History for February 8

History for February 8 - On-This-Day.com:
William Tecumsen Sherman 1820 - Union General during U.S. Civil War, Jules Verne 1828, Lana Turner 1921 


Jack Lemmon 1925, James Dean 1931, John Williams 1932 - Composer, conductor 


1861 - The Confederate States of America was formed. 


1896 - The Western Conference was formed by representatives of Midwestern universities. The group changed its name to the Big 10 Conference. 


1904 - The Russo-Japanese War began with Japan attacking Russian forces in Manchuria. 


1910 - William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America. 


1963 - The Kennedy administration prohibited travel to Cuba and made financial and commercial transactions with Cuba illegal for U.S. citizens. 


1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced a plan to re-introduce draft registration. 


1985 - "The Dukes of Hazzard" ended its 6-1/2 year run on CBS television. 


1993 - General Motors sued NBC, alleging that "Dateline NBC" had rigged two car-truck crashes to show that some GM pickups were prone to fires after certain types of crashes. The suit was settled the following day by NBC. 

The Paris Attacks 'Mastermind' Made 2 Horrifying Revelations...Obama NEEDS TO Listen

The Paris Attacks 'Mastermind' Made 2 Horrifying Revelations...Obama NEEDS TO Listen:

"If there were ever an “I told you so” moment regarding President Obama’s plan to flood the country with Muslim immigrants seeking asylum from civil war and terrorism in the Middle East, this could certainly be it.

New information just revealed about the murderous mastermind of the Paris terror attacks in November confirms the worst suspicions of critics fighting Obama’s plan to resettle tens of thousands of Syrian refugees in the United States despite fears that the migrants cannot be adequately vetted."

Michigan Man Accused of Supporting Islamic State Planned to Attack Church: ‘It’s My Dream to Behead Someone’ | TheBlaze.com

Michigan Man Accused of Supporting Islamic State Planned to Attack Church: ‘It’s My Dream to Behead Someone’ | TheBlaze.com:

"DETROIT (TheBlaze/AP) — Authorities have arrested a 21-year-old Michigan man whom they accuse of supporting Islamic State militants and plotting — as well as practicing — to attack a Detroit church.

Khalil Abu-Rayyan, of Dearborn Heights, appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court in Detroit and is jailed pending a Monday hearing. He hasn’t been charged with terrorism-related crimes but has been investigated since May and faces marijuana and gun charges."

How FBI blocks whistleblower fighting dismissal; new bill could help others

How FBI blocks whistleblower fighting dismissal; new bill could help others - The Washington Post
Sometimes Uncle Sam’s rules and regulations just don’t make sense.
Take the case of Darin Jones, a former FBI employee who said he was fired after making whistleblower disclosures about a $234,000 awards ceremony, improper procurement spending and a conflict of interest involving a former assistant director and computer help desk contract among other complaints.
“I was wrongfully terminated from my GS-15 Supervisory Contract Specialist in retaliation for whistleblowing on August 24, 2012, the last day of my one year probationary period,” Jones said.
This story isn’t about whether his allegations are right or wrong, but how the FBI and the Justice Department treats employees who, in good faith, make allegations about waste, fraud and abuse.
Jones’s appeal of his dismissal was rejected because he took his allegations to the wrong place. 
He went to his supervisors, which is reasonable in a rational world.
But the FBI has a list of appropriate places for staffers to take allegations, like the Office of Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility. Jones’s boss wasn’t on the list.
It’s kind of like the FBI refusing to investigate a child’s kidnapping because the parents first called the local police.
In too many cases, FBI whistleblowers are treated like the wrongdoers the FBI hunts, instead of the concerned citizens the FBI needs.
Unlike most other federal employees, FBI staffers who fight adverse personnel actions are subjected to what can be an interminable in-house process, with no outside appeal allowed..."

Obama Goes Out Of His Way To Remove American Flag In The White House... ⋆ US Herald

Obama Goes Out Of His Way To Remove American Flag In The White House... ⋆ US Herald:

"The American flag has been replaced with a bright yellow drape. For whatever reason, Obama is separating himself from the American identity.

