News of the Week
"Hide the Decline" *************** It’s Official: You Must be an Eco-Socialist to Graduate in Maryland Getting control of school boards before they groom the next generation of Democrats and green parasites *************** Climate scientists make a mockery of the peer-review process Rex Murphy One of the disturbing practices revealed by the great cache of emails out of the University of East Anglia — the so-called Climategate emails — was the attempted shortcutting or corruption of the oh-so precious peer-review process. War & Terror *************** Mexican troops cross into the United States at Bridge Two A convoy of three military trucks loaded with Mexican soldiers crosses the border at Bridge Number Two clearly violating international law. *************** Chinese warships cross high seas off Japan island TOKYO – Japan's Defense Ministry said Thursday 11 Chinese warships were spotted in international waters off the country's southern island of Okinawa. *************** Redistributing Power in the Taiwan Strait China's ability to sustain its dramatic military and economic rise throughout a global crisis certainly will impact how it manages its core issues. This is especially true in the Taiwan Strait, where China has already been able to significantly alter the bilateral distribution of power vis-ŕ-vis Taiwan. *************** Power Down: Senate Zaps Navy’s Superlaser, Rail Gun By Spencer Ackerman The Senate just drove a stake into the Navy’s high-tech heart. The directed energy and electromagnetic weapons intended to protect the surface ships of the future? Terminated. National *************** Michelle Obama: "Fortunately, We Have Help From The Media" *************** The Department of Food Subsidies The Department of Agriculture has no mandate of any kind. The Department of Agriculture no longer serves as a lifeline for millions of struggling homestead farmers. Instead, it is a vast, self-perpetuating post-modern bureaucracy with an amorphous budget of some $130 billion — a sum far greater than the nation’s net farm income this year. *************** No budget, no pay is word to California lawmakers By Jim Christie (Reuters) - There's no reward for a job poorly done, California lawmakers were told on Tuesday as their wages and expense pay were suspended after passing a budget that did not "add up." *************** Lawmakers to introduce bill to legalize marijuana By Luis Robayo A group of US representatives plan to introduce legislation that will legalize marijuana and allow states to legislate its use, pro-marijuana groups said Wednesday. *************** Huntsman’s family gave nearly $25,000 to Reid last cycle By Jon Ralston Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said this week he prefers Jon Huntsman to Mitt Romney in the GOP Mormon presidential primary, has taken a lot of money from the Huntsman family, and the former Utah governor appointed Reid’s son, Josh, to Utah’s Board of Regents. *************** The Daily Show's Liz Winstead Revealed as Netroots Mob Mastermind This weekend in Minneapolis saw simultaneous political blogger conventions -- the statist NetRoots Nation convention and the tea partyish RightOnLine *************** Apple turns 'Big Brother' Will it police iPhone cameras? By GLENN HARLAN REYNOLDS Last week, the tech world was rocked by reports that Apple was patenting tech nology that would allow outsiders to remotely shut off the camera in an iPhone. The scenario involved people attending concerts and recording video to share with their friends, something that big record companies frown on. Under the patent, a remote signal from a transmitter in the concert hall would tell your iPhone camera to shut down until the concert was over. *************** City pension pays more than average worker earns Heather Knight Here's some fun facts. OK, maybe not so fun, depending on your perspective. The average retiree from San Francisco city government earns an annual pension of $46,272, according to the San Francisco Employees' Retirement System. The average retiree who worked at least 30 years in city government earns an annual pension of $76,981. *************** Pigs could grow human organs in stem cell breakthrough Human organs could be grown inside pigs for use in transplant operations following research using stem cells. Economy
& Taxes *************** Forecasts for Growth Drop, Some Sharply A drumbeat of disappointing data about consumer behavior, factory sales and weak hiring in recent weeks has prompted economists to ratchet down their 2011 economic forecasts to as little as half what they expected at the beginning of the year. *************** Geithner: Taxes on ‘Small Business’ Must Rise So Government Doesn’t ‘Shrink’ By Terence P. Jeffrey (CNSNews.com) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told the House Small Business Committee on Wednesday that the Obama administration believes taxes on small business must increase so the administration does not have to “shrink the overall size of government programs.” *************** House to Consider Balanced Budget Amendment WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement regarding House consideration of a balanced budget amendment, H.J. Res. 1, sponsored by Congressman Bob Goodlatte: *************** GOP Negotiators Pull Out of Budget Talks By JANET HOOK And COREY BOLES WASHINGTON—The two Republicans participating in bipartisan budget talks headed by Vice President Joe Biden said they were pulling out due to an impasse over taxes that only President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner could resolve. *************** Democrats call for new spending in US debt deal WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - Democratic leaders called on Wednesday for additional spending to boost the sluggish U.S. economy, setting up a fresh hurdle for bipartisan efforts in Washington to head off a government debt default this summer. *************** CBO outlook on long-term debt worsens By Erik Wasson New figures released Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) show debt rising to 190 percent of the gross domestic product by 2035. *************** Fed holds rates on inflation concerns By Robin Harding in Washington The US Federal Reserve gave a downbeat assessment of the world’s largest economy on Wednesday as it pointed to slower than expected growth and higher inflation. *************** New Report Shows Nevada Among States Collecting Most Excise Tax Revenue By Elizabeth Crum Some of the highest excise tax revenues among the states are collected in Nevada, a new report from the Mercatus Center shows. *************** Interest-free federal loans offered to unemployed homeowners By Jenifer B. McKim, Globe Staff A long-delayed federal program aimed at helping hundreds of unemployed Massachusetts homeowners pay their mortgages is finally being launched today, with $61 million earmarked for the state. *************** International *************** Hugo Chávez in Critical Condition In Cuban Hospital By Adrian Carrasquillo Hugo Chávez extended stay in a Cuban hospital is because he is in critical condition, according to a report in El Nuevo Herald. *************** Dag Solstad’s Big Socialist Payday What would Marx think? A self-admitted Communist intellectual was recently granted an “honorary salary” of roughly $70,000 per year at the expense of Norwegian taxpayers. *************** Wilders acquitted of hate speech against Muslims By Gilbert Kreijger and Aaron Gray-Block AMSTERDAM — Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders was acquitted of inciting hatred of Muslims in a court ruling on Thursday that may strengthen his political influence and exacerbate tensions over immigration policy. *************** Fewer Laws Make Better Beer in Japan Hannah Burak In assessing Japan's craft beer scene, food reviewer Mark Garrison uncovers the benefits of deregulation *************** The greatest gift to the Greeks might be to let them go it alone Bail-outs and austerity measures are only making the country’s burden harder to bear, writes Boris Johnson. *************** Myanmar blames Kachin rebels for fighting In its first public comments on a week of fighting in northeast Myanmar, the government said Saturday that ethnic Kachin rebels fired first and the army had to act to protect a major Chinese-built hydroelectric power project. *************** Opinion *************** Senate GOP Poised to Win 4-Seat Majority By Paul Bedard Senate Republicans are looking strong going into the 2012 election, poised to pick up enough states to create a four-seat majority and possibly a filibuster-proof lead if the eventual GOP presidential nominee routs President Obama, according to party leaders and a new election analysis. *************** Rick Perry vs. Jean-Jacques Rousseau by Roger Kimball Here’s an statistic worth pondering: 45 percent of net U.S. job creation in the last two years comes from Texas. *************** |
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