History for January 29

History for January 29 - On-This-Day.com:

Birth anniversary of Thomas Paine (1737-1809).

Birth anniversary American president William McKinley (1843-1901) and comedian and noted curmudgeon W.C. Fields (1880-1946).

  

Happy Birthday! Katharine Ross, Tom Selleck 

1850 - Henry Clay introduced in the Senate a compromise bill on slavery that included the admission of California into the Union as a free state. 


1861 - In America, Kansas became the 34th state of the Union. 


1886 - The first successful petrol-driven motorcar, built by Karl Benz, was patented. 

1940 - The W. Atlee Burpee Seed Company displayed the first tetraploid flowers at the New York City Flower Show. 


1958 - Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married. 


1958 - Charles Starkweather was captured by police in Wyoming.  


1990 - Joseph Hazelwood, the former skipper of the Exxon Valdez, went on trial in Anchorage, AK, on charges that stemmed from America's worst oil spill. Hazelwood was later acquitted of all the major charges and was convicted of a misdemeanor. 

WeMOG Wed 1:00PM

The weather is warming up!

Meet at cross country ski trailhead

North Ottawa Dunes at 1:00 on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

 If others want to snow shoe - same time, same place! 

Plan to ski a couple of hours, unless is

really cold and we do a little less.

I will bring extra hand and toe warmers!

A ban on autos? Major cities consider going carless

A ban on autos? Major cities consider going carless:
"Germany, home of the high-speed autobahn, is perhaps one of the few countries that has had as intense a love affair with the automobile as the U.S.
But in an effort to go green, the country's second-largest city is studying ways to eliminate cars by 2034.
The northern city of Hamburg has laid out an initial concept, named the Green Network Plan, that would expand public transportation and add more routes for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The most controversial aspect of the plan calls for a steady phase-out of automobiles in the center of the city over the next two decades."

(Video) John Wayne On Liberals - FANTASTIC!!

(Video) John Wayne On Liberals - FANTASTIC!! - The Federalist Papers: "“I’m quite sure that the concept of a Government-run reservation… seems to be what the socialists are working for now — to have everyone cared for from cradle to grave…. But you can’t whine and bellyache ’cause somebody else got a break and you didn’t, like those Indians are. We’ll all be on a reservation soon if the socialists keep subsidizing groups like them with our tax money.”- John Wayne"

Why people support Dave Agema

Dave Agema – Why people support Dave Agema:
"They want Republicans to speak with a clear voice, as Agema has done.
 “The Republicans are not really standing for anything anymore,” said Tomas Ojeda, a former U.S. Marine.
“Nothing on immigration, nothing on pro-life and, as you can see, now they can’t say anything about homosexuality.
 “If you’re going to go into politics and you can’t articulate your position, that’s like a Marine that can’t shoot. Those are your bullets.”
 Mark Petzold was there “standing up for what’s right and what’s good,” he said.
 “I know the man and I know his character. Without any problem I’ll stand next to him,” said Petzold, president of River City Patriots and the Sons of Liberty Riders.
“We need more people like him because our country’s problem is not political, it’s spiritual. 
We’re in the midst of spiritual warfare and so somebody like him that’s standing on principle is a way of helping to bring about that (spiritual) awakening because even in spite of the controversy (over Agema’s remarks) the discussion is happening."

UK gov't slashes global warming spending by 41 percent

UK gov't slashes global warming spending by 41 percent | The Daily Caller:
"First, Australia cut global-warming spending and now the U.K. has followed. 
The British government has cut programs to fight global warming by 41 percent, fueling allegations that the country’s environment minister is a global warming “skeptic.”
The U.K. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) will only spend about $28.5 million on “climate change initiatives” this fiscal year.
This is 41 percent less than the government spent on such initiatives in the last 12 months, reports the Independent.
Critics argue that this is further proof that U.K. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is skeptical of the theory of man-made global warming."

Unionist goes off on National Right to Work awareness campaign

Unionist goes off on National Right to Work awareness campaign - EAGnews.org powered by Education Action Group Foundation, Inc.:

"WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Illinois Education Association celebrates the efforts of union board member Annice Brave, who upon receiving a notice from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation that she has the right to a refund of the portion of her dues that is used for political activities, sent this response:"

Italian Climate Nut to Live on Iceberg to ‘Prove’ Global Warming

Italian Climate Nut to Live on Iceberg to ‘Prove’ Global Warming | Somewhat Reasonable:
"The next alarmist PR debacle will come from Italian adventurer Alex Bellini.
He plans to live on an iceberg in a kevlar boat/shelter for eight to 12 months to “to demonstrate just how quickly things are changing” in the arctic.
His plan is to park his boat/shelter on an iceberg off Greenland this spring, and float around for a while “documenting the melting process as [the iceberg] disappears completely.”

