COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Anyone Have Any Idea Why Republicans Are Against Power Generation From Non Fossil Fuels?

Top 6 Wind Energy stories Today: Cost down 60% since 2009



By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – –
1.  This press release from Windpower Engineering notes that in 2015:“The German electricity system has reached a new milestone, generating 85.4 billion kWh of wind power in 2015, the highest amount ever recorded and 66% more than 2014. Nationwide, wind energy accounted for 13.3% of German electricity generation during the last year. According to grid operators storm “Bjarni” set a new output record of 32.6 million kWh at the end of the year. Consequently wind power saw its best month ever in December 2015. With an electricity generation of 12.7 billion kWh it achieved a new record and was even ahead of lignite coal powered production. Hence, wind is Germany’s most important source of energy for that month.” 
2. In Scotland in 2015, “Turbines provided 10,392,439 MWh of electricityto the National Grid, enough on average to supply 2.34 million homes, up 16 per cent compared to the previous year.” In 6 of the 12 months, wind supplied enough electricity to power 97% of the region’s households, and over all it supplied 41 percent of electricity for both residential and business sectors. 
3. In the United States, there are now 50,000 wind turbines,  generating 70 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power 19 million homes. The cost of wind-generated electricity is down 66% since 2009. It is now nearly 5% of American electricity, up from 1 percent in 2007. In Iowa, wind power accounts for over 25% of electricity generation.
4.  Brazil has put in 6.9 gigawatts of wind power, making it number 4 in the world for installed capacity. It has another 10 gigawatts in the pipeline, with 3.6 GW already under construction. It is expected that 45% of the electricity in the northeast of the country will be generated by wind turbines by 2025.
5. China is planning to put in 20 gigawatts of new wind power in 2016 alone! That will bring it to 120 GW in wind generated electricity by the end of this year.
6.  India committed at COP21 to increasing its 25 gigawatts of wind energy to 100 GW by 2022. India has pledged to generate 40% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. Improved government incentives and regulations have raised estimates of the investments likely to flow into wind energy in India by 2020 to $15 billion.
—–
Related video:

142 comments:

  1. I see that the Republicans are upset with photos of captured US Sailors, eating apples, now being returned by Iran to the US and Iran being thanked by the Obama Administration Pentagon.

    The US has thanked Iran for the swift release of 10 US sailors held for entering its territorial waters.
    Secretary of State John Kerry said the resolution of the matter was “testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe".

    Republican presidential hopefuls had criticised the administration over its handling of the incident.

    A deal on Iran's nuclear activities - which they also disparage - is said to be days away from implementation.
    The sailors were detained on Tuesday when one of their two vessels broke down while training in the Gulf.
    The incursion was “unintentional”, a statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards quoted by state media said.


    What an outrage by Obama and the evil Islamic Iranians! Surely a non- Islamic state, such as Israel would have handled US seamen far better. The Americans strayed into Iranian waters. Let me think. I seem to recall something about US sailors in International waters and the Jewish State of Israel.

    I wonder if any of the GOP would care to comment on the comparison with Israel’s handling of the USS Liberty?

    OOrah for The GOP Likuds Force anyone?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Within hours of Tuesday's news that Iranian forces had apprehended the sailors in the Persian Gulf, the House Foreign Affairs Committee tweeted that "Iran is holding American hostages" — a term presidential hopeful Ted Cruz repeated on NBC — while Donald Trump demanded that "we want our hostages back NOW!" Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) used the crisis to call on the Obama administration to postpone part of its nuclear agreement with Iran, and Sen. Cory Gardner even suggested that President Barack Obama should postpone his State of the Union address.

    “I think this is a serious enough event that we shouldn't proceed with the festivities of tonight until we have answers," the Colorado Republican told CNN's Jake Tapper on Tuesday afternoon.

    Meanwhile, the White House, Pentagon and the State Department kept offering reassurances that they expected the sailors to be freed soon, which happened only hours later.

    The immediate political response to the episode, even as details were still trickling in, underscored deep opposition to the Obama administration’s nuclear pact with Iran and its broader diplomatic detente with Tehran — and also cast in stark relief how much national security is imprisoned by partisanship.

    "It was just a visceral reaction," remarked Stephen Cheney, a retired Marine Corps general and CEO of the nonpartisan American Security Project, referring to the GOP rhetoric. "It is the hatred of the administration. They don’t quite have the head of steam they had last night."

    Republican critics of the administration were hardly letting up Wednesday. They expressed outrage about the release of Iranian photos and videos showing the sailors being held at gunpoint — images that presidential contender Marco Rubio called “horrifying" — as well as suggestions that the U.S. had formally apologized.

    But the clear implication from some of Tuesday’s GOP rhetoric went even further —that Americans should be prepared to relive the nightmare of the 444-day Iran hostage crisis nearly four decades ago, when Islamic revolutionaries seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran in November 1979.

    Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, called the reactions “macho foreign policy posturing."

    He pointed out that no one seems to disagree that at least one of the two patrol U.S. vessels had strayed into Iranian waters off Farsi Island.

    "Unintentional or not, this was a U.S. naval incursion into Iran’s jurisdiction," Drezner wrote in The Washington Post on Wednesday, "Fortunately, Iran did not respond to this incident in the same way that, oh, I don’t know, a NATO ally recently responded to an aerial incursion," he added, referring to Turkey's shoot down of a Russian fighter jet last month. “They seized the ships, did not harm any of the sailors and eventually returned both the crew and the ships."

    It was leading voices in the GOP, in his view, who “flew off the handle.”

    Sen. Tom Cotton, a freshman and perhaps the most hawkish member of the Foreign Relations Committee, declared that "no one should be surprised by Iran’s behavior today."


    Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/iran-hostage-crisis-that-wasnt-217729#ixzz3xDiNL1k0

    ReplyDelete
  3. NO ONE SHOULD BE SURPRISED AT THE OUTBURST FROM THE GOP LIKUDS FORCE.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't see the connection to fossil fuels in the above.

    Rufus has been telling us all along that we are at 'peak oil'.

    I scratch my head. I read gas is cheaper than bottled water.

    I don't think Republicans are 'against' any energy source.

    However, being stingy bastards, they don't like seeing their tax money go to boondoggles.

    Boondoggles is a wonderful word......

    Whatever happened to those billions that built that plant out west, you remember, whatever it was called.....Fed emergency money, billions and billions.....then, it all went bust and we can't even recall the name of that boondoggle....going to light up California and save the planet too...something about solar panels if I recall....


    No PowerBall winner here. Did win $7 dollars though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday that it’s long past time the government stopped subsidizing wind energy.

      “Neither of us is saying there is no place for wind energy. There is an important place for it … but it’s time for the federal subsidy to end,” Flake said on the Senate floor.

      The Senate is debating a bill to renew a set of expired tax breaks commonly called "tax extenders," the EXPIRE Act. The bill would continue more than 50 tax credits for two years, including the wind production tax credit.

      Delete
  5. I don't see the connection to fossil fuels in the above.

    Rufus has been telling us all along that we are at ‘peak oil’.


    There is a US security multi-faceted security interest in reducing the use of oil and the political power of those who produce oil.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Americans bought 17.5 Million new light vehicles in 2015, and they get, on average, at least twice the fuel mileage as the cars and trucks that they replaced.

    Also, somewhere over 10% of our fuel, now, is Ethanol.

    Coal is so cheap that you can't hardly give it away, largely because it's being replaced by wind, and solar. Samey-same natural gas.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Back to the question at hand, rich people (Republicans) already have a lot of money invested in Fossil Fuel Companies.

    Now, it's true, they can buy Renewable Energy, but there's a lot more money in selling a necessary, declining resource than in owning a solar farm.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Highlights

    Cross-border price pressures continue to sink into deep contraction, down a month-to-month 1.2 percent for December import prices and down 1.1 percent for export prices. Falling petroleum prices, down a monthly 10.0 percent on the import side, are responsible for much of the deflationary pressure but not all of it as prices for non-fuel imports, down 0.3 percent in the month, are showing their weakest year-on-year pressure, at minus 3.4 percent, since 2001.

    Year-on-year, total import prices are down 8.2 percent which is the largest drop since 2008. Export prices, down a year-on-year 6.5 percent, are at a record low for the entire series which goes back to 1989.

    Weakness is spilling into finished goods prices where capital goods imports, down 0.3 percent in the month, are at a year-on-year minus 2.5 percent which is the steepest decline since 2002. Other readings here are also weak including exported consumer goods which are down 0.4 percent in the month and down 2.4 percent on the year.

    Import prices from Canada, down 2.8 percent in the month for a year-on-year minus 14.8 percent, are the weakest of all and reflect deflation for oil and commodities. Latin America is next, down 1.5 percent for a year-on-year minus 11.2 percent. China shows the least downward pressure, only 0.1 percent lower in the month and down only 1.7 percent on the year.

    The unfortunate records in this report won't make for sound sleeping for Federal Reserve policy makers as it frustrates their goal to raise inflation expectations and move prices to their 2 percent target. Watch tomorrow for producer prices and next Wednesday for consumer prices.

    Import - Export Prices

    ReplyDelete
  9. James Bullard, one of the more "hawkish" members of the Fed, came out talking pretty "dovish" this morning.

    That's good news - hopefully. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. SOUTHWEST ASIA, January 13, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

    Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

    Strikes in Syria

    Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria:

    -- Near Hasakah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL building.

    -- Near Ayn Isa, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and wounded an ISIL fighter.

    -- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed an ISIL excavator and an ISIL oil booster pump generator.

    -- Near Manbij, one strike destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.

    -- Near Tal Abayad, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

    Strikes in Iraq

    Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

    -- Near Kisik, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL bunkers, an ISIL-used tunnel, eight ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL supply cache and six ISIL fighting positions.

    -- Near Mosul, seven strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, an ISIL headquarters building, an ISIL weapons storage facility, an ISIL security headquarters building, and an ISIL-used bridge, and destroyed an ISIL command-and-control node and nine ISIL fighting positions and wounded an ISIL fighter.

    -- Near Ramadi, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bunker, an ISIL vehicle bomb, two ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL vehicle and denied ISIL access to terrain.


    -- Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

    ReplyDelete
  11. SOUTHWEST ASIA, January 14, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

    Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

    Strikes in Syria

    Bomber and remotely piloted aircraft conducted three strikes in Syria:

    -- Near Manbij, a strike destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions.

    -- Near Mar’a, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fighting position.

    Strikes in Iraq

    Attack, bomber, fighter, ground attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 17 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

    -- Near Hit, two strikes struck two ISIL bomb-making facilities.

    -- Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions.

