The Pope's gonna be pissed

Catholic institutions subjects of money probe: "Federal authorities and officials from the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids are investigating alleged financial improprieties at several Catholic institutions in Muskegon.
Involved was money from Catholic Social Services in Muskegon, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Norton Shores, Muskegon Family Care and the Greater Muskegon Catholic Schools Foundation"

Blind drivers?

TBO.com: AP United States: "Most high school students eagerly await the day they pass driver's education class. But 16-year-old Mayra Ramirez is indifferent about it.
Ramirez is blind, yet she and dozens of other visually impaired sophomores in Chicago schools are required to pass a written rules-of-the-road exam in order to graduate - a rule they say takes time away from subjects they might actually use."

It's Bush's fault?

Payrolls grow but jobless rate up - Yahoo! News: "Employers have increased payrolls every month for the past 2-1/2 years, a sign the economy is vigorous enough to keep Federal Reserve policy-makers on edge about the pace of wage and price rises.
The February job gain followed a revised 170,000 new jobs in January, originally reported as 193,000."

No media bias?

Michelle Malkin: WHAT REUTERS PREACHES...: "WHAT REUTERS PREACHES..."

Gettin' out of Dodge?

My Way News: "Interior Secretary Gale Norton resigned Friday after five years in President Bush's Cabinet and at a time when her agency is part of a lobbying scandal over Indian gaming licenses."

$250,000 a year?

Are school chiefs' salaries poised to soar?: "When the new Forest Hills superintendent recently signed a contract for $190,000, with incentives that eventually could take him close to $250,000 a year, there likely were celebrations across the region -- in the homes of the other superintendents"

Instapundit.com

Instapundit.com: "GREGORY SCOBLETE: 'To be honest, I'd trust Dubai with my ports before I trust Congress with my wallet.'"

If the Demos win in November

FromMoveOn.org
Taking just the House of Representatives, here is a small slice of who will be leading:
Nancy Pelosi—a progressive—becomes Speaker of the House of Representatives.
John Murtha—a veteran and anti-war champion—would become chair of the House subcommittee on defense appropriations. He would be in charge of the budget for the war in Iraq.
John Conyers—who forced a national debate on the Downing Street Memos—would be chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Henry Waxman would be chairman of the Government Reform committee—he has a bulls-eye on war profiteers like Halliburton.
Barney Frank—who has led efforts to rein in out-of-control CEO pay—would be in charge of the Financial Services Committee.
David Obey—who led opposition to the Republican budget—would be chair of the House Appropriations committee—protecting Medicaid, food stamps, veteran's benefits, student loans and more.
Charles Rangel—who predicted the Medicare debacle—would be chair of the House Ways and Means committee—protecting Social Security.
George Miller—a big advocate for working people—would be chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and could bring a vote to raise the minimum wage.
You know there had to be some trepidation about sending this out.

Too funny

rahoi.com: "Yes, these pictures are real. No, I didn't manipulate them in Photoshop. There is absolutely NO NEED to make any of this up, and plenty of mangled english to go around. I shoot, I crop, I shrink, I post, I comment. That's about it."
Scroll down to see the entire menu!

Craven Politics

Michigan Senate moves to increase minimum wage: "The surprise vote is a response to a petition drive to raise the minimum wage in the state constitution. Democrats pushing the ballot measure had hoped it would bring more Democrats to the polls in November, something Republicans would like to avoid."
A pox on both their houses!

A religion of peace.....

New York Post Online Edition: news: "The head of Islamic chaplains in the New York City Department of Correction said in a recent speech that the 'greatest terrorists in the world occupy the White House,' Jews control the media, and Muslims are being tortured in Manhattan jails. "
This guy is on the payroll of NYC.....remember, NYC used to have a couple of tall buildings....

Whatever dude.....

WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news and weather - MEAP math scores tend to drop as students get older: "LANSING, Mich. -- Scores on state standardized math tests tend to get worse as students get older, according to Michigan Educational Assessment Program results released Thursday."
Is this an outbreak of alzheimers or does spending time in public schools make you dumber? Doh!

Exxon to appeal Aceh torture case ruling

Exxon to appeal Aceh torture case ruling: Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday it would appeal the ruling by a U.S. judge to allow villagers to sue the oil giant for alleged abuses by Indonesian troops at facilities it operated in Aceh province."
Very scary! This is one way the bad guys may bring us down.

Shocking poll!

Negative Perception Of Islam Increasing: " growing proportion of Americans are expressing unfavorable views of Islam,"
I imagine these same pollsters would be surprised that Americans had "unfavorable" views of Nazis back in 1944.

The end of forums!

Right Wing News (Conservative News and Views): "Cutting through the legaleese here, he's basically saying that anyone who runs a comment section or a forum would be required by law to have the names and addresses of the people commenting. It would also seem to require that hosting companies have names and addresses of anyone using their service to blog.
He's since pulled the bill but watch our blogers!

Auto-flushing Alert!

The Crappiest Invention of All Time - Why the auto-flushing toilet must die. By NickSchulz: "
After a stint of telecommuting, I recently returned to working in a large downtown building. My office shares a men's room with everyone who works on our level. The bathroom sports three stalls, each of which is outfitted with the most uncivilized technology of the modern age, "the hands-free, automatic-flush toilet bowl. "
Maybe Norton Shores will offer these....It is a funny article.

