Friday, September 14, 2012

What is it about Irish music that sets your toes tapping?

Question of the Day: What is it about Irish music that sets your toes tapping?
 The Michigan Irish Music Festival returns today for its 13th year.
As in past years, you can get in free tonight if you're at Heritage Landing before 6 p.m

Euro Zone: Euro Zone Epicenter of ‘Worst Crisis Since WWII’

Euro Zone: Euro Zone Epicenter of ‘Worst Crisis Since WWII’: Trichet - Business News - CNBC

4th Place-80 degree days

4th Place | WOODTV.com Blogs
That puts us in 4th place behind 1988 (37), 1894 (35), and 1931 (34) and one ahead of 1921 (31).
In 6th place is 1901 (29), 7th is 1934 (28) and 8th is 1898 (27).

2012-9-13 Meet county commission candidate Fred Bertsch


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Employees ran up big hotel, restaurant bills on Madison school credit cards in 2011

Employees ran up big hotel, restaurant bills on Madison school credit cards in 2011 - EAGnews.org :: Education Research, Reporting, Analysis and Commentary
We have a question for the taxpayers of Madison:
Do you have any idea how your education tax dollars are spent?

If the answer is no, well, you are not alone. It turns out that Madison school officials have very little idea, either, particularly when it comes to expenditures involving district credit cards and checks.

The district issues multiple credit cards for various departments in each of its 55 schools and other buildings, according to Candie Steffen, manager of the district’s accounting office.
Each building has a site manager who is supposed to keep track of all purchases and receipts for seven years.

Clinton's new diplomatic tool, an army of US chefs

Clinton's new diplomatic tool, an army of US chefs - FRANCE 24
More than 50 of the nation's finest culinary wizards, many of whom are household names across the United States, have signed up to join The American Chef Corps, newly launched at the State Department.

MIT Study: Ethanol Doesn’t Reduce Gasoline Prices

MIT Study: Ethanol Doesn’t Reduce Gasoline Prices | Heartlander Magazine
The MIT study, “Ethanol Production and Gasoline Prices: A Spurious Correlation,” analyzes and refutes claims by the ethanol industry that ethanol reduced gasoline prices by nearly a dollar per gallon in 2010 and more than a dollar per gallon in 2011.

Presumed Egelston Township supervisor-elect Doug Chappell dies unexpectedly

Presumed Egelston Township supervisor-elect Doug Chappell dies unexpectedly | MLive.com
Doug Chappell, 52, died Monday.
He was virtually assured of being the township’s next supervisor after winning the Democratic primary in August.
With no Republican opponents, only a write-in candidate could have kept Chappell out of office.

Waiting for "Superman"

Waiting for "Superman" | Official Site | Take Action

Mona Shores schools-of-choice openings under review, public forums planned

Mona Shores schools-of-choice openings under review, public forums planned | MLive.com
The issue has two sides.
On one hand, too many choice students could make it difficult for Mona Shores to convince voters to pass bond projects that benefit children who live outside the district, Peden said. On the other hand, more students mean more money and potentially more program offerings, he said.

Andrew Klavan: How to Behave During an Islamic Massacre


Apparently, Obama's islamic policy.

Russian ships displayed at DNC tribute to vets

Navy Times Mobile - Russian ships displayed at DNC tribute to vets
On the last night of the Democratic National Convention, a retired Navy four-star took the stage to pay tribute to veterans.
Behind him, on a giant screen, the image of four hulking warships reinforced his patriotic message.

But there was a big mistake in the stirring backdrop: those are Russian warships.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Omega-3 fatty acids don't reduce stroke or heart attack, study finds

Omega-3 fatty acids don't reduce stroke or heart attack, study finds | News.com.au
Researchers said patients at the University Hospital of Ioannina did not show a statistically significant reduction in death or heart illness, and questioned whether omega-3 should be administered proactively when trying to optimise a patient's heart health.
"Our findings do not justify the use of omega-3 as a structured intervention in everyday clinical practice or guidelines supporting dietary omega-3," said Evangelos Rizos, chief author of the study.

Does this look like an economy that’s moving forward? 9 reasons why it really doesn’t

Does this look like an economy that’s moving forward? 9 reasons why it really doesn’t | AEIdeas
If the participation rate were the same today as it was in February 2010, when the job market supposedly bottomed, the unemployment rate would be 10.1%.

Jim Lakely and Joy Pullmann: Chicago Teachers Strike | Heartland Institute

Jim Lakely and Joy Pullmann: Chicago Teachers Strike | Heartland Institute

350,000 Chicago Students Out of School for Teachers Strike

350,000 Chicago Students Out of School for Teachers Strike | Heartlander Magazine
Union Rejected Pay Raise
CPS offered teachers a four-year package worth $400 million that would have increased the average teacher’s compensation by 16 percent over that time, said Chicago School Board President David Vitale. The city expects to face a $3 billion budget deficit over the next three years, plus a $2 billion pension deficit over the next two years.
CPS’s annual spending is approximately $5.5 billion.

