Friday, August 29, 2014

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Hamas | TheBlaze.com

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Hamas | TheBlaze.com:
“In 1988, Hamas established a charter, a mission statement,” Sexton continued. “It said that its goal is to raise the flag of Allah over every inch of Palestine. Well, that’s a problem, because when they say Palestine, they mean Israel.”

The Best (and Worst) States to Be Unemployed

The Best (and Worst) States to Be Unemployed - 24/7 Wall St
3rd Worst. 
Michigan
Pct. unemployed getting benefits: 
23.0% (16th lowest)
Pct. average weekly wage covered: 
32.6% (18th lowest)
Unemployment rate: 7.4% (7th highest)
1-yr. job growth:
 0.6% (8th lowest)
Michigan’s unemployed workers received unemployment insurance benefits for an average of slightly more than 13 weeks. 
This was lower than in all but five other states and more than three weeks less than the average length nationwide. 
Additionally, only 23% of people who applied for unemployment insurance received benefits, among the lower recipiency rates for applications nationwide. 
These factors may lead some residents to take any job, including part-time work — Michigan’s high underemployment rate of 15.2% was one of the highest in the U.S. 
The state’s unemployment rate of 7.4% in April was also among the highest in the nation. 
Unfortunately, Michigan’s job growth of 0.6% does not bode well for the state’s unemployed.
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History for August 29

History for August 29 - On-This-Day.com:
John Locke 1632, Ingrid Bergman 1915, Charlie "Bird" Parker 1920 


Sir Richard Attenborough 1923, Elliott Gould 1938, Rebecca DeMornay 1962 


1833 - The "Factory Act" was passed in England to settle child labor laws. 



1842 - The Treaty of Nanking was signed by the British and the Chinese. The treaty ended the first Opium War and gave the island of Hong Kong to Britain. 


1886 - In New York City, Chinese Ambassador Li Hung-chang's chef invented chop suey. 


1944 - During the continuing celebration of the liberation of France from the Nazis, 15,000 American troops marched down the Champs Elysees in Paris. 


1957 - Democrat, Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina set a filibuster record in the U.S. when he spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. 



1983 - The anchor of the USS Monitor, from the U.S. Civil War, was retrieved by divers. 


1990 - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, in a television interview, declared that America could not defeat Iraq. 


1991 - The republics of Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement to stay in the Soviet Union. 


1992 - The U.N. Security Council agreed to send troops to Somalia to guard the shipments of food. 






2004 - India test-launched a nuclear-capable missle able to carry a one-ton warhead. The weapon had a range of 1,560 miles.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Prof’s Chilling Warning: Islamic State Will Carry Out ‘Mass Slaughter’ in the U.S. if Not Stopped Soon | Video | TheBlaze.com

Prof’s Chilling Warning: Islamic State Will Carry Out ‘Mass Slaughter’ in the U.S. if Not Stopped Soon | Video | TheBlaze.com:
“They have every intention of getting [to the United States], and these are people who achieve what they set out to achieve,” George said on The Glenn Beck Program with guest host Dana Loesch. “Unless somebody stops them, they make good on their threats. They have threatened to carry out activity in the United States — killing people, mass slaughter in the United States.”
“Believe me, I plead with you, I want your listeners to believe me — these people will do it if they can,” George continued. “And they will be able to do it unless we stop them.”

This Obama Administration Proposal Would Effectively Authorize Some Americans Seceding

This Obama Administration Proposal Would Effectively Authorize Some Americans Seceding:
"From a constitutional standpoint, the administration has no legal authority to implement its proposal. Only Congress, not the president, has the authority to recognize Indian tribes under Article I, Section 8. Congress has specifically refused to provide that authority. For more than a decade, former U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, tried unsuccessfully to convince Congress to pass the Native Hawaiian Recognition Act, which would have provided such recognition."

