History for September 20

History for September 20 - On-This-Day.com
Upton Sinclair 1878, Dr. Joyce Brothers 1928, Anne Meara 1929 - Actress, comdian


Sophia Loren 1934 - Actress, Gary Cole 1957 - Actor, Crispin Glover 1964

1519 - Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan left Spain to find a route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. Magellan was killed during the trip, but one of his ships eventually made the journey.


1881 - Chester A. Arthur became the 21st president of the U.S. President James A. Garfield had died the day before.


1953 - Jimmy Stewart debuted on the radio western "The Six Shooter" on NBC.


1955 - "You'll Never Be Rich" premiered on CBS-TV. The name was changed less than two months later to "The Phil Silvers Show."


1962 - James Meredith, a black student, was blocked from enrolling at the University of Mississippi by Governor Ross R. Barnett. Meredith was later admitted.


1967 - The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) was launched. It went out of service on November 27, 2008.


1984 - "The Cosby Show" premiered on NBC-TV.


1992 - French voters approved the Maastricht Treaty.

VA hospital may have infected 1,800 veterans with HIV - CNN.com

VA hospital may have infected 1,800 veterans with HIV - CNN.com:

"(CNN) -- A Missouri VA hospital is under fire because it may have exposed more than 1,800 veterans to life-threatening diseases such as hepatitis and HIV."

The History of U.S. Government Spending, Revenue, and Debt (1790-2015)

The History of U.S. Government Spending, Revenue, and Debt (1790-2015) - Metrocosm:
"Through most of its history, the federal government did not have the power to tax incomes.
How was it funded before the income tax?
Today’s national debt is big by historical standards, but it has been bigger.
When was the country’s deepest debt, and how long did it take to pay back?
From the time it was founded until relatively recently, the U.S. government consistently spent about 3% of GDP each year.
Today, the government spends roughly 20% of GDP per year. Where is all that extra money going?
A look through the history of U.S. government finances reveals some surprising facts. 
Scroll down to see how U.S. taxes, spending, and debt have evolved from 1790 to today."
Much more at link!

A Candidate's Death Could Delay or Eliminate the Presidential Election

A Candidate's Death Could Delay or Eliminate the Presidential Election | US News:
"The presidential election could be delayed or scrapped altogether if conspiracy theories become predictive and a candidate dies or drops out before Nov. 8. 
The perhaps equally startling alternative, if there's enough time: Small groups of people hand-picking a replacement pursuant to obscure party rules.
The scenarios have been seriously considered by few outside of the legal community and likely are too morbid for polite discussion in politically mixed company.
But prominent law professors have pondered the effects and possible ways to address a late-date vacancy.
"There's nothing in the Constitution which requires a popular election for the electors serving in the Electoral College," says John Nagle, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, meaning the body that officially elects presidents could convene without the general public voting.
"It's up to each state legislature to decide how they want to choose the state's electors," Nagle says.
"It may be a situation in which the fact that we have an Electoral College, rather than direct voting for presidential candidates, may prove to be helpful."
Both major parties do have rules for presidential ticket replacements, however, and Congress has the power to change the election date under Article II of the Constitution, which allows federal lawmakers to set dates for the selection of presidential electors and when those electors will vote.
But Congress would be up against a de facto December deadline, as the Constitution's 20th Amendment requires that congressional terms expire Jan. 3 and presidential terms on Jan. 20. Though it's conceivable to split legislative and presidential elections, they generally happen at the same time. And if the entire general election were to be moved after Jan. 3, Congress effectively would have voted themselves out of office.
Yale Law School professor Akhil Reed Amar considers in a 1994 article in the Arkansas Law Review the possibility of a special presidential election being pushed to after Jan. 20, with the speaker of the House serving as acting president until an election could pick "a real president for the remainder of the term."
...Amar recommends an up to four-week postponement of Election Day if a candidate dies just before voting, or even if there's a major terrorist attack.
The possible last-minute replacement of a candidate attracts some cyclical coverage, but this year the scenario would play out after consistent conjecture about the health of Democrat Hillary Clinton and possible hidden agenda of Republican Donald Trump..."
Lots of options and confusion here.
Read on!

