Via Denny.
[...]
The Coming Deficit Disaster
The president says he understands the urgency of our fiscal crisis, but his policies are the equivalent of steering the economy toward an iceberg.
Going forward, there is no relief in sight, as spending far outpaces revenues and the federal budget is projected to be [...]
John Hinderaker summarizes “the priority that the global warming alarmists give to politics and career advancement over science” The Alarmists Do “Science”: A Case Study
The story began when Steve McIntyre, the same researcher who was largely responsible for destroying Michael Mann’s “hockey stick” graph purporting to show unprecedented [...]
Because nothing represents girls’ rights better than this:
It’s Barbie in a burkha: World-famous doll gets a makeover to go under the hammer for 50th anniversary
One of the world’s most famous children’s toys, Barbie, has been given a makeover – wearing a burkha.
Wearing the traditional Islamic [...]
No tango, no thriller, just a song,
Everybody’s wonderin’ what and where they they all came from
everybody’s worryin’ ’bout where they’re gonna go
when the whole thing’s done
but no one knows for certain
and so it’s all the same to me
I think I’ll just let the mystery be
Some [...]
Here’s a bit of news on that “excellent free Cuban healthcare” sure to warm your heart… or something:
Agence France Presse story at Noticias 24:
Cuba realiza implantes gratuitos de prótesis de penes Cuba operating free penile prosthesis surgeries. There are 28 lucky guys waiting for their overhaul.
Back in the olden days this is what passing a bill in Congress was like:
Back then the bill was read, and sat in Congress while it was debated.
Ah, for the good ole days…
Now a senator can make headlines by simply asking people to Read the Senate health bill yourself
“You’re [...]
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was invited by Lula to visit Brazil last May. Following protests in all major cities in the country by Christian, Jewish, candomblé, gay rights, women’s, and human rights groups, Brazil’s Foreign Office announced that the trip had been canceled. The Foreign Office claimed that Ahmadinejad had [...]
Michael Fumento, writing at Forbes, explains why Americans are Not Fit For Combat
Low education and high-fat diets are keeping Americans out of the military.
…
About three-fourths of the nation’s 17- to 24-year-olds can’t join the military, largely due to these problems, says a report from Mission: [...]
Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez submitted seven questions to pres. Obama and to Raul Castro. Only Obama replied. You can read her post here.
The Miami Herald reports, Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez gets answers — from President Obama
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department’s Western Hemisphere department confirmed [...]
As reported in the Daily Prince, Egyptian activist’s invitation withdrawn
A planned Wednesday talk by controversial Egyptian-American activist Nonie Darwish was cancelled Tuesday evening when both of the event’s sponsors, Tigers for Israel (TFI) and the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, withdrew their sponsorship, citing her criticism of Islam.
Darwish, a writer [...]
Obama Tells Troops: “You Guys Make a Pretty Good Photo-Op”
Such tact, such wit.
And if you’re in Afghanistan, hold tight for your turn,
White House aides: No Afghan decision before Thanksgiving (h/t Dymphna); however, the WaPo managed to save the soundbite, so to speak,
Obama arrived on the base [...]
Remember how the other day Hugo Chávez was saying that he was having Cuban technicians bomb clouds for rain?
He proclaimed it on TV (video in Spanish)
Well, Hugo Chávez claims he is now able to make the clouds abort by firing rays from a cannon [...]
I wonder if she’ll run for Senate?
Oprah Winfrey to End Her Talk Show
Not to worry, though. The show will go on until September 2011. After that, the Church of Oprah will roll on and on and on, and her magazine will have her on every cover of every [...]
Leahy: No need to interrogate bin Laden
If the U.S. captures Osama bin Laden, there’s no need to interrogate him, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of that committee, said that arguments raised by Republican senators about whether bin Laden would [...]
Watching this video, you can’t help but wonder if Eric Holder gave much thought to the decision:
How could Holder not know the answer to this question?
Noel Sheppard (via Instapundit) has the transcript. Money quote:
The big problem I have is that you’re criminalizing the war, that if we [...]
I used to read Andrew Sullivan until I decided that he had irretrievably gone off the deep end, and that was before he took up his gynecological research crusade on Sarah Palin. However, there are several blogs I read who are posting on this masterpiece of obsession and hysteria:
[...]
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In today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern, Getting it together at last
Brazil [...]
Ruling on Zelaya ‘after election’
Congress in Honduras will not vote on whether to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya until after elections this month, a senior lawmaker said.
Congressional president Jose Alvedro Saavedra said Congress would meet in early December to decide if Mr Zelaya will be allowed to serve [...]
