Running up the tab: State Dept. bought $180,000 in liquor before shutdown

While the rest of the government prepared to shut down this fall, the State Department was busy stocking up on embassy liquor supplies. In September, the final month of the fiscal year, the State Department spent about $180,000 — and racked up a total of more than $400,000 for the whole year, three times the entire liquor tab for all of 2008.

The liquor bill, split among purchase orders placed at embassies around the world, included some major last-minute pre-shutdown splurges:

• $5,625 in “gratuity wine” at the embassy in Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 29, followed by $5,925 in “gratuity whiskey” on the day the shutdown began.

• $22,416 in wine at the embassy in Tokyo.

• $15,900 in bourbon and whiskey in Moscow. (No Vodka?)

U.S. embassies have long served alcohol at diplomatic events under Democratic and Republican administrations alike — and in good economic times as well as bad.

But the booze bill has risen sharply each year since 2008, according to the federal government’s procurement database, which includes a specific code enabling the public to track alcoholic beverage purchase orders. Those records show the State Department bought $415,000 worth of alcohol in fiscal 2012, which was 25 percent more than the $331,000 spent in 2011 and more than triple the $118,000 spent in 2008.

Saving a few hundred thousand dollars won’t do much to reduce the government’s $17 trillion debt, but any increase in taxpayer dollars spent on wine and whiskey deserves closer scrutiny in tough fiscal times, said Dave Williams, president of the nonprofit Taxpayers Protection Alliance, a watchdog group.

The department went on a buying binge just before the partial federal government shutdown and in the final days of the fiscal year, when many federal agencies try to spend all of the money in their budgets or risk exposing areas for congressional cuts.

“This is what taxpayers don’t understand,” Mr. Williams said. “You have a looming government shutdown but then you have a ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ mentality where someone is spending tens of thousands of dollars because they have to.

“If you’re a family or a business and you’re getting ready for a potential loss of revenue, the first thing you do is get rid of the parties,” he said. “It’s symbolic.”

Tuesday Believe It or Not

Metro-North Train Engineer Reported Zoning Out Before Deadly Crash

The engineer at the controls of the Metro-North train that derailed as it sped around a sharp curve in the Bronx on Sunday told first responders at the scene that he had zoned out just before the crash that killed four people and injured more than 60 others, NBC 4 New York has learned.

A senior law enforcement official tells NBC 4 New York that the engineer was not able to recall specifics about the moments before the train came apart and slid down a bank toward the Harlem River near the Spuyten Duyvil station, sending passengers tumbling, some out windows.

The engineer reported spacing out before the crash, the official said.

The NTSB said at a briefing Monday that the train's black box shows it was hurtling down the tracks at 82 mph, crashing on a sharp curve where trains are required to go 30 mph. Investigators are still probing whether human or mechanical error was responsible for the train speeding.

The NTSB has also learned from the black box that the throttle went idle six seconds before the crash, and the brake pressure went to zero, indicating "full application of the brakes."

There was so far no indication of a problem with the brakes, NTSB member Earl Weener said.

The NTSB has begun interviewing the crew members and reviewing the engineer's cell phone, which Weener said was part of the forensic process. Technicians were also working to enhance poor surveillance video of the crash that was taken from a nearby bridge.

Anthony Bottalico, the chairman of the train engineer's union, ACRE Local 1, said the engineer was "traumatized" by the derailment and "distraught over the loss of life."

The Bronx district attorney is also involved in the investigation, a spokesman said.

Why doesn't just say it ... OH, he did!

Jack Wheeler is a brilliant man who was the author of Reagan's strategy to break the back of the Soviet Union with the star wars race and expose their inner weakness. For years he wrote a weekly intelligence update that was extremely interesting and well structured and informative. He consults(ed) with several mega corporations on global trends and the future, etc. He is in semi-retirement now. He is a true patriot with a no-nonsense approach to everything. He is also a somewhat well-known mountain climber and adventurer. 

Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler

The O-man, Barack Hussein Obama, is an eloquently tailored empty suit. No resume, no accomplishments, no experience, no original ideas, no understanding of how the economy works, no understanding of how the world works,  nothing but abstract, empty rhetoric devoid of real substance. 

He has no real identity. He is half-white, which he rejects. The rest of him is mostly Arab, which he hides but is disclosed by his non-African Arabic surname and his Arabic first and middle names as a way to triply proclaim his Arabic parentage to people in Kenya . Only a small part of him is African Black from his Luo grandmother, which he pretends he is exclusively. 

