Nearly $700 Million Vanishes into Thin Air

Former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's MF Global is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to FOX News. So by any reasonable interpretation, this firm is facing a crisis that threatens its very existence, having lost $192 million in the past quarter and having seen a 60% drop in the value of its shares. Buying up all those European bonds could have made money if the slacker nations got their act together, but since there is no end in sight to the financial morass that is the European Union, these bonds have collectively become a giant millstone that could drag down MF Global with it. The New York Times' Dealbook adds another complication: federal investigators are looking into the probability that this company is unable to account for up to $700 million of its investors' money.

UPDATE: As though Gov. Corzine didn't have problems enough, now a NorthJersey.com/AP article quotes Craig Donohue, the head of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, who said that MF Global violated rules designed to safeguard its clients' money.

This Is What Happens to Black Men Who Try to Escape from the Plantation

Politico has broken a news story about Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain that reminds one of the allegations leveled against Clarence Thomas when he was undergoing the confirmation process for a seat on the Supreme Court. Mr. Cain has wasted no time rushing to his own defense. Meanwhile, at PJ Media, Roger Simon has come to Cain's defense, referring to this scandal-of-the-week as a "high-tech lynching."

The Worth of Zombies

Just in time for Halloween: an article from MSNBC.

"Zombies may be the walking undead, but their contribution to Main Street’s economy is very much alive. In modern times, the zombie genre has evolved from a cult following to a highly popular theme. 24/7 Wall St. estimates that the today’s zombie genre economy is worth billions of dollars.

"Think way beyond zombie movie ticket sales. Think about DVD sales, video games, comic books, novels, Halloween costumes, zombie walks, merchandise, conventions and even zombie art. Add to that all of the websites, homemade movies, Facebook sites, YouTube sites and other forms of 'digital' zombies, not to mention music. And if you think the financial tab has been high so far, by the end of 2012 the tab is going to be far larger...."

Hiatus

To my loyal readers: There may be a break from tomorrow (Tuesday, 25 October) to Sunday (30 October),as I will be traveling to Orlando, FL to attend the Alternatives Conference. If I have access to an Internet computer, and find juicy news stories to bring to your attention, then I will do so.

Gov. Jindal Wins Second Term in Landslide

NOLA.com informs us that Republican Governor Bobby Jindal crushed the opposition in last Saturday's election. This will be his last gubernatorial election, as the office is term-limited. The Republicans also did well in the legislative races, although they still lack a two-thirds majority needed to enact truly sweeping measures.

Aha! We Have Found One Redeeming Feature of the Occupy Wall Street Protests

Source: Doug Ross @ Journal.

7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Eastern Turkey

This region knows only too well the death and destruction that earthquakes can cause. Earlier today, according to a CNN article, an earthquake struck Van and Ercis, Turkey and the surrounding area causing the collapse of not less than 55 buildings. The death toll at last count was 138, with more bodies likely to be found.

UPDATE: There are 270 confirmed dead and up to 1,300 injured from the earthquake, says the Telegraph (U.K.).

285 Indian Girls Shed Names That Mean "Unwanted" in Hindi

An AP/Yahoo article highlights a type of gender discrimination that would be considered incomprehensible by Americans. In the Satara district in Maharashtra state, nearly 300 girls gladly gave up the names "Nakusa" or "Nakushi," which mean "unwanted" in Hindi, and took on new names they chose for themselves in a public ceremony.

Sort of Like, Declaring Victory and Pulling Out

CNN has an article and video of President Obama's announcement that all U.S. troops will leave Iraq by the end of December. This comes as no surprise, as he had been looking for a way to pull out of that country even before he was elected. No doubt this decision will meet with mixed reviews - while the level of violence has declined, and most Iraqis recognize that it up to them to end Muslim-on-Muslim violence, nevertheless they may not be strong enough to keep obvious threats such as Iran, Turkey, and Syria at bay. The possibility remains that the country may split into at least 3 pieces.

84 Banks Bite the Dust So Far in 2011; Bank of America Teetering

This is not to spread alarm or panic among our readers, but the so-called "recovery" cannot be labeled as such when there are still so many bank failures, as reported in the Washington Post, which says that this is at least an improvement over 2010, when 139 banks failed by October.

Before It's News has issued an advisory that the bank to watch (being one of the world's largest) is Bank of America.

"We’ve received numerous emails from readers regarding this most recent development with Bank of America, and we’re seeing the report from Washington’s Blog spreading like wildfire across alternative media like The Daily Crux and The Intel Hub. Why? Because this is big news. Really big. One of the oldest banking institutions in America is now on the brink of total insolvency. The only way to for them to be saved at this point is to take billions of dollars in losses and force those losses to be covered by the U.S. taxpayer or innocent account holders. If you’re an account holder, it might be time to reconsider your allegiance, because in the near future you may be dealing with the FDIC instead of a BofA customer service representative.

