Reid Apologizes for Remarks on Obama’s Color and ‘Dialect’

From The New York Times:

By JEFF ZELENY

Published: January 9, 2010

WASHINGTON — Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader, apologized on Saturday for once predicting that Barack Obama could become the country’s first black president because he was “light-skinned” and had “no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”

Read more...

What more can one say? How about "idiot"?

The Rev. Al Sharpton of New York offered his support for Mr. Reid after receiving a telephone call from him. He said that while Mr. Reid “did not select the best word choice in this instance,” the comments should not distract Congress or the White House.

Now about any Republican who might say something like that....

Strong Belief In Islam An Insanity Defense

From The Wall Street Journal

By BEN CASSELMAN

Defense attorneys for accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan are racing to collect evidence that could show their client is insane before a psychiatric evaluation is completed.

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Associated Press

The Army on Wednesday evening told Maj. Hasan's defense lawyers that it had convened a so-called sanity board to evaluate whether Maj. Hasan is fit to stand trial. The three-person panel is expected to make a recommendation by the end of February, a timeline that has defense attorneys frustrated.

Maj. Hasan is accused of killing 12 fellow soldiers and one civilian in a Nov. 5 rampage at the Texas Army base. Prosecutors are expected to seek the death penalty.

Maj. Hasan's mental status is shaping up to be a central issue in the case. John P. Galligan, the retired Army colonel leading the defense team, has said he was considering pursuing an insanity defense, and the Army has appointed a prosecutor with experience in such cases.

Read more....

New GM Battery Only Cost 5 Times Too Much

It's a start, but still requires massive subsidies and massive restrictions on existing technologies by our government.

GM battery may get Mich. moving on new path

Technology touted, but experts skeptical over electric cars’ cost

BY ROBERT SNELL AND ALISA PRIDDLE

The Detroit News [online edition]

Brownstown Township — The first lithium-ion battery pack rolled off the line Thursday at General Motors Co.’s new assemb­ly plant here, a symbolic display that could be a step toward trans­forming Michigan’s battered manufacturing industry.

The battery pack is bound for a Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle, which debuts lat­er this year. But the battery pack’s arrival coincided with a study re­leased Thursday showing the cost targets behind the automakers’ electric vehicle plans are unlikely to be achieved, making it hard for consumers to recoup the extra cost of buying advanced vehicles. The cost is unlikely to drop to the $250 per kilowatt/hour threshold cited by many carmak­ers for the vehicles to be compet­itive in price, according to a study by Boston Consulting Group. That price target is not possible without a major breakthrough in battery technology, the study con­cluded, and no such break­through is on the horizon, said Xavier Mosquet, the Detroit­based leader of BCG’s automotive group.

As a result, the payback time for an all-electric vehicle in the United States is about 15 years, or 19 years for an extended-range electric vehicle such as the Volt, the study found.

“Consumers want a three years or less payback period for the ex­tra cost of the batteries,” said Mas­simo Russo, a partner in the Bos­ton office.

But, a broader acceptance of electric vehicles will drive down costs, and GM wants to expand the number of vehicles that will rely on the same battery technology.

“There’s more to come,” GM Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre said.

The event Thursday drew U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and a host of politicians.

“We will recapture the lead we have lost and become the world leader in clean vehicles,” Chu said. “This is where the real work be­gins.

I know we will succeed.”

The plant employs about 25 people now, but about 100 people will work here once production ramps up. Whitacre said that fig­ure could grow.

GM is receiving about $241 million in federal grants, includ­ing $106 million for the battery pack assembly factory, which will be the first such facility in the United States operated by a major automaker.Initially, batteries will be sent to GM’s battery lab in War­ren for testing. This spring, GM will ship the batteries to the De­troit- Hamtramck assembly plant, where the Volt will be built.

“We’ve had tough times, but this battery represents we’re bouncing back better than ever,” said U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D ­Royal Oak.

E.P.A. Asks for Stricter Rules for Pollutants Causing Smog

When will the Obama administration start taxing Chinese products because they are produced by industries that foul the atmosphere in China and eventually impact the atmosphere in Los Angeles?

