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Top Worldwide Publisher Rankings Starting At 1 + 2 Jehovah's Witnesses


And this was a surprise to me... 

From The Top 10 List Of The 
Largest Magazine Circulation Worldwide









12,000 people claiming to be in the remnant of anointed  of the 144,000 in 2013
(partook of the memorial emblems of unleavened bread and wine in 2013)
 They claim Armageddon would happen before these people died .  
But those who were at an age of understanding in 1914  how many 100 year olds do you know?
That number should be going down as the average age of the oldest among them would be 100 years of age .


So if anything it should be shrinking NOT going up ,

after all they are the remnant of anointed brothers of christ going into the 144,000 who will rule with christ.


http://www.clicktop10.com/2013/07/top-10-most-popular-magazines-of-2013/

As of August 2012, Jehovah's Witnesses report an average membership of approximately 7.53 million actively involved in preaching, with a peak of 7.78 million.[1][2] Jehovah's Witnesses have an active presence in most countries, though they do not form a large part of the population of any country.[3]
To be counted, an individual must be a publisher, and report some amount of time preaching to non-members, normally at least an hour per month. Under certain circumstances, such as chronic and debilitating illness, members may report increments of 15 minutes. Jehovah's Witnesses' preaching activity is self-reported, and members are directed to submit a 'Field Service Report' each month. Baptized members who fail to submit a report every month are termed 'irregular'. Those who do not submit a report for six continuous months are termed 'inactive'.[4] In 2012, these reports indicated a total of more than 1.7 billion hours of preaching, and an increase of 268,777 baptized members. Over 8.7 million were also reported as studying the Bible in their homes with Jehovah's Witnesses,[1] which includes Bible studies conducted by Witness parents with their children.[5][6]
Because Jehovah's Witnesses only count as members those who submit reports for preaching activity, secular estimates of their numbers are typically higher than those indicated in the Witnesses' official membership statistics.[2] For example, Jehovah's Witnesses report approximately 1.2 million active publishers in the United States; however, an academic study at Trinity College (Connecticut) based on the American Religious Identification Survey conducted in 2008, reported an estimated 1.914 million adults in the US who self-identify as Jehovah's Witnesses.[7] Their official statistics indicate membership according to territories, some of which are not independent countries.
The number of people who attend Jehovah's Witnesses' annual commemoration of the Memorial of Christ's death (also termed the Lord's Evening Meal) includes active Witnesses, their children, and others who are invited to attend. According to the 2013 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, worldwide attendance at the 2012 celebration of the Memorial was 19,013,343.[1] In the United States, 2.52 million people were present. In Zambia 738,978 attended, or 1 person for every 19 in the population. Of those attending worldwide, over 12,000 partook of the memorial emblems of unleavened bread and wine.[1] Those who partake profess to be of the 144,000 "anointed" and hope to go to heaven, based on their interpretation of Revelation 14:1.
Congregations are generally organized geographically, and members are requested to attend the Kingdom Hall to which their neighborhood has been assigned, resulting in an ethnic mix generally representative of local population, though congregations based on language and ethnicity have also been formed.[8][9][10] In the United States, 37% of adults who self-identify as Jehovah's Witnesses are African Americans. This is the highest proportion among the 22 largest religious identifications in the United States.[11]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Jehovah's_Witnesses


Jehovah's Witnesses are members of an international religious organization who believe themselves to be the restoration of first-century Christianity. Founded in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell, official membership now stands at over 6 million. They are known for their extensive preaching and publishing activities, with The Watchtower and Awake!religious magazines being their most widely known publications. Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, they are directed by a Governing Body.
Jehovah's Witnesses are socially conservative. Being politically neutral, they have been persecuted by various governments, notably by the Nazi government, with many sent toconcentration camps. They have been instrumental in establishing religious freedoms in various countries. Their unique stand on refusing blood transfusions has also garnered publicity and controversy.
Since their foundation, they have been concerned with the second advent of Jesus. Initially holding many similar views of other 19th century Adventists groups, such as the Millerites, they have since developed their own uniqueeschatology.
http://christianity.wikia.com/wiki/Jehovah's_Witnesses

