"The vetoed bill — which was co-sponsored by Manchin — would’ve
allowed construction on the Alberta-to-Texas pipeline to continue
despite continued stalling by the Obama administration over the
international venture.
“How many times have you seen us do something bipartisan?” Manchin said
on Fox News’ Cavuto, noting that nine Democrats voted for the bill.
“The Canadians agreed on everything we ask for,” the senator continued,
explaining how the nation agreed to use American-made steel and keep all
oil that flowed through the pipeline in the U.S. domestic market.
He also lamented the lost construction jobs and the safety concerns with
transporting oil by rail. “I just can’t figure [the veto] out, I really
can’t,” he said."
Look. The guy is as dishonorable (and disreputable at this point) as he is smug. That's what happens when you give private citizens access to public funds.
They take it.
Duh.
I have to say, Vermont has been quite sober and responsible in their dealing with the public purse. Recall, they decided to not opt for single-payer because of its costs. You would think a liberal nanny-state like VT would jump on SP no matter what. But it's not the case.
Never mind how it would spiral out of control down the line.
***
This excerpt (sent to me from a concerned citizen) is from the WSJ (paywall): "Greece Struggles to Get Citizens to Pay Their Taxes"
"At the end of 2014, Greeks owed their government about €76 billion
($86 billion) in unpaid taxes accrued over decades; the government
says only €9 billion of that can be recovered, with most of the
rest lost to insolvency.
Billions more in taxes are owed on never-reported revenue from
Greece’s vast underground economy, which was estimated before the
crisis to equal more than a quarter of the country’s gross domestic
product.
“Greeks consider taxes as theft,” said Aristides Hatzis, an
associate professor of law and economics at the University of
Athens. “Normally taxes are considered the price you have to pay
for a just state, but this is not accepted by the Greek
mentality.”"
The Greek mentality, of course, being give us free shit that we don't want to pay for. Something Quebec excels at. Except, the difference being Quebec has the advantage of being in a larger, wealthier and more advanced country where they can extract (or extort depending where you sit) more cash from other provinces in the Federation to pay for their unfunded welfare excesses.
It's not just Greece. The West has created this entitlement monster and it doesn't know how to quell or kill it.
Think Godzilla-King Kong and that alien monster in Cloverfield all rolled into one.
"Oil slump threatens easy life of affluent Norwegians"
"The average Norwegian has just gotten too much. We have a welfare
economy and an expectation from youth, who expect wealth to come
down from heaven," Sunde said. "When we come down to periods like
this, it comes down to good old values of working hard and
competing. A country like Norway needs to go through that."
I see Big Fjord Troubles on the horizon.
/narrows gaze.
***
Speaking of progressive and enlightened Scandinavians:
Ah. Let's not deal with racism in any meaningful manner. Let's just play with words.
It's a new hobby on the left here in North America too. Change the words. What's the big deal, man? PROGRESS!
Here's my take on Scandinavia. From what I can detect from afar, racism is pervasive in those countries. So, to the bureaucratic asshats in power, it makes sense to project and treat racism with political correctness lunacy.
It's pretty obvious. They're applying cologne to treat bad odor.
Apparently, America is one gigantic progressive experiment.
"...The fact is, our entire history – from our revolution
to healthcare reform – is filled with progressive accomplishments,
and it’s hard to sell the Conservative brand to people who know
that history. "
Notice what this buffoon did. He simply reworked history to fit his narrative.
"Dishonesty and Selection into Public Service: Evidence from India". Students who cheat on a simple laboratory task are more likely to prefer public sector jobs in India. We show that cheating on this task predicts corrupt behaviour by bureaucrats, implying that it is a meaningful predictor of future corruption..."
"By
running an experiment among Germans collecting their passports or ID
cards in the citizen centers of Berlin, we find that individuals with an
East German family background cheat significantly more on an abstract
task than those with a West German family background. The longer
individuals were exposed to socialism, the more likely they were to
cheat on our task. While it was recently argued that markets decay
morals (Falk and Szech, 2013), we provide evidence that other political
and economic regimes such as socialism might have an even more
detrimental effect on individuals’ behavior."
Eric Lindros has launched a $250,000 defamation lawsuit against onetime
NHL referee Paul Stewart and the Huffington Post, after Stewart wrote a
column for the online news website that allegedly made the former
Philadelphia Flyers star forward look like a "dickhead."
Something tells me he's not getting it.
***
More inanity from the New York Times (sorry lost the link. In any event, it's not like it's in me to make this shit up:
"As Cuba opens the door wider to private enterprise, the gap
between the haves and have-nots — and between whites and blacks —
that the revolution sought to diminish is growing more evident.
[…]
Raising the [U.S.] remittance cap, along with allowing more
Americans to visit Cuba and other steps toward normal diplomatic
relations, will help "support the Cuban people," the Obama
administration contends.
But some will enjoy that support more than
others. Cuban economists say that whites are 2.5 times
more likely than blacks to receive remittances, leaving many in
crumbling neighborhoods like Little Swamp nearly invisible in the
rise of commerce, especially the restaurants and
bed-and-breakfasts that tourists tend to favor.
"Remittances have produced new forms of inequality, particularly
racial inequality," said Alejandro de la Fuente, director of the
AfroLatin American Research Institute at Harvard University."
Always remember. They sucked communist cock back in the day. And they still do.
