Saturday, August 27, 2011
Chinese workers not paid for work on MLK memorial
The “Stone of Hope” statue of Dr. King was sculpted in China by a Chinese sculptor out of Chinese granite and shipped to the United States where it was assembled by Chinese workers.
The Chinese workers were paid nothing - - which would seem to me to violate not only Dr. King’s principles but also U.S. anti-slavery laws - - though they were hoping to get paid something when they returned to China.
The Post, which has done some very good reporting on the project over the years, had a reporter go out with a representative of a local union that represents stonemasons to see how the Chinese workers were being treated. It turns out they were being housed in a very nice high-rise in Crystal City, Va., and were being given free room and board, but no pay.
The union rep took a Chinese-speaking translator along and he asked one of the laborers why the men would work without pay.
“ ‘Because they are working for ‘national honor,’ ” the worker said. “ ‘To bring glory to the Chinese people.’ ”
The Chinese workers were paid nothing - - which would seem to me to violate not only Dr. King’s principles but also U.S. anti-slavery laws - - though they were hoping to get paid something when they returned to China.
The Post, which has done some very good reporting on the project over the years, had a reporter go out with a representative of a local union that represents stonemasons to see how the Chinese workers were being treated. It turns out they were being housed in a very nice high-rise in Crystal City, Va., and were being given free room and board, but no pay.
The union rep took a Chinese-speaking translator along and he asked one of the laborers why the men would work without pay.
“ ‘Because they are working for ‘national honor,’ ” the worker said. “ ‘To bring glory to the Chinese people.’ ”
Not exactly for your living room
Atomic Clock With the World's Best Long-Term Accuracy Is Revealed After Evaluation
A caesium fountain clock that keeps the United Kingdom's atomic time is now the most accurate long-term timekeeper in the world, according to a new evaluation of the clock that will be published in the October 2011 issue of the international scientific journal Metrologia by a team of physicists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the United Kingdom and Penn State University in the United States. This image shows the clock, NPL-CsF2, which is located at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, U.K. The whole device is approximately 8.2 feet (2.5 m) high. Atoms are tossed up 3.2 feet (1 m), approximately 12 inches (30 cm) above the cavity that is contained inside a vacuum vessel. The large external cylinder screens the atoms inside the clock from the relatively large and unstable external magnetic field.
Well that should balance our budget for years
Texas Supreme Court Upholds Constitutionality of $5 'Pole Tax'
A Texas statute requires a business that offers live nude entertainment and allows the consumption of alcohol on its premises to remit to the Comptroller a $5 fee for each customer admitted. We are asked to decide whether the statute violates the right to freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. We hold it does not.
Never complain about your job
The lion mane tamer: Meet the gamekeeper who gives maneating Jamu a daily hairspray as part of his beauty treatment
Theses amazing pictures show fearless Alex Larenty, from Chipping North, happily preening massive maneater Jamu at the Lion Park near Johannesburg. He also sprays the 9-year-old beast with special lion hairspray, gives him a manicure and even massages his feet. And it's all in the name of making him attractive to the opposite sex.
If you are into swords, worth the read.
A brief history of the ancient science of sword making
http://io9.com/5831683/a-brief-history-of-the-ancient-science-of-sword-making
Vin Scully will return for 2012 season
Vin Scully announced in the middle of the Dodgers-Rockies game Friday that he is coming back next season for his 63rd year as the voice of the Dodgers.
The greatest sports broadcaster ever, back for at least one more season.
The greatest sports broadcaster ever, back for at least one more season.
Obama does not believe in sovereignty
NYT
Feds now letting Mexican police stage cross-border raids from inside U.S.
The Obama administration is allowing the Mexican police to stage cross-border drug raids from inside the United States, according to senior administration and military officials.
