Posts
Forrest Gump Got It Right:
Maxine Waters is living proof:
Stupid is as stupid does!
Rep Waters said that if sequestration is not corrected by a republicRATic cave-in, the country would loose 170 MILLION jobs!!
Even Mr Gump would know that on any given day, the United States has but 135-to-143 MILLION jobs.
No kiddin'!!
Folks.... ya can't make this shit up!!
Comments, anyone?
Til Nex'Time....
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Friday, March 1, 2013
Monday, July 9, 2012
This'n'That; July Ninth #1; Veteran's Jobs
Somebody's Hirin'!!
With "Clown Prince" obama doing everything in his power--as your exalted ruler--to destroy the jobs markets in the United States, Canadian companies are taking an active role in counteracting his plans. obama has made a big deal in promoting various pipeline segments within the United States; segments that have already been approved; segments he has no power to stop!!
The Canadian oil companies intend to sell their oil to someone and deliver it somewhere. To that end--with obama's Keystone XL Pipeline delays--a pipeline is being built from the Fort McMurray area of the Province of Alberta to a terminis on Canada's west coast, rather than wait until the communists are forced out of American governance. Canada doesn't have the vast population in the hinterlands that the U.S. has.
The 'powers that be' in Canadian capitalism have partnered with the American Veterans of Foreign Wars in providing the human capital that obama refuses to put to work in more than 'make-work' government jobs. The Edmonton Economic Development Corporation--in the aforementioned partnership--is providing an ongoing, daily listing of 55,000 jobs to the VFW jobs website. Does "Clown Prince" obama need any more evidence that--at least in Canada--the private sector is the far better provider of jobs than is the government?!?
Where is Governor Romney on this obama-forced OUTSOURCING of American jobs?!?
'Splain to me again why YOU elected this Verdammte Arschloch!?!
Til Nex'Time....
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/19/world/la-fg-canada-pipeline-20120220
http://www.vfw.org/home/
http://www.vetjobs.com/
http://www.edmonton.com/
With "Clown Prince" obama doing everything in his power--as your exalted ruler--to destroy the jobs markets in the United States, Canadian companies are taking an active role in counteracting his plans. obama has made a big deal in promoting various pipeline segments within the United States; segments that have already been approved; segments he has no power to stop!!
Where is Governor Romney on this obama-forced OUTSOURCING of American jobs?!?
'Splain to me again why YOU elected this Verdammte Arschloch!?!
Til Nex'Time....
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/19/world/la-fg-canada-pipeline-20120220
http://www.vfw.org/home/
http://www.vetjobs.com/
http://www.edmonton.com/
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The Sunday 'Report;' 02/12/2012 (Pt #2)
What The National Pamphleteers Don't Report:
World Bank Report Shows Large Public Sectors Reduce Economy
by Daniel J. Mitchell
Townhall.com
February 11, 2012 When Ronald Reagan said that big government undermined the economy, some people dismissed his comments because of his philosophical belief in liberty. And when I discuss my work on the economic impact of government spending, I often get the same reaction. This is why it’s important that a growing number of establishment outfits are slowly but surely coming around to the same point of view. The European Central Bank published a study showing
“…a significant negative effect of the size of government on growth.”
A study by two Harvard economists found that
“large adjustments in fiscal policy, if based on well-targeted spending cuts, have often led to expansions.”
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development noted in recent research that welfare programs are economically destructive because they lure people into dependency because
“net disposable income would increase despite putting in fewer hours.”
A study from the International Monetary Fund concluded that
“Cuts to pension and health entitlements had the most beneficial effect on economic growth.”
This is remarkable. It’s beginning to look like the entire world has figured out that there’s an inverse relationship between big government and economic performance. That’s an exaggeration, of course. There are still holdouts pushing for more statism [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/danieljmitchell/2012/02/11/world_bank_report_shows_large_public_sectors_reduce_economy/page/full/
Bishops Reject White House’s New Plan on Contraception
by Laurie Goodstein,
New York Times
February 11, 2012
The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops have rejected a compromise on birth control coverage that President Obama offered on Friday and said they would continue to fight the president’s plan to find a way for employees of Catholic hospitals, universities and service agencies to receive free contraceptive coverage in their health insurance plans, without direct involvement or financing from the institutions.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops — which has led the opposition to the plan — said in a statement late Friday that the solution offered by the White House to quell a political furor was “unacceptable and must be corrected” because it still infringed on the religious liberty and conscience of Catholics. The bishops’ decision to rebuff the compromise means that “religious freedom” will continue to be a rallying cry for some Catholics who [....]
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/us/catholic-bishops-criticize-new-contraception-proposal.html?_r=2&ref=us
Canadian PM courts China after Obama's Keystone Pipeline Rejection
by Bob Beauprez
Townhall.com
February 11, 2012 About three weeks ago, Barack Obama nixed the Keystone XL pipeline that would have transported 900,000 barrels of oil per day from the Canadian tar sands to the gulf coast region of the U.S. The pipeline project would also create 20,000 direct jobs and potentially hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs according to economic analysis. Spurned by Obama's rejection, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated that if Canada's next door neighbor and close ally didn't want Canada's oil, then he'd pursue other markets to "diversify" the market for Canada's natural resources. It didn't take him long. Harper was in Beijing this week where he "pledged closer trade ties with China" during talks with Premier Wen Jiabao. Finding alternative markets for its natural resources has become a top priority for Canada, which today sells nearly all of its oil to the U.S., but sees environmental regulations from Washington as an increasing impediment [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/bobbeauprez/2012/02/11/canadian_pm_courts_china_after_obamas_keystone_pipeline_rejection
Living Very Large
by Juliet Chung
wsj.com
02/11/2012Even as the size of the average American house shrinks after peaking during the boom, several of the wealthy are building gigantic homes of 20,000 square feet and more. The latest project of Hyatt hotel heir Anthony Pritzker is a 49,300-square-foot building designed by an architecture firm in Paris. It involves a small army of specialized consultants and boasts amenities like a bowling alley, hairdressing area and gym. The project, in the hills above Los Angeles, isn't a luxury hotel—it's a private home for Mr. Pritzker and his family.
Four years into the housing downturn, what little new-home construction remains is focused on downsized living. According to the Census Bureau, the average size of a newly completed single-family home peaked in 2007 at 2,521 square feet, capping nearly three decades of growth, falling to 2,392 square feet in 2010. Then there are the exceptions, a small cadre of homeowners who are currently building mansions that are 10 times that size. Interviews with the small pool of luxury builders who handle such projects, and a perusal of permits in wealthy areas including parts of Connecticut and California, suggests that for some of the mega-wealthy, big is back.
When 50,000 Square Feet Isn't Enough
.In the fall of 2008, clients were saying, "It's not the right time to do the big house on the hill," says contractor John Sebastian, president of Dallas-based Sebastian Construction Group, whose current roster of projects in Dallas and Los Angeles spans 13,000 to 24,000 square feet. As those sentiments dried up, business has picked up, he says. Hedge-fund manager Cliff Asness is [....]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203889904577201043455977600.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_RealEstate
Surprising Jobs with $100K Salaries
-- After Only a Two-Year Degree
by Charles Purdy,
Monster.com
February 10, 2012
Think of some typical jobs that pay six-figure salaries, and you likely imagine careers that require four-year college degrees (if not four years plus advanced degrees). The common perception is that a traditional university degree is the only path to financial security and wealth for the average person. But that's not necessarily true. While some fields require that you have a four-year degree just to get a job interview, there are many other high-earning careers in which typical professionals have two-year degrees -- often known as associate's degrees. According to the compensation experts at PayScale.com, here are five of those fields in which [....]
http://career-services.monster.com/yahooarticle/100K-jobs-two-year-degree#WT.mc_n=yta_fpt_article_100K_two_year_degree
Cities with the most speed traps
by Colleen Kane
CNBC.com
February 10, 2012
When lead-footed drivers get snagged and ticketed, their downfall might have been passing a speed trap where a cop was using radar or a laser, or maybe the driver passed a speed camera. However, as technology improves traffic enforcement, it is also progressing on the side of the speeder. Now joining the radar detector is crowd-sourced reporting of speed traps, a virtual warning system using the Internet and a mobile app.
This list of the 10 most-active cities for speed traps was compiled by Trapster.com, a community platform accessed online and via smartphone app, that alerts drivers to traps, hazards and other traffic issues nearby.
Trapster"s list is drawn from the reports of its base of nearly 15 million users. In addition to speed traps and enforcement cameras, "activity" can include road hazards, traffic, school zones, construction zones and locations of roadkill. However, Sean Farrell, product manager for Trapster, says that over 50 percent of the activity reported on Trapster are "live police" speed traps. For each of the following 10 most-active cities, Trapster users entered 3,000 to 4,000 reports in a recent 30-day period.
Note: These slides are taken from Trapster's TrapMap, and symbols indicate red-light cameras, fixed-speed cameras, and known enforcement points.
10. Austin, TX
Law enforcement in the capital of Texas has a reputation for handing out speeding tickets to motorists only one to three miles per hour over [....]
http://autos.yahoo.com/news/cities-with-the-most-speed-traps.html?page=all
Bill on citizenship inquiries advances
by Wesley P. Hester
Richmond Times Dispatch
February 11, 2012
Legislation to require citizenship inquiries of everyone arrested in Virginia is on its way to the House of Delegates, where it is expected to pass easily. The House Courts of Justice Committee on Friday advanced two similar bills aimed at identifying illegal immigrants accused of committing crimes. House Bill 1060, the broader of the two, would instruct law-enforcement officers to make citizenship inquiries of everyone arrested for any offense. It also requires officers finding "probable cause" to believe that the person is not legally present in the U.S. to inform the judicial officer who would decide whether to grant bail.
Sponsored by Del. Richard L. Anderson, R-Prince William, the bill is based on existing law in Prince William County, which Anderson says has led to a stop in violent crimes and 4,300 criminal illegal immigrants being handed over to federal authorities. "It applies equally to everyone," Anderson said of his bill, anticipating the testimony of its opponents, who claim it will lead to racial profiling. Several did attack the bill, including law-enforcement officials, before [....]
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/feb/11/tdmain05-bill-on-citizenship-inquiries-advances-ar-1680479/?referer=http://www.bing.com/search?q=Va%20citizenship%20bill&pc=conduit&ptag=AB93C7F758A4E4AEBB4F&form=CONBDF&conlogo=CT2977475&ShowAppsUI=0&shorturl=http://bit.ly/y7pVzU
6 Colleges Cutting Tuition
To attract students from middle-income families, these schools are actually lowering their prices.
by AnnaMaria Andriotis
SmartMoney.com
February 10, 2012
While tuition bills continue to skyrocket, a small but growing number of private colleges and universities are bucking the trend and going on sale. At least six colleges announced plans to reduce tuition costs in the upcoming school year. Many of these schools say lower-cost higher-education will attract more students from middle-income families those with incomes too high to qualify for free federal financial aid, but not high enough to pay for college costs without going deep into debt. "We are hoping to recruit more students from that group than in the past," says Edwin Welch, president of University of Charleston, in West Virginia, which is slashing tuition by 22%. Others are looking to lure students away from nearby colleges that up to now have been more affordable, says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, which tracks financial aid issues.
To be sure, the discounts may not make these private colleges more affordable than public colleges. The average annual cost of tuition and fees at a four-year public college for in-state students this year is $8,244, according to the College Board. Of the private [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-colleges-cutting-tuition.html
Chuck Schumer’s brother donated $1,000 to Mitch McConnell
by John Bresnahan, Manu Raju
politico.com
January 17, 2012
This is one story that "The Putz of Park Avenue" would rather keep inside the family circle.
Robert Schumer, younger brother of the garrulous New York Democrat, gave $1,000 to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) reelection committee last fall, according to Federal Election Commission records.
The younger Schumer is a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, one of New York City’s
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71552.html
The dark side of free-to-play gaming
by Chris Morris
Plugged In
February 8, 2012
On the surface, you can't beat free-to-play games. After all, having access to titles people used to pay $15 a month for without ever having to open your wallet? It sounds too good to be true. Unfortunately, it often is.
