Olympics Ratings Terrible: Down 17% from London: NBC sucks at the Olympics

NBC needs to make some drastic changes here because watching the games on NBC really sucks. It is a bunch of smarmy vignettes bracketed around matches that you can get the results of with a few taps on your phone. I knew the "Final Five" won the team competition hours before it aired on NBC. Also there are so many commercials that it makes a few taps on the phone much more bearable. If I have to see that Pizza Hut commercial for the dipping box one more time I'm going to plotz.

Also I have no idea what is live and what is on tape or even when things are supposed to air. I wanted to watch wrestling but I have no idea when the matches are supposed to be on. I tune into NBC Sports Network and I lucked out being able to watch the womens matches but missed Helen Maroulis gold medal winning match. I then wanted to watch the match again at night on NBC but men's diving was on. I have yet to see what will probably be a historic match and probably won't get a chance to.

In any case, to fix things, they first they need to embrace digital viewership with both arms.

The bigger story here is that digital viewership is up, up, up. In the first week of these Games, online users streamed 1.86 billion minutes of NBC�s coverage, handily beating streams for the Olympics in London and Sochi. Last Saturday, NBC boasted in a press release, was the best day ever for NBC Olympics on digital platforms, with 155 million live streaming minutes, up 263% from the comparable day at London in 2012.

However, I did not stream the games at all because of this:

But they still had to have a cable login, and therein lies the problem. By requiring cable login credentials, NBC didn�t do enough to pull in cord-cutters, or �cord-nevers� (those who never paid for cable in the first place).
I whole bunch of people did not watch the Games at all because they are in this category. 

As soon as I saw the cable login thing I uninstalled the app. I have cable but why should I have to be tethered to it just to watch some obscure sports that I enjoy. CBS was smart when they allowed free streaming of the NCAA championship and I figured NBC would follow suit but I was wrong.

They should have put the big stuff like USA basketball, swimming, and gymnastics on NBC at night and put wrestling, shooting, etc on the digital app. Instead we are still tethered to the cable box which is something I dislike a lot. In any case NBC botched Rio and I'm not looking forward to how they handle Tokyo in 2020.

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Well the Obama White House Just put a Price on Hostages: $100 Million each

It looks like they took every stop they could to get that deal passed. I wonder what else is lurking in that thing?

"We had concerns that Iran may renege on the prisoner release," Kirby said, citing delays and mutual mistrust between countries that severed diplomatic relations 36 years ago. As a result, he explained, the U.S. "of course sought to retain maximum leverage until after the American citizens were released. That was our top priority."

Both events occurred Jan. 17, fueling suspicions from Republican lawmakers and accusations from GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump of a quid pro quo that undermined America's longstanding opposition to ransom payments.

Shipping piles of money in different types of currency in the middle of the night do a great deal to "fuel suspicions."

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Aly Raisman Looks Like a Hobbit Compared to this Basketball Player

Gymnasts are pretty small.

On Wednesday, Aly Raisman took to Instagram to share a picture of herself and Australian basketball player Liz Cambage, along with a caption reminding fans that, depending on the sport, sometimes it pays to be on the shorter side. The resulting photograph is absolutely incredible, and the height discrepancy is so extreme that it almost looks like an optical illusion: At 6-foot-8, Liz is laughably taller than Aly's 5-foot-2

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Wait: Climate Models Don't Take into Effect Clouds?

This is why it is so hard to say that Climate Science is "settled science."

Climate models have failed to account for mid-level clouds in the tropics. New satellite analysis of tropical clouds has revealed their ubiquity, as well as their underappreciated cooling effect. Thin, tropical clouds form at an altitude of roughly three miles, often near convective clouds. The latest analysis suggests they help cool the climate.

You would think that these clouds would be really hard to model and I guess that is what happened. That's why predictions of 10 degrees of warming or whatever in 100 years are so hard to swallow for many. If it is hard to model the climate now how are we supposed to take these numbers 100 years into the future? There might be man made warming but we need more information before we change societies and keep the Chinese and Indians in poverty indefinitely. 

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Another Climate Scientist Lets the Mask Slip: Wants "Wholesale Transformation" of Economies and Society

Now this should make every person in the West shudder.

Brazilian scientist Thelma Krug, who will lead the Geneva meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said a "wholesale transformation" of economies and society will be required to achieve the Paris targets.

What exactly does that mean? Moves toward socialism, authoritarianism, or destruction of human rights? Keeping the Chinese and the Indians from realizing a middle class existence that Europe and the US enjoys? Forced sterilization to prevent more people using more energy so that this group can "achieve Paris targets?"  What is on and off the table for Ms. King?

This is why climate change is scary. Un-elected Climate officials trying to do a "wholesale transformation" of economies and societies. That almost always results in death and destruction and a large scale as the Khmer Rouge would attest.

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Hope Solo Calls Swedes "Cowards" for playing Defensively

Hopefully, this will be the last we will hear about her for years barring a movie career or more run-ins with the law.

She told reporters that the U.S. had played �a courageous game.� That the U.S. had �showed a lot of heart� and �American heart.� And that Sweden had been �a bunch of cowards� because �they didn�t want to play great soccer.�

They played defensive soccer from all accounts. If they played wide open like Solo wanted they probably would have lost. Instead they had the gall to play to their strengths and beat the whiny Americans in PKs. Also it doesn't matter if the "best team did not win" the US still lost and the US Gold Medal Tour can be officially cancelled. 

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Arrogant, Whiny American Womens Soccer Team Loses to Sweden

Well looks like they finally got their comeuppance.

The Americans were the towering favorites. Sweden had managed just two goals in its three group stage goals, and one of those had come in a 5-1 hammering at the hands of the hosts Brazil � which the U.S. was widely expected to face in Tuesday�s semifinal.

But whereas the Americans reportedly already had a plan outlined for another post-championship victory tour, Sweden had a plan for this game.

Don't plan the tour until you win the hardware. I was a big fan of them up until they were scheduled to play in Hawaii and did this.

If there is a legal fight, it could get messy quick. U.S. Soccer made two separate agreements, one with Stadium Authority and one with the Hawaii Tourism Agreement. The Stadium Authority relationship called for the USWNT to play rent-free, collect ticket revenue and control broadcast and photo rights. Stadium Authority's revenue would be made off food, beverage and parking.

Stadium Authority gave U.S. soccer a seven-day window to inspect the field -- but they didn't.

This is the same field that a high school football team played on the night before and the Pro Bowl would play on in a month. The problem I had was that it was cancelled at 9pm the night before the event. They had 7 days to inspect the field and cancel but they waited until the last possible moment to pull out so the field could not get fixed in time. 

