History for April 14

History for April 14 - On-This-Day.com:
Anne Mansfield Sullivan 1866 - "The Miracle Worker", famous for teaching Helen Keller to read, write and speak, Arnold (Joseph) Toynbee 1889 - Historian, author, Frank Serpico 1934


Loretta Lynn 1935 - Country singer, first woman to earn the CMA's Entertainer of the Year award, Pete Rose (Peter Edward Rose) 1941 - Baseball player, Anthony Michael Hall 1968 - Actor (Movies:"Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club", TV:"The Dead Zone")


1828 - The first edition of Noah Webster's dictionary was published under the name "American Dictionary of the English Language."


1860 - The first Pony Express rider arrived in San Francisco with mail originating in St. Joseph, MO.


1865 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. He actually died early the next morning.


1902 - James Cash (J.C.) Penney opened his first retail store in Kemmerer, WY. It was called the Golden Rule Store.


1912 - The Atlantic passenger liner Titanic, on its maiden voyage hit an iceberg and began to sink. 1,517 people lost their lives and more than 700 survived.


1925 - WGN became the first radio station to broadcast a regular season major league baseball game. The Cubs beat the Pirates 8-2.


1939 - The John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was first published.


1986 - U.S. President Reagan announced the U.S. air raid on military and terrorist related targets in Libya.

3 More California Cities Vote to Opt Out of State's Sanctuary Law | Fox News Insider

3 More California Cities Vote to Opt Out of State's Sanctuary Law | Fox News Insider:

"The Newport Beach city council voted unanimously earlier this week to challenge California's sanctuary law, joining a dozen other cities that are not interested in complying with the sanctuary policies.
It's the third city in the past two days to take such action, joining about a dozen others in recent weeks. "

The way we were-----Earth Angel - The Penguins

Boob-tube-----Inner Sanctum (1948) [Film Noir] [Mystery]

Detroit People Mover workers tripled salaries with overtime

Detroit People Mover workers tripled salaries with overtime:

"The highest-paid employee of the Detroit People Mover last year was a maintenance worker who earned $174,602 — more than triple base salary — thanks to substantial overtime, according to records obtained by a conservative newsletter.

Michigan Capitol Confidential, the news site of the conservative Mackinac Center for Public Policy think tank, received the salary information through a public records request filed with the Detroit Public Transportation Corp., the agency that runs the People Mover...

Here's what the newsletter found:

• The highest-earning employee, an "electronic technician II,"  made $174,602 — $117,382 more than the employee's base salary of $57,220. 
• Three of the four maintenance shift supervisors took home six figures while having an annual base salary of $61,131: one made $105,456; another, $135,395; the third, $161,368.
• Four people with the title "mechanical technician" also made significantly more than their base salary of $46,404, with two earning six-figure amounts — $111,182 and the other $105,109 — and two just shy of 100,000, making $94,322 and $95,184.
• Two "system control operators" earned $102,729 and $100,962, while having base salaries of $53,144.

By comparison, the People Mover's general manager made $119,565.

...Alexander said that the agency did not overspend its budget but did spend 16 times more than it earned in revenue from user fares. 

...The People Mover costs $25.4 million to operate, according to National Transit Database.

• Chart: Where Home Buyers Need Deep Pockets | Statista

• Chart: Where Home Buyers Need Deep Pockets | Statista
"For many young people across the United States, the prospect of home ownership is becoming an increasingly distant dream. 
A recent Unison report found that it's more costly than ever to purchase a new home with coastal cities worst affected. 
...It found that prospective buyers would need highest salary in New York where an average home would require a salary of $418,000 today, the least affordable city nationwide. 
...It isn't all negative, however, and it will certainly come as a relief to know that some cities are bucking the trend of high property prices. 
Chicago is a good example with the salary required to purchase a home there just $64,948. 
...At the very opposite end of the scale, Detroit is one of the cheapest major U.S. cities for home-buyers. 
Someone searching for a house or an apartment there would only need a salary of $8,328.
Read all.

Jerry Brown, Andrew Cuomo use pardons to circumvent immigration laws, prevent deportations - Washington Times

Jerry Brown, Andrew Cuomo use pardons to circumvent immigration laws, prevent deportations - Washington Times:

"Dan Cadman, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, said veteran cases are tricky, and leniency might be appropriate in some instances, but an honorable discharge shouldn’t be the only bar to cross.
“I have a lot of unanswered questions in this particular case,” he said.
In general, he said, granting pardons to help people escape immigration consequences “seems to me an egregious misuse of the pardon authority.”"

