Thursday, December 13, 2012

QOTD: Selective Amnesia Syndrome

Proving that the White House remains concerned about the Benghazi scandal, President Obama announced today that Amb. Susan Rice has withdrawn her name from consideration as a potential Secretary of State.

As for Quote o' the Day, Jon Gabriel wins in a landslide:


As for the reason for Rice's withdrawal?

The reason can only be fear. Next week, Hillary Clinton is supposed to testify before Congress about Libya. There are some indications Clinton may now back out, or resort to insisting on a closed session hidden from the public. Whatever the result, President Obama clearly does not want to give Congress any more high-profile chances to ask someone under oath what happened in the hours and days after Stevens was killed. Rice was at ground zero of the real scandal: not in Benghazi, where the attack occurred; but in Washington, where the cover-up was planned and executed.

Furthermore, Obama probably thought that sacrificing Rice, who still keeps her job as UN ambassador, would assuage some congressional critics and distract from a pending report on what happened in Benghazi. Most importantly, it eliminates the troubling possibility of a Rice confirmation hearing. That likely still would have led to a confirmation victory for Obama—but a pyrrhic one given the ability of most Americans to sniff out a liar.


Hat tip: @AdamSBaldwin.

HOW UNIONS BILK THE RANK-AND-FILE: By the Numbers

Excerpted from Union Facts:

Financial Information

  • Annual Dues Paid to Unions: $8,209,113,955
  • Total Union Assets: $8,775,962,626
  • Total Spending
    • Representational Activities: $4,074,510,945
    • Political Activities: $582,248,875
    • External Contributions: $333,982,197
    • Overhead: $3,914,513,501
  • Unions that fail to pass Department of Labor audits: 92%

Diversity

  • Major Unions with White Presidents: 94%
  • Major Unions with Male Presidents: 89%

Union Officials

  • Total union officers and staff members: 173,389 people
  • Total compensation paid to union officials and officers: $1,152,061,495
  • Total compensation paid to union employees: $2,563,981,776

Crime, Corruption, and Violence

  • Recorded Incidents of Union Violence and Intimidation since 1975: 9,000+
  • Union Racketeering Indictments since 2001: 2,056
  • Fines Paid Resulting from DOL Racketeering Investigations since 2001: $670 million

Pensions

  • Pension Funds controlled by unions: 7,585
  • Average Pension Funding Level: 48%

Just for grins, please note the percentage of Annual Dues Paid to Unions that is devoted to compensating union bosses and their lackeys (Total compensation paid to union employees). And Democrats dare talk about how health insurers are ripping off consumers? How about what unions are doing to the rank-and-file?


A HORRIFYING PREVIEW OF OBAMACARE: 6 in 10 Veterans Administration claim denials are in error

So reports Army Times in a sobering report on the state of a typical, government-run health care system:

A new report on an old problem contains some sad statistics about veterans’ benefits claims:

• Thirty-one percent of claims filed with the Veterans Affairs Department are likely to be denied — and 60 percent of those denials will be erroneous.

• Sixty percent of claims will take longer than 125 days to be processed, more than 7 percent of claims will be misplaced, and 4 percent will be completely lost.

• A veteran calling VA’s benefits hotline has just a 49 percent chance of being connected to someone and receiving a correct answer.


...Based on a review of the 870,000 benefits claims pending before VA in 2011 — a number that has climbed to about 900,000 pending claims today... Even faster claims processing might be possible by contracting out administrative services or transferring claims processing from the federal government to states, the report says. It recommends expanded pilot programs to test those ideas.

The nonpartisan National Center for Policy Analysis, which specializes in retirement and health care programs, is skeptical about VA’s stated goal of eliminating the claims backlog by the end of 2015.

VA “is barely able to process current claims,” the report says, “and has exhibited little to no progress toward their stated goal of 125 days and 98 percent accuracy for processed claims by 2015.”

The federal government, in general, does a poor job of administering disability benefits and services, the report says, “as evidenced by the state of Social Security Disability.”

“But the Veterans Benefits Administration appears to be far worse.”

When Nancy Pelosi famously opined -- vis a vis Obamacare -- that we had to pass it to find out what's in it, she was wrong.

We know what's in government-run health care: a nice, juicy crap sandwich for everyone involved.

Picture our entire medical system administered by the BMV, the Post Office and the SEIU, combined.


