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Much noise has been made about the growing student loan bubble and what kind of impact it will have on the economy when it goes “boom.” It is a reasonable question, but if you are thinking this is just like the housing bubble, or the tech/Internet- stock market bubble, you are wrong. There is no doubt that the rapid spike in student loans over the past five-years has been alarming, especially since the funding and now the risk comes at the expense of taxpayers. However, being accustomed to getting the short end of the stick when the world is turned...

This morning, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit invalidated a 2012 IRS rule allowing tax subsidies in federal insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. Within hours, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a contrary ruling in a similar, but separate, case, allowing exchange subsidies in both state-based and federal exchanges. Though both decisions are still subject to further review and will have no immediate impact, such “circuit splits” are often considered strong evidence that a case will ultimately end up before the U.S. Supreme...

There’s a lot of talk about optics in politics, and generally speaking, I am wildly opposed to the notion of optics. Optics refers to how one is viewed by the general public, how one’s actions are perceived. Optics are, in essence, a manipulation of perception. In my opinion, the top priority on a politician’s mind should not be optics, but actions. Actions–if they are driven by noble intent–should speak for themselves. Action should not require extra manufacturing. However, there is something to be said about making sure one’s actions are not perceived negatively, thus undermining one’s entire political philosophy.We have...

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has called for an end to the fighting and bombing in Gaza. “Both sides must distinguish between combatants and noncombatants, and Israel must ensure that its use of force is proportionate in accordance with international humanitarian law. More immediately, all combat operations must stop, and Israeli troops should withdraw from Gaza,” Carter said in a statement released Tuesday. So far, more than 600 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the fighting, according to reports. The Israeli death toll is estimated at 29, including two civilians. Humantarian groups have also called for an end to...

Beretta U.S.A. Corp., located in Accokeek, Maryland, announced today that it has decided to move its manufacturing capabilities from its existing location to a new production facility that it is building in Gallatin, Tennessee. The Gallatin facility is scheduled to be opened in mid-2015. Beretta U.S.A. had previously planned to use the new Gallatin, Tennessee facility for new machinery and production of new products only.

usatoday.com cannot be posted due to copyright complaint http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/07/22/ukraine-mh17-bodies-russia/12981325/

Gangster John Dillinger’s lifelong career of crime—he robbed at least 12 banks and four police departments and was accused of shooting and killing an East Chicago police officer while escaping one bank robbery—ended, with his life, eighty years ago today outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Agents from the Division of Investigation (DOI) of the Justice Department (DOJ), a predecessor to the FBI, surrounded the theater based on a tip from an informant and then shot and killed him when he resisted arrest outside.

JORGE RAMOS: We have to be realistic: Central American children will continue to show up at this border by the tens of thousands. We know they are fleeing violence, gangs and poverty, and they know that this country will give them a hand. No, I am not - we are not - encouraging them to come here all the way from San Salvador and San Pedro Sula. As we've shown you, it's an incredibly dangerous journey, many don't make it, but we cannot advocate for mass deportations every time we have an immigration crisis in this country. That's not the...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was asked Monday if Democrats will move a carbon tax bill after the midterm election. “I sure hope so,” he told a “clean energy” conference call. […] A carbon tax bill won’t advance unless Democrats retake the House and retain control of the Senate in November. With that goal in mind, President Obama was heading west on Tuesday to raise money for his party. …

Senior U.S. intelligence officials said Tuesday that Russia was responsible for "creating the conditions" that led to the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, but they offered no evidence of direct Russian government involvement. The intelligence officials were cautious in their assessment, noting that while the Russians have been arming separatists in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. had no direct evidence that the missile used to shoot down the passenger jet came from Russia. The officials briefed reporters Tuesday under ground rules that their names not be used in discussing intelligence related to last week's air disaster, which killed 298...

In recent days the Weekly Standard and Washington Free Beacon have brought to light a now-scrubbed recommended reading list for students that had resided on Sen. Rand Paul’s website. Why the focus on a book list, and why was the book list scrubbed? The answer to the second question could lie in the answer to the first: the foreign policy recommendations in the reading list take a variety of controversial stances, suggesting that the U.S. is to blame for the rise of Islamic supremacism in the Middle East, that the “Israeli Lobby” controls U.S. foreign policy to America’s great detriment,...

