http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/detroit/ en-us Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:34:15 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415272/posts An attempted terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight began with a pop and a puff of smoke - sending passengers scrambling to subdue a Nigerian man who claimed to be acting on orders from al Qaeda to blow up the airliner, officials and travelers said. -snip- Mutallab has been in the U.S. before, having received a visa in June 2008. His listed residence was in Houston, Texas. Authorities had placed him on a preliminary watch list, meaning they wanted to gather more information about him, but law enforcement subsequently lost track of him. CBS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415272/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:34:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415234/posts WASHINGTON — - In what was described as an act of terrorism, a Nigerian passenger attempted to ignite an incendiary device Friday aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit as the plane began its approach for landing, federal officials said. The plane landed safely shortly before noon. The suspected would-be bomber suffered burns as the result of his attempt, and two of the other 277 passengers reported minor injuries, authorities said. FBI agents were investigating the incident, which a White House official said was thought to be an attempted act of terrorism. "He was trying to ignite some... Baltimore Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415234/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:50:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415129/posts Man on Flight to Detroit Claims Al Qaeda Ties; Obama Tightens Security DETROIT -- A passenger on a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight tried to detonate an explosive device that was strapped to his leg and later told investigators that he was trying to blow up the plane and had affiliations with al Qaeda, according to a senior U.S. official. The man, who has not been publicly identified by officials, told investigators that he was given the device by Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, where he was also given instructions on how to detonate it, the official said. The Associated Press... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415129/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:32:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415055/posts A passenger on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, caused a brief disturbance Friday at the end of the trip by igniting firecrackers, a Delta Air Lines spokeswoman said... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415055/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:59:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413892/posts A Congressional Research Service report commissioned by the House Judiciary Committee says ACORN hasn't violated any federal regulations the past five years. The report, released by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers's, D-Mich., staff Tuesday evening, also reports that the undercover filmmakers that allegedly caught employees of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now breaking the law may have violated state law in their filming operation. politicon http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413892/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:18:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2413681/posts Back in October I wrote a post about the Obama administration had thousands of poor (mostly black) Detroiters line up for what they thought was “Obama money” to prevent them from becoming or staying homeless. In reality, officials were only handing out applications for the funding, which they ran out of! It was a scene right out of the former Soviet Union: People standing in line for several hours for a pair of government-issue galoshes, only to find when they finally made it to the front that they ran out of their size. (And these are the same people who... Vocal Minority http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2413681/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:02:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2413499/posts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hhJ_49leBw&feature=player_embedded# http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2413499/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:10:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2413211/posts Portrait of an American nightmare. All his points are well taken, especially about the unions, but I’m wary of drawing too many broadly applicable lessons from Detroit for the simple reason that no place else — outside of Ramadi, say — looks like it. Other American cities have been dominated by the left for decades too, from Berkeley to D.C., and none have the Hiroshima-after-the-blast feel that Motown does. (Democrats currently outnumber Republicans on the New York City Council 46-3.) What Detroit reminds me of, in fact, is a photo set I once viewed online taken in and around Chernobyl... Hotair http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2413211/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:41:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412875/posts Detroit's (predominantly black) public schools are the worst in the nation and it takes some doing to be worse than Washington, D.C. Only 3 percent of Detroit's fourth-graders scored proficient on the most recent National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test, sometimes called "The Nation's Report Card." Twenty-eight percent scored basic and 69 percent below basic. "Below basic" is the NAEP category when students are unable to demonstrate even partial mastery of knowledge and skills fundamental for proficient work at their grade level. It's the same story for Detroit's eighth-graders. Four percent scored proficient, 18 percent basic and 77 percent... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412875/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:47:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412468/posts Ford offers buyouts to all UAW workers Photo 3:27pm EST DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said Monday it is offering its 41,000 U.S. factory workers buyouts and early retirement offers in a bid to reduce its payroll costs as it aims to return to profit by 2011. The buyouts mark the second round of such offers for Ford workers represented by the United Auto Workers union. About 1,000 workers took offers to leave the automaker in July. Ford workers have until late January to accept the offers, which include payouts of up to $70,000 cash for newer hires to... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412468/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:48:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411964/posts $4.2M Medicare fraud: Three Detroit-area residents plead guilty19. December 2009 06:15 Jackson, Mich., resident Terrence Hicks and Detroit residents Muhammed Al Mahdi and John Saunders pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan this week for their roles in a $4.2 million Medicare fraud scheme, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the FBI's Detroit Field Office and Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today.... News-Medical.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411964/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:00:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411153/posts Dave Bing has just signed on to four years of maybe the most futile and thankless job in America: mayor of Detroit. What in the world was he thinking? "I wouldn't have taken this job if this wasn't doable," he tells me. "I finished basketball in 1978, then went into my own business in 1980 and did it for 29 years. . . . Now I get to the end of that career and probably should have retired. But there was a calling greater than anything that I ever envisioned, and that was to help bring this city back." In... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411153/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:44:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410840/posts Sheila Murphy Cockrel, a member of the Detroit city council, has never been afraid to swim against the tide. She opposed proposals to create "Africa Town," a district exclusively for black-owned businesses in the heart of downtown. She regularly sparred with the city's former mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, who resigned in 2008 amid enormous legal problems. Just last month, she drew headlines for abruptly leaving the council's chambers to protest a rushed measure, backed by Christian conservatives, to restrict alcohol sales at Detroit's strip clubs. "It was an act of democracy to walk out and not let the process be hijacked... Time http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410840/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:47:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410347/posts Obama and the Democrats are embarrassed by Detroit so we have to use it against them. Next November this Democrat mess should be a central theme of Republican campaigns nationwide. Warning America about Democrat plans to make us a nation of Detroits is a winning issue. Rubbing Democrat noses in Detroit puts them on defense and sets us up for a BIG Election Night. Obama says: Tear Detroit down, please make it go away We know Obama wants Detroit torn down. The UK Telegraph reports he has approached private organizations to manage the actual razing of large sections of many... The Collins Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410347/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:02:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2409064/posts While we argue amongst ourselves as to whether there really is an Islamic threat in America, Muslims remain focused and continue to push forward with their agenda. Group distributes Qur’ans to front doors By Khalil AlHajal DEARBORN — Many Dearborn residents have been wondering about the source of paperback Qur’ans found hanging from doorknobs throughout the city in recent months. The group distributing free copies of an English translation of the Muslim holy book hopes to create better perceptions of Islam by simply making the scripture available. Logan's Warning http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2409064/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:05:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409128/posts The Detroit News’ Mike Wilkinson has an eye-opening story on how unemployment rates generally under-report true joblessness — and specifically how this is happening in Michigan’s largest city. The story points out that Detroit’s official unemployment rate of 27 percent (as of October) may be dramatically under-counting those without work in the economically-strapped city. The actual unemployment rate, when you factor in those who have given up looking for work or who have gone back to school following fruitless searching for work, could be as high as 45 percent. Similarly, official joblessness stats don’t include early-retirees — those who want... Michigan Messenger http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409128/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:40:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408944/posts The unemployment rate in Detroit fell slightly last month to 27 percent, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But that official figure may not tell the whole story. The Detroit News, using a broader definition of unemployment, reports that as many as 45 percent of the working-age Detroiters are without full-time employment. MLive http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408944/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:41:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407949/posts Impassioned parents demanded jail time for educators and district officials Saturday following the release of test scores that showed fourth- and eighth-graders had the worst math scores in the nation. City students took the National Assessment of Educational Progress test this year, and 69 percent of fourth-graders scored below the basic level in math and 77 percent of eighth-graders scored below basic. The Detroit scores on the progress test were the lowest in its 40-year history. The sample of students included 900 of Detroit's 6,000 fourth-graders and 1,000 of the district's 6,000 eighth-graders. Sharlonda Buckman, CEO of the Detroit Parent... Detroit News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407949/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:39:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407420/posts For the second time Detroit Public Schools Financial Manager Robert Bobb has threatened to bankrupt the school system. Bobb wants school teachers to agree to a Termination Incentive Plan (TIP) which says each teacher must loan the district $10,000 a year from pre-tax earnings to help eliminate the schools’ deficit. DFT President Keith Johnson says if teachers do not agree to the union-generated plan, they face a 10 percent pay cut for five years widening the wage gap between city and suburban teachers. Additionally, teachers may face bankruptcy proceedings that could make a teachers’ contract void. Many teachers have said... Michigan Citizen http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407420/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:39:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403657/posts Detroit’s school system is disintegrating by the week. Detroit has sunk to robbing its own teachers to scrape payroll funds together. Public School teachers are being extorted by their City with the full cooperation of their own union. Under a proposal submitted for membership ratification each INDIVIDUAL teacher will be forced to “loan” the City of Detroit $10,000 in $250.00 increments ripped out of their bi-monthly checks for 40 weeks starting in January. These “loans” are repayable upon retirement or resignation WITHOUT interest. If this story was happening under George Bush in a Republican state instead of in liberal Democrat... The Collins Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403657/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 14:10:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403473/posts DETROIT (WXYZ) - The results of a national test indicate Detroit public school children performed the lowest of all eighteen participating cities, and the reaction from officials now charged with leading the district can be summed up in one word: disappointed. wxyz.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403473/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 04:26:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403358/posts The Detroit Public Schools posted the worst scores on record in the most recent test of students in large central U.S. cities. The scores came on the Trial Urban District Assessment, a national test developed by the Governing Board, the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education and the Council of the Great City Schools. The test for urban districts is part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress test given to school districts nationwide. “There is no jurisdiction of any kind, at any level, at any time in the 30-year history of NAEP that has... Crain's Detroit Business http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403358/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 01:46:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402556/posts I can not post anything from this news organization. Read the article. The teacher's union is about to get their heads handed to them. They have a bad choice and a worse choice to make. They will make the worst choice. Unions meet reality. http://detnews.com/article/20091207/SCHOOLS/912070343/Detroit-teachers-cry-out-against-contract The Detroit News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402556/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 03:03:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2401052/posts My apologies if you've heard this before, but it bears repeating. It's one of those things in our present society that would be funny if it weren't realistic. There are certain segments of the population, on both extremes of the financial spectrum, both educated and uneducated (maybe even more prevalent with "elite, East Coast, intellectual" politicians and economists) that ignore the old saying, "money doesn't grow on trees". They actually believe it does. No, really, I'm not even kidding! The below sound clip took place in the liberal wonderland of Detroit, MI (WJR radio. THE FREEDOM POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2401052/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 17:54:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397820/posts Like a forgotten downtown billboard, Detroit proclaims a warning about the rest of America for any who will stop and look. If ever an American city was a warning for the nation, it is Detroit. Its crumbling mansions, overgrown boulevards and abandoned factories drive a message home to those who will pay attention. We cannot afford to ignore Detroit any longer. Why? What killed Detroit is killing America. Detroit used to be synonymous with wealth and prosperity. It was a city humming with big-finned cars and Motown rhythms. Factories churned out products that ended up on store shelves around the... theTrumpet.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397820/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 19:56:35 GMT