Anesthesiologists: $234,950
Surgeons: $231,550
Obstetricians and gynecologists: $218,610
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons: $217,380
Orthodontists: $204,670
General internists: $189,210
Physicians and surgeons (other): $184,650
Family and general practitioners: $177,330
Chief executives: $176,550
Psychiatrists: $174,170
Pediatricians: $168,650
Specialist dentists: $168,000
Dentists: $161,750
Petroleum engineers: $138,980
Podiatrists: $133,870
Prosthodontists: $130,820
Lawyers: $130,490
Architectural and engineering managers: $129,350
Natural sciences managers: $128,230
Marketing managers: $126,190
Computer and information systems managers: $125,660
Industrial-organizational psychologists: $124,160
Financial managers: $120,450
Airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers: $118,070
Sales managers: $116,860
Friday, August 30, 2013
Secy. Kerry...."We know... We know... We know.."
Bush also knew.... Didn't he?
Kerry.. These are facts... We know... So, what will do... "Our choice today matters". It matters!!
Kerry.. These are facts... We know... So, what will do... "Our choice today matters". It matters!!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
These are the 10 fastest-growing jobs in America.
10. Skin Care Specialists > Pct. 10-year job growth:104% > 10-year job growth: 16,230 > Total employed: 31,810 > Median annual pay: $28,640
The number of employed skin care specialists doubled in the 10 years ending in 2012. Specialists typically work in salons and spas, although many are self-employed. Among the services they provide are skin cleanings, advice on proper skin care and removal of unwanted hair. Vocational schools usually offer cosmetology programs, which skin care specialists typically complete. States typically require a license to work in the field. New skin care services and products have driven demand for such specialists.
9. Personal Care Aides > Pct. 10-year job growth: 118%> 10-year job growth: 534,190 > Total employed:985,230 > Median annual pay: $19,910
Personal care aides are in extremely high demand as the baby boom generation ages and the number of elderly Americans rises. But while the total number of such aides doubled between 2002 and 2012, with nearly a million working in the field as of 2012, it remains a high turnover job because of the typically low pay and the high emotional toll. Even the top 10% of home care workers earned just $27,580 last year, when the median wage for employees across all occupations was $34,750.
8. Personal Financial Advisors > Pct. 10-year job growth: 128% > 10-year job growth: 98,460 > Total employed: 175,470 > Median annual pay: $67,520
The increased number of aging baby boomers approaching retirement and looking to manage their savings and assets has been one of the main drivers behind the growth in personal financial advisor jobs. Another key driver has been the rise in private sector retirement planning as a result of pension shortfalls. The resulting cuts to retirees’ benefits mean ever more individuals turn to financial planners in order to better plan for later in life. Becoming a financial advisor usually requires a bachelor’s degree. Backgrounds in math, accounting, economics, finance and law are all considered useful. Pay for many financial planners is quite high, with the top 25% of professionals taking home at least $111,450.
7. Coaches and Scouts > Pct. 10-year job growth: 130%> 10-year job growth: 114,080 > Total employed:201,800 > Median annual pay: $28,360
The number of coaches and scouts rose from less than 100,000 in 2002 to more than 200,000 in 2012. Several factors have driven job growth of coaches and scouts, and the same factors are expected to continue to drive further growth. A growing number of retirees with time to participate in sports such as golf and tennis is a major source of demand for coaches. But schools and universities are actually the largest source of jobs for coaches, according to the BLS. Job growth in college sports, especially women’s sports, is expected to be a key driver of employment growth in the field going forward.
6. Human Resources Specialists > Pct. 10-year job growth: 134% > 10-year job growth: 225,830 > Total employed: 394,380 > Median annual pay: $55,800
Human resources specialists’ duties involve recruiting, hiring and placing workers. The number of workers employed as human resources specialist rose by more than 225,000 between 2002 and 2012. One major factor contributing to job growth – and that is expected to continue to contribute — is the increase of firms in the employment services industry as companies outsource human resources tasks. Most human resources roles require a bachelor’s degree, and interpersonal skills are also very valuable.
