Albuquerque school boss gets $350,000 buyout, taxpayers don't get answers

Albuquerque school boss gets $350,000 buyout, taxpayers don't get answers « Watchdog.org:
After six bumpy years as the superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools, the 62-year-old Brooks resigned Friday after signing an agreement with the Albuquerque School Board that will see him receive a lump sum payment of $350,000.
The public hasn’t been told why.
Brooks won’t give a reason why he’s stepping down and the board won’t release an investigative report into what wascalled a “serious personnel issue” concerning Brooks that led to the resignation.
The report will be kept “in a file separate from Brooks’ personnel file, and it shall not be released to anyone,” the agreement said.

Report: More Than a Dozen Witnesses Have Corroborated Officer Darren Wilson’s Version of Ferguson Shooting | TheBlaze.com

Report: More Than a Dozen Witnesses Have Corroborated Officer Darren Wilson’s Version of Ferguson Shooting | TheBlaze.com:
"More than a dozen witnesses have backed up the account of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the controversial shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, police sources reportedly told St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Christine Byers.
Byers also reported on Monday that Brown’s body was transported from the county medical examiner to a funeral home and then back to the medical examiner for three autopsies."

5 signs Americans are flat-out broke

5 signs Americans are flat-out broke:
"Despite improvement in certain areas of the economy, the Great Recession never truly ended for millions of Americans.
Households across the nation are still trying to overcome a sluggish labor market, stagnant wages, and rising living costs.
Making matters worse, the struggle does not appear to be ending anytime soon.
The Federal Reserve's wealth effect is in short supply.
According to a new report from the central bank, 25% of American households say their families are "just getting by" financially, and another 13% are "finding it difficult to get by." 
Compared to five years earlier, 34% feel like they are worse off today, while the same number feel about the same.
Only 30% report that they were somewhat or much better off financially.
The survey polled more than 4,100 respondents between September and October last year.
"Many households in the United States have been tested by the Great Recession.
Large-scale financial strain at the household level ultimately fed into broader economic challenges for the country, and the completion of the national recovery will ultimately be, in part, a reflection of the well-being of house- holds and consumers," explains the report.
Let's take a look at fives signs that Americans are broke and struggling in the current economic environment."

Government sees EVERYTHING. Media banned. What could possibly go wrong?-------Why Are There No News Helicopters Over Ferguson?

Why Are There No News Helicopters Over Ferguson? - Hit & Run : Reason.com:
"The no-fly-zone was created at the request of local law enforcement, following a police report that a police chopper had been shot at.
Yesterday, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon renewed the ban, citing the same police-safety justification.
The police safety justification is hard to buy.
What possible threat could a news helicopter, circling hundreds or thousands of feet above the scene, be to the activities on the ground?
If anything, helicopters, which would not block emergency vehicles, which would not get in the way of cops or crowds, which would remain at a remove from the action, would be safer than the rest of the media.
No, safety isn't the issue. 
That's not what this is about. 
It’s about local law enforcement not wanting to be watched—and not wanting media to capture a complete picture of the scene."

The insane YouTube bike video that'll be viral by tomorrow

The insane YouTube bike video that'll be viral by tomorrow - CNET:
"These few words don't do the action justice.
This scenario, from Mogilyev in Eastern Belarus, doesn't have too much action at all."

Those 40 FBI agents gonna stop by in Flint?-------Four men shot in one hour in Flint Sunday night, police say

Four men shot in one hour in Flint Sunday night, police say | MLive.com:
"FLINT, MI -- Four people were shot within about an hour in Flint Sunday night, Aug. 17, police say.
Between 8:30 and about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, three shootings left four men with gunshot wounds, Sgt. Troy Simpson with the Flint Police Department said. All the victims are in good condition.
Simpson said the first shooting happened at 8:30 p.m. at Evergreen Regency Apartments.
Occupants of two vehicles shot at each other in the complex off Lippincott Boulevard.
A 25-year-old man outside the apartment building was taken to Hurley Medical Center for a gunshot wound."