So Hawaii had all sorts of egg on their faces and we didn't get a chance to see the heroic US Womans World Cup winning team. People had their tickets refunded but they were out their travel expenses or hotel room bills. Also Hope Solo tweeting a pic of the turf being pulled up in the link above was actually on the sideline and not on the playing field I remember hearing on the news.

In any case they complained about the field yet again this time in the Olympics.

The USA, having complained about the state of the field ahead of the game, quickly threatened when an Alex Morgan header was cleared off the line and a Morgan Brian shot saved by Hedvig Lindahl in the third minute. But their attack soon fizzled as the Swedes consolidated their defense.

The Swedes didn't complain about the field and they still won on PKs. 

I really loved the USWNT when they won the World Cup and I believe they should be paid the same as the men's team. However, with Hope Solo's many legal troubles then whining about Zika and Abby Wambach getting arrested for DUI they just look terrible. Maybe losing to Sweden a year after the World Cup will provide a wake up call for them.

 

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Reince Priebus cut Off Trump Funding and Use it for Congressional Races

I have to agree with this letter.

�Given the catastrophic impact that Donald Trump�s losing presidential campaign will have on down-ballot Senate and House races, we urge you to immediately suspend all discretionary RNC support for Trump and focus the entirety of the RNC�s available resources on preserving the GOP�s congressional majorities,� the letter says.

They are afraid that Trump will cause them to lose the House and the Senate which would be terrible for the GOP. 

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Trump Will Now Lose the Election: Admits that He will Not Change Idiodic Style to Win and Instead Go Down in Flames

Well Hillary can really start measuring the drapes because Trump does not want to change is style to win.

Republicans have long hoped Trump will pivot on his behavior, but in the "Squawk Box" interview, he said:

"I'm a truth teller. All I do is tell the truth. And if at the end of 90 days, I've fallen short because I'm somewhat politically correct even though I'm supposed to be the smart one and even though I'm supposed to have a lot of good ideas, it's OK. I go back to a very good way of life." 

He is looking at getting back to his post election life. That means he thinks it is over and Hillary has it sewed up. This is confirmation of all the conspiracy theories about him not wanting to actually govern as the President and instead just wanting to win the job as a jewel in the crown.

He will now say it is rigged and a few months later will launch the Trump News Network and the Trump Media Group. His next billion is now in the bag and he doesn't even have to deal with contractors, cement costs, or build any new high rises. The jokes on the GOP and the American people. 

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Draconian Insanity Watch: NBC Edition: Wait you Cannot Use the Theme Song or Rings in News Coverage?

I haven't been paying attention but I guess this is why ESPN SportsCenter's top plays are all baseball and no Olympics at all.

Tomasulo lamented the lack of WGN Chicago�s Olympics coverage, which, per NBC�s rules, can include only two minutes of video and must contain a three-hour gap between programs. And those minuscule video rights are just the beginning.

�We�re not even allowed to use the Olympic theme song this year,� Tomasulo said. �Did you know that? And we can�t even incorporate the Olympic rings in any of our unique graphics. We have to show the whole thing or not at all.�

So they can show a 2 minute highlight and then wait 3 hours? And you cannot use the symbol or the theme song at all? Now that is getting pretty stupid.

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Trump has Built in Excuse for Potential Epic Loss: "It Was Rigged"

I mean he has to blame someone.

The poll of North Carolina voters, which showed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton up by 1 percentage point, found that 69% of Trump's supporters thought that if Clinton wins the election, it will be because it's rigged. Just 16% thought it would be because she got more votes than Trump.

Among all of those surveyed in the poll, 51% said a Clinton victory in the election would be because she won more votes, while 36% said it would be the result of a rigged election. The remaining 13% were unsure whether a Clinton victory would be the result of election rigging.

That is a pretty wide margin and it would effect Hillary governing. I mean if the idea of an illegitimate President who "stole the election" catches on good luck getting that 36% to back anything she does.

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Hillary Pulls Away in Latest Polls: I Blame Trump Going After Gold Star Family

I think Trump is cooked. He picked a fight with the wrong people at the wrong time. This will be his "49% moment" or the "Dean Scream"

The poll shows Clinton leading Trump, 46 percent to 34 percent, among registered voters and finds a similar margin for Clinton among likely voters

A double digit lead would be very hard to overcome especially with these factors.

Trump is losing by a wide margin among white women with a college degree, a typically Republican group. Mitt Romney won this group by 6 percentage points in 2012, but Clinton leads Trump among this group, 57 percent to 27 percent.

He is getting smashed in this group that is traditionally GOP. I think they just don't like how he treats women and how he treats people in general. It's hard to back a loudmouthed bully.

Another warning sign for Trump: 2 in 3 voters say Trump lacks the temperament to be president. Only 27 percent say he has the right temperament for the job � a new low for the candidate in Monmouth�s polls.

I think this is a direct result of him going after the Gold Star family after the Democratic Convention. I read that 60% of Republicans disapproved of him doing that and some wide margin "strongly disapproved" of the action. It was a huge unforced error and I think it will cost him the election. I think only Putin can save him from a record defeat and maybe only if Hillary is perp-walked.

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This should be changed to "Kid Potentially Ruins Life By Going to Cornell at 12"

I really think this is a bad idea.

Twelve-year-old Jeremy Shuler will attend Cornell University this fall, The Ithaca Journal reported.

The preteen genius, from Lubbock, Texas, plans to major in engineering, the same field in which both of his parents work.

"I was excited when I found out I got accepted to Cornell,� Shuler told Texas Tech Today. �It is the best choice for me.�

No the best choice is to stay in high school and graduate with the rest of your class while interning or taking courses on the side. This might be part of why he is leaving early. The "history factor."

Perhaps even more astonishingly, if he graduates on time at 16, he will be the youngest student ever to graduate from Cornell.

Yay! He will have a college degree at 16 then wait 4 years or more to get a job. Who would hire a 16 year old engineer? He would not have the maturity or people skills to work with people that will probably be in their mid to late 20s working at an engineering firm. Hopefully he goes on the Doctorate tract so he can stay in school until he is in his 20s.

One bad thing is he gets to miss everything about high school that would give him the shared experience of his peers. So no prom, no first girlfriend so no first kiss, no first high school party, no sports or extra curricular activities with other kids his age like marching band or football. He passes all of that up to be able to go to college 8 years early and have to go to class with 18 year old freshmen who will probably strait-up ignore him. I'm pretty sure you don't want the 12 year old at the dorm mixer anytime soon. He's going to be the loneliest kid on earth.

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Wow if this is True Trump is More Dangerous then He Looks #HeWantstoDroptheBomb?

Now this is a person living in his own private world.

�Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump, and three times he asked about the use of nuclear weapons," Scarborough recalled. "Three times, he asked, at one point, �If we have them, we can�t we use them?�� Three times, in an hour briefing, �Why can�t we use nuclear weapons?' "

The answer "orange hairpiece" is that if we drop the bomb when conventional weapons are an option it shows the rest of the world that option is now on the table. It makes the world as dangerous as it was in the 60s. It also shows the naivete of Trump on the world stage. Hopefully the GOP will not be too damaged by Trumps flaming loss.

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Wall Street Abandons Trump

Well it seems that Hillary might run away with this thing at least with Wall Street types.

Back in May, I surveyed more than 50 financial professionals across the board. And the overwhelming majority said they were secretly planning on voting for Trump come Election Day. But that was two months ago and now the tides have turned. With the last piece of convention confetti dropped and all of the red and blue balloons popped, I decided to check back in with the financial folks a few days ago. And now, Wall Street is leaning toward Hillary Clinton.

I would say roughly 60 percent of the people I spoke to in my (highly unscientific) poll said if the election were held today, they'd vote for Clinton.

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Our F-35s cannot even be Seen By Our Own SAM Batteries?

I guess warplanes are now much better than the defenses nowadays.

The F-35 has hit yet another snag. During a recent exercise at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, US Air Force F-35A pilots set out to practice evading surface-to-air missiles, but they could not, because the SAM radars on the ground could not even find the ultra-stealthy planes.

"If they never saw us, they couldn't target us," said Lt. Col. George Watkins, commander of the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, told the Air Force Times.

To participate in the exercise as planned, the F-35As had to turn on their transponders, essentially announcing their presence so the SAM sites could see and engage them. 

So they had to turn on the "shoot-me" sign or they would have never even got the missiles to lock on? I would hate to be any other country right now. We can essentially fly in and evade any SAMs and then fly out without them even knowing. I guess death by totally stealthy warplane might be yet another way for us to kill ISIS terrorists.

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Idiot Trump Continues to Go After the Parents of Dead Soldier and Shows How Pathetically Thin Skinned he Is

What is wrong with this Orange Orangutan?

�Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same,� he tweeted. �Nice!�

Why is he fighting with the Khans for? This is ridiculous even for him. At least the Khans are fighting back.

�This candidate amazes me,� Khan said on NBC. �His ignorance � he can get up and malign the entire nation, the religions, the communities, the minorities, the judges and yet [as] a private citizen in this political process � I cannot say what I feel? That proves the point, he has not read the Constitution of this country. Had he read that, his behavior would be different.�

I'm sure Trump is thinking of some bombastic comeback to this slight or he will whine that he is "being treated unfairly" or some other nonsense. Of all the people he could have written a comeback to at the Democratic Convention these parents should have been the very last ones. Instead he looks like a fool instead of talking back to Hillary. 

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Holy crap! Rio's Water is Super Contaminated even Now: Olympic Paddlers Beware

Maybe they should think about cancelling anything that takes place in the open water because this is just scary.

Sampling at the Lagoon in March 2015 revealed an astounding 1.73 billion adenoviruses per liter. By this June, adenovirus readings were lower but still hair-raising at 248 million adenoviruses per liter. By comparison, in California, viral readings in the thousands per liter set off alarm bells.

The Olympic officials better have lots of porta-potties on standby.

The first results of the AP study published over a year ago showed viral levels at up to 1.7 million times what would be considered worrisome in the United States or Europe. At those concentrations, swimmers and athletes who ingest just three teaspoons of water are almost certain to be infected with viruses that can cause stomach and respiratory illnesses and more rarely heart and brain inflammation - although whether they actually fall ill depends on a series of factors including the strength of the individual's immune system.

So swallow some seawater accidentally and its time for the trotts. Sailing is not for the faint of heart.

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Wow Hillary is Even More Untrustworthy Than Trump?

Yeah this is a real problem for a candidate.

This focus on trust is aimed squarely at a worrisome statistic for the Clinton campaign. In a recent CNN poll, only about 30 percent of American voters said they found Clinton trustworthy � a smaller share of voters than trust Trump. That�s down 20 points from March, when 50 percent said they thought she was honest. Clinton�s trust drop-off was fueled by a bruising primary during which Sen. Bernie Sanders painted her as a creature of Wall Street, as well as a now-closed FBI investigation into her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

She did this to herself with her constant lying and email deleting.

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Ice Bucket Challenge is Paying Dividends

I think we need more of this kind of cooperation.

John Landers, co-author of the study and associate professor of neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, explained that the funding helped create an international network of researchers to take on ALS.

�Global collaboration among scientists, which was really made possible by ALS Ice Bucket Challenge donations, led to this important discovery,� Landers said in a statement. �It is a prime example of the success that can come from the combined efforts of so many people, all dedicated to finding the causes of ALS. This kind of collaborative study is, more and more, where the field is headed.�

Can't beat everyone pulling those oars together to get something done.

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The Last Gasp of The Sandernistas

I guess you could call this the "Chopper on the American Embassy Moment" for the Sandernistas.

Minutes before Hillary Clinton was officially nominated on the floor at the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, a group of pro-Sanders protesters stood outside the security perimeter attempting to persuade delegates to change their minds. They stood pressed against the black metal barricades that encircle the convention and shouted inside at everyone they saw passing by.

Some of the protesters attempted to guilt-trip the delegates.

�How can you sleep at night?� asked a woman sitting in a beach chair next to the fences.

�Don�t call yourselves Americans!� shouted another woman.

Others resorted to threats.

�Your names are public!� a man screamed. �We�ll find you!�

One protester simply insulted the people inside the fence.

�You�re so old! Look at you!� they said.

I would have been mad too because these people were strait-up disenfranchised by the DNC. Maybe they will break off and form the "Liberal Party" that the Dems will have to placate. 

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Trump Asks Russians if they Have Hillarys 30,000 deleted emails: Reply is probably "Da"

Poor Hillary. This should be a triumphant moment but she looks more and more like a wounded beast.

�Russia, if you�re listening, I hope you�re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,� the Republican presidential nominee said, staring directly into the bank of television cameras set up at a golf course he owns outside Miami, Fla. �I think you will probably be mightily rewarded by our press.�

It was a striking moment in an election that has consistently broken the barriers of political tradition. It came after Trump faced intense questioning from reporters over his relationship to Russia amid allegations the country might be trying to influence the outcome of the presidential election on his behalf.

