Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Barker's Newsbites: Wednesday, February 2, 2011


How'bout a little Southern Rock to go with our Northern Weather?
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11 comments:

William R. Barker said...

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/120372fc-2e48-11e0-8733-00144feabdc0.html

[Ben Bernanke's] Federal Reserve has surpassed China as the leading holder of U.S. Treasury securities...

(*SHAKING MY HEAD*)

...even though it has yet to reach the halfway mark in its latest round of quantitative easing, according to official figures.

(*BANGING MY HEAD AGAINST THE WALL*)

(*WISHING I COULD BANG BERNANKE'S HEAD AGAINST THE WALL*)

February 2, 2011 at 8:44 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/1/keeping-carters-home-neat-costs-us-a-tidy-sum/

The tennis court at former President Jimmy Carter‘s private home is swept twice a day, his pool is cleaned daily and his grass cut, his flower beds weeded and his windows washed on a regular basis - all at taxpayers’ expense.

Under an arrangement with the National Park Service, taxpayers are responsible for the exterior of Mr. Carter‘s home in Plains, Ga. - to the tune of $67,841 last year alone. In exchange, the government obtains the right to add the home to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site when he and his wife pass away.

* WHAT A PIECE OF SHIT, HUH? WHAT A CHEAP, MANIPULATIVE, TWO-FACED, WEASELLY, MANIPULATIVE SON OF...

(*GRITTING MY TEETH*)

Other presidents have had similar life estate agreements calling for their properties to be turned over after their deaths, but to have taxpayers footing the bill for upkeep and maintenance of the Carters’ property appears to be unique...

* F--KING BASTARD!

February 2, 2011 at 10:27 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/02/01/teen-wolfpack-arrested-videotaped-assault-pennsylvania-boy/

Authorities in Pennsylvania say they arrested a "wolf pack" of teenagers in connection with an assault on a 13-year-old boy...

* GOOD! THEY'RE WHITE...!!! HURRAY...! (SERIOUSLY... I WAS GETTING TIRED OF ALWAYS AIRING BLACK ANIMALS; I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE ACCUSED OF SINGLING OUT ANIMALS BY RACE.)

* THING IS... (*SIGH*)... (AND I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOU FOLKS TO READ THE FULL STORY)... THIS DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A RANDOM CRIME... A BREAK-DOWN OF BASIC CIVIL SOCIETY SO TO SPEAK. THIS LOOKS TO ME TO BE PERSONAL... TARGETING A SPECIFIC PERSON BECAUSE HE'S A SPECIFIC PERSON... WE'RE TALKING "CRIME" IN THE "NORMAL" SENSE AS OPPOSED TO ANY ONE OF US READING THIS THINKING THAT "THERE FOR THE GRACE OF GOD IT MAY HAVE BEEN ME."

* UNDERSTAND THE DISTINCTION I'M POINT OUT...???

Nadin Khoury, of Upper Darby, Pa., was walking home from school on Jan. 11 when he was attacked by a group of teenagers who punched, kicked and dragged him through the snow before stuffing him in a tree and hanging him by his coat on a 7-foot-high fence, police said.

The boy, who was not seriously injured, was rescued when a passerby jumped out of her car and took the boy home.

* TWO POINTS: 1) THE BOY WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED; 2) HE WAS "RESCUED" BY A PASSERBY. THIS LATTER POINT IS KEY. SOCIAL NORMS KICKED IN. THE INCIDENT DIDN'T DETERIORATE INTO A GENERAL INDICTMENT AGAINST "SOCIETY" IN MUCH OF TODAY'S AMERICA. APPARENTLY "CIVILIZATION" STILL TRUMPS BARBARISM IN UPPER DARBY, PENNSYLVANIA.

(*NOD*)

Authorities arrested six teenagers, ages 13 to 17, in connection with the attack on Monday. Police arrested a seventh teen on Tuesday after he arrived at school.

Some of the alleged assailants videotaped the attack, which lasted about 15 minutes, on a cell phone camera. Police have charged the suspects with kidnapping, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and other crimes.

(*SNORT*) "KIDNAPPING...???" "FALSE IMPRISONMENT...???" COM'ON... IT WAS ASSAULT - AND APPARENTLY NOT ALL THAT BAD OF AN ASSAULT SINCE THE VICTIM WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED. HEY... I'M NOT MAKING LIGHT OF IT. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THROWING THESE KIDS IN "JUVIE" FOR A FEW WEEKS OR EVEN MONTHS, BUT THE LINDBERGH BABY CASE OR PATTY HEARST THIS AIN'T.

