Monday, September 14, 2009

The Incredible Ghost Fleet Off The Coast Of Singapore


London's Daily Mail offers a startling look at what it calls "the ghost fleet of the recession". With a flair for the the dramatic, the Mail calls this The biggest and most secretive gathering of ships in maritime history[, which] lies at anchor east of Singapore. Never before photographed, it is bigger than the U.S. and British navies combined but has no crew, no cargo and no destination.

Here, on a sleepy stretch of shoreline at the far end of Asia, is surely the biggest and most secretive gathering of ships in maritime history. Their numbers are equivalent to the entire British and American navies combined; their tonnage is far greater. Container ships, bulk carriers, oil tankers - all should be steaming fully laden between China, Britain, Europe and the US, stocking camera shops, PC Worlds and Argos depots ahead of the retail pandemonium of 2009. But their water has been stolen.

They are a powerful and tangible representation of the hurricanes that have been wrought by the global economic crisis; an iron curtain drawn along the coastline of the southern edge of Malaysia's rural Johor state, 50 miles east of Singapore harbour...

...t is so far off the beaten track that nobody ever really comes close, which is why these ships are here. The world's ship owners and government economists would prefer you not to see this symbol of the depths of the plague still crippling the world's economies.

So they have been quietly retired to this equatorial backwater, to be maintained only by a handful of bored sailors. The skeleton crews are left alone to fend off the ever-present threats of piracy and collisions in the congested waters as the hulls gather rust and seaweed at what should be their busiest time of year.

...The Aframax-class oil tanker is the camel of the world's high seas. By definition, it is smaller than 132,000 tons deadweight and with a breadth above 106ft. It is used in the basins of the Black Sea, the North Sea, the Caribbean Sea, the China Sea and the Mediterranean - or anywhere where non-OPEC exporting countries have harbours and canals too small to accommodate very large crude carriers (VLCC) or ultra-large crude carriers (ULCCs). The term is based on the Average Freight Rate Assessment (AFRA) tanker rate system and is an industry standard.
A couple of years ago these ships would be steaming back and forth. Now 12 per cent are doing nothing

You may wish to know this because, if ever you had an irrational desire to charter one, now would be the time. This time last year, an Aframax tanker capable of carrying 80,000 tons of cargo would cost £31,000 a day ($50,000). Now it is about £3,400 ($5,500).

...Aframaxes are oil bearers. But the slump is industry-wide. The cost of sending a 40ft steel container of merchandise from China to the UK has fallen from £850 plus fuel charges last year to £180 this year. The cost of chartering an entire bulk freighter suitable for carrying raw materials has plunged even further, from close to £185,000 ($300,000) last summer to an incredible £6,100 ($10,000) earlier this year.

...South Korean shipyard Hanjin Heavy Industries last week said it had been forced to put up for sale three container ships ordered at a cost of £60 million ($100 million) by the Iranian state shipping line after the Iranians said they could not pay the bill.

'The prospects for shipyards are bleak, particularly for the South Koreans, where they have a high proportion of foreign orders. Whole communities in places like Mokpo and Ulsan are involved in shipbuilding and there is a lot of sub-contracting to local companies,' Wallis says.

'So far the shipyards are continuing to work, but the problems will start to emerge next year and certainly in 2011, because that is when the current orders will have been delivered. There have hardly been any new orders in the past year. In 2011, the shipyards will simply run out of ships to build...'

The only green shoots I see are the tendrils of dry rot.


Hat tip: Henry Blodget.

Feel a tingle yet? Q4 employment outlook is worst in decades


More than 28,000 interviews in 201 metro areas were used to create Manpower's U.S. Employment Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter of 2009.

The survey results depict an economy that is gasping for breath. Dazed companies are either frozen in fear or shedding staff in anticipation of the brilliant plans of the Democrats: sweeping new energy taxes (Cap-and-Trade); socialized medicine (with brutal mandates for small businesses); forced unionization (card check); and a reduction in consumer spending (with the expiration of the across-the-board Bush tax cuts).

Despite the collectivist Utopia promised by the most radical leftist administration in decades; despite the $787 billion "Stimulus" package; despite the half-a-trillion dollar omnibus spending bill; despite the nationalization of the auto companies; despite the printing of trillions of dollars injected into a corrupt banking system; and despite dozens of similar programs I've forgotten about, the outlook is dark.

83% of employers surveyed expect to either decrease staff levels or keep them level. Only 12% expect to increase staff while 5% are undecided.

