Despite $39B in Annual Gov't. Subsidies, Solar Produced 0.5% of Electricity in US

Despite $39B in Annual Gov't. Subsidies, Solar Produced 0.5% of Electricity in US | CNS News

"Despite receiving an estimated $39 billion in annual government subsidies over the past five years, the solar energy industry accounted for just one half of one percent (0.5%) of all the electricity generated in the U.S. during the first 10 months of 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Between January and October of last year, the U.S. produced a total of 3,431,473 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity.
But only 15,973 million kWh were generated by solar thermal or photovoltaic (PV) solar modules that use semiconducting materials to convert sunlight into electricity, according to EIA's latest Monthly Energy Review."

Poland To Spend Billions on Defense

Poland To Spend Billions on Defense:
"WARSAW — Looking east to the bloody conflict gripping Ukraine, NATO-member Poland has kicked off an unprecedented military spending spree worth billions to overhaul its forces as Warsaw believes peace in Europe is no longer a given.
The escalation of tensions with Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and subsequent role in the crisis in that country's east has sounded the alarm on NATO's eastern flank in countries that were under Moscow's thumb during the Cold War.
..."The key to a political and military solution lies in Moscow," Poland's President Bronislaw Komorowski told reporters Thursday in Warsaw.
"The possibility of a lasting peace still isn't close," he said, insisting that the previous Minsk accord failed due to the "Russian separatists in Donbas.""

History for February 18

History for February 18 - On-This-Day.com:
Mary Tudor 1516 - The Queen of England known as "Bloody Mary", Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta 1745, Louis Comfort Tiffany 1848 - Glass maker and interior designer 



Enzo Ferrari 1898, Gahan Wilson 1930 


Cybil Sheppard 1950 - Actress, John Travolta 1954 - Actor ("Pulp Fiction"), Molly Ringwald 1968 - Actress ("Sixteen Candles) 


1861 - In Montgomery, AL, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the President of the Confederate States. 

1885 - Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was published in the U.S. for the first time. 


1930 - Elm Farm Ollie became the first cow to fly in an airplane. 

1930 - The planet Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh. The discovery was made as a result of photographs taken in January 1930. 


1972 - The California Supreme Court struck down the state's death penalty. 


2001 - NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Sr., was killed in a crash during the Daytona 500 race.

Islamic State Militants Reportedly Burn to Death 45 in Iraqi Town | TheBlaze.com

Islamic State Militants Reportedly Burn to Death 45 in Iraqi Town | TheBlaze.com:

"Islamic State militants burned to death 45 people in the Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, the local police chief said, according to the BBC.

It was not immediately clear why the individuals were killed, but authorities suspected many were members of security forces."

The United States is Again Upstaged in Dealing with ISIS; This is Beyond Embarrassing

The United States is Again Upstaged in Dealing with ISIS; This is Beyond Embarrassing:

"The Egyptian military carried out a series of airstrikes against ISIS Monday morning, specifically targeting weapons caches and training locations. It was announced on Egyptian radio by the Armed Forces General Command that the strikes were “to avenge the bloodshed and to seek retribution from the killers.” They added, “Let those far and near know that Egyptians have a shield that protects them.”

Meanwhile, the White House sent out a tweet almost simultaneously with the announcement that 21 Coptic Christians had been beheaded of Obama shooting basketball and encouraging people to sign up for Obamacare. He is currently on his annual Valentine’s Day golf trip with the boys away from his wife and daughters."

Failed Discipline, Failed Reforms And Grexit: Why The Euro Failed

Failed Discipline, Failed Reforms And Grexit: Why The Euro Failed | Zero Hedge:
There is no substitute for the discipline of a market that cannot be manipulated by political elites.

It's not that difficult to understand why the euro is doomed to fail. 

Given its structure, there is no other possible outcome but failure. 

Greece's exit (Grexit) will simply be the first manifestation of the inevitable structural failure of the euro. 

To understand why this is so, we have to start with two forms of discipline: the market and the state.
The market disciplines its participants by discovering the price of not just goods and services but of currencies and the potential risks generated by fiscal and trade imbalances.

 ...The other form of structural discipline is imposed by the state (government in all its forms, including central banks). 
A typical example is the state legislature imposes a cap on state borrowing, i.e. the state is not allowed to borrow more than 3% of expenses annually.

