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New ISIS Video: Execution of 200 Syrian Children
Today's Headlines
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Page 3: Non-WoT
5 21:42 Frank G [8] 
6 17:54 Anguper Hupomosing9418 [9] 
2 19:50 Besoeker [9] 
6 22:32 JosephMendiola [6] 
4 13:17 Procopius2k [5] 
4 14:22 USN, Ret. [1] 
4 20:12 SteveS [11] 
1 12:53 DarthVader [3] 
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6 23:19 JosephMendiola [7] 
14 20:30 CrazyFool [4] 
3 23:59 Silentbrick [6] 
11 22:37 JosephMendiola [8] 
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Page 6: Politix
7 22:17 Caesar Hupomoque7314 [5]
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5 19:04 James [4]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Two VA Directors defy congressional committee - Refuse to answer questons.
[MilCorruption.com] There has to be a hot place in hell reserved for anyone in the Veterans Administration who cheats the government and defrauds our country's veterans.

"DELAY AND DENY UNTIL THEY ALL DIE" may sound a bit cynical, but more and more of this nation's wounded and disabled warriors are beginning to believe the V.A. system is rigged so a few fat cats at the top can get rich while the rest - the 95% good workers - remain unappreciated and underpaid .

We've just witnessed a spectacle where two arrogant and obnoxious V.A. big shots - Directors Diana Rubens (Philadelphia) and Kimberly Graves (St. Paul, Minn.) defied a Congressional committee, refusing to answer questions about corruption, while hiding behind the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
They're refusing to testify because the I.G. is pressing charges. It's arrogant and cynical but they are behaving (as we might have a right to surmise) as if they're guilty and trying to stay out of prison...
Like gangsters and subversives, they have a right to play that game. But public opinion and an unamused Congressman Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, may be able to bring them to justice somewhere in the foreseeable future.

Right now, both Rubens and Graves have been cited in an Inspector General's report of Sept. 28, for abusing the V.A.'s relocation program to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The I.G. has preferred criminal charges on the duo to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia.
Be too bad if they missed Sturgis next year.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 16:06 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Congressman Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, may be able to bring them to justice somewhere in the foreseeable future.

I recommend using the GAU-8/A for bringing them to justice.
Posted by: DarthVader || 11/09/2015 16:48 Comments || Top||

#2  I like DV's GAU-8/A remedy. Is there a website or address where I can send money to help defray the cost of the first burst ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 17:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Meanwhile, back at the farm, Illegal Immigrants, who shouldn't even be in this country, are able to get full Obamacare, Felons in our Prison System are able get fill sexual reassignments - no questions asked, paid for by the taxpayers.

Rope, Tree, - no I'm not suggesting anything.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/09/2015 17:19 Comments || Top||

#4  VA is like the NHS, except its for far less forceful people.

No wonder the NHS kills so many.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 11/09/2015 18:12 Comments || Top||

#5  "chased a lotta parked cars in yer yout?"
Posted by: Frank G || 11/09/2015 21:42 Comments || Top||


Travis County judge Julie Kocurek shot outside home, officials confirm
[STATESMAN] State District Judge Julie Kocurek, the presiding felony judge for Travis County, was shot in the driveway of her West Austin home late Friday, authorities said. Police said the injury is not considered life threatening.

Kocurek was taken to University Medical Center-Brackenridge, where she was joined by several other Travis County judges and her court staff. Her condition initially was considered critical, but shortly after midnight officials said her condition had been upgraded to stable.

Police said the shooting was reported at 10:16 p.m. Kocurek had just returned home and was accompanied by others when she was shot, police Cmdr. Mark Spangler said. No one else with the judge was shot.

A neighbor of Kocurek's told the American-Statesman that she "just heard four pops."

Law enforcement officials swarmed the area around Kocurek's home near Lake Austin looking for the assailant. The search includes dozens of Austin coppers who are searching by both air and ground. Spangler said darkness obviously presented a challenge in the search.

The shooting occurred in Austin's Tarrytown neighborhood on Scenic Drive, a street of $1 million and $2 million homes that runs along Lake Austin. Police set up crime-scene tape around a white sport-utility vehicle in front of Kocurek's home, which has a security gate that cuts across the driveway.

Kocurek, a former prosecutor, has served as the presiding judge of the 390th District Court since being appointed by then-Gov. George W. Bush in January 1999. She went on to become the only Republican elected to a state district judgeship in Travis County. In 2006, she switched political parties and joined the Democrats. "My job in the courtroom is not a political job, " she said at the time. "This is really about me just being honest with myself."

Until last year, Kocurek served as the administrative presiding judge of all criminal courts in the county, a position she held since 2011, and in that time, she helped spur an overhaul of the defense system used to appoint lawyers to the cases of poor defendants.

Most recently, she was overseeing the case of Mark Norwood, who was convicted in the infamous 1986 killing of Christine Morton and is now facing charges in the 1988 death of Debra Baker. She also was presiding over the case of Dara Llorens, who was tossed in the slammer
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
in Mexico for the 2002 kidnapping of her daughter, Sabrina Allen.

District Judge David Wahlberg said he received word of the shooting after midnight.