Trying to soothe Chinese nerves on the calamitous state of his monetary policy, Obama comes up with this:
Obama: Too much debt could fuel double-dip recession
BEIJING, Nov 18 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama gave his sternest warning yet about the need to contain rising U.S. deficits, saying on [...]
Six months ago the Department of Health and Human Service’s “best practice” panel on prevention, the U.S Preventive Services Task Force, warned that women in their 40s could be risking their lives if they didn’t have annual mammograms.
However, now they say
Women in their 40s should stop routinely having annual [...]
In today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern,
Franklin Brito, biologist, who recommended that farmers use a blight-resistant variety of yam instead of using the toxic pesticides that the mayor of Sucre municipality wanted, is on hunger strike. Here he explains his plight (in Spanish):
Meet Franklin Brito
Due to my recommendation, [...]
Actor Edward Woodward has died of pneumonia. Big Hollywood has a nice obituary.
He’s probably best remembered for playing the title character in The Equalizer, a deeply moral TV show about a middle-aged guy who packed heat and kicked butt in pre-Giuilani era New York City. The [...]
At the Washington Times,
Islamic militants boosting role in drug trade
The sea lanes of the South Atlantic have become a favored route for drug traffickers carrying narcotics from Latin America to West and North Africa, where al Qaeda-related groups are increasingly involved in transporting the drugs to Europe, [...]
The “stimulus” is a scam, and even the TV networks are starting to notice:
Exclusive: Jobs ‘Saved or Created’ in Congressional Districts That Don’t Exist
Human Error Blamed for Crediting New Stimulus Jobs to Nonexistent Places
The reporting problems are not limited to Arizona, ABC News found.
In Oklahoma, recovery.gov lists [...]
In today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern,
The curious cases of Americans jailed in Cuba while visiting relatives.
From the Onion,
Obama’s Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner
Meanwhile, the TOTUS, You Say “Potato,” I Say “New Job” …
[...]The Anchoress writes about Sarah Palin on Oprah:
It was like watching two lightly muzzled Doberman Pinschers, behaving because they have to, but with an undergrowl that translates, roughly, into “if we’re ever alone together in the yard, you’re going down…”
Go read the rest.
William Jacobson’s advice for Andrew Sullivan [...]
The decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Manhattan is, so far (but give it time), the most suicidal of any American administration in history.
For instance, the hazard to American intelligence:
John Yoo:
The KSM Trial Will Be an Intelligence Bonanza for al Qaeda
The government will have to choose [...]
Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The must-read post of the week: Yoani Sanchez’s Shadow Beings
Update: Related, Cuba’s blogosphere has developed a sharper edge
Cuba’s blogosphere has taken on a decidedly harsher face in recent months, an act of [...]
I have a routine doctor’s appointment this morning that was rescheduled from Friday and won’t be podcasting today. Will podcast tomorrow.
Thank you for your patience.
Boris Johnson writing at the Telegraph: We should worry that Tracey Emin, Hugh Osmond and Michael Caine are fleeing the 50p tax rate
The 50p tax rate will be a disaster for the economy – taking us back to the dark days of the 1970s, says Boris Johnson.
It’s [...]
Barry Rubin examines examines Nidal Hasan’s lecture on The Koranic World View as it Relates to Muslims in the US Military and finds,
All you have to do is look at the 50 Power Point slides and they tell you everything you need to know.
It is quite a [...]
Can it get weirder?
Chinese greet ‘Oba Mao’ with flaming statue
The Chinese have learned English from his speeches and celebrated the way he rolls up his sleeves. Now President Barack Obama is finally coming, and he’s being greeted with “Oba Mao” T-shirts and a statue of him that bursts [...]
World Leaders Agree to Delay Global Warming Deal
World leaders meeting in Singapore have decided to punt on reaching any firm agreement at next month’s global warming conference in Copenhagen.
The decision represents a huge setback to the Obama administration’s goal of passing a [...]
Detlef and Melina, in Buenos Aires, dancing to Volver a vernos,
[...]
Why is the President of the United States bowing to foreign dignitaries?
How low will he go? Obama gives Japan’s Emperor Akihito a wow bow
Democrat president Barack Obama bows to Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko 11-09
How low will the new American president go for the [...]
Watch this stuff at the risk of losing a neuron or two:
Go Barefoot for Gaia
In the following BBC clip, lifted from today’s ephemera, the sculptor and artistic luminary Antony Gormley shares his wisdom on matters ecological. “Dispense with your socks,” says he. “This is a time of global [...]
