News of the Week
Chaos in the Middle East *************** American ambassador, 3 others killed in Libya during riots over Mohammed film The American ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed when a mob of protesters and gunmen overwhelmed the US Consulate in Benghazi, setting fire to it in outrage over a film that ridicules Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Libya's new president apologized Wednesday for the attack, which underlined the lawlessness plaguing a region trying to recover from months of upheaval. *************** Barack Obama’s cowardly statement on the Libyan embassy assault *************** Dead Ambassador dragged through streets, MSM furious at Romney criticism of Obama *************** ROMNEY: AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IS STILL SORELY NEEDED *************** No Record of Intel Briefings for Obama Week Before Embassy Attacks *************** PROTESTS BREAK OUT IN SUDAN, KUWAIT AND MOROCCO *************** Open mic captures press coordinating questions for Romney “no matter who he calls on we’re covered” *************** Three dead as protesters attack U.S. embassy in Tunisia *************** Al Qaeda Flag Flies Over U.S. Embassy In Tunisia The State Department is belatedly trying to secure our embassies and consulates around the world; in the meantime, rioters swarmed over the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia, tore down the American flag and replaced it with the black flag of al Qaeda *************** As the Mideast Goes Up in Flames, Obama Tweets About Beyoncé and Jay-Z *************** Protesters smash windows, set fires in U.S. embassy in Tunis Tunisian protesters jumped over the wall of the U.S. embassy compound in Tunis on Friday and broke windows and set fire to trees, a Reuters witness said. *************** Jay Carney: These Protests are About Video, Not Directed at U.S. *************** While the Middle East Burns, Border Tensions Grow Between China and Japan The Obama administration’s Middle Eastern policies have already run into a hard reality check this week. Next, the president’s ability to deal with two Far East powers could be about to receive a life-or-death test. *************** White House asked YouTube to 'review' anti-Muslim film The Obama administration asked YouTube to review the trailer for the anti-Muslim film 'Innocence of Muslims,' officials confirmed Friday. *************** Obama alone: This president does not need intel briefers How long had it been since President Obama attended his daily intelligence meeting in the lead-up to the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Egypt and Libya? After all, our adversaries are known to use the anniversary of 9/11 to target the United States. According to the public schedule of the president, the last time the Obama attended his daily intelligence meeting was Sept. 5 — a week before Islamist radicals stormed our embassy in Cairo and terrorists killed our ambassador to Tripoli. The president was scheduled to hold the intelligence meeting at 10:50 a.m. Wednesday, the day after the attacks, but it was canceled so that he could comfort grieving employees at the State Department — as well he should. But instead of rescheduling the intelligence briefing for later in the day, Obama apparently chose to skip it altogether and attend a Las Vegas fundraiser for his re-election campaign. One day after a terrorist attack. *************** Feds ID California man's role in anti-Islam film Federal authorities have identified a southern California man once convicted of financial crimes as the key figure behind the anti-Muslim film that ignited mob violence against U.S. embassies across the Mideast, a U.S. law enforcement official said Thursday. *************** GOP pivots from Libya to broad assault on Obama’s foreign policy Republicans have pivoted to a broad critique of President Obama’s leadership and foreign policy as violence in the Middle East threatens to escalate in the aftermath of the brutal killing of American personnel in Libya. *************** After IED Attack On Benghazi Consulte In June, No Additional Security Steps Were Taken; All Was Left In The Hands of Local (That Is, Libyan) Security *************** State Department: Secretary Responsible for Security Failures *************** Obama Expands ATF's Right to Seize Guns Without Due Process Obama has expanded civil-forfeiture rules making it permissible for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to seize weapons from citizens without the hassle of due process. *************** Obama Super PAC Banked $1 Million from Producer of Anti-Religious Movie *************** Turmoil Over Contentious Video Spreads to Yemen and Iran Turmoil in the Arab world linked to an American-made video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad spread on Thursday to Yemen, where hundreds of protesters attacked the American Embassy, two days after assailants killed four Americans in Libya, including the ambassador, and crowds tried to overrun the embassy compound in Cairo. *************** REPORTS: No Live Ammo for Marines Marine blogs say U.S. embassy did not authorize service members to carry ammo *************** Embassy Attacks on 9/11 Not Anticipated by U.S. Government The Overseas Security Advisory Council is part of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security under the U.S. Department of State. *************** Hollywood for Censorship: Russell