Bill’s secret ‘mistress,’ the ‘Energizer’ By Richard Johnson Bill Clinton reportedly has a buxom blond mistress who visits so often when Hillary Clinton isn’t home in Chappaqua that the former president’s Secret Service detail have given her an unofficial code name: Energizer. This is according to Ronald Kessler in “The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of Presidents,” due Aug. 5 from Crown Forum. Kessler is no stranger to the controversies surrounding the Secret Service. He broke the story that Secret Service agents protecting President Obama in Cartagena, Colombia, hired prostitutes, and put the president in...

Please, join the August 1st Day of Adoration, Prayer and Solidarity for Persecuted Christians in Iraq, Syria, and the Middle East In solidarity with our Persecuted Brethren in Iraq and Syria Nun (ن), the 14th letter of the Arabic alphabet (the equivalent of letter N in our Roman alphabet), is the first letter of the word Nasara (نصارى : Nazarenes), the way Muslims have called Christians since the beginning of their invasion of the Christian world in the 7th century -- Christians under Muslim rule never called themselves thus, since the intent of Muslims was to portray Christians as a contemptible and...

ORLANDO – A federal judge has given a secular organization the green light to distribute more atheistic and anti-Christian materials to Florida public school students, in spite of the materials’ graphic content and offensive language. As previously reported, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) learned last year that a Christian ministry had made Bibles available to Orlando high school students on “Religious Freedom Day.” To counter the Bible distribution, FFRF sought permission from the school district to give students a variety of atheistic and anti-Christian materials. According to reports, the Orange County School Board permitted FFRF to distribute several books...

Chaldean website ankawa.com says a university professor was killed after speaking out against anti-Christian persecution. Meanwhile, the Islamic State has set the jizyah at 450 dollars Christians leave Mosul He refused to keep silent about the violence agaist Mosul’s Christians  who are forced to choose between converting to the Muslim faith, paying the jizyah (the Islamic tax for non-Muslims) or fleeing. Professor Mahmoud Al ‘Asali, a law professor who lectures on pedagogy at the University of Mosul, had the courage to make a stand against this brutal duress which he believes go against the Muslim commandments. But he paid for...

Jesus certainly was not a “Bible believer,” as we use that term in the post Billy Graham era of American fundamentalist religiosity that’s used as a trade-marked product to sell religion. Jesus didn’t take the Jewish scriptures at face value. In fundamentalist terms, Jesus was a rule-breaking relativist who wasn’t even “saved,” according to evangelical standards. Evangelicals insist that you have to believe very specific interpretations of the Bible to be saved. Jesus didn’t. He undercut the scriptures. A leper came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” If Jesus had been a good...

The peer-to-peer property renting website, artAirbnb, makes it possible for people in crisis-stricken states to earn extra money, but the company itself has placed its headquarters in places like Ireland, Jersey and Delaware to avoid paying tax. EurActiv France reports. […] In late March 2014, the website announced that one million French holidaymakers used Airbnb since it launched in 2008, the same number as in the UK. In Spain, one million tourists used the website to rent property. The French Ministry of Finances has condemned this kind of revenue. “France has nothing to gain from developing this kind of renting…...

EU countries have defended Israel’s use of force in Gaza, but blamed it for harming peace prospects in the longer term. Foreign ministers in a joint statement on Tuesday (22 July) said they are “appalled by the human cost” of some parts of “the Israeli military operation”, which has killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians. But they “recognized Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself”, while blaming Hamas, the militant group which rules Gaza, for “indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel”, in what they described as “criminal and unjustifiable acts”. They also gave credence to Israeli claims that Hamas is urging civilians...

WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has reached a settlement with a prominent atheist organization, agreeing to crack down churches and religious groups for infringements of its prohibition against ‘electioneering.’ As previously reported, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, sued the IRS in 2012, asserting that many non-profit religious organizations have been “blatantly and deliberately flaunting … electioneering restrictions,” but the government has not enforced its rules pertaining to the matter. According to the IRS website, “Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or...

