Ducks Dying From Starvation As Lake Ice Cuts Them Off From Food Source « CBS Chicago

Ducks Dying From Starvation As Lake Ice Cuts Them Off From Food Source « CBS Chicago:

CHICAGO (CBS) — This bitterly cold winter seems to be wearing down everyone. It’s also having a dramatic impact on the ducks who usually flourish along the shores of Lake Michigan.

CBS 2′s Chris Martinez reports ducks have been dying for a lack of food.“We’ve brought in close to 40 ducks so far,” said Josh Engel, a research assistant at the Field Museum.The bodies are now gathered in a Field Museum lab with other waterfowl that have been collected along the lakefront in recent days.All of them were starved to death.Record amounts of ice coating the lake is to blame, keeping the birds from their only source of food.“It just seems like they literally can’t find enough food and are starving,” said Engel.The dozens found dead so far are likely just the tip of it.

“This is, at least as far as I know, the first time I’ve heard of anything like this,” said Engel.

Border Patrol Shifted $7M From Border Fence to Salaries | The Weekly Standard

The Weekly Standard: "Border Patrol Shifted $7M From Border Fence to Salaries
Government agencies largely avoided sequestration furloughs in 2013."

As sequestration bore down in February 2013, the threat of furloughs for thousands of government workers was a common refrain from those warning of the dire effects of the across the board budget cuts. Janet Napolitano, then-head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told Rep. Bennie Thompson in a letter that sequestration could force her department to idle law enforcement personnel for up to 14 days.  As it turned out, DHS did not furlough any personnel, but rather relied on cuts to other areas and shifting funds from other budgets to cover salaries.  For instance, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shifted $7 million from its border security fencing account to salaries and expenses

Florida loss exposes Democrats' disarray on Obamacare - Jake Sherman and Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com

Florida loss exposes Democrats' disarray on Obamacare - Jake Sherman and Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com:


Democrats can’t even agree whether Obamacare was the reason for their crushing loss in a Florida special election Tuesday.
Now picture how their messaging plan for the health care law is shaping up for 2014.
Republican lobbyist David Jolly’s victory over Democrat Alex Sink has many Democrats privately worried and publicly split about how to talk about Obamacare.
(Also on POLITICO: Full health care policy coverage)
A few Democrats are advocating a drastic rhetorical shift to the left, by criticizing their own party for not going far enough when it passed the law in 2010

White House Delays Individual Mandate for Millions of Americans Until After the Midterms and the President Is Out of Office | TheBlaze.com

White House Delays Individual Mandate for Millions of Americans Until After the Midterms and the President Is Out of Office | TheBlaze.com:
"It’s worth pointing out that as the Affordable Care Act has been repeatedly tweaked, delayed and modified, the president and his allies have publicly denounced efforts to repeal the law or delay it until it can be fixed.

But why the secrecy behind postponing the individual mandate?

The Wall Street Journal has a theory:

HHS is also trying to pre-empt the inevitable political blowback from the nasty 2015 tax surprise of fining the uninsured for being uninsured, which could help reopen ObamaCare if voters elect a Republican Senate this November. Keeping its mandate waiver secret for now is an attempt get past November and in the meantime sign up as many people as possible for government-subsidized health care."

Just How Old is the U.S. Constitution? Sheila Jackson Lee Has an Interesting Answer | Video | TheBlaze.com

Just How Old is the U.S. Constitution? Sheila Jackson Lee Has an Interesting Answer  TheBlaze.com:

"Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) claimed Wednesday that the United States Constitution is 400 years old.

This would mean that the Constitution was signed in 1614, the year Pocahontas married John Rolfe in Jamestown, Virginia."

Judicial Watch Confronts 'One-Man Congress' with Obamacare Appeal

Judicial Watch Confronts 'One-Man Congress' with Obamacare Appeal:

"However, the Obama administration unlawfully and unilaterally delayed the “employer mandate” from taking effect on January 1, 2014 until 2015, and, subsequently, until 2016. In our brief, we argue that the delay of the “employer mandate” diminished the value of the costs incurred by Kawa Orthodontics.
We further contend (getting to the issue of “standing”) that the injury is “redressable” by the court. Specifically, if the Court were to declare the delay to be unconstitutional and reinstate the effective date established by Congress, Kawa Orthodontics would regain some, if not all, of the value of the time and money it lost as a result of the unlawful and unilateral delay."

