In case the US Congress doesn't get it, Trump is not practicing US Foreign policy for the national defense, he is conducting business throughout the legislation and Cabinet. He is good for business, but, US Foreign policy is sacrificed. The USA national defense is compromised. When Trump's Congress and Cabinet are finished the USA and its allies will be hemmed in by Putin.
Just as a reminder, the USA petroleum industry was given freedom to export any US petroleum resources.
Trump is bailing out his company by proxy and welcoming any other Wall Street company to do the same. When sanctions were raised for Venezuela as a possible strategy, Goldman Sachs raced to exclusive business investment. After Goldman moved into Venezuela some opinion media began to back off sanctions and state the Venezulian government fall of its own problems.
See, Plutocrats are anarchists so long as they are safe on their ivory towers. We saw this under "W" with Halliburton and no bid contracts and avoidance of fines, etc. Egotistical CEOs think they can solve every world problem if given a chance. It has never worked, China is a prime example and the list is long, including, Nigeria, Equator, Bangladesh, India, etc.
China finally has a business prowess that is producing a middle class after exploitation for so long. But, if Wall Street was the answer it would have been US policy a long time ago.
The Republicans are fools for there own rhetoric. Elections come first, then the country. McConnell will scream Democrats from morning to night and never address the country's foreign policy. It works to keep him in office, but, the condition of the people and the country are sacrificed.
I want my country back, intact and protecting it's public lands and resources. No more petroleum exports.
Republicans are afraid to be off message.
Sunday, June 04, 2017
I think I'll let that savor in everyone's conscience for tonight.
There is a conscience out there right? Hello? Anyone there?
McCain, you better not sink this country for the sake of politics. I think I know you better than that.
Maybe Venezuela is our new best ally.
June 4, 2017
...What, then, (click here) are we to make of Goldman Sachs fund managers’ recent secondary-market purchase, at a steep discount, of $2.8 billion worth of bonds issued by the state-owned oil company of Venezuela; that is to say, the same government that guns down pro-democracy protesters on a near-daily basis and otherwise subjects its people to vast corruption and economic privation?...
Sanctions against Venezuela? Hm? Does anyone think there are going to be sanctions against our new best ally?
How many Goldman execs are in the White House? Who is kidding who here?
There is a conscience out there right? Hello? Anyone there?
McCain, you better not sink this country for the sake of politics. I think I know you better than that.
Maybe Venezuela is our new best ally.
June 4, 2017
...What, then, (click here) are we to make of Goldman Sachs fund managers’ recent secondary-market purchase, at a steep discount, of $2.8 billion worth of bonds issued by the state-owned oil company of Venezuela; that is to say, the same government that guns down pro-democracy protesters on a near-daily basis and otherwise subjects its people to vast corruption and economic privation?...
Sanctions against Venezuela? Hm? Does anyone think there are going to be sanctions against our new best ally?
How many Goldman execs are in the White House? Who is kidding who here?
Impeachment requires high crimes and misdemeanors. Well.
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it must be a duck.
A misdemeanor is a minor wrong doing. Was Trump and his buddies involved in a minor wrong doing? That is actually a question? Collusion with Russia by Tillerson and dissing NATO is not a wrong doing? Really?
Top Democrat on the Senate's Intelligence Committee says that while definitive proof of collusion is lacking, there's "a lot of smoke."
June 4, 2017
By S. V. Date
Washington – The top Democrat (click here) on the Senate panel investigating Russian interference in last year’s presidential campaign said Sunday that a major unresolved issue is how the Russians knew which states to target to help President Donald Trump.
“This is one of the questions we have to sort through,” Virginia’s Mark Warner said on CNN’s State of the Union. “It does seem strange, it appears, that Russian-paid Internet trolls who created bots were then able to put forward fake news, selective stories in a way that seemed targeted.”
He added that while he knows of no iron-clad proof of collusion between Russia and Trump’s campaign, “there is a lot of smoke.”
Crucial to Trump winning the the White House was that he carried three states ― Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania ― by a combined margin of about 76,000 votes. Polls had shown Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton leading in the trio of states, and all of them had been won by Democrats in the six presidential elections before last year’s vote....
Turkey should be careful of whom their friends are. The Kurdish region of Iraq is where all the oil fields are. The Kurdistan Regional Government is the Kurdish province of Iraq. Wow. It sounds like sovereignty is on the way. I said it and I said it; Iraq will divide into three autonomous regions. I could be completely correct.
See that name right there? Barzani? He is President of the Kurdistan Regional Government from the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq. Damn, I'm good. LOL. Did the Republican Congress of the USA take note of this? Russia. Russia is taking over the purchase of Iraqi oil. Amazing.
Smoking gun? What smoking gun? Russia has no problem recognizing the Kurdish Region of Iraq as a sovereign power to make contracts.
By Rudaw
Kurdish delegation headed by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani [L] meets with the management board of the Russian oil giant Rosneft, including Chief Executive Officer Igor Schein.
