The CDC claims the flu is at the epidemic threshold
According to this story the CDC has stated that the flu is at the epidemic threshold. Here is more:
the CDC says the U.S. has hit the flu epidemic threshold nationwide.
According to the CDC, the proportion of deaths reported in 122 U.S. cities from pneumonia and influenza surpassed the seasonal baseline and currently stands at the epidemic threshold of 6.8 percent. The number of states reporting high flu activity has also increased from 13 to 22.
The World Health Organization defines the epidemic threshold thusly:
the critical number or density of susceptible hosts required for an epidemic to occur. The epidemic threshold is used to confirm the emergence of an epidemic so as to step-up appropriate control measures
According to the definition, and by the CDC’s admission, we could be on the verge of a flu epidemic. This news comes on the heels of the CDC’s admission that this year’s flu vaccine might not be adequate for the strains we are seeing this flu season: Read more…
New study casts doubt about whether North Korea was behind Sony hacking
According to the New York Times a newly released study adds to doubts that North Korea was behind the Sony hacking.
Here is more:
A number of private security and pentesting researchers are increasingly voicing doubts that the hack of Sony‘s computer systems was the work of North Korea.
President Obama and the F.B.I. last week accused North Korea of targeting Sony and pledged a “proportional response” just hours before North Korea’s Internet went dark without explanation. But security researchers remain skeptical, with some even likening the government’s claims to those of the Bush administration in the build-up to the Iraq war.
Fueling their suspicions is the fact that the government based its findings, in large part, on evidence that it will not release, citing the “need to protect sensitive sources and methods.”
For one, skeptics note that the few malware samples they have studied indicate the hackers routed their attack through computers all over the world. One of those computers, in Bolivia, had been used by the same group to hack targets in South Korea. But that computer, as well as others in Poland, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Cyprus and the United States, were all freely available to anyone to use, which opens the list of suspects to anyone with an Internet connection and basic hacking skills.
For another, Sony’s attackers constructed their malware on computers configured with Korean language settings, but skeptics note that those settings could have been reset to deflect blame. They also note the attackers used commercial software wiping tools that could have been purchased by anyone.
They also point out that whoever attacked Sony had a keen understanding of its computer systems — the names of company servers and passwords were all hard-coded into the malware — suggesting the hackers were inside Sony before they launched their attack. Or it could even have been an inside job.
Court rules the EPA cannot regulate lead ammunition
When the Democrats failed to push cap and trade legislation through the Congress Barack Obama quipped “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” What he meant by this was it was time for the EPA to institute defacto cap and trade regulations thusly circumventing the Congress.
The same can be said for gun control: environmental groups have been engaged in a type of backdoor gun control effort as they have been trying to get the EPA to regulate the use of lead in ammunition. What good is it to have weapons if you cannot purchase ammunition? If you are a member of a gun club there is the likelihood you have felt this harassment firsthand.
Now a Federal Court has ruled that the EPA cannot regulate the use of lead in ammunition. I have only seen this story reported at Bunkerville so a hat-tip is in order.
Open thread for Sunday, December 28th: Love Vigilantes
Here is the open thread for Sunday, December 28th. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
With the Christmas holiday in the middle of the week this was a slow week blogging with only 10 stories to discuss, but still they were important stories. While blogging might have been down everyone was busy so it is understandable if you missed any posts. If you did miss anything there is an easy way to make sure it does not happen again. I understand that all of you are busy and cannot always find the time to check the blog for updates so why not subscribe to America’s Watchtower and receive email updates whenever I write a new post? That is the easiest way to follow the blog to ensure you never miss another post.
In addition to subscribing you can also follow America’s Watchtower on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links on the right. But you will get more than that for I often post links to articles I probably will not be writing about so it is a great way to keep up with what is happening.
The Twitter widget in the sidebar is fully interactive. This widget updates my tweets in real time and allows you to respond to or retweet my tweets right from the blog. It also allows you to tweet me right from America’s Watchtower. How cool is that! If you do not have a Twitter account what better reason do you need to sign up for one!?
Now, on to the musical selection of the week: A couple of weeks ago I posted a video of one of my all-time favorite bands Joy Division. Joy Division was cut short with the tragic suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis but the band is still considered to be one of the most influential alternative rock bands from the era.
Out of the ashes of Joy Division rose New Order. The band, led by Joy Division lead guitarist Bernard Sumner who took over on lead vocals, reformed and went on to become the godfathers of electronic music.
Before fully morphing into the electronic sound which would eventually define the band they released “Love Vigilantes” and this might be my favorite song by New Order.
