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The Classicist


3.1 Phillip Lim, Americana Manhasset, bittersweet colours, jeans, Lucky Brand, New York, Nine West, RED, street style, stripes,


3.1 Phillip Lim, Americana Manhasset, bittersweet colours, jeans, Lucky Brand, New York, Nine West, RED, street style, stripes,
3.1 Phillip Lim, Americana Manhasset, bittersweet colours, jeans, Lucky Brand, New York, Nine West, RED, street style, stripes,
3.1 Phillip Lim, Americana Manhasset, bittersweet colours, jeans, Lucky Brand, New York, Nine West, RED, street style, stripes,
3.1 Phillip Lim, Americana Manhasset, bittersweet colours, jeans, Lucky Brand, New York, Nine West, RED, street style, stripes,
3.1 Phillip Lim, Americana Manhasset, bittersweet colours, jeans, Lucky Brand, New York, Nine West, RED, street style, stripes,
3.1 Phillip Lim, Americana Manhasset, bittersweet colours, jeans, Lucky Brand, New York, Nine West, RED, street style, stripes,
3.1 Phillip Lim, Americana Manhasset, bittersweet colours, jeans, Lucky Brand, New York, Nine West, RED, street style, stripes,



Nautical stripes, red pumps and blue jeans were the perfect classic combination for my second day in New York. Tuesday I had the pleasure of spending the entire day with a very great company and in a very nice place: Americana Manhasset, a high-end shopping center! You'll find out more about this visit in my next post!
Enjoy the weekend!



                                                                          Top: vintage/ option Here and Here 
                                                                          Jeans: thanks to Lucky Brand/ Here 
                                                                          Shoes: Nine West/ similar Here 
                                                                          Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim/ option Here 
                                                                          Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren



Real Estate: Stick to the Long-Term Plan!


Click to enlarge.

Reverse mortgages! Don't fail me now!

March 9, 2008
Some Seniors Victimized in Reverse Mortgage Boom

The growth in these mortgages has skyrocketed in recent years. According to a 2007 report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of reverse mortgages grew from nearly 8,000 in 2001 to more than 107,000 last year. The average loan amount grew 80 percent to $138,700 during the same time period, a 2007 report from the AARP Public Policy Institute found.

December 12, 2012
It’s full-speed ahead for reverse-mortgage industry

Borrowers also are increasingly likely to use reverse mortgages for other purposes than daily living expenses. Many are paying off a traditional mortgage in order to retire early.

Fantastic!

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

Annual New One Family Home Sales per 25 to 34 Year Old Employed


Click to enlarge.

August 23, 2013
Calculated Risk: Comments on New Home Sales

And even though there has been a large increase in the sales rate, sales are just above the lows for previous recessions. This suggests significant upside over the next few years. Based on estimates of household formation and demographics, I expect sales to increase to 750 to 800 thousand over the next several years - substantially higher than the current sales rate.

For what it is worth, I shall take the under.

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

Earning Money Off of Money


Click to enlarge.

The Good News: MZM can apparently generate roughly $800 in interest per month per capita (July 2013 dollars) in a "perfect" economy, regardless of how much MZM has grown.

The Bad News: The economy can apparently only stay "perfect" for a month. Further, the economy is about as far from "perfect" as it can get right now. $11.9 trillion in MZM is currently generating just $28 per capita per month in interest (July 2013 dollars).

As seen in the chart:

* In 1982, the interest earned took just one month to bottom. Nice bounce!

* In 1994, the interest earned took just one month to bottom. Nice bounce!

* In 2003, the interest earned took roughly 18 months to bottom. Sticky bounce!

* In 2009, the interest earned took at least 45 months to bottom. Yet to bounce!

Stickier and stickier!

The bottom of the trend channel cannot trend down forever. There will be a linear trend failure here. Guaranteed. It is impossible for interest earned on MZM to fall below zero. The best it can do is fall to zero and stick there semi-permanently. So what would happen if the economy needs it to fall below zero as part of some future recovery process? Or even this "recovery" for that matter?

December 1999
Japanese Monetary Policy: A Case of Self-Induced Paralysis? - Ben Bernanke

Among the more important monetary-policy mistakes were 1) the failure to tighten policy during 1987-89, despite evidence of growing inflationary pressures, a failure that contributed to the development of the “bubble economy”; 2) the apparent attempt to “prick” the stock market bubble in 1989-91, which helped to induce an asset-price crash; and 3) the failure to ease adequately during the 1991-94 period, as asset prices, the banking system, and the economy declined precipitously.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! House prices? Oil prices? Bubble economy? Hello?