A Short History of the Obama Campaign Against Education

Chicago Daily Observer » Blog Archive » A Short History of the Obama Campaign Against Education
This Strike is a perfect example of what happens when Democrats, in the Chicago Way, take control of both government and the unions.
Each side in this strike is controlled by Democrats, all avid supporters of Obama.
Instead of working together in the best interests of kids in school, these factions fight over how much more of the tax payers’ dollars will wind up in their pockets.
The union leadership and Chicago politicians, Democrats all, get fatter, and the kids and people of Chicago suffer more.

You break it, you buy it? Whitehall considers charging users for damage to parks

You break it, you buy it? Whitehall considers charging users for damage to parks | MLive.com
Whitehall City Council is scheduled to consider making people and festivals who rent the city’s parks pay for any damage they cause.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Killing bin Laden, part 1 - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Killing bin Laden, part 1 - 60 Minutes - CBS News

In case you missed it.
Compelling!

FIRE's Red Alert List Exposes the Worst Violators of Campus Rights

FIRE's Red Alert List Exposes the Worst Violators of Campus Rights - The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education - FIRE
Michigan State University

Michigan State University (MSU) joined FIRE's Red Alert list after finding student government leader Kara Spencer guilty of "spamming" and misuse of university resources for criticizing the administration's plan to change the school calendar.
Spencer had carefully selected and e-mailed 391 faculty members to encourage them to express their views on the proposed changes.
Despite the fact that Spencer merely wished to alert a small percentage of the campus community—roughly 8 percent of MSU's faculty—to an important administrative decision, MSU found her to be in violation of the university's Network Acceptable Use Policy and of engaging in an "unauthorized" use of the MSU network.
After FIRE intervened, MSU dropped the charges but made its policy even more restrictive.
Read Full Article

43 Months of Depressing Misery

PJ Media » 43 Months of Depressing Misery
Mort Zuckerman accurately contended in a Friday evening Wall Street Journal op-ed, “we are experiencing, in effect, a modern-day depression,” where “dependent millions” relying on food stamps and swelling the disability rolls “are the invisible counterparts of the soup kitchens and bread lines of the 1930s.”
....

  • Full-time employment only increased by 43,000 in August. It’s down (yes, down) by 902,000 since March, and by over 1.4 million since Obama took office.

  • 562,000 fewer married men and 700,000 fewer married women were employed in August than were when the recession officially ended in June 2009.

  • 22% of the 3.47 million private-sector jobs created since the recession’s end have been at temporary help services.

  • What about what the new jobs created actually pay? The National Employment Law Project recently reported that “Lower-wage occupations were 21 percent of recession (job) losses, but 58 percent of recovery growth. Mid-wage occupations were 60 percent of recession losses, but only 22 percent of recovery growth.” The leftists at the NELP wouldn’t state the obvious, so I will: Their research proves that the Obama administration’s economic policies are gutting the middle class.

  • Insight: GM's Volt - The ugly math of low sales, high costs

    Insight: GM's Volt - The ugly math of low sales, high costs | Reuters
    Cheap Volt lease offers meant to drive more customers to Chevy showrooms this summer may have pushed that loss even higher.
    There are some Americans paying just $5,050 to drive around for two years in a vehicle that cost as much as $89,000 to produce.

    The Disappearing DUI: MLive finds wide disparities in drunk driving arrests; see how your police rank

    The Disappearing DUI: MLive finds wide disparities in drunk driving arrests; see how your police rank | MLive.com
    The totals do not include additional arrests by campus police at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, though the trend there was similar.
    MSU police arrested three times as many drunken drivers as Michigan’s.
    Ann Arbor Deputy Police Chief Gregory Bazick said he could not explain the differences, or why his department ranks so low overall.

    Muskegon seems to be a great county to drive drunk!

    Obama's Communist Party Endorsement

    Articles: Obama's Communist Party Endorsement
    Nevertheless, we must not allow the extreme rhetoric in which the endorsement is couched to distract us from a more fundamental issue, which is this: the CPUSA endorses Barack Obama on the very same grounds -- even in the same words -- that Obama uses in defense of himself.
    If a communist were operating under the official umbrella of the Democratic Party, and were thus forced to use Democrat talking points rather than speak his own radical mind, we would interpret this as typical leftist cynicism and subterfuge.
    But this time the words appear on the CPUSA's own website.

