Three Reasons Why Michigan Should End Film Incentives

Three Reasons Why Michigan Should End Film Incentives [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
1. No increase in film jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are fewer film jobs in the state today than when the film incentives began in 2008.

2. No permanent jobs. According to the Michigan Film Office (which distributes the subsidies), there were zero full-time jobs created from the program last year.

3. No money. According to the Senate Fiscal Agency, the incentives bring in only 11 cents on the dollar spent — a huge loss for taxpayers.

By all fair measures, the nearly $500 million devoted to the film incentive program has been a waste. It should be ended and the money redirected to better priorities.

Student Barred From Class For Disputing Rape Statistics

Student Barred From Class For Disputing Rape Statistics | The Daily Caller:
"A student at Reed College has been banned from class for denying the existence of “rape culture” in the United States and arguing that the oft-repeated statistic that one in five women are raped at college is bogus.
Jeremiah True, 19, received an email from professor Pancho Savery on March 14 telling him he was making his classmates so uncomfortable that he was no longer welcome to participate in the “conference” sections of his Humanities 110 class, a course which focuses on the art and literature of classical Greece, according to BuzzFeed News.
...“There are several survivors of sexual assault in our conference, and you have made them extremely uncomfortable with what they see as not only your undermining incidents of rape, but of also placing too much emphasis on men being unfairly charged with rape,” said Savery in an email True posted online.
“[Other students] have said that things you have said in our conference have made them so upset that they have difficulty concentrating in other classes.
I, as conference leader, have to do what is best for the well-being of the entire class, and I am therefore banning you from conference for the remainder of the semester.”
At least one student thinks giving True the boot was the right move, saying that True’s statements somehow represented a safety hazard.
“This is an excellent example of a professor taking initiative to take care of his students,” senior Rosie Dempsey told BuzzFeed.
“Of course, we are an institution that encourages dissent and active discussion, but there is a difference between stimulating discussion through opposition and making other students feel unsafe.”
Another student said that True’s ouster was necessary because he was “triggering” other students, suggesting that True was so bothersome he was activating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in others."

The Word ‘Taxpayer’ Tilts In Favor of Conservatives and Should Be Eliminated

New Republic Writer: The Word ‘Taxpayer’ Tilts In Favor of Conservatives and Should Be Eliminated
You don’t have to be Frank Luntz or George Lakoff to know that linguistic framing matters a great deal in politics. 
Sometimes, however, nuance is in the eye of the beholder. 
The New Republic’s Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig, for example, considers “taxpayer” an ideologically weighted term.

In a Thursday article pegged to the just-released House Republican budget for fiscal 2016, Bruenig claimed that the use of “taxpayers” (rather than “people”) when discussing fiscal and economic issues benefits conservatives for reasons including that it “seems to subtly promote the idea that a person’s share in our democratic governance should depend upon their contribution in taxes” and bolsters the makers-vs.-takers argument that became associated with the GOP during the 2012 campaign.

From Bruenig’s piece (bolding added):

In the 43-page budget, the word “taxpayer” and its permutations appear 24 times, as often as the word “people.” It’s worthwhile to compare these usages, because the terms are, in a sense, rival ideas. While “people” designates the broadest possible public as the subject of a political project, “taxpayer” advances a considerably narrower vision—and that's why we should eliminate it from political rhetoric and punditry.

…[A]s the Republican authors of this budget know well, the beneficiaries of welfare programs tend to receive more in benefits than they pay in taxes, because they are in most cases low-income. The “taxpayers” this passage has in mind, therefore, don’t seem to be the recipients of these welfare programs, but rather those who imagine that they personally fund them. By this logic, the public is divided neatly into makers and takers, to borrow the parlance of last election’s Republicans…

Beck Eviscerates President Obama as a ‘Special Kind of Liar’ Who Has ‘Brought Lying to an Art Form’ | Video | TheBlaze.com

Beck Eviscerates President Obama as a ‘Special Kind of Liar’ Who Has ‘Brought Lying to an Art Form’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:

“The proof is readily available for anybody who cares to look,” Beck said. “And the fact is, the president is a special kind of liar because he can lie about things that have long been proven to be lies. Then he has the nerve to tell you to look up the evidence. … That’s what he did this week.”