Compare To The Commercial Publishers Below

Click on a company's name to read its profile.
Rank (2012)Rank (2011)Publishing Company (Group or Division)Country Publ. CompanyMother Corporation or OwnerCountry Mother Corporation2012 Revenue in $M2011 Revenue in $M
11PearsonUKPearson (corp.)UK$9,158$8,411
22Reed ElsevierUK/NL/USReed Elsevier (corp.)UK/NL/US$5,934$5,686
33ThomsonReutersUSThe Woodbridge Company Ltd.Canada$5,386$5,435
44Wolters KluwerNLWolters KluwerNL$4,766$4,360
58Random HouseGermanyBertelsmann AGGermany$3,328$2,274
65Hachette LivreFranceLagardèreFrance$2,833$2,649
76Grupo PlanetaSpainGrupo PlanetaSpain$2,597$2,304
87McGraw-Hill EducationUSThe McGrawHill companiesUS$2,292*$2,292
99HoltzbrinckGermanyVerlagsgruppe Georg von HoltzbrinckGermany$2,220$1,952
1010Scholastic (corp.)USScholasticUS$2,148$1,906
1111CengageUSApax Partners et al.US/Canada$1,993$1,876
1212WileyUSWileyUS$1,783$1,743
1313De Agostini EditoreItalyGruppo De AgostiniItaly$1,724*$1,724
1414ShueishaJapanHitotsubashi GroupJapan$1,464$1,714
1515KodanshaJapanKodanshaJapan$1,368$1,551
1619Springer Science and Business MediaGermanyEQT and GIC InvestorsSweden, Singapore$1,298$1,138
1718Houghton Mifflin HarcourtUSEducation Media and Publishing Group LimitedUS/Cayman Islands$1,286$1,295
1816ShogakukanJapanHitotsubashi GroupJapan$1,254$1,444
1920Harper CollinsUSNews CorporationUS$1,189$1,100 (est.)
2021InformaUKInforma plcUK$1,126$1,069
2123Oxford University PressUKOxford UniversityUK$1,125$1,004
22NEWChina Publishing Group CorporateChina (PR)Government; partly publicly listedChina (PR)$1,104n/a
23NEWPhoenix Publishing and Media CompanyChina (PR)Government; partly publicly listedChina (PR)$1,076n/a
2426Kadokawa PublishingJapanKadokawa Holdings Inc.Japan$1,000$904
2524Grupo SantillanaSpainPRISASpain$985$936
2625BonnierSwedenThe Bonnier GroupSweden$968$909
2722GakkenJapanGakken Co. Ltd.Japan$937$1,043
2828Egmont GroupDenmark/NorwayEgmont International Holding A/SDenmark$792$703
2927Simon & SchusterUSCBSUS$790$787
3037China Education and Media Group (form. Higher Education Press)China (PR)China Education and Media GroupChina (PR)$702$445
3129Woongjin ThinkBigKoreaWoongjin HoldingKorea$667$685
3231KlettGermanyKlett GruppeGermany$604$594
3332CornelsenGermanyCornelsenGermany$577$558
3417Readers DigestUSRDA Holding Co.US$533$1,438
3533MondadoriItalyThe Mondadori GroupItaly$511$506
3634Messagerie / GeMS (Gruppo editoriale Mauri Spagnol)ItalyMessagerie ItalianeItaly$491$494
3739Media ParticipationsFranceMedia ParticipationsBelgium$455$442
3835Lefebvre-SarrutFranceFrojalFrance$447$467
3940Abril EducaçãoBrazilAbril groupBrazil$432$411
4036HarlequinCanadaTorstar Corp.Canada$428$450
4137SanomaFinlandSanoma WSOYFinland$426$446
4241PerseusUSAPerseusUSA$425$350
43NEWCambridge University PressUKCambridge University PressUK$396n/a
4442Westermann VerlagsgruppeGermanyMedien Union (Rheinland-Pfalz Gruppe)Germany$361$339
4543La Martinière GroupeFranceLa Martinière GroupeFrance$351$335
46NEWFlammarionFranceMadrigallFrance$349$360
4730RCS LibriItalyRCS Media GroupItaly$333$667
4846Groupe GallimardFranceMadrigallFrance$329*$329
4948KyowonKoreaKyowonKorea$322$298
5044BungeishunjuJapann/aJapan$298$331
5151Haufe GruppeGermanyPriavtely ownedGermany$291$269
5249WekaGermanyWeka FirmengruppeGermany$258$282
53NEWOLMA Media GroupRussian/a$257n/a
5447ShinchoshaJapanPrivately ownedJapan$245$319
5554EKSMORussiaPrivately ownedRussia$232$195
56excl.Editions AtlasFranceGruppo De AgostiniItaly$230n/a
5750SaraivaBrazilSaraivaBrazil$230$267
5853Groupe Albin MichelFranceGroupe Albin MichelFrance$224$216
5952Editora FTDBrazilEditora FTDBrazil$198$226
6045ASTRussiaPrivately ownedRussia$194$330



