History for August 24

History for August 24 - On-This-Day.com:
Yasser Arafat 1929, Mason Williams 1938, Anne Archer 1947 - Actress 


Steve Guttenberg 1958 - Actor, Cal Ripken, Jr. 1960 - Baseball player, Marlee Matlin 1965 - Actress 


0079 - Mount Vesuvius erupted killing approximately 20,000 people. The cities of Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum were buried in volcanic ash. 


0410 - The Visigoths overran Rome. This event symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. 


1814 - Washington, DC, was invaded by British forces that set fire to the White House and Capitol. 


1869 - A patent for the waffle iron was received by Cornelius Swarthout. 


1932 - Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the U.S. non-stop. The trip from Los Angeles, CA to Newark, NJ, took about 19 hours. 


1949 - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) went into effect. The agreement was that an attack against on one of the parties would be considered "an attack against them all." 


1954 - The Communist Party was virtually outlawed in the U.S. when the Communist Control Act went into effect. 


1989 - Pete Rose, the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, was banned from baseball for life after being accused of gambling on baseball. 


1995 - Microsoft's "Windows 95" went on sale. 


2005 - The planet Pluto was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Pluto's status was changed due to the IAU's new rules for an object qualifying as a planet. Pluto met two of the three rules because it orbits the sun and is large enough to assume a nearly round shape. However, since Pluto has an oblong orbit and overlaps the orbit of Neptune it disqualified Pluto as a planet. 

‘Trump Has Energized the Middle’ — Chris Matthews’ Brother Schools the MSNBC Host on Why Trump is Leading | Video | TheBlaze.com

‘Trump Has Energized the Middle’ — Chris Matthews’ Brother Schools the MSNBC Host on Why Trump is Leading | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"Why is Donald Trump leading in the GOP 2016 Presidential polls? That question vexes many political pundits, especially MSNBC’s elder statesman, Chris Matthews.

Friday night, just prior to Trump taking the stage in Mobile, Alabama for a campaign event, Matthews shared a note he received from his brother Charlie, explaining the billionaire’s popularity.

Matthews prefaced the reading of Charlie’s note stating he’s brother has had, “a lifetime, uncanny ability to pick presidential winners — who he votes for wins.”

The note reads:"

Sooooo, this is feminism?------Women to parade topless through New York in the name of feminism

Women to parade topless through New York in the name of feminism - Life & Style - NZ Herald News: "Women will parade topless through the streets of New York on Sunday, flashing their breasts in the name of feminist liberation as they celebrate annual GoTopless Day.
The marches are organised by women's rights group GoTopless, which campaigns for women to be able to go shirtless across the world.
It is already legal for women to bare their breasts in public in America's biggest city, and police will seal off the route of the parade from Columbus Circle to Bryant Park, organisers said.
Dozens of people are expected to take part when the march begins at 12.30 pm.
Parallel events will take place in Los Angeles' Venice Beach as well as other US and European cities.
"People should not feel that it needs to be a taboo" to go topless, said the head of the group's New York chapter, Rachel Jessee, who is also an actress, model and performer.
"It's a human right, and women should be created equally, but a lot of people view it as something very sexual.""

Hillary Clinton’s Email Scandal Reveals a More Urgent Problem | TheBlaze.com

Hillary Clinton’s Email Scandal Reveals a More Urgent Problem | TheBlaze.com:

"I’m not asking us to overlook Clinton. She’s been reckless with government secrets, and her excuses are ridiculous. The fact that items are sometimes retroactively tagged as classified is all the more reason she should have secured every last bit of information that passed through her email account. Her dismissive “Like with a cloth or something” remark will likely be her “I did not have sex with that woman” moment.

And the State Department situation is a further avenue to criticize Clinton. Most of us would have been aghast at the idea of government secrets being handled with so little oversight. Not Clinton. Where others would have seen a problem that needed fixing for the sake of the country, Clinton saw an opportunity to make life easier for herself."

Reporter: Using the term ‘anchor baby’ is offensive. Trump: Boo Hoo, I’m using it.