5. Massage Therapists > Pct. 10-year job growth: 162%> 10-year job growth: 43,880 > Total employed: 71,040> Median annual pay: $35,970
The reason for the growth in massage therapists jobs has been a rise in the number of spas and massage clinics, according to the BLS. The Bureau also cites an increase in the nation’s elderly population as contributing to demand for massage therapists. The median salary for employed massage therapists was just under $36,000 last year, but the majority are self-employed and most work only part time. The median hourly wage for a massage therapist was $17.29 in 2012.
4. Interpreters and Translators > Pct. 10-year job growth: 171% > 10-year job growth: 31,720 > Total employed: 50,320 > Median annual pay: $45,430
As international trade expands and globalization continues, the need for interpreters and translators should continue to rise, according to the BLS. Already, the number of employed translators has jumped from less than 20,000 in 2002 to more than 50,000 in 2012. As the nation’s Hispanic population grows, interpreters and translators also will be needed. Translation pay varies considerably. The top-paid 10% of translators earned more than $91,800 annually last year, while the bottom 10% earned less than $23,570.
3. Music Directors and Composers > Pct. 10-year job growth: 178% > 10-year job growth: 15,960 > Total employed: 24,940 > Median annual pay: $47,350
It seems that Americans’ thirst for music is on the rise. This should drive job growth of music directors and composers. Another factor driving job growth for this occupation is the expected greater need for original music scores or transcriptions used in commercials and movies. In addition to musical talent and mastery of a variety of instruments, those in this occupation, especially the ones writing and conducting classical music, usually have a bachelor’s degree. About 10% of music directors and composers earned less than $21,450 annually, while the top 10% made more than $86,110, a high annual income compared with the same top 10% of other occupations on this list.
2. Petroleum Engineers > Pct. 10-year job growth:227% > 10-year job growth: 25,280 > Total employed:36,410 > Median annual pay: $130,280
Petroleum engineers are some of the highest paid workers in the nation, with a median wage that exceeded $130,000 in 2012. Their work typically involves assessing and planning drilling operations, as well as determining the equipment and methods necessary to extract oil and natural gas in the most efficient way possible. Petroleum engineers are required to have a bachelor’s degree in engineering and must pass a licensing exam and have four years of work experience to be licensed. Oil prices play a major role in determining job outlook for petroleum engineers, partially because higher prices improve incentives to explore and produce oil from newer, more challenging sources. In the past decade, oil prices have risen dramatically, possibly accounting for much of the profession’s estimated 227% job growth.
1. Service Unit Operators, Oil, Gas and Mining > Pct. 10-year job growth: 365% > 10-year job growth: 44,870> Total employed: 57,180 > Median annual pay: $41,970
No occupation has grown faster than service unit operators working in natural resources extraction, where the number of workers jumped from just over 12,000 in 2002 to more than 57,000 in 2012. Workers in these fields typically are responsible for overseeing and maintaining wells and other technology used in extracting natural resources. Workers are most often employed in oil and gas producing states, such as Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and North Dakota. There are several potential reasons for the profession’s explosive job growth, including rising energy prices and the increased extraction of non-conventional fuel sources.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
California trying to strike out tax-exempt status for Little League, ‘discriminatory’ groups
A California bill that could strip tax-exempt status from Little League, the Boy Scouts of America and other “discriminatory” nonprofit youth-serving groups could come up for a final vote this week.
The first-of-its-kind bill, SB 323, passed the California Senate and sailed through Assembly committees to a floor vote, possibly this week.
But opponents are taking heart that there might not be enough votes in the state Assembly to pass the bill.
The chamber did not consider the bill in its Monday session, but may take it up when it convenes Friday.
The bill, introduced by State Sen. Ricardo Lara, names the Boy Scouts, Little League, Future Farmers of America and 19 other organizations as examples of groups that could be stripped of their tax-exempt status if found to discriminate based on gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, race, religion or religious affiliation.
The measure also threatens tax-exempt status for public and private schools found to sponsor discriminatory youth groups. One critic said it could even threaten an exemption status held by a church.
“Traditional values regarding heterosexuality are being branded as the legal equivalent of racism, and so there’s the quite genuine fear that the tax code really is the battleground against the traditional churches,” said Alan Reinach, executive director of Church State Council, which opposes SB 323.
