Bankrupt in 136 Words

Recent History in 136 Words

“ On spending, it is important to recall how extraordinary the blowout of the last three years has been. We've seen nothing like it since World War II. Nothing close. The nearby chart tracks federal outlays as a share of GDP since 1960. The early peaks coincide with the rise of the Great Society, the recession of 1974-75, and then a high of 23.5% with the recession of 1982 and the Reagan defense buildup. From there, spending declines, most rapidly during the 1990s as defense outlays fell to 3% of GDP in 2000 from its Reagan peak of 6.2% in 1986. The early George W. Bush years saw spending bounce up to a plateau of roughly 20% of GDP, but no more than 20.7% as recently as 2008. Then came the Obama blowout, in league with Nancy Pelosi's Congress. [Full] ” But Wait!  27 more words.  My Treat. “ As of the end of the second quarter of 2011, the US GDP was 15.003 trillion.[6] Total Public Debt Outstanding as a percentage of GDP was 100% [Source- United States public debt]

6 times

my plan, nuke pakiston

Is there a good time to shart?

Oh my ...

Reactions to the Downgrade

Roundup of Reactions to the Downgrade of the World's Largest Debtor Nation

Lemon Lemmings

Lemonade Stand model for American Bidness Climate When life gives you a lemon gummint - too f'n bad

“ Patrick's brother, Alex, said the audit has probably destroyed their business. "We were really excited, because Mom had agreed to give us $8 this week to buy Splenda so we could start selling diet lemonade, too. But, selling lemonade just isn't that much fun now."  [Full Audit] 10 year old girl fined $50 for operating a lemonade stand without a license ” Midst the spate of kid lemonade stands being shut down by officious ass-hats, IRS involvement is a new twist. Patrick Davis (8) had his stand audited by the IRS last week.  He says it's because he made an anti-war statement (I miss my dad). “ Anthony Mallett, a field agent with the IRS, said the reason for the audit has nothing to do with Davis' "anti-war tirade, but everything to do with the fact that his business expenses clearly exceed his income." [Etc] Does it matter? After two weeks in business, the lemonade stand has generated $10 in revenue.  More importantly is the business climate that exists today.  If you think what we need is a relaxation of myriad regulations that stifle business, fat chance.  At least we're showing signs of fighting back .. “ Lemonade tyranny Public fights back against dream-crushing bureaucrats On Aug. 20, over a hundred people have so far pledged to gather on the Capitol’s west lawn to protest the petty bureaucracy that thinks threatening children with fines is a proper use of taxpayer resources. The organizers promise that they are ready to go to jail for the ultimate act of civil disobedience: offering a refreshing cup of lemonade on a sultry afternoon on the nation’s front lawn for 10 cents. ” "We're willing to go to jail" may not be the best mindset.  Ahem. Maybe time for a Job Fair.

Bad/Hilarious commercials

Job Fair

And the answer is ....?

The birth certificate please! Subpoena to be delivered Attorney, doc experts to show up at Hawaii Department of Health with court document

“ Taitz's subpoena was served upon Loretta Fuddy, director of the Hawaii Department of Health. Hawaii Deputy Attorney General Jill Nagamine is representing Fuddy. Because Fuddy neglected to file opposition to the court-issued subpoena within the 14 days specified, the Hawaii DOH appears to have little recourse but to comply with the subpoena by producing the Obama original birth certificate for Taitz's examination. [Full] Fuddy's  failure to file opposition to the subpoena was either through bureaucratic neglect - or purposeful - because Obamunists know it will pass muster.  Either way, this is all I, or anyone else for that matter, have ever wanted.  I do admit to hoping it's a fraud because that will  add a moral component to undoing Obamacare and anything else the sumbitch has perpetrated as "president."  Also, if it leads to a final determination that Obama is ineligible,  we have a chance to see Nancy Pelosi executed for conspiracy and treason.  Such is the level of my personal schadenfreude.

Nip Slip and Obama slippage

Nicki Minaj nipple slip goes live on 'Good Morning America' O.M.F.G.

