Saturday, July 12, 2014

"Health Equity"??!!!----Bend over folks. This is gonna hurt............Groups work to create health equity in Michigan

Groups work to create health equity in Michigan | Crain's Detroit Business:
"LANSING — Local health departments in Wayne, Washtenaw and several other Michigan counties are working with community groups to create a network dedicated to bringing health equity in the state.
Plans for the "Michigan Power to Thrive" network are being announced Thursday at Cristo Rey Parish in Lansing.
The first effort aims to encourage cities and counties to adopt a "Health in All Policies" approach in their decision-making processes.
Organizers say the approach originated with the World Health Organization and calls for consideration of health consequences in policy decisions.
Those involved include Gamaliel of Michigan and health officials in Genesee, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Kent, Saginaw, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.
Public health professionals gathered in November for a two-day meeting to conceive the network.
Plans call for the network to add more counties in the coming year."

Them "followin'" generations ain't addin' much to the pot------6 Michigan families worth $27.3B make Forbes richest list

6 Michigan families worth $27.3B make Forbes richest list | Crain's Detroit Business
Six Michigan families with an aggregate wealth of $27.3 billion made Forbes’  “America’s Richest Families” list, published online this week.
Collectively, the 185 families on the list with fortunes of at least $1 billion each have an aggregate wealth of $1.2 trillion, according to Forbes.
Others In Michigan, the Meijer family leads the way with $8.9 billion in net worthForbes estimates the Grand Rapids-based company’s annual revenue at $15 billion; the family ranked No. 28 on the list. on the list:
  • No. 36: Stryker family, Kalamazoo, $7.2 billion — The family fortune comes from Stryker Corp., the medical device company founded in 1941.
  • No. 57: Van Andel family, Ada, $4.7 billion — Jay Van Andel founded Amway with Richard DeVos in the early 1960s, selling cleaning products door to door.
  • No. 73: Davidson family, Auburn Hills, $3.4 billion — The fortune can be traced to the estate of William Davidson, the late head of Guardian Industries Corp. and owner of the Detroit Pistons.
  • No. 115: Ford family, Dearborn, $2 billion — Henry Ford’s last surviving grandchild, William Clay Ford Sr., died this year. His great-grandson William Clay Ford Jr. is the executive chairman of Ford Motor Co.
  • No. 170: Carhartt family, Dearborn, $1.1 billion — The family owns a durable clothing company known for its work jackets. The company celebrated 125 years in business this year.
  • Read the full list at forbes.com/families.

Despite the Scandals, Obama Officials Defend High Pay, Bonuses for Senior Government Workers

Despite the Scandals, Obama Officials Defend High Pay, Bonuses for Senior Government Workers | TheBlaze.com:
At a House hearing Friday, a representative of Senior Executive Service officials even blamed political appointees for widespread performance failures in the government.
Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) chaired a hearing Friday in which he argued that SES officials continue to receive high pay, big bonuses, and job security at a time of countless government scandals.
“We’ve seen scandals like a senior executive relaxing in a hot tub with a glass of wine on the taxpayer’s dime, while another refuses to cooperate with Congress despite her admission that her employing agency targeted conservative organizations applying for tax-exempt status,” Farenthold said, referring to former IRS employee Lois Lerner.
Farenthold said the base pay of SES officials is $181,000, and they get tens of thousands of dollars worth of fringe benefits, and also receive bonuses.
But he said said many SES workers are calling for even higher pay.

Which Religious Group in America Supports Obama the Most? | TheBlaze.com

Which Religious Group in America Supports Obama the Most? | TheBlaze.com:
"The nation’s non-Christians – whether of another religion or no religion – are far more likely to support President Barack Obama than American Christians, according to an extensive Gallup survey taken over the last six months."

