Saturday, May 7, 2011
Paul McCartney Engaged to Nancy Shevell
Paul McCartney is engaged to his Nancy Shevell. The couple have been dating for four years. People says the pair met in the Hamptons in the summer of 2007. People
also says a source told them McCartney's daughter Stella is "thrilled
for her father." It will be McCartney's third marriage when he ties the
knot. Take a look:
ALG: Rising Unemployment, Inflation, Slow Growth Threaten U.S. Recovery
May 6th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement on the increase in measured unemployment from 8.8 percent to 9 percent by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
“The bad economic news just keeps rolling
in. With unemployment once again rising, this time to 9 percent, it
is clear that the so-called Obama ‘recovery’ is a myth. The Bureau
reports unemployment increased by 205,000 in March alone. As the
so-called ‘stimulus’ and QE2 runs out this year, we expect more job
losses will follow, particularly in the public sector, which shed
24,000 jobs last month.
“If the recession had been allowed to run
its course to begin with, the economy would have naturally found its
bottom, and resources would have necessarily been reallocated out of
the public sector with greater speed. We’d already be in recovery.
“Instead, the federal government has seen fit to spend, borrow, and print more than $2.4 trillion to prop up the economy
and save government ‘jobs’ that, in the end, could not be saved. The
nation desperately needs a private sector recovery, but that will
continue to remain elusive so long as government sucks up $2 trillion of
resources a year to borrow at unsustainable levels. Instead of
lending the government $2 trillion a year, the financial sector could
be investing that money as equity, creating millions of jobs.
“As a result of these failed policies, growth slowed down to 1.8 percent in the first quarter, and inflation is up over the past year, with producer prices up 5.8 percent and consumer prices up 2.7 percent. Making matters worse, home prices are again on the decline as foreclosures rose 6.53 percent in March.
“The economy is in troubled waters, and
Jimmy Carter stagflation is once again here. Until the government gets
its spending under control, and removes unnecessary obstacles to
capital formation, it will be impossible to conclude that the Obama
‘stimulus’ has been anything but a complete failure.”
Permalink here.
Pure Thuggery
By Howard Rich
For the organized labor movement in America, desperate times apparently call for desperate measures.
With private sector unions continuing to lose favor in the marketplace and public sector unions facing fresh scrutiny from cash-strapped state governments, organized labor finds itself at a crossroads. Even though its coffers have been replenishe d thanks to a steady infusion of borrowed government money, labor’s future is far from certain — and the fear within the ranks of union leaders is palpable.
In an effort to regain the offensive, union sycophants on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have fired a shot ac ross the bow of the American free market.
Last month, the NLRB alleged that aircraft manufacturer Boeing’s decision to locate a new manufacturing facility in South Carolina (as opposed to Washington State) constituted an illegal retaliation against striking union workers. That claim is laughable — particularly in light of the fact that Boeing has added 2,000 new union jobs in Washington State since announcing its South Carolina decision.
Of course this complaint isn’t about law or logic — it is about repaying a political debt, at least in the short-term.
Get full story here.
For the organized labor movement in America, desperate times apparently call for desperate measures.
With private sector unions continuing to lose favor in the marketplace and public sector unions facing fresh scrutiny from cash-strapped state governments, organized labor finds itself at a crossroads. Even though its coffers have been replenishe d thanks to a steady infusion of borrowed government money, labor’s future is far from certain — and the fear within the ranks of union leaders is palpable.
In an effort to regain the offensive, union sycophants on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have fired a shot ac ross the bow of the American free market.
Last month, the NLRB alleged that aircraft manufacturer Boeing’s decision to locate a new manufacturing facility in South Carolina (as opposed to Washington State) constituted an illegal retaliation against striking union workers. That claim is laughable — particularly in light of the fact that Boeing has added 2,000 new union jobs in Washington State since announcing its South Carolina decision.
Of course this complaint isn’t about law or logic — it is about repaying a political debt, at least in the short-term.
Get full story here.
Tax the rich, Feed the poor, ‘Til there are No rich no more
By Rick Manning
When you filed your taxes this year, did you get a refund larger than the amount the government withheld from your paycheck?
