Pearls are always a classy gift guys, but local jewlers can be pricey. Here's a place to get a string of genuine cultured pearls for a reasonable price.......c'mon, June Cleaver had it all together.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Here's a Great Holiday Gift Idea
Pearls are always a classy gift guys, but local jewlers can be pricey. Here's a place to get a string of genuine cultured pearls for a reasonable price.......c'mon, June Cleaver had it all together.
Monday, November 02, 2009
How To Avoid Constituents, and Stay in Office
This Friday, the tax payer funded Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is hosting a briefing for Members of Congress and their staff on their new study: Online Town Hall Meetings: Exploring Democracy in the 21st Century. The CMF study consisted of 21 townhall meetings where Members of Congress and CMF provided a moderator: “spoke via voice over IP, and constituents asked questions and made comments by typing them. Only off-topic, redundant, unintelligible, or offensive questions were screened, and only questions asked by people who had not yet asked a question were prioritized.” ...Read More...
Read the Bills? How about Reading the Constitution?
...
It's said that the Roman emperor Caligula posted new laws high on the columns of buildings so citizens couldn't read them and figure out how to avoid their penalties. He could have achieved the same effect by covering the country with such a dense thicket of rules that no one could tell what the law commands.
Legend has it that Caligula also made his favorite horse a senator. Considering how lightly most of our legislators take their constitutional obligations, you could probably do worse.
They did it before...They'll do it again!
The Roosevelt administration couldn't pressure Coughlin off the air by leveraging other religions personalities against him. So,
When this approach didn't work, the Roosevelt administration declared that the First Amendment's free speech didn't cover radio broadcasts, and Coughlin was promptly forced from the air when he was unable to receive a newly mandatory operating permit.
Read More........
UN climate chief: Deal must be legally enforceable
Developing countries don't trust wealthy nations' promises that they will help them meet the challenges of climate change, the U.N.'s top climate official said Monday, adding that means any new global warming deal must have legal force.
The legal status of an agreement and whether nations will be sanctioned for failing to meet their commitments are contentious issues in talks on controlling the world's emissions of carbon and other heat-raising greenhouse gases...
Read More
Mother of all carry trades faces an inevitable bust
...The US dollar has become the major funding currency of carry trades as the Fed has kept interest rates on hold and is expected to do so for a long time. Investors who are shorting the US dollar to buy on a highly leveraged basis higher-yielding assets and other global assets are not just borrowing at zero interest rates in dollar terms; they are borrowing at very negative interest rates – as low as negative 10 or 20 per cent annualised – as the fall in the US dollar leads to massive capital gains on short dollar positions.
Let us sum up: traders are borrowing at negative 20 per cent rates to invest on a highly leveraged basis on a mass of risky global assets that are rising in price due to excess liquidity and a massive carry trade. Every investor who plays this risky game looks like a genius – even if they are just riding a huge bubble financed by a large negative cost of borrowing – as the total returns have been in the 50-70 per cent range since March. ...READ MORE To learn more about "Carry Trades", click here.
America the superpower melts down
...Futuristic predictions will just have to catch up to the fast-shifting realities of the present moment. Although published after the onset of the global economic meltdown was under way, the report was written before the crisis reached its full proportions and so emphasized that the decline of American power would be gradual, extending over the assessment's 15-year time horizon. But the economic crisis and attendant events have radically upset that timetable. As a result of the mammoth economic losses suffered by the United States over the past year and China's stunning economic recovery, the global power shift the report predicted has accelerated. For all practical purposes, 2025 is here already. READ MORE
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Congress’s Secret Plan to Pass Obamacare
President Obama and liberals in Congress seem intent on passing comprehensive health care reform, even though polls suggest it is unpopular with the American people. And despite the potential political risks to moderate Democrats, the President and left-wing leadership in Congress are determined to pass the measure using a rare parliamentary procedure.
Treemometers: A new scientific scandal
At least eight papers purporting to reconstruct the historical temperature record times may need to be revisited, with significant implications for contemporary climate studies, the basis of the IPCC's assessments. A number of these involve senior climatologists at the British climate research centre CRU at the University East Anglia. In every case, peer review failed to pick up the errors.
Sound of Music | Central Station Antwerp (Belgium)
More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi", in the Central Station of Antwerp. with just 2 rehearsals they created this amazing stunt!
N.Y. Health Care Workers Revolt Over H1N1 Vaccine
New York is the first state in the country to mandate flu vaccinations for its health care workers. The first doses of swine flu vaccine will be available beginning next week. Much of it is reserved for state health care workers, but there is growing opposition to required innoculations.
Immigration Crackdown With Firings, Not Raids
LOS ANGELES — A clothing maker with a vast garment factory in downtown Los Angeles is firing about 1,800 immigrant employees in the coming days — more than a quarter of its work force — after a federal investigation turned up irregularities in the identity documents the workers presented when they were hired.
