Month: September 2012

FLASH: 2 Americans killed by our “allies” in AfPak?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AFGHANISTAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-09-30-05-14-29

Sep 30, 11:43 AM EDT
US and Afghan forces clash, leaving 5 dead
By HEIDI VOGT and RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press

*** begin quote ***

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A firefight broke out between U.S. forces and their Afghan army allies in eastern Afghanistan Sunday, killing two Americans and three Afghan soldiers and pushing the number of U.S. troops killed in the long-running war 2,000.

The fighting started Saturday when what is believed to have been a mortar fired by insurgents struck a checkpoint set up by U.S. forces in Wardak province, said Shahidullah Shahid, a provincial government spokesman. He said the Americans thought they were under attack from a nearby Afghan army checkpoint and fired on it, prompting the Afghan soldiers to return fire.

*** end quote ***

Sorry, but are our girls and boys doing in AfPak!

Ron Paul had it right. We can just march out. And, be quick about it.

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Sep-30 @ 13:35  

Sep 30, 11:43 AM EDT

US and Afghan forces clash, leaving 5 dead

By HEIDI VOGT and RAHIM FAIEZ
Associated Press
AP Photo
AP Photo/Brennan Linsley
World Video
 
Latest News
US military deaths in Afghanistan hit 2,000

US and Afghan forces clash, leaving 5 dead

Afghan forces also suffer from insider attacks

Taliban release video on Afghan base attackers

Panetta: US surge troops out of Afghanistan

 
Interactives
Afghanistan: Shining a light on the dark
Efforts to rebuild Afghanistan
Afghanistan War’s 1,000 U.S. Troop Casualties
AP Photographer Caught in GunFire
WIlling to fight, unable to read
AP journalists wounded in Afghanistan
U.S. troops under attack
Marine allegedly faked injuries to get freebies
Buy AP Photo Reprints
 
Multimedia
US troops spending Christmas

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A firefight broke out between U.S. forces and their Afghan army allies in eastern Afghanistan Sunday, killing two Americans and three Afghan soldiers and pushing the number of U.S. troops killed in the long-running war 2,000.

The fighting started Saturday when what is believed to have been a mortar fired by insurgents struck a checkpoint set up by U.S. forces in Wardak province, said Shahidullah Shahid, a provincial government spokesman. He said the Americans thought they were under attack from a nearby Afghan army checkpoint and fired on it, prompting the Afghan soldiers to return fire.

HARDWARE: Having computer hardware problems with the trackpad on my macbookair. Argh! Falling back to alternate hardware. Service will be spotty!

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment
ADMINISTRIVIA: Having computer hardware problems with the trackpad on my macbookair. Argh! Falling back to alternate hardware. Service will be spotty.

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Sep-30 @ 10:02  

GOVERNACIDE: Death at the hands of the police

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

From: john 
To: Luddite
Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2012 9:33 PM
Subject: TheBlaze.com – Houston Police Officer Fatally Shoots Unarmed Double Amputee in a Wheelchair

I thought you would like this story from TheBlaze.com

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/houston-police-officer-fatally-shoots-unarmed-double-amputee-in-a-wheelchair/

care to comment about your “friends” in blue?

# – # – # – # – #    

On Sun, Sep 23, 2012 at 8:20 AM, Luddite wrote:

After looking at another one of these, I think where we differ is that you tend to look only at the victim, rather than the circumstances surrounding? Have I summed it up correctly?

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Sep-23 @ 09:34  

No, I am “shocked” — as in “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Captain Renault in Casablanca — at the result. And, the pattern that keeps repeating over and over and over. The “King” and the “Sheriff’s men” keep abusing the poor Saxon serfs. Where’s our “Robin Hood”? Where is our “George Washington”? Where is our “Zorro”? Unfortunately, we each have to become our own.

I think Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and others have demonstrated the path. Peaceful non-cooperation.

Take a small example, “speed limits”! On every road every day in the USA, the drivers demonstrate a complete disregard for the diktats of the “King”. Tax law is another; the underground economy is huge. Drugs is another.

Us old stuffed shirts have to join “The Resistance”. Maybe we don’t have to blow up bridges and trains like the French did to the Nazis.

Maybe we just refuse to cooperate?

Peacefully, firmly, and, of course, picking our battles.

But all the while, burning with a “revolutionary” fire.

Remember Churchill and Solzhenitsyn

“…if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.” -Churchill, The Second World War, vol. 1, The Gathering Storm (London: Cassell, 1948, 272, on the British guarantee to Poland in Spring 1939.

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand? . . .” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn

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GUNS: Shotgun Holds Off Home Intruders

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/63-year-old-cancer-patient-armed-with-a-shotgun-holds-off-home-intruders/

Crime
63-Year-Old Cancer Patient Armed With a Shotgun Holds Off Home Intruders
Posted on September 22, 2012 at 12:46pm
by Madeleine Morgenstern Madeleine Morgenstern

*** begin quote ***

Smith said police believe the two picked the front door lock with a credit card and that they found a chair in the woods outside used for staking out the home.

