Wednesday, February 24, 2016

AM Fruitcake


History for February 24

History for February 24 - On-This-Day.com:
Winslow Homer 1836 - Artist, Chester Nimitz 1885 - U.S. Navy Admiral, WWII Commander in Chief, signed the Japanese surrender papers, Abe Vigoda 1921 - Actor ("Barney Miller", "The Godfather")


George Harrison 1943 - Musician (Beatles) - In 1992, Harrison stated, "I only learned recently after all these years that the date and time of my own birth have always been off by one calendar day and about a half hour on the clock." Previously, Harrison thought his birthday was the 25th. His birth certificate indicates February 25., Steven Jobs 1955 - Co-founder of Apple, Inc. - iTunes Music, Billy Zane 1966 - Actor ("Titanic")


1839 - Mr. William S. Otis received a patent for the steam shovel.


1868 - The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson due to his attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. The U.S. Senate later acquitted Johnson.


1903 - In Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, an area was leased to the U.S. for a naval base.


1938 - The first nylon bristle toothbrush was made. It was the first time that nylon yarn had been used commercially.


1945 - During World War II, the Philippine capital of Manilla, was liberated by U.S. soldiers.


1946 - Juan Peron was elected president of Argentina.





1981 - Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain's Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.


1992 - "Wayne's World" opened in U.S. theaters.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Cruz Outlines Audacious Immigration Plan During Tense Interview With O’Reilly — Here’s What He Said in January | Video | TheBlaze.com

Cruz Outlines Audacious Immigration Plan During Tense Interview With O’Reilly — Here’s What He Said in January | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) vowed on Monday night to “enforce the law” when it comes to illegal immigration if elected president — and that includes his administration deporting any illegal immigrant “apprehended” by authorities. There are currently an estimated 12 million people living in the U.S. illegally."



Obama Refuses To Salute Marines, What He Does After Will Leave You Angry |

Obama Refuses To Salute Marines, What He Does After Will Leave You Angry |:

"He seemed to forget to salute back, or maybe he just ignored him. Who knows?"

Abenomics Fail – Safe Sales Soar in Japan as People Move to Store Cash Amid Negative Interest Rate Turmoil

Abenomics Fail – Safe Sales Soar in Japan as People Move to Store Cash Amid Negative Interest Rate Turmoil | Liberty Blitzkrieg:
"...Only last week, the internal affairs minister, Sanae Takaichi, sent a clear message to media organizations.
Broadcasters that repeatedly failed to show “fairness” in their political coverage, despite official warnings, could be taken off the air, she told MPs.
Momii caused consternation after his appointment when he suggested that NHK would toe the government line on key diplomatic issues, including Japan’s territorial dispute with China. “International broadcasting is different from domestic,” he said. “It would not do for us to say ‘left’ when the government is saying ‘right’.”
...Here are a few excerpts from the piece, Japanese Seeking a Place to Stash Cash Start Snapping Up Safes:
TOKYO—Look no further than Japan’s hardware stores for a worrying new sign that consumers are hoarding cash—the opposite of what the Bank of Japan had hoped when it recently introduced negative interest rates.
Signs are emerging of higher demand for safes—a place where the interest rate on cash is always zero, no matter what the central bank does.
Cash languishing in safes could thwart the Bank of Japan’s move to get money circulating more vigorously in the economy.
Shimachu Co., which operates a chain of stores selling hardware and home products, said Monday that sales of safes in the week that ended Sunday were 2½ times higher than in the same period a year earlier.
One safe that costs about $700 is now out of stock and won’t be available for a month, the chain said.
“I am a bit worried about what will happen next,” said Kazuo Matsumoto, a customer at one of the Shimachu stores in Tokyo.
While he didn’t buy a safe, the 64-year-old said he might turn some of his cash into gold and keep it inside a safe-deposit box he rents.
...It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see what’s going on here.
Our so-called global “leaders” understand that while the public may be stupid, it isn’t stupid enough to keep money in the bank once it starts charging them a percentage of their money just for holding deposits.
Of course, there hasn’t been a surge in “criminals” using cash over the past year; rather, the powers that be want to ensure the slaves are forced to keep money in the bailed out, thieving banking system no matter what it does to them.
That’s the only reason for the current push to ban cash. 
It’s beyond transparent and must be stopped if you want to protect some semblance of financial and economic liberty."