Beck played audio of the president saying: “It was one thing for them to argue against Obamacare before it was put in place. Every prediction they have made about it turned out to be wrong. See, it’s working better than even I expected. But it doesn’t matter. Evidence be damned.”

“Yeah, evidence be damned,” Beck repeated. “That was a special kind of liar. You have to almost sit back in awe and say ‘Oh, my gosh, he is an artist. He is a Rembrandt or the Monet of lies. He is so convincing, he may even have convinced himself!’ And I believe he has. But what a statement. ‘Evidence be damned.’ All of the evidence is on our side, and he makes the opposite claim. But we have seen it before, repeatedly.”

Militarize the place where you get your driver's license?!!!----Nevada DMV Requests High-Powered Rifles For Office Safety

DMV Requests High-Powered Rifles For Office Safety | Nevada Public Radio:
"If you’re driving on Nevada’s roads, chances are a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles may be in your future.
But, no matter how long the line is, try to keep your cool.
Because of large crowds and longer wait times, the DMV has requested funding that would prepare its security for the worst.
The agency’s budget request over the next two years includes funding for an “Active Shooter Program,” which would include the purchase of 12 semi-automatic rifles. 
Although compliance enforcement officers already possess handguns, deputy administrator Sterling Nixon says it may not be enough should an active shooter situation occur.
...“Handguns and firearms are prevalent in the state of Nevada,” Nixon said. We lean toward protecting the public with whatever means we have.”"

2015 Izzo & Spartans Tournament Run Graphic

2015 Izzo & Spartans Tournament Run Graphic

Khamenei calls 'Death to America' as Kerry hails progress on nuke deal

Khamenei calls 'Death to America' as Kerry hails progress on nuke deal | The Times of Israel
Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei called for “Death to America” on Saturday, a day after President Barack Obama appealed to Iran to seize a “historic opportunity” for a nuclear deal and a better future, and as US Secretary of State John Kerry claimed substantial progress toward an accord.
Khamenei told a crowd in Tehran that Iran would not capitulate to Western demands.
When the crowd started shouting, “Death to America,” the ayatollah responded: 
“Of course yes, death to America, because America is the original source of this pressure.
...The politics of America is to create insecurity,” he added, referring both to US pressure on Iran and elsewhere in the region.
...Kerry was more circumspect, as he spoke to reporters after six days of negotiations in the Swiss city of Lausanne. 
The talks, made “substantial progress,” he said, but “important gaps remain.
“We have an opportunity to get this right,” Kerry said, as he urged Iran to make “fundamental decisions” that prove to the world it has no interest in atomic weapons.

History for March 22 - On-This-Day.com

History for March 22 - On-This-Day.com:
Chico Marx 1887, Louis L'Amour 1908 - Author, Karl Malden 1913 - Actor 


William Shatner 1931 - Actor ("Star Trek" television series and movies), M. Emmett Walsh 1935 - Actor, Glen Campbell 1936 


James Patterson 1947 - Author, Andrew Lloyd Webber 1948 - Composer, Reese Witherspoon 1976 - Actress ("Legally Blonde") 


1457 - Gutenberg Bible became the first printed book. 


1841 - Englishman Orlando Jones patented cornstarch. 


1873 - Slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico. 



1903 - Niagara Falls ran out of water due to a drought. 


1906 - France lost the first ever rugby game ever played against Britain. 


1907 - In Paris, it was reported that male cab drivers dressed as women to attract riders. 











1935 - Persia was renamed Iran.
 

1941 - The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington began operations. 


1954 - The first shopping mall opened in Southfield, Michigan. 


1987 - A barge loaded with 32,000 tons of refuse left Islip, NY, to find a place to unload. After being refused by several states and three countries space was found back in Islip. 


1989 - The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee reported the class gap was widening. 


1990 - A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, found Captain Hazelwood not guilty in the Valdez oil spill. 

Take the ‘Race Relations Reality Check’ Quiz That Starbucks Is Now Seemingly Handing Out | TheBlaze.com

Take the ‘Race Relations Reality Check’ Quiz That Starbucks Is Now Seemingly Handing Out | TheBlaze.com:

"Despite the relentless online ridicule over its “Race Together” initiative encouraging baristas to talk to customers about race, Starbucks has apparently taken its efforts one step further.

Several Twitter users claimed on Friday that a “race relations reality check” quiz is now being made available to customers. TheBlaze TV’s Dana Loesch first brought attention to the quiz, which she also referred to as a “are you a racist?” quiz."