 We all know what happens to these kinds of state-imposed discipline: they are ignored, bypassed, watered down or gutted. 
Why is this so? 
The reason is that all political systems, regardless of their ideology, are influenced by powerful elites and vested interests. 

When some political cap stands in the way of enriching or protecting a politically powerful elite or vested interest, the cap is quickly reduced to a PR play. 

This is the fundamental flaw in state fiscal discipline: it is always a political construct and thus contingent on what benefits powerful elites and constituencies...

Read on!

Obama family's separate weekend trips trips cost at least $2.5m

Obama family's separate weekend trips trips cost at least $2.5m | Daily Mail Online
A VERY expensive getaway: Obama family's separate weekend trips cost at least $2.5 million (...and why did Barack spend Valentine's golfing in California while Michelle went skiing in Colorado?)

• President Barack Obama flew to California for a fundraiser and a speech
• He then spent the next three days playing golf at an exclusive resort 
• At the same time Michelle Obama and Malia and Sasha were skiing in Aspen, Colorado
• New figures show that Air Force One costs $228,288 per hour to run 
• As a result, the ten-hour return trip to California would cost almost $2.3m
• It is estimated that Mrs Obama's skiing trip cost a further $100,000 
• With accommodation and car rental, the weekend break would cost $2.5m 

White House: ‘Violent Extremists Come in All Sorts of Shapes and Sizes’ | TheBlaze.com

White House: ‘Violent Extremists Come in All Sorts of Shapes and Sizes’ | TheBlaze.com:

“The agenda is not entirely focused on ISIL itself,” a senior administration official said Monday. “That’s the near-term threat we all are focused on, but we also recognize that in the United States there have been violent extremist that come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. So the agenda for all three days is going to show a wide array of combatting radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism in its many forms.”

Our "leaders" allowed this deterioration. And now they want us to give them MORE money??!!Map Michigan's most dangerous bridges: See 'structurally deficient' bridges in your county

Map Michigan's most dangerous bridges: See 'structurally deficient' bridges in your county | MLive.com:

Search Again

Road type	Bridge carries		Condition of bridge deck	Condition of bridge superstructure	Condition of bridge substructure
County Highway	ROLLENHAGEN ROAD	View on map	Critical	Imminent failure - closed but correctable	Critical	Details
County Highway	PATTERSON PARK RD	View on map	Satisfactory	Poor	Satisfactory	Details
County Highway	PATTERSON PARK RD	View on map	Good condition	Poor	Satisfactory	Details
County Highway	RIVER ROAD	View on map	Fair	Poor	Serious	Details
City Street	OTTAWA ST	View on map	Poor	Critical	Poor	Details
County Highway	SIMONELLI ROAD	View on map	NA	NA	NA	Details
County Highway	SCHOW ROAD	View on map	Good condition	Poor	Satisfactory	Details
County Highway	LIFE GUARD ROAD	View on map	Serious	Poor	Poor	Details
County Highway	FARR RD	View on map	NA	NA	NA	Details
County Highway	TRENT ROAD	View on map	Good condition	Good	Poor	Details
County Highway	EILERS RD	View on map	NA	NA	NA	Details
County Highway	BOSSETT ROAD	View on map	Poor	Poor	Fair	Details
County Highway	RYERSON ROAD	View on map	Satisfactory	Poor	Satisfactory	Details
County Highway	BLACKMER ROAD	View on map	Good condition	Good	Poor	Details
County Highway	MOORLAND ROAD	View on map	Very good	Excellent	Poor	Details
Interstate Highway	US-31 BR N	View on map	Poor	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Details

Records 1-16 of 16

Online Database by Caspio

Yes. I had 2------A paczki primer: What you need to know

A paczki primer: What you need to know:

It's Fat Tuesday, and that means it's paczki time. Before you get to know one of the popular treats with your stomach, get to know it with your noggin. Call this food for thought about paczki:

First thing's first, how do you pronounce it?

A single fat-packed, Polish-style pastry is called a paczek, pronounced POON-check. If you've had more than one of the nummy waistline-busters, you've eaten paczki (POONCH-kee).

That's right, "paczki" is plural; "paczkis" is not a word. Now you know, and, as they say, knowing is half the battle.

Just what am I putting into my body?

Sweet, sweet tasty goodness. But more specifically, it's a delicious, sugar-dusted pastry packed full with custard, chocolate or fruit jelly - and is stuffed with more than 400 calories and 25 grams of fat, too.....

