History for May 4

History for May 4 - On-This-Day.com:

International Respect for Chickens Day

Petite and Proud Day

Happy Birthday! Randy Travis, George F. Will, Pia Zadora

1626 - Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on Manhattan Island. Native Americans later sold the island (20,000 acres) for $24 in cloth and buttons.



1715 - A French manufacturer debuted the first folding umbrella. 


1886 - Chichester Bell and Charles S. Tainter patented the gramophone. It was the first practical phonograph. 


1930 - Mahatma Gandhi was arrested by the British. 


1932 - Al Capone entered the Atlanta Penitentiary federal prison for income-tax evasion. 


1942 - The Battle of the Coral Sea commenced as American and Japanese carriers launched their attacks at each other.
 

1961 - Thirteen civil rights activists, dubbed "Freedom Riders," began a bus trip through the South. 


1970 - The Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on students during an anti-Vietnam war protest at Kent State University. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. 


1979 - Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman prime minister. 


1981 - The Federal Reserve Board raised its discount rate to 14%. 


1987 - Live models were used for the first time in Playtex bra ads. 


1989 - Oliver North, a former White House aide was convicted of shredding documents and two other crimes. He was acquitted of nine other charges stemming from the Iran-Contra affair. The three convictions were later overturned on appeal. 


1998 - Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski was given four life sentences plus 30 years by a federal judge in Sacramento, CA. The sentence was under a plea agreement that spared Kaczynski the death penalty.

Revealed! Where was Obama During the Benghazi Terrorist Attacks?

Revealed! Where was Obama During the Benghazi Terrorist Attacks?:
"Then, when Vietor was asked by Baier whether he changed the talking appoints from “attacks” to “demonstrations,” Vietor, sounding like a 13 year-old valley girl, responded that he didn’t remember, because, “Dude, this was like two years ago.” 
Other than Vietor’s lack of seriousness being representative of how the Obama regime viewed the Benghazi terrorist attacks on 9/11/12, the most interesting revelation was the answer to the question everyone has been curious about, which is, where was Obama during the attacks, which lasted seven hours? "

Hollywood Star Warns That America Is Sliding Headfirst Into Socialism | TheBlaze.com

Hollywood Star Warns That America Is Sliding Headfirst Into Socialism | TheBlaze.com:
"He also accusing the media of siding with Washington, D.C., against the American people.
“We don’t really have freedom of the press. It’s owned by about eight different companies, and it doesn’t really express or help the average American,” he said.
Prior to the 2012 election, Schneider announced he had “come around” and that there was no way he could vote for “crappy” Obama, and last year, he announced that he was formally switching his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican."

Doh!------------------Petition problems threaten Conyers' re-election bid

Petition problems threaten Conyers' re-election bid | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Detroit congressman John Conyers' run for re-election appears to be in trouble because of problems with his petitions, Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett said Friday.
Garrett said problems are related to two people who collected signatures to get the Democrat on the August primary ballot. She said it doesn't appear they were registered to vote until late April.
But Conyers attorney John Pirich said they registered to vote in December. He said the campaign also is working to restore 800 signatures that were ruled invalid.
Conyers needs 1,000 signatures collected by registered voters. A decision about his place on the ballot could come Wednesday.
The 84-year-old Conyers was first elected to Congress in 1964."

The Magic Of 100%+ "Hedonic" Deflation In One Chart | Zero Hedge:

The Magic Of 100%+ "Hedonic" Deflation In One Chart

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/02/2014 22:18 -0400

In a NYT article which perhaps was meant to boost poor Americans' spirits that despite their horrible economic plight (because, you see, the past five years of Fed monetary easing - which explicitly allowed US politicians to avoid engaging in much needed and very unpopular fiscal reform - only focused on helping just the wealthiest - sorry very much, better luck next time) things really are quite great because, through the magic of hedonics, most things are really cheaper than ever.

To wit:

Since the 1980s, for instance, the real price of a midrange color television has plummeted about tenfold, and televisions today are crisper, bigger, lighter and often Internet-connected. Similarly, the effective price of clothing, bicycles, small appliances, processed foods — virtually anything produced in a factory — has followed a downward trajectory. The result is that Americans can buy much more stuff at bargain prices.

They can.

The only problem is they don't, because while one can use hedonic adjustments all day long to make it appear that one gets more bang for the buck, one still has to spend several hundred to over a thousand for a simple television set every few years, regardless of whether it is 1080p, 4K, 3D, or any other fleeting fad.