...the results suggest that employers expect a slight decrease in the rate of hiring when compared to Quarter 3 2009. The fourth quarter Net Employment Outlook for the U.S. is considerably weaker than one year ago at this time.

Consider that a year ago at this time we were suffering through "the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression". Yet, the outlook now is even weaker than it was then. So: are you feeling stimulated yet?

Employers across all regions anticipate a considerable decrease in hiring activity compared to one year ago.

Companies in every industry are in shock, awaiting a cascading series of new taxes, mandates, regulations and fees.

Each initiative is specifically designed by President Obama to repay the union bosses and trial lawyers for the millions of dollars they donated to his campaigns.

Each initiative is designed to steal your liberty and increase your reliance upon a faceless, nameless bureaucracy populated with hacks that can't be fired.

Each initiative is blatantly unconstitutional.

Not that Democrats give a damn about the Constitution. I just thought I'd mention it.

Vote accordingly in 2010.


Linked by: InstaPundit, Al Fin and Ken Nelson. Thanks!

Is Zakta the Facebook of Search?


"Social search" is about five years old. The term refers to a method of web searching that utilizes various collaborative tools to enhance search results. The original goal was to enliven search with Digg-like voting, Wiki-style edits and the like.

Social search seemed to hit its zenith a few years ago, when Wikia debuted. An offshoot of Wikipedia, Wikia promised a wiki-style, collaborative approach to search. Judging by what I hear about Wikia (or, rather, don't hear), it hasn't exactly transformed the world. A recent visit confirms that its focus has morphed to that of "wiki search" -- i.e., searches of various specialty or vertical wikis -- with a particular emphasis on gaming.

The premier of the Zakta search engine, then, is noteworthy. It appears to be very different from Wikia and other social search sites I've seen. And potentially, much more valuable than any social search engine to date.

When you first use Zakta, it appears you've dropped into a curious and appealing combination of Google, Facebook and Wikipedia. There is a decided emphasis on organized search results. Anyone can search Zakta -- just like Google -- but once you've registered, you can see several immediate benefits. Registered Zakta users can create their own profiles and connect with other users. If that doesn't sound familiar, it certainly looks familiar -- similar to Facebook or LinkedIn.

The benefit of creating a profile and connecting with other users soon becomes obvious. Communities of like-minded individuals can collaborate on enhancing search reults for, say, Angelina Jolie.

Furthermore, Zakta is actually integrated into social networking platforms like Facebook. So, if you're an avid Facebook user, you can take advantage of Zakta within Facebook itself. Or, if you prefer traditional web searches, Zakta will operate seamlessly in that world as well.

At first blush, I see one vertical niche for Zakta that does not appear to be addressed by either Google, Wikipedia or Facebook. That would be "personality search" -- consider Hollywood celebrities, sports stars, historical figures and the like. While Google returns only search results and Wikipedia enforces strict rules on the content of its articles, Zakta may offer much more flexibility and entertainment value for users and contributors.

Consider that hypothetical Zakta article on, for example, Angelina (no -- I'm not fixated, I promise). It could contain not only biographical information, but rumors, communities of fans, the best photo albums, collections of multimedia and related material. This well-organized "guide" would not be possible in Wikipedia and would be difficult to assemble into a cohesive whole using Facebook.

In short, Zakta appears to take a refreshing new angle on search through its use of communities and social networks. It's definitely worth a visit.


Larwyn's Linx: Big Media Ignores ACORN Scandal

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email or reply via Twitter.

Nation

Conservative Woodstock Rocks the Capital: LATL
United We Stand: Tackett
A Black Man Without a Teleprompter: NewsBusters

Another ACORN expose in New Orleans: Gumshoe
Barack Obama jumps the shark: AT (Schwartz)
I am American: Black Republican

The Wound: American Digest
Blago: My friend's death will not be in vain: Marathon
Grow up!: Surber

Clean conservatives vs. filthy liberals: GWP
Eloquent Report on March to Washington: MoneyRunner
Secret ACORN: PJM (Fernandez)

Economy

Brilliant: Obama sets off trade war with China: Bloomberg
But I thought it was just a 'Panic'?: Denninger
New York Faces Dramatic Consequences of Crisis: Spiegel

Shadow Inventory and the Great Public Swindle.: DHB

Media

Obama as Tony Soprano: PJM (Kimball)
MoDo channels racist voices: No Quarter
Editor of HuffPo's Health Unit Mocks Death of Cornell Student: SIGIS