New York City's One World Trade Center is now the nation's tallest building

New York City's One World Trade Center is now the nation's tallest building


It's official: New York City's One World Trade Center is now the nation's tallest building, wresting the title from Chicago's Willis Tower, which claimed the top spot for 40 years.
\
It also leapfrogged the 1,667-foot Taipei 101 in Taiwan to become the third largest building in the world.
Burj Khalifa, the 163-floor office, hotel and residential building in Dubai. continues to tower over all the rest in the world at 2,717 feet.

Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower, had threatened to hold onto its top U.S. spot after a design change for the needle on top of the World Trade Center raised the question of whether it was part of the structure or an add-on, like an antenna or lightning rod.
The ruling Tuesday by the Height Committee of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which is the final arbiter of global building heights, means the WTC building can claim its full 1,776-foot height.
The 1,776 figure is symbolically important for the tower that was built on the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Source

How Gay Is Islam?

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle


The latest rant from Pat Condell



Click here if the video fails to load.



It isn't at all gay. Not even slightly.

Muslims in Britain have zero tolerance for homosexuality
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/ma...

Homosexuals "worse than animals"
http://hurryupharry.org/2013/11/04/is...

Islamic violence against gays
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=617_13...

Gulf states to introduce medical testing to 'detect' gays and stop from entering the country
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...

The global divide on homosexuality
http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/06/04/t...

Governments remove sexual orientation from UN resolution condemning arbitrary executions
http://www.iglhrc.org/content/governm...

56 Islamic states reject UN debate on anti-gay violence
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/201...

Muslim envoys walk out in protest at UN gay rights debate
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles...

UN panel cuts gay reference from anti-violence resolution
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/1...

UN General Assembly votes to allow gays to be executed without cause
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/...

OIC demonstrates its rampant homophobia
http://www.libertiesalliance.org/2012...

Homosexuals are inferior to dogs and pigs, says Iranian cleric
http://www.theguardian.com/world/iran...

Persecution of homosexuals in Iran
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Persecution...)

Short video tutorial for people who insist that brutal Islamic values only appeal to a handful of extremists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvk3kj...

Interesting account of a left/Muslim rally by gay activist Peter Tatchell. He and his friend were the only visibly gay people there. I wonder why.
http://www.petertatchell.net/politics...

Dreadful at the Dorchester: Jalal-ibn-Saeed's assembly of haters
http://hurryupharry.org/2013/10/24/dr...

Sharia means death for gays if respectable suit-and-tie jihadis like this get their way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxx08_...

Can anyone explain why we should boycott the Russian Olympics for their anti-gay law, but not the Qatar World Cup?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rig...

Here's a typical piece of delusional nonsense about gays and Muslims having a common cause.
http://www.salon.com/2013/04/02/stop_...

Sarah Palin Said What?...

Sarah Palin Said What?...
by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


Pay particular close attention at the 1 minute 30 second mark. If anyone can actually figure out exactly what she rambled on about please share your thoughts.


Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Nails on a chalkboard? Yep, for sure. Read the article at TPM.

Via: Memeorandum

White Male Butts Obama!

An unidentified white male butts President Barack H. Obama while on TV.