St. Petersburg, Russia — A top Kurdish delegation (click here) headed by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani has met with the management board of the Russian oil giant Rosneft, including Chief Executive Officer Igor Schein, in St. Petersburg Wednesday on the first leg of an official visit to the Russian Federation.
A statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said the meeting centred on cooperation between the KRG and Rosneft in the Kurdish energy sector and broader investment in the oil industry of the Kurdistan Region.
The Kurdish delegation was invited to Russia to take part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday which brings together the chief executives of major Russian and international companies, and senior government officials.
Prime Minister Barzani is also scheduled to meet with the Russian President Vladimir Putin at the three-day forum.
In February, the KRG signed a pre-financed contract with Russia’s state oil company Rosneft for the export of Kurdish crude oil. The landmark deal became the first time Kurdistan Region crude oil was to ship directly to a major oil refiner, a KRG official with knowledge of the deal told Rudaw at the time.
Rosneft plans to buy the Kurdish crude until 2019.
The deal with Rosneft is of particular importance as two US oil firms relinquished interest in a number of oil fields in the Kurdistan Region in recent years.
US oil giant Exxon Mobil pulled out of half of the six exploration blocks it operated in the Kurdistan Region last December....
...Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the KRG had negotiated a $3 billion loan deal with Rosneft which was falsely attributed to the Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami.
So, let me get this right.
Russia is taking Turkey on as an ally, while signing contracts with the Kurds of Iraq and Exxonmobile is leaving Iraq to go to Russia. So, Exxonmobile is losing money in Iraq while Russia is buying all the Kurds oil, but, is going to make money in Russia while Russia reaps profits from Exxonmobile. See, this isn't about oil, it is about a military strategy that removes USA interests while controlling the largest USA oil company in the world.
April 19, 2017
By Clifford Kraus
In 2012, Vladimir V. Putin, center, Russia’s president, met with Igor Sechin, left, the chief executive of Rosneft, and Rex W. Tillerson, who was then Exxon Mobil’s chief executive, as the two companies entered into a joint venture.
Houston — Exxon Mobil (click here) is pursuing a waiver from Treasury Department sanctions on Russia to drill in the Black Sea in a venture with Rosneft, the Russian state oil company, a former State Department official said on Wednesday. An oil industry official confirmed the account.
The waiver application was made under the Obama administration, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity, and the company has not dropped the proposal.
The proposal is now before the Trump administration at a delicate time in Russian-American relations, with rising tensions over the war in Syria and a looming congressional inquiry into reports of Russian efforts to influence the United States presidential election.
The appeal did not come up during Senate confirmation hearings for Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, who was Exxon Mobil’s chief executive before his nomination by President Trump and was known to have a strong working relationship with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. At the time, Mr. Tillerson and other company officials said they had not lobbied against the sanctions, which were imposed on Russia in response to its military intervention in Ukraine...
No, there is no smoking gun, there is a G-D canon!
So, how is the "Strategic Oil Reserve" holding up Donald? Is Congress sure the Commander and Chief actually has a functioning military?
And Congress actually believes Comey as the most competent source of information? Really? The man that put the final nail in the coffin of the Clinton Presidency and decimated the Democratic down ballot? Congress believes him?
Does the USA Congress actually know what is going on right under their own noses? Or, are they too busy being White Supremacists that hate President Obama?
Maybe they just don't care what wheeling and dealing goes on so much as engage the American electorate in hate and dismemberment of their democracy. Ya think?
So, let me get this right.
Russia is taking Turkey on as an ally, while signing contracts with the Kurds of Iraq and Exxonmobile is leaving Iraq to go to Russia. So, Exxonmobile is losing money in Iraq while Russia is buying all the Kurds oil, but, is going to make money in Russia while Russia reaps profits from Exxonmobile. See, this isn't about oil, it is about a military strategy that removes USA interests while controlling the largest USA oil company in the world.
By Clifford Kraus
In 2012, Vladimir V. Putin, center, Russia’s president, met with Igor Sechin, left, the chief executive of Rosneft, and Rex W. Tillerson, who was then Exxon Mobil’s chief executive, as the two companies entered into a joint venture.
Houston — Exxon Mobil (click here) is pursuing a waiver from Treasury Department sanctions on Russia to drill in the Black Sea in a venture with Rosneft, the Russian state oil company, a former State Department official said on Wednesday. An oil industry official confirmed the account.
The waiver application was made under the Obama administration, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity, and the company has not dropped the proposal.
The proposal is now before the Trump administration at a delicate time in Russian-American relations, with rising tensions over the war in Syria and a looming congressional inquiry into reports of Russian efforts to influence the United States presidential election.
The appeal did not come up during Senate confirmation hearings for Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, who was Exxon Mobil’s chief executive before his nomination by President Trump and was known to have a strong working relationship with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. At the time, Mr. Tillerson and other company officials said they had not lobbied against the sanctions, which were imposed on Russia in response to its military intervention in Ukraine...
No, there is no smoking gun, there is a G-D canon!
So, how is the "Strategic Oil Reserve" holding up Donald? Is Congress sure the Commander and Chief actually has a functioning military?