"They're lucky they didn't kill him," Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.

* AGAIN... DIDN'T WE ALL JUST READ ABOVE THAT, QUOTE, "THE BOY, WHO WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED..."

(*SMIRK*)

Authorities have not yet determined a motive.

* IT WAS OBVIOUSLY BULLYING. (WE'RE NOT TALKING THE VALENTINES' DAY MASSACRE!) BUT, HEY... IT'LL COME OUT AT TRIAL.

February 2, 2011 at 10:45 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576117793343465096.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLE_Video_Top

A Wall Street Journal analysis of high-school Regents test scores shows that a disproportionate percentage of New York City students barely got the passing score they needed to receive a diploma in the past two years, while very few received scores just below passing.

* YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS INDICATES - RIGHT?

(*SNICKER*)

* WE'RE TALKING A PRIMA FACIE CASE THAT SOCIAL PROMOTION IS ALIVE AND WELL IN NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

For the 2009 English Regents exams, for instance, students were more than five times as likely to get a 65 - the minimum passing grade - than they were to score one point below. In the U.S. History and Government Regents, students were 14 times more likely to get a 65 than one point lower.

"There's no question that there's something fishy going on," said Jonah Rockoff, a professor at Columbia University's business school who frequently analyzes schools-related data sets.

* THESE ARE OUR STATE'S "EDUCATORS," FOLKS... THE PEOPLE WE ENTRUST WITH OUR CHILDREN... THE PEOPLE WE PAY A FRIGG'N FORTUNE IN PAY/PERKS/BENEFITS/RETIREMENT ARE SCREWING US AND SCREWING OUR KIDS.

In New York state, high-school teachers score their own students' tests - which differs from tests in most other states, as well as New York's own third- through eighth-grade tests. Mr. Rockoff, who reviewed the Regents data, said, "It looks like teachers are pushing kids over the edge. They are very reluctant to fail a kid who needs just one or two points to pass."

(*PAUSE*)

* WAIT FOR IT... WAIT FOR IT...

Officials from the New York City Department of Education say there is nothing untoward happening.

(*SLAMMING MY FIST DOWN ON THE DESK*)

Mr. Rockoff points to the eighth-grade math scores in New York City for 2009, which aren't graded by the students' own teachers. There is no similar clustering at the break point for passing the test. He estimates that 3% to 4% of the students who passed the Regents test last year should have failed, based on the DOE data. He said teachers have effectively lowered the passing score on Regents tests to 62 or 63.

A trio of economists - Thomas S. Dee of the University of Virginia, Brian A. Jacob of the University of Michigan and Justin McCrary of the University of California at Berkeley - conducted an independent statistical analysis of the data for the Journal and came to a similar conclusion. They estimated that from 3% to 5% of the students statewide who were given passing grades for the five main Regents exams in June 2009 actually failed the tests. (In New York City, between 5% and 10% of students who passed actually failed, they estimated.)

February 2, 2011 at 2:12 PM
William R. Barker said...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576118533071051152.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTSecondBucket

* READ THIS ONE! FOR GOD'S SAKE... READ THIS ONE...!!!

The massive federal budget deficit is unsustainable today because of out-of-control spending.

Consequently, the federal government is about to run up against its statutorily imposed debt limit.

Fortunately, Congress has options, and it has time to consider them carefully.

If Congress chooses not to raise the debt ceiling, then it could act swiftly to indicate that net interest is the highest priority to allay any remaining concerns about the possibility of defaulting on the debt.

Congress has time to consider carefully the options available as the U.S. government reaches its statutory debt limit, exhausting its authority to borrow from credit markets. ... The government may initially reach the debt limit in early spring, but the timing of tax receipts and the U.S. Department of the Treasury's well-understood fiscal management tools will provide Congress an additional month or two necessary for a full debate on the options and their consequences.

Whatever course Congress chooses, its deliberations should not be tainted with misplaced concerns over whether the United States government might default on its debt. Contrary to the clear implications of a letter from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to Congress dated January 6, 2011, refusing to raise the debt limit would not, in and of itself, cause the United States to default on its public debt.