Report: Many state pension systems have huge funding gaps

Report: Many state pension systems have huge funding gaps
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — A public employee pension crisis for state governments has deepened to a record level even after nearly nine years of economic recovery for the nation, according to a study released Thursday, leaving many states vulnerable if the economy hits a downturn.
The massive unfunded pension liabilities are becoming a real problem not just for public-sector retirees and workers concerned about their future but also for everyone else.
As states try to prop up their pension funds, it means less money is available for core government services such as education, public safety and parks.
The annual report from the Pew Charitable Trusts finds that public worker pension funds with heavy state government involvement owed retirees and current workers $4 trillion as of 2016.
They had about $2.6 trillion in assets, creating a gap of about one-third, or a record $1.4 trillion.
While the study looks only at pension funds with major state-government involvement, systems run by cities, counties, school districts and other local entities have had similar problems..."
Read all!

For Each Gallon Of Water Michigan’s People Use, 288 Gallons Fall From The Sky [Michigan Capitol Confidential]

For Each Gallon Of Water Michigan’s People Use, 288 Gallons Fall From The Sky [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"For every gallon of water consumed by Michigan’s residents and businesses, 288 gallons fall upon the state as rain, in an average year.
Since almost all of Michigan lies within the Great Lakes watershed, much of that rainfall makes its way into the lakes.
From there it will eventually flow down the St. Lawrence River and into the Atlantic Ocean, or else evaporate into the atmosphere, to be replenished by new rainfalls.
According to the state, in 2015 about 187.7 billion gallons of water was used by Michigan’s people in their homes, farms, factories, businesses and electric power plants.
That seems like a tremendous amount of water, but it appears much less so when compared to the amount of precipitation that falls on Michigan in an average year: 54.2 trillion gallons.
Here’s how those numbers look together:
     187,700,000,000
54,200,000,000,000
...Nestle is now permitted to use up to 73 million gallons a year at its facility in Evart Township in Osceola County.
The township gets an average 32.73 inches of annual rainfall, which drops a total of 20.5 billion gallons of water upon it in a typical year."

Lunch video-----Why Do People In Old Movies Talk Weird?

Noon-toon

The Census and Immigration: Ask the Question | The Heritage Foundation

The Census and Immigration: Ask the Question | The Heritage Foundation:

"“Galling,” pronounced The New York Times in an editorial titled “The Trump Administration Sabotages The Census.” Along with many other critics, the Times insists that the question will lead to a vast undercounting of the immigrant population.
Such a prospect alarms opponents such as the editors at The Washington Post, who at least admit their concern is more about political power: “Whether by design or incompetence, the Trump administration is threatening to rig the count against Democrats.”
Or maybe — just maybe — the administration is trying to get a better handle on how many non-citizens we have in our country. "

Amazon's Alexa could soon be eavesdropping on your conversations - ITV News

Amazon's Alexa could soon be eavesdropping on your conversations - ITV News:
"Soon, your Amazon Echo device could be listening in on your conversations in a bid to personalise advertising to your needs.
Amazon are currently chasing a patent that will allow them to bank the things you say even when you're not speaking directly to your device.
These so-called "sniffer algorithms" could learn all of your likes and dislikes, and use them to target adverts with products Amazon thinks you would like.
...Amazon insists it is committed to user privacy, adding that the patent request in the US does not represent their current development plans.
"We take privacy seriously and have built multiple layers of privacy into our Echo devices," an Amazon spokesman said.

4 in 10 millennials don't know 6 million Jews were killed in Holocaust, study shows - CBS News

4 in 10 millennials don't know 6 million Jews were killed in Holocaust, study shows - CBS News
NEW YORK -- More than one-fifth of millennials in the U.S. -- 22 percent -- haven't heard of, or aren't sure if they've heard of, the Holocaust, according to a study published Thursday, on Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day. 
The study, which was commissioned by The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and conducted by Schoen Consulting, also found that 11 percent of U.S. adults overall haven't heard of the Holocaust or aren't sure if they did.

Additionally, 41 percent of millennials believe two million Jews or fewer were killed during the Holocaust, the study found. 

Six million Jews were killed in World War II by Nazi Germany and its accomplices. Two-thirds of millennials could not identify in the survey what Auschwitz was..."
Read all!