Um what is striking is the Secretary of State had an unsecured email server that was being hosted in a bathroom closet. That "didn't have to carry two devices thing" is such a lie as well. It is the job of her "body people" to actually carry things for her. She had a server so she could do dirty dealings with the Clinton Foundation on behalf of foreign dictators and authoritarian regimes. Now it is all coming back to haunt her

She thought she had the fix in with the Attorney General and the FBI Director but it seems the Russians keep backups. Is it too late to run Joe Biden or maybe her Veep could run at the top of the ticket? 

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Hillary is So Out of Touch: The Hillary Standard? I Can't Believe she is playing the Victim Card

She is seriously playing the victim card?

"I often feel like there's the Hillary standard and then there's the standard for everybody else," the presumptive Democratic nominee said in the interview on CBS News' "60 Minutes."

Clinton explained that there has been a "concerted effort" by Republicans to portray her in a negative light, and described the double standard she believes is set for her as �unfounded, inaccurate, mean-spirited attacks with no basis in truth, reality, which take on a life of their own." 

Yeah she is right about a standard for her and one for everyone else. The problem is that FBI directors and Attorney Generals go out of their way to cover her ass. 

If any other person would have had their own unsecured email server with classified material on it they would have gone right to jail years ago. Instead everyone closed ranks and made deals with the White House and now she is free and clear. That is the "Hillary Standard." I mean she got her husband, the former President, to cut some kind of back-room deal with the Attorney General. Who else could make that happen? 

It wasn't Karl Rove who set up that server so she can cut million dollar deals with countries with abysmal human rights records in the dark of night. It wasn't Paul Ryan who deleted 1000s of emails that could have made her look bad or might have been outright illegal. It wasn't Newt Gingrich who told her to keep her totally unsecured server in the bathroom closet of some loft. I love how the Clintons blame their own messes on the GOP when they know full well that it was all their fault. Same old Hillary.

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In Stunning Move toward Diversity: Hillary Picks boring White Guy for Veep #CandidatesSoWhite

The so-called "party of diversity" went out of their way to pick a boring white Senator from Virginia.

Kaine, 58, a former governor of Virginia, brings a number of credentials to the ticket and has been widely viewed as a safe pick. In the Senate, he serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, giving him national security and foreign policy experience. He also speaks fluent Spanish, and would help Clinton in his home swing-state of Virginia. 

Well at least he speaks fluent Spanish so he can talk to Latinos about how boring he is. I guess the "party of diversity" couldn't find any actual diversity when push came to shove.

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Cruz Just Commited Political Suicide

Serves old batboy right. You are at a nominating convention and you don't endorse the nominee? What a moron. Stay home if you don't want to participate.

Cruz's rebuke ignited a hot scene around the senator as soon as he left the stage. People averted their eyes from Cruz and his wife as they walked with their security detail on the skybox level of boisterous Republicans.

On the donor suite level, people approached Cruz and insulted him, a source told CNN's Dana Bash. One state party chairman reacted so angrily that he had to be restrained.

They should have let whatever state's party chairman thrash his ass. It would have wiped that perpetual smirk off of his face. In any case this will , thankfully, be the last you hear of Ted Cruz. He will smirk his way into some cozy job but at least he will be removed from the national scene at last.

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Don't Talk Trash About Jiang Zemin�s Hair You Might Get Banned in China

I think Jiang's hair looks perfectly fine but Communist party types will have none of it.

At the peak of her WeChat blogging career, Laura Lian was earning about $7,000 a month. Writing satirical articles for more than 220,000 fans, she won backing from an investor and quit her public-relations job.

Then it all came tumbling down. Internet authorities shut down her blog, called Shameless China , with no warning. It happened just after she posted an article mocking Chinese men�s hairstyles , including former President Jiang Zemin�s slick-backed coiffure.

I guess Party Officials don't like being made fun of for having weird hair. I wonder if Trump will take a page out of their book if by some disaster he becomes President?

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Coup D'Etat in Turkey?

You can't keep the military down for too long in that country.

The military said it seized control "to reinstall the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to ensure that the rule of law once again reigns in the country, for the law and order to be reinstated."

The military statement went on to say that "all international agreements and commitments will remain. We pledge that good relations with all world countries will continue."

I think this was a reaction to the move to "Islamicise" the country by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I read an article about how the country was moving in that direction a while back. Hopefully, there won't be any bloodshed going forward. 

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I Have to Agree with the Dallas Police Chief: Cops are Taking on Too Much

I have to agree with this assessment.

�We�re asking cops to do too much in this country,� Brown said at a briefing Monday. �We are. Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding, let the cops handle it. Here in Dallas we got a loose dog problem; let�s have the cops chase loose dogs. Schools fail, let�s give it to the cops. That�s too much to ask. Policing was never meant to solve all those problems.�

That mental health part is especially correct. There needs to be more money used to try to tackle that issue. You know the dog thing is because there was probably a funding cut to whatever state agency took care of those stray dogs. 

I also think cops should not pull anyone over for having a broken tail light. That is just a revenue issue and that Philando Castile fellow seems to have been killed because of it. Let cops investigate violent crimes and all that other stuff can be handled by someone else.

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Trump Clashes with Arizona Senator at Closed Door Meeting of the GOP

Whenever I read something like this I always think Hillary can start measuring the drapes in the White House.

He was referring to Trump�s comments last year when the real estate mogul questioned whether senior Arizona Sen. John McCain was a war hero because he had been captured.

�When he attacks the other senator from Arizona, John McCain, and attacks his war record by saying I don't respect people who get captured, that's -- what an awful, awful thing to say about a war hero, a true war hero,� Flake said.

Trump then predicted that Flake wouldn�t win his re-election bid, despite him not being up for re-election in 2016. 

That last statement sums up Trump in a nutshell. Lash back without the facts as always instead of trying to mend some fences. Trump could have at least apologized for the "not a war hero if you are a POW" idiotic statement. Instead double down and act like a fool.

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Time to Buy Deutsche Bank?

The stock hit a 30 year low today so it might be time to pull the trigger and buy them on the cheap.

Germany's Deutsche Bank (DB) plunged further on Wednesday, at one point slipping to a record low  �11.370 ($12.57), down 6.7% on Tuesday's already weak closing price of �12.13. The continued fall, as the share plumbs depths unseen for 30 years, comes as Barclays analysts reduced their earnings per share target for Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse (CS) and UBS (UBS) , citing capital gaps and restructuring challenges as the dominant issue.

One of their subsidiaries failed the Treasury Stress tests thus making them drop like a rock. Also you add Brexit fears and you get a perfect storm of a 30 year low. The interesting part is that DB has $1.7 trillion (with a T) in cash on hand. So they could recapitalize that DB Trust unit that failed the stress test if they have to. Also I have to agree with Cramers statement:

"Do you think that the richest country on Earth, Germany, is going to let Deutsche Bank be Lehman? Do you think they are going to teach Deutsche a lesson, the way that Hank Paulson thought might be the right thing to do when Lehman was on the ropes? I think they ARE Deutsche Bank," said Cramer.