Charles K. weighs in on Huntsman
Krauthammer: 'Huntsman is a liberal's idea of what a Republican ought to be'
Expensive old Porsche
Steve McQueen’s Porsche brings $1.25 million at auction
We told you back in March the Slate Gray 1970 Porsche 911T that appeared in the opening scenes of Le Mans and was owned by the movie's iconic star would cross the block during auction week in Monterey this month. Back then RM's pre-sale estimate for the famous Porsche was between $950,000 and $1.3 million.
More Holder Corruption
MORE ON THE GIBSON RAID: “Why would the government use armed agents to attack one of the few major manufacturers of anything remaining in the United States?” It’s like they don’t want to see the economy recover or something.
UPDATE: What a coincidence! CEO of Gibson Guitar a Republican Donor. And their Democratic-donating competitor, Martin, uses the same wood but wasn’t raided. Well, when you’ve got a President who jokes about tax audits as revenge for a personal slight, it’s hard not to be suspicious, isn’t it?
Incentivized non-productivity on an industrial scale
Mark Steyn:
The problem for the Western world is that it has incentivized non-productivity on an industrial scale. For large numbers at the lower end of the spectrum (still quaintly referred to by British reporters as “working class”), the ritual of work — of lifetime employment as a normal feature of life — has been all but bred out by multigenerational dependency. At the upper end of the spectrum, too many of us seem to regard an advanced Western society as the geopolitical version of a lavishly endowed charitable foundation that funds somnolent programming on NPR. I was talking to a trustiefundie Vermont student the other day who informed me her ambition is to “work for a non-profit.”
“What kind of ambition is that?” I said, a little bewildered. But she meant it, and so do most of her friends. Doesn’t care particularly what kind of “non-profit” it is: as long as no profits are involved, she’s eager to run up a six-figure college debt for a piece of the non-action. The entire state of Vermont is becoming a non-profit. And so in a certain sense is an America that’s 15 trillion dollars in the hole, and still cheerfully spending away.
“What kind of ambition is that?” I said, a little bewildered. But she meant it, and so do most of her friends. Doesn’t care particularly what kind of “non-profit” it is: as long as no profits are involved, she’s eager to run up a six-figure college debt for a piece of the non-action. The entire state of Vermont is becoming a non-profit. And so in a certain sense is an America that’s 15 trillion dollars in the hole, and still cheerfully spending away.
Al-Qaida's No. 2 is killed
Al-Qaida's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat, a senior Obama administration official said Saturday.
The Libyan national who was the network's former operational leader rose to al-Qaida's No. 2 spot after the U.S. killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden during a raid on his Pakistan compound in May.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month that al-Qaida's defeat was within reach if the U.S. could mount a string of successful attacks on the group's weakened leadership.
"Now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them," Panetta said, "because I do believe that if we continue this effort we can really cripple al-Qaida as a major threat."
Al-Rahman was killed Aug. 22 in the lawless Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan, according to the official said, who insisted on anonymity to discuss intelligence issues.
The Libyan national who was the network's former operational leader rose to al-Qaida's No. 2 spot after the U.S. killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden during a raid on his Pakistan compound in May.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month that al-Qaida's defeat was within reach if the U.S. could mount a string of successful attacks on the group's weakened leadership.
"Now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them," Panetta said, "because I do believe that if we continue this effort we can really cripple al-Qaida as a major threat."
Al-Rahman was killed Aug. 22 in the lawless Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan, according to the official said, who insisted on anonymity to discuss intelligence issues.
Dr Y checks in on Perry and the Left's boast that they will destroy him
I have yet to see attacks on Perry that come close to what the msm did to Sarah Palin. But time will tell. |
Gov't's discrimination against men is having its effect.
BUSINESS WEEK: The Slow Disappearance of the American Working Man. “The portion of men who work and their median wages have been eroding since the early 1970s. . . . The portion of men holding a job—any job, full- or part-time—fell to 63.5 percent in July—hovering stubbornly near the low point of 63.3 percent it reached in December 2009. These are the lowest numbers in statistics going back to 1948. Among the critical category of prime working-age men between 25 and 54, only 81.2 percent held jobs, a barely noticeable improvement from its low point last year—and still well below the depths of the 1982-83 recession, when employment among prime-age men never dropped below 85 percent. To put those numbers in perspective, consider that in 1969, 95 percent of men in their prime working years had a job. Men who do have jobs are getting paid less.”