"Bloomberg reports that Bank of America is dumping derivatives onto a subsidiary which is insured by the government – i.e. taxpayers...."

"I'll Have Whatever He's Drinking"

Investor's Business Daily chronicles one of the most incredible statements from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

"The massive layoffs we’ve had in America today—of course, they’re rooted in the last administration—and it’s very clear that private sector jobs are doing just fine.

"It's the public sector jobs where we’ve lost huge numbers, and that's what this legislation’s all about. And it's unfortunate my friend the Republican Leader is complaining about that."

Those millions of Americans laid off from private sector jobs will no doubt feel heartened by Senator Reid's confidence in the vibrancy of today's jobs markets where other millions have given up even seeking employment.

Let's take a quick peek inside Harry's 'just fine' casino math: Federal government employees now total 2,128 million, up 13.5% the last two years under Obama. Private sector jobs last month were 109.349 million, down 2.5 million under Obama's rule....

Obama's Billion-Dollar Re-Election Campaign Stiffs Artists

President Obama is the gift that keeps on giving. In addition to traveling at government expense whenever possible to deliver campaign speeches, a Daily Caller article brings up the point that artists are expected to design "support American jobs" posters for free, with their compensation being an autographed print of their poster. The terms of this design competition are stingy to the max: all proceeds will go to the re-election campaign, and artists grant an unrestricted unpaid irrevocable license for every poster submitted - in other words, they lose all rights to their designs.

Obama Bites the Hand That Feeds Him

Breitbart's Big Government mentions a fact that does not come as a surprise to us: despite receiving more money from Wall Street than all the Republican presidential candidates combined, President Obama has endorsed the Occupy Wall Street protesters.

The article goes on to say that Obama's re-election campaign will attempt to divert public attention from this embarrassing state of affairs by launching an all-out attack on Romney and other candidates. This appears to be a safe prediction to make.

Gaddafi Reportedly Killed or Captured

This is still in the "unconfirmed rumor" stage, but Reuters and other news sources are starting to say that ex-dictator Muammar Gaddafi may have died of his wounds or at least fallen in rebel hands while making a last-ditch effort at resistance in his hometown, Sirte. Now Libyans are dancing in the streets over this breakthrough in their revolt.

UPDATE: ABC News has just announced that Gaddafi was cornered and killed, and that Sirte has fallen to the rebels today.

"Son of Stuxnet" May Pose a Threat to Industrial Computers

Allahpundit is one of the first to report that this new virus, called Duqu, could be even more devastating to more countries than Stuxnet, which was targeting the Iranian nuclear program. Like a crafty spy, it infiltrates a computer, opens a backdoor, collects keystrokes and downloads files, and self-destructs in 36 days. McAfee provides more technical details on this worm, as does Symantec. Fortunately, few computers have been infected at this time.

Wild Animals on the Loose in Central Ohio

FOX News/AP reports that as many as 48 animals had been released by their owner, Terry Thompson of the Muskingum County Animal Farm. Sheriff's deputies killed most of them during the night, but a few remain at large. A CNN article provides the additional detail that Thompson probably killed himself after opening the cages. Jack Hanna of the Columbus Zoo explained in a video that they had no choice but to shoot the wayward animals because the safety of the human population came first and it would have been impossible to use tranquilizer darts at night.

Go Ahead, Laugh - It's Good for You

Nothing infuriates a tyrant or wannabe dictator as much as the spectacle of people laughing at him. Courtesy of LMAObama.com.

With Deepest Gratitude

Thank you for over 50,000 site visits! Because of the rise in the number of readers in recent months, I feel obligated to post news stories on this blog more frequently, and to increase the number of sources that "Bloodthirsty Warmonger" draws from.

The Sin of Rehoboam

I recommend you turn to your Bibles and read the 12th chapter of 1 Kings to see history repeating itself. King Rehoboam ignored his older and wiser counselors and took the advice of the young men who had grown up with him, who were telling the king what he wanted to hear. He told his people, "My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised [tortured] you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions [a type of whip equipped with points like a scorpion's tail]." Ten out of the twelve tribes of Israel decided they had enough and set up the kingdom of Israel under the leadership of Jeroboam.

In our own day, Lurita Doan at Townhall.com describes how President Obama has appointed White House staffers who lack experience but are rabidly loyal to him, with predictable results.

"In April of 2009, President Obama made a key decision to dramatically expand and extend the role of White House Staffers, giving them the power and responsibility to intervene in just about every decision throughout the federal government. Though hardly noticed at the time, Obama directed that Office of the White House Public Liaison be renamed as the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, headed by his friend and political confidant, Valerie Jarrett. The many new Liaisons were recruited from the most fervent young campaign workers, all of whom were fervent Obama supporters, but who had limited experience in government or in the work of the many agencies in which they would be imbedded.

