Year-End Film Releases Require Audiences to Write Their Own Endings - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Movies and novels have had ambiguous or abrupt endings since time immemorial. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that several of this season's movie releases bring the audience to the end of a cliff and just stop there.
Among the current movie offerings that don't need "Spoiler Alerts" are "August: Osage County," "Llewyn Davis" and Robert Redford's "All is Lost." None of these films have definite endings, in much the same way that the last "Sopranos" episode left audiences wondering whether Tony got whacked or not. Sudden, abrupt endings, where the audience is left to write its own conclusions, will enrage some people. Perhaps the movie companies should release these films with a disclaimer.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Youth Unemployment: Food Servers Need Not Apply
The youth of today, defined as those between the ages of 16 and 24, might want to move to France. There, Socialist President Francois Hollande has launched an ambitious project wherein the French government has offered to pay 75 percent of a young unemployed worker's salary for three years. In so doing, the French government hopes to create 150,000 additional jobs for youth within the next two years.
Meanwhile, back in the ole U.S.A., the Huffington Post reports a study that counts "almost 6 million young people (within that youth age group) are neither in school nor working." That translates to a 15 percent unemployment rate among youth in America, compared to a 25 percent unemployment rate in France.
If this is recovery, then why are we working as waiters and waitresses?
Meanwhile, back in the ole U.S.A., the Huffington Post reports a study that counts "almost 6 million young people (within that youth age group) are neither in school nor working." That translates to a 15 percent unemployment rate among youth in America, compared to a 25 percent unemployment rate in France.
If this is recovery, then why are we working as waiters and waitresses?
Monday, December 9, 2013
Lenin Statue Tumbled in Ukraine as Protests Mount - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Lenin Statue Tumbled in Ukraine as Protests Mount - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
The photo shows a white-haired, bewhiskered man of prodigious strength wielding a 20-pound sledge hammer to split in half a statue of Vladimir Lenin. The man is surrounded by a crowd estimated in the newspaper to number almost half a million people. This is in Kiev, capital of Ukraine, December 2013.
Those who might think that Ukraine's problems are uninteresting might consider that world champion heavyweight boxer Vitaly Klitschko, a protest leader, was on hand to stare down a police phalanx as he might have stared down an opponent during the preliminaries of a title shot, according to the newspaper account. More to the political point, Ukraine faces economic threats from Putin and Russia in the face of weak support from Europe and the U.S.
The photo shows a white-haired, bewhiskered man of prodigious strength wielding a 20-pound sledge hammer to split in half a statue of Vladimir Lenin. The man is surrounded by a crowd estimated in the newspaper to number almost half a million people. This is in Kiev, capital of Ukraine, December 2013.
Those who might think that Ukraine's problems are uninteresting might consider that world champion heavyweight boxer Vitaly Klitschko, a protest leader, was on hand to stare down a police phalanx as he might have stared down an opponent during the preliminaries of a title shot, according to the newspaper account. More to the political point, Ukraine faces economic threats from Putin and Russia in the face of weak support from Europe and the U.S.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Holiday Brandy: 4 Parts Clarified Satan
It ocurred to me recently that I am an unsophisticated imbiber. I literally cut my teeth on red wine, and it dawned on me that is all I know anything about.
Okay, I know a little Tequila, a little Vodka, and some general things about beer. But Brandies are a form a wine (I learned recently on the internet) and I remembered liking them.
So I Googled and Yahooed and otherwise looked around at Brandies. I won't bore you with the details, as you could do this so easily yourself.
However, I came up with some amusing stuff about brandy, the most amusing commentary coming from the writer Ambrose Bierce.
"What is brandy," Bierce asked himself.
Here's that man's definitition. It's funny, if a little bit Puritannical.
Brandy, n. A cordial composed on one part thunder-and-lightning, one part remorse, two parts bloody murder, one part death-hell-and-the-grave and four parts clarified Satan." ~ Ambrose Bierce
Alright, maybe it's not so ha-ha but at least I'm not taking myself so seriously these tragi/comedic days in our history. If you want to know more about brandy, here is one of the sites I recently visited.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/best-brandy-brands.html
Okay, I know a little Tequila, a little Vodka, and some general things about beer. But Brandies are a form a wine (I learned recently on the internet) and I remembered liking them.
So I Googled and Yahooed and otherwise looked around at Brandies. I won't bore you with the details, as you could do this so easily yourself.
However, I came up with some amusing stuff about brandy, the most amusing commentary coming from the writer Ambrose Bierce.
"What is brandy," Bierce asked himself.
Here's that man's definitition. It's funny, if a little bit Puritannical.
Brandy, n. A cordial composed on one part thunder-and-lightning, one part remorse, two parts bloody murder, one part death-hell-and-the-grave and four parts clarified Satan." ~ Ambrose Bierce
Alright, maybe it's not so ha-ha but at least I'm not taking myself so seriously these tragi/comedic days in our history. If you want to know more about brandy, here is one of the sites I recently visited.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/best-brandy-brands.html
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Actor George Clooney Kicks His Tesla to the Curb as Musk Defends the Brand - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Actor George Clooney Kicks His Tesla to the Curb as Musk Defends the Brand - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
The Huffington Post quotes Clooney in its colorful headline: "'Why Am I Always Stuck On The Side Of The ****ing Road?" The Daily Caller was a bit more gentle in telling of Clooney's enthusiastic early support for the car.
"I was one of the first cats with a Tesla. I think I was, like, number five on the list."
You've gotta' love Clooney for his "first cats" locution. He and comic Dennis Miller are the only surviving celebrities who can get away with a 60s hipster "cats" self-characterization without being ridiculed.
Clooney auctioned off his car for charity. It was a good buy. He didn't drive it much. When you have a choice between a 12 cyl Ferrari and a battery powered metal stamped shell, you go with the gusto.
Don't call Clooney an anti-technology Luddite. In his own words, he was "number five on the list" for getting an electric Tesla Roadster.
The Huffington Post quotes Clooney in its colorful headline: "'Why Am I Always Stuck On The Side Of The ****ing Road?" The Daily Caller was a bit more gentle in telling of Clooney's enthusiastic early support for the car.
"I was one of the first cats with a Tesla. I think I was, like, number five on the list."
You've gotta' love Clooney for his "first cats" locution. He and comic Dennis Miller are the only surviving celebrities who can get away with a 60s hipster "cats" self-characterization without being ridiculed.
Clooney auctioned off his car for charity. It was a good buy. He didn't drive it much. When you have a choice between a 12 cyl Ferrari and a battery powered metal stamped shell, you go with the gusto.
Don't call Clooney an anti-technology Luddite. In his own words, he was "number five on the list" for getting an electric Tesla Roadster.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
JFK Assassination: the Death of Simplicity - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
JFK Assassination: the Death of Simplicity - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Until the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November of 1963, my life was simple, pleasant, and full of prospect.
Mr. Metzgar, our next door neighbor in the summer of 1963, used to pay me half a buck to cut his 1/3 acre lawn and I was glad to get it. Our small town in Northeastern Pennsylvania was not exactly a hub of world economic activity but there were plenty of factories where a blue-collar high school graduate could get a job that paid enough to feed a family of four.
My dad worked in a Ronson cigarette lighter factory where he operated a metal stamping machine which, at one point, cut off his thumb. The job foreman did a good job of gathering the missing digit and packing it on ice. The factory did a good job of getting my dad to the hospital. The docs did a fair job of sewing it back on. It was misshapen, useless, and nerve-dead but we marveled at the medical miracle.
Until the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November of 1963, my life was simple, pleasant, and full of prospect.
Mr. Metzgar, our next door neighbor in the summer of 1963, used to pay me half a buck to cut his 1/3 acre lawn and I was glad to get it. Our small town in Northeastern Pennsylvania was not exactly a hub of world economic activity but there were plenty of factories where a blue-collar high school graduate could get a job that paid enough to feed a family of four.
My dad worked in a Ronson cigarette lighter factory where he operated a metal stamping machine which, at one point, cut off his thumb. The job foreman did a good job of gathering the missing digit and packing it on ice. The factory did a good job of getting my dad to the hospital. The docs did a fair job of sewing it back on. It was misshapen, useless, and nerve-dead but we marveled at the medical miracle.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Pointless Murder Claims a Young Teacher’s Life: Fourteen Year Old Arrested - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Pointless Murder Claims a Young Teacher’s Life: Fourteen Year Old Arrested - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
A fourteen year old was charged today with the murder of 2nd year math teacher Colleen Ritzer. Ritzer's body was found in the woods near the Danvers High School in Danvers, Massachusetts, and police quickly ruled the death an obvious homicide.
Both the accused and the victim were reported missing on the same day. Fourteen year old Philip Chism was later found walking alone along a main highway in a nearby town, taken into custody, and charged with murder.
Police had begun their investigation on the basis of information found at the school, including blood stains near one of the school's second floor bathrooms and on surveillance footage taken from the school's video system.
A fourteen year old was charged today with the murder of 2nd year math teacher Colleen Ritzer. Ritzer's body was found in the woods near the Danvers High School in Danvers, Massachusetts, and police quickly ruled the death an obvious homicide.
Both the accused and the victim were reported missing on the same day. Fourteen year old Philip Chism was later found walking alone along a main highway in a nearby town, taken into custody, and charged with murder.
Police had begun their investigation on the basis of information found at the school, including blood stains near one of the school's second floor bathrooms and on surveillance footage taken from the school's video system.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Stand Up for Your Boys, Ladies and Gentlemen - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Stand Up for Your Boys, Ladies and Gentlemen - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
"Boys will be boys" has no meaning any more, even when it has a strong basis in physiology, biology, and adolescent development. You'd have to be blind not to notice the behavioral and developmental differences between adolescent boys and girls, especially in a school setting where pressures and expectations of boy children often exceed the capacity of their development to meet them.
That's another way of saying that society these days often seems obsessed with taking the boy out of the boy. Meanwhile, the entire purpose of school sports is to recognize and develop natural physical and emotional traits with the intention of turning out life "winners" rather than life "losers."
"Boys will be boys" has no meaning any more, even when it has a strong basis in physiology, biology, and adolescent development. You'd have to be blind not to notice the behavioral and developmental differences between adolescent boys and girls, especially in a school setting where pressures and expectations of boy children often exceed the capacity of their development to meet them.
That's another way of saying that society these days often seems obsessed with taking the boy out of the boy. Meanwhile, the entire purpose of school sports is to recognize and develop natural physical and emotional traits with the intention of turning out life "winners" rather than life "losers."
Monday, October 21, 2013
Improve Your Life: See the Film "Gravity." - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Improve Your Life: See the Film "Gravity." - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
I'm used to ducking punches in my boxing classes but it was quite electrifying to react to 3-D onslaughts of flying bolts, metal tools, debris and what-not bouncing around in directionless space. It's rather a nice feeling to know that "up" is not always "up" and "down" is not always "down" and you feel that viscerally in "Gravity."
To put it politely, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are not my favorite actors but I loved them both throughout the hour and 23 minute movie, and even on the way home. Clooney's cheerfulness in the death dealing void of space paralleled the knowledge all creatures have of their own mortality, and was somehow uplifting.
Bullock had gotten herself into fine physical shape and being with her in length, width, and depth, both emotionally and physically, well, it was an experience I'm still analyzing.