'...Or There'll Be Hell To Pay' - You Won't Believe The Threat Made By Angry Ferguson Residents

'...Or There'll Be Hell To Pay' - You Won't Believe The Threat Made By Angry Ferguson Residents:
"Ferguson remains a powder keg — and much of the media attention serves to keep the situation volatile and on edge.
Check out this CBS News report, featuring three young black men — reportedly Ferguson residents — with a dire warning: "



And we wonder why Muskegon Heights HS closed?--------muskegontribune | Marshing Band: Enter The Big Red Tiger

muskegontribune | Marshing Band: Enter The Big Red Tiger


Another Keynesian Myth Refuted: Cold Winters Do Not Shrink The Economy

Another Keynesian Myth Refuted: Cold Winters Do Not Shrink The Economy | Zero Hedge:
In February, the Federal Reserve made a cursory observation that the unusually severe winter was partly to blame for the stagnant pace of the US economy. The news media, ranging from liberal to conservative, all highlighted the Fed’s report and provided their respective “spin” on how the weather damages the economy. 
But soon enough, focus turned back to the brutally cold temperatures and not winter’s economic impact.
Recently, however, the Commerce Department reported that the US economy actually contracted 2.9 percent in the first quarter of 2014. 
This was the Department’s third attempt at revising its figures, with previous reports estimating first 0.1 percent growth and then a 1.0 percent contraction. While this little statistical “revision” was inconvenient, it was quickly followed (in true Orwellian fashion) by a slew of reports confirming that the economy has already rebounded and the second quarter will be even better than previously anticipated. 
(According to an advanced estimate released last week by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP increased 4.0 percent in the second quarter and the first quarter’s numbers were revised yet again.)
Naturally, the “blame the weather” campaign popped up again. 
In fact, Gus Faucher, Vice President and Senior Macroeconomist with PNC in Pittsburgh, estimates that over half of the contraction can be blamed on the severe winter weather. Well, this certainly begs the question, “Can weather actually cause the economy to contract?”
Weather obviously affects the economy. However, the claim that weather can actually drag down the economy is dubious at best. While severe winter weather may slow construction, idle auto sales, and reduce ice cream consumption, the economy never goes into hibernation. Instead, economic activity simply shifts.
A great analogy is household consumption spending. Each month, the average household allocates a certain amount of disposable income to entertainment. How this money is spent — at restaurants, traveling, shopping malls, or the theater — is irrelevant. The point is that people tend to budget a relatively fixed amount of income toward leisurely pursuits. If a new restaurant opens to rave reviews or a blockbuster movie debuts, a young couple does not drastically increase their monthly budget to accommodate the new entertainment options. Instead, consumption spending may shift from the mall or the theater to dinner and a movie. Similarly, a family that is planning a big vacation or a day at the ballpark either budgets additional savings throughout the year or scales back other expenses. To assume that new retail options magically increase spending is flawed economics.

Is The EPA Preparing For A Massive Private Land Grab?

Is The EPA Preparing For A Massive Private Land Grab? | The Daily Caller:
"Republicans are accusing the Environmental Protection Agency of preparing to take control over vast swaths of land under the guise of protecting the country’s water resources. Lawmakers warn this could erode private property rights.
The EPA has consistently denied they are trying to use the Clean Water Act to expand their regulatory reach, but Republicans say they have a smoking gun that shows the agency is up to something.
Their proof? 
The EPA paid private contractors to assemble detailed maps of waterways and wetlands in all 50 states. 
The EPA maps were made in 2013, shortly after the agency proposed expanding its authority under the Clean Water Act. 
The maps were kept secret by the agency, but were obtained by Republicans on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
“These maps show the EPA’s plan: to control a huge amount of private property across the country,” Rep. Lamar Smith, the science committee’s chairman, wrote in a letter to the EPA demanding more answers on why they have a detailed map of U.S. waterways.
“Given the astonishing picture they paint, I understand the EPA’s desire to minimize the importance of these maps,” wrote Smith, a Texas Republican. “
But the EPA’s posturing cannot explain away the alarming content of these documents.”"


Gotta have it!------Chrome 64-bit browser finally available as a stable version

Chrome 64-bit browser finally available as a stable version | Ars Technica
Google today released a 64-bit stable version of its Chrome browser for Windows systems. 
The 64-bit support has been in testing since June, and as of Chrome version 37 it has made it to the mainstream version.
The 64-bit version offers three main advantages and one possible drawback. 
The browser's advantages are speed, security, and stability. Google claims that certain media and graphics workloads in particular are faster with 64-bit. It offers the example of VP9 video decoding—used for some YouTube high-definition streams—being 15 percent quicker compared to 32-bit.

The Man Who Said the Constitution is a Flawed Document Now Suggests This

The Man Who Said the Constitution is a Flawed Document Now Suggests This:
"It’s no secret that Barack Obama views the Constitution as a flawed document that gets in the way of implementing his far-left, Marxist based agenda. After all, he has said as much himself. But, now, he is doubling down on vocalizing his disdain for anyone and anything that attempts to hold him to the confines of the Executive Branch as designed by our Founders in our system of government."