***
Speaking of failed liberal journalism on the NYT model, wonder if they wrote about places like Holdomor.
Probably not.
"Extermination by hunger" or "Hunger-extermination";derived from 'морити голодом', "to kill by starvation" was a man-made famine in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
in 1932 and 1933 that killed an estimated 2.5-7.5 million Ukrainians,
with millions more counted in demographic estimates. It was part of the
wider disaster, Soviet famine of 1932–33, which affected the major grain-producing areas of the country. "
Joseph Burrell was
arrested in November and charged with two felony counts of drug
possession. His bail was set at $250,000. The 31-year-old Burrell says
he's not happy it took so long for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
to process the evidence."
The war on drugs.
It wreaks havoc on civil society DESTROYING families and communities.
Remember. When you fail to debate in good fatih, you want to silence the opposition. In the end, these socialist-animists who worship Sock Puppet enviro-gods always over reach. Hopefully, this is their tipping point.
"Let the climate inquisition begin. The ranking Democrat on the House
Natural Resources Committee, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, has written to
seven universities about seven researchers who harbor impure thoughts
about climate change.
One of the targets is Steven Hayward, a blogger, author and
academic now at Pepperdine University (as well as an occasional
contributor to National Review). As Hayward puts it, the spirit of the
inquiry is, “Are you now or have you ever been a climate skeptic?”
I just don't get what the ATF (an oppressive Nixonian agency that's seen better days - if ever) is up to here.
Seems like Sandy Hook has left the 'reality based community' unhinged in its unsubstantiated hysteria.
They will never quit until they get the control they want. Going after ammo was the next step.
"Gun-rights groups are in an uproar over an ammunition ban proposed by
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The ATF
says it wants to ban M855 ball ammunition, a .223 (or 5.56 mm) rifle
bullet that has been used by American citizens for decades. The ATF says
it wants to ban this popular bullet because it is “armor piercing.” The law at the basis of this debate is the Gun Control Act of 1968
(GCA). As amended, the GCA prohibits the import, manufacture and
distribution of “armor piercing ammunition” as defined by a few terms
Attorney General Eric Holder’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is attempting
to broaden. The definition for what constitutes “armor piercing” reads: “a
projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which
is constructed entirely … from one or a combination of tungsten alloys,
steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium.” Now, to be as nitpicky as the law, the M855 ball ammunition the ATF
wants to ban as “armor piercing” doesn’t have a core made of the metals
listed in what legally makes a bullet “armor piercing.” The M855
actually has a lead core with a steel tip. Also, the M855 is
traditionally a rifle cartridge and the ban only covers handgun
ammunition. The DOJ argues this doesn’t stop them because the law
stipulates they can ban a bullet that “may be used in a handgun.” And,
after all, any cartridge may be used in a handgun."
This is the action and reasoning of a bureaucratic entity that will never stop in the demand to know where the guns are.
Is it not, like, super hot in Qatar in the summer?
Ah. But Qatar and their corrupt officials lackeys promised there would be air conditioned, state of the art facilities!
Now we know there isn't gonna be no AC so FIFA basically, as it's apt to do whenever it fucks up royally, told the world they'll simply move the tournament to winter.
Problem is, professional leagues in Europe (governed by UEFA) are in full swing during the winter and wonder about the feasibility of this decision while asking for compensation.
FIFA, naturally (because you know, they're a bunch of incompetent corrupt individuals on the take), gave them the middle-finger salute.
"...Even German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who said
he didn’t “want to make it more difficult for them,” concluded
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will have a “difficult”
time selling the agreement at home. That’s because Tsipras’s
populist rhetoric of ending austerity was overpowered by the
united front he faced.
A “complete political surrender to the world of reality”
was how Erik Nielsen, London-based global chief economist of
UniCredit Bank AG, put it. Societe Generale SA and Berenberg
Bank both labeled it a “u-turn” by Tsipras, who won election
Jan. 25 promising an end to budget cutting. "
"Late last year, as the German Bundeswehr was considering rebooting its
expensive, failed Euro Hawk drone program, the army of the country with
the fourth largest economy in the world fielded its newest armored
vehicles in a major military exercise in Norway with broomsticks painted
black and lashed in place of missing machine gun barrels. That detail
was part of a German Defense Ministry report leaked to Germany's public television network ARD that exposed widespread shortages of basic combat equipment."
Back during my Uni (that's right, my short hand for University) days, scholars from Germany came to speak at a European political science class I took. One student (from the Greek student association), during question period, went off on an embarrassing trek over praising Germany. If they stuck their dicks out he would have sucked them. As it were, they looked at him perplexed and thanked him for his kind words and proceeded to paint a rather sober picture of what ailed Germany at the time. The country was but a few years removed from reunification and the challenges were great. I don't think things are that much better. Call me a Euro-pessimist at this time. Anyway. It all adds up to one thing: Asking for American help and support. Germany's army is roughly the size of Italy's army at about 180k. Britain and France are slightly larger at around 200k. All (including Japan) spend about 1-1.5% of GDP on the military except for the UK who spend about 2%. Perspective: France under Napoleon's Grande Armee had close to 600 000 men. My how the mighty have fallen. *** In the 'duh' and 'no kidding' category:
"Gallup's annual World Affairs survey shows that only 48 percent of those
identifying as Democrats sympathize more with Israelis in tensions in
the Mideast than with Palestinians. In contrast, 83 percent of
Republicans side with Israelis. The figure for all Americans is 62
percent."