The liberal establishment’s Clinton obsession is blowing up in its face | New York Post

The liberal establishment’s Clinton obsession is blowing up in its face | New York Post:

"Hey, Democrats, where were you? Hey liberals, where were you? The potential train wreck that is the Hillary Clinton candidacy didn’t just become evident last week when ill-chosen words about 25 million “deplorables” and a public near-collapse tanked her polls to make this a tied presidential race.

No, Democrats and liberals, the possibility of Hillary crashing and burning was there from the outset of her candidacy. And yet you stood there and let it happen."

DTE CEO's concern: Energy reserve margin

DTE CEO's concern: Energy reserve margin - Crain's Detroit Business
"Gerry Anderson believes Michigan's electric industry is at the start of a fundamental shift in the way power is produced and delivered.
Anderson, chairman and CEO of Detroit-based DTE Energy Co., and other Michigan utility executives are warning policymakers of an approaching problem:
That the number of aging coal-fired power plants going offline within the next decade could leave the state short of the necessary electricity reserves to power all of their customers’ needs.
...He referred to a recent projection by the Midwest's grid operator, called the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, that predicts the region's electricity reserves could fall short of a recommended 15 percent by 2018 and continue sliding through 2026.
Yet MISO's projection does not include plans for any new power plants.
...Anderson's point, though, is that it takes utilities at least four years — if not longer — to plan for a new power plant..."

Math is hard-----Muskegon revives street light assessment idea, this time for LED fixtures

Muskegon revives street light assessment idea, this time for LED fixtures | MLive.com:
OK.
City experts promise $355,000/yr savings with new lights.
Also promised cost of conversion to new lights is $2.73 million.
Let's see $2.73 million/$355 thousand=7.69 year payoff.
Why is an assessment needed?
The promised savings pay the entire bill in 8 or so years!
Something stinks in city hall.
Again!
************************************************************************
"...The city currently pays about $585,000 per year for its approximately 2,900 high pressure sodium vapor lights, according to city figures.
That cost would drop to about $230,000 with a two-year phase-in of LED fixtures, or $243,000 with a five-year phase-in.
Savings over 15 years are estimated at between $5.1 million and $5.9 million depending on a 2-year or 5-year phase in.
City staff is suggesting an $18 assessment for 10 years for each property owner in the city.
...The $18 assessment would raise an estimated $272,985 per year, according to city estimates.
The cost of converting to LED lights is estimated at $2.73 million.
Last October, a divided commission, on a 3-3 vote, rejected a $26-per year assessment to offset sodium vapor lighting costs.
This year's plan is more proactive and aimed at a long-term reduction in the city's costs, most commissioners agreed..."

Lunch video-----Where Your Electricity Comes From

Noon-toon

Dallas cop files lawsuit against Black Lives Matter, Obama | Fox News

Dallas cop files lawsuit against Black Lives Matter, Obama | Fox News:

"A Dallas Police sergeant filed a lawsuit on Friday against Black Lives Matter and its supporters, alleging the group is inciting a race war.

Sgt. Demetrick Pennie, a 17-year veteran of the force, is seeking between $500 million and $1.5 billion in the complaint filed in federal court, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The defendants in the class-action suit include Black Lives Matter; President Obama; Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton; the Rev. Al Sharpton; Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and billionaire activist George Soros."

NYC Kills Public Internet Kiosks Because Public Uses Them for Porn

NYC Kills Public Internet Kiosks Because Public Uses Them for Porn | PJ Media:
"New York City thought it was stepping into the 21st century when it launched its public internet kiosks. 
They envisioned yet another "free" public service being used for good and noble purposes. After all, the internet makes so many amazing things possible, right?

Unfortunately, the folks of NYC forgot that the public -- who were taxed to pay for the "free" internet -- is made up of people. 
They used the internet for their own purposes, and those purposes weren't what the city envisioned:

Eight months after the appearance of the first LinkNYC hubs, which are -- or were -- internet kiosks meant to help bring the Big Apple into the 21st Century, the city has taken a step back.