While some free-to-play games live up to the billing, too many take advantage of our inherent desire to save a buck. Instead of paying cash up front (whether it's $60 for a retail game or $1 for an app), you'll often end up paying much, much more on the back end. Or worse, you'll wind up playing a cut-rate version of the game while others have all the bells and whistles. After all, you get what you pay for. Here are a few things to watch out for:
Free-to-play = Pay to win
If you haven't learned by now that there's no such thing as truly "free" in this world, a free-to-play game will teach you quickly. You'll very likely [....]
http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/dark-side-free-play-gaming-194851996.html
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Rasmussen Reports,
February 11, 2012
Here we go again. Another Republican surges up out of the pack to challenge Mitt Romney’s grip on the party’s presidential nomination. Meanwhile, President Obama appears to have helped his rivals with a bad political call forcing Catholic institutions to go against their basic beliefs and pay for contraception. In a survey taken Monday evening, Romney reclaimed the lead in the national race for the Republican presidential nomination, jumping ahead of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich 34% to 27%. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum earned 18% of the vote, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul ran last with 11%. Then the following day [....]
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/weekly_updates/what_they_told_us_reviewing_last_week_s_key_polls
Obama Should Get Out of the Boardroom and the Bedroom
by John C. Goodman
Townhall.com
Feb 11, 2012
Ask just about anybody in the business community what’s holding back economic recovery and they will tell you two things: new regulatory burdens and new regulatory uncertainty. Two pieces of legislation top the list: Dodd-Frank regulation of the financial system and ObamaCare regulation of health care. The first is discouraging banks from making loans. The second is discouraging employers from hiring workers. Job Creators Alliance has assembled some of the top CEOs in the country to try to explain these things and a trip to their Web site is well worth the visit.
This administration is not content with economic regulation, however. It’s now ventured into everyone’s sex life — proving that there is no aspect of your personal life that the president regards as none of his business. The latest intervention takes the form of requiring health insurance to cover something almost everyone can easily pay for out of pocket: contraceptives. Why, you might ask, does this decision have to [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/johncgoodman/2012/02/11/obama_should_get_out_of_the_boardroom_and_the_bedroom
Election 2012: Florida President
Florida: Obama Nearly Tied With Santorum, Ahead of Romney
Rasmussen Reports
February 10, 2012
In Florida as in Ohio and among voters nationally, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum now runs slightly stronger against President Obama than Republican front-runner Mitt Romney. Obama is essentially even with Santorum in the Sunshine State but leads Romney by three points. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Florida shows Obama earning 47% support to Santorum's 46%. Four percent [....]
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/florida/election_2012_florida_president
Until Next Sunday....
World Bank Report Shows Large Public Sectors Reduce Economy
by Daniel J. Mitchell
Townhall.com
February 11, 2012 When Ronald Reagan said that big government undermined the economy, some people dismissed his comments because of his philosophical belief in liberty. And when I discuss my work on the economic impact of government spending, I often get the same reaction. This is why it’s important that a growing number of establishment outfits are slowly but surely coming around to the same point of view. The European Central Bank published a study showing
“…a significant negative effect of the size of government on growth.”
A study by two Harvard economists found that
“large adjustments in fiscal policy, if based on well-targeted spending cuts, have often led to expansions.”
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development noted in recent research that welfare programs are economically destructive because they lure people into dependency because
“net disposable income would increase despite putting in fewer hours.”
A study from the International Monetary Fund concluded that
“Cuts to pension and health entitlements had the most beneficial effect on economic growth.”
This is remarkable. It’s beginning to look like the entire world has figured out that there’s an inverse relationship between big government and economic performance. That’s an exaggeration, of course. There are still holdouts pushing for more statism [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/danieljmitchell/2012/02/11/world_bank_report_shows_large_public_sectors_reduce_economy/page/full/
Bishops Reject White House’s New Plan on Contraception
by Laurie Goodstein,
New York Times
February 11, 2012
The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops have rejected a compromise on birth control coverage that President Obama offered on Friday and said they would continue to fight the president’s plan to find a way for employees of Catholic hospitals, universities and service agencies to receive free contraceptive coverage in their health insurance plans, without direct involvement or financing from the institutions.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops — which has led the opposition to the plan — said in a statement late Friday that the solution offered by the White House to quell a political furor was “unacceptable and must be corrected” because it still infringed on the religious liberty and conscience of Catholics. The bishops’ decision to rebuff the compromise means that “religious freedom” will continue to be a rallying cry for some Catholics who [....]
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/us/catholic-bishops-criticize-new-contraception-proposal.html?_r=2&ref=us
Canadian PM courts China after Obama's Keystone Pipeline Rejection
by Bob Beauprez
Townhall.com
February 11, 2012 About three weeks ago, Barack Obama nixed the Keystone XL pipeline that would have transported 900,000 barrels of oil per day from the Canadian tar sands to the gulf coast region of the U.S. The pipeline project would also create 20,000 direct jobs and potentially hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs according to economic analysis. Spurned by Obama's rejection, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated that if Canada's next door neighbor and close ally didn't want Canada's oil, then he'd pursue other markets to "diversify" the market for Canada's natural resources. It didn't take him long. Harper was in Beijing this week where he "pledged closer trade ties with China" during talks with Premier Wen Jiabao. Finding alternative markets for its natural resources has become a top priority for Canada, which today sells nearly all of its oil to the U.S., but sees environmental regulations from Washington as an increasing impediment [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/bobbeauprez/2012/02/11/canadian_pm_courts_china_after_obamas_keystone_pipeline_rejection
Living Very Large
by Juliet Chung
wsj.com
02/11/2012Even as the size of the average American house shrinks after peaking during the boom, several of the wealthy are building gigantic homes of 20,000 square feet and more. The latest project of Hyatt hotel heir Anthony Pritzker is a 49,300-square-foot building designed by an architecture firm in Paris. It involves a small army of specialized consultants and boasts amenities like a bowling alley, hairdressing area and gym. The project, in the hills above Los Angeles, isn't a luxury hotel—it's a private home for Mr. Pritzker and his family.
Four years into the housing downturn, what little new-home construction remains is focused on downsized living. According to the Census Bureau, the average size of a newly completed single-family home peaked in 2007 at 2,521 square feet, capping nearly three decades of growth, falling to 2,392 square feet in 2010. Then there are the exceptions, a small cadre of homeowners who are currently building mansions that are 10 times that size. Interviews with the small pool of luxury builders who handle such projects, and a perusal of permits in wealthy areas including parts of Connecticut and California, suggests that for some of the mega-wealthy, big is back.
When 50,000 Square Feet Isn't Enough
.In the fall of 2008, clients were saying, "It's not the right time to do the big house on the hill," says contractor John Sebastian, president of Dallas-based Sebastian Construction Group, whose current roster of projects in Dallas and Los Angeles spans 13,000 to 24,000 square feet. As those sentiments dried up, business has picked up, he says. Hedge-fund manager Cliff Asness is [....]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203889904577201043455977600.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_RealEstate
Surprising Jobs with $100K Salaries
-- After Only a Two-Year Degree
by Charles Purdy,
Monster.com
February 10, 2012
Think of some typical jobs that pay six-figure salaries, and you likely imagine careers that require four-year college degrees (if not four years plus advanced degrees). The common perception is that a traditional university degree is the only path to financial security and wealth for the average person. But that's not necessarily true. While some fields require that you have a four-year degree just to get a job interview, there are many other high-earning careers in which typical professionals have two-year degrees -- often known as associate's degrees. According to the compensation experts at PayScale.com, here are five of those fields in which [....]
http://career-services.monster.com/yahooarticle/100K-jobs-two-year-degree#WT.mc_n=yta_fpt_article_100K_two_year_degree
Cities with the most speed traps
by Colleen Kane
CNBC.com
February 10, 2012
When lead-footed drivers get snagged and ticketed, their downfall might have been passing a speed trap where a cop was using radar or a laser, or maybe the driver passed a speed camera. However, as technology improves traffic enforcement, it is also progressing on the side of the speeder. Now joining the radar detector is crowd-sourced reporting of speed traps, a virtual warning system using the Internet and a mobile app.
This list of the 10 most-active cities for speed traps was compiled by Trapster.com, a community platform accessed online and via smartphone app, that alerts drivers to traps, hazards and other traffic issues nearby.
Trapster"s list is drawn from the reports of its base of nearly 15 million users. In addition to speed traps and enforcement cameras, "activity" can include road hazards, traffic, school zones, construction zones and locations of roadkill. However, Sean Farrell, product manager for Trapster, says that over 50 percent of the activity reported on Trapster are "live police" speed traps. For each of the following 10 most-active cities, Trapster users entered 3,000 to 4,000 reports in a recent 30-day period.
Note: These slides are taken from Trapster's TrapMap, and symbols indicate red-light cameras, fixed-speed cameras, and known enforcement points.
10. Austin, TX
Law enforcement in the capital of Texas has a reputation for handing out speeding tickets to motorists only one to three miles per hour over [....]
http://autos.yahoo.com/news/cities-with-the-most-speed-traps.html?page=all
Bill on citizenship inquiries advances
by Wesley P. Hester
Richmond Times Dispatch
February 11, 2012
Legislation to require citizenship inquiries of everyone arrested in Virginia is on its way to the House of Delegates, where it is expected to pass easily. The House Courts of Justice Committee on Friday advanced two similar bills aimed at identifying illegal immigrants accused of committing crimes. House Bill 1060, the broader of the two, would instruct law-enforcement officers to make citizenship inquiries of everyone arrested for any offense. It also requires officers finding "probable cause" to believe that the person is not legally present in the U.S. to inform the judicial officer who would decide whether to grant bail.
Sponsored by Del. Richard L. Anderson, R-Prince William, the bill is based on existing law in Prince William County, which Anderson says has led to a stop in violent crimes and 4,300 criminal illegal immigrants being handed over to federal authorities. "It applies equally to everyone," Anderson said of his bill, anticipating the testimony of its opponents, who claim it will lead to racial profiling. Several did attack the bill, including law-enforcement officials, before [....]
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/feb/11/tdmain05-bill-on-citizenship-inquiries-advances-ar-1680479/?referer=http://www.bing.com/search?q=Va%20citizenship%20bill&pc=conduit&ptag=AB93C7F758A4E4AEBB4F&form=CONBDF&conlogo=CT2977475&ShowAppsUI=0&shorturl=http://bit.ly/y7pVzU
6 Colleges Cutting Tuition
To attract students from middle-income families, these schools are actually lowering their prices.
by AnnaMaria Andriotis
SmartMoney.com
February 10, 2012
While tuition bills continue to skyrocket, a small but growing number of private colleges and universities are bucking the trend and going on sale. At least six colleges announced plans to reduce tuition costs in the upcoming school year. Many of these schools say lower-cost higher-education will attract more students from middle-income families those with incomes too high to qualify for free federal financial aid, but not high enough to pay for college costs without going deep into debt. "We are hoping to recruit more students from that group than in the past," says Edwin Welch, president of University of Charleston, in West Virginia, which is slashing tuition by 22%. Others are looking to lure students away from nearby colleges that up to now have been more affordable, says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, which tracks financial aid issues.
To be sure, the discounts may not make these private colleges more affordable than public colleges. The average annual cost of tuition and fees at a four-year public college for in-state students this year is $8,244, according to the College Board. Of the private [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-colleges-cutting-tuition.html
Chuck Schumer’s brother donated $1,000 to Mitch McConnell
by John Bresnahan, Manu Raju
politico.com
January 17, 2012
This is one story that "The Putz of Park Avenue" would rather keep inside the family circle.
Robert Schumer, younger brother of the garrulous New York Democrat, gave $1,000 to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) reelection committee last fall, according to Federal Election Commission records.
The younger Schumer is a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, one of New York City’s
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71552.html
The dark side of free-to-play gaming
by Chris Morris
Plugged In
February 8, 2012
On the surface, you can't beat free-to-play games. After all, having access to titles people used to pay $15 a month for without ever having to open your wallet? It sounds too good to be true. Unfortunately, it often is.
While some free-to-play games live up to the billing, too many take advantage of our inherent desire to save a buck. Instead of paying cash up front (whether it's $60 for a retail game or $1 for an app), you'll often end up paying much, much more on the back end. Or worse, you'll wind up playing a cut-rate version of the game while others have all the bells and whistles. After all, you get what you pay for. Here are a few things to watch out for:
Free-to-play = Pay to win
If you haven't learned by now that there's no such thing as truly "free" in this world, a free-to-play game will teach you quickly. You'll very likely [....]
http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/dark-side-free-play-gaming-194851996.html
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Rasmussen Reports,
February 11, 2012
Here we go again. Another Republican surges up out of the pack to challenge Mitt Romney’s grip on the party’s presidential nomination. Meanwhile, President Obama appears to have helped his rivals with a bad political call forcing Catholic institutions to go against their basic beliefs and pay for contraception. In a survey taken Monday evening, Romney reclaimed the lead in the national race for the Republican presidential nomination, jumping ahead of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich 34% to 27%. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum earned 18% of the vote, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul ran last with 11%. Then the following day [....]
