Who Can You Trust

 The News You Need

06-July-2018

• On 2-July, Japan lost a World Cup soccer match. They left their dressing room spotless. That shouldn’t be news, but there you go.

• The Secret Service checked 85 locations in 21 states, and found skimmers on gas pumps at 59 of them. These clever crooks buy a key to open tIhe pump, put a device in that siphons off the data related to your charge card while the pump is making the connection for the charge, and then Bluetooth the data to another internet-connected device. The scammers print a new credit card and start shopping. You might think about using cash, or paying inside the store. A prepaid debit or gift card might do the trick? Who can you trust?

• Scott Pruitt has resigned as EPA Administrator. He’s been involved in a number of scandals where his greed was truly petty, such as his housing arrangements, travel arrangements, favors for his family. I saw a claim that the EPA blocked warnings on a cancer-causing chemical … EDITORIAL COMMENT: Rome isn’t dead, it would seem. People disregard those EPA warnings anyway. When Wilbur Ross resigns as Sec of Commerce I’ll be pleased. There’s a chance that the entire cabinet turns over by the 2-year mark of this administration. Who can you trust?

• We recently discussed the impact of tariffs and international trade. Today I read that China says we have started the “biggest trade war in history.” Whether you think that 1947 average tariffs were 40% like Wikipedia says, or 22% as some people argue, they were 5% in 1995, thanks to GATT. EDITORIAL COMMENT: It might be like wanting a unicorn, but I like free and fair trade.

• The Fourth of July is a common time to consider the Statue of Liberty. The US Post Office used a stock image of Lady Liberty on a Forever Stamp. They printed 3 billion of them, made $70 million in profit, retiring the stamp in 2014. Turns out it’s not an image of the Statue of Liberty, but rather it's an image of a statue at a resort hotel in Las Vegas. The sculptor won $3.5 million when he sued the USPS for copyright infringement. EDITORIAL COMMENT: The government made millions selling a fake stamp containing stolen intellectual property, while the REAL statue is in the public domain. Who can you trust?

• We spoke recently about people calling the cops on black people. Janice Bynum is a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, who happens to be black. Recently she was going door to door speaking to voters about her reelection bid, and someone called 911 saying that a black woman was typing a lot on her phone in the driveways of people who weren’t home. The cops came, sorted it out, and everyone came out of this incident smiling. Their uptake? Talk to people, don’t assume that you know their intent.

• 1 in 5 children between 6 and 19 is obese, triple the rate from the 1970s. I’m thinking it’s gov’t subsidized corn syrup, but the LA Times reports a study showing that children are 75% less likely to be obese if their moms do 5 things. Exercise, maintain healthy weight, eat right, avoid excessive alcohol, and avoid smoking. EDITORIAL COMMENT: Hmm, I might be right about the corn syrup.

• Spiders can fly thousands of miles, using a silk balloon. Darwin found them landing in mid-ocean in 1832. Some of them can go 3 miles high. Recent experiments show that they use static electricity to take off. EDITORIAL COMMENT: Flying is really cool. I wish I could fly, but not badly enough to extrude a balloon from my rear and charge it with electricity.

Peace out. And look for people you can trust.