Public-prayer battle lines drawn in Lodi
By Loretta Kalb
Lodi is just a small city in the heart of California's Central Valley. But tonight, it takes center stage for one of the nation's hottest issues.
The question is: Should the City Council allow invocations that call on Jesus at its public meetings?
Intense interest prompted the council to move tonight's meeting to Lodi's 900-seat theater in Hutchins Street Square.
The question is: Should the City Council allow invocations that call on Jesus at its public meetings?
Intense interest prompted the council to move tonight's meeting to Lodi's 900-seat theater in Hutchins Street Square.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
NYC terror suspect pleads not guilty, kept in jail
By TOM HAYS
NEW YORK -- As a suspected al-Qaida operative pleaded not guilty Tuesday to plotting a bomb attack in New York, the city's police commissioner pronounced the threat neutralized and said there is nothing to fear from the defendant's three alleged accomplices.
The terror scheme "has been broken up," said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. "I see no danger emanating ... from the people involved in this investigation."
The terror scheme "has been broken up," said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. "I see no danger emanating ... from the people involved in this investigation."
A few thousand trial lawyers have a lock on Democrats, who refuse to consider any legal reform.
By PHILIP K. HOWARD
Eliminating defensive medicine could save upwards of $200 billion in health-care costs annually, according to estimates by the American Medical Association and others. The cure is a reliable medical malpractice system that patients, doctors and the general public can trust.
But this is the one reform Washington will not seriously consider. That's because the trial lawyers, among the largest contributors to the Democratic Party, thrive on the unreliable justice system we have now.
Eliminating defensive medicine could save upwards of $200 billion in health-care costs annually, according to estimates by the American Medical Association and others. The cure is a reliable medical malpractice system that patients, doctors and the general public can trust.
But this is the one reform Washington will not seriously consider. That's because the trial lawyers, among the largest contributors to the Democratic Party, thrive on the unreliable justice system we have now.
The IRS says it will fine or jail you for not paying Obama's mandate levy
Chairman Max Baucus's bill includes the so-called individual mandate, along with what he calls a $1,900 "excise tax" if you don't buy health insurance. (It had been as much as $3,800 but Democrats reduced the amount last week to minimize the political sticker shock.) And, lo, it turns out that if you don't pay that tax, the IRS could punish you with a $25,000 fine or up to a year in jail, or both.
Cap & Trade's Creators Say It Won't Solve Global Warming
Written by Heritage.org
The first is that carbon emissions are a global problem with myriad sources. Cap-and-trade, he says, is better suited for discrete, local pollution problems. "It is not clear to me how you would enforce a permit system internationally," he says. "There are no institutions right now that have that power."
Criminal anarchy on America’s doorstep
By: Bernd Debusmann
When Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderon, ordered 2,500 troops and federal agents into border city Ciudad Juarez 17 months ago to tamp down drug violence, the monthly murder rate ran at an average of 66. In retrospect, those were the days of peace and calm.
Europe’s Socialists Suffering Even in Downturn
By STEVEN ERLANGER
Even in the midst of one of the greatest challenges to capitalism in 75 years, involving a breakdown of the financial system due to “irrational exuberance,” greed and the weakness of regulatory systems, European Socialist parties and their left-wing cousins have not found a compelling response, let alone taken advantage of the right’s failures.
Even in the midst of one of the greatest challenges to capitalism in 75 years, involving a breakdown of the financial system due to “irrational exuberance,” greed and the weakness of regulatory systems, European Socialist parties and their left-wing cousins have not found a compelling response, let alone taken advantage of the right’s failures.
World Bank Head Sees Dollar’s Role Diminishing
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
“The United States would be mistaken to take for granted the dollar’s place as the world’s predominant reserve currency,” the World Bank president, Robert B. Zoellick, said in a speech at the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins. “Looking forward, there will increasingly be other options to the dollar.”
“The United States would be mistaken to take for granted the dollar’s place as the world’s predominant reserve currency,” the World Bank president, Robert B. Zoellick, said in a speech at the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins. “Looking forward, there will increasingly be other options to the dollar.”
Suspected flag burner pilloried
By BOB GARDINIER AND HUMBERTO MARTÍNEZ
VALLEY FALLS -- The young man was given three choices: get turned over to the police, go one-on-one in a fight with a seasoned war veteran, or be duct-taped to a flagpole for six hours with a sign around his neck identifying his alleged crime: flag burning.
20 easy ways to boost your memory
BY PAULA SPENCER
Worried about fading brain power? If you’re older than 27, you have good reason. That’s the age when cognitive skills start to decline, according to new University of Virginia research. But while some changes in thinking and memory are inevitable as we age, the good news is that lifestyle seems to be able to blunt those effects — and keep many minds working sharply well into old age.
Rigging the route to a 51st state
By EDDIE GARCIA
Since 1967, Puerto Ricans have voted three times against becoming a US state and in favor of maintaining their status as an independent commonwealth in association with America. The last time was 11 years ago.