Bellini might be up there a while.
Arctic sea ice levels are up 30 percent this winter, and ice levels at both poles combined is above the long-term average.
But here’s the thing: Ice builds in the arctic every winter, then as spring and then summer comes, those icebergs melt. 
Bellini will only be dramatically “documenting” something that is entirely natural and happens every year."

Cows With Guns

We are wasting precious resources on a fake warming scam whilst the "big one" is ready to pounce--- Forget global warming, worry about the Earth's MAGNETOSPHERE

Forget global warming, worry about the Earth's MAGNETOSPHERE | Mail Online

Forget global warming, worry about the MAGNETOSPHERE: Earth's magnetic field is collapsing and it could affect the climate and wipe out power grids

• Earth's magnetic field has weakened by 15 per cent over the last 200 years
• Could be a sign that the planet's north and south poles are about to flip
• If this happens, solar winds could punch holes into the Earth's ozone layer
• This could damage power grids, affect weather and increase cancer rates
• Evidence of flip happening in the past has been uncovered in pottery
• As the magnetic shield weakens, the spectacle of an aurora would be visible every night all over the Earth

Guess What Group is Getting Food Stamps at an Alarming Rate

Guess What Group is Getting Food Stamps at an Alarming Rate:
"While overall food stamp use grew by 53 percent between Fiscal Year 2007 and Fiscal Year 2010 (from about 26 million to nearly 40 million), it more than doubled among able-bodied adults without dependents during this time–from 1.7 million to 3.9 million–an increase of  roughly 127 percent.

Food stamp spending today is roughly $80 billion, double what it was in Fiscal Year 2008."

Democrats thrive on a culture of hate

Democrats thrive on a culture of hate | The Minority Report Blog:
To Democrats, “tolerance” is nothing more than a front behind which they can build a culture of hate. 
There is no room for any opinion but their own. 
You can see it happening on issue after issue.

On college campuses, the left has created a virtually absolute zone of intolerance against conservative professors; you can’t get into a tenure track job in any department if you’re not “progressive”. Conservative students face lower grades for speaking up about their views in class and conservative organizations are outcasts.

Laws or rules against “hate speech” are really against “conservative speech”.
Republicans are constantly accused of waging a “War on Women” or “Minorities” or whoever the progressive group du jour happens to be and the media are willing accomplices with the Democrats.

The problem is, it’s the Democrats who are at war. 
It’s been exposed time and again, and in political races you can bet the second panic sets in the stream of vile hate starts.

Today we’re looking at the latest expose by Project Veritas. James O’Keefe does great work. 
He got into a meeting of Battleground Texas, a progressive group that is an offshoot of Organizing for America, the President’s political arm – a 501c group that the IRS won’t investigate.

For a little background, Democrats desperately want to “Turn Texas Blue” and they were sure they’d found their heroine in Wendy Davis – known in Texas as Abortion Barbie. 
Davis got national attention when she managed to delay a vote in the Texas Senate on a law that required abortion clinics to meet the same medical standards as other out-patient clinics. 
The law was later passes overwhelmingly, it’s supported by the vast majority of Texans, and it was upheld in the courts.
None the less, the abortion lobby is behind Wendy and she was able to raise about $12 million out-of-state dollars to run for governor. 
She’s raised enough in-state for lunch at McDonalds. 
Things were going along swimmingly and a Democrat newspaper reporter who has been frequently featured on MSNBC ripping Texas Republicans to shreds wrote an article about AbortionBarbie and noted that the life story she’s been peddling is a lie, and the long knives have come out.

The presumptive Republican candidate for governor is a paraplegic, confined to a wheelchair, and here’s what the Democrats at Battleground Texas – remember, it’s an Obama organization through-and-through, think about a physically disabled Republican who happens to be the current Attorney General of Texas.


Nice, huh?

The left is screaming that the video was “taken out of context”, blah, blah, blah. Judge for yourself.
You can bet this isn’t over.
We’re going to be following AbortionBarbie and her campaign.
Right now things aren’t going well for her and your Curmudgeon will happily toss a few pebbles on the pile.
Tomorrow, we’ll have the Attorney General’s response.

