THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Monday, January 02, 2012

UH-OH: USA'S CONSUMERS WON'T BAILOUT ECONOMY

NYT: "For 2012, Signs Point to Tepid Consumer Spending"

Consumer spending makes up 70 percent of the economy, so until it ignites, general growth is likely to be sluggish.

Macroeconomic Advisers, a forecasting company, projects growth of around 2 percent for the first half of this year, down from an estimate of 3.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and just 1.8 percent in the third quarter.

For consumers, the reasons for the sluggishness are clear: incomes are essentially flat, job growth is modest, and more than 40 percent of the new jobs in the last two years have been in low-paying sectors like retail and hospitality.

... And with more than one in every five borrowers still owing more than their homes are worth, many homeowners feel too pressed to spend on much more than the essentials.

RTWT.

IN 2012 CHINA'S ECONOMY WILL COLLAPSE

GORDON CHANG OF FOREIGN POLICY ASSERTED LAST WEEK.

WE'VE BEEN WARNING ABOUT THIS FOR A WHILE.

MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD WILL PUT PEACE TREATY WITH ISRAEL UP FOR A REFERENDUM: THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS SCOOPS HOT AIR BY A DAY

HOT AIR TONIGHT.

TAB YESTERDAY.

REGULAR READERS KNOW WE SCOOP THE BIGGIES ALL THE TIME. SPREAD THE WORD. BLOGROLL US, BOOKMARK US. FOLLOW US.

PRELUDE: OWS SCUM CRASH ROSE BOWL. CLIMAX: OWS WILL CRASH IOWA'S GOP CAUCUSES

WHAT THEY DID TODAY AT THE ROSE BOWL WAS EVERY BIT AS THUGGISH AND ANTISEMITIC AS WHAT THEY DID ALL OVER THE USA THE PAST FEW MONTHS.

(THEIR THUGGERY HAS LEAD TO 5000 ARRESTS. OUTSTANDING VIDEO HERE.)

WHAT DO THEY PLAN FOR TOMORROW'S GOP CAUCUSES?

THEY CLAIM THAT THEY'RE JUST GOING TO ASK PEOPLE TO VOTE UNCOMMITTED.

BUT THAT IS JUST THEIR COVER STORY, IF YOU ASK ME.

ONCE INSIDE THEY WILL DISRUPT THE CAUCUSES. AND GET ARRESTED.

IN AN ATTEMPT TO DO IN IOWA WHAT SIMILAR THUGS DID IN CHICAGO IN 1968.

AND SMEAR THE GOP.

NEWT APPARENTLY THINKS THAT KERRY WAS UNFAIRLY ATTACKED BY THE SWIFT-BOATERS

Struggling to reverse a slide in his standing, Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich said Sunday he'd been "Romney-boated" in Iowa and suggested his GOP rival would buy the presidency if he could.

The sharp words against Mitt Romney, a multimillionaire many times over who is in strong contention to win Iowa, come two days before voters here weigh in on the Republican field. It was part of a stepped-up effort by Gingrich to contrast himself with Romney, and the candidate said he would adopt an even more aggressive strategy when the race moves to New Hampshire, the former Massachusetts governor's backyard.

Gingrich's nautical attack was a reference to a 2004 TV ad campaign by a group called the "Swiftboat Veterans for Truth" that bloodied Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. This year, Gingrich has faced an onslaught of negative TV advertisements by a group aligned with Romney.

Asked Sunday whether he felt that he had been "swiftboated," Gingrich replied, "I feel Romney-boated."

THIS DISGUSTS AND INFURIATES ME BECAUSE KERRY WAS FAIRLY ATTACKED BY HIS FELLOW SWIFT-BOATERS BASED ON THE TRUTH AND YET THE LEFT - AND THE MEDIA OUTLETS THEY CONTROL - USE THE TERM "SWIFT-BOATING" AS IF IT MEANT ATTACKED BY LIES.

NEWT SEEMS TO AGREE WITH THE LEFT.

IT DEMONSTRATES AGAIN WHY NEWT IS UNFIT FOR THE OFFICE HE IS SEEKING: HE IS A LOOSE CANNON WHO OFTEN SPEAKS WITHOUT THINKING.

ARABS ONCE AGAIN RAISE THE PHONY "SETTLEMENT FREEZE" ISSUE

JPOST:

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat Monday reiterated the Palestinian Authority demands for a full cessation of settlement construction and acceptance of the pre-1967 lines as the basis for a two-state solution, saying this would pave the way for the resumption of real and serious negotiations between the two sides.