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

Larwyn's Linx: Brace youself: America’s next revolution may be just around the corner

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Brace youself: America’s next revolution may be just around the corner: RedAlert
Endangering the Elderly: Beacon
The Correct Response To The Anti-Right To Work Arguments: HayRide

So Which Is It, Mr. Boehner?: RS
Sessions: why not follow the Constitutional process, idiots?: Ace
How Harry Reid's Power Grab Would Harm the Senate: Foundry

Court Allows Archdiocese’s Obamacare Challenge to Proceed: Foundry
Stuff You Already Knew: Romney Ad Strategy Blew: Ace
Berkeley Students Have No Problem Procuring Cheap Contraception: Sandbox

Economy

Finally: Dems Read ObamaCare. Request Delays.: CDN
"Better off on benefits": ZH
Taxpayers Pay $4.8M for Union Boss Salaries in Single Dept.: Breitbart

Will Obama blame Bush for the $22.7 billion AIG bailout profit?: IBD
Judge: 600 workers to be fired thanks to Obama/NLRB/SEIU: RS
It Gets Better, Right to Work Edition: Katz

Scandal Central

Senator Intern's Sex Offender Arrest Delayed Until After Election: Blaze
Secret Parley of Obama, Boehner Betrays Their Pledges To Open Government: NY Sun
Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down IL Ban on Concealed Carry as Unconstitutional: FreeLight

Media

The 40 Best Political Quotes For 2012: RWN
Euphemism o' the Day: Cato
AFL-CIO OMG WTF?: RSM

AP Fails to Tell Readers November's $172 Billion Deficit Is Worst November Ever: NB
Steven Crowder Challenges His Assailant: Criminal Prosecution or Boxing Match: NoisyRm
Bozell Blasts ABC, CBS, and NBC For Censoring Footage of Union Vio: MRC

Harry Belafonte Encourages Obama to Imprison Advocates of Entitlement Reform: MB
Rep. Moran’s Son Likely a Victim of Right Wing False Flag Operation: Nice Deb
PolitiFact awards ‘Lie of the Year’ to truthful Romney ad: Twitchy

World

New Signs Assad Preparing to Use Chemical Weapons: WorldThreats
The North Korean Missile Threat: Beacon
North Korea's Rocket Victory: Deep Consequences: ABC

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

You’ve Got 30,000 Days To Live… Reverse Engineer Your Life To Make Them Count: Crunch
Cosmonaut snaps extraordinary image of Mt. Everest: Riehl
How Websites Know Your Email Address the First Time You Visit: Slashdot

Cornucopia

Festivus: Wikipedia
U.S. Senator Promising Legislation Allowing In-Air Use of Electronic Devices if FAA Doesn't Act: MacRumors
"M*gger. M*gger. M*gger. M*gger. M*ggings.": Ace

Image: Finally: Dems Read ObamaCare. Request Delays.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Pundit & Pundette

QOTD: "What's the difference between Mafia and unions? One threatens to kill you if you don't give them money, the other dresses snappy." --@IowaHawkBlog

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

GOOGLE THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET: Says Mobile War is Over and Android Has Defeated Apple

Interesting analogies drawn by Google Chairman Eric Schmidt:

Google (GOOG) Chairman Eric Schmidt believes the war between Android and Apple’s (AAPL) iOS is just about over and his side has won. In an interview with Bloomberg, the former CEO said that the current mobile battle is similar to the computing war that took place more than 20 years ago between Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple. The executive notes that Google is “winning that war pretty clearly now.”

...Schmidt’s words aren’t without merit; Android has seen explosive growth since its debut and controlled nearly 70% of the market this year. In fact, the operating system has been projected to dominate the smartphone market over the next four years while continuing to eat away at Apple’s tablet market share.

The Chairman’s comparison to Microsoft of the 1990s is fairly accurate. Windows was able to conquer the operating system space because of the strong support it had from a variety of manufacturers, while Apple refused to license OS X. Google has taken an approach similar to Microsoft’s, but rather than licensing the software it gives it out freely. This has helped the Android operating system see unprecedented growth.

“The core strategy is to make a bigger pie,” Schmidt said. “We will end up with a not perfectly controlled and not perfectly managed bigger pie by virtue of open systems.”

If taking shots at Apple wasn’t enough, the executive also jabbed the world’s largest social network, calling Google+ a “viable competitor to Facebook.” While Google’s social networking site has had its fair share of success, topping 500 million total users in a little over 14 months, it is no match for Facebook’s one billion monthly active users.

My prediction is that Google will continue to nibble away at Facebook, cable companies and wireless providers. This will prove extremely healthy for consumers because the latter two industries desperately need the benefit of robust competition.


Hat tips: Image via The Android Invasion, Story via BadBlue Tech News.

STATISM TODAY: Maryland County Bans Soda

Robert asks, "What better way to fight obesity than to infringe upon people’s right to buy, sell or drink what they want?"