If you were one of the 23.1 million tax filers who benefitted from federal government share-the-wealth schemes like the Earned Income Tax Credit, you were effectively put on welfare according to the Congressional Joint Tax Committee.
An incredible 15.5 million of these tax filers actually received more money in a refund than was paid in by either themselves or their employers through various payroll taxes.
These working Americans did not ask for a welfare handout, but the tax code is written to pay extra money to people who federal lawmakers have determined don’t make enough money on their own. In doing so, the federal government has created a whole new welfare class, a working welfare class.
Is it any wonder that John McKinnon reported in the Wall Street Journal, that the percentage of U.S. households owing no federal income tax climbed to 51 percent for 2009?
That’s right. A majority of U.S. households don’t pay any income tax. Is it any wonder why the mantra of taxing the rich has become the rallying cry of the left, and middle class tax cuts now means expanding the number of people who don’t have a stake in the cost of government?
Get full story here.
When you filed your taxes this year, did you get a refund larger than the amount the government withheld from your paycheck?
If you were one of the 23.1 million tax filers who benefitted from federal government share-the-wealth schemes like the Earned Income Tax Credit, you were effectively put on welfare according to the Congressional Joint Tax Committee.
An incredible 15.5 million of these tax filers actually received more money in a refund than was paid in by either themselves or their employers through various payroll taxes.
These working Americans did not ask for a welfare handout, but the tax code is written to pay extra money to people who federal lawmakers have determined don’t make enough money on their own. In doing so, the federal government has created a whole new welfare class, a working welfare class.
Is it any wonder that John McKinnon reported in the Wall Street Journal, that the percentage of U.S. households owing no federal income tax climbed to 51 percent for 2009?
That’s right. A majority of U.S. households don’t pay any income tax. Is it any wonder why the mantra of taxing the rich has become the rallying cry of the left, and middle class tax cuts now means expanding the number of people who don’t have a stake in the cost of government?
Get full story here.
Tom Davis’ Prophecy
By Robert Romano
It was a telling moment in America’s political discourse. It hinted at how Republicans might govern should they reclaim a majority in one or both houses of Congress in 2010. “We need to capture this lightning in a bottle,” former Virginia Republican Congressman Tom Davis said of the tea party movement in 2009. Tellingly, he added, “But you can’t let them run the show”.
It was a prophecy. Thanks to the tea party, Republicans won the 2010 elections and won a majority in the House of Representatives. So, the lightning was captured in a bottle. And, the tea party is most certainly not running the show — especially when it comes to restoring order to the nation’s fiscal house.
How else to explain the failure of House Republicans to cut $100 billion in 2011 as promised in the Pledge to America? Or their 2012 financial plan that does not contemplate a balanced budget for the next 26 years? Or the fact that although the nation faces a $1.645 trillion budget deficit this year alone, the 2012 budget will only cut $111 billion from outlays.
Their only claim to reducing the $14.3 trillion national debt is as a measly percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) until 2037, when the nation would finally be in a position to begin paying it off. Until then the debt will still rise every year to $22 trillion by 2021 likely — even if they get everything they want.
Get full story here.
It was a telling moment in America’s political discourse. It hinted at how Republicans might govern should they reclaim a majority in one or both houses of Congress in 2010. “We need to capture this lightning in a bottle,” former Virginia Republican Congressman Tom Davis said of the tea party movement in 2009. Tellingly, he added, “But you can’t let them run the show”.
It was a prophecy. Thanks to the tea party, Republicans won the 2010 elections and won a majority in the House of Representatives. So, the lightning was captured in a bottle. And, the tea party is most certainly not running the show — especially when it comes to restoring order to the nation’s fiscal house.
How else to explain the failure of House Republicans to cut $100 billion in 2011 as promised in the Pledge to America? Or their 2012 financial plan that does not contemplate a balanced budget for the next 26 years? Or the fact that although the nation faces a $1.645 trillion budget deficit this year alone, the 2012 budget will only cut $111 billion from outlays.
Their only claim to reducing the $14.3 trillion national debt is as a measly percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) until 2037, when the nation would finally be in a position to begin paying it off. Until then the debt will still rise every year to $22 trillion by 2021 likely — even if they get everything they want.