But now a bill moving in Congress would have Puerto Ricans vote on the issue of statehood yet again. And this time, the process is rigged to favor statehood.
But now a bill moving in Congress would have Puerto Ricans vote on the issue of statehood yet again. And this time, the process is rigged to favor statehood.
Federal Reserve Scandal Bigger than ACORN
By Cliff Kincaid
For the first time, a hearing is being held on Rep. Ron Paul's Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009 (H.R. 1207) by the House Committee on Financial Services. Grass-roots pressure has been credited with forcing the hearing into what has happened to trillions of dollars supposedly spent by the Federal Reserve on the stabilization of the financial system.
The Un-Aborted Obama
by Mike Adams
A Democrat historian once told me that, during its history, the mostly Democratic KKK lynched almost 5000 blacks. Today, the mostly Democratic pro-choice movement applauds (and even defends as a “right”) the mutilation of over 9000 blacks on a weekly basis. You probably think it is unfair to compare pro-choicers to the KKK. But unfair to whom? Klansmen were never such prolific killers.
U.S., Allies Say Iran Has Secret Nuclear Facility
President Obama's charge that Iran is constructing a secret nuclear fuel facility brought years of confrontation over the country's alleged nuclear weapons program to a new crisis point Friday, as he joined with the leaders of Britain and France to warn that international patience is waning fast.
Review Ordered of Video Showing Students Singing Praises of President Obama
FOXNews.com
The commissioner of New Jersey's Department of Education ordered a review on Friday following the posting of a YouTube video depicting school children singing the praises of President Obama.
The commissioner of New Jersey's Department of Education ordered a review on Friday following the posting of a YouTube video depicting school children singing the praises of President Obama.
US May Face 'Armageddon' If China, Japan Don't Buy Debt
By: JeeYeon Park
"It's almost Armageddon if the Japanese and Chinese don't buy our debt,” Robertson said in an interview. "I don't know where we could get the money. I think we've let ourselves get in a terrible situation and I think we ought to try and get out of it."
Friday, September 25, 2009
British Co Fines Workers For Emissions
Ben Webster
People who emit more than their fair share of carbon emissions are having their pay docked in a trial that could lead to rationing being reintroduced via the workplace after an absence of half a century.
Britain’s first employee carbon rationing scheme is about to be extended, after the trial demonstrated the effectiveness of fining people for exceeding their personal emissions target.
People who emit more than their fair share of carbon emissions are having their pay docked in a trial that could lead to rationing being reintroduced via the workplace after an absence of half a century.
Britain’s first employee carbon rationing scheme is about to be extended, after the trial demonstrated the effectiveness of fining people for exceeding their personal emissions target.
Medicare and Gag Orders
Maybe Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus should put a gag order on Douglas Elmendorf too. On Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office director told Mr. Baucus's committee that its plan to cut $123 billion from Medicare Advantage—the program that gives almost one-fourth of seniors private health-insurance options—will result in lower benefits and some 2.7 million people losing this coverage.
Current Health Insurance Reform Proposals
Karen A. Campbell
Abstract: Current proposals for health care reform
would exacerbate existing problems in the U.S. health
system and weaken the economy. In particular, the proposed
surtax on high-income individuals would impose
deadweight losses on the economy, depressing employment
and slowing economic growth. True reform would change
outdated rules and regulations to give consumers greater
choice and autonomy in their health care spending.
reforms would lead to a more efficient and more effective
health care system without harming the economy.
Obama Will Spend More on Welfare in the Next Year Than Bush Spent on Entire Iraq War
By Fred Lucas
(CNSNews.com) – As a candidate for president, Barack Obama decried the financial toll that the Iraq war was taking on the economy, but Obama’s proposed spending on welfare through 2010 will eclipse Bush’s war spending by more than $260 billion.
Potato farmer holy grail: McDonald's french fries
By JOHN MILLER
KIMBERLY, Idaho – From the fields of Idaho to tasting rooms in suburban Chicago, potato farmers, researchers and industry representatives are in the midst of an elusive hunt: finding a new spud for McDonald's french fries.
America armed, but guns not necessarily loaded
By MARY FOSTER
NEW ORLEANS – Bullet-makers are working around the clock, seven days a week, and still can't keep up with the nation's demand for ammunition.
Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass antigun legislation
Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass antigun legislation
Risky Business: New York Taxes the Rich at Some Peril
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP/ 1010 WINS) -- This year, the deep pockets of New York's rich were tapped like never before. The state's wealthiest pay new higher income tax rates, higher taxes for limousines and yachts, more to enter a horse in a race and more to dabble in real estate.
Meanwhile, many are losing millions from the closing of business tax loopholes and those making over $1 million are losing tax deductions others get.
Seasonal flu shot may increase H1N1 risk
Preliminary research suggests the seasonal flu shot may put people at greater risk for getting swine flu, CBC News has learned.
"This is some evidence that has been floated. It hasn't been validated yet, it's very preliminary," cautioned Dr. Don Low, microbiologist-in-chief at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.
