Friday, March 31, 2017

Headlines




These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

An estimated 36,000 illegal immigrants have received amnesty under Trump as he reneges on promise

Sessions moves quickly to deport imprisoned immigrants

Record snowfall buries Anchorage ...

Trump tweets attack on New York Times floating a change in libel laws

Berkeley invites Ann Coulter to discuss illegal immigration

Pence breaks tie in Senate vote on Planned Parenthood funding

Trump to sign new Internet rules ...

Web users to buy lawmakers' browsing histories ...

[Senator] McCaskill agonizes over Gorsuch [confirmation vote]

EU boss: We'll break up the USA

Can the White House drive the tax reform train? History says no

NC ends sports embargo by sunsetting trans bathroom law by 2920

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Dropping the Mask


Evelyn Farkas, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under Obama until 2015 (specializing in  Russian affairs), has revealed that she was an impetus behind the dissemination of intelligence intercepts supposedly implicating the Trump campaign in coordinating with Russia before last fall's election. Here is a must read and watch video of Farkas and Democrat Senator Stabenow on the Morning Joe show a while back ... Powerline Blog Entry.

It is not too much of a stretch now to piece together what might be behind all the polemics that are taking place in Washington over the Trump-Russia connection. Let me offer my surmises:

- Probably back in the 1990s the Trump operation was in deep dodo because of being over extended with U.S. banks and desperately needing working capital, Trump turned to Russia and was rewarded with some hefty loans from Russian oligarchs (likely close to Putin).

- Since this reprieve allowed Trump to return to be a successful real estate investor ... along with many other popular ventures, these Russian backers were likely repaid in full with a handsome profit. However, these transactions would likely show up on Trump's tax returns around the turn of the century. This is one reason Trump refused to release his tax returns which would suggest a certain coziness with the Russians ... and possibly other embarrassments.

- When Trump was running for President, he felt that, as bad as Putin and company were, they could be a valuable ally in America's likely hot war with the radical Islamic forces around the world. This was because Russia had been having their share of problems with Muslims in places like Chechnya.

- However, Trump's previous business relationship with the Russian oligarchs presented a political problem for Trump ... a problem that the Democrats were all to happy to exploit ... belatedly. The NSA and likely the FBI were surveilling Trump's campaign people (maybe incidentally while tapping others) and had hard evidence of contacts ... probably mostly innocent. However, Trump was very sensitive to this possible PR snag and took pains to separate himself from anyone who could be so implicated -- Manafort, Flynn, Carter Page and a few others.

- Since the Democrats were confident of a Hillary win, they did not heavily exploit this information before the election ... possibly worried that their own Russian dealings might come to light. However, a Trump win threw them into a panicky smear mode and, with the urging of people like Farkas and Obama's last minute release of these Trump intercepts throughout the intelligence community, it was pretty clear that Trump's job as president would be made far more difficult ... and it has.

- But the real shocker is that much of these intercepts have been unmasked ... or the names of Trump associates and likely Trump himself have not been hidden in the text of these intercepts ... a serious felony ... and one that had to be expected with Obama's general release of these intercepts. The question is ... who did this? Or was it more than one Obama loyalist. In his questioning of FBI Director, James Comey, Representative  Trey Gowdy let it be known whom he suspected among Obama's reports: Brennan of the CIA, Clapper of the NSC, Sally Yates from Justice and/or Ben Rhodes of the White House.

So, is the Trump-Russia connection a "nothingburger" as Ted Cruz and others have implied? Unless some insidious connivings are revealed in these NSA intercepts (already repeatedly denied by Democrats), I am inclined to agree. Except of course for the unmasking of the Trump people in these intercepts ... which should land one or more Obama lackies in jail.

Pajama Party


Watching [too] many of the talking-heads programs on TV has suggested to me one such show is the equivalent of a  high school pajama party and the inane gum-chewing banter that takes place therein. Here is some imagined gossip during a talking-heads sleepover:


"Ja'hear that Priebus won't sit with Bannon at lunch anymore!"

"Ivanka's Daddy gave her a new sports car over the weekend! Gee, I think she's his favorite!"

"You won't believe what Bernie Sanders did after the Senior Prom?"

"I was told that Principal McConnell yesterday was cursing out the teacher's union! And our Latin teacher, Schumer, swore that he would get even with him!"

"Someone blabbed our Blues had a beer pong party after the game Saturday and half of them ended up blowing lunch!"

"Who wants to go out on a date with Mikey Pence?"

"Psst, Slick Willie , on his Facebook page, said he had the hots for Sarah Palin!"


Actually these back-and- forths are a lot less catty than that actually seen on the boob tube ...