Erekat's comments came on the eve of a planned meeting in Amman with Israeli envoy Yitzhak Molcho under the auspices of the Quartet members - the US, EU, UN and Russia.

A SETTLEMENT FREEZE IS A CANARD.

NEED PROOF? SIMPLE:

1 - IN 2009, BIBI FROZE SETTLEMENT EXPANSION FOR 10 MONTHS AND ABBAS NEVERTHELESS REFUSED TO MEET WITH HIM.

2 - AS PART OF THE DEAL WITH EGYPT, ISRAEL DEMOLISHED ALL SETTLEMENTS IN SINAI.

3 - ISRAEL UNILATERALLY DISMANTLED ALL SETTLEMENTS FROM GAZA.

IF ARABS WANT A DEAL, THEN SETTLEMENTS ARE NOT A REAL OBSTACLE.

WHY DO THE ARABS SET THIS AND OTHER PRE-CONDITIONS?

SIMPLE: THEY DON'T REALLY WANT A DEAL OR A 2-STATE SOLUTION; THEY WANT TO ERADICATE ISRAEL.

JEWS WILL NEVER LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN.

REPEAT:

NEVER AGAIN.

ADDENDUM:

LET ARABS ESTABLISH PEACEFUL DEMOCRACIES THAT RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST, THEN MAYBE - IF THEY UNILATERALLY RECOGNIZE THE STATE OF ISRAEL, THEN MAYBE ANOTHER LAND FOR PEACE DEAL MIGHT BE POSSIBLE.

BUT UNTIL ARABS DEMONSTRATE THEY CAN PEACEFULLY RULE THEMSELVES AND RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS - AND NOT MERELY INSTALL TYRANNICAL SHARIA GOVERNMENTS THAT REFUSE TO ACCEPT ISRAEL, ISRAEL MUST HOLD ON TO THE LAND IT WON IN 1967 FOR SELF-DEFENSE.

Did you do anything 90x in the last 3 years? Obama did!

Obama must have spent about 350-400 hours on the golf course.

That's more time than he spent working with Congressional leadership trying to solve the federal government's budgetary and debt problems.

No wonder the federal government is dysfunctional and the economy sucks.

There's one way to solve this - and it should make Obama happy: fire him in 2012 so he can spend ALL his time golfing!

UH-OH: IN FEBRUARY, EUROPE WILL LIKELY BE IN A FULL-BLOWN RECESSION

EUROPE'S ECONOMY HAS BEEN CONTRACTING FOR FIVE STRAIGHT MONTHS. ONE MORE MONTH AND IT'S A RECESSION - AND SIGNS ARE IT WILL BE A DEEP ONE.

IF CHINA'S BUBBLE COMPLETELY DEFLATES BY SUMMER - WHICH I EXPECT - THEN THE WORLD WILL BE IN A DEEP RECESSION/DEPRESSION BY SEPTEMBER. SIGH.

ASIDE:

THE ONLY CHANCE OBAMA HAS FOR HIS OWN RE-ELECTION - (AND THE ONLY WAY HE HAS A CHANCE TO COMPLETE HIS PROMISED "TRANSFORMATION" OF THE USA INTO A EURO-SOCIALIST QUAGMIRE THAT HAS NO ABILITY TO PROJECT THE MILITARY POWER NEEDED TO DEFEND THE FREE WORLD FROM RUSSIA, CHINA AND GLOBAL JIHAD) - IS TO ATTACK IRAN.

ERGO: I EXPECT HE WILL AND THEN BLAME THE WORLD'S DEPRESSION ON THE NECESSARY ATTACK HE COURAGEOUSLY ORDERED).

UNLESS ISRAEL DOES IT FIRST,

IN WHICH CASE OBAMA BLAMES THE GLOBAL DEPRESSION ON THE JOOOOOOOZE AND NOT DECADES OF SOCIALIST POLICIES AND SOCIALIST BOONDOGGLES.

OBAMA'S FAILURE TO PASS A BUDGET IN 2009 AND 2010 PROVES HIS MALFEASANCE AND EXPLAINS THE CURRENT BUDGET AND DEBT IMPASSE

The legacy media is trying to blame the GOP for the fiscal mess in Washington.

THIS IS BULLS*IT.

Need proof? Simple: Obama failed to pass a budget in 2009 and 2010 when the Congress was COMPLETELY CONTROLLED by his own party and run by Reid and Pelosi.