"This is some evidence that has been floated. It hasn't been validated yet, it's very preliminary," cautioned Dr. Don Low, microbiologist-in-chief at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.
Dollar under scrutiny at G20 summit
by P.Parameswaran
The dollar issue is bound to surface at the two-day meeting in Pittsburgh as US President Barack Obama and other leaders of the Group of 20 economies debate a new framework for tackling the so called global "economic imbalances" blamed for fuelling the latest financial crisis.
Pelosi Seeks to Make Health Reform Bill More Liberal
Posted by Stephanie Condon
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is planning to include in the bill a tax on wealthy Americans, as well as a more robust government-run health insurance plan (or "public option"), abandoning the compromises leaders in a key committee worked out with the moderate Blue Dog Democrats,
U.N. climate meeting was propaganda: Czech president
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Czech President Vaclav Klaus sharply criticized a U.N. meeting on climate change on Tuesday at which U.S. President Barack Obama was among the top speakers, describing it as propagandistic and undignified.
"It was sad and it was frustrating," said Klaus, one of the world's most vocal skeptics on the topic of global warming.
"It was sad and it was frustrating," said Klaus, one of the world's most vocal skeptics on the topic of global warming.
A Secret White House Power Grab Is In Full Swing
Phil Kerpen
It’s one thing for President Obama to surround himself with the advisers he’d like to have, but it’s another to bestow on them sweeping powers to broker secret negotiations and push forward vast new regulations that could cost American families thousands of dollars.
The rules murdering our troops
Ralph Peters
In Afghanistan, our leaders are complicit in the death of each soldier, Marine or Navy corpsman who falls because politically correct rules of engagement shield our enemies.
Mission-focused, but morally oblivious, Gen. Stan McChrystal conformed to the Obama Way of War by imposing rules of engagement that could have been concocted by Code Pink:
* Unless our troops in combat are absolutely certain that no civilians are present, they're denied artillery or air support.
Mission-focused, but morally oblivious, Gen. Stan McChrystal conformed to the Obama Way of War by imposing rules of engagement that could have been concocted by Code Pink:
* Unless our troops in combat are absolutely certain that no civilians are present, they're denied artillery or air support.
Gay marriage gone wrong creates Catch-22
Daniel Dale
Trapped in a bad marriage?
Sorry, really. But you've got nothing on Larissa Chism and Tara Ranzy, a divorce-seeking Indiana couple doomed to live unhappily ever after and after and after by a legal Catch-22.
Chism, a psychiatrist, and Ranzy, an educator, wed in Toronto in January 2005. In March of this year, they filed a divorce petition.
Sorry, really. But you've got nothing on Larissa Chism and Tara Ranzy, a divorce-seeking Indiana couple doomed to live unhappily ever after and after and after by a legal Catch-22.
Chism, a psychiatrist, and Ranzy, an educator, wed in Toronto in January 2005. In March of this year, they filed a divorce petition.
House Democrats considering insurance tax
By ERICA WERNER and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democrats are considering an insurance tax to help pay for their health care overhaul plan, even though such a funding scheme is bitterly opposed by labor unions that are among the party's most loyal constituencies.
Fidel Castro praises Obama on climate change
By PAUL HAVEN
HAVANA — Barack Obama's call for action on climate change and his admission that rich nations have a particular responsibility to lead has received strong praise from an unusual source — U.S. nemesis Fidel Castro.
The former Cuban leader on Wednesday called the American president's speech at the United Nations "brave" and said no other American head of state would have had the courage to make similar remarks.
The former Cuban leader on Wednesday called the American president's speech at the United Nations "brave" and said no other American head of state would have had the courage to make similar remarks.
Obama to world: Don't expect America to fix it all
By JENNIFER LOVEN
UNITED NATIONS – President Barack Obama challenged world leaders Wednesday to shoulder more of the globe's critical burdens, promising a newly cooperative partner in America but sternly warning they can no longer castigate the U.S. as a go-it-alone bully while still demanding it cure all ills.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
ACORN Community High School: Where Your Child Can Learn Social Change Techniques to Solve Real Life Problems
When they're not involved in defending themselves from accusations of voter fraud or promoting child prostitution on videotape the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) also run radio stations in Dallas and Little Rock and high schools in New York City.The AP reported on thiss diverse organization on Saturday:
Its affiliates include nonprofit radio stations KNON in Dallas and KABF in Little Rock. The stations and ACORN work closely together, share a common mission and have offices in the same buildings, Kettenring said.
Its affiliates include nonprofit radio stations KNON in Dallas and KABF in Little Rock. The stations and ACORN work closely together, share a common mission and have offices in the same buildings, Kettenring said.
Barack Obama ready to slash US nuclear arsenal
Obama has rejected the Pentagon's first draft of the "nuclear posture review" as being too timid, and has called for a range of more far-reaching options consistent with his goal of eventually abolishing nuclear weapons altogether, according to European officials.
