Snow days deprive many kids of food

Snow days deprive many kids of food
"As back-to-back snowstorms shuttered schools for the week across the mid-Atlantic states, parents fretted about lost learning time, administrators scheduled makeup days and teachers posted assignments online.
But Marla Caplon worried about a more fundamental problem:
How would students eat?

The two snowstorms that pummeled the region, leaving more than 3 feet of snow in some areas, deprived tens of thousands of children from Virginia to Pennsylvania of the free or reduced-price school lunch that may be their only nutritious meal of the day.
The nonprofits that try to meet the need when school is not in session also closed their doors for much of the week, leaving many families looking at bare cupboards.
And many parents working hourly jobs were unable to earn any money during the week, as the snow forced businesses to close.

Caplon is a food services supervisor for Montgomery County Public Schools, where about 43,000 children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.
Some also get breakfast, dinner and bags of staple foods to take home for the weekend.
The snow days meant children would get none of that until Tuesday, because schools are closed Monday for Presidents Day."

Democratic Sen. Bayh Will Not Seek Re-Election This Year

Democratic Sen. Bayh Will Not Seek Re-Election This Year
"Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh will not seek re-election this November, an unexpected decision that hands Republicans an opportunity for a pick-up in a year when Democrats are already defending several open Senate seats."

This is BIG!

"Hitler on Climate Change"

Last Man In « Neptunus Lex:

"It’s probably a sign that the whole “Hitler parody” thing has run its course when I jump in."

You must see this video!
Way too funny...and close to the truth!

Unemployment in the Great Recession

Power Line - Unemployment in the Great Recession
"In his most recent column, Cooley asks where job growth will come from.
Nor surprisingly, Cooley urges that 'policies designed to create new jobs in the economy should be directed at encouraging new firms.'
I see no evidence that such policies will be forthcoming from the federal government in the next year.
On the contrary, among other things, the tax increases built into Obama's budget will discourage new firms."

Spartan green to take on darker shade

Spartan green to take on darker shade

"Spartan fans, get ready to bleed a different shade of green.
This morning, Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees officially replaced the Spartan green that’s been used since 1997 with a new, darker Spartan green.
The new shade, Pantone Matching System Color 567, is supposed to be more consistent with the pre-1997 green used by the university."

http://www.spartantailgate.com/forums/msu-red-cedar-message-board/429856-tofficial-new-msu-green-pms-567-a.html#post6585233

Gun owners in cross hairs

Gun owners in cross hairs
"The gun grabbers are at it again in Maryland. Next month, the state's House Judiciary Committee will initiate hearings on legislation forcing firearms enthusiasts to register with the state government before they can exercise their Second Amendment rights.

The bill would make it a crime on par with murder, kidnapping, rape and extortion for a private party to sell his own gun to someone who has no license. "

Climategate: What Did Phil Jones Actually Admit? Was He Correct?

Climategate: What Did Phil Jones Actually Admit? Was He Correct?

Climategate U-turn as scientist at centre of row admits: There has been no global warming since 1995

Professor Phil Jones admitted his record keeping is 'not as good as it should be

"Climategate U-turn as scientist at centre of row admits: There has been no global warming since 1995"

Data for vital 'hockey stick graph' has gone missing

There has been no global warming since 1995

Warming periods have happened before - but NOT due to man-made changes

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250872/Climategate-U-turn-Astonishment-scientist-centre-global-warming-email-row-admits-data-organised.html#ixzz0fX24s4Eh

Police: Wife of slain Olympian arrested in Calif.

Police: Wife of slain Olympian arrested in Calif
"The wife of an Olympic shot put medalist gunned down in his Southern California back yard last summer was arrested Saturday in the homicide case, authorities said.
Oxnard police said in a written statement that Jane Laut, 52, was arrested during a traffic stop Saturday morning.
Police said an arrest warrant had been issued earlier in the week.
Her husband David Laut, who won a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, was shot several times in the head on the night of Aug. 28 in their yard in Oxnard, a coastal city 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
He was declared dead at the scene"

Nice timing!

Changes on Luge Track Could Offset Canadian Team’s Advantage - NYTimes.com

Changes on Luge Track Could Offset Canadian Team’s Advantage
"Canada was criticized for granting foreign athletes only limited training access to the Olympic sliding center before the Winter Games. Now its luge team will have to quickly adjust to the course along with everyone else."