“ Semi-exclusive inchage Other miscellany 'Mob' beatings at WI state fair... 'Hundreds of young black people beating white people'... Fairgoers 'pulled out of cars'... 'They were just going after white people'... MAN ARMED WITH TREE BRANCH TRIES ROBBING 7-ELEVEN... I NEED A BREAK! NEWT: 'Most Effective Food Stamp President in History'... Record 45.8 million dependent... Jobless rate: 9.1%... GOV'T: Payrolls increase by 117,000... But number of U.S. workers DROPS by 38,000! OBAMA: EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS WILL 'CREATE JOBS RIGHT NOW'... FANNIE MAE seeks $5.1 billion more from taxpayers... ” So that's what they look like,

DO DA DUGGY

Teach Me To Dougie

Jefe

Kerry Unhinged ...

Unhinged Continued John Kerry: Media Has "Responsibility" To "Not Give Equal Time" To Tea Party

“ SEN. JOHN KERRY: "And I have to tell you, I say this to you politely. The media in America has a bigger responsibility than it's exercising today. The media has got to begin to not give equal time or equal balance to an absolutely absurd notion just because somebody asserts it or simply because somebody says something which everybody knows is not factual." ” My god!  Kerry just indicted the entire Democrat Media Complex, and is too cloistered in Liberal dogma and too stupid to know it.   Trust me, these guys are verging on trying something very stupid,  very unlawful and very frightening.— even for them.  [* says silent prayer of thanks for George W. Bush and Karl Rove*].

Obamacare Bear Says ....

ONCE

NOW   Commentary

A little German lingo there

Commies Mitt Guns

This cycle's John McCain speaks words

Obama Failed Because We Needed a Larger, Longer Stimulus  - This election cycle's John McCain

“ Translation from Chameleon-speak: Romney is hinting that the economy — the fire — needed not just more stimulus, but longer-lasting stimulus. Instead of pouring on a little gasoline to kick start the fire, we’d needed a slow-burning log that would provide fuel for a longer period. Except for the implied nonsense that spending on workers and goods/services by the private sector creates jobs but the same spending by government doesn’t, he almost sounds like all those liberal economists — Krugman, Thoma, Stiglitz, Galbraith, Baker, et al. [Scarecrow] Yesterday's news, ballyhooed by all the usual suspects, that  Romney is tied with Obama in Florida struck me as proof of Romney's puny popularity, not strength.   I mean, come on.  Tied with the least popular man in America?  Sheesh.

When Maher talks ....

No More Mr. Nice Guy

“ According to Maher, with the economy in the shape it is in, Obama is beatable. 'Absolutely, I do, especially where the economy is going,' Maher said. 'I mean, they're getting what they want. They want the economy to tank, because that's their best ticket to beat Obama. And the bill they just forced him to sign is a great start to ensure that we have this double-dip recession. [Maher on Obama: ‘The magic is gone’] Apparently there are still huge segments of the unhinged left yet to catch up on the latest party doctrine.  In fairness to Maher, he's prolly focusing all his energy on overtaking Fashion Police Weekly

House Cinema

Playing now in the house cinema is part 2 of Jeremy Clarkson meets the German neighbors.  The Germans hated it, but then they don't laugh.

Keep It Gay

One can only conclude you’re not allowed to have pride unless you’re discriminated against.

*snort* - Ruh-Roh

great deep fried Caesar’s ghost stuck on a stick like a tar baby! in crosshairs!

I didn't read the article because I soiled myself reading the title

'We Got Nothing' .....

Carney: "Norah" Norah: “Where are the tax revenues? … We got nothing.” CBS White House Correspondent Norah O’Donnell

Nobidy cares Oper ..

Isn't that special

Too bad Oper.      To recap ... Obama must morph himself into a Tea Party conservative. “ If President Obama needed any more indication of how much his public support has eroded, he need look no further than a recent memorandum of sorts published in the New York Times by former President Bill Clinton​’s pollster, Stanley Greenberg​. “Voters in the developed world are turning away from Democrats, Socialists, liberals and progressives.” “Voters feel ever more estranged from government—and they associate Democrats with government.” “If they are to win trust, and votes, Democrats must show they are as determined as the Tea Party movement to change the rules of the game." “This distrust of government and politicians is unfolding as a full-blown crisis of legitimacy [and] sidelines Democrats and liberalism." Greenberg says that his public opinion research now reveals that voters believe, “Government rushes to help the irresponsible and does little for the responsible." To win, Democrats must “advocate policies that would control the borders and address problems of undocumented workers,” and voters want to “see strong enforcement at the border and in the workplace, and the expulsion of troublesome undocumented immigrants." “Finally, progressives have to be serious about reducing the country’s long-term deficits” because “the deficit matters to people and has real meaning and consequences.”  [Full Pleasantries] ” That won't be hard, pretending he's something else he's not.  By the time the Donk media is finished, Obama will occupy the Milton Friedman Chair at the University of Chicago,  as a hobby.

