Sunday, January 04, 2015
History for January 4
History for January 4 - On-This-Day.com
Jakob Grimm 1785, Louis Braille 1809 - Inventor of a reading system for the blind, Charles "Tom Thumb" Stratton 1838
Jane Wyman 1914 - Actress, Floyd Patterson 1935 - Heavyweight boxing champion, Dyan Cannon 1939 - Actress
1884 - The socialist Fabian Society was founded in London.
1885 - Dr. William Grant performed the first successful appendectomy. The patient was Mary Gartside.
1896 - Utah became the 45th U.S. state.
1944 - The attack on Monte Cassino was launched by the British Fifth Army in Italy.
1951 - During the Korean conflict, North Korean and Communist Chinese forces captured the city of Seoul.
1965 - In his State of the Union address, U.S. President Johnson proclaimed the building of the "Great Society."
1999 - Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as Minnesota's 37th governor.
2006 - Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the first woman to hold the position.
Jakob Grimm 1785, Louis Braille 1809 - Inventor of a reading system for the blind, Charles "Tom Thumb" Stratton 1838
Jane Wyman 1914 - Actress, Floyd Patterson 1935 - Heavyweight boxing champion, Dyan Cannon 1939 - Actress
1884 - The socialist Fabian Society was founded in London.
1885 - Dr. William Grant performed the first successful appendectomy. The patient was Mary Gartside.
1896 - Utah became the 45th U.S. state.
1944 - The attack on Monte Cassino was launched by the British Fifth Army in Italy.
1951 - During the Korean conflict, North Korean and Communist Chinese forces captured the city of Seoul.
1965 - In his State of the Union address, U.S. President Johnson proclaimed the building of the "Great Society."
1999 - Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as Minnesota's 37th governor.
2006 - Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the first woman to hold the position.
Saturday, January 03, 2015
'Challenging the federal government': Sharyl Attkisson sues the DOJ | WashingtonExaminer.com
'Challenging the federal government': Sharyl Attkisson sues the DOJ | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"The now-senior independent contributor to the Daily Signal, a conservative online news outlet based at the Heritage Foundation, alleges that during her final months as a correspondent for CBS News, her personal and work computers were hacked as she continued to produce often unfavorable reports on the Obama administration.
"I am hoping to get information that sheds light on a number of problems I’ve been dealing with," Attkisson told the Washington Examiner's media desk Friday evening. "One of the items the FBI is withholding is information surrounding a case they opened on my computer intrusions, which lists me as the victim."
"The now-senior independent contributor to the Daily Signal, a conservative online news outlet based at the Heritage Foundation, alleges that during her final months as a correspondent for CBS News, her personal and work computers were hacked as she continued to produce often unfavorable reports on the Obama administration."I am hoping to get information that sheds light on a number of problems I’ve been dealing with," Attkisson told the Washington Examiner's media desk Friday evening. "One of the items the FBI is withholding is information surrounding a case they opened on my computer intrusions, which lists me as the victim."
TEA PARTY HERO Rep. Jim Bridenstine is Standing up to the Speaker! Is Your Rep?
TEA PARTY HERO Rep. Jim Bridenstine is Standing up to the Speaker! Is Your Rep?:
"Since the controversial CRomnibus vote in December, there has been a concerted effort to find a different speaker of the House. We have seen multiple events and challenges launched asking for the vote to go another way, the way of the People, if you will. Recently Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) announced that he is spearheading the effort in Congress and that he has at least 16-18 already on board. He needs 30.
Oklahoma Congressman and Tea Party favorite Rep. Jim Bridenstine has announced in an op-ed released today that he is among the Jones alliance.
Here’s more from Rep. Bridenstine in his op-ed in the Daily Signal,"
"Since the controversial CRomnibus vote in December, there has been a concerted effort to find a different speaker of the House. We have seen multiple events and challenges launched asking for the vote to go another way, the way of the People, if you will. Recently Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) announced that he is spearheading the effort in Congress and that he has at least 16-18 already on board. He needs 30.Oklahoma Congressman and Tea Party favorite Rep. Jim Bridenstine has announced in an op-ed released today that he is among the Jones alliance.
Here’s more from Rep. Bridenstine in his op-ed in the Daily Signal,"
See This Guy Get Through a DUI Checkpoint Without Saying a Word — Thanks to What He Hung Out His Car Window | Video | TheBlaze.com
See This Guy Get Through a DUI Checkpoint Without Saying a Word — Thanks to What He Hung Out His Car Window | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"When it comes to DUI checkpoints, 2013 and 2014 were both years of belligerent Constitutional confrontations.
Could 2015 be the year those confrontations cool off — thanks to plastic bags hanging out of car windows?"