“It’s not about ‘live and let live.’ If the churches do not conform to the values of homosexuality, then we will lose our standing in society,” he said.
Syria, use this initial post to comment over the time of the coming "war"...
As much as I doubt there are any "facts" regarding the Syria situation, there at least will be endless arguing, just like Iraq... The interesting position for the MSM now is that their favorite "American Idol, President Obama, wil be suffering the same moves and miscalculations Bush suffered.
The doves are now trapped like birds in a cage because the head dove is faced with killing folks just like Bush did. Ironic, no?
The cries that chemical weapons were used was a major stepping stone to Iraq, wasn't it?
I project that by the weekend we will have been killing folks in the Middle East, it's hard to hit every target without collateral damage, just has it always has been....
I think the best course of action is to do nothing. Yep, walk away, look away, stay away. I'm no dove but I can say I can smell a rat, and this stinks for us, as a country. The "Middle East" consumed England in the 30's and 40's and we've been being dragged down by it since then. We trained folks like Bib Laden to fight the Russians in Afghanistan and the result was 9-11. We've been in Afghanistan ever since and all we have to show is white crosses in military grave yards.
You can't fight "God"
There are two Gods in the region, ok three, however to import the Christian God across the Med. sea hasn't really worked to well yet. So I say......
Walk away from this mess, quick and don't look back, the sands of Syria have nothing but quicksand to offer our country, no resources, no nothing.
The doves are now trapped like birds in a cage because the head dove is faced with killing folks just like Bush did. Ironic, no?
The cries that chemical weapons were used was a major stepping stone to Iraq, wasn't it?
I project that by the weekend we will have been killing folks in the Middle East, it's hard to hit every target without collateral damage, just has it always has been....
I think the best course of action is to do nothing. Yep, walk away, look away, stay away. I'm no dove but I can say I can smell a rat, and this stinks for us, as a country. The "Middle East" consumed England in the 30's and 40's and we've been being dragged down by it since then. We trained folks like Bib Laden to fight the Russians in Afghanistan and the result was 9-11. We've been in Afghanistan ever since and all we have to show is white crosses in military grave yards.
You can't fight "God"
There are two Gods in the region, ok three, however to import the Christian God across the Med. sea hasn't really worked to well yet. So I say......
Walk away from this mess, quick and don't look back, the sands of Syria have nothing but quicksand to offer our country, no resources, no nothing.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Bush at least had formal authority to "F" with Iraq, Obama....???
The Iraq Resolution or the Iraq War Resolution (formally theAuthorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002,[1] Pub.L. 107–243, 116 Stat. 1498, enacted October 16, 2002, H.J.Res. 114) is a joint resolution passed by the United States Congress in October 2002 as Public Law No: 107-243, authorizing military action against Iraq.
Do I see an invasion of Syria Resolution, or just a pause from the round of golf to send in troops and supporting ___________ fill in the blank(s) regarding Syria.
Film at 11...
Do I see an invasion of Syria Resolution, or just a pause from the round of golf to send in troops and supporting ___________ fill in the blank(s) regarding Syria.
Film at 11...
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Obama, "hurricanes are getting worse" really...????
http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2013/08/24/slowest-start-to-a-hurricane-season-on-record/
Obama says that hurricanes are getting worse, based on some research done at the Choom Climatological Institute.
As we approach the end of August, there have been no Atlantic hurricanes. By this date in the year 1886, there had already been seven hurricanes – including three major hurricanes, one of which wiped the city of Indianola, Texas off the map.
A kinder, gentler natural hurricane from 1886
Obama’s presidency has also seen the fewest US hurricane landfalls of any president. Three hurricanes have hit the US while he was in office, compared to twenty-six while Grover Cleveland was in office.
Friday, August 23, 2013
American, Israeli And Jordanian Troops And CIA Agents Have Entered Syria, Le Figaro Reports
We have yet to see secondary confirmation of the following breaking news from the second largest French newspaper, Le Figaro, but if accurate, it means the Nobel Peace Prize winning president has just engaged in yet another unsanctioned by Congress war.