I'm used to ducking punches in my boxing classes but it was quite electrifying to react to 3-D onslaughts of flying bolts, metal tools, debris and what-not bouncing around in directionless space. It's rather a nice feeling to know that "up" is not always "up" and "down" is not always "down" and you feel that viscerally in "Gravity."
To put it politely, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are not my favorite actors but I loved them both throughout the hour and 23 minute movie, and even on the way home. Clooney's cheerfulness in the death dealing void of space paralleled the knowledge all creatures have of their own mortality, and was somehow uplifting.
Bullock had gotten herself into fine physical shape and being with her in length, width, and depth, both emotionally and physically, well, it was an experience I'm still analyzing.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Media Irresponsibility Blurs Accounts of D.C. Mom Killing - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Media Irresponsibility Blurs Accounts of D.C. Mom Killing - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Of course, everyone recognizes it was a mistake to shoot to death an unarmed emotionally disturbed mom with a one-year-old in the back seat. Therefore, we must offer some well-known justifications for it:
We are at war with terrorism. The president and the public were in mortal danger. Everything looks clear in hindsight but most of us never have to choose between shooting or not! The car may have been filled with explosives. The dead woman had injured police officer(s) in her mad flight (although we don't have details). A car is a lethal weapon (at least that one is accurate). Yada-yada-yada.
Of course, everyone recognizes it was a mistake to shoot to death an unarmed emotionally disturbed mom with a one-year-old in the back seat. Therefore, we must offer some well-known justifications for it:
We are at war with terrorism. The president and the public were in mortal danger. Everything looks clear in hindsight but most of us never have to choose between shooting or not! The car may have been filled with explosives. The dead woman had injured police officer(s) in her mad flight (although we don't have details). A car is a lethal weapon (at least that one is accurate). Yada-yada-yada.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Federal Employees and the Government Shutdown Game - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Federal Employees and the Government Shutdown Game - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Right now, a sycophantic media is singing the swan song of government shutdown, but nobody loses their job in a shutdown, and everyone receives back pay so it's really a little bit like banking the money and getting a free vacation for non-essential federal workers. Essential federal workers stay on the job.
Right now, a sycophantic media is singing the swan song of government shutdown, but nobody loses their job in a shutdown, and everyone receives back pay so it's really a little bit like banking the money and getting a free vacation for non-essential federal workers. Essential federal workers stay on the job.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
CNN, Wall Street Journal Street Fight Over Rouhani Translation - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
CNN, Wall Street Journal Street Fight Over Rouhani Translation - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
CNN and the Wall Street Journal are currently engaged in the news media equivalent of a street fight over a translation of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's indirect reference to Nazi extermination of Jews during a visit to New York and the United Nations. The latest salvo in the journalistic battle is a Wall Street Journal editorial today: CNN'sTehran Translation. This follows Christiane Amanpour's defense of her translation on Anderson Cooper 360 wherein she describes other interpretations as "piffle."
CNN and the Wall Street Journal are currently engaged in the news media equivalent of a street fight over a translation of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's indirect reference to Nazi extermination of Jews during a visit to New York and the United Nations. The latest salvo in the journalistic battle is a Wall Street Journal editorial today: CNN'sTehran Translation. This follows Christiane Amanpour's defense of her translation on Anderson Cooper 360 wherein she describes other interpretations as "piffle."
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Syria’s Fate is Sealed with a Kiss-Off - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Syria’s Fate is Sealed with a Kiss-Off - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Syria today is a matter of bad timing, a certain president’s fecklessness in announcing his intentions to “punish” the Syria president for ordering a campaign of chemical warfare, and an offhand remark by Secretary of State Kerry.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Appearance of Agression: Nevada boxing boss defends judge in Mayweather fight
Nevada boxing boss defends judge in Mayweather fight
The link above connects to the comments and opinion of a Nevada Boxing Commission chief who defended the scoring of judge C.J Ross in the Mayweather vs. Alvarez fight this past weekend. Ross had is scored an even match, a draw.
Everyone now is asking the obvious question. How could anyone score the fight a draw?
In the early rounds, Canelo kept the fight competitive and had some scoring flurries so you might have given him a couple of rounds there if you were generous and liked the style, the red hair, the appearance of aggression.
Some judges and spectators simply like a guy who appears to trudge forward in a menacing fashion. It wouldn't be fair to say that was all Alvarez was capable of doing because he's an excellent boxer, too, with quick hands, serious power, and as much savoir as a 23 year old could have against an accomplished veteran like Mayweather.
But there is aggression and the appearance of agression. To me, Mayweather was the more effective aggressor because the idea of aggression is to break your opponent down and get him under control. If that involves taking a step back or sideways before delivering your combinations, then you do that.
And Mayweather did exactly that, again and again, at will, and if you think Canelo's big punches that didn't land or ever freeze Mayweather were a reason to award scoring points, then you don't belong as a judge on the Nevada SAC.
After 4 or five rounds, Mayweather had the measure of his man and drilled him repeatedly with punches that would have dropped a lesser man than the young Alvarez.
In short, the "draw" judge was b.s. and should be removed. As for the idiotic justifications by the Nevada Athletic Commission bureaucrat, he should be removed too for insulting the intelligence of the fan-in-the-street. No way was the fight a draw.
The link above connects to the comments and opinion of a Nevada Boxing Commission chief who defended the scoring of judge C.J Ross in the Mayweather vs. Alvarez fight this past weekend. Ross had is scored an even match, a draw.
Everyone now is asking the obvious question. How could anyone score the fight a draw?
In the early rounds, Canelo kept the fight competitive and had some scoring flurries so you might have given him a couple of rounds there if you were generous and liked the style, the red hair, the appearance of aggression.
Some judges and spectators simply like a guy who appears to trudge forward in a menacing fashion. It wouldn't be fair to say that was all Alvarez was capable of doing because he's an excellent boxer, too, with quick hands, serious power, and as much savoir as a 23 year old could have against an accomplished veteran like Mayweather.
But there is aggression and the appearance of agression. To me, Mayweather was the more effective aggressor because the idea of aggression is to break your opponent down and get him under control. If that involves taking a step back or sideways before delivering your combinations, then you do that.
And Mayweather did exactly that, again and again, at will, and if you think Canelo's big punches that didn't land or ever freeze Mayweather were a reason to award scoring points, then you don't belong as a judge on the Nevada SAC.
After 4 or five rounds, Mayweather had the measure of his man and drilled him repeatedly with punches that would have dropped a lesser man than the young Alvarez.
In short, the "draw" judge was b.s. and should be removed. As for the idiotic justifications by the Nevada Athletic Commission bureaucrat, he should be removed too for insulting the intelligence of the fan-in-the-street. No way was the fight a draw.
Will Putin’s New York Times Letter Bury the Syrian Crisis? - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Will Putin’s New York Times Letter Bury the Syrian Crisis? - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin is sounding more and more like American progressives, particularly in his fondness for renaming of parts. When exactly was it that "socialism" morphed into "progressive" anyway?
During progressivism's early days, the movement was heedless of what was to follow. Then the bitter realities of communist revolution swept the planet, followed by two world wars that quickly dissolved the utopian idealism that swept the world. After that, the Cold War. Now, the what?
Russian President Vladimir Putin is sounding more and more like American progressives, particularly in his fondness for renaming of parts. When exactly was it that "socialism" morphed into "progressive" anyway?
During progressivism's early days, the movement was heedless of what was to follow. Then the bitter realities of communist revolution swept the planet, followed by two world wars that quickly dissolved the utopian idealism that swept the world. After that, the Cold War. Now, the what?
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
U.S. Half-Measures in Syria Are Worse Than Doing Nothing - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
U.S. Half-Measures in Syria Are Worse Than Doing Nothing - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
"The road to Damascus is a road to peace," Pelosi announced then in her glib fashion. The same Pollyanna views have, until now, characterized the Obama administration's "reset" with traditional enemies, who are looking for soft spots in the U.S. belly.
"The road to Damascus is a road to peace," Pelosi announced then in her glib fashion. The same Pollyanna views have, until now, characterized the Obama administration's "reset" with traditional enemies, who are looking for soft spots in the U.S. belly.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
SSA Disability Fraud Arrests Should Extend Beyond Puerto Rico - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
SSA Disability Fraud Arrests Should Extend Beyond Puerto Rico - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Government programs always begin with the best of intentions. Some Americans of an earlier age had little or no income when retired at age 62 and so were offered retirement benefits. Since wives of the 50s and 60s often stayed home to attend domestic affairs, an array of spousal benefits were added. Then children's benefits. And survivor's benefits. And when earnest, hard-working construction people fell from buildings, or factory workers suffered heart attacks, strokes, or developed terminal cancers and were too weak to work, Social Security Disability paid them benefits.
That was all well and good until disability became institutionalized and, to a degree-automatic. According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 11 million people were receiving disability benefits at an annual cost of $136 billion in 2012. With that many people receiving disability benefits, the definition of "disabled" would have to include maladies of a less severe nature than those for which the program was intended.
Seventy-five people were arrested yesterday in Puerto Rico and accused of defrauding the Social Security Disability program.
Government programs always begin with the best of intentions. Some Americans of an earlier age had little or no income when retired at age 62 and so were offered retirement benefits. Since wives of the 50s and 60s often stayed home to attend domestic affairs, an array of spousal benefits were added. Then children's benefits. And survivor's benefits. And when earnest, hard-working construction people fell from buildings, or factory workers suffered heart attacks, strokes, or developed terminal cancers and were too weak to work, Social Security Disability paid them benefits.
That was all well and good until disability became institutionalized and, to a degree-automatic. According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 11 million people were receiving disability benefits at an annual cost of $136 billion in 2012. With that many people receiving disability benefits, the definition of "disabled" would have to include maladies of a less severe nature than those for which the program was intended.
Seventy-five people were arrested yesterday in Puerto Rico and accused of defrauding the Social Security Disability program.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Governor Chris Christie Throws His Spear in the GOP Sand - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Governor Chris Christie Throws His Spear in the GOP Sand - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made a cannonball splash at what some in the the media are calling the GOP "summer camp." By accounts such as those in the Boston Globe, the governor's speech was an improvement over his lackadaisical recitations at the GOP national convention in 2012.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made a cannonball splash at what some in the the media are calling the GOP "summer camp." By accounts such as those in the Boston Globe, the governor's speech was an improvement over his lackadaisical recitations at the GOP national convention in 2012.
Christie has a definite flair for practical politics, a major factor in how Republican Christie could win the governorship in decidedly blue state New Jersey. You do that by being the prototype "Jersey Boy" and Christie is surely that-wisecracking, brusque, blunt, and irreverent. He doesn't stroll the New Jersey boardwalks with sleeveless tee-shirt and tattooed arms but he does the next best thing.
Christie's Twitter profile provides the clues: "I've got the keys for 4 years. Let's party! Except for teachers and public workers. You have to put the beer down. Immediately. Now go get me a sandwich." Funny stuff, even in Georgia.
(turn the page. read the balance, hit the linked title)
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Quinnipiac Poll Shows De Blasio Leading, Quinn Trailing Among Democrats in NYC Primary Race - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Quinnipiac Poll Shows De Blasio Leading, Quinn Trailing Among Democrats in NYC Primary Race - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Mr. de Blasio is currently saturating New York airwaves with a political ad narrated by his mixed-race teenage son, complete with 70s style big hair. To complete the one-size-fits-all social issues candidate, New York insiders know that de Blasio's interracial marriage survived the gay liaisons (reported on the Politicker site) of wife Chirlane McCray.