Study measures the foul smell of fat bias

Study measures the foul smell of fat bias - Yahoo News: "
People can be so turned off by obese individuals that they actually imagine a bad smell, according to a new study.
Study participants who were shown images of heavy and thin individuals while sniffing odorless substances rated the “scent samples” as smelling worse when they were paired with images of heavy people.
“Our findings suggest that people may hold negative views of heavy individuals that are sufficiently entrenched that they can cross over into olfactory (that is, smell) perceptions though people may not be aware that they hold such views,” senior author Andrew Ward told Reuters Health in an email.
“This is the first study to show that negative bias toward heavy individuals is sufficient to affect smell perception,” said Ward, a psychology researcher at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania."

Why the US Should Worry About Russia, Not China

Why the US Should Worry About Russia, Not China | The Diplomat:
"Last Friday, the United States released its updated Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower (CS-21).
One of the biggest critiques of the first Cooperative Strategy concentrated on the difficulty of fitting China and Russia into the “cooperative” frame.
China continues to expand its navy and has obviously undertaken a set of assertive actions in the East and South China Seas.
Russia has, in recent years, invaded Georgia and Ukraine, effectively annexing parts of both countries. 
How does it make sense to include either of these countries under the tab “cooperation?”
...Russia and China pose the greatest potential threats to the vision of liberal international order implicit in CS-21, a situation that has more or less held since 1949.
Yet China is, for the first time in its history, deeply dependent on the sea. 
...Russia is different. 
While we should generally view geographically determinist accounts with skepticism, there is no question that the maritime sphere is far less important to Russia than it is to the United States or China.
Russia benefits less from a reliable set of interlocking regimes and procedures for managing the maritime sphere, and can take advantage of asymmetric opportunities to disrupt that system.
In short, Russia has the luxury of playing the spoiler, because Moscow understands that everyone else needs the sea more than Russia does. 
Beijing, on the other hand, needs the system of order that the United States has constructed in the maritime sphere. 
While China may fight hard to ensure it gets an appropriate seat, it’s far less likely than Russia to try to upend the table."

Listen to How Obama Reacts When Reporter’s Question Strays Away From His ‘Really Important Story’ | Video | TheBlaze.com

Listen to How Obama Reacts When Reporter’s Question Strays Away From His ‘Really Important Story’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"Associated Press reporter Mark Smith got into a brief exchange with President Barack Obama on Thursday after his questioning strayed from what the commander-in-chief considered to be a “really important story.”

Obama spent the day outlining his latest executive order aimed at combatting global warming by cutting the greenhouse gas emissions of federal agencies. However, as the Washington Examiner points out, reporters asked him about other issues, like the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran."


I wish someone from the puppet press would cut their strings and challenge the executive on his facts.  

The Breakdown of Where Your Tax Dollars Go

The Breakdown of Where Your Tax Dollars Go:
"Tax dollars paid for about 85 cents of every dollar spent in 2014—the rest was borrowed. 
Where did all that money go?
 Your 2014 tax dollars—which are due next month—went primarily to pay for government benefits."

Blog: Dianne Feinstein's husband wins near-billion dollar California 'high speed rail' contract

Blog: Dianne Feinstein's husband wins near-billion dollar California 'high speed rail' contract
To the surprise of absolutely no one familiar with the ways of Corruptifornia, the one-party state completely in the hands of the Democrats, a consortium whose lead firm is controlled by Richard Blum, husband of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, was awarded a nearly billion-dollar contract for the construction of the first phase of the so-called high-speed rail line to link San Francisco and Los Angeles. 
Those paying attention to the project call it the “half-fast” rail line because it will share trackage with  conventional commuter rail trains in the sprawling Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, lowering its average speed to levels achieved by American railways a century ago.

Crazifornia.com writes:

The Perini-Zachary-Parsons bid was the lowest received from the five consortia participating in the bidding process, but “low” is a relative term. The firms bid $985,142,530 to build the wildly anticipated first section of high speed rail track that will tie the megopolis of Madera to the global finance center of Fresno. Do the division, and you find that the low bid came in at a mere $35 million per mile.

And that doesn’t include the cost of rolling stock (that’s engines and cars to the normal among us). Nor does it include the cost of electrifying the route. Does it at least include the cost of land acquisition? No, it does not....