Yes. It's happening AGAIN!!------VIDEO: Man Is Shocked by Treatment After Walking Around as a Jew in Paris for 10 Hours

VIDEO: Man Is Shocked by Treatment After Walking Around as a Jew in Paris for 10 Hours | John Hawkins' Right Wing News:
"A man in Paris thought it would be interesting to see what Jews in France go through just for being Jews in France. 
He dressed like a Jew wearing a yarmulke and walked around for 10 hours in the city as a friend took video of him. 
What happened to him was sad and shocking."

Glenn Beck’s Chilling Warning: World War III Is Coming and ‘Nobody Will Recognize It Yet’ | Video | TheBlaze.com

Glenn Beck’s Chilling Warning: World War III Is Coming and ‘Nobody Will Recognize It Yet’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:

 "When most Americans think of war, Beck said, they think of Vietnam or Iraq. But he believes what is coming will be more similar to World War I or World War II.

“Forget about those wars. Those aren’t wars,” Beck said. “Those are military actions. … What I’m telling you is [coming is] World War III. There was moral clarity. It was either us or them. Right after the World Trade Center, we went to go punish the guys. … No. What is coming is they are going to kill you or you are going to kill them.”

Beck made it clear that America will not go to war with all Muslims, just as we did not go to war with all Germans. But just as Nazis were a “plague” who killed their own people, Beck said, so is the Islamic State.

“Do you remember when I said there’s going to come a time when there’s no good choices? … You’re there,” Beck remarked. “You don’t have any good choices left.”

Or maybe cuz they're runnin' out of people to shoot?------Sharp drop in non-fatal Flint shootings may be from community cooperation, say police and medical personnel

Sharp drop in non-fatal Flint shootings may be from community cooperation, say police and medical personnel | MLive.com:
"FLINT, MI -- The sharp drop in Flint homicides last year came amid a decline even in shootings that didn't result in death.
Police, and even medical personnel, say the drop in nonfatal shootings can't solely be attributed to the excellence of emergency room doctors -- but it can be connected to the community working with police.
Nonfatal shootings were down 17.58 percent from 2013 to 2014, with 136 nonfatal shootings last year, compared to 165 the previous year, "

Yikes!! $61 million NEEDED! Only $13 asked......smellin' a bit fishy, donchatink?-------Mona Shores informing voters about $13 million bond proposal on May ballot

"The problem with government schools is that you eventually run out of other people's money"
Mona Shores informing voters about $13 million bond proposal on May ballot | MLive.com
NORTON SHORES, MI --Mona Shores voters looking for more information on a May 5 ballot proposal to issue $13 million in school improvement bonds can find lots of it on the district's website.

The district is asking voters to approve the sale of bonds to pay for such large items as new roofs, boilers and buses.

Repaying the bonds initially would cost voters 0.75-mill per year in additional property taxes, an amount that could fluctuate to as high as 1 mill over the next 10-15 years.  

In four years, 5.8 mills of current debt will expire.

...The facilities study turned up more than $61 million in needed improvements, which a study committee narrowed to the $13 million in needs the bond proposal would address.

Voters approved a 1-mill sinking fund that voters renewed in November and generates $800,000 per year.
The sinking fund pays for ongoing maintenance and repairs while the bond proposal would pay for big-ticket items..."

The Sickeningly Low Vaccination Rates at Silicon Valley Day Cares

The Sickeningly Low Vaccination Rates at Silicon Valley Day Cares | WIRED:
SIX OUT OF 12 FACILITIES WIRED SURVEYED HAVE A LEVEL OF MEASLES VACCINATION TOO LOW TO PROVIDE HERD IMMUNITY."
"The scientists, technologists, and engineers who populate Silicon Valley and the California Bay Area deserve their reputation as innovators, building entire new economies on the strength of brains and imagination.
But some of these people don’t seem to be vaccinating their children.
A WIRED investigation shows that some children attending day care facilities affiliated with prominent Silicon Valley companies have not been completely vaccinated against preventable infectious diseases. 
At least, that’s according to a giant database from the California Department of Public Health, which tracks the vaccination rates at day care facilities and preschools in the state.
We selected more than 20 large technology and health companies in the Bay Area and researched their day care offerings. Of 12 day care facilities affiliated with tech companies, six—that’s half—have below-average vaccination rates, according to the state’s data.