    -- Near Mosul, four strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL vehicle, seven ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL-used culvert and disabled an ISIL front end loader and denied ISIL access to terrain.

    -- Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 14 ISIL fighting positions, destroyed two ISIL recoilless rifles, 12 ISIL heavy machine guns, two ISIL sniper positions and an ISIL tactical vehicle.


    -- Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position.

    -- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL assembly area.

    -- Near Tal Afar, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL weapons cache and five ISIL assembly areas.

    -- Near Beiji, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL weapons caches.

    -- Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed three ISIL fuel tankers and an ISIL command-and-control node.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I told my wife what Quirk said.

    My wife said, "What a fool".

    I began to tell her......she cut me off....."What a fool!" she said.

    It almost pissed her off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      You should likely have your water checked for contaminants.

      .

      Delete
  13. Replies
    1. Sharia Courts in USA.
      *********


      The prediction markets have caught up with me -

      Trump now leads Rubio and Cruz in prediction markets to win the GOP nomination
      Jan 14, 2016 11:21 AM by Allahpundit Hot Air


      I called this last week.

      Don't make much of it though. I'm always wrong.

      Delete
    2. This 'voluntary' Sharia Court nonsense, where some poor illiterate woman gets pressured by the 'family' into giving her rights away, is also a slithering back door effort to get a toe hold to establishing a religion, a no-no.

      But I'm off the topic now.

      Delete
    3. Do you think the US should forbid Rabbinical Courts?

      Delete
    4. .

      Don't expect an answer, Ash. I tried to get answers out of him yesterday when we discussed this. Answers aren't his game. He just whines and pouts and repeats his hysterical right-wing talking points. He doesn't think. He emotes.

      Fortunately, we sometimes see a rare glimmer of self-knowledge as in his post above,

      Don't make much of it though. I'm always wrong.

      .

      Delete
    5. Yeah, true that. He's a cipher and any attempt at rational argument with him just leads down the rabbit hole of irrationality and circularity.

      Delete
  14. Predictwise has Trump at 34% to win the nomination, but only 13% to win the Presidency.

    In other words, they're predicting that he will be a 62-38 dog to win the General Election.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Well, we can all rejoice that Hillary is SCREWED

    50 (FIFTY) MORE FBI agents !........




    January 14, 2016

    Hillary’s long goodbye

    By Thomas Lifson


    I must be an awful human being, because I am reveling in the déjà vu Hillary Clinton must be experiencing, as her presidential campaign appears to be heading toward collapse. And this time, the humiliation – and peril – is far greater than anything 2008 dealt her. To state the obvious, her longstanding preference for pantsuits is one thing, but the orange jumpsuits of a federal penitentiary are quite something else.

    I realize I am getting way ahead of myself here, that predictions are always risky – especially about the future, as Yogi Berra reminded us. We don’t yet know if there will be a criminal referral from the FBI, though the D.C. rumor mill is operating at full steam, averring that 50 more FBI special agents have been added to the case, making the total team well into triple digits. That the FBI would devote that level of resources to the case suggests that they are tying up any possible loose ends, to have an airtight cases presented to Loretta Lynch. (More on this later.)





    Potential legal peril aside for the moment, the humiliations she faces are daunting for a woman of her arrogance. Her husband’s penchant for illicit sex with women far younger and more attractive is once again being thrown in her face, and this time the trusty old injured wife gambit not only doesn’t work, but is being used against her, painting her as an enabler of a sexual abuser.

    Back in the impeachment days, she could count on the mainstream media to keep a lid on negative information and portray her husband’s accusers and investigators as a bunch of sex-obsessed prudes. Not only have the internet and cable news forever destroyed the cofferdam around embarrassing news these days, but substantial chunks of the mainstream media no longer see themselves as guardians of the Clinton empire. For one thing, a Democrat president is not being threatened with removal from office. For another, she is not the only game in town. Just as in 2008 they could abandon her for a younger member of a minority, one who was a far more skillful campaigner, now they have the elderly Bernie Sanders carrying the actual torch of socialism, and drawing enthusiastic crowds.

    And then there is the small matter of all the knives in the hands of members of her own party that have been sheathed all these decades since she and Bill first entered the White House as tenants. She has made a lot of enemies over the years, snubbing some, ignoring others, and behaving with the arrogance and self-centeredness that has been a visible part of her character ever since she entered pubic life. There is a struggle underway for the future of the Democratic Party between the Obama faction and the Clinton faction. When she appeared inevitable, an uneasy truce prevailed. But if she may be tied up with a criminal defense case, that would solve a lot of problems for the Obama-ites.

    That is something to ponder as we await a possible criminal referral to the Department of Justice and A.G. Lynch’s response.

    Meanwhile, Joe Biden very publicly “regrets every day” his decision not to run for president.






    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If, as speculated, Elizabeth Warren were to align herself with a Biden candidacy, perhaps as the veep nominee, it would palliate the socialist Sanders supporters.

      The old certitudes about the Clintons have crumbled. Bill no longer is a vibrant, likable, vigorous exponent of hope; he is instead a hollow shell, a creepy degenerate who reminds us of our own mortality after heart bypass operations and drastic weight loss.

      I am convinced that the greatest prize of all for Hillary was not Air Force One or the other perks; it was going to be the ability to put Bill in his place. After Hillarycare crashed and burned, she was removed from the co-presidency she believed she had won, fair and square. And it had to rankle. There must have been a moment when he reminded her that his name, and his name alone, appeared on the ballot, and that his decision was final.

      Oh, how she must have looked forward to pulling rank on the first gentleman!

      That dream is slowly crashing and burning. Even without a criminal referral or indictment, Hillary’s chances are fading fast. Sanders looks as though he may sweep Iowa and New Hampshire. Once that happens, it is 2008 all over again. The Democrat establishment may not want Sanders on the ticket, but they are fully capable of drafting Biden, Warren, Booker, or another Dem, and then changing the convention rules to nominate whomever they want. But I doubt that will be necessary. The gears of the FBI are turning faster and faster. Policy requires that if a politician be accused of wrongdoing, it be done as long before an election as possible.

      Time is not on Hillary’s side.


      I must be an awful human being, because I am reveling in the déjà vu Hillary Clinton must be experiencing, as her presidential campaign appears to be heading toward collapse. And this time, the humiliation – and peril – is far greater than anything 2008 dealt her. To state the obvious, her longstanding preference for pantsuits is one thing, but the orange jumpsuits of a federal penitentiary are quite something else.

      I realize I am getting way ahead of myself here, that predictions are always risky – especially about the future, as Yogi Berra reminded us. We don’t yet know if there will be a criminal referral from the FBI, though the D.C. rumor mill is operating at full steam, averring that 50 more FBI special agents have been added to the case, making the total team well into triple digits. That the FBI would devote that level of resources to the case suggests that they are tying up any possible loose ends, to have an airtight cases presented to Loretta Lynch. (More on this later.)

      Delete
    2. Potential legal peril aside for the moment, the humiliations she faces are daunting for a woman of her arrogance. Her husband’s penchant for illicit sex with women far younger and more attractive is once again being thrown in her face, and this time the trusty old injured wife gambit not only doesn’t work, but is being used against her, painting her as an enabler of a sexual abuser.

      Back in the impeachment days, she could count on the mainstream media to keep a lid on negative information and portray her husband’s accusers and investigators as a bunch of sex-obsessed prudes. Not only have the internet and cable news forever destroyed the cofferdam around embarrassing news these days, but substantial chunks of the mainstream media no longer see themselves as guardians of the Clinton empire. For one thing, a Democrat president is not being threatened with removal from office. For another, she is not the only game in town. Just as in 2008 they could abandon her for a younger member of a minority, one who was a far more skillful campaigner, now they have the elderly Bernie Sanders carrying the actual torch of socialism, and drawing enthusiastic crowds.

      And then there is the small matter of all the knives in the hands of members of her own party that have been sheathed all these decades since she and Bill first entered the White House as tenants. She has made a lot of enemies over the years, snubbing some, ignoring others, and behaving with the arrogance and self-centeredness that has been a visible part of her character ever since she entered pubic life. There is a struggle underway for the future of the Democratic Party between the Obama faction and the Clinton faction. When she appeared inevitable, an uneasy truce prevailed. But if she may be tied up with a criminal defense case, that would solve a lot of problems for the Obama-ites.

      That is something to ponder as we await a possible criminal referral to the Department of Justice and A.G. Lynch’s response.

      Meanwhile, Joe Biden very publicly “regrets every day” his decision not to run for president.

      If, as speculated, Elizabeth Warren were to align herself with a Biden candidacy, perhaps as the veep nominee, it would palliate the socialist Sanders supporters.

      The old certitudes about the Clintons have crumbled. Bill no longer is a vibrant, likable, vigorous exponent of hope; he is instead a hollow shell, a creepy degenerate who reminds us of our own mortality after heart bypass operations and drastic weight loss.

      I am convinced that the greatest prize of all for Hillary was not Air Force One or the other perks; it was going to be the ability to put Bill in his place. After Hillarycare crashed and burned, she was removed from the co-presidency she believed she had won, fair and square. And it had to rankle. There must have been a moment when he reminded her that his name, and his name alone, appeared on the ballot, and that his decision was final.

      Oh, how she must have looked forward to pulling rank on the first gentleman!

      That dream is slowly crashing and burning. Even without a criminal referral or indictment, Hillary’s chances are fading fast. Sanders looks as though he may sweep Iowa and New Hampshire. Once that happens, it is 2008 all over again. The Democrat establishment may not want Sanders on the ticket, but they are fully capable of drafting Biden, Warren, Booker, or another Dem, and then changing the convention rules to nominate whomever they want. But I doubt that will be necessary. The gears of the FBI are turning faster and faster. Policy requires that if a politician be accused of wrongdoing, it be done as long before an election as possible.

      Time is not on Hillary’s side.


      http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/01/hillarys_long_goodbye.html#ixzz3xF7Gq5hN

      Delete
    3. Shakespearean :):):)

      "The mills of the gods grind slowly, but exceedingly fine" Ernest Hemingway from Paris

      Delete
  16. Iowa - RCP

    Trump 27.3 Trending Up
    Cruz 26.9 Trending Up
    Rubio 11.9 Trending Down
    Carson 9.0
    Bush 4.4 Trending Down

    ReplyDelete
  17. Power Ball winner, or A allele gene ?

    Take the gene, money can't buy happiness -


    Happiness: Is it in your DNA?

    Girls stand on the street in the "La Playita" neighborhood of Buenaventura, Colombia on March 21, 2014.
    John Vizcaino Reuters

    Happiness is a state of mind, the gurus say.