The BOJ’s announcement that it would maintain the zero rate policy for the indefinite future is a positive move that may well prove helpful.

Oh, yes. Very helpful. Still doing it indefinitely! I shall end on a bumper sticker idea.

ZIRP Don't Werk!

This might be an "indefinite" money making idea! Well, maybe. Time will tell. Just be sure to have the bumper stickers ready in case the economy ever falls apart again. Keep in mind there is a risk here. I'm assured over and over that it can't ever happen again. The Fed has finally perfected monetary policy. Nothing but biscuits and gravy from here on out! It's therefore more of a contrarian play.

This is not investment advice.

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

Keith Barry Black Ops Hypnosis ,The SubConscious Mind, And Success Programming

Keith Barry Black Ops Hypnosis ,The SubConscious Mind, And Success Programming


The power of hypnosis is a constant source of debate. My own research and the fact that I have now hypnotized over 3,000 people give me a unique and personal view of how the brain functions subconsciously. I am constantly asked can anyone be hypnotized and does it really work? Yes, and it does...

In the last seven years, I have come to respect the power of the subconscious mind and its ability to take new instructions from an outside source. How does the subconscious mind work, is it independent of the conscious mind, is it programmed by experiences or instructions?



Many questions come up, but the one answer is common: if you can access the subconscious, then you can reprogram it, period! Strive for Extraordinary, don't moan and sleep when you're dead.

 From filming on location in beautiful Johannesburg, South Africa, Keith Barry.

Source

new sponsor - arianna belle

What better way to wrap up unofficial 'pillow week' with my official pillow source? A lot of you probably already know about Arianna Belle, maker of all things lovely, and if you don't you'll thank me in a minute.

I found Arianna way back when while doing one of my late night Etsy pillow searches. (I know how to have a good time) She created my Schumacher Ric Rac pillow and I've been a member of her fan club ever since.

Girlfriend can create anything you can dream up, her work is impeccable and her taste is spot on. Here are some I've added to my wish list. (take notes hubs)
1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9
Check out her shop and prepare to drool. Welcome Arianna Belle to the LBD family, I'm happy you are here!

Interested in a sponsorship with little black door? Email me!

Four Dead And Eight Banda Pequeños Musical Family Members Injured During Rollover Accident In Jalisco

Four women reported dead after driver lost control of his SUV near Las Cajas in the state of Jalisco.

By H. Nelson Goodson
August 23, 2013

Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico - On Wednesday,  Gerardo Franco Macías, 33, a member of the Banda Pequeños Musical lost control of his white Honda CR-V, a four door SUV and rolled over multiple times resulting in the death of two women passengers at the scene. Two other women passengers later died at the Lagos de Moreno Hospital, while 8 family members, including seven minors were reported injured, including Macías.
They were identified as María del Carmen Ayala Franco, 35; Kimberly Yareli Mesa Ayala, 15; Eduardo Joel Velázquez Ayala, 14; Guadalupe Franco Gómez, 14; Karyme del Carmen Ayala Franco, 11; Gerardo Guillermo Franco, 9; Audri Naomi Pérez González, 7, and Kenya Samantha Ayala, 1.
El Milenio dot com reported that Macías was speeding and had twice the number of occupants allowed in the SUV while driving along the highway from Lagos de Moreno to San Juan de los Lagos before reaching Las Cajas. The SUV also had a wore out rear tire that did not support the over weight and failed to maintain the pressure, according to the Milenio.
Banda Puequeños Musical released a statement that Macías lost four members of his family in the accident, but the band will continue to fullfill their prior obligations and commitments. The deceased were identified as Macías' wife, María Gómez Islas, 32; his mother, Josefina Macías Ortega, 79; mother-in-law,  Gudelia Islas García and his sister, María Guadalupe Franco Macías, 54.
Both Gómez Islas and Macías Ortega died at the scene after suffering multiple injuries to their bodies and head trauma during the rollover. Macías was slightly injured during the accident and was released from the hospital.

Sensitivity Training Equals Communist Brain Washing ... J. D. Longstreet

Sensitivity Training Equals Communist Brain Washing   ...   J. D. Longstreet
Sensitivity Training Equals Communist Brain Washing
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

************************

I got to thinking about sensitivity training after reading that someone has suggested sensitivity training for the rodeo clown who donned an Obama mask and was promptly fired and then banned from ever working as a rodeo clown in that particular  state again.

