NPR Asks If It's 'OK to Profit' From Cooking Food of 'Other Cultures'...Or Is It Racist?

NPR Asks If It's 'OK to Profit' From Cooking Food of 'Other Cultures'...Or Is It Racist?

Since National Public Radio is a taxpayer-funded liberal sandbox, you can find examples nearly every day of NPR conducting a conversation with its liberal audience on all the liberal obsessions of the moment, like the new political-correctness theme of “cultural appropriation,” like being mad at Justin Bieber for wearing dreadlocks, because that’s a black thing.

This week, NPR asked “When Is It OK To Profit From Cooking Other Cultures' Food?” In other words, is it okay for an Indian-American to run a pizza joint, or an Italian to run an Indian restaurant? If you're a white guy cooking Mexican food, it is racist or "neocolonialist"? Apparently, to the Left, you should “stick to your own kind” when selling food.

NPR’s Maria Kodoy and Kat Chow (seriously, a food expert named “Kat Chow”?) went to Twitter to ask fellow liberals what they thought:

Recently, we started a conversation about food and race. Specifically, we wondered out loud, who gets to cook — and become the face of — a culture's cuisine?

Our question was prompted by a recent Sporkful interview with Rick Bayless, who has faced criticism over his long career. Although he is an Oklahoman with no Mexican ancestry, he has become one of the most prominent ambassadors for Mexican cuisine in America....

As with many things involving race and class in America, there are no easy answers — and we're not expecting to find any clear-cut ones. We're more interested in starting a conversation..."

Two Illegal “Dreamers” Rape Maryland Girl, Call her Fresh Meat

Two Illegal “Dreamers” Rape Maryland Girl, Call her Fresh Meat:

"In the latest “act of love” from a pack of violent illegal aliens, a 12-year-old girl was raped in Montgomery County, Maryland by two individuals likely eligible for Obama’s executive amnesty. One of them reportedly referred to the girl as “fresh meat” as he encouraged his friend to partake in the act of savagery.
The incident occurred on March 26, but the two perpetrators weren’t arrested until Friday, as reported by the Washington Post. The two suspects are Enrique Carbajal, 24, and Victor Tome, 19, who would likely be eligible for the Dream Act supported by both John Kasich and Donald Trump.
Montgomery County is a sanctuary jurisdiction in Maryland that does not cooperate with federal immigration officials."

FBI Warns of Cyber Threat to Electric Grid

FBI Warns of Cyber Threat to Electric Grid:
Three months after a Department of Homeland Security intelligence report downplayed the threat of a cyber attack against the U.S. electrical grid, DHS and the FBI began a nationwide program warning of the dangers faced by U.S. utilities from damaging cyber attacks like the recent hacking against Ukraine’s power grid.
The nationwide campaign by DHS and the FBI began March 31 and includes 12 briefings and online webinars for electrical power infrastructure companies and others involved in security, with sessions in eight U.S. cities, including a session next week in Washington.
The unclassified briefings are titled “Ukraine Cyber Attack: Implications for U.S. Stakeholders,” and are based on work with the Ukrainian government in the aftermath of the Dec. 23 cyber attack against the Ukrainian power infrastructure.
“These events represent one of the first known physical impacts to critical infrastructure which resulted from cyber-attack,” the announcement by the DHS Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team read.
“The attacks leveraged commonly available tools and tactics against the control systems which could be used against infrastructure in every sector...”

Millionaires Fearing Civil Unrest Are Fleeing Chicago by the Thousands

Millionaires Fearing Civil Unrest Are Fleeing Chicago by the Thousands | The Daily Sheeple:
"As time goes on the city of Chicago is rapidly turning into a crime infested hell hole, rife with poverty, debt, and racial tensions. 
The city is well on its way to joining the likes of Detroit, and there may be no escaping that eventuality.
That’s why many of the city’s wealthy elites are getting the hell out of there.
The Chicago Tribune reports that roughly 3,000 millionaires have left the city over the past year alone, which amounts to about 2 percent of their wealthy population.
This is the largest exodus of wealthy people in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. Paris and Rome are the only cities that lost more millionaires than Chicago in the same time period.
According to research, many of these elites are relocating to other cities in the United States such as Seattle and San Francisco, which saw a net inflow of millionaires over the past year.
When asked about why they were leaving Chicago, most of these millionaires cited racial tensions and rising crime rates.
If you happen to live in Chicago, take a hint from the people with insider knowledge and connections, and get out while you still can."