"It's the most shocking news I have ever received," he said. "Judge Kocurek is a wonderful woman. It's unfathomable to think that anyone would be angry with her. We are all praying for her."
Posted by: Fred || 11/09/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Mexican drug gang hit? Was she offered "Lead or silver" first?

Posted by: Nguard || 11/09/2015 2:09 Comments || Top||

#2  Her condition initially was considered critical, but shortly after midnight officials said her condition had been upgraded to stable.

Stable. Great news. I hope she is very, very pi**ed off and anxious to return to the bench.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 8:22 Comments || Top||

#3  Reports say they arrested someone 'involved' in this case. Wonder who found him, US Marshals, police or some very pissed off Texas Rangers.
Posted by: Silentbrick || 11/09/2015 23:59 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Justin Bieber Upset In Europe ... Flips Chair & Bails
[TMZ] Justin Bieber went off in Europe again ... this time, flipping a chair and storming out of a restaurant.

Bieber was in Cannes, La Belle France Saturday getting lunch with a friend outside his hotel and something sets him off. An annoyed JB stands up, flips his chair and walks out.

Stories surfaced Bieber may have been ticked off by the fans filming ... but JB took to Twitter and explained what went down, saying, "My buddy had just told me some bad personal news. Just took pics with a buncha beliebers. I must of been mad at them. lol"
Posted by: Fred || 11/09/2015 11:48 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  She reminds me of "Elton, The Pissy Years".
Posted by: JHH || 11/09/2015 13:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Just took pics with a buncha beliebers

Funny. Read that as b-leaguers.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 11/09/2015 13:42 Comments || Top||

#3  I personally can't wait until someone gets footage of him gettin his ass whooped..
Posted by: chris || 11/09/2015 14:08 Comments || Top||

#4  I'm sure Selena Gomez could provide some.
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 11/09/2015 16:49 Comments || Top||

#5  LOL - he calls them 'beliebers'??? Really???
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/09/2015 17:21 Comments || Top||

#6  Uh, uh, "JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS" FAILED MISERABLY AT THE BOX OFFICE???

gut nuthin.

"Told ya it would" to various Guam Locals.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/09/2015 22:32 Comments || Top||


2nd train derails in Wisconsin in 2 days, spills crude oil
[FOX] WATERTOWN, Wis. -- A Canadian Pacific Railway train carrying crude oil derailed Sunday and prompted some evacuations in Wisconsin, the second day in a row a freight train derailed in the state.
Anyone still think campaign financing doesn't matter ?
The eastbound CP train derailed about 2 p.m. in Watertown, in the southeastern part of the state. The railroad said at least 10 cars derailed, and some were leaking. No fires or injuries were reported. CP was sending teams to the site.

"CP takes this incident extremely seriously," the railroad said in a news release. The company did not say how much oil spilled.

Residents of about 35 homes were asked to evacuate around 4 p.m., said Donna Haugom, director of the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management.

On Saturday, a freight train derailed near Alma in western Wisconsin, spilling thousands of gallons of ethanol. BNSF Railway said crews continued Sunday to transfer ethanol from the derailed cars and get the cars back on the tracks.

The BNSF train derailed at 8:45 a.m. Saturday about two miles north of Alma, a town along the Mississippi River. Some of the 25 derailed cars were empty auto racks and tanker cars.

BNSF said railroad crews stopped the leaks from five tanker cars and placed containment booms along the shoreline. One tanker released an estimated 18,000 gallons of ethanol, and the other four released an estimated 5 to 500 gallons each.

No one was hurt. BNSF said it expects the tracks to return to service Monday morning.

Related: Citing Climate Change, Obama Rejects Construction of Keystone XL Oil Pipeline
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 03:07 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  18,000 gallons of ethanol,

Lettuce sing together Number 19 in your hymnal.
Me me me me (cough)

Shall we gather by the river,
The beautiful beautiful river?
Shall we gather by the river that's 20 percent alcohol.
Posted by: Shipman || 11/09/2015 7:40 Comments || Top||

#2  If you're gonna kill a pipeline just because you own the railroad the least you can do is maintain the tracks.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 11/09/2015 10:49 Comments || Top||

#3  Buffet may own it, but BNSF spends buckets of cash on track maintenance. Your main stream media doesn't report it when whole trainloads of molten sulfur, chlorine, anhydrous ammonia, polyvinyl chloride, ethylene glycol, or LPG run off a thousand miles. Good news is no news

This is ironic, however, because the railroads are about to stop carrying that stuff unless Congress extends its (unfunded) mandate to install Positive Train Control (PTC) by the end of the year. PTC will stop a train passing a red signal because the driver is texting, or drunk, or drugged, or asleep, but does nothing for track or vehicle maintenance. It was much worse in the 70's - see video of Crescent City, IL explosion in 1970.
Posted by: Bobby || 11/09/2015 12:47 Comments || Top||

#4  PTC extension was signed into law last wek; railroads now have 3 more years. did not see anything in he legislation that encouraged the FCC or Bureau of Indian Affairs to get a move on; it is these 2 agencies that are the primary hindrance in getting the infrastructure in place; FCC won't grant various frequencies and BIA and various tribes are throwing all sorts of roadblocks into railroads' path for the very localized boding of the soil for installing the trackside equipment.