#1 This day 1961-----The Marcels - Blue Moon

The Mass Shooting You'll Never Hear About - Bearing Arms

The Mass Shooting You'll Never Hear About - Bearing Arms
"Imagine, if you will, what the news would have looked like if all the authorities who had seen the red flags had acted prior to the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 
What would the political landscape look like today?

Well, we don’t have to imagine. 
We don’t have to imagine because we have a real-life example.

Gardena police found several guns and a cache of ammunition at the home of a high school student who threatened campus violence in two social media posts this week, authorities said.

The investigation began Thursday when police received a call regarding a threat to Serra High School, according to the Gardena Police Department. Investigators identified a student who posted a threatening message earlier this week.

The teen posted a more specific threat Thursday, saying that violence would take place on campus. Detectives arrested the teen, who was not named, on suspicion of making criminal threats and possessing a firearm as a juvenile.

In other words, the teen made a threat, the police acted, and no one is dead.

That’s what should have happened in Parkland, but didn’t. 

In Gardena — a mass shooting no one will ever hear about because it was prevented — the efficiency of the local authorities saved countless lives. 

Why? 

Because they acted.

While the anti-gun left is focused like a laser on guns, there were numerous failures that led to Parkland. 

By now, most of us have heard about them. 

At every level, it seems, the shooter was given a pass by supposed adults who didn’t do their jobs. 

...Use the system in place. 
Use it correctly. 

Making threats is a crime. 

It’s grounds for investigating further and, if necessary, arresting someone for more than making a threat. 

Use that to end these horrible tragedies.

Don’t punish people who had nothing to do with it."

Read it all!

You ought to know!

Nation’s "Report Card" Shows Federal Intervention Has Not Helped Students | The Heritage Foundation

Nation’s "Report Card" Shows Federal Intervention Has Not Helped Students | The Heritage Foundation:

"Yet more than half a century after Johnson signed Elementary and Secondary Education Act into law, and 38 years after the Department of Education became operational, it has become clear that federal intervention in K-12 education has failed to achieve its primary goal: reducing gaps in academic outcomes between disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers.
On Tuesday, the National Center for Education Statistics at the Department of Education released the highly anticipated results of the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress, often referred to as the nation’s “report card,” underscoring that point"

Marathon Pundit: Harvey pension debacle could be first of many in Illinois

Marathon Pundit: Harvey pension debacle could be first of many in Illinois:
"Later this week Harvey, Illinois will lay off half of its police officers and firefighters because the corrupt south suburb of Chicago has been shorting its pension funds for years.
More may be coming.
From WTTW Chicago:

This could just be the first shoe to drop.

The city of North Chicago is being penalized as well. And according to an analysis by Amanda Kass, a researcher at the University of Chicago, there are 74 police or fire pension funds in towns across the state that are as similarly underfunded as Harvey (you can download that list of funds here). ..

Read all! 

AM Fruitcake

History for April 13

History for April 13 - On-This-Day.com:
Thomas Jefferson 1743 - 3rd U.S. President, Frank W. Woolworth 1852 - Merchant, created the five and ten cent store, head of F.W. Woolworth & Co., Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker) 1866 - American train robber, bank robber and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang


Paul Sorvino 1939 - Actor ("Law and Order", "Dick Tracy"), Tony Dow 1945 - Actor ("Leave it to Beaver"), Rick Schroder 1970 - Actor ("Silver Spoons", "NYPD Blue")


1861 - After 34 hours of bombardment, the Union-held Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederates.


1916 - The first hybrid, seed corn was purchased for 15-cents a bushel by Samuel Ramsay.


1949 - Philip S. Hench and associates announced that cortizone was an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.


1959 - A Vatican edict prohibited Roman Catholics from voting for Communists.


1964 - Sidney Poitier became the first black to win an Oscar for best actor. It was for his role in the movie "Lilies of the Field."


1976 - The U.S. Federal Reserve introduced $2 bicentennial notes.


1981 - Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke received a Pulitzer Prize for her feature about an 8-year-old heroin addict named "Jimmy." Cooke relinquished the prize two days later after admitting she had fabricated the story.


1997 - Tiger Woods became the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament at the age of 21. He also set a record when he finished at 18 under par.