Lunch video-----WW II US AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

Noon-toon

U.S. Woman Jailed for ‘Insulting’ United Arab Emirates | TheBlaze.com

U.S. Woman Jailed for ‘Insulting’ United Arab Emirates | TheBlaze.com:

"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A 25-year old American woman appeared in court Monday on misdemeanor charges for allegedly insulting the United Arab Emirates in public while waiting for a taxi at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The National, a government-owned newspaper in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, reported that the woman, who was not named, has been under arrest since Feb. 23. The newspaper says she told the Federal Supreme Court that she was waiting for a taxi at the airport when two men approached and spoke to her in a manner she did not like."

Green Madness: EU Climate Finance Subsidises Chinese Steel Industry

Green Madness: EU Climate Finance Subsidises Chinese Steel Industry | The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF):
British taxpayers have been forced to subsidise the very Chinese steel companies that are threatening 40,000 UK jobs, critics say
It comes after revelations that the European Investment Bank has given so-called “soft loans” to China of £80million as part of a climate policy intended to lower emissions.
The astonishing figures include a loan of £40million to one of the world’s worst “steel dumping” culprits, the Wuhan Iron & Steel Corporation.
To add insult to injury Wuhun, the world’s eighth largest steel producer, boasts the Chinese state as its main shareholder. 
Wuhun is such a prolific steel dumper that it has now been especially targeted by the European Commission, which wants to slap it with 36.6 per cent tariffs....“The EU is supposed to be careful who it lends money to, and lending to a foreign government in order to create competition to British industry is not what we had in mind.”
...“This is insane. 
Already, thanks to our EU membership, we’ve lost control of our trade policy and lack any ability to support the competitiveness of our steel industry.
...“Now we learn that the EU has been making loans to state-owned Chinese steel makers, who are then able to sell below cost back into the EU and our UK government has been powerless to intervene as it should have done due to the EU state-aid rules.
...Former Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Lilley added: “I never cease to be amazed by the capacity of self-harm by European institutions, particularly when they become embroiled in climate policy..."
Full story
- See more at: http://www.thegwpf.com/green-madness-eu-climate-finance-to-subsidise-chinese-steel-industry/#sthash.fZEHIlef.dpuf

Are We Misdiagnosing Immaturity as ADHD?

Are We Misdiagnosing Immaturity as ADHD? | Intellectual Takeout:
When it comes to hyperactivity disorders such as ADHD, there’s no debate that diagnoses are on the rise amongst America’s youth.

What is debated, however, is the best way to treat ADHD.  

Until recently, it seemed that thrusting a pill at children was the standard treatment. But more experts are beginning to wonder if some ADHD cases can be reduced through efforts like behavioral modification therapy. Others are wondering if children just need time to grow and mature. 
A new study in The Journal of Pediatrics seems to lend support to this idea. 
For over 14 years, researchers in Taiwan examined whether or not a child’s age at school entry influenced ADHD diagnosis. After studying nearly 400,000 schoolchildren, the researchers found that the oldest children in the class (those born in September) had a much smaller chance of being diagnosed with ADHD than the youngest children (those born in August). 
As the Telegraph explains, such a rise in diagnoses “may be caused by teachers comparing the behaviour of more mature children to those of youngsters who are up to a year younger.”

Such research should give us pause, particularly since many of today’s ADHD cases are first observed in the classroom. Would we keep many children off of medication if we simply gave them time—and encouragement—to grow and mature?