Takin' a (mini) break from doom and gloom. This IS FUN!-----McDonald's GOL! FIFA World Cup - Brasil 2014 | McDonald's

Joe Arpaio: My Tents Are HILTON HOTELS Compared to What’s Going On at Illegal Immigrant Camps

Joe Arpaio: My Tents Are HILTON HOTELS Compared to What’s Going On at Illegal Immigrant Camps (Video) | The Gateway Pundit:
sheriff joe tent citySheriff Joe Arpaio weighed in on the humanitarian crisis at the southern border Friday with Neil Cavuto. Arpaio said his prison tent camps were “Hotel Hiltons” compared to what’s going on at the illegal immigrant facilities.
“As I mentioned we have four thousand illegal immigrants in the jails that I run, including a tent city jail. 
So why not put up tents, at least for those that 15, 16, 17 and put them all in tents.
In fact when you look at how they are being incarcerated by the federal government my tents are Hilton hotels comparing to what they’re doing down there.
But for six years the Department of Justice has been investigating me.
They should be investigating what’s going on right now.”

Looks like a jobs explosion cuz of the wonder drug------More Colorado drivers in fatal crashes positive for pot, study says

More Colorado drivers in fatal crashes positive for pot, study says - Boulder Daily Camera:
Two new University of Colorado studies paint an ominous picture of the direction of the state since marijuana commercialization, but neither provides conclusive evidence that legal pot is causing harm.
One study shows more drivers involved in fatal car accidents in Colorado are testing positive for marijuana — and that Colorado has a higher percentage of such drivers testing positive for pot than other states even when controlled for several variables. But the data the researchers use does not reveal whether those drivers were impaired at the time of the crash or whether they were at fault.
"The primary result of this study may simply reflect a general increase in marijuana use during this ... time period in Colorado," the study's authors write.
The other study shows that perceptions of marijuana's risk have decreased across all age groups with the boom in marijuana businesses in the state. The study also finds that near-daily marijuana use among adults increased significantly starting in 2009, relative to states without medical marijuana laws. But the study's authors acknowledge that they cannot show Colorado's marijuana laws are the reason for the shifts in attitudes and use.
"Even though causality cannot be established, Colorado would be wise to implement prevention efforts regarding marijuana and make treatment for those with marijuana use disorders more broadly available," the study concludes.
Both studies received federal funding and were published online last month at the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. They mark the latest attempts to answer vexatious questions about how legal, commercially sold marijuana will impact the state.

Reedin', ritin' and nummers not nearly as important as feedin'-------YUM! School district implements Michelle O’s menu, now offers ‘black bean cookies’

YUM! School district implements Michelle O’s menu, now offers ‘black bean cookies’ - EAGnews.org powered by Education Action Group Foundation, Inc.:
PRINCETON, N.J. – Perhaps the real motive behind the school menu changes and snack regulations is for students to slim down by not eating at all.
Michelle-eating-lunch 337x244After all, how else could you explain a school district changing its menu to include “black bean cookies”?
NJ.com reports:
Chicken salad sliders, yogurt parfaits and black bean cookies are among the menu choices that will replace slushy drinks and deep-fried chips when students file into cafeterias in the Princeton school district this upcoming school year.
The school board Tuesday unanimously approved a $61,245 food service contract with Nutri-Serve Food Management of Burlington Township for the 2014-15 school year.
“It is very, very important to this board and this community that we have a food service program that provides high-quality nutrition for our students that expands their palates with the experience of foods from other places,” Superintendent Steve Cochrane said at the meeting.
The company, Nutri-Serve, suggested making the cafeteria “an extension of the classroom,” according to the paper.

Illegal Immigrants Are Reportedly Being Allowed to Fly Without Verifiable ID — No Photo, ‘No Watermark, Nothing’ | TheBlaze.com

Illegal Immigrants Are Reportedly Being Allowed to Fly Without Verifiable ID — No Photo, ‘No Watermark, Nothing’ | TheBlaze.com:
"In a statement provided to Breitbart Texas, the National Border Patrol Council announced that it “adamantly opposes” the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to release illegal aliens onto the street.
“The fact that TSA is accepting the I-862 (Notice to Appear) as a form of identification and allowing illegal aliens to travel commercially shows just how little regard the federal government has for its own immigration laws,” the statement reads."

