There are
upcoming hearings by both the PSC and DNR in regards to allowing Foxconn
to exercise the questionably Constitutional extraordinary rights
granted to it by the Scott Walker Gang.
To wit:
Concerned Residents of Racine County will have an opportunity to add
their voices and valuable input into the decision making process of both
the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) and Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), in regards to:
Please join Cindy and I is JUST SAYING NO to allowing Governor Scott
Walker, Representatives Robin Vos, Cory Mason & MTP President David
DeGroot to violate the Wisconsin Constitution (and their Oath of Office)
by granting special rights to Corporate interests, stealing people’s
property, destroying multi-generational Farms alongside an entire long
established Community, loosening environmental protections, permitting
heavy metals water pollution, instituting slave labor wages, providing
taxpayer subsidies to multi-billionaire Corporations, and politician
overreach.
Your Wife, and current City of Racine Municipal Judge
Rebecca Mason intervened on behalf of
Monte Osterman's "non-profit" Root River Council to defend his failure to
comply with IRS requirements and provide the public with form 990's, thus
obstructing the free flow of information on how Monte Osterman spent
taxpayer dollars he obtained through government grants - most of which
were obtained through government agencies on which either Racine Mayor John
Dickert was a Board member or which former Racine area homebuilder Cathy Stepp was the head
of.
Those agencies - specifically the DNR and
Wisconsin Coastal Management Program had been
provided with information stating that Monte Osterman was operating a
legitimate non-profit organization in compliance with IRS regulations.
The failure by Monte Osterman to provide form 990's when requested
suggests otherwise - that the Root River Council was being operated as a
SCAM
and that the public was obstructed from obtaining and viewing information concerning how tax dollars via grants were spent.
Mayor
Mason - I allege that your wife, Rebecca, defended the indefensible and
assisted in a cover-up of Monte Osterman's failure to comply with IRS
Regulations.
Our request to see the IRS required form
990's has never been complied with - and while taxpayers have thrown
millions of dollars at Machinery Row - the only results so far is to
have thrown former property tax paying Residents and Businesses off of
their property; compensate some, but not all for relocation costs
(including Racine County Supervisor Monte Osterman), create massive tax
shifting via another TID; enrich Rodney Blackwell who may have extorted
additional monies from Sellers; left the RDA underfunded and forced them
to borrow funds from the City; and 2 pending lawsuits against the City
of Racine, one in Circuit Court, one in Federal Curt, which Residents
will pay dearly for.
Why is
the Wisconsin Professional Police Association making statements
concerning evidence allegedly collected at a crime scene? It seems that
some conclusions of law based upon Hearsay have been entered into the
public realm!
And the WPPA is a 501c-5 NON-PROFIT and Tax Exempt ORGANIZATION!
RACINE — The gun Donte Shannon
allegedly had in his possession before police shot and killed him Jan.
17 was turned in as evidence in the ongoing investigation, the Wisconsin
Professional Police Association said in a statement this week.
According
to a Jan. 22 DOJ press release, “Two Racine police officers, identified
as Chad Stillman and Peter Boeck, conducted a traffic stop near the
intersection of 14th Street and Villa Street. The driver of the vehicle,
26-year-old Donte D. Shannon of Racine, fled on foot and was pursued by
the officers. The officers witnessed Mr. Shannon brandish a firearm and
responded with gun fire, striking him.”
Since
the shooting, community members have been questioning the reports of
the event, including the information about the brandished firearm.Read more:
The Wisconsin Professional Police Association is the largest law
enforcement labor union in the state, representing local police,
sheriff’s deputies and other officers. It serves almost 11,000 active
and retired members in 380 locals. It does not represent Milwaukee
police officers, who are covered by a separate union. The WPPA engages
in collective bargaining and legislative lobbying. http://www.politifact.com/personalities/wisconsin-professional-police-association/
Department has sat on records request for over 13 months
February 1, 2018 – Madison, WI – On behalf of Isthmus —
an independent Madison newspaper — the Wisconsin Institute for Law
& Liberty (WILL) filed an open records lawsuit in Dane County
Circuit Court against the Madison Police Department (MPD). The
department has failed to produce records requested in December 2016 even
though Isthmus paid for 729 pages of responsive records in March 2017.
Veteran reporter Gil Halsted and Isthmus were seeking
records on an incident involving internal concern over the conduct of a
former MPD officer. The inordinate delay of this request has prevented
journalists from doing their job: To seek truth, provide transparency
and inform the people.
On December 7, 2016, Halsted sent a records request to Lt. John Radovan, records custodian for MPD, while working with Isthmus staff writer Dylan Brogan on a potential story. After Isthmus agreed to narrow the scope of its request, MPD identified 729 pages of responsive records and Isthmus paid $182.25 in fees for those records in March. Over the next five months, Radovan reassured Isthmus
many times that delivery of the records was imminent. The lieutenant
finally indicated in early August that he had finished redactions. When
the records still weren’t produced several weeks later, Isthmus
asked assistant city attorney Roger Allen for an update on the request.
