Canola Oil: How Canada Convinced Us All To Eat Engine Lubricant

Canola oil started out as an engine lubricant and as fuel for generating light, but these days it can be found in kitchens all across the world.

So how did that transition happen?

Canola is a type of rapeseed which has for centuries been used to produce oil for things such as lamps or as a lubricant for industrial machines. You’ve probably driven past canola fields at some point – recognizable by their vivid yellow color.

It’s known to be one of the world’s oldest cultivated plants and was first recorded as being used for oil lamps in the 13th century in northern Europe.

In India, it was used up to 4,000 years ago, while there is evidence of use in China and Japan 2,000 years back.

Canada spotted a gap in the market for canola

During the Second World War, Canada produced huge amounts of rapeseed in order to lubricate aircraft, ship engines and other machines.

Then, when the war made it difficult to acquire European and Asian rapeseed oil, a critical shortage occurred. The Canadian government recognized the opportunity and set out to find other uses for the product they had become so good at producing.

However, early versions of edible Canola oil did not go down well. The challenge was to get rid of Erucic acid and glucosinolate, which tasted unpleasant and was potentially bad for one’s heart.

It took a several decades to achieve the desired product. Finally, two individuals at the University of Manitoba, Canada – Richard Downey and Baldur Stefansson – came up with the breakthrough to turn an ‘engine’ oil into a super cheap cooking oil.

Their product became known as ‘canola’ – which actually stands for Canadian oil, low acid.

https://www.naturalblaze.com/2020/09/canola-oil-how-canada-convinced-us-all-to-eat-engine-lubricant.html

Finnish politician opens up about police investigating her for defending biblical view of homosexuality

Päivi Räsänen is facing a number of police investigations for voicing her Bible-based beliefs publicly

Back in May, I wrote a column for First Things on the ongoing persecution of Finnish politician Päivi Räsänen, who has been consistently targeted over the past several years by LGBT activists for her outspoken advocacy of biblical sexual ethics. Since I interviewed her last, she has been interrogated by Finnish police yet again—simply for articulating her Christian beliefs in public.

Räsänen is not an insignificant figure in Finland. From 2004 to 2015, she served as chair for the Christian Democrats, and from June 2011 to May 2015 she was Minister for the Interior of Finland. Her husband is a Lutheran pastor, and her Christian views were well-known. Not until Section 10 of Finland’s Criminal Code dealing with hate speech was amended in 2011 to include “sexual orientation” did she run into any trouble. Suddenly, the expression of orthodox Christian views held by countless millions could possibly considered hate speech, and perhaps even prosecutable. That, at least, is what Räsänen’s persecutors are hoping.

This month, I spoke with her again about the details of her case. Anyone who values freedom of speech and freedom of religion should be paying close attention— Räsänen’s ordeal could easily happen in Canada or the United States someday soon.

LifeSite: What is the background of your case?

Päivi Räsänen: All in all, the Finnish Police Force is conducting four separate criminal investigations against me. In all of these cases, I am accused of criminal agitation against a minority group, primarily for quoting the Bible in a tweet, for a 16-year old pamphlet, and for speaking according my Christian faith in a radio and a television program.

The most recent case has to do with my views presented in one program of the YlePuhe [The Finnish Broadcasting Corporation Talk Show] series with host Ruben Stiller on the topic “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?” This was broadcast on 20 Dec. 2019. In the program, we discussed the Bible’s teaching on Jesus, creation of man, sin, the last judgement, and salvation. I emphasized that all men, regardless of their sexual orientation, are on the same line before God, all valuable, but all also sinful and in need of Jesus’ redemptive work in order to inherit eternal life. It is inconceivable for me that the program is suspected of being defamatory in any part.

An individual citizen X first made a criminal complaint and the police made a thorough decision that no pre-trial investigation will be commenced. The Prosecutor General, however, ordered also in this case, contrary to the decision of the police, a pre-trial investigation.

What are the latest developments in this case?

