Showing posts with label What's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What's. Show all posts

Sunday, March 30, 2014

What"s the Role of Sports in Society? (full session)

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What"s the Role of Sports in Society? (full session)

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Tell Us: What’s The Best Meal You’ve Ever Eaten While Traveling?

At Hey WTF? News, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by Hey WTF? News and how it is used.

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Like many other Web sites, Hey WTF? News makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user"s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

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Tell Us: What’s The Best Meal You’ve Ever Eaten While Traveling?

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Obamacare Art Appreciation Lesson #1: What"s Art?

At Hey WTF? News, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by Hey WTF? News and how it is used.

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Obamacare Art Appreciation Lesson #1: What"s Art?

Monday, January 27, 2014

For Obama, an address focused on what"s achievable




The Capitol is seen from the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, as Congress resumes work. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)





The Capitol is seen from the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, as Congress resumes work. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)





House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio leaves the House chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, after hearing the resignation letter submitted by Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla. Radel, whose district includes the Florida Gulf Coast communities of Fort Myers and Naples, was caught buying cocaine in November from an undercover federal agent in Washington. Tomorrow, President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)





The Capitol Rotunda looms over the statue of George Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, as the House and Senate resume work in Washington. President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)





FILE – In this Jan. 25, 2011 file-pool photo, President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington. Is “strong” losing its strength? Presidents of both parties have long felt compelled to sum up the state of the union with a descriptive word or two in their State of the Union addresses. Mostly the same word. For many years now, “strong” has been the go-to adjective. Vice President Joe Biden is at left, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio is at right. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File-Pool)





Politics Headlines



For Obama, an address focused on what"s achievable

Monday, December 30, 2013

What"s a Motherboard? Newegg TV"s Tutorial and Shopping Guide


http://www.newegg.com | Mobos: http://bit.ly/1fFoTIz Welcome to our latest Newegg TV tutorial! Knowing the parts of a PC and what tasks they perform can be v…



What"s a Motherboard? Newegg TV"s Tutorial and Shopping Guide

What"s a Motherboard? Newegg TV"s Tutorial and Shopping Guide


http://www.newegg.com | Mobos: http://bit.ly/1fFoTIz Welcome to our latest Newegg TV tutorial! Knowing the parts of a PC and what tasks they perform can be v…



What"s a Motherboard? Newegg TV"s Tutorial and Shopping Guide

What"s a Motherboard? Newegg TV"s Tutorial and Shopping Guide


http://www.newegg.com | Mobos: http://bit.ly/1fFoTIz Welcome to our latest Newegg TV tutorial! Knowing the parts of a PC and what tasks they perform can be v…



What"s a Motherboard? Newegg TV"s Tutorial and Shopping Guide

Friday, December 20, 2013

What"s a province to do on CPP expansion?

At Not Just The News, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by Not Just The News and how it is used.


Log Files


Like many other Web sites, Not Just The News makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user"s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.


Cookies and Web Beacons


Not Just The News does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.


DoubleClick DART Cookie


  • Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on Not Just The News.

  • Google"s use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to Not Just The News and other sites on the Internet.

  • Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on Not Just The News send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.


Not Just The News has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.


You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. Not Just The News"s privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.


If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browser"s respective websites.



What"s a province to do on CPP expansion?

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Unemployment Benefits Are Ending for 1.3 Million Americans. What"s That All About?


On December 28, 1.3 million people will lose their unemployment insurance. That’s because Congress failed to add an extension of those benefits into the budget deal that will likely pass the Senate this week. Here is some background:


Who is losing unemployment benefits? The long-term unemployed. After state unemployment benefits run out—usually after 26 weeks—federal emergency unemployment benefits kick in for up to another 47 weeks. Since Congress didn’t renew the program, 1.3 million Americans will be kicked off benefits, which average $ 1,166 per month. By the end of 2014, another 3.6 million will lose their benefits.


Why are they called emergency benefits? In 2008, under President George W. Bush, Congress authorized emergency unemployment compensation to help the jobless cope with the recession, giving workers a total of 59 weeks of unemployment compensation. A year later, President Barack Obama signed a law giving the unemployed 14 more weeks of jobless benefits. At the height of the recession, Americans could get up to 99 weeks of unemployment pay. That number has since dipped to a maximum of 73 weeks. This is the first time since 2008 that Congress hasn’t extended the program.


Under another federal program initiated by President Richard Nixon, Americans can still get an extra 13 weeks of benefits if the unemployment rate in their state is high enough. (This threshold varies by state).


The recovery is picking up pace. Is it time to end the program? Many Republicans think so. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said last week that he thinks extending the benefits fosters unemployment. “I do support unemployment benefits for the 26 weeks that they’re paid for. If you extend it beyond that, you do a disservice to these workers,” Paul told Fox News. “When you allow people to be on unemployment insurance for 99 weeks [sic], you’re causing them to become part of this perpetual unemployed group in our economy.”


The long-term unemployment rate—the percentage of those without a job for 27 weeks or longer—remains at record levels, though, in an economy with three job applicants for every job opening. The overall jobless rate has dropped to its lowest in five years, but the long-term unemployment rate is at 37 percent of the total unemployed.


In past recessions, extended unemployment benefits ended when the long-term unemployed represented about 1.3 percent of the workforce. Today, the long-term jobless represent more than 2 percent of the labor force.


What will happen to Americans who lose their benefits? Even though the average monthly unemployment payment isn’t nearly enough to support a family of four, the benefits do help people scrape by. When extended unemployment insurance expires, many Americans will fall deeper into poverty. In 2012, jobless benefits helped keep 1.7 million people—including 446,000 children—out of poverty, according to the National Employment Law Project.


Expiring benefits may also result in fewer Americans looking for jobs. Jobless insurance allows people to continue an active job search because it helps them afford presentable clothing and transportation to interviews. And Americans may be less motivated to look for work if they lose their benefits. Matt Yglesias at Slate explains:


[S]ome fairly substantial fraction of the long-term unemployed will just stop looking for a job and drop out of the labor force. If you’re long-term unemployed, then almost by definition looking for work has not been very successful at getting you work. What it has gotten you is a UI [unemployment insurance] check. Take away the check, there’s no point in bothering.



So why wasn’t unemployment insurance included in the budget deal? Republicans say there’s no urgent need to extend the $ 26 billion federal emergency unemployment insurance program because the economy is getting healthier. Democrats, who counter that the long-term unemployed are still struggling, wanted a budget deal more than they wanted the benefits extension.


Could the expiring benefits stall the recovery? Unemployment benefits act as a short-term economic stimulus, because unemployed people spend their benefits checks immediately. If the benefits were to continue, the economy would gain 200,000 jobs, and the GDP would grow by 0.2 percent in 2014, according to the Congressional Budget Office.


