James L. Paris's Blog, page 172
March 20, 2016
Burger King Comes to Its Senses
Hopefully, it will be a trend ��� after years of traditional, fast-food chains being bullied by social engineers into adding healthier menu options, as well as deciding on their own that there was a seat for them at the popular fast-casual table, one has decided to go back to being what it was before, and what it has always been, really: a fast-food joint. According to an article over at WSJ.com by Julie Jargon, Burger King is making the decision to modify���including simplify���its menu, and re-establish itself as a purveyor of sinfully delicious, inexpensive burgers, fries, and the like.
Burger King���s move goes against the grain at two levels: first, as mentioned, the chain has decided to re-embrace the junk food that remains such a guilty pleasure for so many of us, but which has found itself a growing target of a society that feels comfortable collectively demanding that we conduct ourselves, in all ways, in a healthier fashion. Additionally, the change back reverses the trend toward becoming a so-called ���fast-casual��� restaurant, a cross between fast-food and casual dining (Chili���s, etc.) that combines the less-formal service atmosphere of a fast-food restaurant with more mature menu options - think Chipotle, for example.
It should be mentioned that, ultimately, Burger King���s decision is a business one, without regard to whatever statement anyone might believe it is making. The simple reality is that after roughly 50 years of being Burger King, the chain began the attempt to also become Salad King, Wrap King, and more, and otherwise tried to reinvent itself after so much time as being one of the world���s most famous���and reliable���fast-food restaurants. That kind of move rarely (never?) works, from the standpoint of productive business practices. Such is especially the case when the business does not decide to fully change from one thing to another, but decides instead to be all things to all people ��� when I think Burger King, I will always think ���Triple Whopper with Cheese,��� and never, really, anything else.
So many of those newer, more ���evolved��� options that appeared over the recent past were distractions I had to get past as I scanned the menu looking for the most delicious and obscene offerings available, and, evidently, Burger King saw them as financial distractions, as well. In the end, I just don���t know anyone who goes to Burger King for their healthier menu choices, and, apparently, Burger King wasn���t finding a bunch of them, either. Identity is just about everything in business, and Burger King had, to some degree, lost theirs. Nice to see you guys again.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
March 18, 2016
President Obama Puts Surprised Republicans On Their Heels with SCOTUS Pick
President Obama���s selection as Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the passing of Antonin Scalia is being seen by many as a strategic, effort to passively-aggressively engage Republicans as he winds down his eight years as chief executive.
While many on the right have been fearful of Obama using the nomination to elevate a fringe-left jurist who would help to slant the Court in such a way that would guarantee progressive rulings for many years to come, the president instead selected someone who is seen as much more of a moderate. While his less-than-radical approach to jurisprudence is a disappointment to liberal groups who were carefully watching for this selection, conservatives are generally quick to note that he still looks very much like a liberal who is merely cleverly disguised as a centrist. Among other pieces of evidence to which they point is that Garland, presently chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, lobbied to have the full Circuit re-hear the case after a Circuit panel struck down D.C.���s handgun ban. He was unsuccessful in his effort, but the fact that he was obviously unhappy with the panel���s decision is clearly suggestive of some animus toward gun rights.
Tellingly, Obama has said about his pick that ���to suggest that someone as qualified and respected as Merrick Garland doesn't even deserve a hearing, let alone an up-or-down vote, to join an institution as important as our Supreme Court, that would be unprecedented." Therein lies the genius of what Obama has done. For weeks now, Republicans have been swearing there would be no hearing before the next president takes office, but those making that declaration were surely assuming the president would be nominating a radical. That has not happened, and now, if Republicans stick to their guns and don���t even move forward with a hearing on behalf of Garland, who has a history of being well-liked by members of both parties, they can more easily be painted as obstructionist.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
American Gets 15 Years Hard Labor in North Korea
A 21-year-old University of Virginia student has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor by North Korea���s Supreme Court for what many observers see as a crime roughly akin to a college prank.
Otto Warmbier of Wyoming, Ohio, was a traveling in North Korea on backpacking tour arranged by Young Pioneer Tours when he was arrested on January 2 of this year, while waiting to board his flight at Pyongyang airport to depart the country and return to the United States. He was charged by authorities with ���acts of hostility against the state��� in connection with his theft of a NK propaganda sign from Yanggakdo International Hotel. The story goes that he attempted to steal the sign to fulfill his part of a pre-trip bargain he made with someone from his hometown church, who agreed to give Warmbier a car valued at $10,000 if he was able to return to the States with a propaganda piece.
Warmbier confessed his crime to North Korean authorities on February 29, and was convicted and sentenced on March 16. Warmbier���s sentence, seen as especially harsh even in the current climate of U.S.-North Korea relations, came following former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson met with North Korean diplomats in New York City, asking the North Korea government to release Warmbier on humanitarian grounds.