On Aug. 29, Allen responded, “I have spoken with my client [MPD] and we
will try to expedite this.”
There has been no communication from the
city since.
“Records custodians around the state slow-walk people seeking records
all the time without facing any consequences,” said Tom Kamenick,
deputy counsel and open-government expert at WILL. “I see requests that
get sat on for six, seven, eight months sometimes for no good reason. Isthmus
has been waiting over 13 months, which is atrocious and inexcusable.
It’s time to hold custodians responsible when they ignore their
responsibilities.”
“It is unfortunate that we must turn to litigation in order to obtain
information from a department that prides itself on transparency.
Public agencies should not block access to public documents,” said
Judith Davidoff, editor of Isthmus. “We hope this case can
benefit all Wisconsin records requesters by providing clarity on how
long is too long when waiting for a government agency to fulfill a
records request.”
More information about the case can be found here.
Isthmus v. Madison Police Department
Case Name: Red Card Media, LLC d/b/a Isthmus Publishing v. Madison Police Department
Type of Case: Open Records Court: Dane County Circuit Court Case Number: 18-cv-290 Filed On: February 1, 2018 Current Status: Complaint filed
Wisconsin law requires record custodians to fulfill record requests “as soon as possible and without delay.” The Madison Police Department has failed to produce records requested in December 2016 even though Isthmus paid for 729 pages of responsive records in March 2017.
Veteran reporter Gil Halsted and Isthmus were seeking records on an incident involving internal concern over the conduct of a former MPD officer. On December 7, 2016, Halsted sent a records request to Lt. John Radovan, records custodian for MPD, while working with Isthmus staff writer Dylan Brogan on a potential story. After Isthmus agreed to narrow the scope of its request, MPD identified 729 pages of responsive records and Isthmus paid $182.25 in fees for those records in March. Over the next five months, Radovan reassured Isthmus
many times that delivery of the records was imminent. The lieutenant
finally indicated in early August that he had finished redactions. When
the records still weren’t produced several weeks later, Isthmus askedassistant
city attorney Roger Allen for an update on the request. On Aug. 29,
Allen responded, “I have spoken with my client [MPD] and we will try to
expedite this.” There has been no communication from the city since.
We filed suit to compel the release of the records.
As the
Attorneys who Represent MTP and David DeGroot are at a loss for words in
defining "Problematic" - Cindy and I decided to help:
To wit:
Village President David DeGroot is clearly lost and confused while
his legal team attempts to blow more smoke up MTP Residents anal
sphincter valves!
And YES! The claims are “Problematic” Can you define that term – Dave?
Is it problematic because it is a complex problem with no simple
solutions – in regards to the environment; sustainability;
practicability; cost vs. benefit ratio; Equity and implementation?
Perhaps it just creates a greater dilemma for Racine County Residents –
Dilemma defined:
A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones.
Please join Cindy and I is JUST SAYING NO to allowing Governor Scott
Walker, Representatives Robin Vos, Cory Mason & MTP President David
DeGroot to violate the Wisconsin Constitution (and their Oath of Office)
by granting special rights to Corporate interests, stealing people’s
property, destroying multi-generational Farms alongside an entire long
established Community, loosening environmental protections, permitting
heavy metals water pollution, instituting slave labor wages, providing
taxpayer subsidies to multi-billionaire Corporations, and politician
overreach.
"She gets too hungry, for dinner at eight (I am starving) She loves the theater, but she never comes late I never bother, with people that I hate That's why this chick is a tramp
She doesn't like crap games, with barons and earls Won't go to Harlem, in ermines and pearls And I definitely won't dish out dirt, with the rest of those girls (Thank-you) That's why the lady is a tramp
I love the free, fresh wind in my hair Life without care, oh I'm so broke, it's old I hate California, it's crowded and damp That's why the lady is a tramp (I am a tramp)
Sometimes I go to Coney Island, oh the beach is divine And I love the Yankees, Jeeter's just fine I follow Rogers and Heart, she sings every line That's why the lady is a tramp
I love a prizefight, that isn't a fake (no fakes) I love to row boat with you and your wife on Central Park lake She goes to Opera and stays wide awake (yes, I do) That's why this lady is a tramp
She likes the green (green) grass (grass) under her shoes What can I lose, 'cause I got no dough (oh no?) I'm all alone when I lower my lamp That's why the lady is a tramp"
The LOVE is glaringly OBVIOUS! From Monica to Stormy!
Two Consecutive Negatives Make a Positive - or Stormy Daniels is Jealous
That She is Not First Lady - even though the alleged Lady is ACTUALLY a
TRAMP!
Somebody needs to tell Stephanie Clifford - aka "Stormy Daniels" - that she needs to make up her mind.
In a short statement attributed to Daniels and provided by her publicist on Tuesday, the actress was quoted as saying, "I am denying this affair because it never happened."