35 States Consider Restricting Drones as Privacy Worries Grow

35 States Consider Restricting Drones as Privacy Worries Grow:

"This year, 35 states are considering drone legislation as concerns over privacy rights and government intrusion mount.

"It's in its nascent form now, but it's growing and will be growing in the future," Steve Erickson, who leads a privacy watchdog group called Citizens Education Project, told Utah legislators. "

How Irked Is the White House About a Senator’s Allegation of a Constitutional Violation? | TheBlaze.com

How Irked Is the White House About a Senator’s Allegation of a Constitutional Violation? | TheBlaze.com:

"But White House press secretary Jay Carney was hesitant to answer even if President Barack Obama was troubled by the allegation.

“I’m not characterizing his point of view on a matter under investigation,” Carney said.

Feinstein said on the Senate floor that she had “grave concerns that the CIA’s search may well have violated the separation of powers principles embodied in the U.S. Constitution.”

Feinstein said the CIA searched the Senate Intelligence Committee’s computer network in January and said she has not received any answers to letters she sent the CIA on Jan. 17 and Jan. 23."

History for March 13

History for March 13 - On-This-Day.com
0607 - The 12th recorded passage of Halley's Comet occurred. 


1519 - Cortez landed in Mexico. 


1660 - A statute was passed limiting the sale of slaves in the colony of Virginia. 


1781 - Sir William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus. 


1852 - The New York "Lantern" newspaper published the first "Uncle Sam cartoon". It was drawn by Frank Henry Bellew. 


1877 - Chester Greenwood patented the earmuff. 


1930 - It was announced that the planet Pluto had been discovered by scientist Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory. 


1941 - Adolf Hitler issued an edict calling for an invasion of the U.S.S.R. 


1991 - Exxon paid $1 billion in fines and for the clean-up of the Alaskan oil spill. 


2002 - Fox aired "Celebrity Boxing." Tonya Harding beat Paula Jones, Danny Banaduce beat Barry Williams and Todd Bridges defeated Vanilla Ice.

New York Times: California Drought Not from Global Warming

New York Times: California Drought Not from Global Warming:

"Martin P. Hoerling, a research meteorologist at the Earth System Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wrote, “At present, the scientific evidence does not support an argument that the drought there is appreciably linked to human-induced climate change.” Hoerling observed that the severe nature of the drought has been observed before, in 1976 and 1977, and that there hasn’t been a notable change in California’s average precipitation since 1895.
Hoerling argued that the reason the drought is making so much news is that the demand for water has greatly increased. He added that other factors, such as the gap between rainy days and the intensity of the rains when they come, could affect the drought-like conditions. Hoerling suggested that examining soil moisture can give a clearer picture of how severe the drought is."

White House STILL won't say how many Obamacare enrollees have paid for plans, but announces 4.2 million total through February -- just 60 per cent of original goal | Mail Online

White House STILL won't say how many Obamacare enrollees have paid for plans, but announces 4.2 million total through February -- just 60 per cent of original goal | Mail Online: 

As March 31 deadline approaches, the administration is nowhere near its original goal of 7 million signups – or its revised target of 6 million

But the administration hasn't said how many have paid their premiums, claming their accounts-payable system isn't yet set up to compute totals

Seven U.S. states, however, have released their paid/unpaid numbers, and those figures indicate that just 3.3 million have paid for insurance

The White House has asked insurers to cut delinquent enrollees some slack, but some insurance execs say they won't do it

A troubling survey from a health care consultancy found last week that just 27 per cent of enrollees were previously uninsured

Union: Obamacare will slash wages by up to $5 an hour | WashingtonExaminer.com

Union: Obamacare will slash wages by up to $5 an hour | WashingtonExaminer.com:

A national union that represents 300,000 low-wage hospitality workers charges in a new report that Obamacare will slam wages, cut hours, limit access to health insurance and worsen the very “income equality”President Obama says he is campaigning to fix.

Unite Here warned that due to Obamacare's much higher costs for health insurance than what union workers currently pay, the result will be a pay cut of up to $5 an hour. "If employers follow the incentives in the law, they will push families onto the exchanges to buy coverage. This will force low-wage service industry employees to spend $2.00, $3.00 or even $5.00 an hour of their pay to buy similar coverage," said the union in a new report.