Some of these kiosks were not used to “save data on their mobile plans, call relatives across the country, and get a much-needed quick charge” as they were originally intended. Instead, they were used to watch pornography.

And this is shocking ... how?

Point me to any Democratic Party, taxpayer-funded project for "community enhancement," I'll point you to the new local hotspot for pervs or addicts.

Brand new park by the river? 
Brand new site for drug addicts and dealers.

Shiny new public restrooms on Sunday? 
Filthy "communal prostitution center" by Saturday.

With the kiosks, the official blame from New York City was directed at homeless people, who were unable to watch porn at home for obvious reasons:

Per an announcement from the LinkNYC team, “We … know that some users have been monopolizing the Link tablets and using them inappropriately, preventing others from being able to use them while frustrating the residents and businesses around them. The kiosks were never intended for anyone’s extended, personal use and we want to ensure that Links are accessible and a welcome addition to New York City neighborhoods.” Which, as it turns out, they were not, particularly along Manhattan’s 8th Avenue, where abuse of the kiosks was particularly rampant.

The decision was released shortly after Motherboard published its own report examining the prevalence of homeless men stationing themselves in front of the LinkNYC hubs to use the internet. Evidently, the hubs have also become hotspots for public drinking and drug use—  the opposite of the hubs’ original intention to “improve the quality of life.”

You'd think New York City -- er, Democrats -- would understand by now that this was a real likelihood.

How a pension deal went wrong and cost California taxpayers billions - Los Angeles Times

How a pension deal went wrong and cost California taxpayers billions - Los Angeles Times:
"It was a deal that wasn’t supposed to cost taxpayers an extra dime. 
Now the state’s annual tab is in the billions, and the cost keeps climbing.
With the stroke of a pen, California Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation that gave prison guards, park rangers, Cal State professors and other state employees the kind of retirement security normally reserved for the wealthy.
More than 200,000 civil servants became eligible to retire at 55 — and in many cases collect more than half their highest salary for life.
California Highway Patrol officers could retire at 50 and receive as much as 90% of their peak pay for as long as they lived.
Proponents sold the measure in 1999 with the promise that it would impose no new costs on California taxpayers.
The state employees’ pension fund, they said, would grow fast enough to pay the bill in full.
They were off — by billions of dollars — and taxpayers will bear the consequences for decades to come.
This year, state employee pensions will cost taxpayers $5.4 billion, according to the Department of Finance.
That’s more than the state will spend on environmental protection, fighting wildfires and the emergency response to the drought combined.
And it’s more than 30 times what the state paid for retirement benefits in 2000, before the effects of the new pension law, SB 400, had kicked in, according to data from the California Public Employees’ Retirement System..."

Why Are Haiti's Coffee Trees So Tall?

Why Are Haiti's Coffee Trees So Tall? - Reason.com:
"...In Haiti, coffee grows on trees.
Well, technically all coffee grows on trees.
The brown beans that go into making your morning cup are actually the dried and roasted seeds of a small red fruit from a tropical tree.
But on the better-managed coffee farms found in much of Central and South America, the plants are rarely allowed to grow much taller than a man. 
This channels the nutrients and energy that plants gather from the sun and soil toward producing beans, which make money, instead of wasting resources sprouting too many woody trunks and branches.
As most coffee is harvested by hand, keeping trees short also means that pickers can easily reach the fruits.
In Haiti, however, it's not out of the ordinary to find 20-foot-tall coffee plants.
...In fact, it is a sign of how long the country has been in crisis: Coffee is known as one of the best cash crops for a tropical farmer, especially one with a small plot of land who has few resources beyond hand tools, organic fertilizers, and sweat.
The majority of Haitians are farmers, and for the foreseeable future agriculture will remain the default economic backbone for the roughly six million people who live in rural districts.
Yet Haitian farmers put almost no energy into tending the small coffee groves that their fathers planted. 
The average yield in Haiti is now just a third of the Central American average..."