"Spider silk may
lose its claim as the strongest known natural material after researchers
found that limpet teeth have more mettle.
Spider silk is hailed by
scientists for its strength and structure, but researchers in Britain
have discovered that limpets -- snail-like sea creatures with conical
shells -- have teeth with structures so strong they could be copied and
used in making cars, boats and planes.
"Until
now we thought that spider silk was the strongest biological material
because of its super-strength and potential applications in everything
from bullet-proof vests to computer electronics," said Asa Barber, a
professor at Portsmouth University's school of engineering, who led the
study."
Seriously. As I've said in the past, the general ignorance on full display about economics and finance I read is shocking as it is frightening. If you can't count, you're especially vulnerable to all this 'pay your fair share' bull shit rhetoric.
***
New York Times in lap tops in 1985:
"The limitations come from what people actually do with computers, as
opposed to what the marketers expect them to do. On the whole, people
don't want to lug a computer with them to the beach or on a train to
while away hours they would rather spend reading the sports or business
section of the newspaper. Somehow, the microcomputer industry has
assumed that everyone would love to have a keyboard grafted on as an
extension of their fingers. It just is not so."
"...But the real future of the laptop computer will remain in the
specialized niche markets. Because no matter how inexpensive the
machines become, and no matter how sophisticated their software, I still
can't imagine the average user taking one along when going fishing. "
BOOYA!
And in 25 years we'll be reading the same thing from these Times only it will be bout global warming. Kidding aside, not the end of the world. He made a call. He missed. Big deal.
Bob Ryan thought Michael Jordan was going to be a flop. The Toronto Maple Leafs passed on Bobby Orr. Economists and meteorologists notoriously miss their marks while climate change scientists have been spectacularly wrong about the 'future of the planet.'
History is filled with misses. In fact, we miss more than we hit.
If I were to guess what our historical batting average is, I'd say about .275. The big ones we predicted were outliers more than anything. Look at it this way, career average of .275 with a couple of solid .300 seasons.
Driving along Montreal's highway 40 (part of the Trans-Canada) on a cold, dreary day the month of February excels at, I passed by a General Motors facility.
The once mighty and proud symbol of the American automobile industry was reduced to a climate metaphor. Its GM sign meekly erect, in its mundane mediocrity, in the backdrop of clouds reminding more of a nationalized enterprise in the Soviet Union or East Germany than a member of a dynamic capitalist class. It's depressing. I mean, look at it, it's the letters G and M in extremely boring font with a dash under it. Hello. 1986 wants its image back.
Logos and branding can be powerful things. Unfortunately, when I see GM I don't see excellence or innovation. I see a corporate ward of the state. No one is asking for anything awesomebut Lord me.
GM should consider, it seems to this consumer anyway, redesigning their logo. It's telling me they make Ladas. By contrast, Ford is coming to market with excellent cars and trucks.
And their original logo expresses it very well.
Even Jeep-Chrysler (now owned by Fiat) has avoided such a drop in status like GM has. Chrysler is clearly benefiting with its access to design ideas from Europe.
While both Ford and Chrysler offer consumers competitive and quality products, GM continues to fail to connect to customers and has failed to find or reinvent itself in the process.
"Comartin asked Martin whether he would like to respond to Galipeau, and Martin explained why he left his seat “briefly” in the middle of the proceedings. “I can blame it on a sale that was down at the Hudson’s Bay,” Martin
said. “They had men’s underwear on for half price. I bought a bunch that
was clearly too small for me and I find it difficult to sit for any
length of time.” By this point, many MPs had begun to laugh. “So I apologize if it was necessary for me to leave my seat briefly,
but I did not mean to forfeit my right to vote,” Martin concluded. After Martin sat down, Comartin paused to consider his ruling before
saying that Martin’s vote counted because he was in his seat for the
actual vote."
At least the NDP are good for a laugh.
Maybe the NDP could introduce 'better labeling' legislation for the underwear industry seeing they're big fans of the nanny-state.
Other than that, I think we guys know how uncomfortable tight under wear can get.
I've grown a little tired of listening to the most powerful leader in the world engage in professorial sophistry regarding ISIS.
I don't understand his pointless obsession in trying to 'school' people into understanding the difference. In fact, it points to his arrogance if he thinks we're not able to distinguish what is a derelict bunch of immoral murderous assholes and Islam.
However, the President is fooling himself if he thinks Islam doesn't permit this sort of nonsense no matter how much relativism he engages in.
Best the President keeps to a basic tenet of any employment: DO YOUR JOB.
"Last night I dreamed I made it to the promise land
I was standin' at the gate and I had the key in my hand
Saint Peter said "Come on in boy, you're finally home"
I said "No thanks Pete, I'll just be moving along"
A majority of Canadians support (last I heard hovering around a whopping 81% - and we didn't even have a catastrophic event like 9/11!) Bill C-51 (Patriot Act light). The Conservatives sure hit the jackpot. Hey, if there's one thing that works in politics it's playing the security card.
C-51 in my view is just plain a bad idea. Just like the Patriot Act has evolved into a Kafka-1984- esque monstrosity.
For all our alleged differences we share the same tribal fears.
