Tuesday, January 03, 2012

The Coming Collapse of China

The Coming Collapse of China: 2012 Edition- By Gordon G. Chang Foreign Policy
Since late September, economic indicators -- electricity consumption, industrial orders, export growth, car sales, property prices, you name it -- are pointing toward either a flatlining or contracting economy.
Money started to leave the country in October, and Beijing's foreign reserves have been shrinking since September

MOMENT OF CLARITY: Downward Wisconsin

MOMENT OF CLARITY: Downward Wisconsin
We used to make things here in Wisconsin.

French honours branded a 'joke' after Sarkozy makes Hollywood actress Salma Hayek a Chevalier

French honours branded a 'joke' after Sarkozy makes Hollywood actress Salma Hayek a Chevalier - Telegraph

A Gathering Storm Over ‘Right to Work’ in Indiana

A Gathering Storm Over ‘Right to Work’ in Indiana - NYTimes.com

Americans Elect: Obama's Third-Party Tar Pit

Articles: Americans Elect: Obama's Third-Party Tar Pit
After qualifying for the ballot in all 50 states, Americans Elect will seek a candidate who will be tasked with grabbing a large portion of the independent, unaffiliated American middle and soft center-right, thereby tossing an otherwise lost cause to Obama.
It is that simple.

"Americans Elect" remember the name and be forewarned!

Rasmussen: Dem party affiliation at all-time low

Rasmussen: Dem party affiliation at all-time low « Hot Air
The real story in this survey, though, is the growing gap between Republicans and Democrats.
The margin in December was 2.7%, the widest margin for all of 2011. Just three years ago, as Barack Obama took office, Democrats had an eight-point edge in affiliation, 41/33.
The new level for Republican affiliation breaks out of the long-held 31-34% range for Republicans.

Not running TO the GOPers.
Running away from Obamanation.

24 Funniest Town Names in America

24 Funniest Town Names in America Reader's Digest

Photos: Boeing 737-7V3 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

Photos: Boeing 737-7V3 Aircraft Pictures Airliners.net

Monday, January 02, 2012

New Class At Columbia Focuses On Occupy Wall Street

New Class At Columbia Focuses On Occupy Wall Street « CBS New York
Columbia University will offer a new course for upperclassmen and grad students next semester.
An Occupy Wall Street class will send students into the field and will be taught by Dr. Hannah Appel, a veteran of the Occupy movement.
The course begins next semester and will be divided between class work at Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus and fieldwork that will require students to become involved with the Occupy movement outside of the classroom.
The course will be called “Occupy the Field: Global Finance, Inequality, Social Movement” it will be run by the anthropology department.

Gullible Americans

"You say, “Come on, Williams, you’re paranoid.
There are already laws against distracted driving, and it would never come to that!”
Let’s look at some other camels' noses into tents."

Lots of noses under lots of our tents.
Stand and be heard or they will take away every right we have.
It's what they do.

Obama Enters The Twilight Zone

Instapundit » Blog Archive » PETER WEHNER: Obama Enters The Twilight Zone.
We are now reaching the point in which the president is running a truly post-modern campaign, in which there is no objective truth but simply narrative.
Obama’s campaign isn’t simply distorting the facts; it is inverting them.
This kind of thing isn’t unusual to find in the academy.
But to see a president and his campaign so thoroughly deconstruct truth in order to maintain power is quite rare.
The sheer audacity of Obama’s cynicism is a wonder of the modern world.”
Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 6:24 pm

PETA wants highway memorials to cows killed in wrecks

PETA wants highway memorials to cows killed in wrecks - Chicago Sun-Times
An animal rights group wants Illinois to install highway signs in memory of cattle that died when trucks hauling them flipped in two separate wrecks.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants to buy the markers, one in suburban Hazel Crest and one northwest of Peoria.
PETA’s Dec. 15 request to the Illinois Department of Transportation contends the signs would pay tribute to the more than 20 head of cattle killed as a result of negligent driving in Illinois in 2011.

Europe cannot save the euro, nor save itself from the euro

Europe cannot save the euro, nor save itself from the euro - Telegraph
The deflated apparatchiks of the EU watch powerlessly as a tragedy unfolds.

2011's Best Sports Photos

In a Snap: The Year's Best Photos

Photographer Mark J. Terrill took his shot of the North Carolina-Michigan State basketball game on board USS Carl Vinson

Americans buy record numbers of guns for Christmas

Americans buy record numbers of guns for Christmas - Telegraph
According to the FBI, over 1.5 million background checks on customers were requested by gun dealers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in December.
Nearly 500,000 of those were in the six days before Christmas.
It was the highest number ever in a single month, surpassing the previous record set in November.
On Dec 23 alone there were 102,222 background checks, making it the second busiest single day for buying guns in history.

When we lose faith in our government........