From Le Figaro, google translated:
According to our information, the regime's opponents, supervised by Jordanian, Israeli and American commandos moving towards Damascus since mid-August. This attack could explain the possible use of the Syrian president to chemical weapons.According to information obtained by Le Figaro , the first trained in guerrilla warfare by the Americans in Jordan Syrian troops reportedly entered into action since mid-August in southern Syria, in the region of Deraa. A first group of 300 men, probably supported by Israeli and Jordanian commandos, as well as men of the CIA, had crossed the border on August 17. A second would have joined the 19. According to military sources, the Americans, who do not want to put troops on the Syrian soil or arming rebels in part controlled by radical Islamists form quietly for several months in a training camp set up at the border Jordanian- Syrian fighters ASL, the Free Syrian Army, handpicked....According to this expert on the region, the idea proposed by Washington would be the possible establishment of a buffer zone from the south of Syria, or even a no-fly zone, which would cause opponents safely until the balance of power changes. This is the reason why the United States has deployed Patriot batteries and F16 in late June Jordan.
More here.
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lefigaro.fr%2Finternational%2F2013%2F08%2F22%2F01003-20130822ARTFIG00438-syrie-l-operation-anti-assad-a-commence.php
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lefigaro.fr%2Finternational%2F2013%2F08%2F22%2F01003-20130822ARTFIG00438-syrie-l-operation-anti-assad-a-commence.php
Why is the US, or rather Federal Reserve, desperate for a war with Syria? It was all explained previously here, but here is the one chart that matters.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Like fast food? Next Thursday won't be a good for you.. Thanks Unions...
Sure, I want folks to make a decent living, but, if the price of fast food labor doubles, who gets hurt?
Look on the bright side, the unions will kill off fast food restaurants! Mrs. Obama will be thrilled!
However, millions will be punished. Thanks Dems...
Look on the bright side, the unions will kill off fast food restaurants! Mrs. Obama will be thrilled!
However, millions will be punished. Thanks Dems...
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Do as I say, not as I do.
If only all government regulations included a “decide whether you want to follow it” clause.
Hard as it is to believe, one such provision is included in the Obamacare regulation governing how the law applies to congressional staffers.
Under the proposed rule from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), all congressional offices may decide whether their employees are subject to the requirements of the law. What’s more, the regulation explicitly states that the OPM “will not review or overturn these determinations.”
At issue is a disagreement over whether the requirement in
Obamacare for congressional staffers to purchase health insurance
through the exchanges applies to staffers in committee and leadership
offices (as opposed to members’ personal offices). In the same
announcement, OPM said it will continue subsidizing all congressional
staffers’ health-care premiums, whether they remain on the
federal-employee plan or move to the exchanges, though this wasn’t
explicitly provided for in Obamacare. But even under the proposal, where
staffers will be getting their insurance remains unclear.According
to a GOP aide involved in the matter, OPM has argued in
behind-the-scenes discussions that committee staffers and leadership
staffers are exempt from the requirement and can continue their current
health-care arrangements. Republicans involved in the negotiations have
contended the requirement applies to all staffers.
Rather than deciding one way or the other, OPM has put the decision on each office and said it won’t interfere with whatever decision they make.
“As part of their responsibility to make this determination, the employing offices shall be the final authority with respect to the determination for each individual. Under these proposed regulations, OPM will not review or overturn these determinations,” the regulation says.
While this is intended to address the disagreement over committee and leadership staffers, there’s nothing to prevent any individual congressional office from just deciding not to follow the law, since its decision would be deemed “final” and not be subject to any review.
The GOP aide says that Republicans have already decided internally that they will apply the requirement to purchase insurance from the exchanges to all staffers. But some Democrats are contemplating making use of the loophole. Senior Democratic aides for minority leader Nancy Pelosi and House Energy and Commerce ranking member Henry Waxman, including several who receive their health care through Medicare, have expressed deep anger in discussions over OPM’s regulation, the source adds.
A senior Democratic leadership aide says there is “no question” that your average, run-of-the-mill congressional aide — one working in a congressman’s personal office and paid solely out of his “Members’ Representational Allowance” — is bound by the requirements.