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Obama opened door for NSA intercepts on Americans to reach political hands

Reeling GOP desperate for a win on Gorsuch

SHE'S BACK: Hillary urges followers to 'resist, insist, persist, enlist'

Trump vindicated: Antisemitism surge 'fake news'

Felony charges for 2 who secretly filmed Planned Parenthood ...

Christie joining Trump effort to combat opioids ...

Nunes: Democrats 'aren't really serious' about Russia investigation

Six jobs eliminated for every droid in workforce ...

Trump tells senators: We can deal with healthcare 'very quickly'

Two illegal immigrants arrested after fleeing deadly car crash ...

The U.S. is dropping more bombs on ISIS than ever before

Michael Moore says Trump will cause human extinction

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Russian Dressing


In his presser yesterday, Sean Spicer made a joke about the main-stream media getting upset even when Trump uses Russian depressing on his salad ... possibly derived from the made-up political jibe I reference here as few weeks ago (see above). Popular understanding has been that Russian dressing today is comprised of ketchup, mayonnaise and pickle relish (aka Thousand Island). However, CNN claims that Russian dressing is ketchup, mayo and horseradish and it's not put on salad ... nor is there any connection to Russia ... see: Breitbart Story.

Quick relevant story -- many years ago I was having lunch at the General Motors building in Detroit in their fancy dining room. One thing I had ordered was a hearts of lettuce salad with Russian dressing. Much to my surprise (and enjoyment) the Russian dressing I got was made with ketchup, mayonnaise and caviar!

This, I suspect, is the classic recipe and the connection to Russia! Eat your hearts of lettuce out CNN ...

Afterward: There is another possible Lefty antecedent here -- The Trump sandwich is baloney on white with Russian dressing with a small pickle ...

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Pakistan building fence along border with Afghanistan

Tesla 'autopilot' car hits police motorcycle ...

Bibi welcomes new U.S. Amb[assador] -- 'to Jerusalem'

Congress may stiff Trump on wall funding

[Nebraska] Dems offer voter registration forms to refugees

Riots in Paris after Chinese man shot dead ...

Sen. McCain: Nunes should 'absolutely' reveal his sources

Consumer confidence leaps to new 16-year high ...

Legislator demands NC Secretary of State resign over issuing Notary licenses to illegal aliens

Trump takes biggest swing yet at Obama's climate legacy

California Chief Justice: Enforcing immigration laws goes against the rule of law

Hundreds of Islamic State volunteers have returned to Britain

Shades of Cold Fusion


Golamaphobia -- fear of robots

Periodically visionaries appear in the news with proposals that appeal to the public's WOW element ... a public usually composed of those younger people who have not seen it all before ... and who don't bring a healthy skepticism into such dreams. I distinctly remember many years ago how the world was all aflutter about the possibility of unlimited cheap energy from "cold fusion" ... essentially capturing a hydrogen bomb in a bottle. Here we are over 25 years later and this dream is yet to become a reality.

Enter stage left, Elon Musk, the world's latest technical visionary who has just announced his intent to link our brains directly with computers ... or Neuralink as he has dubbed it. This new company would create a helmet that fits over one's head to transmit and receive directly from a computer in order to eliminate the middleman and increase the bandwidth ... see: LA Times Article. Musk's intent to use to Neuralink to defeat robots. Not to be outdone by this loopiness, Musk is also promising space travelers a trip around the moon next year ... and a flight to Mars by 2024 using his company, SpaceX's technology ... see: Daily Caller Article.c

Musk seems to be transfixed with the survival of mankind using the Mars colonization scheme to prevent an Apocalypse ... the subjudigation of humans by robots. If Musk had not already had his share of successes with Tesla and SpaceX, I expect that the authorities would be after him with a net ... shades of cold fusion. But he has had impressive wins and people are therefore reluctant to criticism his visions.

But I am a doubter ... reluctantly ...

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

'20th highjacker' offers to testify about Saudi links to 9/11

Judge OK's petition for America's first 'genderless' person

Rep files one sentence bill to repeal Obamacare ...

Trump to court Dems ... Open door

Report: Huma, Weiner 'working hard' to save marriage

White House rejects report Trump handed Germany $374 billion bill for NATO services

Atlanta family battling state for right to name daughter Allah ...

Trump weighs deeper involvement in Yemen war ...

Trump's a dictator? He can't even repeal Obamacare ...

Sessions announces crackdown on sanctuary cities ...

White House blame game intensity as Trump agenda stalls

Sex Pistols [Johnny] Rotten praises Trump, Brexit ...

Monday, March 27, 2017

Black Shirts


It is quite sinister ... men dressed in black with black masks using pepper spray, tasers, fireworks and physical mayhem to injure and disrupt peaceful marchers expressing their 1st Amendment right of patriotic assembly ... see: Powerline Blog Post.