Over 500 East Ramapo employees paid $100k despite program cuts

Over 500 East Ramapo employees paid $100k despite program cuts | EAGnews.org:
SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. – It’s obviously good to be an employee in New York’s East Ramapo school district – at least for those who haven’t been laid off.
Money-flyingMore than 500 of them were paid salaries of more than $100,000 in 2014-15, despite the fact that the school district has been in a chronic state of financial emergency for several years.
But it’s clearly not so great to be a student at East Ramapo.
Hundreds of their teachers were laid off in recent years, according to media reports. Kindergarten was reduced to a half-day program, the number of high school elective classes and foreign language classes were reduced, and summer school programs were cut.
Many student extracurricular activities, including middle school athletics, were eliminated.
Student proficiency scores on state tests have lagged well behind the state average in most categories, and the graduation rate has been similarly dismal.
The January the East Ramapo district was named New York’s sixth most financially stressed school district, according to News 12 Westchester..."

Behind This Innocent-Looking Image of a Father and Son Lurks One of the Sickest Accounts to Date From the Islamic State | TheBlaze.com

Behind This Innocent-Looking Image of a Father and Son Lurks One of the Sickest Accounts to Date From the Islamic State | TheBlaze.com:

"The Islamic State group posted a video showing how a Syrian father helped his teenage son prepare for a suicide mission that he believes will land his son in “paradise.”

According to excerpts translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute, the video showed how 15-year-old Abu Ammarah Al-Omari and his father got ready for the teen’s suicide mission."

Show This Column to Anyone Who Claims Bush Lied about WMDs in Iraq

Show This Column to Anyone Who Claims Bush Lied about WMDs in Iraq - John Hawkins - Page full:
Throughout the Bush years, liberals repeated “Bush lied, people died” like a mantra.
That slander wasn’t true then and it’s not anymore true now that it has resurfaced.
There are many legitimate criticisms of the way the Bush Administration conducted the war in Iraq and even more of the way Obama threw away all the blood and treasure we spent there for the sake of politics, but you have to be malicious or just an imbecile at this point to accuse Bush of lying about WMDs.
To begin with, numerous foreign intelligence agencies also believed that Saddam Hussein had an active WMD program. 
The "intelligence agencies of Germany, Israel, Russia, Britain, China and France" all believed Saddam had WMDs.
CIA Director George Tenet also rather famously said that it was a “slam dunk” that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Incidentally, it’s hard to fault the CIA for their conclusions when even, “In private conversations that were intercepted by U.S. intelligence, Iraqi officials spoke as if Saddam continued to possess WMD. 
Even Iraqi generals believed he did.
In the fall of 2002, the Iraqi military conducted exercises in chemical protective gear – but not because they thought the U.S.-led coalition was going to use chemical weapons.”
Additionally, many prominent Democrats who had access to the same intelligence that George Bush did came to the same conclusion and said so publicly.
If George W. Bush lied, then by default you have to also believe that Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, John Edwards, Robert Byrd, Tom Daschle, Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders also lied. 
Some of them, like Hillary Clinton, even alleged that Saddam was working on nuclear weapons.
“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program.
"He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. 
It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security.” — Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002
Even Bernie Sanders, who opposed the war from the beginning, publicly said he believed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction..."
Read on and help stop the liars!

Ah, the "time value of money"-----European Union To Greece: Here, Have Some More Taxpayers' Money, Lots Of It

European Union To Greece: Here, Have Some More Taxpayers' Money, Lots Of It - Forbes:
As some of us pointed out about the Greek debt “deal” there wasn’t in fact a deal at all.
There was just an agreement to carry on and muddle through until something really could be done about it all. 
And that would be when everyone was thinking or talking about something else.
For there has only ever been one possible solution to the amount of debt that Greece has: some of it must be written off.
However, as a political solution that’s just not possible.
The other taxpayers in Europe simply will not stand for the idea that their money swirls down the plughole of whatever it was that Greece spent all that money upon. 
And it will have to be taxpayers too.
There’s almost no private Greek debt left other than that owned by the Greek banks themselves: and that can’t be haircut because then the Greek banks go bust meaning that the Greek government must bail them out with the money it hasn’t got.
...The debt must be cut simply because it is unpayable. 
Thus it will have to be the taxpayers of other EU countries that bear the losses. 
But, as above, it’s not politically possible to actually say this and just cut the amount of debt to be repaid.
And it also wouldn’t have been possible to kludge this when everyone was talking about the issue. Now, as we all concentrate on other things, that kludge is possible.
And that’s exactly what is being done:
...The point is this: there’s a time value to money. 
That’s what an interest rate actually is: a reflection of the time value of money. £1 today is worth more than £1 in a years’ time.
At current market interest rates that £1 in 365 days is worth some 97 pence today (roughly, around and about).
So, If I say that that pound you owe me can instead be paid back in 365 days’ time then I’ve let you off 3% of your debt to me.
Now think about this politically.
I have lent your money to someone else.
And you’re going to get very angry if I tell you that I’ve lost 3% of it.
Why, you might even vote against me and turf me out of my very comfortable job running Europe for you. 
Thus I say, no, no, they will still pay back £1, only in a year’s time!
You haven’t lost anything at all you see! S
moke and mirrors of course, I’ve lost you 3% of your money, whether we think of it as being 97 pence now or £1 in a years’ time.
And thus what is happening to the Greek debt. 
It simply cannot be repaid. 
Thus the debt must be cut and the people who lent the money must lose however much that debt is cut by.
But if we do it by lower interest rates and longer repayment terms then we are able to say that it will be repaid.
Glossing over the fact that what will come back will be worth less than what was lent out.
What should have happened, what still should happen, is Greece leave the euro, the debt be redenominated in the new drachma and everyone acknowledge their losses as the devaluation takes place.
Because the loss has already happened, the only question is how it is to be recognised.
And if we’re honest about it it would be better to acknowledge that a couple of hundred billion has been lost on this European adventure and to recognise it right now..."