Is there any way out of this mess? When Congress reconvenes in early January, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will push a retroactive extension of the benefits. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is urging Democrats to withhold support for the farm bill unless it addresses unemployment insurance.


“The people that are unemployed for a long period of time are Democrats and they are Republicans,” Reid said last week. “This is an issue that Republicans, I think, need more than we need it. This is something I think will be extremely difficult for them to turn away from.”


But because the spending on unemployment benefits will not be accompanied by a spending reduction, many Republicans are likely to vote against it.



Politics | Mother Jones



Unemployment Benefits Are Ending for 1.3 Million Americans. What"s That All About?

Friday, November 8, 2013

Hunger Games: What"s Behind Yelp"s Fake Reviews?





A new study finds restaurants that face close regional competition are more likely to post fake positive reviews for themselves and negative reviews for competitors.



Jeremy Brooks/Flickr

A new study finds restaurants that face close regional competition are more likely to post fake positive reviews for themselves and negative reviews for competitors.



A new study finds restaurants that face close regional competition are more likely to post fake positive reviews for themselves and negative reviews for competitors.


Jeremy Brooks/Flickr



When it comes to scouting out a new bakery, pizzeria or noodle shop, there are few review sites that compare to Yelp. In turn, the reviews left on sites like Yelp can have a big effect on many restaurants’ bottom lines.


That’s created a huge incentive for businesses to write fake positive reviews about themselves, called “astroturfing.” Some fake reviews are written by the businesses, while others are produced in bulk by reputation management companies. Michael Luca of the Harvard Business School and Georgios Zervasy of Boston University wanted to figure out the exact conditions under which companies have strongest incentive to leave a fake review.


Luca and Zervasy analyzed 316,415 reviews for 3,625 Boston-area restaurants written between 2004 through 2012, all of which Yelp had already flagged as potentially fraudulent. These “filtered” reviews make up about 25 percent of the 42 million total reviews submitted for all businesses. Of the filtered reviews, Luca and Zervasy found 16 percent of reviews weren’t legitimate.


But defining fraudulence is tricky, especially since Luca and Zervasy don’t know exactly what makes Yelp’s private algorithm tick. According to guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission, a review written by the business owner, family members, competitors or a compensated reviewer would be considered false advertising. But an owner who encourages users to review his restaurant (and provides instructions) falls into a grey area.


Luca and Zervasy’s study, which is currently being reviewed by a journal for publication, draws a few large conclusions about who cheats and why. They found that restaurants that have a “weak” reputation (few and/or poor reviews) are more likely to boost their presence with fake positive reviews. Those that faced more regional competition might write positive reviews for themselves and leave negative reviews for competitors. Luca and Zervasy also found that chain restaurants, which do not benefit greatly from Yelp, are less likely to commit review fraud.


Luca says he was surprised to find that ethics had nothing to do with it.


“This type of decision was influenced by the amount of competition and incentives,” he says. “This wasn’t just a story of a few rotten apples that were going to leave a bad review no matter what.”


The number of posts Yelp has to filter has increased dramatically in its nine-year existence. Luca says its part of an “arms race” between the review sites and scammers.


“People are finding increasing sophisticated ways to get around the algorithms,” he says. And, as Zervas told Boston University, as more consumers make decisions with on crowd-sourced reviews, businesses have a higher incentive to cheat.


But those developing the algorithms are also creating new tools that might make fake reviews less relevant in the first place. Luca’s next projectis working with health inspectors to tap into a restaurant’s reviews and predict which ones might have hygiene violations.


If a restaurant’s Yelp page is branded with a “pest infestation” alert, it might be hard to distract with the fake review: “Great nachos, fast service.”




News



Hunger Games: What"s Behind Yelp"s Fake Reviews?

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Illinois Teachers Pension Fund is 40% Funded, Drops Deeper Into Hole Despite Investment Return of 12.8%; What"s the Solution?

Illinois Teachers Pension Fund is 40% Funded, Drops Deeper Into Hole Despite Investment Return of 12.8%; What"s the Solution?
http://currenteconomictrendsandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/21120__TRS1.png

In spite of a 12.8% annual return, with an 8% return assumption, the Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) fell another $ 3.5 billion in the hole. TRS pension underfunding grew to $ 55.73 billion as of June 30, 2013.

Via email, the Illinois Policy Institute explains the growing liability.

First, TRS only has $ 0.40 in the bank for every dollar it should have today to make necessary pension payouts in the future. That means the high investment returns in 2013 were earned on less than half of the assets that TRS should have

TRS acknowledged this in a recent press release:


“Despite these strong returns, TRS cannot invest its way out of the funding hole we are in,” Ingram added. “This increase in the System’s unfunded liability, even with good investment results, is another wake-up call to state officials and our members that TRS long-term finances continue to head in the wrong direction.”


“Without changes to the pension code to ensure sustained and adequate funding, TRS faces the very real possibility that in a few decades the System will not have enough money to pay benefits to retirees. We cannot guarantee that TRS will have enough money to pay the pensions promised to every member in the System.”


Second, the inherent flaws of the state’s defined benefit pension system have driven up the shortfall significantly. According to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, the state’s pension shortfall grew by $ 41 billion from 1996 to 2012.


Of that amount, nearly $ 23 billion came from some form of missed “assumption” that continually plagues defined benefit pension plans:


  • The investment returns for the state’s five pension funds were lower than their assumed 8% expectation. Cost to taxpayers: $ 9.5 billion.

  • Unplanned benefit increases for employees. Cost to taxpayers: $ 1.1 billion.

  • Changes in actuarial assumptions. Cost to taxpayers: $ 4.9 billion.

  • “Other” actuarial factors. Cost to taxpayers: $ 7.2 billion.

TRS fails to acknowledge the failures of the defined benefits plan and instead chooses to blame taxpayers for not contributing enough to the system.


Who is to Blame for Shortfalls?


Please consider the Illinois Policy Center report State pension contributions: Taxpayers bear the brunt of increasing pension costs

A common refrain sounded by public sector unions is that government workers have consistently “paid their share” into Illinois’ pension systems and the state has not. However, the facts tell a different story.

While government worker contributions to Illinois’ five pension systems have increased by 75 percent since 1998, taxpayer contributions have increased by 427 percent over the same period. In 2012 alone, Illinois taxpayers contributed $ 3.5 billion more to the pension systems than state workers did.



Government workers’ share, as a percentage of total contributions, has continued to decline when compared to taxpayers’ contributions. In 1998, government workers paid for 47 percent of the state’s total pension contribution; today, they only pay 21 percent. By 2045, government workers will be expected to pay only 17 percent of total pension contributions.


