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This week there was a perfect storm of bad news for the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor. First, on Monday, the now infamous Ricci case was decided by the Supreme Court. The Ricci case, again, is the now famous case in which test results for firefighters were thrown out because not enough minorities scored high enough. The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to overturn Sotomayor's ruling. Of course, as Stuart Taylor pointed out, even those that sided with Sotomayor didn't agree with her judicial logic.

ISLAMIC INDEX: New index from Dow Jones will give investors exposure to 100 non-US Shariah compliant companies. (Getty Images)Dow Jones Indexes announced on Wednesday it has licensed the Dow Jones Islamic Market International Titans 100 Index to Javelin Investment Management, an investment adviser registered with the SEC. The blue-chip index will underlie the first Shari'ah compliant exchange-traded fund listed in the US - the JETS Dow Jones Islamic Market International Index Fund (JVS). The index measures the stock performance of 100 leading non-US companies that have passed rules-based screens for Shari'ah compliance. To determine their eligibility firms are screened based...

Link only - Illinois starts first day of fiscal year without budget

Sometimes what's politically irresistible is economically nonsensical, as we may soon be reminded. The Obama administration, desperate for revenue and spotting an easy target, is proposing three hefty tax increases on business. If the administration gets its way, the result will be bad news for all Americans. The first instance of dangerously mixing politics with economics was the administration's announcement in May that it wanted to "reform our international tax laws" so that they don't "stack the deck against job creation here on our shores." In a smooth bit of political rhetoric, the White House linked international corporations to individuals...

Gaunt GOOPmistress Gwyneth Paltrow is at it again! Remember a few years back, when she got in trouble for saying this? “I love the English lifestyle, it’s not as capitalistic as America. People don’t talk about work and money, they talk about interesting things at dinner. “I like living here because I don’t fit into the bad side of American psychology. The British are much more intelligent and civilized than the Americans.” Yeah, Americans are such dumb savages that they’ve made Gwyneth Paltrow rich enough to live well in any country she chooses. What were you thinking, Americans? Paltrow, realizing...

Advanta Corp. will pay up to $35 million in restitution to customers for alleged violations of federal consumer-protection and banking laws, the Spring House credit card company said today. Advanta, which froze its small-business customers' credit cards at the end of May because of mounting defaults, also agreed to pay a $150,000 civil fine under the deal between Advanta's bank subsidiary and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The company admitted no wrongdoing. (snip) The FDIC said it received numerous complaints about substantial increases in annual percentage rates from borrowers who neither exceeded their credit limit nor were late on payments....

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Bank of America said Wednesday it would accept warrants issued by the California government on a limited basis through July 10, which the state is using as a budget crisis freezes its spending. "Bank of America recognizes the State of California budget crisis will impact our clients and customers," it said. "To support our customers, while giving the state legislature additional time to pass a budget, we will accept California state-registered warrants -- or IOUs -- from existing customers and clients

There is a gigantic amount of hostility to Romney on this forum. Personally I'd vote for Romney if he were the nominee, but I'm not really enthusiastic because of his flip flopping. He strikes me as a smarter version of GHWB. My question to you guys is if Romney is a no go for you then how about Mitch Daniels of Indiana? With Sanford's self destruction act I cannot imagine who else could possibly stop Romney's war machine. Ensign is also disgraced and John Thune is probably eyeing the VEEP position rather than being the nominee. Haley Barbour is a...

Originally, the title Czar (derived from Caesar) meant Emperor in the European medieval sense of the term, that is, a ruler who claims the same rank as a Roman emperor. The title of Czar is being used by the President of the United States, to turn himself into a new Caesar. Our founding fathers wanted the to protect the United States against too much power being placed in one person so they built checks and balances into the constitution. Presidential appointees reported to the chief executive but with the advice and consent of congress. Appointees were approved by Senate, and...

On Tuesday the CEO of Wal-Mart, long the bête noire of the American left, issued a joint statement with SEIU head Andy Stern and Center for American Progress President John Podesta, two close allies of Barack Obama, supporting the administration's health reform efforts. The letter called for bipartisan reforms that include an employer mandate to purchase health insurance for their employees. An odd alliance? Maybe. But when two camps eye the same goal for separate reasons, they can become unlikely bedfellows. For the Obama administration, this announcement comes at a particularly convenient time. The president's health reform effort has hit...