Those options include:
• Reconfiguring the US nuclear force to allow for an arsenal measured in hundreds rather than thousands of deployed strategic warheads.
• Redrafting nuclear doctrine to narrow the range of conditions under which the US would use nuclear weapons.
• Exploring ways of guaranteeing the future reliability of nuclear weapons without testing or producing a new generation of warheads.
Those options include:
• Reconfiguring the US nuclear force to allow for an arsenal measured in hundreds rather than thousands of deployed strategic warheads.
• Redrafting nuclear doctrine to narrow the range of conditions under which the US would use nuclear weapons.
• Exploring ways of guaranteeing the future reliability of nuclear weapons without testing or producing a new generation of warheads.
Here's your 'demonstration project,' Mr. President -- it's called Mississippi
By: David Freddoso
Since passing tort reform in 2004, Mississippi has seen the number of medical malpractice claims plummet by 91 percent from its peak. The state's largest medical liability insurer dropped its premiums by 42 percent, and has offered an additional 20 percent rebate each year since tort reform went into effect.
That is the story that Mississippi's Republican, governor, Haley Barbour, offered on Friday, speaking at the Heritage Foundation. He also made an observation about President Obama's decision to offer only token "demonstration projects" on lawsuit abuse rather than address it meaningfully in his health care reform proposal.
That is the story that Mississippi's Republican, governor, Haley Barbour, offered on Friday, speaking at the Heritage Foundation. He also made an observation about President Obama's decision to offer only token "demonstration projects" on lawsuit abuse rather than address it meaningfully in his health care reform proposal.
MacEachern: Tucson schools create race-based system of discipline
Doug MacEachern
On a certain emotional level, it is a good thing for a minority student with few incentives to achieve much academically to see others who have.
But, as always, TUSD's race-obsessing board of governors is taking racial bean-counting to preposterous extremes.
This summer, the TUSD board adopted a "Post-Unitary Status Plan" that it expects will help the district escape a decades-old federal desegregation order.
The plan includes increasing the number of minority teachers - per the summer hiring spree, which netted 14 special-education teachers and one math-science teacher.
But, as always, TUSD's race-obsessing board of governors is taking racial bean-counting to preposterous extremes.
This summer, the TUSD board adopted a "Post-Unitary Status Plan" that it expects will help the district escape a decades-old federal desegregation order.
The plan includes increasing the number of minority teachers - per the summer hiring spree, which netted 14 special-education teachers and one math-science teacher.
Presidential Approval Ratings -- Barack Obama
Barack Obama's Most Recent Weekly Approval Rating Average
52%
(Sep 7-13, 2009)
Barack Obama's Term Average:
60%
Barack Obama's High Point:
69%
(Jan 22-24, 2009)
Barack Obama's Low Point:
50%
(several times;most recent:Aug 27-29, 2009)
Average for U.S. Presidents Since Franklin D. Roosevelt:
55%
Average for Elected Presidents' Third Quarter:
64%
UN plans 'shock therapy' for world leaders on environment
"We need these leaders to go outside their usual comfort zones," said one diplomat. "Our sense is that leaders have got a little too cosy and comfortable. They really have to hear from countries that are vulnerable and suffering."
Why everyone is saying no to Obama
By AMIR MIZROCH
So why is everyone saying no to Obama?
It's the economy, stupid.
Everyone has worked it out by now: The great secret is out. America's economy has made Obama a weak president, and he will likely remain weak throughout his first term. He has about two years to pull the American economy out of its free-fall before he begins his reelection campaign. If he can do it, and that's a big if, chances are good that he'll get reelected, and in his second term he can try to pull some geopolitical strings. But for the next three years, expect to see a world that says no to Obama. No meaningful and dramatic diplomatic initiative can come out of the White House in the next three years, as long as Obama remains weak.
It's the economy, stupid.
Everyone has worked it out by now: The great secret is out. America's economy has made Obama a weak president, and he will likely remain weak throughout his first term. He has about two years to pull the American economy out of its free-fall before he begins his reelection campaign. If he can do it, and that's a big if, chances are good that he'll get reelected, and in his second term he can try to pull some geopolitical strings. But for the next three years, expect to see a world that says no to Obama. No meaningful and dramatic diplomatic initiative can come out of the White House in the next three years, as long as Obama remains weak.
US-EU rift clouds climate summit
By Fiona Harvey in London, Joshua Chaffin in Brussels and Edward Luce in Washington
A growing rift between the US and Europe is overshadowing Tuesday’s United Nations climate change summit in New York, further damping hopes for a breakthrough at the Copenhagen talks in December.
Connie Hedegaard, the Danish environment minister, lowered expectations, saying: “Things are looking difficult and too slow, that is the fact.”
Connie Hedegaard, the Danish environment minister, lowered expectations, saying: “Things are looking difficult and too slow, that is the fact.”