Hours later, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this
week, Daniels added another twist to her story when she said she didn't
know where that denial came from.
What does former Racine County Judge Dennis Barry; Osama Bin Laden, former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scali
and alleged Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock
all have in common?
After
months of radio silence, new information released earlier this week
surrounding the investigation into Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock's
motive appears to have revived suspicions that another person was
involved in the shooting.
The newly unsealed documents - which were unsealed by court order
after journalists at the Las Vegas Review-Journal and other media sued -
revealed that the FBI is seeking a "person of interest" named Douglas
Haig. Haig's name had not previously been connected to the shooting.
What's more, according to what's been widely cited as his LinkedIn page,
Haig had "DOD Top Secret clearance" and worked for top weapons
manufacturers and specialized in Military Ammunition, as we pointed out.
Haig's connection to Paddock and the shooting is unclear, but in
another confusing development, Clark County Nevada Coroner John
Fudenberg is defying a court order to release the full autopsy report
for Paddock - even though Paddock's body was cremated in December.
According to the Daily Caller, District Court Judge Timothy Williams ordered the coroner Tuesday to immediately release the autopsy. Fudenberg
is conferring with others in his office, and no date had been given for
his compliance with the judge’s order, the corner’s office told The
Daily Caller.
The office also told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the report wouldn't be released until it was “finalized.”
“The coroner’s office has fought to keep autopsy reports confidential,” according to the the Review-Journal.
It's difficult to imagine what component of the autopsy could, at
this point, be left unfinished; after all, Paddock's body was destroyed
weeks ago. And yet, the coroner has chosen to pay $32,000 in legal costs
instead of turning over the final report.
"The shooter’s body was cremated Dec. 21. How can the autopsy report
not be 'finalized' when the body was cremated more than five weeks ago?"
Review-Journal Editor-in-Chief Keith Moyer publicly stated. "The law is squarely on the side of the public’s right to open government."
An interim report released Jan. 8 gave only scant information about
the autopsy and did not release either the autopsy or a toxicology
report on Paddock.
“Preliminarily, the injuries noted were on the posterior of
both calves and a gunshot wound to the upper palette inside the
decedent’s mouth with obvious damage to the upper teeth,” the department stated.
“The cause of Paddock’s death was an internal gunshot wound and the manner of death was ruled a suicide,” the report concluded.
While the details so far largely comport with the early press
reports, some say the initial report was suspiciously lacking in detail.
“What’s glaring are the missing details on the autopsy,” said Wayne Black, a 40-year veteran law enforcement and private security expert, in an interview with TheDCNF.
“This is probably one of the most significant medical examiner’s investigations of the year,” he said.
It's been four months since the shooting, and still much remains
vague or unknown. Paddock's motives remain a mystery. Unanswered
questions remain about the official timeline of events. Photos published
online in the immediate aftermath of the shooting purported to show a
second shooter closer to ground level, but they were largely dismissed
by law enforcement and the media.
The local community is in shock over the apparent suicide this week of a judge in Racine County, Wis.
Circuit Court Judge Dennis Barry, 64, was found dead yesterday
morning in Racine’s Lincoln Park not far from his car. He had suffered a
gunshot wound to his head, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
There is no reported motive for the judge to commit suicide, but the
county medical examiner said officials have authorities had “no reason
to believe it was not a suicide,” the newspaper reports. Friends and
colleagues described Barry as an unusually caring and devoted judge who
was very active in his community.
“He was always there if you needed him… He was one of the best judges
Racine County had,” former state representative Bonnie Ladwig tells the
Caledonia, Wis., Patch. “He was a caring person. He looked at all sides of story. He was thoughtful and thorough, and he wanted to do what was right.”
Last seen leaving the courthouse at 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon,
Barry was reported missing by his wife early the next morning, the
Journal Sentinel says.
Racine County Circuit Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz told the newspaper
that Barry “devoted his legal career to the protection of the people of
his community and the administration of justice in a fair and evenhanded
manner.
“He was devoted to his family, his community and to the concept of
justice,” Gasiorkiewicz continued. “He was an excellent lawyer and an
equally excellent judge.”
Sergio Summerville was a small-time drug
dealer living out of a storage unit in September 2016 when officers from
the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force blocked him from leaving the
facility.
One of the officers said he was with the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration. He was not. The officers said they had a
warrant. They didn’t. They didn’t even know his name — though they tried
to bluff, Summerville said.
They ended up taking thousands of
dollars out of a sock he kept in his storage unit, he testified in
federal court Wednesday, and left without charging him.
“They came at me like a gang or something,” said Summerville, 38.
Summerville is one of several men who are admitting to being drug
dealers — some of them large-scale traffickers — under immunity deals
with the federal government to testify against two officers with the Baltimore Police Department’s elite Gun Trace Task Force.
Detectives
Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor are fighting federal racketeering
charges in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. They are accused of shaking
down suspected drug dealers and taking thousands of dollars in unearned
overtime pay. Six officers have pleaded guilty; four are testifying for
the government.
