History for August 9

History for August 9 - On-This-Day.com:

Perseid meteor showers (approximately Aug 9-13).

Birth anniversary of singer Whitney Houston (1963-2012).

Happy Birthday! Gillian Anderson, Sam Elliott, Melanie Griffith

1678 - American Indians sold the Bronx to Jonas Bronck for 400 beads. 


1842 - The U.S. and Canada signed the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, which solved a border dispute. 

1854 - "Walden" was published by Henry David Thoreau. 


1859 - The escalator was patented by Nathan Ames. 


1892 - Thomas Edison received a patent for a two-way telegraph. 


1910 - A.J. Fisher received a patent for the electric washing machine. 


1936 - Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics. He was the first American to win four medals in one Olympics. 


1944 - The Forest Service and Wartime Advertising Council created "Smokey the Bear." 


1945 - The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The bombing came three days after the bombing of Hiroshima. About 74,000 people were killed. Japan surrendered August 14. 


1974 - U.S. PresidentRichard Nixon formally resigned. Gerald R. Ford took his place, and became the 38th president of the U.S. 


1996 - Boris Yeltsin was sworn in as president of Russia for the second time. 


1999 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin fired Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin and his entire cabinet for the fourth time in 17 months. 


2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush announced he would support federal funding for limited medical research on embryonic stem cells. 

President Richard Nixon Resigned 40 Years Ago Today | Video | TheBlaze.com

President Richard Nixon Resigned 40 Years Ago Today | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"On the eighth day of August, 1974, America was shaken by something that had never happened in its 198-year history as a country: the resignation of a president.
After more than a year of pressure related to his involvement in the cover-up of the Watergate break-in scandal, Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States of America, resigned from office."

‘Oh My Gosh’: Mom Looking at High School’s Sex Education Book Expressed Shock When Seeing Its ‘Pornographic’ Content | Video | TheBlaze.com

‘Oh My Gosh’: Mom Looking at High School’s Sex Education Book Expressed Shock When Seeing Its ‘Pornographic’ Content | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"Parents in a California school district are protesting a sex education book meant for high school freshmen that they think goes too far in the content it covers.
According to KPIX-TV, the book that will be used this fall in the Fremont Unified School District includes topics like masturbation, bondage, orgasms, the use of vibrators and how to buy and use condoms. It includes pictures and diagrams that parents think are too explicit for their teens."

Marijuana smokers sue San Diego, say long drives to dispensaries pollute air

Marijuana smokers sue San Diego, say long drives to dispensaries pollute air - Washington Times:

 "Medical marijuana smokers in San Diego say the city has forced their pot shops to locate in remote areas and that means the drives to and from will increase air pollution — and ultimately, harm their lungs.
The Union of Medical Marijuana Patients has filed a lawsuit, saying the city is violating the California Environmental Quality Act, United Press International reported.
The suit names as defendants the Coastal Commission and the city of San Diego and claims the zoning laws put in place for marijuana dispensaries means patients have to actually get in their cars to drive to the remote locations — and the additional drive times will only increase the city’s air pollution levels."

Obama’s “Most Transparent White House” Lambasted by Independent Watchdogs

Obama’s “Most Transparent White House” Lambasted by Independent Watchdogs | Somewhat Reasonable:

This week, Obama’s lack of transparency received some of its most vocal criticism to date.  In an open letter to congressional leaders, 47 of the government’s 73 inspectors-general (independent watchdogs) stated that they were unable to effectively perform their duties due to obstructive behavior and lack of cooperation in many federal agencies. Agencies from theEPA to the Peace Corps have dragged their feet or been unwilling to comply with requests for documents, claiming the contents of documents to be “privileged.” This has resulted in frustration among the independent watchdogs, which have been prevented from fulfilling their legally mandated duty.

The letter stated:

“Agency actions that limit, condition, or delay access thus have profoundly negative consequences for our work: they make us less effective, encourage other agencies to take similar actions in the future, and erode the morale of the dedicated professionals that make up our staffs.”

The Increasingly Popular Idea that Has Glenn Beck Saying: ‘America, Run for Your Lives’ | Video | TheBlaze.com

The Increasingly Popular Idea that Has Glenn Beck Saying: ‘America, Run for Your Lives’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:
“America, run for your lives,” Beck said. “This is really dangerous. You have people who are openly saying that they want redistribution of wealth. That is socialism. Now, you have those same people saying that they want nationalism to play a role. That’s nationalism [and] socialism, otherwise known as Nazis.”
“When a country is so mishandled and mis-run that they have to build walls — be it virtual or literal walls to keep not people from coming in, but people from going out — that is a sign a country is about to go very dark,” Beck said."

Awesome: 24 things you must have an ID to purchase

Awesome: 24 things you must have an ID to purchase |:

17. Buy a cell phone

23. Purchase nail polish at CVS

 24. Purchase certain cold medicines

 But not to vote?