Reporter: Using the term ‘anchor baby’ is offensive. Trump: Boo Hoo, I’m using it.
As you’re no doubt aware, saying ‘Donald Trump isn’t interested in political correctness’ is a little bit of an understatement. 
The one constant in his campaign has been that he says what he wants, how he wants, and if you’re going to try to challenge him on it, you’re in for a struggle. 
The press can’t stand this, because they know his attitude resonates with voters. 
So, when he outlined his plans to deal with illegal immigration, they were ready to pounce.
Trump gave them an opening by using the term “anchor baby” during his press conference.  Evidently, the phrase “Anchor baby” is now one of those not-really-offensive phrases over which progressive can express their completely phony outrage.

“You said that you have a big heart, and that you’re not mean-spirited,” The reporter said. “Are you aware that the term ‘anchor baby,’ that’s an offensive term?
People find that hurtful.”
Trump, true to form, wasn’t interested in playing the PC game.
“You mean it’s not politically correct, and yet everybody uses it?” he said.
“So, you know what?
Give me a different term.
Give me a different term.
What else would you like me to say?”

The reporter suggested that Trump should refer to them as “The American-born child of an undocumented immigrant.”
“You want me to say that,” Trump mocked.  
“OK, No.  
I’ll use the word Anchor Baby...”

Animal rights activist beaten with duck in Spain

Animal rights activist beaten with duck in Spain - Yahoo News:
"Madrid (AFP) - An animal rights activist was beaten with a duck by a Spanish woman defending one of the country's most bizarre and controversial festival traditions.
The man was whacked with the bird while he filmed the annual "duck chase" in the Catalonian seaside town of Roses, where every August ducks are thrown into the Mediterranean and then caught and brought back to the shore by swimmers.
"Continue, continue. Continue to abuse, I am filming you. A little bit of empathy for the animals.
They also have a life, like your children or your family," the man who was filming can be heard saying in a video of the incident released by animal rights group Animal Rescue Espana.
The footage shows a young woman wearing a white bathing suit attack the man with a duck -- holding it by the legs as she repeatedly lashes him with it.

What Would Happen if a Massive Solar Storm Hit the Earth?

What Would Happen if a Massive Solar Storm Hit the Earth?
We all know that major storms can wreak havoc, flooding cities and decimating infrastructure. But there’s an even bigger worry than wind and rain: space weather.
If a massive solar storm hit us, our technology would be wiped out. 
The entire planet could go dark.
“We’re much more reliant on technology these days that is vulnerable to space weather than we were in the past,” said Thomas Berger, director of the Space Weather Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
He told Gizmodo, “If we were hit by an extreme event today, it’d be very difficult to respond.”
“Solar storm” is a generic term used to describe a bunch of stuff the Sun hurls our way, including x-rays, charged particles, and magnetized plasma.
A massive solar storm hasn’t hit the Earth since the mid-19th century, but space weather scientists are very worried about the possibility of another.
A solar storm usually starts with a solar flare — a giant explosion on the surface of the sun that sends energy and particles streaming off into space.
...One of the most powerful flares measured with modern instruments took place during a solar maximum in 2003.
It was so large it maxed out our satellite sensors, which registered an X-28 (28 types larger than an X-1 flare, which itself is 10 times greater than an M1 flare).
...But even that 1989 storm looks puny in comparison to the Carrington event, a geomagnetic storm that zapped the Earth 156 years ago.
At the time, the damage wasn’t too bad.
But a Carrington-sized storm today could spell disaster.
The Carrington event of September, 1859 is named for Richard Carrington, the English astronomer who saw the sun flare up with his own eyes.
In the days following Carrington’s observation, a series of powerful CMEs hit the Earth head-on, igniting the northern lights as far south as Cuba.
Currents electrified telegraph lines, shocked technicians, set telegraph papers on fire, and caused widespread communications outages..."