What he isn't, not a genetic drop of, is 'African-American,' the descendant of enslaved Africans brought to America chained in slave ships. He hasn't a single ancestor who was a slave. Instead, his Arab ancestors were slave owners. Slave-trading was the main Arab business in East Africa for centuries until the British ended it. 

Let that sink in: Obama is not the descendant of slaves, he is the descendant of slave owners. Thus he makes the perfect Liberal Messiah. 

It's something Hillary doesn't understand - how some complete neophyte came out of the blue and stole the Dem nomination from her.Obamamania is beyond politics and reason. It is a true religious cult, whose adherents reject Christianity yet still believe in Original Sin, transferring it from the evil of being human to the evil of being white. 

Thus Obama has become the white liberals' Christ, offering absolution from the Sin of Being White. There is no reason or logic behind it, no faults or flaws of his can diminish it, no arguments Hillary could make of any kind can be effective against it. The absurdity of Hypocrisy Clothed In Human Flesh being their Savior is all the more cause for liberals to worship him: Credo quia absurdum, I believe it because it is absurd. 

Thank heavens that the voting majority of Americans remain Christian and are in no desperate need of a phony savior. 

He is ridiculous and should not be taken seriously by any thinking American. But, make no mistake he still has enough power to destroy the American people and our democracy.

Lest we forget ..........

The information below is readily available for reference, in case you are asked by your child or a co-worker who might express indignation that something is getting in the way of all the sales, as to the purpose of the day. 

"No, little girl, we don't eat the big meal so we can stock up and go shopping, it is a day to be thankful for what we have."

"Yes, mister, but don't forget Cyber Monday, too, is that really Marilyn Monroe?"

Pilgrims a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. Their leadership came from the religious congregations of Brownest English Dissenters who had fled the volatile political environment in England for the relative calm and tolerance of 16th–17th century Holland in the Netherlands. 

The Mayflower was the Pilgrim ship that in 1620 made the historic voyage from England to the New World. The ship carried 102 passengers in two core groups – religious Separatists coming from Holland and a largely non-religious settler group from London. This voyage has become an iconic story in the earliest annals of American history with its tragic story of death and of survival in the harshest New World winter environment. The culmination of the voyage in the signing of the Mayflower Compact is one of the greatest moments in the story of America, providing the basis of the nation's present form of democratic self-government and fundamental freedoms.

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada. Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, and has long been celebrated in a secularmanner as well.

Morning, A great new time

Morning, this happens to be a Monday morning, but still ...... a morning. Another new day, the start of a new week. Every twenty four hours, we have the opportunity for a "new start."

Some dread morning, "another day, another dollar," they have to get ready, and go to WORK. How many people in the world would like to be able to do that? 

"Morning has broken,"  Great song. 

To some in the world, the sun coming up means a new day to look forward to, but to so many, a day of despair. Each morning brings with it, though, some optimism, that by the end of the day, things may be better.

This particular Monday, watching the news on TV, and the majority of the talks is about, SALES, BUYING, some talk of the train wreck back East, the Alabama football game, which may go down as one of the greatest, controversy as to which team should be, where, in the standings, some young guy sells clothes, shirts, etc., a billion dollar worth, but, he states, "Money is not the answer." Not sure what the question was.

I have ambition for today, first, a hot shower. I wonder how many people in the world do not have that luxury. Then off to Kroger's to pick up a prescription for my wife, who is a cancer survivor. Many don't have that to do, and many, such as my wife, have not survived.

Then off to Walmart, for groceries, for dinner, thousands of items, reasonably priced, that I will have to choose from. I wonder how many in the world has been eliminated, just at this point. Plus, I am 81 and still in relatively good health.

I am thankful that He, has given me this day ..... Thank You!

Cyber Monday - Whatever that means?

The Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky

I had visited this club on a few occasions, it was not too far, and not to "age conscious" while I was in high school. Well known entertainers appeared here, it was a showplace in the Midwest in its heyday. I had friends who made weekly trips, or at least on many occasions. 

The Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in Southgate, Kentucky, is the third deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. It occurred on the night of May 28, 1977, during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. A total of 165 persons died and over 200 were injured as a result of the blaze.