“It’s not a fun experience,” Smith told WOOD. “You don‘t really know what’s really going on and it’s not, it’s not what you might think. It’s not like the movies, you know it‘s pretty serious when you’re holding a gun on somebody.”

He continued, “You don‘t know if they’re gonna pull a gun out or try to take your gun away from you or get you in a corner when you’re forced to shoot them. And I was trying to keep that from happening.”

*** end quote ***

He’d have done them a favor by blowing them away.

Yeah, I know that’s a terrible thing to say. Would they be so charitable to him? Or to his wife if they caught his wife at home alone?

Breaking into a home is very serious.

Note that it took “five minutes” for the police to get there. The gun was there when needed.

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POLITICAL: France has a top rate of 75%

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/28/us-france-budget-idUSBRE88R0AK20120928

France taxes rich and business to slash deficit
By Daniel Flynn and Leigh Thomas
PARIS | Fri Sep 28, 2012 7:49am EDT

*** begin quote ***

(Reuters) – President Francois Hollande’s Socialist government unveiled sharp tax hikes on business and the rich on Friday in a 2013 budget aimed at showing France has the fiscal rigor to remain at the core of the euro zone.

The package will recoup 30 billion euros ($39 billion) for the public purse with a goal of narrowing the deficit to 3.0 percent of national output next year from 4.5 percent this year – France’s toughest single belt-tightening in 30 years.

But with record unemployment and a barrage of data pointing to economic stagnation, there are fears the deficit target will slip as France falls short of the modest 0.8 percent economic growth rate on which it is banking for next year.

*** end quote ***

Here’s a country that’s going be a laboratory for high tax rates.

Better them than us.

The USA has growth rate below 2 and the true unemployment rate (U6) above 15%.

The Gooferment deficit, debt, and spending are spinning out of control; the Senate doesn’t even deign to do a budget.

I’m no fan of either party’s offering. But four more years of European style Gooferment is going to push the economy over the edge.

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MONEY: Understanding the tax on stupidity

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.ricedelman.com/cs/pressroom/pressroom_detail?pressrelease.id=3268

Against All Odds

For Immediate Release
September 21, 2012

If you insist on playing the lottery, make sure you know the true risks and downsides.

*** begin quote ***

When you step outside your home, are you afraid of being struck by lightning? Of course not. You know the chances are remote.

But you were more likely to be hit by lightning twice than you were to win the top prize in the Mega Millions lottery jackpot when it paid a record $640 million recently. Indeed, you were 176 times more likely to be struck and killed by lightning than to win that jackpot, four times more likely to be killed by fireworks and nine times more likely to die from a television falling on your head.

Just so we’re clear, I’m not a big fan of buying lottery tickets. Essentially they are a tax on the stupid. Because of the infinitesimal odds against winning, you’re giving dollars to the government for nothing in return.

*** and ***

Sadly, those who spend hundreds of dollars annually hoping to become an overnight multimillionaire will never achieve the riches they seek. But if they instead placed that money into the average stock mutual fund every day for 45 years, they would indeed become wealthy.

It’s true: $3 invested every day for 45 years, assuming it grows at the historic 10% annual return that the S&P 500 Stock Index has earned on average since 1926 according to Ibbotson Associates, would be worth nearly $1 million.

*** end quote ***

An excellent and perceptive argument against the chronic lottery player.

Some folks are “lucky”. But many “gamblers” I know, even “lucky” ones, avoid the lottery in any form because they are “not lucky at it”.

Most persuasive part of Rick’s indictment is that $3 / day makes you a millionaire in 45 years!

I didn’t realize that. Wish I had 45 years ago.

I do remember some NYC bank had the adage “small leaks sink great ships” embossed on its passbook savings. Maybe it should have been “three bucks a day makes you a millionaire in 45 years”.

Do Americans save ANYTHING any more?

I also noticed today driving through a “poor  section” of town that everyone I saw was smoking. Hmmm, a causal relation?

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SAD: Andy Williams dies at 84

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20570219,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines

Andy Williams, ‘Moon River’ Singer, Dies at 84
By Stephen M. Silverman
09/26/2012 at 09:30 AM EDT

# – # – #  

My Mom, my Grandmother, and My Mother-In-Law all “loved” him.

Sad!

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FUN: Bernard McGirk on “replacement refs”

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

“Our long national nightmare is over!. — Bernard McGirk on the Don Imus show about the regular refs coming back to work

# – # – #  

We have so many problems. Serious problems — unemployment, deficit, debt, crime in Chicago, immigration, … … California finances, crony capitalism … … 

… … where in this list is “replacement refs”?

Argh!