A couple of things:  For a couple of years of my misspent youth, I worked as an announcer for a rodeo and as a track announcer for a quarter horse race track. 

I have the greatest respect in the world for rodeo clowns.  They save lives at great risk to their own personal safety.  The whole while they entertain the spectators which, in turn,  lessens the feeling of danger amongst the onlookers until the critical moments of exposure to that which presents the danger is past.

There is no more public figure than a President of the United States.  As a public figure, having fun poked at you goes with the territory. Having a "thin skin" AND finding oneself a public figure is not a good thing.  Either you thicken your skin or you get the heck out of your public job.

Poking fun at public figures is far more American than apple pie ever was. It is one of the ways Americans maintain the playing field on an even keel. "All men are created equal" ... remember?  

I have lived under every Presidents since FDR and I can say with no hesitation, Obama is the most sensitive of them all.  Even worse are his minions, his henchmen, that cohort of leftists/socialists/statists/collectivists/Marxists and communists who construct a phalanx around Obama to protect him from the proletariat. (Or as we like to refer to them down here... "the great unwashed masses.")

One must remember that Liberalism is an authoritarian philosophy.  To be a good liberal you must get in line -- and STAY in line.   If you get out of line you WILL be punished.

One of the favored ways of punishment is by isolating the offender from the group by the use of labels like racist, extremist, etc.

All tyrants know it is much more acceptable to keep the proletariat in line than to bring them back into line.  Often the later is extremely difficult requiring the spilling of large quantities of blood.  

All despots attempt to avoid such messy solutions to problems when one can avoid the problem altogether by ... brain washing the masses.

Yep.  That's what I said:  BRAIN WASHING.

The manner in which the Obama administration governs has been described as "soft despotism."  One of the most often used tools of the "soft" despot is sensitivity training, known by plain speaking folks as plain ole brain washing.

Sensitivity training is, when stripped of all the hyperbolic build-up, nothing more than "thought reform" based on the Communist Chinese technique of brainwashing from the Korean War era. 

It is good, I think for all Americans to understand that communists are social engineers.   They continually seek to change things like laws, institutions, and primarily -- society.  

Remember, Obama promised "change."  He meant it.  It was not JUST a campaign slogan.  Social engineers, like Obama, actually believe they can change society and in so doing eradicate wars, racism, hate, even squash prejudice.  The end result they are so sure they can attain is summed up in a word in little use today -- Utopia.

Utopia is an imaginary place, an ideally perfect state; especially in its social and political and moral aspects. 

No.  It doesn't exist and never will -- not on this earth, anyway. BUT -- with brain washing, with sensitivity training, the communist state can compel you to believe that Utopia IS attainable and you will act accordingly.

After four and a half years of the Obama administration,  we see a boy praying to Obama rather than God.  Does that tell you anything? Are you not alarmed?   You may read the article and view the video here:
http://www.wnd.com/2013/08/video-stunner-boy-prays-to-obama/ 

I worry that this young man's prayer to Obama is a sign of things to come in America.  Primarily -- the replacement of God with "The State." 

It is a fact of life that those pushing a radical agenda always go for the young and nieve FIRST. Getting access to them, indoctrinating them, brain washing them,  renders more foot soldiers for their cause and draws them ever nearer to attaining their end goal.

An integral part of reaching the Marxist/Communist goal of a take over of America is conditioning the citizens in "group think" and directing that group think in the direction they would have them go.  To do that sensitivity training is a must. There must be brain washing.

It's funny, isn't it, how someone firing a clown nearly a thousand miles away sparked the thoughts in this commentary.  Good thing I've not been brain washed.

Uh ...

© J. D. Longstreet

America Becoming Progessively More Accepting of Big Government Statism...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny



An interesting poll out by pollster David Winston clearly shows that American's, by a wide margin, favor ObamaCare and big statist government. Not at all surprising as this is the way America has been heading over the last 113 years. It is indeed a slow simmering process to the utopian gates of the Progressive Kingdom.

Washington Examiner - A new poll done for Republican members of Congress has found huge public opposition, and solid opposition among Republicans, to the idea of shutting down the government over the issue of funding Obamacare.

In a national survey of 1,000 registered voters done July 31 and August 1, the question, from pollster David Winston, said, “Some members of Congress have proposed shutting down the government as a way to defund the president’s health care law” and asked respondents whether they favored or opposed that plan.