VICTORY???------Detroit Victory: Judge Rules Creditors Can't Tap into City's Casino Tax Revenue

Detroit Victory: Judge Rules Creditors Can't Tap into City's Casino Tax Revenue  –  Deadline Detroit
The city of Detroit scored a victory on Friday in its bankruptcy case.
U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman affirmed a ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes  that  tax revenue from Detroit's three casinos belongs to the city and can’t be accessed by a bond insurer while Detroit is in bankruptcy, 

This is why you feel poorer

This is why you feel poorer (Chart) | AgainstCronyCapitalism.org:
expenses c              c

History for July 12

History for July 12 - On-This-Day.com
Bald Is In Day


Birth anniversary of Henry David Thoreau (1817-62): “The frontiers are not east or west, north or south, but whenever a man fronts a fact.”


Birth anniversary of architect, inventor, engineer and philosopher Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983).

Birth anniversary of musical creator Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-60).

Birth anniversary of internationally acclaimed pianist Van Cliburn (1934-2013).

Happy Birthday! Bill Cosby, Richard Simmons, Kristi Yamaguchi

1543 - England's King Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr. 


1862 - The U.S. Congress authorized the Medal of Honor. 
Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon-Mogadishu


1933 - A minimum wage of 40 cents an hour was established in the U.S. 


1954 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a highway modernization program, with costs to be shared by federal and state governments. 


1957 - The U.S. surgeon general, Leroy E. Burney, reported that there was a direct link between smoking and lung cancer. 


1960 - Manufacturing began for the Etch A Sketch®


1982 - The last of the distinctive-looking Checker taxicabs rolled off the assembly line in Kalamazoo, MI


1984 - Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale named U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running mate. Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major party ticket. 

Friday, July 11, 2014

VIDEO: Florida Man Given Ultimatum: Ditch the Flag or Lose Apartment Lease

VIDEO: Florida Man Given Ultimatum: Ditch the Flag or Lose Apartment Lease:
"Roberts describes himself as a proud American and shared what the flag means to him. He said about the flag, “It means to me freedom. America.” He continued with what he told FDC Management after informed him that his lease would only be renewed if he removed the flag. He said, “I flat out told her that she’s anti-American and I find it discriminatory and prejudiced.”


All-Too-Predictable: Obama Blames Border Crisis on Republicans

All-Too-Predictable: Obama Blames Border Crisis on Republicans:
"In an all-too predictable move, President Obama blamed Republicans for the crisis at the border at a Wednesday night press conference, claiming that Republican opposition to his request for an additional $3.8 billion is helping to cause this crisis. "

Obama Could Be Limping After This Arizona Sheriff Just Blasted Him

Obama Could Be Limping After This Arizona Sheriff Just Blasted Him:
"Pinal County, AZ Sheriff Paul Babeu reported that the federal government continues to release illegal aliens into his community–and that his officers have arrested individuals who have already been deported up to 15 times!"


Schumer to Religious Americans: Pick One--Your Faith or Your Business | CNS News

Schumer to Religious Americans: Pick One--Your Faith or Your Business | CNS News:
"At a press conference Thursday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said people with religious beliefs who disagree with the ObamaCare contraception mandate can choose their faith or “you don’t have to form a corporation.”


Cuba Opens Up Car Sales To The Public For The First Time In Decades

Cuba Opens Up Car Sales To The Public For The First Time In Decades - Business Insider:
HAVANA (AP) — It's not your typical used car lot.
Just steps from the Florida Straits, dozens of vehicles sit covered in grime and baking in the Caribbean sun. An elderly security guard slumps in a sleepy waiting area, and customers are nowhere to be seen.
A price list hanging on the green chain-link fence hints at why: $85,000 for a 6-year-old Peugeot compact; $46,000 for a tiny 2008 Citroen C3 hatchback that would cost less than a third of that in Europe. Elsewhere, a larger, new Peugeot 508 lists for $262,000, five times its price in Britain — and more than a millennium worth of paychecks in Cuba, where wages average about $20 a month.
The euphoria that greeted a January reform that lets Cubans buy vehicles from the government without a special permit for the first time in decades turned to anger when the prices were posted. When authorities announced recently that just 50 cars had rolled off the lots of state-run dealerships in the first half-year, bringing in $1.3 million in sales, it was tempting to call the policy a failure.
But analysts say it seems the measure was designed to work that way.