Clinton, Comey, Uranium One: Who Is John W. Huber? - Judicial Watch

Clinton, Comey, Uranium One: Who Is John W. Huber? - Judicial Watch:

"In a July 27, 2017 letter, GOP leaders had called on Mr. Sessions to “appoint a second special counsel to investigate a plethora of matters connected to the 2016 election and its aftermath.” These included actions by Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Loretta Lynch and others, email controversies, mishandling of classified information, Fusion GPS and the Steele Dossier, FISA warrants, wire taps, leaks, grand juries, the Clinton Foundation and the Uranium One deal.
Mr. Sessions instead appointed Mr. Huber, “an experienced federal prosecutor,” and left the door open to a special counsel. Mr. Sessions noted that Mr. Huber “will make recommendations as to whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources, or whether any matters merit the appointment of a Special Counsel.”
Translation: Mr. Huber is investigating the investigations, not the underlying allegations."

The way we were-----Peter & Gordon - A World Without Love (HQ Stereo, 1964)

Boob-tube-----MOST AWKWARD MOMENTS ON THE VIEW TR TV

London Closes 500 Churches; Opens 423 New Mosques

London Closes 500 Churches; Opens 423 New Mosques
"The creeping Islamization of London is almost complete, with hundreds of official sharia courts operating in the capital, and mosques opening where famous Christian churches have stood for many hundreds of years.
“London is more Islamic than many Muslim countries put together“, according to Maulana Syed Raza Rizvi, one of the Islamic preachers who now lead “Londonistan“, as the journalist Melanie Phillips has called the English capital. 
No, Rizvi is not a right-wing extremist.
Nobel Laureate for Literature,Wole Soyinka,  was less generous. 
He called the UK “a cesspit for Islamists“.
“Terrorists can not stand London multiculturalism“, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan said after the deadly terror attack at Westminster last year. 
The opposite is true: British multiculturalists are feeding Islamic fundamentalism.
Above all, Londonistan, with its 423 new mosques, is being built on the sad ruins of English Christianity. 
Many iconic Christian churches in London have been converted into mosques..."
Read on!

Pro-gun event provokes hysterics from liberal students

Pro-gun event provokes hysterics from liberal students

• Liberal students turned to vandalism and accusations of white supremacy this week to express their displeasure with a pro-gun event featuring Larry Pratt.
• A few days prior to Pratt's lecture, the opinions editor of the school newspaper was caught on camera tearing down posters advertising the event, leading to her prompt dismissal from the paper.

Controversy ensued at the University of Toledo when the school’s chapter of Young Americans for Liberty hosted Larry Pratt, Executive Director Emeritus of Gun Owners of America.

The chapter, one of about 900 nationwide, invited Pratt to give a lecture Wednesday entitled “Eliminate Gun Free Zones” as a way to provide balance to the debate on gun control in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting that left 17 dead.

“Good afternoon. Just a reminder that @ToledoYAL is bringing white supremacist @larrypratt to speak on @UToledo 's campus today,” Connor Kelley, a member of the school’s College Democrats chapter, tweeted the day of the event..."

Read all!

A Broken FBI Promise - WSJ

A Broken FBI Promise - WSJ:

"Just last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray released a statement saying he was unhappy with how the bureau was responding to “legitimate congressional requests” for information—and promised a “transparent and responsive” FBI. But already both the FBI and the Justice Department are back to their old tricks."

Brilliant Simple Cartoons by Henry James Garrett

Brilliant Simple Cartoons by Henry James Garrett:
Many more here.
Click and enjoy!

Court Rules Illegal Aliens Can Sue over “Discriminatory Employment Policy” Requiring Green Cards - Judicial Watch

Court Rules Illegal Aliens Can Sue over “Discriminatory Employment Policy” Requiring Green Cards - Judicial Watch:
"For the second time in a few years, a federal court has ruled that illegal immigrants can sue American employers that refuse to hire them because they require workers to be U.S. citizens or legal residents (green card holders).

The latest blow to the rule of law was delivered by an Obama-appointed federal judge in south Florida, who handed a powerful open-borders group a huge victory in a case accusing a major U.S. company of discriminating against an illegal immigrant.
Though years apart, both lawsuits were filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a leftist group that specializes in discrimination lawsuits on behalf of illegal immigrants and has Chicago ties to Obama.
...In the recent Florida case a Venezuelan immigrant, David Rodriguez, living in Miami is suing consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble for refusing to give him a paid internship because he is not a legal resident or citizen of the United States..."
Read all!