U.S. to push for new economic world order at G20
By Alister Bull
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will urge world leaders this week to launch a new push in November to rebalance the world economy, but there are doubts national governments will bow to external advice.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Democrats' quest for balance in 2009
Democrats seem to have shifted their thinking on a number of issues since President Obama took the oath of office.
Figure some Dems have more faith in government with a like-minded man at the helm, and besides, circumstances have changed. But also figure that some Democrats were just looking for sore spots - and their anti-Bush rhetoric was based not on principle, but raw opportunism.
Sowing the seeds of destruction
By GINGER ADAMS OTIS and TIM PERONE
Just how nutty is ACORN?
Very, say longtime watchers of the extreme leftwing group that sprouted out of a radical 60s anti-government movement.
For decades ACORN has presented itself as a grassroots network dedicated to improving the lives of the poor.
But there's more to ACORN than its do-gooder veneer.
Just ask the banks, corporations and politicians who've been the target of ACORN's shameless shenanigans over the past 40 years.
Very, say longtime watchers of the extreme leftwing group that sprouted out of a radical 60s anti-government movement.
For decades ACORN has presented itself as a grassroots network dedicated to improving the lives of the poor.
But there's more to ACORN than its do-gooder veneer.
Just ask the banks, corporations and politicians who've been the target of ACORN's shameless shenanigans over the past 40 years.
Americans aren't racist - they're just furious at Obama and Washington
By Frank Luntz
Obama's popularity hasn't tumbled because he's black. It's tumbled because he has come to represent Washington instead of those who sent him there.
I know this because of a 6,400-person interview survey I conducted for my new book "What Americans Really Want ... Really
I know this because of a 6,400-person interview survey I conducted for my new book "What Americans Really Want ... Really
Green groups open 'climate war room'
By MIKE ALLEN & JIM VANDEHEI
A “climate war room” — funded by more than 60 labor, business, faith, agriculture and environmental groups — has been set up to coordinate ad dollars and communications.
The groups are enlisting military veterans and point to polling showing a majority of Americans support changes to U.S. energy policy being developed by Congress and the administration.
A “climate war room” — funded by more than 60 labor, business, faith, agriculture and environmental groups — has been set up to coordinate ad dollars and communications.
The groups are enlisting military veterans and point to polling showing a majority of Americans support changes to U.S. energy policy being developed by Congress and the administration.
NAACP, local media defending thugs in brutal racially motivated attack.
The St. Louis NAACP has come out defending the teenage thugs who were caught on camera brutally beating a student because he is white. Local St. Louis NAACP race hustler B.T. Rice actually went on Channel 4 (KMOV) St. Louis and blamed Congressman Joe Wilson, not the monsters who carried out the attack. Rice downplayed the incident and said that white resentment of having a black president is fueling anger among whites, not the actual beating!
Sweden slashes income tax further to boost jobs
Sweden's centre-right government on Saturday announced income tax cuts of 10 billion kronor to stimulate the job market, its primary objective.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and three other ministers in the four-party coalition said the reduction would mean most wage earners would have 200 to 250 kronor (20 to 25 euros, 29 to 36 dollars) more in take-home pay every month.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and three other ministers in the four-party coalition said the reduction would mean most wage earners would have 200 to 250 kronor (20 to 25 euros, 29 to 36 dollars) more in take-home pay every month.
'Killing Granny'
By Cliff Thier
This week's Newsweek cover exceeds the sheer breathtaking ugliness of last week's cover: "The Case for Killing Granny." Alongside a photo of an electrical plug. The cover story is penned by Evan Thomas, (Andover, Harvard, Virginia Law), currently teaching at Princeton, alongside Peter Singer, who believes newborn infants can be killed because they lack "rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness" and thus don't qualify for personhood.
Earth approaching sunspot records
By Corey Jones
As of Sept. 15, the current solar minimum ranks third all-time in the amount of spotless days with 717 since 2004. There have been 206 spotless days in 2009, which is 14th all-time. But there are still more than 100 days left in the year, and Perry expects that number to climb.
Going Broke: State officials spread loot like Santa, expert says
By Steve Wiegand
"They really ran to be Santa Claus, and made a mistake and filed for the Assembly and the Senate," said Doerr, the senior tax consultant for the California Taxpayers Association.
Doerr's reference is to a penchant of lawmakers and governors over the past three decades to spend whatever money they have on hand - and promise even more - then let succeeding budget drafters fend for themselves.
Doerr's reference is to a penchant of lawmakers and governors over the past three decades to spend whatever money they have on hand - and promise even more - then let succeeding budget drafters fend for themselves.
Does He Lie?
By Charles Krauthammer
You lie? No. Barack Obama doesn't lie. He's too subtle for that. He . . . well, you judge.
Herewith three examples within a single speech -- the now-famous Obama-Wilson "you lie" address to Congress on health care -- of Obama's relationship with truth.
(1) "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits -- either now or in the future," he solemnly pledged. "I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future. Period."
Herewith three examples within a single speech -- the now-famous Obama-Wilson "you lie" address to Congress on health care -- of Obama's relationship with truth.
