Wednesday, October 16, 2013
10 More Obscure Hoaxes From History - Listverse
10 More Obscure Hoaxes From History - Listverse
The Society For Indecency To Naked Animals
In 1959, a new group was started with one goal in mind: to put clothes on animals, since they thought it was disgusting to see them walking around naked. (Their slogan: “A nude horse is a rude horse.”) Calling themselves The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (pronounced “sinna”), the whole thing was actually a hoax, perpetrated by legendary prankster Alan Abel. His inspiration was an incident where a bull and a cow were having sex on a highway, upsetting a number of people. Using a series of press releases, Abel was able to convince people that it was a real organization and the “president,” played by an actor named Buck Henry, was even interviewed on Walter Cronkite’s CBS news show in 1962. The hoax began to unravel when someone on Cronkite’s staff recognized the actor. Abel prolonged the story until 1963, when Time published an article revealing the trick.
The STATE senate votes soon! Call Sen. Goeff Hansen (517) 373-1635 New Common Core resolution makes home-school exception clear
New Common Core resolution makes home-school exception clear | MLive.com:"The Michigan House passed a resolution last month to authorize funding for the standards.
The department is barred from spending any money to implement the standards without legislative approval."
Inarticulate Republicans
Inarticulate Republicans by Thomas Sowell on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent:"As the great economist Alfred Marshall once said, facts do not speak for themselves.
You might think that the stakes are high enough for Republicans to put in some serious time trying to clarify their message.
If we are waiting for the Republicans to do the speaking, the country is in big trouble.
"Governmental success"!-Delaware Celebrates: First Person Finally Enrolls in Obamacare
Delaware Celebrates: First Person Finally Enrolls in Obamacare | The Weekly Standard:
""Department of Health and Social Service officials have declared 59-year-old Janice Baker of Selbyville the first confirmed resident to enroll in the marketplace. It opened Oct. 1 as part of the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act."
""Department of Health and Social Service officials have declared 59-year-old Janice Baker of Selbyville the first confirmed resident to enroll in the marketplace. It opened Oct. 1 as part of the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act."
Jim Rogers Blasts "This Is Going To End Badly... And The Rest Of The World Knows It"
Jim Rogers Blasts "This Is Going To End Badly... And The Rest Of The World Knows It" | Zero Hedge:"The only thing exceptional about the USA is "its the largest debtor nation in the history of the world" is how Jim Rogers begins this brief interview with RT and he doesnt back away from the rhetoric.
The sad truth, he notes, is that the US "has been kicking the can down the road for years..." how do you think we got so much debt, he chides.
"Every year that goes by we go deeper and deeper into debt," adding, rather ominously, that it "will be solved one way or another."
They will kick the can once more; then next week, we will be told that the problem is fixed and compromise is here.
However, Rogers warns, eventually the market is going to turn away; "this is going to end badly... and the rest of the world knows it.""
Detroit Looks At Goats, Sheep To Trim Overgrown Lots
Detroit Looks At Goats, Sheep To Trim Overgrown Lots « CBS Detroit:"DETROIT (WWJ/AP) -
A member of Detroit’s City Council wants to know whether goats and sheep might help deal with tall grass on overgrown lots."
The Disturbing Trend in America We're Not Talking About — Elder Abuse
The Disturbing Trend in America We're Not Talking About — Elder Abuse - PolicyMic:
"Elder abuse may not be making national headlines, but it ought to be.
In Mercer County, Penn., a woman was dropped off starving and emaciated because her grandson spent $86,000 of her money on drugs and personal amenities.
Across the country in Oregon, four elderly plaintiffs are in the process of suing a retirement community for financially abusing them by tricking them into signing misleading rental documents.
Meanwhile, a Georgia woman has been charged with running an unlicensed retirement home in order to financially gouge its elderly residents while neglecting to meet their needs.
The issue goes beyond scamming and shady senior citizen facilities; even legitimate retirement centers often mistreat their elderly patients. "
"Elder abuse may not be making national headlines, but it ought to be.
In Mercer County, Penn., a woman was dropped off starving and emaciated because her grandson spent $86,000 of her money on drugs and personal amenities.
Across the country in Oregon, four elderly plaintiffs are in the process of suing a retirement community for financially abusing them by tricking them into signing misleading rental documents.
Meanwhile, a Georgia woman has been charged with running an unlicensed retirement home in order to financially gouge its elderly residents while neglecting to meet their needs.
The issue goes beyond scamming and shady senior citizen facilities; even legitimate retirement centers often mistreat their elderly patients. "
ATF’s prescription for leaking secrets: A firing squad?