E.P.A. Asks for Stricter Rules for Pollutants Causing Smog

By JOHN M. BRODER

Published: January 7, 2010

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a stricter new standard for smog-causing pollutants on Thursday that, if adopted, will impose large costs on industry and local governments but will also bring substantial health benefits to millions of Americans.

The proposed standard would replace one set by the Bush administration in March 2008, which has been challenged in court by environmental advocates as too weak to adequately protect human health and the environment.

The Obama administration’s proposal sets a primary standard for ground-level ozone of no more than 0.06 to 0.07 parts per million, to be phased in over two decades. The new rule would replace the standard of 0.075 parts per million imposed by the Bush administration. The agency is also proposing a secondary standard that will vary with the seasons to protect plants and trees from repeated exposure.

May as well tax the real culprits.

Formula For Trouble

This...
Plus this...
Plus this...
could be trouble. So, make sure only middle-aged guys with lots of insurance drive this car.

Democratic Party Senators Calling It Quits

The ship is leaking and the rats are getting nervous.

By PETER WALLSTEN and NAFTALI BENDAVID

AFP/Getty Images

Sen. Christopher Dodd (center) at a news conference with Sen. Tom Harkin (left) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in December.

WASHINGTON—The retirements of two top Democratic senators underscore what many in the party had already conceded: The prognosis for Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections is looking bad.

In brief remarks Wednesday outside his home in East Haddon, Conn., Sen. Christopher Dodd confirmed he wouldn't seek re-election for a sixth term, bowing to political realities which see him trailing potential Republican opponents in a fall campaign.

Mr. Dodd said his decision wasn't based on any predictions about the November elections, although the senator also acknowledged he is in "the toughest political shape" of his career.

Read more....

President Says U.S. Missed Key Bomb Clues

Dots? What dots? Those aren't dots? Those are just some poor, abused Middle Easterners wanting to go home to their falafel. They just happen to have bad friends.

By JONATHAN WEISMAN, SIOBHAN GORMAN and EVAN PEREZ

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama, in his harshest remarks yet on the terrorism threat facing the nation, said U.S. intelligence agencies knew that al Qaeda in Yemen was targeting the United States, but "failed to connect those dots" to thwart a Christmas Day bombing attempt.

The White House suspends transfers of Yemeni detainees held at Guantanamo Bay to their home country.

The remarks capped a day in which the president, facing heat from Republicans over what they paint as a lackluster initial response, summoned his full cabinet to meetings on counterterrorism in an effort to show his administration's engagement on the issue.

Read more....

It is good of the President to take time to be "engaged."

Ford Vs. Government Motors

In order to level the playing field which was biased in GM's favor with a rich infusion of government cash, the government will probably find ways to penalize Ford for not allowing the government to call the shots.

Intelligent Investing Panel

Ford Vs. Government Motors

Alexandra Zendrian, 01.05.10, 06:00 AM EST

GM has come out swinging from its government-induced bankruptcy, but Ford's strength in 2009 makes it a contender in 2010.

Things are looking up for the American automakers this year. General Motors is restructuring itself and is winding down its Saab brand. But though there seems to be more confidence in GM now than there was last year, Ford is giving GM a run for its money. These two companies could both be victorious, or one could leave the other badly bruised in the battle for top car company in 2010.

General Motors probably wants to forget 2009--the year that it was forced into bankruptcy. It ended the year on a higher note; GM's 2009 third quarter revenue was $28 billion, up $4.9 billion from its second quarter revenue.

Read more....

Those Munitions Were Here A Minute Ago

They were small trucks....

Embassies shut after 'Yemen lost track of arms trucks'

It is not clear when the embassies in Sanaa will reopen

The closure of three embassies in Yemen followed local security forces losing track of six trucks full of arms and explosives, say reports from Yemen.

France announced its mission in the capital Sanaa was shut on Monday, a day after the US and UK closed theirs.

Read more....

Natural Gas A Renewable Resource

Many believe that natural gas is a limited resource and we will run out of it soon in the United States.