I have to agree that if DB fails Germany fails. From what I read DB is tangled quite a bit in the German economy by holding the debt of many things in Germany. Thus if they fail it means recession time for Germany. I'm sure Merkel would not let that happen since they are pulling the European sled. Too bad you don't get any dividend to help you wait out any further problems though.

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She's Right: Brexit Just Screwed British Millennials

I really have to agree with this sentiment.

For all intents and purposes, the referendum result is just the latest in a series of attacks on my generation�s future. First came the financial crisis, caused by poor decision-making on the part of baby boomers across the world. Soon after came austerity measures that disproportionately affected young people in favor of protecting British pensions. Now we are being forced from the European Union � against the wishes of the vast majority of young people � in an attack from a generation that will live to see very little of its consequences.

I mean she has been European her entire life and suddenly people that have no skin in the future of the European world have snatched that from her. Now the Brits have to renegotiate everything from the outside instead of making changes from the inside. Their negotiating power just went into the toilet.

I mean if I were Ireland and Scotland its time to break off from Britain and re-join the EU. Suddenly the locus of financial power would move from London to Dublin and Glasgow. US financial firms like how they can send their people over to another English speaking country and London doesn't have to be it.

In any case millennials have been seriously ripped off by the Boomers. Stuck with crisis after crisis and saddled with trillions in debt they will end up being far poorer than their parents. I wonder if there will be youthful brain-drain out of England into the EU going forward? Would be interesting to see.

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At Last the GOP Tackles Taxes: Forget all that other Nonsense: Pass this ASAP and Growth will Flourish

This took them long enough but this is the kind of thing that could kick-start growth.

The House GOP blueprint reduces the number of tax rates from six to three. It consolidates or eliminates most tax breaks. And it promises that the revised tax code will be simple enough that most Americans can file their taxes on a postcard. 

It also cuts taxes so people have more money in their pockets.

The new individual income tax rates would be 12%, 25% and 33%, well below the 39.6% top rate today.

And while the bottom 12% rate is higher than today's 10% bracket, a much higher standard deduction would mean that low-income taxpayers would pay lower taxes than they do currently, the blueprint promises. (No objective outside analyses of the plan have been done yet.) 

So that would mean they would get a bigger tax refund if I read that right. More money in the pocket means more money to pump into the economy. This part is especially nice.

The House GOP plan would cut taxes on dividends and interest earned from stocks and mutual funds. That would result in a top effective rate of either 6%, 12.5% or 16.5% depending on one's tax bracket. 

In other words if you are a small/starting investor you would see cap gains and dividends slashed by double figures. I really don't care about the 16.5% for the Mitt Romneys of the world so if they keep that at 20% and it wouldn't bother me. However, paying 12% on all cap gains and dividends would be outstanding. No more hoarding losses or other mess to reduce the amount that the Feds take out of my pocket.

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An Interesting Conversation: Should Gun Strore Owners be Able to Legally Discriminate?

After the Orlando Massacre I read that the Islamic terrorist purchased his guns legally.

The source further reports that Mateen had purchased a Sig Sauer .223 caliber assault rifle at a firearms shop near his Florida home, St. Lucie Gun Sales, on June 4 and then a Glock 17 at the same store on June 5. Mateen had returned to the store a third time on June 9 to buy magazines for his weapons. The store is a federally licensed firearms dealer. Under law, the seller would have had to notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation of Mateen's purchase so that his name could be checked against the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS.

I know that his name was on two FBI watch lists but currently that doesn't mean anything. He hadn't committed a crime so nothing could stop him from buying a gun. If they changed the law it would infringe on the rights of others. Being investigated or having been investigated should not be a crime.

However, an idea I was thinking about would be to allow gun shop owners to deny service to anyone they want to without running afoul of the ACLU. What this would mean is that they could conceivably discriminate against people with Muslim surnames and get away with it. This would be a special case only for gun shop owners and serve to make them a protected class of retailers.

The problem with this plan would be it stops law-abiding Muslims that simply want to defend themselves. That would strait-up infringe on their 2nd amendment rights. Also such a plan might have stopped Mateen or the San Bernadino killers but would not have stopped the Virginia Tech shooter, Sandyhook, or the Colorado shooter or the Boston Bombers because they all would dodge the ban for circumstances that were unique to their cases.

Another problem with this plan would be that Muslim gun shop owners might pop up to get around this idea if there was enough demand. In fact I could see deep-pocketed individuals like the Saudi's or Iran bankrolling gun shops that do not discriminate against Muslims. I could see ISIS starting a gun shop to funnel guns to would be Mateens. In fact I wonder if the FBI is investigating such a thing?

This plan also doesn't stop an Islamic terrorist from buying a gun at a gun show, online, or from a straw-purchase. I'm convinced Mateen would have did one of these things if that St. Lucie Gun Sales would have denied his purchase. So other than making it harder to buy the guns and ammo this kind of thing would have only slowed Mateen down. Only ideological change would have actually stopped it from happening. That would only happen in the Mosque or maybe if we destroyed ISIS once-and-for-all. This might unfortunately be the new normal.

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At Last the Nerd Barbie: Game Developer Becomes Barbies New Job Title

I guess Mattel is finally going to amp up its role of becoming steward to little girls everywhere. This sounded absolutely egregious.

Back in 2014, Mattel took an unfortunate step backward when they continued to print the book Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Engineer. Rather than setting out to inspire and empower girls everywhere, this publication ended up doing the opposite because, to put it simply, its plot involved Barbie needing two male characters to help her after she infects her computer with a virus.

Wait, what? She was a computer engineer and had to get two other guys to help her get rid of a virus that she infected her own PC with? Why didn't she just restore from backup or run a virus scan? That is pretty bad. However, Mattel seems to be making amends.

Rather than waiting for guys to step in and solve all her computer problems, Barbie is now self-sufficient. She can design and create her own game, especially since a she has an actual code written on her laptop. According to Slate, it seems that this Barbie is creating her very own version of Bejeweled on her screen.

In addition to her having a (surprisingly non-pink) laptop, Game Developer Barbie also has a workspace filled with things like flowcharts, a tablet, real programming books, headphones, action figures, and a cup of coffee. As for her clothes, she�s wearing what Mattel calls a �industry-inspired outfit.� This consists of white sneakers, skinny jeans, a comfy-looking graphic top, a green jacket, and gold glasses.

Now they need to come out with theoretical physics Ken that looks like Sheldon from Big Bang to date this particular Barbie.