By H. Nelson Goodson
November 11, 2013

Washington,  D.C. - On Monday, an image depicting an unidentified white male that butts President Barack H. Obama while on the TV tube has gone viral on the social networks. In Facebook (FB), users are claiming that the social network is working vigorously to eliminate the image from FB and recommended for users to repost it before it disappears from the FB network.
The image of a white male personality who shows a high up Ok sign with his fist is seen smiling with his butt half exposed pointing at Obama or in front of the president while on television seems in poor taste and racist, some might claim. But for what ever reason the image was taken seems to have generated humor or tasteless humor on the social networks.
Will it ever disappear from the Internet?, most likely not.
Probably the image was taken as a way to express free speech, but seems to have been done in very poor taste. Remember images like this one usually come back and hunt you when you least expect it. Lmao!
What do you think? 

where do you want to go

Good gracious y'all!! Thank you so much for your response to the One Room Challenge. Not only am I grateful for all of you, but I had such a great time looking thru all of the fabulous rooms of the other ladies as well as all the amazing linking party participants.  There is some serious talent out there, and I was thrilled to be apart of it. I'll be back on Wednesday with details and sources on the room.

And if you follow me on Instagram (which you totally should by the way) then you know on top of the ORC excitement, I had some other big stuff going on as well. More on that as soon as I can share.

So all of this action has left me exhausted and hankering for a trip somewhere. I was raised a traveler. I've been to each of the lower 48, all by car thank you very much, so I've gotten to see so many great places. And maybe it is coming down from a stressful few weeks, or the fact that winter is approaching and I'm getting ready to hibernate, but I want to hit the road.

Maine
Charleston, SC
California Redwoods
Breckenridge, CO

my girls on the beach in Sarasota

Where do you want to go? Where is your favorite place to travel? Who wants to go on a road trip?

Two Reported Dead, 18 Wounded At Cypress House Party In Texas

Mariah Boulden, Queric Richardson and Ariel Shepherd, aka, Arielle Oliviaa

Harris County Sheriff's Department arrested Stewart in connection with 20 partygoers being shot, including two killed and another teen suffered a broken leg at house party.

By H. Nelson Goodson
November 10, 2013
(Updated)

Cypress, Texas - On Saturday, Harris County Sheriff's deputies responded to a mass shooting at a Houston suburb residence at 7318 Enhanted Creek Drive at 10:45 p.m. where a Twitter, Facebook and Instagram advertised birthday house party for Mariah Boulden, 18, was being held. When deputies arrived at the residence they found multiple teens wounded and called ambulances. The wounded teens were taken to five Houston area hospitals. One of the victims, Queric Richardson, 17, of Katy died at the scene. He was fatally shot multiple times by the suspects. His 16-year-old brother, Kenneth Guidry was also wounded as he tried to save Queric. Guidry didn't know until ten minutes later that he had been also shot, according to his father Lawrence Guidry, reported KTRK TV News 13. The second victim, Ariel Shepherd, aka, Arielle Oliviaa, 17, later died at a nearby hospital. Both deceased victims attended Morton Ranch High School.
Eighteen other victims suffered gunshot wounds from minor to critical, and one other teenager suffered a broken leg in the melee. The injured victims are expected to survive, according to Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia.
Authorities were looking for a 18 and 21-year-old man in connection with the shootings. A $5,000 dollar reward was being offered for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of both suspects.
The suspect, Randy Stewart, 18, apparently entered through the back way, after refusing to be search for weapons. Someone discharged his weapon in celebration while inside the party. Then the gunfire erupted inside. Boulden's mother and brother were at the party when the melee happened inside.
Stewart is charged with one felony count for aggravated assault resulting in death. He was taken into custody by authorities.
Multiple homicide and other charges are pending against Stewart. If convicted, Stewart is facing life in prison without parole or the death penalty.


On Monday, Randy Stewart, 18, was arrested and processed by the Harris County Sheriff's Office and charged with felony deadly aggravated assault in connection with a double homicide and 18 victims being injured by gunfire. Stewart's bail was set at $250,000 and remains in custody. Multiple charges are pending against Stewart. He could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Christie the Dem's Choice for GOP Presidential Candidate ... J. D. Longstreet

Christie the Dem's Choice for GOP Presidential Candidate   ...   J. D. Longstreet
Christie the Dem's Choice for GOP Presidential Candidate
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

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

There are lots of things that are sure and certain like:  death, taxes, and democrats will cheat during elections.  Now we can add another to the ever growing list.  The Dems want Chris Christie, of New Jersey, to be the the GOP candidate for President in 2016.