This is the video!!-----Michigan roads proposal: Opponents knock 'special interest' add-ons in first TV ad of campaign-Special Interest Deals - CHECKOUT

Fox News Producer Quizzes Beachgoers on Basic U.S. History, Gets Some Very Wrong Answers in Return | Video | TheBlaze.com

Fox News Producer Quizzes Beachgoers on Basic U.S. History, Gets Some Very Wrong Answers in Return | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"For President’s Day, a Fox News producer took to the beaches of Malibu, California, to quiz individuals on basic American history — and the answers he received in return were at times shockingly wrong.

“What does the ‘F’ in John F. Kennedy stand for?” Jesse Watters, a producer for the “O’Reilly Factor,” asked a pair of women."

Potential 2016 Candidate Is Asked How He Would Fight Islamic State — There’s No Misinterpreting His Answer | Video | TheBlaze.com

Potential 2016 Candidate Is Asked How He Would Fight Islamic State — There’s No Misinterpreting His Answer | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"He also quoted Winston Churchill: “Fight your enemy while you can beat them.”

He continued: “I would use every resource available: military, banking, sanctions, you name it. And I would not hesitate to put boots on the ground. We need to be the leaders. The coalition will form if it has a leader. But you can’t sit around saying, ‘Oh, you guys do this.’ … This is serious. So I would commit everything to eliminating them right now.”

For Brazilians, Miami Real Estate Is All About Re-location, Re-location, Re-location | Zero Hedge

For Brazilians, Miami Real Estate Is All About Re-location, Re-location, Re-location | Zero Hedge
"As London is to Moscow, so Miami is to Rio...
Following the re-election of Dilma Rousseff - the center-left president that is generally loathed by Brazil's elites - the WSJ reports, rich Brazilians are relocating to South Florida en masse. 
As one attorney notes, "mainly they feel concerned about the instability of Brazil’s political environment; they don’t want to be the last ones to leave,” with Brazilians among Miami’s top three foreign buyers of high-price real estate, along with Argentines and Venezuelans, two other troubled economies.
As one Rio broker exclaims, "Miami is the biggest Brazilian city outside of Brazil right now.""

History for February 17

History for February 17 - On-This-Day.com:
Thomas Malthus 1766 , Montgomery Ward 1843, Gene Pitney 1941 

Lou Diamond Phillips 1962 - Actor, Michael Jordan 1963 - Basketball player, Paris Hilton 1981 


1801 - The U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Jefferson was elected president and Burr became vice president. 


1876 - Julius Wolff was credited with being the first to can sardines. 


1933 - "Newsweek" was first published. 


1934 - The first high school automobile driver’s education course was introduced in State College, PA. 


1947 - The Voice of America began broadcasting to the Soviet Union. 


1964 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that congressional districts within each state had to be approximately equal in population. (Westberry v. Sanders) 


1992 - In Milwaukee, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison. In November of 1994, he was beaten to death in prison. 


1995 - Colin Ferguson was convicted of six counts of murder in the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings. He was later sentenced to a minimum of 200 years in prison. 


2005 - U.S. President George W. Bush named John Negroponte as the first national intelligence director.

ISIS Beheads 21 Christians on Video; Obama Goes Golfing

ISIS Beheads 21 Christians on Video; Obama Goes Golfing:

"Obama was so shook up by the horrific news that barbaric Islamic State savages had beheaded 21 Coptic Christian hostages in Egypt that he reacted in the same way he did literally minutes after learning that American journalists had been beheaded."

Slate: College Students Are Children And Do Not Deserve Free Speech Rights

Slate: College Students Are Children And Do Not Deserve Free Speech Rights:

"Eric Posner- a professor at the University of Chicago and son of famed judge Richard Posner- makes the case in Slate that college students are children and thus do not deserve free speech or due process rights.

Posner writes:"

Female lawmaker unafraid to slam ‘Islamic savages’

Female lawmaker unafraid to slam ‘Islamic savages’:

"A California assemblywoman is refusing to back down after fellow lawmakers and the Council for American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, have demanded she apologize for what they’re calling a “hateful” message she posted on Twitter.

On Feb. 10, after confirmation that American humanitarian aid worker Kayla Mueller was killed by the Islamic State, Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez of Lake Elsinore sent out a tweet calling the murder “gut wrenching”