And please don't forget this is all being funded by the railroads; there is no subsidy like there is for highways, sea- and airports.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 11/09/2015 14:22 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Man 'with terminal cancer marries sex doll so he doesn't leave a grieving widow'
Foto of the blushing vinyl bride at the link.
[MIRROR.CO.UK] A man with terminal cancer was desperate to get married - but didn't want to leave a heartbroken widow.
He could have married a real woman and treated her like poop, but instead...
His solution? Get married to a SEX DOLL.
Good idea. That takes care of twenty minutes a day. What do you do for the remaining 23 hours and 40 minutes?
Hey, give him some credit. That's 10 times longer than it would take me.
Now his surprisingly tasteful wedding pictures have become a viral sensation in his native China.
How 'bout dat? A surprisingly tasteful bunch of pictures of a tasteless enterprise...
The Beijing man reportedly wanted to experience a fancy wedding shoot before he died, so he brought the life-like inflatable doll and got the full works - including a make up artisyand a beautiful wedding dress.
I wonder where they're going for their honeymoon?
In the pictures he is seen tenderly holding his plastic 'bride', enjoying a first dance in a ballroom and even taking part in candid shots in front of the make-up mirror.
By the end of the day she had a headache and went straight to sleep.
The 28-year-old man's name is still unknown, but Chinese netizens offered a series of bizarre explanations for the pictures, with many dismissing it as a bizarre viral marketing stunt.
No! Re-e-e-e-ally?
CCTV reported: "Some netizens recently revealed that the man is actually suffering from a deadly cancer. "In order not to hurt other people's feelings, he chose to marry an artificial doll instead of a real person."
Is he gonna leave her his money when he pegs out?
The photographer who snapped the series of pictures defended the man's unusual nuptials.
"If no real woman would come close to you, you'd do the same thing!"
She said that even if she didn’t necessarily agree with the man’s choice of marrying a doll, he still deserved to be respected as a matter of personal freedom.
"Of course it's a female doll! Whaddya think he is? Some kinda pervert?"
Posted by: Fred || 11/09/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Spread the word, the Fred is back in town.
Posted by: Shipman || 11/09/2015 0:20 Comments || Top||

#2  Reports indicate Nancy Pneumatic does not plan to change her name.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 1:36 Comments || Top||

#3  Can she cook?
Posted by: Skidmark || 11/09/2015 3:06 Comments || Top||

#4  She may not be heartbroken but it will leave her feeling empty.
Posted by: BrerRabbit || 11/09/2015 3:17 Comments || Top||

#5  Yeah Fred!!!!
Posted by: Steven || 11/09/2015 3:25 Comments || Top||

#6  "Of course it's a female doll! Whaddya think he is? Some kinda pervert?"
Posted by Fred


Award winning 'in-line' if I've ever read one.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 8:19 Comments || Top||

#7  "Of course it's a female doll! Whaddya think he is? Some kinda pervert?"
Posted by Fred


Well, given the skill of modern Thai and Brazilian plastic surgeons, you can never be sure.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/09/2015 9:53 Comments || Top||

#8  She may not be a grieving widow after he kicks the bucket but I'll bet she'll certainly be deflated.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/09/2015 10:40 Comments || Top||

#9  Does she count as a passenger in the carpool lane?
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 11/09/2015 10:51 Comments || Top||

#10  Batteries ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 11:37 Comments || Top||

#11  Lao Tzu and the Real Girl
Posted by: JHH || 11/09/2015 13:55 Comments || Top||

#12  Reminds me of the one about Major Carstairs and the goat.
Posted by: Grunter || 11/09/2015 14:59 Comments || Top||

#13  Does she count as a passenger in the carpool lane? Posted by: Abu Uluque

Imagine having her sitting next to you and picking up 'sluggers' headed into D.C. Prolly be a quiet ride into town eh ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 17:10 Comments || Top||

#14  He had to marry her - he thought she was knocked up but it turned out to just be excess gas....
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/09/2015 20:30 Comments || Top||


Vegetable oil cancer link leads scientists to recommend lard and butter
[MIRROR.CO.UK] Cooking with vegetable oils releases toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases, according to new research.

A study has claimed cooks should use olive oil , coconut oil, butter or even lard as a substitute.

Scientists found that heating up vegetable oils led to the release of high concentrations of chemicals called aldehydes, which have been linked to illnesses including cancer, heart disease and dementia.

In contrast, heating up butter, olive oil and lard in tests produced much lower levels of aldehydes. Coconut oil produced the lowest levels of the harmful chemicals.

Official advice has previously advocated the use of cooking with oils rich in polyunsaturated fats - such as corn oil and sunflower oil.

Health chiefs have previously said they are better for the health than the saturated fats in animal products.

Martin Grootveld, a professor of bioanalytical chemistry and chemical pathology, said that his research showed "a typical meal of fish and chips", fried in vegetable oil, contained as much as 100 to 200 times more toxic aldehydes than the safe daily limit set by the World Health Organisation .
Posted by: Fred || 11/09/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Coconut oil produced the lowest levels of the harmful chemicals." If that isn't a vegetable oil, what is? "Scientists now recommending avoidance of cooking with certain vegetable oils" just doesn't make the same catchy headline.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/09/2015 0:19 Comments || Top||

#2  I wonder who funded this research.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/09/2015 1:46 Comments || Top||

#3  This "research" is total nonsense on a par with climate lysenkoism.