How the Nazis Used Gun Control (Video)

How the Nazis Used Gun Control (Video):

The Weimar Republic’s well-intentioned gun registry became a tool for evil.

The perennial gun-control debate in America did not begin here. The same arguments for and against were made in the 1920s in the chaos of Germany’s Weimar Republic, which opted for gun registration. Law-abiding persons complied with the law, but the Communists and Nazis committing acts of political violence did not.

In 1931, Weimar authorities discovered plans for a Nazi takeover in which Jews would be denied food and persons refusing to surrender their guns within 24 hours would be executed. They were written by Werner Best, a future Gestapo official. In reaction to such threats, the government authorized the registration of all firearms and the confiscation thereof, if required for “public safety.” The interior minister warned that the records must not fall into the hands of any extremist group.

In 1933, the ultimate extremist group led by Adolf Hitler seized power and used the records to identify, disarm, and attack political opponents and Jews. Constitutional rights were suspended, and mass searches for and seizures of guns and dissident publications ensued. Police revoked gun licenses of Social Democrats and others who were not “politically reliable.”

During the five years of repression that followed, society was “cleansed” by the National Socialist regime. Undesirables were placed in camps where labor made them “free,” and normal rights of citizenship were taken from Jews. The Gestapo banned independent gun clubs and arrested their leaders. Gestapo counsel Werner Best issued a directive to the police forbidding issuance of firearm permits to Jews.

In 1938, Hitler signed a new Gun Control Act. Now that many “enemies of the state” had been removed from society, some restrictions could be slightly liberalized, especially for Nazi Party members. But Jews were prohibited from working in the firearms industry, and .22 caliber hollow-point ammunition was banned.

Read the whole thing

The Weimar Republic’s well-intentioned gun registry became a tool for evil.

The perennial gun-control debate in America did not begin here. The same arguments for and against were made in the 1920s in the chaos of Germany’s Weimar Republic, which opted for gun registration. Law-abiding persons complied with the law, but the Communists and Nazis committing acts of political violence did not.

In 1931, Weimar authorities discovered plans for a Nazi takeover in which Jews would be denied food and persons refusing to surrender their guns within 24 hours would be executed. They were written by Werner Best, a future Gestapo official. In reaction to such threats, the government authorized the registration of all firearms and the confiscation thereof, if required for “public safety.” The interior minister warned that the records must not fall into the hands of any extremist group.

In 1933, the ultimate extremist group led by Adolf Hitler seized power and used the records to identify, disarm, and attack political opponents and Jews. Constitutional rights were suspended, and mass searches for and seizures of guns and dissident publications ensued. Police revoked gun licenses of Social Democrats and others who were not “politically reliable.”

During the five years of repression that followed, society was “cleansed” by the National Socialist regime. Undesirables were placed in camps where labor made them “free,” and normal rights of citizenship were taken from Jews. The Gestapo banned independent gun clubs and arrested their leaders. Gestapo counsel Werner Best issued a directive to the police forbidding issuance of firearm permits to Jews.

In 1938, Hitler signed a new Gun Control Act. Now that many “enemies of the state” had been removed from society, some restrictions could be slightly liberalized, especially for Nazi Party members. But Jews were prohibited from working in the firearms industry, and .22 caliber hollow-point ammunition was banned.

Read the whole thing

Everything You Ever Needed to Know about the Left’s View of Income Inequality, Captured in a Single Image

Everything You Ever Needed to Know about the Left’s View of Income Inequality, Captured in a Single Image - Daniel J. Mitchell - Townhall Finance Conservative Columnists and Financial Commentary - Page 1:
"If you want to know why the left is wrong about income inequality, you need to watch this Margaret Thatcher video.
In just a few minutes, the “Iron Lady” explains how some – perhaps most – statists would be willing to reduce income for the poor if they could impose even greater damage on the rich.

This picture is another way of getting across the same point.
 It was sent to me by Richard Rahn (famous for the Rahn Curve), and it uses two pizzas to show how leftist policies would “solve” inequality."

Money for nothing...except to cronies---ObamaCare Dumped $1.2 Billion Into Failing State Exchanges

ObamaCare Dumped $1.2 Billion Into Failing State Exchanges - Investors.com

In late October 2013, the Obama administration sent $41.9 million to Minnesota for its state-built health exchange.

 It was the sixth ObamaCare grant awarded the state, and all told taxpayers ponied up $155 million to help build MNSure.

But just 13 weeks after that last grant arrived, an independent consultant issued a damning report, saying Minnesota should consider scrapping MNSure entirely and starting over from scratch, citing systemic technical and management problems.