Ronald Hamilton’s previous appearances in the
downtown federal courthouse were related to his two prior drug
conspiracy convictions. They brought in lengthy prison sentences.
But
on Wednesday, he took the witness stand against police. He said he and
his wife were stopped in July 2016 while shopping for blinds. He said
Detective Jemell Rayam dragged him out of the car, asked “Where’s the
money at?” took $3,400 out of Hamilton’s pocket and slipped it into his
police vest.
Rayam has admitted to the robbery and pleaded guilty.
Hamilton
and his wife were handcuffed and taken to a satellite police office,
where he said Sgt. Wayne Jenkins — another task force officer who has
pleaded guilty — pretended to be a federal prosecutor and claimed to
have caught Hamilton making three drug deals.
“That’s a lie,” Hamilton said he told them.
The
officers took the Hamiltons to their $500,000 home in Carroll County,
where they searched for drugs and cash. Rayam said he claimed, falsely,
to have conducted surveillance on Hamilton to get the warrant. They
found nothing illegal, but Hamilton had $75,000 in cash stored in
heat-sealed bags.
The officers took $25,000 and left without charging
him with a crime.
Hamilton testified that he had reformed, and
made money from selling cars, managing rental properties in West
Baltimore and an assisted-living facility, and from gambling.
Defense
attorneys cast doubt on those claims with casino records that showed
him with massive losses, and asked repeatedly how he could afford such
an expensive house two years after being released from federal prison.
During a second round of heavy questioning, Hamilton snapped.
“This
right here destroyed my whole [expletive] family!” he yelled.
“Everybody’s life is destroyed because of this. I’m in a divorce process
because of this. … My kids are afraid to go in the house!”
U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake urged Hamilton to calm down.
Police
stole Oreese Stevenson’s house keys in March 2016, entered his home
without a warrant, broke open a safe and stole more than $100,000, he
and the convicted officers testified.
Stevenson told a federal
grand jury he had as much as 10 kilograms of cocaine at his home, some
of which also was taken. That amount would sell for hundreds of
thousands of dollars.
Ivan Bates is a defense attorney who
represented multiple victims who have taken the stand in the case. He
attended court for Stevenson’s testimony.
"The travesty of the
GTTF is that the system turned a blind eye to what was really
happening," said Bates, who is running for Baltimore state’s attorney.
He said both police and prosecutors "knew exactly who these criminals
with badges were."
"In the end, it was all about an arrest, a conviction, and a stat," Bates said.
Stevenson was a reluctant witness. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo Wise asked whether he wanted to take part in the trial.
“Not all,” he responded.
Defense attorney Jenifer Wicks asked if he had guns and drugs in the home.
Stevenson smirked.
“I don’t recall,” he said.
Stevenson said he is a truck driver and no longer deals drugs.
Earlier
in the trial, two officers testified that they broke into Stevenson’s
safe, counted $200,000, then put $100,000 back inside and closed it up.
They filmed a video that purported to show them opening the safe for
the first time.
DWB’—Turkmenistan Style
In Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, drivers of black cars are facing
high costs to repaint their cars white or silver after President
Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov banned black vehicles because he thinks the
color white brings good luck. Police began seizing dark-colored vehicles
in late December, and owners have to apply for permission to repaint
and re-register them. The average wage in Ashgabat is about $300 a month
(or 1,200 manats); one resident informed Radio Free Europe that he was
quoted 7,000 manats for a paint job but was told that the price would
rise within a week to 11,000 manats. “Even if I don’t spend any money
anywhere, I will be forced to hand over pretty much my entire annual
salary just to repaint my car!” he said. The man’s black car,
incidentally, has also been impounded.
Public Safety—Tennessee Style
Tennessee’s legislature has a newly renovated home in Nashville’s
Cordell Hull Building, so Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Beth
Harwell have been busy outlining some new rules, to wit: “Hand-carried
signs and signs on hand sticks” will be “strictly prohibited because
they pose a serious safety hazard.” Animals, too, will be turned away at
the door, reported The Tennessean on Thursday, Dec. 21. But,
unfazed by the obviously irony, McNally and Harwell will continue a
policy they enacted last year: Holders of valid gun permits will still
be able to bring their weapons into the building.
News of the Weird—Taco Bell Style
n Tampa, Fla., resident Douglas Jon Francisco, 28, was arrested for
DUI after he mistook a Spring Hill bank drive-thru for a Taco Bell
drive-thru. On Wednesday, Jan. 17, around 5 p.m., the bank branch
manager noticed a passed-out driver in a blue Hyundai sedan in the
drive-thru lane. When the manager banged on the window, Francisco woke
up and tried to order a burrito, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
After being informed that the bank drive-thru was not for ordering fast
food, Francisco drove around to the front of the building and parked,
where deputies later found him and administered a field sobriety test,
which he failed. “He made several statements that were differing from
reality,” a Hernando County Sheriff’s deputy reported.
n A Facebook event calling for a candlelight vigil to remember a
destroyed Taco Bell restaurant in Montgomery, Ala., started as a joke.