Is there a candidate who can top that? Is there a candidate who can match de Blasio in the egalitarian touchstones of race, gender, and social advocacy?
Mr. de Blasio is currently saturating New York airwaves with a political ad narrated by his mixed-race teenage son, complete with 70s style big hair. To complete the one-size-fits-all social issues candidate, New York insiders know that de Blasio's interracial marriage survived the gay liaisons (reported on the Politicker site) of wife Chirlane McCray.
Is there a candidate who can top that? Is there a candidate who can match de Blasio in the egalitarian touchstones of race, gender, and social advocacy?
Monday, August 12, 2013
Corn-Ethanol Lobby Hits the Blend Wall - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Corn-Ethanol Lobby Hits the Blend Wall - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Aside from ethanol slowly but methodically destroying all the small engines of America, there is another problem called the "blend wall." What the blend wall means is that American cars can only tolerate ten percent ethanol. Going beyond that on most conventional vehicles means that, if you put more than 10 percent ethanol in your gas tank, the auto manufacturer will not honor the guarantees they made when you bought the vehicle.
If the manufacturer found out you continuously poured water in the gas tank, they wouldn't honor the warranty either, but that's similar to what you'd be doing by using an 11 percent ethanol-fuel blend or higher blend.
Aside from ethanol slowly but methodically destroying all the small engines of America, there is another problem called the "blend wall." What the blend wall means is that American cars can only tolerate ten percent ethanol. Going beyond that on most conventional vehicles means that, if you put more than 10 percent ethanol in your gas tank, the auto manufacturer will not honor the guarantees they made when you bought the vehicle.
If the manufacturer found out you continuously poured water in the gas tank, they wouldn't honor the warranty either, but that's similar to what you'd be doing by using an 11 percent ethanol-fuel blend or higher blend.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
New York Mayor “Carlos Danger” Said Today… - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
New York Mayor “Carlos Danger” Said Today… - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
What's next? "Carlos Danger" dolls with autographed underwear that, when squeezed, urge you to vote for Weiner?
What's next? "Carlos Danger" dolls with autographed underwear that, when squeezed, urge you to vote for Weiner?
Sunday, July 21, 2013
The Big Belly Solar Powered Trash Can Enviro Boondoggle - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
The Big Belly Solar Powered Trash Can Enviro Boondoggle - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Cities Struggle to Find Out How Best to Sell a $4000 Solar-powered Trash Compactor to a Gullible Public
Cities Struggle to Find Out How Best to Sell a $4000 Solar-powered Trash Compactor to a Gullible Public
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Murky New York Hate Crime Conviction Reversed by Appeals Court - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Murky New York Hate Crime Conviction Reversed by Appeals Court - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Aren't all homicides and violent assaults hate crimes? Does an assailant stab, bludgeon, or shoot another person with affection and caring in their hearts? One would think so, inasmuch as hate crimes laws elevate crimes committed against certain social categories of individuals and diminish those crimes which have traditionally carried the heaviest sentences.
Aren't all homicides and violent assaults hate crimes? Does an assailant stab, bludgeon, or shoot another person with affection and caring in their hearts? One would think so, inasmuch as hate crimes laws elevate crimes committed against certain social categories of individuals and diminish those crimes which have traditionally carried the heaviest sentences.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Sen. Rand Paul and Sen. John McCain Have it Wrong About Cutting Egypt Aid - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Sen. Rand Paul and Sen. John McCain Have it Wrong About Cutting Egypt Aid - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
None of that seems to bother Sen. Paul who, in lawyerly fashion, trots out the 1961 law that might have supported Adolf Hitler whose Nazi Party in 1932 won 33 percent of the vote in the German elections.
None of that seems to bother Sen. Paul who, in lawyerly fashion, trots out the 1961 law that might have supported Adolf Hitler whose Nazi Party in 1932 won 33 percent of the vote in the German elections.
Another Republican Sen. John McCain uses the same 1961 basis to withhold the money the U.S. was prepared to offer the Muslim Brotherhood government.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
New Social Security Benefit Entitlements in Today's Same-Sex Supreme Court Ruling - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
New Social Security Benefit Entitlements in Today's Same-Sex Supreme Court Ruling - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
The ruling mandates the federal government to follow the law of the states in granting equality between same-sex and heterosexual marriage. Gay couples in states which don't recognize same-sex marriages do not have this advantage and may consider moving to states expanding their financial benefits.
The ruling has interesting implications beyond the issues of inherited property by surviving same-sex marital partners. If the federal government must extend all federal entitlements to same- sex married partners in 12 states, there would be new social security benefit entitlements created by the ruling.
The ruling mandates the federal government to follow the law of the states in granting equality between same-sex and heterosexual marriage. Gay couples in states which don't recognize same-sex marriages do not have this advantage and may consider moving to states expanding their financial benefits.
The ruling has interesting implications beyond the issues of inherited property by surviving same-sex marital partners. If the federal government must extend all federal entitlements to same- sex married partners in 12 states, there would be new social security benefit entitlements created by the ruling.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
My Country Wrong or Wrong? - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
My Country Wrong or Wrong? - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
What ever happened to "My Country Right or Wrong?"
It used to be that there were patriots and traitors, and never the twain would meet. But with political and strategic challenges of the type generated by the Edward Snowden electronic surveillance revelations, the twain often intersects, and the left's positions are often interchangeable from the right's.
What ever happened to "My Country Right or Wrong?"
It used to be that there were patriots and traitors, and never the twain would meet. But with political and strategic challenges of the type generated by the Edward Snowden electronic surveillance revelations, the twain often intersects, and the left's positions are often interchangeable from the right's.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Ben Bernanke’s Public Trial on the Charlie Rose Show - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Ben Bernanke’s Public Trial on the Charlie Rose Show - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
The financial and political worlds are buzzing today about what President Obama said Monday to Charlie Rose in an NPR interview. President Obama, who makes a sport of choosing his words at a glacial pace, added one more to his panoply of gaffes in his clumsy assessment of Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke.
"Well, I think Ben Bernanke's done an outstanding job. Ben Bernanke's a little bit like Bob Mueller, the head of the FBI, where he's already stayed a lot longer than he wanted or he was supposed to," the president was quoted.
The financial and political worlds are buzzing today about what President Obama said Monday to Charlie Rose in an NPR interview. President Obama, who makes a sport of choosing his words at a glacial pace, added one more to his panoply of gaffes in his clumsy assessment of Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke.
"Well, I think Ben Bernanke's done an outstanding job. Ben Bernanke's a little bit like Bob Mueller, the head of the FBI, where he's already stayed a lot longer than he wanted or he was supposed to," the president was quoted.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Add Syria to List of Obama Foreign Policy Failures - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Add Syria to List of Obama Foreign Policy Failures - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Writing in 2007, USA Today describes how the Bush administration tried to prevent House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from traveling to Syria on a "message of peace."
Writing in 2007, USA Today describes how the Bush administration tried to prevent House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from traveling to Syria on a "message of peace."
"We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," Pelosi told reporters then.
Since then, Pelosi's "road to peace" was traveled by Hezbollah fighters who came to help Assad take back key rebel-held territory. The Russians also have helped Assad's prop up his regime, continuing to supply Assad with the latest weapons, and providing backing at the U.N.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Strassel: An IRS Political Timeline - WSJ.com
Strassel: An IRS Political Timeline - WSJ.com
What's a BOLO List? It's the White House indirect order for the organs of government and society to attack Obama opposition. It means "Be On the Lookout" for conservative thinkers and think-tank organizations.
Kim Strassel's timeline is telling, and is as good as we can get to solid proof Obama ordered IRS targeting of conservative groups.
As Rush Limbaugh said recently, there are no evidential documents "proving" that Adolf Hitler had anything to do with the extermination of Jews during WWII.
Obama's not Hitler, but he's the perfect example of an anti-colonial leftist for whom the end justifies the means. In other words, he's willing to use government bureaucracies like the IRS and the Justice Department to suborn free speech and thought.
What's a BOLO List? It's the White House indirect order for the organs of government and society to attack Obama opposition. It means "Be On the Lookout" for conservative thinkers and think-tank organizations.
Kim Strassel's timeline is telling, and is as good as we can get to solid proof Obama ordered IRS targeting of conservative groups.
As Rush Limbaugh said recently, there are no evidential documents "proving" that Adolf Hitler had anything to do with the extermination of Jews during WWII.
Obama's not Hitler, but he's the perfect example of an anti-colonial leftist for whom the end justifies the means. In other words, he's willing to use government bureaucracies like the IRS and the Justice Department to suborn free speech and thought.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Samantha Power's promotion to UN ambassador is a major disappointment | Fox News
Samantha Power's promotion to UN ambassador is a major disappointment | Fox News
However, it didn’t take long before Power’s decades of big talk was put to the test.
In a position of power and proximity to the president of the United States, from which she could meaningfully act against any unfolding injustice, Power was largely silent and completely ineffective.
The NGO community was left wondering which Samantha Power was getting to speak inside the Oval Office.
More from Richard Grennelll
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/06/05/samantha-power-promotion-to-un-ambassador-is-major-disappointment/?intcmp=trending#ixzz2VOH8q7q3
However, it didn’t take long before Power’s decades of big talk was put to the test.
In a position of power and proximity to the president of the United States, from which she could meaningfully act against any unfolding injustice, Power was largely silent and completely ineffective.
The NGO community was left wondering which Samantha Power was getting to speak inside the Oval Office.
More from Richard Grennelll
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/06/05/samantha-power-promotion-to-un-ambassador-is-major-disappointment/?intcmp=trending#ixzz2VOH8q7q3
NJ Governor Chris Christie Shines the Light on Christie 2016 - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
NJ Governor Chris Christie Shines the Light on Christie 2016 - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has the characteristics of a distant planet with a mass so dense as to draw all light back unto itself. The brusque New Jersey governor's latest feat of celestial magic was to pick October for a special election to replace Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died and left the vacant seat to be filled.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has the characteristics of a distant planet with a mass so dense as to draw all light back unto itself. The brusque New Jersey governor's latest feat of celestial magic was to pick October for a special election to replace Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died and left the vacant seat to be filled.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
New York City FBI Agent Robbed of M-4 Assault Weapon and His Auto (Again) - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
New York City FBI Agent Robbed of M-4 Assault Weapon and His Auto (Again) - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
The New York Post came up with a typically clever headline to lead off a story about an FBI agent who had his car and rifle stolen last night in Ozone Park, an upper middle-class neighborhood in the borough of Queens. Calling the weapon a "dolt-action rifle" was about right.
The New York Post came up with a typically clever headline to lead off a story about an FBI agent who had his car and rifle stolen last night in Ozone Park, an upper middle-class neighborhood in the borough of Queens. Calling the weapon a "dolt-action rifle" was about right.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Is There an Un-subsidized Tesla Model S in Your Future? - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Is There an Un-subsidized Tesla Model S in Your Future? - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
My point is that there are many advantages to having a vehicle which helps the owner do things (often at less cost and damage to the environment) other than drive down Hollywood Boulevard feeling more pious than a Prius owner. You can fit more stuff in a pickup truck than you can any sedan and that means less trips to the vendor, less fuel burned, and less hiring of bigger trucks as delivery vehicles for products you might need to manage a household.