Obama policies are the problem. All other recessions were followed by recoveries. Obama's policies have just killed the recovery.
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY: The Endless Economic “Recovery.” “If you needed another metric by which to measure the failure of Obamanomics, new numbers released Friday show that two years after the recession ended the economy still hasn’t fully recovered. . . . Obama likes to blame the depth of the downturn for the “painfully slow” recovery. “We didn’t get into this mess overnight, and we won’t get out of it overnight. It’s going to take time,” he said — nearly a year ago.
The claim is bogus. This recession lasted only slightly longer than the 1981-82 contraction — 18 months vs. 16 — and wasn’t as severe when measured by peak unemployment.
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But the economy came screaming out of that downturn, and in three quarters was already well into an expansion. The 1973-75 recession lasted 16 months, but also took only three quarters to fully recover.
Stupid Photos, stupid excuse, get this bozo out.
Senator From Puerto Rico Documents the Weight Loss in His Ass
Republican senator from Puerto Rico has been caught weinerizing himself on a gay social media site.
Roberto Arango’s statement regarding the pics -
“You know I’ve been losing weight. As I shed that weight, I’ve been taking pictures. I don‘t remember taking this particular picture but I’m not gonna say I didn’t take it. I‘d tell you if I remembered taking the picture but I don’t.”
Here is the picture he can’t remember taking -
I can remember taking a picture of a wart I had on my foot in 1977. Arango can’t remember taking this picture.
Gaydar just whistled across the floor and exploded into the wall.This is the problem when you donate. You don't know what really happens to your $$
Breast Cancer Foundation Gave More Than $500K to Planned Parenthood Last Year
US
"defeating its own mission of fighting breast cancer."
Taxes: Congress keeps adding give aways to the bottom 80%. Another reason we have deficits
The Rich Already Pay More Than Their Fair Share of Taxes
Tax Policy Blog, Maybe the Rich Can Afford to Pay More Tax, But Should They?:As the following graph shows, in 2007 those households in the highest income quintile (the top 20%) had an effective tax rate of a little less than 15%. This has changed very little since 1986 or anytime in the 1980s.
Contrast that with the lower income quintiles, which all pay dramatically less tax now than they did in the 1980s. The trend is most pronounced among those in lowest income quintile, which had an effective rate of about zero up until that magical year 1986, and thereafter a more and more negative rate. In 2007, those in the lowest income quintile not only paid no tax, they got paid at the rate of 6.8% of their income! Starting in 2002, the effective rate for the second lowest income quintile goes negative as well. This means that the bottom 40% of households are now getting paid through the income tax code.
King Arthur's Round Table in Scotland?
King Arthur's round table may have been found by archaeologists in Scotland
Archaeologists searching for King Arthur's round table have found a "circular feature" beneath the historic King's Knot in Stirling.
The King's Knot in the grounds of Stirling Castle
A bottle of Merlot to the first reader to fly aboard. (Picture of interior required.)
Feds Sign Off on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner
EVERETT, Washington — The flight testing is done, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued its approval and as of today Boeing can say the 787 Dreamliner is certified to carry passengers.
The key to securing sales is the 787 is about 20 percent more fuel efficient than similar aircraft and will therefore save airlines a lot of money.
The fuel efficiency comes thanks to new engines from Rolls Royce and GE, along with improved aerodynamics, primarily in the wing. The engines with their serrated cowlings are also dramatically quieter than existing airliners. In fact, they’re so quiet that during testing, many have commented it sounds like the engines are shut down entirely.
Get rid of these Narcissistic Pols. This one is a Repub.