But according to UPI, about 100 people showed up on Sunday, Jan. 21, to
pay their respects to the popular fast-food restaurant, which had burned
down four days before the vigil after electrical equipment sparked a
fire.
Dog Shoots Man
Outdoorsman Sergey Terekhov, 64, had just let his dogs out to run
before a January hunting outing in Russia’s remote Saratov region when
one of the dogs bounded back to him and clawed the trigger of Terekhov’s
double-barreled shotgun, shooting the man in the abdomen. The Telegraph reported that his brother rushed Terekhov to the hospital, but he died less than an hour after the shooting.
Compulsion
Bradley Hardison, 27, of Elizabeth City, N.C., achieved minor
celebrity status in 2014 when he won a doughnut-eating contest sponsored
by the Elizabeth City Police Department, whereby he had consumed eight
glazed doughnuts in two minutes. At the time, police had been looking
for Hardison as a suspect in break-ins going back to 2013, so they
arrested him, and he received a suspended sentence that ended in October
2017. The Virginian-Pilot reported that Hardison was charged on Thursday, Jan. 18, with robbing a Dunkin’ Donuts store.
I Love You, You Love Me…
If you’ve been wondering whatever happened to Barney the Dinosaur, the Daily Mail
has the answer for you. David Joyner, 54, romped inside the big purple
suit for 10 years on the 1990s “Barney & Friends” TV show on PBS.
Today, Joyner is a tantric sex guru in Los Angeles who says he can unite
his clients’ “body, mind and spirit through tantric massage and
unprotected sex.” Joyner credits his tantric training with helping him
endure the 120-degree temperatures inside the Barney suit.
Orcas have been heard mimicking human speech. A study found that when prompted the marine mammal could replicate the sounds. In some instances the animal can be heard sounding the words "hello" "Amy" and even blowing a raspberry. The research aims to understand how different pods of killer whale have distinct dialects
“Death solves all problems – no man, no problem.” – Joseph Stalin
Government is a death cult. It is the most profound mechanism outside
of planetary extinction events to rid the globe of human beings. There
have certainly been disease vectors like the plague in medieval times
that wiped out significant parts of Europe but even that can be
attributed to human volition to a certain extent.
The state is an exterminationist by trade, ask the aboriginal Americans.
Since the first agricultural communities attracted the government
predator’s eye thousands of years ago and led to the tax accountancy
records Charles Adams
first pointed out to us. Hunter gatherer communities were quite a bit
more difficult to pin down and cage within the confines of a tax
jurisdiction. Tax jurisdictions are the center of gravity for
governments to germinate and expand their nefarious enterprises.
All government historically leads to totalitarianism where no human
transaction remains unmolested by statist interference. None.
Whether the murderous paroxysms of violence in the endless wars
created by tax jurisdictions dressed in fancy bunting and flags in
ancient times or today have more advanced killing machines, the mission
is the same. Government will ultimately kill you for non-compliance of a
seatbelt violation if your lack of obedience and insistence on
resistance continues and escalates.
In the end, ALL governments seek to maim and kill the non-compliant
because obedience is the signal contribution of ANY citizen in a tax
jurisdiction yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Keep in mind that the lion’s share of all wars in human history are armed disputes between tax plantation owners.
In America, absent the overwhelming presence of armed bureaucrats,
how many of even the most brain-dead subjects in America would comply
with a fraction of the thousands of intrusive and destructive laws on the books?
Your collaboration with a system that practices such barbaric
behavior on a mass and industrial basis is the key to government’s
legitimacy and its very ability to have fractional elements of tens of
thousands of “law enforcers” cow millions of shambling sheep to be
disposed of as the government wishes; especially the recalcitrant and
rebellious black sheep who no longer desire the fetters and are
increasingly losing their fear of the noose.
Why do you think that “officer safety” happens to prize the value of
the cop’s life higher than any mere citizen or subject? One recalls
that scene in Braveheart where the King’s aristocrat declares that an assault on the King’s men is an assault on the King himself. How romantic.
As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said: “Any man who has once proclaimed
violence as his method is inevitably forced to take the lie as his
principle.”
Initiated violence is the government’s bread and butter and any
active defense against its depredations is always received by the rulers
rather dimly.
The only reason you are not yet dead is because the government has
not found a sufficient reason or lacks the wherewithal to kill you. Yet.
“There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel.”
— Vladimir Lenin
We might sometimes talk about eating crap on a night in, but that’s
nothing compared to the more literal crap future astronauts could well
find themselves chowing down on. That’s thanks to researchers at Penn
State University, who have been using a research grant from NASA
to develop technology for breaking down solid and liquid waste, and
transforming it into food that’s hygienic and safe for humans — albeit
something you probably won’t be serving at a dinner party anytime soon.