"Inevitably, these new, young and inexperienced White House Liaison officers too often redirected the work of career government servants to meet more expedient political needs of the Obama Administration. The result has been a disaster...."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Even in the Army, which has never been a democracy, I have seen autocratic officers and senior enlisted Soldiers make themselves irrelevant by resorting to threats and coercion too frequently. If people cannot work with them, they will work around them.

Horse Soldiers of Afghanistan to Be Honored with a Monument near Ground Zero

It's nice to report a good-news story from the Daily Caller about the Special Forces Soldiers who helped topple the Taliban regime - on horseback.

"It was the news the world breathlessly waited for immediately after the 9/11 terror attacks: a report of the first American troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

"All at once the world’s attention focused on an iconic photo of those Special Operations Forces doing something no American military had done in nearly a century: They rode horses into combat.

"Their secret mission: secure northern Afghanistan by advising the warring tribal factions that formed the Northern Alliance. During the 2011 Veterans Day Parade on November 11, a new monument to these men — and to all Americans in uniform — will make its way down New York City’s famed Fifth Avenue on the way to its final home, a stone’s throw from Ground Zero...." [a 6-1/2 min. video accompanies this article]

Strange Bedfellows

It's not a violation of Godwin's Law if Blogs for Victory reports the fact that the American Nazi Party has put its stamp of approval on the Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York and numerous clones around the world.

Even President Obama, in a pathetic attempt to divert attention away from his many failures, has given this incoherent mob his blessing, according to the Financial Times.

And the Daily Caller says that the Communist Party USA has also given the stamp of approval to the OWS, making it one of the rare occasions when the Communists and Nazis agreed on something.

How Many Democrats Will Stake Their Careers on OWS?

The Left (up to and including President Obama) indulges in the fantasy that the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations is the progressive alternative to the Tea Party, which has influenced policy and decided elections. George Will at Investor's Business Daily begs to differ.

"The Tea Party's splendid successes, which have altered the nation's political vocabulary and agenda, have inspired a counter-movement — Occupy Wall Street. Conservatives should rejoice and wish for it long life, abundant publicity and sufficient organization to endorse congressional candidates deemed worthy. All Democrats eager for OWS' imprimatur, step forward.

"In scale, OWS' demonstrations-cum-encampments are to Tea Party events as Pittsburg, Kan., is to Pittsburgh, Pa. So far, probably fewer people have participated in all of them combined than attended just one Tea Party rally, that of Sept. 12, 2009, on the Mall in Washington. In comportment, OWS is to the Tea Party as Lady Gaga is to Lord Chesterfield: Blocking the Brooklyn Bridge was not persuasion modeled on Tea Party tactics...."

Herman Cain Says It With Music

Hotair.com describes a small but revealing incident where Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain came up with an ingenious way of dealing with a temporary sound system failure during a Tea Party rally in Tennessee.

Cain stands awkwardly for a few moments then suddenly begins to sing. Slowly at first but gaining in speed, he belts out “Impossible Dream” in the rich baritone he’s honed in church choir.

“You know, when it’s your rally, you can do what you want to do!” Cain says as he finishes with a raucous laugh. The 500 or so supporters who have jammed the strip mall parking lot to hear the Republican Party’s newest star speak roar their approval.

Momentum restored, Cain launches into a pitch for his signature 9-9-9 tax plan, and the crowd is right there with him, chanting 9-9-9 along with the Georgia businessman. The plan would scrap the current tax code and replace it with a 9 percent tax on personal income and corporations as well as a new 9 percent national sales tax....

The Lemon Lady

Courtesy of Papa B at Doug Ross @ Journal:

Sally Mullihan of Coral Springs , Florida decided to take one of the jobs that most Americans are not willing to do.

The woman applying for a job in a Florida lemon grove seemed to be far too qualified for the job.

She had a liberal arts degree from the University of Michigan and had worked as a social worker and school teacher.

The foreman frowned and said, "I have to ask you, have you had any actual experience in picking lemons?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, I have! I've been divorced three times, owned two Chryslers and voted for Obama."

Yes, the Republicans Shot Down the Jobs Bill (With a Little Help from a Couple of Democrats)

PatriotPost.us has an explanation of how the Obama jobs bill was shot down in flames because even many Democrats are aware of the toxic nature of this legislation.