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/weekly_updates/what_they_told_us_reviewing_last_week_s_key_polls
Obama Should Get Out of the Boardroom and the Bedroom
by John C. Goodman
Townhall.com
Feb 11, 2012
Ask just about anybody in the business community what’s holding back economic recovery and they will tell you two things: new regulatory burdens and new regulatory uncertainty. Two pieces of legislation top the list: Dodd-Frank regulation of the financial system and ObamaCare regulation of health care. The first is discouraging banks from making loans. The second is discouraging employers from hiring workers. Job Creators Alliance has assembled some of the top CEOs in the country to try to explain these things and a trip to their Web site is well worth the visit.
This administration is not content with economic regulation, however. It’s now ventured into everyone’s sex life — proving that there is no aspect of your personal life that the president regards as none of his business. The latest intervention takes the form of requiring health insurance to cover something almost everyone can easily pay for out of pocket: contraceptives. Why, you might ask, does this decision have to [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/johncgoodman/2012/02/11/obama_should_get_out_of_the_boardroom_and_the_bedroom
Election 2012: Florida President
Florida: Obama Nearly Tied With Santorum, Ahead of Romney
Rasmussen Reports
February 10, 2012
In Florida as in Ohio and among voters nationally, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum now runs slightly stronger against President Obama than Republican front-runner Mitt Romney. Obama is essentially even with Santorum in the Sunshine State but leads Romney by three points. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Florida shows Obama earning 47% support to Santorum's 46%. Four percent [....]
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/florida/election_2012_florida_president
Until Next Sunday....
Thursday, January 19, 2012
This'n'That; January Nineteenth #2; Jobs Killer To Florida
owe-bama To Bring Disneyworld To A Standstill
"Arschloch owe-bama" is AGAIN doing something "Ronaldus-Magnus" would never even consider: Closing down an entire segment of one of the world's--certainly America's--most popular amusement park and vacation destination. Portions of Disneyworld are being closed for completely narcissistic reasons: "Arschloch owe-bama" is losing TV face time to the republicRATic presidential candidates!!
This campaign trip--illegally billed to the American taxpayer--is thinly disguised as promoting jobs growth in a state that will reject "Arschloch owe-bama" in the upcoming presidential election. Mr Arschloch needs Florida in his column, come election time. This jobs promotion campaign stop comes just days after he killed 20,000 IMMEDIATE jobs with the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeling project. Given that he took the state's unemployment rate from 4.5% to over 12% during his tenure, a second term to do more of the same will be a really hard-sell!!
Ya gotta admit though: The guy's balls the size of watermelons!! He's done little--other than destroying the America we know and love--for the common man and yet thinks he's owed a second term to continue his destructive quest!!
'Splain to me again why YOU elected this arschloch?!?!
Til Nex'Time....
"Arschloch owe-bama" is AGAIN doing something "Ronaldus-Magnus" would never even consider: Closing down an entire segment of one of the world's--certainly America's--most popular amusement park and vacation destination. Portions of Disneyworld are being closed for completely narcissistic reasons: "Arschloch owe-bama" is losing TV face time to the republicRATic presidential candidates!!
This campaign trip--illegally billed to the American taxpayer--is thinly disguised as promoting jobs growth in a state that will reject "Arschloch owe-bama" in the upcoming presidential election. Mr Arschloch needs Florida in his column, come election time. This jobs promotion campaign stop comes just days after he killed 20,000 IMMEDIATE jobs with the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeling project. Given that he took the state's unemployment rate from 4.5% to over 12% during his tenure, a second term to do more of the same will be a really hard-sell!!
Ya gotta admit though: The guy's balls the size of watermelons!! He's done little--other than destroying the America we know and love--for the common man and yet thinks he's owed a second term to continue his destructive quest!!
'Splain to me again why YOU elected this arschloch?!?!
Til Nex'Time....
Saturday, December 31, 2011
"Clown Prince" Weekly Blather; December 31st
A Patriotic Response To The "Clown Prince;" 12/31/2011
barackingham Palace-WEST,
Honolulu, Hi
December 31, 2011
Hello, everybody. As 2011 comes to an end and we look ahead to 2012, I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. The last year has been a time of great challenge and great progress for our country. We ended one war and began to wind down another. We dealt a crippling blow to al-Qaeda and made America more secure. We stood by our friends and allies around the world through natural disasters and revolutions. And we began to see signs of economic recovery here at home, even as too many Americans are still struggling to get ahead. There’s no doubt that 2012 will bring even more change. And as we head into the New Year, I’m hopeful that we have what it takes to face that change and come out even stronger – to grow our economy, create more jobs, and strengthen the middle class. I’m hopeful because of what we saw right before Christmas, when Members of Congress came together to prevent a tax hike for 160 million Americans – saving a typical family about $40 in every paycheck. They also made sure Americans looking for work won’t see their unemployment insurance cut off. And I expect Congress to finish the job by extending these provisions through the end of 2012. It was good to see Members of Congress do the right thing for millions of working Americans. But it was only possible because you added your voices to the debate. Through email and Twitter and over the phone, you let your representatives know what was at stake. Your lives. Your families. Your well-being. You had the courage to believe that your voices could make a difference. And at the end of the day, they made all the difference.
[What I'm not telling you: A cuppla events in the country's recent past, I find just hilarious!!! With the country $15.2 TRILLION in debt, I can make 40-bucks 'the country's most important current topic!!' Again, with the country $15.2 TRILLION in debt--and climbing exponentially each day--the congressional incompetents are about to give me hundreds-of-billions more in borrowing power-essentially, for nothing in return!! I know, I know!! You're thinking of that agreement last August where $2.1 in deficit reductions 'over ten years' was negotiated. And now, you're thinking that those Ruling Class owe-bamacRATics and those republicRATics addicted to spending other peoples' money, will actually honor the 'over-ten-years' part of the agreement?!?
Ha, ha, ha, ha...., you're killin' me, here!?!?!?!]
More than anything else, you are the ones who make me hopeful about 2012. Because we’ve got some difficult debates and some tough fights to come. As I’ve said before, we are at a make-or-break moment for the middle class. And in many ways, the actions we take in the months ahead will help determine what kind of country we want to be, and what kind of world we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in. As President, I promise to do everything I can to make America a place where hard work and responsibility are rewarded – one where everyone has a fair shot and everyone does their fair share. That’s the America I believe in. That’s the America we’ve always known. And I’m confident that if we work together, and if you keep reminding folks in Washington what’s at stake, then we will move this country forward and guarantee every American the opportunities they deserve.
[What I'm not telling you: Is anyone besides me keeping up with the campaigning in Iowa?!? With the national media at George Soros' 'beck-and-call,' I have no doubt he and the owe-bamacRATic hierarchy will pick the GOP nominee, just as we did in 2008. We all know how well that worked out for America, right?!? Notice that most media articles are positive concerning Mittens Romney; negative with Newt Gingrich?!? This is how we pick the nominee--by swaying public opinion toward the 'most beatable' candidate!! The primary reason we're picking Mittens as the opponent: Can you imagine the hoops my teleprompter programmers would have to jump through, just to keep up with the Soros response to Newt's questions and comments in a national debate?!? Gawd!! It's just too tough to lie at such a fast pace!! Can you even imagine a debate between me and Newt?!? Gawd!! He'd literally tie me in knots; I only have a negative record to run on!! But, I'm way off teleprompter, here!!
In the new year, you can rest assured, the lies'll keep on commin'!!! A take-off on what the ol' DJs usta say: "All Lies, All The Time!!
Continue to rest assured that jobs are the first and last things I think about each day { ;)) }. Continue to rest assured--much like Libya--I'll start a war somewhere in the world when I need a distraction.
Continue to rest assured the ongoing economic destruction will be ongoing ( I know, I saw that too! Dam' teleprompter programmers, anyway!!).
Continue to rest assured you'll never get the true unemployment rate from this mouth.
There's lots of other crap I'll continue but I don't want to take the time to bore you further; I gotta lotta partying to do before the owe-bama Royal Family returns to barackingham Palace!!]
barackingham Palace-WEST,
Honolulu, Hi
December 31, 2011
Hello, everybody. As 2011 comes to an end and we look ahead to 2012, I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. The last year has been a time of great challenge and great progress for our country. We ended one war and began to wind down another. We dealt a crippling blow to al-Qaeda and made America more secure. We stood by our friends and allies around the world through natural disasters and revolutions. And we began to see signs of economic recovery here at home, even as too many Americans are still struggling to get ahead. There’s no doubt that 2012 will bring even more change. And as we head into the New Year, I’m hopeful that we have what it takes to face that change and come out even stronger – to grow our economy, create more jobs, and strengthen the middle class. I’m hopeful because of what we saw right before Christmas, when Members of Congress came together to prevent a tax hike for 160 million Americans – saving a typical family about $40 in every paycheck. They also made sure Americans looking for work won’t see their unemployment insurance cut off. And I expect Congress to finish the job by extending these provisions through the end of 2012. It was good to see Members of Congress do the right thing for millions of working Americans. But it was only possible because you added your voices to the debate. Through email and Twitter and over the phone, you let your representatives know what was at stake. Your lives. Your families. Your well-being. You had the courage to believe that your voices could make a difference. And at the end of the day, they made all the difference.
[What I'm not telling you: A cuppla events in the country's recent past, I find just hilarious!!! With the country $15.2 TRILLION in debt, I can make 40-bucks 'the country's most important current topic!!' Again, with the country $15.2 TRILLION in debt--and climbing exponentially each day--the congressional incompetents are about to give me hundreds-of-billions more in borrowing power-essentially, for nothing in return!! I know, I know!! You're thinking of that agreement last August where $2.1 in deficit reductions 'over ten years' was negotiated. And now, you're thinking that those Ruling Class owe-bamacRATics and those republicRATics addicted to spending other peoples' money, will actually honor the 'over-ten-years' part of the agreement?!?
Ha, ha, ha, ha...., you're killin' me, here!?!?!?!]
More than anything else, you are the ones who make me hopeful about 2012. Because we’ve got some difficult debates and some tough fights to come. As I’ve said before, we are at a make-or-break moment for the middle class. And in many ways, the actions we take in the months ahead will help determine what kind of country we want to be, and what kind of world we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in. As President, I promise to do everything I can to make America a place where hard work and responsibility are rewarded – one where everyone has a fair shot and everyone does their fair share. That’s the America I believe in. That’s the America we’ve always known. And I’m confident that if we work together, and if you keep reminding folks in Washington what’s at stake, then we will move this country forward and guarantee every American the opportunities they deserve.
[What I'm not telling you: Is anyone besides me keeping up with the campaigning in Iowa?!? With the national media at George Soros' 'beck-and-call,' I have no doubt he and the owe-bamacRATic hierarchy will pick the GOP nominee, just as we did in 2008. We all know how well that worked out for America, right?!? Notice that most media articles are positive concerning Mittens Romney; negative with Newt Gingrich?!? This is how we pick the nominee--by swaying public opinion toward the 'most beatable' candidate!! The primary reason we're picking Mittens as the opponent: Can you imagine the hoops my teleprompter programmers would have to jump through, just to keep up with the Soros response to Newt's questions and comments in a national debate?!? Gawd!! It's just too tough to lie at such a fast pace!! Can you even imagine a debate between me and Newt?!? Gawd!! He'd literally tie me in knots; I only have a negative record to run on!! But, I'm way off teleprompter, here!!
In the new year, you can rest assured, the lies'll keep on commin'!!! A take-off on what the ol' DJs usta say: "All Lies, All The Time!!
Continue to rest assured that jobs are the first and last things I think about each day { ;)) }. Continue to rest assured--much like Libya--I'll start a war somewhere in the world when I need a distraction.
Continue to rest assured the ongoing economic destruction will be ongoing ( I know, I saw that too! Dam' teleprompter programmers, anyway!!).
Continue to rest assured you'll never get the true unemployment rate from this mouth.
There's lots of other crap I'll continue but I don't want to take the time to bore you further; I gotta lotta partying to do before the owe-bama Royal Family returns to barackingham Palace!!]