It is believed as many as 3,000 patrons and 182 employees were inside the club at 9:00 p.m. on the evening of the fire, just as the early show was beginning in the Cabaret Room. The headliner for the show, popular Hollywood singer and actor John Davidson, was in his dressing room; comedians Jim Teter and Jim McDonald were performing the warm-up act. The Cabaret Room was the larger of two showrooms with a stage, and it was estimated that over 1,300 patrons had been squeezed into the room. Because of overcrowding, additional guests had been seated on ramps leading to the stage. Elsewhere in the club, patrons were enjoying their meals and drinks in several restaurants, bars, private party rooms, and the Empire Room, the other performance room, where an awards banquet for 425 people was taking place. Upstairs, functions were taking place in the six Crystal Rooms

A wedding reception in the Zebra Room had ended at 8:30 p.m. Some guests complained that the room was becoming overheated, though no smoke was evident yet. The doors of the Zebra Room were closed after the reception ended, and the fire continued to smolder undetected for another 25 minutes. Two waitresses looking for tray jacks entered the Zebra Room at about 8:56 p.m. They saw dense smoke hanging near the ceiling and notified management immediately. A phone call was placed to the fire department at 9:01 p.m., and the first fire engine arrived in only three minutes. Meanwhile, the management used two fire extinguishers inside the Zebra Room, but to little effect. The fire had taken hold and could no longer be contained inside the room.

At 9:08 p.m., busboy Walter Bailey interrupted the show in the Cabaret Room, taking the stage to ask patrons to leave and pointing out the exits to the left and right of the stage. Some of the spectators obeyed and began to leave the Cabaret Room through the exits. Bailey was hailed as one of the heroes of the night, receiving official recognition and a letter from then U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Bailey said later that for years he rejected the title of hero and wondered if he had done enough.

The fire burst into the Cabaret Room at 9:10 p.m., preceded by thick smoke that spread all over the room, quickly engulfing it. Those who had not evacuated quickly panicked; many of them would be found dead piled up near the main entrance. The flames spread so rapidly that a full evacuation of the sprawling, crowded building was not possible.

Firefighters concentrated on the Cabaret Room where it was known that many people were trapped, but at midnight the roof had collapsed, and authorities doubted any more survivors would be found. John Davidson escaped via a door that had recently been constructed near the talent dressing room. His road manager also escaped, but his musical director perished.

Robert Vance, a Covington firefighter who responded to the blaze, was interviewed. He said of the fire: When I got to the inside doors, which is about 30 feet inside the building, I saw these big double doors, and people were stacked like cord wood. They were clear up to the top. They just kept diving out on each other trying to get out. I looked back over the pile of – it wasn't dead people, there were dead and alive in that pile – and I went in and I just started to grab them two at a time and pull them off the stack, and drag them out...

The new device that could have saved George Costanza’s wallet

Objects comfort the human hand. A fishing weight. A cigarette hard pack. Lipstick.

And credit cards. The unlimp but not unyielding plastic; the braille surface alive with take-charge symbols; the smart edges that are just shy of sharp. The touch of a credit card supplies a shot of short-term confidence, well-being and authority.

I can’t wait, then, to get my hands on Coin, the charge card to end all charge cards.

Coin looks like a building ID card — a cryptic white or black mystery item with a flat-iPod vibe. It runs on a lithium battery and — get this — has a magnetic strip that can be custom-programmed to become any swipeable card: a credit card, or a debit, gift, metro, flexible health and transit accounts, CVS, Sephora, Topless Teddy’s. Even National Security Agency top clearance. You name it.

OK, maybe not NSA. Or not yet! But everything else.

That’s right: Coin — the magnum opus of mobile developer Kanishk Parashar and handsomely capitalized by Y Combinator — is a device that looks and feels like a credit card and yet can morph into as many as eight cards.

Picture an evening out at the club or school potluck: Coin, a $20 bill, your phone. That’s all you need, and you’re Jason Bourne. Add a Trish McEvoy mulberry sheer lipstick — an odd choice for Jason Bourne, granted — and you could be around the world by sunrise.

No one has used Coin yet. It is scheduled to come out next summer, at a price of $100, or it can be preordered right now for $50 plus $5 shipping. But here’s how it is supposed to work: To choose your card, you press a peppercorn of a button and up comes the card’s name in e-ink on an embedded screen. You can swap cards in and out by swiping your card through a secure dongle that connects your phone. Using a mobile app, your phone then talks to Coin via Bluetooth.

Parashar’s breakthrough was to forget fretting over reinventing money with things like Bitcoin — and to leave digital payment systems to the folks at Square — and stick to reinventing the swipeable. He saw that nearly all the cards we use feature magnetically encoded info that, as with hotel key cards, can be changed in an instant.

In spite of its little calculator-like display, Coin is a terrific example of the nonscreen Internet. That’s where we’re heading. Look for pedals and clothing and furniture with Internet capacity. Just about any object can be made digital now.

And starting with credit cards is the right idea. Because no matter how good credit cards feel, you don’t want too many. A single card that works like a skeleton key? That’s trumps.

