By: Barbara Hollingsworth
Local Opinion Editor
03/10/10 1:19 PM EST The Obama administration’s six-month delay in approving new offshore drilling leases in federal waters will become a new three-year ban, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar quietly told reporters last Friday. Which means that no new oil and gas leases will be approved during President Obama’s term even though two –thirds of the American public supports such activity, according to a December 2009 Rasmussen poll. [More]
Congressmen pry loose evidence of president's illegal cronyism
Knowledge @Wharton
Paul Midler 07.26.07, 11:11 AM ET
Recent media reports detailing a series of quality problems with Chinese-made exports--pet food tainted with prohibited chemicals, toys covered with lead paint and tires that fall apart at high speed--have understandably alarmed the American public and resulted in a number of international product recalls. But supply chain professionals not directly affected by these recalls remain unusually calm. "Everything will be all right," said one U.S. importer on a buying mission to China. "As the country continues to develop, the quality of its products will naturally rise." It's the sort of comment that sounds logical, but is not necessarily true. Quality does not always rise over time, as China's own history shows. At the end of the 19th century, the West rushed to buy China's beautiful silk products. Demand quickly expanded, and new players moved into the market. As competition intensified, manufacturers began to cut corners on quality, and silk products out of China soon gained a reputation as inferior goods. By the beginning of the 20th century, traders were already looking elsewhere, and Japan, which had been building a reputation for delivering a more consistently high-quality product, became an attractive alternative. By 1930, Japan was exporting twice as much silk as China. [More ] Ed Note: I think many of us have experienced this phenomena of Chinese 'Quality Fade'; a deliberate scheme to slowly pull the quality out of the product. I have had two flat screen moitors fail in the last six months. Both failed owing to faulty electrolytic capacitors in the power supplies. Most if not all Chinese made electronics can be expected to fail soon after the first year of use.
Submitted by Sarika Valecha on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 21:28  Oracle has made an announcement which shocked market analysts and company watchers alike, the company has plans to start hiring at Sun.
Many have expected that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison would cut jobs in the new acquisition while he took a decision to hire around 2,000 sales and engineering employees. Ellison indicated that he intended to transform his outfit into a 21st century version of IBM in the 1960s. He also said that Oracle is planning to launch products that will complement its technology work seamlessly with Sun. The company distributed messages during an event which read "We're hiring." Oracle indicated that the company would have significant investments in MySQL and its sales team would be kept independent of Oracle's other operations. OpenOffice. org will also be kept separately. Oracle will also try to increase compatibility between the Java runtime environment on desktops and on mobile devices while JavaScript integration will also be accelerated. The company expects to earn a profit of $1.5 billion from Sun over the next year. Ed. This is very good news for techies. Oracle is going to promote SUN, is able to make SUN profitable, and is going to fund open-source efforts like MySQL (which this site runs on) and Open Office. This will go a long way to relieve peoples apprehension over the Sun MySQL acquisition.
  An opposition TV station in Venezuela along with five others were taken off the air early Sunday for violating rules issued by President Hugo Chavez's government, a station spokeswoman said. The new rules require stations to air Chavez's speeches, among other mandates. A spokeswoman for opposition channel RCTV, Gladys Zapiain, said all Venezuelan cable television providers dropped the station and the other channels from their line-ups. "We have just been taken off the air," said Zapiain. "There was no prior notification." [More] Ed. Note, This is important because as goes Venezuela. so goes the USA under Obama. See the Venezuela Connection. Obama is seeking to grow the government to take over every aspect of our lives. He is not just Chavez light. They are kindred spirits.
From The Times January 21, 2010 Jeremy Page, South Asia Correspondent The UN’s top climate change body has issued an unprecedented apology over its flawed prediction that Himalayan glaciers were likely to disappear by 2035. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said yesterday that the prediction in its landmark 2007 report was “poorly substantiated” and resulted from a lapse in standards. “In drafting the paragraph in question the clear and well-established standards of evidence, required by the IPCC procedures, were not applied properly,” the panel said. “The chair, vice-chair and co-chairs of the IPCC regret the poor application of IPCC procedures in this instance.” [More...]
 Compounds found in cannabis may be useful as part of an effective treatment for certain inflammatory bowel diseases, a new study has found.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two of the more prevalent bowel diseases, are caused by genetic and environmental factors such as diet, stress and bacterial imbalance. Researchers found that two cannabis compounds—THC and cannabidol—can play an important role in normal bowel function as well as the immune system’s inflammatory response. [More]
The thick hardbound volume was sitting on a shelf in a colleague's office when Kirk Sorensen spotted it. A rookie NASA engineer at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Sorensen was researching nuclear-powered propulsion, and the book's title — Fluid Fuel Reactors — jumped out at him. He picked it up and thumbed through it. Hours later, he was still reading, enchanted by the ideas but struggling with the arcane writing. “I took it home that night, but I didn't understand all the nuclear terminology,” Sorensen says. He pored over it in the coming months, ultimately deciding that he held in his hands the key to the world's energy future. [More] [Ed. Note: With new gigantic gas finds in the Texas and huge oil finds in the Dakotas, we are now energy independent. Figure in Thorium deposits, and a little leadership, and we could solve the worlds energy problems. We are currently in desperate need of some leadership.]
In the dead of night on December 17, 2009, President Barack Hussein Obama placed the United States of America under the authority of the international police organization known as INTERPOL, granting the organization full immunity to operate within the United States. According to Threatswatch: Last Thursday, December 17, 2009, The White House released an Executive Order "Amending Executive Order 12425." It grants INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization) a new level of full diplomatic immunity afforded to foreign embassies and select other "International Organizations" as set forth in the United States International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945. By removing language from President Reagan's 1983 Executive Order 12425, this international law enforcement body now operates - now operates - on American soil beyond the reach of our own top law enforcement arm, the FBI, and is immune from Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
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By Shawn Macomber on 11.11.09 @ 6:08AM In his eye-opening, astute new book, The Persecution of Sarah Palin, Matthew Continetti argues that the "story of Sarah Palin is the story of American political journalism's intellectual bankruptcy," and while Continetti's narrative does include plenty of lesser-known biographical detail it also contextualizes Palin into a fascinating case study of the politics of personal destruction as employed by the left-leaning cultural and media elites who constantly tsk-tsk…the politics of personal destruction. "It's not new for a prominent political figure to be hated," Continetti tells TAS. "But it is novel when a political figure becomes so hated so quickly, and for that hatred to be based on so little information." Appalled by this persistent knowledge gap, the Weekly Standard editor undertook the challenge of setting the record straight and answering, to his mind, "the most outrageous insults, myths, and exaggerations directed at her and her family." [More]
A liberal explains the political calculus. The typical argument for ObamaCare is that it will offer better medical care for everyone and cost less to do it, but occasionally a supporter lets the mask slip and reveals the real political motivation. So let's give credit to John Cassidy, part of the left-wing stable at the New Yorker, who wrote last week on its Web site that "it's important to be clear about what the reform amounts to." Mr. Cassidy is more honest than the politicians whose dishonesty he supports. "The U.S. government is making a costly and open-ended commitment," he writes. "Let's not pretend that it isn't a big deal, or that it will be self-financing, or that it will work out exactly as planned. It won't. What is really unfolding, I suspect, is the scenario that many conservatives feared. The Obama Administration . . . is creating a new entitlement program, which, once established, will be virtually impossible to rescind." [More]
Officials admit shrugging off gunman's e-mails to Qaeda By JOHN DOYLE in Fort Hood, Texas, and CHUCK BENNETT in NY - AP The FBI knew for nearly a year before his murderous Fort Hood rampage that psycho Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan had repeatedly contacted al Qaeda -- but the blundering agency last night admitted it dismissed the lead. The clueless G-men said that at the time, they simply chalked up the chilling e-mails between Hasan and a radical imam and other terror-tied Islamic figures to his "research" as an Army shrink. Outraged congressional leaders immediately called for a probe into the debacle -- and the red-faced agency vowed to get to the bottom of things itself.
| TICKING TIME BOMB;CNN: Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan in security-camera footage taken at a 7-Eleven just hours before his rampage. |  |
"I think the very fact that you've got a major in the US Army contacting [a radical imam], or attempting to contact him, would raise some red flags," Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) -- ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee -- told the Los Angeles Times. The FBI said Hasan -- who faces a court-martial -- first turned up on its radar in December 2008. [More] Ed. Note: Homeland Security? Not with institutionalized politically correct Islamic apologetics. We should pull our collective heads out of the sand. Religious war is what we have, whether we like it or not. What is it about ''sleeper cell' did the FBI not get?
 2009 November 5 - by Calvin Freiburger When I first heard liberals howling about supposed anti-Obama messages in ABC’s new sci-fi drama “V,” I rolled my eyes. The story of Earth falling for the false promises of sinister aliens may sound like the Barack Obama Hope-&-Change Tour 2008, but it’s hardly a new theme for the science-fiction genre—not only did “The Twilight Zone” famously tackle it way back when, but “V” itself is actually a direct remake of a TV miniseries that first aired in 1983. Any resemblance between the 44 th President and two-faced space lizards had to be coincidental…at least, that’s what I thought before Sean Hannity aired clips from the new show. [More...]
By W. James Antle, III on 10.23.09 @ 6:09AM When taxpayers and conservative activists began holding tea parties to protest an out-of-control federal government's unsustainable growth, it was not entirely unreasonable to ask: Where were these people for the last eight years? George W. Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress increased discretionary spending at twice the rate that prevailed under Bill Clinton. This dynamic duo produced a bloated transportation bill, an expensive energy bill, No Child Left Behind, Sarbanes-Oxley, and a witches' brew of legislation expanding the size and cost of the federal government. Federal outlays as a share of GDP increased from 18.4 percent to 20.9 percent. In eight years, Washington went from running a $128 billion surplus to a $1.2 trillion deficit. Instead of recognizing that the major federal retirement programs were going broke, Bush and his supporters created a prescription drug benefit that increased Medicare's unfunded liabilities. It was the biggest new entitlement since the Great Society. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were pushed off budget to prevent the country's fiscal picture from looking even gloomier. Bush left office having rammed through a bipartisan $700 billion Wall Street bailout. Barack Obama came into office and promptly made most of these problems worse, staying on the road to bankruptcy but pushing the accelerator all the way down to the floor. The silence of too many Republicans -- and even conservatives -- in the face of GOP fiscal irresponsibility complicated the case against Obama's gargantuan spending plans. "Until conservatives once again hold Republicans to the same standard they hold Democrats," Bruce Bartlett complained earlier this year, "they will have no credibility and deserve no respect." [More]
China to develop space military capabilities Ananth Krishnan BEIJING: China’s Air Force will begin to develop “offensive operations” in space, a high-ranking military official has said in a seeming departure from Beijing’s recent opposition to space militarisation. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Commander Xu Qiliang said on Sunday that space militarisation, or the development of weapons and defensive technology in outer space, was a “historic inevitability” and that “competition between military forces is moving towards outer space”. He said “some developing countries”, in addition to “major air force powers”, were changing their military strategies to improve their space capabilities, a remark analysts said was likely directed at India and the United States. [More]
Abortion kills more black Americans than the seven leading causes of death combined, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2005, the latest year for which the abortion numbers are available. Abortion killed at least 203,991 blacks in the 36 states and two cities (New York City and the District of Columbia) that reported abortions by race in 2005, according to the CDC. During that same year, according to the CDC, a total of 198,385 blacks nationwide died from heart disease, cancer, strokes, accidents, diabetes, homicide, and chronic lower respiratory diseases combined. These were the seven leading causes of death for black Americans that year. [More]
Men who voted for Republican John McCain in last year's US presidential election saw their testosterone levels fall significantly when they learned he had lost to Barack Obama, a study showed Thursday. Saliva samples collected from 163 men on the evening of the election showed that voters for both McCain and Obama had similar testosterone levels when polling stations closed on the east coast, but the levels in McCain backers fell when Obama was announced as the winner. By contrast, testosterone levels among men who voted for Obama remained stable. Taking into account the fact that polls shut and results were announced at night -- a time when men's testosterone levels usually decline -- the study said the level was equivalent to a rise. [More] Ed. Note: Now they need another study to track the most probable testosterone drop when they initially decided to vote for McCain. (I vofted for Sarah Palin, not John, nevertheless, I was impotent for weeks afterward.)
