Author: Papa Giorgio

Maddow Epic Fail-Again

Published by Papa Giorgio

This correction from BigJournalism on the numbers Maddow typically runs:

The study on which Maddow based her claim was conducted by Robert Lang. And while it did project a $121 million surplus for the state budget by the end of June, 2011, had Maddow read further she would have seen that Lang also “[outlined] $258 million in unpaid bills or expected shortfalls in programs such as Medicaid services for the needy, [and] the public defender’s office and corrections.”

Hmmm … I’m not great at math but let me try this: $258 million in outstanding payments minus $121 million in state budget “surplus” equals a $137 million shortfall in funds available (which is the very shortfall Governor Walker is trying to forestall when he talks about the pending “$137 million deficit”).

The last time Maddow got something this wrong was just last month, when she mocked Sarah Palin for suggesting that the American military ought to invade Egypt. The problem was that Palin had never suggested such an invasion. (Maddow was eventually forced into the uncomfortable position of admitting that the source she’d used to support the Egyptian invasion theory was from a satire website rather than a news outlet.)

…(read more)…

Take note Rachel also makes this mistake that Chris Matthews and others have made. And that is that police and fire unions supported the Wisconsin governor:

Heritage and Reason Take the Unions to Task

Published by Papa Giorgio

HotAir posts this video in regards to the recent union pressure as of late:

Are public-school teachers underpaid? Is the Battle of Mad Town really not about money?  Heritage Foundation and Reason TV take a look at both claims coming from the protests in Madison, Wisconsin, as well as a more fundamental myth that only Republicans are talking about cutting budgets and reducing the power of PEUs.  Nick Gillespie focuses attention on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a staunch Democrat who is also telling constituents hard truths about the unsustainable levels of public spending in his state and the need for reform.  Don’t expect this impulse to remain localized to Wisconsin, New Jersey, and New York, either — not with massive state budget shortfalls across the US:

…(read more)…

Protests Spreading to North Korea!?

Published by Papa Giorgio

Asia Times Online has this story about the possible spreading of the Jasmine Protests spreading to north Korea. If true, this is huge news.

BEIJING – “The riots are expanding even into North Korea. Hundreds of protesters have collided with the authorities,” said South Korea’s largest-selling Chosun Ilbo newspaper on Thursday, as top news on its website. Now finally, the global cascade of “Jasmine revolutions” in the Middle East and North Africa appears to have entered North Korea.

Chosun posted a North Korea map with large red circles around multiple cities to mark “riot zones”, adding more drama to the report.

[….]

South Korea’s online newspaper Daily NK reported on Wednesday that North Korea had created a special mobilization force to prevent any demonstrations similar to the recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.

Another daily, JoongAng Ilbo, said on Thursday that the authorities had begun purging elites who had studied abroad in Russia for fear of a possible coup by people “who were exposed to a Western lifestyle”.

Yet another vernacular newspaper, Donga Ilbo, on Thursday ran a piece on the “dramatic increase” of North Korean females choosing prostitution amid worsening economic hardship, linking it to the growing social instability of the country.

Indeed, hopes of a Jasmine revolution in North Korea are rising amid coverage of increasing pockets of resistance across the country, including the cities of Jongju, Yongchon and Sonchon, to mention a few.

…(read more)…

 

Battle for Civility In Libya (somewhat Graphic)

Published by Papa Giorgio

The reason I am posting this is because we are use to the story line of Muslims yelling “God is Great” as they kill those whom they … well, frankly believe to be non-Muslim. In the following video you have a sub Saharan African mercenary that was caught, probably after attacking and possibly killing some in the same group of people who just caught him. Even though he was hired to commit violence on the Libyan people, you see here Libyan people stopping the crowd from killing him. Now, I don’t know if the people protecting him and trying to calm the knife wielding persons in the crowd are Christians, but I suspect they are. For years I have watched videos on LiveLeak of Muslims (maybe I mean to say Arabs in general) killing people in “frenzied frenzies” (as Dennis Miller says). I rarely — if ever — post  videos of Muslims living up to their founders dreams. Which is why when I saw this video I was glad that love for the human soul/spirit was evident in a place where I didn’t expect it. Bravo. Now this young man may have been killed ultimately — I do not know his ultimate fate. Or even if there were a trial that brought him to justice for killing unarmed civilians and then he were executed. This would be preferable to mob violence and would show that Libya may have some people serious about making a nation that follows Natural law aspects of human dignity. But I post the somewhat graphic video that follows only because a beam of justice is shinning through here.

