Thursday, March 10, 2011

Barker's Newsbites: Thursday, March 10, 2011


Thank you Debbie Walterscheid!

8 comments:

William R. Barker said...

http://www.france24.com/en/20110310-France-NTC-national-transitional-council-embassy-Libya

In a major diplomatic victory for the Libyan opposition, France has become the first country to formally recognise Libya’s rebel leadership, pledging to exchange ambassadors between Paris and the Libyan opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

* FRANCE... LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD...

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

AFP reported that Sarkozy would propose “targeted airstrikes” in Libya as a way to end the violence.

(*CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)

Reacting to the news of France’s diplomatic recognition, Imane Boughaighis, media organizer for Libya’s Interim Transitional National Council, said the Libyan people were “very grateful” to the French government.

“We thank the French government and the people of Libya will never forget that they (the French government) were the first country to recognize us and they stood with us in our difficult time.”

* BARAK WHO...???

William R. Barker said...

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/hope-and-change-gas-prices-have-gone-67-percent-obama-became-president_553930.html

Ah, January of 2009. Hope was in the air, but more importantly, gas was under two dollars a gallon.

Since then gas prices, have gone up 67% and it's an ominously upward trend.

Interestingly enough, the Heritage Foundation also took a look at the first 26 months of Bush's presidency - gas only rose 7% during that time frame.

Now obviously turmoil in the Middle East has something to do with our current astronomical gas prices, but keep in mind that by this point in the Bush presidency 9/11 had happened and we were on the verge of invading Iraq. So while the president can't be entirely responsible for global commodity prices, it's still worth asking what Obama's doing to make things worse.

This is the President who appointed a Secretary of the Interior whot famously said he didn't mind if gas hit $10 a gallon.

(*SHRUG*)

This is the President whose administration secretly urged him to bypass needed Congressional approval to create as many at 17 national monuments throughout the west, effectively closing off all that land to energy exploration forever.

(*SHAKING MY HEAD*)

This is the President who has illegally tried to illegally enforce an offshore drilling ban.

How much higher is gas going to go before the Administration takes a long hard look at what its doing to send gas prices through the roof?

William R. Barker said...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/January-trade-deficit-jumps-apf-846245900.html?x=0&.v=1

A surge in oil prices and rising demand for foreign cars and machinery helped push imports up at the fastest pace in 18 years in January, giving the country the largest trade deficit in six months.

* OBAMA HAS BEEN DOING EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER TO RETARD DOMESTIC DRILLING. THAT'S UNDEBATABLE. AS TO "RISING DEMAND FOR FOREIGN CARS AND MACHINERY," WE'RE A NATION IN DECLINE - AND NEITHER DEMOCRATS NOR REPUBLICANS ARE ADDRESSING - LET ALONE MOVING TO REVERSE - THE CONTINUING DEINDUSTRIALIZATION OF AMERICA.

The January deficit increased 15.1% to $46.3 billion, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

Exports rose 2.7% to an all-time high of $167.7 billion.

* GOOD....

But imports rose at nearly twice the pace of exports...

* BAD...!!! BAD! BAD!! BAD!!!

A widening trade deficit hurts the U.S. economy. When imports outpace exports, more jobs go to foreign workers than to U.S. workers.

* YA THINK...?!?!

The overall U.S. deficit in January would translate into an annual deficit of $556.1 billion. Last year's imbalance was $495.7 billion, which was 32.8% higher than in 2009...

(*MORE SHAKING MY HEAD*)

* AIN'T THE AGE OF OBAMA GREAT, KIDS?!

For January, America's oil bill jumped 9.5% to $34.9 billion, the highest level since October 2008.

* WAIT TILL THEY COME OUT WITH FEBRUARY'S NUMBERS!

The rise in U.S. exports pushed them to a record high, surpassing the old mark of $165.7 billion set in July 2008 before the financial crisis.

* GOTTA LUV THE AGE OF OBAMA! (IF YOU'RE A FOREIGNER THAT IS!)