Liberal megadonor Tom Steyer, failing to raise any significant outside money for his global warming Super PAC, turned to one of his San Francisco neighbors for a million dollar check. It was Herb Sandler, the subprime mortgage lender at the heart of the housing crisis, and like Steyer a huge hypocrite. Tom Steyer made his fortune as an international coal financier while enticing investors with a tax-avoidance strategy featuring offshore shelters in the Caymans, Mauritius, and Singapore. Now he's using that fortune to support liberal Democrats who want to hike taxes and deny hardworking Americans access to the same...

New York City police Tuesday were investigating how the two American flags that historically sit on top of the Brooklyn Bridge's 273-foot towers were stolen and replaced with two white flags, which are known universally to symbolize surrender. The white flags were removed by noon, but police said they are investigating the issue, which may indicate a serious security breach on one of the city's most secured landmarks.

In the Hobby Lobby decision handed down last month, the Supreme Court was asked to strike a balance between women’s rights and religious freedom. But the major conflict that has erupted in the wake of that decision has been between religious freedom and gay rights. The resulting controversy has split gay-rights and faith groups on the left, with wide-ranging political fallout that some now fear could hurt both causes. One chapter of the controversy is set to close on Monday, when President Obama plans to sign a long-awaited executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against gays and lesbians, according...

YUBA CITY (CBS13) — A Facebook page created to criticize people about their weight is generating controversy in the Yuba-Sutter region. 530 Fatties appears to be created by someone who lives within the local 530 area code, and featured photos of overweight or obese people in public without their permission. With those photos are words mocking the subjects’ weight. The page was taken down at some point on Monday after CBS13 began looking into it after several people reached out to us. Jessi Lynn Howell, 18, is still mortified after discovering a picture of herself posted on 530 Fatties.

Predictably, having so many terrorists in our midst - in addition to the danger - will have the consequence of more intrusion in our personal lives and more state power. From The Telegraph, "Emergency laws to monitor phone and internet records 'to stop terrorists'": Emergency laws will be brought in next week to force phone and internet companies to hold records of customers’ calls, texts and visits to websites. The fast-track measures are necessary to defend national security against the terrorist threat from Iraq and Syria, David Cameron said. The consequences of not acting are “grave”, the Prime Minister...

WASHINGTON — The Air Force is about to put a new advanced satellite into space to spy on other countries’ satellites. On Wednesday, a Delta IV rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., and place two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program satellites into orbit. They will be the first GSSAP satellites ever launched. “This neighborhood watch twosome … will be on the lookout for nefarious capability other nations might try to place in that critical orbital regime,” Gen. William Shelton, the head of Air Force Space Command, told reporters at the Pentagon. Because of its enhanced maneuvering capabilities,...

On the basis of simply counting heads, rock music surpasses even film as the 20th century's most influential art form. By that reckoning, there is a case for calling Buddy Holly, who died in a plane crash 50 years ago next Tuesday, the century's most influential musician. Holly and Elvis Presley are the two seminal figures of 1950s rock 'n' roll, the place where modern rock culture began. Virtually everything we hear on CD or see on film or the concert stage can be traced back to those twin towering icons – Elvis with his drape jacket and swivelling hips...

"I can't find anything. Prices are climbing daily," said Jesus Ramirez, a taxi driver who has spent a year trying to replace the 2008 Renault he purchased new for $7,441. He sold the car for over $30,000 five years later. With inflation at 60% a year, among the highest in the world, Venezuelans protect their earnings by buying cars, among other big-ticket items. Car parts needed to keep vehicles on the road have also become difficult to find. That has led thieves to steal parts such as batteries from parked cars. The owner of a Caracas car dealership who said...

Nine out of 10 parents admit that spanking their children is sometimes appropriate. This week, a New York court ruled in favor of a father charged with child abuse, saying that it was a “reasonable use of force.” On Fox and Friends this morning, psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow said it’s “never a good idea” to spank kids. “The bottom line is it’s always the end of the discussion—hitting your kids. It’s never the beginning of a discussion. It teaches them nothing,” he said.

During the last few weeks, I’ve shared some important pre-trade and post-trade analytical steps that I do for each recommendation in my investment newsletter PowerTrend Profits and for positions in my Thematic Growth Portfolio. If you aren’t doing these, you need to go back and get started by re-reading these two bulletins. Since those two articles were published, I’ve received more than a few questions about what should be done in between the pre-trade and post-trade analysis. I thought that was a great question. But before I answer it, let’s consider the difference between a movie and a photograph. There...