The aide adds that Democratic leadership is pushing for “all” staffers to abide by the requirements but says it is ultimately up to Republican leaders. “To some extent, this will be up to the speaker’s office and/or House administration chair about what determinant they use, but we believe everyone should go in as Senator Grassley’s poorly written amendment intended,” the aide says.
However, at least some Democrats disagree with their leadership and would like to leave certain aides unaffected, sources say, and the decision is causing dissension behind the scenes.
OPM’s just-issued regulation is currently only a proposal, and congressional offices will have time after it is finalized to make decisions on whom they deem the law applies to.
An internal GOP review of the OPM regulation produced by the House Ways and Means Committee and obtained by National Review Online also finds numerous and embarrassing flaws in OPM’s new proposal (emphasis added):
OPM “cannot answer” when staffers will be required to begin enrolling in the exchanges, the memo says, and “does not know how the Exchange enrollment process will work for Members of Congress and staff.”
By Johnathon Strong.
Hard as it is to believe, one such provision is included in the Obamacare regulation governing how the law applies to congressional staffers.
Under the proposed rule from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), all congressional offices may decide whether their employees are subject to the requirements of the law. What’s more, the regulation explicitly states that the OPM “will not review or overturn these determinations.”
Rather than deciding one way or the other, OPM has put the decision on each office and said it won’t interfere with whatever decision they make.
“As part of their responsibility to make this determination, the employing offices shall be the final authority with respect to the determination for each individual. Under these proposed regulations, OPM will not review or overturn these determinations,” the regulation says.
While this is intended to address the disagreement over committee and leadership staffers, there’s nothing to prevent any individual congressional office from just deciding not to follow the law, since its decision would be deemed “final” and not be subject to any review.
The GOP aide says that Republicans have already decided internally that they will apply the requirement to purchase insurance from the exchanges to all staffers. But some Democrats are contemplating making use of the loophole. Senior Democratic aides for minority leader Nancy Pelosi and House Energy and Commerce ranking member Henry Waxman, including several who receive their health care through Medicare, have expressed deep anger in discussions over OPM’s regulation, the source adds.
A senior Democratic leadership aide says there is “no question” that your average, run-of-the-mill congressional aide — one working in a congressman’s personal office and paid solely out of his “Members’ Representational Allowance” — is bound by the requirements.
The aide adds that Democratic leadership is pushing for “all” staffers to abide by the requirements but says it is ultimately up to Republican leaders. “To some extent, this will be up to the speaker’s office and/or House administration chair about what determinant they use, but we believe everyone should go in as Senator Grassley’s poorly written amendment intended,” the aide says.
However, at least some Democrats disagree with their leadership and would like to leave certain aides unaffected, sources say, and the decision is causing dissension behind the scenes.
OPM’s just-issued regulation is currently only a proposal, and congressional offices will have time after it is finalized to make decisions on whom they deem the law applies to.
An internal GOP review of the OPM regulation produced by the House Ways and Means Committee and obtained by National Review Online also finds numerous and embarrassing flaws in OPM’s new proposal (emphasis added):
The proposed regulations and associated fact sheet and FAQs make one fact quite clear:Further, the document explains, “OPM remains unclear on how Members of Congress and designated staff on Medicare will enroll in the Exchanges. ObamaCare did not contemplate coordination between the Exchanges and Medicare, and OPM has offered no guidance on how this will work.”
OPM is still not ready and has not addressed many concerns:
“OPM will work with the administrative offices of Members of Congress on a streamlined process …”
OPM “cannot answer” when staffers will be required to begin enrolling in the exchanges, the memo says, and “does not know how the Exchange enrollment process will work for Members of Congress and staff.”
By Johnathon Strong.
"The Unintended" .....Obamacare......
The unintended consequences of Obamacare are coming thick and fast (and not just from tin-foil-hat-wearing blogs, mainstream media, or political party ignorance). This time it is UPS, who announced that due to the higher costs under Obamacare will drop 15,000 spouses from its health insurance plan. As CNN reports, an internal document obtained by Kaiser Health News said the policy will apply to non-union US workers (saving what is expected to be a $60 million rise in costs). More 'anecdotal evidence'... UPS justified its move by saying that 35% of companies intend to do the same thing
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Freedom of the press... Vs. Obama goons
Britain forced Guardian to destroy copy of Snowden material
By Mark Hosenball | Reuters – 22 hours ago
By Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The editor of the Guardian, a major outlet for revelations based on leaks from former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, says the British government threatened legal action against the newspaper unless it either destroyed the classified documents or handed them back to British authorities.