Big Media Ignores ACORN Scandal: BigGov
Stay classy, CNN: Daley Gator
Accidental Piracy: Maggie's Farm

Busting another state-run media lie: proof 1 million attended 9/12 DC: GWP
60 Minutes' Steve Kroft: a Swooning Sycophant: LegalIns
Newsweek Endorses Death Panels: Aces

Much Ado: PJM (Fernandez)
9/12 attendance issues addressed: Riehl
Is It ‘Conspiratorial’ to Discuss Obama’s Authoritarian Tendencies?: PJM (Grabar)

New York Tass admits it was 'a beat behind' Van Jones story: AT (Moran)

Climate & Energy

Time: the future. Place: Britain: STACLU
Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug has died, 'saved more human lives than any other', was a climate skeptic: Depot

World

New Arab Strategy: Israel Gives Up Everything, and Then Maybe Gets Something in Exchange: Rubin
Exposing the weapons of the weak: JPost
Don't kid yourself; the Jihad continues: Matzav

SciTech

Microsoft, Best Buy Slides Slam Apple, Linux: MicrosoftWatch

Cornucopia

Susan Boyle's Wild Horses: Susan Boyle
Serena Williams Launches into Tirade at US Open: BlogProf
National Endowment for the Art of Persuasion?: BigHollywood

Sunday, September 13, 2009

In whom do you place your trust?


As it pertains to the role of government, individual liberty, the free market, Democracy and natural law, in whom do you place your trust?

Benjamin Franklin
"Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes."
Barney Frank
"These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis... The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing."

 

Alexander Hamilton
"It's not tyranny we desire; it's a just, limited, federal government."
"The sacred rights of mankind... are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased."
Christopher Dodd
"I don't care what the public wants, I'm going to give it what it needs!"

 

Thomas Jefferson
"A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference. ...A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. "
Nancy Pelosi
"Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs."
"The impact of climate change is a tremendous risk to the security and well-being of our countries."

 

John Adams
"Property is surely a right of mankind as real as liberty. Liberty, according to my metaphysics is a self-determining power in an intellectual agent. It implies thought and choice and power."
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Harry Reid
"It's time that America's government lived by the same values as America's families. It's time we invested in America's future and made sure our people have the skills to compete and thrive in a 21st century economy. That's what Democrats believe."

 

James Madison
"Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government." "Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."
Barack Obama
"I think when you spread the wealth around it's good for everybody."
"In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world."
"We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. "

 

Principles grounded in thousands of years of human experience versus soaring, yet utterly empty, rhetoric.

Timeless genius versus power-hungry political hacks.

Our choice is clear. We choose liberty.


Linked by: Curmudgeonly & Skeptical. Thanks!

Four Marines Dead: Who Changed the Rules of Engagement?


McClatchy's Jonathan S. Landay posts a first-person account of a deadly ambush in Afghanistan.

We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition.

"We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation...

It is a must-read, but I call particular attention to what happened during the ambush of Afghani soldiers and their Marine trainers outside of Ganjgal.

U.S. commanders, citing new rules to avoid civilian casualties, rejected repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes and tree lines — despite being told repeatedly that they weren't near the village.

"We are pinned down. We are running low on ammo. We have no air. We've lost today," Marine Maj. Kevin Williams, 37, said through his translator to his Afghan counterpart, responding to the latter's repeated demands for helicopters.

Four U.S. Marines were killed Tuesday, the most U.S. service members assigned as trainers to the Afghan National Army to be lost in a single incident since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion... Three Americans and 19 Afghans were wounded...

New rules? New rules are killing our boys?

Where is the outrage? What is this administration up to? Who called for these 'new rules' of engagement?

I just wish our pathetic mainstream media would stop operating as a government apparatchik and ask real questions of this administration.

How many more military personnel will die before someone asks this question of President Obama?


Linked by: Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: Yep, the picture is real, nutroots

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email or reply via Twitter.