A map showing the at-risk transformer capacity by state for a 4800 nT/min geomagnetic field disturbance. Regions with high percentages of at-risk capacity could experience long-duration outages extending for several years. Image Credit: J. Keppenman, Metatech Corp

Tense Video: Ted Cruz Gets Into Surprise Confrontation With Hollywood Actress Over Gay Rights at Iowa State Fair | Video | TheBlaze.com

Tense Video: Ted Cruz Gets Into Surprise Confrontation With Hollywood Actress Over Gay Rights at Iowa State Fair | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"Page, wearing sunglasses and a hat, reportedly snuck up on Cruz as he was grilling pork chops at the fair.

“What about the question about LGBT people being fired for being gay-trans?” the actress asked.
Cruz responded, “Well, what we’re seeing right now, we’re seeing Bible-believing Christians being persecuted for living according to their faith.”

STONEWALLED: Feds Hide Fiscal Details About Vast Operation To Resettle Illegal Alien Minors

STONEWALLED: Feds Hide Fiscal Details About Vast Operation To Resettle Illegal Alien Minors - Breitbart:
Illegal aliens who show up at the border have been resettled all across United States of America instead of being detained and deported, as Donald Trump recently called for in his new immigration plan.
According to data from the Justice Department obtained by Breitbart News, 96 percent of Central Americans caught illegally crossing into the country last summer are still in the United States. 
Now Breitbart News has learned exclusively that a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from a pro-security group about the cost of this operation is being stonewalled.
...The federal agency, however, refused to answer many of these questions– instead only partially answering two of the five requests. 
The agency provided only the costs of transporting, transferring and removing illegal minors, as well as the costs of the man-hours such tasks required.
Those costs totaled $58.2 million—quadrupling ICE’s costs of $15.6 million in the year previous.

Another EPA disaster, this time in rural Georgia

Another EPA disaster, this time in rural Georgia - Watchdog.org:
Still reeling from a disaster it created at a Colorado gold mine, the EPA has so far avoided criticism for a similar toxic waste spill in Georgia.
In Greensboro, EPA-funded contractors grading a toxic 19th-century cotton mill site struck a water main, sending the deadly sediment into a nearby creek.
Though that accident took place five months ago, the hazard continues as heavy storms — one hit the area Tuesday — wash more soil into the creek.
The sediment flows carry dangerous mercury, lead, arsenic and chromium downstream to Lake Oconee and then to the Oconee River — home to many federally and state protected species.
Lead in the soil at the project site is 20,000 times higher than federal levels established for drinking water, said microbiologist Dave Lewis, who was a top-level scientist during 31 years at the Environmental Protection Agency.
...But while the nation is transfixed by the bright orange waterways in otherwise pristine Colorado wilderness, little attention has been paid to the unfolding Greensboro disaster.
...The Environmental Protection Agency has denied — but now admits — that it funded the cleanup and development project the triggered the catastrophe.
...“There is no federal agency involved with this project at the mill property,” EPA Regional Administrator Heather McTeer Toney wrote Lewis on Jan. 9.
“This property does not warrant federal action at this time.”

...Five months later, in a May 28 letter to Lewis, Toney admitted the program was an “EPA brownfields grant-funded project” and that “remediation must be conducted in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment.”
...And involving lead, it appears that the EPA is violating its own standards. 
The agency prohibits release of untreated lead-laden water into the waterways and cites the Clean Water Act, saying:
“The CWA prohibits anyone from discharging pollutants, including lead, through a point source into a water of the United States unless they have a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System(NPDES) permit.”

Perverting science to destroy our way of life-----Naomi Klein admits global warming is not about science but destroying capitalism

Naomi Klein admits global warming is not about science but destroying capitalism | Green Jihad
The Heartland Institute published a very revealing article about Leftist shock jock Naomi Klein who just published a new anti-capitalst screed entitled This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. 
Essentially, Ms. Klein admits that the issue of climate change (formerly known as global warming) is not about science but really about overthrowing capitalism.

“Our economic model is at war with the Earth,” writes Klein. 
“We cannot change the laws of nature. But we can change our economy. 
Climate change is our best chance to demand and build a better world.”