Ayatollah: U.S. Military Weaker Than Iran's for Lack of 'Spiritual Motivation'

Ayatollah: U.S. Military Weaker Than Iran's for Lack of 'Spiritual Motivation' | PJ Media:
"Iran's supreme leader argued Sunday that America's armed forces will never be powerful like those of the Islamic Republic because religion isn't a component of U.S. warfighting.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was meeting with high-ranking commanders in Tehran to urge not only an increase in military might but a greater focus on the Islamic Revolution in military matters.
“In the Islamic Republic establishment, the main task (assigned) to the Armed Forces is to defend national security boundaries, therefore the operational capability and spiritual motivations of these forces must be upgraded on a daily basis," Khamenei said, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
He argued that militaries designed to just protect the state are limited in scope and can act -- as he said the U.S. does -- with “militarism, irrationality, and ruthlessness.”
The ayatollah insisted that Iran is the most "effective" fighting force because of the Islamic motivations woven into military strategy..."

RED ALERT: Obama, Susan Rice Gag Dozens of Generals for 1 Chilling Reason

RED ALERT: Obama, Susan Rice Gag Dozens of Generals for 1 Chilling Reason:

"National Security Advisor Susan Rice therefore placed a gag order on military officials to that effect, according to Navy Times.

The hope is that Obama will be able to negotiate with Chinese president Xi Jinping without being hindered by his own firebrands.

In other words, once again, Obama tries to secure deals abroad without listening to his own people. He tells them to shut up."

BLUE MODEL BLUES: It’s Not Just Puerto Rico...

Instapundit » Blog Archive » BLUE MODEL BLUES: t’s Not Just Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s rolling bankruptcy crisis is just …:
BLUE MODEL BLUES: It’s Not Just Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico’s rolling bankruptcy crisis is just a taste of the fiscal storm that lies ahead if American state and local governments can’t find a way to bring their own gaping pension shortfalls under control. For decades, rapacious public sector unions and craven politicians on the mainland have also been also been propping unsustainable state employee retirement systems, and—crucially—using accounting tricks 
to dupe the public and conceal the magnitude of their unfunded obligations. Congress’s proposed relief package for Puerto Rico would require the island to be more forthright about its pension costs going forward, but it would allow state and local governments to continue downplaying the size of their debts. . . .

The resistance to honest accounting is apparently coming not from Congressional Democrats, but from Republican state legislators eager to keep their pension Ponzi schemes in place—a reminder that corrupt blue model practices are thoroughly bipartisan. Hopefully Congressional Republicans will have the good sense to reverse course and require state and local governments to come clean as well.

Meanwhile, state Attorneys General who want to punish “climate deniers” may want to ponder the personal consequences of criminalizing political lies. Because who lies more about politics: Corporations? Or politicians?

AM Fruitcake

History for April 12

History for April 12 - On-This-Day.com:
Henry Clay 1777 - "The Great Pacificator", U.S. Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams, three time unsuccessful candidate for president of United States. Quote: "I would rather be right than president.", Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury) 1930 - Ukulele playing, falsetto singer ("Tiptoe Through the Tulips"), Charles Napier 1936 - Actor 


Ed O'Neill 1946 - Actor ("Married....with Children", "Wayne’s World"), Tom Clancy 1947 - Author, 
David Letterman 1947 - TV host, comedian ("Late Night With David Letterman") 


1606 - England adopted the original Union Jack as its flag.


1861 - Fort Sumter was shelled by Confederacy, starting America's Civil War.



1877 - A catcher's mask was used in a baseball game for the first time by James Alexander Tyng.


1945 - In New York, the organization of the first eye bank, the Eye Bank for Sight Restoration, was announced.


1945 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in Warm Spring, GA. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Harry S Truman became president.


1961 - Soviet Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin became first man to orbit the Earth.


1981 - The space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, FL, on its first test flight.


1985 - Federal inspectors declared that four animals of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus were not unicorns. They were goats with horns that had been surgically implanted.