The Mainstream Media, which is the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party, has already begun its less than subtle campaign to secure that position for Christie. 
The President's plan to utterly destroy the GOP is on the cusp of total success and having Christie as the 2016 GOP candidate for President would be the cherry on top.

Look.  Christie is, at best, a moderate to liberal, progressive republican.  This is the wing of the republican party that relegated the party to the wilderness for 40 years and is, in fact, doing it again -- even as we write this piece.

 I am convinced that Christie's wing of the GOP doesn't want to lead.  They are happiest when the democrats lead and they can stand back and take high sounding pot shots while becoming the perpetual loyal opposition.

Conservative republicans interested in leadership and especially in leading the country out of its malaise and back to world leadership had better get out of the GOP --  right now -- and form another party -- a party that will aggressively challenge the democrats who are quickly sewing up the political scene in America for at least a generation.

The leftist American press is assuring Americans that Christie is among the most electable GOP candidates in the running today.  What they fail to tell the American readership is this:  There are NO electable GOP candidates running today for President of the US.  NONE!

Look.  The 2016 presidential election is already lost to the Democrats.  The Dems already have the electoral college vote wrapped up. 

Consider this from an article by Myra Adams at The Daily Beast:   "After totaling the electoral votes in all the terminally blue states, an inconvenient math emerges, providing even a below average Democrat presidential candidate a potential starting advantage of 246. Here are the states and their votes:

CA (55), NY (29), PA (20), IL (20), MI (16), NJ (14), WA (12), MA (11), MN (10), WI (10), MD (10), CT (7), OR (7), HI (4), ME (4), NH (4), RT (4), VT (3), DE (3), DC (3).

Let me repeat, if only for the shock value: 246 votes out of 270 is 91 percent. That means the Democrat candidate needs to win only 24 more votes out of the remaining 292. (There are a total of 538 electoral votes.)  (Emphasis by underlining mine.)  SOURCE:  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/18/can-a-republican-win-270-electoral-votes-in-2016-or-ever.html

I am a life-long conservative and, until this time last year, I was a registered republican.  So, it gives me no pleasure, whatsoever, to make the prediction that Hillary has 2016 wrapped up.  In fact it tends to induce a potent bout of nausea.  But -- there it is.

Should Christie win the GOP nomination, the "stay at home" factor will rule the day on election day 2016.  If you think conservatives stayed at home when Romney was the candidate, in the words of Al Jolson: "You ain't seen nothing yet."   As likable as Christie is -- he is still seen as a northeastern moderate/liberal  candidate unacceptable to southern conservatives -- under any conditions.

But the leftist propaganda mill has already begun to grind out the puff pieces and PR pieces on Christie in an attempt to convince the republican electorate to support the ONLY candidate with any chance of winning against Hillary -- Chris Christie.  It is one of the oldest electioneering tricks in the book.   It is tried and true having worked many times in the past.

For more on the southern conservative feelings about Chris Christie we suggest you visit the Texas Fred Blog and read "Chris Christie Inducted into CAIR’s ‘Best List’ for Fighting ‘Islamophobia’."  You will find it at:  http://www.texasfred.net/archives/22310

This is NOT a new problem or a problem just surfacing for Christie.  An article by Daniel Pipes & Steve Emerson entitled:  "Chris Christie’s Islam Problem"  published at National Review Online in May of 2012 REALLY lifts the skirt on Christie's history of cozzying up to the Muslim community.  It is disturbing to say the very least.  You'll find the article at:   http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/297322/chris-christie-s-islam-problem-daniel-pipes

Probably the most important thing to remember about Chris Christie is this ... he is a republican elected in a solid, I mean SOLID, democrat state.  Conservatives simply do not get elected to the post of governor in New Jersey.  But a RINO (Republican In Name Only) obviously can be -- and has been.

Remember that.

J. D. Longstreet

Moving Towards a Smarter Unemployment Force

The following chart shows the two year moving average of the percentage of the unemployed (25+ years of age) who have bachelor's degrees and higher.


Click to enlarge.