"On Sept. 8, Barack Obama made yet another speech to a joint session of Congress. In it, he demanded that they pass his latest $447 billion "jobs" bill (i.e., Stimulus Jr.) "right away." It took weeks to write an actual bill and bring it to a vote, and, on Oct. 11, more than a month later, it went down in flames. While on the campaign trail, Obama defiantly declared that neither he nor "the American people" would "take 'no' for an answer." He chided Republicans for obstruction and challenged them to explain why they didn't want to create jobs. The Leftmedia happily repeated the charge that Republicans were to blame. The inconvenient truth, however, was that the Democrat-controlled Senate shot down his bill.

"It's true that Republicans were united against the bill, but two Democrats joined them. And Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) actually pushed for the vote, not to obstruct it...."

Environmentalists Demand Port-a-Potties on Mt. Everest

NBC New York almost sounds like The Onion by reporting this news:

Green groups say there's just too much poop on top of Mount Everest, not to mention trash and even corpses.

Eco Himal is asking the Nepalese government to put port-a-potties on the famous peak, which they say has become fouled by generations of climbers who leave deposits that can last forever given the climate.

"Human waste is a problem, of course," the group's director, Phinjo Sherpa, told AFP. "I am merely suggesting that if we have public toilets they can be used."

Experienced climbers may come with special toilet cans, but others just find a place in the snow, 29,028 feet above sea level.

Eco Everest Expedition a coalition of environmentalists, has collected more than 13 tons of garbage, including 880 pounds of human waste and four bodies since 2008. Climbers are supposed to show they have returned with everything they carried up the mountain, and must leave $4,000 deposits, refundable only when they show they've done so. Still, some estimate that at least 10 tons of garbage remains on the mountain.

Roseanne Barr Typecast in Sitcom About Trailer Trash

Glenn Beck's The Blaze has this amazing story:

Roseanne Barr, the comedian-actress who earlier this month said bankers who don’t give up their wealth should be “beheaded,” has landed a deal with NBC for a new family sitcom about “lower class living,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Titled “Downwardly Mobile,” the show will revolve around — yes — Barr’s character, her family and other residents living in a mobile home park....

Iranian Assassination Plot Exposed

FOX News reminds us that Iran is up to its old tricks once again:

The U.S. government is implicating officials high up in Iran's special operations Quds Force over the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington as the White House claims it will "take no options off the table" in dealing with Iran.

"It's a dangerous escalation of the Iranian government's longstanding use of violence ... We are committed to holding the Iranians accountable," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday.

For now, Carney said the Obama administration is focusing on pressuring Iran through economic sanctions and diplomatic coalition-building. But emerging details suggest a potential strategy shift in Tehran's quest for influence in the Middle East could require a new level of vigilance....

The Thing That Broke Obama's Heart

What was so heartbreaking? Was it all the hardship he caused millions of people with his insane economic policies? Was it the worldwide chaos that resulted when he failed to maintain good relations with our allies and deal firmly and decisively with our enemies? No! Real Clear Politics reveals that he is distressed over the fact that the NBA season will start later than usual this year.

Occupy Wall Street Has Gone Interplanetary!

Breitbart's Big Journalism reports that Diane Sawyer is more than a little carried away by the filthy and foul-mouthed demonstrators in New York City and other places, saying they started a trend that spread into a "thousand countries."

Writing at Malkin’s spot, Doug Powers makes the excellent observation that this was likely a Freudian slip:

ABC’s Diane Sawyer, who is ensconced in the 1% of America that the “Occupy Wall Street” occupiers are complaining about, is nevertheless fairly excited about the rapid spread of the protests. …

Sawyer seems a little too desperate to give the “movement” galactic legitimacy. Did she mean to say “a thousand cities” around the world? That still seems like a terribly high estimate....

Kanye West Goes A-Slummin'

In a marvelous act of condescension, hip-hop star Kanye West and music tycoon Russell Simmons dropped in on the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstration. Question: if Kanye shows up wearing $1,000 jeans, $365 Givenchy shirt, and gold chains, does he still count as one of the 99%? Source: Breitbart's Big Hollywood.

"The Most Transparent Administration Ever" and Its 45 Czars

Judicial Watch reports that President Obama has appointed 45 czars to date, and has plans to appoint 18 more.

From the introduction:

“This Judicial Watch Special Report analyzes the proliferation of so-called ‘czars’ in the Obama administration. President Barack Obama has installed personal advisors in czar positions in the White House and has created new czar positions elsewhere in the Executive Branch. As of the date of this report, the number of czars that have been appointed by the President, or by others in his administration, appears to total 45. In addition, there are as many as 18 other unfilled or planned czar positions.

“Many of these ‘czars’ are unconfirmed by the Senate and are largely unaccountable to Congress. Further, their activities are often outside the reach of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), creating a veil of secrecy about their precise role in the administration.”

Joe the Plumber Running for Congress

Samuel Joe Wurzelbacher, known to the public as Joe the Plumber, signaled his intention to run for a congressional seat in Ohio, reports NewsMax.