    Sunday, September 09, 2012

    Newport Beach Lifeguards Make $200,000 and Can Retire at Age 50

    PensionWatch » Blog Archive » Inside Edition: Newport Beach Lifeguards Make $200,000 and Can Retire at Age 50

    EyeOnMuskegon 2012-9-9


    CARPE DIEM: There's One Place with Jobs, Jobs, and More Jobs

    CARPE DIEM: There's One Place with Jobs, Jobs, and More Jobs
    The jobs report today was pretty grim even though the jobless rate fell to 8.1%.
    But there's at least one place where the job market is booming like never before, where the state jobless rate is only 3%, where there are ten counties with jobless rates below 2% and where one county with a jaw-dropping 0.7% unemployment rate: North Dakota.

    At Top Business Schools, an MBA Application Drought

    At Top Business Schools, an MBA Application Drought - Businessweek
    A handful of schools reported even steeper drops, including Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business, where applications fell 18 percent

    '2016: Obama's America' Now No. 2 Ever in Political Documentary Genre

    '2016: Obama's America' Now No. 2 Ever in Political Documentary Genre | NewsBusters.org

    The Making of the Pure Michigan Sing-Along Video | Pure Michigan Blog

    The Making of the Pure Michigan Sing-Along Video | Pure Michigan Blog

    The Pure Michigan Statewide Singalong


    Debt collectors cash in on student loan roundup

    NYT: Debt collectors cash in on student loan roundup - Business - US business - The New York Times - NBCNews.com
    In all, nearly one in every six borrowers with a loan balance is in default.
    The amount of defaulted loans — $76 billion — is greater than the yearly tuition bill for all students at public two- and four-year colleges and universities

    Jeff Bezos And The End of PowerPoint As We Know It

    Jeff Bezos And The End of PowerPoint As We Know It - Forbes
    I know what some of you are thinking—it works for Bezos because he’s revealing products that people can see and touch.
    Let me be clear—picture superiority works in any presentation, even for the most complex ideas.

    Is America the greatest nation on earth? MLive readers join the debate

    Is America the greatest nation on earth? MLive readers join the debate | MLive.com

    Decision on Muskegon County jail, juvenile facilities still weeks away following planning event

    Decision on Muskegon County jail, juvenile facilities still weeks away following planning event | MLive.com
    However, the final decision by the County Board of Commissioners is likely still several weeks away, perhaps coming after the Nov. 6 general election.

    Muskegon County commissioner, township trustee candidates maintain primary wins after recounts

    Muskegon County commissioner, township trustee candidates maintain primary wins after recounts | MLive.com
    Based on the recount, Hughes gained three votes and finished with a 772-748 edge over Plummer, who is completing his first two-year term as a county commissioner.

    Congressman Huizenga facing Muskegon Democratic challenger who received 1,800-plus write-in votes

    Congressman Huizenga facing Muskegon Democratic challenger who received 1,800-plus write-in votes | MLive.com
    Muskegon City Commissioner Willie German Jr. received nearly 2,000 write-in votes in the Aug. 7 primary election

    Saturday, September 08, 2012

    The Terrifying Line in Obama's Speech That Everyone Missed

    The Terrifying Line in Obama's Speech That Everyone Missed - Investors.com
    Instead of stirring rhetoric filled with hope and promise, Obama pledged that under his leadership, "our path is harder" and "our road is longer."
    Seriously?
    After four years of the worst economic recovery since the Depression, falling incomes, lower-paying jobs, increased hopelessness and exploding debt, all Obama has to offer is that he'll make this nightmare last even longer?

    Molitor Meet & Greet 9 6 2012


    Canada cuts ties with Iran, closes embassy, orders Iranian diplomats home

    Canada cuts ties with Iran, closes embassy, orders Iranian diplomats home http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Canada+cuts+ties+with+Iran+closes+embassy+orders+Iranian+diplomats+home/7206256/story.html#ixzz25tapdxGi
    Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has severed Canadian ties with Iran over its sponsorship of terrorism and amid fears about the safety of diplomats in the country.
    Baird says the Canadian embassy in Tehran will close immediately and Iranian diplomats in Canada have been given five days to leave.

    No talk of auto bailouts' ugly side

    No talk of auto bailouts' ugly side | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com
    In moving to get GM through bankruptcy, the task force and its bosses at Treasury effectively shafted 22,000 salaried retirees of the former Delphi Corp., the long-time GM parts supplier the automaker spun off in 1999.
    Despite an 85 percent funding level in its pension fund, Treasury urged the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. to seize the Delphi pension plan.

    The net effect: Many retirees saw their annual payouts cut by as much as two thirds, even as union members were "topped up" with taxpayer dollars from the Troubled Asset Relief Program; their former colleagues at GM saw comparatively minor cuts to their pensions; and key members of the auto task force still won't tell congressional investigators who made the call to treat Delphi's salaried retirees differently than everyone else.