Not again! Another politician is accused of sending lewd topless photos online (in the same pose as the others)
Puerto Rican Republican senator Roberto Arango, centre, was reportedly pictured in a similar pose to New Jersey democrat Louis Magazzu and congressmen Anthony Weiner and Christopher Lee. Mr Arango allegedly posted it to Grindr.com, described as the largest all male location-based mobile network tool for Android, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and BlackBerry.
Another Amazon?
The subterranean Amazon: Mighty river found flowing 13,000ft below ground
- The Amazon river is known to be the second longest in the world, shorter only than the Nile but, remarkably, scientists have discovered another river flowing thousands of feet beneath it.
Researchers from Brazil's National Observatory believe the subterranean river is 3,700 miles long, about the same length as the Amazon on the surface.
The great Amazon: Now scientists say another river is flowing 13,000ft beneath it
Dr Valiya Hamza, from the BNO, said the discovery of the underground river came from studying temperature variations at 241 inactive oil wells drilled in the 1970s and 1980s by Brazil's state-run oil company, Petrobras.
He said the 'thermal information' provided by Petrobras allowed his team of researchers to identify the movement of water 13,100ft under the Amazon River.
Their findings were presented last week in Rio de Janeiro at a meeting of the Brazilian Geophysical Society.
Computer simulations presented by doctoral student Elizabeth Pimentel, found the groundwater flow is mostly vertical to about 6,500ft deep, but changes direction and becomes almost horizontal at greater depths.
The Amazon River delta (mouth) in Brazil as captured by Nasa's Landsat GeoCover Program. The river is believed to be 11million years old
Obama’s vacation
Prez exits on wave of ineptitude. “The first family came in separate planes, and they’re leaving, ditto. Hey, it’s only money, our money. Even before Irene, this wasn’t much of a presidential vacation compared to the earlier ones. An Obama vacation on the Vineyard has been downgraded from Cat 3 to tropical storm. It’s hard to get excited about the arrival, yet again, of the second coming of Herbert Hoover.” Ouch.
Related: Obama’s Vacation Stormy From Start. “The president’s retreat appeared doomed from the start as the stock market dove just before his arrival a week ago at the sprawling, $20 million Blue Heron Farm in the swish Chilmark section of the island paradise. The vacation only got worse as the Congressional Budget Office reported anemic economic growth, fighting erupted in Libya’s capital and a rare earthquake centered just south of the White House rocked the East Coast and cracked the Washington Monument — all while Obama hit the links, the beach and the bike paths.”
First Amendment still does not exist at ESPN
Golfer Paul Azinger Zings Obama Over Jobs
U.S. team captain Paul Azinger holds the Ryder Cup after defeating the European team to win the 37th Ryder Cup Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., in this Sept. 21, 2008 file photo.
Pro golfer Paul Azinger thinks President Obama might be hitting the links a bit too hard.
The author, businessman and 12-time PGA Tour winner took to Twitter Thursday to zing the commander-in-chief over his frequent golf outings while on vacation in Martha's Vineyard.
"Facts: Potus has played more golf this month than I have: I have created more jobs this month than he has," Azinger wrote.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/26/golfer-azinger-zings-obama-over-jobs/#ixzz1WEVsG9mS
ESPN Moves to Silence Golf Analyst Who Criticized Obama
A note for future prospective ESPN employees: You can only cheerlead Obama at ESPN. I’m not joking.
Case in point: The network’s golf analyst, 12-time PGA Tour winner Paul Azinger hit out at the President’s amount of golf games on Twitter.
I support businesses’ rights and if ESPN wants to enact a ban on political commentary from their on-air talent (it seems a bit of a stretch for me to include personal social media accounts into that) they have the right to do such and contributors have the right not to sign with them. However, if ESPN is allowing one on-air talent to air his political views while denying another the same privilege under the same rules, then it seems tantamount to discrimination and a host of other problems, which isn’t OK.
