April 12, 2012—SnyderTalk Editorial: Cheer up, Fox News Viewers

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Cheer up, Fox News Viewers

The number 1 article in Digg’s “Top News in Politics” category for April 9, 2012 was “The Science of Fox News: Why Its Viewers are the Most Misinformed” by Chris Mooney.  Before I go any further, I need to provide a disclaimer: during the day I watch CNBC, and I prefer “Special Report with Bret Baier” for evening news because of the panel discussion during the last 20 minutes of the show.

That said, let’s examine Mooney’s article.  He begins with his conclusion:

“In June of last year, Jon Stewart went on air with Fox News’ Chris Wallace and started a major media controversy over the channel’s misinforming of its viewers. ‘Who are the most consistently misinformed media viewers?’ Stewart asked Wallace. ‘The most consistently misinformed? Fox, Fox viewers, consistently, every poll.’

[…]

There probably is a small group of media consumers out there somewhere in the world who are more misinformed, overall, than Fox News viewers. But if you only consider mainstream U.S. television news outlets with major audiences (e.g., numbering in the millions), it really is true that Fox viewers are the most misled based on all the available evidence—especially in areas of political controversy. This will come as little surprise to liberals, perhaps, but the evidence for it—evidence in Stewart’s favor—is pretty overwhelming.”

That’s a bold assertion, so you would expect Mooney to present some compelling evidence to support it.  Does he?  You be the judge.

Exhibit 1— The Iraq War:

“In 2003, a survey by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland found widespread public misperceptions about the Iraq war. For instance, many Americans believed the U.S. had evidence that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq had been collaborating in some way with Al Qaeda, or was involved in the 9-11 attacks; many also believed that the much touted “weapons of mass destruction” had been found in the country after the U.S. invasion, when they hadn’t.”

The survey is correct.  Fox viewers were misinformed about Saddam Hussein’s possession of WMDs and his collaboration with al Qaeda.  So were the President of the United States, a host of other world leaders, leaders in the Senate and the House of Representatives from both political parties, and key players at the United Nations.  Hussein intentionally misled people probably because he believed that it would give them second thoughts about attacking him.  That’s not a problem with Fox News viewers.  In fact, it shows that they were on top of the latest available “good information” whether or not it turned out to be accurate.

Exhibit 2—Global Warming:

“In a late 2010 survey, Stanford University political scientist Jon Krosnick and visiting scholar Bo MacInnis found that ‘more exposure to Fox News was associated with more rejection of many mainstream scientists’ claims about global warming, with less trust in scientists, and with more belief that ameliorating global warming would hurt the U.S. economy.’ Frequent Fox viewers were less likely to say the Earth’s temperature has been rising and less likely to attribute this temperature increase to human activities.”

Earth to Mooney: the global climate stopped warming in 1998, and the latest trend among fashion conscious Chicken Littles is global cooling—the same as it was in the 1960s and 1970s.  If readers were skeptical when they read your title, by now they must think that you have an agenda of your own.  And by the way, did you know that more than 31,000 scientists signed a petition rejecting the notion that man-made CO2 emissions caused climate change—either warming or cooling?  Last but not least, have you ever heard the phrase “Climategate”?  If not, try googling it.

Exhibit 3—Health Care:

“In 2009, an NBC survey found ‘rampant misinformation’ about the healthcare reform bill before Congress — derided on the right as ‘Obamacare.’ It also found that Fox News viewers were much more likely to believe this misinformation than average members of the general public. ‘72% of self-identified Fox News viewers believe the healthcare plan will give coverage to illegal immigrants, 79% of them say it will lead to a government takeover, 69% think that it will use taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions, and 75% believe that it will allow the government to make decisions about when to stop providing care for the elderly,’ the survey found.

By contrast, among CNN and MSNBC viewers, only 41 percent believed the illegal immigrant falsehood, 39 percent believed in the threat of a ‘government takeover’ of healthcare (40 percentage points less), 40 percent believed the falsehood about abortion, and 30 percent believed the falsehood about ‘death panels’ (a 45 percent difference!).”

Mr. Mooney, a recent Heritage Foundation report highlighted the facts below.  Have you seen the report?

To read the entire editorial, click here.

This SnyderTalk editorial first appeared in PJ Media on April 10, 2012.