My point is that there are many advantages to having a vehicle which helps the owner do things (often at less cost and damage to the environment) other than drive down Hollywood Boulevard feeling more pious than a Prius owner. You can fit more stuff in a pickup truck than you can any sedan and that means less trips to the vendor, less fuel burned, and less hiring of bigger trucks as delivery vehicles for products you might need to manage a household.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Teams with Tumblr CEO David Karp to Talk the Deal - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Teams with Tumblr CEO David Karp to Talk the Deal - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
High school dropout like Tumblr founder and CEO David Karp doesn't have such mundane concerns. According to the IT website smh.com, Karp once said he didn't want to be "gobbled up by big media company." In a Hollywood Reporter interview, Karp told users "we're not turning purple" and then he punctuated his statement with an F-Bomb.
High school dropout like Tumblr founder and CEO David Karp doesn't have such mundane concerns. According to the IT website smh.com, Karp once said he didn't want to be "gobbled up by big media company." In a Hollywood Reporter interview, Karp told users "we're not turning purple" and then he punctuated his statement with an F-Bomb.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Possible Political Murder Stirs National Elections in Pakistan - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Possible Political Murder Stirs National Elections in Pakistan - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
All told, 150 people have died in a Pakistani election that sometimes seemed to favor the bullet over the ballot.
The top man of the TPI, Imran Khan, is a nationally idolized soccer star whose reform party has surprised the nation by becoming its third largest. Khan has accused rival MQM (Muttahida Quami Movement) of sending two men to shoot PTI Party Vice-President Ms. Hussein to death just outside her home in the affluent Karachi Defence suburb.
All told, 150 people have died in a Pakistani election that sometimes seemed to favor the bullet over the ballot.
The top man of the TPI, Imran Khan, is a nationally idolized soccer star whose reform party has surprised the nation by becoming its third largest. Khan has accused rival MQM (Muttahida Quami Movement) of sending two men to shoot PTI Party Vice-President Ms. Hussein to death just outside her home in the affluent Karachi Defence suburb.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Syracuse City Schools in Crisis - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Syracuse City Schools in Crisis - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Until educators, parents, politicians, and just plain folk can speak honestly about the problem, the best solution for parents will be to get their kids out of the ghetto as soon as possible. I know you're not supposed to say "ghetto" but it's the title of a particularly forlorn Akon song which really explains the deal about how it really is
Until educators, parents, politicians, and just plain folk can speak honestly about the problem, the best solution for parents will be to get their kids out of the ghetto as soon as possible. I know you're not supposed to say "ghetto" but it's the title of a particularly forlorn Akon song which really explains the deal about how it really is
Thursday, May 9, 2013
What's Cooking in Boston? The Tsarnaev Saga
SCENE ONE.
TAM TSARNAEV’S small apartment in Boston. There is a young woman dressed in a burkha attending to a cook stove in the kitchen. Only her eyes are visible as she stirs food into a bowl. There is a side door to the kitchen which suddenly bursts open. A man enters, smiling and shadow-boxing,. This is TAM TSARNAEV.
TAM TSARNAEV
(with a flourish, enjoying himself)
What’s cooking, Katherine? It smells so good.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
I call it ‘IED delight.” It’s an American dish. Ha-ha!
TAM TSARNAEV
Ho-ho-ho! You make joke, Katherine.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
Yes, I make joke, Tam.
TAM TSARNAEV
Don’t make joke of me, Katherine. I will slap you again.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
Where were you, Tam?
TAM TSARNAEV
I will slap you with left hook, maybe with uppercut.
(TAM TSARNAEV shadow-boxes around the kitchen, throwing jabs, left hooks, rights)
TAM TSARNAEV
Good Muslim woman does not ask husband questions. How about some rice? I’m hungry.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
I cannot make rice. I cannot find my pressure cooker.
TAM TSARNAEV
Don’t worry about the pressure cooker. I will buy you a new pressure cooker.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
But this one is the 6th pressure cooker you’ve bought for me this month. What happens to them? Where are my pressure cookers going?
(TUNE IN DAILY AS THE DRAMA CONTINUES. LEARN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PRIVILEGED UPPER MIDDLE CLASS PHYSICIAN'S DAUGHTER DONS A BURKHA TO PLEASE HER VOLATILE HUSBAND--AND IN THE PROCESS LOSES HER PRESSURE COOKERS.)
TAM TSARNAEV’S small apartment in Boston. There is a young woman dressed in a burkha attending to a cook stove in the kitchen. Only her eyes are visible as she stirs food into a bowl. There is a side door to the kitchen which suddenly bursts open. A man enters, smiling and shadow-boxing,. This is TAM TSARNAEV.
TAM TSARNAEV
(with a flourish, enjoying himself)
What’s cooking, Katherine? It smells so good.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
I call it ‘IED delight.” It’s an American dish. Ha-ha!
TAM TSARNAEV
Ho-ho-ho! You make joke, Katherine.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
Yes, I make joke, Tam.
TAM TSARNAEV
Don’t make joke of me, Katherine. I will slap you again.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
Where were you, Tam?
TAM TSARNAEV
I will slap you with left hook, maybe with uppercut.
(TAM TSARNAEV shadow-boxes around the kitchen, throwing jabs, left hooks, rights)
TAM TSARNAEV
Good Muslim woman does not ask husband questions. How about some rice? I’m hungry.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
I cannot make rice. I cannot find my pressure cooker.
TAM TSARNAEV
Don’t worry about the pressure cooker. I will buy you a new pressure cooker.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
But this one is the 6th pressure cooker you’ve bought for me this month. What happens to them? Where are my pressure cookers going?
(TUNE IN DAILY AS THE DRAMA CONTINUES. LEARN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PRIVILEGED UPPER MIDDLE CLASS PHYSICIAN'S DAUGHTER DONS A BURKHA TO PLEASE HER VOLATILE HUSBAND--AND IN THE PROCESS LOSES HER PRESSURE COOKERS.)
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Imperial Governor Cuomo Avoids “In-Kind” Tax, Demands Fealty, Free Rides from Taxpayers
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo publicly wagged his finger at the
scandal-ridden New York legislature, attempting to depict himself as the model
of public integrity he is NOT. What Cuomo
does best is to make noble-sounding rules for other guys to follow, rules which
don’t apply to Imperial Governors.
You know how it works.
Keep your State Police security guard close, and free, independent
minded citizens at a distance. Unless
they’re already shown to be solidly in your camp (meaning “submissive”), they can’t
be trusted, Cuomo believes.
Cuomo routinely uses the instruments of state power to
pummel political enemies and allies alike.
When he was Attorney General, he went after disgraced former Gov. Elliot
Spitzer (and fellow Democrat) for using state planes, automobiles, and
helicopters for personal use.
According to reports, Spitzer would fly down to Hooker Haven
in D.C. to meet with high-priced call
girls. He paid for the women out of his
own pocket (and his wife’s pockets, too) but the travel arrangements were
courtesy of the state taxpayers.
As Imperial Governor now, Gov. Andy also feels entitled to
spend hard earned taxpayer money on his personal self-indulgences. Instead of living in Gracie Mansion,
provided to him by the taxpayers, he uses state aircraft to fly down to West
Chester to visit his live-in billionaire BFF girlfriend Sandra Lee.
According to an account in the Wall
Street Journal, Cuomo’s daughters live with the BFF GF, too. All the benefits of marriage—without marriage.
Is that to give the affair the air of respectability?
A better air of respectability would be for the governor to
marry Sandra Lee. That may be his
personal business, of course, but when you’re governor of a state, you forfeit
the privacy a private individual might expect.
It comes with the turf. If you don’t want your personal
beliefs analyzed, then stay home with your GF, wherever that is. Otherwise, everything you do sends a political
message.
The message New York is getting is that of an Imperial
Governor who flaunts the rules he touts in public.
Cuomo abolished the previous ethics committee and established
a new one with people who worked for him, people he knew would look the other
way as he misused state resources, and retaliated against critics.
Lest these concerns be seen as the steaming detritus of a
gossip column, let’s be clear on two things:
Governor Cuomo has not paid IRS federal taxes on these
purloined “in-kind” gifts by New York taxpayers. When common ordinary taxpayers are paid “in-kind”
(meaning you get a car, a free hotel stay in Vacationland, or a Rolex watch
instead of cash money), it counts as income under IRS rules and is taxable.
Governor Cuomo has not reimbursed the taxpayers for these “gifts”
of taxpayer largesse. Doing so would
eliminate the tax problem posed by undeclared “in-kind” income, and would be in
keeping with New York State law.
Of course, New York State law and a submissive voter base
has never been anything an Imperial Governor had to worry about.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Short Hops In Basketball
I started to watch basketball...that's how things are going. In college rock, I watched the entire Syracuse loss, that was novel for me. As an outsider, it was an exciting game, played largely by the hand of God. Michigan could miss from the 3-point line in the first half. In the second half, they couldn't hit and Syracuse had a chance, albeit a small one.
I can dig it that the Carter-Williams kid is leaving for the NBA. It's not 1960 any more where the only place you can get an education is in college. These days knowledge floods in from everywhere. Whereas it's a chance for Carter-Williams, a nice chance to get up and over.
He's nice giant. I hope he gets over.
I can dig it that the Carter-Williams kid is leaving for the NBA. It's not 1960 any more where the only place you can get an education is in college. These days knowledge floods in from everywhere. Whereas it's a chance for Carter-Williams, a nice chance to get up and over.
He's nice giant. I hope he gets over.
Accused Child Rapist/ Murder David J. Renz Perfect Fit for Death Row
You read the news.
You may know this. If you live in
Central New York, you may have heard about David J. Renz. David J. Renz had been arrested in late 2012
as the result of a federal investigation into child pornography. He had four computers and tons of ugly files
involving bestial acts with children.
Imagine the worst—no, don’t.
There’s a town
near Syracuse named Clay, NY. It was there, in the parking lot of the Northern
Mall, that David J. Renz accosted librarian Lori Bresnahan and her 10 year old
daughter as they were leaving the child’s gymnastics class.
Renz, who should
have been in jail, was released on bail with the approval of Obama appointee
and U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian. If you read the indictment charging child
pornography etc, it would have been clear that Renz posed a danger to children
at the very least.
If it wasn’t
clear then, it is clear now. Renz
removed his electronic monitoring bracelet, kidnapped Bresnahan and her
daughter, forced them to a remote part of the giant parking lot, tied them up
and raped the child. After raping the
child, he drove them to an abandoned road where he stabbed the woman to death
as she fought to save the child. The
child, though bound with plastic ties, escaped and ran into the roadway where
she was rescued by two passing motorists.
Renz fled but was captured by police, still wearing the
bloody clothes when he attacked Lori.
Just yesterday, Renz had the nerve to plead innocent, probably looking
for some kind of deal. The Onondaga
District Attorney, Fitzpatrick, seems willing to oblige, as the death penalty
is in liberal suspension in the state of New York. Nor will Fitzpatrick even deign to mention the
federal death penalty, which applies in this case.