Overall, 71 percent of those surveyed opposed a shutdown, while 23 percent favored a shutdown. Among Republicans, 53 percent opposed, versus 37 percent who favored. (Emphasis Mine)

Winston found a huge gender gap among Republicans. Republican men favored a shutdown by a narrow 48 percent to 44 percent margin. But Republican women opposed it by an enormous 61 percent to 29 percent margin.

Among Republicans who called themselves conservative, those who said they are very conservative favored shutdown by 63 percent to 27 percent, while those who said they are somewhat conservative opposed shutdown by 62 percent to 31 percent. Overall, Republicans who call themselves conservative were evenly split on the issue, 46 percent to 46 percent.

Conservative Republicans make up about 19 percent of the entire electorate. Of that number about nine percent call themselves very conservative, while ten percent say they are somewhat conservative. What the poll suggests is that even that conservative cohort is deeply split on the defunding initiative. {Read More}


Yes indeed. Changing times. Time for some popcorn.

Via: Memeorandum

The Best and the Worst..

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny



If being considered a great president is defined as effective leadership during times of great change or challenging circumstances the following list of the United States top ten presidents may very well be accurate.

10) Lyndon Baines Johnson
9) Thomas Jefferson
8) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
7) William Howard Taft
6) Dwight David Eisenhower
5) James Madison
4) Andrew Jackson
3) George Washington
2) Theodore Roosevelt
1) Abraham Lincoln

Count the number of statist presidents in the top ten. By my count it is five, or 50%.

Now on to the worst American presidents. If ineptitude and lack of leadership is the marker the following list may might be accurate as well. I say might be because it was compiled by U.S. News and World Report.

10) Zachary Taylor
9) (Tie) Herbert Hoover
9a) Richard Nixon
8) William Henry Harrison
7) Ulysses S. Grant
6) John Tyler
5) Millard Fillmore
4) Franklin Pierce
3) Andrew Johnson
2) Warren G. Harding
1) James Buchanan

My personal view is top two best 1) Tomas Jefferson, 2) James Madison and bottom two worst 1) Richard Nixon, 2) Ulysses S. Grant. Of course I'm quite biased not being a proponent of statism in any form.



There Can Be Only One!


Click to enlarge.

September 25, 2007
Automation and Inequality

If one was to keep extrapolating this trend to its logical conclusion, at some point there will be just one farmer. He'll have all the wages and will simply press the "harvest" button on his desk.



Source Data:
BLS: Occupational Employment Statistics

An Exercise in Definitions and Concepts...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


Definition of COLLECTIVISM:

1: a political or economic theory advocating collective control especially over production and distribution; also : a system marked by such control

2: emphasis on collective rather than individual action or identity

Definition of INDIVIDUALISM:

1: a. Belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence. b. Acts or an act based on this belief.

2: a. A doctrine advocating freedom from government regulation in the pursuit of a person's economic goals.
b. A doctrine holding that the interests of the individual should take precedence over the interests of the state or social group.

3: a. The quality of being an individual; individuality. b. An individual characteristic; a quirk.
Definitions posted for the benefit of those who have difficulty in understanding the
the subtle differences. Example from a prior blog post: " Why is "collectivism" and "individualism" considered polar opposites?
Individualist

Collectivist














STRIKING c o l o r


bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh

bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh
bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh
bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh
bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh
bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh
bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh
bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh
bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh
bittersweet colours, New York, street style, Joe fresh, vintage, COLORS, fall colors, mirrored sunglasses, prints, Fabiola Pedrazzini bag, leopard print, striking color, Daniblack, Joe fresh




     I hope you had a great week so far, I'm not complaining at all since I just returned from New York where I had such great time... more details about this trip soon...
Meanwhile here is my first outfit - my travel attire - 
One print incorporated in an outfit is ok... two even better... how about three ladies? There are no rules in mixing prints, just follow your intuition and feel good in it!
With this striking combo I said: Hello New York!!! 







                                                                         Shirt: vintage/ option Here and Here 
                                                                         Shorts: thanks to Joe Fresh/ Here 
                                                                         Blazer: vintage/ great option Here, and Here 
                                                                         Bag: c/o Fabiola Pedrazzini /option Here and Here 
                                                                         Shoes: Daniblack/ similar style Here and Here 
                                                                         Sunglasses: Foster Grant/ option Here 




The Cover-Up Continues ... J. D. Longstreet

The Cover-Up Continues   ...   J. D. Longstreet
The Cover-Up Continues
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

******************

I wrote the commentary below -- and published it -- in late October of 2012, just days before the Presidential Election in November.  Here we are, some ten months later, and we seem no closer to the truth, or to answers for multiple questions that arose at the time of the incident.
 