As to the latter belief, that is obviously in error as reported here:

U.S. Natural Gas Resource Estimates

Below are three estimates of natural gas reserves in the United States. The first, compiled by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), estimates that there are 1,747.47 Tcf of technically recoverable natural gas in the United States. This includes undiscovered, unproved, and unconventional natural gas. As seen from the table, proved reserves make up a very small proportion of the total recoverable natural gas resources in the U.S.

Natural Gas Technically Recoverable Resources
Natural Gas Resource Category (Trillion Cubic Feet)	As of January 1, 2007
Nonassociated Gas
Undiscovered	373.20
Onshore	113.61
Offshore	259.59
Inferred Reserves	220.14
Onshore	171.05
Offshore	49.09
Unconventional Gas Recovery	644.92
Tight Gas	309.58
Shale Gas	267.26
Coalbed Methane	68.09
Associated-Dissolved Gas	128.69
Total Lower 48 Unproved	1366.96
Alaska	169.43
Total U.S. Unproved	1536.38
Proved Reserves	211.09
Total Natural Gas	1747.47
Source: Energy Information Administration - Annual Energy Outlook 2009

As to the second belief that it is not renewable, recent studies have shown that a nearly inexhaustible supply comes from here...

Of course, this gas will be restricted by the EPA because it releases CO2 into the atmosphere when burned. That would make all of that hot air hotter.

President Obama Finally States The Obvious

It only took one week and a complete PR mess by Janet Napolitano, but our esteemed President Obama declared the obvious:

Obama Ties Failed Plane Attack to Al Qaeda

By PETER BAKER

Published: January 2, 2010

HONOLULU, Hawaii — President Obama declared for the first time on Saturday that a branch of Al Qaeda based in Yemen sponsored the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an American passenger jet, and he vowed that those behind the failed attack “will be held to account.”

In his first radio and Internet address of the new year, Mr. Obama also rebutted attacks by former Vice President Dick Cheney and other Republicans who since the incident have accused him of not recognizing that the struggle against terrorists is a war. Mr. Obama said he was well aware that “our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.”

Read more....

Let's see who else President Obama can blame for his abysmal "leadership." First guess, Janet Napolitano will be asked to "step down."

Happy New Year 2010

While 2009 was a good year for stupidity. one can only look forward to this year!

Happy New Year!

The Golf Trap

Stody? Old? I play at golf and I am not old... er, stogy... er, I play at golf [working on "playing golf"]. This is just a cheap shot.

Bunker Mentality

Barack Obama's dangerous obsession with golf.

Michelle Cottle

Michelle Cottle

Senior Editor

view bio

• Bunker Mentality

December 30, 2009 | 12:00 am

It’s been a tough first year for President Obama, as critics throughout the body politic bemoan that Mr. Change-We-Can-Believe-In is looking more and more like Mr. Politics-As-Usual. With the coming new year, however, POTUS has a prime opportunity to regroup, reload, and revamp his image. He could start by ditching golf.

Seriously. Its venerable White House history notwithstanding, golf is a dubious pastime for any decent, sane person, much less for this particular president. Why would a leader vowing to shake up Washington--to alter the very nature of politics--sell his soul to a leisure activity that screams stodgy, hyperconventional Old Guard?

Read more....

The one thing this President does that he has in common with Republicans and The New Republic has a hissy-fit. Go burn some bras or come up with a new tax, Michelle Cottle.

California Liberalism At Work

Don't fix the problem; fix the blame... another example of why California is doomed.

Berkeley High May Cut Out Science Labs

The proposal would trade labs seen as benefiting white students for resources to help struggling students.

By Eric Klein

Berkeley High School is considering a controversial proposal to eliminate science labs and the five science teachers who teach them to free up more resources to help struggling students.

The proposal to put the science-lab cuts on the table was approved recently by Berkeley High's School Governance Council, a body of teachers, parents, and students who oversee a plan to change the structure of the high school to address Berkeley's dismal racial achievement gap, where white students are doing far better than the state average while black and Latino students are doing worse.

