thus, Romney received the endorsement of the GOP political types — congressmen and former congressmen. Now they are doubling down on their early bet and are out telling reporters that Gingrich was never much of a leader and never got much done."

"Shifting demographics and economic conditions combine for a 'New Normal.'"

2011-12-21T06:02:00.001-05:00

Times HAVE definitely changed.
I found this to be quite informative. Perhaps you will, too...

Michelle Miron writes about it at PressPubs.com:

"Big changes are coming worldwide as shifting demographics and economic conditions combine for a 'New Normal.'

Whether Americans see those changes as debilitating or a huge opportunity will decide America's future.

Those were among messages from State Economist Tom Stinson and State Demographer Tom Gillaspy as they made the presentation "The Boomer Tsunami" to a group of about 80 at Century College Oct. 5.

'We need to come to a decision about what kind of world we want to see,' stressed Gillaspy. 'It's not something we can put off another 30 or 40 years. We need to learn to talk about our differences ... (and) strategize about how to do things.'"

FATCA: A Ticking Time Bomb for the Economy - WSJ

2011-12-21T06:01:00.001-05:00

I see this as another example of our elected officials not knowing the fine print of what they are voting on.
Far too many of our laws are passed with little or no consideration for long term or unintended consequences...

Peter W. Dunn recently wrote about this in the Wall Street Journal, including this paragraph quoted from "American Citizens Abroad":

"American Citizens Abroad reaches the following conclusions regarding the legislation:
FATCA legislation is predicated on the faulty assumption that foreigners throughout the world with no predisposition to favor the U.S. will react positively to its attempts to convert them into unpaid IRS agents. Faced with similar investment and personnel options without the legal jeopardy and financial risks, reasonable people will choose non-U.S. alternatives. FATCA implementation will constitute a major disruption of the entire international financial world as we know it today. Reasonable persons and entities will develop effective antibodies to this perceived infection, in ways too numerous and manifold to predict. What can be predicted is that the cumulative effect of this legislation will be a major blow to U.S. economic interests and prestige. At stake for the United States is the potential loss of trillions of dollars of investment, the opportunity for American companies and financial institutions to compete in a competitive global environment and the possibility for American citizens residing overseas to survive and thrive. In brief, the economic future of the United States."

Capitalism and the Right to Rise - WSJ.com

2011-12-20T06:04:00.001-05:00

This article is getting a lot of attention on the Internet.
After you read it, you may see why...

Jeb Bush writes in the Wall Street Journal's Opinion page. He begins:

"Congressman Paul Ryan recently coined a smart phrase to describe the core concept of economic freedom: "The right to rise."

Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn't seem like something we should have to protect.

But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck.

That is what economic freedom looks like."

"Record numbers fail to clear No Child bar"

2011-12-20T06:03:00.005-05:00

We continue to pay ever increasing amounts for this non-performance.
Could it be that money is NOT the answer to better education?...

Ben Wolfgang writes about the latest statistics at WashingtonTimes.com:

"The numbers keep getting worse for the nation’s education system.

In the 2010-11 academic year, 48 percent of public schools — a record high — failed to meet the “adequate yearly progress” benchmarks established by the No Child Left Behind act, according to a new study by the Center on Education Policy, a nonpartisan think tank.

D.C. Public Schools ranked near the bottom, with 87 percent failing to clear the bar, the report says. Only Missouri was worse, with 88 percent of its schools falling short.

Wisconsin schools performed the best, with 11 percent missing the mark. In Maryland and Virginia, 45 percent and 62 percent, respectively, didn’t make adequate yearly progress."

"Former Obama lawyer admits deceiving Congress"

2011-12-20T06:02:00.001-05:00

Apparently, he's still going to get the job.
I have a problem with this. Do you?...

Byron York has more on this story at WashingtonExaminer.com:

"There was no doubt the White House had failed to give Walpin 30 days' notice, but on the substance of the matter, Eisen told congressional investigators the White House had done a full investigation of complaints about Walpin's performance and the CNCS board had unanimously supported Walpin's removal.

Neither statement was true."

Warning: If There's 'Nuance,' You're Being Had - WSJ

2011-12-20T06:01:00.001-05:00

I suspect that not everyone listens well enough to notice these things.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I do.
Of course, that often leads me to wonder if the speaker is purposeful in their choice of words, or just plain sloppy...