Senate Dems Are One Step Closer to Amending the Constitution in a Way That Has First Amendment Advocates Worried | TheBlaze.com

Senate Dems Are One Step Closer to Amending the Constitution in a Way That Has First Amendment Advocates Worried | TheBlaze.com:
"He also argued during the committee markup that no Democrat is addressing the argument that Udall’s language would “allow Congress to ban books” or other media.
“Paramount Pictures is a corporation,” he said. “Under this amendment, Congress could ban their movies. This amendment could prohibit Saturday Night Live from making fun of politicians.”

In June, Cruz asked at a Judiciary Committee hearing, “When did elected Democrats abandon the Bill of Rights?”


Why a Police Rep Is Telling Citizens to ‘Get Yourself Some Firearms Because You’re Going to Have to Protect Yourselves’

Why a Police Rep Is Telling Citizens to ‘Get Yourself Some Firearms Because You’re Going to Have to Protect Yourselves’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:
In order to avoid “yearly budget crises,” Miami-Dade County (Florida) may have to fire hundreds of police officers as part of a long-term budget strategy announced earlier this week. 
The proposal has been met with some criticism, with one police association spokesman telling citizens to “get yourself some firearms because you’re going to have to protect yourselves.”
The budget proposal, announced by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Tuesday, would cut nearly 650 county jobs in an attempt to close a $64 million deficit in the city’s general fund. 
The Miami-Dada Police Department could reportedly see the deepest cuts.
John Rivera, president of the Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association, argued the drastic cuts to the police department would negatively impact public safety, according to WSVN-TV.
“If the mayor’s not going to provide security, then my recommendation, as an experienced law enforcement officer for nearly 40 years, is either buy yourself an attack dog, put bars on your windows and doors and get yourself some firearms because you’re going to have to protect yourselves,” he said. “We won’t be able to.”

Michigan's upcoming winter may not be saved by El Nino; Polar vortex could dominate again

Michigan's upcoming winter may not be saved by El Nino; Polar vortex could dominate again | MLive.com
If El Nino remains weak into winter, there will be no warming in Michigan due to El Nino. And since the polar vortex and cold pocket of air are still alive and well, we have to wonder if the polar vortex will again bring us a wicked winter.
We should have a good feel for what will happen this winter by the end of September. By then, we will know how strong El Nino should be, and we will be able to see if the cold pocket around the polar vortex is expanding.
Before yesterday's new information, I was thinking that El Nino would help cancel out some of the cold brought by the polar vortex. With the new data in, I think we could be in for another nasty winter.
It is still a long ways off, but will be fun to watch as we get into late summer and fall. As soon as I see a strong sign one way or the other, I'll let you know. For now, I'd start to mentally prepare yourself for a cold winter, or start booking a trip to the tropics.

Black Americans: The True Casualties of Amnesty

Black Americans: The True Casualties of Amnesty | National Review Online
One of the sleeper issues surrounding the debate on amnesty for illegal immigrants – an inconvenient one that no proponent of a widespread amnesty wishes to acknowledge – is the devastating effect so-called immigration reform will have on African Americans.
The black unemployment rate is almost 11 percent, far higher than that of any other group profiled by labor statistics. 
African Americans are disproportionately employed in lower-skilled jobs – the very same jobs immigrants take. 
As Steven Camarota asked in a recent column, why double immigration when so many people already aren’t working?
Who will be harmed most by amnesty? African-Americans.
The issue resurfaced this week when aYouTube video emerged of two young African-Americans confronting pro-illegal-immigration demonstrators in Murrieta, California. Murrieta is one of the towns in which undocumented minors are being relocated — and supporters are squaring off with protestors.