Muskegon's own Tammy!------Setting A Trap By Tammy Derouin

Tammy Derouin - Setting A Trap By Tammy Derouin The First...:
"Shirani divided women into two categories.
Haraam includes any woman who exercises her will.
She is conspiring against Islam and therefore is forbidden.
Makrooh includes women who are completely subservient, but they are still really disliked.
A woman can only hope to reach the status of Makrooh.
Women are seen as an enemy of Islam so they are restricted to subordinate or slave status.
This ensures the continuation of Islam as “the religion of peace, prosperity and gender equality.”
To further protect Islam, the right of a woman to breathe should be removed. 
Shirani concluded, “Whether a woman is allowed to breathe or not be left up to their husband or male guardian, and no woman under any circumstances whatsoever should be allowed to decide whether she can breathe or not.” 
Now there’s your war on women. 
Our president is anti-American. Islam is anti-homosexual and anti-women.
If lying to infidels is acceptable in the Islamic faith to further their cause, it would appear the president is setting a trap.
The very people who help further his agenda could one day become expendable tools.
“The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer.”
Barack Obama"

57 Percent of Americans Say Only Kids Who Win Should Get Trophies

57 Percent of Americans Say Only Kids Who Win Should Get Trophies - Reason-Rupe Surveys : Reason.com:

Even the New York Times and Washington Post Think the Rick Perry Indictment Is Ridiculous | TheBlaze.com

Even the New York Times and Washington Post Think the Rick Perry Indictment Is Ridiculous | TheBlaze.com:
"It was no big shock Monday when the conservative editorial board of the Wall Street Journal dismissed the indictment against the Texas Republican governor as prosecuting political differences. But what may be more surprising is that the liberal editorial boards of both the New York Times and the Washington Post shared the view Tuesday."

IndoctriNation Movie - 30 minute version on Vimeo

IndoctriNation Movie - 30 minute version on Vimeo:
IndoctriNation Movie - 30 minute version from indoctrination on Vimeo.

Random Thoughts - Thomas Sowell

Random Thoughts - Thomas Sowell - Page full:

"One of the big differences between Democrats and Republicans is that we at least know what the Democrats stand for, whether we agree with it or not. 
But, for Republicans, we have to guess."

History for August 20

History for August 20 - On-This-Day.com:

Corn Palace Festival begins at Mitchell, SD (Aug 20-24). See www.cornpalacefestival.com

Birth anniversary of Benjamin Harrison (Republican), 23^rd US president (1833-1901).

In 1942, plutonium, the first man-made element, was first weighed.

Happy Birthday! Don King, Ron Paul, Robert Plant

1741 - Danish navigator Vitus Jonas Bering discovered Alaska. 


1866 - It was formally declared by U.S. President Andrew Johnson that the American Civil War was over. The fighting had stopped months earlier. 


1923 - The first American dirigible, the "Shenandoah," was launched in Lakehurst, NJ. The ship began its maiden voyage from the same location on September 4. 


1939 - The National Bowling Association was founded in Detroit, MI. It was the first bowling association in the U.S. for African-Americans. 


1953 - It was announced by the Soviet Union that they had detonated a hydrogen bomb. 


1964 - A $1 billion anti-poverty measure was signed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. 





1967 - The New York Times reported about a noise reduction system for album and tape recording developed by technicians R. and D.W. Dolby. Elektra Record's subsidiary, Checkmate Records became the first label to use the new Dolby process in its recordings. 


1968 - The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations began invading Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring" liberalization. 


1991 - A rally of more that 100,000 people occurred outside the Russian parliament building to protest the coup that removed Gorbachev from power. 


1997 - Britain began voluntary evacuation of its Caribbean island of Montserrat due to the volcanic activity of the Soufriere Hills. 


1998 - Canada's Supreme Court announced that Quebec could not secede without the federal government's consent. 


1998 - The U.N. Security Council extended trade sanctions against Iraq for blocking arms inspections. 

Texas Gov. Rick Perry Booked at Austin Courthouse on Felony Charges Tied to Controversial Indictment | Video | TheBlaze.com

Texas Gov. Rick Perry Booked at Austin Courthouse on Felony Charges Tied to Controversial Indictment | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"The conservative firebrand was expected to be fingerprinted, have his mugshot taken and be formally booked on felony charges tied to the indictment which accused him of exceeding his powers by threatening to veto funding for state prosecutors investigating public corruption."