Obamanomics turning banking upside down
But here’s a Bloomberg story that provides what may be the most damning evidence that the President’s big government agenda is a failure.
U.S. regulators have asked some banks to take more deposits from large investors even if it’s unprofitable, and lenders in return are seeking relief on insurance premiums and leverage ratios, according to six people with knowledge of the talks. Deposits are flooding into the biggest U.S. banks as customers seek shelter from Europe’s debt crisis and falling stock prices. That forces lenders to raise capital for a growing balance sheet and saddles them with the higher deposit insurance payments. With short-term interest rates so low, it’s hard for financial firms to reinvest the new money profitably. …At least one firm, Bank of New York Mellon Corp., tried to recoup some of the costs by charging depositors 13 basis points, or 0.13 percent, for holding unusually high balances.
Let’s think about what this article is really saying. Banks normally make money by attracting deposits and then lending that money to people and businesses that have productive uses for the funds.
Yet the economy is so weak that banks are leery of taking more money. The story is complicated by other factors, including flight capital from Europe, taxes (or premiums) imposed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and various regulatory issues.
But even with these caveats, it’s still remarkable that banks want to turn down money – or charge people for making deposits.
Sort of like McDonald’s turning away customers because they lose money by selling Big Macs and french fries. Or, better yet, like McDonald’s turning away free goods from suppliers because not enough people want to buy the final product.
U.S. regulators have asked some banks to take more deposits from large investors even if it’s unprofitable, and lenders in return are seeking relief on insurance premiums and leverage ratios, according to six people with knowledge of the talks. Deposits are flooding into the biggest U.S. banks as customers seek shelter from Europe’s debt crisis and falling stock prices. That forces lenders to raise capital for a growing balance sheet and saddles them with the higher deposit insurance payments. With short-term interest rates so low, it’s hard for financial firms to reinvest the new money profitably. …At least one firm, Bank of New York Mellon Corp., tried to recoup some of the costs by charging depositors 13 basis points, or 0.13 percent, for holding unusually high balances.
Let’s think about what this article is really saying. Banks normally make money by attracting deposits and then lending that money to people and businesses that have productive uses for the funds.
Yet the economy is so weak that banks are leery of taking more money. The story is complicated by other factors, including flight capital from Europe, taxes (or premiums) imposed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and various regulatory issues.
But even with these caveats, it’s still remarkable that banks want to turn down money – or charge people for making deposits.
Sort of like McDonald’s turning away customers because they lose money by selling Big Macs and french fries. Or, better yet, like McDonald’s turning away free goods from suppliers because not enough people want to buy the final product.
You knew this was coming. Forget the last three years of forecasts of 12 to 15 major hurricanes, forget that hurricanes are recorded throughout history and forget common sense. If you do that you are ready for GW
Was Hurricane Irene caused by global warming?
Researchers say it is impossible to tie any single hurricane to global warming. | AP Photo/NOAA Close
Hurricane Irene hadn’t even made landfall in the United States before some people figured out what to blame it on.
“Irene’s got a middle name, and it’s Global Warming,” environmental activist Bill McKibben wrote Thursday night in The Daily Beast
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/62163.html#ixzz1WETrQgMN
Iran’s Bible Burnig. From Jody
Iran Launches Bible-burning Campaign
Iranian authorities began to systematically seize and destroy Bibles after a Shiite cleric issued an urgent warning about the spread of Christianity.
Authorities in northwestern Iran seized 6,500 Bibles, according to the Iranian Christian news organization Mohabat News, which quotes an official as saying of the seizure that “all religions are strengthening their power to confront Islam; otherwise, what does this huge number of Bibles mean?” The agency has reported several other recent incidents of Bibles and other Christian literature being seized and sometimes publicly burned.
Mohabat reports that the government-connected cleric, Ayatollah Hadi Jahangosha, warned of “the spread of Christianity among our youth,” pointing to burgeoning satellite programming, literature, and religious articles promoting the Western tradition.
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