JaneyVee
JaneyVee's JournalChristie used Sandy money as political slush fund, evidence shows (Editorial)
Looks like we must send out a new batch of subpoenas, this time over fresh and powerful evidence that the governor personally misused Hurricane Sandy funds to win an endorsement from a Democrat.
This sounds like Hoboken in reverse. While Mayor Dawn Zimmer accuses the administration of withholding Sandy aid for political reasons in her city, the evidence in Belleville indicates that the governor provided extra aid for a mayor who was willing to dance.
And here, the governor was directly involved.
First, a reality check: The Sandy aid that New Jersey received was intended to help the victims of the storm, not as a political slush fund. The governor peeled off some of it for a TV campaign featuring himself and his family during the re-election campaign, a shameless stunt that is now under federal investigation. If Zimmer's charges are true, he withheld aid from Hoboken in a bid to pressure her to approve a real estate project.
The rest: http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2014/01/christie_awards_political_ally.html
From an intelligence gathering standpoint, the Olympics seem like a disaster.
US doesn't want to share intel gathering info with Russia out of fears Russia will then gain knowledge on how America gathers its intel, and Russia doesn't want to share with us out of the same fears. Both believe they have the superior intel gathering system and are letting egos get in the way instead of co-operating. I really hope none of this bravado is putting anyone in danger. I heard on the radio there are serious threats to the Olympics, including possible full-scale revolution (because of current ongoing tensions with Ukraine, terrorist threats, and fighting in the Caucuses). Putin believes his team has everything under control, which is even more worrisome. I hope everything goes down just fine. Sochi, at this point, seems like a bad idea.
::Here's an idea that will solve America's economic crisis and launch us into the 21st century
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration
Sometimes we don't need new solutions to old problems, history can be our guide.
Rebuilding America's crumbling infrastructure and ushering in a 21st century America. Updating our roads, bridges, parks, water supplies, electrical grids, airports, sewers, and climate change preparations for coastal cities.
This will put millions to work and back to work, attract new businesses and start-ups, invest in our Nation AND our citizens.
Lets do BIG things again.
The toll of the anti-vaccination movement, in one devastating graphic.
Measles outbreaks (purple) worldwide and whooping cough (green) in the U.S., thanks in part to the anti-vaccination movement. (Council on Foreign Relations / January 20, 2014)
Aaron Carroll today offers a graphic depiction of the toll of the anti-vaccination movement. (H/t: Kevin Drum.) It comes from a Council on Foreign Relations interactive map of "vaccine-preventable outbreaks" worldwide 2008-2014.
A couple of manifestations stand out. One is the prevalence of measles in Europe -- especially Britain -- and the U.S. Measles is endemic in the underdeveloped world because of the unavailability of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.
But in the developed world it's an artifact of the anti-vaccination movement, which has associated the vaccine with autism. That connection, promoted by the discredited British physician Andrew Wakefield and the starlet Jenny McCarthy, has been thoroughly debunked. But its effects live on, as the map shows.
Vaccine panic also plays a role in the shocking incidence in the U.S. of whooping cough, also beatable by a common vaccine. Researchers have pointed to the effect of "non-medical exemptions" from legally required whooping cough immunizations -- those premised on personal beliefs rather than medical reasons -- as a factor in a 2010 outbreak of whooping cough in California.
The rest: http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-antivaccination-movement-20140120,0,5576371.story#ixzz2r6EmagUI
Libertarian Perrier
Here it is! Refreshing!
THIS looks like a fun way to get clean drinking water in the future!
Evil socialism!
OOOH LOOK, the next day, instead of not going down the drain it just gels up in your tub! COOL!
Deregulation: Bringing the community together! "Thats FREEDUMB you're drinking, little Timmy!"
Libertarian Perrier, now with new improved smell and flavor!
Libertarian economics, great for business!
Clear water is boring!
Available with pulp!
Makes pretty patterns too!
Taste the FREEDUMB!
What? Orange you happy about corporate deregulation!