Simmons, Questlove Join Midler's Battle vs. Filmmaker *************** WHY BARACK OBAMA SHOULD RESIGN. *************** Libyan Officials Claim US Was Warned 3 DAYS BEFORE Deadly Benghazi Consulate Attack Election 2012 *************** Two Ex-Secretaries of State Introduce Bill to Clean Up Voter Rolls Two former secretaries of state introduced a bill yesterday that would direct states to implement a voter registration check and verification when individuals move. *************** Stephanie Cutter Uses Communist Propaganda Outlet to Hit Romney (Updated: DNC Too) *************** 3 Republican members of Electoral College may not vote for GOP ticket At least three Republican electors say they may not support their party's presidential ticket when the Electoral College meets in December to formally elect the new president, escalating tensions within the GOP and adding a fresh layer of intrigue to the final weeks of the White House race. *************** Postvarication Maybe one of the few genuine ‘accomplishments’ of this administration is creation of a new form of lying: postvarication, where the truth is served up for the target audience, and then a pile of hooey follows for the purported rubes. Postvarication goes from true to false. *************** Genetically modified foods: Why does California insist on finding a problem where nobody else does? On the state’s ballot in November, Californians will be voting on Proposition 37 — an initiative that would require all foods produced with or from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to carry mandatory warning labels. *************** Death by a thousand cuts Here in the Northern Virginia ad market, Team Obama continues its merciless pounding of Mitt Romney. Although Team Romney says it is blitzing the airwaves in certain key areas, most of the ads in this market still come from Obama. And, as has been the case all season, the Obama ads are troublesome for Romney. *************** Narrative Wars: Slap the Honey Boo Boos with Truthaganda Memo to non-leftist bloggers, reporters, and culture-shapers: TAKE THE GODDAMN GLOVES OFF. *************** Teamsters leader compares GOP to Cambodian dictator Teamsters President James Hoffa on Thursday compared the recent Republican Party convention's downplaying of the Bush administration to Cambodian leader Pol Pot, who infamously wiped from history books anything that happened before he rose to power. *************** Worse Than Solyndra: Obama Admin Buying Maine Senate Seat with Crony Energy Loans The Obama administration is famous for its crony capitalism. It’s famous for wasting money on disastrous investments like Solyndra to pay off its political allies. It now appears, however, that they go a step further: they put public funds in bad investment loans, then double down on their bad loans with free cash grants. *************** California’s Prop. 31: The Revolution Will Not Be Publicized *************** West Virginia’s Democrat Governor Basically Campaigning Against Obama According to the latest PPP poll, this probably won’t help since the racist redneck vote cannot possibly defeat the enlightened Obama vote. But it can’t hurt to try "Hide the Decline" *************** ‘Counterintuitive finding suggests that unexpected factors may govern a glacier’s response to climate change’ ***************From the University at Buffalo, new evidence that large ice sheets can grow/disappear quickly on decadal scales in response to regional temperature changes. A descriptive video follows. *************** Onset of the Next Glaciation Baby boomers like me have enjoyed the most benign period in human history. The superpower nuclear standoff gave us fifty years of relative peace, we had cheap energy from inherent over-supply of oil, grain supply increased faster than population growth and the climate warmed due to the highest solar activity for 8,000 years. All those trends are now reversing. *************** ‘We have more oil and natural gas than anyone thought possible even 5 years ago.’ Obamacare *************** EPA Internal Email Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month With Photo of Che Guevara & Plagiarized Message ***************In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) circulated an internal email to agency employees that included an image of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara and a plagiarized fact-sheet about Hispanic culture from Buzzle.com. *************** Propaganda Update: TV Networks Will Be Asked to Boost ObamaCare In Plots of Their Top Shows *************** Obamacare Summed Up in One Sentence War & Terror *************** Nuclear Reactor Facility Evacuated In Austin Man with middle eastern accent claiming to be Al-Qaeda member phoned in bomb threat *************** Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander says its troops in Syria Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) are providing non-military assistance in Syria and Iran may get involved militarily if its closest ally comes under attack, commander-in-chief Mohammad Ali Jafari said on Sunday. *************** Armada of British naval power massing in the Gulf as Israel prepares an Iran strike An armada of US and British naval power is massing in the Persian Gulf in the belief that Israel is considering a pre-emptive strike against Iran’s covert nuclear weapons programme. *************** Revealed: inside story of US envoy's assassination Exclusive: America 'was warned