Then he failed to get behind the BI-PARTISAN Simpson-Bowles Commission plan - throwing the commission HE FREAKING APPOINTED under the bus.

Whenever the GOP is attacked for the debt-ceiling fiasco or fights over continuing resolutions needed in the absence of a budget they should bring this up.

Obama's leadership record on budgetary issues and the debt is HORRIFIC.

No rational person can blame the current political stalemate on the GOP; (though the legacy media is trying.)

DECISION-MAKING, THE SURGE, AND 2 HARVARD MBA'S: DUBYA & MITT

When the second phase of the Iraq War was going badly and all the gains and potential gains were at risk George W. Bush listened to all his options and - despite disagreement from most of the major brass inside the pentagon, and keeping the goal of a free and democratic Iraq foremost in his mind - decided to change strategy and tactics and employ THE SURGE strategy developed by retried General Keene and Petraeus and the Kagans.

I assert that Dubya's training at Harvard Business School - where he earned an MBA - is a major reason why he was able to buck the pressure and the "CONVENTIONAL WISDOM" and analyze the problem properly and make the correct decision and stick with the correct decision and select the correct man to employ it - General Petraeus. I assert this in part because of the methodology employed at the Harvard Business School: CASE STUDY PROBLEM SOLVING.

Mitt studied there too - getting MUCH better grades than Dubya, (and earning a JD from Harvard at the same time).

Of all the candidates ONLY Mitt has this EXECUTIVE problem-solving decision-making training, and more importantly has this EXECUTIVE problem solving EXPERIENCE - both in government (where politics and sin influences the process), business (where the risk rewards are huge and direct/unmediated by spin-meisters because the BOTTOM-LINE is a very very VERY real thing!).

His Harvard MBA training and successful experience as Governor - and as the man who (at the last minute and when things were looking disastrous) stepped in and saved the Winter Olympics - mean that Mitt is not just the best candidate in the filed, he's the best candidate for POTUS in a decade.

Conservative purists should take a deep breath and accept the fact that there is not a pure conservative in the race who has the executive experience and fundraising ability and organizational skills needed to be a successful candidate for the presidency.

Only Mitt combines the skills and experience with the training and fundraising and organizational abilities to win and govern successfully. And he is conservative enough - (especially if we hold the House and win The Senate):

Mitt has been firmly on the right since at least 2006; he was to the right of McCain - and he has stayed there. He was the FIRST to support Rubio; he has the endorsement of Ayotte and Halley and many MANY other conservatives. His platform is CONSERVATIVE. He is to the right of Perry on immigration. He has proven himself credible on ALL the issues and his advisory team is VERY conservative - including people like Judge Bork.

Sunday, January 01, 2012

VIDEO: YouTube hit featuring Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy

A 1963 British comedy sketch which is cult New Year's Eve viewing in Germany has inspired a YouTube hit featuring Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy. The heads of the German Chancellor and the French President have been superimposed on to the two characters in the 18-minute sketch Dinner For One. Ms Merkel "plays" 90-year-old Miss Sophie whose butler, "Mr Sarkozy", impersonates her imaginary friends. The original is hugely popular in Germany but is little known in Britain. It is traditionally broadcast by several different German TV stations on New Year's Eve, and its popularity in both Germany and Scandinavia has made it one of the world's most repeated television shows. During the routine, British comedienne May Warden plays upper-class Miss Sophie who is hosting a dinner for her four close friends to mark her birthday. But because she has outlived them all, her butler James - played by Freddie Frinton - impersonates each guest, getting more drunk with each toast. 'Triple A' In the YouTube version, Angela Merkel's "guests" include former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, former Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and British PM David Cameron - all impersonated by "Nicolas Sarkozy". "Mr Sarkozy", pretending to be Mr Cameron, tells "Mrs Merkel" in English, "You are looking younger than ever", before switching to German and saying, "You look richer than ever". "Mrs Merkel" tells "Mr Cameron" during a toast: "Don't forget we speak German in Europe".

MORE BEST SPACE PHOTOS OF 2011

THE UNIVERSE IS THE MOST AMAZING PLACE IN THE WORLD!
(YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!)
OVER 30 MORE HERE.

WHO WOULD ERDOGAN AND THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD ENDORSE, MITT OR BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA?

I THINK OBAMA WILL GET ERDOGAN'S ENDORSEMENT AND THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD...

... AND MAYBE SOME LAUNDERED DONATIONS, TOO...