Howard County Bans Sale Of Sugary Drinks On Public Property


December 11, 2012 9:11 PM

HOWARD COUNTY, Md. (WJZ)—No more sugary drinks in Howard County vending machines.
As Mike Schuh reports, the county executive stopped the drinks from being sold on county property.

Childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years. Health experts pour the blame squarely on sugary drinks... “Sugary drinks are the largest single source of added sugar to our children’s diet,” said Nikki Highsmith Vernick, Horizon Foundation CEO.
Sugar, she says, turns into fat.

The student government at Burleigh Middle was brought out to demonstrate the problem.
At their call, 10 tons of fine sand was dumped to demonstrate the amount of sugar which would be consumed by their school in a year if every kid drank one sugar soda a day.

...Howard County Executive Ken Ulman used this backdrop to announce a ban on the sale of sugar drinks on county property. “Vending machines will look differently in our parks, libraries and any county buildings,” Ulman said.

The ban, he says, takes effect immediately.

Of course it does.

As Mark Levin is fond of saying, the circle of liberty surrounding each of us seems to grow smaller by the day.

Now that Chief Justice John Roberts has ruled that the government has the power to compel individuals to buy products of the central government's design, how much longer until the feds mandate the consumption of broccoli?



CHRISTMAS GOODIES: 1951

Spotted at the amazing historical photo site Shorpy:



Fast-forward 61 years and I expect most kids will be getting Barack Obama Inaction Figures and Dick Trumka Union Thug Dolls.


DO YOU EAT? These charts should make you nervous

You may remember the last time food prices spiked: the entire Middle East exploded in an inferno of Muslim Brotherhood-fueled unrest. Democrats and the media -- but I repeat myself -- called it the "Arab Spring".

Not to get you overly paranoid or anything, but the race to devalue global currencies -- spearheaded by one Ben Bernanke and his magical printing press -- is touching off more inflation in food prices as evidenced here and here:



Now that the Federal Reserve has monetized trillions in debt, it's safe to say that there is no viable exit strategy. Other than inflation and/or economic collapse, that is.



THE NEGOTIATION: Selling John Boehner a Car

Salesman: Welcome to District Chevrolet, can I help you with something?

Boehner: Lookin' for a sedan (*cough*). One with four doors.

S: Power ashtrays?

B: You know it, sonny.

S: How much you lookin' to spend?

B: Ehhh, unnngh, maybe... six... six hunnert a month, tops.

S: Well, we have several sedans in that price range. How much you lookin' to put down?


B: Fifteen grand, tops.

S: How 'bout mileage? Good gas mileage important for ya?

B: Damn straight it is.

S: Well, based on those precise criteria, I got just the ride for you then. This beauty right here (points to a shiny black sedan) is the 2012 Chevrolet Volt, which by most accounts is a collector's item.

B: I thought you couldn't sell any of those things.

S: That's a damn lie! Eh, pardon my French, sir, but we get that a lot. The Volt is one of our top sellers, plus they fixed the kersplodin' battery problem and the melting power cord issue, best we can tell.

B: You say it's a collector's item?

S: That's what all, eh, most, uhm, some of the, er, experts say.

B: Must say it looks purty sweet. What's one of these bad boys run?

S: Well, with a fifteen grand down payment... (whips out calculator, starts clicking keys)... 'bout $675 a month.

B: Hot damn, that's pretty close to what I wanted.

S: Tell you what (looks to either side, starts talking in a hushed voice)... you look like a real pro at negotiating --

B: Damn straight.

S: Don't tell my manager, but I can get you into the Deluxe model for an extra $14 a month if you sign tonight.

B: What's on the Deluxe model?

S: Couple of really nice items: you get the rustproof undercoating and the luxury, deluxe floor mats in plush velour. Softest damn floor mats in the world, guaranteed.

B: Sounds pretty good. You sure it's only $14 extra a month?

S: Like I said, don't tell my manager.

B: Hell, I won't! Do I look like a punk to you? I can smell a good deal when I see one.

S: Alright! You wanna me to write this puppy up? I got another guy who was lookin' at this car an hour ago and just went to get his wife...

B: Well, hell -- I better do it. Why don't you write it up.

S: Sure, enough. You can't get a better 84-month lease deal than this one, as far as you know.

B: Just hurry up. That other guy may come back with his freaking wife!


Larwyn's Linx: This is who they are. This is what they do.

