News of the Week
"Hide the Decline" *************** Feinstein weak in poll, but no GOP challenger yet Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer Two years ago, two major Republican campaigns swarmed the California GOP fall convention, confident that they could drum up the support to beat three-term incumbent Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer, who was considered vulnerable because of her low voter-approval ratings. *************** Mother Earth now has legal standing in Bolivia You’re thinking my post title is a joke, right? Wrong. It’s the God’s — er, I mean Gaia’s — honest truth *************** Feds Raid Homes of Solyndra CEO, Execs Federal agents have expanded their examination of the now-bankrupt California solar power company Solyndra, searching the homes of the company's CEO and two of its executives, examining computer files and documents, iWatch News and ABC News have learned. *************** Al Gore: Obama bows to polluters Former Vice President Al Gore is unhappy with Barack Obama. In a blog post Wednesday afternoon, Gore took Obama to task for his decision late last week to scrap EPA’s proposed update of George W. Bush-era smog regulations. *************** Green energy and jobs will cripple the UK economy Can't stay a top-ten manufacturer on expensive power *************** Obama White House Monitored Huge Loan to 'Connected' Firm Chris Gronet, right, talks about solar technology with President Barack Obama on a tour of the Solyndra solar panel company, in this May 26, 2010 file photo, in Fremont, Calif. (Paul Chinn/Pool/Getty Images) By MATTHEW MOSK, BRIAN ROSS Newly uncovered emails show the White House closely monitored the Energy Department's deliberations over a $535 million government loan to Solyndra, the politically-connected solar energy firm that recently went bankrupt and is now the subject of a criminal investigation. *************** Solyndra for Dummies War & Terror *************** Iran and the EMP Threat We are not prepared for an electromagnetic pulse attack. Iran is almost prepared to launch one. *************** US Military Plane Forced Down By North Korean Electronic Attack By AFP SEOUL - A US military reconnaissance plane came under electronic attack from North Korea and had to make an emergency landing during a major military exercise in March, a political aide said Friday. *************** SkyNET is a stealth network that connects hosts to a botmaster through a mobile drone. The network is comprised of machines on home Wi-Fi networks in a proximal urban area, and one or more autonomous attack drones. The SkyNET is used by a botmaster to command their botnet(s) without using the Internet. *************** Terror blast at Delhi High Court; 11 killed, over 80 injured National *************** GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul wins California straw poll By the CNN Wire Staff (CNN) -- Texas Rep. Ron Paul won a California straw poll, the state Republican Party announced in a statement Saturday night. *************** Gun control bill in Gov. Brown's hands A measure to bar Californians from openly carrying weapons is supported by Sheriff Baca and LAPD Chief Beck, but opposed by 2nd Amendment activists who pack heat in coffee shops and restaurants. *************** Shape Up or Pay Up: Emanuel Mayor Rahm Emanuel is giving city workers an important health choice: enroll in a new wellness plan, expected to be unveiled Friday, or pay a higher premium. *************** LightSquared: Another Solyndra? A pattern of providing White House support to favored companies — at taxpayer risk — is emerging. *************** Obama: 'I'd like to work my way around Congress' Facing growing opposition to his economic proposals and dimming prospects that Congress will pass other parts of his agenda, President Obama told a Hispanic group in Washington Wednesday that when it comes to the issue of immigration, "I'd like to work my way around Congress." *************** Dems' fate in NY special sparks '12 fears By Cameron Joseph A looming Democratic loss in New York’s special election Tuesday would be seen as a sign of big political and policy problems for President Obama and his party heading into next year’s election. *************** Union Statistics: What You May Not Know The folks at UnionFacts.com have a ‘vital statistics‘ page that provides some good information about unions that many Americans may not know. Here is just some of the information *************** Quick Summary of the Proposed National Right to Carry Act (H.R.822) by Nick Leghorn The “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011,” known also as H.R.822 or “The Streets Aren’t Red Enough Act” by the Brady Campaign has been talked about a lot in the news, but not many news organizations have taken the time to actually read through the damned thing and parse it out for their readers (despite the fact that it’s currently only six pages long) *************** Are Women Genetically Wired To Dislike Science? A study found that when it comes to career choices, men prefer things and women prefer people. *************** Is The State Bar of Arizona Targeting Conservatives For Blogging And Fighting Illegal Immigration? *************** What Job 'Training' Teaches? Bad Work Habits A 1969 government study warned that teens in federal jobs programs 'regressed in their conception of what should reasonably be required in return for wages paid.' *************** Manchin’s strategy for surviving 2012 in a red state: Bash President Obama By Alexander Bolton Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) might have found the formula for saving a vulnerable Senate Democrat facing a tough reelection bid in a red state: Bash President Obama and his policies.' *************** Two reports released today allege the University of Wisconsin discriminates against whites and Asian applicants and have electrified both UW administration and some student leaders. *************** Jindal to endorse Perry