For now, there's no provisions of power of arrest like in the USA but that will come in due time. Small steps.
And sooner than you think. I was listening to callers and was frightened by what I heard. One guy suggested (and don't laugh) a 999 call for 'terrorist and hate crimes.'
All we need to do is pick a different color worn by the Stasi, Black and Brown shirts. A color that reflects our kinder and gentler nature. After all, we're Canadians. And we Canadians are, if anything, very polite.
The Obama has lost complete control on his foreign policy - whatever it was to begin with - is obvious to those who follow it. Take your pick. Libya, Syria, Benghazi, Russia and Ukraine and the meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood against the Egyptian government's wishes - the Americans are winging things under Obama without much strategy looks like. The messages between Rice, Clinton, Hagel, Schumer, Kerry, Biden and the President have been ridiculously disjointed.
Particularly when it comes to his rhetoric on Islamic terrorism. Clearly the President has an issue with the term 'terrorism'. So much so he engages in inappropriate analogies and historical relativism (yeah, extremists are bad but remember when we were bad, like, eons ago?).
All this is not lost on international observers. At least, under Bush there was a consistent message. Everyone knew where they stood. Not so with this administration.
Time and again, again and persistently, the President fails to display his alleged oratorical strengths.
True, militarily, the President has been all too ready and willing to accept, support and enhance the Bush doctrine. However, his message remains too confused for allies; which is perfect for enemies.
***
The most recent example of how bizarre and even absurd the position of the White House can be seen in Marie Harf who is selling a point long proven to be misleading if not wrong. That is, poverty is what leads to terrorism.
No it doesn't. Most of its leadership and 'middle-management' come from privileged or comfortable backgrounds; often with an education. They don't lack for funds or smarts. So why would anyone in the high rises of American power politics continue to believe such nonsense?
Well. It's not that hard.
Look at the cherry on top.
The chocolate (or caramel) syrup flows down the sundae from that point.
"As
it wanes, the Obama administration grows bold, and even reckless, on
matters that send a thrill up the leg of its most leftward supporters.
Its new attack on so-called armor-piercing ammunition — which is, in
reality, a very broad attack on ammunition across the board — is a
dangerous and destructive example of the administration’s late-days
slide into rule-by-decree.
A little background, which
is unavoidably weedy: In 1986, Congress revised the Gun Control Act,
inserting prohibitions against the manufacture and import of
“armor-piercing ammunition.” Armor-piercing ammunition does not mean
ammunition designed to defeat body armor — that would be too simple. It
means, most broadly, ammunition that could defeat the soft body armor of
the sort that was cutting edge in the 1980s. But banning all such
ammunition as “armor-piercing” would have meant a ban on practically all
hunting rifles. One of the truly ignorant and insipid aspects of our
gun-control debate is that the gun-grabbers spend so much time wringing
their hands over “assault rifles,” which are relatively low-powered but
kinda-scary-looking firearms generally chambered for rounds (mainly the
.223) that are too small even to legally use for deer hunting, while at
the same time insisting that they do not wish to bother us about hunting
rifles, which generally are much, much more powerful than the AR-15s
that so dominate the progressive imagination."
And they will use any statistic, however irrational or flawed, to justify grabbing guns.
Remember when they used to dismiss concerns that smoking bans would eventually encroach onto private property?
Yeah.
Well, we shouldn't believe a word when they say they just want 'common sense' gun control. The end game is total ban just like Obamacare's end game is single payer.
With the North East from Montreal to Boston to Washington all the way to the Carolinas and Georgia getting hammered with snow, I guess now is a good time to bring up this gem courtesy of the New York Times titled 'The End Of Snow?'
Bow before GAIA! If there's snow it's because of 'climate change'! If there's no snow it's proof of 'climate change!" And it's all man's fault! Him and his stupid patriarchal industrial capitalism. Pft,
Never mind that many of them really are anti-capitalist commies.
Forgive me if I've decided to turn my back on their message - including Gore, Suzuki et all.
Watch. When all this will add up to NOTHING some time down the road, you will not find one person among this sorry bunch who'd admit they bought into the hysteria.
They'll find a way to spin it so as to not make them look so incredibly naive and stupid. It never was about 'climate change' but SYSTEM CHANGE.
Even their message is confused.
Now if you don't mind I have some shoveling to do.
"Gordon Van Gilder,
a 72-year-old retired schoolteacher in New Jersey, faces a 10-year
prison sentence for possessing an unloaded 18th-century flintlock pistol
in his car.
Mr. Van Gilder,
a collector of 18th-century memorabilia, said he had the gun unloaded
and wrapped in a cloth in the glove compartment of his vehicle when he
was pulled over in November by a Cumberland County sheriff’s deputy for a
minor traffic violation, according to a video posted last week by NRA News.
After consenting to a search of his vehicle, Mr. Van Gilder
said he alerted the deputy of the pistol in his glove box. The deputy
let him go that night, but four police officers showed up at his home
the next morning with an arrest warrant, he told NRA News."
Are they fucking for real? Are those cops for effen real?
Holy shit.
Stay away from Jersey.
Remember, this is the state that was ready to throw a mother in jail for a similar offense.
In
its report, the U.S. Treasury Department said it recovered $70.43
billion of the $79.69 billion it gave to General Motors Corp., Chrysler
LLC and auto lending arms Ally Financial Inc. and Chrysler Financial.