Obama threatens vetoes of bills requiring him to follow the law | WashingtonExaminer.com

Obama threatens vetoes of bills requiring him to follow the law | WashingtonExaminer.com: 

President Obama is threatening to veto a law that would allow Congress to sue him in federal courts for arbitrarily changing or refusing to enforce federal laws because it "violates the separation of powers" by encroaching on his presidential authority.

"[T]he power the bill purports to assign to Congress to sue the President over whether he has properly discharged his constitutional obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed exceeds constitutional limitations," theWhite House Office of Management and Budget said Wednesday in a statement of administration policy. "Congress may not assign such power to itself, nor may it assign to the courts the task of resolving such generalized political disputes."

Barbara Walters hints she still enjoys sex | Page Six

 "Barbara Walters hints she still enjoys sex"

Too much information?

Barbara Walters, 84, confessed to the crowd at the Guild Hall gala at Sotheby’s that she still enjoys having sex — or did she?

The ABC newswoman recently joked on “The View” that she has a vibrator she nicknamed “Selfie.”

According to photographer Bettina Cirone, Walters told the audience on Monday how her grandmother confessed to her family on her deathbed that she had never had sex.

Harlem building blast: From the scene | New York Post

Harlem building blast: From the scene | New York Post:

Three people are dead and at least 24 others are injured after a huge explosion collapsed two East Harlem buildings Wednesday morning where residents complained of smelling gas for weeks, witnesses and authorities said.

Nine people are still missing and the death toll could rise, police sources said.

Obamacare Falls 330,000 Short of February Enrollment Goal

Obamacare Falls 330,000 Short of February Enrollment Goal:

"Obamacare enrollment continued to slide off December highs in February with HHS reporting 940,000 people enrolled last month. In addition the percentage of "young invincibles" signing up was the same as in January, just 27 percent. That's far short of the 38 percent originally expected."

U.N. ‘behind plan for overseers for all kids’

U.N. ‘behind plan for overseers for all kids’:

"Families and homeschoolers in Scotland have described the Children and Young People Bill as “anti-family” and “illegal,” and the Christian Institute, a Christian rights organization in the United Kingdom, plans to challenge it in court.

HSLDA has been exposing the pitfalls of the U.N. treaty, which has not been adopted by the United States.

The Scotland bill would appoint a “named person,” a government social worker, for every child born. The social worker’s job would be to “promote, support and safeguard the well being” of the child according to the standards of the state.

The bill includes vast data collection, which could be shared with just about anyone with or without the parents’ consent.

HSLDA warned the Children and Young People Bill is part of a larger government policy initiative in Scotland called “Getting it Right for Every Child,” or GIRFEC, a response to the U.N. treaty."

CAIR tries bribery to shut down briefing on Muslim threat

CAIR tries bribery to shut down briefing on Muslim threat:

"The lead trainer, former special FBI agent John Guandolo, presented some 50 Virginia law enforcement officers with evidence of the radical Muslim Brotherhood’s operations in the U.S. and their jihadi support network, along with a large amount of evidence demonstrating CAIR was created and continues to be an entity of Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group. Former U.S. prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy, former Pentagon inspector general Joseph Schmitz and former CIA case officer Clare Lopez also spoke at the seminar.

Now a counter-terrorism and homeland security consultant, Guandolo detailed for officers who attended the Feb. 25-27 seminar how this dangerous Islamic network in America radicalizes, trains and logistically supports jihadi operations in the United States and those launched from the U.S. against overseas targets.

He says CAIR, which is part of that network, was so worried about the training that it sent officials to Culpepper to lobby the sheriff to cancel the program, even offering together with a local mosque to pay for the program’s fees and related expenses."

History for March 12

History for March 12 - On-This-Day.com
1789 - The U.S. Post Office was established. 


1879 - The British Zulu War began. 


1889 - Almon B. Stowger applied for a patent for his automatic telephone system. 


1894 - Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time. 


1912 - The Girl Scout organization was founded. The original name was Girl Guides. 


1933 - President Paul von Hindenburg dropped the flag of the German Republic and ordered that the swastika and empire banner be flown side by side. 


1985 - Former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon announced that he planned to drop Secret Service protection and hire his own bodyguards in an effort to lower the deficit by $3 million. 


1987 - "Les Miserables" opened on Broadway. 


1993 - Janet Reno was sworn in as the first female U.S. attorney general. 


1998 - Astronomers cancelled a warning that a mile-wide asteroid might collide with Earth saying that calculations had been off by 600,000 miles. 