Illinois’ Five Pension Systems


Illinois has five state pension systems, and all of them are seriously underfunded:


  1. The Teachers’ Retirement System, or TRS, manages pensions for teachers across Illinois (excluding Chicago).With more than 130,000 active members and nearly 95,000 retirees, TRS is the largest pension system in the state. Unfortunately, TRS also has the highest unfunded liability of the state’s pension systems. In 2012, TRS was only 40.6 percent funded and officially had more than $ 53.51 billion in unfunded liabilities. TRS members contribute 9.4 percent of their salary to the pension system.

  2. The State Employees’ Retirement System, or SERS, manages pensions for state-level employees across Illinois. It has 62,000 active members and 50,000 retirees. In 2012, SERS was only 33.1 percent funded and had officially $ 22.13 billion in unfunded liabilities. Under its regular pension formula, SERS members covered by Social Security contribute 4 percent of their salary, and those not covered by Social Security contribute 8 percent of their salary to the pension system.

  3. The State Universities Retirement System, or SURS, manages pensions for employees working at state universities. It has 71,000 active members and more than 45,500 retirees. In 2012, SURS was only 41.3 percent funded and had officially $ 19.46 billion in unfunded liabilities. SURS members contribute 8 percent of their salary to the pension system.

  4. The Judges’ Retirement System, or JRS, manages pensions for judges throughout the state. It is one of the two smaller pension systems, with only 968 active members and 725 retirees. Despite its small size, in 2012 JRS was only 28.6 percent funded and officially had $ 1.44 billion in unfunded liabilities. JRS members contribute 11 percent of their salary to the pension system.

  5. The General Assembly Retirement System, or GARS, manages pensions for members of the Illinois General Assembly. Despite having only 176 active members and 294 retirees, GARS has the dubious honor of being the worst-funded pension system in the state. In 2012, GARS was only 17.4 percent funded and officially had $ 251 million in unfunded liabilities. GARS members contribute 11.5 percent of their salary to the pension system.

All Five Systems Bankrupt


TRS, SERS,SURS, JRS, and GARS are all insolvent. None of them can possibly meet their pension obligations. With 10-year treasuries yielding a scant 2.5%, plan assumptions of 8% are preposterously high on a sustained basis.


Yet, TRS went another $ 3.5 billion in the hole in spite of a 12.8% annual return.


What the hell is TRS going to do in the face of a stock market plunge, a bond market plunge, or both?


GARS, the General Assembly Retirement System is only 17.4% funded. Is it any wonder that state legislators are pressing for more tax hikes?


Beware Tax Hikes!


On October 18, I reported Illinoisans Beware: “Progressives” Seek Massive Tax Hike Again; Fight the Hike!


Pension shortfalls are the reason for the proposed hikes.


A few people commented the “progressive” tax was not as much as they pay. Here is Rep Naomi Jakobsson’s proposed scheme.



Property Taxes


What I failed to point out previously is that I pay $ 14,000 annually in property taxes on a home I can sell for $ 400K or so.


Sales Taxes


My sales tax rate is  7.75%. But hey, that could be worse. Cicero tops the state with a 9.5% tax. In Chicago, the sales tax is 9.25%.


In spite of all these massive taxes, the entire state is bankrupt!


The Solution


Raising taxes for the benefit of legislators and seriously undeserving public unions is certainly not the answer. The solution is twofold:


  1. Immediately kill all Illinois public defined-benefit pension plans

  2. Drastically lower existing pension plan expectations, via default if necessary

Nothing else can possibly work, and the numbers prove it.


Mike “Mish” Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com


Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis




Read more about Illinois Teachers Pension Fund is 40% Funded, Drops Deeper Into Hole Despite Investment Return of 12.8%; What"s the Solution? and other interesting subjects concerning Commentary at TheDailyNewsReport.com

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Peter Schiff - What"s the pin that will collapse this new bubble in the US Economy

Peter Schiff - What"s the pin that will collapse this new bubble in the US Economy
http://img.youtube.com/vi/R9dc1_lDcLs/0.jpg



Peter Schiff – What’s the pin that will collapse this new bubble in the US Economy.
Video Rating: 4 / 5





Read more about Peter Schiff - What"s the pin that will collapse this new bubble in the US Economy and other interesting subjects concerning Opinion at TheDailyNewsReport.com

Sunday, October 27, 2013

What"s really behind Hillary Clinton"s latest wave of speeches?




  • Hillary Clinton has made a series of public appearances in the past week

  • Moves are fueling the speculation of a possible White House bid in 2016

  • She may also be trying to differentiating herself from President Obama



Washington (CNN) — Three speeches, three days.


Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is starting to look a lot like someone who is picking up the pace of a presidential campaign — complete with the perks and the challenges that come with it.


On Wednesday, she spoke to the University of Buffalo. Thursday, she returned to Washington for her place in the lineup of high-profile public figures at a conference the Center for American Progress was hosting. Friday night she did Colgate University’s “distinguished speakers” series in upstate New York.


Asked in Buffalo what her ideal presidential candidate in 2016 would look like, she said: “I’m not as interested in what the candidate looks like as what the candidate stands for and what the candidate really believes needs to be the agenda for America’s future, particularly as it relates to young people like students at this great university.”


And in what could be interpreted as either a slight dig at President Barack Obama — or at least a way of differentiating herself — she added, “and what the candidate brings to the table in terms of being able to not only present the agenda but have a very specific set of plans of implanting the agenda and bringing the country along.”





Analysis: Why DC is like high school





Hillary Clinton speaks at Virginia rally





Hillary Clinton gets political


Candidate Obama, of course, was viewed by critics as a powerful speaker with less experience and less of a vision to implement, and Clinton could be playing on buyer’s remorse.


But the tests she might face on the left and the right were in play this week.


She didn’t veer far to the left in her remarks before the wonky liberal crowd at the St. Regis in Washington for the Center for American Progress gathering, but her presence was notable.


CNN contributor Ron Brownstein cautioned that if she faces a challenge in a Democratic primary, it’s likely to be from the liberal left.


“It is very hard to imagine somebody beating Hillary Clinton from the center of the party,” he said. “If there is going to be anybody who could even give her a tough time, it would be somebody coming from more of a fringe of the party, something kind of a tangent of the party — either a generational argument or a populist argument.”


Brownstein specifically mentioned Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has become a hero to the populist wing of the party, as a potential challenge to Clinton.


And yet, advantages come for politicians who are considered overwhelming frontrunners like Clinton. Just this week, liberal billionaire George Soros said he’s jumping on the bandwagon to draft Clinton into the 2016 race by becoming a co-chair of the “Ready for Hillary” super PAC’s finance team.


