CNN is down and FOX is up. This does not surprise me much. CNN's liberal slant will probably continue its downhill slide as more Americans tune into FOX news.
CNN will finish the fourth quarter of 2009 in fourth place — another first — and with two weeks left has been fourth on more than 100 nights this year.
But the end-of-the-year ratings for the news networks — which were being presented this week because nothing is likely to change by Jan. 1 — are bringing some other, less expected, results.
One is the ability of Fox News, which had the biggest ratings year in its history, to grow even against the heavily viewed election year of 2008. (Both CNN and MSNBC were down sharply from last year.)
On pages 6 David Archer's book "Global Warming", who is the darling of the "Global Warming and the end is Near Crowd", makes some interesting observations. I agree with his idea that we need to increase our commitment to nuclear power, wind power, and solar power.
On the other hand, I am not quite sure about putting solar panels on the moon and beaming the energy back to earth. Plus, I question his idea of creating energy through windmills put high in the sky tethered to kits. Is he serious?
I am a huge proponent of wind, solar, and nuclear energy, so I would like to explore building more nuclear power plants. If we built one nuclear power plant a week, we would really have an impact upon air quality. And, this would reduce our dependence upon oil.
Lately I've managed to pick up and watch or read the most depressing stories, I want to disappear into nothing when they are over.
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy: The book cover is black. That should have been an obvious sign. The whole book is dark. You want to cough up all the ashy phlegm when you get done with it. Ugh.
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father: A documentarian makes a movie for the kid of his murdered childhood friend. Oh yes, and it gets worse from there.
This American Life, podcast #342, How to Rest In Peace. Stories about kids who's parents have died... either murdered or killed themselves and how they cope in adulthood.
I don't know. Those are just a few examples, but I seemed to be obsessed with bad things. Dark things. Currently, I'm considering jumping into the book "Lit", which is a memoir, but now I'm not so sure. My decision-makings skills are a bit twisted at the moment.
Feck.
A very happy Winter Solstice to all my friends on Vox!!
I'm looking forward to a year filled with new books and travel. I'm also hoping forward to unexpected things. I think this year will bring something new.
Maybe fruits from some faraway place. Maybe I'll make an art film or study some unusual mammal with an umber and scarlet coat.
I hope you all discover lovely things too, and have a great Holiday with your loved ones! May our planet be blessed as well.
Cheers!
I don't know how I missed the fact that Oral Roberts died last week. I mostly know the televangelist from the controversy that occurred in 1987 when Roberts revealed that Jesus was holding him for ransom. During a fundraising drive, he stated that if he didn't raise $8 million by March, God would "call him home." People laughed, but Roberts raised the money and didn't die, thereby proving that he was right.
Could these Garmin ads be any more bizarre? Campers watch out for that Yeti.....
Here is an update mailed by WorldNetDaily about the on going legal battle between the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the author (and research team) of the Muslim Mafia.
JRH 12/22/09
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'Muslim Mafia' attorneys show in court that CAIR doesn't legally exist
Sent by: WorldNetDaily
Sent: December 21, 2009 5:19 PM
Legal check mate dealt to CAIR today in federal court
(WASHINGTON) Dec. 21, 2009—Of all the bombshells that the authors of "Muslim Mafia" have exposed about the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the most explosive revelation—which will air today in federal court—would shake CAIR to its very foundations.
If those foundations actually existed.
But CAIR the organization, attorneys for "Muslim Mafia" investigators reveal today in court, legally doesn’t even exist! Like its purported goals of protecting Muslims, helping law enforcement sniff out terror leads and upholding the best of American traditions— all "Muslim Mafia" proves to be deceptive shams.
In fitting irony, this comes to light in a court fight that the notoriously litigious CAIR picked to ultimately suppress the First Amendment and silence the damning discoveries that the book documents in intricate detail.
"CAIR is not a valid entity,” explains attorney Daniel Horowitz' motion to dismiss in the case filed in federal court in the nation's capital. From there—piece by piece—he dismantles CAIR’s case.
Support the fight against CAIR by contributing to the WND Legal Defense Fund.