And Congress actually believes Comey as the most competent source of information? Really? The man that put the final nail in the coffin of the Clinton Presidency and decimated the Democratic down ballot? Congress believes him?
Does the USA Congress actually know what is going on right under their own noses? Or, are they too busy being White Supremacists that hate President Obama?
Maybe they just don't care what wheeling and dealing goes on so much as engage the American electorate in hate and dismemberment of their democracy. Ya think?
From RT.
4 June 2017
The recent attack in London (click here) should serve as a “wake-up call” for the international community to start taking an “honest and responsible" approach to terrorism and root out the “financial and ideological sources of violence,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said.
Iran has condemned the London terrorist attack, which left seven dead and at least 48 injured on Saturday night, adding that the recent surge in terrorism worldwide should serve as a “wake-up call” for the international community.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi called on certain states to stop “pursuing their short-term political and economic goals, which seem to be strategic, in favor of security for their citizens as well as the entire world.”
“To uproot terror, it is necessary that they [those states] address the root causes as well as main financial and ideological sources of extremism and violence, which are clear to everyone,” Press TV quoted the spokesman as saying.
The sole way to end global terrorism, according to Qassemi, is “to play an honest and responsible part in the global wave against terrorism and extremism free from any double standard.”...
Iran is not responsible for these attacks. These were men attracted to Daesh's charismatic movement. The reason they were attracted to it, is the real question.
I would suggest the Iranian Foreign Minister Bahram Qassemi consolidate this view into a speech for the UN and address his point of view from a country frequently accused of supporting terrorist networks.
Europe has a right to be recognized internationally for it's civilization and it's importance in history.
There is no cultural divide. There is no hatred. The West and the Muslims all over the world have loved and respected each other for centuries.
June 4, 2017
By Steven Erlanger
...In a matter of minutes, (click here) the three assailants were chased down by eight armed officers who fired about 50 rounds, killing the men, who wore what appeared to be suicide vests but subsequently proved to be fake. One member of the public also sustained nonfatal gunshot wounds, the police said....
The authorities response was very fast, but, they don't read minds. They are dedicated to the safety of their citizens. There are massive numbers of armed guards in Great Britain.
June 4, 2017
By Anthony Lane
The night (click here) that a terrorist attack at London Bridge and Borough Market killed seven and injured dozens, counterterrorism forces assembled near the scene.
Now will come the hunt and arrests. We all know what is happening here. It is The West's embrace of freedom and culture that has to survive through the assault on it.
This is not about Muslims killing Europeans, it is about international killers and how to stop them. I am confident there are Muslims killed in these attacks as well. They were killed on 911, too. It is not about Muslims, it is about civilization and how we protect it.
These attacks are stated to be carried out because of Islam. That is a lie.
These are international cowards that will never claim the after life. They kill women and children and are not soldiers in a battle. They kill the elderly. They have no respect for life. They have spell binding power in the methods of fear and carnage. That is not a war. That is desperation of the leaders of these killers to continue to exist and live. They don't want to die. They send their underlings to kill while they feast.
...The assault came days before national elections this week and after the British government had downgraded the threat level to “severe” from “critical,” meaning that an attack was highly likely, but not imminent....
I am sure "critical" emergency designations tie up traffic, slow trains and makes life fairly miserable.
So what.
Such extremism is often fueled by perceived hatred by society. Segregation is an enemy and Prime Minister May is speaking out about such problems. There are still problems within Great Britain the people have to address. Are there people within the UK considered second class citizens? It needs to be addressed by society.
No segregation or other social ill is a reason for such hatred and murder. There are no excuses. The people did not deserve this. The class struggle must end and citizens of the UK and Europe must address their common enemy, from economic deprivation to education to religious acceptance such issues need to dissipate in countries of equality. These social ills provide a breeding ground for the extremism and it works. It is up to the people to eliminate the breeding ground and provide for equal opportunity for all their people.
June 4, 2017
By Steven Erlanger
...In a matter of minutes, (click here) the three assailants were chased down by eight armed officers who fired about 50 rounds, killing the men, who wore what appeared to be suicide vests but subsequently proved to be fake. One member of the public also sustained nonfatal gunshot wounds, the police said....
The authorities response was very fast, but, they don't read minds. They are dedicated to the safety of their citizens. There are massive numbers of armed guards in Great Britain.
By Anthony Lane
The night (click here) that a terrorist attack at London Bridge and Borough Market killed seven and injured dozens, counterterrorism forces assembled near the scene.
Now will come the hunt and arrests. We all know what is happening here. It is The West's embrace of freedom and culture that has to survive through the assault on it.
This is not about Muslims killing Europeans, it is about international killers and how to stop them. I am confident there are Muslims killed in these attacks as well. They were killed on 911, too. It is not about Muslims, it is about civilization and how we protect it.
These attacks are stated to be carried out because of Islam. That is a lie.
These are international cowards that will never claim the after life. They kill women and children and are not soldiers in a battle. They kill the elderly. They have no respect for life. They have spell binding power in the methods of fear and carnage. That is not a war. That is desperation of the leaders of these killers to continue to exist and live. They don't want to die. They send their underlings to kill while they feast.