* FOR GOD'S SAKE, PEOPLE, UNDERSTAND... JUST AS BUSH AND BERNANKE AND OBAMA AND ALL THE REST OF THE CLOWNS FLAT OUT LIED TO US ABOUT THE "IMMEDIACY" OF "NECESSARY" ACTION ON TARP AND BAILOUTS - NAMELY BORROWING UP THE YING-YANG AND PISSING THE MONEY AWAY - GEITHNER AND OBAMA ARE LYING TODAY!

Both immediately and long after it reaches the debt limit, the government would have far more than enough revenue coming in that the Secretary of the Treasury could use to pay interest on the debt.

(*NOD*)

Nor would preserving the current debt limit put at risk the full faith and credit of the United States government, as the President's chief economic adviser has claimed.

* FOLKS... UNDERSTAND, THESE ARE THE FACTS; WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS THAT THE MAINSTREAM LIBERAL MEDIA IS GOING TO ALLY ITSELF WITH OBAMA AND DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR NOT INCONSIDERABLE POWER TO DISTORT THE FACTS!

[H]olding the debt limit at its current level would force a massive restructuring of federal spending... All federal deficit spending - equivalent to about $1.5 trillion in 2011, or roughly equal to all security and non-security discretionary spending - would have to cease immediately.

(*WILD APPLAUSE*)

* FOLKS... THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE SHOULD ALL HOPE AND PRAY WILL HAPPEN...!!!

* LISTEN... FOLKS... EVERY YEAR/MONTH/WEEK/DAY/HOUR THAT WE REFUSE TO REIN IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS ACCRUING MORE AND MORE DEBT ON THE BACKS OF NOT JUST US, BUT OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.

* FOLKS... IT'S PAID THE PIPER NOW... OR PAY THE PIPER MORE LATER!

February 2, 2011 at 2:12 PM
William R. Barker said...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703439504576116020196050548.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopBucket

Once again, Europe's "Emissions Trading System" has been beset by fraud and theft.

(*SMIRK*)

The spot-trading market has been closed since January 19, after regulators discovered that hackers had broken into the system's electronic registries and stolen roughly $48.5 million worth of carbon allowances.

* YEP... WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME KIND OF "CAP AND TRADE" REGIME MOST DEMOCRATS AND MANY RINOs WANTED TO IMPOSE UPON THE UNITED STATES.

This marks the second time in the past year that carbon trading has been shut down. Last year, the U.N.'s carbon market halted for several days when authorities discovered that the Hungarian government had - legally - been reselling allowances that had already been used.

(*LAUGHING OUT LOUD*) I'M SORRY... IT'S REALLY NOT FUNNY... BUT IT REALLY IS FUNNY!

Europol reported that in certain countries, 90% of the ETS's trading volume was taken up by value-added-tax scams.

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

February 2, 2011 at 2:13 PM
William R. Barker said...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Flight-cancellations-top-5000-apf-1035395833.html?x=0&.v=3

Flight cancellations topped 5,000 for the second day Wednesday as ice and snow continue to bring airport operations to a crawl across much of the U.S.

* JUST THROWING THIS OUT AS THE OBAMA ECONOMY CONTINUES TO... er... "RECOVER":

(*SNORT*)

( WHAT KIND OF ECONOMIC IMPACT DO YOU SUPPOSE THESE STORMS ARE HAVING - NOT JUST ON THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY, BUT ACROSS THE BOARD.

* WITH OIL FUTURES AT $102 WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT MEANS FOR, OH... SAY... SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH THEIR HUGE FLEETS OF GAS GUZZLING BUSES?

* I MEAN... I COULD GO ON AND ON, BUT YOU GET THE PICTURE.

* P.S. - BTW... DID MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT MOST FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ONLY GET PAID FOR THEIR ACTUAL FLYING TIME? OH, SURE, THERE ARE SOME UNION "PROTECTIONS," BUT WE'RE NOT TALKING SCHOOL TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS WHO JUST RELAX AND COUNT THE SHECKLES THEY'RE RECEIVING WHILE NOT WORKING WHEN THERE'S A SNOW DAY.

February 2, 2011 at 4:06 PM
William R. Barker said...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704775604576120204024570510.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_markets

Sugar prices spiked to their highest level in more than 30 years...

* JUST KEEP ON TELLING YOURSELF THERE'S NO INFLATION AND THERE'S NOT GONNA BE ANY INFLATION...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703960804576119773756678818.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_markets

Brent crude on the ICE futures exchange traded 68 cents higher at $102.42 a barrel.