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Sunday 'Report;' 12/04/2011
What The National Pamphleteers Don't Report:
Soros: World Financial System on Brink of Collapse
by Forrest Jones
Moneynews.com
December 1, 2011
The world financial system is on the brink of collapse, with developed markets running full speed ahead toward disintegration, says billionaire financier George Soros. Although developing countries are battling a slew of problems themselves, such as corruption and tattered infrastructure, they will likely end up faring better than markets in the big, industrialized nations, Soros says. Developing countries are unscathed by the "deflationary debt trap that the developed world is falling into," Soros told a New York gathering at the International Senior Lawyers Project, a group that provides pro bono legal services, according to The Wall Street Journal. While the global financial system finds itself [....]
http://www.moneynews.com/StreetTalk/soros-economy-euro-crisis/2011/12/01/id/419719
Rep. Ros-Lehtinen: Pivotal Hispanic Vote Deserting Obama
by Martin Gould, Ashley Martella
Newsmax.com
November 30, 2011
Hispanic voters will desert Barack Obama at the next election because he has failed to provide the hope and change he promised and Republicans are their natural party anyway, leading Cuban-American Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen tells Newsmax. Too many people think that immigration is the only thing Latinos are concerned about but that is simply not true, the House Foreign Affairs chairwoman said in the exclusive interview.
“The Republican party is the party of small government, less government intrusion, small businesses, more economic freedom, and that goes to the heart of what the Hispanic community is all about,” the Florida legislator said. “The growth in Hispanic small businesses in the United States is phenomenal and it’s because we’re seeing the opportunities exist,” she added. “The party needs to tailor its message, we don’t have to change our principles, but just be unafraid to appeal to the Hispanic voter. “We tend to think that the Hispanic voter is all about immigration and if you’re not for amnesty, if you’re not for a comprehensive immigration reform, you won’t get the Hispanic vote. That is not true at all. “Hispanics are pro-business, they’re very much [....]
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/obama-hispanic-vote-ros/2011/11/30/id/419590
Real Unemployment 11 Percent; Total Unemployment 15.6 Percent
by Mike Shedlock,
finance.townhall.com
December 3, 2011
In the last year, the civilian population rose by 1,726,000. Yet the labor force fell by 67,000. Those not in the labor force rose by 1,793,000. In November, those "Not in Labor Force" rose by a whopping 487,000. If you are not in the labor force, you are not counted as unemployed. Were it not for people dropping out of the labor force, the unemployment rate would be well over 11%.
Jobs Report at a Glance
Here is an overview of November Jobs Report, today's release.
US Payrolls +120,000
US Unemployment Rate Declined .4 to 8.6%
Civilian labor force fell by 315,000
Those Not in Labor Force rose by 487,000
Participation Rate fell .2 percentage points to 64.0%, nearly matching a low last seen in 1984
Actual number of Employed (by Household Survey) rose by 278,000
Unemployment fell by 594,000
Civilian population rose by 172,000
Average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2011/12/03/real_unemployment_11_percent;_total_unemployment_156_percent/page/full/
Hot Newt vs. Cool Mitt
by Hugh Hewitt
Townhall.com
December 2, 2011
I began Thursday's radio show by playing the clip of Newt Gingrich telling ABC's Jake Tapper that he would be the GOP nominee --not once but five times in various ways in less than 60 seconds. I then asked for callers --first time callers only-- and their reactions. In an eleven minute segment I fit in 20 callers, 17 of whom applauded the former Speaker's bravado, three of whom dissented. Radio folks know this is more than a little astonishing (hat tip to call screener Nick who worked at a dizzying pace) and is the sort of reaction that only is triggered by something connecting with the audience on a very emotional level. My producer Duane has thought the statement off-putting. My network's content guru, Lee Habeeb, who was with me in the studio at Regent University where we were visiting, thought it was brilliant. The instant, unfiltered reaction of first-time callers --not the practiced, planted callers of Team Obama's negative machine-- favored the confidence of Newt, just as his recent rise in the polls has been largely fueled by his performances in the debates in which he has routinely attacked not Mitt Romney but the president and especially the media, which the center-right has gone from merely disliking to loathing in recent years because of the Manhattan-Beltway media elite's collective swoon for the president in 2008 and since.
The MSM narrative about these events is as wrong as usual when it comes to deciphering the thinking of conservatives. GOP primary voters aren't looking for an anti-Romney. They are looking for the nominee who will take it to Obama and his allies in the media every single day. Governor Romney's solid base of support has been built on the expectation that he will do so even though he has been careful in his roll out. Romney's debate performances have routinely focused on and blasted the president, and this accounts for his early lead in New Hampshire and strong national showing in head-to-head match-ups with the president. But it has been a restrained approach, a foreshadowing of the summer and fall game plan, one designed not to exhaust the energy and commitment of the anti-Obama activists.
Newt's surge is powered by that portion of the conservative electorate that wants more now: more heat, more fire, and a lot more volume directed at the Chicago gang and their enablers in the MSM. This is the same electorate that first powered Bachmann, then Perry and then Cain, and now [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/hughhewitt/2011/12/02/hot_newt_vs_cool_mitt/page/full/
The Five People You’ll Meet In Charlotte
by Ben Chrystal
Personal Liberty Digest
November 30, 2011
Distinguishing characteristics of the outraged minority include eight-button suits (male), awesome hats (female) and wardrobe colors not found in nature (both).In 2003, Detroit-based sportswriter Mitch Albom published the much-heralded The Five People You Meet In Heaven. The book spent nearly two years on the bestseller list and was made into a TV movie starring Jon Voight. It told the tale of one man’s life, growth and death as seen through the lens of five individuals with whom he is inextricably linked.
Granted, none of the five folks of whom I speak today offer opportunities for growth beyond the sort achieved by fungus and mold, and their connection to life and death revolves around the former for murderers and the latter for unborn babies. Some might even see my references to Albom’s work as a shameless attempt to hitch my rhetorical wagon to an enormously successful writer. It is. But Albom lives in Detroit, so I’m certain he has suffered greater pain. And Albom has sold about 30 million books, so I’m quite sure he’ll survive the indignity.
This summer, the Democratic Party will hold its quadrennial Presidential nominating convention in Charlotte, N.C. Among the rogue’s gallery who will descend upon that poor city to re-coronate President Barack Obama (or perhaps not; check out Chip Wood’s column The Plot To Make Hillary President) will be the usual coterie of bottom-feeders who populate every large gathering of liberals. While every single one of them will share the dubious distinction of being members of the Democratic Party, they generally will fit into one of five categories (although given the girth of some of their masters, some pushing and/or WD40® will be involved). With apologies to Albom, I present: the five people you’ll meet in Charlotte.
The Egghead
Distinguishing characteristics of the egghead include: unwashed hair, a ponytail (regardless of both gender and amount of hair remaining atop the head), speaking with eyes closed and spectacular body odor. Often nominally employed as either a lawyer or college professor (or worse, both), the egghead suffers from an odd combination of low [....]
http://www.personalliberty.com/conservative-politics/the-five-people-youll-meet-in-charlotte/?eiid=&rmid=2011_11_30_PLA_[P11559932]&rrid=387432349
General Motors Bailing Out Volt Owners?
by Mike Brownfield
Heritage.org
December 1, 2011
It’s been a mixed day in the world of the American auto industry. While Ford Motor posted huge sales for November — propelled by a strong demand for SUVs — General Motors has been forced to make the unusual offer of buying back cars from consumers. Tom Krisher at the Associated Press reports that GM is taking action in response to news that its highly touted electric Chevy Volts have been found to catch fire: [....]
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/12/01/general-motors-bailing-out-volt-owners/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
Lessons of History?
by Dr Thomas Sowell
Townhall.com
Nov 30, 2011
It used to be common for people to urge us to learn "the lessons of history." But history gets much less attention these days and, if there are any lessons that we are offered, they are more likely to be the lessons from current polls or the lessons of political correctness. Even among those who still invoke the lessons of history, some read those lessons very differently from others. Talk show host Michael Medved, for example, apparently thinks the Republicans need a centrist presidential candidate in 2012. He said, "Most political battles are won by seizing the center." Moreover, he added: "Anyone who believes otherwise ignores the electoral experience of the last 50 years."
But just when did Ronald Reagan, with his two landslide election victories, "seize the center"? For that matter, when did Franklin D. Roosevelt, with a record four consecutive presidential election victories, "seize the center"? There have been a long string of [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/11/30/lessons_of_history/page/full/
Obama’s Re-Election Plan is an Exercise in Delusion
by Kevin "Coach" Collins
Floydreports.com
December 1, 2011
Seeing the curtain slowly but steadily descend on their socialist reign has apparently scared a few well-known Democrat analysts into publishing a plan to re-elect Barack Obama. Reading it, one can almost hear the socialist anthem, “The Internationale.” The “Path to 270” (Pt270) plan denies the realities of the very demographics upon which it is based. Its only honest feature is an acknowledgement that White people are not going to vote for Democrats any time soon. Pt270 believes Obama can magically cut Democrat loses among college graduates to 15 percent instead of the 30 percent beating they got in 2010, when unemployment among college graduates was 4.2 percent.
A Gallup poll of recent college graduates finds 11 percent unemployed or underemployed, which is two percent higher than the national average. It would be an amazing feat to keep Democrats’ loses down to last year’s 30 percent level among this group. Pt270 next delusion has Obama and the Democrats abandon any to appeal to Whites without college degrees – who make up 72 percent of all White voters – and replace them with the 28 percent who have college degrees. Aside from the lopsided numbers comparing, only 49 percent of college grads self-identify as liberals. The plan next describes that it is necessary for Obama to lose the White vote by “only” 17 points (58-41 percent) as John Kerry did in 2004. Obama’s 12 point loss margin (55-42) among White voters was only good enough to get him a 7.2 percent winning margin overall. But in last year’s midterm elections, Democrats (who served as his unwilling surrogates) took a beating among White voters. Pulling out a victory looks like a tall order, if not an outright impossibility.
Perhaps the most important piece of data left out by the authors of Pt270 is the yawning voter enthusiasm gap between the two parties. In this crucial [....]
http://floydreports.com/obamas-re-election-plan-is-an-exercise-in-delusion/
A Deadly U.S. Attack on Pakistani Soil
by Nate Hughes,
Stratfor.com
December 1, 2011
In the early hours of Nov. 26 on the Afghan-Pakistani border, what was almost certainly a flight of U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and an AC-130 gunship killed some two dozen Pakistani servicemen at two border outposts inside Pakistan. Details remain scarce, conflicting and disputed, but the incident was known to have taken place near the border of the Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar and the Mohmand agency of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The death toll inflicted by the United States against Pakistani servicemen is unprecedented, and while U.S. commanders and NATO leaders have expressed regret over the incident, the reaction from Pakistan has been severe.
Claims and Interests
The initial Pakistani narrative of the incident describes an unprovoked and aggressive attack on well-established outposts more than a mile inside Pakistani territory — outposts known to the Americans and ones that representatives of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had visited in the past. The attack supposedly lasted for some two hours despite distressed communications from the outpost to the Pakistani military’s general headquarters in Rawalpindi.
The United States was quick to acknowledge that Pakistani troops were probably killed by attack aircraft providing close air support to a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol near the Kunar border, and while U.S. Marine Gen. James Mattis, the head of U.S. Central Command, promised a high-level investigation, the United States and NATO seemed to be more interested in smoothing relations with Islamabad than endorsing or correcting initial reports about the specifics of the attack. What has ensued has been a classic media storm of accusations, counteraccusations, theories and specifics provided by unnamed sources that all serve to obscure the truth as much as they clarify it. Meanwhile, no matter what actually happened, aggressive spin campaigns have been launched to shape perceptions of the incident for myriad interests. Given the longstanding tensions between Washington and Islamabad as well as a record of cross-border incidents, stakeholders will believe exactly what they want to believe about the Nov. 26 incident, and even an official [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20111130-deadly-us-attack-pakistani-soil?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20111201&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=48cb436d1f454f479ac3310db3595a49
Recipe for Middle-Class Jobs
'Brain Hubs' Like Austin, Texas, Create More Work for Less-Educated Residents
By Conor Dougherty
The Wall Street Journal
November 29, 2011
As the nation grapples with stubbornly high unemployment, Texas's political and high-tech capital shows one way to create good jobs for people who didn't go to college: Attract highly skilled entrepreneurs, and watch the companies they start hire lower-skilled workers. Praxis Strategy Group, an economic-development consultancy, estimates Austin added 50,000 "middle-skill" positions in the past decade. These are jobs that require a two-year associate's degree or the equivalent work experience, and pay a median wage of $17.30 an hour, or $38,000 a year. That pace of growth is roughly four times faster than the nation's as a whole, three times that of New York and Portland, Ore., and twice that of Phoenix.