"When it comes to DUI checkpoints, 2013 and 2014 were both years of belligerent Constitutional confrontations.Could 2015 be the year those confrontations cool off — thanks to plastic bags hanging out of car windows?"
Smart grid powers up privacy worries
Smart grid powers up privacy worries - David Perera - POLITICO
The next Big Data threat to our privacy may come from the electricity we consume in our homes.
“Smart” online power meters are tracking energy use — and that data may soon be worth more than the electricity they distribute.
The Department of Energy is publishing in January the final draft of a voluntary code of conduct governing data privacy for smart meters, 38 million of which have already been installed nationwide. The meters gather information about household electricity consumption and transmit it wirelessly at regular intervals to the supplier.
It’s a key element in the push for the so-called smart grid, a more efficient way to distribute the nation’s electricity.
But, despite the voluntary code, critics fear consumers will still be cajoled or conned into giving up their data, not just to power companies but to third-party data aggregators.
Too much money is at stake, they say.
And the huge profits to be made could upend the business model of energy utilities.
“I think the data is going to be worth a lot more than the commodity that’s being consumed to generate the data,” said Miles Keogh, director of grants and research at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
All sorts of inferences about people’s private lives are potentially available from detailed energy consumption data.
The number of people inside a house.
Daily routines.
Degree of religious observance.
Household appliance usage.
Even, according to two German hackers, what’s on the television, given a fast enough meter refresh rate.
“Very sensitive information can be revealed about homes, and homes are the most sacred privacy environment,” said Nancy King, an Oregon State University business law and ethics academic who’s studying smart meter deployments.
Access and control of that energy usage data will be key, she added.
“Most consumers are just unaware about how their data feeds into the Big Data machine and are powerless to do much about it.”
The next Big Data threat to our privacy may come from the electricity we consume in our homes.
“Smart” online power meters are tracking energy use — and that data may soon be worth more than the electricity they distribute.
The Department of Energy is publishing in January the final draft of a voluntary code of conduct governing data privacy for smart meters, 38 million of which have already been installed nationwide. The meters gather information about household electricity consumption and transmit it wirelessly at regular intervals to the supplier.
But, despite the voluntary code, critics fear consumers will still be cajoled or conned into giving up their data, not just to power companies but to third-party data aggregators.
Too much money is at stake, they say.
And the huge profits to be made could upend the business model of energy utilities.
“I think the data is going to be worth a lot more than the commodity that’s being consumed to generate the data,” said Miles Keogh, director of grants and research at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
All sorts of inferences about people’s private lives are potentially available from detailed energy consumption data.
The number of people inside a house.
Daily routines.
Degree of religious observance.
Household appliance usage.
Even, according to two German hackers, what’s on the television, given a fast enough meter refresh rate.
“Very sensitive information can be revealed about homes, and homes are the most sacred privacy environment,” said Nancy King, an Oregon State University business law and ethics academic who’s studying smart meter deployments.
Access and control of that energy usage data will be key, she added.
“Most consumers are just unaware about how their data feeds into the Big Data machine and are powerless to do much about it.”
Michigan must kill prevailing wage at 50
Michigan must kill prevailing wage at 50 - Politics Blog - The Detroit News:
"2015 is a landmark year for prevailing wage in Michigan.
The law was signed in 1965, meaning 50 years of union-driven, artificially hiked construction costs on state-funded projects.
That’s a half-century.
But thanks to the Michigan Supreme Court, 2015 could also see the beginning of the end of these wretched policies, at least at local levels.
...And it is long overdue.
For five decades (and as written here nearly two years ago), workers on state-funded construction projects such as school buildings are paid wages and benefits “that are determined by unions, not by the free market rate – no matter what the lowest bid is for the job.”
So the 18 percent of construction workers in the state of Michigan who are unionized get to set the wages for 100 percent of construction workers.
Those wages are about 60 percent higher than what the market would determine.
And before even starting the chorus of “but you should thank us for your higher pay,” know that the average free market wage for these jobs is already $23 an hour.
If the prevailing wage was needed before, it isn’t now.
According to a 2013 report by the Anderson Economic Group, these artificially inflated wages significantly raise the costs to build Michigan schools and universities, with an extra $224 million each year out of the pockets of Michigan taxpayers.
The law was signed in 1965, meaning 50 years of union-driven, artificially hiked construction costs on state-funded projects.
That’s a half-century.
But thanks to the Michigan Supreme Court, 2015 could also see the beginning of the end of these wretched policies, at least at local levels.
...And it is long overdue.