It is worth noting that the validity of at least some portions of Warmbier���s confession is under great scrutiny. He read, tearfully, from a prepared statement that ascribed the real blame for his actions to the U.S. government; about that, he said, in part, ���I never, never should have allowed myself to be lured by the United States administration to commit a crime in this country. I wish that the United States administration never manipulate people like myself in the future to commit crimes against foreign countries. I entirely beg you, the people and government of the DPRK, for your forgiveness. Please! I made the worst mistake of my life!��� Warmbier also said in his confession that North Korea should be praised for its ���humanitarian treatment of severe criminals like myself.���
No word yet on what, if anything, is next regarding attempts by U.S. authorities to secure Warmbier���s freedom.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
FCC Vows to Increase Internet Privacy, but Will That Really Be Enough?
Privacy and the Internet have never been comfortable bedfellows. The inherent nature of the Internet, in the minds of many, precludes the very idea of privacy. Of course, many of us do not agree, and citizen and consumer advocacy groups have long been very firm in their belief that simply because one is on the Internet, that should not mean he has abdicated a genuine right to privacy. Now, the Federal Communications Commission appears (finally) swayed by the idea that consumers should have some say about the kind of information collected on them by Internet service providers (ISPs), as well as how that information is used.
Some feel that ISPs have a particularly strong advantage when it comes to peering in on our online activity, because they are the very mechanisms that serve as our spacecraft as we fly through cyberspace. While it has to be understood that much of what is collected is necessary for ISPs to do their jobs, it is the repackaging of that information that has been poorly received by many.
However, a formal proposal, to be made March 31 by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, would put some requirements in place for ISPs���requirements that would give consumers a say in some of the disposition of their information. Notably, you would have the opportunity to opt out of programs that enable the ISPs to pitch you on other of their own, proprietary services, and, further, ISPs would have to secure your explicit consent before they could share any of your data with third parties.The proposal, however, is not a sure thing at this time, and telecommunications companies, to no one���s surprise, are strongly resistant to any government measures that would regulate their own privacy practices.
Even if Chairman Wheeler���s proposal becomes law, however, the beneficial (to consumers) provisions would represent just a tiny pushback against the numerous and wide threats to Internet-based safety and security that continue to plague those who���ve yet to do anything meaningful about them. On that note, I want to mention again the wonderful Patriot Privacy Kit digital book, and how I think it serves as a great manual for staying safe while roaming around online. I���ve previously highlighted the great information it has to offer on the subject of password protection, email security, even browser security (yes���even just using a less secure browser can compromise your security online), to name just a few important topics. Well, here���s another important area about which you���ll want to know more: having the ability to surf the web anonymously. Everyone who uses the Internet has an IP (Internet Protocol) address, and that is the route through which everyone and everything on the other side of your computer travels to send you information. It is your online address in every bit the way your residential address serves to tell the world how you can be physically located.
How would you like to be on the web���while hiding your location?
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
March 17, 2016
Italy Trip For $800 Per Person - 8 Days With Airfare, Hotel, And Breakfast
Many of you know that I just returned from Italy yesterday. We paid only $1,600 for our eight day travel package (for two people). If you don't already follow me on Facebook, you can see all of the pictures by going here. I will be doing a special webinar on Wednesday night at 8 pm Eastern on how I got this trip, what I liked and did not like, what I learned about scams to avoid, risks on the street (pickpockets, panhandlers, etc...) and more. If you have ever wondered about those really great travel deals that you see online, you don't want to miss this.
The webinar is 100% free for members of ChristianMoneyPlus (registration link is at the top of the member site). If you are not a member, you can join today (a great reason to do so, and so many more benefits are included) or you can purchase a ticket to the webinar a la carte for $30. The webinar will be recorded, so if you can't attend live, you will have access to the replay to watch at your convenience. There is so much I will be sharing, including what discount travel agency I went through, what I liked and did not like about the trip, how to deal with auto insurance when you have a rental car overseas, using the train system, pickpockets and other dangers to look out for on the street, using taxis and Uber, and much more.
If you don't want to grab a subscription to ChristianMoneyPlus, just Click Here to purchase your webinar ticket. You will receive a registration confirmation e mail with the link (check your spam folder). If you don't get this e mail, please contact me directly Click Here.
Helping you make the most of God's Money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
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Christian Financial Advice
Former Subway Spokesman & Convicted Pedophile Jared Fogle Injured in Prison Yard Attack
News has come to light that former Subway spokesman and convicted child molester Jared Fogle was injured in an altercation in the recreation yard at Littleton, Colorado���s Englewood Prison back in January. Fogle was apparently attacked and beaten by another inmate, 60-year-old Steven Nigg, who is at Englewood serving time for a gun conviction related to a decades-old crime spree in which he robbed a motel, convenience stores, and a gas station.