WHY?

 So ... I'm publishing it AGAIN in the hope (vain, perhaps) that it will peak enough interest among readers that even more pressure will be brought to bear on Congress to stop fiddling around and begin playing hardball with the administration to force answers.

As you read below you will find that much of what I wrote ten months ago could just as easily have been written today ... that little has changed.  That fact alone tells us there has been -- and is -- ongoing obfuscation at a monumental level by the administration, in hopes (I believe) of leaving us baffled and/or bewildered.  Instead, it has left this scribe angry.

Our nation's honor has been besmirched.  The conduct of our government, on many levels, has been disgraceful and that disgrace has tainted our entire country.   Our national honor is in question.  And, dear reader, when a nation loses its honor, it has lost everything.

Understand this:  We Americans are all painted with the same brush. In America the government is representative of the people. When the government lies -- the people lie.  When the government allows four Americans to be murdered without lifting a hand, it means ALL Americans allowed four of their fellow Americans to be slaughtered -- without raising a finger to defend them.

Whatever happen in Benghazi was wrong, terribly wrong, whether planned, or unplanned, or part of a plan, it should never have happened.  But it DID happen and it is an ugly part of our history that will never be successfully swept under the rug. Honest Americans will not allow this horrendous blot on our past to go unnoticed or to be sanitized by the historical revisionists who have dipped their poisonous pens into the inkwell of lies and deceit to overwrite distasteful and even illegal errors in judgment by our national leaders.

When, however, it is the national leadership instructing the obfuscation, the sanitization, and the revision of facts pertaining to one of the ugliest of incidents in nearly two and a half centuries of national existence, much of it as a global leader, the people on whose behalf the so-called leaders hold office, have a responsibility, yea, a solemn duty, to insist they be held accountable and/or removed from the high office of trust and leadership bestowed on them by the very citizens they have betrayed by their disingenuous actions or inactions.

H. L. Mencken once said:  "Honor is simply the morality of superior men."   Men of honor tend to be, in my experience, men of high morals and character.  Mencken also said:  "The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught."  EXACTLY! 

How fortunate this country was to have men of such high moral character and high standards of honor create, not only the founding documents of the country, but the foundation of the government itself.  It is simply beyond the scope of my understanding to envisage the gathering of these men in one moment in time, in one geographical location on the earth, in one particular struggle for freedom and independence, without -- repeat -- WITHOUT divine intervention.  I no more believe the congress of those men an accident of nature, or time, or circumstances,  than I believe the creation of man was an accident of nature.

I am, unabashedly, of the school of thought that America has had a divine mission since the toes of the earliest settlers settled into the wet sand of the beaches of our verdant continent.  It was, I believe, to offer the people of the world an example of how harmony between Providence and His creation could prosper a nation while the people of that nation maintained a close working relationship with their God AND their government and not succumb to the siren call of a theocracy.  Our new form of government would be responsible to the voice of God and to the voice of her people.

Now, however, our government has turned a deaf ear to both its principals.  It has become drunk on its own power and like unto a drunken man it is staggering and lurching into one disastrous situation after another, unable to resolve domestic or foreign problems as it relies solely on its own limited powers of understanding carefully camouflaged from itself by layers of shiny sparkling arrogance.

It is this ignorance, this arrogance, of America's leaders that brought us the horror of Benghazi.  And rest assured, it will bring more such disastrous incidents in our future.
Here, now, is what I wrote in October of 2012:
*********************
Benghazigate: What Are They Covering-Up?

Four Americans are dead and the American people are being lied to as to how and why they got that way.

Either the President is lying - and needs to be impeached, or he's NOT lying -- and needs to be impeached -- because he DIDN'T know what was happening!

Repeat: Four Americans are DEAD. And as much as it pains me to say it -- it doesn't look as if our government made a genuine effort to save them.

I have watched, listened, and read as much as we have been allowed to know -- plus -- information gleaned by non-mainstream media sources, and I have concluded there is a major cover-up at the top levels of the US government over the incident in Benghazi.

Now, let me be clear: I am not an investigative reporter. That is not what I do. I am a commentator -- an opinion writer ... nothing more. I have deliberately "hung back" on any in-depth comments on the Benghazi affair simply because there always seemed to me to be more THERE there. In other words, it was obvious, at least to me, that we were only getting drips and drabs of what really happened and, I felt (and still do) that we have been told nothing of WHY it happened. But, dear reader, even Helen Keller could see there is a major cover-up surrounding the incident in Benghazi!