    State canvassers finalize six initiatives for Nov. ballot

    State canvassers finalize six initiatives for Nov. ballot
     http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120908/POLITICS01/209080346#ixzz25t0ZrAZp
    Proposal 1 will be a referendum on the repeal of Public Act 4 — the emergency manager law — followed by proposals for constitutional amendments to guarantee the right of collective bargaining (Proposal 2), increase use of renewable energy (Proposal 3), allow home health care workers to bargain (Proposal 4), require a two-thirds vote by the Legislature to pass any tax increases (Proposal 5) and mandate a public vote on any new international border crossing (Proposal 6).

    Those Jobless Numbers Are Even Worse Than They Look

    Mortimer Zuckerman: Those Jobless Numbers Are Even Worse Than They Look - WSJ.com
    They are working part-time only because they've been unable to find full-time work.
    This involuntary army of what's called "underutilized labor" has been hovering for months at about 15% of the workforce.
    Include the eight million who have simply given up looking, and the real unemployment rate is closer to 19%.

    Baby Boomers and Strategic Defaults - a Demographic Study

    Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis: Baby Boomers and Strategic Defaults - a Demographic Study: Why Did People Walk Away? Did They Struggle With Morality? Would they Recommend Walking Away to Others?
    Moreover, a massive debt overhang still remains and the pending foreclosure pool is mammoth.

    Friday, September 07, 2012

    Frank Marshall Davis and the Subversion of the Democratic Party

    Articles: Frank Marshall Davis and the Subversion of the Democratic Party
    In other words, the Hawaiian Communist Party went underground, realizing that it lacked political viability.
     Hawaii's communists changed their tactics, concentrating instead on the mainstream Democratic Party, even running their members in local elections to seize delegate positions.
    One of those who not only urged this tactic, but was himself elected to a Democratic precinct was Frank Marshall Davis.
    With that, the steady subversion of the Democratic Party was on.
    This began a long march to transform the Democratic Party from the party of Truman and JFK to the party of Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama.

    Going Ape

    Going Ape - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online
    Oh, dear. Speaking of animals, several bloggers note that Dr. Mann’s lawyer’s last celebrity client was Joe Camel – the tobacco industry’s anthropomorphized dromedary.
    By “anthropomorphized dromedary,” I mean they put him in a suit and got rid of the hump — in much the same way that the “hockey stick” graph got rid of the hump of the Medieval Warm Period.

    Eastwood says his convention appearance was 'mission accomplished'

    The Carmel Pine Cone's first story of the week
    But in a wide-ranging interview with The Pine Cone Tuesday from his home in Pebble Beach, he said he had conveyed the messages he wanted to convey, and that the spontaneous nature of his presentation was intentional, too.

    Breitbart film bares roots of 'Occupy' movement

    Breitbart film bares roots of 'Occupy' movement | Fox News
    “The Occupy movement is far from over.
    We are approaching a European-type financial crisis. we are coming to a radical austerity and then you are going to see it taken to the streets and it’s not going to be pretty.”

    Are Chinese Banks Hiding “The Mother of All Debt Bombs”?

    Are Chinese Banks Hiding “The Mother of All Debt Bombs”? | The Diplomat
    Chinese LGFVs are known mainly for their unique ability to sink perfectly good money into bottomless holes in the ground.
    So taking on such a huge mountain of debt can mean only one thing — a future wave of default when the projects into which LGFVs have piled funds fail to yield viable returns to service the debt.

    Arkansas coach John L. Smith files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy

    Arkansas coach John L. Smith files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy | Michigan State Spartans | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
    “From a personal standpoint, I don’t want the university being embarrassed, but I’m not embarrassed,” Smith said at the time.
    “It’s something that’s happened.
     I made some mistakes, and to be honest with you, I’m a football coach, not a businessman.”

    Kids begin brown-bag boycott of healthier school menus

    Kids begin brown-bag boycott of healthier school menus - Minneapolis News and Weather KMSP FOX 9
    Sundby told FOX 9 News they've heard similar complaints from other schools, but there's little they can do unless a change comes from Washington.
    Old school lunch rules had minimum calorie requirements, but no maximum.
    Now, guidelines have strict limits that the schools and food service providers have no choice but to meet.

    Man dies after doc takes lunch during kidney op

    Man dies after doc takes lunch during kidney op - The Local
    At noon sharp, the head anesthetist left the operating room to go for lunch.
    Fifteen minutes later, the head nurse anesthetist also left the patient and went for lunch.
    No other anesthetist was called in to take over responsibility for the doctor who was on his lunch break

    U.S. August payrolls rise 96,000, jobless rate falls to 8.1%. Still makes 43 mo…

    THAT’S CONVENIENT: U.S. August payrolls rise 96,000, jobless rate falls to 8.1%. Still makes 43 mo…
    "From a reader:

    I am betting you heard from other finance guys already, but these numbers were bad, bad, bad. We were hoping for at least 130k, and you really need 150k just to stay even.
    What’s happening here is that people are leaving the jobs market.
    Once a worker goes off his 99 weeks of unemployment payments (I refuse to call anything beyond the 27 weeks they paid for “insurance”), he heads straight to Social Security disability.
    JP Morgan noted this several months ago, and the trend seems to be accelerating.

