Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Toby Keith is never one to mince words in songs

Toby Keith is never one to mince words in songs Reuters
"When I decided to go out on my own in 2004 with Show Dog/Universal, people asked me 'What makes you think you can run a label?'
I told them, 'Because I've seen the people who do it and I'd put a bullet in my mug if I couldn't do as good a job as they do!
And here we are, six years later, still kicking and rocking."

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Should Illinois taxpayers care that state pension funds face imminent bankruptcy?

Should Illinois taxpayers care that state pension funds face imminent bankruptcy? - chicagotribune.com
Illinois' biggest problem is the state budget; the budget's biggest problem is the plush pensions for public employees; lavish pensions are a problem because of a constitutional clause that bans the "diminishment or impairment" of their benefits.
How did we get into this mess?

Articles: Obama: 1, Informed Public: 0

Articles: Obama: 1, Informed Public: 0
I've been worried about this for some time: the government would start either manipulating the data or hiding it altogether.
Eliminating the Abstract is not just a matter of crimping the mirth of data hobbyists like me; it is ominous.

It is hiding the truth.
It is Soviet-like.
It is a short step from airbrushing people out of photos.
The Abstract has been around for 133 years, or about a century longer than the Department of Education has.

Publishing: Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal

Publishing: Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal - CNBC
Several large publishers declined to speak on the record about Amazon’s efforts.
“Publishers are terrified and don’t know what to do,”

I must admit, after reading a few books on my Kindle, I just don't like the size, weight and hassle of "books".

Monday, October 17, 2011

BREAKING: An IPCC backchannel ‘cloud’ was apparently established to hide IPCC deliberations from FOIA.

BREAKING: An IPCC backchannel ‘cloud’ was apparently established to hide IPCC deliberations from FOIA. Watts Up With That?: UPDATE: (9:20 PST 10-17) the FOI request has been released, a copy of which is now linked below.

CEI has learned of a UN plan recently put in place to hide official correspondence on non-governmental accounts, which correspondence a federal inspector general has already confirmed are subject to FOIA.
This ‘cloud’ serves as a dead-drop of sorts for discussions by U.S. government employees over the next report being produced by the scandal-plagued IPCC, which is funded with millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars.

By Christopher Horner, CEI.org for WUWT
Although this is seedy and unlawful at any time, it also goes in the ‘bad timing’ file.
Or it’s good timing, depending on one’s perspective.
Just as a brand new book further exposes the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)(which scam I dissected here, and in more disturbing detail here), and on the heels of the weekend surprise of a 2005 memo showing President Obama’s cooling/warming/population zealot of a ‘science czar’ John Holdren is the kind of guy Mitt Romney turns to to develop his ‘environmental’ policies, we’ve exposed the Obama administration and IPCC have cooperated to subvert U.S. transparency laws, run domestically out of Holdren’s White House office.

More on the info-lies of the global warmists.

What if they gave an election and nobody came?

Letters: What if they gave an election and nobody came? MLive.com
Elections matter, right?
What if we had an election scheduled and there was a way, an easy and almost free way, for an interested citizen to run for office, but no one knew about it?

Nazis and Communists Throw Their Support Behind Occupy Wall Street Movements

Nazis and Communists Throw Their Support Behind Occupy Wall Street Movements (Updated) The Gateway Pundit

The Austerity Myth: Federal Spending Up 5% This Year

The Austerity Myth: Federal Spending Up 5% This Year - Investors.com
In fact, in the first nine months of this year, federal spending was $120 billion higher than in the same period in 2010, the data show.
That's an increase of almost 5%. And deficits during this time were $23.5 billion higher.
These spending hikes haven't stopped many analysts from claiming that the country is in an age of budget austerity, one that's hurting economic growth.
A July article in USA Today, for example, claimed that "Already in 2011, softer government spending has sapped growth."


Is the liberal media just dumb?
I doubt it.
LIARS!!!!!!!!

NUGENT: Nobody needs Michael Moore's hypocritical advice

NUGENT: Nobody needs Michael Moore's hypocritical advice - Washington Times
Of course, the uninspired, uneducated, unskilled and stoned have been conditioned for generations to expect something for nothing.
They will always be in the tank of the left-wing movement - and they will always be unmotivated and poor and will continue to blame others for their condition.
Instead of busting their humps working two or three jobs, they have time to protest on Wall Street.
Fascinating.

[HD] IndyCar 2011 - Dan Wheldon Fatal Crash (Multi Camera Replay)

Will Teacher Right-to-Work Die With The Recall Election of Rep. Paul Scott?

Will Teacher Right-to-Work Die With The Recall Election of Rep. Paul Scott? [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
On Thursday, Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Clinton Canady ordered a halt to the recall election against Michigan House Education Committee Chair Paul Scott.

More proof the "power" of unions in our state is melting away!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

EyeOnMuskegon 10-16-2011 Tom Eaton

Horrific 15 Car Crash 2011 IndyCar World Championships in Las Vegas 300




A terrible day.
RIP Dan Wheldon

Muskegon Critic

Muskegon Critic
Muskegon Critic
Dispatches from the Great Lakes

Wow!
Another Muskegon blog!

Forums to discuss Egelston Township fire station millage

Forums to discuss Egelston Township fire station millage MLive.com
Township voters will consider a 30-year, 0.7-mill tax increase to fund a $2.3 million station.
Egelston officials say the current fire station is structurally unsound, inefficient and not adequate to accommodate modern firefighting equipment.
Owners of a home with a market value of $100,000, and taxable value of $50,000 would pay $35 per year if the 0.7-mill increase is approved.

