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Demonic_Braeburn Yankee Doodle Dandy from Defective California Since: Jan, 2016
Yankee Doodle Dandy
#118851: Apr 11th 2016 at 2:51:03 PM

Saying he has “waited long enough,” the ex-lawyer of “D.C. Madam” Deborah Jeane Palfrey has released some of the names of companies, government agencies and organizations that had called her escort service between 2000 and 2006.

The list of released entities includes the following government agencies: Department of Health and Human Services, FBI, General Services Administration, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Internal Revenue Service, National Drug Intelligence Center, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Information Systems Command, Department of Commerce, Department of State, U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Forest Service.

Others listed in the filing include the Archdiocese of Washington, Embassy of Japan, Bethlehem Steel, Constellation Energy/BGE, Hewlett-Packard, Johns Hopkins University, Washington Gas and several large law firms.

No individual names yet.

Any group who acts like morons ironically will eventually find itself swamped by morons who think themselves to be in good company.
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#118852: Apr 11th 2016 at 2:51:37 PM

"This is what this election was missing."

Yes. Now the GOP's global status as a laughingstock-slash-horrorfilm is complete.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#118853: Apr 11th 2016 at 2:54:08 PM

Emphasis on "horror film". I've grown up in Germany, the sort of anti-Muslim hate mongering that Trump and Cruz are perpetrating is reminiscent of some of Nazi Germany's early policies. And that's before we go into the suitability of either candidate for being the leader of the USA.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#118854: Apr 11th 2016 at 3:01:58 PM

[up] Which Kasich alone comes even remotely close to having (and, incidentally, is the least relevant candidate at this point)

edited 11th Apr '16 3:02:40 PM by sgamer82

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#118855: Apr 11th 2016 at 3:04:47 PM

Kasich's hope is that a brokered convention will get him nominated, with his big selling point being that he's the only candidate who can effectively compete against Hillary. Which is true according to polls, but whether the Republican voters will accept such a major betrayal of the primary is a different question.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#118856: Apr 11th 2016 at 3:08:56 PM

Back on the aeroponics thing briefly, the increased efficiency of aeroponic farms should translate into a massive price advantage over traditional farming that will drive them out of business the natural way. Boo, hoo.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
war877 Grr... <3 from Untamed Wilds Since: Dec, 2015 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Grr... <3
#118857: Apr 11th 2016 at 3:36:07 PM

An aeroponics facility sounds expensive to me. Whereas farmland is cheap. I don't think a changeover will happen anytime soon. If japan is doing it, that may be because food prices in japan are very high (from farmer's perspectives. Subsidies may make them look normalish to the consumer.)

I also want food that may contain GMO-free products to be labelled. So that I can avoid them.

edited 11th Apr '16 3:36:22 PM by war877

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#118858: Apr 11th 2016 at 3:45:20 PM

Although, maybe figuring out whether or not almonds can be grown through aeroponics might be a good idea. They use way too much water when grown the traditional way.

AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#118859: Apr 11th 2016 at 3:53:51 PM

Actually I think food prices are pretty high in Japan. Combined with a lack of space, Japan might have more incentive to change how they farm food than America. I mean, we have plenty of space right now so it just doesn't seem anywhere near urgent. Also I'm pretty sure that very few have even heard of this idea so it's probably not on many people's radar as a political issue to start with. Certainly this is the first I've ever heard of it.

theLibrarian Since: Jul, 2009
#118860: Apr 11th 2016 at 4:34:08 PM

Isn't Japan's huge population and small land mass the entire reason that they have rice as a staple food?

war877 Grr... <3 from Untamed Wilds Since: Dec, 2015 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Grr... <3
#118861: Apr 11th 2016 at 4:37:25 PM

All I know is japan should be importing all of its (land based) food. Its protectionistic practices are inherently self-destructive.

edited 11th Apr '16 4:38:07 PM by war877

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
desdendelle Hooded Crow from Land of Milk and Honey (Sergeant) Relationship Status: Hiding
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#118864: Apr 11th 2016 at 4:52:57 PM

100% importing of food is pretty much economic suicide, isn't it?

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Discar Since: Jun, 2009
#118865: Apr 11th 2016 at 5:00:52 PM

I think you'd have to structure your economy with it in mind. I haven't studied it much, since no one really does that.

But Japan also has a problem in that they're big on food being "fresh." Leftovers aren't even a thing there; you buy your food from the supermarket and cook it that day, then throw out anything you don't finish. I'm not sure they'd be happy about importing everything from overseas, even ignoring the traditional "You're killing local jobs in favor of those horrible foreigners" that every nation does.

Writing a post-post apocalypse LitRPG on RR. Also fanfic stuff.
war877 Grr... <3 from Untamed Wilds Since: Dec, 2015 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Grr... <3
#118866: Apr 11th 2016 at 5:01:37 PM

[up][up][up]If Canada should be restricting imports less and subsidising less, then the US should be restricting imports less and subsidising less.

edited 11th Apr '16 5:02:22 PM by war877

Discar Since: Jun, 2009
#118867: Apr 11th 2016 at 5:03:28 PM

Which we should. American corn subsidies alone have caused massive problems. It's why soda is cheaper than healthier alternatives, and in turn a leading cause of obesity.

Writing a post-post apocalypse LitRPG on RR. Also fanfic stuff.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#118868: Apr 11th 2016 at 5:09:36 PM

If any place should be growing food for world consumption, it's us. We have the land and the technology. We don't gain some kind of magical brownie points for abandoning millions of acres of arable soil just so poor farmers elsewhere in the world can turn a profit. We shouldn't be subsidizing profitable industries, to be sure, but that's hardly comparable.

edited 11th Apr '16 5:13:29 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#118869: Apr 11th 2016 at 5:13:13 PM

Would the other countries be able to afford that food though?

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#118870: Apr 11th 2016 at 5:13:42 PM

[up][up] No, but it'd be nice if you (and European nations) stopped driving those farmers out of business by subsidising your agricultural sector is a way that you refuse to let anyone else subsidise any other trade goods sector of their economy.

edited 11th Apr '16 5:14:29 PM by Silasw

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#118871: Apr 11th 2016 at 5:15:38 PM

[up][up] We already export enormous amounts of food, so I'd say yes.

[up] Obviously, yes.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#118872: Apr 11th 2016 at 8:06:07 PM

@Fighteer: And we are. The US is the world's largest exporter of food by a factor of almost two.

Anyway. A Harvest Moon small farm that produces crops and animal products for export is horribly inefficient (its only purpose is to be the image conjured up when Big Agri lobbies for subsidies and fewer restrictions on farming). The place where "small farming" has some value is in subsistence or demi-subsistence garden plots, for much the same reason everyone in rural Alaska hunts and fishes: it reduces shipping costs and wastage. "Local food," in other words.

Also, milk subsidies are like corn ethanol subsidies. The government buying milk to flush down into the sewers needs to die.

EDIT: Fighteer [nja]'d himself.

edited 11th Apr '16 8:10:20 PM by Ramidel

Bat178 Since: May, 2011
#118873: Apr 11th 2016 at 11:49:37 PM

[up] Australia also exports a lot of food, primarily meats.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#118874: Apr 11th 2016 at 11:51:25 PM

Aeroponics and food production overseas are not the topic here, folks.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#118875: Apr 12th 2016 at 12:09:47 AM

Michigan introduces transgender bathroom legislation,

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

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