Are all terrorists crazy?
Classmates: Hasan defended suicide bombings, held Islamist views. Money quote:
Despite the controversy that his schoolwork created, classmates did not view Hasan as mentally unstable or psychotic, the source said.
But the question being asked is if the perpetrator of the guerilla attack is insane or not. [...]
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to Be Sent to New York for Trial
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and four others accused in the attacks will be put on criminal trial in New York, Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce later Friday.
The [...]
My latest article, Chavez Sort-of Backtracks on War Statements is up at Real Clear World. Please read it and leave a comment.
[...]Via Ace’s Dave in Texas, a most amazing YouTube, 3D Rendering of US Airways Flight 1549 Ditching in the Hudson
[...]What to do when you lose but can’t let go? Well, if you are Andrés Manuel López Obrador, best known as Amlo, you claim to be the actual government.
No wonder so many Americans, Europeans and Asians think of Latin America as the place where magical realism best describes reality.
James Pethokoukis explains 12 reasons unemployment is going to (at least) 12 percent.
Read the whole list, but pay particular attention to items 6-9:
6. The number of permanent job losses this cycle (unemployed but not for temporary purposes) increased by a record 6.2 million. In fact, well over [...]
In today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern:
Sixty million people lost electricity yesterday in Brazil after a huge power grid failure. The entire country of Paraguay was also affected by the blackout. Photos here
Will this affect the Olympics?
Honoring veterans today, a great post of gods dogs meeting their masters after the masters’ return from war:
The Late Movies: Dogs Welcoming Home Soldiers
Watch all of them. I particularly enjoyed the weiner doggies:
Dachshunds Franklin and Sally give a vocal welcome to their dad, a U.S. Navy [...]
Army Wasn’t Told of Hasan’s Emails
Pentagon Says It Only Learned of Shooting Suspect’s Contacts With Cleric After the Fort Hood Killings
The Pentagon said it was never notified by U.S. intelligence agencies that they had intercepted emails between the alleged Fort Hood shooter and an extremist imam until [...]
In today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern: The country suffers power shortages while Chavez sends troops to the Colombian border.
Related reading:
Blackouts Plague Energy-Rich Venezuela
Bolivarian bully
Chavez Orders Venezuela to Ready for War as Colombia Urges Calm Chavez Says Venezuela to Prepare for War as [...]
Melina Sedó and Detlef Engel dancing to Milonga sentimental in Buenos Aires:
Detlef and Melina will be in New York next week. For more information, check out Tango Tuscany.
[...]
As we all know, Obama had a busy, busy Monday and didn’t attend the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Instead he sent a videotaped speech which you can listen to here (please note it’s instant-play).
Of course, not a [...]
Extraordinary OAS meeting to consider the Honduran situation
The Organization of American States Permanent Council will hold an extraordinary meeting Tuesday to assess the situation in Honduras following the interruption of the process agreed by both sides to end the several months political crisis.
The “interruption of the process” is [...]
North Korea:
South Korea Fires on North Korean Warship Near
South and North Korean warships exchanged fire off their western coast after the North’s vessel crossed a disputed sea border and ignored several warning shots, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in Seoul.
The North Korean vessel ventured 1.3 kilometers [...]
Remember how the town of New London, Conn. took away Suzette Kelo’s house “for public use”?
Well, the public certainly was used.
Pfizer abandons site of infamous Kelo eminent domain taking
Scott Bullock, Kelo’s co-counsel in the case, told me: “This shows the folly of these redevelopment projects that [...]
The Stupak amendment:
Over in Washington, DC,
Senior Democrat is ‘confident’ that Stupak amendment will be stripped
A House Democratic leader said Monday she’s “confident” controversial language on abortion will be stripped from a final healthcare bill.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the Democrats’ chief deputy whip in the House, said that [...]
Painting a street green hasn’t stimulated one new job
Nine months after Congress passed the $787 billion stimulus package, there is little tangible to show for one of its biggest single areas of investment, the $25 billion energy-efficiency effort. That points to one of the central tensions of President [...]
Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Today’s top story: Yoani Sánchez and Orlando Luís Pardo Lazo last Friday, November 6, were kidnapped off a street in Havana just as they were about to participate on a peace demonstration. They were severely beaten by three [...]
All things come to an end, and Mad Men’s third season finale is tonight: it’s titled Shut the Door. Have a Seat which of course makes you think someone’s going to get fired, but it may mean there are lots of bad news for a [...]