Killing of disabled girl “wholly inappropriate” and “extremely troubling” says Autism group – Daily Records

Killing of disabled girl “wholly inappropriate” and “extremely troubling” says Autism group – Daily Records:

"The euthanasia of Nancy Fitzmaurice, a severely disabled child who was not dying, has made international waves with disability advocates especially outraged. Nancy’s mother had requested that her daughter be killed and was granted approval by the British legal system. While the 12-year-old Nancy had significant disabilities, she was able to breathe on her own and did not require life support.

Following the starving of Nancy through the withholding of fluids, the Autism Self Advocacy Network [ASAN] has released a statement slamming this decision, calling it “troubling” and “concerning”.

They said that:"

France Bans All Plastic Dishware Starting in 2020

France Bans All Plastic Dishware Starting in 2020:
"The Associated Press reports that France has enacted a ban on all plastic dishes, cups, and utensils. The ban goes into effect in 2020, after which all disposable utensils and dishes must be made of biological, rather than petroleum-based, material.
Organizations representing packaging manufacturers are fighting the ban, saying that it violates European Union commerce rules.
The ban follows a similar French ban on plastic bags.
Moves against disposable plastic good have slowly gained momentum on the back of environmental concerns.
...Another possible wrinkle for the law is that it mandates disposables must be compostable at home. 
But many currently available plant-based goods only claim that they are compostable in industrial facilities, which generally reach higher temperatures than home composters..."

AM Fruitcake

History for September 19

History for September 19 - On-This-Day.com
Leon Jaworski 1905, Sir William Golding 1911 ,Adam West 1928 - Actor (TV: "Batman")


Mike Royko 1932, "Mama" Cass Elliott (The Mamas and Papas) 1943, Jimmy Fallon 1974 - Talk show host, comedian


1777 - The Battle of Saratoga was won by American soldiers during the Revolutionary War.


1876 - Melville R. Bissell patented the carpet sweeper.


1942 - The first advertisement to announce Little Golden Books appeared in Publishers Weekly.


1955 - Argentina President Juan Peron was ousted after a revolt by the army and navy.


1959 - Nikita Khruschev was not allowed to visit Disneyland due to security reasons. Khrushchev reacted angrily.


1970 - "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" premiered on CBS-TV.


1982 - Scott Fahlman became the first person to use :-) in an online message.


1994 - U.S. troops entered Haiti peacefully to enforce the return of exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Georgetown students tell education watchdog: U.S. Constitution taken 'too seriously' - Washington Times

Georgetown students tell education watchdog: U.S. Constitution taken 'too seriously' - Washington Times:

"An education watchdog’s Constitution Day interviews on Georgetown University’s campus revealed no shortage of students who said the document is outdated.
Campus Reform asked Georgetown students, who have an average SAT score of 1460 and a high school GPA of 4.01, what they thought of the document George Washington said he would “never abandon.” They overwhelmingly disagreed with the nation’s first president and Revolutionary War hero.
Some of the responses by young “Hoyas,” include:"