    Well, actually, it could be more a function of genes, the authors of an unusual scientific study asserted on Thursday.

    Nations whose inhabitants boast a certain gene variant, they found, had much higher self-reported happiness levels.

    Happiness at the national level was more closely related to this variant than factors like wealth, country stability, or even disease prevalence -- possibly explaining, for example, why Nigerians rate themselves happier than Germans.

    "Feeling happy, relaxed and in a good mood does not depend on the prosperity and safety of a country," study co-author Michael Minkov of the Varna University of Management in Bulgaria, told AFP.

    "Actually the correlation between happiness and safety seems to be inverse. The highest murder and robbery rates in the world are in northern Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa and that is precisely where the happiest and most relaxed people are."

    The study, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Happiness Studies, claims to be the first to show a link between genetics and happiness at the national level.

    Minkov and his colleague Michael Harris Bond from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, relied on the World Values Survey (WVS), a ranking based on questionnaires in which respondents have to rate themselves as "very happy," "rather happy," "not very happy" or "not at all happy".

    They compared this to data on the ethnic prevalence of "A allele", a variant of a gene involved in regulating anandamide, a substance which enhances sensory pleasure and helps reduce pain.

    The country with the highest happiness rating, Mexico, also had the highest estimated prevalence of A allele, the researchers found.

    Ghana and Nigeria also had high ratings for both, as did Columbia, Venezuela and Ecuador.

    Iraq and Jordan, along with Hong Kong, China, Thailand and Taiwan — all of which had a low prevalence of A allele — were also the least likely to rate themselves as "very happy".

    Northern Europeans had a much higher prevalence of the A allele, and rate themselves happier than those in central and southern Europe.

    The genetic data used corresponded to ethnicity, which meant researchers had to estimate "national" figures by taking into account each country's mix of ethnic groups.

    Evolution was one possible explanation for higher A allele prevalence in equatorial and tropical environments, said Minkov.

    Perhaps "to survive in those stressful societies you need genes that help you cope with the stress," he said. The same may be true for cold, harsh northern Europe.

    Genes are, of course, not the whole story, the team emphasized.

    And there were exceptions: Russians and Estonians, with high A allele prevalence, scored low on the happiness scale.

    This "may be a lasting effect of the economic and political difficulties that East European countries continue to experience," the authors wrote.

    mlr/mh/boc



    Copyright 2016 Agence France-Presse

    http://www.globalpost.com/article/6719882/2016/01/14/happiness-it-your-dna

    ReplyDelete
  18. AshThu Jan 14, 01:18:00 PM EST

    Do you think the US should forbid Rabbinical Courts?


    Obviously, yes.

    And Catholic courts and Lutheran courts and Wiccan courts too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      You reflect the same elitism as the radical left. If you don't like something, try to shut it down. You are like that black chick in the video at Yale berating the professor and demanding a 'safe place' free from anything you disagree with and fear.

      The fact that SCOTUS says your 'solution' is unconstitutional? N'importante.

      You shake your fists, stamp your feet, turn on Donald Trump, and pull up Jihad Watch for your daily Two Minute Hate fix.

      .

      Delete
    2. You're bonkers, but we all have known that for some time.

      It's not that's it a big problem now, but it is the camel's nose under the tent.

      The overwhelming majority of REAL AMERICANS :) agree with me, not you and your Islamic pals there in Michiganistan.

      With your continual stubbornness on the issue you are putting your refugee status out on the farm in jeopardy.

      Be warned.

      Delete
    3. Rabbinical courts also discriminate against women - you don't have a problem with that yet you cite that as the reason you object to Sharia courts. Your prejudice- bigotry is clearly displayed.

      Delete
  19. "Q"Nits on rise, pouring into USA -


    Rise in U.S. Terror Plots Tied to ‘Unprecedented’ Spike in Immigration

    Cruz: ‘Political correctness’ fueling failure to address U.S. security flaws


    Syria refugee
    Migrants and refugees walk towards the border with Serbia / AP



    BY: Adam Kredo
    January 14, 2016 5:00 am


    There is growing concern on Capitol Hill that a recent spike in the number of foreigners arrested in the United States on terrorism charges is the result of a flawed Obama administration immigration policy that will grant residence to around 170,000 individuals from Muslim-majority nations in the coming year, according to conversations with lawmakers and congressional sources.

    With the indictment last week of two Iraqi refugees who allegedly conspired with ISIS, a number of lawmakers are now warning that poor screening methods and an administration plan to boost immigration will endanger national security.

    Recent efforts by Congress to investigate the immigration histories of at least 113 foreign-born individuals snagged on terror charges since 2014 have been blocked by the Obama administration. There are at least 1,000 open investigations into ISIS members residing in the United States, sources said.

    New cases of legal immigrants participating in alleged terrorist plots are cropping up on a near daily basis, according to Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), who has been spearheading an effort to investigate how these individuals are passing through U.S. security screenings.

    “Almost every day there is a new case that documents the relentless attacks being waged against our nation,” said Cruz. “We have militants who have infiltrated waves of refugees to come to American and plot attacks. We have Americans who have travelled abroad to train returning to wage jihad here. We have home-grown terrorists who are receiving instruction online to hatch attacks.”

    “We have to stop treating this pattern as the isolated actions of lone wolves,” Cruz added. “They are a pack.”

    Networks of radicalized individuals are already forming within the United States due to a massive influx of more than 680,000 immigrants from Muslim-majority nations during the past five years, according to Stephen Miller, spokesman for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.), another lawmaker who has worked to expose flaws in the U.S. immigration system.

    “Unprecedented rates of migration, combined with poor screening, have created a perfect storm,” Miller said. “There are now nearly 1,000 open ISIS investigations within our borders, and underneath these cases are large extremists networks made possible by a total lack of immigration controls.”

    On Tuesday, a Maryland man was arrested for attempting to join the Al Shabaab terror network. Last week, a Philadelphia police officer was nearly killed by an assailant who pledged allegiance to ISIS. Late last year, two radicalized immigrants went on a massive shooting spree in San Bernardino, California, in what was the biggest terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

    Meanwhile, previously undisclosed documents released by the State Department on Wednesday reveal that it has known since 2004 that “Arab extremists” are being smuggled into the U.S. via Mexico........


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://freebeacon.com/national-security/rise-in-u-s-terror-plots-tied-to-unprecedented-spike-in-immigration/

      Delete
  20. .

    “Almost every day there is a new case that documents the relentless attacks being waged against our nation,” said Cruz. “We have militants who have infiltrated waves of refugees to come to American and plot attacks. We have Americans who have travelled abroad to train returning to wage jihad here. We have home-grown terrorists who are receiving instruction online to hatch attacks.”

    “We have to stop treating this pattern as the isolated actions of lone wolves,” Cruz added. “They are a pack.”

    In my opinion we should be carpet bombing the American Southwest and turning it to glass. I know some innocents may be harmed in these actions but as I speak to you from here in New Hampshire I can only say that is the price of freedom. To quote another famous American, sometimes you need to destroy the village in order to save it."


    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm for carpet bombing Detroit and environs as a necessary precursor to urban renewal.

      "To destroy is to create" saith the Lord of Hosts and Urban Renewal.

      Delete
    2. Jut as you advocated for the killing and butchering of the citizens of Arizona and the distribution of the meat to the poor.

      You are a poor excuse of a citizen, Draft Dodger Peterson.

      Delete
  21. US MEDIA FOLLOWS ISRAELI MEDIA

    There is something viscerally humiliating to many Americans about seeing those U.S. sailors in Iranian captivity. They’re on their knees, with their hands meekly clasped behind their heads, awaiting their captors’ next orders. What’s clear is that while the Iranians apparently were careful not to hurt the sailors, they knew precisely what to do to humiliate them—and the nation they represent.

    The videoed images of the sailors released by Tehran showed the world who was in charge of the nine men and one woman for 16 hours. But absent evidence of cruelty, the Obama Administration suggested that the sailors had been treated well and released quickly. While the videos were demeaning, and likely violated the Geneva Conventions, the main emotion they seemed to raise among Americans was your typical patriotic revulsion.

    Iranian media had a field day, publishing and broadcasting some 20 photographs and several videos of the U.S. sailors, two of which showed a male sailor apologizing for the incident. “It was a mistake that was our fault,” he said, “and we apologize for our mistake.”

    The Iranians released that video shortly after Vice President Joe Biden insisted to CBS that there had been no apology because “there was nothing to apologize for.”

    At least one of the sailors’ patrol boats apparently had a problem that led both of them to drift into Iran’s territorial waters off its heavily-defended Farsi Island in the middle of the Persian Gulf, where the Iranians took the craft and crews into custody. Additional photographs and videos showed Iranians inspecting weapons aboard the boats.

    “The Administration is pretending as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred,” Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican and chairman of the armed services committee complained. “These sailors were ‘arrested’ in apparent violation of international law and centuries of maritime custom and tradition.” The Geneva Conventions bans the release of images of identifiable
    detained troops.

    ReplyDelete
  22. HUMILIATION IS THE CATCH WORD

    From the Israeli Press

    Embarrassment on the high seas: Iran’s humiliation of US sets the tone

    Analysis: The release of images depicting American sailors on their knees with their hands over their heads only days before removal of sanctions is part of an intra-Iranian struggle between moderate and the hawkish Khamenei; it also shows that while it won’t seek unnecessary provocations, it also won’t pass up an opportunity to embarrass the West.
    Ron Ben-Yishai
    Published: 01.14.16, 12:05 / Israel Opinion

    ReplyDelete
  23. Were The American sailors killed and wounded by the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty Humiliated?

    ReplyDelete
  24. HOW ABOUT MCCAIN ON HUMILIATION OF US SAILORS IN SAY THE USS LIBERTY

    John McCain Praises Father’s Whitewashing of Israel’s Attack on the USS LIBERTY!
    September 2nd, 2011 | Author: Patriot

    John McCain Praises Father’s Whitewashing of Israel’s Attack on the USS LIBERTY!

    Praise for The Liberty Incident

    “After years of research for this book, Judge A. Jay Cristol (an Israel firster of Jewish descent) has reached a similar conclusion to one my father reached in his June 18, 1967, endorsement of the findings of the court of inquiry. I commend Judge Cristol for his thoroughness and fairness, and I commend this work.”
    – SEN. JOHN McCAIN

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Allen used to offer up the argument that a lifer in the military, an admiral, would never take part in a cover up.

      I tried to enlighten him.

      First, there are examples proving the opposite. The case of those in the Pentagon who went along with Richard Nixon's framing of Air Force Major Gen. John D. Lavelle for illegal bombing in North Vietnam is one example.