Moe Lane » Rep. Bill Delahunt (D, MA): why did you put Amy Bishop back on the street?

Moe Lane » Rep. Bill Delahunt (D, MA): why did you put Amy Bishop back on the street?
"Amy Bishop, of course, is the woman who murdered those people down at the University of Alabama… and, apparently, she was ‘taken into custody’ for the murder of her brother in 1986. And that’s where it gets interesting."

Greece turns on EU critics

Greece turns on EU critics
"Greece on Friday unleashed a fierce attack on its European Union partners, accusing them of creating a “psychology of looming collapse” a day after they pledged support for the country’s crisis-hit government.
George Papandreou, Greek prime minister, said that, in the eurozone’s first big test, Greece had become “a laboratory animal in the battle between Europe and the markets”."

Woes include bankruptcy at Whistler, no snow at Cypress

Woes include bankruptcy at Whistler, no snow at Cypress
"The Whistler ski resort, home to next month's Olympic downhill, could be auctioned off Feb. 19, right in the middle of the games amid a bankruptcy."

How Global Warming is causing blizzards in Washington--the Explanation

How Global Warming is causing blizzards in Washington--the Explanation

With the blizzards in the East Coast we are hearing from global warming fanatics that this simply is another manifestation of global warming. As counterintuitive as this may seem, I wrote this up to explain it.

This is the way science works for the supporters of AGW

Increased warming means higher temperatures and therefore less snow.
But increased warming means more water vapor in the atmosphere leading to more precipitation.
Therefore AGW can cause big blizzards. So too little snow or too much snow is an indication of global warming.

More warming can mean glaciers will shrink.
But more precipitation means glaciers can grow.
Therefore if glaciers are growing or shrinking it means global warming is happening.

More warming means more energy for hurricanes and therefore more and stronger hurricanes are in the future.
But more warming also means more wind sheer which cuts off hurricanes and can mean fewer hurricanes.
So more or fewer hurricanes is caused by global warming.

More water vapor means more clouds and more precipitation.
More clouds and precipitation causes cooling which could lead to global cooling. S
o if it is warming or cooling, it is proof of global warming.

No wonder Al Gore says the science is settled.
It predicts everything that has and can happen.

Although this looks like a parody, it isn't. I've seen these arguments by warmists on various sites to explain things that don't seem to compute with global warming."

The Child Molester Scandal That Isn’t: What the MSM Doesn’t Report

The Child Molester Scandal That Isn’t: What the MSM Doesn’t Report
“…the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests.”"

Acorn-ucopia

Acorn-ucopia
"Didn't Acorn, the corrupt community organizer, get its federal funding yanked after its last scandal?
Actually, no.
Through municipal middlemen, it's poised to rake in another $4 billion.
Where is the outrage?"

Using Lasers to Zap Mosquitoes

Using Lasers to Zap Mosquitoes
"Mr. Myhrvold said that normally the lasers could shoot down anywhere between 50 to 100 mosquitoes per second.

Mr. Myhrvold played a slow-motion recorded video that showed what happened to a representative mosquito.

As the insect flew, a sudden light beam struck it, disintegrating parts of its body into a plume of smoke.
It fell, even as its wings continued to beat.

In regions afflicted by malaria, the lasers could be used to create protective fences around clinics, homes, or even agricultural fields as a substitute for pesticides."

Expanded sales tax in Granholm's new budget

Expanded sales tax in Granholm's new budget
"Some mid-Michigan municipalities and state union officials are breathing a sigh of relief that state revenue sharing cuts and massive layoffs are not part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposed budget.


But local business owners are bristling over her proposal to reduce the sales tax from 6 percent to 5.5 percent, expand it to include services and use that money to bridge a funding gap in K-12 education.

Her $47.1 billion budget plan unveiled Thursday - designed to close a $1.6 billion shortfall - included her previously announced early retirement proposals for state and school employees, which aim to save $400 million.

Capturing much attention is Granholm's proposal for expanding the sales tax to most services.........Affected businesses include beauty salons, tanning parlors, printers and financial consultants.

'It may cause us (to close),' said Pam Cottom, owner of Hair Shoppe & Tanning in Lansing, which has seen business drop by 50 percent in the past year due to the economy.
'We're tottering right now.
I feel like the little guy is getting ruined.'"