The NYT does touch on this amusing sleight of hand used by economists always and everywhere to make inflation appear tamer than it is:

“If you handpick services and goods where there has been dramatic technological progress, then the fact that poor people can consume these items in 2014 and even rich people couldn’t consume them in 1954 is hardly a meaningful distinction,” said Gary Burtless, an economist at the Brookings Institution. “That’s not telling you who is rich and who is poor, not in the way that Adam Smith and most everyone else since him thinks about poverty.”

Indeed - because between soaring food and energy prices, and stagnant or outright declining wages (the average weekly wage this month was $24.31; the average weekly wage last month was... $24.31), and the indigestability of the iPad (a new version of which is offered every 8-12 months with new features, which somehow also makes it hedonically cheaper) America's poor couldn't care less about how "cheap" those things they simply can never afford, allegedly are.

And the other problem, and an indication of just how ridiculous hedonics really is, is shown on the chart below, which is what economists use to "justify" that inflation really is very tame.

The punchline: apparently the "hedonically adjusted" deflation in Television costs over the past ten years is over 100%.

Huh, deflation of more than 100%? How is that possible? Just read the fine print:

Data is collected from retail stores and adjusted by specialists to reflect changes in quantity offered in a product or an increase in quality. Much of the drop in prices for electronics reflects an increase in quality over the past 10 years.

Ah, so the drop in prices in not actually a drop in prices which very well may be rising... but simply "an increase in quality."

By that logic, 99% of Americans are wealthier because the US household net worth chart showing really just the wealth of 1% of Americans (those whose paper wealth is tied to the stock market) moves from lower left to upper right. Courtesy of Mr. Chairmanwoman's money printer. And if not that then, well, there is always the trickle down effect.

Isn't modern "hedonically-adjusted" economics just grand: after all, since the quality of that money in your pocket is so much higher, you are now richer. Just ignore the fact that in proportion to all the outstanding money, what you have in your pocket is now worse than a joke.

Tense Video: Reporter Writes ‘Blah Blah Blah’, Asks Mocking Climate Change Question — GOP Candidate Finally Had Enough | Video | TheBlaze.com

Tense Video: Reporter Writes ‘Blah Blah Blah’, Asks Mocking Climate Change Question — GOP Candidate Finally Had Enough | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"Republican candidate Mark Callahan was reportedly among several other GOP Senate candidates seeking an endorsement from the newspaper. Callahan took offense when he caught reporter Nigel Jaquiss scribbling “blah blah blah” while candidate Joe Rae Perkins answered a question, as first reported by Jim Romenesko.
“I see what you’re writing down there. You just wrote down ‘blah blah blah blah’ for everything that Jo Rae said,” he said. “Jo Rae is a respectful woman. Why are you not respecting her by writing ‘blah blah blah blah’ in your notepad?”

Time to consider banning dumpsters? And garbage trucks?------Man nearly crushed in garbage truck had sleep options other than Dumpster, advocate says

Man nearly crushed in garbage truck had sleep options other than Dumpster, advocate says | MLive.com:
"The Muskegon man is now recovering at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital from broken ribs, a broken collar bone and a mouth injury.
He escaped death by yelling and pounding on the wall of the Waste Management truck, alerting the driver that he was trapped inside.
 By that time, he already had evaded the compactor once by maneuvering himself over the hydraulic plate used to compress trash.
"It's a miracle he is alive," Bartlett said. "God definitely preserved his life."
 Bartlett said the man could have stayed Thursday night at the Rescue Mission. 
"Our beds are not full and we didn't refuse anyone last night," he said.
"If a person had come here at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. last night, we would have housed him."
 Police said the man climbed into the Dumpstser, near Parkview Apartments at Ninth Street and Columbia Avenue, about 9 p.m. Thursday to get out of the wet and cold conditions."

Oh Snap! Trey Gowdy’s perfect answer to Greta on heading Boehner’s Special Benghazi Committee

Oh Snap! Trey Gowdy’s perfect answer to Greta on heading Boehner’s Special Benghazi Committee - BizPac Review:
"“Four Americans died at the hands of terrorists nearly 20 months ago, and we are still missing answers, accountability, and justice,” Boehner said, according to a statement. “It’s time that change.”"