      Two, anyone who thinks that military officers aren't political or know where their bread is buttered can only be described as a naif.

      Third,McCain Jr. s a special case. Based on his military and war record there is little doubt he was a brave and dedicated officer. However, in 1965 he was shuttled aside to a career ending post as UN Liaison. Key members of the Pentagon didn't like him and Robert McNamara considered him a weak leader.

      It was that time that he started calling in political chits from his days acting as Legislative Liaison. Everett Dirksen answered the call. In a quid pro quo for Dirksen's help in getting the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed, Johnson fast tracked McCain's effort to get to a four-star level. In 1996, McCain was put in charge of the the Navel Command - Europe. It was in that post that he was called upon to handle the U.S.S. Liberty inquiry.

      Given that, is there any doubt that a navy admiral who has spent his entire life in the Navy would refuse a command by his commander-in-chief to wrap up the inquiry quickly with a predetermined result especially when that commander-in-chief is the guy who one year earlier had resurrected his moribund naval career and who offered as rationale that any other decision would damage US geopolitical interests.

      Is there any doubt, that Lindon Johnson, the president that lied us into a war that killed nearly 60,000 Americans, would have any qualms asking that of McCain?

      .

      Delete
    2. The Republican candidates were actually excited about the US sailors being captured by Iran. They were, ready to incite a war, locked and loaded, boots on the ready to go aground. (someone else’s of course). They were fallout pedal to the metal , OORahs from Captain Cotton Mouth and klaxons at Defcom 1.

      The Iranians handed out apples, the sailors bit and it is all over.

      Delete
  25. The cover story is kind of weak; they were up to something.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Since Deuce is backing Bernie, I think it only fair that Deuce pay for it all.

    If it's a matter of feeling guilty about riding around in a Limo, I've tried to tell Deuce 'you earned it, don't feel guilty' -

    Maybe Rufus wants to pony up for it all -

    I know I don't have the money.

    Quirk might be a source of funding....


    Bernie: No, I won’t explain how I’ll pay for everything for everyone



    Posted by Fuzzy Slippers Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 10:00am

    They’ll be paid for, you know, “progressively”
    Bernie Sanders

    Bernie Sanders’ “Democrat socialist” policies sound good and have a lot of popular support among certain demographics, but when pressed on how he would pay for all the free stuff he’s promising, he’s a bit nonplussed. Pesky details like that just don’t interest him; it’s all about the utopian ideal in his dreamy little head, not about reality.

    For example, although he pledged to release his plan for paying for his health care plan before the Iowa caucuses, he’s now decided that might be a mistake and is considering breaking that particular pledge.

    CNN reports:

    Bernie Sanders could break his pledge to release details on how he would pay for his health care plan before the Iowa caucuses, according to a top aide.

    His campaign released details Wednesday of how Sanders will pay his $1 trillion dollar infrastructure plan and his $75-billion-a-year plan to make public college and universities tuition-free. But noticeably absent was his plan to pay for Medicare for all, a price tag that some estimates put at $15 trillion.

    Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager, isn’t saying when those numbers will be released.

    “I don’t have a date for that,” he said earlier this week. “Not necessarily before the caucuses.”

    Weaver stood by his comments on Wednesday, stating that the campaign does not yet have a date for when to release the Medicare-for-all plan. He added that Sanders’ health care plan would be paid for “progressively,” similar to the way his previous Medicare-for-all proposals have been paid for.

    Paid for “progressively”? The track record on that is typically “not at all” and/or at huge cost to the already struggling middle classes. If “progressively” is the “plan” to pay for his agenda, it’s no wonder Sanders may not release it ahead of the Iowa caucuses . . . even though he had stated earlier that he would do so.

    CNN continues:

    . . . . That’s a change from what Sanders first told Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” earlier this month that he would release his details for paying for his health care plan before the caucuses on February 1. Bash pressed the Vermont senator again on Tuesday after President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union when she asked if Sanders would make good on his pledge to release his single payer plan.

    Watch: VIDEO

    Sanders understands that his lofty promises will come at a huge cost to the very voters he is courting, so pushing off the release makes sense. On the other hand, though, the people who are enamored of Sanders’ proposed policies are not likely to think about—or care—how, or even if, such things are paid for.

    CNN also notes that raising taxes on the middle classes to pay for his sweeping socialist plans would violate yet another of his pledges.

    If Sanders’ health care plan did raise middle class taxes, the senator would violate another pledge he made in December when he told NBC that his paid family leave would be the only measure he would raise taxes on the middle class to fund.

    It seems this primary season is like every other in the sense that it’s full of big promises, lofty and unrealistic proposals, and broken pledges aplenty.


    http://legalinsurrection.com/2016/01/bernie-no-i-wont-explain-how-ill-pay-for-everything-for-everyone/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Damn free stuff always costs a bundle.

      Life ain't fair.

      Delete
    2. (Bernie's just another con man)

      Delete
  27. 10 Theses on Immigration

    Ross Douthat

    3. Culture is very real, and cultural inheritances tend to be enduring. Present-day America attests to that fact: We pride ourselves (justifiably) on our success assimilating immigrants, but centuries after their arrival various immigrant folkways still define our country’s regions and their mores. The Scandinavian diaspora across the upper Midwest still looks a great deal like Scandinavia — hardworking, gender egalitarian, with high levels of civic trust, higher-than-average educations and incomes, etc. The cavaliers, servants, and slaves migration to Tidewater Virginia obviously still shapes the Deep South’s entrenched hierarchies of race and class. The Scots-Irish migration to Appalachia and its environs is still heavily responsible for America’s sky-high-by-Western-standards murder rate. And of course the wider world is full of similarly striking case studies.

    What this implies is that accepting immigrants from a particular country or culture or region involves accepting that your own nation, or part of your own nation, will become at least a little more like their country of origin. With small or slow migrations this may only happen at the margins and it may be swamped by other effects; with large or swift migrations it may happen in more significant ways. But whether the immigrants are coming from Asia or Latin America or the Middle East or North Africa, you will be able to see in those regions at least some foretaste of their impact on your own society. And what you see matters, because …...


    http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/ten-theses-on-immigration/?_r=0

    ReplyDelete
  28. Renewable energy investments in India jumped to $10.9 billion in 2015 from the annual average of $8 billion in the last three years, driven by the solar energy sector, which for the first time beat the wind power sector in attracting capital, according to a report.

    ...

    Apart from interest from wind energy players like Suzlon, Mytrah and Renew Power, the solar energy sector has also seen interest from foreign firms like Sky Power and Japan’s SoftBank. “The increase in investment mirrored the optimism generated by the pro-renewable energy policies introduced by the incumbent Narendra Modi-led BJP government,” the report said.

    Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects clean energy financing to reach record numbers in the next two years, beating the 2011 best of $13.1 billion.

    ReplyDelete
  29. The Kurdish terrorists are at it, again.

    Wall Street Journal -
    ISTANBUL — Kurdish separatists attacked a police complex in southeastern Turkey overnight, killing at least six people and wounding dozens in the most sophisticated attack since violence flared up between insurgents and the Turkish state in July ...

    ReplyDelete
  30. I noticed up thread that our own draft dodger, Robert Peterson was bemoaning Sharia Law, but we also know that he has advocated that the US should have kept troops in Iraq, even when the Iraqi demanded that those troops would be subject to Sharia Law in Iraqi courts.

    Thankfully President Obama did not agree to the Iraqi demands and pulled the US troops out of the country, rather than subject them to Sharia Law as Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson wanted.

    ReplyDelete

  31. Crapper has been advocating the use of 'the rat doctrine' in Iraq and Syria for as long as anyone can remember.

    We all know crapper is a bullshitter.

    He proves it every single day.

    Your mother is calling, crapper.

    Hie thee away, now.

    Casino Time !

    ReplyDelete
  32. Trump, once again, lost no ground and probably picked up some.

    ReplyDelete
  33. The Black Man in the White House has driven the Republican Party out of its cotton-picking mind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's driven you out of your mind, that much is for certain.

      You haven't made any real sense in months, God Bless ya.

      I am praying for your healing......

      Delete
    2. (it's the least I can do, a little intercessory prayer, and the price is right)

      Delete
    3. Introducing.......Rufus !



      January 14, 2016
      The Left’s Endgame Hits the Wall
      By Dan Gorski

      If there is such thing as a “hockey stick” graph, it charts the disappearance of freedom, opportunity, prosperity and hope of the American middle class during the last 50 years. In 2008 Americans sleepwalked to the polls and elected a man who by his history, family, friends and even his own words left little doubt that his mission was to destroy everything that America has traditionally stood for. We entered the steep part of the graph.

      The slow motion suicide that America has been committing since the mid 1960’s is no longer slow motion. In 2012 with Republican help they did it again. He has been remarkably successful and, astonishingly, it was a bi-partisan effort. Honesty, intelligence and common sense seem to have completely fled the field and are nowhere to be seen. Nothing being said or done by the so-called leaders and opinion makers computes with what we see going on right before our eyes. With fresh blood still on the floor in Paris, the three stooges, Obama, Kerry and Al Gore tell us that global warming is the greatest threat mankind has ever faced. We see millions of ignorant, unskilled, inassimilable people from dysfunctional third world societies flooding our country.

      “They are here to do the jobs Americans won’t do”, reply our betters when asked. We are tempted to believe that the reason Americans won’t do those jobs is because they are sitting home watching TV, drinking beer and smoking pot on the 50% or so of our income that somehow disappears from our paychecks every month. We shell out thousands of dollars a year for schools with lavish facilities, administrators who knock down six figure salaries, athletic budgets running in the millions, yet produce graduates who would make the average medieval English villein look erudite.

      The high profile behavior of the Lords of the tech world gets more cracked every day; the thinking of these great shapers of millennial opinion would fit right in to Orwell’s 1984, or maybe Frankenstein. We sit dumbfounded while supposedly “serious” people discuss whether or not a man should be woman of the year. We watch our military turn into a downsized, feminized, homosexualized, transgendered social experiment while China and Russia sharpen their bayonets. Islam happily tells us that they will cut all our heads off when they get here and our President helps them get here. All this is too bizarre to even be called Kafkaesque, this is the twilight zone......

      http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/01/the_lefts_endgame_hits_the_wall.html#ixzz3xI1fAgEo

      Delete
  34. “On Tuesday night, I watched story time with Barack Obama, and it sounds like everything in the world was going amazing,” Christie said.

    Cruz accused Obama of painting a rosy picture of the country’s economic situation while working Americans are being “left behind,” and said Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton would continue the same policies. Bush suggested the country was less safe under Obama and declared Clinton would be a “national security disaster.”