To see other SnyderTalk editorials, click here.

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Thomas Jefferson

“For here we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.”

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Jeremiah 51: 26-29

“They will not take from you even a stone for a corner nor a stone for foundations, but you will be desolate forever,” declares Yahweh.  Lift up a signal in the land, blow a trumpet among the nations!  Consecrate the nations against her, summon against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz; appoint a marshal against her, bring up the horses like bristly locusts.  Consecrate the nations against her, the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their prefects, and every land of their dominion.  So the land quakes and writhes, for the purposes of Yahweh against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitants.

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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important.  It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.

  • God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
  • “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
  • “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.  In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)

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Hosea 4: 6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

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Top 5 diggtm articles yesterday:

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Israel will attack Lebanese government targets during a future war with Hizbullah, senior Israeli defense officials said, amid speculation that a war could erupt in the North following a future strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “It was a mistake not to attack Lebanese government targets during the [Second Lebanon] War in 2006,” a senior defense official explained. “We will not be able to hold back from doing so in a future war.”

Israel’s Public Security Ministry and the Israel Police are preparing for an attempt by pro-Palestinian activists to land en masse at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday and create disturbances. Police will arrest and deport activists back to their point of origin as quickly as possible. Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch told Channel 1 TV on Monday that Israel hopes to succeed in preventing many activists from boarding planes by sending blacklists with their names to foreign airports like it did last year.

Saeed Jalili, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, announces that Iran plans to offer “new initiatives” in upcoming nuclear talks with the P5+1 group in Istanbul.

New opposition leader Shaul Mofaz issued rare criticism of US President Barack Obama in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that will be published in Thursday’s Passover edition.

8.6 and 8.2 magnitude earthquakes hits off westernmost Indonesian province Aceh; tsunami warnings issued.

Police, intelligence officials met Wednesday morning in preparation for pro-Palestinian activist event.

Danon: Law must be passed to stop High Court from dismantling outposts, Ehud Barak must be replaced with a nationalist.

Lebanese navy has been helping the IDF drive away boats that approach the Israeli border, as Israel Navy prepares for possible altercations on upcoming Nakba Day.

Press TV reports that Tehran will have new initiatives in upcoming talks with six world powers, but it is unclear whether Iran will address uranium enrichment.

Incident marks second time Syrian forces fire on Turkish territory this week; fresh violence reported throughout Syria less than 24 hours before UN-brokered cease fire due to go into effect.

Jews might sympathize more than others with the Mormon candidate’s need to put on a mask in the company of Christian conservatives.

Two earthquakes of substantial magnitude hits the same region struck by the 2004 quake that sent massive tsunami waves across the Indian Ocean.

Soldiers place large boulders across all four lanes of the main entrance to A-Ram, a Palestinian town of 60,000, blocking incoming and outgoing traffic.

The documents are expected to help researchers measure the scope of persecution and extermination of Jews in the former Soviet Union.

Iran has played a tit-for-tat game over crude shipments since the European Union agreed in January that it would stop all Iranian oil imports as of July

Russian FM offers to expedite the UN observer team by possibly sending forces currently deployed in the Golan Heights, a move that could upset the current observer status between Israel and Syria.

Iran is Syria’s main ally in the region. Annan has been pushing Damascus to withdraw its troops from cities and halt all violence in 48 hours to salvage his peace plan.

Finnish official meets with Israelis secretly in Jerusalem ahead of the upcoming Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty conference, which is scheduled to be held in Helsinki in December but could be deferred until 2013.

The country that stands to gain the most from Assad’s survival is Iran – Assad’s biggest diplomatic, military, and financial backer. If the Baath regime remains intact, Iran will reap geopolitical and strategic fruits as it strives for regional hegemony. Iran will enter nuclear talks with the West with more leverage. This will manifest itself, or perhaps is already manifesting itself, in mounting Iranian audacity. The writer served twice as Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S.

A recent survey reveals that, in vying for the Jewish vote, it is better to be a Mormon than a Christian.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon tells Israel Hayom that American intelligence officials believe the convicted Israeli spy had an accomplice that Israel refuses to name, but that there is “no shred of evidence to support this belief.”

