Michael Moore goes to Havana

In SICKO.

October 14th
Rosanne dies, in Tampa.

NFTA changes Utica bus route

La Nova Pizzeria has a pizza slice parking area. The Utica bus route normally gets from Ferry to Utica by driving through a neighborhood to pick up passengers. This requires a sharp turn onto New Hampshire from Ferry. Now they saunter down to Richmond and take the big street to get to Utica, leaving passengers waiting at the bus stops.

Why the US has no right to occupy Guantanamo

The lease has expired
The lease specifies that the coaling and naval station is “for the time required”. With the advent of a nuclear navy, a coaling station is not required. For anything.
Required, for what?
The lease, signed February 23rd 1903, says that the purpose of the lease is “To enable the United States to maintain the independence of Cuba, and to protect the people thereof”. The US has failed to act to maintain the independence of Cuba and to defend the people thereof. This is a material breach of contract.
Anticipatory breach
John Kennedy’s promise to not invade Cuba was, and is, an anticipatory breach, and of the essence, because his promise falls short of the promise made in 1903 to protect the people of Cuba.
Zoning Violation
The construction of a prison, without the mutual agreement of the Cuban government, is a violation of the zoning: “and no other purpose”.
Abandonment
The lease is for Bahia Honda and Guantanamo. The US abandoned Bahia Honda. According to the lease, the US agrees to pay in gold, in exchange for access, “as long as [the United States] shall occupy and use said areas of land...”. “Areas” is plural; more than one.
Non Payment
The lease calls for payment “in gold”. Checks are not legal tender for payment of debts, and they have not been accepted by the Cuban Government in payment. Cash only.
Unconstitutional agreement
The Cuban Constitution prohibited “any treaty to permit any foreign power to obtain control over any portion of [Cuba].” And the United States knew it, at the time. Cuba was leasing to the US land at the Bay that it did not have clear title to at the time. This was "fixed" by Cuba's agreement to acquire the land, so that the US occupation could not be objected to. The problem was not that Cuba did not have title to the land. The problem was that the land was on the island of Cuba. This was a violation of Article I, added to the Cuban Constitution in 1901. Cuba should have negotiated a lease for land off the island, possibly on the Isle of Pines.

What causes cancer?

A wide varienty of things cause cancer: H.Pylorii, radium, smoking, benzene, chemotherapy even, soot.

This suggests that cells that are under constant attack react by turning into cancer, possibly after a long period, and as a last resort, as a kind of escape mechanism. Our cells evolved from prokaryotes, and then eukaryotes, and these cells adopted many protective mechanism to survive. Perhaps cancer is one of these protective mechanisms.

The cell says to itself "These guys are trying to kill me."

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

The prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment was not intended to carve into stone for the nation the sensibilities or practices of the 1780's. If it is not meant as a clear standard, what is its purpose?

It is a warning directed to those in power against being thought to be cruel or vindictive, and a reminder that when the government is thought to be cruel, it weakens its legitimacy. Monarchs have been thought to be stern and heartless in the past, but this is not the kind of social stability that is consistent with a free and equal society. End Solitary Confinement.

Aids and depression

Glen Triesman, of Johns Hopkins
Pretty great

Skateistan

The Supreme Court Plaza

Honorable Sri Srinivasan, US Court of Appeals, DC Circuit

I write about a case that recently came before you, Hodge v Talkin, on appeal from the sweeping decision by Judge Beryl A. Howell of the US District Court for D.C. He ruled that Mr Hodge, who was standing alone on the Plaza in front of the Supreme Court holding a sign that said “The US Gov Allows police to illegally murder and brutalize African Americans and Hispanic People”, should not be convicted of a violation of 40 USC §6135.

http://bit.ly/1ulGuQS

RE: Revised Energy Vision for New York State

Here is a frame that I was not crazy about-

The notion that smoke comes from the transmission system is silly of course, but what is the thought behind it? Answer: That transmission is wasteful. Transmission, even long distance transmission, is not bad compared to trucking the coal to a local plant, or to get short-term access to backup power. Or, more importantly, to the 60% energy loss in generating electricity by heating water and making steam to drive a turbine.

The video has the power plant as a puffing monster, belching smoke, and it is true that co2 comes out from burning fuel as with all combustion, the other pollutants can be removed if you want to. The soot is cleaned by electrostatic precipitators, but not "too clean". No cleaner than required by the regs, since it costs money to clean out the soot.

The mercury and the radioactive stuff should also be cleaned out, and why not just require that, or say that it is too costly. Why pretend, or plant in the public imagination via cartoons, that nothing can be done to clean up the exhaust?