    Rubio went even further, saying Clinton was “disqualified for being commander in chief,” accusing her of mishandling classified information and lying to the families of Americans killed in the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Trump won the debate with that New York minute.

    He was really really good on that.

    Good enough to win Iowa ?

    Probably.

    Then it's blue skies ahead for his private TRUMP jet plane.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Trump v Hillary in debate ought to be worth the price of admission, if she is still walking about in freedom by then.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If not maybe she can stick someone like Rufus up there as her surrogate.

      Delete
  37. Fauxcohantes is gonna endorse Col. Sanders and Granny is gonna feint and bump her head again and blubberblather the rest of the campaign.

    Watch for it.

    ReplyDelete
  38. 1/15/2016

    "Q"Nit of the Day


    Jihad Watch
    Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

    Muslim refugee in Texas: “I want to blow myself up…I am against America”

    January 14, 2016 7:38 am By Robert Spencer 33 Comments

    “An Iraqi refugee who is facing charges that he tried to help the Islamic State group wanted to set off bombs at two Houston malls and was learning to make electronic transmitters that could be used to detonate explosive devices.” Solution: bring in more refugees! Anyone who thinks otherwise is a racist, bigoted Islamophobe.

    Omar Faraj Saeed al Hardan

    “Federal agent says Iraqi refugee wanted to bomb Texas malls,” by Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press, January 14, 2016:

    HOUSTON — An Iraqi refugee who is facing charges that he tried to help the Islamic State group wanted to set off bombs at two Houston malls and was learning to make electronic transmitters that could be used to detonate explosive devices, a federal agent testified.

    Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, who came to Houston from Iraq in 2009, was indicted last week on three charges, including attempting to provide support to a designated terrorist organization. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges during a court appearance on Wednesday.

    U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes denied granting Al Hardan a bond, ruling that there would be a serious risk that the Iraqi refugee would flee if released from federal custody.

    Hughes made his decision after listening to testimony from Homeland Security Special Agent Herman Wittliff, who said that in addition to Al Hardan wanting to set off bombs at the two Houston malls, including the popular Galleria mall, the Iraqi man was also learning how to make electronic transmitters that could be used to detonate improvised explosive devices. Al Hardan wanted use cellphones — a collection of which were found in his apartment — to detonate the transmitters, Wittliff said.

    “He wanted to build them (the transmitters) for ISIL,” Wittliff said.

    “For what purpose?” asked prosecutor Ralph Imperato.

    “So he could kill people,” Wittliff replied.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Al Hardan’s arrest prompted criticism of the Obama administration’s refugee policies from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been a leader among Republican governors calling for a halt to resettlement of Syrian refugees in their states. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called for a retroactive review of all refugees who have come to the U.S.

      Immigrant advocates say they have full confidence in the vetting process and that tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees have been successfully resettled in the U.S.

      Al Hardan’s older brother, Saeed Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, has said his sibling has denied any wrongdoing and that neither his brother nor anybody in their family had ever expressed any support for the Islamic State.

      Prosecutors allege Al Hardan was coordinating efforts with another Iraqi refugee living in California, Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab. The two men communicated through Facebook messenger from April 2013 to October 2014 and talked about getting weapons training and eventually sneaking into Syria to fight alongside the terrorist group, Wittliff said.

      The agent also testified Al Hardan received training on how to use an AK-47 assault rifle in November 2014 on a farm outside Houston from a confidential informant who was working with federal authorities.

      During the hearing, Wittliff read aloud excerpts from a conversation that authorities had recorded between Al Hardan and his wife in October 2014. Prosecutors did not say how the recording was obtained.

      “Once I get the passport I will leave America, I will leave. I will make a widow of you,” Al Hardan said to his wife, according to the excerpt read in court. “I will go to Syria. I am not wacko. I am not wacko. I am speaking the truth. I want to blow myself up. I want to blow myself up … I am against America.”…

      http://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/01/texas-muslim-refugee-i-want-to-blow-myself-up-i-am-against-america

      Delete
  39. Winners
    Donald Trump


    Donald Trump gave his best debate performance of the campaign.

    Standing center-stage, the front-runner towered over the field with unrelenting verbal volleys at the top contenders -- at least the few who dared to take him on, their fear just another sign of his dominance.

    Trump's strongest moments came as he and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had their most public and direct fight of the campaign.

    The real estate developer effectively planted the idea in voters' minds that Cruz's Canadian birthplace could be a liability should Democrats challenge the Texas senator's eligibility to run for president.

    Trump also steamrolled Cruz over the latter's attack on his "New York values."

    "When the World Trade Center came down, I saw something that no place on Earth could have handled more beautifully, more humanely than New York," Trump said to applause.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Jersey Fats looked the complete classless fool with his comment that they are going to kick Obama’s ass out of the White House come November. Fats had been railing about The Constitution and in doing so must have forgotten the Constitutional restriction of a two term limit.

    Obama is leaving but his leaving has nothing to do with GOP ass-jackery ass-kicking.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Hillary, slipping in the polls, should quit with the benevolent grandma image and play to her strengths -

    "So much crime, never done time"

    "Hillary! Not your common criminal"

    etc

    Lots of voters admire those that show a talent for staying a step ahead of the law.

    ReplyDelete
  42. In a few minutes we're going to get Producer Price Index - Final Demand (PPI-FD.)

    It's going to be interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  43. The numbers the Fed is going to look at:

    PPI-FD (Less Food and Energy) 0.1%

    PPI-FD (Less Food and Energy) Y/Y 0.3%

    ReplyDelete
  44. Iranian Oil getting ready to come online. Gas prices plunging. Wall St. assholes having the vapors.

    Too bad, assholes. Blow me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  45. The Republican Fuckhead Governor of Michigan has finally made such a mess of it (Flint) that he's had to ask the "Ebil, Incompetent Obama" to come in and help.

    Gee, whut a suprize.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Some of the water samples they took there fall within the EPA's definition of 'toxic waste'.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      .

      A General Motors plant in Flint stopped using the water because it was rusting their parts.

      .

      Delete
    3. .

      A school teacher actually surfaced the problem. She had her students provide water samples that when tested identified the high lead count. That was back in October I believe.

      .

      Delete
    4. .

      This problem started in 2014 when Flint because of fiscal problems was under and emergency manager appointed by Governor Snyder.

      Flint was on the Detroit Water System but to save money the decision was made to join a regional effort to set up an alternate water system; however, while they waited for the pipeline running to Lake Huron to be completed, the decision was made to start pumping from the Flint river.

      How this could have happened can only be described as FUBAR on a massive scale. How long it took to define the problem is the real crime.

      .

      Delete
    5. .

      At least Snyder has not only accepted responsibility (something every official does when things go south) he also accepted blame something that is rare in politics.

      That being said, the only one who has been fired over this to my knowledge is the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality.

      .

      Delete
    6. .

      The worst part in this is obviously the health considerations in that it has been going for a couple years.

      However, secondly it is the cost. Two years of pumping the acidic water has damage the pipes in the system and even though Flint has now switched back to the Detroit water system now, contaminants from the pipes are still leaching into the water.

      Could run into the billions to repair.

      .

      Delete
  46. Neil Cavuto and the Dynamics of Misinformation

    Josh Marshall notes that during last night’s debate Neil Cavuto seemed to imply that the financial crisis happened on Obama’s watch without saying anything explicitly false. Indeed. But there’s something else going on here, and it’s part of a larger pattern.

    I’ve talked in the past about how negative views of Obamacare get propagated:

    It goes like this: a lot of the untrue beliefs people have about Obamacare come not so much from outright false reporting as from selective reporting. Every suggestion of bad news gets highlighted — especially, of course, but not only by Fox, the WSJ, etc.. But when it turns out that the news wasn’t really that bad, these sources just move on. There are claims that millions of people are losing coverage — headlines! When it turns out not to be true — crickets! Some experts claim that premiums will rise by double digits — big news! Actual premium numbers come in and they’re surprisingly low — not mentioned.

    Something similar applies to economic and market news. Cavuto spoke about the dip in stocks that took place in the very early days of the Obama presidency — which, not incidentally, led a lot of the usual suspects to declare that his policies had already failed — and about the decline in the past few weeks. Somehow no mention of what happened in between. Here’s the full picture:

    The Obama Stock Market (Chart)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. t would be interesting to poll Republicans about what happened to the stock market under Obama; my bet is that many, perhaps a majority, believe that it went down, thanks to this technique of only reporting the bad news.

      Chart - Krugman NYT

      Delete
    2. .

      I can't argue with Krugman's charge that the GOP loves to lie with statistics. However, the fact that it is Krugman making the charge of someone manipulating data to make a political point tends to cause one to chuckle.

      .

      Delete
  47. SOUTHWEST ASIA, January 15, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

    Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

    Strikes in Syria

    Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted five strikes in Syria:

    -- Near Mar’a, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and wounded an ISIL fighter.

    -- Near Manbij, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

    -- Near Raqqah, a strike struck an ISIL gas and oil separation plant.

    Strikes in Iraq

    Attack, fighter, bomber, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 19 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

    -- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed three ISIL tunnel entrances.

    -- Near Albu Hayat, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

    -- Near Balad, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL heavy machine gun.

    -- Near Habbaniyah, a strike denied ISIL access to terrain.

    -- Near Kisik, a strike destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions.

    -- Near Mosul, seven strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units, an ISIL headquarters, and an ISIL bomb-making factory, suppressed an ISIL rocket position, and destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL heavy machine guns, two ISIL vehicles, nine ISIL assembly areas, two weapons caches, an ISIL bunker, and an ISIL command-and-control node.

    -- Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, cratered an ISIL-used road, denied ISIL access to terrain, and destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb, three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL heavy machine gun, four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL staging area.


    -- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

    -- Near Tikrit, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

    ReplyDelete
  48. New Study kicks the legs from under Reefer Mad ideology about teens and intellectual development

    There is much debate about the impact of adolescent cannabis use on intellectual and educational outcomes. We investigated associations between adolescent cannabis use and IQ and educational attainment in a sample of 2235 teenagers from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. By the age of 15, 24% reported having tried cannabis at least once. A series of nested linear regressions was employed, adjusted hierarchically by pre-exposure ability and potential confounds (e.g. cigarette and alcohol use, childhood mental-health symptoms and behavioural problems), to test the relationships between cumulative cannabis use and IQ at the age of 15 and educational performance at the age of 16. After full adjustment, those who had used cannabis ⩾50 times did not differ from never-users on either IQ or educational performance. Adjusting for group differences in cigarette smoking dramatically attenuated the associations between cannabis use and both outcomes, and further analyses demonstrated robust associations between cigarette use and educational outcomes, even with cannabis users excluded. These findings suggest that adolescent cannabis use is not associated with IQ or educational performance once adjustment is made for potential confounds, in particular adolescent cigarette use. Modest cannabis use in teenagers may have . . . . .