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Sep-27 @ 07:41  

LIBERTY: No Right To Secret Ballot

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/09/22/1419211/federal-judge-says-no-right-to-secret-ballot-oks-barcoded-ballots

Federal Judge Says No Right To Secret Ballot, OKs Barcoded Ballots
Posted by timothy on Saturday September 22, @10:28AM
from the it’s-the-little-things dept.

doug141 writes “A Colorado county put bar codes on printed ballots in a last minute effort to comply with a rule about eliminating identifying markings. Citizens sued, because the bar codes can still be traced back to individual voters. In a surprise ruling, Denver U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello said the U.S. Constitution did not contain a ‘fundamental right’ to secret ballots, and that the citizens could not show their voting rights had been violated, nor that they might suffer any specific injury from the bar codes.”

# – # – #  

Are you kidding me?

Seems like a fundamental protection is being violated here.

Maybe it’s just me.

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JOBFINDING: Finance and Accounting Washington DC area

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

My name is Thurston Daniels and I am an Executive Recruiter for Finance and Accounting professionals here in the Washington DC area, specializing in permanent placement. I wanted to reach out to you regarding the job market here in Washington DC, which has significantly picked up. If you are interested in making a possible vertical career change or hearing about positions we currently have available that align with your background, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

 

We are currently recruiting for the following positions:

 

Accounting Manager – Non-Profit Organization

Sr. Accountant – Public Company (Big 4 or public company experience preferred)

Sr. Accountant – Real Estate

Controller – Non-Profit Organization

Sr. Financial Analyst – Government Contractor

Sr. Project Accountant – Government Contractor

Grants Manager – Non-Profit Organization

Sr. Tax Accountant – Real Estate

Internal Auditor – Financial Services

Internal Auditor Manager – Financial Services

Senior Manager Compliance – Energy (Big 4 and SEC experience required)

 

We are also conducting searches for Staff Accountants, Billing Specialists, and Accounts Payable Professionals in various industries.

 

If your interested in any of the following opportunities please respond with an update copy of your resume, or feel free to call/email me. If you know someone who might be interested in hearing about these job opportunities please foward this email.

 

Thurston Daniels

Executive Recruiter

Randstad Finance & Accounting

 

1850 M St., NW, Suite 950

Washington, DC 20036

T 202.463.7210 ext. 3053

F 202.331.9743
thurston.daniels@randstadusa.com | http://www.randstadfinance.com

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Why are the girls and boys still in AfPak?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.vtcommons.org/blog/mr-president-why-my-son-afghanistan-anna-berlinrut

Mr. President, Why Is My Son in Afghanistan? By Anna Berlinrut
Juliet Buck
Radical SAHM
Topics> Foreign Policy, Military, Politics, Diplomacy
Editors Note:

Anna is a member of Military Families Speak Out — the only nationwide organization of military families (and supporters) that want to bring our troops home from Afghanistan NOW and take care of them. There is power in numbers. We now have approximately 4,000 military families registered and about 2,000 non-military supporters. The larger we grow, the more powerful our voice will be. We also want to stop the War with Iran before it starts. That war would also not be in the best interest of our country.

This piece was originally published at warisacrime
Wed, 09/19/2012 – 8:37am

*** begin quote ***

September 17, 2012

Dear Mr. President:

He’s been in Afghanistan for two weeks, but I feel as though I’ve aged 10 years. This is my only son’s sixth deployment in harm’s way.

I was supposed to get together with friends Saturday night. But when I read that two more NATO troops were killed in Helmund Province in a green on blue attack, I cancelled my plans. Then I found out they were Brits. This morning I heard that four American troops were killed by Afghans in uniform. Another mother’s son is dead. Not mine.

I don’t understand why our troops are there. First we were told it was to destroy al Qaeda. But Bin Laden is dead and al Qaeda has not been in Afghanistan in large numbers in many years. They are now scattered around the world in many countries.

*** and ***

My son is an ANA trainer in one of the most volatile regions of Afghanistan. He has left his pregnant wife and two young sons to go half way around the world to a country where many of the people he is trying to help want to kill him. Our President cannot give me a valid reason why he is there. It’s time to bring all of our troops home and take care of them.

Sincerely,
Anna Berlinrut, Maplewood, New Jersey

*** end quote ***

Like Ron Paul said: “We can just march out!”

There is NO logic to why we are there, still there, ever went there.

Argh!

This just proves to me that the “anti-war movement” was astroturf!

# – # – # – # – #   

POLITICAL: CBS suppressed Obama admitting mistakes in campaign ads

Published on by reinkefj1 Comment

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/cbs-doesnt-air-obama-admitting-mistakes-campaign-ads_652973.html

CBS Doesn’t Air Obama Admitting Mistakes in Campaign Ads
10:39 PM, Sep 23, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER

*** begin quote ***

Tonight, CBS aired a 60 Minutes interview with President Obama. But curiously enough, the news magazine show did not air a clip of Obama admitting to interviewer Steve Kroft that some of his campaign ads contain mistakes and that some even “go overboard.”

