This could kill VW – until recently (until last week) the world’s largest car company.
But unlike say the exploding Pinto fiasco this is not a story about defective cars. It is a story about defective public policy.
None of the VW cars now in the crosshairs are unreliable, dangerous or shoddily built. They were simply programmed to give their owners best-case fuel economy and performance. Software embedded within each vehicle’s computer – which monitors and controls the operation of the engine – would furtively adjust those parameters slightly to sneak by emissions tests when the vehicle was plugged in for testing. But once out on the road, the calibrations would revert to optimal – for mileage and performance.
Now, the hysterical media accounts of the above make it seem that the alteration via code of the vehicles’ exhaust emissions was anything but slight. Shrill cries of up to “40 times” the “allowable maximum” echo across the land.
Well, true.
But, misleading.
Because not defined – put in context.
What is the “allowable maximum”?
It is a very small number.
Less than 1 percent of the total volume of the car’s exhaust. We are talking fractions of percentages here. Which is why talk of “40 percent” is so misleading and, frankly, deliberately dishonest.
Left out of context, the figure sounds alarming. As in 40 percent of 100 percent.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Saturday, September 26, 2015
MAYOR: CUSTOMER JUSTIFIED IN SHOOTING BANK ROBBER 3 TIMES
Robber fled, fell after being shot supposedly by customer
A bank customer in Warren acted within his rights when he opened fire on a bank robber on Monday afternoon, sending him to the hospital with non-critical injuries, according to the city’s mayor.
“I’m happy that no one was seriously injured,” Mayor Jim Fouts said. “He apparently exercised some caution by not shooting the robber in a vital area.”
The robbery unfolded in the late afternoon at the Citizens Bank near 9 Mile and Van Dyke. The 43-year-old assailant entered the bank with a gun and had procured “a large amount” of cash from the bank when, on the way out, he appears to have threatened a 63-year-old customer with his gun, according to Fouts.
That customer turned out to be carrying a concealed firearm for which he had a permit, the mayor said. The customer managed to pull out his own weapon and shoot the suspect three times: once in each arm and once in a leg.
Read more
A bank customer in Warren acted within his rights when he opened fire on a bank robber on Monday afternoon, sending him to the hospital with non-critical injuries, according to the city’s mayor.
“I’m happy that no one was seriously injured,” Mayor Jim Fouts said. “He apparently exercised some caution by not shooting the robber in a vital area.”
The robbery unfolded in the late afternoon at the Citizens Bank near 9 Mile and Van Dyke. The 43-year-old assailant entered the bank with a gun and had procured “a large amount” of cash from the bank when, on the way out, he appears to have threatened a 63-year-old customer with his gun, according to Fouts.
That customer turned out to be carrying a concealed firearm for which he had a permit, the mayor said. The customer managed to pull out his own weapon and shoot the suspect three times: once in each arm and once in a leg.
Read more
Black Conservative Teen: Obama Blocked Me, Called Me Liar
Pearson is an outspoken critic of Obama's policies, and most recently posted a YouTube video blasting Obama for inviting a Texas teen to the White House who was taken into police custody after putting a disassembled digital clock into what looked like a briefcase.
Pearson on Wednesday posted what he said was a screengrab of his Twitter block by the @POTUS account.
Well, this sucks. pic.twitter.com/S9jESl5ybi
— CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) September 23, 2015
Assistant White House Press Secretary Frank Benenati then tweeted that no one has ever been blocked by the president's account.
Public Service Announcement: Nobody is or has ever been blocked from the @POTUS twitter account
— Frank Benenati (@Benenati44) September 23, 2015
Pearson took that as an accusation that he lied about being blocked and made a video to fire back, saying it is the White House that has lied about several issues, including Benghazi.
More here
Meat-eaters should be treated like smokers, says the vegan shadow environment secretary Kerry McCarthy
"Militant" vegan was appointed shadow environment secretary
Meat eaters should be treated in the same way as smokers and targeted with ad campaigns urging them to become vegetarians, according to Labour’s new spokeswoman for the farming industry.
Kerry McCarthy, who has admitted she is a “militant” vegan, was appointed shadow environment secretary in Jeremy Corbyn’s front-bench team, alarming countryside campaigners who warned that her veganism and strong opposition to hunting and the badger cull would harm Britain’s farming industry.
She said that although progress had been made to improve animal welfare, ultimately people needed to give up meat or dairy if they really wanted to protect animals.
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Meat eaters should be treated in the same way as smokers and targeted with ad campaigns urging them to become vegetarians, according to Labour’s new spokeswoman for the farming industry.
Kerry McCarthy, who has admitted she is a “militant” vegan, was appointed shadow environment secretary in Jeremy Corbyn’s front-bench team, alarming countryside campaigners who warned that her veganism and strong opposition to hunting and the badger cull would harm Britain’s farming industry.
She said that although progress had been made to improve animal welfare, ultimately people needed to give up meat or dairy if they really wanted to protect animals.
Read more
Site analysis nearly complete for wind farm off Md. Coast
“The application and site assessment plans are conditions of the lease,” Paul Rich, director of project development for U.S. Wind, said. “We’re finalizing the site assessment plans and analyzing our work in the context of a number of other studies.”