Moreover then the obvious visuals and change in décor of the White House, is how Obama has “transformed America” around the world, changing the balance of power and tilting it towards Russia and China, and ailing America with a recognized terrorist state, that of Iran and purposely distancing himself from the middle east’s only true democracy Israel."

Just Say No to Wind Turbines – Birds and Blades

Just Say No to Wind Turbines – Birds and Blades:
Wind energy is not free, not efficient, not safe for humans, not environmentally friendly... 
Wind energy is viewed by many as an alternative energy panacea.
Is it?
Many issues arise from wind turbine power generation.
The wind is touted as free, non-polluting, efficient, a CO2 reduction technique, environmentally friendly, safe for humans, and effective against climate change.
Let’s review today’s facts. 
Please feel free to request primary source material for each of these observations.
The rare earth neodymium is the magnet at the top of the turbine tower.
Chinese rare earth mines kill and maim thousands of workers each year.
Those who survive have extremely high cancer rates.
The mine tailings for the rare earth mines are the most polluted, poisoned places on Planet Earth, according to Chinese environmental organizations.
Visit Baotou, Inner Mongolia, on Google to see the vast polluted lake of poison.
Infrasound, sound below 20 MHz, sickens many who live near wind turbines.
Wind turbine flicker makes others sleepless or ill. 
While turbine set backs are encouraged, little enforcement ensues.
Those people with health complaints are ignored.
More than 260 people have died in wind turbine structural liberations—crash and burns—around the world.
There have been 1,700+ such structural liberations during the past decade.
Significant amounts of pollutants are released during a turbine fire.
The wind industry receives massive tax support (public supported profits!), while rate payers see massive price increases. 
Prices are guaranteed, even when wind does not blow.
...A $40 increase in a monthly electricity bill takes food off the table for poor children and the elderly.
Wind turbines offer intermittent power.
The wind blows irregularly.
Turbines spin only with the wind.
The power grid demands constant power sourcing.
Stand-by generation comes from coal, natural gas, and nuclear power.
These cause increased CO2 emissions, as they must spin in reserve, whether they are in use or waiting. 
Thousands of tons of CO2 are emitted by these stand-by power sources. 
This completely defeats the very climate advantage sought.
Turbines are inefficient. 
At best they convert 12-20% of the potential energy available into electricity.
Their rated capacity overstates their functional capacity by a significant margin.
Yet operators are paid based upon their rated capacity.
Lots more here.
Read on.

More 'cli-fi' in the college classroom: Great (and and not-so-great) climate doomsday stories

More 'cli-fi' in the college classroom: Great (and and not-so-great) climate doomsday stories - The College Fix:
It seems my article from last Saturday about the use of “cli-fi” — climate fiction — stories in various college courses attracted a bit of attention.
...The University of Winnepeg’s Heather Snell’s course description for a class which includes cli-fi is another example:
We study various theoretical and critical strategies for reading YA [Young Adult] texts, including feminist, queer, transgender, postmodern, posthuman, postcolonial, critical race, cli-fi and ecocritical; 
cultural assumptions about children and childhood; trends in educational theory and practice; 
the economic and political contexts of the production, consumption and marketing of YA texts for young adults; and popular culture and media for young adults."

Lunch video-----WINDY Landings || Awesome Go Arounds || Madeira

Noon-toon

Obama Claims Jefferson Wanted Peace With Muslims... But Hides The REAL Truth

Obama Claims Jefferson Wanted Peace With Muslims... But Hides The REAL Truth:

"In a world chock-full of deviousness, it’s hard to know what’s true, what’s false, and what’s missing. One thing for sure, a lot was missing from President Barack Obama’s address at a Baltimore mosque on Wednesday."