Climate-Change Prosecution: Liberals Should Be Liable

Climate-Change Prosecution: Liberals Should Be Liable:

"Some people are worried about little things like the “First Amendment,” “academic freedom,” and “scientific integrity.” Not me. I hate unscientific nonsense. So if Harris and Schneiderman are up for suing people who’ve made piles of cash peddling exaggerations and distortions, let’s roll out some test cases. I’ve got three ideas:

United States v. Al Gore. Ten years ago, "

Economic Collapse Is Erupting All Over The Planet As Global Leaders Begin To Panic

Economic Collapse Is Erupting All Over The Planet As Global Leaders Begin To Panic
Mainstream news outlets are already starting to use the phrase “economic collapse” to describe what is going on in some areas of our world right now.  
For many Americans this may seem a bit strange, but the truth is that the worldwide economic slowdown that began during the second half of last year is starting to get a lot worse.  
In this article, we are going to examine evidence of this from South America, Europe, Asia and North America.  Once we are done, it should be obvious that there is absolutely no reason to be optimistic about the direction of the global economy right now.  
The warnings of so many prominent experts are now becoming a reality, and what we have witnessed so far are just the early chapters of a crushing economic crisis that will affect every man, woman and child in the entire world.

Let’s start with Brazil.  
It has the 7th largest economy on the entire planet, and it is already enduring its worst recession in 25 years.  
In fact, at the end of last year Goldman Sachs said that what was going on down there was actually a “depression“.

But now the crisis in Brazil has escalated significantly.

I want to share with you an excerpt from a recent article entitled “Brazil: Economic collapse worse than feared“.  I know, that title sounds like it comes directly fromThe Economic Collapse Blog, but I didn’t write it.

It actually comes from CNN…

Amid political chaos, Brazil’s economic collapse is worse than its government once believed.

In the midst of rising calls to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s central bank announced Thursday that it now expects the country’s economy to shrink 3.5% this year.

That’s worse than the central bank’s previous estimate for a 1.9% contraction. The darker forecast matches what the International Monetary Fund projected for Brazil — Latin America’s largest country — and what many independent economists have suspected.

It is one thing for Michael Snyder to tell you that Brazil is in the midst of “economic collapse”, but it is another thing entirely for CNN to say it.

And of course I have been warning about the crisis down in Brazil for quite some time now.  
For much more on this, please see my previous article entitled “The Economic Collapse Of South America Is Well Underway“.

Meanwhile, things are actually much worse in Venezuela than they are in Brazil.  
Food and basic supplies are in short supply, the inflation rate has hit 720 percent, and crime is completely out of control.

The following is from an article in the Independent entitled “Venezuela is on the brink of complete economic collapse“…

The only question now is whether Venezuela’s government or economy will completely collapse first.

The key word there is “completely.” Both are well into their death throes. Indeed, Venezuela’s ruling party just lost congressional elections that gave the opposition a veto-proof majority, and it’s hard to see that getting any better for them any time soon — or ever.

Incumbents, after all, don’t tend to do too well when, according to the International Monetary Fund, their economy shrinks 10 percent one year, an additional 6 percent the next, and inflation explodes to 720 percent. It’s no wonder, then, that markets expect Venezuela to default on its debt in the very near future. The country is basically bankrupt.

Facebook deactivates page of Palestinian writer posting anti-corruption articlesIsrael and Stuff