    Once you’re on SSDI, you’re off the unemployment rolls.
    Last month, 368,000 people stopped looking for work.
     I am certain that we will continue to pay for those people, only they now help the unemployment number by ceasing to exist.

    Top two claims are for back pain and stress.
    Both are difficult to disprove."

    Report: Great Lakes water levels may flirt with record lows

    Report: Great Lakes water levels may flirt with record lows | Metro Detroit | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
    Lake levels are measured monthly. The record lows for Huron and Michigan were recorded in 1964 and 1965.
    This November, the levels could drop below the November 1964 level, which was about 28 inches below the year-to-year average for the month of November.

    Thursday, September 06, 2012

    Prepare For The Coming Housing Collapse

    Prepare For The Coming Housing Collapse - Business Insider
    Wall Street economists, analysts and other pundits have smugly noted that a consensus has been reached that housing is bottoming.
    So it’s time for me to show you why this consensus view is pure rubbish.

    Amazon unveils new, larger Kindle Fire models

    My Way News - Amazon unveils new, larger Kindle Fire models
    Amazon also unveiled a premium Kindle Fire model, one with the ability to connect to the 4G cellular networks that phone companies are building.
    It will cost $499 and come with 32 gigabytes of memory and an 8.9-inch screen.
    A data plan will cost $50 a year.

    Muskegon Democratic candidate receives enough write-in votes to challenge Congressman Huizenga

    Muskegon Democratic candidate receives enough write-in votes to challenge Congressman Huizenga | MLive.com

    Muskegon County commissioner, township trustee candidates maintain primary wins after recounts

    Muskegon County commissioner, township trustee candidates maintain primary wins after recounts
    MLive.com: Democratic challenger Susie Hughes’ primary election victory over Muskegon County Commissioner Scott Plummer was upheld this week as part of multiple recounts conducted for local races.

    Iran, Hezbollah establish training base in Nicaragua

    Iran, Hezbollah establish training base in Nicaragua | The Times of Israel
    Iran has established a training base in northern Nicaragua near the border with Honduras that is used by Hezbollah, Israel Radio reported Thursday.
    Approximately 30 members of the terrorist organization reside inside the area, which is closed to locals. The Hezbollah men reportedly receive all their supplies from Tehran.

    Collective Bargaining and Human Rights

    Collective Bargaining and Human Rights | The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty
    Coerced Association

    Politicians have created mandatory good-faith bargaining between employers and certified unions representing employees.
    Workers are coerced into association with unions through majority vote, and employers are forced into a bargaining association with the unions.
    The bargaining must be in “good faith,” which means that no take-it-or-leave- it offers may be made. All of this is coerced, not free, association.

    Obama's African-American clients got coupons, not cash

    Obama's African-American clients got coupons, not cash | The Daily Caller
    Plaintiffs’ attorneys took home nearly $1 million in Barack Obama’s 1995 class-action discrimination lawsuit against Citibank, but 183 of the 186 plaintiffs did not get a dime.

    Three named plaintiffs in the lawsuit — Selma Buycks-Roberson, Calvin Roberson and Renee Brooks –- each collected $20,000.
    But none of the 18 ordinary, or non-named, plaintiffs that The Daily Caller was able to reach for comment reported receiving any money.
    This is despite a claim to TheDC by the lawsuit’s initiator, attorney Fay Clayton, that the settlement paid the 186 non-named clients between $770 and $3,250 each. [RELATED: With landmark lawsuit, Barack Obama pushed banks to give subprime loans to Chicago's African-Americans]

    According to the court docket, President Barack Obama was lead attorney for Roberson and Brooks, as well as the second listed attorney for Buycks-Roberson, in the lawsuit, which claimed that Citibank discriminated against African-Americans in its mortgage practices.

    Sex-change surgery for prison inmate granted by judge

    Sex-change surgery for prison inmate granted by judge - U.S. News
    A federal judge in Boston on Tuesday ordered the Massachusetts Department of Corrections to provide sex-change surgery to a transgender inmate serving life in prison for murder, ruling that failure to do so violated the prisoner's Eighth Amendment right to adequate treatment.

    Wednesday, September 05, 2012

    Elizabeth Warren Wins Our Vote! | Harvard Law School Is Bogus

    Elizabeth Warren Wins Our Vote! | Harvard Law School Is Bogus
    ....we set out to determine, looking at all those who have been caught during the last century pretending to be of Native American ancestry, just who is the most egregious perpetrator of this particular type of fraud — in the vernacular, the most “dishonest injun.”