In the Wall Street Journal, Roland Toy recently elaborated on this opening:

"Clear speaking and clear writing are foundational to clear thinking. These concepts do not imply a crude command of language or understanding, but rather a solid command of thought. Unfortunately, clarity of expression is too often confused with primitiveness, and obscurity (or even gibberish) is too often confused with sophistication (or the dreaded nuance). These confusions are especially common in liberals and so-called intellectuals."

"More Children Killed by Pillows Than by Firearms"

2011-12-19T06:02:00.002-05:00

Here's a statistical point you won't see in the American media...

AmmoLand.com recently called attention to this:

"For children and youth 14 years of age and under, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of fatality, but firearms account for the lowest cause of injury among youth.

'Tragically, 18 times more children are killed by suffocation from bedding, plastic bags or small objects than guns.' said Ammoland Editor, Fredy Riehl"

The Best Motivational Speech In Sports

2011-12-19T06:01:00.002-05:00

Speakers ON.
Let's start our week with this one.
Scripted: yes, but great to listen too...

2011-12-18 - Words of Wisdom

2011-12-18T06:01:00.005-05:00

In Our Schools - Money buys what?

2011-12-17T06:02:00.007-05:00

Don't miss that this is a 40 year graph!...

John Stossel has a perfectly informative graph in his posting about this:

"School spending has gone through the roof and test scores are flat.

While most every other service in life has gotten faster, better, and cheaper, one of the most important things we buy -- education -- has remained completely stagnant, unchanged since we started measuring it in 1970."

"French history erased in new wave of revisionism"

2011-12-17T06:01:00.001-05:00

The history of a country is what it is.
It is not something to be dismissed in order to avoid hurt feelings...

RT.com recently posted this story:

"Parents and teachers across France are up in arms over new textbooks which carry accounts of French history revised to avoid insulting ethnic minority pupils. They say common sense has been sacrificed to political correctness in French schools.

Natives of France now fear their identity will soon disappear along with their history."

"...'NEETs' hit record high"

2011-12-16T06:02:00.000-05:00

There's an acronym for almost everything.
I suspect the numbers are similar in the United States.
The number of young people without anything to do does not bode well...

Graeme Paton recently wrote about it in the U.K. Daily Telegraph:

"Official figures show almost 1.2 million people aged 16 to 24 are classed as “NEET” – not in education, employment or training – as school-leavers continue to bear the brunt of job shortages in the downturn.

The number of youngsters with effectively nothing to do in England soared by 137,000 – more than 12 per cent – in the third quarter of 2011 compared with the same period a year earlier. "

"British history to be put back on the curriculum"

2011-12-16T06:01:00.000-05:00

I'm sure this problem is not exclusive to the United Kingdom.
Teaching and learning history is a hard sell...

Graeme Paton recently reported this in the U.K. Daily Telegraph:

"Addressing the History in Education conference in central London, Mr Gove told how a recent survey of 18- to 24-year-olds found that one-in-six believed that Oliver Cromwell – not Nelson – led the British fleet at Trafalgar.
A separate survey of students entering a Russell Group university to read history asked them to name the British general at Waterloo, the monarch during the Armada, Brunel's profession, a single 19th century Prime Minister and the location of the Boer War, said Mr Gove.
The survey found that just over one question in five was answered correctly."

"Atheist messages displace CA park nativity scenes"

2011-12-15T06:04:00.000-05:00

We all know California's inhabitants see the world differently in many ways.
As a result, they are broke.
They are surely broke financially; and, as this story shows they are really broke when it comes to respecting time-enduring traditions.
It's really sad to see how this transpired...

GOPusa.com calls attention to Santa Monica's seeming disregard for Christian displays of nativity scenes:

"Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the three wise men have been ousted by atheists.

Most of the Christmas nativity scenes that churches had placed in a Santa Monica coastal park for decades have been displaced by non-religious displays — and the churches are crying conspiracy.

The Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee, a coalition of 13 churches, and the Santa Monica Police Officers Association, has traditionally claimed 14 of the 21 display spaces, which are vandal-proof, cage-like areas surrounded by chain-link fencing.

The coalition displays have featured life-size depictions of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

But atheists got all but three of the spaces this year because of a new lottery system."