....I am sure Ms. Klein has no problem traveling by plane, car, or train in order to promote herself or her publications. 
If global warming is not about science then I guess, in Klein’s mind, her promotion without regard for her carbon footprint is justified since if people like her are successful then her emissions won’t matter. 
Yet she has no problem enjoying all of the benefits of capitalism while condemning it in word but not deed. However, those of us on the side of civilization and reason owe people like Klein a debt of gratitude for their honesty. 
Naomi Klein is open about what environmentalists deny or refuse to admit and the greens probably cringe every time she opens her pathetic mouth.

Ms. Klein isn’t the first to communicate the Left’s blunt honesty about climate change. 
During October of last year, PJMedia posted this revealing article soon after a climate change event in Oakland, California. 
The article reveals a strong far Left presence at the ceremony during September 21st. 
Here is a video of the keynote speaker taken at the gathering:

New Planned Parenthood Video ‘Trailer’ Released After Court Decision | Video | TheBlaze.com

New Planned Parenthood Video ‘Trailer’ Released After Court Decision | Video | TheBlaze.com:

“The American people deserve to know the truth about the hideous industry that buys and sells the hearts, lungs, heads, and livers of unborn babies,” Life Legal Defense Foundation Vice President of Legal Affairs Catherine Short said in a statement. “The Center for Medical Progress should not be silenced and StemExpress and Planned Parenthood should not be able to get off the hook when there is credible evidence that they have colluded in numerous illegal activities.”

History for August 23

History for August 23 - On-This-Day.com:
Louis XVI (France) 1754, Oliver Hazard Perry 1785, Gene Kelly 1912 


Richard Sanders 1940 - Actor ("WKRP in Cincinnati"), Keith Moon 1947 - Musician (The Who), Shelley Long 1949 - Actress ("Cheers") 


1902 - Fannie Merrit Farmer opened her cooking school, Miss Farmer’s School of Cookery, in Boston, MA. 


1904 - Hard D. Weed patented the grip-tread tire chain for cars. 


1939 - Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression treaty. 






1979 - Soviet dancer Alexander Godunov defected while the Bolshoi Ballet was on tour in New York City. 


1982 - The parliament of Lebanon elected Bashir Bemayel president. He was assassinated three weeks later. 


1987 - Robert Jarvik and Marilyn Mach vos Savant were married. The event was called the "Union of Great Minds" since Savant had an IQ of 228 and Jarvik was the inventor of the artificial heart. 


1990 - President Saddam Hussein appeared on Iraqi state television with a group of Western detainees that he referred to as "guests." He told the group that they were being held "to prevent the scourge of war." 


1993 - It was confirmed by Los Angeles police that Michael Jackson was the subject of a criminal investigation. 


1996 - U.S. President Clinton imposed limits on peddling cigarettes to children. 


1998 - Protestors in Sudan carried a sign that bore the resemblance of Monica Lewinsky and the words "No War for Monika." The anti-U.S. demonstration was in Khartoum, Sudan. 

Ted Cruz Just Heard This Detail Of Obama’s Iran Deal And Snapped – ‘Enough...’

Ted Cruz Just Heard This Detail Of Obama’s Iran Deal And Snapped – ‘Enough...’:

“The most recent revelation that Iran will be selecting its own inspectors to verify the nature of its nuclear program,” he stated, “is made all the more egregious by the fact that, as the single largest contributor to the [International Atomic Energy Agency] (support that is mandated in the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]) United States taxpayers will be paying for a farce that is a direct threat to their own security.”