This is precisely the type of anarchy that the media attributes to President Trump supporters... yet it is being fulminated by his detractors. And, to boot, the media generally chooses to ignore or reverse spin such thuggish and incendiary behavior. This is because it is the antithesis of their narrative ... a narrative that has Steve Bannon dressed in a brown shirt heading a pack of deplorables to attack a Gay Pride parade ... or a pink-hatted feminist march ... or a La Raza voter registration rally.

The genuinely disturbing thing about these anti-Trump efforts is that the Left secretly seems  to relish them ... despite the dark nature of their tactics ... otherwise why would not they be making front-page news? Have you seen anything on TV about this Huntington Beach, California brouhaha? I thought not. And when it does make the newspapers or Internet, it is often the Trumpers who are the bad guys.  Now take a few minutes and carefully read and watch how this anti-Trump spin is crafted ...  WaPo Story and Video. See any black masks? Now contrast this with the other, likely make realistic perspective ... PJ Media Story and Video.

How is its that the fulminators become the victims?

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Report: U.S., Israel close to deal on settlement limits

Biden: 'I regret not running for president'

Sanders admits Obamacare deductibles, premiums 'too high'

Sanders to offer single-payer health care plan

Secret text message ordered 'lone wolf' to carry out London terror attack

Pentagon enjoying greater leeway under Trump ..

.Schumer: 'You can't run the presidency like you run a real estate deal'

Police stumped as all but one suspect freed after London attack

California governor: We won't 'bring stupid lawsuits' against the border wall

... Jerry Brown not 'Christian' to build wall

MD School Supt. says parents' response to alleged rape is 'racist'

 'Virtually uncovered' -- NYT admits CNN, MSNBC ignoring Rockville [MD] rape

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Dilbert Speaks


Scott Adams in his Dilbert blog has just promoted President Trump from der Fuhrer to Mr. Incompetent as a result of his failure to repeal and replace Obamacare ... see: Dilbert Blog. Actually this is not a dis of our president because the Hitler image was pulling Trump down far worse than a Pajama-boy image.

This is an unique Dilbert-like concept but not one that Trump should embrace as it makes his job far more difficult getting done all the things that he has promised ... at least in the short run. Adams is also predicting that Trump will be back on his mojo by year end. But in the meantime, if his opposition no longer fears him, then they likely will move into full-throated ridicule mode ... and no humans are better at ridicule than media types. Watch Mika "I'mSorryBut" Brzezinski on Morning Joe on Monday to see how deliciously sarcastic a media moonbat can get.

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Trump gets tamed by Washington

President regrets: Should have done tax cuts first ...

Poll: Majority of Americans want independent commission investigating Trump-Russia ties

China sees unstoppable momentum of globalization ...

House Democrats new Obamacare strategy: Get out of the way

Israeli teenager who threatened Jewish institutions may have been paid by foreign governments

Ivanka Trump's Secret Service detail is infuriating ritzy DC neighborhood

French city of Lille on lock down after multiple shootings

Imam calls for killing Jews in Montreal mosque sermon ...

Canadian Parliament officially condemns criticism of Islam

Tourists flee BELLAGIO casino in Vegas as burglar in pig mask opens fire ...

Medicaid babies: NM 72%, Nev 64%, NY 51%, Calif 50% ... MORE ...

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Software Bug

Self-Driving Uber
Software bug leads to hardware bug ...

Afterward: Uber has suspended its Self-Driving program.

reddit Gallery CDX


Another excursion into the world of reddit Pictures. See: reddit Pics for sources.  Do yourself a favor and click on pictures to enlarge them.  Enjoy!

German Opera House
African Farm
Realgar
Young Monk
Puffer Fish Skeleton

Quote of the Day


The reason for bad decisions is bad data. The reason for bad data is too often politics. -- Anon.

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Finger pointing in London intensifies ...

Exclusive: John Podesta may have been target of Russian influence campaign

Manafort offers to testify in Russian probe ...

RNC paid intel firm for Clinton dirt

College basketball player attacked over hair braids, 'cultural appropriation'

Illegal immigrant accused of murdering teacher

FACEBOOK: 'Hunt and Kill White Women' post [is] not hate speech ...

Iran sanctions bill unveiled by bipartisan Senate group

Report: Bannon says 'AHCA written by the insurance industry'

Joy Behar says Trump 'never paid any taxes' despite tax return release

Reports: State Dept. tightens visa approval process in Muslim majority countries

USA Today: NCAA teams 'should boycott' Arkansas over campus carry

Friday, March 24, 2017

Death Spiral


"You really don't have health insurance if you can't afford to use it."