Austin's success in creating middle-class jobs runs against the grain of national trends. As America's shift from manufacturing to the service sector has accelerated, economists have noted a hollowing out of such jobs. In recent decades, a select number of brain hubs like Austin have attracted a higher percentage of well-educated workers and a lopsided share of new investment and young companies. In 1970, the top 10 most-educated metropolitan areas among the nation's 100 largest had an average of 23% of workers holding a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 10% in the bottom 10, according to an analysis of Census data by Harvard University economist Edward Glaeser. The 13-percentage-point gap has widened every decade since, and had doubled by 2010.
Beyond creating new middle-skill jobs, such brain hubs have generally higher incomes and for the most part have performed better through the recession. In Austin, the 7.1% average unemployment rate in 2010 was well below the nation's during the same period. Of course, Austin also has a fast-growing population, which helps create jobs in any economic environment. And it's not as if other cities can create a more-educated populace overnight. Still, Austin's success in creating middle-level jobs shows how a well-educated work force can raise the fortunes of lesser-educated workers as well. Raleigh, N.C., has benefited from the same dynamic.
One consequence of the economy's shift away from production toward brain work is that companies are constantly seeking new ways to break down high-value intellectual tasks into smaller, cheaper bits. Much the same way that assembly lines created millions of new jobs by reducing mass production to a sum of tasks, employers in Austin and elsewhere are constantly breaking down higher-skill jobs to "create new middle-skill, middle-income specialties," according to a recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute. Take Homeaway Inc., a vacation-rental service founded [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/recipe-for-middle-class-jobs.html
8 Habits of Highly Productive People
by Alexandra Gekas
Woman's Day
November 23, 2011
While your co-workers start every day enjoying a cup of coffee together in the break room, you're barely able to find time to call your doctor. While they're taking lunches, you're rushing through another meal at your desk. Sound familiar? Here's the good news: This apparent discrepancy may not mean you've got a bigger workload or that you're a harder worker. Instead, it may mean that they've mastered certain time-saving skills and habits that you haven't-until now. From prioritizing your workload to learning which projects don't need to be perfect, read on to discover eight workplace habits that'll boost your productivity and lower your stress levels.
1. They make it a point to take breaks.
Americans seem to think that constantly working is [....]
http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/8-habits-highly-productive-people-173900168.html
Until Next Sunday....
Soros: World Financial System on Brink of Collapse
by Forrest Jones
Moneynews.com
December 1, 2011
The world financial system is on the brink of collapse, with developed markets running full speed ahead toward disintegration, says billionaire financier George Soros. Although developing countries are battling a slew of problems themselves, such as corruption and tattered infrastructure, they will likely end up faring better than markets in the big, industrialized nations, Soros says. Developing countries are unscathed by the "deflationary debt trap that the developed world is falling into," Soros told a New York gathering at the International Senior Lawyers Project, a group that provides pro bono legal services, according to The Wall Street Journal. While the global financial system finds itself [....]
http://www.moneynews.com/StreetTalk/soros-economy-euro-crisis/2011/12/01/id/419719
Rep. Ros-Lehtinen: Pivotal Hispanic Vote Deserting Obama
by Martin Gould, Ashley Martella
Newsmax.com
November 30, 2011
Hispanic voters will desert Barack Obama at the next election because he has failed to provide the hope and change he promised and Republicans are their natural party anyway, leading Cuban-American Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen tells Newsmax. Too many people think that immigration is the only thing Latinos are concerned about but that is simply not true, the House Foreign Affairs chairwoman said in the exclusive interview.
“The Republican party is the party of small government, less government intrusion, small businesses, more economic freedom, and that goes to the heart of what the Hispanic community is all about,” the Florida legislator said. “The growth in Hispanic small businesses in the United States is phenomenal and it’s because we’re seeing the opportunities exist,” she added. “The party needs to tailor its message, we don’t have to change our principles, but just be unafraid to appeal to the Hispanic voter. “We tend to think that the Hispanic voter is all about immigration and if you’re not for amnesty, if you’re not for a comprehensive immigration reform, you won’t get the Hispanic vote. That is not true at all. “Hispanics are pro-business, they’re very much [....]
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/obama-hispanic-vote-ros/2011/11/30/id/419590
Real Unemployment 11 Percent; Total Unemployment 15.6 Percent
by Mike Shedlock,
finance.townhall.com
December 3, 2011
In the last year, the civilian population rose by 1,726,000. Yet the labor force fell by 67,000. Those not in the labor force rose by 1,793,000. In November, those "Not in Labor Force" rose by a whopping 487,000. If you are not in the labor force, you are not counted as unemployed. Were it not for people dropping out of the labor force, the unemployment rate would be well over 11%.
Jobs Report at a Glance
Here is an overview of November Jobs Report, today's release.
US Payrolls +120,000
US Unemployment Rate Declined .4 to 8.6%
Civilian labor force fell by 315,000
Those Not in Labor Force rose by 487,000
Participation Rate fell .2 percentage points to 64.0%, nearly matching a low last seen in 1984
Actual number of Employed (by Household Survey) rose by 278,000
Unemployment fell by 594,000
Civilian population rose by 172,000
Average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2011/12/03/real_unemployment_11_percent;_total_unemployment_156_percent/page/full/
Hot Newt vs. Cool Mitt
by Hugh Hewitt
Townhall.com
December 2, 2011
I began Thursday's radio show by playing the clip of Newt Gingrich telling ABC's Jake Tapper that he would be the GOP nominee --not once but five times in various ways in less than 60 seconds. I then asked for callers --first time callers only-- and their reactions. In an eleven minute segment I fit in 20 callers, 17 of whom applauded the former Speaker's bravado, three of whom dissented. Radio folks know this is more than a little astonishing (hat tip to call screener Nick who worked at a dizzying pace) and is the sort of reaction that only is triggered by something connecting with the audience on a very emotional level. My producer Duane has thought the statement off-putting. My network's content guru, Lee Habeeb, who was with me in the studio at Regent University where we were visiting, thought it was brilliant. The instant, unfiltered reaction of first-time callers --not the practiced, planted callers of Team Obama's negative machine-- favored the confidence of Newt, just as his recent rise in the polls has been largely fueled by his performances in the debates in which he has routinely attacked not Mitt Romney but the president and especially the media, which the center-right has gone from merely disliking to loathing in recent years because of the Manhattan-Beltway media elite's collective swoon for the president in 2008 and since.
The MSM narrative about these events is as wrong as usual when it comes to deciphering the thinking of conservatives. GOP primary voters aren't looking for an anti-Romney. They are looking for the nominee who will take it to Obama and his allies in the media every single day. Governor Romney's solid base of support has been built on the expectation that he will do so even though he has been careful in his roll out. Romney's debate performances have routinely focused on and blasted the president, and this accounts for his early lead in New Hampshire and strong national showing in head-to-head match-ups with the president. But it has been a restrained approach, a foreshadowing of the summer and fall game plan, one designed not to exhaust the energy and commitment of the anti-Obama activists.
Newt's surge is powered by that portion of the conservative electorate that wants more now: more heat, more fire, and a lot more volume directed at the Chicago gang and their enablers in the MSM. This is the same electorate that first powered Bachmann, then Perry and then Cain, and now [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/hughhewitt/2011/12/02/hot_newt_vs_cool_mitt/page/full/
The Five People You’ll Meet In Charlotte
by Ben Chrystal
Personal Liberty Digest
November 30, 2011
Distinguishing characteristics of the outraged minority include eight-button suits (male), awesome hats (female) and wardrobe colors not found in nature (both).In 2003, Detroit-based sportswriter Mitch Albom published the much-heralded The Five People You Meet In Heaven. The book spent nearly two years on the bestseller list and was made into a TV movie starring Jon Voight. It told the tale of one man’s life, growth and death as seen through the lens of five individuals with whom he is inextricably linked.
Granted, none of the five folks of whom I speak today offer opportunities for growth beyond the sort achieved by fungus and mold, and their connection to life and death revolves around the former for murderers and the latter for unborn babies. Some might even see my references to Albom’s work as a shameless attempt to hitch my rhetorical wagon to an enormously successful writer. It is. But Albom lives in Detroit, so I’m certain he has suffered greater pain. And Albom has sold about 30 million books, so I’m quite sure he’ll survive the indignity.
This summer, the Democratic Party will hold its quadrennial Presidential nominating convention in Charlotte, N.C. Among the rogue’s gallery who will descend upon that poor city to re-coronate President Barack Obama (or perhaps not; check out Chip Wood’s column The Plot To Make Hillary President) will be the usual coterie of bottom-feeders who populate every large gathering of liberals. While every single one of them will share the dubious distinction of being members of the Democratic Party, they generally will fit into one of five categories (although given the girth of some of their masters, some pushing and/or WD40® will be involved). With apologies to Albom, I present: the five people you’ll meet in Charlotte.
The Egghead
Distinguishing characteristics of the egghead include: unwashed hair, a ponytail (regardless of both gender and amount of hair remaining atop the head), speaking with eyes closed and spectacular body odor. Often nominally employed as either a lawyer or college professor (or worse, both), the egghead suffers from an odd combination of low [....]
http://www.personalliberty.com/conservative-politics/the-five-people-youll-meet-in-charlotte/?eiid=&rmid=2011_11_30_PLA_[P11559932]&rrid=387432349
General Motors Bailing Out Volt Owners?
by Mike Brownfield
Heritage.org
December 1, 2011
It’s been a mixed day in the world of the American auto industry. While Ford Motor posted huge sales for November — propelled by a strong demand for SUVs — General Motors has been forced to make the unusual offer of buying back cars from consumers. Tom Krisher at the Associated Press reports that GM is taking action in response to news that its highly touted electric Chevy Volts have been found to catch fire: [....]
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/12/01/general-motors-bailing-out-volt-owners/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
Lessons of History?
by Dr Thomas Sowell
Townhall.com
Nov 30, 2011
It used to be common for people to urge us to learn "the lessons of history." But history gets much less attention these days and, if there are any lessons that we are offered, they are more likely to be the lessons from current polls or the lessons of political correctness. Even among those who still invoke the lessons of history, some read those lessons very differently from others. Talk show host Michael Medved, for example, apparently thinks the Republicans need a centrist presidential candidate in 2012. He said, "Most political battles are won by seizing the center." Moreover, he added: "Anyone who believes otherwise ignores the electoral experience of the last 50 years."
But just when did Ronald Reagan, with his two landslide election victories, "seize the center"? For that matter, when did Franklin D. Roosevelt, with a record four consecutive presidential election victories, "seize the center"? There have been a long string of [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/11/30/lessons_of_history/page/full/
Obama’s Re-Election Plan is an Exercise in Delusion
by Kevin "Coach" Collins
Floydreports.com
December 1, 2011
Seeing the curtain slowly but steadily descend on their socialist reign has apparently scared a few well-known Democrat analysts into publishing a plan to re-elect Barack Obama. Reading it, one can almost hear the socialist anthem, “The Internationale.” The “Path to 270” (Pt270) plan denies the realities of the very demographics upon which it is based. Its only honest feature is an acknowledgement that White people are not going to vote for Democrats any time soon. Pt270 believes Obama can magically cut Democrat loses among college graduates to 15 percent instead of the 30 percent beating they got in 2010, when unemployment among college graduates was 4.2 percent.
A Gallup poll of recent college graduates finds 11 percent unemployed or underemployed, which is two percent higher than the national average. It would be an amazing feat to keep Democrats’ loses down to last year’s 30 percent level among this group. Pt270 next delusion has Obama and the Democrats abandon any to appeal to Whites without college degrees – who make up 72 percent of all White voters – and replace them with the 28 percent who have college degrees. Aside from the lopsided numbers comparing, only 49 percent of college grads self-identify as liberals. The plan next describes that it is necessary for Obama to lose the White vote by “only” 17 points (58-41 percent) as John Kerry did in 2004. Obama’s 12 point loss margin (55-42) among White voters was only good enough to get him a 7.2 percent winning margin overall. But in last year’s midterm elections, Democrats (who served as his unwilling surrogates) took a beating among White voters. Pulling out a victory looks like a tall order, if not an outright impossibility.
