Friday, February 15, 2013

Central Banks Buy the Most Gold Since 1964

Central Banks Buy the Most Gold Since 1964 - 24/7 Wall St
"Central bank buying for 2012 rose by 17% over 2011 to some 534.6 tonnes.
As far as central bank gold buying, this was the highest level since 1964. "

Employment is down to 150 at controversial LG Chem plant in Holland, says company spokesman

Employment is down to 150 at controversial LG Chem plant in Holland, says company spokesman | MLive.com
"Although it has produced batteries while testing its new production facilities, the Holland facility has produced no batteries for the production models of the Volt and other electric vehicles. LG Chem has flown those batteries in from Korea."

'New urbanism' residential development proposed in downtown Muskegon by Jon Rooks

'New urbanism' residential development proposed in downtown Muskegon by Jon Rooks | MLive.com
"the residential development would feature small lots measuring 36 feet by 100 feet"

Terrace Point Landing: Muskegon Lake $14 million residential development called 'game changing'

Terrace Point Landing: Muskegon Lake $14 million residential development called 'game changing' | MLive.com
"The lot prices will range from $125,000 for waterfront land to $50,000 for interior parcels. Home designs will have the final land and house packages in the $150,000 to $300,000."

The World's Largest Yachts 2012

The World's Largest Yachts 2012

Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Rules of Attraction

Best of the Web Today: The Rules of Attraction - WSJ.com
"The better-looking a man is, the more lifetime sexual partners he reports; the better-looking a woman, the fewer.
Good-looking men are more likely to have had sex soon after meeting a partner; good-looking women, less likely.
Good-looking women are likelier to describe their relationships as "committed"; good-looking men, less likely."

Sunk: The Incredible Truth About the 'Bounty,' a Ship That Never Should Have Sailed

Sunk: The Incredible Truth About the 'Bounty,' a Ship That Never Should Have Sailed | Outdoor Adventure | OutsideOnline.com
"But the full answer to why the Bounty sank was much more complex than a captain’s rash decision.
It was a story decades in the making, a veritable opera of near misses and fantastic schemes involving a dogged captain, a fiercely loyal crew, and an owner who was looking to sell.
And in the ship’s last act, an unlikely new character had emerged: a young woman with Down syndrome who, perhaps inconceivably, held the key to the Bounty’s future."

Internet tax gains steam with GOP support

Internet tax gains steam with GOP support | WashingtonExaminer.com
"On Thursday, Wyoming Republican Sen. Michael Enzi and Tennessee's Lamar Alexander are joining Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin to unveil the "Marketplace Fairness Act" which would let states compel online and catalog merchants, no matter where they're located, to collect sales tax.
Their move follows demands from Republicans governors, struggling to balance budgets, that Washington end the practice of letting online retailers ignore collecting the tax which is required in most states--but not enforced."

Missouri Democrats Introduce Legislation to Confiscate Firearms – Gives Gun Owners 90 Days to Turn in Weapons

Missouri Democrats Introduce Legislation to Confiscate Firearms – Gives Gun Owners 90 Days to Turn in Weapons | The Gateway Pundit

Michigan's obesity straining more than waistlines

Michigan's obesity straining more than waistlines | MLive.com


Now ranked fifth in the nation in obesity, state residents are on track to rack up 1.4 million new cases of type 2 diabetes, 2.9 million cases of coronary heart disease and 2.6 million cases of high blood pressure over the next 20 years, a national study found.
According to the nonprofit Trust for America's Health, 31 percent of Michigan adults were obese in 2011. It projects that will climb to nearly 60 percent by 2030. An estimated 30 percent of children ages 10 to 17 are now overweight or obese.
In 2008, Michigan spent an estimated $3.1 billion on obesity-related medical costs. If trends continue, state officials estimate that will quadruple to $12.5 billion by 2018.
bridge-logo-for-mlive.jpgNews and Analysis from The Center for Michigan
 They warn that trajectory -- if not reversed -- will eventually overwhelm the health-care system's ability to pay.
“People won't get services. The (insurance) premiums will be so high that companies will just stop paying,” said James Haveman, director of the Michigan Department of Community Health.
That prognosis only underscores the stakes for Michigan's health-care network, given the fact it already leads the nation in the number of people dropped from employer-based health care in the past decade.
On Jan. 23, the state launched a publicity campaign to encourage overweight residents to lose 10 percent of their body weight.
“People can’t wait. They need to start making decisions today,” Haveman said.
Called MI Healthier Tomorrow, it is an outgrowth of a 2011 Lansing summit convened by Gov. Rick Snyder to develop strategies for reducing obesity. Among its key findings was the need to drive up public awareness of the serious health costs of obesity.

American Indian mascots targeted by Michigan Department of Civil Rights complaint

American Indian mascots targeted by Michigan Department of Civil Rights complaint | MLive.com
"A complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education cites 35 school districts in Michigan – from the Athens Indians to the White Pigeon Chiefs.
The filing relates to K-12 schools but doesn’t involve community colleges or universities."