A "large gap exists between required functionality and what has been delivered," the report stated . 
The state is now deciding what to do next.

Minnesota isn't alone in wasting federal dollars on failing exchanges.

Here's another impossibly stupid Common Core math worksheet

Here's another impossibly stupid Common Core math worksheet | The Daily Caller:

  

Yet another painfully awful Common Core math worksheet has bubbled up courtesy of Twitter.

This time, the math is for fourth graders, according to Twitchy.

The incomprehensible directions tell the poor nine-year-old souls forced to endure the worksheet to “use number bonds to help you skip-count by seven by making ten or adding to the ones.”
At the top left corner of the worksheet are the all-capitalized words “NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM.”

A subsequent Twitter conversation between the tweeter Lauren, who is trying to make sense of the assignment for her little sister, and someone named Relle is ribald and hilarious.

This awful set of homework problems is the latest in an ever-growing series of stories demonstrating the awfulness of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a curriculum — but don’t call it a curriculum! — currently being implemented by 45 states and the District of Columbia.

The difference between republicans and democrats: We fire our scum. The democrats deify theirs----Cocaine-snorting Republican congressman Trey Radel to resign

Cocaine-snorting Republican congressman Trey Radel to resign | The Raw Story:

Get rid of the bum!
"Trey Radel, the US congressman who pleaded guilty to cocaine possession last year, is resigning on Monday, his office said.

The first-term Republican representing southern Florida was to announce his resignation in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, a Radel spokesman told AFP.

Radel, 37, was arrested in October after he was caught purchasing 3.5 grams of cocaine from an undercover police officer outside a Washington restaurant."

Radel, a former radio talk show host and newspaper owner, came under pressure from fellow Republicans, including Florida Governor Rick Scott, to step down, but for a few months he stood firm.

Obama “De-Escalation” Policy Requires Soldiers To Carry Weapons Unloaded In Afghanistan

Obama “De-Escalation” Policy Requires Soldiers To Carry Weapons Unloaded In Afghanistan | YouViewed/Editorial:
"” First they want to give medals for “courageous restraint.”
Now they want to tie both hands behinds our soldiers’ backs.
This isn’t suicide, it’s negligent homicide, in my book.
 Commanders have ordered a U.S. military unit in Afghanistan to patrol with unloaded weapons, according to a source in Afghanistan.
American soldiers in at least one unit have been ordered to conduct patrols without a round chambered in their weapons, an anonymous source stationed at a forward operating base in Afghanistan said in an interview."

Get the government out of our diapers!------Medicaid Overpays Millions for Diapers

Medicaid Overpays Millions for Diapers | Washington Free Beacon:
"A lack of competitive bidding processes among state Medicaid agencies caused the program to overpay for diapers by about $62 million in 2012, according to a report released by federal auditors on Monday.

Only five state Medicaid agencies have implemented competitive bidding programs for “disposable incontinence supplies,” according to the inspector general for the department of Health and Human Services.
Those states reported saving up to of 50 percent on those supplies, the IG report found."

Devastating: WaPo-ABC Poll Shows Obama Not Trusted to Make Right Decisions by Over 6 Out of 10

Devastating: WaPo-ABC Poll Shows Obama Not Trusted to Make Right Decisions by Over 6 Out of 10 | Independent Journal Review:
"A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that 63% of Americans have either little or no confidence that Barack Obama will make the right decisions for the country.
And half of them find him untrustworthy.

Moreover, 52% of respondents said Obama does not understand the problems of people like them – while 51% also believe he is not a strong leader in general."

The State of the State of the Union

The State of the State of the Union :: SteynOnline:
"The State of the Union is the opposite.
The president gives a performance, extremely animatedly, head swiveling from left-side prompter to right-side prompter, continually urging action now:
"Let's start right away.
We can get this done. . . .
We can fix this. . . .
Now is the time to do it.
Now is the time to get it done."
And at the end of the speech, nothing gets done, and nothing gets fixed, and, after a few days' shadowboxing between admirers and detractors willing to pretend it's some sort of serious legislative agenda, every single word of it is forgotten until the next one.

In that sense, like Beyoncé lip-synching the National Anthem at the inauguration, the State of the Union embodies the decay of America's political institutions into a simulacrum of responsible government rather than the real thing, and a simulacrum ever more divorced from the real issues facing the country."