...Just another day in Jerry Brown’s world of imaginary high-speed rail that is sure to cost at least twice what it is budgeted at (just south of a hundred billion dollars), take five hours for a journey that takes an hour or so by air, and which will have to charge much more than airlines do for the trip.

Oops: US Close-Air Support Bomb Doesn’t Fit on the F-35

Oops: US Close-Air Support Bomb Doesn’t Fit on the F-35 | The Diplomat:
"The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will not receive the software package required to operate the Pentagon’s top close-air support bomb until 2022, according to military.com.
The article also stated that the JSF office already had discovered earlier that the precision-guided air-dropped Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) does not fit onto Joint Strike Fighter Marine Corps variant without modifications to the aircraft’s weapons bay.
Yet the Department of Defense will wait until the F-35 B (the Marine Corps variant of the F-35) reaches initial operability before modifying the F-35’s armament bay, since the weapon will be useless without the right software package..."

Google CEO Eric Schmidt, a Democratic Supporter, Blasts Gov’t Spying: ‘It’s Called a Front Door’ | TheBlaze.com

Google CEO Eric Schmidt, a Democratic Supporter, Blasts Gov’t Spying: ‘It’s Called a Front Door’ | TheBlaze.com:

“So my answer to the government and the U.S. government is, ‘It’s called a front door,’” Schmidt said. “Go to court – by the way, you can get these things in an hour. We have to follow the law. The law requires us to react immediately. We do so. We’ve never had a problem. I just don’t agree,” he added.

“I would much prefer them to say, what we would like to be able to do is to watch what everyone’s doing in order to figure out who the bad guys are because that’s what they want but that’s also not something that I want,” Schmidt added.

Google, unlike many companies, encrypts users’ information in its databases so that not even the government can access it through a so-called “back door.” Apple has similar measures in place where users’  data are so secure inside its servers that not even the government can access computer files belonging to someone it suspects is involved in a crime or terrorist act."

Grownups Pay Big Bucks to Attend NYC 'Adult Preschool'

Grownups Pay Big Bucks to Attend NYC 'Adult Preschool' - ABC News:
"Getting in touch with your inner child has never been so expensive.
The Brooklyn-based Preschool Mastermind, as it's called, is a preschool-type experience for adults.
No, really.
And according to its founder, there's show-and-tell, arts-and-crafts such as finger paint, games (think musical chairs) and even naps...
...Adult preschool -- not unlike New York City's preschool's for children, doesn't come cheap. Payment for the class is on a sliding scale ranging from $333 to $999.
Joni said that "preschool is all about choice. I want them [the students] to feel good about the choice they're making.""

Feds to Weigh Children in Daycare

Feds to Weigh Children in Daycare | Washington Free Beacon:
"Bureaucrats from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will weigh and measure children in daycare as part of a study mandated by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.
The agency published a notice in the Federal Register on Friday proposing data collection on what meals are served in professional and home daycare facilities and how much physical activity children perform.
Aside from assessing how healthy the food in daycare is, the USDA will also check the weight and height of roughly 3,000 children.
 “Children will be asked to cooperate with study staff who will weigh and measure them for the Standing Height and Weight Form,” the notice said."

Rental Cars for Michelle O’s Kyoto Visit Cost $78,741

Rental Cars for Michelle O’s Kyoto Visit Cost $78,741 | Washington Free Beacon:
"First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to a Buddhist Temple in Kyoto is costing taxpayers nearly $80,000 for rental cars, according to a government contract.
Mrs. Obama, who is travelling to Japan and Cambodia for a girls’ education initiative, will arrive in Kyoto, Japan, on Friday.
...Mrs. Obama is promoting “Let Girls Learn,” an initiative by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that is spending $231.6 million for education programs in Nigeria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Jordan, and Guatemala."

Dem FCC Commissioner Makes Big Net Neutrality Admission Days After Senior Official Told TheBlaze Something Very Different | TheBlaze.com

Dem FCC Commissioner Makes Big Net Neutrality Admission Days After Senior Official Told TheBlaze Something Very Different | TheBlaze.com:

"Democratic FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said Wednesday that the agency could choose to regulate internet rates under the net neutrality rules it passed February 26, but that claim stands in stark contrast with what one FCC senior official told TheBlaze just last week."