To be specific, I’m citing an article
on Yahoo which mentions the federal criminal codes which apply:
“U.S.C. 1201 applies
to murder
during a kidnapping) and 18 U.S.C. 2551 applies to cases of "murder
related to sexual exploitation of children."
The situation is
clear in a county which doesn’t allow women like Bresnahan to obtain concealed
carry permits, and yet can’t protect them and their children in public parking
lots in quiet middle-class suburban towns.
There is now in the local newspapers a great deal of liberal prating
about the wrongheadedness of the death penalty, but no hand-wringing among this
group regarding the death penalty of Lori Bresnahan (not to mention the
absolute terror & horror & torture of her murder) nor the rape of the
child.
Surely, these
people do care about the victims, but the manner of their caring makes it
certain to happen again and again and again.
Just as in the Petit case in Connecticut, this murderer, when proved in
court, deserves the same sentence as those murderer/rapists.
Need more
evidence of hypocrisy? These very same
liberals cheered for the execution of mass killer Timothy McVeigh. Not a peep
out of them. Nor should there have been.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Economy Flatline: The Cure has Been as Bad as the Disease - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Economy Flatline: The Cure has Been as Bad as the Disease - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
COMMENTARY | In 2012, people had a chance to choose an economic way forward. They chose President Obama's way.
The Obama way was to stimulate the economy through "stimulus" government spending and monetary policy that kept interest rates near zero. Accelerating the money supply pumped up the financial markets.
Wall Street was quiet, a silent partner in the financial fraud. Voters were quiet because they were promised something for nothing.
It helped, too, that Eurozone economies were falling apart so fast that the Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke couldn't weaken the dollar fast enough to keep up, a relationship explained in Daily FX. Compared to the sickly Euro, the dollar and the American economy was safe harbor
.
But today's plunging employment figures stunned Wall Street and sent stocks tumbling. There was an increase of only 88,000 non-farm jobs, compared to analyst projections of 200,000 jobs, according to Reuters.
The Obama way was to stimulate the economy through "stimulus" government spending and monetary policy that kept interest rates near zero. Accelerating the money supply pumped up the financial markets.
Wall Street was quiet, a silent partner in the financial fraud. Voters were quiet because they were promised something for nothing.
It helped, too, that Eurozone economies were falling apart so fast that the Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke couldn't weaken the dollar fast enough to keep up, a relationship explained in Daily FX. Compared to the sickly Euro, the dollar and the American economy was safe harbor
.
But today's plunging employment figures stunned Wall Street and sent stocks tumbling. There was an increase of only 88,000 non-farm jobs, compared to analyst projections of 200,000 jobs, according to Reuters.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Installers of Latest Samsung Push App Experience the Rapture - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Installers of Latest Samsung Push App Experience the Rapture - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
I immediately thought of people being pushed to their deaths from New York subway platforms. You could attribute the conjuring of that dismal image to generational dysfunction. If I were a savvy post-collegiate twenty-something, I would have immediately known that these persistent, annoying incursions into my private Idaho could propel me to new heights of self-awareness, to raptures heretofore inconceivable
I immediately thought of people being pushed to their deaths from New York subway platforms. You could attribute the conjuring of that dismal image to generational dysfunction. If I were a savvy post-collegiate twenty-something, I would have immediately known that these persistent, annoying incursions into my private Idaho could propel me to new heights of self-awareness, to raptures heretofore inconceivable
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
New York Politicians Need to Clean the People’s House - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
New York Politicians Need to Clean the People’s House - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
COMMENTARY | The criminal complaint filed Friday by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara against six prominent New York political officials has spread like a radioactive cloud, leaving politicians scurrying for their hazmat suits.
If you haven't heard, the scandal involves a Democratic New York state senator named Malcolm Smith, accused of paying Republican New York City councilman Daniel Halloran to assist him in bribing two other Republican political officials.
COMMENTARY | The criminal complaint filed Friday by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara against six prominent New York political officials has spread like a radioactive cloud, leaving politicians scurrying for their hazmat suits.
If you haven't heard, the scandal involves a Democratic New York state senator named Malcolm Smith, accused of paying Republican New York City councilman Daniel Halloran to assist him in bribing two other Republican political officials.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Tammany Hall Deja Vu in New York City Bribery Bust - Yahoo! News
Tammany Hall Deja Vu in New York City Bribery Bust - Yahoo! News
People are finally learning how to pronounce the name of Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009. Among other duties, Bharara's mission is to fight corruption in state and local government. Few New York histories fail to mention the Tammany Hall government which set the tone of New York City politics in the 19th century. The biggest problem with such histories is that the clandestine political corruption of political bosses is depicted as the detritus of a bygone era. Not so. Bharara just filed a criminal complaint against several New York political operatives he accused of conspiring to bribe political officials in return for favors, according to the New York Daily News.
What are the charges in the criminal complaint?
People are finally learning how to pronounce the name of Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009. Among other duties, Bharara's mission is to fight corruption in state and local government. Few New York histories fail to mention the Tammany Hall government which set the tone of New York City politics in the 19th century. The biggest problem with such histories is that the clandestine political corruption of political bosses is depicted as the detritus of a bygone era. Not so. Bharara just filed a criminal complaint against several New York political operatives he accused of conspiring to bribe political officials in return for favors, according to the New York Daily News.
What are the charges in the criminal complaint?
The complaint is long, amounting to 28 pages, and was filed at the end of March. But the basis of the complaint is that New York state Sen. Malcom Smith, a Democrat, along with his consorts, allegedly bribed Republican Party officials to enter the Republican primary race for mayor of New York City.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Stop and Frisk Will Win in New York City Court - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Stop and Frisk Will Win in New York City Court - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Imagine that you were a New York City cop, obliged to follow the New York City Police Department's updated stop and frisk policy. The Gothamist explains the additional documentation a New York City cop has to provide when conducting a "stop and frisk," discovered only because the memo turned up in court yesterday.
Along with a check sheet, the cop now has to provide a CYA narrative, reports Gothamist.
If it were me, I couldn't do it. I would soon find myself in the same tough spot as that of Officer Pedro Serrano of the 40th District of the South Bronx. According to the New York Post, Serrano appears to be rebelling against a policy that puts cops between a rock and a hard place.
Imagine that you were a New York City cop, obliged to follow the New York City Police Department's updated stop and frisk policy. The Gothamist explains the additional documentation a New York City cop has to provide when conducting a "stop and frisk," discovered only because the memo turned up in court yesterday.
Along with a check sheet, the cop now has to provide a CYA narrative, reports Gothamist.
If it were me, I couldn't do it. I would soon find myself in the same tough spot as that of Officer Pedro Serrano of the 40th District of the South Bronx. According to the New York Post, Serrano appears to be rebelling against a policy that puts cops between a rock and a hard place.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Federal Death Penalty and Clay N.Y. Murder, Child Rape Conviction a Perfect Fit - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Federal Death Penalty and Clay N.Y. Murder, Child Rape Conviction a Perfect Fit - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Any clear thinking person reading Renz' criminal complaint on federal child pornography charges would conclude he was a loaded gun pointed at society's head. Yet he was bailed out--with naive preconditions. The laxity of electronic monitoring meant that Renz could slip off his "bracelet" to kill and rape at 9:00 p.m. without authorities being informed until 11:30 p.m.
Any clear thinking person reading Renz' criminal complaint on federal child pornography charges would conclude he was a loaded gun pointed at society's head. Yet he was bailed out--with naive preconditions. The laxity of electronic monitoring meant that Renz could slip off his "bracelet" to kill and rape at 9:00 p.m. without authorities being informed until 11:30 p.m.
Like the infamous Petit murder-rape in Connecticut, a conviction for these crimes would argue for a death penalty New York does not have. The last person administered capital punishment in New York was executed in 1963.
New York SAFE Act Gets a Mental Health Assessment - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
New York SAFE Act Gets a Mental Health Assessment - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Lawmakers perhaps considered cases like that of Seung Hui Cho, who shot to death 32 people in a 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech. Cho had been judged mentally ill in a court procedure two years earlier, according to the Washington Post.
Yet Cho passed required background checks to obtain guns, according to CNN, because his mental health records were kept out of the gun check database. With the SAFE Act, New York state legislators made a half-hearted attempt to remedy that by obligating mental health professionals to report dangerously mentally ill patients to authorities.
Such persons would then be entered into a national gun database.
The defiant reaction of the mental health community was summed up in a Syracuse Post-Standard story quoting Dr. James Knoll, director of forensic psychiatry at New York's Upstate Medical University.
"We're being transformed into agents of the state and agents of government control," Knoll said.
Lawmakers perhaps considered cases like that of Seung Hui Cho, who shot to death 32 people in a 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech. Cho had been judged mentally ill in a court procedure two years earlier, according to the Washington Post.
Yet Cho passed required background checks to obtain guns, according to CNN, because his mental health records were kept out of the gun check database. With the SAFE Act, New York state legislators made a half-hearted attempt to remedy that by obligating mental health professionals to report dangerously mentally ill patients to authorities.
Such persons would then be entered into a national gun database.
The defiant reaction of the mental health community was summed up in a Syracuse Post-Standard story quoting Dr. James Knoll, director of forensic psychiatry at New York's Upstate Medical University.
"We're being transformed into agents of the state and agents of government control," Knoll said.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Factbox: Man Who Allegedly Killed Librarian, Raped Child Was Released from Jail in January - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Man Who Allegedly Killed Librarian, Raped Child Was Released from Jail in January - Yahoo! News
On Thursday evening, Lori Bresnahan was heading toward the parking lot of the Great Northern Mall with a 10-year-old girl who had just finished a gymnastics class. The two never arrived home. Bresnahan was found stabbed to death in her car parked on isolated Verplank Road. The 10-year-old had been raped. The facts of the murder-rape have left Clay and nearby communities boiling with anger:
On Thursday evening, Lori Bresnahan was heading toward the parking lot of the Great Northern Mall with a 10-year-old girl who had just finished a gymnastics class. The two never arrived home. Bresnahan was found stabbed to death in her car parked on isolated Verplank Road. The 10-year-old had been raped. The facts of the murder-rape have left Clay and nearby communities boiling with anger:
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Questions Hang Like a Mist at Scene of New York Rampage Shooting - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Questions Hang Like a Mist at Scene of New York Rampage Shooting - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
It wasn't the kind of ending you wanted to see, but then again it wasn't the kind of beginning you wanted to see, either. Sixty-four-year-old Kurt R. Meyers shot to death four innocent people in two quiet towns along the Mohawk River in upstate New York.
From there on, you knew it was going to be ugly, and it was. Since the rampage shooting spree began yesterday at mid-morning, Meyers was holed up in a vacant building on North Main Street in the small town of Herkimer.
(CLICK ON THE HEADLINE TO READ MORE & TO COMMENT) Could the police have apprehended Kurt Meyers? Or did the scenario not fit Cuomo's SAFE Act. scenario?) You decide!
It wasn't the kind of ending you wanted to see, but then again it wasn't the kind of beginning you wanted to see, either. Sixty-four-year-old Kurt R. Meyers shot to death four innocent people in two quiet towns along the Mohawk River in upstate New York.
From there on, you knew it was going to be ugly, and it was. Since the rampage shooting spree began yesterday at mid-morning, Meyers was holed up in a vacant building on North Main Street in the small town of Herkimer.