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

This is who they are. This is what they do.: ProWis
Teamsters boss predicts "civil war" in Michigan: Hayward
Fighting for the freedom to work without coercion: Malkin

“There Will Be Blood”: Union Violence in the Age of Obama: Malkin
Union thug violence towards right-to-work supporters in Michigan: Moe Lane
Obama Jobs Council Chairman : Communist China "Works": GWP

Economy

Our Government-Created Financial Crisis: Williams
Taxing the Poor: Sowell
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder Signs Right-To-Work Bill Into Law: WZ

NFIB Small Business Outlook Drops To Record Low: ZH
Auto Bailout Loss Could Exceed $70 Billion: Breitbart
7% of Detroit Public-School 8th Graders Reading-Proficient: CNS

HSBC: Preferred by 'Drug Cartels and Money-Launderers’: Driscoll
California State Workers Earning $822,000: ZH
526,421 family farms threatened by new death tax: Exam

Scandal Central

ObamaCare Surprise: New Fee for Companies, Employees: AIM
Dems Ask for Delay to Obamacare Med Device Tax They Voted for in the First Place: ATR
U.S. Should Consider Automatic Voter Registration: Holder: Bloomberg

Climate & Energy

Climate Depot's Big Media Week: Over 300,000 unique visitors to Climate Depot in 24 hours!: Depot
Extreme Weather Belief Like A “pagan rite of human sacrifice to ensure a good harvest”: STACLU

Media

Back and to the Left: Springtime for Oliver Stone: Driscoll
"Marriage Matters": ProWis
Martin Bashir Ignores Violence By Union Thugs, Assails Michigan Governor's 'Crap Burger': NB

Mish Shedlock Exposed: Schiff
‘The First Ad of 2014' Will Look Very Much Like the First Ad of 1992: Driscoll
Rapper Big Boi Refuses To Get Behind Obama Presidency: ‘I Ain’t On Nobody’s Team’: Mediate

World

New Army Manual Orders Soldiers Not To Criticize Taliban: JW
Dictators Shutting Down the Internet: Schneier
Mark Carney, Incoming Governor of the Bank of England, Dives Straight Into Monetarist Loony Bin: Mish

New Report Confirms Islamic Terrorism Trumps Others: IPT
North Korea rocket launch: satellite successfully sent into orbit: Telegraph
Lawmakers question gift of 20 F-16s to Morsi's Egypt: Fox

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Four Cups of Coffee A Day Cuts Risk of Oral Cancer: Slashdot
Air Force sends mystery X-37B mini-shuttle back to space: Phys.org
Nokia engineer hacks Windows 8 to get free games (and provides full instructions): VenBeat

Cornucopia

Santa Claus is coming to Motown: MOTUS
Meet Obamadon, the Ancient Extinct Lizard Named After a Reptilian President: Nice Deb
Illinois concealed weapon ban struck down by court: BBC

Image: "Right to Work Means Better Wages"
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: NLPC Union Corruption Update

QOTD:

...I don't know just how committed Obama is to policies that undermine America's economic health, but we know he doesn't blink upon running up more than $5 trillion in debt in less than four years, $3.4 billion to $4 billion per day. We know he loves, loves, loves blaming Republicans for everything. We know he's willing to blame Republicans for failure to pass immigration reform, bad jobs numbers, the deficit, the continuing housing crisis, gridlock in Washington, the debt panel's failure to reach a deal, the difficulty of life for the unemployed, and the inability to build the Keystone Pipeline.

Now at some point, the public may get really tired of his "it's never my fault" routine, and Obama might find himself in deep doo-doo. But so far, that hasn't happened.

--Jim Geraghty

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

FOOD STAMP ABUSE: They're not even pretending any more

From the American tradition of rugged independence to a culture of dependency:

I took this photo of the self-checkout payment screen at a Hen House grocery store in Overland Park, KS. Cash benefits for food stamps. And why not? This is America. Forward!

As a high school student and humble grocery store carryout (back in the 80's), it was common to watch someone pay for their government-approved items like milk and diapers with their food stamps and then, in a separate transaction, pay for their beer and cigarettes with their cash. Even as a kid I knew this was wrong. If you have money for booze then you shouldn't be asking your neighbors to pay your grocery bill.

Today, the dependency class can't even be bothered to fake it. We'll just give them the cash.

It's probably for the best though. They'll need that cash on their welfare-funded Hawaiian vacations. Oh, you can't afford one of those? Quit being so selfish and get back to work. 47.7 million food stamp recipients are counting on you and they're not going to just feed themselves, you know.

Since taking office, Obama has increased the number of Americans on food stamps and in poverty by a mind-boggling 50 percent.

The abuse of food stamps is so widespread that even the USDA now admits it has no idea what people are buying with them.



MAP: The 61 countries most vulnerable to an Internet shutdown

Last week Syria's government shut down access to the Internet, presumably to prevent new reports of its war crimes from leaking to the outside world.