Get full story here.
Drones strike kills 17
MIRANSHAH (Agencies): US drones fired a salvo of missiles into a
compound in North Waziristan on Friday, killing 17 suspected militants,
local security officials said.”A compound and a vehicle were targeted by
US drones in Vatoi village of the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan
killing 17 militants,” a senior Pakistani security official said on
condition of anonymity.A drone had fired rockets on a hotel and vehicles
in the Datakhel area of North Waziristan. Official sources confirmed
that a hotel and vehicle were targeted in the drone strike, while local
sources said that six of the rockets had been fired at a religious
seminary.Datta Khel lies 35 kilometres west of here and about 450
kilometres by road from Abbottabad where bin Laden was found and
killed.”Eight missiles were fired on the targets located close to each
other,” he said, adding that four other suspected militants were
wounded.The attack came just four days after US commandos shot dead
Osama bin Laden.The area has been targeted by several drone strikes and
is a stronghold of militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadar, considered
close to the a-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network with whom US officials have
accused Pakistani spies of ties.
U.S. Food Stamp Use
According to the Wall Street Journal, about 1 in 7 in the U.S. receive food stamps. There are 44.2 million Americans receiving food-stamps. The Walls Street Journal created a map of food stamp usage from the U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Breaking down the data by state, it shows how many people in each state receive food stamps. In Mississippi and Oregon at least one in five residents are receiving benefits. Wyoming has the lowest rate of recipients of about 6.6%.
To see the map, click here.
Source: Google Maps Mania; Wall Street Journal
Free Redbox Rental for Thursday May 12th
Redbox is offering a FREE movie rental for Redbox Facebook Fans for Thursday May 12th for Redbox Facebook Fans. You’ll need to head over there now & “like” the Facebook Fan page. Then you will get the FREE movie rental code for May 12th – you’ll probably need to write it down somewhere to remember it or print it off.
Thanks Couponing to Disney!
Golf Legend Seve Ballesteros Loses Battle With Brain Cancer
A genius, on the other hand, does things that others cannot even imagine.
Seve Ballesteros, who passed away early this morning, was a true genius, revelling in doing things that others believed couldn’t be done. Revelling. You couldn’t help but see just how much he enjoyed doing what he did; his enthusiasm and passion were of epidemic proportions, infecting all in any sort of proximity, even via television.
It wasn’t enough for him that he was the youngest to win the Open for over eight decades. It wasn’t enough for him to be the first (and second) European to win the Masters. It wasn’t enough for him to be part of the first European team to win the Ryder Cup on American soil.
Such records are there to be beaten. And they will be beaten. They’re not what defined Seve.
What defined Seve was his supreme talent and his effervescent personality, a combination that ensured he kept doing things others could not imagine, as in the examples below. Others drove cars in and out of car parks. Seve drove golf balls in and out of car parks. Others went down on their knees, enslaved by the game. He went down on his knees to show his mastery of the game. Others played for the tiger line. He moved the tiger line to places it had never been.
2 US Muslims Removed from Airplane After Clearing Security
Two U.S. Muslim men wearing traditional clothing were removed from an
airplane on Friday after the pilot refused to fly them even though they
had cleared security.
The incident occurred at the airport in the southern city of Memphis, Tennessee, as the two Muslims were set to fly to a conference on prejudice against Muslims in the southern city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The pilot on the regional air carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines had started to taxi away from the gate when he changed his mind and returned to the terminal.
One of the Muslims, Masudur Rahman, a professor of Arabic at the University of Memphis, said the unidentified pilot told him that "I'm not going to take you." Rahman quoted the pilot as saying that some passengers "might be upset or uncomfortable" if he and the other Muslim, Mohamed Zaghloul, were on the flight.
The U.S. government agency that handles airport security (the Transportation Security Administration) confirmed the men were removed by the airline. The agency said it had screened the Muslims and they were cleared to fly.
Atlantic Southeast operates flights for a much larger U.S. carrier, Delta Air Lines. After the men were taken off the flight, Atlantic Southeast apologized to them and said it was investigating the incident. The men were offered compensation and Delta transferred them to another flight.
