Republicans Overcome Incandescent Light Bulb Ban

The Washington Times is the bearer of this good news:

Congressional negotiators struck a deal Thursday that overturns the new rules that were to have banned sales of traditional incandescent light bulbs beginning next year.

That agreement is tucked inside the massive 1,200-page spending bill that funds the government through the rest of this fiscal year, and which both houses of Congress will vote on Friday. Mr. Obama is expected to sign the bill, which heads off a looming government shutdown....

The spending bill doesn’t actually amend the 2007 law, but does prohibit the administration from spending any money to carry out the light bulb standards — which amounts to at least a temporary reprieve.... [In other words, no funding, no enforcement.]

Feeling Lucky? Then Check Out the East Coast Grill

WBZ (CBS Boston) has a spicy tale about a restaurant in Cambridge that serves food so spicy that you have to sign a waiver to try their Pasta Plate from Hell.

"Those who think the waiver is some kind of a publicity stunt only need to look at an incident Tuesday night.

"The spicy food forced one man to get medical assistance. An ambulance showed up after witnesses say the man passed out....

"The secret ingredient of Hell Week is the Naga pepper, one of the hottest peppers on the planet.

"A scoreboard keeps a tally of the torture. Many have tried, but only a handful have eaten the whole bowl.

"And while there have been trips to the hospital, the good news, according to Schlesinger, there have been no fatalities so far."

Tebow Is Not Your Enemy!

Tim Tebow, the quarterback who helped put the Denver Broncos back on the map, is drawing fire from unbelievers for striking a pose that has entered the dictionary already as "Tebowing." It is more an attitude of prayer than a victory dance. But who would have guessed that a New York rabbi would join the chorus of critics? Hoosier Access has the story:

In the category of bigotry and hatred spares no religion, we find such hatred hiding behind religion in one “Rabbi” Joshua Hammerman of New York City. Hammerman has indulged his inner Father-Coughlin-in-reverse by proclaiming that if Tim Tebow wins the Super Bowl, why, Christians will go on a rampage that will result in the burning of mosques and the bashing of gays. Now, are you ready for some football?...

What is even more curious is the aftermath of this tirade:

**UPDATE**

Since my criticism of Hammerman’s Tebow anti-Christian screed, he’s gone into his post and edited out the paragraph I reported here. Hammerman did not note on the story that he edited the piece to remove offensive material. So, down the memory hole goes the truth once again.

I have a screen shot of the original, though. CLICK HERE to see it.

**UPDATE 2**

Hammerman’s edited piece has now been completely removed from The Jewish Week website. Hammerman has also removed the piece from his own blog and replaced by a message that reads: “The piece has been taken down and I apologize to all those whom it has offended. Some additional reflections will be forthcoming. Thank you.”

One hopes that the rabbi will reflect on his personal animus against both Tim Tebow and Christians and that a more acceptable apology is forthcoming.

**UPDATE 3**

Now “rabbi” Hammerman has deleted his entire blog. Talk about memory hole, now he’s trying to deep six everything he’s ever written! Driven out of the gates and into the wilderness!

British Give Argentina Another Reason to Regret Losing the Falklands War

The Sun (U.K.) describes how the discovery of offshore gas and oil fields near the Falkland Islands is infuriating the government of Argentina. If they decide to invade this British colony again, the U.K. will have a much smaller military to work with compared to the 74-day war with Argentina in 1982.

Let's See How Far This Takes Him

A highly classified American reconnaissance drone falls into Iranian hands. Do you:

1. Cause the aircraft to self-destruct?
2. Order a commando raid to blow it up?
3. Ask the Iranian government very politely to give it back?

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out Obama's reaction. Yahoo/Reuters has the story.

UPDATE: A former Pentagon official, who wished to remain unnamed, told USA Today that the reconnaissance drone that Iran proudly displays is a fake.

Newt Gingrich's Claim that Palestinians Are an "Invented" Nationality Supported by Arab Source

Redstate.com has an article, "Newt Gingrich Tells the Truth About the Palestinian Non-Entity," that quotes this revealing statement by PLO Executive Committee member Zuheir Mohsen in 1977:

“The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism.”

So the reason for maintaining the fiction that "Palestinians" are a sovereign nation entitled to some territory is merely a political ploy with the long-range goal of grinding down the State of Israel.