Which begs the question: which countries are most susceptible to a government-mandate shutdown of the Internet?

For 52 hours last week, Syria joined the unfortunate club of countries whose governments have chosen, however briefly, to return their citizens to the digital dark ages. That club, which also includes Egypt and Myanmar, remains small for now. But if you live in any of these five dozen countries, it could happen to you, too.

In the wake of Syria’s digital blackout last week, the networking firm Renesys performed an analysis of which countries are most susceptible to an Internet shutdown, based simply on how many distinct entities control the connections between the country’s networks and those of the outside world. It found that for 61 countries and territories, just one or two Internet service providers maintain all external connections–a situation that could make possible a quick cutoff from the world with a well-placed government order or physical attack.

On Monday, Renesys published its full list of countries and territories at various levels of Internet shutdown risk. And here are the places it put in the “severe risk” category.

Andorra, Anguilla, Netherland Antilles, Aruba, Ã…land Islands, Barbados, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bhutan, Central African Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Cook Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Grenada, French Guiana, Greenland, Gambia, Guinea, Guadeloupe, Guyana, British Indian Ocean Territory, Jersey, Comoros, Saint Kitts And Nevis, North Korea, Lesotho, Libya, Monaco, Saint Martin (French and Dutch parts), Marshall Islands, Mali, Myanmar, Mauritania, Norfolk Island, Nauru, French Polynesia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Palau, Réunion, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe, Syria, Swaziland, Turks and Caicos, Chad, Tokelau, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Wallis and Futuna, and Yemen.

Just give President Obama a little time. With a little effort, he'll be able to get us on this list.


UNION SUCCESS STORY #7,407: Only Seven Percent of 8th-graders in Detroit Public Schools Read Proficiently

As they say, someone new is blocking the schoolhouse door.

...In the public schools in Detroit, Mich., according to the U.S. Department of Education, only 7 percent of the eighth graders are grade-level proficient or better in reading.

Some public school teachers in the City of Detroit and around the state of Michigan are reportedly taking a vacation or a sick day today to protest right-to-work legislation likely to be approved by the state legislature. Under current law, Michigan public school teachers must pay dues to the teachers’ union. If the right-to-work law is enacted, Michigan public-school teachers will be free to join the union and pay dues to it if they wish, but they will also be free not to join the union and not to pay it dues.

Detroit public-school eighth graders do even worse in math than they do in reading, according to the Department of Education. While only 7 percent scored highly enough on the department’s National Assessment of Educational Progress test in 2011 to be rated “proficient” or better in reading, only 4 percent scored highly enough to be rated “proficient” or better in math...

I blame Bush. And Sarah Palin.

But certainly not the unholy alliance of the Democrat Party and public sector unions, which exist only to fleece the beleaguered American taxpayer.


Hat tip: BadBlue News Service.

WANTED PHOTOS: The Union Thug Who Tried to Kill Steven Crowder

Fox News contributor Steven Crowder was in Michigan today to record the pro-slavery protests orchestrated by the same union bosses who've economically obliterated Detroit. The death threats and physical violence were just what we've come to expect from the Marxist-aligned Leftists:

...the crowd started tearing down the AFP [Americans For Prosperity] tent that was there. When Crowder attempted to intervene, he was assaulted by multiple protesters with one ... shouting that he would "kill a mother f***er with a gun..."






Do you know this douche? Dana Loesch has a donation page where you can contribute to a reward to find and charge the assailant.


Update: UNION THUG Who Beat Steven Crowder ID’ed – His Name Is Tony Cummings.

Larwyn's Linx: Top 10 Things to Say to Obama Voters Who Got Laid Off

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

The Top 10 Things to Say to an Obama Voter Who Just Got Laid Off: RWN
DeMint’s move and the growing frustration inside the GOP: Exam
Boehner could face conservative challenger for Speaker: DC

What Does "Let it Burn" Mean?: Ace
Obama to America: I Won’t Compromise on Taxes: AIM
House leadership concerned Price will challenge Boehner for Speaker: Hill

Economy

Legal vs. Illegal Aliens: Burning Platform
Gallup Poll Visualizes Effect of Obamacare: Mish
The Fed is Killing the U.S. Economy: Daily Ticker

Medical Device Tax: Immoral and Impractical: ObjStd
Obama's Untenable Position on Taxes, Growth: Villainous
Santelli: "All They're After Is Your Bucks!": ZH

Understanding $16,000,000,000,000 in Debt: AT
Surprise! President Obama Slams Michigan's Right-to-Work Effort: Reason
New insurance fee in health overhaul law likely to hit consumers: Fox