What’s in a middle name? Read about David Smith’s background check snafu

What’s in a middle name? Read about David Smith’s background check snafu | Ars Technica
"Getting a new job is hard enough these days, and it's even harder when your prospective employer thinks you're a convicted criminal, even though you're not.
And if you have a name like David Smith, the odds increase that you'll be mistaken for a convict because so many people named David Smith are out there.
Exacerbating the situation is when background check giants like LexisNexis Screening Solutions claim they should be forgiven for bungling a background check because they were following "industry standards." 
And the industry standard, LexisNexis says, means it doesn't always have to run a middle name through the system—even when there are some 125,000 people with the name "David Smith" in the United States.
That was, in part, LexisNexis' defense to a lawsuit brought by a man named David Alan Smith.
Smith claimed LexisNexis was willful and negligent when the company erroneously fingered him as a convict.
He also claims LexisNexis violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Smith was applying to be a delivery driver for Great Lakes Wine and Spirits in 2012.
As a condition of being a driver, his prospective Michigan employer required a background check. LexisNexis conducts some 10 million background checks per year and claims 99.8 percent are never disputed.
To get the background check done, Smith provided Great Lakes with his first, middle, and last name, Social Security number, driver's license number, date of birth, sex, street address, and phone number. Great Lakes did not provide LexisNexis with Smith's middle name, however.
Here's what happened, according to a recent decision (PDF) by the US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals:
Lexis searched its database for criminal records that matched Smith’s first name, last name, and date of birth. 
The search returned two sources—Bay County, Florida Circuit and County Courts, and the Florida Department of Corrections—as having criminal records for a David Smith born on March 12, 1965. This, however, was David Oscar Smith, not the David Alan Smith who applied for the job with Great Lakes. 
The records were for David Oscar Smith's uttering a forged instrument. 
Because Lexis did not receive a middle name from Great Lakes, it could not exclude the middle name "Oscar" from the results. 
The criminal records did not contain a Social Security number, so Lexis could not exclude them on that basis. 
Because the criminal records matched Smith's first name, last name, and date of birth, Lexis included them in the report it provided to Great Lakes.
What's more, the credit report LexisNexis obtained on Smith listed him as "David A. Smith." LexisNexis, however, claimed there "was nothing unreasonable in LexisNexis not cross-checking information in a criminal background report and information in a separate credit report."
After he was denied the delivery job, Smith disputed the criminal background check.
LexisNexis figured out its bungle, and corrected the background report.
Because of the mishap, Smith was delayed six weeks before he could start the delivery job.
Smith sued (PDF) LexisNexis, claiming a breach of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) for allegedly failing to follow reasonable procedures that would assure accuracy in the information it reported to Great Lakes..."

Arizona child sexual abuse law guts due process for parents and caregivers.

Arizona child sexual abuse law guts due process for parents and caregivers.
"The Arizona Supreme Court issued a stunning and horrifying decision on Tuesday, interpreting a state law to criminalize any contact between an adult and a child’s genitals.
According to the court, the law’s sweep encompasses wholly innocent conduct, such as changing a diaper or bathing a baby. 
As the stinging dissent notes, “parents and other caregivers” in the state are now considered to be “child molesters or sex abusers under Arizona law.” 
Those convicted under the statute may be imprisoned for five years.
How did this happen?
A combination of bad legislating and terrible judging.
Start with the legislature, which passed laws forbidding any person from “intentionally or knowingly … touching … any part of the genitals, anus or female breast” of a child “under fifteen years of age.”
Notice something odd about that?
Although the laws call such contact “child molestation” or “sexual abuse,” the statutes themselves do not require the “touching” to be sexual in nature. 
(No other state’s law excludes this element of improper sexual intent.)
Indeed, read literally, the statutes would seem to prohibit parents from changing their child’s diaper. And the measures forbid both “direct and indirect touching,” meaning parents cannot even bathe their child without becoming sexual abusers under the law.
Arizona’s Supreme Court had an opportunity to remedy this glaring problem.
A man convicted under these laws urged the justices to limit the statutes’ scope by interpreting the “touching” element to require some sexual intent.
But by a 3-2 vote, the court refused and declared that the law criminalized the completely innocent touching of a child..."
Read on!

The Greediest People in America Are Liberal Democrats - John Hawkins

The Greediest People in America Are Liberal Democrats - John Hawkins:

"The perfect place to start a column like this is with that notorious Elizabeth Warren quote that made liberals fall in love with her.

“There is nobody in this country who got rich on their own. Nobody. You built a factory out there - good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on roads the rest of us paid for. You"

Hillary Clinton Says “Bombings In New York” – 40 Seconds Later Criticizes Use of Word “Bombing”…

Hillary Clinton Says “Bombings In New York” – 40 Seconds Later Criticizes Use of Word “Bombing”… | The Last Refuge:
Hillary Clinton Says “Bombings In New York” – 40 Seconds Later Criticizes Use of Word “Bombing”…

Posted on September 18, 2016 by sundance

In under a minute you can see/hear an audio visual demonstration showing why the vast majority of Americans just laugh at journalists in the 2016 presidential campaign.