By Bill Gertz INSIDE THE RING President Obama recently shifted authority for approving sales to China of missile and space technology from the White House to the Commerce Department -- a move critics say will loosen export controls and potentially benefit Chinese missile development. The president issued a little-noticed "presidential determination" Sept. 29 that delegated authority for determining whether missile and space exports should be approved for China to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. ... Henry Sokolski, director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, said restoring Commerce Department control over the sensitive exp[o]rts is a "step backward." "It's as though Commerce's mishandling of missile-tech transfers to China in the 1990s never happened," said Mr. Sokolski, a former Pentagon proliferation specialist. "But it did. As a result, we are now facing much more accurate, reliable missiles from China." Mr. Sokolski said he expects the U.S. government under the new policy to again boost Chinese military modernization through "whatever renewed 'benign' missile technology" is approved. "It was foolish for us to do this in the 1990s and is even more dangerous for us to do now," he said. [More...]
Study finds $2.6 billion taken from guns and ammunitionBy Shaun Waterman THE WASHINGTON TIMES Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis. Among the 778 such projects, known as earmarks, packed into the bill: $25 million for a new World War II museum at the University of New Orleans and $20 million to launch an educational institute named after the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat. [More...]
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a stunning decision that comes just eight months into his presidency.  Less than nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it honored Obama for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." The president had not been mentioned as among front-runners for the prize, and the roomful of reporters gasped when Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel committee, uttered Obama's name. The president, who was awakened to be told he had won, said he was humbled to be selected, according to an administration official. The Nobel committee recognized Obama's efforts to solve complex global problems including working toward a world free of nuclear weapons. [More] Ed. Note: It's reported that the reporters in the room gasped. This is quite a surprise. This will unnecessarily constrain President Obama in some of the very tough decisions he will have to make vis a vis Iran. This is clear from some of the comments from the selection committee.
DEBKAfile Special Report The Pentagon has brought forward to December 2009 the target-date for producing the first 15-ton super bunker-buster bomb (GBU-57A/B) Massive Ordinance Penetrator, which can reach a depth of 60.09 meters underground before exploding. DEBKAfile's military sources report that top defense agencies and air force units were also working against the clock to adapt the bay of a B2a Stealth bomber for carrying and delivering the bomb. The Pentagon has ordered the number of bombs rolling off the production line increased from four to ten - a rush job triggered in May by the discovery that Iran was hiding a second uranium enrichment plant under a mountain near Qom - a discovery which prompted this week's international outcry. Congress has since quietly inserted the necessary funding in the 2009 budget. All this urgency indicates that the Obama administration has been preparing military muscle to back up the international condemnation of Iran's concealed nuclear bomb program, its sanctions threat and his willingness to join the negotiations with Iran opening on Oct. 1 in Geneva. Tehran may have to take into account a possible one-time surgical strike against its underground enrichment facility as a warning shot should its defiance continue. In particular, the world powers this week demanded that Iran open up all its nuclear facilities and programs to full and immediate international inspection. Failure to do so could bring forth further US military action. According to our military sources, the earliest date for the accelerated Pentagon program to produce a super bunker buster bomb mounted on a stealth bomber is December 2009 or January 2010. This too is three years ahead of its original schedule. Pressed into service are two US Air Force research centers for work on adapting the radar-evading stealth bomber to the giant bomb: the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the Munitions Directorate and Air Armament Center, both headquartered at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Last month, DEBKAfile quoted Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford as disclosing that the Pentagon had decided to accelerate the production of 10-12 giant bunker buster bombs in response to intelligence received of Iranian and North Korean underground nuclear plants.
Ensign receives handwritten confirmation This doesn't happen often enough. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead. He signed it "Sincerely, Thomas A. Barthold." The note was a follow-up to Ensign's questioning at the markup. Ed. Note: There would br $3,800 fee for families as posted previously. This isn't a $3,800 fee for public health insurance, It's a fee for not having insurance. No this is not fiction. Would the American public please wake up.
By Eric Fingerhut · September 24, 2009 Here's Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly Thursday, in which he responded to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial by holding up documents proving the existence of the Holocaust, blasted the Goldstone Report and urged the international community to stop Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. The most urgent challenge facing this body is to prevent the tyrants of Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons," said Netanyahu. "Are the member states of the United Nations up to that challenge? Will the international community confront a despotism that terrorizes its own people as they bravely stand up for freedom?" [More] Ed. Note: Benjamin Netanyahu is the moral leader of the free world.
ATF tells Tennessee that a federal gun law trumps the state’s By Richard Locker (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Wednesday, September 23, 2009 NASHVILLE -- The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has told Tennessee gun dealers to disregard a state statute that exempts firearms made and sold inside Tennessee from federal gun laws and registration. The ATF says the federal laws still apply regardless of the state's move. [More ]
Norman Borlaug’s Legacy Lives On, Offering Hope To Billions by Paul Driessen “Since when did you become a global warming alarmist?” I kidded Norman midway into our telephone conversation a few weeks before this amazing scientist and humanitarian died. “What are you talking about?” Dr. Borlaug retorted. “I’ve never believed that nonsense.” I read him a couple sentences from his July 29 Wall Street Journal article. “Within the next four decades, the world’s farmers will have to double production … on a shrinking land base and in the face of environmental demands caused by climate change. Indeed, [a recent Oxfam study concludes] that the multiple effects of climate change might reverse 50 years of work to end poverty.” I mentioned that my own discussions of those issues typically emphasize how agricultural biotechnology, modern farming practices and other technological advances will make it easier to adapt to any climate changes, warmer or colder, whether caused by humans or by the same natural forces that brought countless climate shifts throughout Earth’s history, including the Ice Ages, Dust Bowl and Little Ice Age. “You’re right,” he said. “I should have been more careful. Next time, I’ll do that. And I’ll point out that the real disaster won’t be global warming. It’ll be global cooling, which would shorten growing seasons, and make entire regions less suitable for farming.” I was amazed, as I was every time we talked. Here he was, 95 years old, “retired,” still writing articles for the Journal, and planning what he’d say in his next column. [More]
Brooklyn staffers in sex sting avoid axBy GEOFF EARLE in Washington and BRENDAN SCOTT in Albany
Last Updated: 4:51 PM, September 19, 2009 Posted: 3:27 AM, September 19, 2009Unlike other ACORN workers nabbed on undercover video, two Brooklyn ACORN employees have not been fired -- nearly a week after they were exposed in their office giving helpful advice to a fake pimp and prostitute on how to launder money. A spokesman for New York ACORN Housing Corp. told The Post that the employees, Volda Albert and Milagros Rivera, have been suspended without pay. "It will remain that way until the outcome of the [Brooklyn district attorney's] investigation is resolved," said spokesman Jonathan Rosen. Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes has launched a criminal probe of the incident, and the ACORN office is "cooperating fully," said Rosen. Five other ACORN workers nabbed in similar video stings in Baltimore, Washington and San Bernardino, Calif., have already been axed. In Brooklyn, the two housing counselors were caught on hidden camera by two conservative activists who claimed they wanted advice on how to set up a brothel. Gov. Paterson yesterday moved to put a 30-day hold on all state contracts with ACORN. New York ACORN's president, Pat Boone, said: "We welcome the governor's review and are confident he will find that every state dollar we've received went directly to combating New York's foreclosure crisis" and helping New Yorkers get tax credits. Unlike other ACORN workers nabbed on undercover video, two Brooklyn ACORN employees have not been fired -- nearly a week after they were exposed in their office giving helpful advice to a fake pimp and prostitute on how to launder money. A spokesman for New York ACORN Housing Corp. told The Post that the employees, Volda Albert and Milagros Rivera, have been suspended without pay. "It will remain that way until the outcome of the [Brooklyn district attorney's] investigation is resolved," said spokesman Jonathan Rosen. Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes has launched a criminal probe of the incident, and the ACORN office is "cooperating fully," said Rosen. [More]
Sep 8, 5:20 PM (ET) By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR  | (AP) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speak to...
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans would be fined up to $3,800 for failing to buy health insurance under a plan that circulated in Congress on Tuesday as President Barack Obama met Democratic leaders to search for ways to salvage his health care overhaul. [MORE] Editor note: This is insane! This mandated insurance must not pass. They are justifying this by saying that auto insurance is mandated, but these are completely different issues. You are not forced to buy auto insurance if you don't operate a car. This is a mandate and fine based on the fact we live and breath. Living and breathing has just become a liability. Mandated auto insurance makes sense because the economic principle of externality kicks in. Externality is an economic principle. It's defined as the negative effect of activities on others not directly involved in the activity. You can reasonably damage life or limb or property with a car. Only a liberal would see living and breathing as an externality.
by Charles Krauthammer - Friday, September 4, 2009
What happened to President Obama? His wax wings having melted, he is the man who fell to earth. What happened to bring his popularity down further than that of any new president in polling history save Gerald Ford (post-Nixon pardon)?
The conventional wisdom is that Obama made a tactical mistake by farming out his agenda to Congress and allowing himself to be pulled left by the doctrinaire liberals of the Democratic congressional leadership. But the idea of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi pulling Obama left is quite ridiculous. Where do you think he came from, this friend of Chávista ex-terrorist William Ayers, of PLO apologist Rashid Khalidi, of racialist inciter Jeremiah Wright? [More] Ed. Note: The real shocker for me is this is from the Washington Post!
Obama’s war against small business and paper money. By Larry KudlowThe jobless-recovery theme re-emerged on Friday with the arrival of a disappointing employment report. The daunting number was the unemployment rate, which jumped from 9.4 percent in July to 9.7 percent in August. This is a big-versus-small-business issue. Sort of the haves versus the have-nots. [More]
Science & Technology Study:  WASHINGTON—According to a new report released this week by the Department of Health and Human Services, 74 percent of all American children camping out in their backyards never, ever make it through the night.
The study, which surveyed hundreds of innocent children between the ages of 7 and 12, found that, in almost all cases, sleeping outdoors in a tent with a flashlight and comic books and who knows what else lurking around in the dark ended in horrible tragedy. [More ] Ed. Note: It was in the news so it must be true:)
Under Obama nothing is certain but death panels and taxes. By Mark Steyn
The other day, wending my way from Woodsville, N.H., 40 miles south to Plymouth, I came across several “stimulus” projects — every few miles, and heralded by a two-tone sign, a hitherto rare sight on Granite State highways. The orange strip at the top said “PUTTING AMERICA BACK TO WORK” with a silhouette of a man with a shovel, and the green part underneath informed you that what you were about to see was a “PROJECT FUNDED BY THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT.” There then followed a few yards of desolate, abandoned, scarified pavement, followed by an “END OF ROAD WORKS” sign, until the next “stimulus” project a couple of bends down a quiet rural blacktop.
I don’t know why one of the least fiscally debauched states in the Union needs funds from “the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” to repair random stretches of highway, especially stretches that were perfectly fine until someone came along to dig them up in order to access “stimulus” funding. I would have asked one of those men with a shovel, as depicted on the sign, but there were none to be found. Usually in New Hampshire, they dig up the road, and re-grade or repave it, while the flagmen stand guard until it’s all done. But here a certain federal torpor seemed to hang in the eerie silence. [More]
By Peter J. Smith WASHINGTON, D.C., August 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Although President Obama and liberal Congressional Democrats have denounced claims that the health care reform establishes "death panels," it does not help reassure the American public that the nation's foremost pro-euthanasia group is actively pushing "end-of-life counseling" as a centerpiece of health-care reforms. Compassion & Choices, a rebranding of the former Hemlock Society, aggressively lobbies to legalize euthanasia as a "human right" by means of legislation and the judicial system. But the group has revealed that it is a major player behind incorporating a measure (sec. 1233) of the "American Affordable Choices Act of 2009" (HR 3200) that would pay doctors and medical professionals to offer "end-of-life" consultations every five years with elderly patients or those suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses. "As Congress debates health insurance reform, Compassion & Choices is leading the charge to make end-of-life choice a centerpiece of any program that emerges," the euthanasia society declares on its website. "We are working hard to reach our goal to make end-of-life choice a centerpiece of national health insurance reform." [More]
Posted 3:35 pm, August 18, 2009 by Ed Morrissey  This should be good news for the Drill Here, Drill Now contingent, right? The Obama administration has committed $2 billion in loans to exploit offshore oil resources in hopes of extracting a major new source of petroleum. Despite the White House pursuit of a cap-and-trade scheme to limit the use of fossil fuels, the new field could help bring lower energy prices, and their support of this exploration of American resources shows their flexibility on energy policy.