Epic: Ferguson Protesters Just Told Jesse Jackson To Shove It After He Got Greedy

Epic: Ferguson Protesters Just Told Jesse Jackson To Shove It After He Got Greedy:
"When anything involving race happens anywhere, you can be sure that Reverend Jesse Jackson will make it there.
Naturally, with a black man being shot in Ferguson, Missouri, he shows up. But this time, the Reverend didn’t quite think out his strategy; and when he pulled out his bullhorn, the protesters ran him out of town."

Redskins Run Onto Field Before Game with Hands Up for Michael Brown

Redskins Run Onto Field Before Game with Hands Up for Michael Brown « CBS DC:
"From nearly 1,000 miles away, several Redskins players used the Monday Night Football stage to draw attention to the situation that has been unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri by running onto FedExField with their hands up in the air.
Ferguson is where unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white police officer on Aug. 9.
Witnesses have said he was not aggressive toward the officer and had his hands raised above his head before he was shot.
As a result, the words “hands up, don’t shoot” have become a rallying cry of protesters, both in Ferguson and online.
Following Washington’s win against Cleveland, WNEW learned the idea for the gesture came from safety Brandon Meriweather and cornerback DeAngelo Hall.
“We just want to show our supporters what’s going on in St. Louis,” Meriweather said.
“We just wanted to show support.”
“That could have been any one of us,” said free safety Ryan Clark. 
“That could have been any one of our brothers, our cousins… 
When you get an opportunity to make a statement, and be more than a football player, it’s good.”"

Not a "big" story but illustrative of the petty, liberal meanness------Liberals Plot to SABOTAGE Paul Ryan's New Book

All supported by the bookstore employees.
And they wonder why the customers are gone baby.......
Liberals Plot to SABOTAGE Paul Ryan's New Book | The Daily Caller:
"Progressive activists are launching a day-long, nationwide campaign Tuesday to sabotage the release of Paul Ryan’s new book by going to bookstores and wrapping the copies in demeaning fake covers.
The Agenda Project, a New York-based progressive activist group founded by former Democratic National Committee official Erica Payne, urged its supporters to print out a digitally altered cover of Ryan pushing an old woman off a cliff – a visual version of the talking point Democrats used against Ryan’s entitlement plan during his 2012 run for vice president – and cover copies of his book The Way Forward at stores while taking pictures of themselves for social media.
Here’s the fake cover, courtesy of a link in an early-morning Agenda Project email:"

Bummer-----Omni Fitness Club closing after 25 years; Norton Pines Athletic Club to honor memberships

Omni Fitness Club closing after 25 years; Norton Pines Athletic Club to honor memberships | MLive.com: "MUSKEGON, MI – The decision to close Omni Fitness Club after 25 years of service is not an easy one for owner Lana Carson."

Former Marine Booted from Amusement Park for ‘Offensive’ Pro-Military Shirt

Former Marine Booted from Amusement Park for ‘Offensive’ Pro-Military Shirt:
"Last weekend, a veteran who honorably served his country was denied entry to an amusement park because the amusement park did not approve of the message on his shirt."

Not Detroit?!!-----24 Most Dangerous Places in The World

24 Most Dangerous Places in The World | World Truth.TV

What could possibly go wrong?-------Detroit opens 2 centers to advise flood victims

Detroit opens 2 centers to advise flood victims | Crain's Detroit Business
Detroit is operating two centers this week to help residents affected by last week's severe flooding find services.
The city says the centers will operate 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for four days, beginning Tuesday.
Detroit says people will be able to get "information on financial assistance, social services, hiring restoration contractors, obtaining construction permits and health information."
.....The centers won't offer direct financial aid.