9/12 Recap

Yes, the picture is real, nutroots: Malkin
How successful was the march on DC?: Pundette
12,000 patriots in Quincy, IL: GWP

Tea Party firsthand from DC: This ain't Hell
Aerial shots: 9/12 vs. Inauguration: TAB
A tale of two crowds: TAB

Photos from Washington: Corner
Let the Tea Party begin: Tackett
Thank you, Joe Wilson: Protein

Nation

Where is Obama's "Center"?: Steyn
It's Chicago: Key Blago adviser found dead: Sun-Times
Obama's Rhetoric vs. Common Sense: Sowell

Obama Administration Stonewalls Black Panther Case: PJM (Rubin)
Quotes of the Day: Remembering: Greenroom
Medicare for Dummies: WSJ

Protest Numbers Debate Masks the Real History Made: PJM (Simon)
ACORN child-pimp scum: Cold Fury
Why Obama could not stage a coup: AT (Walker)

What happened to the 16 million?: Power Line
Support Rubio: RSM

Economy

Defending New Jersey isn't easy: Wizbang
The Spending Virus: Doc Zero
Obamanomics: The Californication Of America’s Economy: AJ Strata

Gee, what a surprise: Concern over Stimulus waste and fraud: GRW
Gold climbs to 18-month high as Dollar continues slide: Bloomberg
AARP's ObamaCare ad raises questions: BMW

White House: 1 Million Substandard Jobs Saved Or Created!: AJ Strata
We Americans Spend Money!: Maggie's Farm

Media

Recalling the words of Ward Churchill: Proof
Sycophancy has its rewards: Power Line
Rep. Joe Wilson calls President Obama a liar: 0jaydub

MSM: Move Along... Nothing to See Here! : CFB
New York Times columnist Tom Friedman hails China's one-party autocracy : Barone
How to lose my attention: Parkway

Climate & Energy

El Niño: expected to strengthen and last through winter 2009-2010: Watts

World

Chamberlain had more spine: Power Line
'We walked into a trap': McClatchy DC
The UN's new site: a worldwide web of bias: Bayefsky

"Take a pill": Single-payer hell in UK as life-saving drug nixed because of cost: BlogProf
Neo-Nazis Join Islamists at Al-Quds Day Demonstration in Berlin: PJM
The Reality: Dr. Sanity

Meanwhile, on the foreign policy front: Q&O

SciTech

Steve Jobs' return and the Journal's ad placement: CNet

Cornucopia

Bernie Madoff's Pads: IZI
A New Classic: GrandRants

Image Credit: A New Classic: GrandRants.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Best Tea Party Signs from DC, via Twitter


Mollie Hemingway tweeted some of the best signs at the massive DC protest rally against ObamaCare and socialism.

# 'Welcome back Carter'
# 'Hookers for Acorn'
# 'End of life counseling for Congress'
# 'Progressives hate seniors and children'
# 'Face it: your plan stinks and we are broke'
# 'Where is the freedom czar?'
# 'Free markets not free loaders'
# 'Only 4 then the door'
# 'Obamanomics: trickle up poverty'
# 'Crack Acorn's nuts'
# 'Communism failed, you morons'
# 'No -- you can't'
# "Obama! I don't want your debt. I'm only 9."
# "Call me selfish but I've EARNED what I have"
# (Obama thinking) "What would Hugo Chavez do?"
# http://twitpic.com/hi0rq - "I'm not racist. I don't like Joe Biden or Nancy Pelosi either!"
# http://twitpic.com/hj3mz - 'No more S(ocialism) H(uge deficits) I(ncome redistribution) T(ax increases)'
# http://twitpic.com/hj2jd - 'Nat'l HC is like a hospital gown. You think you're covered, but you're not'
# http://twitpic.com/hi0ln - Politicians beware 2010 and 2012
# http://twitpic.com/hhxy4 - Cute boys: "Quit spending money I haven't earned yet"
# RT @Heminator: RT @jordangehrke best sign of the day: "The road to hell is a shovel ready project."
# http://twitpic.com/hhmx0 - "Not all registered nurses heart Ocare"
# http://twitpic.com/hhmse - "Your speech was a lie. You know it. We know it. What's next?"
# http://twitpic.com/hhmnc - "Yes he can! Spread the wealth! Socialism you can count on"
# http://twitpic.com/hhmfv - "Astroturf my ass!"
# http://twitpic.com/hhmbv - Cute girl. Also "God-fearing, gun-toting and flag waving."
# http://twitpic.com/hhm25 - Gas $264, Hotel $409, Taking back my country? Priceless.
# http://twitpic.com/hhlx1 - You can't fix stupid but you can vote them out.
# http://twitpic.com/hhlqo - '1st you ignored us, then you mocked us, then you attacked us. Now we will win!'
# http://twitpic.com/hhlc3 - 'We can't afford your spending'
# http://twitpic.com/hhl37 - 'The liberal media is professionally and ethically corrupt'
# http://twitpic.com/hhkrn - 'Impeach EVERYBODY'
# http://twitpic.com/hhkmv - 'Fascism is not my cup of tea'
# http://twitpic.com/hhjaj - Voter remorse -- ya think?
# http://twitpic.com/hhj33 - "Don't steal. The gov't hates competition."
# http://twitpic.com/hhiwv - Classy counterprotester #2
# http://twitpic.com/hhin1 - Classy counterprotestors!
# http://twitpic.com/hhi3k - Common sign: You lie
# http://twitpic.com/hhhz5 - Awesome PowerPuff girls sign
# http://twitpic.com/hhhqf - Green is the new red
# http://twitpic.com/hhhng - "Stop spending, end corruption, don't tread on U.S., preserve our constitution." plus tattoos!
# http://twitpic.com/hhhiw - "If you're not outraged, you're not paying taxes."
# http://twitpic.com/hhhem - 'Enough is enough -- we are pissed'
# http://twitpic.com/hhhbg - Hey Nancy Pelosi -- still think we're astroturf?
# http://twitpic.com/hhh6t - Stop spending our grandchildren's future.
# http://twitpic.com/hhh44 - "Thanks. I'm off the sidelines now."
# http://twitpic.com/hhh0d - Obamacare makes me sick.
# http://twitpic.com/hhgvz - Obama-nomics: Trickle-up Poverty
# http://twitpic.com/hhgr0 - crowd shot on Pennsylvania
# http://twitpic.com/hhgim - 'America is calling Obama out'
# http://twitpic.com/hhgd9 - 'The Bolsheviks promised change, too'
# http://twitpic.com/hhg3s - An angry mom is worse than an angry mob!
# http://twitpic.com/hhfzz - "Found in dumpster behind Capitol: US Constitution"
# http://twitpic.com/hhfsq - Obama mentiroso socialista
# http://twitpic.com/hhfmd - "Tea has value. Dump the politicians"
# http://twitpic.com/hhfhx - "If you have time to read my sign, try reading some legislation!"
# http://twitpic.com/hhf9f - "How will Dems stand up to terrorists when they can't even face Fox news?"
# http://twitpic.com/hhf2o - "Don't cap and tax me bro!"
# http://twitpic.com/hhezw - "Senor citizens get free healthcare. Senior citizens can drop dead!"
# http://twitpic.com/hhdet - "This teacher gives ObamaCare an F"
# http://twitpic.com/hhdls - "Grow Freedom. Shrink Government"