Wait — did I say American resources? That’s true, but only in the South American Sense. The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil’s Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan. The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a “preliminary commitment” letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. … But it still doesn’t allow the U.S. to explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in Brazil what he won’t allow at home. [More] Another article on the SORBAMOS creature .
Shikha Dalmia, 08.12.09, 12:01 AM EDT The sci-fi economics of clunker-crushing.  It seems almost petty to join in the loud kvetching that has erupted in the blogosphere--at least in its more economically literate portions--since Congress reauthorized the so-called Cash for Clunkers program last week. After all, the program's $3 billion total cost barely constitutes chump change in that august body's stimulus/bailout spending spree, which, by some reckoning, is touching $13 trillion. But the program's lunacy-to-spending quotient, especially when it comes to its alleged environmental benefits, is so high that it is hard to stay quiet. So here goes. [More ]
Photocatalysis: Three-component catalyst evolves hydrogen with exceptional efficiency
Mitch Jacoby Sunlight can readily liberate hydrogen from water as a result of a novel solid catalyst that mediates that reaction with unprecedented efficiency, according to researchers in China who developed the catalyst. The study advances the decades-old search for an inexpensive way to produce hydrogen, a versatile fuel, from water, an abundantly available resource. A key challenge to tapping into solar energy on a broad scale is developing an effective way to store that energy. One strategy calls for using sunlight to produce fuels such as hydrogen, which in many ways is considered an ideal energy carrier. Using sunlight to evolve hydrogen from water photolytically is one direct route to converting solar energy into fuels. But most photocatalysts suffer from significant shortcomings. [More ]
By: George Gilder The American July 27, 2009
Israel has become one of the most important economies in the world, and is second only to the United States in its pioneering of technologies benefitting human life, prosperity, and peace. Like the Jews throughout history, Israel poses a test to the world. In particular, it is a test for any people that lusts for the fruits of capitalism without submitting to capitalism’s imperious moral code. Because capitalism, like the biblical faith from which it largely arises, remorselessly condemns to darkness and death those who resent the achievements of others. At the heart of anti-Semitism is resentment of Jewish achievement. Today that achievement is concentrated in Israel. Obscured by the usual media coverage of the “war-torn” Middle East, Israel has become one of the most important economies in the world, second only to the United States in its pioneering of technologies benefitting human life, prosperity, and peace. But so it has always been. Israel, like the Jews throughout history, is hated not for her vices but her virtues. Israel is hated, as the United States is hated, because Israel is successful, because Israel is free, and because Israel is good. [...More...]
Newt Gingrich's weekly email | July 29, 2009 It’s a frustration I hear all the time. With the mainstream media, Washington insiders and the so-called “experts” in elite universities all singing off the same leftwing song sheet, there is a desperate need for the facts and the arguments that support time honored American values and principles that lead to safety, prosperity and freedom. [More]
By Chip Wood • Jul 17th, 2009 •  One of the dirtiest campaigns ever conducted for the U.S. Senate is finally over. And to the dismay of anyone who cares about decency and decorum in “the world’s most exclusive club,” the chief mud-thrower has been declared the victor. [More]
by Rep. John Carter
07/16/2009 Monday night Democrats voted to shut down the U.S. House Representatives rather than allow a handful of Republican Congressmen to speak on the floor. What could have been so offensive or frightening about our discourse that Speaker Pelosi felt she had to protect her party by gagging free speech in the House? [More]
Jul 16, 8:27 PM (ET)
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats' health care bills won't meet President Barack Obama's goal of slowing the ruinous rise of medical costs, Congress' budget umpire warned on Thursday, giving weight to critics who say the legislation could break the bank. [More]
By Stefano Ambrogi - Mon Jul 6, 2009 6:40AM EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - The surviving parts of the world's oldest Bible were reunited online Monday, generating excitement among scholars striving to unlock its mysteries. The Codex Sinaiticus was hand-written by four scribes in Greek on animal hide, known as vellum, in the mid-fourth century around the time of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great who embraced Christianity. Not all of it has withstood the ravages of time, but the pages that have include the whole of the New Testament and the earliest surviving copy of the Gospels written at different times after Christ's death by the four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Bible's remaining 800 pages and fragments -- it was originally some 1,400 pages long -- also contain half of a copy of the Old Testament. The other half has been lost. [More] View the Bible manuscript online at http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/
Jul 4, 12:36 AM (ET)
By TOM RAUM (AP) - The Founding Fathers left one legacy not celebrated on Independence Day but which affects us all. It's the national debt. The country first got into debt to help pay for the Revolutionary War. Growing ever since, the debt stands today at a staggering $11.4 trillion - equivalent to about $37,000 for each and every American. And it's expanding by over $1 trillion a year. [More]
The politics of personal destructionThere is no shred of decency in the DNC. The party, The press, and the largely liberal media have taken the low road with regard to the Governor of Alaska ever since her run for the vice presidency. She has decided to leave the Governorship for the sake of Alaska, and for her family. It's a sad day. She will leave office on July 26th. I personally think this is not a strategy aimed at a White House run in 2012, but a withdraw from politics. Mrs. Palin has incurred over $500,00 in legal expenses fighting pollitically motivated lawsuits. I will miss Sarah Palin. I Thank her for her service to the country with regards to Energy. Who do we on the right look to next? Who hasn't the press already tainted with unsubstantiatable accusations and innuendo? When will the public at large stop listening? I remain ever hopeful.
Capping & Taxing U.S. Government InsanityThe house speaker rushed the 1200 plus page bill through the house before the science proved the lack of necessity for the effort. At a time when the US economy needs every possible measure to strengthen it, the Congress and the President seem intent on legislation to further weaken it. The EPA had already internally released a draft report indicating that the EPA should not depend on outside bodies like the IPCC for data, and that recent data undermines most of the theories presented before 2007. The memo, released to and repressed by the EPA leadership, is now being reported on with copies available on the Internet. The report is available [here] . The cost of the Cap & trade legislation to the average household has been estimated to be several thousand dollars per year. The cost to American industry may be much worse. [Source] Ironies abound. Without cooperation from China, any 'benefit' in reduced carbon dioxide would be negligible. We pollute with every breath (breath mints or not) since carbon dioxide is now deemed a pollutant. Hopefully, we will not have to trade carbon credits in order to breath. Those who voted for the bill are certain to have not read it, because the bill in it's final form did not exist at the time of the vote. This is the second time this Congress has voted for an unread (unreadable) bill. The first was a manifest malfeasance in the non-stimulating stimulus that will surely result in a whole lot of federal easing (aka inflation.)
By Ian Halperin * Genetic condition had ruined his lungs and left him unable to sing * He became so skeletal, doctors believed he was anorexic * He had nightmares about being murdered – and wanted to die * He used swine flu as an excuse to avoid coming to England * He thought he was agreeing to 10 concerts – it was 50 Whatever the final autopsy results reveal, it was greed that killed Michael Jackson. Had he not been driven – by a cabal of bankers, agents, doctors and advisers – to commit to the gruelling 50 concerts in London’s O2 Arena, I believe he would still be alive today. [More...]
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Friday, June 26, 2009 4:20 PM PT Climate Change: A suppressed EPA study says old U.N. data ignore the decline in global temperatures and other inconvenient truths. Was the report kept under wraps to influence the vote on the cap-and-trade bill? [More...]
ScienceDaily (May 12, 2008) — The sun has powered almost everything on Earth since life began, including its climate. The sun also delivers an annual and seasonal impact, changing the character of each hemisphere as Earth's orientation shifts through the year. Since the Industrial Revolution, however, new forces have begun to exert significant influence on Earth's climate... [More] : [Counterpoint]
Jun 2 06:00 PM US/Eastern By ERICA WERNER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is leaving the door open to taxing health care benefits, something he campaigned hard against while running for president. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., raised the issue with Obama during a private meeting Tuesday with the president and other Democratic senators and later reported the president's response: "It's on the table. It's an option." The federal government would reap about $250 billion a year if it treated health care benefits given to employees like wages and taxed them. [More] : [Counterpoint]
WASHINGTON, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumer advocate Ralph Nader today issued the following statement on GM's bankruptcy filing: Today's bankruptcy declaration in federal court by General Motors is an avoidable, crude weapon of mass devastation for workers, dealers, auto suppliers, small businesses and their depleted communities. For GM's voiceless owners -- the common shareholders -- it is a wipeout. The proximate cause of the bankruptcy was supposed to be the inability of GM and the government's auto task force to reach an accommodation with GM's bondholders. But late last week, the bondholder problem was moving toward rapid resolution, and was clearly resolvable. Why then are GM and its multibillion government financier proceeding with bankruptcy? The bankruptcy and the GM restructuring plan are the product of a secretive, unaccountable, Wall Street-minded government task force that assumed power because of a Congressional abdication of historic magnitude. By all rights, the restructuring plan should have been submitted to Congress for deliberative review and decision. There is little doubt that GM's chronic mismanagement and the deep recession require restructuring and scaling back the auto giant. But the bankruptcy and restructuring plan appear poised to do so in ways that will needlessly harm the stakeholders meant to be helped by Washington's rescue of GM? [More]
As we face soaring energy prices, future shortages, and the alarming prospect of dramatic climate change brought about by fossil fuel waste, the one thing we desperately need stands out in stark relief: an abundant supply of clean energy - the Holy Grail of the modern world. Oil and natural gas are running low. Wind power is limited to a few locations, biofuels require much more land than we have, and solar is still far from practical after decades of intensive research. Nuclear fusion has made even less progress. The supply of uranium for conventional nuclear power will run out within this century. Right now, almost every new power plant has to be fueled by dwinding supplies of natural gas or uranium, or by dirty coal, which spews out not only vast amounts of carbon dioxide but millions of tons of toxic soot, poisonous heavy metals, and radioactive isotopes. Whenever the construction of a nuclear reactor is delayed because of a false hope in "renewable" energies that never materialize, a coal or natural gas plant has to be built instead, polluting the air we breathe and driving global warming faster and faster. But even conventional nuclear reactors produce waste, and because they use only a tiny fraction of the energy in uranium, that resource is also being depleted. Enter Thorium. Half a century ago, a different kind of nuclear reactor was invented, one that burns Thorium - an inexhaustible supply of fuel, and much cheaper than the enriched-uranium fuel used by current reactors. It can even use the nuclear waste from other reactors as fuel! The Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor, or LFTR for short, operates at low pressures, so it could never explode like the reactor at Chernobyl, and its liquid-fuel design makes it physical impossible to overheat, like the reactor at Three Mile Island. Unfortunately, it was the Cold War - energy was still cheap, global warming was just a theory, and the LFTR wasn't good for making weapons-grade plutonium, so it was abandoned. Now, a growing group of scientists and engineers are working to bring the LFTR back to life - to free us from filthy coal and turn stockpiles of nuclear waste into the clean, cheap energy we need. [More] Ed Note: This is an area where the US could lead. If not Thorium, (why not Thorium?) then fast breeder reactors based on liquid salts for coolant. These designs are inherently safer that light water reactors, cheaper, more efficient, and can eliminate the nuclear waste now growing in cooling ponds at the various LW reactor sites.