Perhaps the most important piece of data left out by the authors of Pt270 is the yawning voter enthusiasm gap between the two parties. In this crucial [....]
http://floydreports.com/obamas-re-election-plan-is-an-exercise-in-delusion/
A Deadly U.S. Attack on Pakistani Soil
by Nate Hughes,
Stratfor.com
December 1, 2011
In the early hours of Nov. 26 on the Afghan-Pakistani border, what was almost certainly a flight of U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and an AC-130 gunship killed some two dozen Pakistani servicemen at two border outposts inside Pakistan. Details remain scarce, conflicting and disputed, but the incident was known to have taken place near the border of the Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar and the Mohmand agency of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The death toll inflicted by the United States against Pakistani servicemen is unprecedented, and while U.S. commanders and NATO leaders have expressed regret over the incident, the reaction from Pakistan has been severe.
Claims and Interests
The initial Pakistani narrative of the incident describes an unprovoked and aggressive attack on well-established outposts more than a mile inside Pakistani territory — outposts known to the Americans and ones that representatives of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had visited in the past. The attack supposedly lasted for some two hours despite distressed communications from the outpost to the Pakistani military’s general headquarters in Rawalpindi.
The United States was quick to acknowledge that Pakistani troops were probably killed by attack aircraft providing close air support to a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol near the Kunar border, and while U.S. Marine Gen. James Mattis, the head of U.S. Central Command, promised a high-level investigation, the United States and NATO seemed to be more interested in smoothing relations with Islamabad than endorsing or correcting initial reports about the specifics of the attack. What has ensued has been a classic media storm of accusations, counteraccusations, theories and specifics provided by unnamed sources that all serve to obscure the truth as much as they clarify it. Meanwhile, no matter what actually happened, aggressive spin campaigns have been launched to shape perceptions of the incident for myriad interests. Given the longstanding tensions between Washington and Islamabad as well as a record of cross-border incidents, stakeholders will believe exactly what they want to believe about the Nov. 26 incident, and even an official [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20111130-deadly-us-attack-pakistani-soil?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20111201&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=48cb436d1f454f479ac3310db3595a49
Recipe for Middle-Class Jobs
'Brain Hubs' Like Austin, Texas, Create More Work for Less-Educated Residents
By Conor Dougherty
The Wall Street Journal
November 29, 2011
As the nation grapples with stubbornly high unemployment, Texas's political and high-tech capital shows one way to create good jobs for people who didn't go to college: Attract highly skilled entrepreneurs, and watch the companies they start hire lower-skilled workers. Praxis Strategy Group, an economic-development consultancy, estimates Austin added 50,000 "middle-skill" positions in the past decade. These are jobs that require a two-year associate's degree or the equivalent work experience, and pay a median wage of $17.30 an hour, or $38,000 a year. That pace of growth is roughly four times faster than the nation's as a whole, three times that of New York and Portland, Ore., and twice that of Phoenix.
Austin's success in creating middle-class jobs runs against the grain of national trends. As America's shift from manufacturing to the service sector has accelerated, economists have noted a hollowing out of such jobs. In recent decades, a select number of brain hubs like Austin have attracted a higher percentage of well-educated workers and a lopsided share of new investment and young companies. In 1970, the top 10 most-educated metropolitan areas among the nation's 100 largest had an average of 23% of workers holding a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 10% in the bottom 10, according to an analysis of Census data by Harvard University economist Edward Glaeser. The 13-percentage-point gap has widened every decade since, and had doubled by 2010.
Beyond creating new middle-skill jobs, such brain hubs have generally higher incomes and for the most part have performed better through the recession. In Austin, the 7.1% average unemployment rate in 2010 was well below the nation's during the same period. Of course, Austin also has a fast-growing population, which helps create jobs in any economic environment. And it's not as if other cities can create a more-educated populace overnight. Still, Austin's success in creating middle-level jobs shows how a well-educated work force can raise the fortunes of lesser-educated workers as well. Raleigh, N.C., has benefited from the same dynamic.
One consequence of the economy's shift away from production toward brain work is that companies are constantly seeking new ways to break down high-value intellectual tasks into smaller, cheaper bits. Much the same way that assembly lines created millions of new jobs by reducing mass production to a sum of tasks, employers in Austin and elsewhere are constantly breaking down higher-skill jobs to "create new middle-skill, middle-income specialties," according to a recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute. Take Homeaway Inc., a vacation-rental service founded [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/recipe-for-middle-class-jobs.html
8 Habits of Highly Productive People
by Alexandra Gekas
Woman's Day
November 23, 2011
While your co-workers start every day enjoying a cup of coffee together in the break room, you're barely able to find time to call your doctor. While they're taking lunches, you're rushing through another meal at your desk. Sound familiar? Here's the good news: This apparent discrepancy may not mean you've got a bigger workload or that you're a harder worker. Instead, it may mean that they've mastered certain time-saving skills and habits that you haven't-until now. From prioritizing your workload to learning which projects don't need to be perfect, read on to discover eight workplace habits that'll boost your productivity and lower your stress levels.
1. They make it a point to take breaks.
Americans seem to think that constantly working is [....]
http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/8-habits-highly-productive-people-173900168.html
Until Next Sunday....
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Sunday 'Report;' 10/23/2011
What The Nation Pamphleteers Don't Report:
Seven Hidden-Gem Careers
By Larry Buhl,
Monster Contributing Writer
Jobs that impress strangers and make your parents giddy with pride may not be the best for you. Whether you’re starting out or changing careers, lesser-known alternative careers may offer lower pressure, better hours and greater personal satisfaction. Here’s a look at seven hidden-gem careers:
If you love to teach but prefer adult students to kids:
Corporate trainers teach employees skills, technologies and protocols. A bachelor’s degree is required. A technical, business or psychology background plus a certificate are helpful. The median training and development specialist salary was $54,160 in May 2010, according to the BLS.
If you’re a wiz at finance and investing but wary of Wall Street:
Personal financial advisors are often self-employed, so you’ll need entrepreneurial skills. Strong math, accounting and problem-solving abilities [....]
http://career-services.monster.com/yahooarticle/alternative-careers-less-stress#WT.mc_n=yta_fpt_article_hidden_gem_careers
Steve Jobs and the 7 Rules of Success
By Carmine Gallo
Entrepreneur,
October 14, 2011
Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success. Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs."
1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.
2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in [....]
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/steve-jobs-and-the-7-rules-of-success.html
Conservative Celebrites (38 images)
Tony Danza
The star of "Who's the Boss" is glad to see Republicans as the bosses, and is a registered Republican. [....]
http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/Entertainment/Conservative-Celebrites/5289/28/?ref=ma
U.S. truckers, lawmakers unite in bipartisan opposition to cross-border trucking
[Along with OOIDA’s Executive Vice President Todd Spencer, small-business trucker and OOIDA member Jose Escott spoke of concerns about opening the border to Mexico-based motor carriers. They were joined by Congressmen Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Bob Filner, D-Calif., along with James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.]
The Truckers News Service,
10/19/2011
OTAY MESA, Calif. — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) today stood at the Mexican border alongside Republican and Democratic lawmakers and other vocal opponents of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s cross-border trucking pilot program — citing concerns for highway safety, homeland security, and regulatory fairness for U.S.-based companies and drivers. The bipartisan [....]
http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2011/10/19/UStruckerslawmakersuniteinbipartisanoppositiontocross-bordertrucking.aspx
Letting Wood Express its Kinetic Energy
Posted by hipstomp
October 11, 2011
Having spent time in the shop, we all know the line that wood is still alive even after it's dead. Sawn boards have an elasticity and flex that we attempt to master with screw guns and glue-ups (and occasionally, screw-ups). But here's a rather novel use of wood's properties for recreational purposes: The Stick Bomb.
A Stick Bomb is simply a grouping of sticks—in this case, tongue depressors or ice cream sticks—woven together [....]
http://www.core77.com/blog/materials/the_stick_bomb_letting_wood_express_its_kinetic_energy_20758.asp
The Conservative Case Against Mitt Romney (2011 Edition)
John Hawkins,
Townhall.com
October 18, 2011
It's no accident that Mitt Romney has done so well during this election cycle. He has excellent name recognition, he's extremely well organized, he's a great fundraiser, he's become a polished debater, and he's not gaffe prone. His business experience doesn't hurt either, although it is worth noting that the only reason he's able to brag that he's not a "career politician" is because he lost to Ted Kennedy for the Senate and probably would have lost in 2008 had he run for governor of Massachusetts again.
All that being said, there's a reason why Mitt Romney has been unable to walk away with the nomination despite all of those advantages. It's because Mitt is a deeply flawed candidate. Yes, he would certainly be better than Obama (and I will vote for him if he gets the nomination), but this IS NOT someone conservatives should want as their nominee.
Why?
1) Romneycare: One of the biggest issues the Republican Party has to run on in 2012 is Obamacare. Although Mitt Romney does oppose Obamacare, it's purely a political calculation because [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2011/10/18/the_conservative_case_against_mitt_romney_2011_edition
Rare Titanic photos and letters
An archive of incredible photos and handwritten letters acquired from the descendants of Titanic survivors John and Nelle Pillsbury Snyder, who were returning from their honeymoon when the tragedy struck. They were some of the first people to board lifeboats and later rescued by the Carpathia, the first ship that arrived at the disaster scene on the morning of April 15, 1912. The collection is due to be sold by Philip Weiss Auctions on October 22, 2011, and the current minimum bid is $36,000. [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/rare-titanic-photos-and-letters-1319127118-slideshow/
Random Thoughts
by Dr Thomas Sowell,
Townhall.com Columnist,
October 18, 2011
Like so many people, in so many countries, who started out to "spread the wealth," Barack Obama has ended up spreading poverty.
Have you ever heard anyone as incoherent as the people staging protests across the country? Taxpayers ought to be protesting against having their money spent to educate people who end up unable to say anything beyond repeating political catch phrases.
It is hard to understand politics if you are hung up on reality. Politicians leave reality to others. What matters in politics is what you can get the voters to believe, whether it bears any resemblance to reality or not.
I hate getting bills that show a zero balance. If I don't owe anything, why bother me with a bill? There is too much junk mail already.
Radical feminists seem to assume that men are hostile to women. But what would they say to the fact that most of the women on the Titanic were saved, and most of the men perished -- due to rules written by men and enforced by men on the sinking ship?
If he were debating Barack Obama, Newt Gingrich could chew him up and spit him out.
Whether the particular issue is housing, medical care or anything in between, the agenda of the left is to take the decision out of the hands of those directly involved and transfer that decision to third parties, who pay no price for making decisions that turn out to be counterproductive.
It is truly the era of the New Math when a couple making $125,000 a year each are taxed at rates that are said to apply to "millionaires and billionaires."
On many issues, the strongest argument of the left is that there is no argument. This has been the left's party line on the issue of man-made global warming and the calamities they claim will follow. But there are many scientists -- some with Nobel Prizes -- who have repudiated the global warming hysteria.
With professional athletes earning megabucks incomes, it is a farce to punish their violations of rules with fines. When Serena Williams was fined $2,000 for misconduct during a tennis match, that was like fining you or me a nickel or a dime. Suspensions are something that even the highest-paid athletes can feel.
Most of us may lament the fact that so many more people are today dependent on food stamps and other government subsidies. But dependency usually translates into votes for whoever is handing out the benefits, so an economic disaster can be a political bonanza, as it was for Franklin D. Roosevelt. Don't count Obama out in 2012.
Politicians can solve almost any problem -- usually by creating a bigger problem. But, so long as the voters are aware of the problem that the politicians [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/10/18/random_thoughts/page/full/
Protests Are a Payday for Security Firms
by Kevin Roose,
The New York Times
October 18, 2011
They call when they make the Forbes 400 list. They call when annual hedge fund rankings appear, when their names are mentioned on CNBC and when their children travel abroad. And, these days, they call when protesters camped in Lower Manhattan grow uncomfortable with the idea of their existence.
The ultra-rich bankers, hedge fund managers and private equity executives of New York City have long enlisted private security firms to help safeguard them and their wealth. But as the mood on Main Street turns increasingly hostile, New York’s financial titans are cranking their security measures up to 11. For the high-end security firms that provide the moneyed elite with specialty services like around-the-clock bodyguards and elaborate home security systems, Occupy Wall Street has been a stimulus package all its own. “We expect to more than double our revenue in New York this year,” said Paul M. Viollis, a [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Protests-Are-a-Payday-for-nytimes-150438655.html?x=0
No Apology Necessary, Mr. President
by Ben Crystal
personalliberty.com
October 15, 2011
[....]