Hat tip: K. J. Lopez.

XSR Military Interceptor: 100mph anti-smuggling boat


The XSR military interceptor is the fastest boat ever built, according to the UK's Telegraph. The XSR hits a top speed of 100 miles-per-hour on missions ranging from drug interdiction to fighting Somali pirates.

...With a maximum speed of 85 knots (97mph) and carrying a .50 calibre machine gun hidden under the deck, the boat will be able to overhaul “go-fast” drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and pirate ships off the coast of Somalia.

...When the XSR comes within range of an enemy ship the machine gun emerges from the forward hull and is trained on the target using a remote controlled system from the cockpit.

In an era where potential adversaries such as Iran use the “swarm” tactic of multiple fast boats attacking a single big target, the XSR can operate as a counter to the threat.

During the Cornwall incident in 2007 the 14 Royal Navy personnel were taken prisoner by the Iranians partly because their small boats were outgunned and slower than their Iranian captors...

The cost? A mere £1.5 million. Given the endless erosion of the U.S. dollar's value under President Soetoros, I figure that's about $400 million U.S.


Linked by: Maggie's Farm. Thanks!

Forget the Wendy's Triple...


...I'll have the DozenBurger.



Two million... or 306?


Jim Hoft says that ABC and CNN have reported that more than two million protesters attended the protest in Washington today.

Other estimates:

Up to 2 million: London's Daily Mail
1.5 million: Tea Party Patriots organizer Debbie Dooley
Tens of thousands: Associated De-Press-ed
Tens of thousands: Washington Com-Post
Thousands: New York Tass
306: Keith 'Strap-On' Olbermann

This follows yesterday's protest, ignored by the mainstream media, that saw hundreds of physicians gather to protest ObamaCare.




Hat tips: Instapundit and Gateway Pundit.

NHS: Baby Left To Die -- Born 48 Hours Too Soon


'I said "If he's born alive you have to help him," but the doctor just replied "No, we don't. He isn't a baby - until 22 weeks he's a foetus. So we don't have to help."

If you're still not convinced that socialized medicine lies on the road to hell, consider the case of Sarah Capewell, whose baby was left to die because he was born 48 hours too soon.