Men with stronger muscles from regular weight training are up to 40 per cent less likely to die from cancer than men who do not pump iron, according to new research. The findings, by an international team of researchers, suggest muscular strength is as important as staying slim and eating healthily when it comes to protecting the body against deadly tumours. The scientists who came up with the findings are recommending men weight train at least twice a week, exercising muscle groups in both the upper and lower body. In recent years, experts have recommended a healthy diet and lifestyle - including regular aerobic exercise such as jogging or cycling to reduce the risks of the disease. But the latest study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, suggests it may be just as important to build up muscle strength. A team of experts, led by scientists from Sweden's Karolinska Institute, tracked the lifestyles of 8,677 men aged between 20 and 82 for more than two decades. Each volunteer had regular medical check ups that included tests of their muscular strength. Between 1980 and 2003, researchers monitored how many developed cancer and subsequently died from it. The results showed men who regularly worked out with weights and had the highest muscle strength were between 30 and 40 per cent less likely to lose their life to a deadly tumor. [More...]
www.wolframalpha.com is now taking questions. It isn't accurate to call it a 'google buster' because it isn't a search engine. It provides organized and detailed information on key topics. The Internet has become a lot more interesting and powerful. For now, it's a little rough around the edges, but I think it's learning.
Some items are not only recession resistant, but actually thrive a recession. [More]
By William Tucker on 5.5.09 @ 6:09AM In my book, Terrestrial Energy, I talk about historian David Potter's 1956 book, People of Plenty, which redefined Frederick Jackson Turner's "Frontier Thesis." Whereas Turner said that an abundance of land had been the defining experience in the American character, Potter argued it was actually an abundance of natural resources. Following this line of thought, I argued that since our domestic oil production went into decline in 1970 we had entered a new era of American history where we became a "people of scarcity." It was a pretty good argument at the time, but I think now I'm going to have to revise it for the next edition. Once again we have become a People of Plenty -- this time in natural gas. In a front-page story last week, the Wall Street Journal summed up what has been floating around for more than a year (it's amazing how long it takes these things to reach the public consciousness) -- gas industry roustabouts, wildcatters and innovators in Texas and Louisiana have done it again. They have cracked into gas deposits previously locked up in shale formations and opened Saudi-Arabian-sized reserves. As the Journal summarized, "One industry-backed study estimates the U.S. has more than 2,200 trillion cubic feet of gas waiting to be pumped, enough to satisfy nearly 100 years of current U.S. natural gas demand." [More] Ed. Note: Natural Gas has a significantly smaller carbon footprint than oil or coal: Fossil Fuel Emission Levels
- Pounds per Billion Btu of Energy Input | | Pollutant | Natural Gas | Oil | Coal | | Carbon Dioxide | 117,000 | 164,000 | 208,000 | | Carbon Monoxide | 40 | 33 | 208 | | Nitrogen Oxides | 92 | 448 | 457 | | Sulfur Dioxide | 1 | 1,122 | 2,591 | | Particulates | 7 | 84 | 2,744 | | Mercury | 0.000 | 0.007 | 0.016 | | Source: EIA - Natural Gas Issues and Trends 1998 |
By Quin Hillyer on 4.30.09 @ 6:09AM Yes, it is indeed similar to fascism. Since my April 2 column that compared Barack Obama's economic policies (and others) to those of Italy's Benito Mussolini, I have been denounced on the pages of the Economist, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Toronto Star, and the New York Times (less strongly denounced there than in the others, oddly enough), and by Chris Matthews (and guests Tony Blankley and Larry Sabato) on Hardball, and also had the idea made fun of by CNN morning hosts while they played a rather tame and sober interview they had done with me on the subject. Never mind that in the New York Times on April 7 , David Leonhardt went farther, comparing the policies to the economics of Hitler in the course of saying that was a good thing because Hitler's economics worked. Somehow, the rather fact-based piece I wrote was seen by the media elite as out of bounds, but Leonhardt's was acceptable analysis because it was meant to praise Obama rather than bury him. Yet Leonhardt's column is proof enough that it is not some right-wing conspiracy theory that sees fascistic leanings in the big government, corporatist approaches taken by The One in the Oval Office. Since then, the evidence has grown only stronger. As the Examiner noted yesterday, the Obama takeover of General Motors is astonishing in its scope and reach. The money quote from GM itself: "The U.S. Treasury will be able to elect all of our directors and to control the vote on substantially all matters brought for a stockholder vote." This is scary stuff. [More]
Posted: May 04, 2009 9:08 pm Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily The leader of a pro-family organization says families across the nation need to contact their U.S. senators now to try to derail a legislative plan that already has passed the U.S. House and is being awaited by President Obama – after a Democrat confirmed that it would protect "all 547 forms of sexual deviancy or 'paraphilias' listed by the American Psychiatric Association." WND columnist Janet Porter, who also heads the Faith2Action.org Christian ministry, today cited S. 909, dubbed the "Pedophile Protection Act" as an extreme danger to America. As H.R. 1913, the House version of the so-called "hate crimes" bill was adopted on a 149-175 vote, but not before several amendments were proposed by Republicans trying to mitigate the impact of the draconian law. Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Patrick Leahy immediately introduced a matching plan in the U.S. Senate, and activists say a vote in committee could come as early as tomorrow. The proposal, formally called the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act after a Wyoming homosexual who was killed in a horrific robbery and beating in 1998, creates a special class for homosexuals and others with alternative sexual lifestyles and provides them protections against so-called "hate." It specifically denies such protections to other targeted classes of citizens such as pastors, Christians, missionaries, veterans and the elderly. [More]
Revolutionary new web software could put giants such as Google in the shade when it comes out later this month. Andrew Johnson reports
The biggest internet revolution for a generation will be unveiled this month with the launch of software that will understand questions and give specific, tailored answers in a way that the web has never managed before. The new system, Wolfram Alpha, showcased at Harvard University in the US last week, takes the first step towards what many consider to be the internet's Holy Grail – a global store of information that understands and responds to ordinary language in the same way a person does. Although the system is still new, it has already produced massive interest and excitement among technology pundits and internet watchers. Computer experts believe the new search engine will be an evolutionary leap in the development of the internet. Nova Spivack, an internet and computer expert, said that Wolfram Alpha could prove just as important as Google. "It is really impressive and significant," he wrote. "In fact it may be as important for the web (and the world) as Google, but for a different purpose. Tom Simpson, of the blog Convergenceofeverything.com, said: "What are the wider implications exactly? A new paradigm for using computers and the web? Probably. Emerging artificial intelligence and a step towards a self-organising internet? Possibly... I think this could be big." Wolfram Alpha will not only give a straight answer to questions such as "how high is Mount Everest?", but it will also produce a neat page of related information – all properly sourced – such as geographical location and nearby towns, and other mountains, complete with graphs and charts. [More]
The end of Consumer Demand for Chrysler and GM ProductsIt was the NASCAR crowd that bought their cars. The 'Intellectual Elite' had long ago switched to European or Japanese models. Now that Chrysler is to be 55% owned by the UAW; with most of the rest owned by the Government I don't expect any recovery in demand. GM will soon be Government Motors , with UAW/Government ownership around 89%. I don't see the NASCAR contingent buying into that! The inequitable deal handed to bondholders is really financial shock and awe.  Who can stomach a Union/Government owned auto company? What kinds of cars would they make? What kind of executive would work under the new reality, with treasury at the real helm? I think we can look to fairly recent history to get a clear picture of what's ahead. All we have to do is look to the former Soviet Union and the crowning achievement of East German production: the Trabant. It really is beginning to look a lot like Venezuela around here. Speaking of NASCAR, what will become of it without a domestic auto industry?
I can say that as for myself: My next purchase will be probably be a VW, Volvo, Ford, BMW or Honda. I am done with GM and Chrysler.
4.4 Quake hits So Cal.
Version #M: This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event. This event has been reviewed by a seismologist. A light earthquake occurred at 6:11:13 PM (PDT) on Friday, May 1, 2009.
The magnitude 4.4 event occurred 5 km (3 miles) E (81 degrees) of Leo Carrillo State Beach, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 11 km ( 7 miles). [More]
Commentary by David Reilly April 24 (Bloomberg) -- Give money away. That was a solution to the housing crisis mortgage giant Fannie Mae hit on last year. Faced with growing numbers of homeowners unable to make mortgage payments, Fannie decided to fund loans to borrowers that were instant losers. The point was to buy time. Even though those loans resulted in a $453 million loss, they helped keep troubled homeowners from defaulting. That meant Fannie for now didn’t have to make good on loan guarantees that may have cost it as much as $2.4 billion. The big game of kick the can strikes at a deep-seated fear among many investors -- that banks and others faced with mounting housing losses are finding all manner of dubious ways to push a day of reckoning into the future. If that’s the case, any improvement in the housing outlook might be a mirage obscuring even greater pressures building in the financial system. That would eventually counter better-than- expected first-quarter results from many banks. Investor angst was made worse by the knowledge that the government is leaning hard on banks to modify troubled loans any way they can. Prevent foreclosures and worry about the consequences later is the mantra of the day. [More]
The opinion polls have uttered. The country loves the new 50 per cent top rate of income tax. Soak the rich. Smash the bankers. So Government spin doctors are in second heaven. The Conservatives' silence redefines a tomb. And I suppose there'd be quite a turnout for the public flogging of Sir Fred the Shred. But before you book your tickets, hold hard. And before you lynch me as a rich b*****d flying a kite for my own cause, let me beg you to believe that I am not. I believe that this new top rate of tax could be the final nail in the coffin of Britain plc. I am 61 years old. I have lived and worked in Britain all my life. Not even in the dark days of penal Labour taxation in the Seventies did I have any intention of leaving the country of my birth. Despite a rumour put around some years back, I have never contemplated leaving Britain for tax reasons. But in the 40-plus years I have been lucky enough to work here, I've seen a bit. So I must draw your attention to what is really proposed in this Budget. Here's the truth. The proposed top rate of income tax is not 50 per cent. It is 50 per cent plus 1.5 per cent national insurance paid by employees plus 13.3 per cent paid by employers. That's not 50 per cent. Two years from now, Britain will have the highest tax rate on earned income of any developed country. [More...]
By Paul Bond April 22, 2009, 06:38 PM ET Updated: April 22, 2009, 07:28 PM ET Things got testy Wednesday at the GE shareholders meeting courtesy of several complaints about political bias at its media division, NBC Universal. Just don't expect to see the fireworks at the company's webcast of the event, which contains prepared remarks from CEO Jeff Immelt and CFO Keith Sherin but leaves out their interaction with shareholders. A GE spokesman clarified that the corporation doesn't typically broadcast the shareholders meeting in its entirety. Just before GE board members were re-elected, shareholders asked about 10 questions of a mostly political nature concerning the viewpoints of MSNBC and CNBC, according to attendees. First up was a woman asking about a reported meeting in which Immelt and NBC Uni CEO Jeff Zucker supposedly told top CNBC executives and talent to be less critical of President Obama and his policies. Immelt acknowledged a meeting took place but said no one at CNBC was told what to say or not say about politics. During the woman's follow-up question, her microphone was cut off. Later, during the umpteenth question about MSNBC, another shareholder's microphone was cut, according to multiple attendees. "The crowd was very upset with MSNBC because of its leftward tilt," one attendee said. "Some former employees said they were embarrassed by it." One specific complaint about MSNBC concerned Keith Olbermann's interview of actress Janeane Garofalo, who likened conservatives to racists and spoke of "the limbic brain inside a right-winger." "They were upset that Olbermann didn't bother to challenge her," one GE shareholder said. Immelt said he takes a hands-off approach to what is reported on the company's news networks, which prompted a shareholder to criticize him for not managing NBC Uni effectively. "My biggest surprise was the open hostility to MSNBC," another shareholder said. "It was noticeable and loud. I don't remember any of this going on last year." One shareholder at the Orlando, Fla., meeting was Jesse Waters, a producer of "The O'Reilly Factor." Waters asked a question at the meeting, then turned on the Fox News Channel cameras outside the venue and interviewed other shareholders who attended the meeting.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
By Edwin Mora (CNSNews.com) - Inspired by his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the Americas Summit, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez declared on Sunday that Venezuelan socialism has begun to reach the United States under the Obama administration. “I am coming back from Trinidad and Tobago, from the Americas Summit where, without a doubt, the position that Venezuela and its government has always defended, especially starting 10 years ago, of resistance, dignity, sovereignty and independence has obtained in Port of Spain, one of the biggest victories of our history,” Chavez said. “It would seem that the changes that started in Venezuela in the last decade of the 20th century have begun to reach North America,” he added. “It would seem that the changes that started in Venezuela in the last decade of the 20th century have begun to reach North America,” he added. Chavez made the comments Sunday to a crowd gathered for the 199th Commemoration of the Independence Declaration of Venezuela. [More] Ed. note: My Venezuela connection article was apparently prescient.