This an unrestricted tout of an "incredible" printer. It's a Brother HL-2140 monochrome-only, but there are a few other brands like this. Monochrome only, laser printer, the cartridges are REALLY cheap, and they have significant life. The cart that comes with the printer is good for 1000 pages. The replacement ones are 1500 pages. Tired of having to refill or rebuy ink-jet printer cartridges, especially since 98% of my printing is just monochrome anyway. This little dude was SIXTY BUCKS at Fry's, including the cartridge. It's USB-only (no parallel input) That may have SOME impact on one's ability (in Windows)...

Father refuses to give al Shabaab extremists information about house church pastor. Islamic extremists have beheaded two young boys in Somalia because their Christian father refused to divulge information about a church leader, and the killers are searching Kenya’s refugee camps to do the same to the boys’ father. Before taking his Somali family to a Kenyan refugee camp in April, 55-year-old Musa Mohammed Yusuf himself was the leader of an underground church in Yonday village, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Kismayo in Somalia. He had received instruction in the Christian faith from Salat Mberwa. Militants from the Islamic extremist...

War veterans are asking Americans across the country to fly their flags upside down this Fourth of July weekend. They say it’s a sign of distress and a protest against the Veterans Administration. A small group of veterans picketed outside the Canandaigua VA Hospital Wednesday afternoon. They were protesting the closing of VA hospitals across the country. They say those that aren't closing are being sold off or leased to outside interests, depriving veterans the treatment they have earned. Displaying the American flag upside down, however, is considered by some to be disrespectful. “We're not disgracing the flag but telling...

"I was inspired a lot by the movie Dune—remember those big padded collars they wore? Well I did that padded look as a flap at the back." - Kanye The sneakers come in three styles − suede, calfskin and patchwork of leathers, and are named The Dons, The Jaspers, and Mr. Hudson.

As global leaders struggle to rescue their nations from economic breakdown, the legitimacy of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency is under attack. Perhaps the problem lies with the Fed. Yahoo StumbleUpon Google Live Technorati Scoop del.icio.us Digg Sphinn Furl Reddit A large part of the “super” in the American superpower is based on the modern creed of liberal democracy, which serves as the motor of free-market capitalism. And the lubricant that keeps this colossal machine humming at full speed 24/7 is the US dollar. So before we risk any conjectures on the future prospects of America’s versatile banknote,...

BOSTON -- The beating death of a cat in front of shocked children prompted protests Sunday in Worcester. A group of people gathered in front of the city police department, demanding police put Tom Foley behind bars. Foley admittedly beat a cat named Lily to death in front of several children on Friday. The owner, Lisa Tuttle, said her cat Lily had just given birth to a litter of kittens and may have been feeling territorial when she charged Foley's dog and scratched Foley several days earlier on Dupuis Avenue. "I just came out. I saw the cat in a...

The TEA Party movement is about kicking out the two-faced lying politicians who think more about gaining power than they do about defending our Liberty. Romney is just one more lying two-faced whore of a politician. Don't fall for his slick willie routine. He's a statist in love with socialism and government power. Don't make me start posting the videos and transcripts of his abortionist/socialist record. I have them archived and FR will be wall-to-wall Truth About Romney if he gets anywhere close to running for president. He needs to GET LOST!! DONT TREAD ON ME!!

'The American people are very dissatisfied with the direction of the country.' A new Gallup poll shows a marked increase in the percentage of Americans who consider the Democratic Party's views as being "too liberal." The number rose from 39 to 46 percent. Brian Darling, director of senate relations for The Heritage Foundation, interpreted the increase as an indication of the difference in people's perception before and after the presidential election. "I think many perceive that the Obama administration is packed more to the left than President Obama campaigned for as president," he said. Darling added that numbers also indicate...

Best Movie Line EverClip is 24 seconds long.

Monaster/NewsRep. Carolyn Maloney Rep. Carolyn Maloney has decided to take on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the 2010 Democratic primary, refusing to bow to party leaders who want her to stay out, the Daily News has learned. "She's definitely decided to run," said a senior Maloney adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity. "She's in it." Maloney, a congresswoman since 1993 for Manhattan's East Side and a slice of Queens, will make an official announcement in two weeks, the adviser said. The Democratic establishment, led behind the scenes by Sen. Chuck Schumer, has cleared other would-be challengers from the primary field for...