The government was repaid through a combination of stock sales, partial
loan repayments, dividends and interest payments."
I swear, each time I hear the asinine assertion 'the government made money on the bail out' I want to scream like a lunatic.
"The Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, has ordered the takeover of a private supermarket chain by the state food agency.
Speaking on television, he accused Dia a Dia of hoarding food during huge shortages in the country. This week, soldiers and government workers were sent to branches of a large supermarket and pharmacy chain to supervise sales. Venezuela's economy has been heavily affected by the drop in oil prices."
My Lord these people are priceless.
This is what happens when you have an ignorant ideologically driven political class.
Personal income tax: NONE Corporate income tax: NONE Capital gains tax: NONE Taxation of dividends: NONE Taxation of interest: NONE Withholding taxes: NONE Payroll tax: NONE Social Security tax: NONE Wealth tax: NONE Inheritance/estate tax: NONE Property taxes: NONE
"...Compared to the levels of taxation in the US, Canada, and Europe, to
say the above is a breath of fresh air would be a major understatement. Now, there are only three jurisdictions in the Western hemisphere that do not
levy property taxes, so that should narrow the field. The mere
existence of property taxes is a ridiculous notion that should offend
anyone with a respect of property rights. I have already covered this topic here in case you’re interested. Those three jurisdictions are the Cayman Islands, Dominica, and Turks and Caicos Islands."
"...The aversion to even the concept of direct taxation in Cayman
is extremely important. Because once the principle is conceded—and you
give politicians an inch—it’s only a matter of time before they’ll take a
mile. You’ll recall that when the federal income tax was introduced in the US
in 1913, those making up to $20,000 (equivalent to around $475,000
today) were only taxed at 1%—that’s ONE PERCENT.
The top bracket kicked in at $500,000 (equivalent to around $12 million today), and the tax rate for it was only 7%. Of course, once the principle was conceded in 1913, the politicians
naturally couldn’t resist ramping it up until we have the monstrosity
that exists today in the US tax code, which most Americans passively
accept as “normal.” In my view, it’s Cayman’s unique culture and history that’s opposed to
the very principle of direct taxation, which is the best guarantor it
will continue to be a beacon of light well into the future."
"...Spendthrift politicians the world over have long despised
Cayman—something that should be taken as a badge of honor, as far as I’m
concerned. This is because productive people and companies gravitate to places
where they’re treated best. And it’s hard to find a place where you’ll
be treated better with respect to taxation than in Cayman. This healthy
dynamic is called tax competition.
No shit.
I find it's best to read the above paragraph in Mr. Burns' voice for full effect. It's hilarious listening to bankers and politicians talk of Cayman Islands as if it's some sort of criminal enterprise. They want to close 'off shore loopholes' because they want the money. So they start a campaign of talking shit about these islands using their lackeys in the media. Yeah, I'm channeling my inner Dale Gribble but after watching The Wire, wouldn't surprise one bit.
"Another way Cayman has been pressured is through demonization in the
media and popular culture as some sort of shady money-laundering center.
Never mind the fact that unlike murder, robbery, and rape, money
laundering is a victimless make-believe crime invented by politicians. " B-b-but, where's the price for civilization?
Last I checked, Fox News doesn't have a Dan Rather and Brian Williams on their roster. Of course, I'm still waiting exactly to know what's 'fake' about Fox News.
It's okay we can trust the liberal mainstream media to cover ISIS beheading 21 Christians in Egypt.
Remember when that clown from the NYT was claiming the Times is fair with its coverage about religion? Yeah.
Here was their chance to prove us extremists wrong and they curled like the little gutless pukes they are. Go write about stories protecting Brian Williams and let real journalists do the reporting New York Times.
The oft (generalized) comment I get critiquing Italian soccer (I've even read the same tag against Germany) is that it's 'defensive'.
The same thing was said when Serie A was using Europe as its playground during its dominant years in the 1990s. But when we consult the numbers we realize it has less to do with Serie A being uniquely defensive and more with an overall trend that took over in Europe particularly among the 'Big Four'. It's just that Italian clubs and the national team made playing defense into an art form is all and played it better than most. There's inherent beauty in playing defense properly. In any event, it was nowhere near as defensive as the 1970s and 1980s.
Anyhow. Notice the league averages. The highest goals per game recorded was 1.49 in Germany with the lowest at 1.10 in Spain where La Liga also had the lowest GPG of the four leagues. You'll never hear Liga be called defensive despite the lowest total of the four.
Its national team during its period of dominance (c. 2008-2012), contrary to popular perception, wasn't an offensive juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination (its World Cup win in 2010 was the lowest goal tally (eight in seven games) of any champion). Rather, it was actually a system of play rooted in fit play through relentless pressure, solid mid play - and defense.
Serie A and EPL, in fact, were roughly on par with one another.
Regardless, a GPG of under 2 is low. SERIE A LIGA EPL BUNDESLIGA
90-91: 1.15 1.10 1.38 1.45
91-92 :1.14 1.20 1.27 1.31
92-93: 1.40 1.26 1.33 1.46
93-94 :1.20 1.22 1.29 1.46
94-95: 1.26 1.27 1.29 1.50
95-96: 1.32 1.35 1.30 1.36
96-97: 1.32 1.38 1.28 1.49
97-98: 1.38 1.10 1.34 1.44
98-99: 1.38 1.10 1.26 1.42
99-00 1.25 1.31 1.39 1.45
CNN mourns the loss of Brian Williams (a vain liar), Jon Stewart (a jester but not really a comedian journalist some of the time - or some thing - who resigned by choice) and the death of two other guys. Who are they? Right. David Carr and Bob Simon.