By: CNN Senior Political Editor Mark Preston Tampa, Florida (CNN) – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is backing Rick Perry for president, a major endorsement for the Texas governor as the campaign for the Republican nomination enters the crucial fall stretch of the primary calendar, a source tells CNN. *************** Ex-foe Tim Pawlenty endorses Romney for president By Daniel Strauss Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) endorsed former Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) on Monday. *************** Why They Cheered Capital punishment brings out the worst in the liberal elite. *************** Carson City massacre: Were National Guardsmen deliberately targeted? *************** UC Davis neurosurgeons use adult stem cells to grow neck vertebrae Neurosurgery researchers at UC Davis Health System have used a new, leading-edge stem cell therapy to promote the growth of bone tissue following the removal of cervical discs -- the cushions between the bones in the neck -- to relieve chronic, debilitating pain. *************** Democratic effort to avoid California Amazon vote fizzles The state Senate today defeated a Democratic effort to avoid a ballot box battle over the online sales tax they passed in June. *************** Mich. governor signs 48-month welfare limit By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday signed into law a stricter, four-year lifetime limit on cash welfare benefits, prompting advocates for the poor to warn that tens of thousands of residents will find themselves without cash assistance on Oct. 1. *************** Uranium munching microbes by Anthony Watts EAST LANSING, Mich. — Researchers at Michigan State University have unraveled the mystery of how microbes generate electricity while cleaning up nuclear waste and other toxic metals. *************** New Tone… Liberals Create New Online Game Where Tea Partiers Are Murdered *************** Janet Napolitano: Drudge is 'just wrong' on privacy Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is calling out web news aggregator Matt Drudge for suggesting that she's an ogre eager to invade the privacy of Americans and in particular those who travel by air. *************** Does the College Essay Suck the Life Out of Boys? So it’s pouring rain here in Knoxville and I spent the afternoon reading a terrific book called Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College. If you have a teen getting ready to apply to college, this is a great read and it’s hilarious to boot. *************** Holy Crap: Pictures of a 3rd-Grader's Social Studies Text Book Wondering whether elementary school students are truly indoctrinated in the left wing agenda? Well, wonder no more. They are; and it's worse -- far worse -- than you can possibly imagine. *************** Obama’s Soul Mate Down Under May Be Down By William Pesek It’s as predictable as political leadership gets: When things go awry at home, escape overseas for a while, grip and grin with a foreign head of state and change the subject. *************** Gunwalker Explodes: FBI Hid Weapon, Tax Dollars Subsidized Murder The depth of the scandal dramatically widened Economy
& Taxes *************** Mayor Bloomberg predicts riots in the streets if economy doesn't create more jobs By Erin Einhorn and Corky Siemaszko Mayor Bloomberg warned Friday there would be riots in the streets if Washington doesn't get serious about generating jobs. *************** President Obama's Tax On Soup Kitchens FYI – Yesterday, it was announced that an astounding 1 in 6 Americans are living in poverty. President Obama's response? To demand a tax on donations to soup kitchens and other charities that help people desperately in need. *************** Obama: “If you love me, pass this bill!” His version of "If you love me, feed my sheep!" *************** Eurozone crisis could rip EU apart: officials AFP - The eurozone crisis could wreck the European Union, top EU officials warned on Wednesday as the leaders of Germany and France held talks with Greece to avoid a default and widespread chaos. *************** Finnish MP Halla-aho calls for tanks in Greece Jussi Halla-aho, an MP for the populist True Finns party, wrote on social networking website Facebook on Wednesday that the Greek government should use military force against workers on strike. *************** Euro's Crisis of Confidence: System May 'Go Off the Rails' International alarm over Europe's debt crisis reached new heights on Tuesday, with U.S. President Obama pressing the bloc's big countries to show leadership as talk of a Greek default escalated and markets heaped pressure on Italy. *************** Get ready for the next crash European leaders may stave off a banking crisis for a few more weeks. Markets may even stage a relief rally as Greek debt worries abate. But make no mistake -- a deeper crisis in foreign banks is coming. *************** Captured: The Ruins of Detroit Up and down Detroit’s streets, buildings stand abandoned and in ruin. French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre set out to document the decline of an American city. Their book “The Ruins of Detroit“, a document of decaying buildings frozen in time, was published in December 2010. *************** Raison Debt Gov. Mitch Daniels explains America’s impending fiscal catastrophe — and how to avert it. *************** Obama proposes tax hikes on wealthy to pay for $447B jobs bill By Sam Youngman The White House said Monday that President Obama wants to pay for his $447 billion jobs bill by raising taxes on the wealthy and business. *************** Greece Out of Money by October 17; Greek Banks Refuse to Fund Government T-Bills; Greece Freezes All Disbursements Other than Wages and Pensions Inquiring minds have watched Greek 1-Year bond yields approach 100%. 