ATF’s prescription for leaking secrets: A firing squad? - Washington Times:"After months of anguished debate over mass shootings, gun control and Second Amendment rights, the Justice Department finds itself on the defensive after a training manual surfaced that suggests federal agents could face a firing squad for leaking government secrets.
The online manual for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — complete with a photo of a turn-of-the-century firing squad — was obtained by The Washington Times from a concerned federal law enforcement official, and it immediately drew protests from watchdogs who said it showed a lack of sensitivity to gun violence and the continuing hostile environment toward whistleblowers."
Why Are So Many Counties Trying to Secede From Their States?
Why Are So Many Counties Trying to Secede From Their States? - Businessweek:"It’s important to point out that none of these movements are attempts to secede from the United States.
...And while the movements that are furthest along, those in Colorado and Maryland, are backed by Tea Partiers (you can find people urging each other to to sign up for the 51st State Initiative on the Tea Party Community website), not every proposed state would be populated with conservatives.
Last year, Arizona’s liberal-leaning Pima County, home to Tucson, tried to declare itself the state of Baja because it didn’t want to be governed by Arizona’s conservative majority."
Obama's war against America-DOD Still Barring 50 Priests from Administering Sacraments, LOCKS UP EUCHARIST, Priest Sues
DOD Still Barring 50 Priests from Administering Sacraments, Locks Up Eucharist, Priest Sues | CNS News:"DOD took this action because Hagel determined--after consulting with Attorney General Eric Holder's Justice Department--that civilian Catholic priests, working under contract as chaplains, did not, among other things, “contribute to the morale” and “well-being” of service personnel."
Obamacare and the Edsel: A Tale of Two Lemons
The American Spectator : Obamacare and the Edsel: A Tale of Two Lemons:"Last month, as the President, HHS Commissar Kathleen Sebelius, and their media toadies hyped the imminent launch of Obamacare’s dysfunctional insurance exchanges, few bothered to observe the 56th anniversary of “E-Day.”
Don’t remember E-Day?
This, believe it or not, was how the delusional leadership of Ford Motor Co. referred to the September 1957 rollout of another great American flop — the Edsel.
That misbegotten vehicle, whose goofy name has long since become synonymous with “spectacular failure,” had much in common with Obamacare. Both were based on bad ideas, full of much-ballyhooed features that didn’t work, and were despised by the public."
...Even Obama’s lickspittles at the New York Times have been shockedby the incompetence with which the software for Obamacare’s “insurance marketplace” was written: “For the past 12 days, a system costing more than $400 million and billed as a one-stop click-and-go hub for citizens seeking health insurance has thwarted the efforts of millions to simply log in.”
And, despite the lies told to Congress by Commissar Sebelius to the effect that the exchange technology was on track for a successful debut, “Confidential progress reports from the Health and Human Services Department show that senior officials repeatedly expressed doubts that the computer systems for the federal exchange would be ready on time.”
The history of the Nobel prize in maps and charts, and it’s not fair – there’s a lot of inequality in the global distribution
The history of the Nobel prize in maps and charts, and it’s not fair – there’s a lot of inequality in the global distribution | AEIdeas:"All of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East combined have only 104 Nobel laureates.
These regions hold 81 percent of the world’s population but only 10% of its Nobel laureates."
The only thing that matters in Detroit, racial "outrage"-Detroit CFO resigns amid anger over 'shoot someone in a hoodie' comment
Detroit CFO resigns amid anger over 'shoot someone in a hoodie' comment | MLive.com:
"Members of City Council earlier on Tuesday had called for "swift action" regarding Bonsall.
......."Someone who is commenting on whether or not they have a right to shoot somebody in a hoodie, which is clearly a reference to the Trayvon Martin case, an issue that to many is fraught with racial overtones and strife and violence -- if there could be swift action based on the ghetto court comment, there should be swifter action on somebody asking can I shoot somebody in a hoodie," Watson said."
"Members of City Council earlier on Tuesday had called for "swift action" regarding Bonsall.
......."Someone who is commenting on whether or not they have a right to shoot somebody in a hoodie, which is clearly a reference to the Trayvon Martin case, an issue that to many is fraught with racial overtones and strife and violence -- if there could be swift action based on the ghetto court comment, there should be swifter action on somebody asking can I shoot somebody in a hoodie," Watson said."
And the taxpayer shouldn't either-Chrysler's Retirees Shouldn't Be Stuck Owning Chrysler
Chrysler's Retirees Shouldn't Be Stuck Owning Chrysler - Bloomberg:
"Chrysler's retirees are overwhelmingly dependent on the fortunes of a single company.
Even worse, that company is their own. "
"Chrysler's retirees are overwhelmingly dependent on the fortunes of a single company.
Even worse, that company is their own. "
A Return to Keynes?