The incident occurred at the airport in the southern city of Memphis, Tennessee, as the two Muslims were set to fly to a conference on prejudice against Muslims in the southern city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The pilot on the regional air carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines had started to taxi away from the gate when he changed his mind and returned to the terminal.
One of the Muslims, Masudur Rahman, a professor of Arabic at the University of Memphis, said the unidentified pilot told him that "I'm not going to take you." Rahman quoted the pilot as saying that some passengers "might be upset or uncomfortable" if he and the other Muslim, Mohamed Zaghloul, were on the flight.
The U.S. government agency that handles airport security (the Transportation Security Administration) confirmed the men were removed by the airline. The agency said it had screened the Muslims and they were cleared to fly.
Atlantic Southeast operates flights for a much larger U.S. carrier, Delta Air Lines. After the men were taken off the flight, Atlantic Southeast apologized to them and said it was investigating the incident. The men were offered compensation and Delta transferred them to another flight.
Gaddafi disguises military helicopters with Red Cross emblems to attack rebels
Libyan rebels have accused the forces of Libyan strongman Muammar
Gaddafi of using helicopters bearing the Red Cross emblem to drop
mines into the harbour of the besieged city Misrata.
NATO confirmed that helicopters had flown over the city on Thursday in breach of the no-fly zone its war planes are supposed to enforce, but it could not confirm that the choppers were marked with the Red Cross sign.
Suleiman Fortiya, who represents Misrata on the Benghazi-based opposition National Transitional Council said small helicopters flew over Misrata on Thursday and yesterday to drop mines in the rebels' major western hold-out.
He said the choppers had been disguised as humanitarian aircraft carrying the emblems of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
"They had Red Crescent and Red Cross markers so that anyone who sees them thinks it is for humanitarian aid," Fortiya said.
An aid worker said he saw helicopters yesterday marked with the Red Crescent circling above the port and dropping mines into the sea.
A NATO official told AFP a ship involved in the the coalitions' operations had observed a number of helicopters over Misrata on Thursday.
"We are aware of reports that the helicopters were marked with the Red Cross," said the NATO official, adding that no humanitarian flights had been notified for the Misrata area on that day.
"Any use of the Red Cross to disguise combat forces would be a breach of international law," he said.
A spokeswoman at the ICRC's Geneva headquarters said they had received similar reports but could not confirm them, as the organisation currently has no team on the ground.
NATO confirmed that helicopters had flown over the city on Thursday in breach of the no-fly zone its war planes are supposed to enforce, but it could not confirm that the choppers were marked with the Red Cross sign.
Suleiman Fortiya, who represents Misrata on the Benghazi-based opposition National Transitional Council said small helicopters flew over Misrata on Thursday and yesterday to drop mines in the rebels' major western hold-out.
He said the choppers had been disguised as humanitarian aircraft carrying the emblems of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
"They had Red Crescent and Red Cross markers so that anyone who sees them thinks it is for humanitarian aid," Fortiya said.
An aid worker said he saw helicopters yesterday marked with the Red Crescent circling above the port and dropping mines into the sea.
A NATO official told AFP a ship involved in the the coalitions' operations had observed a number of helicopters over Misrata on Thursday.
"We are aware of reports that the helicopters were marked with the Red Cross," said the NATO official, adding that no humanitarian flights had been notified for the Misrata area on that day.
"Any use of the Red Cross to disguise combat forces would be a breach of international law," he said.
A spokeswoman at the ICRC's Geneva headquarters said they had received similar reports but could not confirm them, as the organisation currently has no team on the ground.
The Wives Of Bin Laden May Know All The Secrets
Photo: Claims: The wife of Osama Bin Laden, Amal al-Sadah, says she lived with her husband in the same room for the past five years
The Real Housewife of Abbottabad: What bin Laden's Spouse Knows -- Time Magazine
The U.S. Navy Seal team that killed Osama bin Laden and removed a bonanza of documents and flash drives may have left behind a vital source of intelligence: bin Laden's wife Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah. The story of how she found her way back to bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan from Yemen could well have revealed crucial clues as to whether Pakistani authorities had been aware of the al-Qaeda leader's presence in their country. And if U.S. officials had been tracking her at the time, they might have found bin Laden sooner.