Paul Gibson, an alternate parent representative on the School Governance Council, said that information presented at council meetings suggests that the science labs were largely classes for white students. He said the decision to consider cutting the labs in order to redirect resources to underperforming students was virtually unanimous.

Read more....

Science is anti-black???

The Court of Public Opinion

The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation's suit against the DHS [Department of Human Services] continues to draw national attention. The case, the first filed by the newly created public-interest law firm, seeks to prevent the state and two unions from siphoning off nearly $4 million in "dues" from subsidy checks that home-based day care operators receive when they care for the children of low-income parents.

The Wall Street Journal published an Op-Ed by the Mackinac Center's Michael Jahr and Patrick Wright. The piece highlights that the unionization scheme is not unique to Michigan:

Ms. Berry owns her own business — yet the Michigan Department of Human Services claims she is a government employee and union member. The agency thus withholds union dues from the child-care subsidies it sends to her on behalf of her low-income clients. Those dues are funneled to a public-employee union that claims to represent her. The situation is crazy — and it's happening elsewhere in the country.

Read more....

The Case For Mandatory Sterilization

Detroit woman, boyfriend face charges in 2-year-old's death

A 21-year-old Detroit mother and her boyfriend are expected to be arraigned today on charges they beat the woman’s 2-month-old baby to death on Christmas Eve.

Doublespeak

Exactly whose actions were undermining the new security arrangement? More doublespeak.

In an incident in northern Gaza, an IDF force killed three Palestinians who were suspected of trying to cross the security fence after midnight. The soldiers spotted suspicious movement of men who were trying to crawl to the fence and opened fire at them with the assistance of a helicopter. Weapons were found near the bodies of the three Palestinians.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad denounced the operation in Nablus as a deliberate attempt to undermine recent security gains.

Read more....

As Long As It Comes From China It Is Acceptable

After an exhaustive cost analysis by the CBO and a California impact study by the EPA, it has been determined that what happens in China stays in China.

Earth-Friendly Elements, Mined Destructively

Thomas Lee for The New York Times

Zeng Guohui, 41, visiting an abandoned mine where he used to shovel ore from which rare-earth elements were extracted.

By KEITH BRADSHER

Published: December 25, 2009

GUYUN VILLAGE, China — Some of the greenest technologies of the age, from electric cars to efficient light bulbs to very large wind turbines, are made possible by an unusual group of elements called rare earths. The world’s dependence on these substances is rising fast.

In Rare Earth Metals, Chinese Dominance

Thomas Lee for The New York Times

This abandoned mine in Guyun Village in China exhausted the local deposit of heavy rare-earth elements in three years.

Just one problem: These elements come almost entirely from China, from some of the most environmentally damaging mines in the country, in an industry dominated by criminal gangs.

Read more....

Aren't you just dying to see those Chinese wind turbines dotting the landscape and your lakefronts?

How Many Tubes Of Caulk Can You Buy For $2 Million?

All you can do is laugh... sardonically. From Gateway Pundit:

Cash for Caulkers… Government Spent $2 Million of Stimulus Money to Caulk 7 Homes (Video)

Saturday, December 26, 2009, 11:48 AM

Jim Hoft

Cash for Caulkers–
The US government spent two million dollars of Stimulus money to caulk 7 homes.

From the Cashing In program on FOX News Saturday.

Mission Accomplished?

It may be just a bit early to declare victory and say that the recession is over... at least in Michigan.

Michigan

Data Series	Back Data	June 2009	July 2009	Aug 2009	Sept 2009	Oct 2009	Nov 2009
Labor Force Data
Civilian Labor Force (1)		4,869.2	4,857.1	4,844.7	4,833.0	4,850.0	(P) 4,845.7
Employment (1)		4,129.2	4,126.9	4,108.7	4,093.9	4,116.9	(P) 4,133.1
Unemployment (1)		740.0	730.2	736.0	739.1	733.1	(P) 712.6
Unemployment Rate (2)		15.2	15.0	15.2	15.3	15.1	(P) 14.7

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Still, this does represent something of an improvement. The real questions are:

1. is the improvement partially due to Michigan continuing to lose population?
2. what happens in January when the Christmas retail season is over?