Wurzelbacher has filed papers to run as a Republican in Ohio’s newly drawn 9th District, where Obama scored nearly two-thirds of the vote and where Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Marcy Kaptur will run in a primary, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Wurzelbacher, then an employee of a plumbing contractor, verbally chastised Obama during a campaign stop the future president met with residents in Wurzelbacher’s Holland, Ohio, neighborhood. Wurzelbacher said Obama’s tax plan would result in higher taxes for him....

Ye Have Been Forewarned!

Ever wonder how the "dueling church signs" series of photos came about? Or how messages that actually did not appear in front of a real church were posted? Just today I found out about a Web site, "Church Sign Maker," that displays photos of real church signs and a series of templates for your own statement. The illustration to your right is proof that I wrote something that's unlikely to be endorsed by the Westboro Baptist Church.

Qwikster Dies a Qwik Death

USA Today reports that Netflix has responded to a public outcry against spinning off its DVD-rental operation by smothering Qwikster in the cradle. They could not help but take notice of the fact that Netflix stock dropped in value by 60% since their latest change.

"It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs," says a statement from CEO Reed Hastings in a post on the official Netflix blog....

And Now [drum roll]...the Hardware Store Promotion You've Been Waiting For!

We here at "Bloodthirsty Warmonger" are all for being prepared for contingencies, but even we hadn't thought about stocking up for zombie attacks. Westlake Ace Hardware, with 9 stores in Nebraska, has attracted much attention with their zombie preparedness promotion, a brainstorm of Omaha public relations and advertising firm Bozell, according to Omaha.com.

"A Human's Guide to Zombie Preparedness," posters offer tips on purchasing the right power tools, cleaners and door locks to keep zombies at bay and the promotion includes "Zombie Prepared" buttons. On the company's website, "zombies" was added to a list of store specialties, alongside more standard topics like "fasteners" and "Benjamin Moore paint." Facebook fans of the effort — more than 1,300 people had "liked" the page in less than three days — can now gather virtual tools for "zombie-proofing" a wall....

Playing Both Sides of the Street (i.e., Wall St.)

This may not be news to many, but the Daily Caller reports that President Obama has been encouraging the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators while raking in enormous amounts of cash from the tycoons he has showered with bailout money.

Despite his rhetorical attacks on Wall Street, a study by the Sunlight Foundation’s Influence Project shows that President Barack Obama has received more money from Wall Street than any other politician over the past 20 years, including former President George W. Bush.

In 2008, Wall Street’s largesse accounted for 20 percent of Obama’s total take, according to Reuters.

When asked by The Daily Caller to comment about President Obama’s credibility when it comes to criticizing Wall Street, the White House declined to reply....

Good for a Laugh

We have not been paying much attention to the Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York and many other cities, as conventional news sources have been providing saturation coverage. But RedState.com offers some comic relief:

We chicks have recently become aware of a manifesto of sorts being created by some key players within the Occupy Wall Street movement. And while it appears to be in its infancy, not yet ready for release, what I’ve read so far is both frightening and hilarious.

I wanna just look at it and think, “Holy wow – look at the insane ramblings of the crazy hippies” and dismiss it, but the problem with that is that these authors and editors are representative of perhaps hundreds of thousands of like-minded wackjobs who are oblivious to the fact that in their fervor to create a fair and equitable society, their demands, if met, would cause the eventual collapse of our entire country. But you know, whatever. What’s more important is those Wall Street Occupiers are busying themselves pooping in the street (and on police cars!) and interfering with people just trying to get to work in NY. They wouldn’t understand that, you see, what with it being WORK and whatnot.

Incidentally, you all heard that Obama has basically endorsed this movement, right? His entire administration is practically salivating over it. Nancy Pelosi said of the movement, “God bless them for their spontaneity. It’s independent … it’s young, it’s spontaneous, and it’s focused. And it’s going to be effective.” The Tea Party is comprised of racist terrorists, but the hippies pooping in the street? TOTAL PATRIOTS....

The article recommends that you read the entire manifesto, but to whet your appetite, we will quote the section on education:

“Education should be funded with some of the $2 billion/week that goes to war-funding. At least 50% of it. This will weaken our millitary (sci) by 50% at least, forcing the rest of the world to pick up the slack. This will in turn cause their economies to tank, taking ours with it. But at least we’ll be highly educated.”

WHIZZUH WHUZZAH? Let’s tank our economy, knowingly, willfully, because at least we’ll be highly educated? THIS IS HOW THE HIPPIES THINK. “We’ll be impoverished, jobless, hungry, and miserable, but BY GOLLY WE WILL BE EDUCATED.”

But wait. It gets better. They suggest, “Socialize undergraduate level college. Make failing impossible to assure that everyone has the same chance in the work place post-college.” And if you DARE to be smarter than the average Joe, like, say, Harrison Bergeron, than we’ll just figure out a way to suppress your intellect. No more of this silly competition and working hard nonsense. Everyone should get an A!