LIKE LAST TIME.

ATTENTION ALL READERS: PLEASE SEND ME NEW, HOT, COOL BLOGS FOR MY BLOGROLL

I'M BORED WITH MANY OF THE BIG BLOGS NEARLY EVERYONE READS AND LINKS TO.

I NEED SOME FRESH BLOGS.

SO... PLEASE SEND ME NEW, HOT, COOL BLOGS FOR MY BLOGROLL BY POSTING THEM IN THE COMMENT THREAD.

THANKS!

2012'S FIRST GUARANTEED NOT HALAL: ASDIS RAN

FORCING US TO EAT HALAL MEAT IS ONE WAY THE JIHADISTS ARE ATTEMPTING STEALTH SHARIA. IT WON'T STAND.

WE IN THE WEST PREFER OUR EDIBLES TO BE GUARANTEED NOT HALAL.

AND NOW - FOR NO APPARENT REASON: ASDIS RAN - AN ICELANDIC BEAUTY:

WHY DO THE DEMOCRATS HAVE A WAR-ROOM IN IOWA FOR THE GOP CAUCUS?!?!?

THE LEGACY MEDIA IS REPORTING THAT OBAMA AND HIS COMRADES HAVE SET UP A WAR-ROOM IN IOWA TO ATTACK MITT.

I BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE DOING THIS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT MITT CAN BEST DEFEAT OBAMA.

BUT HOW ARE THEY SETTING ABOUT DOING THAT AND WHY DOES IT REQUIRE A WAR-ROOM?

I THINK THEY ARE DOING MORE THAN RUNNING ADS.

I THINK THEY ARE COORDINATING AN EFFORT TO GET RON PAUL VOTES AND DAMAGE THE GOP.

THE CAUCUS IS EASY TO INFILTRATE.

THEY WILL DO THE SAME THING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE'S PRIMARY.

THEY DON'T WANT TO FACE MITT AND WILL DO WHATEVER THEY CAN TO DAMAGE HIM.

(Updated - scroll down) - SOLOMON, SPLITTING THE BABY, AND JERUSALEM

JVL:

[BUILDER OF THE FIRST TEMPLE, KING] Solomon ... became known for his wisdom.

The first and most famous incident of his cleverness as a judge was when two women came to his court with a baby whom both women claimed as their own.

Solomon threatened to split the baby in half.

One woman was prepared to accept the decision, but the other begged the King to give the live baby to the other woman.

Solomen then knew the second woman was the mother.

SPLITTING JERUSALEM IS PROTESTED BY BIBI AND CONSERVATIVES AND CONSERVATIVE JEWS IN ISRAEL AND AROUND THE WORLD...

SLITTING JERUSALEM IS SUPPORTED BY OBAMA AND ABBAS AND THE EU AND THE UN AND LIBERALS AND RUSSIA.

I THINK THAT TELLS US WHO IT TRULY BELONGS TO.

IN ALL OF ITS 3000+ YEAR HISTORY, JERUSALEM HAS BEEN DIVIDED FOR LESS THAN 20 YEARS.

IT WOULD BE A SIN TO DIVIDE IT AGAIN.

UPDATE:

In meeting with Haniyeh, Turkish prime minister praises Palestinian reconciliation efforts, discusses what he terms the “Judaization of Jerusalem”; Shaath arrives in Gaza to help implement unity deal.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan met with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul Sunday, saying that any process leading to a solution of Palestinian issues must involve Hamas as a player.

Erdogan's comments were reported following the meeting at his home in Istanbul. Palestinian media outlets said that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was also present in the meeting

THIS COMES JUST DAYS AFTER HANIYEH REASSERTED THE GOAL OF HAMAS IS TO ERADICATE ISRAEL

ERDOGAN IS AN ENEMY OF ISRAEL AND A HYPOCRITE.

IN DENMARK, IT PAYS NOT TO WORK

FROM NORTHERN SEER:

In Denmark an average family of four that is on kontanthjælp receives government cash, rent subsidies etc that equal what a working dane has after taxes from earning 29,600 dk kr/month.

That's $70,000/year!

So, for one of the adults in that family to take a job he or she would need to find a entry level job at $1250/wk - JUST TO BREAK EVEN.

In Denmark half the working people earn less!

So, why should a family on kontanthjælp ever get a job - especially a crappy one?!?!?

So, when half the country is getting benefits, and 25% are public employees, then the last 25% is pulling a lot of weight.