Global Warmist, Heal Thyself

Global Warmist, Heal Thyself - Townhall Magazine
The global warming fear mongers are at it again.
But twice recently they’ve been caught in the act. 
Not only are they lying, they’re so desperate that they’re starting to look ridiculous.
“Three years of observations show that the Antarctic ice sheet is now losing 159 billion tonnes of ice each year—twice as much as when it was last surveyed,” reports the U.K.’s University of Leeds. “A team of scientists from the UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, led by researchers at the University of Leeds, have produced the first complete assessment of Antarctic ice sheet elevation change.”
Like you, I’m suspicious of any group of scientists that live in a “kingdom” that can’t even practice general dentistry correctly.
Or health care.
Or, apparently, math.
The press release goes on to say that the ice melt could contribute to an increase in “global sea levels by 0.45 millimetres each year alone.”
That figure is really not that impressive, especially when you understand that it means about a 2 inch rise over 100 years.
But what’s really impressive about the figure is that it’s just not true.
From climate website Watts Up With That?:
 Sanity Check:
From Climatesanity: Conversion factors for ice and water mass and volume
If one cubic kilometer of water (i.e., one gigatonne of water) is spread evenly over the entire 361 million square kilometers, the thickness of the new layer of water will be given by:
1km3 /361x106km2 =2.78x10-6 meters = 2.78 microns.
Or, in terms of gigatonnes:
1Gt x (1km3/Gt) /361x106km2 = 2.78 x 10-6 meters = 2.78 microns / Gt
That is, one cubic kilometer of water (i.e., one gigatonne of water) will add less than 3 millionths of a meter to the oceans!
From the press release, we are seeing about 159 billion tons/year of ice convert- ed to meltwater (unless it sublimates), so the effect on sea level would be 159/1000 or 0.159 x 3 millionths of a meter, or 0.477 millionths of meter of sea level rise per year from this.
I’ll leave it to the highly trained scientist at the University of Leeds to convert the millionths of a meter into inches for you. But it’s my strong recommendation you not allow them to do your taxes.
But hold on there, pardners, we’re not done yet.
We can at least agree, as we’ve been told for years, that 97 percent of climate scientists agree that global warming is caused by man, right? I mean, that’s indisputable.
Then why are the scientists so eager to hide their data?
“The University of Queensland in Australia is taking legal action to block the release of data used by one of its scientists to come up with the oft-quoted statistic that 97 percent of climate scientists agree that mankind is causing global warming,” reports the Daily Caller.
It seems a blogger has gotten ahold of the primary data used in the research, and the data suggests that far from having a consensus that global warming is entirely manmade, scientists are still skeptical.
This is not the first time that critics have questioned the results of that study. A catalog of studies in a report pub- lished by Science & Education shows that a little more than one quarter of 1 percent of all studies conclude that glob- al warming is entirely man-made, says the Daily Caller.

GOP Congressman: ‘We Just Filed a Resolution Directing the Sergeant-at-Arms to Arrest Lois Lerner for Contempt’ | TheBlaze.com

GOP Congressman: ‘We Just Filed a Resolution Directing the Sergeant-at-Arms to Arrest Lois Lerner for Contempt’ | TheBlaze.com:
"Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) announced on Thursday that has filed a resolution directing the House sergeant-at-arms to “arrest Lois Lerner for contempt of Congress” over the IRS targeting scandal."

Liberals go to the barricades to defend crony capitalism

Liberals go to the barricades to defend crony capitalism | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"There's nothing like a good fight over corporate welfare to bring out the Left's love of Big Business.
In the current battle over the Export-Import Bank, Democratic politicians and liberal journalists have dropped their populist pretenses and openly embraced the corporate-federal collusion that Ex-Im embodies.
For some, it's largely partisanship or disdain for the Tea Partiers who want Ex-Im dead. 
For others, it's that increasing government's role in the economy takes precedence over railing against Big Business. 
And for a shrewd few, it's about raising money from K Street and Wall Street."