 

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Buy out the Coal Industry? Very Intriguing

This is an interesting idea but he is right Congress would kill it dead.

The basic rationale is that this would reduce US power plant emissions more quickly and more certainly than President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, which is currently on hold and bogged down in litigation and is dependent on state cooperation. What's more, a buyout would help the workers who'd be affected by the dislocation.

One thing that the article doesn't go into is that these coal plants need to be replaced with something that does not pollute as much. So if the government would go in and give generous incentives to convert all coal power plants to natural gas (and train the workers for the transition) Obama would have an actual positive legacy item.

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Bullard Worse than a Weather Vane: Only One Rate Hike Until 2018!?

I think they should fire this guy already.

St. Louis Fed President Jim Bullard, in a significant shift in his outlook for the economy, now says low growth and a very low fed funds rate of just 63 basis points will likely remain in place through 2018. 

Bullard, reversing earlier forecasts that looked for growth to pick up and rates to rise, now says 2 percent growth is the most likely forecast and that rates will remain low. Bullard also sees unemployment at 4.7 percent and trimmed-mean PCE inflation of 2 percent during this window.

So he pretty much went from the biggest rate hawk to the biggest rate dove and he has the audacity to say this:

In a conference call with reporters following the release of the position paper, Bullard said the mismatch between Fed and investor expectations for the fed funds rate is eroding the central bank's credibility and causing distortions in the market.

He is the very one eroding the bank's credibility by going from hawk to dove after one bad jobs report. I know that rate rises are data driven but one data point shouldn't get someone to change so dramatically. I any case they should replace him with someone that isn't so damn vocal. I don't understand why they can't just be quiet and speak with one voice.

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Juno had 34 for 34 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) Achieve Complete Remissions? CAR-T is the real deal

Wow now that is some good news and might be a reason to be long the stock again.

In efficacy-evaluable ALL patients (N=34), complete remission was reported in 34/34 (100%) patients and complete molecular remission as measured by flow cytometry (CmR) was achieved in 32/34 (94%) patients.

ALL is a terrible form of cancer that kills in like a few months IIRC. It also seems to go after kids quite a bit so this part was real eye opener.

In addition to the adult JCAR014 data presented today, Rebecca Gardner, M.D., of Seattle Children�s, announced results from Seattle Children�s Phase I study of JCAR017 in pediatric and young adults with CD19+ r/r ALL (n=42) demonstrating 39/42 (93%) patients experienced a complete remission, all of which were a CmR by flow cytometry. In patients who received the Flu/Cy preconditioning regimen, 14/14 (100%) achieved a complete remission and a CmR.

That Flu/Cy preconditioning is a round of Chemo that kills some of the cancer cells so that the CAR-Ts can work on the rest of them.

However, this a tangible bad mark against the therapy

sCRS was observed in 10/42 (24%) patients and Grade 3 or higher neurotoxicity was observed in 10/42 (24%) patients.

That means Cytokine-release syndrome happened to 10 of the 24 patients and that stuff is no joke. That happens because the cancer cells die so rapidly they end up causing this syndrome.

In any case this could be a first line therapy for ALL and will strait-up save some kids lives. Juno is selling for $47.65 a share which is pricey for a stock in a Phase I/II study.  Also there is a big question mark if this therapy can go after solid tumors but it might be something to take a flier on with some risk-capital. It will also probably be really expensive to administer because you are essentially taking cells from the body and re-engineering them to kill the cancer. It would have been nice to catch that low in $24.50 range as well but that is pure hindsight.

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Return to the Dorm? WeLive Rolls Out Communal Living Space: They Need an Artists Setup Next

It might not be the next Montparnasse or Taos, New Mexico but this sounds like an ideal living situation.

The layouts in WeLive�s 400 units range from small studios to four-bedrooms, and all apartments come fully furnished. Per-tenant pricing begins at $1,375 but if you want a bit more privacy, you�ll have to dole out at least $2,000 per month. The most common setup is the �studio plus,� which comes with two beds (one is a Murphy hidden in the wall); these range from $2,500 to $2,800. A flat monthly utilities payment of $125 covers electric, water, cable, wifi and cleaning costs (yes, housekeeping is included).

When I visited WeLive, I spoke with 26-year-old entrepreneur Tiffany Tibbot who moved there in March and finds the community enriching and inspiring. Despite having lived alone for the past five years, she opted for a four-bedroom at WeLive in order to save money and meet new people. �The community building reminds me of college,� she said. �It�s like a safety net.�

I have always liked the idea of a communal space for creative minds to work together. However, one of the things that made those old post WW1 art colonies like Montparnasse work is the people were actual starving artists living there. That may not happen with a $2000 a month apartment with cheap wifi and cleaning costs.

In any case I think this might take off quite a bit with many Millennials who are finally able to venture out of their parents houses. The shared experience of living together with people in a dorm setting might counteract some of that disconnectedness some of them feel.  

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I Agree with Maisie Williams: Talk about the Charity Event and not Her Not Wearing a Bra to Said Event

I have to agree with her statement.

Rather than being about what she wore, Maisie�s version is about what she did: helped �raise thousands.� Right on.

Maisie�s point is well taken and totally empowering. Let�s talk way more about women�s work, and way less about what they wore.

The headline really needs to change from "Teen Girl Doesn't Wear Bra to Event" to "Teen Girl Attends Anti-Abuse Fund Raiser; Bra Status Irrelevant." I'm pretty sure whatever mag charts Maisie's bra status didn't ask whatever male celebrity was at the event whether he was wearing underwear or not.

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Message to Anti-Trump Rioters: You are going to Win him the Election

Some people just cannot be non-violent even if they are playing into the hands of people they hate.

But Thursday evening, in San Jose, California, was the worst of nights. What began as a gathering of young people and labor rights� groups outside of Trump�s rally here, turned into a raucous, bloody, dangerous affair. The crowd of hundreds became disorderly as a large group broke off with seemingly pernicious intentions; to seek out anyone they suspected of being a Trump supporter and intimidate, harass or even beat them into submission. 

Remember all those riots leading up to the election of Hitler? I'm not saying Trump is Hitler but bloody riots usually lead to the anti-reactionary gaining power. The great silent majority looks at Trump as a cure for the bloody rioters. He looks "law-and-order" and is keeping America from going even further into chaos. I heard a pundit say every time they show a riot at a Trump rally it buys in 5000 more votes. I think that is a very prescient statement.  

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The Case for Trump Winning it All? Jake Novak makes a Ton of Sense

It is always good to see a pundit make a strait-up mea culpa.

In the 80-odd days since I wrote that piece, I've been seeing more and more evidence of why my predictions for Trump's demise were wrong � and that his chances of winning in the general election look pretty decent.