(1) "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits -- either now or in the future," he solemnly pledged. "I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future. Period."
Putin Seeks Trade Concessions After U.S. Missile Move
By Paul Abelsky and Lyubov Pronina
Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called for trade concessions, including an end to restrictions on technology transfers to Russia, following U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to abandon a missile shield in Europe.
“I’m counting on other decisions to follow this correct and brave decision, including the complete elimination of restrictions on cooperation with Russia and on transfers of high technology to Russia as well as an intensification of World Trade Organization expansion to include Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan,” Putin said at a business forum in Sochi today.
“I’m counting on other decisions to follow this correct and brave decision, including the complete elimination of restrictions on cooperation with Russia and on transfers of high technology to Russia as well as an intensification of World Trade Organization expansion to include Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan,” Putin said at a business forum in Sochi today.
Baucus Health Care "Reform" Bill Pushes Doctors to OK Rationing for Seniors
by Steven Ertelt
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Baucus health care "reform" bill that is quickly becoming the potential alternative to the Kennedy bill and HR 3200 includes abortion subsidies and mandates. Additional analysis also shows the legislation includes health care rationing that would cause problems for senior citizens.
Conservatives use liberal playbook
By ANDIE COLLER & DANIEL LIBIT
Conservatives are coming for the Democrats on their blind side — the left.
The evidence is everywhere.
At tea parties and town halls, conservative demonstrators oppose health care reform with signs bearing the abortion-rights slogan “Keep your laws off my body” or the line “Obama lies, Grandma dies” — an echo of the “Bush lied, they died” T-shirts worn to protest the Iraq war.
Conservative activists are yelling “Nazi!” and “Big Brother!” where they used to shout “Nanny state!” and “Big Government!”
Conservatives are coming for the Democrats on their blind side — the left.
The evidence is everywhere.
At tea parties and town halls, conservative demonstrators oppose health care reform with signs bearing the abortion-rights slogan “Keep your laws off my body” or the line “Obama lies, Grandma dies” — an echo of the “Bush lied, they died” T-shirts worn to protest the Iraq war.
Conservative activists are yelling “Nazi!” and “Big Brother!” where they used to shout “Nanny state!” and “Big Government!”
Under fire, Democrats abandon ACORN in droves
By: Byron York
For the GOP, the goal is not just to cut off ACORN's federal money. It's to get to the bottom of all the allegations of corruption at ACORN and affiliated organizations around the country. On Tuesday, Johanns sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging a Justice Department investigation into the full range of ACORN allegations. Rep. Lamar Smith in the House made a similar request. No word yet on what Holder will decide.
There's no way to know how it will end. But it's now a fact that there are on-the-record votes of large majorities of Democrats favoring the total cutoff of federal funds for ACORN -- a virtually unheard-of possibility just one week ago. What a difference a video can make.
There's no way to know how it will end. But it's now a fact that there are on-the-record votes of large majorities of Democrats favoring the total cutoff of federal funds for ACORN -- a virtually unheard-of possibility just one week ago. What a difference a video can make.
Obama: Legalize illegals to get them health care
President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage.
He also staked out a position that anyone in the country legally should be covered - a major break with the 1996 welfare reform bill, which limited most federal public assistance programs only to citizens and longtime immigrants.
He also staked out a position that anyone in the country legally should be covered - a major break with the 1996 welfare reform bill, which limited most federal public assistance programs only to citizens and longtime immigrants.
ACORN story fells the big oaks of mainstream media
By Toby Harnden
If there’s one story that’s had it all in the past week it’s the series of undercover reporting stings that have uncovered the true nature of ACORN - the Association of Community Organisations for Reform Now. It’s got sex, misuse of taxpayer funds, the condoning of illegal activity by officials and connections to Barack Obama.
You would be forgiven for having missed it, however, because it’s got almost no play in the mainstream media. It wasn’t the “New York Times”, CNN or NBC who broke the story. Rather, it was two twenty-something independents with a few thousand dollars, a bit of time and a lot of guts.
You would be forgiven for having missed it, however, because it’s got almost no play in the mainstream media. It wasn’t the “New York Times”, CNN or NBC who broke the story. Rather, it was two twenty-something independents with a few thousand dollars, a bit of time and a lot of guts.
O'S DANGEROUS PALS
By STANLEY KURTZ
In the name of fairness to minorities, community organizers occupy private offices, chant inside bank lobbies, and confront executives at their homes - and thereby force financial institutions to direct hundreds of millions of dollars in mortgages to low-credit customers.
In other words, community organizers help to undermine the US economy by pushing the banking system into a sinkhole of bad loans. And Obama has spent years training and funding the organizers who do it.
In other words, community organizers help to undermine the US economy by pushing the banking system into a sinkhole of bad loans. And Obama has spent years training and funding the organizers who do it.
Another shining example of Obama “efficiency”
By Michelle Malkin
When Congress passed an $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers last winter, it was intended as a dose of shock therapy during a crisis. Now the question is becoming whether the housing market can function without it.