This might be the start of a Happy New Year... or just another statistical bump in the Michigan economic roller coaster.

Home Sales Up... No Down

Another government pull-ahead program ala "Cash For Clunkers" that is "full of sound and fury; signifying nothing."

From The Detroit News:

Last Updated: December 23. 2009 1:00AM

Midwest home sales up 58%

Rush to claim tax credit fuels surge from a year ago

Josh Funk / Associated Press

Omaha, Neb. -- Home sales in the Midwest jumped 58 percent last month over year-ago levels, the strongest showing of any region, as first-time buyers rushed to claim a temporary federal tax credit.

There were 1.2 million total sales in the 11-state region, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. The median home price was flat at $140,800.

For Michigan, total sales in the third quarter amounted to 169,000 units, a 7 percent increase from the previous quarter and an 11 percent increase from the same period a year ago.

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Nationally, existing home sales jumped almost 47 percent from November of last year, without adjusting for seasonal factors. The median sales price fell 4 percent to $172,600.

About half of all buyers in November were first-time home buyers, NAR said. Many hurried to get under a deadline to qualify for an $8,000 tax credit that was set to expire at the end of the month, though Congress then extended and expanded the program through April.

Read more....

From The Wall Street Journal:

DECEMBER 23, 2009, 10:15 A.M. ET

New-Home Sales Slide 11.3%

BY JEFF BATER

WASHINGTON -- New-home sales plunged to their lowest in seven months during November, a bigger-than-expected drop and a sign the housing-market recovery will be rocky.

Separately, the income of Americans made the largest gain in six months during November and their spending rose strongly, according to data hinting the economy might have picked up speed near the end of the year.

Sales of single-family homes decreased 11.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 355,000, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

Businesses Brace for Health Bill's Costs

But... but... wasn't the health care bill supposed to cover 30 million more people and save money? How could saving money be so costly?

If you are truly wondering that, you are an idiot.

The Wall Street Journal

By NEIL KING JR.

Companies are alarmed at potentially costly provisions in the Senate health-care bill, many of which they hope will be scrapped during a final round of negotiations early next year.

A scramble to massage the hefty measure, instead of pushing to kill it, reflects the view of many in the business community that a sweeping remake of the U.S. health-care system now appears inevitable.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is among a few big business groups calling for Congress to scrap the overhaul effort.

Business is worried that President Barack Obama's push to extend coverage to millions more Americans will raise the burden on employers. Business groups have widely criticized the 2,074-page Senate bill, which looks set for passage on Christmas Eve. They also have offered a variety of fixes.

UPI

From left, Democratic Sens. Christopher Dodd, Harry Reid and Max Baucus participate in a rally Tuesday after a series of votes on the health-care bill.

Businesses are bracing for possible rising health care costs, with some businesses holding out hope for new amendments, Neil King reports.

The legislation's scale and complexity, plus uncertainty over how the Senate bill will be meshed with the version that passed the House in November, make it difficult for most companies to gauge the effect it will have on the bottom line.

"We're still committed to the notion that health reform can be done right, but I know of no company that is warmly embracing what is in either the House or Senate bills," said Paul Dennett, top health-care adviser to the American Benefits Council, an advocacy group for large employers.

With all eyes now turning to House-Senate negotiations over a final bill expected next month, corporate lobbyists are jockeying for modifications that will buffer the impact.

Retailers want a longer delay before new employees qualify for company-subsidized benefits. Big employers such as Caterpillar Inc., Boeing Co. and Xerox Corp. want to modify Medicare tax provisions in the Senate bill that would cut their earnings. Small construction companies want an exemption from employee coverage that the Senate bill already applies to other businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

Across the spectrum, businesses worry that a series of new taxes and fees to pay for expanding health-care coverage will push up premiums, particularly for smaller employers.

The Senate bill calls for a nearly $70 billion tax over 10 years on insurance companies, plus a $2 billion-a-year tax on medical devices. Billions of dollars are also meant to be raised from added taxes and fees on wealthier seniors, higher-end insurance plans and tanning salons.