In a lengthy post, Gates of Vienna posts recommendations on women’s rights and Sharia law:
Participating States must point out to all religious groups that men and women enjoy quality before the law. In addition, participating states should punish violations according to the law. Participating states should particularly focus on the [...]Yes, $2.6 Trillion! A Closer Look at the Full 10 Years of Spending in the House Health Bill
The true cost is not the net spending on only the coverage related provisions ($897 billion) but rather the total gross spending for the coverage provisions ($1.05 trillion) as well as [...]
Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists
Major Nidal Malik Hasan worshipped at a mosque led by a radical imam said to be a “spiritual adviser” to three of the hijackers who attacked America on Sept 11, 2001.
Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of [...]
Heroism:
During the terrorist slaughter at Fort Hood, police officer Sgt. Kimberly Denise Munley acted heroically and saved the lives of many:
She Ran to Gunfire, and Ended It
The police officer who brought down a gunman after he went on a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood Army [...]
Mel Zelaya and Thomas Shannon in the tin-foil-lined room
Zelaya Says Honduras Deal Is Off, as Election Nears
Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya on Friday pulled out of an agreement that was supposed to solve the country’s political crisis, leaving the next moves to voters in [...]
Via Babalu, La Seguridad de Estado detiene a Yoani Sánchez y otros blogueros cuando iban a participar en una manifestación-performance en la calle 23
Babalu translates,
Penultimos Dias has word that Yoani Sanchez and other Cuban bloggers have been arrested in Havana.
Yoani Sánchez, Orlando Luis Pardo, Ciro Díaz [...]
Fort Hood shooting: Nidal Malik Hasan ’said Muslims should rise up’
Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who allegedly killed 11 people before being shot and wounded by police at Fort Hood, had said Muslims should “rise up” and attack Americans in retaliation for the US war in Iraq, a former [...]
In today’s podcast at 11AM, I interview Félix Pilco (above, right), one of the six people the Ecuadorian government jailed for putting up posters declaring president Rafael Correa “persona non grata” in their town.
Related reading:
Seis detenidos por declarar “persona no grata” al [...]
From last month’s tango festival, Kat Gorsuch and Robin Thomas, who are the instructors at the Monday lessons on campus,
[...]
10,000 Rally Against Obamacare
Over 10,000 people have shown up so far to raise their concerns about the health care discussions currently under way. We are halfway in the middle of the crowd and can barely see podium with all the signs, people, and flags.
(h/t [...]
“What we got here is… failure to communicate.“
The line from Cool Hand Luke comes to mind when you read La Gringa’s post:
Shannon clarifies the Accord; Zelaya disputes it
In this CNN (Español) video from yesterday, November 3, you will hear US Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon [...]
My latest article, Obama Rolls the Dice and Craps Out in New Jersey, is up at Pajamas Media. Please read it and leave a comment.
[...]What is the sound of a personality cult?
Well, you can hear it right here:
Sung with fervor at the Barack Obama Elementary School.
But the Barack Obama Elementary School is one of many that John Nolte found, where the cult of adoration lives.
And, oh yes, your school tax moneys are [...]
Today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern, Plunging the country into rationing water and electricity, Hugo Chavez dishes out advice to the suffering public.
Use the flashlight:
Be a good Communist, take a short shower:
Related reading:
Water Rationing Begins in Caracas, Other Major Venezuelan Cities
Venezuela Rations Water As Power [...]
It ain’t over till the fat guy wins,
Christie Wins New Jersey Race
Republican Chris Christie, a former federal prosecutor, pulled out a win for the New Jersey governor’s race against a deeply unpopular Democratic incumbent whom voters blamed for the state’s high taxes and budget woes.
The Associated Press called [...]
Yeah, yeah, this blog deals mostly with American and Latin American politics, but this is too good to pass up:
Jawa’s Howie got the picture.
The terrorists didn’t get to finish their pudding, but the bear had dinner – without some fava beans and a [...]
Get Out The Vote, with criminal street gangs?
**VIDEO** Terrified Voter says NJ Dems Using Gangbangers for GOTV
How would you like to be a New Jersey police officer and look out your window and see several known criminals, including a man you arrested several weeks ago and another [...]
In today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern (if you don’t catch it live, you can listen to any archived podcast at your convenience),
Daniel Ortega seeks to extend his term limit…indefinitely, the latest of the current trend among Latin American rulers.
Related reading:
Constitutional Danger in Nicaragua, [...]
As you know, I am pessimistic on today’s election; however, John Fund has more troublesome news,
Chris Christie’s Next Case: Who Stole My Election?
Absentee voter fraud may play a significant role in New Jersey’s gubernatorial election.