Frying with Olive Oil is a total disaster. It denatures in heat far more than rape-seed/canola oil does. As does coconut oil, leave that to stick on your skin/hair (it kills athletes foot and dandruff nicely).

Butter has a very low smoke point.

Whoever wrote this "research" has never been in a kitchen.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 11/09/2015 7:11 Comments || Top||

#4  Not sure that the research and the headline were written by the same person.

Smoke point is often a good gauge of when to put the food in the pan.
Posted by: AlanC || 11/09/2015 8:06 Comments || Top||

#5  Lard Rules! All Hail Pork Fat!
Posted by: Spinesing Gray3122 || 11/09/2015 8:27 Comments || Top||

#6  I prefer my fish and chips cooked in lard
Posted by: BernardZ || 11/09/2015 8:40 Comments || Top||

#7  Cooking with vegetable oils releases toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases, according to new research

Exposure to sunlight is 'scientifically' known to lead to skin cancer. Of course, lacking sunlight and its generation of vitD leads to other life threatening problems.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/09/2015 9:45 Comments || Top||

#8  Oxygen is a carcinogen.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 11/09/2015 10:33 Comments || Top||

#9  Coconuts and olives are fruit, not vegetables. Dunno what that means to the research. Just sayin'.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 11/09/2015 10:56 Comments || Top||

#10  Mullet (Lisa) is required to be deep fat fried in lard.
Posted by: Shipman || 11/09/2015 12:17 Comments || Top||

#11  Maybe it's a typical meal of fish and chips that should be banned.
Posted by: Bobby || 11/09/2015 12:25 Comments || Top||

#12  From Sleeper:

Dr. Melik: This morning for breakfast he requested something called "wheat germ, organic honey and tiger's milk."
Dr. Aragon: [chuckling] Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties.
Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or... hot fudge?
Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy... precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
Dr. Melik: Incredible.
Posted by: JHH || 11/09/2015 14:00 Comments || Top||

#13  Haven't heard that coconut oil denatures in heat. There isn't much in it chemically that is able to denature in heat, it's all saturated fat. Have a citation for that?
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/09/2015 17:36 Comments || Top||

#14  If the GIVERnment stopped paying for people's healthcare they could stop worrying about what people put in their frying pans and what free citizens put in their bodies.
Posted by: Airandee || 11/09/2015 19:25 Comments || Top||


Down Under
'Major disturbance' and fires at Oz detention centre
[BBC] Inmates have lit fires at Australia's Christmas Island detention centre in a "major disturbance" that is yet to be resolved, say government officials.

The immigration department confirmed in a statement that guards had been withdrawn for "safety reasons". The statement denied a "large-scale riot" was taking place but said the situation at the centre for refugees and asylum seekers was "tense".

The Christmas Island centre also houses New Zealanders facing deportation from Australia.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the Christmas Island centre was "in meltdown".

"I have spoken with people who are locked up in the centre and they say that there is widespread unrest and fires across the facility," Ms Hanson-Young said.

"With all Serco guards being removed from the centre late last night, the people who are locked up there are being left to fend for themselves."
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/09/2015 01:16 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Nothing a few fuel-air explosive bombs wouldn't fix.
Posted by: DarthVader || 11/09/2015 12:53 Comments || Top||


Economy
A Century of Hot-Dog Production Comes to an End in Madison, Wisconsin
[THEATLANTIC] Oscar Mayer (the company, not the man) was still being run by Mayers until it was sold to General Foods Corporation in 1981. Eight years later, the company was merged with Kraft at the order of its parent company, Philip Morris.
In engineering terms,creating a single point of failure.
On Thursday, Kraft Heinz Food announced that it would close down the Oscar Mayer headquarters and plant in Madison, after 96 years.
Not surprising. It's part of the pattern.
The news, though somewhat expected, has been hitting Madison residents hard. Madison's mayor Paul Soglin estimated that the economic impact will be at the cost of "hundreds of millions of dollars."
Since he's a professional lefty politician I don't imagine he went too far out of his way to entice them to stay.
The Oscar Mayer closure is part of a bigger Kraft Heinz downsizing plan to save $1.5 billion in the next two years. The company is shuttering plants in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,, Maryland, New York, Wisconsin, and Ontario; all told, an estimated 2,600 jobs will be eliminated.
They teach that sort of thing in MBA courses. Cutting jobs = increased profits. Theoretically, a company with zero employees makes infinite profit.
Since Heinz acquired Kraft Foods in July (in an estimated $45-billion deal),
Nine billion packs of hot dogs at $5 a package, or 72 billion wieners at eight wienies a pack...
the resulting gigantic company has been expected to consolidate its production factories and corporate staff. The best guess has been that this "new era" for Kraft Heinz will involve layoffs:
"New eras" seem to include a lot more layoffs than expansion...
In August, 2,500 workers in Kraft's North American operations--including 700 corporate staff--were let go. Including what was called for in Thursday's announcement, the company has reached its expected target, after shedding 10 percent of its 46,000 workers during restructuring.
The Little Woman (she's less than 18" tall) and I are researching how to make our own sausages, without the turkey, chicken, and corn meal that's a current staple.
The backdrop for all these changes is that Americans are becoming wary of processed foods. One report found that the market shares of packaged-food companies have been dropping by billions of dollars as consumers drift towards organic and "natural" offerings. For Oscar Mayer in particular, it doesn't help that recent studies have linked processed meats to premature death and cancer.
Wienies taste a lot different today than they did when I was a kid. Somehow Nathan's and Hebrew National taste the same, they just cost different.
But Americans still love hot dogs, consuming close to a billion packages a year, and summer barbecues and sports venues continue to be responsible for massive sales numbers. Around the world, demand is even looking up. The hot dog is definitely sticking around, but whether Oscar Mayer will be able to capture some of that growth will depend on whether it'll stick to its classic branding, for international consumers who want classic, "American-style" food, or try to conform to America's new food preferences.
The last batch of Oscar Mayer all beef doggies we bought was disappointing. The texture was mealy and even though chicken lungs weren't listed as an ingredient they could have been in there as far as taste was concerned.
Posted by: Fred || 11/09/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Chinese hot dogs (热狗) are still made the old-fashioned way, using real dog meat.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/09/2015 0:15 Comments || Top||