For five decades (and as written here nearly two years ago), workers on state-funded construction projects such as school buildings are paid wages and benefits “that are determined by unions, not by the free market rate – no matter what the lowest bid is for the job.”
So the 18 percent of construction workers in the state of Michigan who are unionized get to set the wages for 100 percent of construction workers.
Those wages are about 60 percent higher than what the market would determine. And before even starting the chorus of “but you should thank us for your higher pay,” know that the average free market wage for these jobs is already $23 an hour.
If the prevailing wage was needed before, it isn’t now.
According to a 2013 report by the Anderson Economic Group, these artificially inflated wages significantly raise the costs to build Michigan schools and universities, with an extra $224 million each year out of the pockets of Michigan taxpayers.
He Wrote a Heartfelt Letter Asking to Go Hunting, and Despite One Big Mistake, a South Carolina Sheriff Over 500 Miles Away Answered the Call | Video | TheBlaze.com
He Wrote a Heartfelt Letter Asking to Go Hunting, and Despite One Big Mistake, a South Carolina Sheriff Over 500 Miles Away Answered the Call | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"Decked out in brand-new hunting clothes and toting a fishing pole and a pair of antlers, 9-year-old Alex Collins was all smiles as he walked through Philadelphia International Airport on the last night of 2014.
He was fresh off a whirlwind hunting trip in South Carolina that garnered national attention — and more than a few misty eyes — because of the series of crazy circumstances that made it all happen."
"Decked out in brand-new hunting clothes and toting a fishing pole and a pair of antlers, 9-year-old Alex Collins was all smiles as he walked through Philadelphia International Airport on the last night of 2014.He was fresh off a whirlwind hunting trip in South Carolina that garnered national attention — and more than a few misty eyes — because of the series of crazy circumstances that made it all happen."
‘Racist’ NYPD Police Are Actually Pretty Good at Their Jobs: NYC Crime Rate Falls to Record Low
‘Racist’ NYPD Police Are Actually Pretty Good at Their Jobs: NYC Crime Rate Falls to Record Low:
"According to a recent report, however, New York’s finest are doing a pretty darn good job providing for a safer Big Apple and creating a safer environment for these protests to occur.
The Daily Mail reports:
The number of murders in New York City last year dropped to its lowest point in recorded history.
The 328 slayings recorded in the city’s five boroughs in 2014 is the lowest figure the NYPD has seen since the department began collecting such data consistently in 1963, the New York Times reports.
The figure is only a slight drop from the 335 murders recorded the year before — but is a huge milestone compared to some of the city’s most dangerous years."
"According to a recent report, however, New York’s finest are doing a pretty darn good job providing for a safer Big Apple and creating a safer environment for these protests to occur.
The Daily Mail reports:
The number of murders in New York City last year dropped to its lowest point in recorded history.The 328 slayings recorded in the city’s five boroughs in 2014 is the lowest figure the NYPD has seen since the department began collecting such data consistently in 1963, the New York Times reports.
The figure is only a slight drop from the 335 murders recorded the year before — but is a huge milestone compared to some of the city’s most dangerous years."
‘They Had a List of Full Names of Christians in the Building’: Masked Gunmen Storm Living Complex and Kidnap 13 Christians | TheBlaze.com
‘They Had a List of Full Names of Christians in the Building’: Masked Gunmen Storm Living Complex and Kidnap 13 Christians | TheBlaze.com:
“They were 15 armed and masked men who came in four vehicles. They had a list of full names of Christians in the building. While checking IDs, Muslims were left aside while Christians were grabbed,” Aziz said, adding that he survived simply because he didn’t open his door.
“I heard my friends screaming but they were quickly shushed at gunpoint. After that, we heard nothing,” said Aziz who said he has three relatives among the hostages."
“They were 15 armed and masked men who came in four vehicles. They had a list of full names of Christians in the building. While checking IDs, Muslims were left aside while Christians were grabbed,” Aziz said, adding that he survived simply because he didn’t open his door.“I heard my friends screaming but they were quickly shushed at gunpoint. After that, we heard nothing,” said Aziz who said he has three relatives among the hostages."
New Year Brings New Obamacare Fines
New Year Brings New Obamacare Fines:
"Obamacare’s individual mandate requires citizens to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. The mandate took effect in 2014 but leveled a comparatively modest fine: either a $95 per person fee or a 1 percent income tax penalty—whichever is higher.
This year, fines increase to $325 or 2 percent of taxable income. And for the first time, citizens will report their health insurance status directly to the IRS."
"Obamacare’s individual mandate requires citizens to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. The mandate took effect in 2014 but leveled a comparatively modest fine: either a $95 per person fee or a 1 percent income tax penalty—whichever is higher.This year, fines increase to $325 or 2 percent of taxable income. And for the first time, citizens will report their health insurance status directly to the IRS."