Plenty of reasons exist for suspecting absentee fraud may play a significant [...]
Behold, the income tax rates necessary to erase the deficit,
via The TaxProf Blog,
Lots more at the Tax Foundation, which asks, Can Income Tax Hikes Close the Deficit?
By the way,
this only “erases the deficit” – it does not even make a small dent [...]
Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean.
This week’s big news: the new Honduras agreement. Please see this morning’s roundup on the international reaction, and last Friday’s post. More posts on Honduras below.
LATIN AMERICA
Hacia una visa común latinoamericana
ARGENTINA
Argentina’s debt [...]
Today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern:
The Honduran deal – international reaction: 15 Minutes on Latin America
PDF file of the signed accord here, in Spanish.
Related articles:
Otto Reich writing at The Corner: Honduras & U.S.
Mary O’Grady at the WSJ: Hillary’s Honduran [...]
The Worst Bill Ever
Epic new spending and taxes, pricier insurance, rationed care, dishonest accounting: The Pelosi health bill has it all. How bad is the 1990-page bill that most Congressmen probably won’t even bother read?
n a rational political world, this 1,990-page runaway train would have been derailed [...]
NY-23: Scozzafava Endorses Owens
State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava (R), who dropped from the special election in Upstate New York yesterday, has now thrown her support to Democrat Bill Owens.
As Bruce put it,
Scozzafava Proves She is a Democrat After All
Last week Betty found out she’s really married to a Dick rather than a Don, but even then everybody looked mahveloss.
Surprisingly, it took three seasons for Brooks Brothers to come up with this,
Suit up like a ’60s Mad Man, limited edition of 250 suits, available [...]
Obama makes Bush his blame czar
There was Barack Obama only the other day, blaming everything on the president – no, no, silly, not him, the other fellow, the Designated Fall Guy who stepped down as head of state in January to accept the new constitutional position of Blame [...]
SCOZZAFAVA SUSPENDS 23RD CAMPAIGN
SIENA POLL SUGGESTS REPUBLICAN CAN’T WIn
Betsy explains why:
It was becoming a two-man race between Hoffman and the Democratic candidate, Bill Owens, with Scozzafava serving as a spoiler to the third-party candidate. She read the tea leaves in her sinking poll number and dropped [...]
Jake Tapper managed to figure out that $160 billion divided by 1 million “created or saved” jobs equals $160,000 per job.
And, whammo!
The White House is so shocked at Jake’s finding, they acuse him of calculator abuse.
As if one needed a calculator to figure that one. Of course, it’s abuse [...]
Those of us who are asking whether a “czar”, who is not under Congressional oversight, is allowed under the Constitution to set wages in private industry have an answer by Michael McConnell:
The Pay Czar Is Unconstitutional
Kenneth Feinberg hasn’t been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
So who is [...]
My latest article, Governor’s Race Neck and Neck in High Tax New Jersey is up at Pajamas Media. Please read it an leave a comment.
[...]
The BBC phrases it tactfully: Honduras rivals resolve deadlock
The interim leader of Honduras says he is ready to sign a pact to end its crisis which could include the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.
Roberto Micheletti said the agreement would create a power-sharing government and [...]
In order to “save the earth” apparently we must all give up basic sanitation.
Last year it was the Manhattan couple that stopped using toilet paper. Ugh.
This year it’s the fool feeling guilty about taking hot showers. After deluging us with statistics about how wasteful it is to [...]
Of all the perverse things in today’s world this one ought to make it to the top-ten list:
Gateway Pundit has the story from Christian News Wire,
Children of God for Life announced today that Neocutis, a bio-pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology and skin care is using aborted [...]
My mom suggested I do a post on the World Series. Since I don’t know a thing about baseball and it’s best to listen to one’s mom, here’s a Power Line analysis of the series.
Living in Princeton, we are geographically halfway between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia [...]
Not that I’m fond of class struggle, but isn’t it ironic that Hollywood millionaire Sean Penn is visiting Caracas with Hugo Chavez, and Michael Douglas is touring Old Havana after visiting with Raul Castro.
Sean was in Cuba at the expense of Vanity Fair and [...]
You know a has-been is trying to get back in the publicity loop when they do one or more of the following:
1. get their photo taken while stoned/drunk out of their minds as they leave a night club.
2. has one of their homemade porno videos “stolen” and released [...]
Dismantling America
Just one year ago, would you have believed that an unelected government official, not even a Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate but simply one of the many “czars” appointed by the President, could arbitrarily cut the pay of executives in private businesses by 50 percent [...]