...The assault came days before national elections this week and after the British government had downgraded the threat level to “severe” from “critical,” meaning that an attack was highly likely, but not imminent....
I am sure "critical" emergency designations tie up traffic, slow trains and makes life fairly miserable.
So what.
Such extremism is often fueled by perceived hatred by society. Segregation is an enemy and Prime Minister May is speaking out about such problems. There are still problems within Great Britain the people have to address. Are there people within the UK considered second class citizens? It needs to be addressed by society.
No segregation or other social ill is a reason for such hatred and murder. There are no excuses. The people did not deserve this. The class struggle must end and citizens of the UK and Europe must address their common enemy, from economic deprivation to education to religious acceptance such issues need to dissipate in countries of equality. These social ills provide a breeding ground for the extremism and it works. It is up to the people to eliminate the breeding ground and provide for equal opportunity for all their people.
Ramadan is celebrated in Great Britain and Saudi Arabia with a favorite beverage.
By Aisha Fareed
...The invention of Vimto dates to 1908, (click here) when the late John Nicolas added berries and herbs with distinctive and refreshing flavors.
The sweet British product was first produced and sold in Manchester, and later spread throughout China, India, the Arabian Gulf and Africa.
After a friend of Nicolas took the drink to India for British soldiers, Vimto soon became a registered trademark.
In 1927, it made its first appearance in the Gulf, when the first generation of traders in the Aujan family brought the product to Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Oman.
Vimto started to be produced in the Saudi city of Dammam, where the region’s first beverage production factory was located.
It soon became a huge success in the Middle East, especially the Arabian Gulf, and became an inseparable part of the iftar table.
More than 30 million bottles of Vimto are sold in the Middle East every year, with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE the largest markets in the region. The Gulf version of Vimto is believed to contain more sugar than in Western markets.
Even the music in the Arabic Vimto advert has become attached to Ramadan in people’s minds.
The sweet British product was first produced and sold in Manchester, and later spread throughout China, India, the Arabian Gulf and Africa.
After a friend of Nicolas took the drink to India for British soldiers, Vimto soon became a registered trademark.
In 1927, it made its first appearance in the Gulf, when the first generation of traders in the Aujan family brought the product to Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Oman.
Vimto started to be produced in the Saudi city of Dammam, where the region’s first beverage production factory was located.
It soon became a huge success in the Middle East, especially the Arabian Gulf, and became an inseparable part of the iftar table.
More than 30 million bottles of Vimto are sold in the Middle East every year, with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE the largest markets in the region. The Gulf version of Vimto is believed to contain more sugar than in Western markets.
Even the music in the Arabic Vimto advert has become attached to Ramadan in people’s minds.
Elect Jim Johnson for Governor of New Jersey. He is the change candidate with a history to prove it.
He is from Montclair, is 56 and brings new generational ideas. He is married with four children. He is a former US Treasury undersecretary. Any Wall Street candidate has nothing on him. Jim's experience in government secures his knowledge of governance.
"Does anyone believe that if we keep running the same playbook written by the same insiders that your lives are going to get any better? I don't. ... That old playbook got us the highest property taxes" in the nation."It got us Jon Corzine, it got us Chris Christie, Chris Christie again, and it will get us Phil Murphy unless we demand real change."
Given his knowledge and experience in government he doesn't have to have a department of so called experts to write policy. He knows where the change needs to take place and can instrument it without holding anyone's hand.
HE VALUES ETHICS! Yes, yes, yes!
Ethics reform: Johnson wants to eliminate no-bid contracts, ban political contributions from lobbyists, require greater disclosure of lobbying activity, and limit public officials to one public pension.
There may be a pension crisis, but, that doesn't mean the NJ State Pension Funds are valueless, quite the contrary. The very last person that should be leading New Jersey is another Wall Street executive. New Jersey was built by the Middle Class who invested in unions and the pension provided. The vote for Governor has to begin with the promise to fix the pension system to take away the burden from voters to young to vote right now.
January 5, 2016
By Mark J. Magyar'
Next November, (click here) New Jerseyans will be asked to vote on a constitutional amendment to require the state government to make regular quarterly pension payments, which would put the state's pension system -- and the state of New Jersey itself -- on the road to fiscal solvency within six years.
The biggest winners, if the constitutional amendment passes, are not public employees -- who will get their pensions anyway -- but all of New Jersey's taxpayers.
State laws, Supreme Court rulings and legal opinions have already established that public employees are entitled to the vested pension benefits they have earned....
...New Jersey's pension system for teachers and state government workers has a $40 billion unfunded liability that is growing exponentially and is in danger of collapse because governors and legislatures treated the pension system like a credit card that would never come due.
Over a 14-year span, Republican governors underfunded the pension system by $2.6 billion, then Democratic governors did so by $10.2 billion. The Christie administration promised to fix the problem, but instead made it worse by underfunding the pension system by $17.5 billion in its first six years -- and a projected $23.7 billion by the time the governor's term ends in January 2018
Every year that the pension system goes underfunded, the long-term cost of fixing the problem grows exponentially.