More Than 20 Obama Officials 'Lost or Destroyed' E-mails After House Launched Probes

Issa: More Than 20 Obama Officials 'Lost or Destroyed' E-mails After House Launched Probes | National Review Online:
The revelation that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Marilynn Tavenner did not retain her e-mails means that more than 20 witness in the Obama administration to lose or delete e-mails without notifying Congress, according to the top House investigator.

“The Obama administration has lost or destroyed e-mails for more than 20 witnesses, and in each case, the loss wasn’t disclosed to the National Archives or Congress for months or years, in violation of federal law,” House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) said ofTavenner’s lost e-mails.

“It defies logic that so many senior Administration officials were found to have ignored federal recordkeeping requirements only after Congress asked to see their e-mails,” he continued. “Just this week, my staff followed up with HHS, who has failed to comply with a subpoena from ten months ago. Even at that point, the administration did not inform us that there was a problem with Ms. Tavenner’s e-mail history. Yet again, we discover that this administration will not be forthright with the American people unless cornered.”

A Good Way to Wreck a Local Economy: Build Casinos

A Good Way to Wreck a Local Economy: Build Casinos - The Atlantic

..... Casinos promise a new and easy flow of revenues to hard pressed local governments.

The promise however comes increasingly hedged with fine print.

The casino market is nearing saturation, if it is not already saturated.
Two casinos have closed in Mississippi this year.
Four have closed or will soon close in Atlantic City, including the glitziest hotel on the boardwalk, Revel.
Casinos that do stay in business yield less to their towns and states.
Revenues from Maryland’s first casino, in Perryville, at the northern tip of Chesapeake Bay, have already dropped 30 percent from their peak in 2008, and are expected to decline even more rapidly in future as competitors proliferate.

Yet the truly bad news about casinos is not found in the tax receipts. 
It’s found in the casinos' economic and social impact on the towns that welcome them.

Until the late 1970s, no state except Nevada permitted casino gambling.
Then Atlantic City persuaded its state legislature to allow casinos, in hope of reviving the prosperity of the battered resort town.
Hotels sprung up along the seafront.
Thousands of people were hired.
And the rest of Atlantic City … saw no benefits at all.
All these years later, it still has desperate trouble sustaining even a single grocery store.

No one should look to casinos to revive cities, “because that’s not what casinos do.”
So explained the project manager for a new Wynn casino rising near Philadelphia.
He’s right, but it has taken a surprisingly long time for city governments to acknowledge a fact that was well understood by the 19th-century Americans who suppressed gambling in the decades after the Civil War.

The impact of casinos on neighboring property values is “unambiguously negative,” according to the economists at the National Association of Realtors. 
Casinos don’t encourage non-gaming businesses to open nearby, because the people who most often visit casinos do not wander out to visit other shops and businesses. 
A casino is not like a movie theater or a sports stadium, offering a time-limited amusement. It is designed to be an all-absorbing environment that does not release its customers until they have exhausted their money.

The Institute for American Values has gathered the best evidence on the social consequences of casinos.
That evidence should worry any responsible city government.

IRS union runs on taxpayer subsidies

IRS union runs on taxpayer subsidies « Watchdog.org:

"WASHINGTON, D.C. — While Congress takes its five-week vacation, the hard partisan work continues at the National Treasury Employees Union, subsidized by taxpayers.
The Washington Times reported this week that the Internal Revenue Service provides government salaries, office space and equipment to NTEU operatives, who ostensibly represent 92,000 IRS employees.
The IRS’ deputy commissioner calculates these union workers spent 573,319 hours in 2012 on NTEU business. 
That’s the equivalent of 286 full-time employees doing nothing but union labor.
Additionally, the union spent $687,400 on travel — also on the taxpayers’ tab. 
And who can forget the $4.1 million Star Trek-themed “training” session in Las Vegas four years ago?
On top of the ongoing outlays of time and money, there’s the politics of it all.
Ninety-four percent of NTEU campaign contributions go to Democrats.
For whatever reason, Republicans go along for the ride.
“The union naturally wants greater benefits, bigger salaries and more handsome bonuses, so Congress pays the union to do it,” the Times reported."

A Junior Doctor's Salary

A Junior Doctor's Salary - The Atlantic

Michigan authorities: Truck hauling human waste spills load

Michigan authorities: Truck hauling human waste spills load | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"Authorities say a truck hauling human waste crashed on a Lansing-area freeway, spilling its load on the roadway. 
WLNS-TV reports the drivers of two cars and a motorcycle that crashed while trying to avoid the truck had minor injuries.
 The crashes happened around 5 a.m. Friday on northbound U.S. 127 in Ingham County.
Police say a tire blew on the truck's trailer, leading to the initial crash."