The resulting foodstuff is high in both protein and fat, and apparently
not dissimilar to savory British sandwich spread, Marmite.
“This is not the typical research direction for my laboratory, but among other things we do work with unusual microorganisms,” Christopher House,
professor of geosciences at Penn State, told Digital Trends. “In 2009,
NASA had a call for proposals for educational research projects that
advance the topic of space colonization. Lisa Steinberg, who is an
environmental engineer, and I proposed to that call the general concept
here of coupling anaerobic digestion to microbial growth of
non-pathogenic microbes.”
The proof-of-concept system the Penn State researchers built involves
sending human waste through a fixed-film, plug-through anaerobic
reactor which converts the organic matter into methane and carbon
dioxide. The reactor uses a plastic media with a high surface
area-to-volume ratio, and is typically used in aquariums and ponds to
treat ammonium from fish waste.
“In our reactor, this plastic media provided a surface for the
bacteria to attach so the waste material could flow through the reactor
and past these microbial biofilms, where the attached microbes would
remove organic matter and other nutrients,” Steinberg told Digital
Trends. “A special group of bacteria in the reactor, named methanogens,
produce methane which we used to grow methylococcus capsulatus, a
methane-consuming microbe. Using the gas from the anaerobic reactor
allowed us to prevent the transfer of potential pathogens or other
unwanted microbes into the reactor growing M. capsulatus.”
Sadly, the project is currently concluded and Steinberg says “there
is nothing else planned,” although she noted that it could be picked up
by another research team wanting to continue the work.
“Deep-space flight is really difficult with food production being one
of many tough to tackle issues,” House concluded. “I am most excited by
the concept that remarkable, and sometimes extreme, microorganisms
might help make deep space flight more practical. Naturally, this paper is only a small step, and I think that we have not necessarily found the optimal solution with respect to which microbes are used and how.”
Hello, my sugar plums! How are you? I guess I'm doing OK given the breaks we've received in this winter's weather. We really need more snow, but I'm not complaining. It's supposed to be relatively warm today and then the temperature plummets to the single digits by Friday. I hate the cold. And I hate the snow. So, what am I doing here? I don't know. Do you?
An observation: I don't think you could get two more different styles of governing then that of former Mr. Mayor Lying John and current Mr. Mayor Mason. Mayor Lying John was an attention whore. He needed the constant reassurance that he was the boss. And he's in love with his face, so he took every opportunity to stick it out there. Remember rubber sidewalks? LOL. I'm sorry, but how many times did we see Lying John with a group of local politicians announcing another project/renovation? How many of those projects came to fruition? None.
Mayor Mason is quiet, maybe too quiet. What has he been up to since taking office? I have no idea. I think he's doing his job, but I don't even know what exactly his job is. If I was mayor, there would be a constant party in City Hall. Come to pay your taxes? Spin the Wheel of Misfortune to see what the total will be. Have a complaint? First, smoke a joint. Then I'll see you. And don't forget to patronize the Zoltar fortune telling machine on the first floor. You can always come to me for a second opinion. And Señor Zanza can give you a third.
Foxconn dominates the local news, of course. I wonder if they/we can handle such a large and complex development? It will be interesting to watch. It could turn out to be one of the finest moments in computer hardware history. Or one of the worst. You really don't have to monitor this one. They keep shoving Foxconn into our faces.
I sympathize with the Donte Shannon family in their grief. Automatically blaming our law enforcement members is wrong. Check out this story from the Journal Times: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/caledonia-man-allegedly-shot-at-tree-while-intoxicated/article_20e7dbcc-1f32-5312-ba34-e8253b5e5099.html This guy followed police commands and it turns into a stupid drunk story instead of a tale of woe. Just do what the police tell you to do. If you feel you've been singled out for punishment, file a complaint. Get a lawyer. If enough people did this, I'm sure there would be an investigation into the Racine Police Department. But it's hard to play their game and easier to march and shout, accomplishing absolutely nothing.
On the home front it's pretty quiet. Junior borrows Señor Zanza's car, not mine. Not mine ever. I hope that you're doing well. I love all of my readers and wish them the best. If you haven't already, get a flu shot. This year's flu is a killer.
February just started, but it's a straight four weeks. Then we'll be edging toward spring. I hope. I love you. __________________________ Please donate: paypal.me/jgmazelis If you don't like PayPal, send me a note at madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com and I'll send you my street address so you can send a check or money order. Thank you.
A Crawford County couple on Thursday filed a lawsuit
for damages sustained when they say officials forced them to decapitate
their dog and take the head to the health department.
Joe Goodwin and Tosha Dacon are suing the county,
Sheriff Lewis Walker and deputies James Hollis and Wesley Andrew
Neesmith for $75,000 in connection with the Dec. 1, according to the
lawsuit.
“Under extreme emotional duress and distress, and
under threat of incarceration and physical harm, Plaintiff Goodwin was
forced to decapitate the dog with a knife,” the lawsuit states.