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Loss of faith in democracy could make 2012 the most frightening year ever

Loss of faith in democracy could make 2012 the most frightening year ever Mail Online
For the most chilling parallel, though, we should look back exactly 80 years, to the cold wintry days when 1931 gave way to 1932.
The ultimate warning from history: If our political leaders fail to provide adequate direction the results, as demonstrated 80 years ago, could be catastrophic
Then as now, few people saw much to mourn in the passing of the old year.
It was in 1931 that the Great Depression really took hold in Europe, bringing governments to their knees and plunging tens of millions of people out of work.
Then as now, the crisis had taken years to gather momentum.
After the Wall Street Crash in 1929 — just as after the banking crisis of 2008 — some observers even thought that the worst was over.
But in the summer of 1931, a wave of banking panics swept across central Europe.
As the German and Austrian financial houses tottered, Britain’s Labour government came under fierce market pressure to slash spending and cut benefits.

Grimm prediction.

The Air Force Just Bought Its Biggest And Fastest Armed Drone Ever

The Air Force Just Bought Its Biggest And Fastest Armed Drone Ever
After reports earlier this month that the drone would be sent to Afghanistan, Air Force officials now say the Avenger may be years away from active duty

Creepy

from an e-mail today:

Friend --
Today, the last day before 2012, we want to make sure you take the chance to be part of something special.

Before midnight tonight, donate $3 or whatever you can to be automatically entered to have dinner with the President and First Lady sometime soon.

And, don't forget -- if you're one of the winners, you'll get to bring a guest along with you.

So, if you're interested in potentially sitting across from the President and First Lady for a meal sometime soon, this is your very last chance to throw your name in the hat.

Donate $3 to be automatically entered to have dinner with Barack and Michelle:

https://donate.barackobama.com/By-Midnight

Good luck, and happy new year.

-Julianna
Julianna Smoot

Deputy Campaign Manager

Obama for America

Will Obama steal the 2012 election?

KUHNER: Will Obama steal the 2012 election? - Washington Times
In a recent speech, Mr. Holder said that attempts by states to pass voter identification laws will disenfranchise minorities, rolling back the clock to the evil days of segregation.
He said that a growing number of minorities fear that “the same disparities, divisions and problems” now afflict America as they did in 1965 prior to the Voting Rights Act.
According to the Obama administration, our democracy is being threatened by racist Republicans.
Hence, the Justice Department must prevent laws requiring a photo ID to vote from being enacted.

7 companies on the ropes in 2012

7 companies on the ropes in 2012 - big names at risk - MSN Money

National Park Service has new land-grabbing tool

National Park Service has new land-grabbing tool Ron Arnold Columnists Washington Examiner
Big Green has an unlikely new sales pitch to convince Congress to fund ever-expanding land grabs by the National Park Service -- save wildlife migration.
A map overlay showing all the U.S. wildlife migration paths would blot out nearly half the nation -- a very clever diagram for empire-building bureaucrats.

What The Rich People Really Drive

What The Rich People Really Drive - Forbes
61 percent of people who earn $250,000 or more aren’t buying luxury brands at all.
They’re buying the same Toyotas, Hondas and Fords as the rest of us.

Flying breast milk and death by rooster: the best of American madness, 2011

Flying breast milk and death by rooster: the best of American madness, 2011 – Telegraph Blogs
There are plenty of eccentric Britons, too, but it’s the openness and enthusiasm of American loons that makes them seem uniquely whack-a-doodle.

Too funny!
Read it!

Planned Parenthood tops $1 billion in assets

Planned Parenthood tops $1 billion in assets - The Hill's Healthwatch
The nation’s largest abortion provider topped $1 billion in total net assets in 2009-2010, its first time reaching that mark, according to Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report.
...Almost half of the group’s annual revenue — 46 percent — comes from taxpayers in the form of grants, contracts and Medicaid payments

Two Models for Europe

Two Models for Europe - Hans-Werner Sinn - Project Syndicate
The printing presses at the Banque de France and the Banca d’Italia are working overtime to make up for the outflow of money.
But this only furthers the exodus, because creating more money prevents interest rates from rising to a point at which capital would find it attractive to stay.

A Free Website for Periodicals, Books, and Videos

A Free Website for Periodicals, Books, and Videos
This web site is intended to provide an extensive free library of written content to everyone on the Internet, eventually containing a comprehensive collection of high-quality books and periodical issues.

Since all this content is intended to be permanently and transparently available, students, academics, and journalists may freely use this valuable content, perhaps producing additional writings hyperlinked to these important source materials.

A written index for a book or a periodical is merely the precursor of a search-engine; a footnote in a book or article is merely the precursor of a hyperlink.
This web site might ultimately allow an unlimited amount of previously produced written content to be easily enhanced with these new capabilities.

Does Stripping Gender From Toys Really Make Sense?

Does Stripping Gender From Toys Really Make Sense? - NYTimes.com
Hamleys, which is London’s 251-year-old version of F.A.O. Schwarz, recently dismantled its pink “girls” and blue “boys” sections in favor of a gender-neutral store with red-and-white signage.
Rather than floors dedicated to Barbie dolls and action figures, merchandise is now organized by types (Soft Toys) and interests (Outdoor).