The "deadbeat" life pays off AGAIN!-------Fund gets $200,000 in donations to help Detroiters pay water bills

Fund gets $200,000 in donations to help Detroiters pay water bills | Crain's Detroit Business
A fund created to help Detroiters pay their water bills is getting $200,000 from United Way and the charitable arms of two auto companies.
The donations were revealed Monday.
The new Detroit Water Fund will pay a portion of overdue water bills if customers owe at least $300, pay 10 percent and meet other qualifications.
United Way for Southeastern Michigan is contributing $100,000, while the Ford Motor Co. Fund & Community Services and the General Motors Foundation are giving $50,000 each.
The water fund was created in response to criticism about Detroit's aggressive shut-off policy.
Water shutoffs related to unpaid bills will resume after Aug. 25.

Race baiter government--------36 Shot in Chicago, Obama Sends 40 FBI Agents to Ferguson

36 Shot in Chicago, Obama Sends 40 FBI Agents to Ferguson | FrontPage Magazine:

"Chicago could probably use some extra manpower
Detroit certainly could.
But instead Obama dispatched 40 Feds to try and nail a cop who shoot a violent 300 lb criminal.
Seven people were been killed and at least 29 others wounded in weekend shootings across Chicago.
Sorry you guys don’t count.
Black on black violence doesn’t matter.
Only the race card does."

Dem Says Pro-Gun Demonstrations ‘Need to Be Canceled’ | TheBlaze.com

Dem Says Pro-Gun Demonstrations ‘Need to Be Canceled’ | TheBlaze.com:
"Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said over the weekend that a gun rights group shouldn’t bother rescheduling a planned march through Houston’s Fifth Ward, and that these sorts of demonstrations “need to end.”

Free Press Parent Gannett Is Revolutionizing News Coverage By Eliminating Jobs

Free Press Parent Gannett Is Revolutionizing News Coverage By Eliminating Jobs –  Deadline Detroit:
"Gannett’s latest Great Leap Forward will go “digital first,” heavily emphasizing metrics to guide coverage, Ryan Chittum reports in Columbia Journalism Review.
It will have significantly smaller newsrooms with a few more reporters and a lot fewer editors, in part because it is centralizing production work like copyediting and page design in regional hubs.
All newsroom jobs have been redefined and current staff must apply for new jobs.
And, of course, there are the buzzwords and the chirpy editors’ notes to readers. 
Assignment editors become “content coaches.” 
Managing editors are now “content strategists.” 
A diminished newsroom is a “bold new structure.” "

Dirty little secret? Libs have ALWAYS loved lynch mobs-----------Some Liberal Outlets Creating 'Almost a Lynch Mob Mentality' in Ferguson

Kurtz: Some Liberal Outlets Creating 'Almost a Lynch Mob Mentality' in Ferguson:
"Former CNN anchor and Fox News Channel’s “MediaBuzz” host Howie Kurtz criticized some outlets for creating “almost a lynch mob mentality” in Ferguson, MO in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown.
“Some liberal outlets [are] creating almost a lynch mob mentality around this, the Huffington Post today, screaming banner headline ‘Arrest Him.’ 
Now, the Huffington Post, nor you or I, knows exactly what happened” he said.
And “when you cross that line into becoming an advocate and to demanding that somebody be prosecuted before the facts are in, while the investigation is going on, you’re grandstanding, you’re trying to keep the story alive and I really think it’s troubling.”
Kurtz also criticized CNN for showing the house of accused officer Darren Wilson, stating, “It defies my understanding how you could put his life or the life of his family in danger by even briefly showing the house or naming the street.” "

Holi crapoli!!!!--------Social Security Crisis Closer than You Think

Social Security Crisis Closer than You Think | Mercatus:
"When the trust funds are depleted, the upcoming year’s benefits will be suddenly and immediately reduced by nearly $200 billion (in 2013 dollars), and not just for that year alone. 
The 23 percent haircut will persist indefinitely without legislative action. 
....And don’t mistakenly believe we can just raise payroll taxes to cover any shortfall without also causing drastically harmful effects on the economy.
If we raised the payroll tax rate today, it would have to rise from 12.4 percent to about 15.2 percent — that’s a nominal 23 percent increase in the payroll tax rate.
If we wait until 2033, the rate would have to increase to approximately 16.5 percent; over 4 percentage points higher than the payroll tax rate is today and a nominal 33 percent increase.

