News of the Week for january 11th, 2014
- Obama Scandals
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Obama Scandals
Loretta Lynch questioned over secret deal depriving fraud victims of $40M
Probe of Obama attorney general nominee sought over secret deals for cooperators
Gun Rights
Gun rights victory in Marin County (of all places)
Imagine this: You’re an elderly man driving along a quiet suburban road with your wife. You change lanes in front of another driver. The other driver immediately begins tailing you closely and, over the course of a ten minute drive, you can’t shake him off, even when you tap your brakes and slow down. As the road narrows from four lanes to two, you keep driving and he keeps tailing you. You don’t call the police, because there’s nothing yet to report.
Dumbest Story of the Day from WaPo: ‘France has strict gun laws. Why didn’t that save Charlie Hebdo victims?’
Yes, they’re really that fucking stupid. Criminals, especially terrorists, do not obey laws. What the hell is so difficult to understand about that?
Hide the Decline
Environment &
“Green Energy”
260ft turbine buckles and collapses in 15mph breeze
Wind turbine collapsed on Murley Mountain in County Tyrone, Ireland
Environmental Impacts Will Not Be Part of Updated Federal Dietary Guidelines
An advisory committee to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reversed course and will not recommend that the agency consider the environmental impact of food production when updating its national dietary guidelines, a USDA official told VICE News on Monday.
Myth-making about Fracking, Texas Tremors
The headline: “26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas.”
List: 36 Of Obama’s Taxpayer-Funded Green Energy Failures
So far, 36 companies that were offered federal support from taxpayers are faltering — either having gone bankrupt or laying off workers or heading for bankruptcy. This list includes only those companies that received federal money from the Obama Administration’s Department of Energy and other agencies. The amount of money indicated does not reflect how much was actually received or spent but how much was offered. The amount also does not include other state, local, and federal tax credits and subsidies, which push the amount of money these companies have received from taxpayers even higher.
How OPEC Weaponized the Price of Oil Against U.S. Drillers
If there ever was doubt about the strategy of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, its wealthiest members are putting that issue to rest.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Health Care Fixes Backed by Harvard’s Experts Now Roil Its Faculty
For years, Harvard’s experts on health economics and policy have advised presidents and Congress on how to provide health benefits to the nation at a reasonable cost. But those remedies will now be applied to the Harvard faculty, and the professors are in an uproar.
NHS in critical condition as A&E waiting times are worst in a decade
There are grave doubts over the NHS’ capacity to cope with ever-growing demand this winter after emergency departments recorded their worst week in a decade, and more than a dozen hospitals were forced to implement “major incident” emergency plans.
War & Terror
NOAA Employee Charged With Computer Breach Met Senior Chinese Official in Beijing
Documents in Ohio case reveal FBI probe of Chinese hacking into National Inventory of Dams database
Female suicide bomber hits police station in Istanbul’s historic heart
A female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district on Tuesday, killing one officer and wounding another.
Paris Attack: Manhunt As Armed Killers Flee
Three masked men kill 12 people after storming the offices of magazine Charlie Hebdo, then flee after a gun battle with police.
12 dead in terror attack on Paris paper; manhunt for gunmen
Masked gunmen shouting “Allahu akbar!” stormed the Paris offices of a satirical newspaper Wednesday, killing 12 people, including the paper’s editor, before escaping in a getaway car. It was France’s deadliest terror attack in living memory.
Gunmen Kill At Least 12 In ‘Terrorist Attack’ At French Satirical Newspaper
Three masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of a satirical newspaper Wednesday, killing 12 people, including its editor, before escaping in a car. It was France’s deadliest postwar terrorist attack.
Video: Shouts of “Allahu Akbar” at French Magazine Shooting
Apparent video from today’s shooting at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, where gunmen reportedly killed 11
Police Arrived on Bikes at Charlie Hebdo – Had to Leave Because The Terrorists Were Armed
Three police officers arrived on bikes at Charlie Hebdo headquarters today. They had to leave after they heard the terrorists were armed.
Front National Leader Marine Le Pen Calls for Death Penalty After Paris Attack
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s Front National, has reaffirmed her commitment to giving the French people a referendum on the reintroduction of the death penalty.
