George Orwell, call your office

George Orwell, call your office | Washington Examiner:
"George Orwell, call your office.
Prolific blogger Steve Sailer has spotted an Orwellian passage in a New York Times convention week story on the decision of Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel to support and speak at the convention in behalf of Donald Trump.
The central thrust of Silicon Valley-based reporter Farhad Manjoo's story is that Thiel's Trump endorsement is widely unpopular in Silicon Valley.
"People here pride themselves on a kind of militant open-mindedness," Manjoo writes. 
"It is the kind of place that will severely punish any deviations from accepted schools of thought."
Got that?
Open-mindedness means you severely punish any deviations from accepted schools of thought.
Memo to the literary estate of George Orwell: you may have a cause of action for violation of copyright."

Kerry: Refrigerator chemicals are just as bad as ISIS

Kerry: Refrigerator chemicals are just as bad as ISIS | Washington Examiner
Air conditioners and refrigerators pose as big a threat to "life on the planet" as the threat of terrorism, Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday.
Kerry was in Vienna negotiating a global climate deal to phase out chemicals used as refrigerants in basic household and commercial appliances such as air conditioning and refrigerators, called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs.
The chemicals are a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions that many scientists blame for contributing to global warming.
Kerry made the remarks as part of a pep talk for negotiators working through the weekend to amend a 1987 treaty called the Montreal Protocol to deal with the chemicals.
"Yesterday, I met in Washington with 45 nations — defense ministers and foreign ministers — as we were working together on the challenge of [the Islamic State], and terrorism," he said.
"It's hard for some people to grasp it, but what we — you — are doing here right now is of equal importance because it has the ability to literally save life on the planet itself."

Lunch video-----Runway 27 Warbird Departures (Thursday) - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015

Noon-toon

Cruz: I Won’t Be a ‘Servile Puppy Dog’ for Trump | Glenn Beck

Cruz: I Won’t Be a ‘Servile Puppy Dog’ for Trump | Glenn Beck:

"Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Thursday morning that he is refusing to be a “servile puppy dog” by endorsing Donald Trump after Trump attacked his family during the primaries."

The Pension Vise Tightens in California

The Pension Vise Tightens in California - The American Interest:
"Earlier this week, CalPERS—California’s pension fund for most public employees—reported abysmal annual earnings of 0.61 percent, a tiny fraction of the seven-and-a-half percent annual returns needed to keep it solvent over the long run.
And its sister fund for teachers, CalSTRS, isn’t doing much better.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
The nation’s second-largest public pension posted its slimmest returns since the 2008-2009 financial crisis because of heavy losses in stocks.
The California State Teachers’ Retirement System, or Calstrs, earned 1.4% for the fiscal year ended June 30, according to a Tuesday news release.
The result is the lowest since a 25% loss in fiscal 2009 and well below Calstrs’ long-term investment target of 7.5%.
Calstrs oversees retirement benefits for 896,000 teachers.
As Steven Malanga has noted, both of these union-managed funds are notorious for pulling political stunts even as they face gaping shortfalls, going on a misguided “green” investing binge that flushed taxpayer money down the drain, and pulling out of tobacco companies on moral grounds just before those stocks began to rise.
But the underlying flaw with the funds is not their politicization.
If anything, these kinds of moves are a distraction from more pressing crisis of public employee retirement systems:
That state legislatures have epically over-promised the level of retirement benefits they can reasonably provide, and obscured this reality by presuming levels of investment returns that are impossible to sustain, especially in this era of historically low interest rates.
This long-running failure of governance may be irreversible..."

Refugees to be trained as German pool lifeguards to reduce sex attacks

Refugees to be trained as German pool lifeguards to reduce sex attacks | Daily Mail Online:

• Authorities trying to combat spate of sexual assaults by migrants in pools
• 
  
• Federal Association of German Swimming Professionals backs provision
• 
  
• The group claim the 'inclusive measure' would benefit everyone concerned
• 
  
• Leaked police memo cited 'grave concern' over escalating sex crimes

A professional swimming association in Germany wants to reduce escalating sex attacks by refugees at public baths by training migrants to become pool lifeguards.
The Federal Association of German Swimming Professionals (BDS) says this would be 'an inclusive measure that would benefit everyone.'
Last month a secret police document was leaked in Duesseldorf voicing the 'grave concern' of police chiefs about escalating sex crimes carried out by refugees at public swimming baths.