On TV this morning there was a representative from Tennessee (who is also a doctor) commenting on the overhaul of Obamacare. He sat me up when he related that 60-70% of hospital bills in his state were not getting paid because the deductibles on the insurance plans under Obamacare are so high that they force patients to pay these bills out-of-pocket ... for which they have not the money. In other words, even though an additional 5 or 6 million people may have gotten insurance under Obamacare (an equal number falling under expanded-Medicaid, paid for by the rest of us), these people -- along will millions more who lost what was called by Obama "bad apple" insurance and have had to purchase these high-deductible, high-premium, high-co-pay policies -- cannot use this insurance for the reasons stated above.

Now you understand why hospitals are under such financial distress, why emergency rooms have not been emptied as promised, and why Obamacare is so unpopular (except for those being subsidized under expanded Medicaid). I don't care what phony polls may say. There are still enough people receiving health insurance under their businesses or under Medicaid/Medicare that the system has not yet completely collapsed. But Obamacare is in a death spiral because it is a jackass ... a race horse designed by a committee of bureaucrats who don't believe in free markets ... and who colluded with the insurance and drug companies with the notion that they knew better than Adam Smith. Well they didn't ... and they left a pile of steaming bleep for the Republicans.

Can Obamacare be fixed by Ryan/Trump? I am inclined to agree with Rand Paul ... let's euthanize this jackass and design a transition back to the free market ... and, in the process, save our hospitals. In the meantime make the insurance and drug companies compete for our money instead of colluding with the politicians.

Two Birds ...


... with one stone.

President Trump is ridiculed as a buffoon. Well he just buffooned his way out of a no-win situation on healthcare reform by demanding a vote today in the House. If the bill passes (it probably won't), he wins. If it doesn't pass, then his nemesis, Paul Ryan, loses his leadership mojo ... and that even bigger nemesis, Chuck Schumer, is left holding that 100 pound bag of horse manure called Obamacare. Let him now try to fix this mess that the Democrats left for the Republicans to remedy. The Republicans tried and likely got not one Democrat vote... which says that the Dems still like Obamacare ... which can't help them in 2018

Our buffoon president may have just killed three birds with one stone...

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Trump demands Friday health-care vote

WH: Trump done negotiating: If Ryancare fails, Obamacare remains

NSA to provide 'smoking gun' proof of Obama spying on Trump

Obama pleads to preserve namesake health law

Italy: 'North African' arrested after driving at police, stabbing officer

Khalid Masood once stabbed man in face ...

Al Gore: Global warming principal cause of Syrian civil war, Brexit

Appeals Court sets May argument for revised Trump travel ban

NRA to campaign against Red State Democrats who oppose Gorsuch

'Robin Hood of Refugees': Immigration lawyer gets 15 months for asylum scam ...

Four time deported gang member charged in child rape, stabbing 2 women

Report: Transgender activists attack pro-family campaign bus

Headlines



These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Wire: Comey now most powerful person in Washington ...

Russian MP assassinated in street ...

London terrorist revealed: convicted criminal, Khalid Masood

British lawmaker: London terrorist's religion is 'utterly and completely' irrevelant

Polish PM: Impossible not to connect terrorism with immigration policy

Belgian security forces foil car attack ...

Schumer says Dems will filibuster Gorsuch ...

McCain: House panel lost 'credibility' in handling Russian probe

Nunes claims Trump transition messages were intercepted

Live blog: 8 arrested in connection with deadly London attack

Sweden: Officers can't commute alone to their own station

Woodward: Obama officials may face jail for unmasking scheme ...

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Cloak and Dagger


Only during the Watergate probe of President Nixon do I remember such a cloak-and-dagger atmosphere in Washington. With scant evidence, the Democrats are pushing the Trump-Russia connection. And the Republicans are pointing to the Deep State antics of Obama holdovers, the tainted intelligence agencies and possibly B.O. himself ... together with his henchperson, Valarie Jarrett ... with their implied intent of invalidating the Trump presidency.

The headlines are full of charges and counter charges that have Americans on edge. We are losing confidence in the process of government ... which could be the real purpose of this intrigue. Congress, like it often does, has hearings on these back-and-forths which are composed of more back-and-forths. Nothing is clarified ... and illuminating questions are lost in Congress' attempts to emulate William Jennings Bryant.

Most of the media has taken the Deep State side in this dogfight when Trump-friendly revelations occur, the media attack the messenger in order to bury the message. Watching cable channels is a depressing experience since the "news," as they relate it, is so full of pejoratives that the truth is fully obscured. Over and over again the squishy message of the Russian-Trump "collaboration" is forefront while the more sinister possibility of Obama administration's "surveillance" of the Trump campaign is dismissed out of hand.

It would be nice to know the truth in these matters, but there is so much at stake here that obfuscates this quest. My instinct is to inspect the motivations of the players on both sides. It seems to me that the potential loses on the Deep State side so overwhelm the potential gains for Trump and company, that I tend to believe the current administration over the last one and its fellow travelers.