In an article posted on the British newspaper's website on Monday, Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger said that a month ago, after the newspaper had published several stories based on Snowden's material, a British official advised him: "You've had your fun. Now we want the stuff back."
After further talks with the government, Rusbridger said, two "security experts" from Government Communications Headquarters, the British equivalent of the ultra-secretive U.S. National Security Agency, visited the Guardian's London offices.
In the building's basement, Rusbridger wrote, government officials watched as computers which contained material provided by Snowden were physically pulverized. "We can call off the black helicopters," Rusbridger says one of the officials joked.
The Guardian's decision to publicize the government threat - and the newspaper's assertion that it can continue reporting on the Snowden revelations from outside of Britain - appears to be the latest step in an escalating battle between the news media and governments over reporting of secret surveillance programs.
On Sunday, British authorities detained for nine hours the domestic partner of Glenn Greenwald, a Guardian writer who met face to face in Hong Kong with Snowden and has written or co-authored many of the newspaper's stories based on his material.
The Guardian reported, and UK authorities subsequently confirmed, that David Miranda, Greenwald's Brazilian partner, was detained by British authorities under an anti-terrorism law as he was in transit from Berlin to Brazil and was changing planes at London's Heathrow Airport.
One U.S. security official told Reuters that one of the main purposes of the British government's detention and questioning of Miranda was to send a message to recipients of Snowden's materials, including the Guardian, that the British government was serious about trying to shut down the leaks.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Monday that while the United States did not ask British authorities to detain Miranda, British officials had given the United States a "heads up" about the British government's plan to question him.
Rusbridger, in his article on the Guardian's website, said that despite the destruction of the computers in London, he told British officials that due to the nature of "international collaborations" among journalists, it would remain possible for media organizations to "take advantage of the most permissive legal environments." Henceforth, he said, the Guardian "did not have to do our reporting from London."
A source familiar with the matter said that this meant British authorities were on notice that the Guardian was likely to continue to report on the Snowden revelations from outside British government jurisdiction.
Rusbridger said that in meetings with British officials before the computers were destroyed, he told them the Guardian could not do its journalistic duty if it gave in to the government's requests.
In response, he wrote, a government official told him that the newspaper had already achieved the aim of sparking a debate on government surveillance. "You've had your debate. There's no need to write any more," the unnamed official was quoted as saying.
During Miranda's trip to Berlin, which the Guardian said it had paid for, he visited with Laura Poitras, an independent film-maker who was the first journalist to interact with Snowden. Poitras co-authored stories based on Snowden's material for the Washington Post and the German magazine Der Spiegel.
Greenwald told the New York Times that Miranda went to Berlin to deliver materials downloaded by Snowden to Poitras and to acquire from Poitras a different set of materials for delivery to Greenwald, who lives with Miranda near Rio de Janeiro.
Greenwald said British authorities seized all electronic media, including data memory sticks, which Miranda was carrying. But Greenwald told the Forbes website that "everything" Miranda had "was heavily encrypted."
Greenwald did not immediately respond to an email from Reuters requesting comment.
While British authorities confirmed that Miranda had been detained under an anti-terrorism law, they did not further explain their actions. Brazil's government complained about Miranda's detention in a statement on Sunday that said the use of the British anti-terrorism law was unjustified.
(Editing by Warren Strobel and Tim Dobbyn)
Is this "birther" payback time?
From USA Today:
WASHINGTON -- The questions about Sen. Ted Cruz's citizenship may just be beginning.
Political analysts said Tuesday that Cruz may think he's tamping down a controversy by renouncing his previously unknown Canadian citizenship, but the situation may prove to be nettlesome — just like questions about President Obama's citizenship.
Dante Scala, a political scientist at the University of New Hampshire, calls it the "nuisance factor."