Read more ....
Update: THREE Bin Laden wives in custody: Terror chief's harem interrogated by Pakistani intelligence -- The Daily Mail
My Comment: The fact that the Pakistani authorities have refused American requests to interview Bin Laden's family members tells me that they are worried that they may have information that will incriminate and/or embarrass Pakistan.
Herman Cain is a Mysterious and Powerful Candidate Whose Mystery is Exceeded Only by His Power
All
day I’ve had stories cross my RSS Reader about last night’s GOP
candidates’ debate in South Carolina and just about every one of them
could be headlined “Herman Cain Mysteriously Wins Debate With Mysterious
Powers of Mystery. Also, He Can’t Win Anything.” With each story, I’ve
gotten more and more irritated at how quickly the authors, who were
usually well-established and professional political pundits, threw up
their hands and declared utter bafflement at Cain’s performance. What
irritated me the most is how so little time any of them spent looking
into why Cain did so well and why he wowed a Fox News post-debate focus
group.John Guardiano wrote perhaps the most succinct illustration of what irritated me so in the American Spectator.
Herman Cain seemed to strike a chord with Frank Luntz’s voter focus group, though I’m not sure how or why. Cain did articulate faithful conservative positions; and he has a certain folksy, down-home appeal. That he’s a retired businessman and entrepreneur, and not a career politician, also adds to his electoral allure.Let me take this apart piece by piece, starting with the first sentence. Guardiano’s use of the weasel word “seemed” is flat-out disingenuous. Cain didn’t “seem” to score big with the focus group. He did. Take a look at the video. Watch the hands rocket skyward when Luntz asks them who thought Cain won the debate. Listen to the glowing and crisp complements — almost 2 minutes worth of them.
Better yet, read Guardiano’s own words. They echo nearly every complement given to him by those folks in the focus group. And yet he’s completely flummoxed?
I call shenanegans. Any author worth their salt would have at least acknowledged the focus group’s reactions. A truly good writer would have spent a few moments trying to put themselves in the head of one of those folks. Who doesn’t show at least some interest in solving
Guardino is but one of many – several of whom Stacy McCain soundly thrashes in this post — professional commentators who simply can’t get past their own insulated worldviews to see what is plainly true. There’s no mystery to Cain’s appeal. Stacy quoted Cain’s communications director Ellen Carmichael whose explanation is just about perfect: “When people meet Herman, they like Herman.”
You don’t have to accept her word for it, though. I have data.
Gallup has held a running poll of something they call “Positive Intensity” that measures how strongly people like a candidate they know about. A counterpart to name recognition, positive intensity measures how likely it is people will like a candidate once they become familiar with them. In the three polls where Gallup has included Cain’s name, going back to mid-March, he has consistently placed in the top 5. He’s beaten such candidates seen by the professional punditocracy as “serious” candidates as Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, and Haley Barbour (before he dropped out). He’s been running neck and neck with Mitt Romney, the guy the pros would simply anoint to the nomination if only they could get past all us pesky voters.
But if that doesn’t convince you, listen to Stacy McCain. He has seen Cain operate on the ground more often than I have. He’s seen first-hand how strongly Cain connects with audiences time and time again. That’s why he believes Cain is a legitimate contender for the nomination. Now I don’t know how often Guardiano has seen Cain at work. I suspect he’s not gotten outside his own DC world see one of Cain’t many public appearances — 15 times in the past three weeks in New Hampshire and elsewhere. He might have seen Cain speak at CPAC where he lit up the crowd like it was a gasoline-soaked haystack, but if he did, he’s forgotten the visceral connection Cain made with a packed hall that day.
Guardiano and the rest of the Beltway commentariat considers Herman Cain’s appeal an ineffable mystery. I don’t. I can read the polls. I can see how people react to him. Herman Cain is a presidential candidate, not the Continuum Transfunctioner. All I had to do to see that was get out of my own safe bubble and look. If the John Guardianos of the world can’t manage to do that soon, no one could blame us for asking how much of their stupefaction is honest and how much is intentional.
UPDATE: In a related story, it’s probably a mystery how Cain’s team manages to play the political game pretty well too. Who can know how they do it?
Posted by Jimmie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)