William R. Barker said...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-10/jobless-claims-in-the-u-s-rose-more-than-estimated-last-week-to-397-000.html

Applications for first-time unemployment benefits increased by 26,000 to 397,000 in the week ended March 5, Labor Department figures showed today.

(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)

The number of people continuing to collect jobless benefits decreased by 20,000 in the week ended Feb. 26 to 3.77 million.

* WELL THAT'S GOOD - FROM A TAXPAYER/EMPLOYERS STANDPOINT. FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE PERSON STILL UNEMPLOYED YET NO LONGER RECEIVING WELF... er... BENEFITS... IT'S NOT SUCH GOOD NEWS.

Figures for continuing claims do not include the number of workers receiving extended and emergency benefits under federal and state programs.

* I KNOW WHAT I JUST READ, BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW IT FITS INTO THE GOVERNMENT STATS. (*SHRUG*)

Those who’ve used up their benefits and are now collecting emergency and extended payments decreased by about 200,500 to 4.3 million in the week ended Feb. 19.

* AGAIN... NOT QUITE SURE WHERE THOSE 4.3 MILLION STILL COLLECTING "EMERGENCY" AND "EXTENDED" BENEFITS FIT IN TO THE GOVERNMENT STATS.

* MY GUESS IS THAT AS WITH INFLATION, THE GOVERNMENT DELIBERATELY DOWNPLAYS UNEMPLOYMENT VIA FIDDLING WITH THE METHODOLOGY OF THE STATISTICAL MODEL.

“We believe that we are in a continued positive economic recovery that will lead to positive labor growth over the course of the next couple of years,” Carl Camden, chief executive officer at Troy, Michigan-based temporary staffing provider Kelly Services Inc., said Feb. 24 at a conference in Boston.

* UMM... FOLKS... THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE TEMP AGENCY GUY DOESN'T EXACTLY FILL MY HEART WITH JOY. HIS "CONTINUED POSITIVE ECONOMIC RECOVERY" IS BASED IN LARGE PART ON HAVING A LARGE POOL OF HIGHLY SKILLED FORMERLY FULL-TIME EMPLOYED AT HIGH WAGES AND BENEFITS EMPLOYEES SIGNING UP AS TEMP WORKERS SO THAT HE CAN SKIM THE CREAM OFF THE TOP OF THEIR NEW TEMP WAGES. GET IT?!

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

Companies taking on staff include Atlanta-based Home Depot. The world’s largest home improvement retailer in February said it is hiring more than 60,000 temporary workers in the U.S., and adding permanent employees for the second year in a row.

* 60,000 TEMP WORKERS. TEMP WORKERS AT HOME DEPOT. (*HEADACHE*) NOTE HOW THE NUMBER OF "ADDED PERMANENT EMPLOYEES" ISN'T SPECIFIED? (*SMIRK*)

Boeing began “change incorporation” work on the 787 Dreamliner in San Antonio, Texas, where 450 employees will be hired on a temporary basis to join with 1,700 experienced workers at the site to complete the work, the Chicago-based plane maker said on March 7.

* "...HIRED ON A TEMPORARY BASIS..." FOLKS... THANK GOD THESE PEOPLE WILL BE GETTING TEMP JOBS... BUT TEMP JOBS SET TO DISAPPEAR DO NOT A ROARING ECONOMY MAKE!

William R. Barker said...

http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2011/03/10/michelle-obama-sports-1000-handbag/

Well heavens!

Mrs. Obama was gaining a lot of traction as the fashion icon for the everywoman when all of a sudden she stepped out of the Michellemobile - reportedly Monday - grasping a $1,000 tote bag.

Take a look-see!

* SEE THE PHOTO BY CLICKING THE LINK.

Yeah baaaaby!

It’s a Reed Krakoff two-tone ribboned large tote, and you can get it at Mr. Krakoff’s website for $990, plus shipping I guess.

A year ago Mrs. Obama appeared on the Today show in a $35 dress. You would have thought she eliminated poverty in Bombay.

Rina Raphael, writing for the Today Show, was barely able to control herself.

* YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER THAT. AND I WAS PROUD OF MRS. OBAMA. I TELL YOU, FOLKS... BOTH OF THESE CON ARTISTS HAD ME TOTALLY FOOLED BACK IN 2008.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/10/libya-uprising-gaddafi-live

[Excerpts from] the text of a joint letter from British prime minister David Cameron and French president Nicolas Sarkozy, to the president of the European council:

Since the Libyan people have started to rise against Muammar Gaddafi's brutal regime, the world is witnessing on a daily basis an unacceptable continuation of violence and repression in Libya. Ignoring UN Security Council resolution 1970 demands as well as calls from regional organizations and the whole international community, Gaddafi's regime continues to attack his own people including with aircraft and helicopters. It is clear to us that the regime has lost any legitimacy it may have once had.

This deliberate use of military force against civilians is utterly unacceptable. As warned by the Security Council, these acts may amount to crimes against humanity. All those involved in deciding, planning or executing such actions must know that they will be held accountable.

France and the UK are committed to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya. We support the Libyan peoples desire to choose their own leadership and to decide their own political system. We welcome the formation of an Interim Transitional National Council based in Benghazi and we are engaging with the Council and its members to develop a cooperative dialogue.

When the Libyan people win their fundamental rights, we should be ready to support them with the necessary assistance and cooperation, in order to promote stability and development in Libya, for the benefit of all Libyans.

To stop further suffering of the Libyan people, Muammar Gaddafi and his clique should leave.

We support the efforts of the Libyan Interim Transitional National Council to prepare for a representative and accountable government. We should send the clear political signal that we consider the Council to be valid political interlocutors, and an important voice for the Libyan people in this phase.

We condemn, and call for an immediate halt to, the use of force against civilians by the Gaddafi regime. We support continued planning to be ready to provide support for all possible contingencies as the situation evolves on the basis of demonstrable need, a clear legal basis and firm regional support. This could include a no-fly zone or other options against air attacks, working with Allies and partners, especially those in the region. We are working together on elements of an appropriate UNSCR.

Regarding displaced persons outside Libya, should the situation deteriorate, we should all be ready to act through further financial and material assistance, including military assets, in cooperation with international organizations and countries concerned.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12707276

The US national intelligence director - James Clapper - has predicted embattled Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi will defeat the rebels challenging his grip on power.

(*HEAD ABOUT TO EXPLODE*)

James Clapper told the US Senate that Col Gaddafi's superior military force would prevail over the long term.

And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would not act in Libya without international authorisation.

Meanwhile, Libyan rebels are fleeing the port of Ras Lanuf after sustained attacks by Col Gaddafi's forces.

* THE OBAMA/CLINTON ADMINISTRATION IS A DISGRACE. WHILE FRANCE AND BRITAIN TAKE THE LEAD, WE ACTUALLY LEND COMFORT TO GADDAFI!

William R. Barker said...

http://www.usnews.com/news/washington-whispers/articles/2011/03/10/c-span-barred-from-covering-obamas-first-gridiron

[T]he journalists who kvetch when doors are closed in their faces won't let C-SPAN cover President Obama's first trip to the annual Gridiron Dinner Saturday night.

Despite an urgent plea from C-SPAN Chairman Brian Lamb that "it's time" to give in, Gridiron President Susan Page of USA Today said no.

* HMM... I WONDER IF MS. PAGE HAS EVER WORKED FOR NPR...?

(*SNICKER*)

Some 65 journalists make up the Gridiron Club and the dinner is normally filled with funny and self-depreciating skits by reporters and politicians.

There has always been a no-camera rule, but when a video of Sen. Lamar Alexander skit from the also-exclusive Alfalfa Club hit YouTube, some thought that the barrier to cameras at the dinners was ending.

* APPARENTLY "SOME" WERE WRONG.

* SAY IT WITH ME, FOLKS... "HOPE!" "CHANGE!" "HOPE!" "CHANGE!" "HOPE!" "CHANGE!" "HOPE!" "CHANGE!"