"If we learned anything from the allegations surrounding President Obama's citizenship, it's this: Facts may be stubborn things, but people's beliefs can be a lot more stubborn than the facts," Scala said. "Many people believe what they want to believe, regardless of the facts, especially when it's about a public figure they do not like in the first place."
Cruz, a Tea Party favorite still in his first year in the Senate, said Monday night he will renounce his Canadian citizenship, following a Dallas Morning News report that the Texas senator holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship.
Cruz has been making speeches to the GOP faithful in key states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, appearances that have helped land him on early lists of potential 2016 presidential candidates. Cruz released his birth certificate to the Dallas newspaper amid concerns about his eligibility to be president.
The document showed Cruz was born in 1970 in Calgary, Canada. His mother, Eleanor, was born in Delaware and was a U.S. citizen and his father, Rafael, was born in Cuba. Cruz had said in interviews prior to his Senate election that he is a U.S. citizen because his mother was born in the USA.
WASHINGTON -- The questions about Sen. Ted Cruz's citizenship may just be beginning.
Political analysts said Tuesday that Cruz may think he's tamping down a controversy by renouncing his previously unknown Canadian citizenship, but the situation may prove to be nettlesome — just like questions about President Obama's citizenship.
Dante Scala, a political scientist at the University of New Hampshire, calls it the "nuisance factor."
"If we learned anything from the allegations surrounding President Obama's citizenship, it's this: Facts may be stubborn things, but people's beliefs can be a lot more stubborn than the facts," Scala said. "Many people believe what they want to believe, regardless of the facts, especially when it's about a public figure they do not like in the first place."
Cruz, a Tea Party favorite still in his first year in the Senate, said Monday night he will renounce his Canadian citizenship, following a Dallas Morning News report that the Texas senator holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship.
Cruz has been making speeches to the GOP faithful in key states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, appearances that have helped land him on early lists of potential 2016 presidential candidates. Cruz released his birth certificate to the Dallas newspaper amid concerns about his eligibility to be president.
The document showed Cruz was born in 1970 in Calgary, Canada. His mother, Eleanor, was born in Delaware and was a U.S. citizen and his father, Rafael, was born in Cuba. Cruz had said in interviews prior to his Senate election that he is a U.S. citizen because his mother was born in the USA.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
RECENT VIRGINIA CHURCH SERVICE
Friday, August 16, 2013
Atlanta's high temperature on Thursday was only 73 degrees which is the coolest high temperature on record for August 15.
"Atlanta's high temperature on Thursday was only 73 degrees which is the coolest high temperature on record for August 15.
The previous record was a high of only 77 degrees from 1908.
The average high temperature for this time of year is 88 degrees, putting Thursday's high 15 degrees below average.
Atlanta has seen a cooler-than-average summer due to a lot of rain. We're about 15 inches above average on rainfall this year."
Global cooling folks, global cooling a far worse scenario than global warming....
Thursday, August 15, 2013
I like spy stuff....The Government Now Admits There's an 'Area 51'
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/08/government-now-admits-theres-area-51/68389/
Newly declassified documents, obtained by George Washington University's National Security Archive, appear to for the first time acknowledge the existence of Area 51. Hundreds of pages describe the genesis of the Nevada site that was home to the government's spy plane program for decades. The documents do not, however, mention aliens.
The project started humbly. In the pre-drone era about a decade after the end of World War II, President Eisenhower signed off on a project aimed at building a high-altitude, long-range, manned aircraft that could photograph remote targets. Working together, the Air Force and Lockheed developed a craft that could hold the high-resolution cameras required for the images, a craft that became the U-2. Why "U-2"?
They decided that they could not call the project aircraft a bomber, fighter, or transport plane, and they did not want anyone to know that the new plane was for reconnaissance, so [Air Force officers] Geary and Culbertson decided that it should come under the utility aircraft category. At the time, there were only two utility aircraft on the books, a U-1 and a U-3. told Culbertson that the Lockheed CL-282 was going to be known officially as the U-2.
The next step was to find a place from which the top-secret aircraft could be flown.
Recognizing that people might not be excited about moving to a place called "Area 51" in the middle of the desert, a new name was offered: "Paradise Ranch, which was soon shortened to the Ranch." It was less appealing, however, in popular culture.