(CLICK ON THE HEADLINE TO READ MORE & TO COMMENT) Could the police have apprehended Kurt Meyers? Or did the scenario not fit Cuomo's SAFE Act. scenario?) You decide!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Factbox: Four Dead in Mass Shootings in Quiet Upstate New York Towns of Herkimer, Mohawk - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Four Dead in Mass Shootings in Quiet Upstate New York Towns of Herkimer, Mohawk - Yahoo! News
A 64-year-old man is being sought in the slaying of four people and the wounding of two others in a normally somnolent upstate Herkimer County, N.Y. The shootings, believed to have been carried out with a long rifle, took place in the tiny villages of Herkimer and Mohawk, according to the Associated Press. The situation right now is fluid and developing, but police have cordoned off part of the town where the shooting suspect may be cornered. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a press conference scheduled for this afternoon but this has twice been delayed. The facts so far:
* The shootings began at mid-morning when a man armed with a long gun killed two people and injured two at John's Barber Shop in Mohawk then apparently drove to Gaffney's Fast Lube in nearby Herkimer where the second shootings and two deaths occurred.
(CLICK ON THE HEADLINE TO READ MORE)
A 64-year-old man is being sought in the slaying of four people and the wounding of two others in a normally somnolent upstate Herkimer County, N.Y. The shootings, believed to have been carried out with a long rifle, took place in the tiny villages of Herkimer and Mohawk, according to the Associated Press. The situation right now is fluid and developing, but police have cordoned off part of the town where the shooting suspect may be cornered. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a press conference scheduled for this afternoon but this has twice been delayed. The facts so far:
* The shootings began at mid-morning when a man armed with a long gun killed two people and injured two at John's Barber Shop in Mohawk then apparently drove to Gaffney's Fast Lube in nearby Herkimer where the second shootings and two deaths occurred.
(CLICK ON THE HEADLINE TO READ MORE)
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Factbox: The Steubenville, Ohio, Rape Trial of Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond - Yahoo! News
Factbox: The Steubenville, Ohio, Rape Trial of Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond - Yahoo! News
Adults who work with volatile teens know how quickly events involving them can move from merely fast to wildly out of control. An ABC News story recounts events last week when a group of eight adolescents piled into a stolen vehicle, hurtled along a freeway, and launched themselves upside down into a pond. A tragedy of another type occurred in August in Steubenville, Ohio, when police arrested two teen members of the town's football team for the rape of an allegedly intoxicated 16-year-old girl.
Adults who work with volatile teens know how quickly events involving them can move from merely fast to wildly out of control. An ABC News story recounts events last week when a group of eight adolescents piled into a stolen vehicle, hurtled along a freeway, and launched themselves upside down into a pond. A tragedy of another type occurred in August in Steubenville, Ohio, when police arrested two teen members of the town's football team for the rape of an allegedly intoxicated 16-year-old girl.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Factbox: First Trial of 9-11 Linked Al Qaida Operative in New York Criminal Court - Yahoo! News
Factbox: First Trial of 9-11 Linked Al Qaida Operative in New York Criminal Court - Yahoo! News
The Obama administration, rebuffed in previous attempts to put al Qaida terrorists on trial in New York criminal courts, is trying again. The son-in-law of Osama Bin Laden, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, is in U.S. custody and will be prosecuted under the rules of criminal law in the Southern District of New York. Where previous attempts to try terrorists in criminal court were opposed by Democrats like Chuck Schumer, the senator recently "said it's fine with him if Abu Ghaith is put on trial in New York," according to NBC News.
The Obama administration, rebuffed in previous attempts to put al Qaida terrorists on trial in New York criminal courts, is trying again. The son-in-law of Osama Bin Laden, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, is in U.S. custody and will be prosecuted under the rules of criminal law in the Southern District of New York. Where previous attempts to try terrorists in criminal court were opposed by Democrats like Chuck Schumer, the senator recently "said it's fine with him if Abu Ghaith is put on trial in New York," according to NBC News.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Rand Paul Filibuster Dog & Pony Show or Talk Radio Script
Who are these losers on Twitter who were today and yesterday
so proud of Senator Rand Paul’s 13 hour filibuster yesterday?
Are they delusional?
The occasion for the prolonged Show and Tell was the senate
confirmation hearings for CIA director John Brennan. Even Senator Paul agrees that Brennan will be
confirmed, and that he couldn’t do anything to stop it.
What I like about Senator Rand Paul is that he’s a “regular
guy,” the kind of guy who might change his own flat tire when he’s not out on
the range trying out his new Remington.
But after making a grand show of his opposition to Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s nominee for
Secretary of Defense, Rand reversed himself and voted for Hagel.
Yesterday, he used the occasion of Brennan’s nomination to take
the stage as leader of the Libertarian
so-far-right-they’re-left cheering section. That
enhanced his profile, but it also sucked up much needed oxygen on issues that
really need answers.
But the worst thing about Rand Paul’s filibuster was he
voted for the incompetent Hagel and spent a tremendous amount of energy
opposing the competent Brennan. Brennan escaped
the grilling by Congress without revealing significant details about Benghazi, true,
but supplanting the black hole of Benghazi, something that did happen, with a
hypothetical drone scenario which didn’t happen, is just the sort of thing that
marginalizes.
Besides, doesn’t it worry the tight sneakers “principled”
crowd that Rand Paul’s filibuster was praised by uber-lib Jon Stewart, Left Wing-Ding Van Jones, and actor John
Cusack? Ask Andrea Tantaros , if you don’t
believe me, or check her Twitter TL. And doesn’t it clue anyone in that Ron Wyden
joined with Rand Paul to open up the filibuster?
It should, but then again, these people I’m talking about
are intellectually numb, monomaniac, and born to lose.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Cuomo SAFE Act Doesn’t Shoot Straight - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Cuomo SAFE Act Doesn’t Shoot Straight - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
With his new gun control law, Cuomo seems to have "jumped the shark." That term seems to apply as it is defined in the Urban Dictionary as the point "when something that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality and popularity."
Post-Standard reporter Tim Knauss writes of blowback coming from the 31 New York counties which have passed resolutions calling for repeal of the SAFE Act. If half the counties in a state think their governor has gone too far, he has probably gone too far.
New York already had a 10-round gun magazine limit in place when Cuomo pushed through a seven-round limit. Only a few pistol manufacturers make a seven-round magazine, so passing a law requiring them amounts to a de facto total ban on most firearms.
Under pre-SAFE Act law, New York State residents cannot possess handguns even in their homes without $55.75, fingerprinting, four character references, safety courses, police interviews, and months of delay. The purchase of pistol ammunition also requires a state-issued pistol permit.
With his new gun control law, Cuomo seems to have "jumped the shark." That term seems to apply as it is defined in the Urban Dictionary as the point "when something that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality and popularity."
Post-Standard reporter Tim Knauss writes of blowback coming from the 31 New York counties which have passed resolutions calling for repeal of the SAFE Act. If half the counties in a state think their governor has gone too far, he has probably gone too far.
New York already had a 10-round gun magazine limit in place when Cuomo pushed through a seven-round limit. Only a few pistol manufacturers make a seven-round magazine, so passing a law requiring them amounts to a de facto total ban on most firearms.
Under pre-SAFE Act law, New York State residents cannot possess handguns even in their homes without $55.75, fingerprinting, four character references, safety courses, police interviews, and months of delay. The purchase of pistol ammunition also requires a state-issued pistol permit.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Cuomo Presidential Ambitions Eclipsed by Hillary’s Giant Shadow - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Cuomo Presidential Ambitions Eclipsed by Hillary’s Giant Shadow - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Owing to the proliferation of conventional and social media, political campaigns are unending. Politico's already begun writing about a potential Gov. Andrew Cuomo vs. Hillary Clinton faceoff in the 2016 presidential primary.
So has the New York Times. Cuomo's aspirations are in limbo until Mrs. Clinton makes a decision, leaving the New York governor to focus on reelection in 2014. But that focus on New York State issues may be a sign that Cuomo is resigned to regional rather than national prominence. Cuomo seized upon the Newton tragedy to make the toughest gun laws in the country even tougher. New York State currently requires the registration of all handguns, even those kept at home.
On other fronts, Cuomo has stalled "fracking" in an appeal to the party's left. He hasn't made clear a final position, perhaps keeping that a hole card to play out at the right time. Still, with a political pedigree and deep roots in New York politics, Cuomo is the "man who would be king." Facts indicate that a major obstacle stands in Cuomo's way: Hillary Clinton.
Owing to the proliferation of conventional and social media, political campaigns are unending. Politico's already begun writing about a potential Gov. Andrew Cuomo vs. Hillary Clinton faceoff in the 2016 presidential primary.
So has the New York Times. Cuomo's aspirations are in limbo until Mrs. Clinton makes a decision, leaving the New York governor to focus on reelection in 2014. But that focus on New York State issues may be a sign that Cuomo is resigned to regional rather than national prominence. Cuomo seized upon the Newton tragedy to make the toughest gun laws in the country even tougher. New York State currently requires the registration of all handguns, even those kept at home.
On other fronts, Cuomo has stalled "fracking" in an appeal to the party's left. He hasn't made clear a final position, perhaps keeping that a hole card to play out at the right time. Still, with a political pedigree and deep roots in New York politics, Cuomo is the "man who would be king." Facts indicate that a major obstacle stands in Cuomo's way: Hillary Clinton.
Pro-Gun Rally Hits Cuomo - WSJ.com
Pro-Gun Rally Hits Cuomo - WSJ.com
Another anti-Cuomo rally is set for Albany today. The extreme position Gov. Cuomo has taken on gun control could sink his 2016 dreams as more Democrats plead for a moderate Democrat to represent them nationally.
Another anti-Cuomo rally is set for Albany today. The extreme position Gov. Cuomo has taken on gun control could sink his 2016 dreams as more Democrats plead for a moderate Democrat to represent them nationally.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Put Blue-Collar Workers on Endangered Species List in Upstate New York - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Put Blue-Collar Workers on Endangered Species List in Upstate New York - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Put Blue-Collar Workers on Endangered Species List in Upstate New York
‘Blade Runner’ Defense Attorney Put Cops on Trial to Free Pistorius - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
‘Blade Runner’ Defense Attorney Put Cops on Trial to Free Pistorius - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
A third strike by the defense and the legendary runner will be able to resume life as the hero who triumphed over impossible odds to secure a berth in sports history. The first line of The Guardian account spelled trouble for the case in general, as it sub-headlined "lead detective taken off case after attempted murder charges."
A third strike by the defense and the legendary runner will be able to resume life as the hero who triumphed over impossible odds to secure a berth in sports history. The first line of The Guardian account spelled trouble for the case in general, as it sub-headlined "lead detective taken off case after attempted murder charges."
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Cuomo’s ‘Pension Smoothing’ Just Another Name for ‘Vote Hustling’ - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Cuomo’s ‘Pension Smoothing’ Just Another Name for ‘Vote Hustling’ - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Cuomo's plan is to lower worker contributions to the pension and to mandate a standard contribution rate across the entire state. This upends local control and responsibility, but that seems to be the point. Cuomo says his plan will balance over a 25-year period of economic ups and downs, but if it doesn't, then who will be around 25 years from now to complain about it?