Lunch video-----Skywarrior Loses Nose Gear, takes the barricade

Noon-toon

Cartoons: Michael Ramirez for February 23, 2016

Noon-toon

Louis Farrakhan Says Nation of Islam Will Protect Beyoncé if Police Don’t | Video | TheBlaze.com

Louis Farrakhan Says Nation of Islam Will Protect Beyoncé if Police Don’t | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan offered strong praise for Beyoncé’s controversial Super Bowl performance, offering the singer protection from the Fruit of Islam, the Nation of Islam’s male-only paramilitary wing, in lieu of police protection."

Campaigns see dollar signs in AOL email addresses

Campaigns see dollar signs in AOL email addresses:
The political world is constantly trying to find cool, new ways to use social media platforms like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram, but here’s a little secret:
The thing that is most valuable to the candidates is still your email address, and most valuable of all is an AOL.com email address.
The reason is simple: money.
Email generates the vast majority of campaign fundraising, and AOL addresses produce more money than Gmail addresses.
A January study by digital marketing firm Fluent concluded that only 4% of subscribers to political email lists had AOL.com email addresses, while 48% of subscribers had Gmail accounts.
But those AOL users accounted for 22% of total donations during the study period — November and December 2015 — with an average donation of $159.
Gmail users accounted for only 13% of donations with an average gift of $31.
If you think about it, it makes sense.
Older people are more likely to be generous campaign donors and more likely to have a 20-year-old email account. 
"80% of all donations from email are coming from people 50 or older," said Jordan Cohen, chief marketing officer at Fluent.
Vincent Harris, CEO of Harris Media and chief digital strategist for the recently shuttered presidential campaign of Sen. Rand Paul, said he has seen this effect repeatedly.
"The average donors online to Republicans are normally 55-plus.
And what email address does my mom still use to this day?
She uses an AOL address."...

Spend some time with this. And get ANGRY!!-----Here's The VA Bad-Bosses Merry-Go-Round

Here's The VA Bad-Bosses Merry-Go-Round | The Daily Caller:
Department of Veterans Affairs leaders have shuffled nearly 100 hospital administrators to three or more states each in the last eight years, often to deal with under performing directors whom they could not fire, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis.
The list of VA employees with unusual workplace moving patterns includes infamous names like Diana Rubens, who was a D.C. based administrator until she created a job for herself with less work and the same $181,000 salary near her family in Philadelphia. 
Then she billed VA for nearly $300,000 in relocation costs.
It also provides a roadmap for a costly trail of chaos left by less well-known VA hospital executives on a management merry-go-round that continually shifts poor performers and problem employees to different jobs and locations in the hope of getting different outcomes.ernewsfoundation.org..."

2 horrible tragedies. 12 deaths. Only gun-grabbers politicize the deaths-----Family of six 'dropped in their spots' from carbon monoxide poisoning

Family of six 'dropped in their spots' from carbon monoxide poisoning | MLive.com:
"FENTON TWP., MI -- They didn't know until it hit them.
The deaths of a family of six -- the youngest not even 2 -- came quickly when they were overcome with carbon monoxide poisoning after a 10,000 BTU generator, powered by a 40-pound propane tank, was hooked up in the lower level of the Fenton Township home."


The Balkans Are Ground Zero for the European Refugee Crisis | TheBlaze.com

The Balkans Are Ground Zero for the European Refugee Crisis | TheBlaze.com:

"In the last year of Barack Obama’s presidency, the world is facing tremendous instability, from the Russian-Iranian onslaught against Aleppo, to the primeval brutality of Islamic State, to the putative ground operation by the U.S. and its Sunni Muslim allies in Syria, to the state meltdowns in Yemen and Libya.

The price in human life, blood and tears is hard to behold."