But wait, it’s actually much worse than that. 
Because Social Security benefits decline at a much slower rate than GDP and payroll taxes, the benefit formulas result in benefit level changes that considerably lag behind other changes in the economy, especially during periods of decline.
Further, disability applications jump dramatically during economic downturns (increasing about 25 percent during the Great Recession), and disability payment increases then quickly follow.
This puts even more financial pressure on Social Security. Finally, fertility and immigration rates tend to decline during times of economic stress — which, over the longer term, reduces revenue coming into the program and adversely affects Social Security financing.
What this all means is that the Social Security crisis that appears to be coming in 2033 is actually here now.

The white version of "Jesse & Al"------KKK Raising Money for Police Officer Who Shot African-American Teen

KKK Raising Money for Police Officer Who Shot African-American Teen | Hatewatch:
"The social turmoil that has erupted around Brown’s death has proven too appealing for the Klan, which in recent weeks has been quick to capitalize on a series of racially charged news events.
Last week, for example, a Klan chapter in Arizona called for “corpses” in response to a feared influx of children seeking asylum as violence in Latin America forced their families to send them northward.
But about St. Louis, their rhetoric has turned vile and predictable.
“We know that Michael Brown was nothing more than a punk. 
The media and others are painting him out to be a ‘good son’ and ‘great kid.’ 
The blacks of Missouri are showing their love of him by rioting, attacking and shooting people. 
Nothing new,” the chapter wrote on its blog.
Email requests to Imperial Wizard Chuck Murray on Wednesday were not answered."

Bankrupt Detroit Breaks Ground on New 3.3-Mile Streetcar Line

Bankrupt Detroit Breaks Ground on New 3.3-Mile Streetcar Line | CNS News:

On July 27, the City of Detroit broke ground on M-1 Rail, a 3.3-mile streetcar line that will run down Woodward Avenue from the Central Business District to New Center.

Despite the fact that the city filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, is $18 billion in debt, and nearly half of its 138 square miles have been abandoned, city leaders hope the new transit project will spur $3 billion in economic development to help revive their dying city.

In April, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) green-lighted the $140 million transit project.

Last year, Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood announced that Detroit would be getting $25 million in federal funds for M-1 Rail. The rest of the construction costs will be raised from private donors.

.......“That’s decades away from happening,” Staley pointed out. “The idea that people would move into a bankrupt city with out-of-control spending and the worst public schools in the nation because of a streetcar really strains any concept of credibility.”

The light rail line will connect with Detroit’s People Mover, which runs in a 2.9-mile loop around the downtown section of the city.

Detroit's People Mover. (AP photo)

The People Mover, which opened in 1987, was designed to carry up to 15 million riders per year, but attracted only 2.2 million passengers last year, according to data from the American Public Transportation Association.

The line has to be heavily subsidized by Detroit taxpayers because the 75-cent fare only covers 11 percent of the operating costs per passenger mile.

Staley says that the MI-Rail project is likely to share a similar fate.

Why Has the AP Ignored Its Own Stylebook on Several Occasions in Its Coverage Michael Brown Shooting? | TheBlaze.com

Why Has the AP Ignored Its Own Stylebook on Several Occasions in Its Coverage Michael Brown Shooting? | TheBlaze.com:
"The Associated Press has seemingly ignored its own stylebook on several occasions by referring to 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, as a “teen” or “teenager” rather than a “man.”"

Articles: Climate Science Does Not Support IPCC Conclusions

Articles: Climate Science Does Not Support IPCC Conclusions:

The real question relates to Climate Sensitivity (CS) -- defined as the temperature rise associated with a doubling of CO2 (The definition varies slightly between different authors.) 

IPCC initially claimed a very large CS. But after the first Assessment report of 1990, CS dropped from 4.5 to about 2.5OC. From then on, IPCC only considered the last part of the 20th century and no longer claimed the earlier warming (1910-40) to be manmade [see Slide-1].

S-1: (a) GAST (Global Ave Surface Temp)  (b) Note that max US temp occurred in 1930s  Source: GISS

In my view, CS may actually be close to zero. This means CO2 has very little influence on climate change -- probably because of negative feedback. There is still debate, however, about what kind of negative feedback to expect. Should it come from water vapor or from clouds?