Miner correctly points out that the uniform contributions are not a cure-all for the state's pension and benefit debt. Cuomo's uniform contribution rate plan is much like Social Security's FICA tax, also uniform, also spread over eons of time, and we all know how that's working out.
Cuomo's plan is to lower worker contributions to the pension and to mandate a standard contribution rate across the entire state. This upends local control and responsibility, but that seems to be the point. Cuomo says his plan will balance over a 25-year period of economic ups and downs, but if it doesn't, then who will be around 25 years from now to complain about it?
Miner correctly points out that the uniform contributions are not a cure-all for the state's pension and benefit debt. Cuomo's uniform contribution rate plan is much like Social Security's FICA tax, also uniform, also spread over eons of time, and we all know how that's working out.
Factbox: Similar Facts, Different Conclusions in Death of Reeva Steenkamp - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Similar Facts, Different Conclusions in Death of Reeva Steenkamp - Yahoo! News
What is the prosecution version of events?
The prosecutor's version is that Steenkamp fled to the bathroom in fear, that Pistorius put on his prosthetic legs, marched to the toilet where Steenkamp was hiding, and fired the fatal shots through the door. The prosecutor's "premeditation" case is atypical, in that the only planning and deliberation involved occurred in the bedroom.
Pistorius allegedly decided to kill Steenkamp just before he "walk(ed) seven meters" across the bedroom with his gun, and fired into the small locked toilet room.
"Why would a burglar lock himself into a toilet?" prosecutor Gerrie Nel was quoted as saying in the New York Times article.
What is the prosecution version of events?
The prosecutor's version is that Steenkamp fled to the bathroom in fear, that Pistorius put on his prosthetic legs, marched to the toilet where Steenkamp was hiding, and fired the fatal shots through the door. The prosecutor's "premeditation" case is atypical, in that the only planning and deliberation involved occurred in the bedroom.
Pistorius allegedly decided to kill Steenkamp just before he "walk(ed) seven meters" across the bedroom with his gun, and fired into the small locked toilet room.
"Why would a burglar lock himself into a toilet?" prosecutor Gerrie Nel was quoted as saying in the New York Times article.
Factbox: Similar Facts, Different Conclusions in Death of Reeva Steenkamp - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Similar Facts, Different Conclusions in Death of Reeva Steenkamp - Yahoo! News
What is the prosecution version of events?
The prosecutor's version is that Steenkamp fled to the bathroom in fear, that Pistorius put on his prosthetic legs, marched to the toilet where Steenkamp was hiding, and fired the fatal shots through the door. The prosecutor's "premeditation" case is atypical, in that the only planning and deliberation involved occurred in the bedroom.
Pistorius allegedly decided to kill Steenkamp just before he "walk(ed) seven meters" across the bedroom with his gun, and fired into the small locked toilet room.
"Why would a burglar lock himself into a toilet?" prosecutor Gerrie Nel was quoted as saying in the New York Times article.
What is the prosecution version of events?
The prosecutor's version is that Steenkamp fled to the bathroom in fear, that Pistorius put on his prosthetic legs, marched to the toilet where Steenkamp was hiding, and fired the fatal shots through the door. The prosecutor's "premeditation" case is atypical, in that the only planning and deliberation involved occurred in the bedroom.
Pistorius allegedly decided to kill Steenkamp just before he "walk(ed) seven meters" across the bedroom with his gun, and fired into the small locked toilet room.
"Why would a burglar lock himself into a toilet?" prosecutor Gerrie Nel was quoted as saying in the New York Times article.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Dead or Alive, Chris Dorner Haunts the American Psyche - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Dead or Alive, Chris Dorner Haunts the American Psyche - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
AlterNet carries an account of the intentional burning scenario largely consistent with others of its type. A YouTube audio carries scanner audio of police communications regarding remote-operated vehicles, "blood spatter" inside the cabin, and snippets of reference to a "plan."
"We're going forward with the plan…like we talked about," someone says on the scanner audio," followed by "burners deployed, and we have a fire."
How much the scanner audio points to any one conclusion is a matter of interpretation. San Bernardino Sheriff John McMahon, seen in this YouTube video, disputes that police intentionally burned the cabin.
"We did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner out," he said.
AlterNet carries an account of the intentional burning scenario largely consistent with others of its type. A YouTube audio carries scanner audio of police communications regarding remote-operated vehicles, "blood spatter" inside the cabin, and snippets of reference to a "plan."
"We're going forward with the plan…like we talked about," someone says on the scanner audio," followed by "burners deployed, and we have a fire."
How much the scanner audio points to any one conclusion is a matter of interpretation. San Bernardino Sheriff John McMahon, seen in this YouTube video, disputes that police intentionally burned the cabin.
"We did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner out," he said.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Jury Should Explain How it Arrived at ‘Murder Two’ in Figoski Killing - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Jury Should Explain How it Arrived at ‘Murder Two’ in Figoski Killing - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Here's what happened, according to a New York Daily News account, when a crew planned to rob a drug dealer in the basement of a Brooklyn apartment building.
One of people who lived there heard the ruckus and called police. While trying to escape, Pride says he collided with Figoski, stumbled, and accidentally fired a round into Figoski's face.
Prosecutors tend not to believe in the miraculous, even less when suspect has a lengthy criminal record. But a first-degree murder conviction depended on what the jury believed. The jury of 10 men and two women ruled out first-degree murder.
You have to marvel at the jurors' love of fantasy. They wanted to pretend Pride didn't know how his gun worked.
A Daily News report says that Pride's accomplice, Ariel Tejada, testified he had "racked" the pistol before entering the basement. Tejada's testimony shows an awareness of intent and a familiarity with handguns. "Racking" meant operating the pistol slide to move a bullet from the magazine to the gun's chamber. You can learn at least that much from listening to gangster rap.
Here's what happened, according to a New York Daily News account, when a crew planned to rob a drug dealer in the basement of a Brooklyn apartment building.
One of people who lived there heard the ruckus and called police. While trying to escape, Pride says he collided with Figoski, stumbled, and accidentally fired a round into Figoski's face.
Prosecutors tend not to believe in the miraculous, even less when suspect has a lengthy criminal record. But a first-degree murder conviction depended on what the jury believed. The jury of 10 men and two women ruled out first-degree murder.
You have to marvel at the jurors' love of fantasy. They wanted to pretend Pride didn't know how his gun worked.
A Daily News report says that Pride's accomplice, Ariel Tejada, testified he had "racked" the pistol before entering the basement. Tejada's testimony shows an awareness of intent and a familiarity with handguns. "Racking" meant operating the pistol slide to move a bullet from the magazine to the gun's chamber. You can learn at least that much from listening to gangster rap.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Factbox: Tesla CEO Elon Musk vs. New York Times Car Review - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Tesla CEO Elon Musk vs. New York Times Car Review - Yahoo! News
The Great Electric Car Challenge is about to begin, as the New York Times reports that the Tesla-S model it test drove didn't live up to its advertising in cold weather. The conclusion drawn by car expert John Broder didn't sit well with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who claimed the newspaper's auto reviewer had "faked" the test. The looming question is whether electric cars will work in the cold northeast. Broner planned to drive from Washington to Boston, but claimed he had to stop at a Dunkin' Donuts to warm his hands and be towed to a charging station. Let's look at some of the facts of this budding public brouhaha:
The Great Electric Car Challenge is about to begin, as the New York Times reports that the Tesla-S model it test drove didn't live up to its advertising in cold weather. The conclusion drawn by car expert John Broder didn't sit well with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who claimed the newspaper's auto reviewer had "faked" the test. The looming question is whether electric cars will work in the cold northeast. Broner planned to drive from Washington to Boston, but claimed he had to stop at a Dunkin' Donuts to warm his hands and be towed to a charging station. Let's look at some of the facts of this budding public brouhaha:
Monday, February 11, 2013
Dorner Case Tests the LAPD - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Dorner Case Tests the LAPD - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
A photo of a bullet-riddled truck accompanying a story in the Los Angeles Times shows how badly things went wrong. The two women were delivering newspapers in the early morning hours when their pickup truck was mistaken for that of the fugitive.
Jittery police opened fire. Bullet entry holes in the back of the blue truck lead to a single conclusion. It will be nearly impossible to make that mistake right no matter what extenuating circumstances investigators find.
A photo of a bullet-riddled truck accompanying a story in the Los Angeles Times shows how badly things went wrong. The two women were delivering newspapers in the early morning hours when their pickup truck was mistaken for that of the fugitive.
Jittery police opened fire. Bullet entry holes in the back of the blue truck lead to a single conclusion. It will be nearly impossible to make that mistake right no matter what extenuating circumstances investigators find.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Factbox: Suspected Cop-killer Christopher Dorner Boasts of Tactical Superiority - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Suspected Cop-killer Christopher Dorner Boasts of Tactical Superiority - Yahoo! News
Suspected Los Angeles cop-killer Christopher Dorner doesn't fit the media profile of a crazed murderer. He's a former police officer, an honorably discharged officer in the Naval Reserve, and a man with grievances against the Los Angeles Police Department. Dorner's lengthy manifesto was posted with named individuals on the site Crimes, Guns, and Videotape. While it reads like a resume of martial skills, it is also a political diatribe. Dorner's ramblings exhibit media-consciousness, a sense of persecution, and a liberal political philosophy. Dorner's "manifesto" is a touchy-feely justification for indiscriminate murder. The facts to date are chilling:
Suspected Los Angeles cop-killer Christopher Dorner doesn't fit the media profile of a crazed murderer. He's a former police officer, an honorably discharged officer in the Naval Reserve, and a man with grievances against the Los Angeles Police Department. Dorner's lengthy manifesto was posted with named individuals on the site Crimes, Guns, and Videotape. While it reads like a resume of martial skills, it is also a political diatribe. Dorner's ramblings exhibit media-consciousness, a sense of persecution, and a liberal political philosophy. Dorner's "manifesto" is a touchy-feely justification for indiscriminate murder. The facts to date are chilling:
What Set Dorner Off?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Due Process Laws Don't Apply to Battlefield Situations - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Due Process Laws Don't Apply to Battlefield Situations - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
By this writing, I hereby bequeath to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) the legal authority to strike me down with a Predator drone should I ever become a "senior operational leader of Al Qaida" or "its associated forces."
I don't believe constitutional due process laws apply to battlefield situations, whether the president is named George Bush or Barack Obama.
By this writing, I hereby bequeath to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) the legal authority to strike me down with a Predator drone should I ever become a "senior operational leader of Al Qaida" or "its associated forces."
I don't believe constitutional due process laws apply to battlefield situations, whether the president is named George Bush or Barack Obama.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Factbox: Advanced Speculation on 2014 New York City Mayor’s Race - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Advanced Speculation on 2014 New York City Mayor’s Race - Yahoo! News
* New York Magazine analyzed Public Advocate Bill De Blasio's chances of defeating Quinn in the Democratic primary but NPR host Scott Simon wondered if "his family life has gotten more attention than maybe he wanted," the reason being his wife's "I am a Lesbian" treatise from the 1970s, reported in the New York Post.