2009 - It was announced that the Sear Tower in Chicago, IL, would be renamed Willis Tower. 

House Republicans Release Scathing Report on Lois Lerner: Could Contempt Charges Follow? | TheBlaze.com

House Republicans Release Scathing Report on Lois Lerner: Could Contempt Charges Follow? | TheBlaze.com:

"Lerner, the former head of the agency’s tax exemption unit, apologized last year for the IRS’ inappropriate targeting of conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status. She later invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, resigned from the agency and has since refused to answer any questions about her possible involvement in the targeting.

Tuesday’s report accuses Lerner of obstructing Congress’ investigation into the targeting scandal, saying she misled investigators about her role in the IRS’ efforts

“Most damning of all, even when she found that the actions of subordinates had not adhered to a standard that could be defended as not ‘per se political,’ instead of immediately reporting this conduct to victims and appropriate authorities, Lerner engaged in efforts to cover it up,” the report states."

‘The Age of Hypocrisy’: Netanyahu Slams Western Nations for Wanting to ‘Delude Themselves’ Over Iran’s Nuclear Aspirations | TheBlaze.com

‘The Age of Hypocrisy’: Netanyahu Slams Western Nations for Wanting to ‘Delude Themselves’ Over Iran’s Nuclear Aspirations | TheBlaze.com:

"“I’ve heard at most minimal and faint condemnation of Iran by the international community to this murderous shipment,” Netanyahu said, calling the silence a reflection of “the age of hypocrisy.”

Without naming her, Netanyahu lambasted European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who visited Iran over the weekend.

“We witnessed smiles and handshakes of Western representatives with the head of the Iranian regime in Tehran, precisely while the missiles were being unloaded in Eilat,” Netanyahu said. “By comparison, if we build a balcony in some Jerusalem neighborhood we hear from the international community a chorus of harsh condemnations against the state of Israel.”

Like other Western nations, the U.S. has repeatedly criticized Israel for building in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Government bans calling terrorists ‘jihadis’

Government bans calling terrorists ‘jihadis’:

"A federal appeals court is being asked to reverse a lower court decision that banned the American Freedom Defense Initiative from featuring in a bus ad the faces of men already identified by the U.S. government as suspected terrorists.

“This case is a classic articulation of political correctness as a form of tyranny, which violates our fundamental right to freedom [of] speech guaranteed by the First Amendment,” said Robert Muise, co-founder of the American Freedom Law Center, which is working on the AFDI case.

“Simply put, the government’s position is inconsistent with reality – namely, Shariah-adherent jihadists pose a significant threat to our national security.”"

U.S. state: 350,000 gun owners suddenly felons

U.S. state: 350,000 gun owners suddenly felons:

"The state of Connecticut has created a crisis for itself: The possibility of having 350,000 new felons in the state – roughly 20 times the state’s current state prison system population.

It’s all because the legislature adopted a law that said that based on certain physical features, some types of guns and weapons magazines no longer were allowed.

But there was no grandfathering for those who already had them. The guns are just no longer allowed, unless, of course, the owner submitted an application with identifying information such as fingerprints for the state to be able to identify those gun owners.

Now estimates are that up to 250,000 or even 350,000 residents didn’t meet the state’s deadline for submitting that information.

The result? They’re felons. Of course they haven’t been charged or convicted yet, but the law allows no half-measures. Even possessing the weapon makes a person a felon.

And a judge who was asked to suspend the law while a challenge to its constitutionality is debated in the courts jumped down on the side of prosecution, refusing to make that allowance."

High School Wrestler Loses State Title – But He’ll Win Your Respect With This Unexpected and Inspiring Act of Sportsmanship | Video | TheBlaze.com

High School Wrestler Loses State Title – But He’ll Win Your Respect With This Unexpected and Inspiring Act of Sportsmanship | Video | TheBlaze.com:

High school wrestler Malik Stewart had just lost the Minnesota state wrestling championship. It was a hard-fought match that ended with him pinned under his opponent, Mitchell McKee.

It’s what Stewart did after the tough defeat that transformed this story from a local report in the local sports section to an inspiring national 

He didn’t pound his fists. He didn’t storm out of the gym. Instead, he calmly shook McKee’s hand and then made his way towards his opponent’s father. As Stewart was well aware, McKee’s father is suffering from cancer.

