May 31, 2016

Canadians on the current US elections

May 15, 2016

Insight on Super-Delegates

May 15, 2016

Al Franken on Super-Delegates

May 13, 2016

Federal Lawsuit: Farmers Claim Monsanto's Controversial 'Roundup' Weedkiller Gave Them Cancer

http://www.alternet.org/food/federal-lawsuit-farmers-claim-monsantos-controversial-roundup-weedkiller-gave-them-cancer

Federal Lawsuit: Farmers Claim Monsanto's Controversial 'Roundup' Weedkiller Gave Them Cancer
Despite Monsanto's claim that its glyphosate weedkiller is "safe enough to drink," four Nebraska farmers say it gave them non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
By Ted Wheeler / Courthouse News
May 13, 2016


LINCOLN, Neb. (CN) — Despite Monsanto's claim that its Roundup weed-killer is "safe enough to drink," four Nebraska farmers say the widely used herbicide gave them non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" but Monsanto has promoted Roundup as "safe enough to drink," the farmers say in their federal lawsuit.

"Roundup is used by Nebraskans raising everything from grain to grass and tulips to trees. Nothing on the label alerts users to health risks," their attorney David Domina said in an interview. "Nebraskans deserve the benefit of the WHO research, and protection against unknown exposure."

Monsanto, based in St. Louis, is the world's largest producer of glyphosate herbicides. The company made $4.8 billion from Roundup sales last year. It is applied to "Roundup-ready" crops that are genetically modified to resist it.

Ubiquitous in hardware stores for home use nationwide, Roundup is used in commercial agriculture on more than 100 varieties of crops. More than 85 million lbs. of glyphosate was applied to U.S. crops in 2001, and its use more than doubled, to 185 million lbs., by 2007, according to the complaint.

"Glyphosate is found in rivers, streams, and groundwater in agricultural areas where Roundup is used. It has been found in food, the urine of exposed persons, and in the urine of urban dwellers without direct contact with glyphosate," the 48-page complaint states.

California last year became the first state to label Roundup as a carcinogen, based on the IARC research, and Monsanto then sued the state to fight the designation.

<rest of the story at the link>

May 13, 2016

Dealer Alleges Fire That Destroyed Rare JDM Cars Caused by Illegal Marijuana Growing Operation

Dealer Alleges Fire That Destroyed Rare JDM Cars Caused by Illegal Marijuana Growing Operation

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/news/a29138/international-vehicle-importers-warehouse-fire/

By Chris Perkins
May 12, 2016



Earlier this month we told you about a warehouse fire that destroyed much of the inventory of International Vehicle Importers, a California dealer that specializes in importing rare and sought-after Japanese domestic market cars. At the time, the cause the fire wasn't known, but now the owner of the shop says he knows how the blaze occurred. It's a bizarre and tragic tale.

A post by International Vehicle Importers owner Sean Morris on the company's Facebook page alleges that the fire was caused by an overloaded electrical circuit, caused by an illegal marijuana growing operation that had just started up in the warehouse next door.

Unlike Morris, the Ontario Fire Department isn't ready to say that the illegal marijuana operation was the cause of the fire. "In regards to the structure fire in question there has been no indication that the cause was related to the illegal activity at the location," said Ontario, Calif. Deputy Fire Chief Mike Pelletier, in a statement emailed to Road & Track Thursday.

While an investigation is still ongoing, Brent Correggia, Investigation Supervisor for the Ontario Calif. Fire Department said "we're not finding anything linking [the marijuana operation] to the fire," in a phone interview with Road & Track. Additionally, Correggia said there was no damage at the marijuana operation.


What appears to be a search warrant describing marijuana parephenalia, as posted by International Vehicle Importers
Facebook International Vehicle Importers

In a phone interview with Road & Track, Morris said the alleged illegal marijuana growers posed as tile importers, and began moving into the warehouse next door to International Vehicle Importers on Sunday May 1st. The fire broke out that same day.

"On that Sunday, some of guys there [at International Vehicle Importers] noticed there were some people around next door, but didn't really pay any attention," said Morris. "A half-hour after they left, we had a fire.

"They had just started to move in, turned on their stuff, and it was enough to overload the circuit."



the rarest of the 24 cars destroyed were a 1990 Nissan Skyline GT-R Nismo, a 1994 Eunos (Mazda) Cosmo imported under Show or Display law, and a 2000 Nissan Skyline GT-R race car imported as a documented race car. All of the dealer's JDM vehicles are over 25 years old–and thus, eligible for import to the U.S.–or imported under Show or Display and race car exemptions. In addition, three motorhomes, a number of motorcycles, and various personal items were destroyed in the fire. Morris says two of his dogs were killed in the blaze.

May 13, 2016

The Dodge Viper ACR Creates So Much Downforce It Reduces MPG While Being Towed

The Dodge Viper ACR Creates So Much Downforce It Reduces MPG While Being Towed

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/news/a29151/dodge-viper-acr-towing-economy/


Ralph Gilles
By Andrew Del-Colle
May 12, 2016



<SNIP>

While the Viper's various aerodynamic features are great for hurtling around the racetrack—the ACR creates more than 1700 pounds of peak downforce—they also result in a very high drag coefficient of .541. For comparison, a Prius, one of the slipperiest production cars ever made, has a coefficient of .24.

As an example of just how much drag the ACR creates, Reece mentioned that Ralph Gilles—the man behind the newest generation of the Viper, former president and CEO of SRT, and current head of design for Fiat Chrysler—saw a noticeable drop in his efficiency whenever he started towing his personal ACR on his open-air trailer. How great is that?

Gilles saw a difference of 2 mpg between towing his Viper GTS (pictured above) and the ACR.
Ralph Gilles

Since then, this amusing fact has been bouncing around my skull, so I sent Gilles a message to follow-up. He quickly got back to me and not only confirmed the story, but provided a few more details along with some pictures.

"I tow with my EcoDiesel Grand Cherokee, which normally would get 20-21mpg towing my GTS, and got 18-19 towing the ACR," he wrote. "I am in the process of fashioning a simple device that stalls the rear wing (fills in the top)."

<SNIP>

May 13, 2016

My unintended experiance with being "uninsured"

My wife and I both came down with what her doctor diagnosed as bronchitis. No problem: her Cadillac health care plan after 28 years with the CIA covered everything for her. I'm on VA health care and because I used to get bronchitis almost every year and because neither of us could take the 50 mile drive to my primary care physician in Austin or 80 miles to Temple Medical center I decided to hunker down: rest, push fluids and shelter in place.

That was Monday.

Thursday, neither of us were any better and were decidedly worse, in fact.

I called VA to get authorization to use the local hospital emergency room.

At Scott and White I got incredibly good and quick service. Second only to the care I get at VA.

What I had was type B influenza. You know, the one not covered by this flu season's inoculation.

What I also got was $250+ in prescriptions and a bill I haven't seen yet that I am confident will be more than a $1000.

This is the sort of thing that will make some people miss rent, a car payment, a weeks work, lose a job, become homeless. We've all heard that the average American is four or so paychecks from the streets.

The biggest thing I learned? We need single-payer now more than ever. ACA was a good start, lets get to the next logical and better step. Oh, and regulating the vampire pharmaceutical industry is a necessity, also. For the price of the codeine cough syrup alone I could have bought a good bindle of smack on the street. Something is very wrong.

Meanwhile: back to my sick bed.

May 3, 2016

Leave all those historic Confederacy statues stand.

Just remove the sabers from their hands and add a torch and in the other hand add chains attached a group of slaves.

All they need is context.