I met a fairy today ...

I met a fairy today ...

“ I met a fairy today that said she would grant me one wish. "I want to live forever," I said. "Sorry," said the fairy "I'm not allowed to grant wishes like that! "Fine," I said, "then I want to die after Congress gets their heads out of their asses!" "You crafty bastard," said the fairy. ”      Angus

Moe Leaks

More Medicare Cuts* *Well, not really. A primer on the debt deal's health-care bookkeeping.

“ Under the terms of the deal, the 12-member joint select committee is supposed to reduce the 10-year deficit another $1.5 trillion by November. If it doesn't, or if Congress rejects or Mr. Obama vetoes the package, spending would be cut by $1.2 trillion automatically, including 2% across-the-board cuts to all Medicare providers. Benefit cuts and cost-sharing for seniors are excluded. [full] Listening to Rush who just discussed today's WSJ editorial.   About how the WSJ, who applauded the debt  deal, just figured something out. If the select committee (dear God) deadlocks, and they will on everything, Medicare cuts will come from providers.  Not recipients, providers.  So, while Obamacare plops 40 million new people onto Medicare, the only reductions will be levied against those who are expected to treat them.

Mitt and Sarah, sittin' in a tree ...

Mitt and Sarah, sittin' in a tree K-N-I-F-E-F-I-G-H-T-I-N-G -- Palin: ‘I do not have respect’ for Romney’s debt-deal performance

“ Sarah Palin knocked presidential candidate Mitt Romney for waiting until the debt-ceiling compromise was a “done deal” before speaking out against it. “Bless his heart, I have respect for Mitt Romney, but I do not have respect for what he has done through this debt increase debate,” she said Tuesday night in a Fox News interview. Bless Her Heart

Mad Men Moment - USED BMW

Mad Men Moment

Pre-owned BMW Advertisement Tim

Interviewee Wanted

Interviewee Wanted:

“   Hi all,   Is anyone out there a furloughed FAA employee or do you know one? Looking to interview someone not receiving their paycheck ASAP for a story to air on NBC today.   Let me know!   Thanks much Virginia Kreindler Abingdon Road email at work: virginia.coyne@nbcuni.com   ”   Tom Mann

They can count to potato

Krauthammer slams Tea Party attackers’ ‘lack of intelligence’

“ In the aftermath of the debt ceiling deal struck between congressional Republicans, congressional Democrats and the White House, concessions made by Democrats have caused some on the left to lash out at the Tea Party. But where is this show of anger — with epithets like “hostage takers,” “terrorists” and “thugs” flying around — coming from? Despite Krauthammer’s low regard for the Tea Party’s left-wing detractors, O’Reilly insisted talking points were still circulating, which suggested a concerted effort. Krauthammer dismissed that notion. “Look, what it means to me is you’ve got people with no intelligence, no originality, no imagination,” he said. “They are sputtering. They have lost. No arguments. What do they do? They want ad hominems. They want epithets. So, somebody uses it on the air — ‘Ah ha, that’s a good one. I’ll use it.’ I don’t credit them [with] the intelligence or the sort of, what it takes to put together a conspiracy.” Read more: ” I'd have to be as retarded as  Wasserman Schultz   to argue with Krauthammer.

Hannity Endorses ... HATCH?

“ Orrin Hatch snags Hannity endorsement WTF?  Is Hatch being primary challenged by Hitler?