But my bottom-line hope here is that this current contretemps can be settled with just the cloak and not the dagger.

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Terror at UK Parliment, Cop stabbed, Pedestrians mowed down

China issues warning to U.S. bomber flying in East China Sea ...

WSJ Trump editorial: 'Like a drunk to an empty gin bottle'

Hill GOP: We're growing frustrated with Mattis

Immigration provision cut from Obamacare rollback, angering conservatives ...

Chelsea Clinton to receive [Variety magazize] Lifetime Achievement Award for some reason

WSJ Editors: Comey took revenge on Trump for wiretapping tweet

House Intel Chairmam: Trump's personal communications may have been collected

Democrats accuse Gorsuch of hiding his legal views

Erdogan: Soon Europeans will not walk safely and on their streets

Tillerson disdain for tradition causes diplomatic dust-ups

Susan Rice lectures Trump on making false statements..

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Quote of the Day


The Left exists to tempt the rest of us with the apple -- Anon.

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

NKorea 'fires missile at Japan' ... fail ... exploded ...

Finally: A former law student hilariously tries to be Neil Gorsuch's Anita Hill

Sears warns of 'substantial doubt' about company's future ...

Ivanka Trump gets West Wing office as role expands ...

California lawmakers warn companies against working on border wall

Police: Chicago teen gang-raped on Facebook live

Wellesley students can't handle controversial opinions, professors say

Biological man who 'identifies' as a woman crushes the competition

Germany: Three Islamists teens convicted of bombing Sikh temple

Schumer calls for delaying Gorsuch vote because of Trump-Russia probe

Chinese companies investing in American manufacturing plants

Jerry Brown seeks 'common ground' with Trump

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Comey confirms FBI investigation of Trump-Russian collusion

Bush on Comey hearing: Message to Trump is Stop the 'drain the swamp stuff' or face impeachment

Flashback: ACA architect says Obamacare designed to fail

ICE: Sanctuary Travis County [Texas] released 142 criminal aliens in a week

Why Trump can't let go of his bogus wiretapping claim

Saudi Deputy Crown Prince, Pentagon chief Mattis discussed 'confronting Iran'

Great Barrier Reef still not dying, whatever Wash Post sez

Police: Brady's Super Bowl jersey tracked to Mexico

Another baby Trump is on the way, and sick people are already attacking the kid

Comey confirms 'no information' about Trump wiretapping claim

Only 43% of voters can name Supreme Court judge

Secret Service theft caught on video, knew what he was after

Monday, March 20, 2017

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Hawaii judge declines to narrow travel ban injunction

OpEd: Feds stealthy QE -- $267 billion of fresh liquidity injected since mid-January

[NKotea] 'If a single bullet is fired, we will nuke the USA'

NSA document: Surveillance on Trump, family ... more ...

Key Democrat officials now warning base not to expect evidence of Trump/Russia collusion

Gallup: Trump approval now 37% ...

Poll: Half of Canadians want illegals deported ...

Immigration judges dispatched to 12 U.S. cities to speed deportations

50 arrested on immigration charges during Detroit cockfighting bust ...

Gorsuch recommended to Justice Dept. that federal judges visit Gitmo

Musk preps first private moon landing ...

Three U.S. soldiers wounded in Afghan 'insider attack'

Pilgrim's Progress


Progressivism has been a proud, aggressive and often successful political movement since the time of President Teddy Roosevelt and Wisconsin's Senator Bob LaFollett. However, one of the flaws of progressivism is, at least in the arena of social justice, eventually the progress being made gets more and more rarefied. Yes, progressives have swept away many of the discriminatory laws and mores in the United States, but their follow-on targets represent smaller and smaller slices of our population (e.g., gender fluid rights) and, thus, the political payoffs get more problematic.

After all how many voters want to marry animals? But, this doesn't seem to slow progressives down. Soon it will be more bizarre rights being advocated ... man-boy love, human rights for simians and group marriages. Don't doubt me. To progressives, the social equality agenda seems never to run out.

Yet Progressives often keep their prejudices quite private while championing exactly the opposite in public. The Kennedys, the Clintons and many in the black movements (Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan and Al Sharpton) come immediately to mind. Somehow, the general public chooses to ignore these inconsistencies.

Progressives are also often drawn into conundrums ... like embracing people who often violently oppose many of their other basic public tenets. For instance, many fundamental Muslims lethally oppose free love, homosexuality and religious tolerance ... yet are supported by progressives in a stunning display of hypocrisy. Even worse, progressives will not tolerate fundamental Christians with far less onerous strictures. I scratch my head over these inconsistent progressive notions.

Will progressives run out of paved road? Will they have fewer social equity causes to champion in the future? Or will the notion of more social justice ... or injustice ... as utilized by progressives begin to peter out? I hope so ... but I don't expect so.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Headlines



These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Canadian border authorities detaining record number of Mexicans ...