A Return to Keynes? | RealClearPolitics:
"Despite the myth that it was the stock market crash of 1929 that caused the double-digit unemployment of the 1930s, unemployment never reached double digits in any of the 12 months that followed the 1929 stock market crash.
Unemployment peaked at 9 percent in December 1929 and was back down to 6.3 percent by June 1930, when the first major federal intervention took place under Herbert Hoover.
The unemployment decline then reversed, rising to hit double digits six months later.
As Hoover and then FDR continued to intervene, double-digit unemployment persisted throughout the remainder of the 1930s.
Conversely, when President Warren G. Harding faced an annual unemployment rate of 11.7 percent in 1921, he did absolutely nothing, except for cutting government spending.
Keynesian economists would say that this was exactly the wrong thing to do.
History, however, says that unemployment the following year went down to 6.7 percent -- and, in the year after that, 2.4 percent.
Under Calvin Coolidge, the ultimate in non-interventionist government, the annual unemployment rate got down to 1.8 percent.
How does the track record of Keynesian intervention compare to that? "
"Despite the myth that it was the stock market crash of 1929 that caused the double-digit unemployment of the 1930s, unemployment never reached double digits in any of the 12 months that followed the 1929 stock market crash.
Unemployment peaked at 9 percent in December 1929 and was back down to 6.3 percent by June 1930, when the first major federal intervention took place under Herbert Hoover.
The unemployment decline then reversed, rising to hit double digits six months later.
As Hoover and then FDR continued to intervene, double-digit unemployment persisted throughout the remainder of the 1930s.
Conversely, when President Warren G. Harding faced an annual unemployment rate of 11.7 percent in 1921, he did absolutely nothing, except for cutting government spending.
Keynesian economists would say that this was exactly the wrong thing to do.
History, however, says that unemployment the following year went down to 6.7 percent -- and, in the year after that, 2.4 percent.
Under Calvin Coolidge, the ultimate in non-interventionist government, the annual unemployment rate got down to 1.8 percent.
How does the track record of Keynesian intervention compare to that? "
$600+ million and it's "joyous"?-Cronyism, incompetence cited in failure of healthcare.gov site
Blog: Cronyism, incompetence cited in failure of healthcare.gov site:
""It's the joyous, simultaneous, nonlinear equation from hell," said Kip Piper, a former top official at HHS and OMB who is now a consultant in close contact with IT vendors.
Piper said it's no surprise that the administration has given up on certain functions given the technological complexity needed and the short time-frame.
So, in addition to the cronyism and incompetence, add "the joyous, simultaneous, nonlinear equation from hell."That just about sums up the entire mess."
""It's the joyous, simultaneous, nonlinear equation from hell," said Kip Piper, a former top official at HHS and OMB who is now a consultant in close contact with IT vendors.
Piper said it's no surprise that the administration has given up on certain functions given the technological complexity needed and the short time-frame.
So, in addition to the cronyism and incompetence, add "the joyous, simultaneous, nonlinear equation from hell."That just about sums up the entire mess."
Now get 'em fixed-Check out six places Muskegon city officials told need to be improved
Check out six places Muskegon city officials told need to be improved | MLive.com:
"Here are six of the dozens of suggestions that Peterson received during the trip that took he and city staff from downtown to Pere Marquette Park to the west and Muskegon Community College’s campus on the east:"
"Here are six of the dozens of suggestions that Peterson received during the trip that took he and city staff from downtown to Pere Marquette Park to the west and Muskegon Community College’s campus on the east:"
Cesspool of Alabama State U. ignores governor’s major fraud findings
Alabama State U. ignores governor’s major fraud findings | The Daily Caller:
"Alabama Republican Gov. Robert Bentley released the findings on Monday.
The audit concluded that “despite the numerous impediments to the investigation… there is sufficient predication to believe that a jury or trier of fact could conclude that multiple acts of fraud, waste and/or abuse are occurring and/or have occurred at ASU.”"
"Alabama Republican Gov. Robert Bentley released the findings on Monday.
The audit concluded that “despite the numerous impediments to the investigation… there is sufficient predication to believe that a jury or trier of fact could conclude that multiple acts of fraud, waste and/or abuse are occurring and/or have occurred at ASU.”"
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
More College Subsidies a Poor Investment
More College Subsidies a Poor Investment [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"At the national level, despite a 10-fold increase in federal funding, a lower percentage of low-income citizens are getting college degrees today than 40 years ago (12 percent in 1970 vs. 7 percent today)."
"At the national level, despite a 10-fold increase in federal funding, a lower percentage of low-income citizens are getting college degrees today than 40 years ago (12 percent in 1970 vs. 7 percent today)."
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