UPDATE: Additional proof that former Speaker of the House Gingrich has struck a raw nerve can be found in a BBC article that mentions the Arab League lost no time condemning his statement about Palestinians being an "invented people" and "terrorists."

Pyramids Around the World

Pyramid at Candi Sukuh, Indonesia (right)

This is an amazing article in Survive 2012 about cultures and civilizations outside Mexico, Central America, and Egypt that built pyramids. World Pyramids also has additional material and illustrations.

Mitt Romney's Service in the LDS (Mormon) Church

Alana Semuels of the Los Angeles Times has written a thoughtful and revealing article about how presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney performed his duties as a bishop and later stake president (leader of several congregations) in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mixing Meth Is So Wrong, But Why Walmart?

KLTV in Tyler, TX describes how a woman in the Tulsa, OK area was arrested trying to make meth in a Walmart store.

"They reported the suspect, Elizabeth Alisha Greta Halfmoon, had been in the store for about six hours, taking chemicals from bottles and mixing them in order to make meth. One police officer received minor injuries when the chemicals in the bottle burned his hand.

"Nobody else was hurt. Tulsa Police Officer David Shelby said it was the first time he had seen anyone actually try to mix meth in a store.

"'There are elderly people, there are children, there are all kinds of people in that store right now,' he said."

Frank J. Identifies The Reason Why America Hasn't Thrived Under the Leadership of Obama

Frank J. Fleming at PJ Media zeroes in on the real reason, all right: we're not worthy to have a President like Obama!

President Obama has always been able to open up better when speaking in foreign nations, because they … get … him. I think we Americans have always been a little standoffish with him, as we just don’t relate to him very well, so you can understand his being more comfortable in an international setting. So while speaking to CEOs at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings, he said that American businesses have “been a little bit lazy over the last couple of decades.” And this isn’t the first time he’s criticized American businesses, as last September he said that our country “had gotten a little soft” over the last couple of decades....

Look at what Obama did to try and get our economy going. He had this big, hundreds of billions of dollars stimulus that was designed by all the great economists who work in his administration — the top minds. It should have worked. The economy should be roaring right now and unemployment a thing of the past. America should be a utopia. So what was missing from the equation? That the people the stimulus was used on are a bunch of lazy dimwits. Obama did everything he possibly could, but apparently Americans just aren’t very good at running businesses and creating jobs. Obama has given us so many advantages that even chimpanzees should have been able to create jobs, but we just sit there like useless blobs while our companies crumble around us. We’re failing the country. We’re failing him....

We recommend that you read the whole article and reflect on the many ways he is too good for the USA.

Still in Denial: Fort Hood Massacre Labeled as "Workplace Violence"

FOX News describes how some members of Congress are objecting to the trivialization of the 2009 terrorist incident at Fort Hood, Texas.

Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday blasted the Defense Department for classifying the Fort Hood massacre as workplace violence and suggested political correctness is being placed above the security of the nation's Armed Forces at home.

During a joint session of the Senate and House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, the Maine Republican referenced a letter from the Defense Department depicting the Fort Hood shootings as workplace violence. She criticized the Obama administration for failing to identify the threat as radical Islam....

The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, said the military has become a "direct target of violent Islamist extremism" within the United States.

"The stark reality is that the American service member is increasingly in the terrorists' scope and not just overseas in a traditional war setting," Lieberman told Fox News before the start of Wednesday's hearing....

It's Been 70 Years Already!

Destruction of the battleship USS Arizona (right)

Today is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. FOX News has coverage of 120 survivors, who are joining the Secretary of the Navy and many others to observe a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., Hawaii time.

The Natives Are Getting Restless

Front Page Magazine online describes telltale signs of public dissatisfaction with Vladimir Putin's way of running things in Russia.

"Elections under Vladimir Putin’s 'managed democracy' have become grimly predictable affairs. Rampant fraud and bans on all but fringe or manufactured opposition parties have ensured that Putin’s United Russia Party routinely triumphs in a landslide, with Putin then trumpeting the results as a vindication of his authoritarian regime. This weekend’s parliamentary elections largely followed this script but with a surprise ending: United Russia failed to capture even 50 percent of the vote, a major setback considering its blatant manipulation of the election and one that highlights the extent of the Russian public’s discontent with the country’s corrupt one-man, one-party rule...."