Panthers Beat Broncos in Subsidy Bowl 50

Panthers Beat Broncos in Subsidy Bowl 50 | Economics21
As anticipation for Super Bowl 50 builds, one winner has already been decided.
When it comes to what team treats its local taxpayers better, the Carolina Panthers blew out the Denver Broncos.
To determine the winner, we can compare the burdens of direct taxpayer subsidies for the teams’ stadiums.
The Broncos received $400 million (adjusted to 2016 dollars) for Sports Authority Field, or 75 percent of the total cost.
Taxpayers gifted the Panthers $165 million, or 30 percent of Bank of America Stadium’s total bill.
Here’s the breakdown for both teams.
(If your team lost in the playoffs, check out my analysis of the Bengals, Seahawks, Steelers, and Vikings here and Cardinals and Patriots here).
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos play at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium.
Taxpayers took on a $300 million share of the $400 million cost of the stadium when construction began in 2002.
One of the ways this public financing was paid for was through a 0.1 percent sales tax that was applied to taxpayers in six Colorado counties until 2012.
Even though taxpayers funded the majority of the stadium, they are forced to split the $6 million annual profits from naming rights 50-50 with the Broncos.
Instead of the operating revenues going back to the taxpayers, Sports Authority Field’s proceeds go to the Broncos’ billionaire owners, the Bowlen family.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers' home field since 1996, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, was billed as "privately financed," even though the city provided $40 million for land, and the county provided $10 million for building relocation.
In April 2013 the Charlotte City Council voted unanimously to give the Panthers $87.5 million to upgrade their stadium and renovate luxury suites.
In exchange for this handout, the Panthers promised to stay in Charlotte for six more years.
One of the reasons for the package's unanimous approval was a fear that the team would pack up and move to the Los Angeles area.
Maybe now that the St. Louis Rams and the San Diego Chargers are moving to Los Angeles, the commonly-used bargaining chip of threatening to move a NFL team there will finally be off the table. 
However, NFL owners are professionals at extracting public funds. 
Rumor has it that the Oakland Raiders are considering a move to Las Vegas, so it is likely that taxpayer extortion will continue.
Publicly-funded stadiums are not unique to the Broncos and Panthers.
All but two NFL stadiums received direct subsidies for their stadiums (the Jets’ and Giants’ Meadowlands and Patriots’ Gillette Stadium are the exceptions).
The NFL is by far the most valuable sports team in the world.
Team owners do not need taxpayer aid to turn a profit, yet this problem is only growing.
Public funding for stadiums completed in the 2000s was 70 percent higher than for those completed in the 1990s.
League-wide, about 70 percent of the capital cost of NFL stadiums has been provided by taxpayers, not NFL owners.
To see one other example, let’s also take a look at the stadium that will host Super Bowl 50, Levi’s Stadium.
San Francisco 49ers
Read on!

Super Bowl 50 By The Numbers

Super Bowl 50 By The Numbers | WalletHub®:
"This year the National Football League celebrates the golden anniversary of its biggest game – the big game – in our nation’s Golden City.
And as an estimated one million fans descend upon the San Francisco Bay Area for Super Bowl 50, giving new meaning to the term “gold rush,” the game’s past and present prepare to collide.
Not only is Super Bowl 50 a salute to West Coast football, underscoring the recent announcement that two franchises will be moving to the Los Angeles area with the first West Coast Super Bowl since 2002, but it also has the potential to mark a clear transfer of power from elder statesmen such as Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning to the likes of his young and charismatic Panthers counterpart Cam Newton. In short, has “Omaha” fully given way to “dabbing”?"

2016’s Best & Worst Cities for Football Fans

2016’s Best & Worst Cities for Football Fans | WalletHub®:

"To call yourself a true fan of football is to acknowledge that the sport is more than a game: it’s a sacred American tradition.
You’re not just a spectator but also a participant.
You don’t just proudly wear your team’s jersey, perfect your game-day chili or tailgate with fellow fans.
You must roar like an American when your team scores a touchdown — or express supreme dismay when their asses are handed to them on a platter.
But to show your passion for the sport, you need the best seats in the house.
With Super Bowl 50 upon us, WalletHub’s number crunchers compared the 245 of the largest U.S. cities based on 18 key metrics, ranging from the number of NFL and college football teams to average ticket prices. 
Check out the rankings below and our Super Bowl 50 By the Numbers infographic for more interesting facts about the biggest sporting event of the year."