Some Senate absentee ballots are more equal than others. Meanwhile, back in the Minnesota Senate recount, the three-judge panel reviewing the race has declared Democrat Al Franken the winner. Republican Norm Coleman intends to appeal to the state's Supreme Court, while Democrats and the press corps pressure him to surrender. We hope Mr. Coleman keeps fighting, because the outcome so far hangs on the fact that some votes have been counted differently from others. Even after the recount and panel-findings, the 312-vote margin separating the two men equals about .01% of the 2.9 million votes cast. Even without any irregularities, this is as close to a "tie" as it gets. And there have been plenty of irregularities. By the end of the recount, the state was awash with evidence of duplicate ballot counting, newly discovered ballots, missing ballots, illegal voting, and wildly diverse standards as to which votes were counted. Any one of these issues was enough to throw the outcome into doubt. Combined, they created a taint more worthy of New Jersey than Minnesota. [More]
Jonathan Fahey, 03.25.09, 06:00 PM EDT
Forbes Magazine dated April 13, 2009 A fusion-fission hybrid reactor could produce clean electricity and remove dangerous nuclear waste from the planet. If it ever works.  The light of 192 lasers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility travels more than a half-mile through a stadium-size building toward its target. Along the way, the beams are amplified, shaped and focused into the world's most powerful laser, capable of delivering power in a pulse that lasts 20 billionths of a second and peaks at 500 million megawatts. ... [More]
Barry Eichengreen Kevin H. O’Rourke 6 April 2009 Often cited comparisons – which look only at the US – find that today’s crisis is milder than the Great Depression. In this column, two leading economic historians show that the world economy is now plummeting in a Great-Depression-like manner. Indeed, world industrial production, trade, and stock markets are diving faster now than during 1929-30. Fortunately, the policy response to date is much better. [MORE]
William Lane Craig After an appraisal of recent scholarship on the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Professor William Craig contends that "the resurrection appearances, the empty tomb, and the origin of the Christian faith - all point unavoidably to one conclusion: the resurrection of Jesus". Source: "Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ," Truth 1 (1985): 89-95. [MORE]
William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E Hosmer, MS, AMI From the Departments of Pathology (Dr. Edwards) and Medical Graphics (Mr. Hoamer), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.; and the Homestead United Methodist Church, Rochester, Minn., and the West Bethel United Methodist Church, Bethel, Minn. (Pastor Gabel). Reprint requests to Department of Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 (Dr. Edwards) * Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish and Roman trials, was flogged, and was sentenced to death by crucifixion. The scourging produced deep stripelike lacerations and appreciable blood loss, and it probably set the stage for hypovolemic shock, as evidenced by the fact that Jesus was too weakened to carry the crossbar (patibulum) to Golgotha. At the site of crucifixion, his wrists were nailed to the patibulum and, after the patibulum was lifted onto the upright post (stipes), his feet were nailed to the stipes. The major pathophysiologic effect of crucifixion was an interference with normal respirations. Accordingly death resulted primarily from hypovolemic shock and exhaustion asphyxia. Jesus' death was ensured by the thrust of a soldier's spear into his side. Modern medical interpretation of the historical evidence indicate that Jesus was dead when taken down from the cross. [MORE]
HCR 50 Reiterates Texas’ Rights Over Powers Not Otherwise Granted to Federal Government April 09, 2009 AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today joined state Rep. Brandon Creighton and sponsors of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 50 in support of states’ rights under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.” [MORE]
Reporting Derrick Blakley CHICAGO (CBS) You've probably heard critics claiming Uncle Sam is printing money like it's going out of style. Now, as CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports, some towns are getting into the act since their communities were granted a license to print money. At a time when money's tighter than ever in Ithaca, New York, they're now printing they're own. They call their funny money "Ithaca Hours." In Pittsboro, North Carolina, it's much the same. Local businesses are distributing their own bizzaro dinero called, "The Plenty." [MORE]
AP  South Korean soldier watches a TV news program on the North Korean rocket launch AP – South Korean soldier watches a TV news program on the North Korean rocket launch at a train station in … By JEAN H. LEE and JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writers Jean H. Lee And Jae-soon Chang, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 48 mins ago SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea fired a rocket over Japan on Sunday, defying Washington, Tokyo and others who suspect the launch was cover for a test of its long-range missile technology. President Barack Obama said the move threatens the security of nations "near and far." [MORE]
'Chia Obama' booted from
local storesFox Tampa Bay  TAMPA - Some local Walgreen's stores are pulling a supposed likeness of President Barack Obama off their shelves. The 'Chia Obama' will no longer be sold there.
Walgreen's spokesman Michael Polzin explained to FOX 13 that local store managers have the ability to purchase and market products -- like the Chia Obama -- on their own. But now, the corporate office has asked stores to pull the product from their stores because, he said, it is not appropriate for the company's corporate image. The Chia Obama is a version of the Chia Pet line, which features a ceramic figure upon which fresh greens are planted and allowed to grow, filling out the likeness of the subject. [Editors note: the ears should be more prominent.]
April 2 (was) National Peanut Butter DayI, David McCombs, the editor of the news blogs, rediscover the substantial cost savings of PBJ sandwich over eating out for lunch.
March 30, 2009 06:22 PMGreenwood - Paying more to light up may force some Hoosiers to kick the habit. A new federal tobacco tax takes effect Wednesday. It will be the single largest federal tobacco tax hike in history. For a state with the sixth highest rate of smokers in the country, it's forcing many Hoosiers to cut back or cut out smoking all together. The major cigarette makers raised prices a couple of weeks ago, partly to offset any drop in profits once the per-pack tax climbs from 39 cents to $1.01. For longtime smoker Dawn Huntzinger, the thought of paying more for her habit has her fuming. "I would rather my property tax go up," she said. On Wednesday, the federal tax on cigarettes and tobacco products takes the biggest hike in history. It will cost 62 cents more per pack. That has customers at a Greenwood discount tobacco store doing the math. [MORE]
HENRY LAMB Posted: March 14, 2009 :00 am EasternIt appears that the lawmakers who assemble in Washington have no idea what the Constitution says, or worse, they simply don't care. The Fourth Amendment says quite clearly: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated. …" Connecticut Democrat Rosa DeLauro has introduced the "Food Safety and Modernization Act of 2009 (H.R. 875). Her bill will create a new Food Safety Administration and give its administrator the authority to "conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants, products or the environment" on every family farm, ranch, vineyard and fishing hole in the country. Moreover, the administrator can visit and inspect the property and demand that the owner present "papers and effects," and all records relating to food production. There is nothing in this bill that requires the administrator show probable cause or that evidence be presented to a judge to secure a warrant for entry into the property. The Fourth Amendment explicitly prohibits government from entering private property without a warrant, "describing the place to be searched, and the persons or thing to be seized." DeLauro and the 39 Democratic co-sponsors of this bill must have missed this very clear language when she wrote into the bill authorization for the administrator to seize up to $1 million each day a violation exists. Section 405 of the bill says that "the validity and appropriateness of the order of the Administrator assessing the civil penalty shall not be subject to judicial review." [MORE]
Friday, March 27, 2009 
By George Russell A United Nations document on "climate change" that will be distributed to a major environmental conclave next week envisions a huge reordering of the world economy, likely involving trillions of dollars in wealth transfer, millions of job losses and gains, new taxes, industrial relocations, new tariffs and subsidies, and complicated payments for greenhouse gas abatement schemes and carbon taxes — all under the supervision of the world body. Those and other results are blandly discussed in a discretely worded United Nations "information note" on potential consequences of the measures that industrialized countries will likely have to take to implement the Copenhagen Accord, the successor to the Kyoto Treaty, after it is negotiated and signed by December 2009. The Obama administration has said it supports the treaty process if, in the words of a U.S. State Department spokesman, it can come up with an "effective framework" for dealing with global warming. [MORE]
Want to get mad? Well at least get mad at the right people (like Soros).By Mail Foreign Service - Last updated at 5:13 PM on 25th March 2009George Soros said the current economic crisis has been the culmination of his life's work A hedge fund manager who predicted the global credit crunch has said the financial crisis has been 'stimulating' and the culmination of his life's work. George Soros, who predicted the global financial crisis twice before, was one of the few people to anticipate and prepare for the current economic collapse. [MORE]
Air Force Reports F-22 Crashed Near Military Base The Associated Press March 25, 2009 EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - The Air Force says an F-22 fighter has crashed near Edwards Air Force Base in the high desert of Southern California. Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ann Stefanek confirmed the crash Wednesday but had no other details. Stefanek had no information on the status of the pilot. The F-22 is the Air Force's new top-of-the-line fighter.
Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:12am EDT By Susan Fenton and Deborah KanHONG KONG (Reuters) - The U.S. government plan to rid banks of toxic assets will rob American taxpayers by exposing them to too much risk and is unlikely to work as long as the economy remains weak, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said on Tuesday. "The Geithner plan is very badly flawed," Stiglitz told Reuters in an interview during a Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's plan to wipe up to US$1 trillion in bad debt off banks' balance sheets, unveiled on Monday, offered "perverse incentives," Stiglitz said. [MORE]
By IAN TALLEY WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency has sent the White House a proposed finding that carbon dioxide is a danger to public health, a step that could trigger a clampdown on emissions of greenhouse gases across a wide swath of the economy. If approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget, the endangerment finding could clear the way for the EPA to use the Clean Air Act to control emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases believed to contribute to climate change. In effect, the government would treat carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The EPA submitted the proposed rule to the White House on Friday, according to federal records published Monday. [MORE]
Alaska Stresses Local Solutions
Written By: Alyssia Carducci
Published In: Environment & Climate News > April 2009
Publication date: 04/01/2009
Publisher: The Heartland InstituteAlaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has announced an ambitious plan to produce half of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2025. Palin’s plan, which empowers local municipalities to identify and develop the most cost-efficient renewable power sources available to them, won immediate praise from environmental groups, consumer groups, and industry. Local Solutions Identified The plan was presented in a 245-page document, Alaska Energy: A First Step Toward Energy Independence. It identifies each community’s current energy needs for electrical generation, space heating, and transportation while developing a list of solutions to lower energy costs. In a January 16 press conference, Palin said her plan was designed to break away from energy proposals produced in prior years but never implemented. Key to turning ideas into action under the Palin plan is identification of the most cost-effective energy alternatives for each community and region in the state. [MORE]
11:08 16 March 2009 by Amanda Gefter For similar stories, visit the Quantum World Topic Guide
Today the John Templeton Foundation announced the winner of the annual Templeton Prize of a colossal £1 million ($1.4 million), the largest annual prize in the world.
This year it goes to French physicist and philosopher of science Bernard d'Espagnat for his "studies into the concept of reality". D'Espagnat, 87, is a professor emeritus of theoretical physics at the University of Paris-Sud, and is known for his work on quantum mechanics. The award will be presented to him by the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace on 5 May.
D'Espagnat boasts an impressive scientific pedigree, having worked with Nobel laureates Louis de Broglie, Enrico Fermi and Niels Bohr. De Broglie was his thesis advisor; he served as a research assistant to Fermi; and he worked at CERN when it was still in Copenhagen under the direction of Bohr. He also served as a visiting professor at the University of Texas, Austin, at the invitation of the legendary physicist John Wheeler. But what has he done that's worth £1 million?