According to reports, Fogle emerged from the beating with a bloody nose, scratched-up neck, and a swollen face. For his part in the assault, Nigg was reportedly sent to solitary confinement.
Englewoood, a federal corrections facility, is officially listed as a ���low-security��� prison. Although low-security prisons are considered less threatening than medium- and high-security prisons, they are actually higher on the prison security totem pole than minimum-security units. Minimum-security prisons at the federal level are characterized by dormitory housing, low staff-to-inmate ratios, and little or no perimeter fencing, while low-security prisons have some dormitory housing, higher staff-to-inmate ratios, and double-fenced perimeters.
The bottom line is that while Fogle may be serving his time in a so-called low-security prison, he is by no means safely ensconced in a facility filled with nothing but non-violent inmates, as he recently learned, in no uncertain terms.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Will Republican Power Brokers Act to King Paul Ryan as GOP Nominee in July?
Although the likelihood that House Speaker Paul Ryan could emerge from the July GOP convention in Cleveland as the party���s nominee for president seems remote, the fact that such a possibility is being discussed at all speaks volumes about the disarray in which the Republican Party presently finds itself.
At this hour, there are conflicting reports as to whether Ryan would accept the nomination if it came his way, but we know that he seemed open to the possibility as of recently. Ryan has not been a declared candidate this time around, although he was the vice-presidential running mate of GOP nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.
The so-called Republican ���establishment��� has been up in arms over the prospect of Donald Trump as the party standard-bearer ever since it became evident that his candidacy was gaining traction among much of the electorate; many of its high-profile representatives have been vigorous in their public denunciations of Trump, as well as in their efforts to find a way to deny him the nomination.
It is just this sort of behavior that has put Republicans on thin ice in an election year that is supposed to have seen, after eight years of Obama, an easy victory for any party nominee. A surprisingly strong climate of populism, which has elevated Trump to victories in a large number of state contests thus far in 2016 and provided him with the highest delegate count so far, has also served to alienate many Republican traditionalists, with some of the best-heeled and best-connected among them seeking to wrest the nomination from its likeliest claimant. However, it is difficult to imagine a scenario wherein a hotly-contested convention, especially one that is brokered and nominates someone who did not participate in the primary/caucus season, does not act as the catalyst that both assures a Clinton victory in November and causes irreparable damage to the Republican Party.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
March 15, 2016
���Archbishop of Canterbury: Not Racist to Oppose Refugees
Austin Welby, the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, in acknowledging the ���genuine fear��� that many in Great Britain have over the long-term (and not so long-term) impacts of mass migration to the country, said that it is ���outrageous��� to characterize those concerned as racist.
Welby, in an interview with Parliament���s The House magazine, pointed out that the mass migration currently at play throughout much of Europe is actually a ���colossal crisis,��� and that it is ���reasonable��� for the citizenry to be ���anxious��� about what is going on.
Rather than dismissing the fears as ���racist��� and essentially ignoring those who have concerns, Welby said that the government should listen carefully to those folks, and put in place resources to properly address the fears and concerns that so many citizens���both in Britain and elsewhere���have about the migrant crisis.
The U. S. is, of course, in the midst of addressing its own concerns about refugees, and many might be surprised to learn that in more ���remote��� states like South Carolina and Montana (���remote,��� as in, not close to America���s biggest cities or representative of its most politically progressive commonwealths), there are active movements afoot, engineered by the federal government and facilitated by its ���contractors,��� to relocate Muslim refugees there. Right now, citizens in South Carolina are pushing back against efforts by Lutheran Services Carolinas and World Relief, an arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, to essentially import Muslim refugees into the state, and many Montana residents are up in arms over the work of the International Rescue Committee and a group called WorldMontana to relocate Syrian refugees to Missoula and Helena.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Head of NSA Says Attack to U.S. Power Grid a ���Matter of When, Not If���
As calls continue to grow around the country for more attention to be paid to threats to the power grid, so, too, has the stature of those sounding the alarm. While we���ve not heard the President of the United states address these threats, including those posed by an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, attack, in a direct way with the American people (yet), it is difficult to find someone much better placed and with more credibility on the subject than the chief of the National Security Agency, Admiral Michael S. Rogers, and he has been very vocal on the subject.
Most recently, at the RSA cyber security conference recently held in San Francisco, Admiral Rogers declared that it is a ���matter of when, not if��� that a nation-state hostile to U.S. interests would initiate an attack against North America���s power grid. Rogers��� comments came on the heels of the U.S. government���s confirmation that a blackout affecting 225,000 people in the Ukraine last December was the result of a cyber-attack executed by a Russian-based hacking group.
In his comments, Admiral Rogers also stated that he had significant concerns about threats to the power grid initiated by such non-state rogue actors as the Islamic State.