Man's Hilarious Letter to Editor on "12 Reasons I Voted Democratic" Goes Viral...

Man's Hilarious Letter to Editor on "12 Reasons I Voted Democratic" Goes Viral...:

"Anderson’s conclusion was probably the best part of the whole letter: “No trees, Spotted Owls or Red Cock-headed Woodpeckers were harmed in the sending of this message.”

Although entertaining, it’s also quite depressing because most of these points actually illustration how many Democrats think — if that’s the right word — when deciding how to vote."

The Krispy Kreme Bacon Donut Dog Is Unlike Any Hot Dog You’ve Seen Before

The Krispy Kreme Bacon Donut Dog Is Unlike Any Hot Dog You’ve Seen Before – UPROXX:
This mouth-watering beast of a hot dog is being offered to fans at Wilmington Blue Rocks games this season.
For now, it’s being dubbed the “Krispy Kreme Donut Dog,” though the team (a minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals) is looking for more creative names on social media.
The hot dog is sandwiched in between a glazed Krispy Kreme donut, packed with a whole lot of bacon and topped with raspberry jelly.
It’s one of those things where you get fat just looking at it.
See.
Ten pounds right there.
The team has yet to release caloric information, but let’s just say that it exceeds your weekly allowance of fat, sugar, saturated fat, empty calories and everyone just gained five more pounds reading this.

AM Fruitcake

History for February 7

History for February 7 - On-This-Day.com:
Sir Thomas More 1478, John Deere 1804, Sinclair Lewis 1885 


Gay Talese 1932, Garth Brooks 1962, Ashton Kutcher 1978 


1795 - The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.


1893 - Elisha Gray patented a machine called the telautograph. It automatically signed autographs to documents.


1913 - The Turks lost 5,000 men in a battle with the Bulgarian army in Gallipoli.


1922 - DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace offered 5,000 copies of "Reader's Digest" magazine for the first time.


1943 - The U.S. government announced that shoe rationing would go into effect in two days.


1944 - During World War II, the Germans launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy.


1984 - Space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk.


1985 - "New York, New York" became the official anthem of New York City.

Glenn Beck Explains Why He Believes California Flipped From a Red State to a Blue State | Video | TheBlaze.com

Glenn Beck Explains Why He Believes California Flipped From a Red State to a Blue State | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"Beck believes the reason President Barack Obama has not aggressively pursued immigration reform is because he has to “flood this country with people” for the upcoming presidential election.

“With what this president is doing, he knows now, the amnesty thing is in trouble. I’ve got to flood this country with people. So now he’s telling people, ‘Stand down,’ and he’s flooding our nation. Our culture is at stake,” Beck concluded."

Little Evidence That Unions Make Workers Safer

Little Evidence That Unions Make Workers Safer [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
Are workers safer when they’re forced to pay union fees in order to have a job?
Repeating a talking point used in Michigan and other states, union leaders at the AFL-CIO are warning West Virginians a right-to-work law would lead to more injuries and deaths on the job.
Right-to-work prevents unions from having workers fired for refusing to pay union fees. 
Right-to-work doesn’t restrict union membership or negotiations over safety equipment, training, or anything else.
Recent federal data show workplace injury and fatality rates continuing a decades-long decline in right-to-work and forced unionization states alike.
The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics nonfatal work injury figures are from 2014, just one year after Michigan implemented right-to-work and two years after Indiana did so.
Michigan’s nonfatal occupational injury rate was 4.1 per 100,000 full-time employees in 2012, the year before right-to-work took effect.
The state’s nonfatal work injury rate declined to 3.8 in 2013 and 3.7 in 2014.
In 2011 – the year before Indiana’s right-to-work law took effect – Indiana had a nonfatal work injury rate of 4.3 per 100,000 full-time employees.
That rate dropped to 4.0 in 2012, dropped again to 3.8 in 2013, and was 4.0 in 2014.
Not only have new right-to-work states reported declining workplace injury rates,  in many cases right-to-work states are statistically safer than forced unionization states..."

If We’re All So Connected, Why are Our Kids so Lonely?