It would have cost only $1.1 billion a year to restore the pension system to full funding when Sweeney first flagged the problem in 2005. Five years later, at the end of the Corzine administration, it would have cost $2.5 billion. It would have cost over $4.5 billion by 2018 when the seven-year ramp-up to full funding was to have been completed under the bipartisan 2011 pension law....
Do not let Wall Street go near this issue. Today, Wall Street, including and especially Goldman Sachs are gamblers, not investors. Greed and not growth is the Wall Street model in the year 2017.
July 11, 2016
By Samantha Marcus
The state Supreme Court (click here) on Thursday upheld a landmark 2011 law freezing cost-of-living adjustments for retired government workers, a decision that will slowly erode the value of pensions paid to 800,000 current and former public employees.
The 6-1 ruling is a major legal victory for Gov. Chris Christie's administration, which warned that restoring the annual increases would hurl a pension system already underfunded by $59 billion closer to insolvency.
"State taxpayers have won another huge victory," Christie said. "One that spares them from the burden of unaffordable benefit increases for public employee unions."
The lawsuit filed by a group of retired prosecutors hinged on whether the legal promise not to reduce workers' pensions includes cost-of-living adjustments. Christie and state lawmakers suspended the regular increases in 2011 as part of a sweeping overhaul of employee benefits that also raised the retirement age and required workers to pay more for their pensions and health care....
Jim Johnson as Governor will be ready from inauguration to target issues that burden future generations. That readiness begins with future generations today, since, New Jersey's education is badly underfunded. The education of future generations is already compromised and New Jersey taxpayers need someone in the Governor's seat that appreciates the priorities they hold.
Is there a difference between health and good environmental policy? No. Good environmental policy insures a better quality of life with increased health capacity. Every time a jogger or runner or walker heads out the door for exercise, they will not be getting a full does of pollution, unseasonable heat, extreme freezing temperatures or ground ozone in their face and lungs to impact wellness. Yes, freezing temperatures despite the obvious, causes stress on the body and mind. If that stress is also due to high energy costs, the switch to alternative solar and wind will improve the budgets of New Jerseyites.
IT WORKS IN CALIFORNIA. It will work in New Jersey.
March 3, 2016
By Craig McCarthy
In its annual list (click here) ranking the world's richest people, Forbes has included eight New Jersey residents, all of whom have amassed a personal net worth in the billions.
Most of the people who made the cut in New Jersey, according to Forbes, are self-made men with fortunes in finance and investments.
There are more billionaires in the United States, 540, than any other country in the world, according to Forbes. Trailing the U.S. is China with 320 people who have a 10-figure fortune and Germany with 120....
It is very possible a temporary tax increase would benefit the long term for the state. Where should those taxes be increased first? There are at least eight billionaires in New Jersey who would not feel the tax increase. Promise. Stop to think about the return to the state while their lives go unchanged.
New Jersey needs a change and the person best qualified of ANY of the candidates is Jim Johnson.
He can keep his promises when no one else can because he is prepared to do so.
New Jersey needs a change and the person best qualified of ANY of the candidates is Jim Johnson.
He can keep his promises when no one else can because he is prepared to do so.
Saturday, June 03, 2017
"Car Talk" always saw a responsibility to bring out the best in car ownership. Their specialty was 'the old beater.'
Sorry, this was suppose to go up last night.
June 1, 2008
Dear Tom and Ray,
While on my evening walk, (click here) I went past a small SUV with the engine running. On the return leg of my walk, the engine was still running. At the completion of my walk, I went back to check the vehicle. It was still running, so I went up to the house and asked the owner if she knew her engine was running. She was charging her cell phone! Question: How long can a modern passenger car be left idling? How much does it cost in gas? Can a cell phone be charged by using just the battery? Would it be cheaper to get an emergency cell-phone charger battery? And safer? What is the wear and tear on the engine? -- Mike
TOM: Well, we can do the math, Mike. An average car burns about 0.15 gallons of gas an hour while idling. That's 45 cents' worth of gas at $3 a gallon. Plus, in an hour you create three pounds of carbon dioxide and who knows how much nitrous oxide emissions? But we don't need to do all of the math to conclude that this is a wasteful way to charge a cell phone.
RAY: It's like air-conditioning your house down to 30 degrees to keep the ice-cream cold, instead of just putting it back into the freezer.
TOM: I assume the cell-phone owner had lost her home plug-in charger, and was using the car adapter because that was the only way she could charge her phone.
RAY: But what she didn't know was that she didn't have to run the engine. If she had simply plugged the adapter into the power point (formerly called the cigarette lighter) and then turned the key to the appropriate position (on some cars, the power point will work without the key in at all, and on other cars the key needs to be in one of the "on" positions), she could have charged her cell phone using only the car's battery.
TOM: No harm would have come to the battery. Charging a cell phone takes so little energy that it's virtually impossible to run down a healthy car battery by doing that. And the battery would have completely recharged itself the next time she used the car.