Scandal Central

Benghazi Terrorists Were Armed By Obama: GWP
Jeanine Pirro Blasts Hillary For Benghazi Cover-up – Skewers Obama For His Weakness on Syria: Nice Deb
Does Obama ever stop campaigning? Has he made a “Fiscal Cliff” counteroffer?: GayPatriot

Climate & Energy

Climate Conference Ends in Disgrace: Mead
Graph: The `green energy' implosion: Malkin
Doha post mortem – some green activists ‘close to despair’: Watts

Media

Liberal NYT Columnist Nicholas Kristof: Gee, Maybe Eternal Government Dependency Isn't Helpful: Ace
Celebration: The NYTimes Finally Admitted Reaganomics Worked: Publius
Peter Schiff: Majority Doesn't "Have A Right To Steal My Money Just Because They Voted For It": RCP

New York Times Sells A Bridge, Then Buys A Map: Kesler
Trouble In Paradise, Susan Rice Edition: JOM
The Spot-On Quote Of The Day…: Camp o' the Saints

Welfare State Advocate Spews Inaccuracies on PBS NewsHour: CDN
So-called journalist Chuck Todd refers to ‘so-called’ right-to-work legislation: Twitchy
Former Jesse Jackson Jr. staffer big fan of dwarves, pornography: NakedDC

World

‘Courage, Skill, and Patriotism’: Navy SEAL Dies Rescuing American Hostage From the Taliban: Blaze
Ground Zero Mosque Update: No ‘Community Center,’ Just a Mosque: Bruce
UN Hosts Art Depicting Palestine as All of Israel: Breitbart

"Widespread Traditional Practice": An Islamic Crime: FPM
What happened when the Brits decided to raise taxes on their ‘evil one percent’?: Scoop
Move Over, Michigan, China Is The World's Next Rust Belt: Forbes

‘The Last of the Just’ in Belgium: Simon
Another Strange Communism Headline from NYT: 'Halcyon Days Of Failed Ideals' in E. Germany: MRC
French socialists seem surprised, upset that wealthy actor has decided to jump ship: Hot Air

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Australian police warn not to use Apple Maps: ZDNet
Bypassing Two-Factor Authentication: Schneier
Google Reportedly Dodged $2 Billion in Taxes With Bermuda Tax Haven: Mashable

Cornucopia

So Much in Common: V the K
Hono­lulu after Pearl Harbor: A report published for the first time, 71 years later: WaPo
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’: Sequel preview; villain still a mystery: LAT

Image: Getty Images, via V the K
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Take the Taxpayer Protection Pledge

QOTD: "First of all, I'm in the top two percent. Right now, I'm paying 45% of my total income in income taxes, both to the state of Connecticut and to the federal government, and if you take the 3% Medicare tax. After the tax hikes go into effect next year, more than half -- more than half of my total income is going to go to the government. You tell me, what's fair about that when medieval serfs pay 25%, I'm paying half? I don't care what the majority voted to do, they don't have a right to steal my money just because they vote for it.

...You know what the wealthy are going to do? They're going to invest more abroad, they're not going to work as hard, they're not going to pay as much in taxes, they're not going to employ as many people. Their employees are going to pay all the taxes." --Peter Schiff

Monday, December 10, 2012

UNION SUCCESS STORY #7,308: Chrysler forced to rehire workers caught drinking, getting high during lunch break

And people wonder why the American auto industry required tens of billions in bailouts (most of which will never be repaid)?

In 2010, the American automobile manufacturer Chrysler released several of its employes for negligent behavior after they were caught on camera drinking and possibly smoking marijuana during their lunch break. After many months of a union-backed arbitration process, however, Chrysler was forced to rehire the workers.

“While [Chrysler] does not agree with the ultimate decision of the arbitrator, we respect the grievance procedure process as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement and our relationship with the UAW,” a statement released by the automaker read.

Unfortunately, the company was put in a very difficult position because of the way the story was investigated and ultimately revealed to the public. These employees from Jefferson North have been off work for more than two years. The time has come to put this situation behind us and resume our focus on building quality products that will firmly establish Chrysler Group’s position in the marketplace.

The scandal was uncovered by a Detroit-based Fox affiliate in September, 2010.

At Chrysler, quality is, like, job -- dude! You hungry?


SCIENTISTS CREATE ARTIFICIAL BRAIN WITH 2.3 MILLION SIMULATED NEURONS: The Progressive Left Hardest Hit

By my estimation, 2.3 million neurons bests the average progressive by a factor of, oh, about 2.3 million.