If We’re All So Connected, Why are Our Kids so Lonely? | Intellectual Takeout:
"Heading out on an overnight school trip, my daughter spent 90 minutes each way on the bus with her classmates.
Before the trip, the school laid out the electronic use policy—students would be allowed to use iPhones and iPads on the drive to and from their retreat but not during their stay.
A few parents questioned the need for devices at all—can’t they talk to each other for 90 minutes?—but the policy stood.
 I sent my daughter off with a few books, a journal, and pens.
When she returned, the review was glowing: the place where they stayed was awesome, she loved having roommates (“Maybe we can look at some sleep-away camps this summer?”), the food was yummy, and the classes were fun.
Everything was great—except for the bus ride. 
“I was one of only a few kids who didn’t have an iPhone or iPad,” she told me.
I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, “That’s OK.”
But clearly it wasn’t.
“It’s lonely when everyone else is on a device except you,” came her serious reply."

Fiery ‘Christian Patrol’ Group That Clashed With Muslims Takes to the Streets Again for ‘Victims of Terror’ March. Here’s What Happened. | TheBlaze.com

Fiery ‘Christian Patrol’ Group That Clashed With Muslims Takes to the Streets Again for ‘Victims of Terror’ March. Here’s What Happened. | TheBlaze.com:

“I’ve had enough of no-go zones. I’ve had enough of Muslim appeasement. I’ve had enough of burqas and being told I look like an [inaudible] because my eyes aren’t the only thing you can see,” group leader Jayda Fransen shouted from a podium. ”I’ve had enough of going to every eating establishment and being told they’re selling halal. Why are they selling halal? This is Britain! We don’t eat halal meat in Britain!”

She continued, “Their ideology prevents integration into our way of life. It does not conform with western values. It never will.”

The Ethanol Mandate Is Literally Impossible

The Ethanol Mandate Is Literally Impossible | Foundation for Economic Education
The fantastic, scandalous, contradictory history of ethanol
In recent years, politicians set impossibly high mandates for the amounts of ethanol motorists must buy in 2022, while also setting impossibly high standards for the fuel economy of cars sold in 2025.
To accomplish these conflicting goals, motorists are now given tax credits to drive heavily-subsidized electric cars, even as they will supposedly be required to buy more and more ethanol-laced fuel each year.
Why have such blatantly contradictory laws received so little criticism, if not outrage? 
Probably because ethanol mandates and electric car subsidies are lucrative sources of federal grants, loans, subsidies and tax credits for “alternative fuels” and electric cars.
Those on the receiving end lobby hard to keep the gravy train rolling while those paying the bills lack the same motivation to become informed, or to organize and lobby.
Read on!

Karl Marx the Most Assigned Text at Michigan Colleges

Karl Marx the Most Assigned Text at Michigan Colleges [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
According to the Open Syllabus Project, a database of over 1 million college course outlines from the past decade, Karl Marx’s “The Communist Manifesto” is the most frequently assigned book on Michigan college campuses.
The book appears in the syllabi of 90 Michigan college courses, nine more than “Frankenstein,” by Mary Shelley.
One book is about a grotesque experiment thrust upon the world with tragic consequences, and the other is the classic novel “Frankenstein.”
The Open Syllabus Project is not fully comprehensive.
It notes, “Our matching algorithms also have some difficulty with short titles based on commonly-used words, and more so when these lack an author. This affects a very small number of works, but some significant ones like 'The Bible' and 'The Constitution.' ”
The book (Marx not Shelley) calls for the “abolition of individuality and freedom” and an end to the capitalist system, and can be purchased on the website www.MarxistBooks.com.

Lunch video-----Sanders Supporters Have No Clue What Socialism Is

Noon-toon

How Much Do Bernie Sanders Supporters Really Know About the Socialist Candidate? Jesse Watters Finds Out | TheBlaze.com

How Much Do Bernie Sanders Supporters Really Know About the Socialist Candidate? Jesse Watters Finds Out | TheBlaze.com:

"During a segment on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” Thursday, Jesse Watters asked students at the University of Oregon why they support Democratic presidential candidate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who describes himself as a Democratic socialist."