Israel and Stuff » Facebook deactivates page of Palestinian writer posting anti-corruption articlesIsrael and Stuff:
Veteran Journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, has had his Facebook account deactivated because of Hamas & PA threats, ‘simply’ for posting articles detailing Palestinian Authority corruption.
Social networking website Facebook has today been accused of attempting to silence critics of the Palestinian Authority as it cracked down on the page owned by Arab-Israeli writer Khaled Abu Toameh.
Abu Toameh, the son of an Arab Israeli father and a Palestinian mother, is a former senior reporter for the Jerusalem Post.
He has reported that as of yesterday, his Facebook page had been deactivated.
The Commentator has learned that following complaints from the Palestinian Authority and Jordanian security authorities about his articles dealing with corruption, Facebook had taken the steps necessary to effectively censor his work.
In speaking this morning to us, Abu Toameh noted, “All I have done recently is share some articles which have been in the Jordanian press (in Arabic) about corruption. 
I am for transparency, against corruption, and yet they ban my account and continue to allow the leader of Hamas to have an account.
I am not in favor of terrorism like he is.
This is an attempt to silence me. 
To do this to a journalist is very bad.”
Facebook sent the following pro-forma e-mail to Abu Toameh yesterday evening: “You posted an item that violated our Terms of Use, and this item has been removed. Among other things, content that is hateful, threatening, or obscene is not allowed, nor is content that attacks an individual or group. Continued misuse of Facebook’s features could result in your account being disabled.”...

EXCLUSIVE: Obama vows no influence in Clinton email probe, defends terror fight | Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: Obama vows no influence in Clinton email probe, defends terror fight | Fox News:

"President Obama repeatedly vowed there would be no political influence over the Justice Department’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state -- in a wide-ranging interview with “Fox News Sunday” in which he also ardently defended his efforts to defeat the Islamic State and other terror groups amid criticism about his perceived indifference.

“I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department, or the FBI, not just in this case, but in any case,” Obama told “Fox News Sunday.” “Nobody is above the law. How many times do I have to say it?”"

Your tax dollars at "work"-----New Pure Michigan ad highlights Detroit's 'soul'

New Pure Michigan ad highlights Detroit's 'soul' - Crain's Detroit Business
Ad features the city's post-bankruptcy comeback, part of a nearly $12 milion national ad buy.

White woman ejected from 'Whiteness History Month' event for questioning Trump's racism

White woman ejected from 'Whiteness History Month' event for questioning Trump's racism - The College Fix:
"Uniformed Black Panthers members seen at public college’s event
When administrators at Portland Community College envisioned “Whiteness History Month,” they probably didn’t plan on incorporating members of the Black Panthers in their programming.
Yet that’s exactly what happened at the college’s Cascade campus Tuesday when a woman attending one of the program’s lectures was ejected for defending Republican Party presidential frontrunner Donald Trump against claims of racism.
...A sign posted outside the room’s door se
t the racial tone for the lecture.
“Please respect that this workshop is for Black and African identified folks exploring their blackness in a healthy and community based manor [sic].”
During the lecture, the speaker’s message apparently turned from informative to political, with the speaker insinuating that Trump was a racist.
A woman listening to the lecture who was not a student decided to question his politically charged anti-Trump direction, as she told an independent journalist who showed up to film the event shortly after.
Shortly after she was made to leave, the woman told the videographer she asked the speaker why Trump had support from black voters if it was true he was a racist. 
That was when, she said, she was asked to leave.
“A woman sitting beside me decided to question me with the intent of having me thrown out of the meeting,” claiming that she was “upsetting” people and “creating a bad vibe,” the ejected woman says on the video.
...Even with a police presence and a copy of the state statutes authorizing his presence in the room in his hand, the independent journalist opted to film through the glass from outside the room.
“I was a little intimidated and a little scared if I were to actually go into that room,” he told The Fix on Sunday.
“You can see in a couple shots [in his video] that there are actual militant Black Panthers in that room.
“If you don’t want the public showing up to your events,” the videographer said, “then you shouldn’t do it on a public college.”"

Lunch video-----Special Interests...EXPOSED!!!

Noon-toon

Pope Says No to Trans-Kids, Teach Them ‘to Accept Their Own Body’

Pope Says No to Trans-Kids, Teach Them ‘to Accept Their Own Body’:

"The Pope’s words echoed a recent statement from the American College of Pediatricians, which warned against the physical and psychological dangers to children posed by advocates of transgenderism. Failing to identify with one’s biological sex signals a psychological disorder that must be dealt with, not pandered to, the physicians proposed.