And of course, it should all be free: “Free education for all. Use former war expenses and equitable taxation of the rich to develop free public schools, free text books, free higher education. Assure that every student educated in the United States has a guaranteed job or can perform service in some way that recompenses their education. Forgive all current student loans.”

ENDNOTE: The Obama regime's nostalgia for OWS reminds us of Mao Zedong's active encouragement of the "Cultural Revolution," which may have aroused fond memories of his young revolutionary past, but caused widespread death and suffering, and also set back China's progress toward becoming the industrial powerhouse it is today by at least 3 decades. Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain gets a lot of mileage out of standing up to the demonstrators, says the L.A. Times.

Steve Jobs Leaves a Legacy for Apple

Knowing that he had little time left, Steve Jobs spent over a year developing plans for 4 years of new products and a new headquarters for Apple, an article in the Daily Mail (U.K.) reports.

He has also been overseeing the development of the delayed iCloud project, which will allow Apple users to store their music, photos and other documents remotely and masterminding updated versions of the iPod, iPad, iPhone and MacBooks, ensuring at least four years’ worth of products are in the pipeline, according to Apple sources.

Pre-order sales of the first authorised biography of Steve Jobs increased by a staggering 44,000 per cent....

The Great Fabricator Gets Facts Wrong About Teacher

The Daily Mail (U.K.) dares to publish this story about President Barack Hussein Obama:

Barack Obama is today facing accusations that his tale about a teacher told he was losing his job three times was not entirely accurate.

The President claimed on Thursday to have ‘had a chance to meet a young man named Robert Baroz’ - but they have reportedly never met.

He also talked about the teacher ‘receiving three pink slips because of budget cuts’ - but neglected to mention he reportedly never lost his job....

Gov. Perry's Speech Marred by Baptist Preacher's Bigotry

The Daily Caller has an article about Rick Perry's speech before the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. The first mistake he made was to allow himself to be introduced by Dallas-area Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress, who dismissed Mormons such as Mitt Romney as members of a cult. Although Perry made some crowd-pleasing statements such as "A key part of keeping America safe is keeping Israel safe. Israel is our friend, and when I’m president America will again stand with our friends," he did not impress the crowd as much as another presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.

U.S. Military Drones Attacked by Computer Virus

Wired.com reports that a computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones.

The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago by the military’s Host-Based Security System, has not prevented pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from flying their missions overseas. Nor have there been any confirmed incidents of classified information being lost or sent to an outside source. But the virus has resisted multiple efforts to remove it from Creech’s computers, network security specialists say. And the infection underscores the ongoing security risks in what has become the U.S. military’s most important weapons system.

“We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back,” says a source familiar with the network infection, one of three that told Danger Room about the virus. “We think it’s benign. But we just don’t know....”

But despite their widespread use, the drone systems are known to have security flaws. Many Reapers and Predators don’t encrypt the video they transmit to American troops on the ground. In the summer of 2009, U.S. forces discovered “days and days and hours and hours” of the drone footage on the laptops of Iraqi insurgents. A $26 piece of software allowed the militants to capture the video.

The lion’s share of U.S. drone missions are flown by Air Force pilots stationed at Creech [Air Force Base], a tiny outpost in the barren Nevada desert, northwest of Las Vegas, north of a state prison in Indian Springs, NV, and adjacent to a one-story casino. In a nondescript building, down a largely unmarked hallway, is a series of rooms, each with a rack of servers and a “ground control station,” or GCS. There, a drone pilot and a sensor operator sit in their flight suits in front of a series of screens. In the pilot’s hand is the joystick, guiding the drone as it soars above Afghanistan, Iraq, or some other battlefield....

Another Powerful Reason for Evicting the United Nations

Seems like the United Nations has an insatiable appetite for money, as evidenced by this article in National Review Online's "The Corner":

U.N. Sticker Shock: New Building Will Cost at Least Five Times Previous Estimates
By Brett D. Schaefer

On Wednesday, New York officials signed off on the Memorandum of Understanding that sets the stage for New York City to sell Robert Moses Playground to the United Nations. The international organization wants the land to build a second skyscraper to house its burgeoning bureaucracy.

The financial implications of this project for the U.S. government are unclear. News reports estimated the new building to cost between $370 million and $475 million. However, experience with the current U.N. renovation project (originally estimated at $600 million, the Capital Master Plan has cost more than $2 billion) raised serious concerns that the new tower would turn out to be vastly more expensive than these estimates suggest.

It turns out those concerns were justified. Last month, the U.N. Secretary-General quietly released a report titled “Feasibility Study on the United Nations Headquarters Accommodation Needs 2014–2034” (A/66/349). There, on page 13, is an initial cost estimate for the new building.