Ahead of talks in Istanbul, Islamic Republic threatens to take similar measures against Germany and Italy • Ahmadinejad: “The West intends to impose an oil embargo on us, but we have reserves we can use and manage without any problem.”

Nuclear talks haven’t even begun and Iran is already using every trick to ensure the process goes on and on without reaching conclusions.

Hundreds of officers will be deployed at Ben-Gurion airport armed with a list of left-wing activists planning to take part in the “provocation” • Organizers say this week’s mission seeks to draw attention to Israeli travel restrictions on Palestinians.

Permanent secretary of Swedish academy: There is and will be no discussion … on rescinding the award • Israel draws fire for saying Grass is unwelcome in the country • LA Times op-ed: Israel’s behavior “unexpected from free and democratic country.”

Top Quartet representatives set to meet in Washington two days after Palestinian U.N. observer tells Security Council that Israel’s “illegal and destructive plans” to build new settlements prove a lack of sincerity in entering peace talks.

Lebanese movie theaters are preparing to premiere “33 Days,” a cinematic look at the 2006 Second Lebanon War that was financed by Iran and is said to be the most expensive film ever produced in Lebanon.

Special envoy and former U.N. chief cites Iran’s strong allegiance with Syria as incentive to be “part of the solution” • Iran has so far opposed any foreign intervention • Though Assad’s forces vowed to withdraw, witnesses report increased violence.

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What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life?  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

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Business:

World:

United States:

Opinions:

All it takes is one little twit. Or a tweet, as the case may be — not that the two are mutually exclusive.

Finally embracing reality, Rick Santorum decided to take the easy way out rather than the hard way, leaving the GOP presidential race before a potentially humiliating loss in his home state.

Attacking bureaucrats instead of fixing the market.

Today’s prevailing cultural norms are wrong – and dangerous.

Abu Hamza is accused of planning a terror training camp in Oregon and kidnapping Western tourists in Yemen, among other crimes.

Bizarre case is forcing court to decide if police may take advantage of technology in making arrests.

Consumers may be gravitating toward raw milk without realizing the potential for health risks.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Eleven years ago, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. Since then, I have taken Fosamax, calcium citrate and vitamin D. Regular bone density tests have shown improvement to osteopenia. Now, at age 75 and in excellent health, I wonder if I should continue taking Fosamax. Doctors’ advice ranges from “don’t think of stopping” to “it’s dangerous to continue after 11 years.” I’ve compromised and take it every two weeks instead of every week. Is this the answer?

These strategies will help you cope with common retirement worries.

If Obama is reelected, the tax increase he and a Democratic Congress would impose on middle- and upper-middle-income Americans would be disastrous. It’s easy to lose sight of his tax plans because he has hidden them in a variety of nooks and crannies, including the Simpson-Bowles Commission Report, the Pelosi budget of 2009 and the various tax proposals advanced by his party. But, should he win, they will all come out of hiding, and together, they will be the principal legislative thrust of his efforts in 2013.

Few people more desperate than desperate progressives. And there are few things more despicable than desperate progressives attempting to impose their worldview on impressionable children, using the public school system as their vehicle of choice. Two stories, from NYC and Bellingham, MA, vividly illustrate the depths to which such people will sink, if they are not challenged. That’s the small picture. The big picture? The calculated degradation of our public schools is no accident. We are currently “educating” millions of children–to become wards of the state.

Let’s stipulate: Activists on the left are free to exercise their rights of speech and assembly to boycott businesses whose politics they oppose. Conversely, activists on the right are free to exercise the power of their pocketbooks and refrain from supporting businesses that shun their values.

I’m suspicious of superstitions, like astrology or the belief that “green jobs will fix the environment and the economy.” I understand the appeal of such beliefs. People crave simple answers and want to believe that some higher power determines our fates.

None of those black-on-white atrocities made anywhere near the news that the Trayvon Martin case made, and it’s deliberate. Editors for the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune admitted to deliberately censoring information about black crime for political reasons, in an effort to “guard against subjecting an entire group of people to suspicion.”

The news is stuffed with “studies” in which “experts” tell us how we should behave. One recently found that conservatives have lost their trust in science over the last 40 years. That’s probably because the very political academics of science are routinely summoned to prove the right-wingers are not only wrong but dangerously wrong and not just dangerously wrong but evil, too.