New Zealand School Abandons Rules During Playtime, Sees Decrease In Bullying

New Zealand School Abandons Rules During Playtime, Sees Decrease In Bullying:

In an unorthodox effort to encourage active play in a New Zealand primary school, a principal has stopped enforcing rules on the playground.According to TVNZ, children at Swanson Primary School in Auckland can be seen “climbing trees, riding skateboards and playing bullrush during playtime." 

Aside from successfully encouraging children to be more active during the time alloted for recreational activities, the study has had some unintended positive consequences. 

Since implementing the new no-rule policy, the school has experienced a decrease in instances of bullying, vandalism and injuries. 

The school even claims that the concentration levels in class have increased as a result of the new policy.

Eat a burger, explode a shed---Flatulent cows start fire at German dairy farm

Flatulent cows start fire at German dairy farm - police - Yahoo News:
"BERLIN (Reuters) - Methane gas from 90 flatulent cows exploded in a German farm shed on Monday, damaging the roof and injuring one of the animals, police said.
High levels of the gas had built up in the structure in the central German town of Rasdorf, then "a static electric charge caused the gas to explode with flashes of flames," the force said in a statement.
One cow was treated for burns, a police spokesman added"

History for January 28

History for January 28 - On-This-Day.com:

Birth anniversary of artist Jackson Pollock (1912-56).

Happy Birthday! Alan Alda

1909 - The United States ended direct control over Cuba. 


1915 - The Coast Guard was created by an act of the U.S. Congress to fight contraband trade and aid distressed vessels at sea.

1922 - The National Football League (NFL) franchise in Decatur, IL, transferred to Chicago. The team took the name Chicago Bears.


1938 - The first ski tow started operation in Vermont.


1986 - The U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded just after takeoff. All seven of its crewmembers were killed.


1994 - In Los Angeles, Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg declared a mistrial in the case of Lyle Menendez in the murder of his parents. Lyle, and his brother Erik, were both retried later and were found guilty. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole. 

Lest we forget. The presidents "brown shirts" are still at it.---TaxProf Blog: The IRS Scandal, Day 263

TaxProf Blog: The IRS Scandal, Day 263: "The IRS Scandal, Day 263

• American Thinker:  Liberals Who Love Obama, a 501(c)(4) for the Age of Gangsterism
• Christian Post:  The Left Demands the IRS "Redouble" Targeting Tea Party and Conservative Groups
• Colorado Springs Gazette editorial:  Can We Believe Obama's Words on Policies, Actions?
• News Max: Cleta Mitchell: IRS Targeting Hollywood Conservatives Shows 'Lawless' Agency
• News Max:  Conservatives Cry Foul Over Obama Intimidation of Critics
• Tax Law Home:  Democratic Senator Schumer Calls for Renewed IRS Targeting of Tea Party
• Tuscaloosa News:  IRS Rule on 501(c) (4) Activities Aimed at Conservative Groups
• WND:  Schumer Calls for IRS to Crack Down on Tea Party Funding
• WND:  Targeting Conservatives? It's 'Nixonian'

This ‘Breaking News’ Interruption Of A Congresswoman Mid-Sentence Tells You All You Need To Know About MSNBC « Rat Nation:

"This ‘Breaking News’ Interruption Of A Congresswoman Mid-Sentence Tells You All You Need To Know About MSNBC"

"And MSNBC wonders why it’s a complete laughingstock 

Sometimes, pictures and / or videos speak for themselves. This is clearly one of those times. Besides, I just couldn’t bring myself to give this one away. Hilarious.

Notice that the topic being discussed – prior to the “breaking story” – was the government task force recommendation that the NSA stop collecting the phone records of tens of millions of Americans. Priorities, MSNBC, priorities."

Now we’re all dopes

Now we’re all dopes | Boston Herald:
....If you smoke and it’s not a problem, good for you. Keep tokin’ up. You obviously have no problems maintaining your stash, and no one’s going to bother you.
Just ask Aaron Hernandez. He never got lugged until he started shooting people.
The “George-Washington-used-hemp-to-make-uniforms-for-the-Continental-Army-dude” crowd always claims that marijuana isn’t as dangerous a drug as alcohol.
That’s essentially what Obama said, and it’s true. But so what? Most stoners are also pounding down the Bud Lights big time, at least after working hours. And that’s a problem.
As Bob Dylan once said of combining alcohol and marijuana: “Like a fool I mixed them/ An’ it strangled up my mind/ An’ now people just get uglier/ An’ I have no sense of time.”
Exactly. And you can’t drive worth a damn either.
The libertarian position is that everyone has the unalienable right to get bleeped up. That was Ron Paul’s real platform all those years, not reining in the Federal Reserve.
The only “reserve” his voters cared about was the extra box of Twinkies out in the Volkswagen bus.
The defect with the Ron Paul argument is that we now live in a welfare state. If you decide to quit working and devote your entire stoned life to rolling the perfect joint and deconstructing the collected oeuvre of Jimi Hendrix and his Band of Gypsies, the taxpayers are now on the hook for supporting you.
I am a taxpayer. I protest. Millions of Obama voters are already leeching off me, they’ve got me working like a coal-mine pony. I need a little help here on the second shift.
Sorry dude, I know it’s a bummer, totally, but that’s the way life is — there’s always a lot of sticks, stems and oregano mixed in there with the buds.