July Was The 51st Hottest Since 1895 In The US

July Was The 51st Hottest Since 1895 In The US | Real Science:
"July was the 51st warmest since 1895 in the US.
The two hottest July’s were 1901 and 1936"

Packing heat in Detroit: Motown residents answer police chief's call to arms

Packing heat in Detroit: Motown residents answer police chief's call to arms | Fox News:
"Detroit resident Darrell Standberry doesn't navigate streets of the Motor City without his licensed handgun, and it already has saved his life once.
“I never leave home without my weapon,” he said.
“You never know when or what you’ll encounter.”
It was 2011, when Standberry stopped at a gas station on Six Mile Road after attending his son’s football practice.
After filling up the tank of his SUV, he left the car running and went inside to pay, only to spot a man jumping in behind the wheel.
...“I saw him pulling out his gun to shoot me,” Standberry recalled. 
“So I pulled my gun out and shot him.”
The shot went through the windshield and hit its target, a criminal with a long record who made a short-lived getaway before crashing into a tree and dying.
Standberry’s claim of self-defense was never questioned by local cops.
...“When you look at the city of Detroit, we’re kind of leading the way in terms of urban areas with law-abiding citizens carrying guns,” Craig said recently..."

Wow: AP Confirms Secret Side Deal Allows Iran to Inspect Itself at Key Nuclear Site - Guy Benson

Wow: AP Confirms Secret Side Deal Allows Iran to Inspect Itself at Key Nuclear Site - Guy Benson:

"Secretary of State John Kerry has dodged questions about what these bonus bargains entail, and which US officials are privy to their contents. The Associated Press is now confirming that the IAEA has agreed to allow Iran to effectively inspect itself at the controversial Parchin nuclear site, within the context of accounting for the past military dimensions of the regime's nuclear program. Details:"

How US Sugar Policies Just Helped America Lose 600 Jobs

How US Sugar Policies Just Helped America Lose 600 Jobs
The manufacturer of Oreo cookies recently announced plans to move production of Oreos from Chicago to Mexico, resulting in a loss of 600 U.S. jobs.
This should be a wake-up call to defenders of the U.S. sugar program and other job-destroying trade barriers.
The leading ingredient in Oreos is sugar, and U.S. trade barriers currently require Americans to pay twice the average world prices for sugar.
Sugar-using industries now have a big incentive to relocate from the United States to countries where access to their primary ingredient is not restricted.
According to a 2006 report from the government’s International Trade Administration:
“Chicago, one of the largest U.S. cities for confectionery manufacturing, has lost nearly one-third of its SCP manufacturing jobs over the last 13 years... 
...That lesson appears to be lost on unions that are supposed to represent the workers losing their jobs in Chicago.
For example, The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union consistently has opposed free trade agreements with sugar-producing countries like Australia, Brazil, and Mexico—the kind of trade deals that just might protect their members’ jobs.
So that’s how the cookie crumbles."

Gut Feeling? Hillary Clinton will be Charged - She’s in Serious Trouble - Eagle Rising

Gut Feeling? Hillary Clinton will be Charged - She’s in Serious Trouble - Eagle Rising:

"If his gut feeling is that Hillary Clinton will be charged with a crime… then folks, she probably will be!
Here’s what he had to say:
Of the emails she did not erase, there are “about 300 that are seriously questionable… we know that at least one of them contains “top secret” material…”
When host Steve Doocy asks if Judge Napolitano’s “judicial gut” feeling is that Hillary Clinton will be charged with a crime, Napolitano responded with a simple “Yes.”"

Three EM’s (emerging markets) Crumbling—– Brazil, Turkey And Malaysia

Three EM’s Crumbling—– Brazil, Turkey And Malaysia | David Stockman's Contra Corner:
"As the great EM unwind continues unabated, we’ve noted that in some hard-hit countries, the terrible trio of falling commodity prices, decelerating Chinese demand, and looming Fed hike has been exacerbated by political turmoil.
In Brazil, for instance, President Dilma Rousseff’s approval rating is at 8% and voters are calling for her impeachment amid allegations of fiscal book cooking and corruption at Petrobras where she was chairwoman for seven years.
This comes as the BRL looks set for further weakness and as the country grapples with stagflation and dual deficits.
In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has brought the country to the brink of civil war in an effort to nullify a strong showing at the ballot box by the pro-Kurdish HDP.
In the process, he’s managed to put the lira under more pressure than it might already be under and indeed, the currency is putting in new lows against the dollar on almost daily basis.
Now, we turn to Malaysia where, as we documented exactly a week ago, the situation is tenuous at best and nearing a veritable meltdown at worst. 
As a reminder, here’s what happened last Friday:"

Here’s How 64 Percent of Blacks Responded When Asked to Choose Between ‘Black Lives Matter’ or ‘All Lives Matter’ | TheBlaze.com

Here’s How 64 Percent of Blacks Responded When Asked to Choose Between ‘Black Lives Matter’ or ‘All Lives Matter’ | TheBlaze.com:

"The results were published just a little more than a year to the day that unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer, sparking racially charged protests across the country.