May 23, 2012
The Globalist: Moving Toward a Smarter World

I am optimistic — not because I expect human nature to change, but because we now have at our disposal an enormous new natural resource: the gusher of data that enables us to literally see and understand our world as never before.

The data certainly gushes. I'll give him that.

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

Season's Toppers

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 Today I have for you a classic approach with a modern, demanding allure.
It is well known that I love classic looks/ pieces but sometimes I love adding a "breath fresh of air" to my outfits. What I mean by that is adding my own signature to a look or wearing an unexpected item. Even though these days nothing probably surprise you (in fashion) I like trying different styles in one outfit. That being said: a long coat and espadrilles is my last experiment and I totally love it. Of course I will try a long coat and heels but I will never say no to a casual take, like this one!




                                                                    Coat: vintage/ a few great options HereHere and Here
                                                                    Turtleneck lambswool sweater: Borelli Collection/ similar Here and Here 
                                                                    Pants: Tommy Hilfiger/ Here
                                                                    Espadrilles: Celine/ affordable versions Here and Here
                                                                    Bag: Lancaster Paris c/o Caro Marketing/ option Here and  Here  
                                                                    Bangle bracelets: vintage and monogramed Gorjana /Here 
                                                                    Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren


  

The Hollowing Out of America's Middle Class


Click to enlarge.

As seen in the chart above, retail trade, leisure, and hospitality production and nonsupervisory employment has been growing faster than employment overall. This is clearly not a recent development.


Click to enlarge.

Not only do these jobs not pay well, but in inflation adjusted terms they pay roughly one-third less than they did in the early 1970s.

The future's so bright I gotta wear lampshades.

Source Data:
BLS: Employment
St. Louis Fed: CPI

"Raza" Take Control Of Your Economic Spending Power To Influence Change, Today!

Immigrants, Hispanics and supporters need to finally take control of more than $2T of their spending and buying economic power to influence change in America.

November 10, 2013

Washington, D.C. - Six days left for the 113th U.S. House first session to end in 2013 and "no vote" will be taken for immigration reform, the GOP House leadership has confirmed. Acts of civil disobedience around the nation has made little progress, but plenty of headlines for the need of immigration reform, annual marches have run their course and upcoming elections will determine the leadership in politics and direction of the country. But don't despair, immigrants, Hispanics and supporters for immigration reform have the most powerful option within their grasps, which has not been put into action today. 
Hispanics have more than $2T of spending and buying economic power that has not been tapped to influence change in our country. It's time for a showdown, a 16-day economic shutdown launched throughout America by Immigrants, Hispanics and supporters will show that we finally have control of our economic spending power to manipulate change for our needs and future. 
"Spend less in places where they don't publicly support immigration reform and spend more at businesses that support reform and go on record they have contacted their federal legislators to support and bring an immigration reform bill to the floor for a vote." 
I approve this message, H. Nelson Goodson.

The Jobs of the Future


Click to enlarge.

September 3, 2013
After a Recent Upswing, College Enrollment Declines, Census Bureau Reports

In 2012, there were 19.9 million college students, including 5.8 million enrolled in two-year colleges, 10.3 million in four-year colleges and 3.8 million in graduate school.

The math suggests that we are going to have some seriously well educated retail, leisure, and hospitality workers in the future.

Some people probably wonder why I'm still a permabear. Go figure.

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

An Obama Admission...

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


I found the following article by Ann Althouse interesting. More than just interesting really. Refreshing and honest as well.

In yesterday's interview with Chuck Todd, Obama said:

"You know, one of the lessons -- learned from this whole process on the website -- is that probably the biggest gap between the private sector and the federal government is when it comes to I.T. ...

Well, the reason is is that when it comes to my campaign, I'm not constrained by a bunch of federal procurement rules, right?"

That is, many have pointed out that his campaign website was really good, so why didn't that mean that he'd be good at setting up a health insurance website? The answer is that the government is bad because the government is hampered by... government!

"And how we write -- specifications and -- and how the -- the whole things gets built out. So part of what I'm gonna be looking at is how do we across the board, across the federal government, leap into the 21st century."

I love the combination of: 1. Barely able to articulate what the hell happens inside these computer systems, and 2. Wanting to leap!

"Because when it comes to medical records for veterans, it's still done in paper. Medicaid is still largely done on paper.