The U.N. has not promoted these estimates. And no wonder. Constructing a new building on the north lawn of the current U.N. headquarters is estimated to cost $1.97 billion. Constructing a new building in another location is estimated to be $2.42 billion.

In other words, according to the U.N., the new tower will cost about five to six times the earlier, widely reported cost estimate....

And Now, for a Word About the Losers Who Have Obama's Blessing

Columnist Bob Lonsberry has a description/commentary on the Wall St. protesters [an integral part of Obama's re-election campaign] that our conservative readers will savor:

Every dog has fleas.

Blood-sucking fleas that crawl on it and mooch off it.

Just like society.

Dogs have fleas and society has Democrats.

Or socialists or anarchists or unionists or environmentalists or whatever you want to call the dregs of humanity having free love on the sidewalks of Wall Street.

It’s been going on for three weeks now and has in recent days built to a fever pitch.

At least among the network reporters.

Who honestly seem sexually aroused by the whole thing.

Each newscast features some vapid, breathless idiot yammering into a camera about corporate greed and the unemployment rate and bank bailouts and how the common people are finally being heard....

Without banks and corporations, you have a Third World economy and periodic famine.

Of course, with most liberal policies – if you implemented the various causes of these demonstrators – you would have a Third World economy and periodic famine.

So let’s call a spade a spade.

These demonstrations are about galvanizing the Democratic base. Poor leaders always strengthen themselves through hate. Hitler had Jews, Jim Crow had blacks, Democrats have corporations, banks and “the rich.” Different degrees, same principle – unite your followers by fomenting and harnessing their hate.

Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress have failed, to either lead the country or effectively implement their followers principles. Recognizing that without the base they have no chance of retaining power, the Democrat rabble rousers have burned the proverbial Reichstag.

Hate the banks, hate the rich, hate the Republicans.

And vote for Barack.

That’s what these demonstrations are about.

Lawsuit Charges Several Banks With Ripping Off Vets on Home Loans

Glenn Beck's The Blaze has this disturbing story:

A whistleblower lawsuit launched in 2006 and unsealed Tuesday in federal court in Atlanta claims several large banks [including Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America] and mortgage companies cheated military veterans and taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars in a “brazen scheme” to hide illegal fees, reports the Associated Press....

Sarah Palin Tells Followers She Will Not Run for President

Breaking story from FOX News: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced that she will not join the gaggle of candidates seeking to replace President Obama next year. Although some polls suggest that she could be highly competitive, she is also aware of the tons of negative propaganda that has been directed against her and the Palin family (not all of it from Democrats!).

Death Catches Up to Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Here's the beginning of CNN's obituary:

Steve Jobs, the visionary in the black turtleneck who co-founded Apple in a Silicon Valley garage, built it into the world's leading tech company and led a mobile-computing revolution with wildly popular devices such as the iPhone, died Wednesday. He was 56.

The hard-driving executive pioneered the concept of the personal computer and of navigating them by clicking onscreen images with a mouse. In more recent years, he introduced the iPod portable music player, the iPhone and the iPad tablet -- all of which changed how we consume content in the digital age.

His friends and Apple fans on Wednesday night mourned the passing of a tech titan.

"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives," Apple said in a statement. "The world is immeasurably better because of Steve...."

Here's a quote from the man himself: "No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent." — Steve Jobs


Source: The Joy of Tech

Sen. Reid Blocks Jobs Bill; Obama Blames Republicans

The Weekly Standard describes a duplicitous attempt to have it both ways:

The Obama campaign sent out an email today asking supporters to urge Congress to at least vote on the president’s jobs bill almost immediately after Democratic majority leader Harry Reid blocked a vote on the bill in the Senate.

On the Senate floor today, Republican leader Mitch McConnell asked for unanimous consent to proceed on voting on the bill. Reid, who has struggled to find enough votes for the bill in the Democratic caucus, objected to the motion and killed the opportunity for a vote....

Democratic members of Congress are aware of the toxic nature of Obama's jobs bill (and how the current President will hang them out to dry if anything goes wrong), so some conservatives are trying to call their bluff by pushing for passage of this drain on the public treasury.

Shocking Discovery: Locking Up Kids Does Not Turn Them Into Well-Adjusted Adults

CNN has a story about how cash-strapped state governments can reduce the number of youths being incarcerated without raising the crime rate, as long as they place them in appropriate rehabilitation programs. The Annie E. Casey Foundation issued a report with the message, "Numerous states have closed facilities or lowered correctional populations, reaping significant savings for taxpayers without any measurable increase in youth crime."