For centuries, the dilemma facing Iran (and before it, Persia) has been guaranteeing national survival and autonomy in the face of stronger regional powers like Ottoman Turkey and the Russian Empire. Though always weaker than these larger empires, Iran survived for three reasons: geography, resources and diplomacy.

Last week, President Obama made news when he suggestedthat it would be “unprecedented” for the Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional a law passed by a “strong majority of a democratically elected Congress.”

Why is Rep. Barney Frank rounding up his liberal legislative militia to oppose the Sound Dollar Act of 2012? This is a billrecently introduced by Rep. Kevin Brady, top Republican on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee.

The Fed is much like a rotten mother who throws her spoiled brat a lollipop as a reward for a temper tantrum says John Hussman in yet another excellent missive: Is the Fed Promoting Recovery or Desperation?

EAGnews.org is releasing a series of stunning reports to show taxpayers exactly how our dollars are being spent in government schools.  We repeatedly hear from the education establishment that school coffers are being raided, requiring teachers to be laid off and programs to be cut.  We hear schools are on the brink of bankruptcy and are operating onshoe-string budgets.

WASHINGTON – The sharp slowdown in hiring stunned President Obama’s worried campaign strategists Friday, fueling deeper doubts about a second term.

Dear Dave, Is it ever a good idea to sell your home and buy a smaller, less expensive one in order to get out of debt more quickly?

For months, we’ve heard the chattering class tell us that Mitt Romney was the only acceptable Republican nominee. He was the only candidate who could beat Barack Obama; he was the only one smart enough, savvy enough, and milquetoast enough to defeat Obama in a general election. While Newt Gingrich was too hot and Rick Santorum was too cold, Romney was the Goldilocks candidate, everyone’s second choice.

America, with its constitutionally protected freedoms and entrepreneurial spirit, has generated prosperity at a level which is unique to the human experience.

In his Wisconsin victory speech last Tuesday, Mitt Romney said, “Washington has to become an ally of business, not the opposition of business.”

Now that GOP has finally ended the inter-party squabble about who’s going to be the Republican nominee in November, it’s time to put in better focus why Obama is headed for an historic loss in the upcoming presidential election.

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Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now.  There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/

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Rick Santorum’s decision to suspend his presidential campaign Tuesday effectively ends the race for the GOP nomination, giving likely nominee Mitt Romney a chance to repair the damage he sustained in the primaries and rally reluctant conservatives.

Silence frustrates GOPers who want to help Romney overcome a seeming inability to connect with voters.

Romney could be doomed in the general election as the Tea Party pushes the GOP to the right.

Public’s perception is closely tied to partisan, ideological leanings, Post-ABC News poll reveals.

Action adds a new twist to a case that provoked an uproar after the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.

In the secretive world of Chinese elite politics, Bo’s downfall has been nothing short of spectacular.

In the not-too-distant future, vehicles will be able to communicate with one another, preventing crashes.

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http://www.tehrantimes.com/

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Hossein Sheikholeslam, the Iranian parliament speaker’s advisor on international issues, said on Tuesday that Iran has contacted the Syrian…

TEHRAN – Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League joint special envoy on Syria, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday night for talks with Iranian officials on the…

TEHRAN – Informed sources have said that Iran has stopped exporting 200,000 barrels of oil to Spain. The sources also said that the Oil Ministry is…

TEHRAN – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that the failure of some officials to fulfill their duties led to the turmoil in the gold coin and…

TEHRAN – A number of MPs have sent a letter to Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani suggesting that the president and ministers be invited to attend a Majlis…

TEHRAN – Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast has said that Iran is keen to expand its relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina in all…

TEHRAN – The Khatam-ol-Anbia Anti-Aircraft Base commander has dismissed news reports that foreign unmanned aerial vehicles have entered Iran’s…

Iran’s Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi says the country has stopped exporting crude to Greece, following earlier reports that the Islamic Republic halted crude sales to…

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Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide.  It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided.  They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make.  As they say, forewarned is forearmed.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

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http://www.americanthinker.com/

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Karl Marx said history repeats itself, “first as tragedy, then as farce.” Barack Obama has reversed that. His first term was certainly farce; his second will be tragedy.

Hatred is like darkness: the more there is, the less you can see.