#2  Hot dawgs do indeed taste funny anymore. The lack of Red Dye #deuce may be part of the problem. Jooo Nats still the best.
Posted by: Shipman || 11/09/2015 0:25 Comments || Top||

#3  They teach that sort of thing in MBA courses. Cutting jobs = increased profits. Theoretically, a company with zero employees makes infinite profit.

I had a run in with similar thinking some years ago with the Becton-Dickinson Corporation. They had been a mostly family-run outfit and then started selling out...and the first time their earnings didn't QUITE make projections, the new leadership panicked and the character of the company changed overnight. (For instance literally measuring pencils before issuing new ones)

Anyways, they bought into the 'lean manufacturing' kool-aid in an effort to make that extra 0.000001% profit and dragged everyone in one morning to hear the Word. The Plant Manager his own self proceeded to read from the sacred tablets. The gist of it was that the goal was to increase production by 10% yearly for the next ten years while reducing costs and manpower by 10% yearly for the next ten years. When I pointed out that this would completely eliminate the factory's workforce by 2015 yet somehow double production, it was not well received and probably helped contribute to me being asked to seek other opportunities not long afterward.

As of this summer they now have about 1/2 of the plant staff as 'contractors', apparently the new term for 'temps'. They certainly found their savings.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 11/09/2015 6:02 Comments || Top||

#4  As of this summer they now have about 1/2 of the plant staff as 'contractors', apparently the new term for 'temps'. They certainly found their savings.

Gone are the days of employer provided healthcare benefits and pensions. Affirmative action, temps, part-timers, and H1B's are the preferred course of action. Less demanding, non-English speaking workers are definately needed. This is not your father's Oldsmobile.

When U.S. industry became the most heavily taxed in the world, the profits had to come from somewhere. Of course there is the 'move it offshore option' which is gaining in popularity. Everyone knows 'made in China' means high quality.

Welcome to the government controlled economy and the new normal.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 8:08 Comments || Top||

#5  Plus you've have 3 generations of welfare state dysgenics (to de enrich the gene pool, funded by lowering the fertility of the middle classes) with the result that you have far lower average productivity from the average person.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 11/09/2015 10:36 Comments || Top||

#6  @#3: As a recovering MBA, I can sympathize with your heresy. Similar circumstances -> same outcome.

The calendar has gone around enough to now lend more than a little comedy to it, and I hope you will, if not already there, be able to shake your head with a smile on your face.
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy || 11/09/2015 12:56 Comments || Top||

#7  Real reason is that the Hot Dog Stuffers and Bun Bakers Association (HDS&BB Ass'n) could never agree on aligning the parts count in the dog or bun packs; so there was always an imbalance.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 11/09/2015 14:28 Comments || Top||

#8  As a practicing (til I get good at it) Roman Catholic, I stand by Hebrew National dawgs
Posted by: Frank G || 11/09/2015 14:56 Comments || Top||

#9  When I pointed out that this would completely eliminate the factory's workforce by 2015 yet somehow double production, it was not well received

It is wreckers and saboteurs like you that keep CEOs and Progressives from implementing their Perfect World(tm), Mike. And by people like you, I mean those who have sense and can do arithmetic. I love the "increase sales by X%" line. I realize they need that number to make their totally genius plan work, but to quote a buddy at one of these events, "whose (posterior) did they pull that out of?"

My favorite part of the circus is the "We have to do more with less" speech. You can't do more with less. You can only do less with less. And if you could do more, why aren't we doing it now with what we currently have?



Posted by: SteveS || 11/09/2015 16:00 Comments || Top||

#10  To give him his due, Soglin has been more pragmatic than you might expect given his history. He even had the effrontery to say that large groups of homeless people hanging out at the City County Building were causing problems and had to go.
Posted by: James || 11/09/2015 18:43 Comments || Top||

#11  Awwww, man, loved their food fairs.