    From a large number of initial candidates, we agreed on three qualifications necessary to make the final ballot.
    To be a finalist, someone must: (1) have no Native American ancestors; (2) have sought professional advancement via affirmative representations of Native American status; and (3) have asserted that status in at least one published book.

    Below is our Letterman-style list of the five most “dishonest injuns,” arranged from lowest to highest total votes.

    Tuesday, September 04, 2012

    10 Macho Movies Every Man Should See

    10 Macho Movies Every Man Should See - Popular Mechanics

    Overcrowding At Queens School To Force 8th Graders Into 9:45 AM Lunch

    Overcrowding At Queens School To Force 8th Graders Into 9:45 AM Lunch « CBS New York

    Obama sells old ideas as new

    Obama sells old ideas as new – USATODAY.com
    "Everybody's watching what's going on in Beijing right now with the Olympics," Obama said while campaigning in 2008.
    "Think about the amount of money that China has spent on infrastructure. Their ports, their train systems, their airports are all vastly superior to us now, which means if you are a corporation deciding where to do business you're starting to think, 'Beijing looks like a pretty good option.' "

    First of all, that's nonsense.
    Our infrastructure is vastly superior to China's.
    For instance, we have more than 11 times as many airports with paved runways as they do. China's Olympic stadium is falling apart, unused today.

    Far more disturbing is the fact that Obama looks at the huge economic strides made in China since it adopted market-based reforms and concludes that what we should learn from the communists is to drop more money on vast state-run boondoggles.
    That's just weird.

    Bow to Nobody


    US debt tops $16 trillion: So who do we owe most of that money to?

    US debt tops $16 trillion: So who do we owe most of that money to? | Fox News
    Fully two-thirds of the national debt is owed to the U.S. government, American investors and future retirees, through the Social Security Trust Fund and pension plans for civil service workers and military personnel.
    China, it turns out, holds less than 8 percent of the money our government has borrowed over the years.

    Chevy Volt production to be suspended for a month

    Chevy Volt production to be suspended for a month | ksdk.com
    GM executives have attributed the sales increase to strong demand for a low-emissions version of the Volt that qualifies for California's coveted carpool lanes, which GM launched in March. Previous versions of the Volt didn't qualify.

    F-35B Ship Suitability Testing-MUST SEE!


    The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant completed ship suitability testing aboard the USS WASP (LHD-1) off the coast of Virginia in October 2011. Combined, F-35B test aircraft BF-2 and BF-4 accomplished 72 short takeoffs and 72 vertical landings during the three-week testing period.

    'Husbands, beat your wives so they will mend their ways,' Egyptian cleric advises

    'Husbands, beat your wives so they will mend their ways,' Egyptian cleric advises | The Times of Israel
    A good woman, even if beaten by her husband, puts her hand in his and says: ‘I will not rest until you are pleased with me.’
    This is how the Prophet Muhammad taught his women to be,” Al-Rahman said in comment aired in August, according to a translation provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

    Source: Paul 'Republican No More,' Not Ruling Out Third-Party Run

    Source: Paul 'Republican No More,' Not Ruling Out Third-Party Run
    Upset by how the Republican Party establishment “disrespected” them during the Republican National Convention, over 300 Ron Paul supporters joined a conference call on Sunday night to discuss plans to urge Paul to run as a third-party candidate on the Libertarian Party ticket.

    Fears Rising, Spaniards Pull Out Their Cash and Get Out of Spain

    Fears Rising, Spaniards Pull Out Their Cash and Get Out of Spain - Business News - CNBC
    It is, Julio Vildosola concedes, a very big bet.
    After working six years as a senior executive for a multinational payroll-processing company in Barcelona, Spain, Mr. Vildosola is cutting his professional and financial ties with his troubled homeland.

    He has moved his family to a village near Cambridge, England, where he will take the reins at a small software company, and he has transferred his savings from Spanish banks to British banks.
    “The macro situation in Spain is getting worse and worse,” Mr. Vildosola, 38, said last week just hours before boarding a plane to London with his wife and two small children.
    “There is just too much risk. Spain is going to be next after Greece, and I just don’t want to end up holding devalued pesetas.”

    Politifact Lies About Rise in State Unemployment

    Politifact Lies About Rise in State Unemployment
    The era of fact-checkers being trusted as honest brokers might be over, but that doesn't mean they won't do what the equally irrelevant mainstream media does: double down in their spewing of narrative-lies and propaganda to aid and abet the left.
    Case in point, Politifact.
    Politiact is the worst of the mainstream media's dishonest fact-checkers (no small feat).

    Politifact Beclowns Itself. Again

    Politifact Beclowns Itself. Again. - 620 WTMJ - Milwaukee's Source for Local News and Weather: Oof.