    Article

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Daily Kos propaganda, that says it all.

      There are dozens and dozens of fine studies out there about the negatives effects of smoking weed.

      Take the time to read them.

      Been mixin' the bong with the Bud these days, Rufoid ??

      You seem to hardly ever go out of the house any longer, an indicator.

      Delete
    2. This from our resident climate change denier...

      Delete
    3. Rufus was right about that, Ash.

      And, by the way, out this way, it was the Republicans that were front and center backing the building of the dams that provide our electrical energy here, not the Democrats.

      The Democrats fought the last two or three tooth and nail.

      Hydroelectric is the best, safest, cleanest energy system there is, and it was backed here by the Republicans, not the Democrats, as a rule.

      Deuce's headlines are often irritating in this way.....they state as a fact some propagandistic outlook that totally falls apart with the first knowledgeable glance.

      I've said it before, I'll say it again:

      Juan Cole is full of shit, and probably THC too.

      Delete
    4. This nonsense about smoking dope and skunk not hurting one's mentality too. Totally false.

      If you watch closely you will see it, perhaps in your extended family. I have a cousin.....jesus, what a waste.....

      So Deuce slaps some crap piece through Juan Cole at the Daily Kos.....what bullshit.

      Real studies have overwhelmingly shown just the opposite.

      It didn't get to be called "dope" for no reason at all.

      Delete
    5. You can't read Shakespeare and glance at and wonder about and have wonderful revelations about the meaning of one's toes and toenails at the same time.

      They don't call it "dope" for nothing.

      Delete
    6. You are the king of dopes here yet you wouldn't touch the stuff...

      Delete
    7. Ash, your attempts at put downs are pathetic.

      They are not worthy of this place.

      Please go take an intensive class in put downs at some liberal junior college someplace before you try again.

      Thanks.

      Delete
  49. Where am I?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Where ?

      Out in space, for the most part.

      Delete
    3. What are you wishing to do, Rufus ?

      Trade product, a little corn whiskey for city skunk ?

      Delete
  50. O'bozo and the Democrats' collapse of our natinal economy continues right along -

    RETAIL COLLAPSE
    WALMART TO SHUT 100S OF STORES
    DOW -400 ..........Drudge


    Where will the beggers go to hold their cardboard signs now, without Wal-Mart, the old standby ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're closing a couple of hundred small stores, and opening two hundred Large ones, dumbshit.

      The point I was making was that in the era of the smartphone, and ubiquitous wifi, I could be posting from anywhere, from many different devices. I have 2 devices I can post from while driving down the road (3 if I count sweetie pie's phone.)

      Delete
    2. .

      I have 2 devices I can post from while driving down the road (3 if I count sweetie pie's phone.)

      Obviously, not a wise choice for anyone.

      .

      Delete
    3. DOW -400

      DUMBFUCK

      Delete
    4. How can you possibly drink, drive and post all at the same time ?

      You got three arms, or what ?

      Delete
    5. They are closing 'hundreds' of stores, Rufus D. Dumbshit.

      You can't reed gud.

      Delete
    6. And you are ignorant of the realities of running a business, "Draft Dodger" Peterson.

      Your expertise runs more towards bank fraud, by your own admission.

      Delete
    7. Popular Technology.net


      "Impartial Analysis of Popular Trends and Technology" Copyright © 2004-2015 Popular Technology














      † Internationally recognized by over 300 independent sources including Forbes, the International Journal of Modern Physics and the United States Senate.




























































      Thursday, April 03, 2014




      150+ Scientific Studies Showing the Dangers of Marijuana



      Marijuana can cause - Brain Damage (Lowered IQ, Memory Loss, Paranoia, Psychosis, Schizophrenia); Mood Disorders (Aggression, Anxiety, Depression, Irritability); Cancer; Heart Attacks; Gum Disease; Impaired Motor Skills; Lung Disease; Obesity; Osteoporosis; Pregnancy Complications; Sexual Dysfunction; Strokes, Viral Infections and even Death.



      Perception of marijuana as a "safe drug" is scientifically inaccurate (University of Montreal)
      Cannabis more damaging to health than previously thought claim doctors (Imperial College London)
      NIDA review summarizes research on marijuana’s negative health effects (New England Journal of Medicine)



      Brain Damage:
      Adolescent Pot Use Leaves Lasting Mental Deficits (Duke University)
      Brain-damage risks higher for younger marijuana users, study says (Harvard Medical School)
      Cannabis and adolescence: A dangerous cocktail (McGill University Health Centre)
      Cannabis 'can cause psychosis in healthy people' (King's College London)
      Cannabis Could Increase Risks Of Psychotic Illness By 40 Percent (Cardiff University)
      Cannabis increases risk of psychosis (British Medical Journal)
      Cannabis increases risk of depression and schizophrenia (British Medical Journal)
      Cannabis ingredient causes toxic psychosis (University of Lausanne)
      Cannabis link to psychosis (University of New South Wales)
      Cannabis smokers 'are taking huge risk of psychotic illness' (King's College London)
      Cannabis smoking 'permanently lowers IQ' (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
      Cannabis Triggers Transient Schizophrenia-like Symptoms (Yale School of Medicine)
      Cannabis use 'dulls the brain' (Journal of the American Medical Association)
      Cannabis use mimics cognitive weakness that can lead to schizophrenia (University of Bergen)
      Cannabis use precedes the onset of psychotic symptoms in young people (British Medical Journal)
      Casual marijuana use linked to brain abnormalities in students (Northwestern University)
      Chronic alcohol and marijuana use during youth can compromise white-matter integrity (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center)
      Concerns over mental health risk of smoking cannabis (British Journal of Psychiatry)
      Daily Consumption Of Cannabis Predisposes To Appearance Of Psychosis And Schizophrenia (University of Granada)
      Daily Pot Smoking May Hasten Onset of Psychosis (Emory University)
      Early Cannabis Use Increases Risk of Schizophrenia (University of Otago)
      Early cannabis users three times more likely to have psychotic symptoms (University of Queensland)
      Frequent Marijuana Use May Affect Brain Function (University of Iowa)
      Heavy Cannabis Use May Lead to Psychotic Symptoms (University of Otago)
      Heavy Marijuana use has a detrimental impact on intelligence (Canadian Medical Association Journal)

      Delete
    8. Heavy Marijuana Use May Damage Developing Brain In Teens, Young Adults (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
      How cannabis causes 'cognitive chaos' in the brain (University of Bristol)
      How Marijuana Causes Memory Deficits (Nature Neuroscience)
      How marijuana impairs memory (Cell Journal)
      How Smoking Marijuana Damages The Fetal Brain (Science)
      Human Study Shows Greater Cognitive Deficits in Marijuana Users Who Start Young (Society for Neuroscience)
      Imaging Shows Similarities in Brains of Marijuana Smokers, Schizophrenics (Radiological Society of North America)
      Imaging Study Shows Awareness Deficit in Marijuana Abusers (Neuropsychopharmacology Journal)
      Lab study shows THC exposure as adolescents linked to negative effects of THC as adults (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology)
      Long-time cannabis use associated with psychosis (Archives of General Psychiatry Journal)
      Long-term cannabis use causes brain injury (Archives of General Psychiatry Journal)
      Long-term cannabis use may blunt the brain's motivation system (Imperial College London)
      Marijuana And Alcohol Taken Together Induced Widespread Nerve Cell Death In Brains Of Young Rats (Annals of Neurology Journal)
      Marijuana has damaging effect on brain (King's College London)
      Marijuana Use Affects Blood Flow In Brain Even After Abstinence (American Academy of Neurology)
      Marijuana use in adolescence may cause permanent brain abnormalities (University of Maryland Medical Center)
      Marijuana use in pregnancy damages kids' learning (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
      Marijuana Users Have Abnormal Brain Structure and Poor Memory (Northwestern University)
      Memory, speed of thinking get worse over time with marijuana use (American Academy of Neurology)
      Mental illness associated with heavy cannabis use (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)
      Molecular Imaging Shows Chronic Marijuana Smoking Affects Brain Chemistry (Society of Nuclear Medicine)
      More Evidence Links Early Cannabis Use to Psychosis (City University of New York)
      More evidence of cannabis-induced psychosis (BMC Psychiatry Journal)
      New RCSI research demonstrates how cannabis use during adolescence affects brain regions associated with schizophrenia (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)
      New research reveals how cannabis alters brain function (King's College London)
      Psychotic illness appears to begin at younger age among those who use cannabis (Archives of General Psychiatry Journal)
      Rat study conducted by UGA researchers suggests that cannabis interferes with sustained attention (University of Georgia)
      Regular marijuana use bad for teens' brains (American Psychological Association)
      Research Finds that Marijuana Use Takes Toll on Adolescent Brain Function (University of Cincinnati)

      Delete
    9. Scans reveal brain damage from cannabis is like schizophrenia (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
      Schizophrenia Linked To Dysfunction In Molecular Brain Pathway Activated By Marijuana (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine)
      Skunk 'poses greatest risk of psychosis' (King's College London)
      Skunk smokers 18 times more likely to be psychotic (Royal College of Psychiatrists)
      Smoking cannabis increases the risk of depression in the case of genetic vulnerability (Radboud University)
      Starting marijuana use during teens may result in cognitive impairment later in life (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
      Study demonstrates link between reclassification of cannabis and cannabis psychosis (University of York)
      Study Links Marijuana to Brain Problems (Journal of the American Medical Association)
      Teen Drug Use Associated With Psychiatric Disorders Later In Life (National Institute On Drug Abuse)
      Teen Marijuana Use Can Lead to Anxiety, Depression, or Aggression (Mount Sinai School of Medicine)
      Teen Marijuana Use Worsens Depression: An Analysis of Recent Data Shows 'Self-Medicating' Could Actually Make Things Worse (Office of National Drug Control Policy)

      Cancer:
      Cannabis alters human DNA -- new study (University of Leicester)
      Higher Cancer Risk Found in Marijuana Than in Tobacco (Indiana University)
      Marijuana Use Linked to Increased Risk of Testicular Cancer (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)
      Marijuana use may increase risk of testicular cancer (University of Southern California)
      New study reveals how cannabis suppresses immune functions: Cannabis compounds found to trigger unique immune cells which promote cancer growth (European Journal of Immunology)
      Researchers At UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center Report Smoking Marijuana May Increase Risk Of Head And Neck Cancers (University of California, Los Angeles)
      Sexual Activity and Marijuana Use Associated with HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancer, Study Shows (Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center)
      Study finds marijuana ingredient promotes tumor growth, impairs anti-tumor defenses (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
      Tobacco is 'less risky than dope' (Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center)

      Delete
    10. Those long empty spaces resemble your thought process, aye, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson, or is it illustrative of the effect that alcohol has had on your brain ?