of embassy attack but did nothing' *************** Cairo protesters scale U.S. Embassy wall, remove flag Egyptian demonstrators climbed the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo today and pulled down the American flag to protest a film they say is insulting to the prophet Mohammad. *************** White House declines Netanyahu request to meet with Obama The White House's response marks a new low in relations between Netanyahu and Obama, underscored by the fact that this is the first time Netanyahu will visit the U.S. as prime minister without meeting Obama. *************** Why is Obama skipping more than half of his daily intelligence meetings? President Obama is touting his foreign policy experience on the campaign trail, but startling new statistics suggest that national security has not necessarily been the personal priority the president makes it out to be. It turns out that more than half the time, the commander in chief does not attend his daily intelligence meeting. National *************** Chicago teachers have fun celebrate Che Guevera & socialism *************** Chicago Teachers Union Protest*************** New Wood Pulp Concoction Stronger Than Kevlar, Carbon Fiber The US Forest Service has opened a $1.7 million plant that will produce cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from wood by-products, like wood chips and sawdust. The end result is stronger than Kevlar or carbon fiber, with similar low-weight advantages. CNC is also transparent, making it an alternative to ballistic glass. *************** NYC Board of Health Passes ‘Soda Ban’ The New York City Board of Health on Thursday approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial proposal to ban the sale of large sugary drinks in restaurants and other venues, a sweeping initiative that backers hope will reduce obesity and critics decry as government run amok. *************** Chicago Teachers’ Strike: Last Straw for Voters? Those who followed the political war in Wisconsin that erupted in February 2011 with a public-employee union reform bill and ended with the unsuccessful attempt to recall Governor Scott Walker might have figured that the battle over public employee unions would fade, especially as an issue in this election cycle. The public-sector unions took a beating in Wisconsin, pouring millions of dollars into the state to punish Republicans for limiting their collective-bargaining privileges and imposing control over benefits costs in order to balance the state budget. Instead, the scene has merely shifted south – to Chicago – and the issue of public union reform is back in the national spotlight. *************** Colorado School Takes Rosary Beads Away From Student *************** What I've Learned: Michael Wright At 8:48 on the morning of September 11, Michael Wright was a thirty-year-old account executive working on the eighty-first floor of the World Trade Center. Two hours later, he was something else. The story of his escape is the fastest 3,863 words you will ever read. *************** A woman's last telephone message to her husband on 9/11 *************** Mob sets fire to US consulate in Benghazi: witness An armed mob has attacked the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi and set fire to the building, witnesses reported, in what they said was a protest at a film they said offended Islam. *************** Outrageous offerings Perusing class schedules at universities across the nation illustrates that legitimate courses of study can be found among the hallowed halls of higher education, but there’s plenty of fringe, questionable, biased or pointless classes peppered throughout. *************** The Monumental Difference Between Pearl Harbor and September 11th A monumental difference exists between the two epic attacks on American soil — Pearl Harbor and September 11th. Pearl Harbor has been resolved. September 11th has not and may never be in our lifetimes and beyond. That is a bleak but inescapable conclusion. *************** Marijuana smoking tied to testicular cancer: study Young men who had smoked marijuana recreationally were twice as likely to be diagnosed with testicular cancer than men who have never used marijuana, according to a U.S. study. *************** Up Next for Team Obama? Racial Quotas for School Discipline Not satire: if too many minority students are getting detentions, the Justice Department may come knocking. There is much speculation regarding President Barack Obama’s intentions for America should he no longer need to hide his desires from an electorate. Occasionally, he and other members of his administration let slip glimpses of their preferred utopian future, as they have recently done with education policy. If their desires are implemented, the consequences for American education — and society — will be profound and uniquely destructive. *************** Trenton Mayor Tony Mack is arrested by FBI on corruption charge Mayor Tony Mack was arrested this morning at his home by FBI agents on corruption charges linked to $119,000 in bribes for a parking garage project in the city, authorities said. *************** California official urges AG Holder to stop eminent domain "threats" California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom says he wants the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate "threats" against local communities considering using eminent domain to seize and restructure poorly performing mortgages to benefit cash-strapped homeowners. Economy