* OHMM... OHMM... OHMM...

(*RUEFUL CHUCKLE*)

February 2, 2011 at 5:15 PM
William R. Barker said...

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/02/02/rand-paul-no-great-compromiser/

When the history books are written, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said, he does not wish to be “the great compromiser,” the nickname of another Kentucky senator, Henry Clay, who helped postpone the Civil War through legislative wrangling.

(*NOD*)

Rather, Mr. Paul compared himself and the tea party movement to the abolitionists of the antebellum era during his maiden speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate this morning. The freshman lawmaker, who sits at Mr. Clay’s desk in the Senate chamber, drew parallels between the fight over slavery and country’s current fiscal woes.

“Is compromise the noble position? Is compromise a sign of enlightenment?” asked Mr. Paul, standing in a dark suit, white shirt and red tie.

(*NOD*)

“Yet we do face a fiscal nightmare.”

(*NOD*)

Mr. Paul lauded Frederick Douglas, William Lloyd Garrison and Mr. Clay’s cousin, abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay [as he] pivoted to the current fight over raising the debt ceiling.

“Many ask, ‘Will the tea party compromise [on the federal debt]? Can the tea party work with others to find a solution?’” he asked. “There must be dialogue and ultimately compromise, but the compromise must be on where we cut spending.”

(*RISING TO MY FEET TO APPLAUD SEN. PAUL*)

Conservatives, he said, need to accept cuts in defense spending while liberals need to accept cuts in domestic programs. But raising taxes as part of a deal to pay down the federal debt is a nonstarter, he said.

(*CHEERING MY FRIGG'N HEAD OFF*)

As Mr. Paul spoke, the chamber was mostly empty. Only Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a fellow Kentucky Republican, along with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who was running the floor, were present when he began.

* GOD BLESS JIM DEMINT! RAND PAUL'S SPEECH SHOULD LEAD THE NEWS TONIGHT... BUT WE ALL KNOW IT WON'T.

February 2, 2011 at 5:15 PM
William R. Barker said...

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/02/02/some-43-million-americans-use-food-stamps/

* I TOUCHED UPON THE FOLLOWING YESTERDAY:

Nearly a year and a half into the "[Obama] recovery," some 43.6 million Americans continued to rely on food stamps in November.

(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)

More than 14% of the population drew food stamps in November to purchase groceries...

* AS YOU AND I CONTINUE TO PURCHASE GROCERIES WITH OUR OWN MONEY AND SAVINGS!

The number of recipients was up 0.9% from October, according to the new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Compared to a year ago, the number of people receiving food stamps was up 14.2%.

* HOPE... CHANGE... HOPE... CHANGE... HOPE... CHANGE...

February 2, 2011 at 5:16 PM
William R. Barker said...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576117902803504210.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_management

Pfizer Inc. said it will significantly reduce research spending and shift billions of dollars to buying back stock, as the big drug maker deals with an expected revenue decline in coming years from generic competition.

* SO... SOUND GOOD TO YOU, FOLKS?

* INSTEAD OF OBAMACARE, WHY NOT ACTUALLY REFORM THE SYSTEM - FOR EXAMPLE, STRENGTHEN PATENT PROTECTIONS SO AS TO STRENGTHEN THE CARROT FOR INCREASED RATHER THAN DECREASE R&D FROM BIG PHARMA.

In an acknowledgment that its research-and-development efforts haven't been very productive, Pfizer said it would spend as much as 23.5% less on R&D in 2012 than previously planned by closing a major research site in Britain and halting research in urology and other disease areas, such as allergies and respiratory ailments.

(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)

* WELL... LET'S HOPE NONE OF US GETS SICK!

The R&D cuts will include a reduction of as much as 5% in Pfizer's work force, or as many as 5,530 employees, based on the company's global headcount of about 110,600. A majority of the cuts are expected to come from a Pfizer site in Sandwich, England, as well as some job cuts in Groton, Conn.

* "SOME" CUTS IN CONNECTICUTT, HUH...???

Analysts applauded Pfizer's plans for share buybacks and R&D cuts.

.* WELL OF COURSE THEY DID... (*SIGH*) (*GRITTING MY TEETH*)

Pfizer shares were up 5.5% at $19.22 in 4 p.m. composite trading Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.

(*MORE SARCASTIC CLAPPING*)

February 2, 2011 at 5:44 PM

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