Japan's yakuza mobsters becoming 'Goldman Sachs with guns'

Tokyo (AFP) - Japanese mobsters driving flash cars purchased with bank loans. Executives bowing in apology for loaning millions to those underworld figures. And high-level officials vowing to squash the crime syndicates, known as yakuza.

Japan Inc. is engulfed in its worst mob scandal in years and it's shining a rare light on the links between big business and shadowy organised crime groups usually known for low-brow ventures like extortion and loan sharking.

But with membership falling as police ratchet up a crackdown, experts say the yakuza are branching far outside their traditional business into everything from insider trading to funding business startups.

"Insider trading has become huge -- you can make much more money manipulating stocks" than extorting businesses, says Jake Adelstein, a crime writer whose bestselling memoir "Tokyo Vice" is set to become a Hollywood movie.

Adelstein, a former reporter at Japan's top-selling Yomiuri daily, likens the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's biggest organised crime group, to "Goldman Sachs with guns".

Many mobsters -- forever associated with full-body tattoos and lopped-off pinky fingers -- have now ditched that tough guy persona in favour of tailored suits and clean-cut look that could pass in any boardroom, Adelstein said.

"They're savvy investors," he said added. "They like to gamble."

The yakuza occupy a grey area in Japan's usually law-abiding society.

They are both feared and loathed as social outcasts, while they're revered in equal measure through film, fanzines and manga cartoons.

Amazon unveils futuristic mini-drone delivery plan

Washington (AFP) - Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says his company is looking to the future with plans to use "octocopter" mini-drones to fly small packages to consumers in just 30 minutes.

The US retail giant's ambitious project still requires additional safety testing and federal approval, but Bezos estimated that Amazon "Prime Air" would be up and running within four to five years.

A demo video posted on the company's website showed the tiny robotic devices picking up packages in small yellow buckets from Amazon's fulfillment centers and then whizzing through the air to deliver the items to customers just 30 minutes after they made their purchase on Amazon.com.

"I know this looks like science fiction. It's not," Bezos told CBS television's "60 Minutes" program.

"We can do half-hour delivery... and we can carry objects, we think, up to five pounds (2.3 kilograms), which covers 86 percent of the items that we deliver."

The mini-drones are powered by electric motors and could cover areas within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of fulfillment centers, thus covering a significant portion of the population in urban areas.

They operate autonomously and drop the items at the target locations thanks to GPS coordinates transmitted to them.

"It’s very green, it’s better than driving trucks around," said Bezos.

76-Year-Old Brooklyn Woman May Be Latest 'Knockout' Assault Victim

Police are on the hunt for a man who sucker-punched a 76-year-old New York woman in East New York.

Yvonne Small was attacked from behind at around 11:35 a.m. on Friday while walking on Alabama Avenue, and is believed to be the latest victim in the sometimes deadly "knockout game," police say.

The attack occurred shortly after a nearby rally held by activists condemning the violent "game" ended. A male suspect fled the scene and Small was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where she was treated for a head injury and later released.

According to the New York Police Department, there have been at least nine other attacks in the city linked to the knockout game, in which perpetrators pummel innocent, unsuspecting victims, hoping to render them unconscious with one punch.

On Nov. 22, police charged one man for punching a 24-year-old Jewish man. In response to that attack in Brooklyn, New York City Councilman David Greenfield told ABC station WABC-TV in New York that officials should send a message of "zero tolerance."

"That's why I called on the NYPD and District Attorney's Office to literally throw the book at these individuals and to charge them with many crimes, including hate crimes and gang assault, because that's what it is," Greenfield said.

Police said there have seven other similar attacks in Brooklyn and believe the motive may be related to anti-Semitism. The NYPD's hate crimes task force is investigating the cases. It was not clear whether the latest victim, Small, is Jewish like all of the nine other victims before her.

Speed a factor in Walker's deadly crash

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Investigators sought to determine the cause of a fiery crash that killed "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker while the actor's fans erected a makeshift memorial Sunday near where the Porsche he was riding in smashed into alight pole and tree.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said speed was a factor in Saturday's one-car crash, though it will take time to determine how fast the car was going.

Because Walker is so closely associated with the underground culture of street racing portrayed in the popular "Fast & Furious" film franchise, the fatal accident had an eerie quality — a tragic end for a Hollywood hero of speed.

The crash also killed Walker's friend and financial adviser Roger Rodas, according to Walker's publicist, Ame Van Iden. She said Walker was a passenger in the 2005 red Porsche Carrera GT when they drove away from a fundraiser in the community of Valencia, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Sheriff's deputies found the car engulfed in flames when they arrived at the site of the crash, near the fundraiser at Rodas' sport car dealership. Officials have not identified either person found in the car.