Cold snap kills half the cherry blossoms in Washington ...

Radicalized Muslim shot dead at Paris airport after snatching soldier's gun ...

'Allahu Akbar' attacker arrested after two men's throats slit in Paris

California student writes op-ed about how milk is now 'racist'

Donna Brazile admits sharing debate questions with Clinton camp, blames Russia

Trump in tweet: Germany owes U.S. 'vast sums of money' for NATO

Erdogan urges Turks in Europe to have more kids

NY State kills literacy test for teachers, minority students hardest hit

Trump's Mideast surge has Pentagon debating 'mission creep'

Paglia: Feminism 'bogged down' being identified with Dems ...

Previously dried-up, Lake Tahoe could now overflow ...

reddit Gallery CDIX

Another excursion into the world of reddit Pictures. See: reddit Pics for sources.  Do yourself a favor and click on pictures to enlarge them.  Enjoy!

A Frog and Two Snails

A Brit, an American and an Irishman Walk into a Bar

Balchik Gardens

Be MyValentines

Turbine Guts

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Cartoon of the Day

From Powerline Blog

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Trump: North Korea has been playing the U.S. for years

Tillerson says diplomacy with NKorea has failed; Pyongyang warns of war ...

The leader of the free world [Merkel] meets with Trump

Erdogan: Europe has begun 'clash between the cross and the crescent'

[Seattle] Judge doesn't extend order on new travel ban

Venezuela seizes bakeries amidst bread shortage ...

Congress considers splitting the Ninth Circuit [Court]

Sweden: Three injured in shooting and stabbing attack

Joy Behar: Trump cutting education 'so we all can be as dumb as he is'

Rural voters lose in Trump's budget plan

Merkel goes to Washington, No handshake with Trump

Trump budget chief says climate research 'a waste of your money'

Rewarding Bad Behavior


It seems like such a simple concept -- if one rewards bad behavior, one gets more of it. Yet our government, under both Democrat and Republican administrations, has continually violated this premise in both domestic and foreign policy. It did not take me hours to come up with the following examples of this lunacy:

- North Korea has, since the mid 1990's been offered all sorts of foreign aid and forgiveness in order to dissuade it from becoming a nuclear and ballistic missile threat to Japan, South Korea and, yes, even the United States. This foreign policy clearly has had just the opposite effect.

- In many American cities and universities, but particularly recently in Baltimore and Berkeley, civil disobedience, rioting, looting, and assault on innocent people has been forgiven as being "maybe" justified ... and the arrested perpetrators released without punishment. Today, even the slightest imagined affront is an excuse to knock over liquor stores, pharmacies and other targets of opportunity.

-There is a rapidly growing threat to the solvency of our Social Security System due to the rapidly growing disability (SSI) population. Now such silliness as AD/HD, fatty liver, anxiety, and even obesity are rewarded. There are agencies and doctors who specialize in qualifying often able-bodied people to hop onto this gravy train. This will eventually topple the Social Security System itself.

- Disaffected Muslims have been encouraged toward radicalization by the silly notion that any serious push-back against these caliphate worshippers would do nothing but encourage them. The notion that Gitmo or enhanced interrogation are recruiting tools for radicalizing Muslims is a perfect example of this pretzel logic. It is obviously the Western World's weak-kneed efforts to eradicate terrorism that has encouraged more terrorism ... not the opposite.

- Iran has baited and buffaloed he United States and Israel ever since the American embassy takeover during President Carter's term. However, relatively stiff sanctions against it had slowed down its obsession to sponsor terrorism, acquire nuclear weapons and develop/test ICBMs. However, under the Obama/Jarrett regime, relaxing these sanctions and enormous financial rewards has reawakened this feral animal.

The list goes on and on: paying welfare mothers to have more children, offering loans to students resulting in higher and higher college tuitions, giving drivers licenses to illegal aliens which opens the doors to their voting, supporting warmists with doctored data allowing them to reward bad science, paying incompetent teachers to not teach ... unfortunately I could go on and on.

How do we squash this nonsense? Stop electing politicians who so behave ... as they want to appease their voters to get reelected ... another example of bad behavior being rewarded. But, in time, their replacements will likely do more of the same. Too many professional politicians are bad apples. It clearly is a genetic defect in the body politic and politicians. And we many voters can't seem to grasp this concept.

Friday, March 17, 2017

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

MacDonald's Big Mac attack on Trump ...

Hawaii judge halts Trump's second attempt at travel ban

... Judges inventing new reasons to obstruct Trump ...

Trump: Travel ban 'makes us look weak'

McCain: Rand Paul 'is working for Vladamir Putin'

Trump budget cuts all funds for PBS, NPR, National Endowment for Arts

Trump's budget ripped from Bannon's nationalistic playbook

NY bill would supress non-gov't-approved speech ..