That is an untenable situation.

IT'S THE WELFARE SATE - AKA SOCIALISM - THAT IS BANKRUPTING EUROPE, NOT TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH OR MILITARY SPENDING.

FOR EUROPE TO BECOME SOLVENT, THEY MUST DISMANTLE THE WELFARE STATE AND CUT TAXES AND REDUCE REGULATIONS.

ISLAM AND NAZISM: GODWIN'S LAW? NO: CG JUNG'S!

[HAT TIP PUNDITARIAN}:

LONG BEFORE MIKE GODWIN WAS BORN - DECADES BEFORE HE DESCRIBED WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS GODWIN'S LAW...

AND LONG BEFORE GORE INVENTED THE INTERNET,

PEOPLE WERE COMPARING ISLAM TO NAZISM - PROVING THE COMPARISON IS APT AND NOT A REFLECTION OF A COMMENT THREAD THAT HAS GONE ON TOO LONG:

WIKI:

In April 1939, the Bishop of Southwark asked Jung if he had any specific views on what was likely to be the next step in religious development. Jung's reply was:

"We do not know whether Hitler is going to found a new Islam. He is already on the way; he is like Mohammed. The emotion in Germany is Islamic; warlike and Islamic. They are all drunk with wild god. That can be the historic future."[48]

OF COURSE, CG JUNG WAS NOT THE FIRST TO UNDERSTAND THAT ISLAM WAS MORE A TYRANNICAL MARTIAL CREED THAN A RELIGION:

FORTY YEARS EARLIER - DECADES BEFORE HITLER TOOK POWER, CHURCHILL SAID AS MUCH IN 1899.

AND A HUNDRED YEARS EARLIER JEFFERSON SAID MUCH THE SAME THING.

THREE OF THE MOST WELL-EDUCATED PEOPLE EVAH! AND THEY ALL COME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION ABOUT ISLAM!!? THAT IT'S INTRINSICALLY MARTIAL AND VIOLENT AND REPRESSIVE. HMMM...

MAYBE THOSE WHO CALL ISLAM A RELIGION OF PEACE OUGHT TO STFU?

MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD: WON'T RECOGNIZE ISRAEL AND WILL PUT TREATY UP FOR REFERENDUM

HAARETZ: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood: Fate of Israel peace treaty may be decided in referendum

Deputy chief of Egypt's largest party says the 'people must have their say,' rejects possibility that Muslim Brotherhood will recognize Israel.

IT IS A CERTAINTY THAT REFERENDUM RESULTS WILL BE AT LEAST AS LOP-SIDED AS THE RECENT ELECTION RESULTS.

THANKS OBAMA!

THIS PROSPECT MUST MAKE ISRAEL LESS LIKELY TO MAKE ANY DEAL WITH THE PLO - AND EVERY OTHER ARAB NEIGHBOR, NOT MORE LIKELY.

IMHO, IF THIS HAPPENS THEN ISRAEL SHOULD CONSIDER RETAKING SINAI AND ANY OTHER TERRITORY TO ENHANCE ITS DEFENSIVE ABILITY. AND STRIKE IRAN.

UPDATE/REMINDER:

JUST DAYS AGO NICKIE KRISTOF AND THE IDIOTIC APPEASERS OF THE NYSLIMES WERE ADVISING ISRAEL NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD.

NIGERIA DECLARES A STATE OF EMERGENCY

Nigeria's president on Saturday declared a state of emergency in parts of Africa's most populous nation, after a recent slew of deadly attacks blamed on a northern-based radical Muslim sect killed dozens of people, as separate communal clashes in the country's southeast left more than 40 dead.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared an indefinite state of emergency in four states, which would all allow security agencies there to make arrests without proof and conduct searches without warrants. He also ordered the closure of international borders near the affected areas.

...The sect, some of whose members are believed to have links to al-Qaida, wants to impose Islamic Shariah law across Nigeria.

NIGERIA IS THE MOST POPULATED NATION IN AFRICA - AND NEVER PART OF A CALIPHATE UNTIL THE 19TH C, RELATIVELY LATE.

IF AL QAEDA TAKES NIGERIA, THEN I THINK THAT THEY WILL TRY TO TAKE THE ENTIRE CONTINENT, MOVING NEXT TO USE FULL FORCE IN KENYA AND MALI... STAY TUNED...

UPDATE: TAB SCOOPED ATLAS AND CREEPING SHARIA - WHO EACH HAVE MORE.