Tarred, Baby, as "Racist"

That's Racist Racially tinged remarks prompt hasty backtracking

“ For those who still think the election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first African American president has ushered in the era of post-racial politics, consider the racially loaded terms "tar baby" and "boy." Both slurs have returned to the political arena, forcing those uttering them — a sitting congressman and a prominent commentator who tried to become president himself — to quickly backtrack and explain the usage. Amid the fiercely partisan battles over raising the debt ceiling, Colorado Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn took to the airwaves last week to criticize Obama’s policies, infelicitously comparing them to a “tar baby.”  The tar baby is a doll made of tar and turpentine used to entrap Br'er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories.  LATIMES I guess I better not be calling this "Woman washing off road tar" How about Entitlement    --Chris

Let's Play Stick

WE NEED SOME FUN DAMMIT Let's Play Stick

Merrily

QUAD CORE - $109!

DEAL With It

Red Button Moments

RED BUTTON Employee Free Choice Act becoming law - the Obama way

“ Where the current administration has failed to persuade Congress to adopt its legislative agenda, time and again, it has waived its regulatory wand and enacted the failed "legislation" as "regulation." Magically, it becomes the law of the land. EARLIER .... In 2010, organized labor condemned the bipartisan vote in the United States Senate that killed the Employee Free Choice Act. Employees, prematurely, celebrated the fact that their right to a secret ballot in elections determining union representation was secure.  Employee Free Choice Act becoming law The Canada Free Press's  50 Impeachable Crimes and Counting  is really just a laundry list of known Obama criminal activity since he left his mother's (if she was his mother) womb.  The American Patriot's list is more targeted.    The problem is that impeachment is a political act.  I can't for the life of me see  congressional Republicans—  they who in an act of sheer stupidity (and some cowardice) just condemned us to us Third World status and a second Great Depression,  have the guts.  Democrats are systemically corrupt,  and can no longer be expected to display fealty to anything but party doctrine.  Obama is clearly  a not so nascent dictator.  Solution?  I have a red button in my brain.  I onanistically press it constantly.  It feels good, but just for an instant. It was good for me. You?

MSNBC's Resident Psycho-Babblest and Martin Beshir Are F'n NUTS

DERANGED The Ultimate Horror Comes From Within

“ MSNBC BASHIR: What is the effect giving people their way all of the time? How does it shape our thinking behavior if by being adamant and dogmatic we get our way? Psycho-Babblest:  Well, the way I think about it is they are pursuing goals that can't be achieved. It's sort of like a child who has some kind of fantasy, and they keep asking you to give them things to acquire that, but it's impossible to arrive at the goal that they want. The idyllic paths that they are pursuing probably never existed and certainly not something we can reach right now. MSNBC BASHIR: So you're saying that they are delusional about the past and adamant about the future? Psycho-Babblest: They are adamant about achieving something that's unachievable, which reminds us of a couple of things. it reminds us of delusion and psychosis. It reminds us of addiction because addicts are seeking something that they can't have. They want a state of happiness or nirvana that can't be achieved except through an artificial substance and reminds us of the Norway situation, when people are thwarted at obtaining something they can't, have they often strike out and Norway is one kind of example to one kind of reaction to that kind of a frustration. MSNBC BASHIR: But going back to the Tea Party in this country. Do you think that having achieved their goal, no new taxes. instead of this actually making them think about compromise in the future? It's actually simply going to harden them so this kind of battle this, kind of standoff, this kind of face-off is just going to become routine in Washington. Psycho-Babblest:  Well, i'm looking at one beyond. they want no new taxes because they seek some kind of idyllic past. MSNBC Host, Guest Consider Whether Tea Partiers Are Addicts, 'Delusional' Listen.  Decide. Laugh.  Pity. Fear. Don't say that out-loud. Call 911? "MORNING AFTER: BORROWING TOPS 100% OF GDP "    Who's Delusional?

How Dumb is Debbie Wasserman Schultz?

ANSWER: A few fries short of a Happy Meal. The wheel's spinning, but the hamster's dead.

“ She fell out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down. Elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor. Forgot to pay his brain bill. A few clowns short of a circus. If she had another brain, it would be lonely. Too much yardage between the goal posts. A few beers short of a six-pack. A few peas short of a casserole. One taco short of a combination plate. All foam, no beer. The cheese slid off his cracker. Body by Fisher, brains by Mattel. Has an IQ of 2, but it takes 3 to grunt. 2 Warning: Objects in mirror are dumber than they appear. 18. An intellect rivaled only by garden tools. As smart as bait. Her belt doesn't go through all the loops. Proof that evolution CAN go in reverse. Surfing in Nebraska. In the pinball game of life, her flippers were a little farther apart than most. One sandwich short of a picnic. The light's on, but nobody's home.  If dumb were dirt, she'd cover about an acre. ” dumdlist

Sand up your ass, if you're lucky

Dealing with gummit is like a visit to ___ You end up with ____ in every crack, pore, and orifice.