Trump's budget eliminates global-warming payments to UN

... EPA cut could save business, consumers hundreds of bio ions ...

Trump approval surges to 52% ... Politico hurries news at bottom of article

Rand Paul: McCain makes a really really strong case for term limits

Hosers


Ivanka Trump, the honored guest of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, together with our UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, all attended a new Broadway play opening on Wednesday night called "Come From Away." This musical (shades of "Hamilton") is about how a small town with a big airport in Newfoundland, Gander, warmly welcomed an almost doubling of its population when 6,579 plane passengers were stranded when their planes were forced to land there on 9/11/2003 ... after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center ... see: CNN Story.

The too obvious message here is that these humble Canadian townsfolk were good and noble when they opened their homes to all these strangers who had "come from away" and therefore we too should be welcoming Syrian and other Middle-Eastern immigrants in this same neighborly spirit. Otherwise, to use that common Canadian slight, we are "hosers." I suppose I will be labeled hard-hearted by pointing out the important differences in this simple-minded comparison:

- These air passengers were obviously short-term guests, whereas the current immigrant influx are to be permanent ... likely requiring long-term public assistance -- money, medical, housing, food and schooling

- Most of these air passengers were from a similar culture and language as the Newfoundlanders ... not so with these new immigrants being recommended.

- It was quite unlikely that there were any terrorists, disease-ridden, or other unsavory types secreted among these airline passengers. These Syrian and other Middle-Eastern immigrant are usually portrayed as just women and children, whereas the opposite is true ... well over half are testosterone-laden young men ... as many countries in Europe are now finding out.

Conflating these two "come from away" populations to make political hay is naive, condescending and even dangerous. The irony of using an event surrounding 9/11 to argue for more Middle-Eastern immigration is obviously lost on the backers of this play. We are living in treacherous times which require mature thinking and actions. There is no reason that stringent and rational filters cannot be placed on our immigrant experience ... despite what a few fuzzy-headed federal judges might wish.

Afterward: I recently discovered the derivation of the"hoser"  term. Apparently it originally referred to people who siphoned gasoline from neighbors' cars using a length of garden hose.

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

JP Morgan's Dimon: Repatriation will create 'QE4'-like stimulus

Pakistanis suspected of hacking Congress had access to everything

500 sanctuary cities in USA ...

College removes scales from gym after students complain it's 'triggering' ...

Amy Schumer's Netflix special flooded with one-star reviews, 'I've had migraines that were funnier'

Breitbart relishing new found power to torment Paul Ryan

Drudge wants Trump to gut National Weather Service

Obama tried to take Andrew Jackson off the $20. Now Trump is visiting his grave ...

Senate kills rule limiting drug testing for unemployment benefits

Mother and son become father and daughter ...

Trump made $150 million in 2005 and paid $38 million in federal taxes

Luminous green ice growing in Antarctica ...


Impeachment!


Judge Derrick Watson of Hawaii has joined with six other judges from Washington, Oregon, California, Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut in issuing a restraining order prohibiting President Trump from using his Twitter account to communicate with the American people. This gaggle of jurists has indicated that nowhere in our Constitution does it state that tweeting is included in our First Amendment protections.

Were President Trump to violate this injunction, Representative Maxine Waters of California is prepared to initiate impeachment hearings in the House with the proviso that any member who is a Twitter fan of Trump's will be ineligible to vote in this matter. Senator Chuck Schumer has gone on all the major networks reading a statement in support of Water's initiative and adding that, were a trial to be held in the Senate, these same voting restriction will apply.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Headlines



These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Tennessee sues over refugee resettlement constitutionality ...

Trump signals 'big fat beautiful negotiations' on healthcare bill

Facebook bans giving out private user data for government surveillance

Democrats paralyzed as Gorsuch skates

[Syria's] Assad complains Trump is not talking to him

Spicer: Trump 'doesn't really think' that Obama personally wiretapped him

GOP scrambles after scorching health bill appraisal

DOJ asks for more time to address Trump's wiretapping claim

Sanders: Thousands of Americans will die becaus of GOP Obamamcare reform

White House seeks to cut billions in funding for United Nations

Minnesota city bans sale of dogs, cats at pet store ...