He goes on to talk about Trumps management style and how he is distancing himself form the "conservative establishment" All of Novak's points make a ton of sense. I think the GOP needs to come to the realization that Trumps moves have been pretty well done. Getting away from the conservative establishment gets him away from what is, unfortunately, a losing brand. There just aren't enough hard-right conservatives to win a Presidential election and 8 years of Obama proves that.

And this point is especially true:

We all know Trump's key slogan/promise is "Make America Great Again." I'm still not sure what Hillary Clinton's key slogan/promise is and I follow her campaign very closely. Is it "I'm with Her?" If so, it's not very good in that it doesn't seem to have anything in it for the person who isn't "her."

Yeah that is especially bad at this juncture. Forget the idea that America is already great but Trump's slogan is kind of like "Hope and Change." Trump is saying things are bad now but they will get better under President Trump. While Hillary is just talking about blindly following this woman. It wouldn't be as bad if Hillary didn't lie about her unprotected email server, the Rose law firm records, Bengazi, etc. How are you supposed to blindly follow such a dishonest person?

It doesn't help that Bill is creeping around scaring off the Millennials. I think Trump is holding his fire and will unleash it on Bill as a rapist and a sexual predator and ask why Hillary is still married to that monster. Standing-by-ones-man doesn't fly in todays America especially when it comes to sexual violence. Many millennials are just learning about the salacious allegations, victim bashing, outright lies, etc. that went into the Clinton years of the 90s. Wait until Trump frames the narrative and keeps pounding it home that Hillary is married to a rapist and a sexual predator.  

One other thing that seems to be hurting Hillary is Trump know how to play the media like a fiddle. He says something outrageous and then the media pounces demanding an apology. Trump doubles down and doesn't apologize. The media then stands there dumbfounded as Trump moves onto the next thing. He understands that the news media is not trusted by a majority of Americans and are an easy mark.

Case-in-point is his tax returns. The media says every candidate for decades have released them and he should too. Then they try to goad him into doing it. Trump says he will not do it and then moves on to other things. The media is left there saying "its tradition" and "what does Trump have to hide?" Many Americans agree with that stance because why should they release their returns just to be a candidate? The media is again tone deaf on the matter. Trump just sidestepped something that could only be bad for him, looks tough, and puts a finger in the eye of the news media all at once. Novak makes a ton of sense so we might need to brace for a Trump presidency.

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Tom Lee of Fundstrat Global Advisors Says S&P 500 to 2300 by Year End on Bond Catch-up Trade

Makes some historical sense at least.

The strategist marshals some historical stats to make his point.

He points out that since 1985, high-yield bonds have posted double-digit gains in 15 separate years. In 14 of those 15 years, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) has risen more than 10 percent; in the remaining year, 1992, stocks rose 8 percent. 

Sounds like a rally coming up unless the FED smashes it with their stupid rate rises.

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Facinating how stock ownership has changed over the years

This is one very interesting chart.

Of the $22.8 trillion in stock outstanding (not including US ownership of foreign stock and stock owned by "pass-through entities" such as exchange-traded funds), retirement accounts owned roughly 37%, the most of any type of holder.

One this that has been a night-and-day change is taxable investment accounts aka brokerage accounts

Rosenthal and Austin's main focus was the precipitous decline of taxable investment accounts. In 50 years, the amount of stock owned by individual investors and funds outside retirement and nontaxable accounts such as 529 college-savings plans has dropped off a cliff � to about 25% in 2015 from over 80% in 1965.

I think this reflects some of the apprehension of owning stocks directly. It is much easier to buy a mutual fund or an S&P500 Index Fund then it is picking ones own stocks. This would be bad news for ETrade and other brokers. Luckily they are more diversified and provide different kinds of services all at once.

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Sports Authority to Close all Stores: Dick's Sporting Goods Come to Hawaii! You will be the Market Leader on Landing

It seems that instead of some sort of debt work-out Sports Authority is closing everything.

Sports Authority, the once-mighty sporting goods chain that filed for bankruptcy protection in March, now plans to close all its 450 remaining stores, where going-out-of-business sales will start before Memorial Day.

A group of liquidators that offered the winning bid for the debt-ridden company�s assets at Monday�s bankruptcy auction will sell off remaining merchandise in going-out-of-business sales at stores not already in the process of closing, according to a filing in bankruptcy court in Delaware.

So that means the entire Hawaii market is open to a big box sporting goods retailer. I know many people buy things at Sports Authority because whenever I went there I noticed quite a few people even during weekdays. I know I have bought several bulky things that I would never buy online like weight lifting weights and gym bags. Quite a bit of their merchandise will probably be safe from Amazon because who is going to buy a gun safe or running shoes online?

So if Dick's sporting goods was smart they would just take over the leases at those Sports Authority's and thus take over the Hawaii market in one shot. I know Dick's are a pretty good retailer because I owned their stock a few years ago and I researched them fairly well. 

In fact they might be a good stock to get back into because they have very few competitors left and that Amazon-proof nature I talked about above. They recently guided downward because of Sports Authority cratering and offering those fire-sale prices. But that is a couple quarter overhang at best.    

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Super Crossover Planned for December for Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Arrow

I'm hoping it is called Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The CW announced that its four DC Comics superhero shows will come together for a special crossover episode in December.
CW President Mark Pedowitz alluded to the idea of the universes of Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and the newly acquired Supergirl coming together in a crossover which he called "our biggest ever."
"Just imagine what our superhero crossover episode is going to look like come December," he said.

Have them face the Anti-monitor and Barry has to give his life to save the universe. It would be a great cliffhanger and a way to bring all the universes together into one. Then have Flash be the search for Barry to see if they can bring him back from the dead.

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Great No One Vetted Bernie Sanders' Wife Running Burlington College into the Groud?

This is the kind of thing that should have been done months ago.

Burlington College said its financial troubles are linked to Jane Sanders� 2010 purchase of 32 acres of lakefront property, part of a botched expansion. The college was placed on academic probation in 2014 by its accrediting agency and faced cash-flow problems due to the imminent loss of a line of credit, the Washington Post�s Nick Anderson reports. To survive, the school has tried to sell land but it wasn�t enough to remain solvent.

I feel bad for the kids going to that college. They probably had no say in buying lakefront property to expand the college and they now have to scramble due to this woman's mismanagement. Of course with every endeavor by the wives/husbands of the well connected we have some cronyism.

The Washington Free Beacon reported in January that, when Jane Sanders was president, the college also enrolled students at a woodworking school run by her daughter and spent more than half a million dollars on the endeavor, which ended not long after she left.

Whats $500k among relatives?

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Lying Pastor that Claimed Whole Foods Put a Slur on a Cake Should Be Fired from the Church of Open Doors

This is the work of a sociopath pure and simple.