      Delete
    11. Death:
      German study finds cannabis use triggered 2 deaths (Forensic Science International Journal)

      Gum Disease:
      Heavy Marijuana Use Linked To Gum Disease (Journal of the American Medical Association)

      Heart Disease:
      Adolescent binging on marijuana linked to stroke (Saint Louis University)
      Marijuana use can trigger heart attack (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
      Marijuana use may increase heart complications in young, middle-aged adults (American Heart Association)
      Regular Cannabis May Increase Risk Of Stroke In Young Users (British Medical Journal)
      Smoking Marijuana Associated With Higher Stroke Risk in Young Adults (American Heart Association)
      Study Finds Marijuana Poses Health Threat to Baby Boomers (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
      Study finds possible connection between marijuana abuse and stroke or heart attacks (Molecular Psychiatry Journal)

      Lung Disease:
      Growing Evidence Of Marijuana Smoke's Potential Dangers (American Chemical Society)
      Impact on lungs of 1 cannabis joint equal to up to 5 cigarettes (British Medical Journal)
      Long-term Marijuana Smoking Leads To Respiratory Complaints (Yale School of Medicine)
      Marijuana associated with same respiratory symptoms as tobacco (Yale School of Medicine)
      Marijuana Smoke Contains Higher Levels Of Certain Toxins Than Tobacco Smoke (American Chemical Society)
      Marijuana Smokers Face Rapid Lung Destruction -- As Much As 20 Years Ahead Of Tobacco Smokers (Respirology Journal)
      Marijuana Smoking Increases Risk Of COPD For Tobacco Smokers (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
      Marijuana Worsens COPD Symptoms In Current Cigarette Smokers (American Thoracic Society)
      Research Confirms Adverse Effects of Cannabis on Respiratory Health (University of Otago)
      Smoking One Joint is Equivalent to 20 Cigarettes (Medical Research Institute of New Zealand)

      Obesity:
      Binge eating, overeating may be associated with initiating use of marijuana, other drugs (Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine Journal)
      Machinery Of The 'Marijuana Munchies' (Neuron Journal)





      3 comments:

      Delete
    12. Osteoporosis:
      Cannabis use linked to risk of osteoporosis (Nature Medicine)

      Pregnancy Complication:
      Cannabis during pregnancy endangers fetal brain development (Karolinska Institutet)
      Marijuana Use Causes Early Pregnancy Failure (Journal of Clinical Investigation)
      Marijuana use could cause tubal pregnancies (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)
      Marijuana Use Implicated in Pregnancy Problems (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center)
      Substance use, social stress compromise pregnant women's immune system (Duke University Medical Center)

      Sexual Dysfunction:
      Abusing Marijuana May Overload System, Inhibit Fertility (University at Buffalo)
      Marijuana-Like Compounds May Alter Human Fertility (University at Buffalo)
      Researcher connects cannabis use and sexual dysfunction (Queen's University)
      Sperm From Marijuana Smokers Move Too Fast Too Early, Impairing Fertility (University at Buffalo)
      Sperm size and shape in young men affected by cannabis use (University of Sheffield)

      Sleep Disorder:
      Marijuana use is associated with impaired sleep quality (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)

      Viral Infection:
      Marijuana Component Opens The Door For Virus That Causes Kaposi's Sarcoma (American Association for Cancer Research)
      Regular Marijuana Use Increases Risk Of Hepatitis C-related Liver Damage (American Gastroenterological Association)

      Vehicle Accidents:
      Cannabis almost doubles risk of fatal crashes (British Medical Journal)
      Cannabis use doubles chances of vehicle crash (British Medical Journal)
      Driving under influence of cannabis more common and riskier than drink driving (University of Otago)
      Marijuana use involved in more fatal accidents in Colorado (University of Colorado School of Medicine)
      Marijuana use may double the risk of accidents for drivers (Columbia University)
      Signs point to sharp rise in drugged driving fatalities (Columbia University)
      Study finds cannabis use, dangerous driving behaviors interrelated (University of Montreal)
      Teens who use alcohol and marijuana together are at higher risk for unsafe driving (Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs)
      The dangers of taking the "high" road: Increased collision risk, skill impairment (Dalhousie University)



      Delete
    13. Dalhousie University
      Duke University
      Duke University Medical Center
      Emory University
      ETH Zurich
      European Journal of Immunology
      Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
      Flinders Medical Centre
      Forensic Science International Journal
      Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
      Harvard Medical School
      Imperial College London
      Indiana University
      Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care
      Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
      Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
      Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
      Journal of Anesthesiology
      Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research
      Journal of Clinical Investigation
      Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
      Journal of the American Medical Association
      Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics
      Karolinska Institutet
      King's College London
      Mayo Clinic
      McGill University Health Centre
      Medical Research Institute of New Zealand
      Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center
      Molecular Psychiatry Journal
      Mount Sinai Medical Center
      Mount Sinai School of Medicine
      National Institute on Drug Abuse
      Nature Medicine
      Nature Neuroscience
      Neurogastroenterology and Motility Journal
      Neuron Journal
      Neuropsychopharmacology Journal
      New England Journal of Medicine
      New York University
      Northwestern University
      Office of National Drug Control Policy
      Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
      Plymouth University
      Prevention Science Journal
      Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
      Psychological Science Journal
      Public Library of Science Journal
      Queen's University
      Queen's University Belfast
      Radboud University
      Radiological Society of North America
      RAND Corporation
      Respirology Journal
      Royal College of Psychiatrists
      Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
      Saint Louis University
      Sam Houston State University
      Science
      Society for Neuroscience
      Society of Nuclear Medicine
      Tufts University
      University at Buffalo
      University of Bergen
      University of Bristol
      University of British Columbia
      University of California, Berkeley
      University of California, Los Angeles
      University of California, San Diego
      University of Cincinnati
      University of Colorado School of Medicine
      University of Granada
      University of Georgia
      University of Iowa
      University of Lausanne
      University of Leicester
      University of Maryland, College Park
      University of Maryland Medical Center
      University of Montreal
      University of New South Wales
      University of Otago
      University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
      University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
      University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
      University of Queensland
      University of Sheffield
      University of Southern California
      University of Texas at Dallas
      University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
      University of Vermont
      University of York
      Vanderbilt University Medical Center
      Washington University School of Medicine
      World Journal of Gastroenterology
      Yale School of Medicine



      If you are a parent looking for help with a child please contact:

      Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

      1-855-DRUGFREE (1-855-378-4373) Monday-Friday 10am-6pm ET

      Delete
    14. DON'T GIVE US ANYMORE OF YOUR BULLSHIT, ASH.

      Delete
    15. Reams of cut and pasted crap from God knows where and our resident 'ignore the science' climate change denier somehow thinks he has demonstrated scientific analysis. Too funny! The irony is he was probably drunk while posting, again.

      Delete
  51. .

    Saudi Arabia: Trouble in the Kingdom

    The Saudis are in a state of panic all around—from its OPEC status and dwindling reserves [down 400 billion in a little over a year]to its proxy wars that absolutely cannot turn into full-fledged wars and its growing friendlessness. The fact that oil fell briefly below $30 a barrel on Tuesday for the first time in 12 years won't have helped.

    At the end of the day, Saudi Arabia has overextended itself, and overestimated its prowess and it does not have the clout that it once had to be able to do this effectively.

    If you're wondering whether there will be an all-out war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, it's unlikely. At this point, the Saudis are likely to continue the proxy war and hope that the Iranians do something foolish to upset the nuclear deal with the West. Until then, Saudi Arabia will make a lot of noise and attempt subversive activities, but nothing more.


    http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Saudi-Arabia-A-Weak-Kingdom-On-Its-Knees.html

    .

    ReplyDelete
  52. The interesting factoid that the tv doomsdayers are missing is that: while the price of oil is plunging, vehicle miles driven - in the U.S. - is at an all-time high.

    And, VMT is a pretty good proxy for Economic Activity.

    VMT - St. Louis Fed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      .

      Anyone who actually looks at that chart would argue with your premise.

      Of course, total economic activity is up as measured by GDP. Of course, vehicle miles are up.

      The total population of the country has increased by over 50% since 1975, up over 100 million people people. Is there any wonder 'total' economic activity is up?

      We have also had 6 or 7 recessions during that period with the possibility of another soon.

      .

      Delete
    2. The point, obviously obfuscated by moi, was that the use (or, lack thereof) of oil does not necessarily translate into the level of economic activity in the U.S.

      Delete
  53. So, we're driving more, and using a lot less gasoline. How's that possible?

    1) CAFE Standards - those new autos get almost twice the mileage as the 11 year old trade-ins.

    2) Biofuels - Ethanol is 18 Billion Gallons this year.

    "Greenie" Stuff is Economic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fracking, and Saudi Arabia trying to destroy our fracking.

      Delete
  54. I think we should all vote for the person with the most pleasant voice.

    We are going to listen to cargo containers of bullshit in the next four years no matter who is elected, so we might as well vote for the one with most pleasant voice.

    Vote Voice !!!

    ReplyDelete
  55. By the way, I have trade marked "Q"Nit.

    ReplyDelete
  56. RETAIL COLLAPSE
    WALMART TO SHUT 100S OF STORES
    STOCKS DIVE DEEPER.............DRUDGE SCREAMING HEADLINE



    H U N D R E D S

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walmart Express did not find a market share, so away they go

      Delete
    2. It's called capitalism, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson.
      Lie A&P and Studebaker, what does not gain market-share goes away.

      Delete
    3. Like

      There are 11,453 Walmarts world wide, they are closing 269 stores, worldwide
      154 are in the US 102 of them the Walmart Express experiment.


      ... the closing stores only represent less than 1% of Walmart’s total retail footprint

      http://consumerist.com/2016/01/15/walmart-closing-154-stores-in-u-s-ending-walmart-express-experiment/

      Delete
  57. Trump rally features kids singing about freedom and strength and crushing things

    When fascism comes to America, it will feature perky pre-teens in cheerleader outfits singing about the fabulously rich man who will crush America's enemies.

    "Cowardice, are you serious? Apologies for freedom — I can't handle this! When freedom rings, answer the call!" they sang. "On your feet, stand up tall! Freedom's on our shoulders, USA! Enemies of freedom face the music. Come on boys, take them down!"
    They continued: "President Donald Trump knows how to make America great. Deal from strength or get crushed every time."