Third French Police Officer Killed As Terror Suspects Reportedly Spotted
The manhunt for two men suspected in the massacre at a satirical newspaper’s Paris headquarters appeared to be honing in on its targets northeast of the French capital Thursday.
French forces kill newspaper attack suspects, hostages die in second siege
Two brothers suspected of a bloody attack on the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo were killed on Friday when anti-terrorist police stormed their hideout, while a second siege ended with the deaths of four hostages.
France: Raids kill 3 suspects, including 2 wanted in Charlie Hebdo attack
A pair of dramatic raids Friday in France led to the killing of three terrorists — one suspected in the fatal shooting of a policewoman, the other two in the massacre at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine — and to the freeing of at least some of those they were holding hostage.
Witnesses claim 2,000 people were killed in a Boko Haram assault that destroyed a town
Two thousand men, women and children may have died in Boko Haram’s latest blood-letting in Nigeria’s north-east. Those, at least, are the claims.
Rally for unity against terrorism is France’s largest ever
Masses of people joined with world leaders to fill Paris streets Sunday in a rally for unity that officials said was the largest demonstration in French history. Hundreds of thousands more marched in cities around the country and the world to repudiate a three-day terror spree around the French capital that killed 17 people and left the three gunmen dead.
Firebombing at German paper that ran Charlie Hebdo cartoons
A German tabloid that paid tribute to those killed at Charlie Hebdo by reprinting cartoons from the French satirical paper mocking the Prophet Mohammed was firebombed Sunday, police said.
National
NASA Spacecraft Approaching Dwarf Planet Ceres
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has begun approaching Ceres ahead of a historic March arrival at the mysterious dwarf planet.
San Francisco schools implement ‘Black Lives Matter’ curriculum
Students in San Francisco’s public schools are learning that “Black Lives Matter” after several school employees developed materials for teachers to embrace the anti-police movement.
Students slam Michelle O lunch rules: ‘The trash cans are more full than my stomach’
Powerade was replaced with water. Mayo was banned, too.
Princeton Student: Joking About How I Pronounce “Cool Whip” Is a Microaggression
. . . and microaggressions cause binge drinking.
“Black Lives Matter” curriculum popping up in classrooms
Keep an eye on your child’s schoolwork.
Conservative Blog Hacked For Posting Top Secret, Racist #BlackBrunch Protest Manual
As of 7 p.m. ET tonight, if you try to reach the venerable conservative blog WeaselZippers.us, you’ll get a 521 error message, telling you the site’s server is down.
Hackers have taken down a conservative website over THIS “BLACKS ONLY” manual for “Black Brunch” protests!
When hackers attack a website because they’=’re angry about information being spread, you can bet we won’t back down. That’s exactly what happened to our friends at WeaselZippers.us when their incontinent writer @DefendWallSt discovered and published a manual for the stupid “black brunch” protests this weekend.
2 NYPD Officers Shot in Bronx
Two NYPD officers have been shot in the Bronx, emergency response officials say.
Boehner re-elected speaker, but 25 Republicans dissent
As expected, John Boehner will continue on as Speaker of the House. He received 216 votes. That’s less than a majority of the full House, but comfortably more than a majority of the votes cast.
Shock: Coast Guard seeing sharp uptick in Cubans fleeing workers’ paradise
Despite its status among progressives as a veritable model for health care reformers and proponents of egalitarianism, the joint announcement by President Barack Obama and Cuban dictator Raul Castro of the normalization of bilateral relations has resulted in a sharp uptick in the number of Cubans desperately fleeing the island in makeshift dinghies. Who could have possibly seen this coming?
The real racial bias: Cops more willing to shoot whites than blacks, research finds
“Counter-bias” rooted in concerns over social and legal consequences
Boehner Wins Re-Election With Less Than Majority Of House
Only 216 Republicans voted to re-elect a humbled Ohio Republican Rep. John Boehner as Speaker of the U.S. House on Tuesday, as many Republicans voted for alternative candidates in the second organized attempt to unseat Boehner in as many speakership elections.
Atlanta fire chief suspended for authoring Christian book that denounces homosexuality
Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran has been fired for authoring a Christian book in 2013 that described homosexuality as a “sexual perversion.”