The other studies include environmental data that has already been collected and the determination if the site is a viable area for wind power.
The plans must be submitted within one year of the lease, Rich said.
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IRS Agent Charged After Demanding Cash from Marijuana Shop Owner
Undercover sting busts agent who took $20,000
A Seattle IRS agent is facing federal charges after soliciting a bribe from a marijuana dispensary owner.
According to court documents, Paul G. Hurley was charged Monday in U.S. District Court with soliciting and agreeing to receive a bribe by a public official and two counts of receiving a bribe by a public official.
The incident began when Hurley, who was tasked with performing an audit on the dispensary, approached the shop owner and demanded $20,000 in exchange for leniency.
After the encounter, the business owner immediately contacted federal authorities who later oversaw multiple meetings and exchanges of cash between the pair.
During one of the final meetings, Hurley reportedly told the pot shop owner “off the record” that he had saved him more than $1 million despite no tax deductions existing for marijuana dispensaries.
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A Seattle IRS agent is facing federal charges after soliciting a bribe from a marijuana dispensary owner.
According to court documents, Paul G. Hurley was charged Monday in U.S. District Court with soliciting and agreeing to receive a bribe by a public official and two counts of receiving a bribe by a public official.
The incident began when Hurley, who was tasked with performing an audit on the dispensary, approached the shop owner and demanded $20,000 in exchange for leniency.
After the encounter, the business owner immediately contacted federal authorities who later oversaw multiple meetings and exchanges of cash between the pair.
During one of the final meetings, Hurley reportedly told the pot shop owner “off the record” that he had saved him more than $1 million despite no tax deductions existing for marijuana dispensaries.
More
Verizon Wireless charges couple $2M for a month of service
Having once spent an entire year arguing with Verizon Wireless about a $200 billing discrepancy—and cutting off service entirely after it was resolved—I can scarcely imagine the horror of finding out I “owed” them $2,156,593.64.
That’s the hefty sum the company is allegedly demanding from Ken Slusher and his girlfriend of Damascus, Oregon. The couple told KUTV that they had opened a cellphone account in November 2014 but closed it after just a month due to an “astounding” number of billing errors:
Slusher says they canceled the service in December and returned the phones to a local Verizon store in January.
They thought it was all cleared up until they started getting notices from several collection agencies demanding upward of $2,000.
Slusher and his girlfriend say they've been going back and forth for months with customer service representatives who agree there's been a mistake. However, with no resolution, Slusher checked his Verizon account balance again on Monday and that's when he heard the $2 million figure.
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That’s the hefty sum the company is allegedly demanding from Ken Slusher and his girlfriend of Damascus, Oregon. The couple told KUTV that they had opened a cellphone account in November 2014 but closed it after just a month due to an “astounding” number of billing errors:
Slusher says they canceled the service in December and returned the phones to a local Verizon store in January.
They thought it was all cleared up until they started getting notices from several collection agencies demanding upward of $2,000.
Slusher and his girlfriend say they've been going back and forth for months with customer service representatives who agree there's been a mistake. However, with no resolution, Slusher checked his Verizon account balance again on Monday and that's when he heard the $2 million figure.
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School District Bans 'Tag' Over Emotional Well-being of Students
What have our schools become when administrators ban the game of tag over the emotional well-being of kids? Well, a laughing stock.
But that hasn't stopped the Mercer Island School District from banning the harmless game without even consulting parents.
The school district's communications director Macy Grade, in an email, told Q13 that the "rationale behind this [ban] is to ensure the physical and emotional safety of all students."
Emotional safety? Are kids such wimps that they become traumatized while chased in a game they volunteer to play? Or is that the hyper-sensitive, hyper-protective school district feels the need to protect students from made up dangers to justify their paychecks?
They also address physical safety, wanting kids to "keep their hands to themselves." After all, a pat on the back in a voluntary game of tag might ... make you mildly uncomfortable?
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But that hasn't stopped the Mercer Island School District from banning the harmless game without even consulting parents.
The school district's communications director Macy Grade, in an email, told Q13 that the "rationale behind this [ban] is to ensure the physical and emotional safety of all students."
Emotional safety? Are kids such wimps that they become traumatized while chased in a game they volunteer to play? Or is that the hyper-sensitive, hyper-protective school district feels the need to protect students from made up dangers to justify their paychecks?
They also address physical safety, wanting kids to "keep their hands to themselves." After all, a pat on the back in a voluntary game of tag might ... make you mildly uncomfortable?
More
Council Passes Trailer Ordinance Ahead Of October Auto Events
OCEAN CITY — As part of the ongoing effort to rein in some of the behavior associated with the vehicle-related special events, the Ocean City Mayor and Council on Monday passed an ordinance requiring registered participants to purchase a permit for parking oversized trailers on certain city streets.
Two weeks ago, the Mayor and Council were considering an outright ban on parking oversized trailers on city streets, but opted instead to institute a permit process for those special event participants. On Monday, the Mayor and Council passed the ordinance, but not before making some changes and leaving open the possibility for altering the fee cost or the fines.