The doctors declared that human sexuality is “an objective biological binary trait” rather than an infinite series of self-determined “genders.” The norm for human design, the doctors said, “is to be conceived either male or female. Human sexuality is binary by design with the obvious purpose being the reproduction and flourishing of our species,” and therefore, “XY” and “XX” are “genetic markers of health – not genetic markers of a disorder.”"

Exclusive: The UN starts toward new control over the world's oceans | Fox News

Exclusive: The UN starts toward new control over the world's oceans | Fox News:

"One of the biggest backers of the preliminary talks is the Obama Administration. Even though the U.S. has never ratified the 1982 U.N. Law of the Sea Convention—the new talks are aimed at creating an “implementing agreement” under the Law of the Sea umbrella—the Administration is deeply involved in the negotiations, as are some of the world’s most powerful environmental organizations.

The U.S. also has a legal precedent for its involvement:  its ratification in 1996 of another “implementing agreement” under the Law of the Sea Convention that orchestrated the activities of a variety of regional fisheries management organizations across international waters, allowed for international enforcement, and a variety of other measures.

Ocean bio-preservation is also one of the 17 nebulous  Sustainable Development Goals endorsed by all the world’s governments, including the U.S. last September."

ObamaCare Cost Curve Hits The Patriot Post. Again.

Nate Jackson: ObamaCare Cost Curve Hits The Patriot Post. Again. — The Patriot Post:
"Here’s a peek into the window of the internal operations of our humble shop:
Our full-time employees range in age from about 25 to 60 — the median age is 37.
All of us are married, and some of our families include children (as in younger than 26 years of age). We’re all of reasonable health and don’t unduly burden the health care system with claims.
Our plan is a high-deductible HSA, and it doesn’t include eye or dental insurance.
One would reason, therefore, that our premiums would be low.
And one would be dead wrong.
That used to be true, but that was before ObamaCare. 
For last several years, our premiums have gone up by double digits annually, and this year’s 33% increase is among the highest so far.
On top of that, our deductibles also rose last year.
Since the “Affordable” Care Act came along, we now pay nearly four times as much — for less coverage.
Another note: Our plan doesn’t actually qualify under ObamaCare’s requirements, but it’s “grandmothered” for the time being.
Changing anything will only make either the price go up or the coverage go down — or both.
It would be one thing if our experience were an outlier, but it’s not; it’s the norm.
Health insurance premiums around the country are going up by double-digit percentages every year, and some by 50% or more.
What ever happened to “bending the cost curve down” as Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats regularly promised?
“We’ll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year,” he guaranteed. 
Reality is just the opposite.
How is that in any way “affordable”?
Or how about being able to keep one’s doctor or one’s plan?
While millions of patients have been told to look for other doctors, millions of insurance plans have been canceled in recent years.
Indeed, a large portion of the people signing up for coverage under ObamaCare had coverage they liked but lost.
This is all just part of the ObamaCare web of lies..."

Puerto Rico governor declares emergency at Government Development Bank

Puerto Rico governor declares emergency at Government Development Bank - The Washington Post
"SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Gov. Alejandro García Padilla ­announced Saturday that he has declared a state of emergency at the Government Development Bank, a moved aimed at ensuring that Puerto Ricans continue to receive essential government services.
The governor said he issued an executive order Friday to halt the erosion of the bank’s dwindling liquidity by allowing withdrawals only to fund necessary costs for health, public safety and education services.
The order does not call for a moratorium on the bank’s principal or interest payments.
García said the government bank, known as GDB, is in talks with creditors regarding a payment of nearly $423 million, due in May.
The order is the first taken under the Puerto Rico Emergency Moratorium and Financial Rehabilitation Act enacted this past week, which gives the governor emergency powers to deal with the fiscal crisis, including the ability to declare a moratorium on all bond payments.
“The GDB’s financial condition has continued to deteriorate and, absent the measures ordered in this executive order, there is an imminent risk of a drastic decrease in GDB’s liquidity in the immediate term.
This, in turn, would jeopardize the provision of essential services by the commonwealth,” the order states..."