CBO: 24 million fewer insured under GOP Obamacare repeal


Dustbin of History


Gone, but pretty much forgotten:

Dave Garroway

Gogi Grant

Mary Jane and Sniffles

The Journal-American

Hoop skirts

Cod-liver oil

City chicken

Ralph Kiner

Lash LaRue

Studebaker cars

Toonerville Trolley

Marshall Tito

Hadacol

J.W. Woolworth

Arthur Godfrey

Katzenjammer Kids

J. Fred Muggs

Boston Blackie

Y. A. Tittle

Billy beer

Truth or Consequences

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Russian ambassador had lots of meetings with Clinton campaign

Iran pushing for deal with Assad regime to build naval base in Syria

Kasich: 'Political parties are disintergrating'

Official: Trump open to tweaking healthcare bill

Trump's budget plan expected to include historic cuts

Europe's aim: Sway, not provoke Trump on climate

SNL, Scarlett Johansson: Ivanka [Trump] a traitor to women

USA deploys attack drones to SKorea ...

House investigators on a Trump-Russia collusion course

WaPo, NYT: Trump hates us because he wants our approval

Snoop Dogg 'assinates Trump' in latest rap video ...

ACLU launches nationwide training on resistance

Outrageous


Donald Trump is outrageous. He is braggadocios, He is vain. He lies. He is pugnacious, He is puerile. He is vulgar. He is a super patriot. He loves the trappings of wealth and fortunately is wealthy. He is a bully. He is too loud. He tweets too much. He has a too-beautiful wife ... actually has had three of them ... and lots of too-beautiful children.  And he is successful in most everything he does ... even running for and becoming President of e United States ... ugh!

So how do his enemies react to this outrageous man? Of course, by being outrageous and coming unglued. The Lefties in this  country are tying themselves in knots resisting this outrageous man. After all, outrage is the exclusive bailiwick of liberals and President Trump is an interloper. Chelsea "Potty Mouth" Handler, Code Pink, Congress's Women in White, Act Up, Michael "the Hut" Moore, the George Soros goons, the unruly Dems in the Wisconsin legislature, The View, Berkeley students, Mika "I'm sorry, but" Brzezinski ... and too many more on the hard Left are outraged at this outrage of a president. A century of sleep is lost among these resisters ... thinking up their next stunts or slurs that will make the next day's news ... to display the depth of their outrage.

This is all very humorous ... and outrageous.

Monday, March 13, 2017

Headlines


These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

Winter Revenge: Blizzard warnings, NYC, Boston

Chinese Communist officials harden rheohtoric on Islam ...

McCain on Trump-Russian probes: 'Lots of shoes to drop from this centupede'

Letterman ugly personality no laughing matter, former colleagues say

Top Democrat: [U.S. attorney] Bharara may have been fired for investigating Trump

Europe's relations with Turkey go from bad to worse

L.A. Gay Pride Parade to be replaced by anti-Trump march

Cummings to Trump: Tweet less, lead more

Women flock to plastic surgeons to copy Ivanka's looks ...

. Bus runs into crowd in Haiti, killing at least 34

1970s extremist 'Carlos the Jackel' faces trial in Paris

Price on Obamacare replacement: No one will be worse off financially

St, Barths


Read my comment at the end of a posting about St. Barths on Dartblog. This beautiful French island is now a mecca for the super-super-rich who have brought swimming pools and mosquitoes to this once-bucolic Caribbean island. Some people claim Jimmy Buffett is to blame ...

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Headlines



These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

100 California companies interested in building Trump border wall ...

Ichan's ethanol push fuels ethics storm

Second explosion rocks Sweden in 24 hours, suspected bomb

Nancy Pelosi: We have a right to know what is in the healthcare bill before we pass it

Spicer channels 'SNL' character: 'Don't make me make this podium move'

Trump's Mar-a-Lago is haven -- for spies

Melania Trump begins to embrace new role as first lady ...

France tries to stop immigrants by enforcing French at building sites

Foreigners who overstay visas outnumber those who cross border illegally ...

Trump administration fires [U.S. Attorney] Preet Bharara

Exclusive: Sarah Palin on Paul Ryan's Rino-Care -- 'Globaloney'

Teaparty activists look to Trump to clean up Ryan's Obamacare 2.0

Cartoon of the Day

From Powerline Blog

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Silicon Flats


Mad Money's Jim Cramer has identified the ten best stock investments since the market panic of 2008 and they are not the ones you would expect ... not Google (aka, Alphabet), not Amazon, not Apple, not Facebook, not Microsoft. In fact there is only one Silicon Valley company in the group, Netflix. These stocks have moved up anywhere from 1,861% to 6,545% and their names (in descending order) are: Incyte Corp. (biopharma), United Rentals (equipment rentals), Regeneron (biotech), Alaska Air (airlines), Windham Worldwide (hotels), Netflix (media), American Airlines (airlines), Priceline (travel info), CBS (media), and Fifth Third Bancorp. (banking).

To read more about these winners, see: CNBC Article.

reddit Gallery CDVIII

Another excursion into the world of reddit Pictures. See: reddit Pics for sources.  Do yourself a favor and click on pictures to enlarge them.  Enjoy!

Tuscany

Tiffany Revolver


Discounted

Dragon Trees in Yemen