Lunch video-----What Is Hate Speech? We Asked College Students

Noon-toon-----Wondermark » Archive » #1390; A Circus made by Circumstance

Wondermark » Archive » #1390; A Circus made by Circumstance

Rand Paul warns gloating Trump critics: Mueller's 'great overstep' a danger to all Americans - Washington Times

Rand Paul warns gloating Trump critics: Mueller's 'great overstep' a danger to all Americans - Washington Times:

"Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul says all Americans should be worried about civil liberties in the wake of the FBI’s raid on President Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen.
The nebulous limits to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian investigation, coupled with his willingness to test them, had the Republican lawmaker ringing alarm bells Tuesday. Mr. Paul told a Fox News’ Bill Hemmer that the FBI’s legal tendrils have wandered far from their original target — the truth about possible collusion between Russian state actors and Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign.
“The first question we ought to ask is what does this have to do with Russia,” Mr. Paul said during an “American Newsroom” appearance. “I thought the special prosecutor was investigating Russian collusion. Going after someone’s personal attorney is a great overstep, I think, in the authority of the prosecutor."

Frustrated teacher urges parents to stop 'coddling and enabling their children' in viral Facebook post - American Info

Frustrated teacher urges parents to stop 'coddling and enabling their children' in viral Facebook post - American Info:
"A middle-school teacher who took to Facebook to vent her frustration with the perceived bad behavior of students and parents has struck a nerve with her now-viral post.

Julie Marburger

about 2 weeks ago

I left work early today after an incident with a parent left me unable emotionally to continue for the day. 

I have already made the decision to leave teaching at the end of this year, and today, I don't know if I will make it even that long. 
Parents have become far too disrespectful, and their children are even worse. 
Administration always seems to err on the side of keeping the parent happy, which leaves me with no way to do the job I was hired to do...teach kids.
...Report cards come out later this week, and I have nearly half of my students failing due to multiple (8-10) missing assignments. 

Most of these students and their parents haven't seemed to care about this over the past three months, though weekly reports go out, emails have been sent and phone calls have been attempted. 

But now I'm probably going to spend my entire week next week fielding calls and emails from irate parents, wanting to know why I failed their kid. 

My administrator will demand an explanation of why I let so many fail without giving them support, even though I've done practically everything short of doing the work for them. 

And behavior in my class will deteriorate even more. 

I am expecting this, because it is what has happened at the end of every other term thus far..."

These 3 Charts Show the Importance of Economic Freedom | The Heritage Foundation

These 3 Charts Show the Importance of Economic Freedom | The Heritage Foundation
"...KEY TAKEAWAYS
...Nations with greater economic freedom have stronger economies, with higher gross domestic product per person.
Citizens in countries that are economically free enjoy twice as much formal education on average as those in economically repressed nations.
Free trade is a key element of economic freedom.
Countries that embrace free trade enjoy more prosperity as a result.
3. Free trade is a key element of economic freedom. Countries that embrace free trade enjoy more prosperity as a result.
Read all!

#1 This day 1974-----Elton John - Bennie And The Jets (Official Music Video)

California faces a $1 trillion unfunded pension liability and lawmakers focus on foam and plastic straws – Orange County Register

California faces a $1 trillion unfunded pension liability and lawmakers focus on foam and plastic straws – Orange County Register:
"...Yet the real danger is that too many politicians in state capitals and city halls nationwide spend an inordinate amount of time pondering things to ban and, unlike busybody columnists, their bad ideas can be put into law, with negative consequences for individuals, families, and the economy in general.
...Before state lawmakers banned plastic bags, cities and towns across the Golden State had begun enacting their own bag bans and taxes.
That patchwork of local bag bans and taxes was then used convince lawmakers in Sacramento to go ahead and pass a statewide bag prohibition.
...California has racked up approximately $1 trillion in state and municipal unfunded pension liabilities. 
While California politicians have plenty of ideas for new taxes and regulations, they have no plans to rectify these soul crushing unfunded pension liabilities, which taxpayers are ultimately on the hook for..."
Read all!

You ought to know!

Muslim group sues to block Trump terrorism report - Washington Times

Muslim group sues to block Trump terrorism report - Washington Times:

"Two anti-Trump organizations filed a lawsuit Monday arguing that a government report earlier this year linking immigrants to most of the country’s terrorism cases since 2001 is so misleading that it violates federal law.
The request seeks to recruit federal judges to police the accuracy of the administration, in what — if it’s successful — could become a model for anti-Trump groups to push back on a president they see as having a tenuous connection to the truth.
The January report concluded that 73 percent of the 549 people convicted of international terrorism between 2001 and 2016 were foreign born."