Even though Clinton is not exactly lining up donors and bundlers for her own campaign just yet, the commitment to her is a significant one in what could be a quest to sew up her left flank.


But she’ll have other issues on the right, if she reaches the general election.


On Wednesday, a protestor in Buffalo heckled her over the biggest black mark on her record, the death of four Americans at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, during her tenure as Secretary of State. Democrats and Republicans alike say it could be her biggest weakness if she becomes her party’s nominee.


“Benghazi. You let them die,” the protestor said.


And that weakness leads some to wonder why Clinton is sticking her neck out so far so soon.


Brownstein said he’s surprised by how visible and vocal she’s been this fall.


“I think a lot of people thought that she would basically go under the radar for as long as possible to stay out of the fray, kind of shorten the race,” he said. “So it is a somewhat different strategy — maybe they are trying to sort of avoid the sense that she is kind of an imperial candidate who believes that this is hers by birthright or succession.”




CNN.com – Politics



What"s really behind Hillary Clinton"s latest wave of speeches?

Friday, October 25, 2013

What"s Wrong With Rooting for Failure?


In a news conference expected to feature a mea culpa for the Obamacare website fiasco, President Barack Obama turned the tables on his political opponents, scolding them for using their supernatural ability to transform the mere hope of failure into a reality.


“It’s time,” he implored, “for folks to stop rooting for its failure, because hardworking middle-class families are rooting for its success.”


There is a serious problem with that statement. Now, if you’re a libertarian, rooting for Washington to fail is probably one of your cherished hobbies. It’s certainly one of the most unappreciated sentiments a person embraces. And most often, there is nothing unpatriotic, immoral or unethical about it. Quite the opposite, really.


Sometimes we have no choice. Example: As the Red Sox (a team that, as a Yankees fan, I detest) and the Cardinals (a team for which I have no strong feelings either way) meet in the World Series, I am forced to enthusiastically cheer for a Boston flop — with any luck, an ugly and dramatic flop. When sweet failure arrives, I intend to fully embrace schadenfreude (the ugly cousin of “rooting for failure”), knowing full well that my wishes had absolutely no bearing on the outcome.


Not so in politics, evidently. Nowadays, rooting against the Democrats is tantamount to rooting against America. But it’s a fallacy that any failure has, by default, a negative consequence. Attaching a phony moral significance to the word “failure” is, as anyone who’s watched politics or witnessed what bad legislation can do, nothing more than a way to smear your opponent’s intentions. It’s a weak attempt to bully those who disagree with you into rhetorical submission.


When it comes to Obamacare, it’s likely that most failure boosters have no desire to see “hardworking middle-class families” or, for that matter, even lazy rich families suffer unnecessarily. When confronted by this false choice, plenty of middle-class families are, no doubt, rooting for failure, as well. If an American believes Obamacare is unhelpful, destructive or counterproductive, its failure is success.


There are other reasons to cheer failure, as well. As Ed Rogers at The Washington Post recently wrote, “the failure of Obamacare would discourage and hopefully deter those who think a bigger, more domineering U.S. government is the answer to our problems. And most important, the horrors of this debacle and the collapse of Obamacare would have a chilling effect on politicians who want to promote big government solutions.”


My hope is that Obamacare — not to mention numerous other initiatives supported by the president — fails for a whole host of reasons. And not only do I have my fingers crossed that Obamacare fails in the way that most policy fails us but I hope it fails so hard that any residual perception among voters that any part of it was prudent policy is completely eliminated. Anything less might mean that a substantial enough bloc of Americans would continue to operate under the false impression that top-down technocratic control of their decisions is a good idea. And that would be a genuine failure.


Wishful thinking, no doubt. And admittedly, there’s also a self-centered reason to root for your ideological opponents not to succeed. Their misfortune confirms your worldview — one that you’ve probably spent considerable time and effort cultivating. Anyone with a shred of intellectual honesty remains somewhat open to the possibility that he is wrong, but he is certainly under no obligation to root against his own beliefs. Not even if a president armed with a straw man demands it of him. 




RealClearPolitics – Articles



What"s Wrong With Rooting for Failure?

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Power Takeover: What’s Wrong With “Smart” Meters?


“Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket”


Josh del Sol
Infowars.com
Sept. 28, 2013


On January 17, 2008, President Obama famously said, “Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” It’s now becoming evident that the new so-called “smart” meter your utility is attempting to force on you, is the culprit technology for the government-sponsored extortion that Obama was referring to. But this is just the beginning of a hornet’s nest of alarming details unveiled in our new documentary, Take Back Your Power (now available at the Infowars shop).
takeback
Billions of tax dollars… no benefits?


In a time of economic crisis, the US government allocated $ 11B of taxpayer funds from the 2009 bailout package to develop a “smart” grid, including “smart” meters for every home’s electricity, gas and water.  And recently, the European Union has announced plans to blow a mind-numbing $ 700B on building out this centralized control grid. The ostensible reasons for “smart” metering and grid technology:
a) to save energy and thus aid the environment;
b) to increase power reliability; and
c) to give you more control of energy use in your own home.


It is now easily demonstrated that all three of these claims are patently false. ”Smart” meters and grids typically use more energy, they are extremely hackable (making the entire power grid vulnerable), and customers suffer increased utility bills virtually across the board immediately following a “smart” meter installation – a fact even acknowledged now by some utilities.


In the words of Dr. Timothy Schoechle, a leading digital technology engineer and author of “Getting Smarter About The Smart Grid:”


“The smart meter is a canard—a story or a hoax based on specious and grandiose claims about energy benefits ostensibly derived from the promise of “two-way” communication with the customer…  There is essentially no possibility that most smart meters or meter networks will lead to greater sustainability.”



Clear evidence of health damage


Tens of thousands of individuals are reporting officially, to governments and utilities, that they are experiencing illness or functional impairments following the installation of “smart” meters. Reported symptoms include headaches, sleep problems, ear ringing, focus difficulties, fatigue, heart palpitations, nausea and statistically abnormal recurrences of cancer. According to court-ordered documentation, and independent testing, utilities have been proven to be lying about how often “smart” meters transmit bursts of microwave radiation.  Depending on the utility their claim is typically something like “4-6 times per day” (Pepco), or “45-60 seconds per day” (PG&E) — whereas courts and independent testing reveal that meters are transmitting in the range of 10,000 to 190,000 pulsed microwave transmissions per day.