Neesmith responded to a complaint about a dog on
Wellington Drive. While Goodwin was at work, his 2-year-old dog, Big
Boy, allegedly lunged at the deputy and Neesmith shot and killed the
dog, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Shortly thereafter, Hollis arrived and told Goodwin
he’d have to cut the dead dog’s head off for rabies testing or face
arrest, according to the lawsuit. He felt compelled to proceed and
decapitated his pet in front of his children.
Afterward, Goodwin was “too emotionally and mentally
distraught to comply and, therefore, Plaintiff Dacon was required to do
so,” the lawsuit states.
In addition to the “great physical and mental pain
and suffering,” which has required counseling, Goodwin lost his job as a
result of the actions, the lawsuit states.
Hollis, who has a history of voluntary resignations and was
previously fired from the Zebulon Police Department, was placed on
administrative leave with pay during an internal investigation.
Goodwin regrets following the orders, but did as he was told
because he was afraid of being shot or taken to jail. He also didn’t
think he could afford having a professional remove Big Boy’s head for a
fee, The AJC previously reported.
According to Walker, who is named in the suit, Goodwin was
advised by the county health department about the options regarding the
decapitation and testing.
The German car industry faces another round of scrutiny on reports it conducted illegal experiments on humans and monkey
In
2014 the New York Times reported that monkeys had been detained for
four hours in rooms with exhaust gases from a VW Beetle equipped with
manipulated exhaust technology.
We now learn that VW conducted tests on humans as well.
Not only monkeys, but also people were also exposed to the irritant
gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in exhaust tests by the "European Research
Association for Environment and Health in the Transport Sector" (EUGT).
It was founded in 2007 by the concerns Daimler, VW, BMW and the
automotive supplier Bosch.
According to reports of the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" and the
"Süddeutsche Zeitung", the EUGT also promoted an experiment in which
human subjects exposed themselves to the irritant gas nitrogen dioxide.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, it damages the mucosal
tissue in the entire respiratory tract and irritates the eyes. Car
exhaust fumes are considered the main source of irritant gas.
"Ten monkeys for hours wantonly inhale car exhaust to prove that the
pollution allegedly decreased, is disgusting and absurd," said Lower
Saxony's Prime Minister and VW Supervisory Board member Stephan Weil
(SPD).
Eurointelligence Comments
I picked up this story from Eurointelligence which had these comments:
The German car industry understood some time ago that the only way
for diesel technology to survive in this day and age was through
criminal activity. The reports about cheating on emissions test were
only the tip of the iceberg. Then became the revelation that the
industry operated illegal cartels, and now it is becoming known that it
has conducted illegal experiments on humans and animals.
Spiegel Online has the latest update on the experiments with monkeys
in the US, and with humans in Europe. Daimler, VW, BMW, and Bosch, have
created what they called a research institute for the promotion of
health in the transportation sector - known by its German initials EUGT.
The institute carried out an experiment with 25 people who were exposed to nitrogen dioxide in different concentrations.
The car companies were yesterday trying to distance themselves from
those activities, which they funded. Even in Germany, where politicians
tend to prioritize the health of the car industry over everything else,
this is now going too far. The prime minister of Lower Saxony, Stefan
Weil, who is also a member of the supervisory board of VW, said it was
absurd to expose people and animals to toxins with the explicit goal to
demonstrate that these are harmless.
No Excuse
There is no excuse
for this and no apology can be accepted. The rot starts at the top and
people should be in prison starting at the top.
Wage stagnation. Rising housing prices. Loss of middle-class jobs.
The looming threat of automation. These are some of the problems facing
Stockton and its residents, but the city’s mayor, Michael Tubbs, says
his city is far from unique.
“I think Stockton is absolutely ground zero for a lot of the issues we are facing as a nation,” Tubbs said.
Foxconn wants to pump out an average of 7 million gallons of Lake
Michigan water per day for its proposed LCD screen factory in Racine
County, the state Department of Natural Resources said Monday.
The
sprawling manufacturing facility would return most of the water to the
lake, but 2.7 million gallons per day would be consumed -- either
evaporated or incorporated into a product, the DNR said.
The
Racine Water Utility withdrew 16.9 million gallons daily in 2016 and it
already has capacity to handle the additional supply for Foxconn.
RACINE — Racine County District
Attorney Tricia Hanson addressed a group of protesters gathered outside
the courthouse on Monday, weighing in publicly for the first time since
the Jan. 17 shooting of Donte D. Shannon.
The
protesters called for “Justice for Donte,” in reference to Shannon, who
was killed by Racine police officers after allegedly fleeing a traffic
stop and brandishing a handgun.
The
investigation into the events of the shooting is being conducted by the
Wisconsin Department of Justice. Once the investigation is complete,
Hanson will decide if charges against the officers involved are merited,
according to a DOJ spokesman.
Hanson,
who spoke outside the Racine County Courthouse, 730 Wisconsin Ave.,
said that when the report is finished, she will need time to review it
and then will sit down with the family.