& Taxes *************** German Court Approves ‘Permanent Bailout’ Fund An important update to those who are following developments in the Eurozone financial crisis, otherwise known as the abolition of Germany: today, September 12, the German Constitutional Court shot down lawsuits seeking to prevent the country from participating in the so-called European Stability Mechanism (ESM), which Der Spiegel and others have aptly called “the permanent euro bailout fund.” *************** Inflation Expectations Suggest 5% Inflation Is In The Cards Color us stunned. While the world and their pet cat Roger are not worrying about inflation because Bernanke says CPI/PPI are still well-anchored and everything else is "transitory"; it turns out the market has a 'different' opinion. *************** Egan Jones Downgrades US From AA To AA- From Egan-Jones, which downgraded the US for the first time ever last July, two weeks ahead of S&P *************** U.S. Real GDP Growth 1990-2011 *************** What's Strangling Job-Creation Recessions were never fun, but we used to bounce back from them fairly quickly. The phrase "bounce back" actually applied. They were more like injuries in our youth: we could "walk them off." *************** Is the Pension Crisis about to Snowball? Reuters brings us the latest in a string of bad news on the pension front. A study by Loop Capital Markets found that nearly two-thirds of state pension plans are funded below the minimum healthy level of 80 percent. *************** Fed Pulls Trigger, to Buy Mortgages in Effort to Lower Rates The Federal Reserve fulfilled expectations of more stimulus for the faltering economy, taking aim now at driving down mortgage rates. *************** Time for Hollywood to pay its fair share *************** Yep: Federal deficit officially tops $1 trillion for the fourth time Just in case there was any doubt in anyone’s mind — the Congressional Budget Office has released their monthly report, and with the government’s fiscal year set to end on September 30th, they’ve officially announced that we’ll come in with an above-trillion dollar deficit for the fourth year running. *************** Hiring survey stings Obama Few cos. plan to add workers over next 3 months *************** Brussels Pushes Forward with EU Banking Union European Commission President José Manuel Barroso is setting a collision course with Berlin on some aspects of his plan for a powerful euro-zone bank supervisor. On Wednesday, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso is expected to unveil his plans for a unified banking supervisory system led by the European Central Bank. It is intended to break a vicious cycle of crisis-shaken banks and bailouts. But the plan is facing some resistance from Germany. *************** America’s Real Fiscal Problem: Federal Goverment Has Become a Gigantic Wealth-Transfer Machine *************** Those Jobless Numbers Are Even Worse Than They Look Still above 8%—and closer to 19% in a truer accounting. Here's a plan for improvement. *************** Insight: GM's Volt: The ugly math of low sales, high costs General Motors Co sold a record number of Chevrolet Volt sedans in August — but that probably isn't a good thing for the automaker's bottom line. *************** Bob Woodward Inadvertently Confirms The Coming Economic Apocalypse Bob Woodward has yet another book coming out, and the consummate Washington insider provides us with a glimpse of what's in it. In doing so, he inadvertently confirms what so many internet pundits have been warning about -- an economic catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. *************** International *************** Nigel Farage destroys Barroso's State of the Union *************** The Next Leader Of China Was Under Heavy Pressure From Communist Party Elders Xi Jinping, China's president-in-waiting, who has not been seen in public for two weeks, was under intense pressure from within the Communist party before he disappeared, the Daily Telegraph has been told. *************** MEP Daniel Hannan calls out Barroso on the euro *************** Japan's ambassador-designate to China dies in Tokyo: ministry Japan's ambassador-designate to China, Shinichi Nishimiya, died on Sunday in a Tokyo hospital, the Foreign Ministry said, three days after he was found unconscious on a Tokyo street. *************** Clashes grow ahead of Venezuela elections Outbreaks of violence and hardball campaign tactics are intensifying in Venezuela as tensions rise ahead of presidential elections due on October 7. *************** Syria’s Christians poised to flee On the eve of the pope’s visit to Lebanon on Friday, a small group of Syrians this week debated in a Damascus churchyard whether the time has come to flee one of Christianity’s ancient heartlands. *************** Previewing The Dutch Elections Even in the face of worsening odds of re-election (no sitting government has been returned to power in EU elections since the start of the crisis) one would expect national governments to do what is necessary to maintain current stability. *************** In Response To Japanese "Antagonism" Over Senkaku Islands, China Dispatches Two War Ships *************** Opinion *************** Profile in Classics: Victor Davis Hanson We in the West forget the wisdom of the ancient past at our own peril. *************** |
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