Participants in the survey were also asked whether they think politicians talk about racial issues to get out in front of real problems or just to get elected. You can read the results from that question here."

How they "think"-----California drought: Climate change plays a role, study says. But how big?

California drought: Climate change plays a role, study says. But how big? - LA Times
A growing number of scientists have made the claim that climate change is at least partly responsible for California's crippling drought.
Now researchers have estimated the extent to which humans are to blame: between 8% and 27%.
In other words, without heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions causing temperatures to rise, the drought would have been 8% to 27% less severe than it is, said John Abatzoglou, a University of Idaho climate researcher and coauthor of a study published Thursday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
"By knowing how much global warming has contributed to the trend in California drought conditions over the past century, we can reliably predict how the future will play out," said A. Park Williams, a bioclimatologist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory who led the study..."

From The Paper Chase To Dumb And Dumber: Are Lawyers (And Law Students) Getting Dumber?

TaxProf Blog:

"Last August, the tens of thousands of answer sheets from the bar exam started to stream into the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
The initial results were so glaringly bad that staffers raced to tell their boss, Erica Moeser. ...
By the time all the states published their numbers, it was clear that the July exam had been a disaster everywhere.
Scores on the multiple-choice part of the test registered their largest single-year drop in the four-decade history of the test."

Michigan Education Association Has Lost 34,000 Members in Last 10 Years

Michigan Education Association Has Lost 34,000 Members in Last 10 Years [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"In 2005, the Michigan Education Association had 130,882 voting (active) members that were teachers and support professionals.
According to recent disclosure documents, in 2015 the state's largest teachers union has 96,561 members, a decline of about 34,000 since 2005, or 26 percent.
There are four main reasons for the decline.
1) Fewer students.
2) Fewer teachers.
3) Privatization.
4) Right-to-work..."

Biomedical Doctor Reveals Shocking ‘Suspicion’ Surrounding the Harvesting of Aborted Baby Organs | TheBlaze.com

Biomedical Doctor Reveals Shocking ‘Suspicion’ Surrounding the Harvesting of Aborted Baby Organs | TheBlaze.com:

"Deisher said that the process, as far as she is concerned, likely wouldn’t be possible if a baby were to be killed in utero and then harvested afterward. She said it likely involves removing the heart, flushing the blood out and cleaning the organ.

“You just can’t do that if the baby has been killed in utero … think of that timing,” she said. “Because of that, I have suspected for years that, in some instances, these babies are alive when they are dissected and harvested.”

Dow 5,000? Yes, it could happen

Dow 5,000? Yes, it could happen - MarketWatch:
"Don’t be surprised if stock markets stabilize or bounce back in the next couple of days.
Markets are due at least a short-term rally after this week’s dramatic plunge.
This usually happens after a sell-off, no matter what the next big move is going to be.
It doesn’t mean anything.
But anyone who automatically assumes this is another easy “buying opportunity” is talking nonsense.
For the past couple of years, Wall Street’s perma-bulls have had it their way.
They’ve been gloating openly as stocks went up and up and up, seemingly without pause.

It got to the point that those warning about valuations and danger signs had been mocked into silence — or were simply ignored.
Not now.
I don’t mean to be alarmist or to induce panic, but someone needs to tell the public that there is a plausible scenario in which the U.S. stock market now collapses by another 70% until the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls to about 5,000. 
The index tumbled more than 3% to 16,460 on Friday.
Dow 5,000?
Really?"