Companies of all sizes have been increasingly burdened by health-care costs, which topped $400 billion in 2007, according to data from the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Unrestrained, that figure is expected to double by 2017. About 70% of workers receive health insurance through their employers.

Groups representing smaller businesses say the threat of increased taxes and premiums could outweigh provisions intended to limit the impact on small employers. The Senate bill "will not only fail to reduce and control the constantly climbing health-care costs small-business owners face, but it will result in new and greater costs on their business," said Dan Danner, head of the National Federation of Independent Business.

On Time Departures Grounded

The airlines industry is scored on "on time departures" so it is common practice to hustle everyone on the plane whether the plane can actually fly away or not. My own son experienced this about a week ago in Ft. Lauderdale when a Spirit Airlines flight was pushed back from the gate as a huge thunderstorm cell hit from Miami northward. An hour and a half of sitting on the tarmac and the weather abated enough for takeoff.

Still, his flight "departed" on time. Now there is some hope for travelers, but not nearly as much as they might want.

U.S. imposes 3-hour limit on tarmac strandings

By Sholnn Freeman

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 21, 2009; 4:29 PM

Under new federal rules, airlines with loaded jets on the tarmac will now have to get them in the air within three hours, or allow the passengers off.

New U.S. Department of Transportation regulations issued Monday also say that airlines must provide adequate food and potable water for passengers within two hours of an aircraft being delayed on the tarmac. Additionally, airlines must maintain "operable lavatories" and provide passengers on delayed aircraft with necessary medical attention.

The new rules apply to U.S. airlines and domestic flights. They allow exceptions for safety, security and other reasons linked to specific instructions from air traffic control officials.

Passenger advocates and lawmakers have demanded federal action in recent years to combat excessive tarmac delays. The new regulations authorize fines of as much as $27,500 per passenger for violations. The new rules go into effect in about three months, officials said.

Read more....

The Democratic Porkers Are Stuffed In The Health Bill

If you happen to be in Washington D.C., be very careful. You could get trampled by these Democratic Porkers trying to get into the Health Care Bill.

Deep in Health Bill, Very Specific Beneficiaries

By ROBERT PEAR

Published: December 20, 2009

WASHINGTON — Buried in the deal-clinching health care package that Senate Democrats unveiled over the weekend is an inconspicuous proposal expanding Medicare to cover certain victims of “environmental health hazards.”

Read more....

Hacking Systems

With all of the recent angst about how al Qaeda hacked U.S. military drones with $26 software, it shouldn't be surprising that "hackers" are now finding gainful employment with the government, among other employers.

Certified Ethical Hacker: Not Your Everyday Job

By Ryan Corey
TechNewsWorld
10/07/09 8:39 AM PT

The term "hacker" doesn't just apply to crooks, thieves and anyone else looking to subvert computer security systems for malevolent purposes. Some hackers are in the business of improving security. Certified Ethical Hackers are paid by companies and government agencies to test their computer systems against the sort of attacks the bad guys often attempt to pull off.

Read more....

This would seem to be a perfect short-term job for a high-school senior who is trying to get some money together to go to his favorite party college.

Copenhagen Accord Not Worth One Honda Accord

It all boils down to a lot of over-paid politicians flying around the world using a lot of expensive jet fuel to meet in costly locations to say "look at me; look at me..." and then agreeing to do it again sometime.

Leaders Strike Climate Deal

By JEFFREY BALL, STEPHEN POWER and ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON

Getty Images

President Barack Obama in Copenhagen on the final day of the U.N. summit on climate change.

COPENHAGEN -- Leaders of the U.S., China and several other major economies said late Friday they had tentatively reached a new climate accord, though they said the pact wasn't aggressive enough to meaningfully curb greenhouse-gas emissions and merely set up a future round of negotiations to hash out the details.

The announcement followed a hectic day of diplomacy that included an approximately four-hour meeting that featured clashes between U.S. and Chinese officials. But the so-called "Copenhagen Accord" leaves key questions unanswered, and will likely have little immediate impact on companies in the U.S. and elsewhere that had hoped for more certainty about the future direction of regulation to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The agreement was still subject late Friday to final ratification by nations at the conference.