Does Philosophy Have a Woman Problem?

Does Philosophy Have a Woman Problem? | HeterodoxAcademy.org:
"In 2014, women earned 28% of the PhDs in philosophy. By contrast, they earned close to 60% in English, anthropology, and sociology—and 75% in psychology.
When it comes to gender, philosophy looks more like math and physics.
What explains the numbers?"

Cruz adviser: Trump was told of non-endorsement in advance | Washington Examiner

Cruz adviser: Trump was told of non-endorsement in advance | Washington Examiner:

"Sen. Cruz told him directly that there was not be an endorsement," Johnson told the Washington Examiner after the speech. "It would have been Trump's right at that time to say not to show up, and that decision would have been accepted."

Watch This Chilling Animation Show How Flight MH17 Over Ukraine Was Ripped Apart By Buk Surface-To-Air Missile

Watch This Chilling Animation Show How Flight MH17 Over Ukraine Was Ripped Apart By Buk Surface-To-Air Missile:

Speculation abounded when Malaysian flight MH17 was shot down over the Ukraine in 2014.

Initial media reports indicated that separatist forces loyal to Putin were responsible. 
But that was quickly disputed by Russia, who claimed that it was the Ukrainian military who fired the fatal blow. Satellite photos provided by the Obama administration were immediately disputed. 
It has been suggested that the entire incident was a false flag designed to lay blame on the Russian President at the height of the Ukraine conflict.

Of interest is the fact that Vladimir Putin himself was reportedly flying over the area in an airplane whose colors resembled that of the Malaysian flight, suggesting that Ukrainians may have been taking a shot at the highest-level target possible at the time.

The following animation and report from Dutch officials in The Hague doesn’t shed new light on the origins of the missile, but it does provide details of how the flight was brought down and shows a Russian-made Buk Surface-to-Air missile approaching its target and then detonating its deadly payload, killing the pilots instantly. The airplane then broke up between business class and economy class and fell to earth, killing all of the passengers on board.

AM Fruitcake

History for July 23

History for July 23 - On-This-Day.com
Arthur Treacher 1894, Ronnny Cox (Daniel Ronald "Ronny" Cox) 1938 - Actor ("Beverly Hills Cop"), Don Imus 1940 - Radio personality


Woody Harrelson 1961 - Actor ("Cheers"), Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967 - Actor ("Capote"), Alison Krauss 1971 - Singer, musician


1715 - The first lighthouse in America was authorized for construction at Little Brewster Island, Massachusetts.


1829 - William Burt patented the typographer, which was the first typewriter.


1904 - The ice cream cone was invented by Charles E. Menches during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, MO.


1914 - Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia following the killing of Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serb assassin. The dispute led to World War I.






1952 - Egyptian military officers led by Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew King Farouk I.


1958 - The submarine Nautilus departed from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, under orders to conduct "Operation Sunshine." The mission was to be the first vessel to cross the north pole by ship. The Nautilus achieved the goal on August 3, 1958.


1984 - Miss America, Vanessa Williams, turned in her crown after it had been discovered that nude photos of her had appeared in "Penthouse" magazine. She was the first to resign the title.


1985 - Commodore unveiled the personal computer Amiga 1000.

Police: At Least 9 Reported Dead in Munich Mall Attack; Shooter or Shooters on the Run | TheBlaze.com

Police: At Least 9 Reported Dead in Munich Mall Attack; Shooter or Shooters on the Run | TheBlaze.com:

 "BERLIN (TheBlaze/AP) — Police in Germany say there are “several dead and wounded” after a shooting at a Munich shopping center, which is now being described as “suspected terrorism.”