...Instead of the tour de force processing of Deep Blue or Watson’s four terabytes of facts of questionable utility, Spaun attempts to play by the same rules as the human brain to figure things out. Instead of the logical elegance of a CPU, Spaun’s computations are performed by 2.3 million simulated neurons configured in networks that resemble some of the brain’s own networks. It was given a series of tasks and performed pretty well, taking a significant step toward the creation of a simulated brain.

Spaun stands for Semantic Pointer Architecture: Unified Network. It was given six different tasks that tested its ability to recognize digits, recall from memory, add numbers and complete patterns. Its cognitive network simulated the prefrontal cortex to handle working memory and the basal ganglia and thalamus to control movements. Like a human, Spaun can view an image and then give a motor response; that is, it is presented images that it sees through a camera and then gives a response by drawing with a robotic arm.

...And its performance was similar to that of a human brain. For example, the simplest task, image recognition, Spaun was shown various numbers and asked to draw what it sees. It got 94 percent of the numbers correct. In a working memory task, however, it didn’t do as well. It was shown a series of random numbers and then asked to draw them in order. Like us with human brains, Spaun found the pattern recognition task easy, the working memory task not quite as easy.

The important thing here is not how well Spaun performed on the tasks – your average computer could find ways to perform much better than Spaun. But what’s important is that, in Spaun’s case, the task computations were carried out solely by the 2.3 million artificial neurons spiking in the way real neurons spike to carry information from one neuron to another. The visual image, for example, was processed hierarchically, with multiple levels of neurons successively extracting more complex information, just as the brain’s visual system does. Similarly, the motor response mimicked the brain’s strategy of combining many simple movements to produce an optimal, single movement while drawing.

Why do I say that this development has the progressive left running scared? Two reasons.

First off, Spaun doesn't think President Obama will pay its mortgage.

And second, unlike progressives, Spaun learns from the past. And all of human history refutes the Left's Statist Utopian delusions, yet they refuse to heed the counsel of the world's greatest philosophers, economists and legal thinkers.

In a battle of wits between Spaun and the average progressive, my bet is on the machine.


Hat tip: BadBlue Tech News.

BUT THEY'RE DOING IT FOR THE CHILDREN: Right-to-Work in Michigan Will Cost Union Bosses $100 Million a Year

As the union bosses have admitted, their opposition to right-to-work has nothing to do with kids or education. It's all about the Benjamins.

Two Michigan school districts will close Tuesday after hosts of teachers called out sick, apparently to join protests against efforts to pass right-to-work legislation in the state...

The school district superintendent in Taylor, MI, a Detroit suburb, said the district would not have enough teachers to fill the district’s classrooms, according to local news reports. The Taylor Federation of Teachers is reportedly helping to organize the protests...

Polling shows that almost a quarter of union members would stop paying dues if they could. That would cost Michigan unions $100 million a year (they represent 700,000 Michiganders, and their dues average $600 to $900 a year). Union bosses would much rather workers had no choice.

But many workers feel differently. The most vocal calls for right to work have come from workers upset with their unions. Terry Bowman, a member of UAW Local 898 who works at Ford’s Rawsonville plant, argued for right to work long before Republicans considered taking it up; Bowman believes the government should not force workers like him to support a union they oppose.

I have no problem with unions so long as joining and paying dues are voluntary acts.

Collective bargaining is little more than a polite form of indentured servitude. And, depending upon the union, sometimes not so polite.


BUT MELVIN, HE'S SO HISTORIC: Obamacare Triggers Record Leap in Unemployment and Underemployment to 17.2%

Is it safe to say that we're in a full-blown depression now? I think so.

Gallup's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 8.3% for November, up nearly one percentage-point over October's rate. Gallup's underemployment jumped from 15.9% to 17.2%...


...Gallup did not offer reasons for this shift but I suspect two.

1. Large numbers of part-time workers were hired as a direct result of Obamacare in September and October.
2. Additional seasonal workers were hired early.

...In the BLS [Bureau of Labor Statistics] report, the labor force magically shrunk by 350,000 artificially lowering the unemployment rate. No such thing happened in the Gallup survey for the unemployment rate to blast .9 percentage points higher.

Regardless of "why", if the latest Gallup survey is correct, expect to see jumps in the BLS unemployment rate in the coming months.

I wonder at what point the JFK and Reagan Democrats will finally realize that this administration has no interest in fixing the economy.