The thrust of d'Espagnat's work was on experimental tests of Bell's theorem. The theorem states that either quantum mechanics is a complete description of the world or that if there is some reality beneath quantum mechanics, it must be nonlocal – that is, things can influence one another instantaneously regardless of how much space stretches between them, violating Einstein's insistence that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. [MORE]
Space Shuttlle Discovery STS-119 Sunday Evening Launch Successful  The Discovery Space Shuttle launches from Cape Kennedy. A beautiful and error free twilight launch on a windy Florida evening. The mission will provide new solar panels to ISS that will augment ISS's power generation capability. Commander Lee Archambault will lead Discovery's crew of seven, along with Pilot Tony Antonelli, and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, John Phillips, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata on mission STS-119 to the International Space Station.
The Discovery crew members are set to fly the S6 truss segment and install the final set of power-generating solar arrays to the International Space Station. The S6 truss will complete the backbone of the station and provide one-fourth of the total power needed to support a crew of six.
By Noah Shachtman March 12, 2009 | 8:27:00 AM  An American fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone as it was flying over Iraq, U.S. military sources in Baghdad tell Danger Room.
Details of the previously-unreported shoot-down, which occurred last month, are still sketchy. But we do know that American commanders have long accused Tehran of supplying weapons and training to all sorts of Iraqi militant groups. Shi'ite militias fired Iranian rockets at U.S. troops in Iraq, according to the American military; Sunni militias allegedly used Iranian armor-piercing bombs to reduce U.S. vehicles to ribbons. [MORE]
Friday, March 13, 2009 - By Edwin Mora Washington (CNSNews.com) - Five conservative Republicans – three from the House and two from the Senate -- have introduced a “common sense” economic stimulus package that includes energy proposals tthey say will boost the economy without adding to the national debt. The “no-cost stimulus plan” calls for expanding offshore oil and gas production and leasing the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas producers, which in turn would generate new federal revenue. [MORE]
 The theory that climate change is chiefly caused by solar influences “is no longer tenable,” says US National Academy of Sciences president Ralph Cicerone. Carbon dioxide, he argues, is the key driver of recent climate change. I beg to differ.
The amount and distribution of solar energy that we receive varies as the Earth revolves around the Sun and also in response to changes in the Sun’s activity. Scientists have now been studying solar influences on climate for 5000 years.
Chinese imperial astronomers kept detailed sunspot records. They noticed that more sunspots meant warmer weather on Earth. In 1801, the celebrated astronomer William Herschel noticed that when there were few spots, the price of wheat soared – because, he surmised, less “light and heat” from the Sun resulted in reduced harvests.
Is it true then that solar radiation, which supplies Earth with the energy that drives our climate, and caused so many climate shifts over the ages, is no longer the principal influence on climate change. [MORE]
Friday, February 27, 2009 By Joshua Rhett Miller APNASA's chief climate scientist is in hot water with colleagues and at least one lawmaker after calling on citizens to engage in civil disobedience at what is being billed as the largest public protest of global warming ever in the United States.
In a video on capitolclimateaction.org, Dr. James Hansen is seen urging Americans to "take a stand on global warming" during the March 2 protest at the Capitol Power Plant in Southeast Washington, D.C.
"We need to send a message to Congress and the president that we want them to take the actions that are needed to preserve climate for young people and future generations and all life on the planet," says Hansen, who has likened coal-fired power plants to "factories of death" and claims he was muzzled by the Bush administration when he warned of drastic climate changes.
"What has become clear from the science is that we cannot burn all of the fossil fuels without creating a very different planet. The only practical way to solve the problem is to phase out the biggest source of carbon — and that's coal." [MORE] Meanwhile...Rare snow blankets South as East braces for storm By JAY REEVES, Associated Press Writer Jay Reeves, Associated Press Writer – Sun Mar 1, 6:35 pm ET BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A potent March snowstorm blanketed much of Alabama with up to 4 inches of snow Sunday, covering Civil War statues and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of church services. The storm headed toward the Northeast and threatened to drop up to a foot of snow in the Philadelphia area, 13 inches in New York and 15 inches across southern New England late Sunday. In Georgia, the snowfall made roads treacherous and delayed flights, while in Alabama, more than 210 churches in the central part of the Bible Belt state had to cancel morning services. Vonda Braswell of Alabaster, Ala. was throwing snowballs in her front yard instead of putting on her Sunday best. "I think you can worship in this it's so rare," she said. [MORE]
Column by Tom PhilpottFederal credit unions, in cluding those serving mil lions of military patrons, are fighting to keep off their books nearly $5 billion in charges that regulators have assessed to bail out their largest "corporate" credit union. The U.S. Central Federal Credit Union was in danger of insolvency due to losses on mortgage-backed securities until regulators adopted a bailout plan Jan. 28 that would be financed by 7,900 member-based credit unions. "If we were to allow something to happen to U.S. Central, the impact on the industry would have been devastating," said Michael E. Fryzel, board chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). But Fred Becker, chief executive for the National Association of Federal Credit Unions in Arlington, Va., said NCUA's "premiums" on member credit unions, unless lowered by September when scheduled to take effect, "would drive most of the industry's income into the red" for calendar 2009. Fryzel conceded that some smaller credit unions have warned that their part of the "bailout tax," as some call it, would leave them undercapitalized, threatening their viability. Fryzel said none of these credit unions serve military populations. In any case, NCUA will "work with them," he said, to ensure the special assessment doesn't have such a dire effect. Credit union officials said there is no reason for members to fear for their deposits. Individual accounts are insured by the government for up to $250,000. Military credit unions contacted for this column said they don't even expect the bailout tax to force them to lower member interest rates paid on savings accounts or to raise interest charges for loans or mortgages. [MORE]
Report: Fetal stem cells trigger tumors in ill boy Feb 17 08:01 PM US/Eastern By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - A family desperate to save a child from a lethal brain disease sought highly experimental injections of fetal stem cells—injections that triggered tumors in the boy's brain and spinal cord, Israeli scientists reported Tuesday. Scientists are furiously trying to harness different types of stem cells—the building blocks for other cells in the body—to regrow damaged tissues and thus treat devastating diseases. But for all the promise, researchers have long warned that they must learn to control newly injected stem cells so they don't grow where they shouldn't, and small studies in people are only just beginning. Tuesday's report in the journal PLoS Medicine is the first documented case of a human brain tumor—albeit a benign, slow-growing one—after fetal stem cell therapy, and hammers home the need for careful research. The journal is published by the Public Library of Science. Ed: Fetal Stem cell lines continue to fail in real therapy. The REAL Dr. Frankenstein is here. [MORE] This is diverting money against the genuinely effective and proven adult stem cell therapies and research.
The FBI raided the offices of a defense lobbying firm with close ties to Democratic Rep. John Murtha (Penn.), sources tell ABC News.The FBI searched the Virginia headquarters of the PMA Group in November, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. PMA was founded by former Murtha aide Paul Magliochetti and specializes in winning earmarked taxpayer funds for its clients. Good government groups have long criticized Murtha's cozy relationship with a handful of lobbyists and defense firms, ties that see millions of dollars in government spending go out from Murtha's office, and hundreds of thousands in campaign donations come in. Murtha has said his earmarking has helped revive his economically depressed district.
PMA is the second company with close ties to Murtha to be raided by federal agents recently. In January, agents from the FBI, the IRS and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service searched the office of Kuchera Industries and Kuchera Defense Systems, as well as the homes of the firms' founders. The companies reportedly have received over $100 million in earmarks, thanks to Murtha's efforts. [MORE]
HR 40 110th CONGRESSTo acknowledge the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to examine the institution of slavery, subsequently de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. NADLER, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Ms. NORTON, Mr. OLVER, Mr. WYNN, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. RUSH, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Ms. LEE, Mr. HONDA, and Mr. CLAY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
New Hampshire Secession MovementIf there were ever a state for the other forty nine to model - it would be New Hampshire. There are no income taxes, no sales taxes, low property taxes, schools funded by local community's (not the federal government), and a state motto that reflects the very spirit of American independence; 'Live free or die'. It is out of such a state that a grass roots movement is growing to advocate the succession of New Hampshire from the United States. Several reasons are given involving the overreach of the federal government beyond constitutional limits. These include denials of writ of habeas corpus, domestic spying, cruel and unusual punishment, use of force and powers of government to deny free speech and many other grievances. A web site has been set up to promote the movement at http://www.republicofnh.org
Bill would fire ex-Weatherman Ayers SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Feb. 5 (UPI) -- An Illinois lawmaker says he wants to fire university professor William Ayers because of Ayers' 1960s and '70s involvement in the radical group the Weathermen. State Sen. Larry Bomke, a Republican in the Democratic-controlled Illinois state Senate, proposed that anyone who committed an act of violence against the governments of the United States or Illinois cannot work at a public university, the Chicago Tribune reported. [MORE ]
By Associated Press - TORONTO -- William Ayers, a former U.S. radical who featured prominently in Republican efforts to thwart Barack Obama’s election campaign, has been denied entry to Canada.
The University of Toronto’s Centre for Urban Schooling issued a statement Monday saying Ayers was denied entry to Canada on Sunday night.
Forty years ago Ayers was a member of the Weather Underground, a radical group that claimed responsibility for a series of bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol.
Ayers was a fugitive for years but after surrendering in 1980 the charges were dropped because of prosecutorial misconduct. [MORE]
Note editor: Some of the AP story is factually incorrect. The part where it says: "Obama had a very limited relationship with Ayers" has been a liberal press talking point that is easily refuted, See S. Kurtz well documented articles at the NRO [HERE].
By Jerome R. Corsi © 2009 WorldNetDaily Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla., has introduced to the House of Representatives a new bill, H.R. 645, calling for the secretary of homeland security to establish no fewer than six national emergency centers for corralling civilians on military installations. [MORE]
Rachel Ehrenfeld, 01.16.09, 05:15 PM EST The U.N., the E.U., the Gulf States, the U.S.--and Israel.  Amid international condemnation of Israel, one would never guess that humanitarian aid and even cash is flowing into Hamas coffers, while its rockets continue to hit Israel. It is important to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinians. However, since Gaza is under Hamas control, we have to ask: Will aid reach the suffering populace? If the past is any indication, most funds and supplies will end up with Hamas [MORE]]
 Tens of thousands filled the square by the Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco for the 5th Annual Walk for Life West Coast Saturday, January 24. (PRNewsFoto/Walk for Life West Coast/Photo by Darwin Sayo)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA UNITED STATES
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Tens of thousands of pro-life supporters filled the boulevard along San Francisco's waterfront for more than a mile in the 5th Annual Walk for Life West Coast today, walking behind a 10-foot-long "Abortion Hurts Women" banner. [MORE]
5 hours ago WASHINGTON (AFP) — Two men released from the US "war on terror" prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have appeared in a video posted on a jihadist website, the SITE monitoring service reported. One of the two former inmates, a Saudi man identified as Abu Sufyan al-Azdi al-Shahri, or prisoner number 372, has been elevated to the senior ranks of Al-Qaeda in Yemen, a US counter-terrorism official told AFP. Three other men appear in the video, including Abu al-Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi, identified as an Al-Qaeda field commander. SITE later said he was prisoner No. 333. A Pentagon spokesman, Commander Jeffrey Gordon, on Saturday declined to confirm the SITE information. [MORE] So, Does this mean that Liberal Help Terrorists? [READ HERE]
A poll released today confirms that the economy is job one for President Barack Obama, who is pushing a recovery package of $825 billion or more. The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey found that 74 percent of Americans believe the economy is the top issue facing the country, far outpacing the Iraq war, which ranks second on their list of concerns at 8 percent. On the economy, 86 percent said economic conditions are somewhat or very poor, and 52 percent said unemployment is the most serious concern, followed by mortgages at 12 percent. Only 13 percent said they believe the economy will recover within the next year, while 27 percent said it could take as long as 2 years, 23 percent said it could take 3 years, and 24 percent said it will take longer than Obama's four-year term in office. Obama and House Democrats are pushing a stimulus package that includes about $550 billion in new spending and $275 billion in tax cuts over the next two years. The poll found 58 percent supporting infrastructure spending, and 71 percent in favor of tax cuts. Asked whether the spending or tax cuts would be more effective, 55 percent picked tax cuts.