Another government boondoggle exposed-------Allen Park finalizes sale of failed studio site for $12M

Allen Park finalizes sale of failed studio site for $12M | Crain's Detroit Business:
"The city of Allen Park has finalized the $12 million sale of a failed film studio site that's been a financial drain on the city.
Allen Park's state-appointed emergency manager Joyce Parker announced the sale of the 104-acre Southfield Lease Properties to Time Equities this week.
She said it's a step toward restoring the city's finances and calls for payments over 7 ½ years.
The city will no longer need to pay for taxes, insurance and other site costs that totaled about $1.2 million in the last budget year.
Formerly known as Unity Studios, the site was to be the centerpiece of a movie production center. Allen Park sold more than $25 million in bonds for the project, but the plans fell through in 2010."

LA Schools' $1 Billion iPad Fiasco Ends After Corruption Revelations

LA Schools' $1 Billion iPad Fiasco Ends After Corruption Revelations - Hit & Run : Reason.com:
Los Angeles Unified School District is ending its billion-dollar iPad program, which has drawn widespread criticism for distributing expensive devices to teachers who didn't know what to do with them and students who kept losing or breaking them.
The costly program was considered a total failure, and it's little surprise that district officials have finally relented and scaled back.
More surprising, however, are revelations that District Superintendent John Deasy may have engaged in some crooked bargaining to arrange the deal in the first place.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Deasy's previous connections to Apple and Pearson—the companies contracted to supply the iPads and instructional materials for them, respectively—amount to a conflict of interest. In hindsight, the bidding process that Apple and Pearson won to score the contracts seems biased in those companies' favor, The LA Times notes:
Last week, a draft report of a district technology committee, obtained by The Times, was strongly critical of the bidding process.
Among the findings was that the initial rules for winning the contract appeared to be tailored to the products of the eventual winners — Apple and Pearson — rather than to demonstrated district needs. The report found that key changes to the bidding rules were made after most of the competition had been eliminated under the original specifications.
In addition, the report said that past comments or associations with vendors, including Deasy, created an appearance of conflict even if no ethics rules were violated.
Emails obtained by The LA Times show Jaime Aquino, Deasy's deputy superintendent, advising Pearson officials on how to win the bid.
I should not that this isn't the first time Pearson has been accused of something like this. Pearson, a British company, is the largest publisher of education materials in the world, and its efforts to lockdown contracts for Common Core-aligned testing material have drawn scrutiny.
Still, the iPad fiasco hasn't dampened the district's enthusiasm for forcing costly new technology on unprepared students and teachers. Select LA schools will be trying out other devices this fall (some of which are actually more expensive), and Deasy is fairly pleased with that:
"We will incorporate the lessons learned from the original procurement process," he said.
"We look forward to refining our processes and ultimately achieve our vision to equip every one of our students with a personal computing device to help them succeed in the 21st century."

Detroit Expected $55 Million in Property Tax Revenue; It Brought in $6.7 Million

Detroit Expected $55 Million in Property Tax Revenue; It Brought in $6.7 Million [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:

Detroit Expected $55 Million in Property Tax Revenue; It Brought in $6.7 Million

Finance expert: Missed projections 'compares to that in many third world cities'

In the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2014, the city of Detroit projected it would bring in $55 million in property taxes. 

Instead, it collected just $6.7 million, about $48.3 million short of what it expected.
...“It's a combination of many factors,” said Bill Nowling, spokesman for Orr. “Clearly, collections is an issue, but so it is the assessment process itself. In many cases, the city is carrying assessments for properties that are blighted or abandoned and those amounts go into making up that $55 million number.”

How Social Media Silences Debate

How Social Media Silences Debate - NYTimes.com:
"The Internet might be a useful tool for activists and organizers, in episodes from the Arab Spring to the Ice Bucket Challenge.
But over all, it has diminished rather than enhanced political participation, according to new data.
Social media, like Twitter and Facebook, has the effect of tamping down diversity of opinion and stifling debate about public affairs. 
It makes people less likely to voice opinions, particularly when they think their views differ from those of their friends, according to a report published Tuesday by researchers at Pew Research Center and Rutgers University.
The researchers also found that those who use social media regularly are more reluctant to express dissenting views in the offline world.
The Internet, it seems, is contributing to the polarization of America, as people surround themselves with people who think like them and hesitate to say anything different.
Internet companies magnify the effect, by tweaking their algorithms to show us more content from people who are similar to us."