Background
Part of the research for "Muslim Mafia" stems from a daring six-month investigation by Chris Gaubatz—son of co-author P. David Gaubatz—and two young ladies. All three pretended to convert to Islam—he grew a beard, they donned veils—and landed positions as CAIR interns. In the process, they retrieved 12,000 pages of internal CAIR documents.
Those documents illustrate what the FBI, which severed ties to the organization, and members of Congress, already acknowledge: CAIR is a Saudi-funded, terror-front group that supports Hamas, positions interns and staffers in key congressional offices, and strives to undermine post-9/11 security.
WND Books recently published "Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America," by the elder Gaubatz, a former federal agent and veteran terrorism investigator, and "Infiltration" author Paul Sperry. It alerted many Americans that CAIR, which bills itself as the nation's largest "mainstream" Islamic "civil rights” group, fronts not just for Hamas but also Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of al-Qaida.
CAIR disputes the Justice Department designation and condemns members of Congress who, thanks to "Muslim Mafia," demanded federal probes of the organization. Nov. 2, CAIR filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., a lawsuit against the Gaubatzes.
CAIR is seeking punitive damages for trespass, breach of contract, conversion—the unlawful use of someone else's property—and breach of fiduciary duty. But CAIR does not defend itself against the book's claims. And the FBI has served a warrant asking for the same CAIR documents.
Taking apart CAIR's case
In 2007, the Justice Department labeled CAIR an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorist finance case in U.S. history. That’s when the organization changed its name to the Council on American-Islamic Relations Action Network. But as Horowitz’ motion reveals:
· Searches on the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs website for the name "Council on American-Islamic Relations" produce no results.
· "CAIR" isn’t just a convenient shortening of the name. In its suit against popular radio host Michael Savage, its attorneys appeared separately for CAIR and for CAIR Action Network, or (CAIR-AN).
· Under D.C. code, when a nonprofit corporation's articles of incorporation are revoked for failure to comply with certain reporting rules, "then all powers conferred on it are inoperative and it must cease all business activities... except for those activities necessary for winding up its affairs."
This further unravels CAIR’s case against the Gaubatzes. Claims of breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract are based on its allegation that Chris Gaubatz signed a confidentiality agreement when he began the internship. As Horowitz writes:
· CAIR can’t produce evidence of any signed agreement
· Even if it could, "this document would have been signed between a non-existent corporate entity and Chris Gaubatz. There need to be two parties to a contract."
Horowitz poked more holes in CAIR’s case, including:
· Claim of trespass—invalid. The group has not even insisted in its pleading that its premises were private or not open to the public.
· Claims its e-mails are protected by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act—invalid. The law does not apply to office computers at CAIR, but "protects users whose electronic communications are in electronic storage with an [Internet service provider] or other electronic communications facility."
"CAIR is not a valid entity and even if it were, the exposure of its inner workings is part of the price it pays for being a controversial group in a hotly contested arena," Horowitz says in the brief's conclusion. "If the press or publishers had to prove the purity of their sources before publishing we would never hear about the various romances of Tiger Woods (which might be a relief) but we also never have heard of the Pentagon Papers."
In the well-known case brought by the New York Times against the federal government, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of the press to the Pentagon Papers—the top-secret Defense Department history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam—because they related to "matters of great public concern," Horowitz argues.
The lawyer who represented Daniel Ellsberg in the Pentagon Papers case, famed New York City lawyer Martin Garbus, also is defending the Gaubatzes. Another high-profile advocate, Bernard Grimm of Washington, D.C., is a third member of the legal team.
WorldNetDaily has come to the defense of the Gautatzes in aggressively fighting the lawsuit and set up a legal defense fund inviting the public to help support.
"This is a battle we absolutely can win," said Farah, "especially since we have retained the very best First Amendment attorneys in the world – including the lawyer who defended Ronald Reagan – to defend our author and our book. But lawsuits are very expensive and we urgently need our readers to help us fight this radical Islamic group's attack on us."
"Muslim Mafia" reveals how CAIR:
· Debated launching a smear campaign against Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California after she cited concerns over its associations.
· Angles to excuse, protect and prevent police from prosecuting Muslim men who beat their wives, decreeing such beatings are OK for American Muslims so long no mark remains.