I was interrogated at the Main Police Station in Pasila, Helsinki at 10:00 AM on 25 August 2020 on suspicion of ethnic agitation against a group. I went gladly to discuss with the police about these issues once again, but I am concerned that the investigations and interrogations cause fear of limiting freedom of religion and free speech. I will give the concluding statement about this Stiller case to the police next month.

Why are investigations still ongoing after you have been cleared multiple times?

https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/finnish-politician-opens-up-about-police-investigating-her-for-defending-biblical-view-of-homosexuality?utm_source=featured&utm_campaign=standard

Two Pesticides Approved for Use in US Harmful to Bees

A previously banned insecticide, which was approved for agricultural use last year in the United States, is harmful for bees and other beneficial insects that are crucial for agriculture, and a second pesticide in widespread use also harms these insects. That is according to a new analysis from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

As the agricultural industry turns to new types of pesticides to protect crops, the biologists behind the recent large-scale meta-analysis warn that two of these — flupyradifurone (sold under the brand name Sivanto®) and the recently approved pesticide sulfoxaflor (sold under the name Transform® WG) — have harmful effects similar to a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, several of which were recently banned in the European Union and Canada. Neonicotinoid pesticides have been shown to be detrimental to honeybees and other beneficial insects.

Postdoctoral researcher Harry Siviter and Felicity Muth, assistant professor of integrative biology, reviewed 19 studies from the past five years on sulfoxaflor and flupyradifurone for the analysis, which appears today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

“This research found that exposure to both of these insecticides at field-realistic levels significantly increased insect mortality and impaired insect health,” Siviter said.

In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of sulfoxaflor on crops that attract bees, such as cotton. In 2019, the agency approved its use in most circumstances, but it retained restrictions on applying the insecticide to blooming plants that may attract bees. The second insecticide involved in the study, flupyradifurone, is currently approved for agricultural use by the EPA without these restrictions.

“It is clear that these insecticides are harmful to bees,” Muth said. She noted that regulators made decisions before scientists had completed all of the research included in the meta-analysis.

In addition to harming honeybees, the insecticides also showed signs of harming other beneficial insects, such as wild bumblebees and lacewings, according to the research.

“We have around 4,000 species of native bees in North America, and they are crucial to our ecosystems,” Muth said. “They are the ones we need to be worried about. We need to assess the effects of insecticides on these native bees as part of the regulatory review process.”

In addition to increasing mortality in bees, the insecticides had some less than lethal effects, such as reducing reproductive ability and making pollinators less efficient foragers.

“So much of the regulatory process is focused on looking at toxicity, meaning how much of the insecticide you need to kill an insect,” Siviter said. “And what research has found over the last decade is that these insecticides can have a lot of sub-lethal effects on pollinators, influencing things like foraging ability or a bee’s ability to reproduce. These effects need to be considered in the regulatory process as well, because that can affect survival.”

https://www.naturalblaze.com/2020/09/two-pesticides-approved-for-use-in-us-harmful-to-bees.html

ICE to Conduct Raids in Sanctuary Cities Before the Election

The Trump administration will carry out several high-profile immigration enforcement raids in cities with sanctuary policies. While ICE carries out raids all the time, these raids were apparently leaked to get the maximum political benefit for the president in his re-election campaign.

Most of the targets in the raids will be criminal illegal aliens — those who have been convicted of serious crimes or whose trial is pending. The operations will be in California, Denver, and Philadelphia, and could potentially include other cities and jurisdictions across the country.

Fox News:

The Washington Post first reported about the operations, which could take place as soon as this week in California. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf may travel to at least one of the areas, it said.

“We do not comment on any law enforcement sensitive issues that may adversely impact our officers and the public,” an ICE spokesperson said in a statement. “However, every day as part of routine operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targets and arrests criminal aliens and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws.”

Obviously, it’s not very “routine” if the DHS secretary tags along on a raid or two. Democrats will bellyache about it but it’s all perfectly legal — and a good way to remind the voters where Trump stands on illegal immigration.