Local Bank bubble ahead?

Bernanke warns community banks on loans:
The rapid growth in commercial real-estate loans made by community banks bears watching, even as these mostly smaller, local banks remain in good overall financial health, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Wednesday.
...........'However, more recently, there have been signs of some easing of underwriting standards,' Bernanke said in a speech to the Independent Community Bankers of America meeting in Las Vegas"
Don't forget, FDIC insurance only covers $100,000.

"FreeSpeech" libs show their colors

RealClearPolitics - Commentary - The Inescapable Facts on Public Education by John Stossel: "Teachers unions are mad at me. The New York State United Teachers demands I apologize for my 'gutter level' journalism, 'an irresponsible assault on public school students and teachers.' "
Read the whole article

CNN.com - New animal resembles furry lobster - Mar 8, 2006

CNN.com - New animal resembles furry lobster - Mar 8, 2006: "Divers have discovered a new crustacean in the South Pacific that resembles a lobster and is covered with what looks like silky, blond fur, French researchers said Tuesday."
AtlantaGuy opines "It just occurred to me that this poor creature may have spent too muchtime playing alone in the deep; and just as Mom warned, he went blindand grew hair on his appendages."

Plus this update: A new species of lobster which is covered with fur is so unusual that it has been placed in its own new family. Desperate couples will adopt just about anything!http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=872

Free Online Pregnancy Test

Free Online Pregnancy Test: "If you're concerned that you may be pregnant, take our free online pregnancy test from the privacy of your own home. No messy 'stick' tests, no waiting, and best of all, our online pregnancy test results are guaranteed!"

via AtlantaGuy

$67,000 aveerage salary?

District again offering teachers an early out: "District officials figure they could save more than $2.1 million over the next three years if 30 teachers take the offer. That estimate uses $67,000 as the average teacher's salary and assumes that 10 teachers would have retired anyway, Savage said. "
Plus $30Gs, plus medical and retirement. Don't we routinely hear about "underpaid" teachers?

The first shoe to drop?

City sewer rate increase approved: "City sewer rate increase approved
The Norton Shores City Council decided unanimously Tuesday to increase the city's sewer use rates 35 percent and bill Idlewild neighborhood residents more than what others pay for water. "
Don't get me wrong. No one likes sewers more than GordoM but is this just the first of the punishments to be handed out to the taxpayers by the NS City Council?

Why do I get the feeling.....

... that the Chronicle doesn't support the mission that Cpl. Smith has so bravely fought for? Perhaps because The Chronicle rarely writes any articles that show the positive results of Cpl. Smith's endeavors. Just the same old crocodile tears.

Marine suffers third wound during tour in battle zone
U.S. Marine Cpl. Jared Smith will be physically reminded of the war on Iraq long after its over.
He was wounded Saturday in the line of duty, the third time he's been injured since he was deployed in September

Send in the prozac!

Molly Ivins: Enough of the D.C. Dems The Progressive: "I don't know about you, but I have had it with the D.C. Democrats, had it with the DLC Democrats, had it with every calculating, equivocating, triangulating, straddling, hair-splitting son of a bitch up there, and that includes Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Yikes! When the leading "Progressive" thinkers of the left are this grumpy can a group hug be far behind?

High taxes and low skills dim state's high-tech dream - 03/08/06 - The Detroit News

High taxes and low skills dim state's high-tech dream - 03/08/06 - The Detroit News: "The university commissioned the poll by EPIC-MRA of Lansing, and Bailey unveiled it at an Inforum luncheon in Dearborn. It asked business executives in five states -- Michigan, California, Massachusetts, Illinois and Ohio -- to rank the most important attributes for a state hoping to draw life science businesses.
Topping the list is taxes, and the executives rank Michigan near the bottom in favorable tax policy."

Business executives bring in jobs. Not educators or politicians. Is anyone listening to them?

They needed a survey to learn this?

Worcester Telegram & Gazette AP National News: "The American Medical Association is warning girls not to go wild during spring break. All but confirming what goes on in those 'Girls Gone Wild' videos, 83 percent of college women and graduates surveyed by the AMA said spring break involves heavier-than-usual drinking, and 74 percent said the break results in increased sexual activity"
I guess the geezers at the AMA missed their own spring break because they were studying.

Gotta love the MSM outrage over this.........

Saturday morning cartoons?

Arutz Sheva - Israel National News: "Hamas Launches Web Site Encouraging Kids to Become Martyrs

The Palestinian Authority's ruling Hamas terror group has launched a web site for children, preaching the moral desirability of being a suicide terrorist via cartoons and children's stories. ......
One of the stories on the site quotes a mother saying that when she heard her son had become a shahid, a martyr, she bought dates, candies and coffee to give out.
Dates and candies? I guess virgins aren't high on the list of 6 year old's "treats".

More minimum wage info

WZZM 13 Grand Rapids - Michigan Minimum-wage war flares: "Increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.85 an hour, they said, would have the opposite effect of what supporters of the move intend - to create more job options and offer workers more opportunities."

This will bring companies to Michigan?

WZZM 13 Grand Rapids - Group petitions for vote to raise amount workers in state are paid: "Nearly two months after Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm called for a minimum-wage increase during her State of the State address, an independent group last week announced plans to get the issue on the Nov. 7 ballot."