 

Charlie Sheens Crazy Rants with Crazy Alex Jones-Two and a Half Men Cancelled

Published by Papa Giorgio

Two and a Half Men canceled for the rest of this season. Charlie Sheen displayed the psychology of where this extreme conspiratorial view of history — when unchecked and drug fueled — can go. I can think of a dozen verses from Proverbs off the top of my head and a few parables from The Man Himself that could apply to Sheen’s pride and pompousness, that aside, here is the story[ies]:

Yep, things between Two And A Half Men star Charlie Sheen and creator Chuck Lorre just got a lot worse. Following his verbal assault on Lorre, whom he calls by his “real name Chaim Levine”, in a radio interview this morning, Sheen went way further in a TMZ interview this afternoon. “I violently hate Haim Levine,” Sheen said in what is probably the harshest statement by a series star about their showrunner. “He’s a stupid, stupid little man and a p**sy punk that I’d never want to be like. That’s me being polite. That piece of s**t took money out of my pocket, my family’s pocket, and, most importantly, my second family — my crew’s pocket… You can tell him one thing.  I own him.” He proceeded to challenge Lorre to a fight. “If he wins, then he can leave MY show, Sheen said.

[….]

In the bizarre interview, Sheen offered Jones’ much stronger proof that he is “100% clean” that the host probably bargained for: “Here’s your first pee test, next one goes in your mouth. No, you won’t get high.” Sheen also claimed he cured his drug problems with his mind.

But among ramblings about trolls, Bible grippers and Vatican assassins, one line stood out, a quote from Apocalypse Now: “You do have the right to kill me but do not have the right to judge me.”

[….]

As Two And A Half Men star Charlie Sheen’s erratic behavior escalated today in a series of verbal assaults on the show’s creator-executive producer Chuck Lorre, the sitcom’s network and studio did the only thing they could in the situation: pull the plug.  But they only did it for this season. (Two and a Half Men was scheduled to resume production on Monday for 4 more episodes). So the door is left open for a possible ninth season. “Based on the totality of Charlie Sheen’s statements, conduct and condition, CBS and Warner Bros TV have decided to discontinue production of Two and a Half Men for the remainder of the season,” the two companies said in a statement.

The question now is should Two And A Half Men continue? Could the damage done over the past few weeks ever be repaired. And most importantly, will Sheen come back from the brink?

The production shutdown decision was a dramatic ending to a really fascinating day in which Hollywood witnessed a star’s self-destruction. First, in a bizarre rant on The Alex Jones radio show this morning, Sheen called Lorre a “charlatan” and a “turd” and would only refer to him by his “real name, Chaim Levine.” “Chaim, last time I checked, I spent close to the last decade effortlessly and magically converting your tin cans into pure gold,” said Sheen, responding to a tongue-in-cheek vanity card Lorre recently posted on Men that ended with “If Charlie Sheen outlives me, I’m gonna be really pissed.”

Things escalated in the afternoon when Sheen, currently vacationing in the Bahamas with a girlfriend, ex-wife and a porn star, reached out to TMZ. “I violently hate Chaim Levine,” Sheen said. “He’s a stupid, stupid little man and a p**sy punk that I’d never want to be like. That’s me being polite.”

…(read more)…

…(read more)…

Miracle Boy Challenging Theories

Published by Papa Giorgio

BioEdge turned me onto this wonderful story of a young boy who is baffling the doctors and experts. In doing so, I think some mind-body presuppositions will be challenged.

A three-year-old boy without a cerebellum has stunned doctors by learning to walk. Chase Britton, 3, born prematurely and legally blind, is missing the part of his brain that controls emotions, motor skills, and balance. He also has no pons, the part of the brain that regulates basic functions such as eating and sleeping. Chase has forced experts to rethink how the brain functions.

Dr Adre du Plessis, of the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, commented: “There are some very bright, specialised people across the country and in Europe that have put their minds to this dilemma and are continuing to do so, and we haven’t come up with an answer.” The boy is challenging “fundamental principles”. He was able to learn to sit up, despite his balance problems, and then crawl. He is now learning to walk with the assistance of a frame. He has started at a special pre-school near his home in New York, although has a special “sensory room” at his home to motivate him.

Mrs Britton had a complicated pregnancy while carrying Chase and she was monitored closely. Doctors were baffled further when ultrasound images of Chase’s brain during pregnancy revealed he once had a cerebellum. “That is actually a fundamental part of the dilemma,” says Dr du Plessis. “If there was a cerebellum, what happened to it?” Only liquid is left where the cerebellum and pons should be.

…(read more)…