At least 6 people are dead and others are wounded, according to police and media reports.

Video posted to social media purportedly showed people running away from the shopping center moments after shots rang out."

Obama Does THIS To White House Fence When No One Was Looking - Americans Want It Down ASAP ⋆ US Herald

Obama Does THIS To White House Fence When No One Was Looking - Americans Want It Down ASAP ⋆ US Herald:

"He concluded his post with, "Make no mistake this is just another way to declare Islam."

There is never a shortage of political Islam making its mark in subtle and subliminal messages in order to further the Islamic message, especially to Muslims who understand these symbols very well. This could very well be another prime example of Islamic symbols intentionally placed to convey a message, all the while hiding in plain sight.

Only those who know what symbols to be on the lookout for are able to truly understand the ideology that is trying to be conveyed in these hidden messages.

When you look at the pictures side by side the fence design and these classic Islamic symbols that have been around for centuries start to look eerily similar. It is easy for anyone to start to make that connection."

Middle-age-plus memory decline may just be a matter of changing focus

Middle-age-plus memory decline may just be a matter of changing focus | KurzweilAI:
"Are you middle-aged or older and having problems remembering details, like where you left the keys or parked your car?
Cheer up, it may simply be the result of a change in what information your brain focuses on during memory formation and retrieval, rather than a decline in brain function, according to a study by McGill University researchers.
In the study, published in the journal, NeuroImage, 112 healthy adults ranging in age from 19 to 76 years were shown a series of faces.
Participants were then asked to recall where a particular face appeared on the screen (left or right) and when it appeared (least or most recently).
The researchers used functional MRI to analyze which parts of brain were activated during recall of these details.
Different parts of the brain involved
Senior author Natasha Rajah, Director of the Brain Imaging Centre, and colleagues found that young adults activated their visual cortex while successfully performing this task.
But for middle-aged and older adults, their medial prefrontal cortex was activated instead.
That’s a part of the brain known to be involved with information having to do with one’s own life and introspection.
This may reflect changes in what adults deem “important information” as they age, she said..."

White House Claims That Student Debt Is Good for the Economy

White House Claims That Student Debt Is Good for the Economy | The Daily Sheeple:
"These days, student loan debt is probably one the most controversial and maligned issues in America.
Pretty much everyone agrees that these debts are overwhelming young people, and preventing them from starting productive lives.
That is, everyone except The Council of Economic Advisors, a research group that works for the White House.
The organization recently released a paper which argued that these student loans are actually beneficial to the economy.
“Federal student loan programs help expand access to high-quality education, which has long-lasting benefits to individuals as well as the overall macroeconomy through higher labor productivity and faster GDP growth.”
The report goes on to claim that the Fed’s student loan program has helped build skills among workers, earning them more money and driving growth.
...And yet, the Council of Economic Advisors concluded their report by saying “College remains an excellent investment overall, and the majority of dollars in the student loan market continue to fund investments with large returns to student borrowers and the economy.”
Surprised?
Don’t be.
This is what happens when the scammers conduct a study on their own scam."

Conservatives, If We Want Unity, We Have To Unite Around Our Principles | TheBlaze.com

Conservatives, If We Want Unity, We Have To Unite Around Our Principles | TheBlaze.com:

"Trump became the nominee on Tuesday. On Wednesday, conservatism was finally kicked to the curb. It was made official when Ted Cruz and his wife had to be escorted out of the building by security simply because he gave speech that profoundly defended the principles of conservatism without kissing the ring of the Godking. A speech that featured lines like:

…America is more than just a land mass between two oceans, America is an ideal. A simple, yet powerful ideal. Freedom matters.

For much of human history government power has been the unavoidable constant in life. Government decrees and the people obey, but not here. We have no king or queen, we have no dictator, we the people constrain government."