· Works to gut U.S. anti-terrorism laws
· Loosens U.S. Muslim immigration policies
· Infiltrates the government to institutionalize Shariah law
· Hinders FBI investigations of terrorist suspects
· Tips off terrorist suspects prior to raids
_____________________
To interview the authors, publisher or counsel, contact Tim Bueler at (530) 401-3285 or media@wnd.com.
Seattle: Two months ago, a guy killed 2 police officers, sitting in their car. Rather... he executed them by shooting them in the back of the neck on one, and blasting the face of the other. Horrible. A week prior he had set some police cars on fire, and set up a bomb in hopes that the fires would draw enforcement to the scene (meaning... more to kill). The bomb didn't go off, or he didn't get it set up or soemthing like that. They found that guy and he's facing charges.
Tacoma (about half an hour south of Seattle): One month ago, 4 police officers were killed when a parolee from Arkansas walked into a coffee shop, and fired on them while they were gearing up for their shift. He was found and shot. 7 friends and family members are being prosecuted for helping him evade police for a week after the shootings.
Tacoma (about half an hour south of Seattle): Last night, 2 police officers were shot when they were ambushed. The dude is dead. He was hiding when they came in the residence, and he shot them both. They fired back at him and he's dead. They are still alive as of now, but both in critical condition. I guess the family didn't know what the guy was up to though and they helped save the cops. That's the only light I see in all of this.
It's just horrible. It's like the bad guys around here have suddenly come to the conclusion that the cops are no longer 'untouchables'. That the cops are the enemy. And they're setting them up, all over this area, and killing them. If you're a family member of a cop, it's like you're sending them off to war these days.
It's horrible. And very sad.
Today at 17:47 UTC (11:47 AM CST) will be the Solstice, a traditional day in many religions. But what exactly is the solstice?
To a scientist, it marks the shortest day in the northern hemisphere and the longest day in the southern [2]. To a TV weatherman, it represents the “first day of winter” [3]. To an astronomer, it marks the low point in the Sun’s apparent travels in the sky, known as the analemma [4,5]. And to some religions, it marks the start of festivities.
In truth, these are all inter-related. The solstice is the point at which the Earth’s tilt and orbital path combine to create the shortest day in the year [6]. Because this is the shortest day in the year, the Sun does not rise as far in the sky and so is at a lower altitude at noon, making this the lowest point in the analemma. And because less sunlight hits the Northern hemisphere, the hemisphere radiates heat away faster than it comes in and cools, creating winter [7]. Though early priest/astronomer/astrologers didn’t know the physical link between the Sun’s travels and the seasons, they were clever enough to understand that there was a link. Thus, the solstice marked the start of festivities in Babylon, Egypt, Rome, and the Olmec and descendant civilizations.
In any case, this is a special day of the year [8]. So go out and enjoy it!
John
[1] Geek points for the reference!
[2] Thereby demonstrating the old adage that each thing contains its opposite.
[3] Thereby demonstrating that a simple untruth has greater staying power than a complex truth. Remember that Midsummer’s day takes place on the summer solstice, thus “Midwinter’s day” should take place on the winter solstice [a].
[4] Or the high point, for those in the Southern hemisphere.
[5] By the way, making an analemma is easy and a fun science project. All you need is a stick and a place to put it [b]. Just go out to the same place once a week at noon and prop the stick up so it is sticking straight up (i.e., makes a right angle with the tangent to the Earth’s surface). Now mark where the shadow of the stick falls. Plot them up over the course of a year, and you’ve made an analemma! Analemmas made closer to the poles will be fatter and more like a Hershey’s kiss in shape; those made nearer to the equator will be skinnier and look more like a figure eight.
[6] NB: This is not the Earth’s closest approach to the Sun; that happens in early January . If the Earth had no tilt, then perihelion and the solstice would take place on the same day, with summer in January and winter in July.
[7] In the Southern hemisphere, more sunlight comes in, so heat builds up, creating summer.
[8] Then again, what day isn’t?
[a] Yes, these are hemisphere-centric terms. My apologies to all who live in the Southern hemisphere; feel free to swap “winter” for “summer” at will throughout this post.
[b] Get your mind out of the gutter!