Activists to rally against Keystone XL pipeline, while Michigan Senate supports controversial project

Activists to rally against Keystone XL pipeline, while Michigan Senate supports controversial project | MLive.com:
"Six buses from Battle Creek, Detroit, East Lansing, Traverse City and Ann Arbor will bring participants to the Sunday rally."

Muskegon County's Child Haven shelter shut down after building problem

Muskegon County's Child Haven shelter shut down after building problem | MLive.com
"Child Haven had been operated as a partnership between Muskegon County and the Michigan Department of Human Services, said Bonnie Hammersley, the county’s top administrator."

Graduation, dropout rates up and down for Muskegon-area high schools (chart)

Graduation, dropout rates up and down for Muskegon-area high schools (chart) | MLive.com

Pure Michigan advertising that mentions right to work is on hold after controversy

MEDC: Pure Michigan advertising that mentions right to work is on hold after controversy | MLive.com
"Democrats have criticized the MEDC and Gov. Rick Snyder, who later said the issue was divisive enough that it shouldn't have been front-and-center on the ad."

Rubio Previews SOTU Response

Rubio Previews SOTU Response: Says He'll Push Contrast on Policy, Tone | The Weekly Standard
"They were certain that Rubio was so gifted an orator and possessed such a unique set of political skills that he would be able to make immediate and improbable leaps that most politicians could not execute."

BEFORE the "response"....

False Memories of Fabricated Political Events

False Memories of Fabricated Political Events by Steven Frenda, Eric Knowles, William Saletan, Elizabeth Loftus :: SSRN
"In the largest false memory study to date, 5,269 participants were asked about their memories for three true and one of five fabricated political events.
Each fabricated event was accompanied by a photographic image purportedly depicting that event. Approximately half the participants falsely remembered that the false event happened, with 27% remembering that they saw the events happen on the news.
Political orientation appeared to influence the formation of false memories, with conservatives more likely to falsely remember seeing Barack Obama shaking hands with the president of Iran, and liberals more likely to remember George W. Bush vacationing with a baseball celebrity during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
A follow-up study supported the explanation that events are more easily implanted in memory when they are congruent with a person's preexisting attitudes and evaluations, in part because attitude-congruent false events promote feelings of recognition and familiarity, which in turn interfere with source attributions."

American Airlines, US Airways to merge

My Way News - AP Sources: American Airlines, US Airways to merge
"The merger of American Airlines and US Airways, to be formally announced Thursday, caps a turbulent half-decade of bankruptcies and consolidation for the U.S. airline industry and leaves travelers four big carriers to choose from."

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Michigan Senator proposes state minimum wage increase as Obama pushes for national raise

Michigan Senator proposes state minimum wage increase as Obama pushes for national raise | MLive.com
"Meanwhile, Sen. Bert Johnson, D-Detroit, introduced legislation to increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.40 to $10 per hour by 2016."

Higher Premiums, Deductibles Expose Obama's Whopper

Higher Premiums, Deductibles Expose Obama's Whopper - Investors.com
"'Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health-care costs," the president claimed Tuesday.
This ranks as one of the biggest State of the Union whoppers ever told.
In fact, not only are health-care costs climbing, but employers are also shifting those costs onto the very "middle-class" families Obama spent much of his speech championing.
Since ObamaCare was enacted, family health-insurance premiums on average have soared $3,000, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation."

President Obama's Energy Security Fund Is Job-Killing Cap-Andd-Tax Plan

President Obama's Energy Security Fund Is Job-Killing Cap-Andd-Tax Plan - Investors.com:
"A nonexistent crisis is a terrible thing to waste, and in justifying his proposal for a cap-and-tax scheme, President Obama claimed in his State Of The Union that "the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15."
He was lying.
The fact is, according to new data released quietly last October by Britain's Met Office, the world's natural post-Ice Age warming trend stopped about 16 years ago.
From the beginning of 1997 until August 2012, there was no discernible rise in aggregate global temperatures."

Public unions the real freeloaders

Public unions the real freeloaders | political, union, members - Opinion - The Orange County Register

Obama’s Most Audacious SOTU Lie

The American Spectator : Obama’s Most Audacious SOTU Lie
: "It is difficult to say with certainly which of the many whoppers President Obama told tonight took the most crust to utter, but my money is going on this assertion, made a few minutes into the speech: “Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs.” I know “Orwellian” has now become rather hackneyed, but there is simply no other adjective that better describes this statement. It is not merely a lie. It is the precise opposite of the truth. It is just as absurd as “war is peace” or “freedom is slavery.”"

'via Blog this'

Illegal immigrant tells Congress not to call him illegal

Illegal immigrant tells Congress not to call him illegal - Washington Times
"Jose Antonio Vargas, an illegal immigrant and former reporter, scolded a congressional panel on Wednesday, saying that he should not be called illegal, and saying it is an insult to his family who brought him here.
“When you inaccurately call me illegal, you not only dehumanize me, you’re offending them,” he said.
“No human being is illegal.”"