How many "$35 per year" millage have we gotten pushed on us in the last few decades?
When will it end!!!!

Student Loan Debt Hell: 21 Statistics That Will Make You Think Twice About Going To College | ZeroHedge

Student Loan Debt Hell: 21 Statistics That Will Make You Think Twice About Going To College ZeroHedge

US to Play 'Very Major Role' In Helping Europe: Geithner

US to Play 'Very Major Role' In Helping Europe: Geithner - CNBC
The U.S. plans on being an active partner as efforts intensify to get Europe get back on its feet financially, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told CNBC Friday

No problem, we've got LOTS of money.......especially for our wonderful allies who so strongly support our country and our troops.........yeah right!

Occupy Muskegon group gathers to plan for upcoming 'occupation'

Occupy Muskegon group gathers to plan for upcoming 'occupation' MLive.com
She said only prospective occupiers know the location and they're keeping it quiet so they aren't "interfered with."
"The Wall Street occupation just sort of sprang up and I think that works better so people can't break it up beforehand," Carson said.

Guest Post: How Government Spending Impoverished Us All

Guest Post: How Government Spending Impoverished Us All ZeroHedge
At the World Complex, I view metal consumption as being a better indicator of economic activity than the officially reported GDP.
Perhaps I should say I trust the metal consumption numbers more, as I suspect they are harder to fake.
In any case, metal consumption usually involves making something, which is frequently accretive to wealth (except in the case of bombs, et al.).
The decline in metal consumption is a direct measure of the decline of real wealth.

Very interesting article.

Court rules in favor of state in welfare cutoff lawsuit

Court rules in favor of state in welfare cutoff lawsuit MLive.com
A federal judge today ruled in favor of the Department of Human Services in a lawsuit that sought to stop the cutoff of cash welfare benefits for some 11,162 people in the state who've exceeded the 48-month time limit.

Recent weather proves climate crisis, Gore says at Wayne State

Recent weather proves climate crisis, Gore says at Wayne State Detroit Free Press freep.com
Gore, speaking Thursday in Detroit, reeled off statistics about huge downpours in Pakistan and Colombia, wildfires in Australia and drought in Texas the past year that he said are clear evidence of the looming climate crisis.

Hollywood Worries About Weak Box Office

Hollywood Worries About Weak Box Office: ‘Real Steel’ #1 After ‘Footloose’ Stumbles; ‘The Thing’ #3; ‘The Big Year’ Comics Bomb – Deadline.com
But the truly alarming news is how very weak the North American box office performed again.
I’ve been reporting how younger males — which used to be Hollywood’s target audience — have been no longer consistently (and indiscriminately) going to the movies since August.
As a longtime studio exec worried out loud to me Friday night:
“I’m really concerned about how soft things are.
I’m sitting here looking at grosses and I’m concerned for the Industry.
What’s worrying me is where are those hardcore movie fans at this point?”

Well, I say Hollywood should expect the worst when they release a succession of mostly dreadful pics.
This weekend’s total gross won’t edge much over $80M — which is a whopping -35% from last year when Jackass 3D opened to $50M.

Saint Warren's halo gets a little more tarnish

Saint Warren's halo gets a little more tarnish - ProfessorBainbridge.com
“Buffett judges the investments he makes ruthlessly, but allows his operating companies to run on autopilot.”
That decentralized structure allows plausible deniability when anything goes wrong.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

American Power

American Power: Anti-Semitic Protester at Occupy Wall Street — Los Angeles

The making of SpiceJet's Q400 aircraft

Fake petitions undercut state's voting process

Fake petitions undercut state's voting process - southbendtribune.com
The investigation into suspected fake petition pages used to place Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the 2008 primary ballot looks worse for Democrats the further it goes.
Among the latest revelations: that the fake pages passed through the St. Joseph County voter registration office on days when the Republican head of the office was absent.
And that without the falsified names, Obama and possibly Clinton might not have qualified for the ballot.

The Real ‘Income Disparity’: Government Employee Pensions vs. Private Workers’ Retirement Plans

The Real ‘Income Disparity’: Government Employee Pensions vs. Private Workers’ Retirement Plans

$5,176.34 Bridge Card balance raises questions

Schneider: $5,176.34 Bridge Card balance raises questions Lansing State Journal lansingstatejournal.com
"This is the kind of thing a lot of us cashiers do not understand, but see regularly," said the note accompanying the receipt.
"I hear cases are reevaluated every six months, but ... we have watched the balance on this card climb for years."

Ho Hum, a Black Candidate

Ho Hum, a Black Candidate - WSJ.com
"There's a second reason that some conservatives, particularly tea partiers, largely ignore Cain's race," Travis notes: "it drives a stake through claims that the movement harbors racists."
This seems to us a reversal of cause and effect.
Conservatives and Tea Partiers ignore Cain's race not because they have something to prove but because they didn't care much about race to begin with.

Farm Bureau upset that science kit for students contains left-wing book with misinformation about modern farming

Farm Bureau upset that science kit for students contains left-wing book with misinformation about modern farming MLive.com
“A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids” holds up Al Gore as an “eco-hero;”
promotes organizations such as Greenpeace and Rainforest Alliance;
urges children to persuade their parents to “Vote Green” and buy organic;
cautions against new-home construction, the plastics industry and conventional agriculture,
and notes “many people believe that it is best for the earth for families to have no more than one child.”

We have allowed the left to turn American schools into liberal/progressive madrases.
Do we on the right have the guts to fix this mess?