The double standard that is destroying race relations-----Rep. Bennie Thompson defends calling Clarence Thomas an “Uncle Tom”

Rep. Bennie Thompson defends calling Clarence Thomas an “Uncle Tom” - CBS News

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is standing by remarks he made on a New Nation of Islam radio program where he alleged that criticism of President Obama is motivated by racism and called Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas an "Uncle Tom."

"Well if you look at his decisions on the court, they have been adverse to the minority community, and the people I represent have a real issue with an African-American not being sensible to those issues," Thompson, who is black, told CNN when asked to explain his comments.

While the term might be racially charged for some, for others, "It's the truth," he said.

When CNN reporter Dana Bash noted that the term wouldn't be appropriate if used by someone who is white, Thompson replied, "But I'm black."

Watch the Shocked Reactions from College Students When They Hear Hillary’s Previous Position on Gay Marriage | Video | TheBlaze.com

Watch the Shocked Reactions from College Students When They Hear Hillary’s Previous Position on Gay Marriage | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"The quote from 2000, by the way, is documented in a USA Today piece: ”Marriage has historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been, between a man and a woman.”

Most dangerous cities in the United States in 2014: FBI - National Conservative

Most dangerous cities in the United States in 2014: FBI - National Conservative | Examiner.com:

The Most Dangerous Cities in the United States: Top 10

1. Camden, New Jersey
2. Flint, Michigan
3. Detroit, Michigan
4. Oakland, California
5. St. Louis, Missouri
6. Cleveland, Ohio
7. Gary, Indiana
8. Newark, New Jersey
9. Bridgeport, Connecticut
10. Birmingham, Alabama

How Ukraine and Russia are moving toward war

MAP: How Ukraine and Russia are moving toward war:

Big sisters do better: New study of siblings finds eldest girls have the edge

Big sisters do better: New study of siblings finds eldest girls have the edge -- ScienceDaily:
Summary:
A new study has revealed that oldest children are the most ambitious, especially girls, and a wider gap between siblings increases the chances of children achieving higher levels of qualifications.

Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules-----HHS widens O-Care penalty exemptions

HHS widens O-Care penalty exemptions | TheHill:

"People who obtained health plans off the marketplaces after March 31 will not automatically face a penalty under the individual mandate, the Obama administration said Friday.



.....The move essentially nullifies the month of April for the purposes of enforcing the mandate.

Previously, people with a three-month gap in coverage in 2014 would have faced a penalty of $95 or 1 percent of annual household income.

This meant that almost everyone needed to have health insurance by March 31.

But the administration changed this deadline to May 1 for many people who struggled to enroll on the marketplaces."

The Surprising Possibility We Uncovered About the Next Company That Could Head Healthcare.Gov | TheBlaze.com

The Surprising Possibility We Uncovered About the Next Company That Could Head Healthcare.Gov | TheBlaze.com:
"The next company to run the Obamacare exchanges could be small enough to escape the law’s employer mandate to provide health insurance to employees. That’s because the Obama administration is giving priority to small business or companies operating in underprivileged areas to be the next firm running the healthcare.gov website.
Any business with fewer than 50 employees is exempt from the mandate to provide insurance to employees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. The mandate has been delayed three times, and is set to go into effect next year."

History for May 3

History for May 3 - On-This-Day.com:

Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY. 140^th annual. See www.kentuckyderby.com

Birth anniversary of  Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527).

Birth anniversaries of James Brown (1933-2006), Bing Crosby (1903-77), Golda Meir (1898-1978)

Happy Birthday! Dulé Hill, Engelbert Humperdinck, Frankie Valli

1802 - Washington, DC, was incorporated as a city. 





1921 - West Virginia imposed the first state sales tax. 

1971 - National Public Radio broadcast for the first time. 






1986 - In NASA's first post-Challenger launch, an unmanned Delta rocket lost power in its main engine shortly after liftoff. Safety officers destroyed it by remote control. 


1988 - The White House acknowledged that first lady Nancy Reagan had used astrological advice to help schedule her husband's activities. 


1992 - Five days of rioting and looting ended in Los Angeles, CA. The riots, that killed 53 people, began after the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King. 


2000 - The trial of two Libyans accused of killing 270 people in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 (over Lockerbie) opened. 


2006 - In Alexandria, VA, Al-Quaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui was given a sentence of life in prison for his role in the terrorist attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001. 