*** end quote ***

So what’s the surprise?

Big Media, Hollywood, and the Liberal Left is in full “Relect BHO44” mode.

Truth, Justice, and the American Way aside.

Argh!

No wonder that “We, The Sheeple” are getting shorn and killed.

# – # – # – # – #   

INTERESTING: Hollywood will carry the Obamacare “flag”; propaganda?

Published on by reinkefj2 Comments

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/121282.html

September 19, 2012
Yet Another Reason To Torch the TV
Posted by Becky Akers on September 19, 2012 08:10 AM

*** begin quote ***

“Officials in California want prime-time TV shows to help promote President Obama’s healthcare law. … ‘A number of popular television programs and personalities such as Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family, the Biggest Loser, Dr. Oz and others will be approached and pitched to incorporate story lines or mentions of health care reform that would reinforce campaign messages,’” according to the “marketing plan” from “California’s insurance exchange — a new marketplace [sic], created by” Obummercare.

Apparently, the idea that propaganda should be subtle and hidden has waned as Our Rulers’ contempt for us waxes.

*** end quote ***

I’ve debated that Obamacare muddles “health”, “health care”, “health care insurance”, and / or something else.

Now we find out that the Gooferment is using / expect Hollywood to brainwash us.

Sorry, but if any of my favorite comedies pick up this theme. They are toast!

They can join Jane Fonda in my dog house!

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HARDWARE: Computers go toes up for many reasons

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

Every computer user should have a Carbonite or it’s equivalent. Computers go toes up for many reasons. After your platform becomes a smoking hole, or even just a hole when it gets stolen, what are YOU left with? Other than a “woe is me” tale. Astonishing to me is how few people have ANY backup strategy. No “Plan B”. Having paid tuition at that particular division of the University of Hard Knocks, I have no intention of revisiting the panic, dismay, and frustration of losing it ALL. (Not my fault. My employer had an enterprise backup plan. My platform was ‘overlooked’. Good bye 6 months of work. Some irreplaceable.) I’ve experienced this personally — two hard drives, one power supply, and one theft. with minimal impact. So, I am a firm worshiper at the “Church of Belt and Suspenders”! I’ve got layers of recovery. All set on automatic pilot. YMMV! But don’t expect sympathy from me when yours spinns, crashes, and burns.

p.s., I’m not shilling for Carbonite but for 60$/year, why not?

>Manhattan College ITS Blog: Saving Files
>itsblog.manhattan.edu

# – # – # – # – #   

MONEY: Only spend 80% of what you make!

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.doughroller.net/personal-finance/5-things-i-did-in-my-20s-that-made-me-rich/

5 Things I Did In My 20′s That Made Me Rich In My 40′s
by Rob Berger
in Personal Finance

*** begin quote ***

My wife and I just sent our first child off to college, and we’ll send our second to college next year. Through all the things that go with this time of life, I’ve been very focused on teaching my children sound money management principles. And the process made me realize just how much the decisions my wife and I made in our 20′s affect our finances today in our 40′s.

Despite the headline of this article, we’re not quit-your-job rich. But we are comfortable. We have no debt other than our mortgage. We paid cash for our last car (a used Toyota Camry hybrid). We have money set aside for our children’s college education. And we are on track to retire.

So if you are in your 20′s or know somebody who is, here are five decisions that made all the difference.

Decision #1–Earned a VALUABLE degree

Decision #2–Avoided consumer debt

Decision #3–Began investing early:

Decision #4–Bought modest vehicles: 

Decision #5–Maintained good credit: 

*** and ***

If you are in your 20′s, I hope you’ll give some thought to the above as you make decisions for you and your family. Trust me, you’ll thank me twenty years from now.

*** end quote ***

Not sure if I agree with #3.

And, I’d say that “#0 — Only spend 80% of what you make!” Wish I’d known and done that. My wife taught me that one. She’s save all the bonus money, raises, windfalls, tax refunds, … and a portion of all “big” casino wins. 

(If you’re NOT lucky like me, don’t gamble.)

And, NEVER EVER play the state run lotto or numbers. It’s really a tax on stupidity.

Argh!

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GOVERNACIDE: Who knew what when — Benghazi edition

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2012/09/who-knew-redux.html

Saturday, September 22, 2012
Who Knew, Redux

*** begin quote ***

It doesn’t take a foreign policy wonk to understand why the Obama Administration is so desperate to “spin” its version of how Islamic terrorists attacked the U.S. Consulate (and diplomatic safe house) in Benghazi, Libya almost two weeks ago, resulting in the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.  As the true details of that incident begin to emerge, one thing is clear: this is a security, intelligence and leadership debacle of the first magnitude.