The amount of transmitted microwave radiation has been measured up to 200 times greater (if one is standing next to the meter) than the Building Biology standard threshold for “extreme concern.”  The radiation standards set by national agencies such as the FCC are literally thousands of times higher than science-based levels, because they actually assume that harm can only be done from electromagnetic radiation (EMR) if cells heat up by a certain amount.  This is called a “thermal effect”.  The reality is that more than 6,000 peer-reviewed, published studies have indicated functional impairment, symptoms of illness or disease (ie. “non-thermal effects”) from levels of EMR as much as 10,000 times lower than “safety” standards set by organizations such as the FCC, Health Canada, ICNIRP, etc.


But the health effects don’t end with the pulsed microwave radiation – from the meters and all future “smart” appliances – under this multinational plan of total control. Every “smart” digital electric meter has what’s known as a “switching mode power supply”, which is proven to directly create large amounts of dirty electricity – or high-frequency energy radiating throughout your home’s electric circuits, essentially creating an antenna cage. The levels of DE caused by “smart” meters can be several hundred times higher than some international safety standards. When confronted, one government agent would not talk about this on his work phone, but confirmed the awareness and concern of the DE health hazard on a private call.


As stated by Dr. De-Kun Li, a respected Kaiser Permanente scientist whom I interviewed, utilities and industry simply haven’t done any studies to show that “smart” meters are safe. Not one. In this complete void of responsibility or conscience, independent research is now starting to clearly show negative biological effects. One such example is demonstrated in our film – the effects of a single “smart” meter on live human blood – and the visual results are staggering, to say the least.


Additionally, by many reports there are now well over a thousand home fires linked to “smart” meters, and tens of thousands have experienced other appliance breakages in their home.  Incredulously, almost none of these meters, made mostly in China, have been tested or approved by UL or an equivalent standards body.  Thus, the homeowner has no guarantee of coverage, and is often left to deal with the damage and expense to repair.


“Smart” spy state


As if all this is not enough, “smart” meters – in combination of “smart” appliances also chronically transmitting low-level microwave radiation – are functionally designed to collect swaths of in-home private data on everyone.


According to a US Congressional Research Service report,
“Police will have access to data that might be used to track residents’ daily lives and routines while in their homes, including their eating, sleeping, and showering habits, what appliances they use and when, and whether they prefer the television to the treadmill, among a host of other details.”


But it gets worse.


Utilities and public utilities commissions (such as California’s PUC) are actually encouraging the sale of this private data – everything you do in your own home – to 3rd-party corporate interests, for a profit.


And incredulously, even former CIA Director David Patraeus boasted (in Wired, March 2012) that government will be routinely spying on through their “smart” appliances.  Thus, with CISPA’s focus on legalizing private data transfer deals for corporations to government agencies, the primary motivation behind the push for such legislation starts to become clear.


And not only would every detail of your life be tracked, but your access to electricity would be totally controlled: your appliances or entire home could be shut down at any time – without notice – by any utility, or government agency, or as former CIA director James Woolsey states, “a hacker on a cellphone in China.”


Newsflash: the NSA phone spying scandal is just the tip of the globalist iceberg.


The good news: this master plan of control and order-out-of-chaos cannot be achieved if enough people simply refuse to participate in this federally-sponsored voluntary microwave and surveillance program.


The rising tide of awakening


This is the first time in known history that either governments or corporations are attempting to force a device (on entire populations) which has been openly proven to cause direct harm to health, rights, security and property. And this agenda rips apart the 4th, 5th and 10th Constitutional Amendments.


The installation of “smart” meters is either underway or planned in virtually all western countries, despite existing foundational laws which have heretofore served as protection for the people. It does, in fact, appear that the corrupted powers-that-be truly are going for broke on this one folks.


However, as documented in Take Back Your Power, there is a growing widespread awareness and resistance to this anti-freedom, anti-life program.  Hundreds of local governments have issued a moratorium on the installation of “smart” meters, and in California alone, 15 councils have criminalized the installations.  Several such as Sebastopol have additionally issued an ordinance fining PG&E $ 500 fine per installed meter in their city.


But PG&E and other utilities around the world still are not backing down.  In almost all regions where people are beginning to rise to their feet, utilities are moving toward an extortive “opt-out” program, charging customers through the nose for the privilege of not being microwaved and surveilled in their home. Last week the rogue British Colombian government floated the idea to more than 60,000 hold-outs, to pay them an initial fee of $ 100, and then pay them an ongoing fee of $ 35 per month, just to keep their analog meter.


According to some legal experts we interviewed, the trick is to realize that it’s just a poker game.


There is no law requiring you to accept a so-called “smart” meter on your home, or to participate in extortion, even though utilities and governments are intimidating people into believing they have no choice. Strangely enough, paying criminals to minimize the harm they are doing does not sit well with most people.


Legal actions and claim-of-right processes against installations are sprouting up and becoming almost ubiquitous. In many local governments that are still not listening to the people, individual councilors and mayors are now beginning to be on the receiving end of civil and criminal litigation, and processes based in contract law. As one rights group put it,


“No longer can a department head say they were just following orders. No longer can a mayor or city council member say they didn’t know, especially when an avalanche of information is presented to them indicating their position on an issue is detrimental to the health their constituency.”



Because virtually all of us have utility meters, we all now have direct leverage against a central pillar of the planetary control system, perhaps for the first time in any social movement, ever.


This is why we made Take Back Your Power. This is why we put up with two years of corporate witchcraft and BS. To let people know – in a highly credible, inspiring and hugely entertaining way – that you no longer have to be silenced by a faceless, soulless enemy. And to provide a tool that can be used like a light saber of awakening on personal networks – or entire regions.


The curtain’s pulled back. Time to connect-the-dots and turn the tables. Let’s start by reaching the 20% who are more-or-less already awake.


High stakes, big opportunity


What’s at stake is nothing less than our basic rights to life, health, choice and freedom itself.  When finally understood, this situation is a crisis, but it is also a truly momentous opportunity to claim power back into the hands of the people, by decentralizing energy production within the community, and vetoing the old dinosaurs of leechlike extraction.  The insanity of these systems is becoming evident, no matter how well-trained the oligarchy’s PR department.


What helps to make sense of this whole thing, is coming to the understanding that governments have become corporate puppets and have been systematically suppressing any tangible solution for decades. The Federation of American Scientists acknowledges that more than 5,000 technology patent applications have been “secretized.” And the US Patent Office actually has a publicly-visible internal law for the suppression of inventions. With 6 of the 7 world’s richest companies in the oil/gas/energy industry, should it be surprising that corporate governments have (in Spain) actually passed laws to prohibit the “illegal use of sunlight for energy generation,” setting a fine of $ 30M Euros for violating homeowners?