Norovirus - What You Need to Know - Cruises - Cruise Critic

Norovirus - What You Need to Know - Cruises - Cruise Critic: "
Norovirus is not a "cruise ship" virus, nor does it limit itself to sea-going vessels.
Norovirus spreads swiftly wherever there are many people in a small area, including nursing homes, restaurants, hotels, dormitories ... and cruise ships.
The common cold is the only illness more common, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimates that there are more than 20 million cases of Norovirus annually.
Norovirus is associated with cruise travel simply because health officials are required to track illnesses on ships (and are not at hotels and resorts); therefore, outbreaks are found and reported more quickly at sea than on land."

Our government screwing us AGAIN!------------------The Certificate of Need Con Job

The Certificate of Need Con Job [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:

The big corporations love increased regulation because it keeps new competitors from entering the market.
Politicians reward corporations with industry-wide regulations in exchange for $$$$$$.
"Using 2009 data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, Bruneau compares per capita health care expenditures in states imposing the Certificate of Need (CON) mandate and states that do not.
The costs are 11 percent higher on average in the CON states, $7,230 per capita compared to $6,526.
To the extent Michigan reflects that average, this means every man, woman and child in this state is paying an extra $704 annually thanks to government rationing."

Advocates of More Education Spending Ignoring Billions in Other Funds

Advocates of More Education Spending Ignoring Billions in Other Funds [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:

"A number of advocates for more state funding for K-12 public education are making claims about cuts, but they're ignoring $2 billion in additional state education funding, which is as much as 30 percent of state funding for some school districts.

The $2 billion is not a part of the state foundation allowance.

 Overall, 20 percent of state spending on education is spent via "categorical grants," which is money districts receive in addition to their foundation allowance. "

They had the money and it still took 7 years to get the governmental approvals!!!-------Biz improvement zones: A concept that's picking up

This is supposed to be a "feel good" story.
Read it.
It ain't!
Biz improvement zones: A concept that's picking up | Crain's Detroit Business:
For seven years, the Southwest Detroit Business Association has been working to relight the 2.3-mile stretch of Vernor between Clark and Patton parks. It raised $6.4 million for the project and is awaiting the final signature on the contract so that construction can begin in April.

"This is our largest-ever infrastructure undertaking in the history of the organization," said Theresa Zajac, vice president of the SDBA. "It couldn't happen soon enough. Every year, every month, our small businesses are like, 'When is it going to start?'" 

DIY cleanup 
The seven-year saga to bring the lights back to Vernor started in 2007, when the 371 commercial property owners along West Vernor, between Woodmere and Clark streets, formed the state's first business improvement district. 
These property owners realized that by pooling their money they could clean up the entire street, removing graffiti, picking up trash and sweeping the sidewalks in the heavily immigrant enclave. So they voted to tax themselves $155,000 per year and hired the SDBA to administer the improvement district. 
That made them just one of thousands of such groups across the country, but the first in Michigan and still the only business improvement district in the city of Detroit. 

MSM in mass therapy because recent mass shooters are not Tea Party lunatics----Columbia Mall Shooter Identified As 19 Year Old Darion Marcus Aguilar

Columbia Mall Shooter Identified As 19 Year Old Darion Marcus Aguilar | Weasel Zippers:

"‘If you were to go in his room you would see what a gentle sweet kid he was,’ she said, adding that he was a vegetarian because he was concerned about animal welfare."

If You Like Your Light Bulb, You Can’t Keep Your Light Bulb

If You Like Your Light Bulb, You Can’t Keep Your Light Bulb | Heartlander Magazine:

Americans Caught by Surprise
A recent study found only 28 percent of the public was aware of the 2007 law that unrealistically raised the minimum efficiency standards for light bulbs to the point where it effectively turned the 25 cent light bulb into contraband. “
In its place,” reports CNS News, “alternative, costly and mercury-filled CFLs are manufactured in China, and incandescent factories in the US have been shuttered.”