A well sedated Secretary Clinton begins her remarks (00:28) by saying:

“I’ve been briefed about the bombings in New York and New Jersey, as well as the attack in Minnesota”…

Note the emphasis: “briefed about the bombings“.

However, seemingly oblivious to the fact Secretary Clinton just said “bombings“, Hillary’s traveling press pool asks the very first question 40 seconds later (01:08) which was:

“Do you have any reaction to the fact that Donald Trump, prior to taking the stage tonight, called the explosion tonight a bomb, and if that’s an appropriate term”?

Watch below:

These MSM dolts are so dependent on collaborated and scripted narratives, they can’t even stop themselves from following the script when it makes them look silly."

Heineken Light uses ‘gay’-sounding joke in new TV ad

Heineken Light uses ‘gay’-sounding joke in new TV ad:
"Neil Patrick Harris asks to “flip another man’s meat” in TV ad for Heineken Light.
A TV commercial running this summer for Heineken Light beer is raising some eyebrows as it features actor Neil Patrick Harris, an openly “gay” man, asking if he can “flip another man’s meat.”
The advertisement has Harris, best known for his roles in “How I Met Your Mother” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” making a series of statements to a man who appears to be grilling something on a barbecue.
Watch the ad:


The dialogue includes:
Neil Patrick Harris: “Heineken Light makes it OK to flip another man’s meat.”
Grillmaster: “No, no, no. You never flip another man’s meat.”
Neil Patrick Harris: “Award-winning Heineken Light is the best light beer you’ve ever tasted.”
Grillmaster: “That’s true. Can I have one?”
Neil Patrick Harris: “Can I flip your meat?”
(Long pause)
Grillmaster: “No.”
Neil Patrick Harris: “Suit yourself.”
...“‘Heineken Light makes it OK to flip another man’s meat.’
I did a double take when I heard it.
This is clearly some kind of gay joke, right?
Neil Patrick Harris is very much out of the closet.
I’m not sure what Heineken was going for with this commercial, but it just struck me as kind of wrong...”

Lunch video-----Denali Ski Descent

Noon-toon

Obama SHOCKS The US Navy; Orders Behavior Modification Training For ALL Sailors | The Federalist Papers

Obama SHOCKS The US Navy; Orders Behavior Modification Training For ALL Sailors | The Federalist Papers:

"The U.S. Military has more pressing issues to deal with than this politically-correct garbage. It’s bad enough that this insanity is forced on greater society, but the military — who needs to be focused on the safety of the country and the life-and-death situations they face — shouldn’t be bogged down with social engineering."

Former Clinton Supporter: Sid Blumenthal Fed Me 'Birther' Hit Pieces in 2008 All the Time

Former Clinton Supporter: Sid Blumenthal Fed Me 'Birther' Hit Pieces in 2008 All the Time
James Asher, a former McClatchy Washington Bureau Chief, tweeted out on Friday that Hillary Clinton’s surrogate Sid Blumenthal pushed the rumor in 2008 that Barack Obama was born in Kenya.

The liberal mainstream media attacked Trump on Friday for suggesting the Clinton campaign was behind the ‘birther’ rumors.
The media gave Trump “Four Pinocchios.

BREAKING ALERT Hillary Clinton best friend/advisor Sid Blumenthal caught flaunting Obama Kenya #birtherism in 2008 pic.twitter.com/zz82pSz9iy

— DEPLORABLE TRUMPCAT (@Darren32895836) September 16, 2016

Now this…

Another former Clinton supporter wrote on Friday that Sid Blumenthal and the Hillary campaign was behind the birther controversy.

Larry Johnson at No Quarters reported:

I am shocked at the audacity of Hillary Clinton to decry Donald Trump as a birther because her campaign not only pushed that item in a bid to discredit Barack Obama, but mounted a sustained campaign attack Obama on a broad array of issues. How do I know? I was part of that effort and was in regular email and phone coordination with Sidney Blumenthal. Sidney was the conduit who fed damaging material to me that I subsequently posted on my blog.