Sooooo, we gonna see results or just get new AC?-------6 Michigan schools get state money to switch to a year-round calendar

6 Michigan schools get state money to switch to a year-round calendar | MLive.com:

LANSING -- Six Michigan schools will receive money to help transition from the traditional school calendar to a year-round "balanced" calendar.

The State Board of Education is set to approve grant requests for four schools at next week's meeting, and two additional schools received money through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to help offset their costs as well.

GEE Edmonson Academy, a charter school in Detroit, is set to receive $395,000, while the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System is the largest beneficiary at $750,000. Watersmeet Township Public Schools will get $709,000, less than the $735,000 they requested, while Ypsilanti Community Schools will get $146,000, far below their $507,500 request.

Baldwin Community Schools and Madison District Public Schools in Oakland County each received $750,000 through the MEDC to aid in their transition to the new calendar.

The MDE funds are part of a $2 million pilot program included in the new state budget to help schools switch to the alternative calendar in some or all of their buildings. The money helps cover costs associated with preparing buildings - such as installing air conditioning for hot summer months - and other one-time setup expenses.

Safer Streets? Yes, Please! | Bicycling Magazine

Safer Streets? Yes, Please! | Bicycling Magazine

Why are liberals turning against freedom of speech? Examiner Editorial | WashingtonExaminer.com

Why are liberals turning against freedom of speech? Examiner Editorial | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"Among the most distressing distempers on the liberal side of the American public policy debate is the mushrooming pressure to repeal the First Amendment and put officials in charge of censoring political speech. How things have changed. Liberals like former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once were the stoutest defenders of the right of every American to speak his mind."

Top 5 facts about Hamas the mainstream media desperately doesn’t want you to hear

Top 5 facts about Hamas the mainstream media desperately doesn’t want you to hear |:
"The mainstream media has fallen right into the Hamas plan.  
Hamas knows their best chance of being successful is to have to world view Israel in a negative light.
Hamas wants Israel to look like warmongers who are killing innocent civilians.
The media largely ignores the fact that rockets are raining down on Israel and Hamas then uses human shields.
A free and honest press is the enemy of Hamas right now, and very few journalists have the courage to call out Hamas for the evil acts they are committing everyday."

From Ben Shapiro:

Hamas’ Military Headquarters Are Located Underneath a Hospital. 

Hamas Shoots Peace Protesters.

Hamas Built Its Terror Tunnels Thanks to Dual-Purpose Aid. 

This alone should be enough to have any legitimate seeker of peace to support Israel. Sadly, the list of things that Hamas is doing in cowardice continues.

Hamas Uses Women, Children, and the Mentally Ill as Human Shields. 

Hamas’ Goal Is The Total Destruction of Israel and The Murder of Jews Everywhere. 

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 - One Week, One Oshkosh

History for August 8

History for August 8 - On-This-Day.com:

Kool-Aid Days, Hastings, NE (Aug 8-10). See www.kool-aiddays.com

200th birth anniversary of Esther Hobart McQuigg Morris (1814-1902), women's rights pioneer.

Birth anniversaries of Matthew Henson (1866-1955), Fredric March (1897-1975), Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919).

Happy Birthday! Keith Carradine, Roger Federer, Dustin Hoffman

1588 - The Spanish Armada was defeated by the English fleet ending an invasion attempt. 


1876 - Thomas Edison received a patent for the mimeograph. The mimeograph was a "method of preparing autographic stencils for printing." 


1899 - The refrigerator was patented by A.T. Marshall. 


1940 - The German Luftwaffe began a series of daylight air raids on Great Britain. 



1974 - U.S. President Nixon announced that he would resign the following day. 


1992 - The "Dream Team" clinched the gold medal at the Barcelona Summer Olympics. The U.S. basketball team beat Croatia 117-85. 


1995 - Saddam Hussein's two eldest daughters, their husbands, and several senior army officers defected. 

Doctors Begin To Refuse Obamacare Patients | The Daily Caller

Doctors Begin To Refuse Obamacare Patients | The Daily Caller:
"Obamacare plans have shrunk payments to physicians so much that some doctors say they won’t be able to afford to accept Obamacare coverage, NPR reports.
Many of the eight million sign-ups in Obamacare exchanges nationwide already face more limited choices for physicians and hospitals than those in the private insurance market. But with low physician reimbursement rates, the problem could get even worse."

Liberal Newspaper Warns Obama: Don’t ‘Tear Up the Constitution’ With Executive Action on Immigration | TheBlaze.com

Liberal Newspaper Warns Obama: Don’t ‘Tear Up the Constitution’ With Executive Action on Immigration | TheBlaze.com:
“If, in fact, I could solve all these problems without passing laws in Congress, then I would do so. But we’re also a nation of laws,” Obama said at the time.
The Post noted that “some of the same Democrats and pro-immigrant advocates urging” Obama to take action “would be outraged if a Republican president took a similarly selective approach to enforcing the laws.”
Obama has asked Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to review the options the administration can take on immigration without congressional authorization."