When we buy I.T. services generally, it is so bureaucratic and so cumbersome that a whole bunch of it doesn't work or it ends up being way over cost."

This should have made him sympathetic to the way government burdens private enterprise, but he's focused on liberating government to take over more of what has been done privately. And yet there's no plan, no idea about what would suddenly enable government to displace private businesses competing to offer a product people want to buy.

Instead, we've been told we must buy a product, and things have been set up so we can only go through the government's market (the "exchange"), and the government has already demonstrated that its market doesn't work. But you can't walk away, you're forced to buy, and there's nowhere else to go. And yet, he wants us to feel bad about the cumbersome bureaucracy the government encountered trying to procure the wherewithal to set up the market it had already decided we would all need to use. {Read More}



Indeed Ann, indeed.

Via: Memeorandum

"No vote for 2013" On Immigration Reform The U.S. House GOP Leadership Confirmed

The U.S. House GOP leadership confirmed over the weekend that they will not move to allow a vote on an immigration reform bill before 2013 ends.

By H. Nelson Goodson
November 9, 2013

Washington, D.C. - In the last three days around the country, multiple sit-ins held in cities by immigrant rights organizations to push for the U.S. House majority GOP leadership to allow a vote on an immigration bill has made no strives to getting a bill closer to getting introduced and approved before the 113th first House session ends in seven days. The GOP leadership including House majority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) once again confirmed late Friday, that an immigration reform bill will not come to the House floor for a vote, claiming that not enough time to debate and approve one. With McCarthy's confirmation on Friday, any hope of passing a bill before 2013 ends is definitely a dead issue.
Many Republicans have indicated that they support a just comprehensive immigration reform bill including Congressman McCarthy, but not this year. 
The foreseeable failure to pass an immigration bill this year will have long term consequences that includes more daily detentions of undocumented immigrants and mass deportations could reach up to another four to five million for the next 6 years. The U.S House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the White House control in the upcoming elections will determine how long before an immigration reform bill will be finally approved. Most likely, it will take at least 6 years to actually get a bill pass, if a majority or bipartisan support does accomplish to ever pass one. 
The GOP's priority for immigration reform is focused on border security, enforcement of work vertification and harsher penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants. 
Despite knowing that no immigration reform bill will pass this year, millions of undocumented workers will continue to work under the shadows and some who never did cared, if a bill would ever be approved simply because they currently have a job and are still working. Once the federal government begind to enforce work verification, many of the undocumented immigrants who stayed on the sidelines and allowed others to fight for reform will then have to join the ranks of a never ending struggle to get a bill approved, which also reforms America's immigration system.



As the Republican Party (and Conservatives) Continue To Struggle To Understand...

As the Republican Party (and Conservatives) Continue To Struggle To Understand...
by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


I am a fiscal conservative, a social libertarian, not a democrat, not a republican... I am an American and I vote, like millions of other Americans do. Although the total turnout is shameful to say the least. That is, however a story for another day.

In reading THE WEEK I admit to being a bit puzzled. The week is a conservative leaning publication so it is natural they would pitch the party line that republicans need to attract people from the traditional conservative strongholds. In other words white males over 30, married women (presumably with children), and the fundie right Christians.

The only problem with this recipe is there are increasingly less people in the demographic group this publication is suggesting republicans target. Ultimately it is a losing strategy and will insure 50 years (or more) of democratic rule. Period.

The real answer is to create a much bigger tent by adopting a socially libertarian viewpoint on individual preference, whether it be sexual orientation, reproductive rights (women's rights), marijuana use, and the complete host of other individual liberties. At the same time republicans need to enunciate how and why fiscally responsible conservatism is the road to national economic stability and a successful middle class. Being forthright and acknowledging it is time to tame the MIC Leviathan and our nation's role as the policeman of the world will be paramount if the republicans party is to survive. Simply put... whether a conservative or a liberal the majority think the people (all of them) are more important that the state retaining unchecked power and influence worldwide.

From THE WEEK:
If demography is destiny, Republicans can't win the presidency by acting more like Democrats. The GOP's best shot in 2016 is not to nominate a moderate. They must nominate a conservative who can attract more conservative voters to the polls, just like President Obama built his own coalition and increased the relative electoral power of each constituent part. Not that it will be easy.