RAY: Plus, the added advantage of using the car's battery instead of the engine to recharge your cell phone is that you're less likely to attract the unwanted attention of potential car thieves. Or nosy evening walkers.
November 3, 2014
Tom Magliozzi's laugh boomed in NPR listeners' ears every week as he and his brother, Ray, bantered on Car Talk.
Tom Magliozzi, (click here) one of public radio's most popular personalities, died on Monday of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 77 years old.
Tom and his brother, Ray, became famous as "Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers" on the weekly NPR show Car Talk. They bantered, told jokes, laughed and sometimes even gave pretty good advice to listeners who called in with their car troubles.
If there was one thing that defined Tom Magliozzi, it was his laugh. It was loud, it was constant, it was infectious....
Ray Magliozzi (click here) was born in 1950. He is an actor and writer, known for Cars (2006), Cars 3 (2017) and Divided Highways: The Interstates and the Transformation of American Life (1997).
Below is a phone charging system that is portable to anywhere including and especially the beach. On second thought, be sure it doesn't get wet.
June 1, 2008
Dear Tom and Ray,
While on my evening walk, (click here) I went past a small SUV with the engine running. On the return leg of my walk, the engine was still running. At the completion of my walk, I went back to check the vehicle. It was still running, so I went up to the house and asked the owner if she knew her engine was running. She was charging her cell phone! Question: How long can a modern passenger car be left idling? How much does it cost in gas? Can a cell phone be charged by using just the battery? Would it be cheaper to get an emergency cell-phone charger battery? And safer? What is the wear and tear on the engine? -- Mike
TOM: Well, we can do the math, Mike. An average car burns about 0.15 gallons of gas an hour while idling. That's 45 cents' worth of gas at $3 a gallon. Plus, in an hour you create three pounds of carbon dioxide and who knows how much nitrous oxide emissions? But we don't need to do all of the math to conclude that this is a wasteful way to charge a cell phone.RAY: It's like air-conditioning your house down to 30 degrees to keep the ice-cream cold, instead of just putting it back into the freezer.
TOM: I assume the cell-phone owner had lost her home plug-in charger, and was using the car adapter because that was the only way she could charge her phone.
RAY: But what she didn't know was that she didn't have to run the engine. If she had simply plugged the adapter into the power point (formerly called the cigarette lighter) and then turned the key to the appropriate position (on some cars, the power point will work without the key in at all, and on other cars the key needs to be in one of the "on" positions), she could have charged her cell phone using only the car's battery.
TOM: No harm would have come to the battery. Charging a cell phone takes so little energy that it's virtually impossible to run down a healthy car battery by doing that. And the battery would have completely recharged itself the next time she used the car.
RAY: Plus, the added advantage of using the car's battery instead of the engine to recharge your cell phone is that you're less likely to attract the unwanted attention of potential car thieves. Or nosy evening walkers.
Tom Magliozzi's laugh boomed in NPR listeners' ears every week as he and his brother, Ray, bantered on Car Talk.
Tom Magliozzi, (click here) one of public radio's most popular personalities, died on Monday of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 77 years old.
Tom and his brother, Ray, became famous as "Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers" on the weekly NPR show Car Talk. They bantered, told jokes, laughed and sometimes even gave pretty good advice to listeners who called in with their car troubles.
If there was one thing that defined Tom Magliozzi, it was his laugh. It was loud, it was constant, it was infectious....
Ray Magliozzi (click here) was born in 1950. He is an actor and writer, known for Cars (2006), Cars 3 (2017) and Divided Highways: The Interstates and the Transformation of American Life (1997).Below is a phone charging system that is portable to anywhere including and especially the beach. On second thought, be sure it doesn't get wet.
Union membership leads to a vibrant Middle Class. A vibrant Middle Class equates to economic growth!
To quote most regressive Republicans, "California drank the Kool-Aide." Yep. They sure did and it shows!
California is not an experiment, it is proof!
February 1, 2017
By Jonathan Lansner
...A new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (click here) shows union influence in the entire California workplace grew slightly last year, a stark contrast to declining union rolls nationwide.
Here are six things worth knowing:
1. Big numbers: California is a comparative union town, with 2.55 million members statewide in 2016, highest in the nation. Those unionized workplaces roughly equal all the jobs in Minnesota. New York was second last year at 1.9 million; Illinois third, at 812,000.
2. Growing rolls: California union membership grew with the state job market, up 65,000, or 2.6 percent, in a year. Nationally, it’s a different story: Unions had 14.6 million members in 2016, down 237,000, or a dip of 1.6 percent....
What happened to Democrats? They lost the Middle Class supported by a good quality of life and union membership. The Middle Class has been replaced by the Working Poor facilitated by the god awful Gingrich Welfare Class and a lost generation of "Occupy Wall Street."
...6. Trump voters? Forget exit polls. My trusty spreadsheet translated this union data into curious presidential political insight. The 30 states that Trump won had a total of 5.5 million union members last year (7 percent of their workforce) vs. 9.1 million in the other 20 states and D.C. (15 percent of all jobs.) But in Trump states, union rolls were down 244,000 and up 7,000 elsewhere. Did Trump draw well from the recently unemployed? Look at key swing states like Florida (down 90,000 union jobs in 2016) or Pennsylvania (off 62,000), both won by the new president....