Barack Hussein Obama. He could fix this with a phone call. A National disgrace!--------Mexican judge sends Tahmooressi back to prison

Mexican judge sends Tahmooressi back to prison | Fox News
A Mexican federal judge sent Andrew Tahmooressi back to prison after the U.S. Marine sergeant made his first official courtroom appearance since being locked up more than three months ago for accidentally crossing the border with guns in his pickup truck.
The 26-year-old veteran of two tours in Afghanistan was finally able to tell his story to a judge, after his case had been delayed by both Mexico's unpredictable legal system and his own trouble settling on a lawyer. It was not immediately clear what Tahmooressi said at the evidentiary hearing, which was closed to the public. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for August 4.

Oh yeah. Lots of "good" news coming from the hood these days------Wreckage all that remains of Flint home after police standoff, shootout

Wreckage all that remains of Flint home after police standoff, shootout | MLive.com
FLINT, MI -- Crumbled debris is all that remains of a north Flint house where a man was found dead following a standoff and shootout with police.
A house on the south side of Sherman Avenue between Fulton and Summit streets is completely destroyed Thursday, July 10, after an 11-hour standoff ended Wednesday, July 9, when police brought in heavy equipment to remove the home's roof after gunfire was exchanged between troopers and a barricaded gunman who police say may be responsible for two Flint homicides.
Flint police found a body in the upstairs of the house, where they say Daron Raymond Gaylor Jr., 22, was armed during the confrontation. Officers could not confirm the cause of death nor the identity of the body.

Yes, terrible news... but. The graphic is classic MSM sophistry ("per 100,000 people" in small print. "1,787" in big print.)-------Muskegon Heights more dangerous than Flint

Stats: Muskegon Heights more dangerous than Flint | WOODTV.com:
"MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WOOD) — At least 100 people gathered for a vigil Thursday evening near where 14-year-old Dmetrius Washington was shot in the head and killed after apparently sneaking out of his house.
Among those who stood where he died were his mom, dad and stepdad.
The vigil follows five homicides, all shootings, in Muskegon Heights since late April, including three in the last three weeks.
(There have been five shooting deaths in Muskegon since late April 2014.)
Muskegon Heights — a city of 10,000 people — has had more homicides this year than the city of Grand Rapids, which has nearly 200,000 people. 
Grand Rapids has had two homicides.
...A 24 Hour News 8 analysis of 2013 Michigan State Police crime reports found Muskegon Heights is more dangerous than Flint and has a violent crime rate that ranks just below Detroit.
Muskegon Heights had 1,787 violent crimes per 100,000 people last year — compared to 1,934 in Detroit and 1,586 in Muskegon.
Grand Rapids’s rate was 679.
Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and assault.
....Mayor Darrell Paige said it’s also about his city’s economy.
Nearly 50% of Muskegon Heights residents are living in poverty.
That’s higher than Flint and Detroit.
.......But Dmetrius’s aunt thinks the solution starts with churches.
“Instead of the churches staying inside the church, they need to come out on the streets and help these kids who are standing on these corners and get them back into church,” McBride said.
“Because that’s the only way it’s going to stop.”"

Why a Police Rep Is Telling Citizens to ‘Get Yourself Some Firearms Because You’re Going to Have to Protect Yourselves’ | Video | TheBlaze.com

Why a Police Rep Is Telling Citizens to ‘Get Yourself Some Firearms Because You’re Going to Have to Protect Yourselves’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"In order to avoid “yearly budget crises,” Miami-Dade County (Florida) may have to fire hundreds of police officers as part of a long-term budget strategy announced earlier this week. The proposal has been met with some criticism, with one police association spokesman telling citizens to “get yourself some firearms because you’re going to have to protect yourselves.”

17 Insanely Clever Products Every Booze Lover Should Own

17 Insanely Clever Products Every Booze Lover Should Own:

12. Stadium Flask Seat

Stadium Flask Seat

Lois Lerner Email: Congress Searches, ‘So We Need to be Cautious About What We Say in Emails’ | CNS News

Lois Lerner Email: Congress Searches, ‘So We Need to be Cautious About What We Say in Emails’ | CNS News:
"Newly released emails from the IRS show that Lois Lerner, while head of the Exempt Organizations Unit, sent emails expressing concern about Congress requesting emails from the IRS and cautioning other employees about the electronic searches."