* New York Magazine analyzed Public Advocate Bill De Blasio's chances of defeating Quinn in the Democratic primary but NPR host Scott Simon wondered if "his family life has gotten more attention than maybe he wanted," the reason being his wife's "I am a Lesbian" treatise from the 1970s, reported in the New York Post.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Factbox: New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez Claims He’s the Target of a ‘Right-Wing Blog’ - Yahoo! News
Factbox: New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez Claims He’s the Target of a ‘Right-Wing Blog’ - Yahoo! News
* The Newark Star-Ledger today published a quote purportedly taken from a now 19-year-old woman: "I was underage when I met him (Menendez). But I can't say for sure whether he knew it or not. I don't know if he was aware of that, but he can't say I'm not telling the truth. He does know I had sex with him being very young and that's a fact he can't deny."
Hit the Headline to read more...
* The Newark Star-Ledger today published a quote purportedly taken from a now 19-year-old woman: "I was underage when I met him (Menendez). But I can't say for sure whether he knew it or not. I don't know if he was aware of that, but he can't say I'm not telling the truth. He does know I had sex with him being very young and that's a fact he can't deny."
Hit the Headline to read more...
Sen. Bob Menendez Shouldn’t Take Foreign Relations Too Literally - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Sen. Bob Menendez Shouldn’t Take Foreign Relations Too Literally - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
COMMENTARY |The major networks appear silent on allegations of sexual misconduct levied against Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey. Websites and blogs like Twitchy are going full speed ahead, however, and The Daily Caller appears angry at the smug hypocrisy of a powerful senator expected to be elevated the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Political scandals are endemic on both sides of the aisle and the unfortunate thing is that we have come to expect them. The Rep. Anthony Weiner scandal, covered by ABC News, revealed a married congressman who couldn't resist emailing revealing photos of himself to women he wanted desperately to impress. Former Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. was disgraced when he betrayed a friendship for a love tryst, as reported by ABC News.
Some Europeans may call American condemnation of sex tourism as an excess of Puritan zeal, but what Americans resent most is the abuse of power. We expect our privileged leaders to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, and to spend their time and our resources doing the people's business.
COMMENTARY |The major networks appear silent on allegations of sexual misconduct levied against Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey. Websites and blogs like Twitchy are going full speed ahead, however, and The Daily Caller appears angry at the smug hypocrisy of a powerful senator expected to be elevated the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Political scandals are endemic on both sides of the aisle and the unfortunate thing is that we have come to expect them. The Rep. Anthony Weiner scandal, covered by ABC News, revealed a married congressman who couldn't resist emailing revealing photos of himself to women he wanted desperately to impress. Former Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. was disgraced when he betrayed a friendship for a love tryst, as reported by ABC News.
Some Europeans may call American condemnation of sex tourism as an excess of Puritan zeal, but what Americans resent most is the abuse of power. We expect our privileged leaders to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, and to spend their time and our resources doing the people's business.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Factbox: New York’s Catholic Gov. Cuomo Faces Abortion Dilemma - Yahoo! News
Factbox: New York’s Catholic Gov. Cuomo Faces Abortion Dilemma - Yahoo! News
* A chart by the Guttmacher Institute comparing the number of New York State abortions to national averages over the period 1991 to 2008 shows that abortions in New York State are nearly double the national average.
* A chart by the Guttmacher Institute comparing the number of New York State abortions to national averages over the period 1991 to 2008 shows that abortions in New York State are nearly double the national average.
* A chart of the latest available figures from the Center for Disease Control shows also that New York State leads the nation in abortions and also that 4.1 percent of New York abortions were performed for out-of-state residents.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Dirty Harry Can’t Be by Your Side at All Times - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Dirty Harry Can’t Be by Your Side at All Times - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
The New York Daily News reporters now covering the trial strained to justify New York's anti-gun crusaders, attributing the killing to "what's become a scourge of the city -- an illegal handgun."
Swoon! Is it news that thugs with long rap sheets carry illegal guns? Aren't they the ones law-abiding gun owners and cops need to protect themselves from? What cop ever had to worry about being gunned down by Wayne LaPierre of the NRA?
The New York Daily News reporters now covering the trial strained to justify New York's anti-gun crusaders, attributing the killing to "what's become a scourge of the city -- an illegal handgun."
Swoon! Is it news that thugs with long rap sheets carry illegal guns? Aren't they the ones law-abiding gun owners and cops need to protect themselves from? What cop ever had to worry about being gunned down by Wayne LaPierre of the NRA?
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Factbox: 1000-Plus Jobs at Remington Could Exit New York - Yahoo! News
Factbox: 1000-Plus Jobs at Remington Could Exit New York - Yahoo! News
When deranged post-adolescent Adam Lanza grabbed his mom's guns and massacred innocent school children in Newtown, Conn., New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blamed the weapons used in the murders, and pushed new gun legislation through the assembly. An AR-15 brought to the school by Lanza was like the ones manufactured at the Ilion, N.Y., Remington factory. Not all politicians blamed the weapon, and some had other concerns. State Sen. James Seward worried about the loss of more than 1,000 jobs in upstate Herkimer County. New gun legislation in a state which already has the toughest gun laws in the nation could hurt a state which suffers 8.2 percent unemployment. Consider some facts:
When deranged post-adolescent Adam Lanza grabbed his mom's guns and massacred innocent school children in Newtown, Conn., New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blamed the weapons used in the murders, and pushed new gun legislation through the assembly. An AR-15 brought to the school by Lanza was like the ones manufactured at the Ilion, N.Y., Remington factory. Not all politicians blamed the weapon, and some had other concerns. State Sen. James Seward worried about the loss of more than 1,000 jobs in upstate Herkimer County. New gun legislation in a state which already has the toughest gun laws in the nation could hurt a state which suffers 8.2 percent unemployment. Consider some facts:
Monday, January 21, 2013
Factbox: Algerian Oil Field Attacks Mark Resurgence of Islamic Terror - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Algerian Oil Field Attacks Mark Resurgence of Islamic Terror - Yahoo! News
Strange to American thinking is that the British-based private security firm Stirling Group was employed to provide security at the facility but its employees are unarmed due to policies of the Algerian government, reports The Telegraph.
Strange to American thinking is that the British-based private security firm Stirling Group was employed to provide security at the facility but its employees are unarmed due to policies of the Algerian government, reports The Telegraph.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Fire Investigators have Right to Protect Themselves - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Fire Investigators have Right to Protect Themselves - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
It's pretty bad when things have sunk to this level, but what can you do? New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Milner, and members of the state legislature can't make up their minds whether the Syracuse fire cops are carrying concealed handguns legally-- or not.
It's pretty bad when things have sunk to this level, but what can you do? New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Milner, and members of the state legislature can't make up their minds whether the Syracuse fire cops are carrying concealed handguns legally-- or not.
Factbox: Discovering Mali, the Hard Way - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Discovering Mali, the Hard Way - Yahoo! News
The French are frequently satirized in the U.S. as being pacifist and compromising, but this is not so. At least they didn't feel the need to get U.N. permission to conduct bombing raids northern Mali over the weekend, reported by CNN and an Associated Press article posted on the NPR web site.
The French are frequently satirized in the U.S. as being pacifist and compromising, but this is not so. At least they didn't feel the need to get U.N. permission to conduct bombing raids northern Mali over the weekend, reported by CNN and an Associated Press article posted on the NPR web site.
The Obama administration voiced support for the French action but national security spokesman Tommy Vietor sounded a cautious note in a statement to The Hill:
"We are monitoring the situation closely. "We have noted that the government of Mali has asked for support, and we share the French goal of denying terrorists a safe haven in the region," Vietor is quoted.
"We are monitoring the situation closely. "We have noted that the government of Mali has asked for support, and we share the French goal of denying terrorists a safe haven in the region," Vietor is quoted.
Let's look at some facts regarding this recent eruption of fresh conflict in Africa:
Friday, January 11, 2013
Let’s Train Educator-Security Guards for the Schools - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Let’s Train Educator-Security Guards for the Schools - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
It seems as if anti-gun jack-in-box progressives in the Obama administration were waiting for a tragedy like Newtown to spring from hiding. A great deal of political positioning followed the massacre, and heated political rhetoric soon unleashed a groundswell of hysterical reaction.
(Hit the Headline to read more)
It seems as if anti-gun jack-in-box progressives in the Obama administration were waiting for a tragedy like Newtown to spring from hiding. A great deal of political positioning followed the massacre, and heated political rhetoric soon unleashed a groundswell of hysterical reaction.
(Hit the Headline to read more)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Factbox: Living in a Gangsta’s Paradise - Yahoo! News
Factbox: Living in a Gangsta’s Paradise - Yahoo! News
* HIPHOPWIRED acknowledges that, in gangland, it doesn't take too long to go from quick to dead as shown by Atlanta rapper Yung Teddy who tweeted "N****S WANNA SEE ME DEAD" just 2 1/2 hours before his corpse was found in the house where he lived.
* HIPHOPWIRED acknowledges that, in gangland, it doesn't take too long to go from quick to dead as shown by Atlanta rapper Yung Teddy who tweeted "N****S WANNA SEE ME DEAD" just 2 1/2 hours before his corpse was found in the house where he lived.
* The Columbian hip-hop artist known as "El Duke" conveyed an anti-violence message that may have got him killed and caused "60 musicians linked to him…to flee Medellin," according to the Christian Science Monitor.
* NBC reports that Detroit, once known as the "Murder Capital," broke through its old previous 40-year homicide rate in 2012 with the stabbing death of an 8-year-old girl and the shooting of a cab driver.
Friday, January 4, 2013
For Anti-Gun Crusading ‘The Journal News,’ Hypocrisy Accusation is Inescapable - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
For Anti-Gun Crusading ‘The Journal News,’ Hypocrisy Accusation is Inescapable - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Publication of the gun owner database seems not to have a point other than to bolster the Gannett stock price (GCI).
Things I have heard about a "point" center on neighbors not allowing children to play in the homes of people permitted to own handguns. But far more powerful rifles, capable of penetrating walls and with a range measured in miles, are not on the list.
So much for the argument that the newspaper was protecting anyone
Publication of the gun owner database seems not to have a point other than to bolster the Gannett stock price (GCI).
Things I have heard about a "point" center on neighbors not allowing children to play in the homes of people permitted to own handguns. But far more powerful rifles, capable of penetrating walls and with a range measured in miles, are not on the list.
So much for the argument that the newspaper was protecting anyone
Factbox: Impact of Hurricane Sandy Roils Political and Economic Waters - Yahoo! News
If there's anything high-profile New York politicians have in common these days, it's outrage over the costs of Superstorm Sandy. Messrs. Schumer, Cuomo, King and others have levied blistering attacks on Congress for delaying a vote on the Sandy package. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie directed an ad hominem attack on House Speaker John Boehner, who confronted "fiscal cliff" issues while delaying the Sandy relief bill. The Congress today takes on the $9 billion FEMA replenishment part of the bill. On Jan. 15, it will take up an additional $51 billion package with contents largely unknown. Let's look at some facts:
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Gov. Chris Christie Got Off Subway at the Wrong Stop - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Gov. Chris Christie Got Off Subway at the Wrong Stop - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
We're not in Kansas anymore. Neither are the people left homeless and about to be evicted from their FEMA-paid Super 8 housing in Brooklyn, reported in the New York Daily News.
We're not in Kansas anymore. Neither are the people left homeless and about to be evicted from their FEMA-paid Super 8 housing in Brooklyn, reported in the New York Daily News.