Mr. Stevens and his colleagues didn’t have to have to die–it’s that simple.  There were warnings of a possible attack up to three days prior, from Libyan officials and Egyptian intelligence.  There are also indications that the Brits knew something was up and shared that information with us, but to no avail.  Ambassador Stevens, who reportedly told co-workers he “had a price on his head,” elected to travel to the unsecure Benghazi facility, with no dedicated security detail.  However, it is unclear if Stevens received the latest threat information before setting out for the consulate.

And, it now evident that senior U.S. officials knew the Benghazi compound was under attack as it unfolded (emphasis ours).  According to media reports, President Obama was told of the assault between 90 minutes and three hours into the incident.  He later went to bed, before the fate of Ambassador Stevens and his colleagues was determined. 

*** and ***

Based on what we’re hearing, it seems likely that President Obama was in receipt of similar messages on the night our consulate was breached and Ambassador Stevens was murdered, along with three other Americans.  And, if NSA was monitoring terrorist phone calls in the run-up to the attack, there is a very real possibility that the commander-in-chief knew what was going on well before the “three hour” mark.  That possibility raises very real questions about what Mr. Obama knew, when he knew it, and his initial response to the crisis.

As Congress digs deeper into the incident, they should ask the NSA Director (General Keith Alexander) about CRITIC reporting from Libya on the night in question.  The amount of CRITIC reporting by NSA is very small–usually no more than a handful of messages a year.  It won’t be very hard to determine if any FLASH/CRITIC messages were sent to the White House that night; when the President received them, and exactly what he knew before his “command decision” to go back to bed.       

*** end quote ***

“… real questions about what Mr. Obama knew, when he knew it, and his initial response to the crisis.”

This is what it always comes down to.

The cover up. 

The media and the talking heads roasted Bush43 on the events of 9/11.

Yet, with this, we hear nothing.

Having worked at NSA, I know how serious they are about the mission.

We spend a lot of money on Gooferment. Be nice to know if we got our moneys worth!

FOreign policy has taken a back seat to the economy.

By the way, when was the last time you heard of a Russian Ambassador being touched?

You have to be feared!

# – # – # – # – #   

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Who Knew, Redux

 

 

It doesn’t take a foreign policy wonk to understand why the Obama Administration is so desperate to “spin” its version of how Islamic terrorists attacked the U.S. Consulate (and diplomatic safe house) in Benghazi, Libya almost two weeks ago, resulting in the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.  As the true details of that incident begin to emerge, one thing is clear: this is a security, intelligence and leadership debacle of the first magnitude.

Mr. Stevens and his colleagues didn’t have to have to die–it’s that simple.  There were warnings of a possible attack up to three days prior, from Libyan officials and Egyptian intelligence.  There are also indications that the Brits knew something was up and shared that information with us, but to no avail.  Ambassador Stevens, who reportedly told co-workers he “had a price on his head,” elected to travel to the unsecure Benghazi facility, with no dedicated security detail.  However, it is unclear if Stevens received the latest threat information before setting out for the consulate.

And, it now evident that senior U.S. officials knew the Benghazi compound was under attack as it unfolded (emphasis ours).  According to media reports, President Obama was told of the assault between 90 minutes and three hours into the incident.  He later went to bed, before the fate of Ambassador Stevens and his colleagues was determined. 

POLITICAL: The Drug War; caveat emptor?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://ncc-1776.org/tle2012/tle688-20120916-01.html

Marc Victor on the “Drug War”

*** begin quote ***

The “Drug War” is really a war on people who voluntarily choose to peacefully use drugs. To be free, competent adults must be allowed to decide for themselves what substances they put into their own bodies. Focusing on unhealthy or harmful consequences of drug use is focusing on the wrong question. There is no question but that the use of certain drugs is harmful and unhealthy. Indeed, the use of certain drugs can cause death. Moreover, no person has a right to endanger another person as a result of one’s drug use. If a drug user becomes impaired and operates a motor vehicle recklessly resulting in injuries or violence to another person, that person ought to be subject to criminal charges. Rational people do not disagree on these points. 

*** end quote ***

What someone voluntarily put in their own body is their own business.

To ay otherwise implies that someone else is in charge of you.

Of course, there are a huge number of politicians and bureaucrats who will collude with the illegal drug dealers to keep “Prohibition” in effect. It benefits everyone, but “We, The Sheeple”!

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SERVICE: Another cloud service leaves its Users out to lunch; caveat emptor …

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

Multiply.com

Hello.

This is Stefan Magdalinski, CEO of Multiply.

Over the past year and a half, Multiply has shifted its business focus on expanding its e-Commerce presence in Southeast Asia, concentrating primarily on the Philippine & Indonesian markets. It is for this reason that we have moved the Multiply Headquarters from Florida, USA to Jakarta, Indonesia.

You know from my last update that as part of this shift in strategic focus to online shopping & selling, we will no longer support the social networking features beyond December 1, 2012. We know this decision is an unpopular one, but rest assured it was carefully considered, and we feel that it is only through single-minded focus that we will achieve our goal to be Asia’s most loved online marketplace.