All bets are off for the future of energy in the United States and, indeed, the world.

If you think the Obama birth certificate is a fraud, you should be able to know how to demonstrate why.

There is a way to stop the EPA’s abuse of science and prevent their continued aggressive regulatory activity.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was on the Today show last week, and she did very well. But don’t mention that in mixed company (liberals and conservatives), or anywhere online.

The IDF and Israeli police force today are adept at controlling Arab violence when it breaks out, but Jewish immigrants to Palestine in the early to mid-twentieth century were constantly plagued by a fear of Arab violence and crime.

$1.7 million ad buy in 8 states.

It seems the majority of those who purchased hybrid cars in the past were not very satisfied with their decision. According to a recent survey, only 35% of hybrid vehicle owners chose to purchase a hybrid again.

Wow. Just wow.

Thomas Jefferson a pedophile?

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http://frontpagemag.com/

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With Rick Santorum out, the former Massachusetts governor still faces serious obstacles on the road to victory….

Just the start of a series of provocations?…

Governor Scott Walker’s much-maligned reforms are working. …

The aging terrorist passes the torch to the Occupiers….

Charles Murray’s new book chronicles the decline of a nation….

Why Obama’s Syria policy is a failure. …

Democrats suffer from a gender gap, too….

Gauging the moral crisis that grows ever more ominous and threatening….

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http://www.weeklystandard.com/

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Conservative leader Gary Bauer, who endorsed Rick Santorum earlier in the year, did a good job of summing up the former Pennsylvania senator’s presidential run.

Charles Blahous explains how the government double counts tax money for Medicare and Obamacare:

Newt Gingrich is using Rick Santorum’s announcement that the former Pennsylvania senator is suspending his presidential campaign to make a last ditch effort at becoming the Republican nominee–by drawing a contrast with front runner Mitt Romney.

Moments after Rick Santorum finished his speech announcing that he was suspending his presidential campaign, Mitt Romney issued a statement to “Congratulate Senator Santorum on the Campaign He Ran.”

“Paul Ryan Claims Secret Democratic Support” reads the headline of a new report at Buzzfeed:

President Obama is traveling to Florida today to tout the so-called Buffett Rule, as well as to raise money from people who would have to pay more taxes under that same rule. The president’s proposal “asks everyone to pay their fair share” of taxes, according to the White House. In other words: It’s an increase on taxes for the rich.

President Obama is in Florida to tout his economic policy of raising taxes on the wealthy. But first he’s holding a fundraiser. And it seems that many in the Palm Beach Gardens gated community, where the fundraiser is being held, are excited to see the president.

The Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee will release this chart later today, clearly showing that America’s debt is greater than the combined debt of the entire Eurozone and the U.K.:

Last year, in an article for THE WEEKLY STANDARD I discussed the growing number of existential threats to unions. One of the major challenges facing unions is that their multi-employer pension plans are deep in the hole, and the problems were being masked by accounting standards that allowed them to hide their debt:

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If you haven’t been there already, you should take the opportunity to visit Natural Healthcare Store.  Each product selected for sale at Natural Healthcare Store undergoes rigorous research to make sure that it is the highest quality at an affordable price.

Natural Healthcare Store carries skin care, hair care, and oral care products.  Be sure to check out the Dead Sea products imported from Israel and support the Israeli economy with your purchases.  Natural Healthcare Store carries makeup, deodorant, and detoxification products.  It also carries supplements, weight loss products, and loose leaf tea.  Rounding out its product mix, Natural Healthcare Store carries natural household cleaning products.

Katie and I believe strongly in healthy living, and we use the products.  We’re proud to say that our daughter Melanie owns the store.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/

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UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan says he has “received assurances” from Syria that it will respect a ceasefire deadline set for Thursday.

China urges support for its dismissal of disgraced leader Bo Xilai, after the linking of his wife to the death of a British man shocked the country.

One of the leading figures of the French resistance against the Nazis, Raymond Aubrac, has died aged 97, his family says.

Japanese stocks fall for the seventh straight session as fresh fears over the health of the world economy spark a global sell-off.

Lawyers for a Florida man who killed an unarmed black teenager say they have lost contact with George Zimmerman and are no longer representing him.