I suppose this means SOLYENT GREEN looms increasingly on the horizon.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/09/2015 22:37 Comments || Top||


Europe
U.S. Military Officials Aim to Bolster Troop Presence in Europe
From the WSJ. Just a few paragraphs to whet your appetite...
Senior U.S. military leaders have proposed sending more forces into Europe on a rotating basis to build up the American presence and are stepping up training exercises to counter potential Russian interference with troop transfers in the event of a crisis with Moscow.

The new steps would allow for the presence of multiple U.S. brigades in Europe at any given time, increasing that number above current limits.

Gen. Mark Milley, the chief of staff of the U.S. Army, said the Army is refining its training to ensure the U.S. military is able to face threats posed by Russian forces, learning to counter hybrid war, which blends regular and irregular forces, propaganda and unconventional tactics to sow confusion. He also said he was in favor of sending more troops to deploy—on a temporary basis—to Europe.

Such moves, Gen. Milley said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, are critical to ensure that no new conflict erupts in Europe.

“Aggression left unanswered is likely to lead to more aggression,” he said.
We're all agreed on that. But perhaps -- just perhaps -- the Euros could agree on increasing their own troop presence in Europe?
Posted by: Steve White || 11/09/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Don't think the won would go for a Reforger exercise much less an Able Archer redux, but that's what we need.
Posted by: Shipman || 11/09/2015 0:27 Comments || Top||

#2  The Army has formed the 650th Munchkin Brigade to counter any Russian microaggressions.
Posted by: whitecollar redneck || 11/09/2015 5:47 Comments || Top||

#3  You've been saving that! Amirite? :)
Posted by: Shipman || 11/09/2015 7:53 Comments || Top||

#4  Oh great, military welfare for the First World. What's the definition of insanity? /rhet question.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/09/2015 9:55 Comments || Top||

#5  "Fu*k you, Americans! Uncultured, crass Americans! We hate all of you! Fu—the Germans are here! Hello, Americans! We love you!"
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 11:33 Comments || Top||

#6  See also BLOOMBERG > US WANTS TO AVOID SECOND COLD WAR - OR HOT WAR - WID RUSSIA.

Again, despite Putinist Russia also being OWG Co-Superpower Russia wid our ANti-US US OWG Globalist POTUS Obama helping Russia, plus China + Iran, expand their Sphere(s) of Influence as befitting a "US-style/par", "Co-Superpower", AFAIC I'm not worried about any US war agz Russia.

The Bammer back in childhood on Guam didn't help save young Vlad from drowning just to nuke him in middle adulthood.

[POST-9-11 TOON "LITTLE DUBYA" + GANG here].

As various Perts have argued on the Net, BESIDES JIHADI THREATS TO ATTACK THE US IT IS THE US-VS-CHINA COMPETITION, RIVALRY IN ASIA-PACIFIC THAT IS FAR MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE US-VS-RUSSIA.

* E.G. FARS NEWS AGENCY > FORMER CIA ANALYST [Fred Fleitz] OBAMA'S [Failed-n-Failing]POLICY [in ME = Syria + Iraq] MAY PROVOKE ANOTHER SEPTEMBER 11TH, in the US.

* LUCIANNE > [NY Sun] WORLD WAITS FOR AMERICA TO PICK NEW PRESIDENT CAPABLE OF LEADERSHIP.

Restoring America from Amerika.

* CHINA DAILY > WASHINGTON [POTUS Obama Admin] "SHOWING ANXIETY [Waffling confusion = reluctance/inability to act, take decisive actions] IN STANCE ADOPTED TOWARD BEIJING.

--------------

As for EUROPE = EU - YOU KNOW, RUSSIA ...

* BLOOMBERG > RUSSIA FACING "SIGNIFICANT" ISLAMIST THREAT: OFFICIALS.

* ZERO HEDGE > REFUGEE CRISIS STRAINING EUROPE TO POINT OF [risking Internal = Pan-Euro] MILITARY CONFLICT.

* SAME > MIGRANT CRISIS: EUROPE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME, NEITHER WILL THE WORLD.

Yeeeuuup.

FAILURE TO DEFEAT OR DESTROY THE ISIS = RISE OF MUSLIM NUCLEAR NAPOLEON + CALIPHATE 2030-2050 = DESTABILIZATION + POSSIBLE FALL OF MOST OR ALL OF EUROPE = NON-MUSLIM/ISLAMIC WORLD TO SAME.

[Once again, Men, NOT-AL AHMED BUNDY wants to feel it > 1960's-1970's = 2014's TOM CRUISE'S + EMILY BLUNT'S "EDGE OF TOMORROW" = "THE [Counter] INVASION [agz Islamist-controlled/dominated Europe] WILL FAIL ... EVERY SOLDIER THAT LANDS ON THAT BEACH TOMORROW WILL DIE"!

D *** NG IT, THE NON-MUSLIM WORLD, OR WHAT REMAINS OF IT, CAN'T BLAME OLIVER STONE + TEXAS-SIZED ASTEROIDS FOR THIS ONE ... ... OR CAN WE???