Earlier this month, ICE announced that it arrested more than 2,000 illegal immigrants from 20 countries in a series of operations in July and August — with the vast majority of those arrested having criminal charges or convictions.

About 85 percent of the immigrants caught in the operations, which lasted from July 13 through Aug. 20, had pending or criminal convictions — for manslaughter, assault, domestic violence, extortion, robbery, sexual offenses with a minor and other crimes, the agency said.

Enforcing laws against illegal immigration is an issue like few others that demonstrate what’s at stake in the 2020 presidential election. A Joe Biden victory would almost certainly mean that Democrats would make an attempt to nationalize sanctuary policies. They would totally decriminalize illegal entry into the U.S. Enforcement of the law would virtually cease.

But Biden would not have an easy time unraveling the legal and regulatory edifice erected by Donald Trump to combat illegal entry into the country.

CBS News:

Current and former senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials and people close to the Biden campaign said the process of unwinding the Trump administration’s immigration policies could be an arduous and long effort.

“There has been such a demolition of our traditional immigration system under this administration, that the biggest challenge will be deciding where to begin rebuilding first,” León Rodríguez, who led U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) during President Obama’s second term, told CBS News.

Exaggerations aside, it’s doubtful that a Biden administration could turn back the clock in four years.

“Stated policies are fairly easy to reverse, from a practical perspective,” Rodríguez said. “Regulations present a bit more complicated case. Most of the regulations that would be of concern to a Biden administration are the subject of legal challenges. And so, the status of those legal challenges will play a big role in what strategy a Biden administration would choose.”

Ken Cuccinelli, the second in command at DHS, said he expects the Trump administration’s legacy on immigration to endure — even if the president loses reelection. Changing regulations, he added, is “very slow.”

Trump found something similar with regard to Obamacare. It’s one thing for a president to declare change, but the bureaucracy generally has the last laugh. Obamacare’s tentacles have become so entwined in the health care system that they have to be ripped out one by one to undo the damage.

Biden’s surface changes to immigration law will surely be challenged in court. It will be years before Trump’s immigration legacy could be more than marginally affected.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2020/09/30/ice-to-conduct-raids-in-sanctuary-cities-before-the-election-n988597

Who leaked this to MSM??? Tipping off illegals

Chaos at U.S. Chamber of Commerce Over Group's Shift to the Left

The long-time political strategist of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has resigned following a lurch to the left by the group’s leadership. Scott Reed told Politico he could “no longer be part of this institution as it moves left.”

The Chamber leadership endorsed about two dozen Democratic House candidates, leading to dissension among donors and fear from Republicans on the Hill who worry the organization’s formerly solid backing of conservatives was slipping.

But the Chamber of Commerce says that Reed did not resign, he was fired “for cause.”

“An internal review has revealed that Reed repeatedly breached confidentiality, distorted facts for his own benefit, withheld information from Chamber leadership and leaked internal information to the press,” a Chamber spokesperson said in a statement. “We have the documentation of his actions and it is irrefutable. Our decision is not based on a disagreement over political strategy but rather it is the result of Reed’s actions.”

The Chamber’s endorsements have come with a price. House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy said he would no longer accept support from the Chamber and several high-profile donors to the group have severed ties.

But it appears that the Chamber leadership, including CEO Tom Donohue, would rather switch than fight. Are they hoping that liberal Democrats eat them last?

But with Senate Democrats challenging for the majority in 2020, the Chamber has adjusted its approach. In a staff meeting last week, Jack Howard, one of the organization’s senior vice presidents and top lobbyists, outlined plans to reach out to Senate Democrats and “normalize our relationships” with the party.

No doubt AOC and Bernie Sanders are smiling now.

Republicans are pretending it doesn’t matter, which is about all they can do at this point.

“Honestly at this point, I think they’re so confused about what they’re about that they probably don’t make much difference,” McConnell said.

Kevin McLaughlin, the executive director of Senate Republicans’ campaign committee, called the Chamber’s recent changes “difficult to watch.”