For our users who utilize our social network features (blog, video, photo, etc), we realize that this is painful, and we are launching some tools to help you preserve your content or move it to another platform.

The export tools are now available below your headshot on your Multiply site and enable you to do the following:

Download your content to your computer
Export to Blogger (a blogging platform owned by Google)

There are efforts to offer ways to migrate your content to other platforms such as Tumblr and WordPress but these are still in the works and we will keep you updated as things progress.

Using the export tool:

Visit your Multiply page (example: multiplyid.multiply.com)
Click one of the options available on your Multiply page (below your headshot):
Download Media: to download all media files
Export to Blogger: to transfer your blogs to your Blogger page
Choose file you would like to download
You will receive an email (via the email address registered to your Multiply account) containing a link to download all your Multiply files along with instructions on how to import them to Blogger.

Sample Email(Sample Email)

These tools will be available until December 1, 2012 for you to migrate your content. There are efforts underway to offer ways to migrate your content to other platforms such as Tumblr and WordPress, and we will keep you posted as these options materialize.

For more information, please read this list of Frequently Asked Questions on this process.

Should you have any questions regarding the export tool, please let us know by dropping an email to support@multiply.com.

Thank you for your kind attention. It has been a joy to have been your trusted partner in the storage and sharing of your lives online and we look forward to remain a part of your lives as we complete our transition into SEA’s leading online marketplace.

Warm Regards,

Stefan

Note:
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INTERESTING: Here’s My Obligatory Post on the Topless Middleton Pics

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/heres-our-obligatory-post-on-a-french-paper-publishing-topless-pics-of-kate-middleton/

World
Here’s Our Obligatory Post on a French Paper Publishing Topless Pics of Kate Middleton
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:47am by Jonathon M. Seidl Jonathon M. Seidl

*** begin quote ***

One can only imagine the uproar at Buckingham Palace after a second young royal has been caught nude this summer. While last month it was Prince Harry, this time the subject is a little less likely: the dignified and refined Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.

The circumstances surrounding Kate’s pictures, however, are quite different than Harry’s. While the latter was snapped sans clothes at a wild Vegas party, the former apparently was photographed while on vacation at a private residence in France. The pictures were taken from so far away that the image clarity is poor.

*** end quote ***

Seems a shame that “the press” can “focus” on this type of picture, but just can’t “see” anything more important to look into.

Remember the Enquirer was the “paper” that broke the John Edwards sex story! 

All the BHO44 documentation in the world could be missing, but “we” got topless Kate pictures!

We can’t get an unbiased report on the economy, the Middle East, or “crony capitalism”; but we got “topless” Kate pictures.

There’s no time for the politicians and bureaucrats to address our real problems; but we got topless Kate photos.

And the pictures are supposed to be near un-viewable.

Just need to not look!

Like Lady Godiva.

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IPAD: Upgraded to IOS6 last night

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

My IPAD1 is now an orphan. Like my original MACBOOKAIR, which was left behind as “obsolete” a few months ago. Aghh!

Victims of Apple’s planed obsolescence strategy.

argh!

(So why did I sign up for an IPHONE5? Pride, stupidity, ignorance!)

Of note, upgrade took over an hour. 

Also, the “initialization sequence” happens in portrait mode while the screen was locked in landscape. The obligatory reading was in too a tiny font for these old eyes. And, like most “shrink wrapped licenses”, what choice does the User have at that point?

Stay tuned as the “adventure” continues.

Argh!

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JOBSEARCH: More explanation of UVP and USP

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

baby turkey> What do you think of a career in information security it seems like that’s were all the money is these days

fat old white guy injineer> depends upon what you want to be when you grow up

baby turkey> U lost me there?

fat old white guy injineer> …

<<< snip of my response>>>

Strategically, I believe the model of “employment” for your generation is to have (a) multiple streams of income — we can discuss at that length what that means; (b) one or more web based businesses <your ‘store’ is always open>; and (c) ruthless financial management <no short term “bad” debt, a manageable amount of “good” long term debt, holding such financial assets as is consistent with your age and sufficient with your plans; and (d) a WRITTEN set of plans that map out your “needs, wants, and desires”.

Tactically, imho, your plans should capitalize on your excellent english language skills and your XXXXXX heritage. Unfortunately, I think you have a broad streak of what I’ll call “gold watch” thinking. You value yourself in terms of your salaried employment. That’s what I call the “gold watch” trap. People, especially ALL the fat old white guy turkeys I have counseled, share that delusion. Rarely do the goals of employer and employee align. Employees are fooled into thinking the employment relationships are more than they are (i.e., a value exchange). Specifically, an employee created value for the employer and retains some of that value as compensation. Continued creation; continued employment. What the employees are deluded into thinking is that the motivations of employee and employer are tightly coupled. The employee believes that as long as a “good job” is done that paycheck will keep coming in. When, in fact, the “good job done” is almost irrelevant. External forces, internal forces, changing marketplaces, changing priorities, results, and sometimes whims mean more to the “value exchange” than a “good job”. Even a “well done” one.