We’re (eventually) doomed: passing stars may rain comets on Earth
There are many things in space that can bring life on Earth to an end, whether they’re wayward asteroids or the eventual death of our Sun. However, the chances of a calamitous event may well go up if the calculations of Max Planck Institute scientist Coryn Bailer-Jones are on the mark. He estimates that two orange dwarf stars, GL 710 and Hip 86505, could start messing with comet orbits as they approach our solar system. If they get close enough, their gravitational pull would send a torrent of comets our way and greatly increase the likelihood of an Earth-shattering kaboom.
Facing Drastic $200 Cut in Allowance, 30-year-Old Princeton Grad Murders His Father
Just a reach, but we suspect this worthless layabout had a drug problem, and probably a lot of others.
Boehner takes revenge
Foes find themselves losing plum committee posts.
California to Subsidize Car Insurance for Illegal Immigrants
California lawmakers not only issued driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants but are also going to subsidize their insurance.
Bridgeton, NJ: Another Alleged “Hands Up” Police Killing of Black Man
Two New Jersey police officers fire when a traffic stop goes bad, killing 36-year-old Jerame Reid
Senator Barbara Boxer Is Retiring
California hasn’t had an open Senate seat since 1992.
Kaley Cuoco Delivers Mock ‘Apology’ to Feminist Critics at People’s Choice Awards
Kaley Cuoco, star of the hit CBS comedy Big Bang Theory, continued to poke radical feminists Wednesday night at the People’s Choice Awards.
‘I Want to Kill Cops’: Man Tries to Run Down Officers in NYC
Two Port Authority police officers narrowly escaped injury last night after a crazed man tried to run them down with his car.
Philadelphia police officer struck by car, shoots at driver
A Philadelphia police officer fired his weapon at a driver after being run over in Strawberry Mansion, a law enforcement source tells Action News.
200 Years Ago Today: The Battle of New Orleans
On January 8, 1815, the final engagement in the Battle of New Orleans took place. This battle was a huge victory for the United States, even if the War of 1812 was technically over while it was being fought. This battle, more than any other in U.S. History, was responsible for not only developing a national identity, but in establishing the United States as a power to be reckoned with.
Federal judge blocks California’s ban on foie gras
Foie gras can go back on the menu in California after a federal judge on Wednesday overturned the state’s ban on the sale of the fatty duck and goose liver.
New Let’s Move Executive Director is a “Food Justice” Activist
Debra Eschmeyer wants “transformation of the current food system”
A Quick Assessment of Republican Chances in #CASen2016
With Senator Barbara Boxer’s retirement, there has been some hypothesizing about a Democratic clown car sending two Republicans through California’s jungle primary, most recently by Thomas Elias of The Californian. The argument goes like this: enough Democrats declare and run that they divide their normally dominant vote, allowing two Republicans to snag both top spots for the General Election.
Buffalo schools spend $5.4 million on free plastic surgeries for teachers, despite massive deficit
Even a $50 million budget deficit in the Buffalo school district couldn’t convince members of the Buffalo Federation of Teachers to cut down on their taxpayer-funded tummy tucks, breast lifts and nose jobs.
Obama proposes publicly funded community college for all
President Barack Obama on Friday proposed to bring the cost of two years of community college “down to zero” for all Americans, an ambitious nationwide plan based on a popular Tennessee program signed into law by that state’s Republican governor.
State of the Union Preview: “Free” Community College?
Entitlement—the “key to success!”
#ThanksMichelleObama: Student photos expose skimpy school lunches
As President Obama appoints a new executive director of the first lady’s Let’s Move initiative, many students may be curious about what other lunch changes will be coming down the pike.
Tom Steyer reportedly mulling California Senate run.
Or, as I would put it, Tom Steyer thinking of eliminating middleman by signing up to directly lose a Senate seat: “Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer is mulling a run for Bar bara Boxer’s Senate seat, according to a person close to the former hedge fund trader.” …and there’s the trouble, right there for Mr. Steyer: all those adjectives. ‘Billionaire’ is at best, neutral. ‘Environmentalist’ is not really all that helpful, even in California. And ‘hedge fund trader’ is going to be a really fun club with which to beat the prospective candidate.
OK, when the National Journal isn’t buying this ‘free community college’ thing…
…then you can expect it to die on the vine.
Obama to give speech on Internet access in Iowa Wednesday
President Barack Obama is coming back to Iowa next week to pitch ideas for Internet access.