British Embassy Celebrates 200 Year Anniversary of White House Burning

British Embassy Celebrates 200 Year Anniversary of White House Burning:
"On Aug. 24, 1814, During the War of 1812, British troops set the White House on fire. It was the only time in history that the U.S. Capitol building was captured by a foreign foe."

TaxProf Blog: The IRS Scandal, Day 476

TaxProf Blog: The IRS Scandal, Day 476:

Thursday, August 28, 2014

The IRS Scandal, Day 476

IRS Logo 2New York Post editorial:  IRS Back-up Baloney:
Some 15 months after Americans learned about the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups, we still have no clue how such an abuse was allowed to happen. And every day, the story only gets murkier.
This week, for instance, a government watchdog group, Judicial Watch, said administration officials admitted that all the “missing” e-mails belonging to Lois Lerner (the woman at the heart of the scandal) had been backed up after all — as part of a practice to back up all the government’s e-mails. ...
An administration official later denied it had said anything new to Judicial Watch and claimed the group was mischaracterizing the facts. The problem for Americans is that the government’s story has always seemed incredible — so why believe anything it says now?
There’s more: According to a sworn declaration, Lerner had two Blackberries, one of which contained all of the e-mails that would have been sent to her crashed computer. But that Blackberry “was removed or wiped clean of any sensitive or proprietary information and removed as scrap for disposal in June 2012” — even after the hard drive “crash” and months after an initial congressional inquiry. How did that happen?
The more we learn, it seems, the less we know. And the less the public can trust their own government. It’s long past time for real answers.

BURGER KING AND THE WHOPPER ON TAXES: Let me explain...

Instapundit » Blog Archive » BURGER KING AND THE WHOPPER ON TAXES: Let me explain. Or actually, in the case of Burger King’s p…:

BURGER KING AND THE WHOPPER ON TAXES:
Let me explain. Or actually, in the case of Burger King’s planned acquisition of Tim Hortons, let my colleague Matt Levine explain, because he is smarter and funnier and a better writer than I am, and has already nicely summed things up:
The purpose of an inversion has never been, and never could be, and never will be, “ooh, Canada has a 15 percent tax rate, and the U.S. has a 35 percent tax rate, so we can save 20 points of taxes on all our income by moving.”


Instead the main purpose is always:If we’re incorporated in the U.S., we’ll pay 35 percent taxes on our income in the U.S. and Canada and Mexico and Ireland and Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, but if we’re incorporated in Canada, we’ll pay 35 percent on our income in the U.S. but 15 percent in Canada and 30 percent in Mexico and 12.5 percent in Ireland and zero percent in Bermuda and zero percent in the Cayman Islands.”



"The United States has been able to get away with this kind of intrusiveness because we’re powerful. As Obama makes us less powerful, there’s increased incentive for other countries to band together against this practice. Though on the other hand, they may favor it as a way to get businesses to relocate outside the United States.
Here’s a crazy idea: Let’s have a business climate that would make people want to headquarter their businesses here.
UPDATE: From the comments: “The global community has spoken: don’t tax income earned overseas. That cowboy Obama is going it alone.”"

History for August 28

History for August 28 - On-This-Day.com
David Soul 1943, Shania Twain 1965, LeAnn Rimes 1982 



1609 - Delaware Bay was discovered by Henry Hudson. 


1774 - The first American-born saint was born in New York City. Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized in 1975. 


1833 - Slavery was banned by the British Parliament throughout the British Empire. 


1907 - "American Messenger Company" was started by two teenagers, Jim Casey and Claude Ryan. The company's name was later changedto "United Parcel Service." 


1922 - The first radio commercial aired on WEAF in New York City. The Queensboro Realty Company bought 10 minutes of time for$100. 


1939 - The first successful flight of a jet-propelled airplane took place. The plane was a German Heinkel He 178. 


1963 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at a civil rights rally in Washington, DC. More than 200,000 people attended. 


1972 - Mark Spitz captured the first of his seven gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. He set a world record when he completed the 200-meter butterfly in 2 minutes and 7/10ths of a second. 


1996 - A divorce decree was issued for Britain's Charles and Princess Diana. This was the official end to the 15-year marriage. 

1998 - The Pakistani prime minister created new Islamic order and legal system based on the Koran.