Like all mothers, Sarah Capewell will never forget the first minutes she spent with her newborn baby.

She told her tiny son how much she loved him, gently kissed his face and took photos of him wrapped in the pretty blanket she'd bought for his birth.

Then she held him tightly in her arms and watched helplessly as his body grew cold and he finally stopped breathing. Sarah pleaded for help from hospital staff from the moment he was born, but none came.

Jayden died when he was just two hours old.

No help came because although mother and baby were surrounded by nurses and empty incubators, doctors had already decided her son would not be saved - not based on observation and assessment, but because under current guidelines paediatricians treat only babies born after 22 weeks gestation.

And he was born 48 hours before that threshold.

One set of rules for all.

No free will.

No free choice.

The government decides. It rewards. It punishes. It uses your health, your very well-being, to threaten, to cajole, to steal more liberty from you.

Sarah Capewell knows.



Hat tip: Realistico99.

New York Times reports Census Bureau fired ACORN; fails to say why


With word that the Census Bureau cuts its ties to ACORN, The New York Times was finally forced to report on events resulting from a stunning expose involving illegal immigration, child prostitution, smuggling rings and tax fraud. But, with its typical disdain for readers, the Times failed to report why the Census Bureau had fired ACORN.

The Census Bureau on Friday severed its ties with Acorn, a community organization that Republicans have accused of voter-registration fraud...

Stephen Buckner, a bureau spokesman, confirmed the letter, but declined to comment further... Scott Levenson, an Acorn spokesman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment... Republicans had become increasingly critical of the bureau’s ties with Acorn.

Some members of the group, which conducted an extensive voter registration effort last year, were accused of submitting false registration forms with names like Mickey Mouse.

Citizen-journalist James O'Keefe described how he set about exposing ACORN's thoroughly rotten innards:

The scenario we posed the ACORN Housing employees in Baltimore is due to the application of similar power tactics. We gave ACORN a taste of its own medicine. ACORN was alleged to be thug-like, criminal, and nefarious. This criminal behavior was evidenced by a video of Baltimore ACORN community organizers breaking the locks on foreclosed homes. Instead of railing against their radicalism, it is best to bring out this type of radicalism. Hannah Giles and I took advantage of ACORN’s regard for thug criminality by posing the most ridiculous criminal scenario we could think of and seeing if they would comply–which they did without hesitation.

Additionally, instead of focusing on foreclosure itself, which has become seemingly as politicized as abortion, we focused on crimes more difficult for the left to defend: trafficking of young helpless girls and tax evasion. The first group represents the severely disadvantaged, the second a threat to the distribution of wealth.

...These tactics allow the viewer to see ACORN’s soul; their playing field and their morality, out in the open. Their system is based on conflict and change for its own sake. This system is based on totalitarian principles and class war techniques. These people understand pressure, power and self-interest. When the Baltimore employees saw we were shady dealers, their instincts clicked in, as we were prime recruits.

If you were a typical Times reader, however, you would have no clue what had led to ACORN's ouster. If you were a Times reader, you might have wondered 'what happened'?

Might a citizen-journalist have exposed the vile corruption endemic in a rancid organization that undermines fair elections? Might that citizen-journalist have videotaped ACORN workers helping to facilitate a child prostitution ring using illegal immigrants as pawns?

Which leads to some very sobering questions:

How much crime has ACORN helped facilitate? How many lives has it already destroyed? How many cases of child prostitution has it already organized? How much illegal immigration has it already facilitated? How much tax fraud has it orchestrated?

If you're a Times reader, you'd have missed every one of these points because of Bill Keller's willful deception.

Boycott The New York Times. Completely. I don't care if you get it for the Sports section or just the Sunday Edition. You'll make do without. And you'll also get the real news, whether you choose another paper or simply use the Internet.

Cancel your subscription now: call 1-800-NYTIMES (1-800-698-4637) and tell them to stop billing you. Remember not to cancel your friends and neighbors' subscriptions, because that would be deceptive.



Linked by: American Thinker. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: Our Enemies Meant What They Said

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email or reply via Twitter.