2-year Greek bonds yield 55% (assuming interest and principal is paid - but it will not be). *************** Is Greece finished? In one sense Greece was finished the moment the Great Recession cut its growth rate (in the second quarter of 2009) from among the highest in Europe to almost zero. *************** More Leeches! President Obama’s speech tonight was a political act, and has generally been treated as such. Indeed, his political purpose was so transparent that he felt compelled to devote his opening paragraphs to denying it. Politics, nevertheless, suffused the speech. *************** Longshoremen storm Wash. state port, damage RR LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — Hundreds of Longshoremen stormed the Port of Longview early Thursday, overpowered and held security guards, damaged railroad cars, and dumped grain that is the center of a labor dispute, said Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha. *************** Supercommittee members vote to allow some panel meetings to be secret By Erik Wasson The deficit supercommittee is leaving open the option of holding closed-door meetings, despite calls from many lawmakers for complete transparency. *************** 20 Quotes From European Leaders That Prove That They Know That The Financial System In Europe Is Doomed The financial crisis in Europe has become so severe that it has put the future of the euro, and indeed the future of the EU itself, in doubt. *************** World Ends Today; Markets to Close Early? The head of Deutsche Bank yesterday said that “It is an open secret that numerous European banks would not survive having to revalue sovereign debt held on the banking book at market levels.” *************** Swiss central bank sets limit on franc's strength Swiss National Bank sets a ceiling on franc's euro rate to shield economy, exporters John Heilprin, Associated Press GENEVA (AP) -- In what experts called a last-ditch "nuclear option," the Swiss National Bank set a ceiling Tuesday on the value of its currency, which has skyrocketed this year as traders worldwide frantically searched for a safe haven in volatile times. *************** The Progressive and the Pencil *************** First Anti-Euro Protest in Front of the ECB Watching politicians and bankers bickering over a Euro rescue on the back of Eurozone taxpayers for more or less 2 years by now, a group of Germans has staged the first protest in front of the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) on Tuesday. *************** International *************** US concerned about Taiwan candidate By Anna Fifield in Washington, Robin Kwong in Taipei and Kathrin Hille in Beijing Tsai Ing-wen The Obama administration has warned that a victory by Tsai Ing-wen, the Taiwanese opposition leader, in the island’s January presidential election could raise tensions with China. *************** U.K.: 3-Year-Olds Branded “Racist,” “Homophobic” Put In Government Database Kids’ future careers jeopardized by committing hate crime of saying the word “gay” *************** Endgame for Egypt by David P. Goldman Robert Musil’s Der Mann Ohne Eigenschaften (“The Man Without Qualities”), one of the great novels of the past century, is a portrait of the Austrian early in 1914. The readers know that their silly world will come to a terrible end a few months later with the outbreak of war, but the protagonists do not. Musil published a first volume and spent the rest of his life trying to write a second, without success, for it is the sort of story that has no end except for the abyss. *************** Blast at French nuclear site kills one, no leaks By Jean-Francois Rosnoblet, MARSEILLE, France An explosion in a furnace at the Marcoule nuclear waste treatment site in southern France Monday killed one person, but there was no leak of radioactive material outside the site, officials said. *************** Court bans man called Peter from calling himself Peter Because he is accused of being Anonymous *************** Jesus appears, acquires vast following, bitchslaps Justin Bieber On Facebook as it is in heaven *************** Amphibious Nazi raccoons menace Sweden Hermann Göring's furry stormtroopers poised to strike *************** “We’re led by college kids with no experience in the real world.” By Don Surber When he is not berating the European parliament for its very existence in speeches from the floor of the European parliament, Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, is home berating British leaders. It took him just 15 minutes to slice and dice the coalition government at the annual UKIP conference in Eastbourne on Friday. *************** Fourth-Trimester Abortion By Mark Steyn *************** Opinion *************** Declining Birthrates, Expanded Bureaucracy: Is U.S. Going European? To President Barack Obama and many other Democrats, Europe continues to exercise something of a fatal attraction. The “European dream” embraced by these politicians — as well as by many pundits, academics and policy analysts — usually consists of an America governed by an expanded bureaucracy, connected by high-speed trains and following a tough green energy policy. *************** A Moron with a Computer Is Still a Moron By David P. Goldman “In the Classroom of the Future, Stagnant Scores” is the headline of a New York Times account of the uselessness of high-tech education. Since the Clinton administration, liberal “experts” have argued that giving every kid a laptop, “educational” software, and Internet access will produce a generation of geniuses. That has to be the stupidest idea in the history of education. Of course, it hasn’t worked. But that doesn’t discourage the New Age nerds who run the Obama adminstration’s education policy. *************** The War Against The Young: Warning From Italy and Japan The war on the young is led “by cadres of elderly men, content to manage decline” and exacerbated by younger generations, who don’t seem to know what’s going on or understand the gravity of the financial situation that will hit them in the future. *************** |
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