Larwyn's Linx: GOP Classic

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Nation

GOP Classic: RS
GOP Genius Of The Day...Senator Bob Corker: Ace
Libs Outraged Schools Will Teach... “American Exceptionalism”: WZ

Obama's Fiscal Cliff and the Chicago Way: Breitbart
Selling Conservatism And Why Benefits Beat Features: RS
Heritage Libertad Radio: Foundry

Economy

Zimbabwe Ben, meet Zimbabwe Timmy: Varones
Number of Americans on Food Stamps Hits Another New High: WZ
73% Of New Jobs Created In Last 5 Months Are In Government: Cowboy

The US Debt Visualized: the Video: Demonocracy.Info
GOP staffer who authored copyright-reform paper loses job: DC
The Free Market Deals With Theft: MB

IBD on Friday’s Jobs Report: ‘Recession Mode’: BizzyBlog
Gallup Reports Upper-Income Spending Worst November Ever: Mish
Hey, everyone: FEMA is hiring!: Twitchy

Scandal Central

Coburn to Democrats: Stop lying about fiscal cliff: Red Alert
Obama Meets, Shakes Hands and Shares Laugh With Troop-Kill Rapper PSY: GWP
How Government Actually Works, Especially Unaccountable, Multi-Jurisdictional Government: Cato

Climate & Energy

Why we can’t have nice things. Like a profitable energy policy.: RS
Doha Conference: Rich countries to pay poor ones for climate damage: CDN

Media

NYTimes Reporter: 'They Are So Much Cockier Now at the White House': WS
Will To Krugman: You Think Everyone Who Disagrees With You 'Is a Knave or Corrupt or a Corrupt Knave': NB
Why the Media Has Zero Interest in Obama’s Secret College Records: MB

Thomas Sowell On Liberal Vs. Conservative: Glob
Newt Gingrich Schools Lawrence O'Donnell On Clinton Tax Hikes: NB
Jamie Foxx: It’s “great” to “kill all the white people”: RedAlert

World

The Lie That Broke Israel's Back: AT
What is there to talk about with Hamas?: Hayom
Syrian rebels claim new video shows victims of chemical attack: Times of Israel

Obama surrogates blast Israel's P.M.: Hayom
State Dept refuses to name Boko Haram terror org as Christians slaughtered: Creeping
Australian Muslim Calls for Violent Confrontation: MB

Hamas Leader Vows To Destroy Israel, Others Worry Not Letting Palis Kill Israelis Hurts Peace Process: Ace
Another UK Health Care Horror Story Which U.S. Press Will Ignore: BizzyBlog
Killer photo op: Obama and daughters meet U.S. troop-slay rapper PSY: Twitchy

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Curiosity Gets a Sister – What Should She Do ? Scientists Speak: UniverseToday
Worst Idea Ever: Fortune 500 Cable Company Turning Off ALL Twitter And Social Media Support: MediaBistro
SHA-1 brute-force attack trimmed by 21%: Naked Security

Cornucopia

Amazing tale of a desperate WWII pilot’s encounter with a German flying ace: Post
"I threw a perfect punch": Marquez: Blaze
The American Female’s Endemic Addiction...: Bastion of Liberty

Critters In Winterwonderland: iOTW
15 Worst Christmas Sweaters in the History of the Planet: Reaganite
Jenni Rivera, Mexican-American singer, plane wreck found; no survivors, says official: KABC

Image: Muslim Somalis Jihad for Welfare Obama Apartments in Ohio
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Christmas Gifts for the Toiling Masses 2012

QOTD: "The Fiscal Cliff negotiations are illustrative of the President's inability to lead and to govern. With this dire deadline of economy-killing tax increases and automatic spending cuts looming over the American people, he chooses to campaign at toy factories, golf with Bill Clinton and publicly try to intimidate the Republicans into a deal that he wants. President Obama hasn't even met with Speaker Boehner in person for weeks, choosing instead to only talk to him over the phone.

But then we really can't expect any other behavior from a committed Alinskyite like the President. When one strictly adheres to the principles of Saul Alinsky, you don't negotiate, you intimidate. You don't take a stand, but make the other guy take a stand and then you demonize it. You create so much static with class warfare rhetoric that it drowns out reason and fact. A good case in point is the President's insistence that the wealthy do not pay their fair share. He has been saying this for so long, it is almost an accepted fact by some. The real truth is that the top one percent of wage earners have gone from paying 20% of the total tax burden in the 1980s to 40% today. The percentage of the total income they earn is around 25%. If one extrapolates out the tax burden to include the top 10% of wage earners, the total share of the tax burden paid by that group is 70%. Their total percentage of the income earned is around 38%. These facts come straight from current IRS data.

No fair-minded person could conclude from the empirical evidence laid out in the previous paragraph, that the wealthy in this country are not paying their fair share. And yet, the President spews out this categorically false narrative and a certain percentage of the population laps it up like kittens lapping milk from a bowl." --Damon Koch