Lindsey Graham Says the White House Told a ‘Bald-Faced Lie’ on Benghazi Email | TheBlaze.com

Lindsey Graham Says the White House Told a ‘Bald-Faced Lie’ on Benghazi Email | TheBlaze.com:
"He noted that the email says the Obama administration will do all it can to help the families of those who were hurt.
Graham said the only people who were hurt at the time were the four Americans in Benghazi.

“So that’s just a bald-faced lie,” Graham said of the White House explanation. “That’s insulting our intelligence, and it really is disrespectful to those who died in the line of duty to suggest this email they would not give us without a court order had nothing to do with the death of four Americans.”

High School Under Fire for Students’ Removal of ‘Under God’ From the Pledge of Allegiance — and Here’s What They Replaced It With | TheBlaze.com

High School Under Fire for Students’ Removal of ‘Under God’ From the Pledge of Allegiance — and Here’s What They Replaced It With | TheBlaze.com:
"A Wisconsin high school has been accused of omitting “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance on at least two separate occasions during morning announcements, purportedly replacing the term with “peace” or removing it all together.
While the motivation is still not clear, the Madison Metropolitan School District confirmed in an interview with Wisconsin’s Star Tribune that there were two separate occasions in March during which the pledge was recited inaccurately by students at East High School in Madison, Wisconsin."

Jay Carney Lashes Out at Ed Henry Over New Benghazi Emails: ‘A Conspiracy Theory in Search of a Conspiracy Theory’ | Video | TheBlaze.com

Jay Carney Lashes Out at Ed Henry Over New Benghazi Emails: ‘A Conspiracy Theory in Search of a Conspiracy Theory’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"In a second day of contentious questions about newly revealed emails showing White House officials seeking to blame the Benghazi attacks on an anti-Muslim video, White House press secretary Jay Carney repeatedly referred to “conspiracy theories” to deflect inquiries.
“The conspiracy theories keep falling apart,” Carney said Thursday."

Roseville Business Owner Sues City After Arrest For Allowing Customers To Dance

Roseville Business Owner Sues City After Arrest For Allowing Customers To Dance « CBS Sacramento:ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — A Roseville business owner is suing the city for false arrest in a battle over the city’s dance permit ordinance.

Roseville Station owner Len Travis was jailed in 2012 for a misdemeanor violation of Roseville’s city dance permit ordinance, all because he allowed his customers to dance.

......But now Travis is suing the city for false arrest.

Job killing scam cripples hope for entry level jobs----0.8% of Workers Are Over 29 and Earn Minimum Wage or Less

0.8% of Workers Are Over 29 and Earn Minimum Wage or Less | CNS News:

A majority of the Americans who worked for the minimum wage or less in 2013 were 24 years old or younger, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and only 0.8 percent of American workers were 29 or older and worked for the minimum wage or less.

A supermajority of 67.5 percent who earned the minimum wage or less in 2013, according to BLS, worked in what the government calls the “Leisure and Hospitality” industry. 

This includes restaurants, bars, hotels, theatres, amusement parks and other facilities catering to people pursuing recreational activities.

The Very Important Detail About the Latest Benghazi Emails Revealed During House Hearing | Video | TheBlaze.com

The Very Important Detail About the Latest Benghazi Emails Revealed During House Hearing | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"A retired Air Force general testified before a House panel Thursday that he and others knew in the first few hours that the 2012 Benghazi assault was a planned terrorist attack, and not a spontaneous response to an anti-Muslim video. It’s a revelation that raises new questions about emails released this week suggesting the administration was blaming the video days after others had ruled it out as a cause.
Retired Brigadier Gen. Robert Lovell, speaking before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Thursday, testified that it was clear “quite early on” that the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was facing a terrorist attack."

Just How Much Beyond the Presidential Salary Do The Obamas Spend on Travel and Vacays?

Just How Much Beyond the Presidential Salary Do The Obamas Spend on Travel and Vacays?:
 "Obtained via a Freedom of Information request, here are some of the Obama presidency’s spending items:
Since 2009, a total of $40,000,000 has been spent. 
This year’s Presidential golf outings to California and Florida, including $3,000,000 in flight expenses.
2013′s Africa trip and Honolulu vacations for the Obamas cost $16,000,000- for flight expenses alone. 
2013′s Ireland trip tab: $8,000,000.
Michelle Obama’s 2-day side trip to Dublin cost $250,000, including a $3,500 per-night suite."