The last U.S. incandescent light bulb factory, in Winchester, Virginia, closed in September 2010, leaving 200 well-paid employees feeling they’d been “sold out by the government.”
The GE news release about the closure stated, “A variety of energy regulations that establish lighting efficiency standards are being implemented in the U.S. and other countries and will soon make the familiar lighting products produced at the Winchester Plant obsolete.”
As of January 1, it is now illegal to manufacture or import the traditional incandescent light bulbs in the United States.

This is the thanks they get from their affirmative-action babies. Actually not "thanks". THREATS!---U of Michigan Black Students Threaten Violence if Demands Not Met

U of Michigan Black Students Threaten Violence if Demands Not Met - Uncle Sams Misguided Children
Ann Arbor, Michigan – A group of activist black students at the University of Michigan made threats against the school if their demands are not met. 
Speaking on campus January 20, they gave the school 7 days to meet their demands before they will take “physical actions.”

Demands
The demands were read by student Erick Gavin:
-We demand that the university give us an equal opportunity to implement change, the change that complete restoration of the BSU [Black Student Union] purchasing power through an increased budget would obtain.
-We demand available housing on central campus for those of lower socio-economic status at a rate that students can afford, to be a part of university life, and not just on the periphery.
-We demand an opportunity to congregate and share our experiences in a new Trotter [Multicultural Center] located on central campus.
-We demand an opportunity to be educated and to educate about America’s historical treatment and marginalization of colored groups through race and ethnicity requirements throughout all schools and colleges within the university.
-We demand the equal opportunity to succeed with emergency scholarships for black students in need of financial support, without the mental anxiety of not being able to focus on and afford the university’s academic life.
-We demand increased exposure of all documents within the Bentley (Historical) Library. There should be transparency about the university and its past dealings with race relations.
-We demand an increase in black representation on this campus equal to 10 percent.

Threats

“… Without action, alternatively, we will be forced to engage as an entire community in ways to implement the changes we request. We will allow the university seven days to end negotiations and come to conclusions on our seven demands. If negotiations are not complete we will be forced to do more, beginning to increase valiantly our activism for social progress and take physical actions on the University of Michigan’s campus.” Shayla Scales

The Indians HATE Their New Russian-Made Stealth Fighter

The Indians HATE Their New Russian-Made Stealth Fighter — War is Boring — Medium:

"Russia’s new T-50 stealth fighter is fast, maneuverable, heavily-armed and hard to detect on radar.
In theory.
But according to Indian air force officials, in practice the Sukhoi-made stealth jet is also too expensive, poorly engineered and powered by old and unreliable engines.
The Indians’ complaints illustrate the yawning gulf between stealth warplane design and the actual production of radar-evading jets.
In other words, it’s one thing to sketch an advanced warplane on paper.

It’s quite another to build one and get it to work."

Wheelchair truthers demand Greg Abbott prove he is paraplegic

Wheelchair truthers demand Greg Abbott prove he is paraplegic | The Daily Caller:

"Liberal-leaning “wheelchair truthers” are now suggesting that the Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott is just pretending to be a paraplegic. 
 Tweeters of the world discovered two commenters making the bizarre claim in well-respected Texas-based publications, reports Twitchy.

Abbott is the current attorney general of the Lone Star State and has been a paraplegic for the last 30 years. 
According to the brief biography at his website, he became disabled in 1984 when an oak tree fell on him while he was jogging after a thunderstorm."

Meebee they're payin' a bit too much for their administrators?----------Schools' financial storm: $40 million in cuts not enough for struggling Muskegon County schools

They spend EVERY penny we give them.
And more.
So they're broke again.
And we'll line up to pay out more.
How dumb is that?
Isn't that, alone, proof our schools are failing?
Schools' financial storm: $40 million in cuts not enough for struggling Muskegon County schools | MLive.com:
"Holton Superintendent Jason Kennedy made the tough decision about a year ago to add elementary school principal to his duties -- going against the advice of many of his colleagues.
"It was a $120,000 decision," Kennedy said, referring to the amount of money saved by eliminating the principal position."