    Check out this Politifact: it rates Gov. Scott Walker's statement that "Last month, 44 of the 50 states saw an increase in the unemployment rate"... as HALF TRUE.
    The logic? yes, walker's statement is absolutely true, but some of the increases were statistically insignificant.

    For your morning delectation, compare with the Journal Sentinel's OWN headline:

    Unemployment rates rose in 44 US states in July

    WASHINGTON (AP) Unemployment rates rose in 44 U.S. states in July, the most states to show a monthly increase in more than three years and a reflection of weak hiring nationwide.

    The Moral of the Story seems to be:

    What's TRUE for the media, becomes HALF TRUE when uttered by a Republican politician.

    Salon: 'Gay Couples Have Happier Kids' - Traditional Family 'A Dying Model'

    Salon: 'Gay Couples Have Happier Kids' - Traditional Family 'A Dying Model' | NewsBusters.org: "Studies show that the traditional nuclear family is not better. It's a dying model -- and that's a good thing":
    If you want what’s best for your kids, one surefire way to provide them with a healthy, happy home is to make sure they have lesbian parents.
    In the longest-running study of lesbian families to date, zero percent of children reported physical or sexual abuse—not a one.
    In the general population, 26 percent of children report physical abuse and 8.3 percent report sexual abuse

    Michigan's average gas price sets record high for Labor Day

    Michigan's average gas price sets record high for Labor Day | MLive.com
    Michigan has the fifth-highest gas price in the country.

    Mrs. Obama’s 2nd-Term Agenda: ‘Impact Nature of Food in Grocery Stores’

    Mrs. Obama’s 2nd-Term Agenda: ‘Impact Nature of Food in Grocery Stores’ | cnsnews.com
    Asked by Parade magazine,
    "What do you hope to accomplish in your second term?”
    First Lady Michelle Obama said she wants to "impact the nature of food in grocery stores" with the aim of cutting sugar, fat and salt.

    and this:
    http://news.investors.com/politics-andrew-malcolm/090412-624395-michelle-obama-democratic-national-convention-speech.htm

    School District Imposes Taxation Without Representation


    School District Imposes Taxation Without Representation

    When school begins this week, Oceana County property owners will be paying more in taxes thanks to a school district merger that was approved without a public vote.A few weeks after school ended in June, board members from the Mason-Lake Intermediate School District and the Oceana ISD agreed to a merger. Taxpayers in Oceana will now have to pay the higher millage rate assessed in Mason-Lake.According to the Oceana County treasurer, the higher millage will cost Oceana County property owners an extra $1.02 million a year, or $150 for every $100,000 in taxable value.




    Monday, September 03, 2012

    Organic Food Cleaner, But May Not Be More Nutritious

    Organic Food Cleaner, But May Not Be More Nutritious - ABC News
    "Some believe that organic food is always healthier and more nutritious," said lead author Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler.
    "We were a little surprised that we didn't find that."

    #EmptyChairDay

    American Power: #EmptyChairDay

    Leave Barack Obama Alone... LEAVE HIM ALONE!!


    ‘2016: Obama’s America’ shocks film industry after becoming a box office success despite having virtually no promotional budget 

    ‘2016: Obama’s America’ shocks film industry after becoming a box office success despite having virtually no promotional budget  - NY Daily News
    Conservative scholar Diniseh D'Souza's film has shocked industry prognosticators by earning an estimated $20 million to date, more than five times what the second-highest documentary this year, "Bully," earned.

    "Empty Chair Day"

    “We own this country . . . Politicians are employees of ours . . . And when somebody does not do the job, we’ve got to let them go.” –Clint Eastwood

    The GOP Goes Alinsky on Obama

    Rule of Law » The GOP Goes Alinsky on Obama
    A couple of examples. First, Clint Eastwood’s speech was pure Alinsky.

    RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions.

    The Assault on Paul Ryan II

    The Assault on Paul Ryan II

    » Monday – Empty Chair Day - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

    » Monday – Empty Chair Day - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
    Prof – Seems that there is an effort to make Monday “empty chair day”
    Below is an image of my front lawn, just mowed, to ensure the emptychair looks right. The sign next to the chair says:

    “We own this country . . . Politicians are employees of ours . . . And when somebody does not do the job, we’ve got to let them go.” –Clint Eastwood

    Barack Obama, the Empty Stool

    Barack Obama, the Empty Stool
    Six weeks after the inauguration, when he was thoroughly in the honeymoon phase and largely still campaigning against President Bush and on behalf of a stimulus, he uttered one of the most vapid and immature things I have ever heard from a President, when he told a bunch of television anchors at the White House: “I like being President, and it turns out I’m very good at it.”