Kansas Medical Board Revokes License of Abortionist Who Assisted George Tiller
The Kansas Board of Healing Arts has decided to continue barring from the practice of medicine abortionist Ann Kristin Neuhaus due to what members consider serious record-keeping issues.
Reform education, don’t just throw money at it
When Nevada lawmakers meet in Carson City in a couple of weeks the top priority will and must be education, but the focus should not be solely on funding, but on fundamental, meaningful reform focused like a laser beam on two key elements — choice and competition.
Economy & Taxes
Venezuela’s Maduro to visit China, OPEC nations amid cash crunch
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Sunday he will visit China and several unspecified OPEC countries during a week-long tour meant to improve the South American nation’s finances, which have been weakened by tumbling crude prices.
France’s 75% ‘supertax’ quietly dies with few mourners
Once a flagship policy of French President Francois Hollande, the 75-percent “supertax” on top earners limps into its final weeks this month having sparked plenty of controversy but few economic results.
The GOP Said Obamanomics Would Kill the Economy. It Didn’t. Now What?
The American economy in 2015 will probably pale in comparison to the big booms of the 1980s and 1990s. But thanks partly to the 50 percent drop in oil prices since summer, it may be the strongest year for growth since before the Great Recession.
International
Excrement Tanker Explodes, Covering Everyone in Human Waste
An excrement truck [a vehicle that collects human waste from septic tanks] in Guangxi province Hechi city exploded, and this is probably what the having your face sprayed with shit must be like!
Pope Francis Targets Third World in Cardinal Picks
Pope Francis announced his list of fifteen new cardinals-to-be Sunday, concentrating on developing nations, some of whom have never had a cardinal before. They will be made cardinals at Saint Peter’s Basilica on February 14.
Guardian journalists fail to protect their sauces
Mr S is inclined to believe this is a piss-take, lest it be clear the Guardian completely disappeared up its own bottom. Apparently enjoying HP Sauce basically makes you some sort of quasi-racist, Ukip-voting, little-England philistine
Putin Decree Enables Foreigners To Serve In Russian Military
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree enabling foreign nationals to serve in the Russian military.
Sisi first Egyptian President to attend Coptic Christmas mass
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has attended the Coptic Christmas mass to mark the first attendance ever made by an Egyptian president to the religious occasion.
What Happens When You Try To Get A Bunch Of Little Boys To Slap A Little Girl In The Face?
They won’t do it. And if that surprises you for some reason, apparently you’re the target audience for this Italian PSA.
More Mass Graves Found in Mexican State of Guerrero
Dozens of mass graves were found this week in the southern state of Guerrero as police continue their search for the remaining 42 missing Ayotzinapa students who were disappeared Sept. 26.
Kevin Vickers named ambassador to Ireland
Sergeant-at-arms of the House of Commons lauded for confronting shooter on Parliament Hill
Muslims segregated from French society in growing Islamist mini-states
A backdrop to the massacre in Paris on Wednesday by self-professed al Qaeda terrorists is that city officials have increasingly ceded control of heavily Muslim neighborhoods to Islamists, block by block.
Nepal to issue passports with third gender for sexual minorities
Nepal will issue passports to sexual minorities, adding a third gender category, an official said on Wednesday in a sign of the conservative Hindu-majority country becoming more liberal since the end of a decade-long civil war.
Lebanese Porn Star Performs with Hijab, Controversy Ensues
Lebanon’s “homegrown” 21-year-old porn star Mia Khalifa is in the middle of a controversy in her home country. Social media in Lebanon is divided “on moral grounds” over Lebanese-American Khalifa, who now lives in Miami’s South Beach and is the most searched-for “actress” on the website PornHub.
The No-Go Zones of Europe
Virtual Islamist states fueled by hatred of the Western civilization and particularly Jews.
Christians Tortured, Killed in Communist-Controlled Laos
Global persecution of Christians on the rise
Unknown metal ingots on shipwreck offer hint that Atlantis might be real
“Nothing similar has ever been found. We knew orichalcum from ancient texts and a few ornamental objects.”
All You Need to Know About Venezuela’s Regime in a Few Tweets
Tweets from the Ayatollah today
Opinion
Russia’s Real Problem
Russia’s biggest security threat is what W. C. Fields used to call “potato juice”, not NATO.