(video)
http://www.personalliberty.com/feature-video/no-apology-necessary-mr-president-50153/?rmid=2011_10_15_PLA_[P11176710]&rrid=387432349
Mexican drug cartels recruiting Texas children
By Jim Forsyth
Reuters
October 18, 2011
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Texas law enforcement officials say several Mexican drug cartels are luring youngsters as young as 11 to work in their smuggling operations. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told Reuters the drug gangs have a chilling name for the young Texans lured into their operations.
"They call them 'the expendables,'" he said.
McCraw said his investigators have evidence six Mexican drug gangs -- including the violent Zetas -- have "command and control centers" in Texas actively recruiting children for their operations, attracting them with what appears to be "easy money" for doing simple tasks.
"Cartels would pay kids $50 just for them to [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/mexican-drug-cartels-recruiting-texas-children-173402030.html
Mark Cuban and His OWS White Lie
by Jeff Carter
Townhall.com
October 17, 2011Mark Cuban has shared his opinons on Occupy Wall Street. I empathize with them, but Mr. Cuban and I have very different opinions on the movement.
I like Cuban’s public persona. He is obviously smart, is unafraid of risk and has been wildly successful. I have never met him.
Wall Street doesn’t shoot straight with the public. Investment bankers are salesman. Do you think a car salesman shoots straight with you when you go into the showroom? Why do you think an investment advisor that makes money selling you financial products is going to be any different? “Buyer beware” holds true no matter what you are buying.
In order to be a successful CEO of a company, you have to know how to sell. It’s one of my basic requirements if I am going to invest in a start up. Some CEO’s are great salesman, and it’s reflected in the companies stock price. Warren Buffett is a tremendous sales person. How much value he himself by force of personality adds to the stock price we won’t know until after he is gone. Apple’s ($AAPL) Steve Jobs was a great salesperson too. It will take some time for the dust to settle to see how much of a dollar effect his loss figures into the stock price. One of the reasons that Apple doesn’t mind articles pushing the fact that “Jobs still has products in the pipeline” is because they want to Jobs effect to be priced into their stock.
Cuban says, “Great CEO White Lie = “We are acting in the best interests of shareholders.””.
It is a great white lie depending. CEO’s also act in the best interest of management, which doesn’t always align with the best interests of shareholders. If the economic interests of shareholders and CEO compensation are aligned correctly-everyone benefits. That’s generally where the problem is found. I don’t pay too much attention to the actual salary of the CEO and top management. I pay more attention to the type of asset they are being paid to manage, and how much risk the shareholders have at stake. The CEO of Boeing ($BA) ought to be paid more than the CEO of Kellogg ($K). Boeing has a market cap of 47 billion, Kellogg 19 billion. Steve Kaplan did [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/jeffcarter/2011/10/17/mark_cuban_and_his_ows_white_lie/page/full/
[Content related to above article.]
Professor Steven Kaplan on CEO pay in Crain’s Chicago Business
by Steven Kaplan,
ChicagoBooth News,
June 10, 2005Are CEO salaries too big? Steven Kaplan, Neubauer Family Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance , took the opposing view in a May 30 Crain’s Chicago Business article. He squared off in the debate against Dale Moyers, president of the Chicago Compensation Association and director of compensation and benefits at Loyola University of Chicago.
The article took the form of a series of four email responses to questions posed by Crain’s. The use of email allowed each speaker to polish his thoughts. The debate kicked off with a look at executive salaries for Chicago’s 20 top companies. At an average of $10.3 million, they have increased 35% over the last two years. Kaplan observed that larger salaries “…(boost) the (relationship) of CEO wealth to stock performance by a factor of more than 10.” Kaplan sees that relationship [....]
http://www.chicagobooth.edu/news/2005-06-10h_kaplanceopay.aspx
In tiny rural Kansas district, students out-performing global competition
By Liz Goodwin
National Affairs Reporter
The Lookout
October 20, 2011
In the rural Waconda Lake area of North Central Kansas, the nearest Wal-Mart is 60 miles away and the best-known local landmark is an enormous ball of twine that locals claim is the largest in the world. (Darwin, Minnesota begs to differ.) But don't be fooled. The students in this sleepy agricultural community are not only out-performing American kids in other, much wealthier schools; they're also out-performing most students in developed nations around the world, according to a new analysis. The average student at the Waconda school district of 385 kids scores better than 90 percent of students in 20 developed countries on math and reading tests, according to The Global Report Card, published in the journal Education Next. In fact, Waconda is the second [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/tiny-rural-kansas-district-students-performing-global-competition-195446967.html
Pampered Protesters
by Michael Reagan
October 12, 2011
The hordes of so-called “protesters” now polluting the streets of several U.S. cities, including New York, are sending confused messages about their grievances. The unemployed among them complain that the jobs available to them are beneath them. I guess that cancels out the old concept of starting in the mailroom and advancing step-by-step to the boardroom. It used to be the norm that one started at the bottom and worked his way up. This bunch seems to be living under the delusion that simply by virtue of having been born they are entitled to immediate arrival at the boardroom level with appropriate compensation.
Viewing these unruly mob scenes, featuring numerous public sexual activities posing as protests, I am reminded of the manner in which my dad dealt with such malcontents. If they were government employees he simply fired them. It worked. The remaining ones slinked back to work.
And I recall how he dealt with his son (me) back in 1965, when I dropped out of Arizona State University and thought that I was simply going home to live with — and off — either my mom or dad, who were then divorced. When I got home I found that their doors were locked to college dropouts.
Nancy, my ever-loving stepmom, was busy calling all branches of the military to let them know I was a college dropout and thus now eligible to be drafted. Don’t you just love such devoted stepmothers, eager to help their stepsons make their way in the world by locking the doors to keep them out?
When I finally was able to speak to my parents, they simply told me to find another place to live and to get a job. I did both. I moved in with some friends and got a job working at Asbury Transportation Company in Los Angeles loading oil-well freight from 5:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., Monday through Friday. That’s where I was working when my father was elected governor of California. Did I complain that my lowly job was beneath my new station in life as the son of the governor of California? How could I? I was the one who set [....]
http://floydreports.com/pampered-protesters/
A Blueprint for America's Survival During the Next 50 Years (Part 1 of 2)
by Cliff Ennico
Townhall.com Columnist
October 18, 2011
A lot of people are worried about America's future right now.
And they are right. Things have changed so quickly in the past few decades that only a handful of people -- and I'm not sure about them, either -- have an idea of what it even means to be an American right now. What values do we uphold? Does our Constitution continue to make sense? Does it matter that we may soon no longer be the No. 1 economy in the world?
This is a column for entrepreneurs, not political junkies, but you can't write for business owners without at least thinking about the political, economic and environmental climate that is healthiest for them. I try to do this from time to time, hopefully without getting too personal about my own opinions.
That's why I thought it might help the current debate to point out a few self-evident, if inconvenient, truths about what America will need to do -- not just the government, but all of us as Americans -- if our country is to survive the next 50 years on Earth.
-- We have to maintain leadership in technology.
We no longer can be the world's manufacturer; many countries have proven that they can make stuff cheaper and better than we can. If America has an economic future, it is as the world's research-and-development department. We must maintain our leadership in innovation and the development of new technologies, ideas and business models that will rule the future. If we let China, India or anyone else take that away from us, we're toast.
-- We have to maintain our military might.
We live in an increasingly dangerous world. A nationalistic [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/cliffennico/2011/10/18/a_blueprint_for_americas_survival_during_the_next_50_years_part_1_of_2/page/full/
'Occupy' memo could discourage victims from reporting assaults
Protest group says it wants to be self-contained community
October 19, 2011
By Peter Hermann,
The Baltimore Sun
Efforts by the Occupy Baltimore protest group to evolve into a self-contained, self-governing community have erupted into controversy with the distribution of a pamphlet that victim advocates and health workers fear discourages victims of sexual assaults from contacting police.
The pamphlet says that members of the protest group who believe they are victims or who suspect sexual abuse "are encouraged to immediately report the incident to the Security Committee," which will investigate and "supply the abuser with counseling resources."
The directive also says, in part, "Though we do not encourage the involvement of the police in our community, the survivor has every right, and the support of Occupy Baltimore, to report the abuse to the appropriate authorities."
Despite this caveat, the heads of three rape crisis centers and a nurse who runs the forensic division at Mercy Medical Center called the message about not involving police dangerous. They said it contains erroneous information that could undermine efforts to convince victims to properly report crimes and get the counseling they need.
"It might actually passively prevent someone from seeking justice," said Jacqueline Robarge, the executive director of Power Inside, a nonprofit support group that helps women who have been victimized. The hodgepodge of anti-establishment activists who have erected a tent city at the Inner Harbor as part of the broader Occupy Wall Street movement [....]
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-10-19/news/bs-md-ci-occupy-baltimore-rape-20111019_1_sexual-assaults-sexual-abuse-report-crimes
Until Next Sunday....
Seven Hidden-Gem Careers
By Larry Buhl,
Monster Contributing Writer
Jobs that impress strangers and make your parents giddy with pride may not be the best for you. Whether you’re starting out or changing careers, lesser-known alternative careers may offer lower pressure, better hours and greater personal satisfaction. Here’s a look at seven hidden-gem careers:
If you love to teach but prefer adult students to kids:
Corporate trainers teach employees skills, technologies and protocols. A bachelor’s degree is required. A technical, business or psychology background plus a certificate are helpful. The median training and development specialist salary was $54,160 in May 2010, according to the BLS.
If you’re a wiz at finance and investing but wary of Wall Street:
Personal financial advisors are often self-employed, so you’ll need entrepreneurial skills. Strong math, accounting and problem-solving abilities [....]
http://career-services.monster.com/yahooarticle/alternative-careers-less-stress#WT.mc_n=yta_fpt_article_hidden_gem_careers
Steve Jobs and the 7 Rules of Success
By Carmine Gallo
Entrepreneur,
October 14, 2011
Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success. Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs."
1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.
2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in [....]
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/steve-jobs-and-the-7-rules-of-success.html
Conservative Celebrites (38 images)
Tony Danza
The star of "Who's the Boss" is glad to see Republicans as the bosses, and is a registered Republican. [....]
http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/Entertainment/Conservative-Celebrites/5289/28/?ref=ma
U.S. truckers, lawmakers unite in bipartisan opposition to cross-border trucking
[Along with OOIDA’s Executive Vice President Todd Spencer, small-business trucker and OOIDA member Jose Escott spoke of concerns about opening the border to Mexico-based motor carriers. They were joined by Congressmen Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Bob Filner, D-Calif., along with James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.]
The Truckers News Service,
10/19/2011
OTAY MESA, Calif. — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) today stood at the Mexican border alongside Republican and Democratic lawmakers and other vocal opponents of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s cross-border trucking pilot program — citing concerns for highway safety, homeland security, and regulatory fairness for U.S.-based companies and drivers. The bipartisan [....]
http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2011/10/19/UStruckerslawmakersuniteinbipartisanoppositiontocross-bordertrucking.aspx
Letting Wood Express its Kinetic Energy
Posted by hipstomp
October 11, 2011
Having spent time in the shop, we all know the line that wood is still alive even after it's dead. Sawn boards have an elasticity and flex that we attempt to master with screw guns and glue-ups (and occasionally, screw-ups). But here's a rather novel use of wood's properties for recreational purposes: The Stick Bomb.
A Stick Bomb is simply a grouping of sticks—in this case, tongue depressors or ice cream sticks—woven together [....]
http://www.core77.com/blog/materials/the_stick_bomb_letting_wood_express_its_kinetic_energy_20758.asp
The Conservative Case Against Mitt Romney (2011 Edition)
John Hawkins,
Townhall.com
October 18, 2011
It's no accident that Mitt Romney has done so well during this election cycle. He has excellent name recognition, he's extremely well organized, he's a great fundraiser, he's become a polished debater, and he's not gaffe prone. His business experience doesn't hurt either, although it is worth noting that the only reason he's able to brag that he's not a "career politician" is because he lost to Ted Kennedy for the Senate and probably would have lost in 2008 had he run for governor of Massachusetts again.
All that being said, there's a reason why Mitt Romney has been unable to walk away with the nomination despite all of those advantages. It's because Mitt is a deeply flawed candidate. Yes, he would certainly be better than Obama (and I will vote for him if he gets the nomination), but this IS NOT someone conservatives should want as their nominee.
Why?