“They get to be first in this process,” she said.
“The
entire investigation will be published after I have an opportunity to
meet with the family,” Hanson said. “I will make every effort to achieve
total transparency with the community. I understand you have questions,
and those questions need to be answered. I just can’t answer them now.”
Hanson said the initial DOJ estimate was that she will have the report in about 30 days.
“There are some things that might need to go to the crime lab for analysis,” Hanson said. “I have to wait for (the results).”
Although
she could not make any statements about the events that led to Donte’s
death, Hanson told the crowd she has pushed the DOJ for answers.
“They
understand, and I have made it clear to them, that this community needs
answers, and they need them as quickly as possible,” Hanson said.
Nakia
Shannon, Donte’s father, told Hanson that the family has not gotten an
autopsy report yet and asked when they will be able to see it.
Hanson told Nakia Shannon, “You won’t receive that until I meet with you. When I meet with you, you’ll get a copy of that.”
The
police officers involved, Chad Stillman and Peter Boeck, have been put
on paid leave. The incident occurred on the 1400 block of Park Avenue.
The
protesters marched from 14th Street and Park Avenue to the Racine
County Courthouse. Earlier in the day, they marched from the same
location to the Racine County Law Enforcement Center.
Piece reviews how current 9.18% mandatory markup law harms Wisconsin
consumers, makes scofflaws of retailers like Krist Oil who want to
offer competitive pricing, bargains
January 29, 2018 – Milwaukee, WI – On Friday, WILL
Executive Vice President CJ Szafir and Americans for Tax Reform’s
Director of State Affairs Patrick Gleason had an opinion piece appear in
The Wall Street Journal. The op-ed, “These Prices Are a Steal—and in Some States, That’s Illegal,”
explains the history of the law and how it’s mandatory 9.18% price
markup on products like gasoline, tobacco, and alcohol harms Wisconsin’s
consumers.
The law, a vestige of the Great Depression, also prohibits below-cost
sales of all goods sold in Wisconsin, ostensibly to prevent large
retailers from monopolizing the market. However, both federal and state
antitrust laws prohibit predatory pricing separate of Wisconsin’s
minimum markup law. The antiquated law does not allow Wisconsin
consumers to benefit from popular sales like Black Friday in the way
that consumers from Illinois, Michigan, or Iowa may.
That report coincides with a lawsuit by Krist Oil that is challenging
the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s Unfair Sales Act. You can learn
more about that lawsuit here.
The entire Szafir/Gleason op-ed is available here and a shortened version is below.
These Prices Are a Steal—and in Some States, That’s Illegal
When Meijer opened two stores in Wisconsin, the state demanded it charge more for dog food.
Are low prices putting your family at risk? Believe it or not, some
regulators seem to think so.
Twenty-six U.S. states still have a
“minimum markup” law, a relic of Depression-era economics that prevents
businesses from charging less.
In Wisconsin, the price police have gone after Meijer, a superstore
that sells everything from groceries to electronics to pharmaceuticals.
In 2015, when it opened its first two stores in the Badger State, the
greeting Meijer received was far from “Wisconsin nice.” Rivals filed
complaints accusing it of pricing 37 items—including bananas, dog food,
ice cream and Cheerios—below cost. Meijer, which runs 200 stores in five
states, says this was the first time it had ever been accused of
hurting consumers by charging too little. Nonetheless, Wisconsin’s
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection sent the
superstore a letter explaining the requirements of the state’s Unfair
Sales Act.
The story is similar for Krist Oil, a family-owned gasoline company
with more than 70 locations, mostly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and
Northern Wisconsin. Krist has the freedom to determine the most
competitive price for its gasoline at its stations in Michigan, but it
is legally barred from doing so in Wisconsin. Although it wants to lower
prices, Krist is forced by the state to charge a markup of no less than
9.18%. The biggest losers are workers in rural Northern Wisconsin, who
could benefit from lower gas prices.
In the 1930s, many states tried to ward off economic collapse by
barring businesses from selling goods below cost. The idea was that
minimum markups would soften price competition and keep companies
afloat. But almost 90 years after the stock crash of Black Tuesday,
these laws are just propping up Overpriced Wednesdays.
Some consumer advocates argue that minimum markups are still
necessary to prevent big chains from using their economies of scale to
drive small retailers out of business. This claim was debunked last year
in a study by
Will Flanders, research director at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and
Liberty, and Ike Brannon, a fellow at the Cato Institute. After
examining data from all 50 states, they concluded that there is no
causal relationship between minimum-markup laws and the number of small
businesses. So-called mom-and-pop retailers are doing just fine in
states that do not have these laws on the books.
[…]
With wages flat in many parts of the country, Americans could use the
savings to be had from allowing businesses to compete more effectively.
If lawmakers in the 26 states with minimum markups are looking for an
issue to run on in 2018, one that can appeal to free-market
conservatives, urban Democrats, Trump populists and soccer moms, this
would be a great place to start.