The fact is, in order for human civilization to make it through this time of terrible corruption – and to realize a world of decentralized power and restoration of rights to health, privacy and life itself – we are now required to transition to higher awareness of our situation.  We are being asked to confront our existential fear of authority; to go through the proverbial eye of the needle. This requires a realization of the tremendous magnitude of fraud that has been perpetrated by the corporate-government power centers – and then a willingness to take a stand and move our innate Creative force through this awareness. To commit to a solution that burns off the parasite, and benefits the living.


In the end, there is no other way but to stand against corruption, and reveal who we are.


For more information check out takebackyourpower.net.


Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Take Back Your Power at the Infowars online store! Click here to purchase.


Sources:


http://dimension9.net/bennett/tbypscreens-jds.zip


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDMYc1qlhFY


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAjX6Ap02dU


http://takebackyourpower.net/presskit/TBYP-Press-Kit.pdf


http://business.time.com/2012/07/26/obamas-smart-electrical-grid-plan/


http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Business_Markets_Pricing/European-Commission-wants-another-700-billion-for-smart-grid-upgrades-5868.html#.Ukb52uuBH-Y


http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Demand+Response/benefits.htm


This article was posted: Saturday, September 28, 2013 at 10:57 am









Infowars



Power Takeover: What’s Wrong With “Smart” Meters?

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

And what"s right with Obama?


The British have a saying about the twin rules of journalism: first simplify, then exaggerate.


Perhaps Barack Obama can comfort himself with the reality that his current travails are both more complicated in their causes and less dire in their consequences than they are being portrayed in the Washington echo chamber.



There is a useful cautionary note for everyone who is prone to withering judgments about Obama’s stumbling performances in recent weeks: No institution in American life is more resilient than the modern presidency, and no politician talented enough to capture the office should ever be underestimated.


(PHOTOS: Obama’s second term)


Bill Clinton, of course, is the supreme example. He was counted out after a clumsy start in 1993, after losing the House in 1994, after a sex scandal in 1998, and, as a new ex-president, after a pardon scandal in 2001.


Barack Obama is a man of different talents, instincts, and interests than Clinton. But now that Washington is in pile-on mode — including us — it’s not a bad time to remember that there are some reasons why he is among the most talented politicians of his generation.


Recent bad headlines have not diluted his enduring personal and political assets, and, so long as he occupies the White House, there is no other person with more power to set the national agenda.


In that spirit, here’s a roster of what’s still right with Obama:


• His personality


No one will ever mistake Obama for warm and fuzzy. But when he tries even a bit, he can’t help being winning. His smile remains dazzling, even if he flashes it less often.


His adversaries are implacable, but a critical mass of Americans still like to feel better about themselves because they feel good about Obama, just as they did when they elected him twice. The public understands that the president’s biggest structural political problems are not of his making, and none of the setbacks of the second term have altered the fact that people basically like the guy.


(Also on POLITICO: What’s wrong with Obama?)


A Gallup Organization survey this summer found that three quarters of Americans saw Obama likeable, while 55 percent rated him as honest and trustworthy, and nearly six in 10 said that he understands the problems Americans face.


Throughout last year’s reelection, the Obama campaign’s internal surveys showed that the very quality that so many Washington insiders now complain about — that the president is not much of a politician — was one that most endeared him to the public.


(Also on POLITICO: Tennant seeks distance from Obama)


Though the trend lines are not as steady this year as they have typically been in the past, Obama’s favorability rating has largely stayed above water in major public opinion surveys, with a recent Fox News telephone poll clocking his favorability at 50 percent, to 46 percent unfavorable.


• His normality


The presidency has long attracted neurotic personality types, but Obama is not among them. He has a healthy ego, but his longstanding ability to coolly assess his circumstances and then adapt to them means that he is still better positioned than most of his peers to work his way out of problems.


He has always been best with his back against the wall. He may not be Harry Truman or Jerry Ford, taking brisk walks about town or toasting his own English muffins, but it’s hard to imagine that he’d ever slide into LBJ-style meltdown or Nixonian paranoia.


(PHOTOS: Obama recognizes George H. W. Bush)


His wife and daughters — and their nightly family dinners above the store — may put a crimp in his Washington social life and his willingness to wine and dine allies or enemies, but they doubtless keep him an honest dad. In his first campaign and throughout the troubles of his tenure, he’s kept perspective, often telling David Axelrod, “If things don’t work out, I’ve already got a pretty good gig being Barack Obama.”


Like Truman, who called his wife, Bess, “The Boss,” Obama makes it clear that divided opinion on topics like Syria starts in his own backyard. “I’m taking this vote in Congress and what the American people are saying very seriously,” he said last week. “Because if you ask somebody, you know, I read polls like everybody else. And if you ask somebody, if you ask Michelle, ‘Do we want to be involved in another war?’ the answer is no.”


• His enemies


Simply put, Obama’s positions on the issues are vastly more popular than the extreme views of his die-hard opponents in Congress and the right-wing echo chamber.


Ronald Reagan showed what an asset this could be, withstanding the withering condescension of the left because he had the folks in the middle. Newt Gingrich (sort of) learned the same lesson in reverse in his dealings with Bill Clinton. Has Ted Cruz? Not so much.


(Also on POLITICO: In tragedy’s wake, President Obama finds tone a challenge)


Americans’ views of Congress, driven down in the summer of 2011 over the last debt-ceiling standoff, “have never recovered,” Pew reported this summer. Just 21 percent of the country said they regarded the institution favorably (a level that John McCain says amounts to “paid staff and blood relatives”). Pew found that the Republican brand is also faring miserably, with a 33 percent national favorability rating “among the most negative ratings for the party in 20 years of polling.”


Those numbers may not change the cold electoral math for Democratic congressional candidates in next year’s midterm election, but they give Obama a respectable argument to make on the hustings.




POLITICO – TOP Stories



And what"s right with Obama?

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

AN ESCAPE HATCH FOR OBAMA ON SYRIA? – Obama heads to the Hill – Issa to Cantor: Let"s vote again on Amash amdt. – O"Donnell to Weiner on primary eve: What"s wrong with you? - trivia


By Scott Wong (swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)


SYRIA ESCAPE HATCH? OBAMA’S ACCIDENTAL DIPLOMACY – POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein has the latest developments on Syria: “President Barack Obama has stumbled into a possible resolution of the Syria showdown, after an act of apparently accidental U.S. diplomacy seemed to deliver a potential way to wriggle out of his political predicament. Secretary of State John Kerry suggested at a London news conference Monday morning that the crisis could be defused if Syrian President Bashar Assad surrendered his chemical weapons to an international force. The Russians jumped on the idea and Monday evening Obama was sounding open to the proposal.


‘This could potentially be a significant breakthrough,’ Obama told NBC. ‘But we have to be skeptical because this is not how we’ve seen them operate over the last couple of years.’