On Sunday, fans of Walker, 40, gathered to leave flowers, candles and memorabilia from the action movies.

Worth watching and listening to ...........

This is a little lengthy, but unique and interesting, it is definitely worth the watching, for anyone ... this was a Facebook link ....

WATCH HERE

Probably true ........

Q: If pilgrims were alive today, what would they say? 

A: Do not resuscitate. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

An elderly man in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough." 

"Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams. 

"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old man says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her," and he hangs up. 

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "Like hell they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at the old man, "You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and hangs up. 

The old man hangs up his phone, too, and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says, "they're coming for 

Thanksgiving. Now what do we tell them for Christmas?"

The ............ "Decoder Badge"

I thought of another one. Incidents indelibly imprinted in my mind. Pearl Harbor, Kennedy, etc., but another one stands out. Late 30's, not sure exactly, but I had ordered a Captain Midnight Decoder Badge. It seemed like it took an eternity to arrive.

I was in school at Emerson, and some event was happening at school I wanted to see, it was after school, I think a basketball game. My Mom and Dad came to the school to watch it also, and Mom, well, she brought the precious box to school.

I remember how excited I was when I opened it in the gym, at Emerson, and could not get home fast enough so I could "decode" whatever message the Captain was going to send over the airwaves that afternoon. They would give the secret message, I would write it down, and with that badge, I could decode it, how great was that?

It, like many other items, got left behind when I went away to college. I had a box full of similar items.

Some Reminiscing

It is rather sad, how holiday's have degenerated to merely retail events and they have lost the reason for the occasion. Thanksgiving was a three day event, A big dinner on the day, then leftovers for three days, we talked about the Pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, the Indians, the First Thanksgiving, we thought of and talked about the "reason" for the day. We ate traditional foods, prepared as they had been, on "that" day.

After we stuffed ourselves, we sat and talked, relatives, friends, neighbors, people dropped in. The leftover food lasted through Sunday, and then, back to work on Monday, and then, all the traditions leading up to Christmas, which in those days, revolved around the Birth of Christ. Santa Clause was apparently introduced to the season, to bring "gifts." I'm sure his survival has been perpetuated by retailers, who saw his participation as generating sales in the stores.

I miss the radio, Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, Our Miss Brooks, all the shows that did "seasonal" shows, they were a part of that particular season .... I just miss that ...... quieter ....... gentler time.

Sunday Morning

BREAKING NEWS HEADLINE: An undisclosed source in New York learned today that Davinos, a large department store in the Bronx, has no sales going on, and is selling everything in the store at regular retail prices. This revolutionary post Thanksgiving policy is the brainchild of Davino's Marketing Manger, Sol Manichucko.

I know television is a powerful media, and they could have no way of determining the outcomes, but, Friday morning in a "well" session, (let's drop it in the well and listen to it splash), Marty Francessia, media marketing mogul stated, "Wouldn't it be great if Ohio State squeaked out a win over Michigan, and Auburn upset Alabama in a last minute scenario, how great would that be for the end of the season, millions would be watching."

On the political side, now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.  Now is the time for all good men to come to thee aid f their country. And that sums that up.

I have noticed, this morning, watching "Sunday Morning" television, sales, sales, sales, seem to be the rage in retailing. As Harvey Kelterman, CEO of Bellman's stated, "Its been a great week, we are almost completely sold out, ah, what, oh, well,  we lost a little money, but we had a great week of sales, I think volume will keep us going for a while."

'Fast & Furious' star dies in car crash

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Walker, the star of the "Fast & Furious" movie series, died Saturday in a car crash that killed one other person north of Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 40.

Walker died Saturday afternoon, Ame Van Iden told The Associated Press.

A statement on the actor's Facebook page said he was a passenger in a friend's car, and that Walker was in the area to attend a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide.

"We ... are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news," the statement said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that deputies found a car engulfed in flames when they responded to a report of a collision in the community of Valencia. Two people who were found in the car were pronounced dead at the scene.

Sheriff's deputies work near the wreckage of a Porsche that crashed into a light pole on Hercules St …

The Santa Clarita Signal reports a red Porsche crashed into a light pole and tree and burst into flames.

Walker was working on "Fast & Furious 7" at the time of his death. He also starred in the suspense drama, "Hours," which is set for release this month.

Walker rode the "Fast & Furious" franchise to stardom, starring in all but one of the six action blockbusters, beginning with the first film in 2001. The blond-haired, blue-eyed Los Angeles-native brought California surfer good-looks and an easy, warm charm to the popular street-racing series.

"All of us at Universal are heartbroken," Universal Pictures said in a statement. "Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the 'Fast and Furious' films, and to countless fans."

Looks different