Granholm is little more than an uber-lobbyist for the big teachers unions and the state employees unions.
Their annual jumps in the already out of line pay and compensation will continue.
This "fix" will only result in a bigger shortfall soon.

Muskegon Heights hardest hit as most area school lose students in latest count

Muskegon Heights hardest hit as most area school lose students in latest count
"Muskegon Heights schools lost nearly 10 percent of its student body over the past five months -- by far the biggest enrollment drop among school districts that are losing students to the dismal employment scene."

Muskegon Heights High School gets state's lowest academic ranking

Muskegon Heights High School gets state's lowest academic ranking
"When it comes to athletics and the marching band, the students of Muskegon Heights High School can be a force to be reckoned with"

Golden Gate Bridge district approves suicide net, toll increase

Golden Gate Bridge district approves suicide net, toll increase
"The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District's Board of Directors certified this morning a final environmental report on a proposed $50 million net system beneath the bridge that is intended to deter suicides"

New tax bombshell: 20% VAT

New tax bombshell: 20% VAT - Times Online
"Alistair Darling and George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, are both considering raising VAT to as high as 20 per cent — the European average — from the current rate of 17.5 per cent, The Times has learnt."

This is the Europe the American left (and Obama) tells us is our economic model and goal.

Obama’s National Defence Review ignores Iran and Islam in favour of… climate change!

Obama’s National Defence Review ignores Iran and Islam in favour of… climate change!
"However, it’s not what is in the document that surprises the reader – it’s what was left out.
There presence of two elephants in their living room apparently escaped the notice of American’s top civilian and military leaders.
Islamic radicalism does not receive any mention whatsoever in the American Defence Review and the threat posed by a nuclear Iran is mentioned in only one general sentence at the end of a document (page 101).
To put this lack of discussion in proportion, contrast this non-discussion with other security issues mentioned in the document.
For example, the security effects of climate change are highlighted and discussed in depth in eight pages of the document."

Paul Ryan's Lonely Challenge

Paul Ryan's Lonely Challenge
"Paul Ryan, a six-term Republican congressman from Wisconsin who is the ranking minority member of the House Budget Committee, has yanked himself from obscurity by doing something no one else in Congress or apparently the White House has done: design a specific plan to control long-term government spending and budget deficits.

That he stands virtually alone is a damning commentary on our politics."

Greece debt bailout: EU leaders split over euro crisis

Greece debt bailout: EU leaders split over euro crisis
"The European single currency is facing an 'inevitable break-up' a leading French bank claimed yesterday."

The lighthouses of Michigan

The lighthouses of Michigan

Social Security coffers drying up

Social Security coffers drying up
"In all the angst about Sarah Palin writing notes on her palm and President Barack Obama pronouncing corpsman as 'corpse man,' the American commentariat has paid scant attention to a hugely significant report, the one about Social Security's funding scare in 2009 and the red ink it will likely be bathed in this year and next.

Here it is, fellow Americans, a forerunner of what we will have – big time – starting in 2016, a harbinger of what could be the single most threatening domestic issue we face as a people, and this is what I would like to ask all those who have continuously told us not to worry about Social Security: Where's your trust fund now?

That's been the big lie, you know...."

And social security disaster is NOTHING compared to the Medicare/Medicaid shortfall.

Demand accountability from congress and the president NOW!

Governor Christie Declares "New Jersey on Edge of Bankruptcy"

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis: Governor Christie Declares "New Jersey on Edge of Bankruptcy"
"Christie froze aid to more than 500 school districts and public colleges and universities, ordered the end to several state programs and the Office of Public Advocate, and seized unspent money across state government.

'Today, we come to terms with the fact that we cannot spend money on everything we want,'' Christie told a special joint session of the legislature.

'The days of Alice in Wonderland budgeting in Trenton are over.''"

THIS is what we need in Michigan.

Ask EVERY candidate for Michigan governor this question:

"What are you going to do about state spending on public worker and teacher compensation?"

One Economist Predicts Taxpayer Revolt Over Public v. Private Sector Pay Differentials

One Economist Predicts Taxpayer Revolt Over Public v. Private Sector Pay Differentials
"According to an economist from the University of Michigan-Flint, public employees now make an average of 45% more than private sector employees."

6 Caribbean Islands to Avoid

Caribbean Islands to Avoid