China-Japan Conflict Could Lead To War

China-Japan Conflict Could Lead To War - Business Insider:

"I'm far from an expert on the Japan-China conflict, and I'll leave the analyses of this situation to those who are.
All I can tell you is that a respected, smart, and influential Chinese professional suggested at dinner last night that a surgical invasion by China of the disputed islands is justified and would finally settle the Japan-China conflict without triggering a broader war.
And that suggestion freaked out everyone in the room. 

 UPDATE: Around the time I published this post, Gideon Rachman of the Financial Times tweeted the following about an interview with Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan:
-In case you've forgotten, 1914 is when World War 1 started.
Just interviewed Shinzo Abe @Davos. 
He said China and Japan now are in a "similar situation" to UK and Germany before 1914.
— Gideon Rachman (@gideonrachman) January 22, 2014"

Obama to bypass Congress in 2014, rule by agency decree

Obama to bypass Congress in 2014, rule by agency decree | The Daily Caller:
"White House officials say President Barack Obama will aggressively use his control of federal agencies to impose his progressive agenda on the economy and society throughout 2014.

He’ll largely ignore GOP legislators, except to push GOP leaders to accept an amnesty for at least 12 million Democrat-leaning illegal immigrants, according to several White House officials who outlined the strategy to the Washington Post.

“Washington veterans have been brought into the West Wing to emphasize an executive style of governing that aims to sidestep Congress more often,” said the approving Washington Post article."

Rochester district spent $37 million on salaries in 2012-13, while laying off teachers, cutting programs

Rochester district spent $37 million on salaries in 2012-13, while laying off teachers, cutting programs - EAGnews.org powered by Education Action Group Foundation, Inc.:
"In 2013 only four percent of eighth-graders were proficient in math and only six percent in English.
In 2012 the graduation rate was a miserable 43.4 percent.
The district also has serious financial issues.
It was facing a $44 million budget deficit headed into the 2012-13 school year.
That shortfall prompted the layoff of 56 teachers, one year after the layoff of approximately 700 teachers."

...Inflated salaries were not the only questionable expenses for the district in 2012-13. 
District employees also spent $93,226 at hotels throughout the U.S. and $32,630 at travel agencies. 
The district’s restaurant tab came to $103,590, the legal services bill was $155,548 and the entertainment/recreation tab came to $134,961.

Robo-Chauffeurs Could Kill Public Transit As We Know It

Robo-Chauffeurs Could Kill Public Transit As We Know It - The American Interest:
"A recent study by IHS Automotive predicted that nearly every car on the road in 2050 will be self-driving; in that kind of world, in which our nation’s highways are populated by hordes of self-driving vehicles packed tightly together at higher speeds and with greater fuel efficiency, massive investments in rail infrastructure or new bus networks won’t make much sense.
But these investments are already being made in places like California, which is already massively over-budget on a high-speed rail project that will be obsolete from its first day of operation."

WeMOG Monday 1:00PM

Ski at Hoffmaster State Park 1:00 Monday

Meet at the ski trails/covered picnic shelter parking lot at 12:55.

Conditions were awesome today.

Hikers and Snow shoers also welcome

Plan to ski a couple of hours unless really, really, really cold

Hand and toe warmers suggested!

Use your own judgement as to the advisability of driving and braving the cold weather.

‘On fire, D-Man!’ Dennis Miller, others notice something funny about Team USA’s Olympics uniform

‘On fire, D-Man!’ Dennis Miller, others notice something funny about Team USA’s Olympics uniform [pics] | Twitchy:

Amnesty bill lets DHS waive criminal activity by illegal aliens, not U.S. citizens

Amnesty bill lets DHS waive criminal activity by illegal aliens, not U.S. citizens | Conservative Firing LineConservative Firing Line:
"“And while most people’s knowledge of misdemeanor offenses relates to traffic violations, misdemeanors span a wide range of activity.  In Florida, for example, misdemeanor crimes include:

Assault, Fla. Stat. § 784.011;

Assault on law enforcement officers, Fla. Stat. §784.07;

Battery, Fla. Stat. § 784.03;

Stalking, Fla. Stat. § 784.048;

Human smuggling, Fla. Stat. § 787.07;

Unlawful carrying of a chemical weapon or other deadly weapon (non-firearm), Fla. Stat. § 790.01;

Unlawful placing or discharging of a bomb that results in any bodily harm, Fla. Stat. 790.1615;

Unnatural and Lascivious Act, Fla. Stat. §800.02;
and
Exposure of Sexual Organs; Fla. Stat. § 800.03.”

In other words, an illegal alien who sets off a bomb that causes injury can be given amnesty under this bill.  
Nice, huh?"