One Million People Dropped Out Of Labor Force In April: Participation Rate Plummets To Lowest Since 1978

One Million People Dropped Out Of Labor Force In April: Participation Rate Plummets To Lowest Since 1978 | Zero Hedge:

And so the BLS is back to its old data fudging, because while the Establishment Survey job number was a whopper, and the biggest monthly addition since January 2012, the Household Survey showed an actual decline of 73K jobs.

What is much worse, is that the reason the unemployment rate tumbled is well-known:
it was entirely due to the number of Americans dropping out of the labor force.
To wit, the labor force participation rate crashed from 63.2% to 62.8%, trying for lowest since January 1978! 
.....End result: the number out of the labor force is now an all time high 92 million, and the labor force tumbled by 800K to 155.4 million from 156.2 million.....

George Will: Tea Party an ‘Enormous Benefit’ to Both the GOP and the Country

George Will: Tea Party an ‘Enormous Benefit’ to Both the GOP and the Country: “It came into the Republican Party and brought an enormous energy and intensity. Energy and intensity at the end of the day wins elections. The Tea Party has been, on balance, an enormous benefit, A) to the Republican Party because of the energy, but, B) to the country, because the Tea Party’s message is to recover the vocabulary of constitutionalism and limited government, and the connection between the Declaration [of Independence] and the Constitution, so I’m very pro-Tea Party.”

'Happy Birthday, Amtrak! Here Are Your Presents. Love, The Taxpayers.'

'Happy Birthday, Amtrak! Here Are Your Presents. Love, The Taxpayers.':

Amtrak, the federally subsidized passenger rail service, made headlines in recent months after an Inspector General report said it offered $428,000 worth of free wine, cheese, and champagne on several of its long-distance routes in 2012. Those freebies were only part of Amtrak’s total food and beverage service losses of $72 million that year. Amtrak has made improvements—losses were $105 million in 2006—but it’s hard to imagine a private company surviving six plus years losing that kind of cash on just its food service.That’s where Amtrak’s federal operating subsidies come into play.Taxpayers forked over $470 million to subsidize Amtrak’s operations (they also sent $920 million in capital subsidies).

There's gotta be a way to blame Bush! Right?-----------Unfriended: Facebook dispute results in alleged butcher knife attack in Muskegon Heights

Unfriended: Facebook dispute results in alleged butcher knife attack in Muskegon Heights | MLive.com:

"MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI – A Facebook dispute between three women left two with wounds from a butcher knife and felony charges for the alleged offender, based on information from court records and a prosecutor."

A regime at war with its National Symbol------Bird conservation group to challenge rule allowing wind farms to kill eagles

Bird conservation group to challenge rule allowing wind farms to kill eagles:

The American Bird Conservancy has announced its intention to file suit against the Department of Interior for promulgating a regulation that authorizes the granting of 30-year permits for the taking of eagles by wind farms and electricity transmission projects.  
Here is ABC’s release and notice of intent to sue.
Under federal law, it is illegal to “take” protected species unless one obtains an “incidental take permit” from the federal government.  The Interior Department rule, finalized in December, extends the maximum time period for which such permits can be granted from 5 to 30 years.  ABC calls the regulation the “FWS 30-year Eagle Kill Rule.” 

Supreme Court Helps EPA Shut off Electricity in America

Supreme Court Helps EPA Shut off Electricity in America:
"In effect, the Court has just agreed to a regulation that represents a major increase in the cost of electricity in 28 states deemed to be polluting the air in those around them. The EPA’s claims that this will save lives they attribute to the alleged pollution is as bogus as all the rest of their claims, the purpose of which is to undermine the nation’s economy in every way it can.
James M. Taylor, the Heartland Institute’s Senior Fellow for Environmental Policy said of Tuesday’s decision that “It is a shame that the U.S. Supreme Court continues to empower EPA to issue nonsensical interpretations of statutes with the primary goal of amassing more money and power.”

A regime at war with its citizens-----Veterans Affairs officials purged 1.5 million unfinished medical orders

Veterans Affairs officials purged 1.5 million unfinished medical orders | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"More than 1.5 million medical orders were canceled by the Department of Veterans Affairs without any guarantee the patients received the treatment or tests they needed, the Washington Examiner has found.
Since May 2013, veterans' medical centers nationwide have been under pressure to clear out 2 million backlogged orders for patient care or services.
They were given wide latitude to cancel unfilled appointments more than 90 days old.
By April 2014, the backlog of what the agency calls “unresolved consults” was down to about 450,000.
What happened to other 1.5 million appointments is something that no one, including top officials at the veterans’ agency, can answer."