The Copenhagen agreement contained no specific targets for greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A proposed 50% cut that was in earlier drafts was removed.

Read more....

The Golden Bubble

Bubbles... we love bubbles. We have songs about bubbles... tiny bubbles, in the wine, makes me happy, makes me feel fine.... Kids love to blow soap bubbles. But the thing about bubbles is... they pop!

• dot-coms ... pop
  
• oil ... pop
• housing ... pop
• gold ...

Gold plummets as the dollar firms
By Ben Rooney, staff reporter

December 17, 2009: 3:22 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Gold prices plunged Thursday as the dollar surged against the euro amid concerns about the economic health of certain European nations.

February gold fell $28, or 2.5%, to settle at $1,107.40 an ounce after falling to a low of $1,098 an ounce earlier in the session. The retreat came two weeks after gold settled at an all-time high of $1,218.30 an ounce

...

In a research report out Thursday, analysts at Morgan Stanley raised their forecast for gold prices next year by 20% to $1,200 an ounce. The investment bank also raised the outlook for 2011, but reduced forecasts from 2013 onwards.

Is this beating a dead horse? Wait, that's another metaphor. But it may be beating the bushes for the last of the bubble customers.

Censure Or Action

And now will President Obama define just what this means?

Iran draws censure after missile test

By Aresu Eqbali (AFP) – 2 hours ago

TEHRAN — Iran on Wednesday test-fired what it said was a faster version of a medium-range missile which could allow it to strike Israel, drawing international censure and warnings of "serious" fallout.

The defiant test of the Sejil 2 (Lethal Stone) missile comes as world powers mull fresh sanctions against the Islamic republic for its controversial nuclear enrichment programme.

"It hit the defined target," state television reported, without giving further details.

The two-stage Sejil, powered by solid fuel, is capable according to Iran of travelling 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles), which would put arch-foe Israel, most Arab states and parts of Europe, including much of Turkey, within range.

Read more....

Let's hope that he responds with as much vigor as the U.S. military did against the Navy SEALs who will be brought to court martial for allegedly hitting a most-wanted terrorist.

Will They Sue For More Protection?

The Muslim terrorists will be protected from Chicago street thugs and politicians who are deemed to be far more dangerous....

U.S. announces transfer of Guantanamo detainees to Ill. prison

By Peter Slevin Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 15, 2009; 1:41 PM

CHICAGO -- Dozens of terrorism suspects being held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be moved to a little-used Illinois state prison that will be acquired and upgraded by the federal government, the Obama administration said Tuesday.

In a letter addressed to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, administration officials confirmed that the government would acquire the eight-year-old Thomson Correctional Center, about 150 miles west of Chicago, to house detainees from Guantanamo. The Justice Department will use part of the facility to house federal inmates, while the Defense Department will use part to house a "limited number" of Guantanamo detainees.

"The two parts of the facility will be managed separately, and Federal inmates will have no opportunity to interact with Guantanamo detainees," according to the letter, which was released by the White House and signed by officials including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

Read more....

The EPA's Carbon Bomb Fizzles

The Democratic Party is careening toward suicide with all of its CO2-related efforts. The Wall Street Journal reports on how the recent EPA actions may delay that eventuality... briefly.

In the high-stakes game of chicken the Obama White House has been playing with Congress over who will regulate the earth's climate, the president's team just motored into a ditch. So much for threats. The threat the White House has been leveling at Congress is the Environmental Protection Agency's "endangerment finding," which EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson finally issued this week. The finding lays the groundwork for the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions across the entire economy, on the grounds that global warming is hazardous to human health.

From the start, the Obama team has wielded the EPA action as a club, warning Congress that if it did not come up with cap-and-trade legislation the EPA would act on its own—and in a far more blunt fashion than Congress preferred. As one anonymous administration official menaced again this week: "If [Congress doesn't] pass this legislation," the EPA is going to have to "regulate in a command-and-control way, which will probably generate even more uncertainty."

Read more....