“ Tractors lumbering down country roads are as common as deer in rural Montana, but the federal government wants to place new driving regulations on farmers and ranchers. "It's a huge deal for us," said John Youngberg of the Montana Farm Bureau. After years of allowing state governments to waive commercial driver's license requirements for farmers hauling crops or driving farm equipment on public roads, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is poised to do away with the exceptions. Regulators are suggesting that all wheat shipments be considered interstate, even when farmers making short hauls to local grain elevators aren't crossing state lines. Proposed road rules for farmers anger :cont Unplugged

Answer: The Shadow Knows ...

Answer:  The Shadow Knows.

We, MoSup and me, have seemingly won a five-year old tax battle with the state.  I say this with bated breath because we've felt this way before. The long and short of it is this. The Federal gummint charged us an additional $40,000 tax, plus penalties and interest,  for a 2006 return.  It was my error.   I neglected to include the cost basis  for stock sales I did report,  causing the feds to assume the transaction $number  represented profit, and not the actual $1.8B loss.  As soon as the error was discovered I amended the return  The IRS in time struck the additional tax, but not  the interest and penalty (interest on zero, and penalty for not paying zero).  It took a long time, but finally they removed the interest.  It took more time,but after a face-to-face they are now removing that charge.  But Wait, there's more! The Shadow Knows ... The Feds obligingly notify the state about any negative finding in a federal return.  They do not, evidently, do the same when they reverse themselves.  So, despite hours and hours of phone conversations, explanations and filings, the state got plain nasty about wanting their cut, which had by now trebled ! Debtor's prison I knew with 100% certainty that we did not own them a nickel, but - one of the things the state uses as leverage is denial of renewing all state licenses.  Period.  Their version of debtor's prison.  So, if you're a nurse, for instance, you will not be able to renew your license, and will thus be terminated.  .  That prospect, and expired tags caused me to gather papers and trudge over to comptroller's office last week.  After sitting in line for a few hours I saw a "counselor."  I had the required IRS tax transcript, so he said "okay, I'll send this to the main office.  It will take a few weeks."   Relief!!  But Wait, there's more. This week another letter from the comptroller's office.  Aha!  A check for all the money the state owes us for withheld returns?  Nope.  It was notice of pending action for not paying a $55 claim.  I'm steaming, Mo Sup is crying.  I pick up the phone and dial the provided number.  I'm told the waiting time is estimated at "one-hour and seven-minutes.  It's at this point I see that the claim is being made by the state university that Junior attended.  Twenty-years ago!  Then it hit us both.  The state had obviously searched their files on us, looking for a get-even!  What else could it be?  Twenty years back?   What made me want to tell you this is THIS,  We're talking blood-sucking ruthless, and if you live in one of the most liberal democrat controlled states in the nation, even more so.  Your money is their mother's milk.  They will get it. I want to add this.  In all the conversations I've had with the IRS, both on the phone or in person, agents have been courteous and willing to listen.  The state is a different matter.  With few exceptions they are confrontational, setting  a distinctly  adversarial tone. Ahem.

An Epic Victory!

I'm Sure Glad We Won an Epic Victory Higher Taxes And Epic Tax Fight Are On The Horizon