Jordan Brown, an openly gay pastor at Austin's Church of Open Doors, is now reversing those claims � and dropping a lawsuit he filed against Whole Foods � after the company threatened a countersuit, The New York Times reports.

In a statement on Monday, Brown said:

The company did nothing wrong. I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story. I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company's commitment to its values, and especially the bakery associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions.

He cast aspersions on that company and probably almost got some bakery associate fired for reasons unknown. Did he think Whole Foods would just settle out of court and he would get a big check? Was he trying to promote some strange personal brand against hated Whole Foods? In any case when someone perpetrates fraud like this there should be some sort of consequences. Since it is a church they will probably forgive him but it is still pretty crappy behavior.

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$15 Minimum Wage Vaulting Fast Food into 2.0 Era

Well here comes the robots to replace pricey humans.

McDonald's is striding into the 21st century with the rollout of the "Create Your Taste" touchscreen kiosks, on which custom burgers can be built as well as full-menu ordering.

The kiosks are incredibly convenient and improve order accuracy, to which I can personally attest.

Panera Bread has fully committed to the kiosk craze as well.

The company's "Panera 2.0" initiative is in full swing. About 50% of company-owned stores already have the technology installed, and the remaining locations expect to have kiosks in place by the end of the year.

Combining the kiosks with Panera's "MyPanera" rewards membership is an added bonus.

"Beyond shorter lines and improved accuracy, customers love the fact that they can save those modifications as favorites or order from their history," says Blaine Hurst, Panera Chief Transformation & Growth Officer.

I would love to view what I have ordered from McDonalds or Panera (if they finally came to Hawaii) in the past as well. Dominoes lets you save favorites on what you ordered so you can re-order something very easily. In any case that Kiosk will replace a counter person taking your order from here on in. Which is good for people that like tech but bad for that counter person. I think the era of the so called McJob is almost dead.

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Applebee Moves to Wood Fired Grills? Might Seperate them from the Pack

I have never eaten at Applebee's but I do know some people who have and they do not have a good opinion of the place. So I guess that is why they are doing a $40 million revamp.

"You�re going to see it and hear it," Julia Stewart, the chairman and CEO of Applebee�s parent company DineEquity, Inc., told Business Insider. "You�re going to literally smell it when you�re in the parking lot, and then you're going to walk in and see it on the menu, and then you're going to have a food server talk about it in a very excited way."

I like the idea of smelling the wood fire in the parking lot but I'm not sure about the food server talking about it in a very excited way. In any case I know BBQ places have been packed whenever I travel to the Mainland. Like the entire parking lot is full with people waiting like out the door. So this can be a good idea as long as the food is fairly tasty. Right now the food doesn't even look appetizing in the commercial. 

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The Rich Find Thrift and Nordstrom feels the Pain

I guess Rich People are just like us.

The declines confirm a terrifying new reality for high-end retailers: Wealthy shoppers are reining in spending and, along with the rest of American consumers, refusing to pay full price for anything.

While sales are plunging in Nordstrom's full-price business, comparable sales for the company's off-price brands, including Nordstrom Rack � which sells steeply discounting clothes and accessories � grew 4.6%.

Morgan Stanley analysts said the "surprising" bifurcation between Nordstrom's low-end and high-end businesses should be a warning sign for all luxury retailers.
"We think retailers exposed to the high-end consumer are most at risk to a further sales step-down in 2016," the analysts wrote.

I wonder why the wealthy are becoming more thrifty? Is it because they have shifted buying clothes and such to cars and houses and more expensive things? Or is there just a spending malaise out there that no one is talking about? 

I mean the country seems to be drifting toward a place where we will be led either by a orange con-man or the crooked wife of a sexual predator. Maybe rich people are keeping their powder dry because they don't know which way to turn going forward. Will higher taxes be around the corner or will it be economic isolationism? 

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Trump Former Butler Needs to be Arrested: Threatens Presidents Life

Um they should arrest this crazy person asap.

Mother Jones revealed   Thursday that Anthony Senecal, Trump�s former butler, has authored several hateful � and vulgar � Facebook rants against Barack Obama, accusing the president of being a Muslim and a �kenyan fraud,� among other things, and calling for him to be killed. 

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Millennial's Having Buyers Remorse About College: Um Go to a State School

I would have buyers remorse as well seeing how bad college loans are with their usurious rates.

In fact, 57% of millennial graduates regret taking out as many loans as they did, and 36% even said that they would not have gone to college if they knew how much it was going to cost them, according to a survey by Citizens Bank.

Most State Schools cost a fairly reasonable amount. For instance Florida State tuition costs $6,507 for in-state. If the kid takes a "Malia Obama gap year" they will be all set to establish residency and and pay quite a bit less than that insane out of state cost. 

It might be possible to pay off that loan in a few years rather than 20+ years if the kid went to some small and private college. I'll pick Beloit out of a hat whose tuition is $42,500. You can go to Florida State for 6 years or Auburn for 4 for that exact same amount of money. I'm sure the education is very good at Beloit but is it really good enough to go into debt for decades more to pay it all off?

The state school also allows you to have one of the most fun things about college which is have a rooting interest for the rest of your life. I love seeing those old-timers with their Michigan shirts or someone shouting "War Eagle" at you from a moving car. That shared experience of going to somewhere with a good football or basketball team is very hard to beat.

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Earth-sized Planets found just 40 Light Years Away

Pretty close indeed.

An international team of astronomers has discovered three Earth-sized exoplanets, all orbiting the same star just 40 light-years from us, the 16-nation intergovernmental research organization ESO reported on Monday.

The scientists have deemed all three planets potentially habitable, an exciting turn in the hunt for "exoplanets," a term for planets that orbit a star other than our sun.

And it could bring us closer to finding extraterrestrial life.

Too bad we couldn't beam some radio waves toward them and see if they pick it up or not. In fact they might just be getting Happy Days and All in the Family if our transceivers were pointed toward them. 

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Japan Enters the Stealth Age with Mitsubishi X-2

Watch out Red China Japan might be trying to close the warplane gap.

Previously called the Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X (ATD-X), X-2 took off from Nagoya Airport and flew for 26 minutes to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force base in Gifu. Japan�s Ministry of Defense unveiled the X-2 on Jan. 28.

Overseeing the project is the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, or ATLA, a branch of the Defense Ministry that incorporated the older Technical Research and Development Institute. Together with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, they have overseen the aircraft�s development since 2009.

It is interesting that Japan is developing its own fighter in this day and age. I guess that US pivot toward the Pacific is a smart move because it looks like things are going to get interesting out here in the coming decades. 

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