"I'm really concerned about dinosaurs, and I think something needs to be
done. The science behind them is pretty flimsy, and I for one do not
want my children being taught lies. Did you know that nobody had even
heard of dinosaurs before the 1800s, when they were invented by
curio-hungry Victorians?
Charles Darwin's later theory of
evolution entirely disproved dinosaurs, yet the dinosaur lie was twisted
and adapted to try to make it fit. Any proper look at the facts will
reveal that dinosaurs simply never existed."
Lord, the lesson they're teaching their kids is just horrible.
And leave it to Chicago to have the Mayor try and have the Little League committee over turn their just decision stripping Jackie Robinson West (somehow I doubt Robinson is proud in his grave). It sucks the kids have to pay for it (and like they really give a shit because if they did they A) wouldn't have cheated and B) allowed the Mayor to enter the sad fray.
Bunch of disingenuous children - the adults I mean.
After all, ome of the most successful people in world history got by without one.
Not really. And given by the standards in our schools now, I think it's actually a good thing someone outside the extremely narrow academic world gets a kick at the can.
I think Scott Walker just scares the bejeesus of leftists that's why they're going after his education - or lack thereof.
Seems to me Britain is pouring all its energies in the wrong places.
On one end they have the disgraceful episode of Rotherdam and the growing problem of domestic Muslim terrorism, and on the other end...well read on.
Both are disturbing and troubling to say the least.
One of the most chrerished inventions of Western law is 'innocent until proven guilty'' and England is looking to reverse it. It's unfortunate this cheer leading is coming from the seat of a once proud and enlightened empire.
"Men accused of date rape will need to convince police that a woman consented
to sex as part of a major change in the way sex offences are investigated.
The Director of Public Prosecutions said it was time for the legal system to
move beyond the concept of “no means no” to recognise situations where women
may have been unable to give consent.
Alison Saunders said rape victims should no longer be “blamed” by society if
they are too drunk to consent to sex, or if they simply freeze and say
nothing because they are terrified of their attacker."
Go fuck yourself Alison you dangerous twit.
"...Instead, police and prosecutors must now put a greater onus on rape suspects
to demonstrate how the complainant had consented “with full capacity and
freedom to do so”.
Campaigners described the move as “a huge step forward” in ensuring fewer
rapists escape justice."
VERY SCARY SHIT. FULL RETARD FRIGHTENING STUFF.
I'm gonna go and bet it will have ZERO impact on rape stats. Taking bets NOW.
For one thing, if the Brits are collected their stats from flawed studies like President Left-Wing in the U.S., they're operating from a flawed premise. Even the police in the article is basically saying you can't trust the stats. What is likely to happen is ruining the lives of a bunch of innocent boys (The Duke Lacrosse Effect - that girl's influence on the world is greater than we think I reckon) and other unintended consequences.
The campaigners are a bunch of assholes. If they believe this to be a good thing then I stick by claim they're piece of shits.
"Another point I would make, [about] carbon pricing, is
that when we make the argument that this is a rogue sector,
that their business plan is at odds with life on
earth, we are creating an intellectual and political space
where it becomes much easier to tax those profits, to increase
royalties, and even to nationalize these
companies. This is not just about the fact that we want to
separate ourselves from these companies, it’s also that we
have a right to those profits. If those profits
are so illegitimate that Harvard shouldn’t be invested in them,
they’re also so illegitimate that taxpayers have a right to
them to pay for a transition away from fossil fuels, and
to pay the bills for a crisis created by this sector. It’s not just
about dissociating ourselves from their profits, but potentially
getting a much larger piece of them."
We have to murder people to save humanity.
What a profoundly pathetic dolt.
***
Thinkprogress does what it does best. Act opposite to its name.
On Sunday, Germany’s impressive streak of renewable energy
milestones continued, with renewable energy generation surging to a
record portion — nearly 75 percent — of the country’s overall
electricity demand by midday. With wind and solar in particular
filling such a huge portion of the country’s power demand,
electricity prices actually dipped into the negative for much of
the afternoon, according to Renewables International
"Indeed, despite the massive investment, solar power
accounts for only about 0.3 percent of Germany’s total energy. This
is one of the key reasons why Germans now pay the second-highest
price for electricity in the developed world (exceeded only by
Denmark, which aims to be the “world wind-energy champion”).
Germans pay three times more than their American
counterparts.
Moreover, this sizeable investment does remarkably little to
counter global warming. Even with unrealistically generous
assumptions, the unimpressive net effect is that solar power
reduces Germany’s CO2 emissions by roughly 8 million metric tons—or
about 1 percent – for the next 20 years. To put it another way: By
the end of the century, Germany’s $130 billion solar panel
subsidies will have postponed temperature increases by 23
hours."
"...The U.S. did not think British
intelligence was good enough to act on and waited a month to launch a
mission to rescue ISIS's hostages. By then it was too late.