    Sunday, September 02, 2012

    Clint Eastwood Rattles the Liberal Elite

    Clint Eastwood Rattles the Liberal Elite | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

    'Eastwooding' Inspires National Empty Chair Day on Monday

    'Eastwooding' Inspires National Empty Chair Day on Monday
    In another sign that Clint Eastwood's RNC talk to an empty chair has tapped in to broadly held opinions that President Obama is not getting the job done, word spread rapidly over the weekend among conservative new media outlets that an impromptu "National Empty Chair Day" is being planned for Monday.

    Group says it found 30,000 dead North Carolinians registered to vote

    Group says it found 30,000 dead North Carolinians registered to vote | CharlotteObserver.com
    A Raleigh-based group devoted to reducing the potential for voter fraud presented the N.C. Board of Elections on Friday with a list of nearly 30,000 names of dead people statewide who are still registered to vote.

    HopperFlight-RIP

    DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified the pilot who was killed when his plane crashed during an air show in eastern Iowa.
    The Quad-City Times reported that Glenn A. Smith, of Frisco, Texas, was the pilot killed in the crash.
    Smith was CEO of the Warbird Educational Foundation that owned the Soviet-era jet he was flying.

    HopperFlight
    The Hoppers are a group of private individuals who donate their time and money, flying the L-39 Albatros jets.

    We saw them at EAA Oshkosh this summer.
    Terrible.

    Stephanopoulos: No Bias in Media

    Stephanopoulos: No Bias in Media
    MRCTV's Joe Schoffstall ran into "Good Morning America" host George Stephanopoulos at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.
    When asked if he believes there is a liberal bias in the media, he responds,"I don't."
    When asked again, he walks away.

    CRIME: Maple Syrup Heist Leaves Quebec In A Sticky Mess.

    Instapundit » Blog Archive » CRIME: Maple Syrup Heist Leaves Quebec In A Sticky Mess.
    “The puzzle is how the culprits managed to siphon off almost C$30 million ($30.4 million) of syrup. That’s the equivalent of 10 million pounds or roughly 15,000 barrels of syrup.
    And the stock didn’t vanish somewhere in the supply chain of a major city.
    It’s missing from a warehouse in Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, a tiny town of 903 people, according to the 2011 Census.
    They’re usually more focused on cranberries, whether it’s harvesting them or celebrating them in cranberry festivals.
    So imagine the surprise when a “routine inventory check,” as the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (FPAQ) calls it, revealed evidence of a massive heist.
    Row after row of barrels were empty, filled with nothing but sweet-smelling Quebec air.”

    Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 1:30 pm

    Michigan Stands Out on High Cost of Car Insurance

    Commentary: Michigan Stands Out on High Cost of Car Insurance [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
    When looking at the median price of an annual car insurance policy, the result is the same.
    Michigan is No. 1 at $4,490, and by far the most expensive state for car insurance.
    Only one other state has a median price above $2,500, and that is New Jersey at $2,556. The District of Columbia has the second highest rate at $2,570.

    Saturday, September 01, 2012

    Moore’s Law versus the Law of More

    Moore’s Law versus the Law of More | The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy
    ....the average tuition inflicted upon students at American colleges has shot up from 23.2 percent of median annual household earnings in 2001 to 37.7 percent in 2010.
    That rate of increase is 6½ times the rate of inflation (i.e., the rise in the Consumer Price Index).
    Colleges have pushed more students to take out loans, while the federal government—in a classic case of moral hazard—has encouraged students to pile up record debt.
    Collective student loan debt has now surpassed $1 trillion—more than the collective national credit card debt.
    So, despite their large tuition increases, many colleges and universities are running in the red and piling up debts.

    Major summer music festival in Muskegon for 2013 still in the planning stages

    Major summer music festival in Muskegon for 2013 still in the planning stages | MLive.com
    The foundation provided $200,000 to make the last Summer Celebration event a reality in 2011.
    Now foundation officials want to find a replacement for what was the community’s premiere festival and create a vehicle for paying back the foundation’s 2011 investment, McGuigan said.

    Play Clinty For Me - By Mark Steyn

    Play Clinty For Me - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online
    Like William F. Gavin, I hugely enjoyed Clint Eastwood’s turn last night, but I’m not sure I agree that it was “unintentionally hilarious” and that “he forgot his lines, lost his way.”
    Clint is a brilliant actor, and a superb director of other actors (and I don’t just mean a quarter-century ago: In the last five years, he’s directed eight films).
    He’s also, as Mr. Gavin observed, a terrific jazz improviser at the piano — and, in film and music documentaries, an extremely articulate interviewee.
    So I wouldn’t assume that the general tenor of his performance wasn’t exactly as he intended.
    The hair was a clue: No Hollywood icon goes out on stage like that unless he means to.

    Obama's Incuriosity and 'Confident Ignorance' Make Him Dangerous As A President

    Obama's Incuriosity and 'Confident Ignorance' Make Him Dangerous As A President - Investors.com
    Barack Obama is one of those people who is often wrong but never in doubt.