* Year 2030-2050 = As Radical Islam takes over in Europe, CHINA MAY SIMIL BE TAKING OVER IN THE PACIFIC.

"Guam will Capsize" vee Anti-China "A2/AD" = USN Pearl Harbor BB USS "Oklahoma" = GEOLOGIC COLLAPSE OF THE US STATE OF OKLAHOMA + PERIPHERAL REGION DUE TO EXCESSIVE OR UNCONTROLLED
"FRACKING" [Super-Techs]???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/09/2015 23:19 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
Burqa-clad Turkish 'suicide bomber' turns out to be lover in disguise
By now you'll have noticed it's a thing in that part of the world, dear Reader.
[Hurriyet] A Turkish man detained as a suspected would-be jacket wallah in northern The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
was actually wearing a burqa to disguise himself to meet a secret lover from a dating site, local media reported Nov. 8.

Locals in the Black Sea province of Ordu alerted police of a "would-be suicide bomber" on Nov. 7 after noticing that a burqa-clad "woman" talking on the phone at a bus stop was wearing men's shoes, Dogan news agency said.

A police team arrived at the scene and "unmasked" the man, who was dressed in a full-length, Islamic-style black robe with a niqab -- the head covering worn by many Muslim women -- covering his face. Authorities detained him for "inflicting fear and panic in the public," Dogan reported.

The 33-year-old man, who is married with two children, told police that he had resorted to the burqa disguise in order to secretly meet a woman he had met on an online dating site for the first time.
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/09/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Culture Wars
University of Missouri President resigns over race complaints
[Breitbart] COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- The president of the University of Missouri system stepped down Monday amid criticism of his handling of student complaints about race and discrimination.

President Tim Wolfe said his resignation was effective immediately. He made the announcement at the start of what had been expected to be a lengthy closed-door meeting of the school's governing board. He largely pre-empted that session in a halting statement that was simultaneously apologetic, clumsy and defiant.

"This is not the way change comes about," he said, alluding to recent protests. "We stopped listening to each other."

He urged students, faculty and staff to "use my resignation to heal and start talking again to make the changes necessary."
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 14:20 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "I've had enough of this sh*t. I'm outta here"
Posted by: Frank G || 11/09/2015 14:48 Comments || Top||

#2  The social justice wankers (that's what SJW stands for, you know) will no doubt "use" his resignation...
Posted by: Steve White || 11/09/2015 14:59 Comments || Top||

#3  SJW - Academic Left's Red Guard

(not that they read real history and find out what happened in the end to the first Red Guard)
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/09/2015 15:38 Comments || Top||

#4  There's blood in the water now!
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/09/2015 15:42 Comments || Top||

#5  Yup - blood in the water. Here is the list of their demands:

I. We demand that the University of Missouri System President, Tim Wolfe, writes a handwritten apology to the Concerned Student 1-­9-­5-0 demonstrators and holds a press conference in the Mizzou Student Center reading the letter. In the letter and at the press conference, Tim Wolfe must acknowledge his white male privilege, recognize that systems of oppression exist, and provide a verbal commitment to fulfilling Concerned Student 1-9-5-­0 demands. We want Tim Wolfe to admit to his gross negligence, allowing his driver to hit one of the demonstrators, consenting to the physical violence of bystanders, and lastly refusing to intervene when Columbia Police Department used excessive force with demonstrators.

II. We demand the immediate removal of Tim Wolfe as UM system president. After his removal a new amendment to UM system policies must be established to have all future UM system president and Chancellor positions be selected by a collective of students, staff, and faculty of diverse backgrounds.
(and by diverse backgrounds you mean no white (or asian) privledged people allowed!)

III. We demand that the University of Missouri meets the Legion of Black Collegians' demands that were presented in 1969 for the betterment of the black community.

IV. We demand that the University of Missouri creates and enforces comprehensive racial awareness and inclusion curriculum throughout all campus departments and units, mandatory for all students, faculty, staff, and administration. This curriculum must be vetted, maintained, and overseen by a board comprised of students, staff, and faculty of color.
(I guess whitey is not invited - no racism there!)

V. We demand that by the academic year 2017-2018, the University of Missouri increases the percentage of black faculty and staff campus-wide to 10%.
(so much for 'of color' and no doubt regardless of actual merit for attending)

VI. We demand that the University of Missouri composes a strategic 10 year plan by May 1, 2016 that will increase retention rates for marginalized students, sustain diversity curriculum and training, and promote a more safe and inclusive campus.
(In short a plan to promote undeserving students regardless of merit or actual achievement. We *must* have equal outcomes!)

VII. We demand that the University of Missouri increases funding and resources for the University of Missouri Counseling Center for the purpose of hiring additional mental health professionals -- particularly those of color, boosting mental health outreach and programming across campus, increasing campus-­wide awareness and visibility of the counseling center, and reducing lengthy wait times for prospective clients.
(Because we're scared and want someone to hold our hands and tell us how mean white people are...)

VIII. We demand that the University of Missouri increases funding, resources, and personnel for the social justices centers on campus for the purpose of hiring additional professionals, particularly those of color, boosting outreach and programming across campus, and increasing campus-­wide awareness and visibility.