That CIA "safe-house" has troubled me from the very beginning of this horrible story. What was the CIA doing there? There was no embassy in Benghazi. In fact, the building attacked was not even a consulate. If anything, it was a "mission." Had it been an embassy, I'd not question a CIA presence. They are practically a part of the furniture in any US Embassy. But, as I said, this was NOT an embassy.

Remember too, the last person our ambassador met with the evening of the attack was a Turkish diplomat. What was a Turkish diplomat doing in Benghazi, Libya, meeting with Ambassador Stevens at an unprotected site. Why not meet in the embassy in Tripoli?

It now seems that the ex-SEALS were not attached to the consulate, but were assigned to the CIA "safe-house." They (laudably) went against orders and made a rescue attempt of the US officials and staff at the consulate -- and lost their lives in the attempt.

There is now a fog of misinformation spewed up and out by the Obama Administration in what -- in my opinion -- is an attempt to cover-up an on-going scheme/operation to smuggle weapons into Syria through Turkey.

A few weeks ago, there was a report that Libyan militia members had been ordered to turn-in the weapons that had been supplied them in their struggle to overthrow Qaddafi. That report confirmed that many of those weapons had been turned in. Where did those weapons go? Perhaps, to the Syrian rebels?

It has been suspected for some time now that the US has been supplying small arms to the rebels in Syria for a while -- even though the Obama Administration denies it.

It is the kind of operation the CIA would be up-to-their-necks in and it would explain their presence on the ground in Libya in a safe-house a mile away from the consulate/mission.

For the sake of argument, suppose the guns gathered from the Libyan militia were being covertly sent to Turkey and then smuggled across the Turkey/Syrian border to the Syrian rebels.

I continue to cycle back to the question -- why was the Ambassador THERE , alone, without a security detail, at that particular time, meeting with a high Turkish diplomat. Remember, this was on September 11th. If there was going to be an attack by terrorists -- September 11th would be the day for it.

Now, I'm just hypothesizing here. I have no idea, at this point, what was really going on. But, I have confidence in my opinion that there was a covert operation underway -- one so black that sacrificing the lives of four Americans was deemed "worth it" by our leaders in Washington.

For whatever reason, the Obama Administration has chosen to tell the world a bald-faced lie about what happened in Benghazi.

So politicians lie, right? Yeah, they do. But this time -- four Americans are dead and the country wants to know why that happened and why the Obama Administration chose to lie to us about it.

It is clear now, that all the warnings from the political right about the penchant of this President and his administration for lies was absolutely correct. If they are lying about the "Incident in Benghazi," what else are they lying about?

Look. The cover-up of "Benghazigate" is far more important that Watergate ever was!

It is what it is. The Mainstream Media in America is an organ of the political left -- as is President Obama. There is simply no way we are going to get anything approaching impartial reporting or a REAL investigation of Benghazigate from the MsM.

For me, it is not just a matter of trust, it is a matter of honor -- NATIONAL HONOR.

America deserves better than we have gotten, or, are likely to get from Obama.

© J. D. Longstreet

Rand and Hitchens in Agreement...

by:Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


An interesting matching...

The Last Lecture...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


A Breath of Fresh Air From the Past...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


As we continue to find ways to advance collectivism in America and diminish individuality this Ayn Rand interview on the Johnny Carson show is indeed a welcome respite. Even if only for a brief 26 1/2 minutes.



I find it interesting how little the republican party represents the principles of Objectivism. Irrespective of what many have said.

The newest app for Google Glass, 'Field Trip,' displays data about destinations right before your eyes.


Here's another reason to covet Google Glass: it can serve as your personal tour guide.

One of the early so-called Glassware apps to arrive on on the search giant's high-tech eyewear, Field Trip becomes available today to the 10,000 or so Google's Glass Explorers. Those early adopters paid $1,500 to get the first pairs off the production line; final consumer models are expected in 2014.

Available for free as an Android app for a year -- and for Apple iOS devices for about six months -- Field Trip delivers location-based information about neighborhoods, cities and countries based on your interests. However, the app's full potential is unleashed on Glass, says John Hanke, vice president of Niantic Labs, which is a startup firm within Google.

Viewing information through Glass, he says, "is less distracting because it keeps your eyes free, which is the whole idea, that you can actually see the thing in front of you."