Top 5 Myths About Public Shootings and Gun Control

Top 5 Myths About Public Shootings and Gun Control:
"...As quickly as you can say “wait for the facts,” leftists have already begun the gun-control talks. 
As per usual, they trot out their usual misconceptions and outright factual inaccuracies. 
Here are five of them.
1.  Gun free zones keep people safe. Not true. 92% of public shootings since 2009 have occurred inside gun free zones. It’s a pretty easy stat to find. Yet for some reason, leftists just… try to completely ignore it.
2. They’re committed largely by assault rifles. Not even close. 80% of murders involving a firearm are committed by handguns.
3.  Cities and countries with strict gun laws have lower instances of shootings.  Chicago, a historically gun-free city, saw 82 shootings on July 4th weekend last year, and regularly ranks in the top 3 highest murder rate cities in America.  But, when the city began issuing concealed carry permits, the city experienced its lowest murder rate since 1958!
4.  Gun violence is increasing.  Factually, gun violence in the United States is much lower than it was 20 years ago.  Statistically speaking, school shootings are extremely rare. Children are actually 100 times more likely to be shot outside a school than in one, and more mass shootings happen at restaurants than at schools.
5.  Violent video games lead to mass killings. This is a myth. While many video games are graphically violent, scientists have not been able to find any causal links between video games and mass murder. So instead of trotting out this old lie overtime there’s a tragedy…"

AM Fruitcake


History for February 23


History for February 23 - On-This-Day.com:
William Shirer 1904 - Jornalist, author ("The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", "Ghandi: A Memoir"), Peter Fonda 1940 - Director, actor ("Easy Rider"), Jane Fonda's brother, Henry Fonda's son, Bridget Fonda's dad, Johnny Winter (John Dawson III) 1944 - Musician


Patricia Richardson 1951 - Actess ("Home Improvement"), Emily Blunt 1983 - Actress, Dakota Fanning 1994 - Actress


1836 - In San Antonio, TX, the siege of the Alamo began.


1847 - Santa Anna was defeated at the Battle of Buena Vista in Mexico by U.S. troops under Gen. Zachary.


1896 - The Tootsie Roll was introduced by Leo Hirshfield.


1898 - In France, Emile Zola was imprisoned for his letter, "J'accuse," which accused the government of anti-Semitism and wrongly jailing Alfred Dreyfus.


1919 - The Fascist Party was formed in Italy by Benito Mussolini.


1945 - The 28th Regiment of the Fifth Marine Division of the U.S. Marines reached the top of Mount Surabachi. A photograph of these Marines raising the American flag was taken.


1954 - The first mass vaccination of children against polio began in Pittsburgh, PA.


1997 - Ali Hassan Abu Kamal, a Palestinian teacher, opened fire on the 86th-floor observation deck of New York City's Empire State Building. He killed one person and wounded six more before killing himself.

Monday, February 22, 2016

A Nurse’s Perspective: Justice Scalia’s Death in Texas is the 21st Century Version of the Assassination of JFK - Freedom Outpost

A Nurse’s Perspective: Justice Scalia’s Death in Texas is the 21st Century Version of the Assassination of JFK - Freedom Outpost:

"The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia shocked the nation, especially when hearing the distinguished Justice appeared to be in good spirits, “entertaining,” and active the night before. What is even more shocking to some is the post death procedures. It has led to many speculating foul play was involved despite what those at the scene claim. A primary area of concern centered on reports that Justice of the Peace Cinderela Guevara never examined Scalia’s body, but pronounced Scalia dead over the phone. As a friend likes to say, “What’s wrong with this picture?”

From a nursing perspective, there is quite a bit wrong with this picture."

Business - Apple plays digital privacy hardball with FBI, 'but not China'

Business - Apple plays digital privacy hardball with FBI, 'but not China' - France 24:
Citing reports by Chinese daily Beijing News and the state-run People's Daily, the article claimed that Cook agreed in January 2015 to allow authorities in China to carry out “security checks” on all iPhones sold in the country to make sure the US had not installed any spyware.
But, Apple has never confirmed or responded to the allegations.
The article reported that analysts believe Apple likely handed over its operating system source code as part of the agreement. 
If true, this would mean that the Chinese government knows how Apple’s software works, including its security system.
But a source close to the Cupertino-based firm said it would never grant access to source codes, noting that such a move would violate its privacy rules.
Apple also decided in February 2015 to store local users’ personal data in China. 
The move was a gesture of good will towards Beijing that other companies like Google, for example, have always rejected for “security reasons”.
This is because it is easier for China to request access data stored in places under its jurisdiction, though Apple stresses the information is encrypted.
Apple has never given Beijing the means to hack an iPhone, which is exactly what Cook has accused the United States of seeking in what he described as “an unprecedented step that threatens the security of our customers”.
But Apple’s alleged behaviour in China has demonstrated that the company may be capable of granting a government – even one known for Internet censorship – access to users’ personal information if it’s within the company's best commercial interests.