“ Payroll Pain Come Jan. 1, 2012 American workers will see less in their paychecks as a temporary two-percentage-point cut in the Social Security tax expires. That’s a $2,136 tax hike for someone earning $106,800, the maximum subject to the tax. (For a family with two average incomes the tax increase comes to $1,500 a year.) Obama had pushed for this as a short-term stimulus and would like to see it extended, but this is one tax cut Republicans are ready to let die. The AMT Patch, Etc. Five dozen other tax breaks expire at the end of 2011, including a “patch” that keeps more than 20 million middle-class families from having to pay the alternative minimum tax. Congress could well delay acting on these so-called “extenders” until after the 2012 election—so it won’t have to figure out how to pay for them. After all, the 2010 patch wasn’t signed into law until Dec. 17, 2010, causing taxpayers much uncertainty about how much in estimated taxes to pay. Obama Health Surtaxes Coming on Jan. 1, 2013: “Medicare surtaxes” on income above $250,000 per couple that were adopted to help fund Obama’s 2010 health coverage expansion. One is a 3.8% extra levy on investment income (including capital gains, interest and dividends) and the other a 0.9% surtax on salaries above $250,000 per couple.  Republicans would love to repeal these tax hikes, along with the rest of what they call Obamacare. But as long as Obama remains in the White House, that won’t happen. The Big Expiration The big 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts won a two-year extension in the Obama-Republican deal of December 2010 and are now set to expire at the end of 2012. Also expiring: a two year cut in the estate tax as well as  tax cuts that were originally part of the 2009 stimulus, including Obama’s prized $2,500 American Opportunity college tax credit.  If these tax provisions expire, the top tax rate on ordinary income such as salary will go from 35% to 39.6% (or 40.5%, when the Medicare surtax is included) and the top rate on long term capital gains will go from 15% to 20% (or 23.8%, when the surtax is included).  Meanwhile, the current $5 million exemption from estate and gift tax would drop to $1 million, and the 35% tax rate would rise to 55%. [FORBES cont] ”

Making Eye Contact

Honest people are not afraid to make eye contact

An honest woman

Oh no! Obama lied?

But wait, there's more

“ The bill passed despite Republican accusations, which now appear to have been confirmed, that the deal was simply a sly façade before a brutal tax hike on the people. Speaking in the Rose Garden after the bill was passed, President Obama said: 'Everybody is going to have to chip in. It's only fair.' [more] ” This must be what Russians did during the Soviet days - smuggle western newspapers to get at the truth because , well you know.  Pravda and Izvestia. Then there's this— The Biggest Middle Class Tax Increase In History Will Come In Five Months

Satan Called

SATAN CALLED

But sends thanks for  the “ sandwich  and fries”       Tom Mann

Gabrielle Giffords released into the wild

Today's Hateful and Tasteless Observation Gabrielle Giffords appears on House floor for first time since her shooting Members stunned as Eagle snatches her away Never to Be Seen again?

I'm sorry about that, but I just couldn't help being reminded of  the school children who nursed a wounded bird back to health,  only to see a hawk swoop down and grab it when they ceremoniously released it.

Rev. Al, MSNBC All-Star

The Rev. Al Show is going to be awesome And Here's Why ..

“  But, says Jim Treacher, "I just realized who Al is ripping off:" ”

Dems Attack – Because They Can’t Defend

DEBBIE DROOL SEZ—

I like what this guy (The Rabid Conservative) says  - Dems Attack – Because They Can’t Defend.   More knee slappers at US NEWS & Wurld Report's Political Cartoons on Sarah Palin

MSNBC All-Stars Clear Up Everything

Larry, Moe, and Curly predict winner of presidential race

“ Lawrence O'Donnell, host of "The Last Word," flatly predicted the re-election of President Barack Obama. Rachel Maddow also named Obama, attributing her pick to a thus-far weak Republican field. But "Hardball" host Chris Matthews waffled, saying Obama's fate will rest largely on the economy as well as his GOP rival. One easy opponent? Mitt Romney, whom Matthews dismissed as "a mood ring." And should Obama be running against Michele Bachmann, Matthews said, "He'll just have a hoot." Lest you forget, O'Donnell  (who replaced Keith Olbermann after testing + for rabies, even by NBC standards)  was the producer and writer for the NBC series The West Wing, or more popularly, The Left Wing.  Last week confused WaPost scribbler Sarah Anne Hughes  wrote:          “ In times of political trouble we turn to the wonkiest television show of all time, Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing,” for answers. A scene from the season six episode “In God We Trust” explained the politics behind getting the debt ceiling raised. “So this debt ceiling thing is routine or the end of the world?” Annabeth Schott asks Toby Tony Ziegler. “Both,” he responds. As it turns out, you have MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell to thank for this scene. There you have it; A president, national policy, and newspaper scripted by an MSNBC All-Star.  Yes, teleprompters are used. 'Splains everything, Lucy.