Why New Yorkers are rushing for the exits
Why New Yorkers are rushing for the exits | New York Post:
"The US Census Bureau announced last week that New York slipped to fourth place in population among the 50 states.
Though babies are still born here every day, and immigrants still flock in, overall population growth lags because New Yorkers are abandoning the state.
Don’t blame the weather.
Blustery Montana and North Dakota aren’t having this problem. New Yorkers are escaping high taxes and dismal job growth.
Other high-tax states like Illinois and New Jersey, which has the country’s second-highest tax burden, are also hemorrhaging residents.
Families are uprooting and moving to places with lower taxes, more growth and fossil-fuel-friendly policies."
Though babies are still born here every day, and immigrants still flock in, overall population growth lags because New Yorkers are abandoning the state.
Don’t blame the weather.
Blustery Montana and North Dakota aren’t having this problem. New Yorkers are escaping high taxes and dismal job growth.
Other high-tax states like Illinois and New Jersey, which has the country’s second-highest tax burden, are also hemorrhaging residents.
Families are uprooting and moving to places with lower taxes, more growth and fossil-fuel-friendly policies."
Palestinians File Papers to Join Int’l Criminal Court, Open Door to Having Israel Charged With War Crimes | TheBlaze.com
Palestinians File Papers to Join Int’l Criminal Court, Open Door to Having Israel Charged With War Crimes | TheBlaze.com:
"The Palestinians could seek to have Israeli military or political figures prosecuted for alleged crimes involving settlement construction on occupied lands or actions by the military that cause heavy civilian casualties.
Mansour said the Palestinians delivered a letter Thursday night to the registrar of the ICC in The Hague requesting that the court consider alleged crimes committed during the Gaza war “and reserving our right for other retroactive crimes committed by Israel.” He said he would be meeting with an official from the registrar’s office in New York later Friday to discuss the issue."
"The Palestinians could seek to have Israeli military or political figures prosecuted for alleged crimes involving settlement construction on occupied lands or actions by the military that cause heavy civilian casualties.Mansour said the Palestinians delivered a letter Thursday night to the registrar of the ICC in The Hague requesting that the court consider alleged crimes committed during the Gaza war “and reserving our right for other retroactive crimes committed by Israel.” He said he would be meeting with an official from the registrar’s office in New York later Friday to discuss the issue."
Almost ALL democrats. Every RINO----House Roll Call 671 - Michigan Votes
House Roll Call 671 - Michigan Votes
2014 House Bill 5230: Expand government's power to seize and sell property deemed a "nuisance" (House Roll Call 671)
2014 House Bill 5230: Expand government's power to seize and sell property deemed a "nuisance" (House Roll Call 671)
Passed 72 to 34 in the House on December 11, 2014.
View All of House Bill 5230: History, Amendments & Comments
View All of House Bill 5230: History, Amendments & Comments
The vote was 72 in favor, 34 against, and 4 not voting.
(House Roll Call 671)
(House Roll Call 671)
HOUSE DEMOCRATS
HOUSE REPUBLICANS
AGAINST
HOUSE DEMOCRATS
| Barnett (D) | Irwin (D) | Kosowski (D) | Lipton (D) | Nathan (D) |
| Roberts (D) | Robinson (D) | Santana (D) | Schor (D) | Talabi (D) |
| Tlaib (D) |
HOUSE REPUBLICANS
Atheists Demand Apology From University Chancellor For Sharing This Video With Staff and Students | TheBlaze.com
Atheists Demand Apology From University Chancellor For Sharing This Video With Staff and Students | TheBlaze.com:
"The short clip featured comments from Clay Christensen, a noted professor at Harvard Business School, who discussed his views on religion and morality in American society.
Christensen, a Mormon, said that he had spoken to a Marxist economist from China some time ago who shared with Christensen what he was most surprised to learn about American democracy after spending some time in the United States.
“I asked him if he had learned anything that was surprising or unexpected and without any hesitation he said, ‘Yeah, I had no idea how critical religion is to the functioning of democracy,” Christensen said in the video."
"The short clip featured comments from Clay Christensen, a noted professor at Harvard Business School, who discussed his views on religion and morality in American society.
Christensen, a Mormon, said that he had spoken to a Marxist economist from China some time ago who shared with Christensen what he was most surprised to learn about American democracy after spending some time in the United States.“I asked him if he had learned anything that was surprising or unexpected and without any hesitation he said, ‘Yeah, I had no idea how critical religion is to the functioning of democracy,” Christensen said in the video."
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