    According to a press release featuring the apparent actual human being that made this happen, this fine actual song by the "USA Freedom Kids" was originally written to honor long-dead Gen. George Patton. But then, Donald Trump appeared and, Christ, I don't know. South Park plots started becoming real? Leni Riefenstahl was dug out of her grave and her skull turned into a bong?

    In any event, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that this is the reason David Bowie died. This song, right here.

    Cute Little Kids Singing About "Crushing" People

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would like to say that this is hard to believe, but it isn’t.

      Delete
    2. I'm starting to get scared

      (and, I'm not scared of much.)

      Can't bring myself to attach a smiley-face to this one.

      Delete
  58. Jack is Back (aka Dead Beat Dad) is back with his usual bullshit.

    And here he told us all he was spending all his time working with the CIA, The Defense Department, and the National Security Agency on a critically important super secret project off the coasts of Central America vital to our very survival.

    In reality Jack's been smoking dope in his mom's basement again.

    Time to switch to Fox.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Ash, don't bug me about dope again till you have mastered all of the above.

    That was a lot of work putting all that up just for you.

    But, I care you so.

    You need to change behavior patterns NOW.

    It is almost too late for you.........

    Just think of Jack is Back.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I care for you so, Ash, I really do.

      You don't believe it, but I do.

      Delete
    2. This Laggard reads like he is a tad gay.
      Must be related to Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson.

      Delete

  60. Oregon police on Friday for the first time arrested a man in connection with the armed occupation of a wildlife refuge, apprehending a member of the group over two stolen government vehicles ...


    http://www.ktvz.com/news/oregon-sheriffs-association-defends-ward-in-harney-response/37436072

    A friend of Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson?

    ReplyDelete
  61. .

    Judge Rejects Marathon Bomber's Bid for New Trial, Orders $100M in Restitution

    A federal judge on Friday denied Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's request for a new trial and ordered him to pay more than $100 million in restitution to victims of the 2013 terror attack.

    Tsarnaev, 22, was sentenced to death in June and is being held at Colorado's Supermax prison...

    Court documents also filed include an amended order requiring Tsarnaev to pay a total of $101,124,027 in restitution to 49 victims and the Massachusetts Victim Compensation Fund...



    I guess his estate will be paying the $100 million out of his life insurance.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  62. The surveillance capacity of our allies and ourselves - satellites- has so far been unable to to find any activity off the coasts of Central America that would indicate some super secret 'rat' project in progress there.

    They were able to photo one shrimp boat, and a 35 foot cabin cruiser with two girls without out tops, and two guys, all involved in shallow scuba diving (and other natural activities).

    ratass aka Dead Beat Dad must be conducting the super secret project indispensable, as he insisted to us all, to our survival, underneath the seas there.

    Stealth submarines are being sent to check this out. My prediction is they will find zip.

    My own view is rat'sass was smoking junk when he hallucinated all this bullshit up.

    We all know, and agreed too, when he was diagnosed here, that rat's ass has major 'issues' of a mental/psychological kind.

    Quirk gave the most detailed diagnosis, but I forget exactly what it was now, something a little far out there.

    Suffice to say, it was basically 'the guy is bonkers'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'without out tops' should of course read simply 'without tops' which is to say all they had on was bikini bottoms...

      Delete
    2. rat's ass never did have any cattle, either, not even a cowboy hat.

      Delete
  63. 1/16/2016

    "Q"Nit(tm) of the Day


    Jihad Watch
    Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

    Obama Administration stonewalling investigation into 113 terrorists inside US

    January 15, 2016 1:36 pm By Robert Spencer 25 Comments

    What could possibly go wrong, you greasy Islamophobe?

    obama-shhh1

    “Obama Admin Stonewalling Investigation Into 113 Terrorists Inside United States,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, January 11, 2016:

    Leading senators on Monday petitioned multiple Obama administration agencies to stop stonewalling a congressional investigation into the immigration histories of at least 113 foreign-born individuals implicated in terrorist operations after legally entering the United States, according to a copy of the letters.

    The latest investigation comes just days after the Washington Free Beacon disclosed that an additional 41 foreign-born individuals who legally entered the United States had been arrested for planning a number of terror attacks.

    Sens. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.) disclosed Monday that they had been pressuring the Obama administration for months to disclose the immigration histories of these foreign-born individuals implicated in terror plots.

    Agencies including the Departments of State and Homeland Security have stonewalled these efforts, declining since mid-2015 to provide Congress additional information. This move has prompted speculation among lawmakers that the administration is withholding information to prevent the exposure of major gaps in the U.S. screening process for new immigrants.

    “The American people are entitled to information on the immigration history of terrorists seeking to harm them,” Cruz and Sessions wrote to the secretaries of State and Homeland Security and the attorney general.

    Similar requests for information issued sent in August and again in December have not been answered by the administration

    The letter cites a recent Free Beacon report detailing that an additional 41 foreign-born individuals had been snagged on terrorism-related charges since 2014. The disclosure of these previously unknown accused terrorists brings the total number of foreigners brought up on terrorism charges to 113.

    Sessions and Cruz note that at least 14 of those foreigners accused of terrorism were granted legal entrance to the United States as refugees.

    “Many more came through other immigration programs,” they wrote. “A number of immigrant terrorists were even approved for citizenship. Others are the U.S.-born children of foreign migrants whose presence in the country would not be possible but for the immigration of their parents.”

    Many of these recently implicated foreigners have been caught by authorities planning terrorist attacks on American soil, while others were found to be involved in efforts to provide funding and material to ISIS, according to an internal list of migrant terrorists codified by congressional sources and viewed by the Free Beacon.

    Cruz and Sessions are requesting that the agencies in question fill out a chart that includes only partial information about the 113 accused terrorists.

    A senior congressional aide familiar with the investigation said the soaring rate of immigration is taking a toll on the U.S. security establishment.

    “The cost of high rates of Muslim immigration are clear: enormous security challenges combined with vast expenses to track and convict those here attempting to wound Americans,” the source said….

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/01/obama-administration-stonewalling-investigation-into-113-terrorists-inside-us

    ReplyDelete
  64. US Utility-Solar PV Costs Plummeted 17% In Q3 2015
    January 14th, 2016 by Adam Johnston

    US utility-scale solar PV costs plummeted 17% in Q3 of 2015, and declining PV costs are fuelling greater demand.


    According to an EnergyTrend report, US utility-scale solar costs fell in the third quarter of 2015 to $1.38/W, compared to $1.66/W twelve months earlier.

    Patrick Lin, an analyst with EnergyTrend, said the average cost for a global utility-scale system could drop an extra 15% on a year-to-year basis within 24 months. The average cost of a utility-scale solar PV system could reach $1.15/W this year, Lin said. Declining installation costs will push levelled costs of electricity (LCOE) in some areas to $0.07/kWh and under. This makes solar cheaper than coal plants and natural gas.

    Factor in continuing efficiencies seen in solar PV products, and you can see LCOE prices will push further down. This, along with declining installation costs, will help fuel greater demand globally, EnergyTrend noted.

    Since the start of 2015, utility-scale solar installed capacities in Chile, India, and the Philippines are 750 MW, 827 MW, and 134 MW. In 2016–2017, utility-scale solar will see increased demand returning to Southeast Asia, Latin America, and India.

    Overall, this is another report which proves solar is gaining traction. Consider now that US utility-scale solar is 31 times greater than in 2005. It accounts for half a percent of US electricity production. Last June, US utilities reached a record for solar electricity, with 2,765 GWh — an increase of 35.8% from 2014.

    Based on EnergyTrend’s report, it would not be surprising to see more record solar electricity generation and solar capacity additions from the US this year as prices fall, as well as around the world.

    Digging up dirty, poisonous crap, and burning it is so 20th Century

    ReplyDelete
  65. Unbelievable

    Almost 1/3 of German Energy Demand Was Met by Renewables in 2015

    Article

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    Replies
    1. 100% Solar Plan Offered By TXU Energy — This The Future?

      TXU Energy will soon be launching the first electricity plan in Texas to be backed 100% by solar-generated electricity from within the state, according to a press release from the company.

      The electricity plan — TXU Energy Solar Advantage — follows relatively closely on the company’s decision to begin offering high-efficiency rooftop solar options.

      “TXU Energy Solar Advantage is a great alternative for consumers who want clean Texas solar power and long-term price protection but can’t or don’t want to invest in a rooftop system,” stated Scott Hudson, chief operating officer for TXU Energy.

      The new press release provides further information:

      The new solar electricity plan and recent solar rooftop offer are the latest renewable energy options from TXU Energy. The company also has an electricity plan that’s backed by 100% Texas wind energy, as well as the option to add 100% Texas wind energy credits to almost any TXU Energy plan, such as TXU Energy Free Mornings and Evenings and plans that offer cash back rewards.

      “TXU Energy constantly listens to consumers to ensure that we’re offering products and services that meet their diverse needs and preferences,” Hudson continued. “TXU Solar from SunPower and TXU Energy Solar Advantage are just two of our innovative solutions that give consumers the choices they want.”

      Those looking for more information can find it at the TXU Energy website.

      Cleantechnica

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    2. So, who else? Oh, I don't know; how about Freakin' Iran!

      Another European country has expressed intentions to support the development of the renewable energy sector in Iran.

      The Iranian Energy Minister recently reported that Denmark has expressed an interest in developing a wind turbine manufacturing facility in the Middle Eastern country. Minister Hamid Chitchian told media agencies that Denmark is looking to build a manufacturing hub in Iran from where it can export the wind energy equipment to other countries in the region.

      Chitchian had earlier revealed that Iran is looking to develop 5 GW of solar and wind energy capacity by 2018. Following fruitful multilateral negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear energy program, several countries, mainly from Europe, offered their assistance in developing renewable energy infrastructure throughout Iran.

      Last year, the Iranian news agency, Mehr, reported that a German company is planning to set up 1.25 GW of solar power capacity in various provinces of the country.

      A consortium of Iranian, Indian, and South Korean companies also announced plans to develop an energy park in the Khuzestan province in a $10 billion project consisting of 1 GW of solar power capacity. Also, German companies are expected to begin building wind farms in Iran from next year. Azerbaijan and Spain have also expressed interest in setting up renewable energy projects in Iran.

      Sell the Oil and Nat Gas to the Dummies; Use the Sun and Wind

      Delete
  66. Here's how to cut your electric bill by 75%:

    Want to know how to easily produce all of the renewable energy you could ever want right at home?

    And you’ll be able to make your home completely immune from power failures, blackouts, and energy grid failures
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    VISIT THIS SITE: DIY HOME ENERGY

    ReplyDelete