As many as 40 percent of all home buyers this year will qualify for the credit. It is on track to cost the government $15 billion, more than twice the amount that was projected when Congress passed the stimulus bill in February.
As many as 40 percent of all home buyers this year will qualify for the credit. It is on track to cost the government $15 billion, more than twice the amount that was projected when Congress passed the stimulus bill in February.
45% Of Doctors Would Consider Quitting If Congress Passes Health Care Overhaul
By TERRY JONES
Two of every three practicing physicians oppose the medical overhaul plan under consideration in Washington, and hundreds of thousands would think about shutting down their practices or retiring early if it were adopted, a new IBD/TIPP Poll has found.
Stimulus Didn't Work
Is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 working? At the time of the act's passage last February, this question was hotly debated. Administration economists cited Keynesian models that predicted that the $787 billion stimulus package would increase GDP by enough to create 3.6 million jobs. Our own research showed that more modern macroeconomic models predicted only one-sixth of that GDP impact. Estimates by economist Robert Barro of Harvard predicted the impact would not be significantly different from zero.
Obama supporters asked to urge passage of Senate succession bill
By Hillary Chabot
As a Beacon Hill vote on the push to allow Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint an interim U.S. Senator draws closer, President Obama’s political committee sent another mass e-mail urging constituents to demand passage of the bill.
The Herald reported today that the vote, scheduled to happen tomorrow, has a majority in both the House and the Senate.
“Before they vote, all your state representatives need to hear loud and clear the support we all share for an interim Senate appointment,” wrote John Spears, Massachusetts director of Obama’s political committee Organizing for America.
The Herald reported today that the vote, scheduled to happen tomorrow, has a majority in both the House and the Senate.
“Before they vote, all your state representatives need to hear loud and clear the support we all share for an interim Senate appointment,” wrote John Spears, Massachusetts director of Obama’s political committee Organizing for America.
Why Millions of Americans Don't Need a Swine Flu Vaccine
According to the CDC, by June of 2009, one million Americans had already been exposed to H1N1 swine flu. Although the CDC hasn't released official infection statistics in recent months, with the rapid spread of the mild virus, it's not unreasonable to suspect that by now, three months later, the number of Americans who have been exposed to H1N1 swine flu has at least doubled to two million.
Yet here's the interesting part: You don't see two million Americans dying from swine flu.
75 Percent of Oklahoma High School Students Can't Name the First President
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Only one in four Oklahoma public high school students can name the first President of the United States, according to a survey released today.
The survey was commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in observance of Constitution Day on Thursday.
The Oklahoma City-based group enlisted national research firm, Strategic Vision, to access students' basic civic knowledge.
The survey was commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in observance of Constitution Day on Thursday.
The Oklahoma City-based group enlisted national research firm, Strategic Vision, to access students' basic civic knowledge.
LINK
Taking count of Obama's 'czars,' lawmakers rise up
By Joe Markman
The most prominent complaint is that Obama, by using his own authority to name people to these policy jobs, is circumventing the role of the Senate in considering and confirming important nominations to the president's administration.In a letter to the president this week, Sen. Susan Collins (R- Maine) and five other Republican lawmakers criticized the administration for encroaching on Congress' authority in establishing what it said were too many far-reaching czars.Collins identified 18 positions created by Obama that "may be undermining the constitutional oversight responsibilities of Congress."
Electrical grid vulnerable to terrorist attack
By Thomas Frank
WASHINGTON — It sounds like a science-fiction disaster: A nuclear weapon is detonated miles above the Earth's atmosphere and knocks out power from New York City to Chicago for weeks, maybe months.
Experts and lawmakers are increasingly warning that terrorists or enemy states could wage that exact type of attack, idling electricity grids and disrupting everything from communications networks to military defenses.
Experts and lawmakers are increasingly warning that terrorists or enemy states could wage that exact type of attack, idling electricity grids and disrupting everything from communications networks to military defenses.
Gold Rises to Record Settlement Price on Inflation Concern
By Halia Pavliva and Nicholas Larkin
The worst U.S. recession since the 1930s has probably ended, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said yesterday. The dollar slid to its lowest level in almost a year against a basket of six major currencies as the economic outlook reduced demand for the greenback as a haven. Gold futures were 1.3 percent below an intraday record $1,033.90 set in March 2008.
Barack Obama surrenders to Russia on Missile Defence
It now looks as though the president has surrendered to Russian demands to kill off Third Site. Michael Goldfarb at The Weekly Standard is reporting that:
“According to reliable sources, Obama administration officials are on their way to Poland and the Czech Republic to deliver very bad news. The administration intends to cancel completely the missile defense sites that had been promised to these governments by the previous administration.”
“According to reliable sources, Obama administration officials are on their way to Poland and the Czech Republic to deliver very bad news. The administration intends to cancel completely the missile defense sites that had been promised to these governments by the previous administration.”
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