The higher faith in tax cuts is apparently partly because 42 percent believe that the spending projects would be done mostly for political reasons rather than to help the economy. The poll, conducted Jan. 12-15, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
My Own Crazy Adventures | January 18, 2009 | Allegra Posted on Sun 18 Jan 2009 06:05:52 AM EST by Allegra Five years ago today on January 18, 2004, I arrived at Baghdad International Airport on a charter flight from Dubai with about 60 other people to begin working in Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was a mild and cloudy afternoon as we descended onto the tarmac for the short walk into the terminal. The dreary, desolate airport was not operational and didn’t even have electricity, aside from a few lights here and there powered by a generator. We were the only people in the airport, except for a few local national employees wandering around as we lined up just inside to show our passports to a lone Iraqi man who gave each one a cursory glance. After retrieving our luggage and body armor from a pallet, we were picked up at the front of the airport in three buses by our company’s operations team and driven to nearby Camp Victory North, now called Camp Liberty. We were all quietly taking in our new and starkly different surroundings as we drove past US military tanks and jeeps, anti-missile batteries, T-walls and razor wire. Our adventure had just begun.
The 2008 annual temperature for the contiguous U.S. was near average, while the temperature for December was below average, based on records dating back to 1895, according to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. [ MORE ]
Global Warm-mongering: More Silk from a Pig's Ear Gregory Young It seems that NASA's James Hansen, head of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), is at it again. He just can't let the data speak for itself. In yet another egregious display of Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) arrogance, he changed the temperature data from 1910-2008 to reflect what is clearly a cooling trend to reflect a warming trend. [More]
Clioquinol inhibits action of the CLK1 aging gene, may alleviate Alzheimer's Recent animal studies have shown that clioquinol – an 80-year old drug once used to treat diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders – can reverse the progression of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. Scientists, however, had a variety of theories to attempt to explain how a single compound could have such similar effects on three unrelated neurodegenerative disorders. Researchers at McGill University have discovered a dramatic possible new answer: According to Dr. Siegfried Hekimi and colleagues at McGill's Department of Biology, clioquinol acts directly on a protein called CLK-1, often informally called "clock-1," and might slow down the aging process. The advance online edition of their study was published in Oct. 2008 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. "Clioquinol is a very powerful inhibitor of clock-1," explained Hekimi, McGill's Strathcona Chair of Zoology and Robert Archibald & Catherine Louise Campbell Chair in Developmental Biology. "Because clock-1 affects longevity in invertebrates and mice, and because we're talking about three age-dependent neurodegenerative diseases, we hypothesize that clioquinol affects them by slowing down the rate of aging." Once commonly prescribed in Europe and Asia for gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and shigella, clioquinol was withdrawn from the market after being blamed for a devastating outbreak of subacute myelo-optic neuropathy (SMON) in Japan in the 1960s. However, because no rigorous scientific study was conducted at the time, and because clioquinol was used safely by millions before and after the Japanese outbreak, some researchers think its connection to SMON has yet to be proven. The exact mechanism of how clioquinol inhibits CLK-1 is still under investigation, Hekimi said. "One possibility is that metals are involved as clioquinol is a metal chelator," he explained. Chelation is a type of binding to metal ions and is often used to treat heavy metal poisoning. Hekimi is optimistic but cautious when asked whether clioquinol could eventually become an anti-aging treatment. "The drug affects a gene which when inhibited can slow down aging," he said. "The implication is that we can change the rate of aging. This might be why clioquinol is able to work on this diversity of diseases that are all age-dependent." However, he admits to being concerned about how people may interpret his results. "The danger is that you can buy a kilogram of this compound at a chemical wholesaler, but we don't want people to start experimenting on themselves. Clioquinol can be a very toxic substance if abused, and far more research is required."
From DRUDGE...
NBC BANS COULTER FOR LIFE; CUT FROM 'TODAY' SHOW OVER BOOK'S CLAIMS, NO MORE CABLE
Mon Jan 05 2009 17:50:57 ET
The nation's top selling conservative author has been banned from appearing on NBC, insiders tell the DRUDGE REPORT. Banned for life! "We are just not going to have her on any more, it's over," a top network source explains. NBC's TODAY show abruptly cut Ann Coulter from its planned Tuesday broadcast, claiming the schedule was overbooked. But executives at NBC TODAY replaced Coulter with showbiz reporter Perez Hilton, who recently offered $1,000 to anyone who would throw a pie at Ann Coulter. Hilton is also launching a new book this week, RED CARPET SUICIDE. Coulter was set to unveil her new book, GUILTY. But one network insider claims it was the book's theme -- a brutal examination of liberal bias in the new era -- that got executives to dis-invite the controversialist. "We are just not interested in anyone so highly critical of President-elect Obama, right now," a TODAY insider reveals. "It's such a downer. It's just not the time, and it's not what our audience wants, either." For the book, Coulter reportedly received the most-lucrative advance ever paid to a conservative author. The TODAY show eagerly invited the author months ago, for her first network interview on GUILTY.
The exclusive was to air during the show's 7 AM hour. The cut came Monday afternoon. Coulter was also to appear on the TODAY's fourth hour. A host even teased the segment saying the 'conservative pit bull and bestselling author' would be a guest. NBC's cable outlet, MSNBC, will also become a Coulter-free zone, insiders explain. Morning host Joe Scarborough is said to be concerned with the new ban. "He's working to overrule it," tips a source.
 by Yehudah Lev Kay(IsraelNN.com) The IDF's advanced Arrow missile defense system has been deployed near Ashkelon to help the Home Front Command detect missile launches. Meanwhile, former army officers are calling on the defense establishment to purchase an American missile defense system capable of shooting down Kassam and Katushya rockets. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has developed an updated radar system named MC4 based on the Arrow missile defense system, which was developed jointly by the U.S. and Israel to counter ballistic missile launches. The new radar can track the launch of smaller missiles, such as the Kassam or Grad rockets, as they are being launched from Gaza. Using GPS and camera sensors, the MC4 system tracks the flight path, and within a minute of launch, it can determine both the launch site and projected landing site of the missile.... [MORE]
Israel Invades Gaza
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon conveyed his "extreme concern and disappointment" to Olmert and called for an "immediate end" to the operation. Israel should ask the secretary general if he intends to personally guarantee the end to rocket fire into Israel. The U.S. has put the blame on Hamas. At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday night, the U.S. blocked approval of a statement demanded by Arab countries calling for an immediate cease-fire and expressing serious concern at the escalation of violence. The US Administration calls it as it is. Isreal has done everything it can, including steps against it's own self interest, to limit Palestinian casualties. What other nation at war would tell the enemy that they are about to bomb a building so the enemy can evacuate? This is what Israel has done. In the war on terror the whole concept of 'disproportionate response' must be recognized for what it is - an outmoded relic of a different time. In terror, there is no such thing as disproportion. The side being terrorized is forced to do whatever is necessary to eliminate an enemy that cares not a whit for any human life. At the heart of terrorism is hatred and evil. Sunday Jan 04, 2009
Double Standard Watch: Israel's actions are lawful and commendablePosted by Alan M. Dershowitz Israel's military actions in Gaza are entirely justified under international law, and Israel should be commended for its act of self-defense against international terrorism. Article 51 of the United Nations Charter reserves to every nation the right to engage in self-defense against armed attacks. The only limitation international law places on a democracy is that its actions must satisfy the principle of proportionality. Israel's actions certainly satisfy that principles. ... [read full article]
Barack Obama’s Chicagoland is a war zone. The community service model seems to have failed in Obama’s home base. - 314 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq in 2008, down from 904 in the previous year.
- Chicago finished 2008 with 509 homicides, a 15 percent increase from 2007.
- Chicago’s median number of homicides over the years average about 700 per year.
- The combined total of 465 U.S. deaths in both Iraq and Afghanistan for 2008 is lower than the 509 homicides in Chicago for same period.
Chicago the murder capital of the U.S. Where was Obama during this surge? Campaigning for the Presidency on the merits of his community involvement in Chicago.
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Monday, December 29, 2008 4:20 PM PT Middle East: While condemned as "disproportionate," Israeli attacks on Hamas in Gaza are the only appropriate response to daily terror. As the U.N. Charter says, when they shoot at you, you can shoot back.The Palestinians, the late Israeli leader Abba Eban once said, never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew to its international border with Gaza and gave peace a chance. On taking power in Gaza, Hamas decided that rather than build a viable infrastructure with foreign assistance, feed and educate its people and pick up the trash, it would rather turn Gaza into a launching pad for Kasam rockets targeted on Israeli civilians. ... [MORE]
December 17, 2008 It's bad enough that the Republican Party can't prevent Democrats from voting in its primaries and saddling us with The New York Times' favorite Republican as our presidential nominee. If the Republican Party can't protect an election won by the incumbent U.S. senator in Minnesota, there is no point in donating to the Republican Party. The day after the November election, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman had won his re-election to the U.S. Senate, beating challenger Al Franken by 725 votes. ... [Rest at AnnCoulter.com]
ACORN, Soros Linked to Franken Vote Grab Monday, December 22, 2008 9:22 PM By: David A. Patten Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who orchestrated the recount that gave Democratic challenger Al Franken a lead some six weeks after incumbent GOP Sen. Norm Coleman appeared to win by 725 votes on Election Day, has extensive ties to both the ACORN organization now under federal investigation for vote fraud, and to MoveOn.org ultra-liberal kingmaker George Soros. In 2006, ACORN endorsed Ritchie in his bid to become secretary of state, and Ritchie also received a campaign contribution that year from Soros. Indeed, Ritchie has credited his own political career in large part to an obscure, Soros-funded group called the Secretary of State Project (SoS), whose express purpose is to seed state election bureaucracies nationwide with partisan activists -- Ritchie among them -- who are strategically positioned to influence the outcome of close recounts like the one now underway in Minnesota. The SoS Web site lauds Ritchie as “arguably the most progressive secretary of state in America,” and states: “Thanks to SoS Project donors, Minnesota’s Mark Ritchie – a true champion for Democracy – was able to defeat a two-term incumbent Republican by less than 5 points. We helped close the gap and make the difference with cable television ads targeting women and seniors.” Nor does Ritchie downplay the role of the Soros-funded nonprofit in his own election win. [MORE]
Mona Charen Mona Charen – Fri Dec 19, 3:00 am ET Creators Syndicate – I will be called names for writing this column. It always happens. Raise the issue of the pornification of the culture and its fanatical devotees will come gunning for you. If they hope to be intimidating, they've forgotten what delete keys are for. It's Christmastime and the Fox News Channel, the most conservative of the major media outlets, is running an ad for PajamaGrams, "the only gift guaranteed to get your wife or girlfriend to take her clothes off." The ads feature soft porn images of women disrobing and tossing slips and bras to the floor. The ads run at all times of the day and night. Thus do we usher in the season supposedly devoted to the Prince of Peace and the Festival of Lights...[Full story here]
Researchers target cancer cells; note treatment by SW Florida resident By MATT CLARK (Contact)
6:12 a.m., Friday, December 19, 2008  Steven A. Curley, M.D., right, and John Kanzius, inventor of this radio wave transmitter, check over the machine before a test is run in Erie, Pa.
