CLibertyC

And the Natural Result of “Planned Obsolescence” is… (Drumroll)… Bankruptcy!

"The strike lasted 44 days, until GM gave in. It marked the rise of the UAW and the slippery slope of capitulation that would kill the automaker’s competitiveness. GM started to decentralize its production process so it could never be hijacked again. Detroit’s population became decentralized along with it. As people left, the tax base shrunk. To keep revenue up, taxes were raised on things that couldn’t be moved out of the city limits, like property. Because of high property taxes, people stopped improving buildings. Eventually, it wasn’t worth it to pay the property taxes. So people just left for greener pastures in taxpayer-friendly jurisdictions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnd the Natural Result of “Planned Obsolescence” is… (Drumroll)… Bankruptcy!

George Zimmerman Rescues Family of Four from Highway Crash

"George Zimmerman, who has been in hiding since he was acquitted of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, emerged to help rescue a family who was trapped in an overturned vehicle, police said today. Zimmerman was one of two men who came to the aid of a family of four -- two parents and two children -- trapped inside a blue Ford Explorer SUV that had rolled over. By the time police arrived, two people - including Zimmerman - had already helped the family get out of the overturned car, the sheriff's office said. No one was reported to be injured. Zimmerman was not a witness to the crash and left after speaking with the deputy, police said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGeorge Zimmerman Rescues Family of Four from Highway Crash

Dutch woman arrested for ‘recruiting Syrian jihadists’ to fight alongside rebels

"Dutch authorities have arrested a 19-year-old woman suspected of recruiting jihadists to fight alongside radical Muslim rebels in Syria, a prosecution spokeswoman said on Monday. There is growing concern in the Netherlands about young Dutch Muslims being enlisted to fight in Syria, with a British study in April saying at least 107 Dutch citizens were fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the war-torn country. Police arrested the woman in Zoetermeer, a small city just east of The Hague, on Wednesday after families filed complaints with the authorities that their relatives had gone to fight in Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDutch woman arrested for ‘recruiting Syrian jihadists’ to fight alongside rebels

Family of Egypt’s Morsi threaten legal action over ‘abduction’

"The family of Egypt’s ousted Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, said on Monday it would take legal action against the army for abducting him. Mursi has been held at an undisclosed military facility since the army deposed him on July 3 and suspended the constitution in the wake of huge street protests against his one-year rule. The army says Mursi is being held for his own safety. Mursi’s supporters are maintaining a round-the-clock vigil in a Cairo suburb, now in its third week. They say they will stay put until Mursi is returned to office." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFamily of Egypt’s Morsi threaten legal action over ‘abduction’

A CEO’s-Eye View of ObamaCare

"The ACA could actually cause the number of our covered employees to decrease, particularly in the first year. The penalty for declining coverage will be low compared with the cost of coverage; and employees will know that if they happen to get sick, they can get insurance after that. So the economically rational decision for young people, like our crew employees, is to pay the penalty and forego the insurance. Despite what the government may believe, our employees are smart enough to figure this out. For insurers, it's simple math: Premiums collected must exceed claims paid. If too few young healthy people enroll, insurers will raise premiums on those who do." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA CEO’s-Eye View of ObamaCare

New ID rules would threaten citizens’ rights

"Any citizen wanting to take a job would face the regulation that his or her digitized high-resolution passport or driver's license photo be collected and stored centrally in a Department of Homeland Security Citizenship and Immigration Services database. The pictures in the national database would then need to be matched against the job applicant's government-issued 'enhanced' ID card, using a Homeland Security-mandated facial-recognition 'photo tool.' Only when those systems worked perfectly could the new hire take the job." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew ID rules would threaten citizens’ rights

Former jail keeps memory of Communist repression raw in Romania

"The extent of the suffering had largely been hidden. Stalinist purges in the former Soviet Union and Communist repression in Eastern Europe claimed millions of lives in the 20th century, according to historians. In Romania alone, more than 600,000 people were sentenced and jailed between 1945 and 1989 for political reasons. Stanca was one of them. 'In the jail, we suffered from hunger, we did not get any medical assistance, we were continuously humiliated,' he said. He was then sent to a labour camp to erect dikes along the Danube river. 'I think only the pyramids were built with such inhumane physical work,' he added." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer jail keeps memory of Communist repression raw in Romania

Man persecuted over raw milk resurrects olive oil from thousand-year-old olive trees

"Six months ago, California 'raw milk man' James Stewart was sitting in a jail cell in Los Angeles county, shivering from hypothermia, his body wrapped in chains from hands to ankles. He had been raided at gunpoint by the LA County Sheriff's office under orders from the FDA, then labeled a 'terrorist' and literally subjected to extreme torture in the L.A. jail system. His crime? He was distributing fresh, wholesome milk to moms and families. Over the last year, he has risen from the dirt that the state tried to pound his face into and now commands what may soon become one of the most celebrated specialty olive oil suppliers in North America: Oliflix." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan persecuted over raw milk resurrects olive oil from thousand-year-old olive trees

Eric Margolis: The Road To Nowhere – Kerry Mideast Journey

"Israel’s economy is doing very well, thanks in part to billions in US economic and military aid, privileged access to the US market, and exports of arms and electronics. Israel’s high tech and medical industries are among the world’s leaders. New gas and oil finds between Israel and Cyprus may make Israel an energy exporter within a decade. The United States has eliminated any possible Arab military challenge to Israel’s absolute military domination of the Mideast by destroying Iraq as a functioning state and then fueling Syria’s civil war. Egypt, once Israel’s leading foe, has been bought off by American money." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Margolis: The Road To Nowhere – Kerry Mideast Journey

‘Crack baby’ study ends with unexpected but clear result

"A social worker on TV predicted that a crack baby would grow up to 'have an IQ of perhaps 50.' A print article quoted a psychologist as saying 'crack was interfering with the central core of what it is to be human,' and yet another article predicted that crack babies were 'doomed to a life of uncertain suffering, of probable deviance, of permanent inferiority.' But the researchers consistently found no significant differences between the cocaine-exposed children and the controls. Drug use did not differ between the exposed and nonexposed participants as young adults." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Crack baby’ study ends with unexpected but clear result