During the spring Cruisin’ event and similar events throughout the spring and fall, hot rod enthusiasts who tow their classic cars to the resort often park their oversized trailers wherever they can find space along public streets and municipal parking areas, often creating traffic hazards and gobbling up multiple parking spots, contributing to congestion.
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Two weeks ago, the Mayor and Council were considering an outright ban on parking oversized trailers on city streets, but opted instead to institute a permit process for those special event participants. On Monday, the Mayor and Council passed the ordinance, but not before making some changes and leaving open the possibility for altering the fee cost or the fines.
During the spring Cruisin’ event and similar events throughout the spring and fall, hot rod enthusiasts who tow their classic cars to the resort often park their oversized trailers wherever they can find space along public streets and municipal parking areas, often creating traffic hazards and gobbling up multiple parking spots, contributing to congestion.
More
Recession Imminent - Kansas Becomes 6th Regional Fed Survey Flashing Red
Russia exhumes Czar Nicholas II, 1918 murder case reopened
The Russian Investigative Committee has exhumed the bones of Czar Nicholas II and his wife as part of a new probe into the 1918 murder of the royal family. Investigators plan to use genetic testing to identify whether bone fragments found in 2007 belong to two of the czar's children.
In 1918, the czar, his wife and five children were gunned down in the basement of a home where they were held by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution.
The remains of the czar, his wife and three of their children were uncovered in a mass grave in 1991. DNA testing confirmed their identity, and the family was laid to rest in 1998 in St. Petersburg. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized the family in 2000,AP reported.
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In 1918, the czar, his wife and five children were gunned down in the basement of a home where they were held by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution.
The remains of the czar, his wife and three of their children were uncovered in a mass grave in 1991. DNA testing confirmed their identity, and the family was laid to rest in 1998 in St. Petersburg. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized the family in 2000,AP reported.
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Maryland Reporter Proposed moratorium on Eastern Shore chicken houses rekindles debate on Conowingo Dam
By Dan Menefee
The Kent Guardian for MarylandReporter.com
The Clean Chesapeake Coalition, a group of seven Maryland counties formed in 2012 to challenge the priorities and science of the $14.4 billion cleanup mandate for the Bay, is again sparring with environmental groups it says continue to ignore the Susquehanna River as the single largest source of pollution that flows into the Bay.
In 2013 and 2014, the coalition challenged the “futility” of spending $3.7 billion over a decade to reduce 50,000 pounds of nitrogen from septic systems — while no dollars were appropriated to deal with pollution from the Susquehanna River. The Susquehana jettisons 131 million pounds of nitrogen through the floodgates of the Conowingo Dam annually, nearly 50 percent of the total nitrogen load into the Bay.
Septic systems by contrast account for just seven percent of Maryland’s nitrogen discharge into the Bay.
Argument moves to phosphorus
This year the argument has moved to phosphorus. Environmental groups have taken aim at the Eastern Shore’s chicken belt, floating an idea for an eight-year moratorium on new chicken houses until a Phosphorus Management Tool is fully implemented in 2024.
The PMT is a regulatory regime that was agreed to by the administration of Gov. Larry Hogan to limit the amount of chicken manure spread on farms. The PMT will measure how much phosphorus is already present in the soil. If saturation reaches certain levels, farmers must scale back or eliminate the use of chicken manure to stay within legal limits.
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In Rock Hill, Rand Paul is ‘talking to people who have been ignored’
ROCK HILL “I highly doubt there are five people here who went to see Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul,” said Kenneth Derrick.
But Derrick, a Winthrop student, ensured there was at least one. He was one of about 200 people who filled the old American Legion hall in Rock Hill for a visit from the Kentucky senator who picked up a prominent local endorsement for his White House bid during Wednesday’s visit.
Derrick was one of 3,000 who also attended a Sept. 12 rally at Winthrop for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democrat and avowed socialist who is probably the polar opposite of the libertarian-leaning Paul – and Derrick, wearing a “Rand” sticker on his jacket, was quick to point out he doesn’t plan to vote for Sanders.
“Rand is pretty much the opposite of Bernie Sanders,” he said.
But the average Republican voter likely wouldn’t go to a Sanders campaign rally, and the theme among those at the Legion hall was that they were not average Republican voters.
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But Derrick, a Winthrop student, ensured there was at least one. He was one of about 200 people who filled the old American Legion hall in Rock Hill for a visit from the Kentucky senator who picked up a prominent local endorsement for his White House bid during Wednesday’s visit.
Derrick was one of 3,000 who also attended a Sept. 12 rally at Winthrop for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democrat and avowed socialist who is probably the polar opposite of the libertarian-leaning Paul – and Derrick, wearing a “Rand” sticker on his jacket, was quick to point out he doesn’t plan to vote for Sanders.
“Rand is pretty much the opposite of Bernie Sanders,” he said.
But the average Republican voter likely wouldn’t go to a Sanders campaign rally, and the theme among those at the Legion hall was that they were not average Republican voters.
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