– “With members of Congress clamoring for a chance to avoid a vote to authorize military action, the idea has a certain undeniable political convenience for the administration because it could avert the possibility of a political loss that could damage Obama’s reputation and to the U.S.’s global standing. The fast-moving developments meant the only thing that seemed certain Monday was that giving the diplomats time to work the issue could forestall an American strike and make it difficult for the White House to demand lawmakers take a tough vote to approve military action against Syria. … But in his round of interviews with network TV anchors Monday, Obama seemed eager to turn the lemons into lemonade, casting the development as a combination of his threat to use force and his own personal engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” http://politi.co/15NYZBB


BREAKING … AP: “Syria says it has accepted Russia’s proposal to place its chemical weapons under international control for subsequent dismantling. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Tuesday after meeting with Russian parliament speaker that his government quickly agreed to the Russian initiative to ‘derail the U.S. aggression.’ Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is now working with Syria to prepare a detailed plan of action, which will be presented shortly. Lavrov said that Russia will then be ready to finalize the plan together with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.” http://bit.ly/15MQwZm


WAS A SYRIAN-RUSSIAN DEAL in the works before Kerry’s off-the-cuff remarks? Joshua Keating in Slate: “Obama … suggested that he had discussed such a proposal–or something similar to it–during the two leader’s brief meeting at last week’s G-20 summit. (Remember, plans for a full one-on-one between the two leaders were scuttled following the Edward Snowden affair.) … [A] lot of folks are also giving a second look today to a Haaretz article from Sept. 1 – little noticed at the time – in which journalist veteran Israeli journalist Barak Ravid suggested a potential deal was in the works that sounds very much like the one being discussed today.” http://slate.me/16g1NEI


FRONT-PAGE HEADLINES – NYT 2-col. lead: “OBAMA BACKS IDEA FOR SYRIA TO CEDE CONTROL OF ARMS: Russian Plan on Chemical Weapons – ‘It’s Possible if It’s Real,’ He Says.” WaPo: “Syria Welcomes Russian plan to avert U.S. strike: CALL TO GIVE UP CHEMICAL ARSENAL: Obama cautions but sees potential breakthrough.” L.A. Times: “U.S. weighs Russia’s offer on Syrian arms: A call for chemical weapons to be placed in U.N. control gives Obama an alternative to a military strike.” Boston Globe 5-col. banner hed: “Talk swirls of a peaceful resolution: Russia, Syria pounce on Kerry’s remarks about surrendering arms; Obama cautious.”  USA Today: “Obama steps back on Syria: Russia pushes plan to have Assad give up chemical weapons.” WSJ: “Obama Push to Hit Syria Takes Detour.”


OBAMA HEADS TO THE HILL – POLITICO’s Carrie Budoff Brown explains Obama’s thinking as he lunches with Senate Democrats and Republicans in separate meetings today: “President Barack Obama will attempt Tuesday to reset — again — his Syria strategy after a week of conflicting statements, mixed messages and unanswered questions. The best that Obama can hope for, according to one senior administration official, is that lawmakers and voters give his argument a second chance. The White House will know quickly whether Obama succeeded — or failed — based on what it hears from Capitol Hill. The president, in a rare flash of insecurity, told NBC News Monday that even he wasn’t confident that he could win congressional approval for military strikes. The use-of-force resolution looks dead in the House, increasingly doubtful in the Senate and stubbornly unpopular with the public. Between the prime time address and a trip to Capitol Hill earlier Tuesday to meet separately with Senate Democrats and Republicans, Obama will get a pair of the high-profile opportunities to shift the trend. ‘We’ve got a lot of cards to play still,’ the official said.


– “But it won’t be easy. Democrats and Republicans say they need Obama to make a clear case for why it’s in America’s national security interests to strike Syria and what will be achieved by the attack. They want to know how limited strikes wouldn’t drag the country into another prolonged military action.” http://politi.co/15NYojh


9 TONIGHT: Obama speaks to the nation on Syria in a primetime address from the East Room.


SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID has delayed a procedural vote on an increasingly unpopular Syria resolution that had been set for Wednesday, USA Today’s Susan Page reports. “Six senators, including five Republicans and one Democrat, announced Monday they would vote against a resolution authorizing the use of force — a strong indication that the administration’s efforts to build bipartisan support have been ineffective. The Senate was scheduled to vote Wednesday on a procedural motion to begin formal debate on the resolution, but Reid announced late Monday the vote would be delayed in order to buy the president more time to make his case to senators and the public.” http://usat.ly/17LUMMm


– Meanwhile, Syrian protesters welcomed returning lawmakers to Capitol Hill, Roll Call’s Hannah Hess reports: http://bit.ly/18LNs1G


– Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are still undecided about whether to back the Syria strike resolution after meeting with Obama and National Security Adviser Susan Rice at the White House, Ginger Gibson reports: http://politi.co/19DyGuW


** A message from the Reagan Presidential Foundation: Registration has opened for “The Reagan National Defense Forum: Building Peace Through Strength Through 2025.” Speakers include Secretary Chuck Hagel, General Martin Dempsey, Secretary John McHugh, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, SASC Chairman Carl Levin and HASC Chairman “Buck” McKeon.


ISSA TO CANTOR: LET’S VOTE AGAIN ON AMASH AMENDMENT – In a letter going out this morning, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) urges Majority Leader Eric Cantor to hold another vote on legislation authored by Rep. Justin Amash that would defund an NSA program that collects Americans’ phone records. Issa previously voted against it, but he’s had a change of heart since new revelations that communications of Americans had been gathered in the data-collection programs.  The chairman calls for moving legislation to the floor – including language from the Amash amendment – “that both increases the transparency of the Agency’s programs and reinforces the constitutional protections of our citizens.” Read the letter here:  http://bit.ly/1fUptjw


HUDDLE FIRST LOOK: DCCC VIDEO: GOP LOST AUGUST RECESS – The DCCC is out with a new video this morning highlighting the backlash that House Republicans faced during the August recess. The video, called “Republicans Lost August,” includes local coverage of protests, rallies, and events where Republicans felt the heat on issues ranging from immigration and social security to ethics investigations.


DCCC Chairman Steve Israel will reinforce that message at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast this morning and will discuss how the fiscal debates this fall only reinforce all the problems House Republicans have with voters.  Watch the video here: http://bit.ly/13FE7J2


GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, September 10, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.


My new followers include @mkinzel and @suraechinn.


TODAY IN CONGRESS – The Senate meets at 10 a.m. and recess from 12:30 until 2:15 p.m. for party caucuses lunches with President Barack Obama. The House also meets at 10 with first votes expected between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. and last votes between 4:15 and 5 p.m. on legislation including the National Association of Registration Agents and Brokers Reform Act and the Science Laureates of the United States Act.