Field Trip uses GPS information to provide you facts about your environment, whether it's interesting tourist spots, landmarks and historic sites or -- for a local -- new restaurants and night clubs. As you make your way, say along a city street, small "card" of information marking important sites pop up on Glass.

Source

Murguia, Former Director Of El Centro Hispano Passed Away After Losing Battle With Cancer

Dr. Filiberto Murguia

Murguia served as executive director for the Council for the Spanish Speaking for more than three decades.

By H. Nelson Goodson
August 21, 2013

Milwaukee, WI - On Tuesday, Dr. Filiberto Murguia, 82, passed away after losing his battle with cancer. Murguia was admitted to the Zilber Hospice several weeks ago after deteriorating from liver cancer, his daughter Carmen Murguia announced. Dr. Murguia served as executive director for the Council for the Spanish Speaking, Inc., also known as El Centro Hispano or Spanish Center for more than three decades.
In 2010, the Council for the Spanish Speaking, Inc. renamed the Loyola Academy High School campus, 1645 S. 36th St., to the Dr. Filiberto and Carmen Murguia Campus. Carmen is Dr. Murguia's wife.
In 1964, El Centro Hispano became the first Latino serving non-profit community based organization in Milwaukee. A few years later, El Centro evolved into the Council for the Spanish Speaking, Inc., according to their website.
In 1973, Dr. Murguia became the CEO of the Spanish Center and then retired 30 years later in 2003.
Murguia's daughter in 2010 during her father's dedication ceremony of the Loyola Acadamy renaming said, that her father first came to the U.S. from Mexico and was using his brother's legal papers because he was undocumented and couldn't speak English. Just four months in the U.S., he was drafted by the military in his brother's name and served 60 months in the Korean War. He actually learned the Korean language first, before learning English. Soon after the war, he became a U.S. citizen and later became the CEO of the Spanish Center. When Murguia took over the Spanish Center in 1973, it had a budget of more than $200,000 and when he retired in 2003, the Council was operating on a budget of more than $5 million.
The Council operates on a yearly budget of more than $6.8 million (2007-2008) and manages six housing complexes for low income elders able to live independently. It operates an Adult Education Center, the Loyola Academy High School, Guadalupe Head Start (manages 7 Head Start locations) and a Family Resource Center at the Dr. Filiberto and Carmen Murguia Campus.

Real Pension Fund Reserves


Click to enlarge.

1. Quite the trend failure!
2. $15 trillion is a lot of money, but is it enough money?
3. Do pension funds still assume unrealistic future returns based on past performance?
4. What will happen when we get another recession?
5. How much will it spur the economy when pension assets are increasingly unleashed?
6. How much damage will it do to the stock and bond markets when pension assets are increasingly unleashed?
7. How much damage will it do to remaining pension assets when pension assets are increasingly unleashed?

Clearly the pension funds would not be worth $15 trillion today if every pension fund manager liquidated assets simultaneously. I'm just curious how much pain the typical pension fund manager (or individual investor for that matter) can expect if the pension assets are unleashed gradually.

August 5, 2013
Pandemic of pension woes is plaguing the nation

Across the nation, cities and states are watching Detroit's largest-ever municipal bankruptcy filing with great trepidation. Years of underfunded retirement promises to public sector workers, which helped lay Detroit low, could plunge them into a similar and terrifying financial hole.

This post inspired by Troy in the comments found here.

Source Data:
FRB: Z.1 Release
St. Louis Fed: CPI

Gold vs. Industrial Commodities


Click to enlarge.

Kinda scary.


Click to enlarge.

Kinda scarier.

Your opinions may vary of course. This is not investment advice.

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

Food vs. Industrial Commodities


Click to enlarge.

The housing bubble created some "pent-down" demand for industrial commodities (relative to food). Big shocker.

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

ribbon trim pillow diy

So last week I was all about bathrooms and this week it appears that pillows are the flavor of the day. But then again, when aren't pillows my jam? Never. The answer to that question is never.

My pillows pinterest board (say that five times fast) is full of wish list pillows and fabrics to make into more pillows. But since my Publishers Clearing House check still has not arrived, I need to get...creative on how to make these pillows happen.

1 // 2

Case in point.

I love these pillows long time. But they are a bit out of budget. So one day while drooling I thought, "I've got pillow cases and I've got ribbon, how hard can this be?"

The answer - it was so easy I almost feel foolish to share the step by step. Almost.