"Locking up juvenile offenders in correctional facilities, which costs states a yearly average of $88,000 per youth, is not paying off from a public safety, rehabilitation or cost perspective," according to the report.

King Obama Disrespects Even Democratic Senators

The Hill reports that President Obama kept leading Democratic senators assembled for a conference call waiting for 20 minutes, only to hear an excuse from one of his flunkies, National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling.

"President Obama’s relations with Senate Democratic leaders are deteriorating along with his poll numbers.

"With Obama’s approval ratings at record lows and the 2012 electoral map favoring Senate Republicans, the president and Senate Democrats are, in many ways, on divergent paths. Vulnerable Democrats from red states see Obama as impeding their chances of winning reelection, while the president often seems aloof to their concerns.

"Obama, focused on winning a second term, has distanced himself from Congress altogether, at times not making the distinction between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill...."

Gov. Christie Not Running for President

Politico reports that Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) made a public announcement that he has decided not to seek the Republican presidential nomination.

“In the end, what I’ve always felt was the right decision remains the right decision today. Now is not my time. I have a commitment to the people of New Jersey that I simply will not abandon,” Christie said, speaking to reporters in Trenton. “People sent me to Trenton to get a job done, and I’m just not prepared to walk away.”

He went on to say that he wasn't interested in the vice-presidency either, and left the door open for an endorsement in the future.

Dreams of Empire

No one, not even the Obama administration, should have been surprised when Dmitry Medvedev stepped aside to clear the way for Vladimir Putin to resume the presidency of Russia. Now Putin has started a scheme to set up the "Eurasian Union," according to Reuters. For starters, he is building upon an existing customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan.

“The Russian bear is rising again, and the Russian bear does not take prisoners, nor lust for genuine friends. It seeks only to dominate'' - Best-selling writer Frederick Forsyth

Two Iconic Brands in Trouble

The first shoe dropped when Kodak hired Jones Day, a law firm that specializes in helping firms facing bankruptcy, according to the Christian Science Monitor. An article in the influential Wall Street Journal prompted jittery investors to dump their Kodak stock, driving it down to only 78 cents per share. The panic mode did not end until management announced that it had no immediate plans to file for bankruptcy protection.

Then there's the CNBC article that describes how bankruptcy fears caused American Airlines stock to drop by 40%, closing at $1.98. This is the first time since 2003 that the shares have dropped below $2.

Even in Italy, Conviction Can Be Overturned for Insufficient Evidence

MSNBC joins many other news sources in reporting that Amanda Knox and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito have won their appeal after being convicted for the murder of Meredith Kircher. The Knox family, which has nearly spent itself into bankruptcy on her defense, is expected to take her back to Seattle at the first opportunity.

Criminally Insane

The New York Daily News says that doctors for John Hinckley, Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Reagan in 1981, recommended that he be allowed to visit his aging mother for weeks at a time, eventually moving in with her.

Government attorneys are opposed to this recommendation, saying "The Hospital's proposal for expanded conditions of release is premature and ill conceived," prosecutors said, adding he is "a man capable of great violence," according to reports.

Two Reminders of a Three-Way Struggle

Brett Decker at the Washington Times brings up the pertinent point that conservative Americans not only need to confront the Democrats, but also the Republican establishment that prefers to play it safe. Already there is a whisper campaign claiming that Herman Cain, whose stock has risen rapidly among the Republican presidential candidates, is "unelectable." This is the kind of mindset that caused the Republican Party to nominate its weakest possible candidate (Sen. McCain), who promptly lost to that mysterious junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Hussein Obama.

Meanwhile, Rick Pearson of the Chicago Tribune reports that Rep. Joe Walsh addressed a Tea Party convention with these words: “John Boehner is a great guy. (House Majority Leader) Eric Cantor’s a great guy. They’re good folk who have the best for this country. The problem is, they’ve been there too long and they’re afraid to fight for this country,” Walsh told more than 600 people attending TeaCon 2011 in Schaumburg. “This nation" he continued, "has become a nation of crises that’s dragging us down. We have an economic crisis. We have an entitlement spending crisis. We have an energy crisis. We have an illegal immigration crisis. We have a foggy foreign policy crisis. And the biggest crisis that we have is a severe deficiency of leadership in Washington, DC.”

WHO Let Her Out of the Rubber Room?

Roseanne [Barr] is at it again, seizing some more publicity with statements such as these (see video at Breitbart.tv).

"I, first, would allow the guilty bankers to pay back anything over $100 million (in) personal wealth, because I believe in the maximum wealth of $100 million. If they're unable to live on that amount, they should go to re-education camps. And if that doesn't work, they should be beheaded."

In America, This Would Lead to Millions of Convictions

The online version of AP World Magazine has an astonishing announcement by the Chinese government. They are prepared to punish people who post falsehoods on the Internet! See the original article for more details.