The new "Black Jesus" comedy has some protesting the depiction of Jesus as a marijuana-smoking, beer-drinking character in the show. Paul Scott, a self-proclaimed minister of the Messianic Afrikan Nation, has called for a boycott of the upcoming comedy, arguing that it "[makes] a mockery of the concept of a Black Messiah." ADVERTISEMENT According to his blog, the North Carolina-based minister argues that "the show does a disservice to the Black leaders and theologians who have dedicated their lives to advancing a Black Liberation Theology," adding that he believes "the Black community needs to see a proper image of a...

Twitter is quick, but too quick sometimes – recently it burst with photos of an evil Ukrainian militiaman who took a teddy bear from the victim of Malaysia plane crash as a trophy. But the full video shows he was just paying the tribute to the dead. “Pro Russian holds up stuffed toy like trophy. Mr @PutinRF_Eng, are you proud of your compatriots?" wrote a twitter user John Gosling. A photo signed “pro-Russian fighter holds up a toy found among the debris at the crash site of MH17” has been used by such major media outlets as the BBC and...

The plot to save Thad Cochran was hatched at Off The Record, the subterranean bar inside the Hay-Adams hotel in downtown Washington. In mid-June, just days before the Mississippi Senate runoff election, Tom Donohue, the hard-nosed CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was commiserating over drinks with Scott Reed, his senior political strategist, and Chip Pickering, a former Mississippi congressman-turned-telecom lobbyist. The trio were smarting. After racking up an enviable 10-0 winning streak in midterm races, Mississippi voters dealt the powerful business lobby a major blow: Cochran, a Senate stalwart supported by the Chamber and its allies in the...

"So the conspiracy theorists, the Birchers thought that the Russians, the Soviets, shot it down 'cause the guy was right and he was hot on the trail of the global conspiracy and the New World Order and -- (interruption) Larry McDonald was his name, that's exactly right."

“Americans should stop whining about food prices.” That was the message AEI’s Mark J. Perry blasted last September to families gullible enough to believe that rising food prices were a problem: It’s a favorite pastime in this country – Americans love to complain about rising food prices. Even when they aren’t. In fact, given all of the complaining you would never know that average food price inflation in recent years is actually the lowest in several generations. Below are three reasons that Americans should stop whining about food prices, and be a little more appreciative of how affordable food is...

Its friends in the media would have us think that Dinesh D’ Souza’s latest cinematic work, America: Imagine a World Without Her, is worth seeing because of the effectiveness with which D’ Souza demolishes the standard leftist charges leveled against the United States. I come away from this film with a dramatically different response. While D’ Souza is to be commended for establishing, by way of quite a few tidbits that promise to be news to most viewers, America hardly has a monopoly on “oppression,” what he gives with one hand D’ Souza takes with the other: D’ Souza not...

It seems almost too obvious to mention, but presidential candidates need a clear idea of why they want to be president. In the past few days, Democrats have heard that their still-undeclared front runner, Hillary Clinton, needs time to think about the question. Meanwhile, another undeclared hopeful, Elizabeth Warren, is thrilling liberal audiences with a forceful, point-by-point declaration of the principles that would guide her as president. The contrast is striking. Clinton is offering Democrats her resume. Warren is offering them a plan.

JACKSON, Miss. —A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday in a lawsuit filed by a group seeking Mississippi voter records. U.S. District Judge Nancy F. Atlas of Texas will be in Jackson to hear arguments by True the Vote organization. The lawsuit seeks access to nine counties' voter rolls as Chris McDaniel gathers information to challenge his Republican primary runoff loss to Sen. Thad Cochran. Plaintiffs say federal law requires authorities to release of voting rolls and poll books without erasing voters' personal information.

Mail is being delivered after 5 p.m. almost 70 percent of the time to residents and businesses in the District and the Maryland suburbs in violation of U.S. Postal Service policy, an investigation released Tuesday found. The number of letter carriers who are still on their routes after 5 p.m., even in the winter darkness, and the delayed delivery of letters and packages has grown so dramatically in recent years that the Capital District now ranks as the worst area in the country for late mail service, a report by Postal Service Inspector General David Williams concluded. Northern Virginia also...