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http://rt.com/news/

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With around 20 per cent real unemployment, it’s US joblessness that could prove the stumbling block for Obama’s second term – not foreign policy issues, says Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup, America’s leading company conducting opinion polls worldwide.

Ever gotten a bit angry having to wait a minute too long for a car tune-up? Not as angry as this guy. A Moscow gynecologist in the throes of a nervous breakdown decided the auto dealership which sent him over the edge was going down with him.

Japan and Britain have agreed to an unprecedented arms deal – Tokyo’s first such arrangement with a country other than the US. Amid fears of Western expansion in Asia Pacific, some analysts say the region will welcome a counterbalance to Chinese power.

Greece is offering a ‘cop-for-hire’ service, renting out policemen for €30 per hour, plus €10 if you want a police car too. It triggered fears that security of people who cannot afford a policeman for hire may be affected in favor of those who can.

Damascus says it has started pulling troops from cities to meet deadlines set by UN envoy Kofi Annan. But as the Syrian opposition claims bloodshed is continuing, Annan has been forced to defend his ceasefire plan insisting it’s “still on the table.”

RT has become the first TV channel in the world to speak to former journalist and Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal since he was removed from death row in January. Abu-Jamal will spend his life behind bars for killing a police officer in 1981.

Anonymous has trounced Reddit to take the top spot in the 2012 Time 100 poll, an annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people. With Time posed to pick the ‘real’ winner, the Internet has had its say in who is really shaping the world.

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http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/

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The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has decided to suspend Bo Xilai’s membership of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and the CPC Central Committee.

Chinese police have set up a team to reinvestigate the case that British citizen Neil Heywood was found dead in Chongqing on Nov. 15, 2011, which was alleged by Wang Lijun who entered, without authorization, the U.S. general consulate in Chengdu on Feb. 6 and stayed there.

Paek Chunghou, general director of the facility, said workers had placed the satellite on the rocket and fuel is being injected into the rocket.

The Chinese embassy reiterated China’s sovereignty over Huangyan Island, and urged the Philippine side to stop immediately their illegal activities and leave the area.

Lavrov Tuesday urged Kofi Annan to devote more efforts to make the Syrian opposition adhere to the cease- fire plan.

The officials used the opportunity to “reaffirm the importance of a strategic partnership, and address issues of immediate importance.”

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http://pjmedia.com/

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The foreign policy myths of the “best and the brightest” confront brutal reality.

I won’t get fooled by media again.

Iran welcomes a visit from the incompetent leader who does business with dictators.

A black motorcycle gang attacks a white truck driver. No arrests, no media. See also: The Birmingham News now finds the story newsworthy.

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http://www.nationalreview.com/

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Santorum gets close, but falls short.

The other week I wrote that, depending how you run the numbers, we’re already worse than Greece. Over at Powerline, John Hinderaker isn’t ready to go that far, but he does have a Republican Senate graph demonstrating that the US is broker than Europe. In a nutshell:

I’ve not said anything about John Derbyshire yet, and I’ve had at least three very good reasons for doing so: 1) I’m a low man on the totem pole around here. 2) I wasn’t exactly sure what I thought about it. And 3) I don’t know John.

Over on the home page, Mona has put her finger on the essence of Barack Hussein Obama II: he’s a bully:

Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist last month promoted an advocacy group report claiming that a change to our current citizenship practices (which award citizenship to the U.S.-born children of tourists and illegal aliens) would be “a tax on every child being born.” This is both funny and wrong. Funny because not everything that’s bad is a tax; there are plenty of things that may not represent good public policy that can’t be meaningfully interpreted as a tax. But all Grover has is a hammer, so everything’s a nail.

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http://clickhere.igetpaidtodrinkcoffee.com/

“The scales at my doctor’s office said I weighed 201 when I began drinking the B-Skinny coffee. Today, four weeks later, my scales said I weigh 188. I love this stuff.” Pat Parks

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http://www.commentarymagazine.com/

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The White House appears to be digging in its heels against any further aid to the Syrian rebels beyond the provision of communications equipment. It is hard to know how lasting this position will be as the president had previously touted Bashar al-Assad as a negotiating partner before calling for his departure from office. And last year, the administration resisted weeks of entreaties to intervene in Libya before deciding to do so. Events in Syria may dictate a more forceful White House response–events such as the recent firing across the Turkish border by Syrian security forces.