The student shook the father’s hand, wrapped his arms around him and told him to keep fighting the cancer. He also congratulated the dad about his son’s big win.

The audience erupted in applause at the heartwarming act and is now captivating the Internet:

Duval teacher faces termination for repeated profanity... | www.wokv.com

Duval teacher faces termination for repeated profanity directed at students

Jacksonville, FL — 

A math teacher within Ribault High School is facing termination after the District finds she used profanity directed at her students- and it’s not the first time.

WOKV obtained the investigation in to Joyce Quiller, who teaches with The Bridge to Success program at Ribault. The Duval County School District first began this investigation in January, after receiving complaints from students and parents about Quiller’s conduct.

Study: States That Voted for Obama Have Most Income Inequality

Study: States That Voted for Obama Have Most Income Inequality:

The top five states with the highest income inequality rates all voted to reelect President Barack Obama, though no state boasted a higher rate of inequality than Washington, D.C. This ia according to a study released this week by MoneyRates.com.

The study used data from the Bureau of Labor statistics to measure how many times more money the top-earning income bracket of a state made than bottom earners. Researchers compared the top 25th percentile earner to the bottom 25th percentile earner and divided the sums into each other, then ranked states by number. California, in which a top 25th percentile earner makes 2.55 times more than a bottom 25th percentile earner, is by far the most unequal state, followed by New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and President Obama's home state of Illinois.

The Sharyl Attkisson approach - POLITICO.com

The Sharyl Attkisson approach - POLITICO.com:

By DYLAN BYERS | 

5/24/13 12:49 PM EDT

From my report on CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson:

Sharyl Attkisson has problems.

The Obama administration won’t answer the CBS News correspondent’s questions because her investigations — into Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Solyndra — often reflect negatively on it. Some colleagues at CBS News, where she has worked for two decades and earned multiple Emmy awards, dismiss her work because they perceive a political agenda. And now, she says, someone may have hacked into her computers.

Attkisson’s one piece of solace may come from finally gaining some like-minded colleagues in the media. For years, Attkisson has been one of the few mainstream reporters pursuing critical stories about the Obama administration. Today, as “scandal season” takes hold in Washington, she has seen her longstanding skepticism of the White House and the Justice Department become the conventional attitude among a formerly deferential Beltway press corps.

DRUDGE REPORT 2014®

DRUDGE REPORT 2014®: "DEMS DECLARE WAR ON WEATHER!"



'vn Monday night, Senate Democrats are hosting a rare pajama party of sorts, conducting an all-night “talkathon” on climate change – minus the pajamas, and definitely minus some of their colleagues.

• 

  In Pictures Where to find greenhouse gases

Twenty-eight Democrats and two left-leaning Independents, including Senate majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada and his top lieutenants, are scheduled to speak in shifts until about 9 a.m. Tuesday. The event is not a filibuster, nor is it related to any legislation. The intent is to urge a divided Congress and nation to “wake up” on this issue.

Conn. Cop: I Will Kick Down Doors To Confiscate Guns

 "CONN. COP: I WILL KICK DOWN DOORS TO CONFISCATE GUNS"

UPDATE: Since the release of this article, Branford Police have confirmed that Officer Peterson has been placed on paid leave while an internal investigation is carried out.

A Connecticut man revealed shocking comments made by a Branford police officer this week who has openly defended door-to-door gun confiscation.

After the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, Conn. lawmakers mandated that all “assault rifles” and “high capacity” magazines be banned, requiring all in circulation to be registered with the state. Fearing the obvious move towards confiscation, the vast majority of gun owners have refused to submit, with estimates finding less than 13 percent of rifles being registered

CBS Reporter Active in Covering Benghazi, Fast & Furious Announces Surprise Resignation | TheBlaze.com

CBS Reporter Active in Covering Benghazi, Fast & Furious Announces Surprise Resignation | TheBlaze.com:

 "“CBS News veteran Sharyl Attkisson is leaving the news division to pursue other endeavors,” she said. “We appreciate her many contributions and we wish her well.”

According to Politico, sources said Attkisson had grown increasingly frustrated by what she perceived as a liberal bias at CBS News.

“Attkisson, who has been with CBS News for two decades, had grown frustrated with what she saw as the network’s liberal bias, an outsized influence by the network’s corporate partners and a lack of dedication to investigative reporting, several sources said,” Politico reported. “She increasingly felt like her work was no longer supported and that it was a struggle to get her reporting on air.”"