I started with a simple white pillow cover from IKEA (the Ritva, for only $7). I love the Ritva because its cheap (duh), it has great texture and a nice boarder.


Next was the ribbon - I sifted thru my stash and decided on this navy and white ribbon I used way back when. And if you remember that post you must be my mom as I'm pretty sure my mom was the only one reading this thing back then.


First step - layout your base lines and cut the ribbon/trim to size. I decided to use the natural boarder on the pillow as my 'end' which allowed me to get nice straight edges.


Second step - balance. What is that weird thing in the bottom of the picture? It's a tape measure. I know, weird and very uncharacteristic of me. But I wanted this to be as pretty as I imagined it in my head and for the design to work properly it does need to be accurate. Never a favorite word of mine, but I did it. The measurements themselves are totally arbitrary but once I decided on one side what looked best, I made sure to measure that same spacing out everywhere else.


Step three - add your diamond pieces. You will want to make sure that they meet precisely in the middle of the pillow on each of the four sides to ensure your pattern isn't lopsided. I'm not a fan of lopsided pillows.


Once everything is in place, grab that trusty fabric glue and go to town. Oh, and I did cut down each end and then iron the end of the ribbon to the underside of said ribbon in order to prevent fraying and give it that 'perfect' edge.


And it's (say it with me) just that easy!




Zoey is photo bombing my beauty shot. Don't focus on the dog, look at the pretty pillows. Ooohh. Ahhhh.

Very little work for very big impact. And so fast. I was done in 20 minutes. Give it a go, you know you wanna.

So I've used the words preciously, exact and measurements all in the same post. Doesn't sound like me at all. I must be growing, or hallucinating.

Are you precise with your DIY projects? Ever try a different path for your projects?

As Midnight Approaches...

As Midnight Approaches...
by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


... Those earlier cases have given the police broad discretion to search possessions on the person of an arrested suspect, including notebooks, calendars and pagers. The government contends that a cellphone is no different than any other object a suspect might be carrying. (Emphasis mine)

As the government of the people, by the people, and for the people under President Obama continues and even accelerates the march to the military state. As the people sleep.

Sadly the people of this once great and free nation are allowing the pompous, elitist. and thoroughly statist minded politicians and lawmakers of both parties to bamboozle us and in the process destroy the freedom and liberties this nation was built on.

All the political correct bullshit and pablum cannot change that which this nation has FREELY CHOSEN to inflict upon itself. It is midnight in America, one we chose to accept and settle for. The responsibility is ours. Sleep well America.

Continuing as the lights dim and soon go out...
The Washington Post - If the police arrest you, do they need a warrant to rifle through your cellphone? Courts have been split on the question. Last week the Obama administration asked the Supreme Court to resolve the issue and rule that the Fourth Amendment allows warrantless cellphone searches.

In 2007, the police arrested a Massachusetts man who appeared to be selling crack cocaine from his car. The cops seized his cellphone and noticed that it was receiving calls from “My House.” They opened the phone to determine the number for “My House.” That led them to the man’s home, where the police found drugs, cash and guns.

The defendant was convicted, but on appeal he argued that accessing the information on his cellphone without a warrant violated his Fourth Amendment rights. Earlier this year, the First Circuit Court of Appeals accepted the man’s argument, ruling that the police should have gotten a warrant before accessing any information on the man’s phone.

The Obama Administration disagrees. In a petition filed earlier this month asking the Supreme Court to hear the case, the government argues that the First Circuit’s ruling conflicts with the rulings of several other appeals courts, as well as with earlier Supreme Court cases. Those earlier cases have given the police broad discretion to search possessions on the person of an arrested suspect, including notebooks, calendars and pagers. The government contends that a cellphone is no different than any other object a suspect might be carrying.

But as the storage capacity of cellphones rises, that position could become harder to defend. Our smart phones increasingly contain everything about our digital lives: our e-mails, text messages, photographs, browser histories and more. It would be troubling if the police had the power to get all that information with no warrant merely by arresting a suspect.

On the other hand, the Massachusetts case involves a primitive flip-phone, which could make this a bad test case. The specific phone involved in this 2007 incident likely didn’t have the wealth of information we store on more modern cellphones. It’s arguably more analogous to the address books and pagers the courts have already said the police can search. So, as Orin Kerr points out, if the Supreme Court ruled on the case, it would be making a decision based on “facts that are atypical now and are getting more outdated every passing month.”

It has been said that ignorance is bliss. It seems ignorance and blindness can be synonymous.

Via: Memeorandum