American versus Muslim culture when it comes to dogs
I have to admit to being a little bit crazy when it comes to my dogs. I adore them. They give me undiluted happiness. While other women go goo-goo over babies, I go goo-goo over dogs. That’s why I was charmed and delighted by Thomas Lifson’s confession about his love for his two adorable doggies.
2015 Could Be an Historical Inflection Point
The Spirit of 1968 Has Failed. What Next?
Idris Elba Can Play James Bond. And ScarJo Can Play Ghost in the Shell
A couple of weeks ago there was a mini-firestorm when Rush Limbaugh suggested it was stupid to have Idris Elba, a black actor, play James Bond, because James Bond is a white character created by a white Scotsman. Then followed much angst on Twitter and elsewhere, as people by turns denounced Rush for being “racist” and defended Rush for standing up to PC claptrap.
What a Disgusting Way to Create a Country
An article at Slate about the challenges Saudi Arabia faces in transitioning power from one generation to the next reminds of the disturbing tool that laid the Kingdom’s foundation: polygamy.
Got Hate? Here’s the Most Fascist Piece You Will Read Today
For real freedom of speech, repeal the First Amendment.
Sen. McConnell’s Top Prospects Across the Aisle
Like those who follow baseball, people who track politics love statistics. So in that spirit, here’s the most important number in Washington now that a New Year and, as of today, a new Congress have arrived: Six.
Welcome To Thunderdome 2016
The 2016 presidential primary season is finally upon us. Let’s familiarize ourselves with the cast of characters.
Here’s What You Should Know To Take On Big Gay
In a reasonable world, one could discuss the effects of policies the gay lobby favors without fearing a totalitarian smear campaign. But who said the world is reasonable?
The Future Should Belong To Those Who Can Slander The Prophet of Islam
Radical Islam doesn’t like being mocked. Funny how we don’t have to worry about our lives after mocking the Pope, isn’t it?
Do Not Submit! Republish the Mohammed Cartoons Everywhere. Here’s How.
Today’s terror attack on Charlie Hedbo, the irreverent French satirical magazine that was one of the few media outlets in France to publish the original “Mohammed cartoons,” is an attempt by Islamic fundamentalists to enforce shari’a worldwide, even on non-Muslims.
Why would Cuba follow through?
It’s hard to think of a single reason
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D, California) cuts and runs.
Barbara Boxer is retiring. If you listen, you can hear the faint sounds of Democratic politicians all across California as they get up from their breakfasts and calmly go to open up their weapons caches. For there will be a Democratic war in the primaries over this. A California Senator’s seat? Oh, my, yes, but there will be a Time Of Troubles. Lots of people want that job, and they won’t be shy about trying for it. I cannot wait to see how far the Democrats involved will go…
Blaming America First and Last
The Left wants to fit the Charlie Hebdo massacre into its ideological comfort zone.
Islamophobia Is a Myth
Why do liberals fear the working class and ignore anti-Semitic murder? Because they are bigots.
California Legislature Is Back to Work And Full of Bad Ideas
Residents should hold on tight to their wallets.
Fundamental Concepts – No True Mussulman
This week saw another terrorist atrocity (several, actually) committed in the name of Allah. As usual, our betters in the media fell all over themselves rushing to the nearest microphone to declare that there is no possible way that terrorists who identified as Muslim, who triumphantly shouted that they were avenging the prophet, could have anything whatsoever to do with Islam.
Amanda Marcotte: The David Duke Of Feminism
Twenty-fourteen has been a bad year for feminism. From the UVA rape hoax to the anti-civil rights atrocities that are “affirmative consent” laws, from the the scandalous radio silence after the Rotherham scandal, to the ever-escalating #Waronnerds (reaching peak absurdity in the controversy over Dr. Matt Taylor’s allegedly “sexist” shirt), 2014 was the year when feminism underwent a fall from grace that even John Milton would cringe to chronicle. It was the year the movement that gave birth to the suffragettes mutated into the Jane Birch Society, though actually, that might be unfair to the Birchers – they only saw communists under every bed, whereas many modern feminists see misogynists and rapists not only under them, but in them, too. It was the year when feminism decided it had had enough of trying to get equal rights, and now only wanted to get even, in the words of one particularly frightening column.