Nation

Listening to a Liar, Part II: Sowell
What 9/11 means: Wizbang (Drummond)
Why Didn't Obama Punch Rev. Wright in the Face?: Pools

9/11, Eight Years On: Anchoress
Census Bureau Fires ACORN: Grand Rants
The "Section 246 Proves Joe Wilson Is A Liar" Lie: LegalIns

Interview: Doug Giles, whose daughter helped foil ACORN: RSM
Democrats stifle Republican health care plans: York
Bachmann demands suspension of funding for ACORN: BigGov

The Living Constitution: PJM (Cramer)
The Two Joes: Fausta
Six hours after the Tiller murder...: BlogProf

Economy

Not good: taxpayers stuck with GM bailout tab: Wizbang
Doctors March in Opposition to ObamaCare: BMW
CBO: Medicaid expansion will add $1T to national debt: Examiner

How Far Does the Lawlessness Go?: Denninger
Why Dems Can’t Use Reconciliation to Pass Radical ObamaCare: Greenroom

Media

On Why I Don’t Return Phone Calls from an Intrepid CNN Producer: CNN
Palin's leadership lights up the conservasphere: Texas for Palin
A timely speech by Alan Keyes: Pitt Tea Party

GWOT imitating bestsellers: CFB
Federal Judge: Andrew Sullivan's Pot Bust Raises "Equal Protection Issues": Riehl
Quote of the day: Hot Air

World

Stand and Never Yield!: BlackFive
Our enemies meant what they said: Jacoby (9/12/2001)
America's Exceptional Ally: Glick

GOP provides backing for Obama's war effort: Times
Iran Faces More U.S. Sanctions: Timmerman
ObamaCare? Consider the NHS Horror Stories: PJM (Dodge)

SciTech

Oh... shiny: Autumn People
Attorneys Can See Classified Info in Coffee Table Spy Suit: Wired

Cornucopia

A Psalm for 9/11: Wizbang
She's a Man (and a woman) Baby!: Wizbang
Call these guys Teabaggers, I'm begging you: TrogloPundit

The Theory is Now a Conspiracy?: CFP

"To tell us, with a straight face, that he can insure millions more people without adding to the already skyrocketing deficit, is world-class chutzpa and an insult to anyone's intelligence. To do so after an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office has already showed this to be impossible reveals the depths of moral bankruptcy behind the glittering words...

...those who can believe that Obama can conjure up the money through eliminating "waste, fraud and abuse" should ask themselves where he is going to conjure up the additional doctors, nurses, and hospitals needed to take care of millions more patients...

...President Obama has also declared emphatically that he will not interfere in the internal affairs of other nations-- while telling the Israelis where they can and cannot build settlements and telling the Hondurans whom they should and should not choose to be their president..."

-- Thomas Sowell.



Friday, September 11, 2009

Guaranteed to give pirates stomach cramps


Via Matthew T. Litchfield, Sr., pictures of U.S.S. Independence (LCS-2), "a triple-hulled, weapons-laden monster":

We've been hearing rumblings about the U.S. Navy's triple-hulled ships, but here's one that was launched last month, the U.S.S Independence... Built by General Dynamics, it's called a "Littoral Combat Ship" (LCS), and the trimaran can move huge weapons around faster than any ship in the Navy. Ironic that with all that high tech built in, the ship reminds us most of the Merrimac ironclad from the Civil War era...

Littoral means "close to shore", and that's where these fleet-hulled babies will operate, tailor-made for launching helicopters and armored vehicles, sweeping mines and firing all manner of torpedoes, missiles and machine guns.

These ships were designed to be relatively inexpensive. This one's a bargain at $208 million and the Navy plans to build 55 of them.

This trimaran is the first of the new fire-breathing breed, ready to scoot out of dry dock at a rumored 60 knots. It's like a speedy and heavily-armed aircraft carrier for helicopters.

Please, please, please -- don't tell me that you checked Snopes and... President Obama canceled the entire lot.

World's oldest person dies at 115; ate steady diet of... bacon


Reliapundit alerts us to breaking news:

Gertrude Baines, who lived to be the world's oldest person on a steady diet of crispy bacon, fried chicken and ice cream, died Friday at a nursing home. She was 115. Baines, who remarked last year that she enjoyed life so much she wouldn't mind living another 100 years, died in her sleep, said Emma Camanag, administrator at Western Convalescent Hospital.

The centenarian likely suffered a heart attack, said her longtime physician, Dr. Charles Witt. An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death.

...Staff at Baines' nursing home described her as a modest woman who liked to watch the "Jerry Springer Show" and eat fried chicken, bacon and ice cream. She refused to use dentures.

"I don't know how she does it. She only has her gums, no teeth," said Susie Exconde, the nursing director who found Baines dead in her bed at about 7:25 a.m...

Mmm......... bacon.



Linked by: Dave Weinbaum. Thanks!