VIV. And a Pony!
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/09/2015 17:49 Comments || Top||

#6  Far simpler, close down all Mizzou facilities & mail out diplomas to any "person of color" who asks for one. Win-win, mao-maoists!
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/09/2015 17:54 Comments || Top||


Science
Dubai, with all it's wealth and splendor, one thing appears neglected - VIDEO
Caution: Rough contractor language.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 14:10 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Anybody have an explanation?
Posted by: Capsu 78 || 11/09/2015 19:09 Comments || Top||

#2  Evidently there's a public sanitation shortfall.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 19:50 Comments || Top||


Government
Report of 'Gay Rape' from American Psychological Association retracted
Posted by: DarthVader || 11/09/2015 11:19 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Seemed like a hit piece and it clearly didn't withstand the harsh light of scrutiny.
Posted by: DarthVader || 11/09/2015 11:21 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm more inclined to believe the study came to the "wrong" conclusions.
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy || 11/09/2015 11:33 Comments || Top||

#3  "We know that there is underreporting among men and women, and hope that this special issue will help to bring awareness and treatment for those that serve and protect us,” said the periodical’s co-editor, Michi Fu, a clinical practitioner.

So what you ended up with is an article nearly on a par with Rolling Stone's UVa campus-rape fabrication. Congratulations.
Posted by: Pappy || 11/09/2015 11:34 Comments || Top||

#4  Unlike the false 'epidemic of rape' on campus, it'll never be picked up and championed by the White House, various Senators, college presidents, et al. Wrong 'victim' crowd. Plus extra no good for raising the specter of 'gay' rape. That's an officially protected group. Nothing to see here or exploit for power or $$$.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/09/2015 13:17 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
New docs reveal Third Grade Anti-Israel event much worse than thought
[Legal Insurrection] Ithaca (NY) presentation by Bassem Tamimi and Jewish Voice for Peace incited hatred of Israel.

On Friday morning, September 18, 2015, the third grade classes at the Beverly J. Martin School in Ithaca, NY, heard a presentation on "human rights" by Palestinian activist Bassem Tamimi and local anti-Israel activists, including Ariel Gold of the local chapter of the anti-Israel Jewish Voice for Peace.

On Sunday night, September 20, Legal Insurrection broke the story, Anti-Israel activism hits elementary school in Ithaca, NY. Because of Tamimi's notoriety for exploiting children in videotaped confrontations with Israeli soldiers, Tamimi's mere appearance in a third grade class raised suspicions about the event.

After our report, a firestorm of controversy erupted, with the Superintendent of the Ithaca City School District (ICSD), Dr. Lovell Brown, conducting an investigation, after which he issued a statement that the event was "politically skewed, inflammatory, and not endorsed by the Ithaca City School District."

The Superintendent's statement, though, contained few details of his investigation.

But now Legal Insurrection exclusively has obtained documents pursuant to a Freedom Of Information Law (FOIL) request that show the event was even worse than we thought.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/09/2015 01:46 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Well, any normal child knows schools lie---a lot.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/09/2015 2:31 Comments || Top||

#2  A presentation on 'human rights' for 3rd graders? A tad young, don't you think?
Posted by: SteveS || 11/09/2015 12:22 Comments || Top||

#3  I think the school should have a 'Color Red' alarm like they have in Sedrot Israel and have all the 3rd-graders march down into the school basement for a couple of house until the Palieo rockets are done raining down on their classroom.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/09/2015 13:56 Comments || Top||

#4  I rather like that idea, CrazyFool. Call it "Learn Geography By Doing". Come back next week for our Tibet module where everyone gets to try their hand at yak milking.
Posted by: SteveS || 11/09/2015 20:12 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2015-11-09
  New ISIS Video: Execution of 200 Syrian Children
Sun 2015-11-08
  Ajnad AlSham video star gets his AlohaSnackbar moment
Sat 2015-11-07
  Russian air strikes kill 42 in ISIL-held Raqqa, Syria: monitor
Fri 2015-11-06
  ISIS commanders get the hell out of Dodge Raqqa
Thu 2015-11-05
  British Son of Omar Bakri Mohammed is 'executed by ISIS in Syria' after fleeing there to fight
Wed 2015-11-04
  Germany: Enraged Syrians Threaten Police With Use Of Armed Force
Tue 2015-11-03
  Turks continue attacks against Kurds
Mon 2015-11-02
  Senior officials killed in Mogadishu hotel siege
Sun 2015-11-01
  Publisher killed, 3 bloggers hurt; Ansar Al Islam claims they dunnit
Sat 2015-10-31
  Islamic State claims responsibility for Russian plane crash in Egypt
Fri 2015-10-30
  German ISIS Rapper Deso Dogg aka Denis Cuspert Killed in U.S. Air Strike
Thu 2015-10-29
  Nigerian Troops Rescue 338 People Held by Boko Haram
Wed 2015-10-28
  Yemeni Army claims Soddy warship destroyed
Tue 2015-10-27
  Mathew Stewart: Aussie soldier now terrorist leader in Syria
Mon 2015-10-26
  Senior Nusra Front leader killed near Aleppo


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