The
U.S. government obtained intelligence on the possible location of
American captives held by ISIS in Syria last year, but Obama
administration officials waited nearly a month to launch a rescue
mission because of concerns that the intelligence wasn’t conclusive and
some of it had come from a foreign service, U.S. and British officials
told The Daily Beast."
They got the information. They just didn’t trust it. And they did sit on it, there’s no doubt about that,” the official said."
Of all the left-wing publications, I like The Daily Beast. They make an effort to get to the truth. ***
A nation dedicated to liberty:
"...In a report released Thursday, the Civilian Review and Complaints
Commission blames the mistakes on poor leadership, lack of guidance, and
failure to communicate with the public. The RCMP had legal authority to forcibly enter evacuated homes during
the natural disaster and even to seize loose firearms in plain view,
the commission report says. The Mounties say the guns could have posed a hazard, as there were
reports of break-ins and thefts, and there were over 300 people —
including one high-risk offender — who refused to evacuate. Under the Criminal Code, such seizures did not require a
court-approved warrant, but officers failed to take the necessary next
step of reporting their actions to a judge."
They can make criminals of us all if they so choose.
Been reading various media pundits and their little pretties (fans) make some remarkable claims in defense of Brian Williams.
It goes something to the effect of 'Buuuussssh!'
As in, 'it's funny how Bush lied but he never lost his job!'
Seriously?
Seriously? They pulled on the Bush card?
This is what we call in the business afalse equivalence. They appear to be equivalent but they're not.
What does Williams embellishing or lying have anything to do with Bush?
Of course, to any sane and sober mind, the answer is absolutely nothing.
They're two separate things that didn't even occur in the same year for crying out loud.
***
About that Iraq thing. The argument (which really it isn't. It's a lame ploy to distract from Williams shameless behavior as a journalist bringing into question his integrity) is hollow.
Here's why:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a major victory for the White House, the Senate early
Friday voted 77-23 to authorize President Bush to attack Iraq if Saddam
Hussein refuses to give up weapons of mass destruction as required by
U.N. resolutions. Ahead of the vote, Senate Majority Leader Tom
Daschle announced Thursday morning he would support Bush on Iraq, saying
it is important for the country "to speak with one voice at this
critical moment." Daschle, D-South Dakota, said the threat of
Iraq's weapons programs "may not be imminent. But it is real. It is
growing. And it cannot be ignored." However, he urged Bush to move "in a
way that avoids making a dangerous situation even worse."
"By late 2003, even the Bush White
House’s staunchest defenders were starting to give up on the idea that
there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
But WikiLeaks’ newly-released Iraq war documents
reveal that for years afterward, U.S. troops continued to find chemical
weapons labs, encounter insurgent specialists in toxins and uncover
weapons of mass destruction.
An initial glance at the WikiLeaks war logs doesn’t reveal evidence of some massive WMD
program by the Saddam Hussein regime — the Bush administration’s most
(in)famous rationale for invading Iraq. But chemical weapons,
especially, did not vanish from the Iraqi battlefield. Remnants of
Saddam’s toxic arsenal, largely destroyed after the Gulf War,
remained. Jihadists, insurgents and foreign (possibly Iranian)
agitators turned to these stockpiles during the Iraq conflict — and may
have brewed up their own deadly agents."
Here's Hilary (the great Liberal Democrat hope) on the matter:
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that
Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological
weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program.
He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including
al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam
Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and
chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
Hillary Clinton, Oct. 10, 2002
Like I said. Not only is it a false equivalence but I assert people taking this position are disingenuous.
Bush didn't lie on his own. The American political class thought this as well.
I don't understand the mindset of these people who single out Bush but give Congress a pass.
The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs have always been great hockey rivals. Once upon a time, it was even a rather even one. Not so much anymore.
Since 1967 (the year the Leafs last won the Cup) the Habs have finished ahead of the Leafs 37 times (including 27 straight years between 1967 and 1994) while Toronto have only managed to pass the Canadiens 10 times (with most of those taking place between 1999-2004 when the Maple Leafs put together of six straight seasons of surpassing their rivals).
I musta missed the part when Obama was an employer or held down a real job in the private sector.
***
"The Quebec police ethics commission announced on Tuesday that it has
suspended Sgt. Michel El-Khoury for five days and Constable Simon Jetté
for two days after the police ethics committee ruled last year that the
officers used illegal force when arresting Dr. Jeffrey Sirzyk. The incident began in February 2012 when police called the emergency
room requesting information about a child who had been taken to the
emergency room. Citing privacy rules, a nurse refused to give details about why the
child was brought to hospital, but said the child had been transferred
to another hospital. A short time later, two officers turned up and arrested Sirzyk. One
of them grabbed him by the arm, pushed him against the wall and tried to
drag him out of the busy emergency room as shocked patients looked
on. Other police officers then arrived and instructed the officers to
release the doctor.
He was never charged."
The thing that really bothers me about this two boneheads is they could have affected someone's life as a result of their brutal and illegal behavior.
Idiots.
As usual, cops get a slap on the wrist for their unacceptable actions.
"...If the president truly believes that ISIS poses a dire threat to the
United States — one requiring a military response that puts the lives of
American soldiers at risk, costs billions of dollars, and leads to the
death of hundreds or thousands of people on the other side of the
conflict — then it makes no sense at all for him simultaneously to
encourage Americans to adopt a stance of moral ambiguity toward that
threat. Does Obama want us to kill the bloodthirsty psychopaths of ISIS? Or
does he want us to reflect dispassionately on the myriad ways that
they’re really not that different from the grandfather of my friend from
Mississippi?"