As long as the GOP nominates someone plausible, they start off with 46 percent of the vote and a large chunk of the electoral college. Getting to 270 + 1 electoral votes and then to 50 percent of the popular balloting requires trade-offs and choices.

Where Obama drew in younger voters, unmarried women, black voters, and Latinos, Republicans would be wise to focus, in the short term, on raising turnout among married women, white men over 30, and self-described evangelical Christians.

Skip

Of course, overall demographic trends tilt the balance away from Republicans. The uphill climb begins with an awareness that Democrats will have somewhere between 200 and 250 electoral votes banked by Election Day. I'll start with 226, which leaves Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes) and 30 other states for Republicans to pick up. A lot of states, yes, but the most populous ones are already true blue, and there are fewer large states where Republicans can meaningfully turn out their demographic tranches relative to whatever a strong Democratic presidential candidate might do.

Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Iowa are pretty much the only states where there's enough give for Republicans. If the 2016 nominee wins those states, he or she will need at least eight more electoral votes...

Skip

What Republicans really can't do is nominate someone who would try to eat into Democratic percentages among younger voters and Latino voters. It's a much taller order to take votes away, and there aren't many states where, unless Democrats massively lose face among these groups, a Republican can take them over. (I see just two: Colorado and Florida.)

So to those who say: The GOP will ONLY win the presidency if it moderates its tone on social issues, I say: not with the electorate as currently constituted. It might be useful, but it is neither necessary or sufficient.

All in all the recipe presented by THE WEEK is more of the same short sighted view that cost republicans in 2008 and 2012. It is fairly oblivious (or at least t should be) that some conservatives and republicans just don't get bit. Probably they never will.

Via: Memeorandum

College Graduate Unemployment


Click to enlarge.

You can disregard the blue point due to the government shutdown if you like. As for the trend in red, a good pair of rose-colored glasses will make it virtually invisible!

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

Alcala Charged In Hit and Run Death Of Milwaukee Homeless Man

Carolyn C. Alcala and Anthony J. Judd

Alcala kept going after striking Judd, a homeless man at the 900 block of W. Greenfield Ave.

By H. Nelson Goodson
November 9, 2013

Milwaukee, WI - On Friday, Carolyn C. Alcala, 47, pleaded not guilty to one felony count of hit-and-run in the death of Anthony "Tony" J. Judd, 45, a known Milwaukee homeless man whose punch line was "Hey amigo, you got 25 cents." On October 26, Judd was crossing W. Greenfield Ave. when Alcala driving westbound on her Cadillac Escalade (SUV) struck Judd before 7:20 p.m. and stopped, then made a U-turn to see what happened. She noticed Judd's shoe on the pavement and panicked, she immediately drove home and told her daughter about the incident. The daughter adviced to turn her self to police.
The criminal complaints states, that Alcala was intoxicated when she surrendered to police just after 8:00 p.m. and had admitted to having four drinks at a local bar earlier in the day. 
Judd died of mulitiple blunt force trauma to the body, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office.
If convicted, Alcala is facing up to 25 years in prison and $10,000 in fines. Alcala remains free on a $15,000 cash bond and is expected back in court on November 19.

15-year-old Wisconsin Missing Girl Turns Self To Chicago Cop

Kathryn Stalbaum

Stalbaum turned herself to Chicago police for help.

By H. Nelson Goodson
November 8, 2013

Chicago, Illinois - On Friday, Kathryn Stalbaum, 15, from the Town of Genesee who has been missing since last Tuesday turned herself to a Chicago police officer for help, according to the Chicago Police Department. Stalbaum approached the officer and told him that she had been missing from Wisconsin. 
Authorities are now trying to get information how Stalbaum disappeared and ended up in Chicago.
Waukesha authorities found her teal bicycle abandoned near the Waukesha Memorial Hospital. She was riding the bicycle and text a friend that she was going to catch a school bus around 6:30 a.m., but she never made it or was heard from since Tuesday.
The Crime Stoppers of Waukesha County and the Waukesha Deputy Sheriff's Association were offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to finding Stalbaum. 
The FBI and the U.S. Marshal Service were involved in her search.