Why Pres.Obama Doesn't Use a Cordless Phone (and neither should you)
-snip-
• Security. The president needs to make sure some bozo out on the lawn can't eavesdrop on his phone call with a baby monitor.
• Interference. "Hold on Putin, the kids are microwaving some popcorn."
• Sound quality. Being able to actually hear inflections in people's voices is kinda important when dealing with international crises.
• You have to charge it. Aides can probably do it for him, but it's a pain.
• It's easy to lose
• It requires power. If the White House ever completely loses power (including whatever generators they might have), he wouldn't be able to make any calls from his desk.
• Corded phones have more features. The most gadgety reason is that his current phone, which is probably by Cisco or Avaya or someone similar, has tons and tons of features. There's probably even an Optimus Prime voice changer on that thing. No way will a cordless phone be able to match that.
STE phone set. Slot in front for Crypto PC Card.
Secure Terminal Equipment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Terminal_Equipment
Link: http://gizmodo.com/5136676/why-obama-doesnt-use-a-cordless-phone-and-neither-should-you
Hollywood Heavyweight Harvey Weinstein to take on the NRA in new film.
Audio clip from Howard Stern show.
For those that don't know, Harvey Weinstein IS Hollywood.
ETA: segment starts at 1:47 into clip
The Men Guarding Our Nuclear Arsenal Are High and Dumb as F**k
The Air Force announced this afternoon that 37 nuclear missile officers have been implicated in academic cheating scandals and drug rings, and the ongoing investigation may turn up more misdeeds soon.
So far, 11 Air Force on six different bases have been implicated in the drug ring. Three of them are missile launch officers at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, according to the Washington Post. Those are two of the three U.S. bases that house America's 450 intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In addition, nearly 20 percent of all the launch officers in charge of ICBMs at Malmstrom cheated or allowed cheating on a job-related certification test, the investigation showed. An estimated 200 officers have had their certifications yanked and will be forced to retake the exam, though it isn't clear how many officers might lose their jobs.
The Air Force insists that the integrity of its nuclear arsenal has not been compromised, though the service's chief of staff, Gen. Mark Welsh III, told reporters that Malmstrom had failed an August nuclear readiness test, according to Military.com editor Michael Hoffman. (The base later passed another nuke test in October.)
The rest: http://gawker.com/the-men-guarding-our-nuclear-arsenal-are-high-and-dumb-1502128337
Meet Rob McCord, Pennsylvania State Treasurer running for PA Governor
Statement on Koch Brothers’ Union Busting in Pennsylvania
Rosemont, PA – Today Pennsylvania State Treasurer Rob McCord issued the following statement condemning the efforts of the Koch Brothers and other, out-of-state interests intent on eliminating collective bargaining in Pennsylvania and fundamentally undermining the effectiveness of union representation.
“I know the union movement plays a critical role in building and maintaining a healthy Pennsylvania economy and protecting Pennsylvania working families, and I am proud to be a business leader who understands the value of unions.
“My support for the union movement flows not just from good economic analysis; it is deeply personal. My mom and dad were both teaching at a university on the West Coast when they got divorced. The university threatened to kick me, my mom, and my brother out of our family housing after my dad moved out. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) helped my mom and made sure her rights were protected. Needless to say, I have understood the value of unions since I was a kid.
“That’s why I am speaking up today — and pledging to work my heart out to defeat House Bill 1507 and Senate Bill 1034. These bills have a singular intent: to break the backs of unions in Pennsylvania to prevent them from fighting for good wages, workplace safety, and health care for workers, among other things.
“It’s no wonder, then, that Bill and Charles Koch, Sheldon Adelson, and other cloaked-money special interest groups are targeting our state for this effort.
“I strongly urge legislators to vote no on these bills and I’m putting the Koch Brothers on notice: If I’m governor, I will immediately veto any bill that undermines the ability of Pennsylvania unions to protect the working men and women of our state. Your tea party money isn’t welcome here.”
Rob McCord for PA Governor: http://www.robmccord.com/798/statement-on-koch-union-busting/
Future Prez?
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