22 degree halo

That circle around the sun this afternoon was a 22 degree halo, “a pretty common occurrence in the winter,” a meteorologist at the National Weather Service told MMM.

The phenomenon is caused by cold air above cirrus clouds, which the meteorologist said is happening today. The cold air creates hexagonal ice crystals.  The sun’s light reflects off the crystals, causing the effect many of us witnessed, uncommonly, today.

• Tweet

Lurking Tyranny

Thanks to NetRightDaily

• Tweet

“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you”

~ Joseph Heller, Catch 22

Last week we learned that the Obama Administrations IRS has been targeting Conservative groups with the words ‘Tea Party’ and ‘Patriot’ in their names.

Today we learned that Obama’s Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors of the Associated Press.

The records obtained by the Justice Department listed incoming and outgoing calls, and the duration of each call, for the work and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and the main number for AP reporters in the House of Representatives press gallery, according to attorneys for the AP.

In all, the government seized those records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012. The exact number of journalists who used the phone lines during that period is unknown but more than 100 journalists work in the offices whose phone records were targeted on a wide array of stories about government and other matters.

What’s next?

• Tweet

Christie Gets His Body Piercings In The Summer

Governor Christie’s office released parts of his interview with NBC’s Rock Center that did not make it to the Friday night broadcast.

Christie will be accompanying Prince Harry to the Jersey Shore this week.   If there is a Prince Albert in Christie’s future, it will probably be a better kept secret than his lap band surgery.

• Tweet

Handlin’s Legislation Will Spur Job Growth

Assemblywoman Amy Handlin

Legislation that would eliminate the scheduled 10% surcharge on employers’ unemployment insurance tax was cleared by the Assembly Labor Committee today.

The bill, A-4112/A-3675, sponsored by Assemblywomen Amy Handlin (R-13, Monmouth) and Alison Little McHose (R-24, Hunterdon, Morris, Warren and Sussex), postpones the implementation of the surcharge, which is currently scheduled to go into effect on July 1, for one year.  An identical bill, S-2404, passed the State Senate unanimously in February.

The Office of Legislative Services estimates that eliminating the surcharge will save employers $300 million in the coming fiscal year.

“The timing of this legislation is critical as we approach the summer season and with the effort to restore the Jersey Shore well underway,” stated Handlin. “Rebuilding communities involves both residential and commercial redevelopment. Companies who invest in our economy would face significant unemployment insurance increases which could impact their hiring decisions. This legislation ensures that the strides made in putting people back to work will  not be affected by the cost increases that would have been felt under this  surcharge.”

• Tweet

Christie Ads Define Buono As Corzine’s Tax Raising Partner

State Senator Barbara Buono, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, continues to lag terribly in name recognition in various independent polls that show her losing the November general election to Governor Chris Christie by over thirty points.

Worse for ‘Dawn Quixote’ Buono, as she was dubbed by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, she can’t raise the money needed to increase her name ID and message. Numerous media reports indicate that Buono will likely be the first major party nominee not to qualify for the maximum in New Jersey’s state matching fund program for gubernatorial candidates.

Christie, who has opted out of the state matching fund program for the primary, is spending $850,000 of the $6+million he has raised to boost Buono’s name ID and define her by her record of voting to raise taxes 154 times and as former Governor Jon Corzine’s budget chair.

The $850,000 will be spent on a 30 second TV commercial and a 1 minute radio ad.

UPDATE via Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray’s twitter feed:

Buono camp responds to Christie attack ad with very, very long email about how she was not “Corzine” budget chair. Plus sundry other facts.

• Tweet

Volunteer for Tea Party Candidates–Get Free Financial Planning Advice

It’s a deal a week with the Bayshore Tea Party backed slate of candidates running in the LD13 and Monmouth County GOP primary.

If you missed the opportunity for a free 2013 tax return in exchange for canvassing for the candidates,  freeholder candidate Ed Pekarsky has a new deal for you!

Join the phone bank team at the BTPG bunker on Thursday and Pekarsky will review your retirement plan and investment portfolio.  Bring your statements with you.

Do you know what investments are in your 401K, IRA, Roth IRA or investment accounts? Bring your monthly statement and let Freeholder candidate and BTPG member Ed Pekarsky evaluate your investment portfolio.

He will provide an informal portfolio analysis and go over the investment holdings, along with discussing your allocation strategy. We should all know where our hard earned money is invested, let him assist with some of your financial planning needs.

• Tweet

Save The Republic On The Way To Mother’s Day Brunch

The Bayshore Tea Party Group is having a roadside rally this morning, 10am-11am on Rt.35 in Middletown near the ShopRite.

• Tweet

• Tweet

ICYMI: Christie’s Interview with Brian Williams

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

• Tweet