Capitalism vs. socialism in one chart: South Korea vs. Venezuela edition

Capitalism vs. socialism in one chart: South Korea vs. Venezuela edition - AEI | Economics Blog » AEIdeas:
"If you are trying to make a point about statism vs. democratic capitalism, comparing the fortunes of North and South Korea is an easy and effective way to make it.
A great natural experiment.
(Just compare night-time satellite photos of the Korean peninsula.)
One a modern, advanced economy.
The other a hellhole.
Same people, same geography, different political economy.
But the comparison is such an extreme — totalitarian North Korea is one of the most nightmarish nations ever to exist — that some might find it easy to dismiss.
A weird one-off.
So how about this comparison instead?
South Korea vs. Venezuela. 
Certainly the latter isn’t Switzerland. Freedom House calls Venezuela a “partly free” nation that oppress political opposition.
But FH labels North Korea as “unfree” and uses the phrase “crimes against humanity” in the opening paragraph of its report.
The Index of Economic Freedom ranks Venezuela #176 out of the  178 nations it tracks, ahead of Cuba and North Korea.
But Venezuela is a much richer nation, with a per capita GDP (on a purchasing power basis) of $18,000 vs. $2,000 for North Korea. 

Wow: Obama Just Went VERY Far, Even By His Standards - 'Then White Folks...'

Wow: Obama Just Went VERY Far, Even By His Standards - 'Then White Folks...':

"The president did not cite specific laws, but in the past has opposed state-level voter ID laws. Obama spoke to the Chicago law students just days after Wisconsin implemented its new voter ID law for the first time in its presidential primaries. Voter turnout Tuesday was the largest since 1972.

Obama’s comments Thursday differ from those made in 2014, when he told Al Sharpton the enemy of participation was not voter ID laws, but apathy.

“Most of these laws are not preventing the overwhelming majority of folks who don’t vote from voting,” Obama said than. “Most people do have an ID. Most people do have a driver’s license. Most people can get to the polls. It may not be as convenient’ it may be a little more difficult.”"

We Need a Sequel to The Big Short to Critique Public Pensions

We Need a Sequel to The Big Short to Critique Public Pensions - Reason.com
The Big Short is clearly a hit. Nominated for (and winning) a host of major awards, the film has reportedly clocked $131 million worldwide on a $28 million production budget.
That should give screenwriters the incentive to follow up with the true-to-life sequel.
Call it The Big Short, Part Two.
Part one offered rare insight into the usually arcane world of government finance.
When the film's protagonists (played by Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell) prepare to bet that the housing bubble is about to blow, they identify the culprits:
The bad guys are not just the sellers who prepared mortgage debt securities but the buyers of those toxic securities as well.
And the biggest buyers of all were the managers of America's public-employee pension funds.
The housing bubble may have collapsed, but the public-employee pension fund managers are still with us.
If anything they're bigger than ever, still insatiably seeking high returns just over the horizon line of another economic bubble.
And where do these predators go for their high returns? 
Along with their high-risk investments in hedge funds and private equity (where we have minimal transparency), pension fund managers invest in housing, once again inflated to unaffordable levels, thanks to over-regulation and low interest rates.
They invest in public utilities that collect guaranteed fixed profits on overpriced services, thanks again to over-regulation.
They invest internationally.
And they invest in domestic stocks.
In every case, the goal of these powerful pension funds—Wall Street's biggest players—is to rack up another year of high returns.
And to do this they need corporate profits, financial sector profits, rising home prices, rising utility rates—all of it fueled by debt accumulation.
It's an unsustainable model.
As America is slowly turned into a debtors' prison, there will eventually be nobody left to pay the interest..."

AM Fruitcake