If Putin were less tone-deaf to cries of public anguish than President Obama, he might be able to read the writing on the wall, but unfortunately he is, if that were possible, more inclined to block out any opinion that does not nourish his Siberia-sized ego.

GM Clarifies Position on Volt "Buyback"

The Ottawa Citizen reports that General Motors' announcement of a buyback offer was not absolute or ironclad. This is an update to our story of 2 December.

"The program we put in place (earlier this week) hasn't changed," said Faye Roberts, GM Canada spokeswoman. "We're going to reach out to our Volt customers and make them aware of the investigation and as part of that, we want them to get any questions they have answered and if they feel uncomfortable then they do have the option of getting a loaner vehicle...."

"On the question of the buyback, I think Mr. Akerson was taken a bit out of context," she said. "He was talking about customer satisfaction, which is really what the whole program is about and we're serious about keeping our customers happy.

"We would ultimately consider all options to meet our customers' expectations, but the program is designed to ensure customers are satisfied and the program doesn't include anything beyond what we talked about on Monday. But of course we're focused on the individual customers and what their concerns and needs are."

GM has sold only 6,000 Volts in the United States and 243 in Canada.

Newt Outsmarts ex-Queen Nancy

RedState.com has the juicy details:

Last Friday Nancy Pelosi told Talking Points Memo that she had all sorts of investigative dirt available on current GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich.  Specifically, “I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff.”

So… Newt Gingrich responded today by thanking Pelosi for the early Christmas present and noting “…if she’s suggesting she’s going to use material that she developed while she was on the ethics committee, that is a fundamental violation of the rules of the House and I would hope that members would immediately file charges against her the second she does it.”

Annnnnd now we’re being told (via Weasel Zippers) – it would be cruel* of me to use the word ‘frantically’ – that what the former Speaker of the House really meant by her comments to TPM was that there was plenty of public record information about Newt Gingrich available.  Not that there was any private dirt.  Nope.  Not at all....

Seven Surviving Candidates Await Iowa Caucuses

A recent poll shows that former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is leading in Iowa, followed by Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, in that order. At this time the situation is extremely volatile; many Iowans are still undecided. This state could make or break Rep. Michele Bachmann, as she is the closest thing to a "favorite daughter" candidate, and if she can't even make it in Iowa, she's unlikely to succeed anywhere else. Holding up the rear are: Gov. Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman, and Rick Santorum. Dr. Paul bears watching: he is one of the few candidates capable of running on a third-party ticket, and both he and Rep. Bachmann could be the recipients of protest votes from citizens dissatisfied with the competition.

Cain Suspends Campaign

Embattled Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has suspended his campaign in the face of extreme pressure surrounding allegations of sexual harassment and infidelity, according to FOX News.

His wife Gloria standing by his side in a rare public appearance, Cain decried the sustained accusations as false and declared he is "at peace" with his wife and with himself. But he said the claims have "sidetracked and distracted" from his ability to present a new vision for the country, to the point that he must call off the campaign.... In addition, these accusations have caused his poll numbers to plummet.

The True Worth of a Chevy Volt

It is a sure sign of desperation that Government Motors has offered to buy back every Chevy Volt, after concerns about its safety, i.e., the possibility that the battery may cause the car to catch fire in a collision. The Associated Press has more details.

Releasing Unemployment Statistic on a Friday Is No Accident

Count on John Lott at FOX News to break the truth to us: the 8.6% unemployment rate being touted by the Obama regime is misleading in that it fails to take into account the 487,000 people who gave up looking for work.

Only conservative news sources have bothered to look into this announcement, as the news cycle reaches a stopping point on Fridays, a well-known fact to politicians. Rush Limbaugh had a few choice words to say about this fudged statistic earlier today, which frankly is still embarrassingly high.

World's Largest Insect Found in New Zealand

Some readers may find this story a bit gross, but the Daily Mail (U.K.) ran it anyway.

Mark Moffett, a former park ranger from Colorado, traveled all the way to Little Barrier Island in New Zealand to find the largest living insect. Weighing 71 grams, it is heavier than a sparrow and about 3 times as heavy as a mouse. Mark found that this insect likes to eat carrots, but was careful not to feed it too much.

Giant wetas used to live on North and South Islands, but were wiped out by rats accidentally introduced by colonists.