While support for Israel remains strong among most Americans and their representatives in Congress, American college campuses have become a hotbed of anti-Zionist propaganda that can sometime blur the line between inflammatory political arguments and outright Jew-hatred.

Rick Santorum may have sounded like a man who was determined to fight Mitt Romney to the bitter end last week. But that defiant tone and the wild talk about comparisons of his effort to Ronald Reagan’s duel with Gerald Ford was apparently merely the last gasp of his underdog run for the presidency. Today, Santorum bowed to reality and announced the suspension of his campaign. With Newt Gingrich already having acknowledged that Romney was the likely nominee, Santorum’s speech marks the informal end of the Republican presidential contest.

A new study by Chuck Blahous, public trustee for Medicare and Social Security, blows to smithereens the claim that the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare) will cut the deficit. According to Blahous, President Obama’s health care law unambiguously worsens the nation’s already unsustainable fiscal path. Among its key findings are these:

We don’t often have occasion to say anything complimentary about Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. In her designated role as President Obama’s attack dog, Rep. Wasserman Schultz has made a specialty of taking cheap shots at her opponents. When not attempting to demonize Republican positions on the deficit and entitlements, she has even stooped to blame conservatives for the shooting of Gabriella Giffords. But as unfair as she has been to those on the other side of the aisle, that doesn’t justify treating Wasserman Schultz or anyone on her staff in a similar manner.

The Western optimism about the imminent fall of the Assad regime in Syria voiced so frequently throughout much of the last year is starting to quiet down. President Obama was willing to express confidence that the Arab Spring would claim another triumph in Damascus just a few months ago. But the collapse of the United Nations-sponsored plan for an end to the violence in Syria has once again made it clear not only that the world body’s peace efforts are farcical, but that the administration’s Middle East policies are a hopeless muddle.

In 2010, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced he was canceling a proposed public transportation project that would have constructed a new train tunnel under the Hudson River. The project was meant to ease commuter congestion between New Jersey and New York City. Christie was sympathetic to the aim of the tunnel, but when it became clear the costs would spiral, he realized it would contravene his gubernatorial mandate, which was to bring the state’s shockingly debt-burdened books closer to fiscal sanity.

Steve Hayward over at Power Line has an interesting quote from Franklin Roosevelt:

I join my Council on Foreign Relations colleague Elliott Abrams and my Contentions colleague Jonathan Tobin in expressing reservations about whether the U.S. government really has the degree of insight into Iran’s nuclear program claimed in carefully orchestrated leaks such as this Washington Post article which brags about how stealthy CIA drones have penetrated deep into Iranian air space.

Today’s Washington Post-ABC News Poll is being touted by Democrats as a key moment in the 2012 election because for the first time, President Obama is shown as getting over the 50 percent mark in terms of job approval and in a head-to-head matchup with Mitt Romney. These are encouraging numbers for the president, but Democrats shouldn’t start mailing out inaugural ball tickets just yet. A close reading of the poll as well as the political context in which it was taken shows that the president is still highly vulnerable on a number of issues, leaving likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney still in position to make a strong challenge this fall.

Should we be concerned that the new agreement reached by the U.S. and Afghanistan over the conduct of “night raids” will hamper the ability of U.S. Special Operations Forces to target America’s enemies? Not on the basis of what has been released about the accord.

Miami Marlins Manager Ozzie Guillen will be using his day off to fly back to Florida today to hold a news conference tomorrow to make a public apology for his published remarks in which he spoke of his “love” for longtime Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. While the famously loquacious and largely unrestrained Guillen is entitled to his opinion, the fact that the institution that employs him understands that a public mea culpa is necessary illustrates that at least in southern Florida, expressing affection for a Communist murderer is not deemed acceptable behavior.

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If You Voted for Obama in 2008 to Prove You’re Not a Racist, You Need to Vote for Someone Else in 2012 to Prove You’re Not an Idiot explains why voters in the United States need to elect someone besides Barack Obama to lead them.  Whoever is elected President of the United States in 2012 will have to contend with the monumental problems that Obama’s misguided policies have caused both at home and abroad.  One thing is certain, though.  It should not be Barack Obama.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

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