In some cases Sid Blumenthal actually provided a draft piece that I would slightly modify and publish under my name. Most of the time, however, Sid provided background information and researched material that I would use to craft pieces. How many? I am providing the links to 63 blog articles that I posted (and in one case was posted by Susan Hudgens, who assisted with the blog) between January 2008 and June 30, 2008.

Here is simple summary of material (in writing or through a verbal briefing) that I received from Sid?

• Information surrounding the corrupt business relationship between Barack Obama and Tony Rezko.
• Information about Barack Obama’s ties to Palestinian radicals.
• Information concerning Barack Obama’s longstanding ties to the American terrorist, Bill Ayers.
• Information concerning Barack Obama’s close ties to radical clerics–i.e., Jeremiah Wright and Father Michael Pfleger.
• Information concerning allegations that Barack Obama was not a natural born citizen.
• Information concerning Barack Obama being adopted by Indonesian Muslim Lolo Soetor
The big Kahuna of the anti-Obama dump was the allegation that Republicans had a tape of Michelle Obama in which she used the disparaging term “Whitey.” I published that after being told about the “tape” by Sid Blumenthal. (I learned a few weeks later that the story of the tape actually originated with Media Matter’s David Brock and he confirmed its existence to me in person).

Read the rest here.

Why It's Not Carbon Dioxide

 Why It's Not Carbon Dioxide:
"...Many climate blogs promote the views of the owner as to whether or not, or by how much carbon dioxide might affect Earth's surface temperature.
But this compelling evidence proves it has no effect.
In the book Why It's Not Carbon Dioxide After All and my paper I explain the real physics of climate based on the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the associated state of thermodynamic equilibrium which that law says will evolve.
The overall level of Earth's surface temperatures is set by solar radiation and also cosmic ray levels, as these can affect cloud formation. 
There are natural long and short term cycles which are clearly evident in the climate records.
There is a very interesting strong correlation between the climate cycles and the 934-year and superimposed 60-year cycles in the above plot which is derived from planetary orbits.
For those who are interested it is the inverted plot of the scalar sum of the angular momentum of the Sun and all the planets. 
Magnetic fields from the planets may affect solar activity and cosmic rays.
...But to maintain a certain temperature there must be an input of thermal energy (usually called "heat") which balances the natural heat losses.
James Hansen incorrectly assumed that radiation from the colder atmosphere could transfer the extra thermal energy into the surface.
But radiation mostly transfers thermal energy out of the warmer surface, not into it.  
The actual process involves energy being transferred during molecular collisions, as with conduction.  ​
You are familiar with this diffusion process which can be observed if your car is left in the Sun and then driven into your garage. 
Close the garage door and open the car doors and gradually you will feel the temperature of the air in the garage warming and that of the air in the car cooling..."

Obama Backs the Worst Colleges While Destroying For-Profit Schools.

Instapundit » Blog Archive » HANS BADER: Obama Backs the Worst Colleges While Destroying For-Profit Schools. The federal gove…:
HANS BADER: Obama Backs the Worst Colleges While Destroying For-Profit Schools.

The federal government happily subsidizes inferior state colleges that graduate few if any of their students. That includes Chicago State University, which has a 12.8 percent six-year graduation rate.

The Obama administration has rewritten federal student loan rules in a way that encourages colleges to raise tuition and effectively subsidizes the worst colleges the most. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that each additional dollar in government financial aid results in a tuition hike of about 65 cents.

The federal government also subsidizes expensive, low-quality third-tier law schools whose graduates are often unemployed. It does so even though many of their graduates will never pay back their student loans because of their low graduating salaries, and the huge amount of money law students are allowed to borrow from the government. . . . As the Cato Institute’s Neal McCluskey notes, ITT Tech produced better graduating salaries for its students than nearby public alternatives. But no one is suggesting that those lousy public colleges be shut down.

Like most such things, it’s just a transfer of taxpayer resources to Democratic Party constituencies.

Related: “You’d think that there’s no inherent reason why universities should always and only ever be non-profit (or state owned).
After all, we don’t demand that our cars be made by non-profit groups, and say that there’s no way a for-profit car manufacturer could ever be trusted to provide us with a quality product.”