I heard this song on the radio the other day for the first time in many years and so I decided to share it today.
Enjoy:
JetBlue receives bomb threat after providing police with free flights to attend NYC funerals
Last week JetBlue offered a free flight to any police officer in the nation who wished to attend the funerals of the two NYPD police officers who were assassinated in apparent retribution for the incident which led to the death of Eric Garner.
Because of this they received a bomb threat as well as calls for boycotts and yet the mainstream media has not found this to be news worthy.
For all of the hoopla surrounding the Tea Party and the mainstream media “concern” that the so-called anti-government movement would eventually lead to violence, although it has never and will never materialize, I find it quite interesting they are ignoring this story.
Here we have an actual threat of violence coming from the left and yet the mainstream media does not feel the obligation to report it. Rest assured that if the situation was reversed and a Tea Party member had made the same threat it would be splashed across our television screens 24 hours a day.
But instead it is move along, nothing to see here. Why do you think that is the case? Rhetorical question…
Google moves to exempt itself from “Do Not Track” regulations
A few years ago the Federal Trade Commission announced its “Do Not Track” plan and this was designed to protect people’s online privacy rights by allowing people to opt out of “cookies” which allow third parties to track a person’s internet usage. However the regulations have never been finalized.
Here is the back story from the New York Times:
FOUR years ago, the Federal Trade Commission announced, with fanfare, a plan to let American consumers decide whether to let companies track their online browsing and buying habits. The plan would let users opt out of the collection of data about their habits through a setting in their web browsers, without having to decide on a site-by-site basis.
The idea, known as “Do Not Track,” and modeled on the popular “Do Not Call” rule that protects consumers from unwanted telemarketing calls, is simple. But the details are anything but.
Although many digital advertising companies agreed to the idea in principle, the debate over the definition, scope and application of “Do Not Track” has been raging for several years.
The FCC decided to let an industry group carve out the regulations and according to the same article the proposed regulations would render “Do Not Track” meaningless. Here is more: Read more…
The IRS “mistakenly” put a levy on Christine O’Donnell’s bank accounts
Shortly after Christine O’Donnell announced her candidacy for the Senate an IRS employee illegally accessed her tax returns and slapped a lien on a house which supposedly belonged to her.
In addition to illegally accessing her tax returns there was another problem with this–she no longer owned the house the IRS put a lien on.
The IRS chalked this up as a “computer glitch,” the lien was removed, and her name was cleared. That should have been the end of this story but apparently it is not because now the IRS is at it again.
This time the IRS put a levy on her bank accounts and stole $30,000 because–they claim–she owed it in taxes for selling a house.
Here is more:
Before I begin this post: Make no mistake about it, I do not like the fact that wealthy donors, special interest groups, and unions are able to buy elections by outspending ordinary Americans. They influence the elections and ultimately we are forced to choose between two candidates who have been hand-picked by the establishment.
Having said that, much to the chagrin of the Democrats, it works both ways. While the Democrats love to attack the Koch brothers there are many wealthy people on the left–such as George Soros and Warren Buffett, to name a couple–who spend tens of thousands of dollars in order to affect the outcome of elections, but this is ignored by the Democrats because they are on the “right” side.
In keeping with an America’s Watchtower tradition here is “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas; a Soldier’s Poem.” Please do not forget those who sacrifice everything, and their families, so that we might enjoy this day with our families.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who frequents my little slice of the internet on a daily basis. It is because of all of you that I keep doing this during those days when I consider giving up.
We have a great community here and I would not give that up for anything. Merry Christmas Everybody and Happy New Year.
Darrell Issa releases his final report on the IRS targeting scandal
Darrell Issa has released his final report on the IRS targeting scandal and it appears as if there was–not surprisingly–a bias held against conservative groups. Some IRS employees seemed to let their personal political beliefs cloud the decision making process.
Here is more:
Conservative organizations were not just singled out because of their political beliefs—they were targeted by IRS officials and employees who expressed a general loathing toward them even while begrudgingly admitting that those organizations were in compliance with the only thing the IRS should care about: the federal tax code. Documents and interviews show IRS officials failed to limit their professional judgments to enforcing the tax code and instead inserted their own beliefs and judgments into federal matters to influence outcomes and decisions. One IRS agent wrote about an organization applying for 501(c)(4) status that donated to other organizations that engaged in political activity, “I’m not sure we can deny them because, technically, I don’t know that I can deny them simply for donating to another 501(c)(4).” Another agent responded, “This sounds like a bad org . . . This org gives me an icky feeling.”
America's Watchtower 