DOJ, FBI admit they inflated claims about mortgage fraud crackdown last year
DOJ, FBI admit they inflated claims about mortgage fraud crackdown last year
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/14/doj-fbi-admit-inflated-claims-about-mortgage-fraud-crackdown-last-year/#ixzz2c4pXYbSz
The Justice Department and FBI have quietly acknowledged they grossly overstated the scope of a mortgage fraud crackdown, which the administration heralded with much fanfare a few weeks before last year's presidential election.
According to a memo circulated by the FBI and a correction posted online by the Justice Department, the number of defendants, the number of victims and the size of the losses are, in reality, a fraction of what officials claimed last October.
Attorney General Eric Holder and other law enforcement officials claimed in early October that the initiative charged 530 criminal defendants on behalf of 73,000 victims who suffered over $1 billion in losses. The so-called Distressed Homeowner Initiative, which targeted fraud schemes against distressed homeowners, was highlighted in a press release and press conference at the time.
Holder, talking to the cameras on Oct. 9, called it "a groundbreaking, year-long mortgage fraud enforcement effort."
The real numbers, it turns out, were far smaller. The feds now admit that the number of criminal defendants charged was more like 107, not 530. The number of victims was 17,185 -- still a large number, but roughtly one fourth the size of the original headcount. And the losses totaled $95 million -- not $1 billion, as originally claimed.
The DOJ and FBI had long been dogged by claims that their numbers were inflated. Bloomberg has been reporting since October that the cases cited by Holder included charges filed during the George W. Bush administration.
Bloomberg continued to press for clarification. The administration went dark on the issue until Friday, when the FBI acknowledged in a memo that it had conducted an "extensive review" and found problems. The original figures included defendants who "were the subject of other prosecutive actions," as well as defendants charged in cases that did not fall under the anti-mortgage fraud program in question, according to the memo, obtained by FoxNews.com.
"As a result, the public announcement overstated the number of defendants that should have been included as part of the Distressed Homeowner Initiative, as well as the corresponding estimated loss amount and number of victims," the memo said.
The Justice Department also updated its own October release
-- as well as the transcript for remarks delivered by Holder -- with a correction, saying prior versions "inadvertently contained inaccurate numbers."
-- as well as the transcript for remarks delivered by Holder -- with a correction, saying prior versions "inadvertently contained inaccurate numbers."
The administration is still getting hammered for the revisions, though. Bloomberg columnist Jonathan Weil called on Holder to apologize, and explain how this happened.
called on Holder to apologize, and explain how this happened.
"He used a press conference with the cameras rolling to give out numbers that proved to be false -- and they appear to have been willfully false," Weil wrote. "He should be just as eager to hold another press conference to set the record straight, answer any questions about his apparent sleight of hand when it comes to financial-fraud metrics and apologize to the American people."
On climate change, Obama, EPA plan action without Congress
BOULDER, Colo. | EPA chief Gina McCarthy said Wednesday that the Obama administration is finished waiting for Congress to act on climate change and plans to bypass the legislative branch in developing a federal response.
Ms. McCarthy, who was confirmed last month as Environmental Protection Agency administrator, cited President Obama’s June 25 speech at Georgetown University, in which he unveiled his Climate Action Plan and vowed to make combatting climate change a priority of his second term.
Mr. Obama gave “what I really think is a most remarkable speech by a president of the United States,” said Ms. McCarthy in remarks at the University of Colorado Boulder.
“Essentially, he said that it is time to act,” she said. “And he said he wasn’t going to wait for Congress, but that he had administrative authorities and that it was time to start utilizing those more effectively and in a more concerted way.”
She insisted that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions could be accomplished without harming economic growth, calling the tension between the two priorities a “false choice.”
“We’re going to do this this year, next year, the following year, until people understand these are not scary things to do, these are actions we can all do, they’re actions that benefit everybody, that will grow the economy, and they’re actions that will protect the health and safety of individuals,” Ms. McCarthy said.
The president’s Climate Action Plan has come under criticism from Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who said in June the plan amounted to a “war on coal” and a “war on jobs.”
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