In many ways the Massachusetts “buffer zone bill” saga isn’t really just about the abortion issue. It’s a stunning preview of what we can expect from the iron-fist politics of the Left in the age of Obama. Long-time State House observers we’ve talked to cannot recall anything like this. The public hearing by the Joinit Judiciary Committee of the Massachusetts Legislature on bill SD 2106 was about as shameful and phony as we’ve seen in almost 20 years. The public, including pro-life groups, had almost no notice at all of the hearing, despite the “48-hour” notification rule. It wasn’t even...

“I was actually scared that it was so close to home, literally, it’s right here on my block,” said Allyson Deihl. “I’ve heard it on the news nationally and it’s scary to think that it’s happening in Jacksonville, in Riverside.” According to the police report, the man and woman spotted three men walking in their direction, then realized they were being followed. The report said that the woman grabbed her can of Mace from her purse, and then her boyfriend was punched, causing him to stumble to the ground. The woman told police that she tried to spray the men...

22.07.14-140 day prayer Marathon. In the morning, had to send three buses with the settlers, and several cars in different directions. Unfortunately one bus did not go, not because of the fighting or the inability to check out, and people just ignored it. Yesterday when bombed asked hysterically that they would be urgently taken, and when a little calmed down, then simply ignored this while then did not take the tube, and just sent one away. How to understand people then? I had to pay the driver 400 UAH. Not ustoyku , and a few people just taken by car...

Will he lose like Cantor or survive like Cochran? LAFOLLETTE, Tenn. - The crowd of well-wishers swarms around Sen. Lamar Alexander as soon as he walks through the door. “I haven’t seen you in a hundred years!” he says, pumping the hand of a grey-haired man in a navy suit. For the next half-hour, the senator works the room like the seasoned politician he is. There’s lots of handshaking, lots of small talk, lots of patiently posing for cellphone photos and, no doubt, lots of thinking in the room about what a difficult year this has been for entrenched incumbents...

I run Amazon ads on my blog and do pretty well. But I regularly see targeted Amazon ads on other sites like Facebook and Weather.com that show me ads based on things I recently searched for on Amazon. However I have not figured out how to do this with any of the Amazon Associate tools that are offered. Anyone know about how to do this?

Two videos related to ISIS were released on Monday. A Twitter account for the Islamic State posted pictures and a video of a training camp in Ninevah and Al-Arabiya released a video with the real wife of ISIS's leader.

As it has for decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week released its annual National Health Interview Survey on the health of Americans. But this year, there was a difference: For the first time, the respondents were asked about their sexual orientation. Of 34,557 adults ages 18 and older, the survey reported, 1.6 percent said they were gay or lesbian. Some critics say the numbers are low, but they fall in the range of other surveys. In the new survey, however, only 0.7 percent of respondents described themselves as bisexual; other studies have reported higher numbers.

Reading all of today's headlines here on Free Republic, brought to mind this artist. No I have no idea what the words mean, but the Art speaks for itself. Youtube video so click through to watch

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)During a town hall with young people, President Obama explained how he deals with people who criticize him. “I just don’t watch TV,” Obama joked, after he was asked about his critics during a town hall promoting the White House "My Brother's Keeper" initiative. Obama advised young people to listen to critics who actually had their interests at heart. “Who gives you constructive criticism because they’re invested in the same things you are but maybe can see the things you can’t, versus folks who are just -- what’d someone say -- hatin’? Somebody just hatin’, just haters?” Obama said. Obama...

The number of cops killed nationwide in the line of duty was up 31 percent during the first six months of this year. A new report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund shows California leading all states with eight police officer deaths, followed by New York, Florida, Texas and Virginia with four each. Fund Chairman Craig Floyd says there's been a 37-percent increase in traffic-related incidents and a 56-percent increase in officers killed by gunfire, five of them in ambush-style attacks. Craig blames those attacks, including the one earlier this month on Jersey City police officer Melvin Santiago...

Several airlines already had suspended operations or diverted flights. The ban comes less than a week after a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was shot down over Ukraine. For Hamas, it could be the biggest break the Islamist group has had since the most recent fighting started -- potentially increasing Israeli's physical and psychological isolation from the rest of the world. The airport handles about 14 million travelers a year.

Wisconsin Senator Robert La Follette and his supporters pioneered long-shot primary challenges, strong ideology, and populist rhetoric a century ago.