Ronald Reagan's 2012 Address To America


For 9/12: a must-watch.

Part I

Part II

Reagan responds to Obama and his supporters

Why the Left is horrified at Joe Wilson's treatment of the President


After all, the National Socialist Democrats treated President Bush with such kid gloves.

Barack Obama, addressing his supporters: "I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face."

Nancy Pelosi, addressing anti-GOP protesters: "I'm a fan of disrupters! ...So I thank all of you who have spoken out for your courage, your point of view. All of it. Your advocacy is very American and very important."

Harry Reid, commenting on his labeling of President Bush as "a liar", "a loser", and the "worst President ever":

GREGORY: Before you go, do you have any regrets about the way you have publicly battled with President Bush?

Over the years you’ve called him a liar, a loser, and you’ve described him as, quote, our worst president ever.

REID: I wrote a book and I said that in the book several times. David, I am who I am. I’m going to continue being who I am. I think you just have to call things the way you see them.

I really do believe that President Bush is the worst president we’ve ever had. I think his efforts to destroy Social Security were very bad. That brought about one of those statements.

I think, as we’ve looked, now, at what’s happened to the stock market, wouldn’t that have been an awful thing to do, to privatize Social Security?

Medicare — he’s done his very best to destroy Medicare, Medicare, a wonderful program. Perfect? Of course not, but one of the best programs ever developed to take care of sick people, so...

Is there a word that means 'hypocrisy' -- only it's enough to make you puke?

Joe Wilson only said what 75% of the American people were thinking. And since the Democrats won't even meet with Republicans to discuss health care reform; since they reject tort reform; since they really do allow illegal immigrants to get free health care; since they lie repeatedly about improving care; since simple mathematics refutes the concept of adding tens of millions to the health care system while 'improving care', 'covering preexisting conditions' and 'not adding to the deficit'... well, there are about 200 million Americans who think that Obama is lying.

And the Democrats will be committing political suicide in 2010 if they try to ram this tyrannical, socialist fraud down the American people's throats.



Update: A must-listen in MP3 format.


Have regrets about your vote... and also having trouble peeling the bumpersticker off your car?


Our retro bumper-stickers are specially designed to cover up any evidence that you once voted for President Job-Killer.

And, for the next two hours, we're running a special deal. If you've become unemployed as a result of the non-stimulating "Stimulus" bill, we'll slash 50% off your bill at checkout time!

Larwyn's Linx: A Masterpiece Of Charlatanry For The Naive

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email or reply via Twitter.

Nation

A Masterpiece Of Charlatanry For The Naive: Sowell
One can't sound like Lincoln if there is no message: Hanson
Guess who interrupted Bush's 2006 speech?: GWP

Interview with Joe Wilson: Riehl
Dissecting a Speech to Nowhere: BlogProf
ACORN's latest lawbreaking: PJM (Feldman)

Cheney and Rumsfeld: Still Heroes to Some: PJM (Gould)
At the top of the televangelist's game: Pruden
ACORN: more accused of vote fraud in Florida: BlogProf

Bush never did that: Pools
Uncivil debate: blatant insults in Obama's speech: BigPic
It's a No-Fly Zone: It's Too Christian: YouTube

9-11: the Desecration: AT (Geller)

Economy

ACORN attempts to 'stimulate' the economy: Powers
Okay, I've seen enough: Scratching Post
The view from North Carolina: AFP

Is the U.S. bankrupt?: AT (Morin)

Media

Stossel to Fox Business - Smart Move: Riehl
Obama seen failing to sway health debate: Times
Detroit press on Granholm's $1.1 billion tax hike: BlogProf

AP and Reason fact-check Obama's speech: Hot Air
Alan Binder: 'Obama is no socialist': ushanka
It’s come to this: Olbermann lectures Joe Wilson: Hot Air

Own it, Mr. Secretary: Villanous Company

Climate & Energy

WaPo: Climate hysteria may be another bubble waiting to burst: Depot

World

Obama at the UN: Hazards Large and Small: Corner
Human Rights Watch sends out the sockpuppets: Elder of Ziyon
Likelihood of Israeli military action has now gone through the roof: Corner

Verdict first; investigation afterwards: Soccer Dad

SciTech

U.S.S. Independence (LCS-2): A Triple Hulled, Weapons-Laden Monster: LGAI
Panel says NASA needs private alternatives: S&L
Audi President: Chevy Volt is a "Car for Idiots": MSN Autos

Cornucopia

9/11 Photo Essay: ‘Never Forget, Never Give In’: BMW