Does that make sense to you?

So how do you action that?

Focus on your value equation. Focus on your plans. Focus on YOUR results.

The XXXXX slant is part of your Unique Value Propositions (value created and value retained). And, your Unique Sales Propositions (how do I communicate that to others).

<<< perhaps to be continued >>>

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JOBSEARCH: Branding versus UVP / USP

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

8 Tips for Managing Your Personal Brand
via Change This Manifesto Issues by Rodger Dean Duncan on 9/12/12

“Face it. For good or ill, you have a personal brand. In fact, in the eyes of others, you are your personal brand. Just like some retailers are known for great customer service and some airlines are known for lost luggage and surly gate agents, you are known for the your own combination of personality, behavior, and presence. It’s your brand.

If you come across as empathic and approachable, that’s part of your brand. If you sometimes miss deadlines and let other commitments slide, that’s part of your brand.

Your reputation is your brand. Your brand is your reputation. And it makes a world of difference in every relationship you have.”

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FROM A MARKETING TYPE

I like it. I told the students just the other day that they get a chance to create their own definition of themselves every day. It followed on a discussion of Esso picking the name Exxon because it meant nothing in any language so the firm could make its own definition of that combination of letters.

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MY RESPONSE

While you can brand sand, I still don’t think you can brand people. As a matter of fact, I tell anyone who listens that if folks who spend all this time on “branding” spent as much time on their Unique Value Equations and Unique Sales Propositions, they’d be better served.

It’s all about — as far as human beings are concerned — about communicating “value”. UVP what do you give buyer and what do you retain for yourself and USP how do you communicate it.

Coke and Pepsi need branding; people can’t. Other than “burger flippers”, they are not interchangable.

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INTERESTING: 80% of doctors are expendable

Published on by reinkefj1 Comment

http://www.impactlab.net/2012/09/11/technology-will-replace-80-of-doctors-vinod-khosla/

September 11th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Technology will replace 80% of doctors: Vinod Khosla

*** begin quote ***

Health care must be more data driven and about wellness, not sick care.

Eighty percent of doctors could be replaced by machines.

Khosla assured the audience that being part of the health care system was a burden and disadvantage. To disrupt health care, entrepreneurs do not need to be part of the system or status quo. He cited the example of CEO Jack Dorsey of Square (a wireless payment system allowing anyone to accept credit cards rather than setup a more costly corporate account with Visa / MasterCard) who reflected in a Wired magazine article that the ability to disrupt the electronic payment system which had stymied others for years was because of the 250 employees at Square, only 5 ever worked in that industry.

hosla believed that patients would be better off getting diagnosed by a machine than by doctors. Creating such a system was a simple problem to solve. Google’s development of a driverless smart car was “two orders of magnitude more complex” than providing the right diagnosis. A good machine learning system not only would be cheaper, more accurate and objective, but also effectively replace 80 percent of doctors simply by being better than the average doctor. To do so, the level of machine expertise would need to be in the 80th percentile of doctors’ expertise.

*** and ***

Can we do better in being more reliable, consistent, and creating a system process and design that is comparable to highly reliable organizations and industries? Of course. Can we be more systematic and doing the right things every patient every time on areas where the science is known to level of the molecule? Yes. Care must be incredibly simple to access, extremely convenient and intensely personal.

*** end quote *** 

Well, I am not a fan of America’s current “health care” system. Unless you’re trying to change it to the “socialized medicine” system found in the UK, Canada, and Europe.

I want improvement; not a retro grade or down grade to something worse.

And, of course, I think to the way to that is with less Gooferment and more liberty freedom.

After watching Deep Blue play Jeopardy, it’s seems possible. Doctor House could be a less smelly less crazy diagnostician. I’d have  gladly liked my wife’s case presented to Doctor Deep Blue. It couldn’t have had a worse outcome. 

Then look at all the regulation and costs imposed by that regulation.

The FDA, Medicare / Medicaid, Doctor licensing, Nurse Licensing, Pharmacist Licensing, Pharmacy regulation, Hospital regulation, Insurance regulation, State regulation, Federal regulation, financial regulation, tax code manipulation, Medical education regulation, anti-trust legislation that allows the AMA a monopoly, …  

Did I miss any?

Sigh!

How do we get out of this mess?

Let people make mistakes. Shade tree mechanics. Turn it over to WalMart.

Medicine should be patient driven.

Look at pet care. Competitive. “Cheap”. Easily found. No forms. No real regulation.

Imagine if a Nurse could have her own “practice”. Finding sick people and getting them to the doctor or hospital. Physician’s assistants would be an extension of the system. Everyone says early detection is crucial to good outcomes. Everyone says that rapid care is essential to good outcomes. Everyone says that over use of the ER is driving up costs and wait times. 