One of the significant threats to the power grid exists in the form of the aforementioned EMP attack. Senator Ted Cruz, during a recent debate featuring the GOP presidential candidates, underlined the very real possibility of such an attack at the hands of a motivated nation-state enemy like North Korea. Pay particularly close attention to what Cruz says at the 1:38 mark of the video:
While an EMP event can be caused by solar storms and lightning bolts, it can also be caused by a calculated nuclear explosion, as Cruz points out. The detonation of such a weapon by a rogue nation or non-state group could plunge an affected region into a world of darkness, and it is estimated that it could take years for an area to recover from an EMP attack.
We have mentioned a couple of excellent resources in this space on the subject of how to prepare to survive an EMP attack. One of those is Darkest Days, a 177-page, spiral-bound, fully-illustrated manual (8 1/2 x 11 page size), that goes through the A to Z of how to survive an electromagnetic pulse attack. This is a terrific piece of material, and one that will serve you well either as a stand-alone EMP survival resource, or as a complement to other EMP survival information you may already possess. Additionally, not only is Darkest Days available for a great price, but the purchase comes with a 60-day, money-back guarantee, so that if you are not satisfied for any reason, you can get a no-hassle refund. To learn more about Darkest Days, or to pick up your copy directly, Click Here.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
March 14, 2016
What Violence at Trump Rallies is Telling Us about Trouble to Come
The violence at rallies for GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is a bad sign, in and of itself, but it is the prospect of what that violence is really telegraphing that is even more worrisome. Unless you have been living under a rock, you���re surely aware of the troubles that have been blowing up at Trump rallies in recent days; as the left has determined that Trump cannot be defeated at the voting booth, it has decided to do what it can to overtly create havoc at wherever Trump goes to speak. Most notable of the disruptions was that which took place at an anticipated rally in Chicago just a few days ago, where violence between Trump supporters and critics���in a showdown largely pre-organized on various social media outlets by leftists���forced Trump to cancel the event. In the days that followed, high-profile dustups at other Trump rallies and appearances have made the news, and have fueled a national conversation on Trump as a lightning rod for violence among the electorate.
Beyond the matter of how troublesome this activity is, on its face, there is the matter of the ominous signals it is sending out: that any candidate with strong, unvarnished opinions in defense of the nation���as well as that candidate���s supporters���should expect to be a target of violence by the organized left in America. A natural, expected progression of violence like this at rallies���is that it will eventually spread to other parts of cities and towns where the events are held, perhaps even to neighborhoods, as the left desperately tries to circumvent the will of the people.
With or without Trump, the handwriting is clearly on the wall, in my opinion; before the firm changes can be made that will put America back on the correct path, there may well be a lot of violence, a lot of bloodshed���that characterizes the painful process. Are you ready?
If not, then it is time to get ready. On that note, let me briefly mention a comprehensive survival prep package for the true ���everyman,��� something called Get Prepped in 1 Trip to Walmart. It a terrific information source for those people who want to make the stockpiling of essential survival supplies as quick and painless as possible. Make no mistake, however; this is not just some glorified checklist (although the several supplies lists provided are excellent resources, and go a long way to helping one to more quickly and efficiently obtain what he or she needs). The Get Prepped in 1 Trip to Walmart package contains a wealth of actionable information on how to be prepared for the next disaster. Get Prepped is presented in a multitude of e-reports and videos that cover a wide array of survival topics. It would not be feasible to list in this space all of the different videos and PDFs that make up Get Prepped, but here are the self-explanatory titles of just a few:
Fifty Essential Food Items, Parts 1 and 2 (videos)
Home to Fortress in 7 Days (PDF)
How to Keep Your Stockpile Hidden (PDF)
Spot a Disaster Before It Hits (PDF)
DIY Solar Water Purification (video)
Fundamentals of Organic Gardening for Preppers (video)
Stockpiling for Pennies (PDF)
Safeguarding Your Family Against Terrorist Attacks (PDF)
Ultimate Survival First Aid Kit (video)
This is just the beginning���there���s lots more, including, as mentioned, several lists to help make the accessing of necessary provisions so much easier. Best of all is that everything you need can be found at Walmart, which is what this package is really all about. In just one afternoon, you and your family members can emerge from your local superstore with everything you need to be ready should protest violence, a natural disaster, or some other kind of significant trouble comes your way.
If you see yourself as one of those folks who could benefit from a bit of a head start when it comes to prepping, and like the idea of being able to grab in just one afternoon all of what you���ll ever likely need to withstand even a relatively severe crisis, then Get Prepped in 1 Trip to Walmart may be just the ticket. Note, too, that as with practically every product we suggest in this space, this package comes with a 60-day, money-back guarantee, so that if you decide it���s not for you, no problem; it���s super-easy to get a full refund. To learn about this great package, or to simply grab it straight-away, Click Here.