200,000 people die in the USA of air pollution....(as Governor of California) we passed the strictest environmental rules in the country...
That is a Grizzly Bear not a Russian bear (Brown Bear).
November 16, 2017
By Niall McCarthy
...According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, (click here) California is the 6th largest economy in the world. In 2015, its economic output reached $2.46 trillion, surpassing France. Only the United States, China, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom are able to boast a higher GDP than the Golden State....
California is making America great again!
June 6, 2016
By Matthew Winkler
...California last year created the most jobs of any state, 483,000, more than the second- and third-most-populous states Florida and Texas combined (they added 257,900 and 175,700) and at a faster rate than any of the world's developed economies. The pace of employment growth was almost triple the rate of job creation for the 19 countries that make up the euro zone and more than 3.5 times that of Japan, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The high taxes and ubiquitous regulation critics cite when assailing Golden State government are proving no impediment to business and investment. They may even be a benefit, as public policy and people's preferences converge. Four of the world's 10 largest companies are based in California. Two of them -- Alphabet and Facebook -- were conceived in the past 18 years. San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, the world's largest bank by market capitalization, routinely outperforms any of its peers from Wall Street.
California produces almost all of the country's almonds, apricots, dates, figs, kiwifruit, nectarines, olives, pistachios, prunes and walnuts among dozens of crops that make it No. 1 in the U.S., with an equivalent GDP from agriculture, forestry and hunting totaling more than $37.7 billion, dwarfing No. 2 Iowa's $12.1 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. No state comes close to California in manufacturing totaling $255.6 billion. Texas is next with $239.1 billion. The trailing 12-month revenue from California technology companies totaled $732 billion, or 53 percent of all tech revenues in the U.S. ...
...The 482 companies in the Russell 3000, which are based in California, produced a total return of 144 percent during the past five years, easily beating the 114 percent return for non-California companies during the same period....
With a population approaching 40 million, California is known for its diversity. But it's not just the people; the industries are diverse as well....In contrast, more than 60 percent of the largest publicly traded Texas firms are tied to oil and gas....
...No state comes close to California in recognizing the peril of global warming and addressing it with policies that expand the opportunity to develop clean or alternative energy. Among the 127 North American companies in the Bloomberg Americas Clean Energy Index, 26 are based in California, with average revenue growth of 11 percent -- 2 percent more than the average for the rest of the sector across the continent. Texas has three companies in the group, with revenue growth of 2 percent. During the past 12 months, the clean energy companies based in California spent an average 25 percent of their revenue on research and development and a median of 16 percent. Non-California firms spent an average of 13 percent and a median of 1 percent.
The payoff for investors owning the shares of California clean energy companies is huge compared with returns from similar firms outside the state: An average gross margin of 42 percent, turning $100 of sales into $42 gross profit compared to a gross margin of 31 percent for non-California clean energy during the past 12 months. Analysts also say the shares of the California clean energy companies will gain 40 percent during the next 12 months compared with a predicted 23 percent for the non-California firms.
California's outstanding performance across so many metrics isn't a fluke -- if you ask Jerry Brown, the longest-serving governor of the state, now in his fourth term....
The California is not simply about governing Democratic principles and morals, it is about GETTING IT RIGHT.
Real Median Household Income in California (click here)
| 2015 | 1 Year Change | 3 Year Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | $55,775 | +3.83% | +5.17% |
| California | $64,500 | +4.02% | +7.12% |
Techys are nerds, they aren't died in the wool oppressors as Christian Conservatives are. Techys are from the culture that respects diversity while being respected as well. They 'live the life' and not just talk about it.
It all works. All of it.
Friday, June 02, 2017
Thousands of children in Flint are set to receive additional money for nutritional foods that can limit the effects of lead exposure.
May 15, 2017
Flint, Mich. (AP) — Thousands of children in Flint (click here) are set to receive additional money for nutritional foods that can limit the effects of lead exposure, though families who recently left the Michigan city because of the lead-tainted water crisis won't be eligible.
About $7 million in aid is going to about 15,000 children who qualify for food assistance, meaning qualifying families will receive a one-time payment of $420 per child to be used throughout the year. The funding is in addition to the $30 per child families got in March, the Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/2r93CWh ) reported.
The city switched to untreated Flint River water as its drinking-water source in a money-saving effort in 2014, while under state management. But the move resulted in lead being leached from pipes into the water supply. Flint returned to Detroit's water system in 2015.
To qualify for the new food assistance, residents must have lived in a ZIP code identified as being served by the city's water system on Feb. 28, and still live in an eligible ZIP code as of April 1. Families who left the city because of the water to escape the lead won't be eligible, regardless of whether their children suffer health effects....
That is outrageous. Flint is a closed community? No one can move out and no one can come in? That is bizarre. I am confident the children who have left Flint that are effected can be found and provided for in a meaningful way. I think Michigan needs to continue to administer the funds, but, there is no reason why the monies cannot follow the child.