Technology Is Making Doctors Feel Like Glorified Data Entry Clerks

Technology Is Making Doctors Feel Like Glorified Data Entry Clerks - Slashdot:
"An anonymous reader writes from a report via Fast Company:
The average day for a doctor consists of hours of data entry. 
Since the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 took effect in January of 2011, which incentivized providers to adopt electronic medical records, hospitals have spent millions, sometimes billions, on computer systems that weren't designed to help providers treat patients to begin with.
The technology was supposed to reduce inefficiencies, make doctors' lives easier, and improve patient outcomes, but in fact it has done the opposite. 
"Frankly, the main incentive is to document exhaustively so you cover your ass and get paid," says Jay Parkinson, a New York-based pediatrician and the founder of health-tech startup Sherpa.
The systems are flooding doctors with important and utterly meaningless alerts. 
One of the biggest problems is that the systems have made it very difficult for doctors to share information between one another, which is what the systems were intended to do all along.
Why? 
"Because it doesn't help the bottom line of the biggest medical record vendors or the hospitals to make it easy for patients to change doctors," reports Fast Company..."

Federal judge blocks Michigan ban on straight-party voting

Federal judge blocks Michigan ban on straight-party voting - Crain's Detroit Business:
"DETROIT — A judge on Thursday blocked Michigan's new ban on straight-party voting, saying it's a direct strike on the rights of blacks in big cities who tend to vote for Democrats with a single mark on the ballot.
U.S. District Judge Gershwin Drain signed an injunction a week after hearing arguments.
He said the law would place a "disproportionate burden" on blacks in the fall election, the first election that would be affected.
..."The real question that the court must answer is whether the burdens caused by P.A. 268 are in part caused by or linked to social and historical conditions that have produced or currently produced discrimination against African-Americans," Drain wrote.
"This question is unavoidably answered in the affirmative..."

Lunch video-----Vietnam Jets - MiG-17/A-4/F-100 - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015

Noon-toon

Why Glenn Beck Believes Cruz’s Huge RNC Gamble Could Actually Help Him in Long Run | TheBlaze.com

Why Glenn Beck Believes Cruz’s Huge RNC Gamble Could Actually Help Him in Long Run | TheBlaze.com:

"“Last night was an amazing night that was a turning point, truly a turning point. There is a remarkable thing that happened with Ted Cruz” Beck, who endorsed Cruz during the GOP primary, said at the start of his radio show Thursday. “I don’t know what else you wanted him to say. He said, ‘Vote your conscience … stand for the Constitution.”"

Yup, She's Crooked

Yup, She's Crooked | The Weekly Standard:
"Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt person ever to get this close to becoming president of the United States. 
Aaron Burr was corrupt, but his treason didn’t occur until after his presidential possibilities had dried up. Ulysses Grant was a great man whose administration was riddled with corruption, but he wasn't personally involved.
Warren Harding wasn't a great man, but he wasn't party to the corruption in his administration either. Hillary Clinton stands alone.
Her corruption has many dimensions.
It encompasses her personal, professional, and political life.
There are lots of overlaps.
Her use of a private email server engulfs all three aspects.
With Clinton, one never has to exaggerate. 
Her malfeasance speaks for itself, loudly.
She lies to get out of trouble and fool the press and voters.
But she also lies gratuitously—when it's not required to avoid trouble.
...Clinton has a masochistic relationship with the media.
She spurns them.
They protect her..."

86-Year-Old Woman Defends Herself by Beating Would-Be Thief... with a Package of Bacon

86-Year-Old Woman Defends Herself by Beating Would-Be Thief... with a Package of Bacon | The Daily Sheeple:
Sometimes in the name of self-protection, you just have to go with what’s handy.
In the case of this 86-year-old grocery store shopper, what she had on hand was a package of bacon.
After an elderly woman withdrew a large sum of cash from an ATM, she decided to go for groceries at a supermarket in Altrincham, UK. 

Soon after, a younger woman approached her cart and demanded all the money she had just withdrawn.
Instead of giving up everything she had, the elderly shopper decided she would beat the woman in the head with a package of bacon.
It worked, and the would-be robber ran off.
That’s right. 

Behold… the power of bacon.