"A wise president understands that his role is categorically different
from that of a journalist, a scholar, a moralist, or a theologian. It’s
not a president’s job to gaze down dispassionately on the nation,
rendering moral judgments from the Beyond. His job is to defend our
side. Yes, with intelligence and humility. But the time for intelligence
and humility is in crafting our policies, not in talking about them
after the fact. When the president speaks as he did at the Prayer
Breakfast, he sounds like a man who believes that executing his own
sometimes ruthless policies is too narrow-minded, too partial — a word,
too political — for a man as worldly and cosmopolitan as he."
This is the chosen tactic of the left: Relativism.
"...as an intellectual exercise, Obama’s remarks weren’t
wrong. Christianity has been invoked to justify a wide range of moral
atrocities down through the millennia, and the Crusades, Inquisition,
and Jim Crow are all excellent examples."
No. He's dead wrong when applying it to ISIS.
I just don't see how Jim Crow falls under the banner of Christianity. Cannon Law must come from The Vatican. Saying Jim Crow happened in the USA - a Christian country ergo is part of the Christian faith is a stretch and misleading. Jim Crow is no more Christian than the Nazis or Communists were.
My God, think about it for a second, pal.
Obama is asking us to understand ISIS because Jim Crow.
To this I say, cool story, bra.
***
I'm not for mandatory vaccination (everyone is free to make their choices) but I do consider anti-vaccinists to be irrational and their fears without scientific merit.
I'll leave it to Rex Murphy to set things straight:
"When anybody listens to, or seeks medical guidance from, Jenny
McCarthy, or any of her fellow neurosurgeons on the View, they have
confessed to having the intellectual power of a dead tree stump. And may
even be living in one."
PERFECT AND AMEN.
***
From the comments:
"Interesting how Rex correctly denounces medical science deniers for
their stupidity & ignorance when it comes to vaccines, while Rex
himself has been, for years, the most vocal anti-climate-science, global
warming denying, crank in the Canadian MSM (he wrote countless news
columns denouncing climate science's findings). And to paraphrase Rex,
"When anybody listens to, or seeks guidance on climate science, from
noteworthy 'climatologist' (not!), Rex Murphy, they have confessed to
having the intellectual power of a dead tree stump. And may even be
living in one." Take that, Rex."
Ah yes. If you don't believe in climate system change then everything else flows from there and leaves you to be anti-science.
Nonsense that can only come from the climate change community despite the mounting evidence pointing to the entire movement's arguments being rooted on false premises and fabrications.
No such thing happens with vaccines. It's rock-solid science.
Man made climate change is on far more shaky ground than vaccinations. It's not even in the same stratosphere.
"The
tally of retail closures continues to grow in Canada with a new report
from real estate company CBRE pegging the total to 1,114 stores in a
little over three years. Jones New York added its name to the long list Thursday when it announced it was closing 127 stores, 36 of which are in Canada. The retailer’s decision comes on heels of Target’s decision to leave
Canada and shutter 133 stores in the coming months. In total 16 brands
have left the country since 2012. Here’s the list, the number of locations and the year the chain closed: Jones New York, 36, stores, 2015
Target, 133 stores, 2015
Sony, 14 stores, 2015
Mexx, 95 stores, 2015
Smart Set, 107 stores, 2014
Bombay, Bowring & C0. Inc. and Benix & Co. Inc. 110 stores, 2014
Jacob, 92 stores, 2014
Juicy Couture, 5 stores, 2014
Grand & Toy, 19 stores, 2014
Petcetera, 18 stores, 2014
Big Lots/Liquidation World, 78 stores, 2014
Zellers, 220 stores, 2013
Espirit, 46 stores, 2012
Fields, 141 stores, 2012
Cpl. Mark Kellock of the RCMP’s Eastern Traffic Services said police
stopped the westbound driver Monday at 5:30 a.m., just east of New
Glasgow. The man was alone in the vehicle, a rented Chevrolet Malibu, and was driving in a 100-km/h zone."
Confessions of T..C: Me and my cousin took my father's Alfa-Romeo to 230 km/h back in the day. ***
"...In the process, Matt Molinari and Eric Schnepf, both 18, also learned
a valuable lesson about one of the costs of doing business: government
regulations.
The two friends were canvasing a neighborhood near
this borough's border with Bridgewater early Monday evening, handing out
fliers promoting their service, when they were pulled over by police
and told to stop."
Greece entered the EU in 1981 and from that point forward have never really been a model member. That they would demand reparations for WWII is outrageous and the Germans are correct to tell them to piss off.
I wonder if their left-wing, socialist 10 plan tin pot plan includes them manning up for their own troubles.
The
reparations is a strawman; a neat ploy on the part of the Greeks to
try and guilt Germany into covering debts they alone incurred.
"Vermont rejected a beverage tax in 2011, 2013, and 2014. Now, only a
few weeks into 2015, and some folks are pushing once again for new
beverages taxes on Vermont families.
This time there’s talk of a whopping 2¢ per-ounce tax on grocery
items like sodas, juice drinks, sports drinks, teas, and other
beverages."