Lawsuit!
So what is so special about food and lead.
When you think of ways to build strong and healthy bones, most people immediately mention calcium. However, new research indicates that iron might also make a difference in your bone health.
A recent study at the University of Arizona and University of Arkansas found that postmenopausal women who consumed at least 18 milligrams of iron a day had the greatest bone mineral density levels.
The role of iron in bone density may be linked to its role in the production of collagen, a key component of our bones. Good sources of dietary iron include beef, poultry, fish and beans.
Researchers also found that iron's benefits may be tied to calcium consumption in the range of 800 to 1,200 milligrams per day. It appears that a balanced intake of iron and calcium has the best benefit in terms of bone health.
Iron and calcium are among other important nutrients for healthy bones so be sure to include a variety of foods from the Food Guide Pyramid every day.
Flint, Mich. (AP) — Thousands of children in Flint (click here) are set to receive additional money for nutritional foods that can limit the effects of lead exposure, though families who recently left the Michigan city because of the lead-tainted water crisis won't be eligible.
About $7 million in aid is going to about 15,000 children who qualify for food assistance, meaning qualifying families will receive a one-time payment of $420 per child to be used throughout the year. The funding is in addition to the $30 per child families got in March, the Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/2r93CWh ) reported.
The city switched to untreated Flint River water as its drinking-water source in a money-saving effort in 2014, while under state management. But the move resulted in lead being leached from pipes into the water supply. Flint returned to Detroit's water system in 2015.
To qualify for the new food assistance, residents must have lived in a ZIP code identified as being served by the city's water system on Feb. 28, and still live in an eligible ZIP code as of April 1. Families who left the city because of the water to escape the lead won't be eligible, regardless of whether their children suffer health effects....
That is outrageous. Flint is a closed community? No one can move out and no one can come in? That is bizarre. I am confident the children who have left Flint that are effected can be found and provided for in a meaningful way. I think Michigan needs to continue to administer the funds, but, there is no reason why the monies cannot follow the child.
Lawsuit!
So what is so special about food and lead.
Lead stays in the body for different periods of time, depending on where it is. Half of the lead in the blood will be excreted in 25 days (this is called the "half-life"). In soft tissues, it takes 40 days for half of the lead to be excreted. In bones and teeth it takes much longer, up to 10 years or longer.
Since lead is stored in the body, a person can get poisoned from exposure to just small amounts of lead over a long period of time (chronic exposure). You do not need to get exposed to just large doses of lead to be poisoned (acute exposure). It can take months or years for the body to get rid of lead. A person will continue to be exposed to lead internally even after the actual exposure to lead stops....
Basically, increasing the body's ability to build a healthy body through good nutrition, will increase the chances of healthy tissue over a more unhealthy chance.
Lead replaced iron in the children drinking the leaded water. There is permanent damage because lead can effect hemoglobin and deprive body tissue of oxygen. There are places in the body where lead has permanently become a part of the cell structure.
Information provided by the American Dietetic Association: Your Link to Nutrition & Health
When you think of ways to build strong and healthy bones, most people immediately mention calcium. However, new research indicates that iron might also make a difference in your bone health.
A recent study at the University of Arizona and University of Arkansas found that postmenopausal women who consumed at least 18 milligrams of iron a day had the greatest bone mineral density levels.
The role of iron in bone density may be linked to its role in the production of collagen, a key component of our bones. Good sources of dietary iron include beef, poultry, fish and beans.
Researchers also found that iron's benefits may be tied to calcium consumption in the range of 800 to 1,200 milligrams per day. It appears that a balanced intake of iron and calcium has the best benefit in terms of bone health.
Iron and calcium are among other important nutrients for healthy bones so be sure to include a variety of foods from the Food Guide Pyramid every day.
There are some permanently damaged tissues with the children from Flint. By increasing the good nutrition the body has it's best chance to build a body that can achieve optimal wellness for the challenge these children face.
Why take chances that will complicate their ability to be well?
ALL the children from Flint, regardless of where they and their parents reside now, should be receiving this nutritional subsidy. Honestly! All these children should be followed through their pediatricians and parents as much as is possible.
Follow the 2015 Dietary Guidelines (click here) to include a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein foods and dairy products. When there is healthy food in the body, it is more difficult for lead to be absorbed. Make sure your diet is rich in important nutrients such as calcium, iron and vitamin C....
Follow the 2015 Dietary Guidelines (click here) to include a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein foods and dairy products. When there is healthy food in the body, it is more difficult for lead to be absorbed. Make sure your diet is rich in important nutrients such as calcium, iron and vitamin C....
These children will become adults. Handicapped individuals have a different quality of life which means increased costs for health care and wellness. What are going to be their outcomes as adults? Will they do well and carry on a normal life or will they be effected and find life such a challenge they can never achieve a normal quality of life? It is the obligation of the State ,Governor Snyder and all other contributing government and private organizations to be sure these youngsters have the chance they need.
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