1) Romneycare: One of the biggest issues the Republican Party has to run on in 2012 is Obamacare. Although Mitt Romney does oppose Obamacare, it's purely a political calculation because [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2011/10/18/the_conservative_case_against_mitt_romney_2011_edition
Rare Titanic photos and letters
An archive of incredible photos and handwritten letters acquired from the descendants of Titanic survivors John and Nelle Pillsbury Snyder, who were returning from their honeymoon when the tragedy struck. They were some of the first people to board lifeboats and later rescued by the Carpathia, the first ship that arrived at the disaster scene on the morning of April 15, 1912. The collection is due to be sold by Philip Weiss Auctions on October 22, 2011, and the current minimum bid is $36,000. [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/rare-titanic-photos-and-letters-1319127118-slideshow/
Random Thoughts
by Dr Thomas Sowell,
Townhall.com Columnist,
October 18, 2011
Like so many people, in so many countries, who started out to "spread the wealth," Barack Obama has ended up spreading poverty.
Have you ever heard anyone as incoherent as the people staging protests across the country? Taxpayers ought to be protesting against having their money spent to educate people who end up unable to say anything beyond repeating political catch phrases.
It is hard to understand politics if you are hung up on reality. Politicians leave reality to others. What matters in politics is what you can get the voters to believe, whether it bears any resemblance to reality or not.
I hate getting bills that show a zero balance. If I don't owe anything, why bother me with a bill? There is too much junk mail already.
Radical feminists seem to assume that men are hostile to women. But what would they say to the fact that most of the women on the Titanic were saved, and most of the men perished -- due to rules written by men and enforced by men on the sinking ship?
If he were debating Barack Obama, Newt Gingrich could chew him up and spit him out.
Whether the particular issue is housing, medical care or anything in between, the agenda of the left is to take the decision out of the hands of those directly involved and transfer that decision to third parties, who pay no price for making decisions that turn out to be counterproductive.
It is truly the era of the New Math when a couple making $125,000 a year each are taxed at rates that are said to apply to "millionaires and billionaires."
On many issues, the strongest argument of the left is that there is no argument. This has been the left's party line on the issue of man-made global warming and the calamities they claim will follow. But there are many scientists -- some with Nobel Prizes -- who have repudiated the global warming hysteria.
With professional athletes earning megabucks incomes, it is a farce to punish their violations of rules with fines. When Serena Williams was fined $2,000 for misconduct during a tennis match, that was like fining you or me a nickel or a dime. Suspensions are something that even the highest-paid athletes can feel.
Most of us may lament the fact that so many more people are today dependent on food stamps and other government subsidies. But dependency usually translates into votes for whoever is handing out the benefits, so an economic disaster can be a political bonanza, as it was for Franklin D. Roosevelt. Don't count Obama out in 2012.
Politicians can solve almost any problem -- usually by creating a bigger problem. But, so long as the voters are aware of the problem that the politicians [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/10/18/random_thoughts/page/full/
Protests Are a Payday for Security Firms
by Kevin Roose,
The New York Times
October 18, 2011
They call when they make the Forbes 400 list. They call when annual hedge fund rankings appear, when their names are mentioned on CNBC and when their children travel abroad. And, these days, they call when protesters camped in Lower Manhattan grow uncomfortable with the idea of their existence.
The ultra-rich bankers, hedge fund managers and private equity executives of New York City have long enlisted private security firms to help safeguard them and their wealth. But as the mood on Main Street turns increasingly hostile, New York’s financial titans are cranking their security measures up to 11. For the high-end security firms that provide the moneyed elite with specialty services like around-the-clock bodyguards and elaborate home security systems, Occupy Wall Street has been a stimulus package all its own. “We expect to more than double our revenue in New York this year,” said Paul M. Viollis, a [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Protests-Are-a-Payday-for-nytimes-150438655.html?x=0
No Apology Necessary, Mr. President
by Ben Crystal
personalliberty.com
October 15, 2011
[....]
(video)
http://www.personalliberty.com/feature-video/no-apology-necessary-mr-president-50153/?rmid=2011_10_15_PLA_[P11176710]&rrid=387432349
Mexican drug cartels recruiting Texas children
By Jim Forsyth
Reuters
October 18, 2011
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Texas law enforcement officials say several Mexican drug cartels are luring youngsters as young as 11 to work in their smuggling operations. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told Reuters the drug gangs have a chilling name for the young Texans lured into their operations.
"They call them 'the expendables,'" he said.
McCraw said his investigators have evidence six Mexican drug gangs -- including the violent Zetas -- have "command and control centers" in Texas actively recruiting children for their operations, attracting them with what appears to be "easy money" for doing simple tasks.
"Cartels would pay kids $50 just for them to [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/mexican-drug-cartels-recruiting-texas-children-173402030.html
Mark Cuban and His OWS White Lie
by Jeff Carter
Townhall.com
October 17, 2011Mark Cuban has shared his opinons on Occupy Wall Street. I empathize with them, but Mr. Cuban and I have very different opinions on the movement.
I like Cuban’s public persona. He is obviously smart, is unafraid of risk and has been wildly successful. I have never met him.
Wall Street doesn’t shoot straight with the public. Investment bankers are salesman. Do you think a car salesman shoots straight with you when you go into the showroom? Why do you think an investment advisor that makes money selling you financial products is going to be any different? “Buyer beware” holds true no matter what you are buying.
In order to be a successful CEO of a company, you have to know how to sell. It’s one of my basic requirements if I am going to invest in a start up. Some CEO’s are great salesman, and it’s reflected in the companies stock price. Warren Buffett is a tremendous sales person. How much value he himself by force of personality adds to the stock price we won’t know until after he is gone. Apple’s ($AAPL) Steve Jobs was a great salesperson too. It will take some time for the dust to settle to see how much of a dollar effect his loss figures into the stock price. One of the reasons that Apple doesn’t mind articles pushing the fact that “Jobs still has products in the pipeline” is because they want to Jobs effect to be priced into their stock.
Cuban says, “Great CEO White Lie = “We are acting in the best interests of shareholders.””.
It is a great white lie depending. CEO’s also act in the best interest of management, which doesn’t always align with the best interests of shareholders. If the economic interests of shareholders and CEO compensation are aligned correctly-everyone benefits. That’s generally where the problem is found. I don’t pay too much attention to the actual salary of the CEO and top management. I pay more attention to the type of asset they are being paid to manage, and how much risk the shareholders have at stake. The CEO of Boeing ($BA) ought to be paid more than the CEO of Kellogg ($K). Boeing has a market cap of 47 billion, Kellogg 19 billion. Steve Kaplan did [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/jeffcarter/2011/10/17/mark_cuban_and_his_ows_white_lie/page/full/
[Content related to above article.]
Professor Steven Kaplan on CEO pay in Crain’s Chicago Business
by Steven Kaplan,
ChicagoBooth News,
June 10, 2005Are CEO salaries too big? Steven Kaplan, Neubauer Family Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance , took the opposing view in a May 30 Crain’s Chicago Business article. He squared off in the debate against Dale Moyers, president of the Chicago Compensation Association and director of compensation and benefits at Loyola University of Chicago.
The article took the form of a series of four email responses to questions posed by Crain’s. The use of email allowed each speaker to polish his thoughts. The debate kicked off with a look at executive salaries for Chicago’s 20 top companies. At an average of $10.3 million, they have increased 35% over the last two years. Kaplan observed that larger salaries “…(boost) the (relationship) of CEO wealth to stock performance by a factor of more than 10.” Kaplan sees that relationship [....]
http://www.chicagobooth.edu/news/2005-06-10h_kaplanceopay.aspx
In tiny rural Kansas district, students out-performing global competition
By Liz Goodwin
National Affairs Reporter
The Lookout
October 20, 2011
In the rural Waconda Lake area of North Central Kansas, the nearest Wal-Mart is 60 miles away and the best-known local landmark is an enormous ball of twine that locals claim is the largest in the world. (Darwin, Minnesota begs to differ.) But don't be fooled. The students in this sleepy agricultural community are not only out-performing American kids in other, much wealthier schools; they're also out-performing most students in developed nations around the world, according to a new analysis. The average student at the Waconda school district of 385 kids scores better than 90 percent of students in 20 developed countries on math and reading tests, according to The Global Report Card, published in the journal Education Next. In fact, Waconda is the second [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/tiny-rural-kansas-district-students-performing-global-competition-195446967.html
Pampered Protesters
by Michael Reagan
October 12, 2011
The hordes of so-called “protesters” now polluting the streets of several U.S. cities, including New York, are sending confused messages about their grievances. The unemployed among them complain that the jobs available to them are beneath them. I guess that cancels out the old concept of starting in the mailroom and advancing step-by-step to the boardroom. It used to be the norm that one started at the bottom and worked his way up. This bunch seems to be living under the delusion that simply by virtue of having been born they are entitled to immediate arrival at the boardroom level with appropriate compensation.
Viewing these unruly mob scenes, featuring numerous public sexual activities posing as protests, I am reminded of the manner in which my dad dealt with such malcontents. If they were government employees he simply fired them. It worked. The remaining ones slinked back to work.
And I recall how he dealt with his son (me) back in 1965, when I dropped out of Arizona State University and thought that I was simply going home to live with — and off — either my mom or dad, who were then divorced. When I got home I found that their doors were locked to college dropouts.
Nancy, my ever-loving stepmom, was busy calling all branches of the military to let them know I was a college dropout and thus now eligible to be drafted. Don’t you just love such devoted stepmothers, eager to help their stepsons make their way in the world by locking the doors to keep them out?
When I finally was able to speak to my parents, they simply told me to find another place to live and to get a job. I did both. I moved in with some friends and got a job working at Asbury Transportation Company in Los Angeles loading oil-well freight from 5:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., Monday through Friday. That’s where I was working when my father was elected governor of California. Did I complain that my lowly job was beneath my new station in life as the son of the governor of California? How could I? I was the one who set [....]
http://floydreports.com/pampered-protesters/
A Blueprint for America's Survival During the Next 50 Years (Part 1 of 2)
by Cliff Ennico
Townhall.com Columnist
October 18, 2011
A lot of people are worried about America's future right now.
And they are right. Things have changed so quickly in the past few decades that only a handful of people -- and I'm not sure about them, either -- have an idea of what it even means to be an American right now. What values do we uphold? Does our Constitution continue to make sense? Does it matter that we may soon no longer be the No. 1 economy in the world?
This is a column for entrepreneurs, not political junkies, but you can't write for business owners without at least thinking about the political, economic and environmental climate that is healthiest for them. I try to do this from time to time, hopefully without getting too personal about my own opinions.
That's why I thought it might help the current debate to point out a few self-evident, if inconvenient, truths about what America will need to do -- not just the government, but all of us as Americans -- if our country is to survive the next 50 years on Earth.
-- We have to maintain leadership in technology.
We no longer can be the world's manufacturer; many countries have proven that they can make stuff cheaper and better than we can. If America has an economic future, it is as the world's research-and-development department. We must maintain our leadership in innovation and the development of new technologies, ideas and business models that will rule the future. If we let China, India or anyone else take that away from us, we're toast.
-- We have to maintain our military might.
We live in an increasingly dangerous world. A nationalistic [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/cliffennico/2011/10/18/a_blueprint_for_americas_survival_during_the_next_50_years_part_1_of_2/page/full/
'Occupy' memo could discourage victims from reporting assaults
Protest group says it wants to be self-contained community
October 19, 2011
By Peter Hermann,
The Baltimore Sun
Efforts by the Occupy Baltimore protest group to evolve into a self-contained, self-governing community have erupted into controversy with the distribution of a pamphlet that victim advocates and health workers fear discourages victims of sexual assaults from contacting police.
The pamphlet says that members of the protest group who believe they are victims or who suspect sexual abuse "are encouraged to immediately report the incident to the Security Committee," which will investigate and "supply the abuser with counseling resources."
The directive also says, in part, "Though we do not encourage the involvement of the police in our community, the survivor has every right, and the support of Occupy Baltimore, to report the abuse to the appropriate authorities."
Despite this caveat, the heads of three rape crisis centers and a nurse who runs the forensic division at Mercy Medical Center called the message about not involving police dangerous. They said it contains erroneous information that could undermine efforts to convince victims to properly report crimes and get the counseling they need.
"It might actually passively prevent someone from seeking justice," said Jacqueline Robarge, the executive director of Power Inside, a nonprofit support group that helps women who have been victimized. The hodgepodge of anti-establishment activists who have erected a tent city at the Inner Harbor as part of the broader Occupy Wall Street movement [....]
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-10-19/news/bs-md-ci-occupy-baltimore-rape-20111019_1_sexual-assaults-sexual-abuse-report-crimes
Until Next Sunday....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