AROUND THE HILL – W.H. Chief of Staff Denis McDonough meets with the House Democratic Caucus at 8:50 a.m. in HVC-215, followed by a media availability with Leader Nancy Pelosi. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse holds a news conference on climate change at 9:30 a.m. in the Senate Swamp. Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders hold a post-conference media availability at 10 a.m. in HC-8. Sen. Whitehouse and Reps. Chris Van Hollen, Rosa DeLauro and Jan Schakowsky denounce tea party efforts to sabotage Obamacare at 10:15 a.m. in SVC 200. Sen. Jeff Flake and others speak on the farm bill at 10:45 a.m. in the Senate Swamp. Reps. Michael Grimm, Earl Blumenauer and Jim McGovern speak on transit parity benefits at 11 a.m. at the House Triangle. Also at 11, Reps. Thomas Massie and Jared Polis speak on the conflicts in state and federal laws governing industrial hemp farming in Cannon 122.


Sens. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee speak at the “Exempt America from ObamaCare” rally from noon to 2 p.m. on the West Lawn of the Capitol. Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer holds a pen and pad briefing at 1 p.m. in H-144. The Property Casualty Insurers Association of American host Reps. Dennis Ross and Bill Pascrell at a closed congressional briefing on how to prepare for natural disasters, at 1 p.m. in Cannon 121. Rep. Ron Desantis and Sen. David  Vitter speak on OPM subsidies within Obamacare at 2 p.m. at the House Triangle. Congressional leaders hold a Gold Medal Ceremony honoring the four girls killed in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, at 3 p.m. in Statuary Hall.


BEFORE PRIMARY DAY, LAWRENCE O’DONNELL ASKS WEINER: WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU? –   Corinne Lestch writes for the New York Daily News: “Anthony Weiner took a beating on the night before the mayoral primary from MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, who repeatedly asked the scandal-scarred Democratic candidate, ‘What is wrong with you?’ The TV host turned his show, ‘The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,’ into a combative, bizarre, not-quite-therapy session Monday night when he barraged Weiner with vague questions, barely letting the mayoral hopeful get a word in edgewise. … After an awkward pause, Weiner replied that he didn’t understand the question. ‘I mean, what is wrong with you that you cannot seem to imagine a life without elective office?’ The two men began arguing, and O’Donnell waffled between showing disgust and tolerance for Weiner’s sexting scandals, which plunged him far behind the other candidates in the polls.” http://nydn.us/1eyGORf Watch here: http://youtu.be/mVSOe-sx2gw


THE ROGERS REPORT: HOUSE GOP MAY RESURRECT LEGISLATIVE GAMBIT ON OBAMACARE – “House Republicans are dusting off an old legislative gambit from April 2011 as one way to move ahead this week with a stopgap spending bill for the first months of the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1,” David Rogers writes. “The goal is to give conservatives a vote on defunding health care reform without resulting in a government shutdown. It has worked before, but ‘before’ is the operative word. And until Tuesday’s Republican Conference, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) won’t really know whether this flash from the past can flash again. Most simply, the procedure calls for sending the Senate a stopgap spending bill with a resolution that would alter the text of the bill once it’s enrolled for presentation to President Barack Obama. In this case, the so-called enrollment correction would bar funding to carry out Public Law 111-148, Obama’s signature health care reforms. But the Democratic-controlled Senate retains the right to choose: accepting the spending resolution with or without the so-called correction.” http://politi.co/1ezcTbE


– CLUB FOR GROWTH PRESIDENT CHRIS CHOCOLA RESPONDS: “Are these news reports from The Onion? Or are they real? When members were at home over recess, did they hear their constituents ask for legislative tricks or principled leadership? Trying to fool Republicans into voting to fund Obamacare is even worse than offering a bill that deliberately funds it. I hope this proposal is nothing more than a bad joke and is quickly discarded. Republicans should simply do what they say they are for by passing a Continuing Resolution that doesn’t fund Obamacare.”


SANFORD GOT EXEMPTION TO TAKE FIANCEE TO ISRAEL – Shane Goldmacher writes in National Journal: “Rep. Mark Sanford, whose extramarital dalliance abroad while governor of South Carolina led to scandal, took his mistress-turned-fiancée, María Belén Chapur, to Israel in August, on a trip paid for by the American Israel Education Foundation, congressional records show. Such privately funded trips are typically limited to relatives, but Sanford, a Republican who won a House seat in a special election earlier in the year, asked for and received a special exemption to take Belén Chapur along. Sanford gave a two-word answer on the congressional travel form when asked why he wanted to participate in the Israel trip. ‘Educational purposes,’ he wrote.


– “The American Israel Education Foundation spent more than $ 18,558 to fly Sanford and his fiancée to and from Israel for the weeklong journey. They flew business class, records show, with round-trip flights that cost more than $ 5,000 apiece. They were part of a delegation of roughly two dozen Republicans, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy. … The couple departed for Israel on Aug. 10 and returned Aug. 18. The website LegiStorm, which tracks congressional travel, first noted the participation of Belén Chapur on the trip, which included stops in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Tel Aviv, and the Sea of Galilee. Sanford’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.” http://bit.ly/1al4HZR The original Legistorm report: http://bit.ly/1cZ1O1O


MONDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Paul Hays was the first to correctly answer that Charles Evans Hughes, Jr. had to resign his solicitor general post when his father became chief justice of the U.S. in 1930.


TODAY’S TRIVIA – Paul Hays has today’s question: Who is the only signer of the Declaration of Independence buried in Washington, D.C.? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.


GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/


** A message from the Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library: The Reagan National Defense Forum on November 16, 2013 is bringing together leaders and key stakeholders in the defense community – including members of Congress, civilian officials and military leaders from the Defense Department and industry – to address the health of our national defense and to stimulate a discussion that promotes policies that strengthen the United States military into the future.  Registrations is $ 499 per person. For more information and tickets, please visit www.ReaganFoundation.org/Defense.  


The program includes a keynote address by General Dempsey, remarks by Secretary Hagel, and multiple panels including “Counterterrorism in 2025,” “Congress, Industry and the Pentagon” and “The Industrial Base After a Decade of War.”


“My husband would be so pleased to know that his ‘Peace Through Strength’ policies are being discussed again with a focus on today’s new technology and tomorrow’s needs.” – Former First Lady Nancy Reagan




POLITICO – Top 10 – Huddle



AN ESCAPE HATCH FOR OBAMA ON SYRIA? – Obama heads to the Hill – Issa to Cantor: Let"s vote again on Amash amdt. – O"Donnell to Weiner on primary eve: What"s wrong with you? - trivia