Yada, yada, yada …

It could be so much better.

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TINFOILHAT: Obama birth certificate forged … “the PDF document has been altered”

Published on by reinkefj5 Comments

http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/israeli-science-website-obama-birth-certificate-forged/?cat_orig=politics

Israeli science website: Obama birth certificate forged
Award-winning, former Netanyahu adviser behind assessment
Jerome R. Corsi, a Harvard Ph.D., is a WND senior staff reporter. He has authored many books, including No. 1 N.Y. Times best-sellers “The Obama Nation” and “Unfit for Command.” Corsi’s latest book is “Where’s the REAL Birth Certificate?”

*** begin quote ***

Hanukoglu, an award-winning researcher, is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Department of Molecular Biology at Ariel University Center of Samaria in Ariel, Israel.

The professor established the first version of his website during his tenure as Netanyahu’s science adviser. The site has evolved into “the premier science and technology portal for Israel.”

The website says that the White House’s release of the Obama document in April 2011, after years of controversy, “raised in our minds the possibility that there could be something suspicious about the information available on this document.”

The website conducted an independent analysis and cites others who came to the same conclusion.

The website says the publication “of such a blatantly fake document about something so basic as the birthplace of Mr. Obama, should raise great concern about the suitability of the person who is holding the reigns on the most powerful country of the World.”

*** and ***

The missing ’1′

Utilizing the software program Foxit Reader version 4.3.1, the Israel Science and Technology website examined the PDF file posted by the White House April 27, 2011, and found that the last digit of the birth certificate’s number, 61 10841, disappears under 800-percent magnification.

Also, the font of the last digit is different from the other digits.

“This is only one example,” the Israelis concluded after examining the birth certificate number. “Many more examples can be discovered by examining magnified document with full page view of the document.”

Conclusion: “In brief, this simple analysis using just a viewing software reveals that the PDF document has been altered by a graphics software.”

*** end quote ***

I’m a “proofer”; rather than a “birthed”.

Maybe a nuance.

The difference is that I don’t pretend to know where the man was born. And, frankly, I don’t much care.

What I do care about is the obfuscation, forgery, and outright lying.

As President, like Caesar’s wife, must be above reproach.

For him to permit this nonsense to go on casts a pall over him.

If there was no certificate, just say so. If the records confused, just say so. If you don’t know, just say you don’t know.

Presenting a falsified document in your name makes the whole matter suspect.

This may be “smoke”, but when you add on the absolute lack of documentation about his travels, his school records, and all sorts of other documents, makes me think “fire”. The fake social security number is just the final nail in the coffin.

The only rational explanation I’ve heard is that he came in as a “foreign student”.

If it’s being a tin foil hat to call for an accounting, then I proudly claim that as a badge of honor.

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POLITICAL: Why Public School Unions Strike

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/chicago-and-why-public-school-unions-strike/

Chicago, and Why Public School Unions Strike
Posted by Andrew J. Coulson
Source: Chicago Tribune

*** begin quote ***

Chicago’s teachers have just walked off the job, and most of the media coverage is quick to point out that this is the city’s first strike in a generation. But is anyone really that surprised by a public school union striking just as kids are supposed to be heading back to class in September? Wouldn’t you be a lot more shocked if you logged on to Amazon.com and were greeted by the message that its site was down due to an employee walkout? Or if you took the kids to the movies to see the latest cartoon extravaganza and found picketing ticket-takers? What is it about public schools—and other government enterprises, for that matter—that have made their unions so much more dominant than those in the private sector? [Two thirds of the public school workforce is unionized compared to about 7 percent in the private sector].

Competitors. Or, rather, the lack of them. Private sector workers can only demand so much from their companies before the demands become self-defeating. Get a pension package that’s too cushy, a salary that’s too far above the market rate, and the employer will have to pass those costs on to customers. And if those higher prices aren’t accompanied by correspondingly better quality, customers will simply go elsewhere—hurting the employees who asked for more than the market would bear.

*** and ***

In the absence of real private sector competition and parental choice, public school unions have been able to drive up the system’s costs without needing to show improvement in performance. Sooner or later, Illinois will adopt a system, like education tax credits, that provides real choice and competition, because the current system will ultimately bankrupt the state.

*** end quote ***

I don’t understand why schools are ANY different than fast food.

I spend no resources about planning for my “burger needs” and the invisible hand of the (relatively) free market provisions three choices within a mile or two of my house. And, they battle ferociously for my business.

Why are “public goods” any different?

Because we’ve let the ruling class convince us that we can’t live without their benign beneficial leadership for which they extract a life of leisure.

Argh!

Sam Walmart revolutionized retailing for which he was well rewarded. Pick out ANY one of the myriad of politicians and bureaucrats, what have they accomplished for you?

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