Born out of necessity through his own battle with cancer, John Kanzius has developed a technique which may one day eradicate cancer cells in humans with radio waves in a much less invasive fashion than current radiation techniques. They've demonstrated the cancer research "holy grail." In a manuscript published today, researchers say they have successfully targeted and killed two of the most deadly types of cancer cells, colon and pancreatic, using the treatment invented by Sanibel Island and Erie, Pa. resident John Kanzius. "This is what everybody's been waiting for," Kanzius said. "Can you target cancer cells? And the answer is 'yes.' Can you kill them? Yes. Can you target specific cancers? Yes." ... [Full Story]
Help the Wasilla Bible Church Rebuild 1651 W. Nicola Avenue Wasilla, Alaska 99654 907-376-2176 church@wasillabible.org The Wasilla Bible Church will meet at Wasilla Middle School, 650 E Bogard Road, at 11:15 am only on Sunday, December 14th. It is likely there will be limited or no child care or programs this Sunday. Our building was damaged by a fire Friday evening, and will need repairs before we can resume worship there again. Praise God that no one in the building was injured, and pray for us as we rebuild. We will likely meet at the Middle School for a while until the building is ready again. We’ll update this page once we reschedule locations and times for events as we celebrate our Savior’s birth. The normal web page will return once the offices are restored. Here is the link to the other parts of our website. Dates and times may not be correct if the location is the Church building. The telephones are not working right now, but email is functioning.
Jewish World Review Dec. 10, 2008 / 13 Kislev 5769 Skepticism on climate change By Jeff Jacoby
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | THE MAIL brings an invitation to register for the 2009 International Conference on Climate Change, which convenes on March 8 in New York City. Sponsored by the Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based think tank, the conference will host an international lineup of climate scientists and researchers who will focus on four broad areas: climatology, paleoclimatology, the impact of climate change, and climate-change politics and economics.
But if last year's gathering is any indication, the conference is likely to cover the climate-change waterfront. There were dozens of presentations in 2008, including: "Strengths and Weaknesses of Climate Models," "Ecological and Demographic Perspectives on the Status of Polar Bears," and "The Overstated Role of Carbon Dioxide on Climate Change."
Just another forum, then, sounding the usual alarums on the looming threat from global warming?
Actually, no. The scientists and scholars Heartland is assembling are not members of the gloom-and-doom chorus. They dispute the frantic claims that global warming is an onrushing catastrophe; many are skeptical of the notion that human activity has a significant effect on the planet's climate, or that such an effect can be reliably measured or predicted. Some point out that global temperatures peaked in 1998 and have been falling since then. Indeed, several argue that a period of global cooling is on the way. Nearly all would argue that climate is always changing, and that no one really knows whether current computer models can reliably account for the myriad of factors that cause that natural variability.
They are far from monolithic, but on this they would all agree: Science is not settled by majority vote, especially in a field as young as climate science.
Skepticism and inquiry go to the essence of scientific progress. It is always legitimate to challenge the existing "consensus" with new data or an alternative hypothesis. Those who insist that dissent be silenced or even punished are not the allies of science, but something closer to religious fanatics.
Unfortunately, when it comes to climate change, far too many people have been all too ready to play the Grand Inquisitor. For example, The Weather Channel's senior climatologist, Heidi Cullen, has recommended that meteorologists be denied professional certification if they voice doubts about global-warming alarmism. James Hansen, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, wants oil-company executives tried for "crimes against humanity if they continue to dispute what is understood scientifically" about global warming. Al Gore frequently derides those who dispute his climate dogma as fools who should be ignored. "Climate deniers fall into the same camp as people who still don't believe we landed on the moon," Gore's spokeswoman told The Politico a few days ago.
But as the list of confirmed speakers for Heartland's climate-change conference makes clear, it is Gore whose eyes are shut to reality. Among the "climate deniers" lined up to speak are Richard Lindzen, the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at MIT; the University of Alabama's Roy W. Spencer, a pioneer in the monitoring of global temperatures by satellite; Stephen McIntyre, primary author of the influential Climate Audit blog; and meteorologist John Coleman, who founded the Weather Channel in 1982. They may not stand with the majority in debates over climate science, but - Gore's dismissal notwithstanding - they are far from alone.
In fact, what prompted The Politico to solicit Gore's comment was its decision to report on the mounting dissent from global-warming orthodoxy. "Scientists urge caution on global warming," the story was headlined; it opened by noting "a growing accumulation of global cooling science and other findings that could signal that the science behind global warming may still be too shaky to warrant cap-and-trade legislation."
Coverage of such skepticism is increasing. The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Michael Scott reported last week that meteorologists at each of Cleveland's TV stations dissent from the alarmists' scenario. In the Canadian province of Alberta, the Edmonton Journal found, 68 percent of climate scientists and engineers do not believe "the debate on the scientific causes of recent climate change is settled."
Expect to see more of this. The debate goes on, as it should.
By HELENE COOPER and JACKIE CALMES
Published: December 13, 2008CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, spoke several times with Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois about possible candidates for Mr. Obama’s Senate seat, aides close to the presidential transition team said Saturday.
Mr. Emanuel has not been accused of wrongdoing by federal prosecutors. A Democratic transition aide said that the two men had discussed a wide range of people who might fill Mr. Obama’s seat, but that Mr. Emanuel had not engaged in any deal-making with Mr. Blagojevich, who was charged last week by federal prosecutors with conspiring to turn a profit from the appointment.
The conversations between Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Blagojevich, first reported by The Chicago Tribune, were captured on wiretaps, according to another official close to the transition. [More at the NY Times]
Joe the Plumber: McCain 'appalled me' By ANDY BARR | 12/9/08 5:22 PM EST  Photo: AP Joe Wurzelbacher lashed out at former GOP presidential nominee John McCain Tuesday, the man who made Wurzelbacher famous as “Joe the Plumber.”
Wurzelbacher told conservative radio host Glenn Beck that he felt “dirty” after “being on the campaign trail and seeing some of the things that take place.”
Recalling a conversation he had with McCain about the $700 billion financial industry bailout in September, Wurzelbacher said: “When I was on the bus with him, I asked him a lot of questions about the bailout because most Americans did not want that to happen.”
“I asked him some pretty direct questions,” he continued. “Some of the answers you guys are gonna receive — they appalled me, absolutely. I was angry. In fact I wanted to get off the bus after I talked to him.”
Asked why he didn’t leave McCain’s campaign if he was “appalled” by the candidate, Wurzelbacher said, “honestly, because the thought of Barack Obama as president scares me even more.”
While Wurzelbacher was critical of McCain during the interview, he had nothing but praise for his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. “Sarah Palin is absolutely the real deal,” he said.
MOSCOW, November 24 (RIA Novosti) A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts.
Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily Izvestia published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse."
The paper said Panarin's dire predictions for the U.S. economy, initially made at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago at a time when the economy appeared strong, have been given more credence by this year's events.
When asked when the U.S. economy would collapse, Panarin said: "It is already collapsing. Due to the financial crisis, three of the largest and oldest five banks on Wall Street have already ceased to exist, and two are barely surviving. Their losses are the biggest in history. Now what we will see is a change in the regulatory system on a global financial scale: America will no longer be the world's financial regulator."
When asked who would replace the U.S. in regulating world markets, he said: "Two countries could assume this role: China, with its vast reserves, and Russia, which could play the role of a regulator in Eurasia."
Asked why he expected the U.S. to break up into separate parts, he said: "A whole range of reasons. Firstly, the financial problems in the U.S. will get worse. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles."
He also cited the "vulnerable political setup", "lack of unified national laws", and "divisions among the elite, which have become clear in these crisis conditions."
He predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts - the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong.
He even suggested that "we could claim Alaska - it was only granted on lease, after all."
On the fate of the U.S. dollar, he said: "In 2006 a secret agreement was reached between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. on a common Amero currency as a new monetary unit. This could signal preparations to replace the dollar. The one-hundred dollar bills that have flooded the world could be simply frozen. Under the pretext, let's say, that terrorists are forging them and they need to be checked."
When asked how Russia should react to his vision of the future, Panarin said: "Develop the ruble as a regional currency. Create a fully functioning oil exchange, trading in rubles... We must break the strings tying us to the financial Titanic, which in my view will soon sink."
Panarin, 60, is a professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has authored several books on information warfare.
In Alaska, The Drill Is Gone By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Monday, November 24, 2008 4:20 PM PT Energy: Remember those 68 million acres House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the oil companies had to use or lose? According to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, they can't drill there either. [MORE]
From Bob Parks, Black and Right - November 23rd, 2008  Yet one more mainstream media type (who was in awe of all things Obama just a few months ago) now assumes he's making news by telling us all that the press was anxiously promoting one side over the other.
Media bias was more intense in the 2008 election than in any other national campaign in recent history, Time magazine's Mark Halperin said Friday at the Politico/USC conference on the 2008 election. "It's the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war," Halperin said at a panel of media analysts. "It was extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage."
Mr. Haperin, thanks for the tip. I was beginning to believe that Barack Obama won this election fair and square.
UAW’s ‘No Concessions’ Policy Killing Big Three, Expert Says Friday, November 21, 2008 By Tiffany Gabbay (CNSNews.com) – The Big Three automakers are forced to pay 85 percent of union benefits to members of the United Auto Workers union who aren’t working – even if their plants have been closed. Industry analysts say union labor agreements that obligate the Big Three to pay millions of dollars to workers who are no longer working are a major reason why the automakers are in trouble – a problem that no short-term bailout can fix. [MORE]
Planet Has Cooled Since Bush Took Office – Scientists Continue Dissenting – Gore Admits 'I've failed badly' - Global Sea Ice GROWS! Global Warming Theory has ‘failed consistently and dramatically’ [MORE]
Proof that the choice of Sarah Palin as VP helped the McCain CampaignThe Pew Research Center says: "Yet those who cited Palin's selection as a factor in their vote -- 60% of all voters -- favored McCain by 56% to 43%." 60% of voters said Sarah Palin was a factor in their choice. Of that 60%, 56 % voted for McCain. That should stop all this nonsense about Sarah hurting the ticket. Unfortunately, it probably won't. Here is why.
[ed. note] NOAA has an article that pretty much makes the same claim about the hot October that never was. We are waiting for them to recant. They are also predicting warmer than usual winter temperatures. By Christopher Booker A surreal scientific blunder last week raised a huge question mark about the temperature records that underpin the worldwide alarm over global warming. On Monday, Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), which is run by Al Gore's chief scientific ally, Dr James Hansen, and is one of four bodies responsible for monitoring global temperatures, announced that last month was the hottest October on record. This was startling. Across the world there were reports of unseasonal snow and plummeting temperatures last month, from the American Great Plains to China, and from the Alps to New Zealand. China's official news agency reported that Tibet had suffered its "worst snowstorm ever". In the US, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month, and ranked it as only the 70th-warmest October in 114 years. So what explained the anomaly? GISS's computerised temperature maps seemed to show readings across a large part of Russia had been up to 10 degrees higher than normal. But when expert readers of the two leading warming-sceptic blogs, Watts Up With That and Climate Audit, began detailed analysis of the GISS data they made an astonishing discovery. The reason for the freak figures was that scores of temperature records from Russia and elsewhere were not based on October readings at all. Figures from the previous month had simply been carried over and repeated two months running. The error was so glaring that when it was reported on the two blogs - run by the US meteorologist Anthony Watts and Steve McIntyre, the Canadian computer analyst who won fame for his expert debunking of the notorious "hockey stick" graph - GISS began hastily revising its figures. This only made the confusion worse because, to compensate for the lowered temperatures in Russia, GISS claimed to have discovered a new "hotspot" in the Arctic - in a month when satellite images were showing Arctic sea-ice recovering so fast from its summer melt that three weeks ago it was 30 per cent more extensive than at the same time last year. (more...)
November 5 2008 Michael Crichton 1942-2008Michael Crichton has been on my mind a lot over the last few weeks. I was shocked to see that he had died on Tuesday Nov. 4 2008 from a long private battle with cancer. Crichton is the well know author of books like the 'Andromeda Strain', 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Congo'. He was also a screenwriter and filmmaker, who turned many of his titles into hit movies. He was an M.D. from Harvard where he graduated summa cum laude. The thing many don't know about Crichton that he was an articulate and convincing skeptic of global warming. Here is a lengthy interview with Charlie Rose done on February 2007 where is views on Al Gore, and global warming are discussed extensively. Crichton's 'Aliens Cause Global Warming' lecture. Source: http://www.crichton-official.com/speech-alienscauseglobalwarming.html
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An American fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone as it was flying over Iraq, U.S. military sources in Baghdad tell Danger Room.