“It’s been difficult to watch what was once the gold standard for influence and advocacy slowly decline over the past few years, and now it appears the last vestige of relevance has just walked out the door,” McLaughlin said.

In 2014, the Chamber put tens of millions of dollars behind Republican Senate candidates and helped endangered members like Maine’s Susan Collins. They have invested far less so far this year, reflecting the change in policy at the Chamber.

Most corporations “hedge their bets” and contribute to both parties. But the Chamber has been such a strong Republican organization with many politicians, lobbyists, and party loyalists coming from their ranks that it’s a shock to the system when they abandon a long-standing policy.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2020/09/30/chaos-at-u-s-chamber-of-commerce-over-groups-shift-to-the-left-n988368

Police say alleged pedophile hid in teen's closet for more than a month. Now, he can hide in jail.

A whole month

Authorities arrested an adult male suspect after a 15-year-old child's parents discovered he'd reportedly been hiding in their teen daughter's closet for at least a month.

The suspect, 36-year-old Jonathan Rossmoine, reportedly traveled from his home in Louisiana to the teen's Florida home for sex after the two met through a virtual reality social platform.

What are the details?

According to Newsweek, the unnamed teen's parents said they were prompted to search their daughter's living space after "hearing noises coming from the bedroom."

When the teen's parents searched the room, they reportedly found Rossmoine cowering in the closet.

The unnamed family called authorities, who arrived on the scene to discover Rossmoine in the girl's bedroom.

Detective Tom Cameron of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said that Rossmoine and the teen figured he would remain unknown if he simply hid in the teen's room.

"He and the young lady came up with the idea that he could just stay in her room if he hid the closet whenever the parents came in," Cameron said. "They kept the bedroom door closed and locked and whenever someone came to the door it gave them an opportunity to run and hide in the closet and open up the door to where maybe she was changing or something."

WSVN-TV reported that investigators said Rossmoine admitted to engaging in "numerous sexual encounters," which reportedly took place in his van parked near the family's home.

Newsweek reported that the teen first met Rossmoine online two years ago when she was 13. At the time, the unnamed girl reportedly told Rossmoine that she was 18. When the two finally met, however, she confessed her real age, which apparently did not deter the suspect from engaging in a sexual relationship with her.

Authorities arrested Rossmoine on Sunday and charged him with multiple counts of lewd and lascivious behavior with a victim between the ages of 12 and 16. He also faces a charge of obscene communication and traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a child.

Rossmoine is being held on a $25,000 bond at the time of this reporting.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/alleged-pedophile-hid-teens-closet

Japanese govt & TEPCO ordered to pay $9.5 million in damages over Fukushima disaster, high court rules

A Japanese appeals court has said that the state and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) could have taken steps to prevent the Fukushima nuclear disaster, ruling they must pay one billion yen ($9.5 million) to 3,550 plaintiffs.

The Sendai High Court’s ruling on Wednesday upheld the earlier decision by a lower court in favor of the plaintiffs. They were forced to flee their homes after a 9-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that devastated the northeast region and crippled the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011.

Wednesday’s ruling marks the first time that a Japanese high court has acknowledged government responsibility for the incident. Further compensation claims may now follow, as thousands of other residents were evacuated when reactors at the coastal power station overheated and released a radioactive cloud. Some people have returned home, but areas close to the plant remain closed to this day.

The high court made its decision in line with a 2017 ruling by the Fukushima District Court. It blamed both the government and TEPCO for failing to take steps to counter the huge tsunami caused by an earthquake. They should have been able to foresee the risks of a 15.7-meter-high wave at the site, based on a quake assessment issued in 2002, the ruling said. The disaster could have been prevented if the authorities had also instructed the operator to implement measures that year, according to the Fukushima court.

As of the end of August, around 55,000 people who were evacuated due to the disaster remain displaced, both within and outside Fukushima Prefecture.

Tokyo plans to review the ruling before deciding how to respond, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Wednesday. The government earlier insisted that it was impossible to predict the tsunami, or prevent the subsequent disaster. Meanwhile, TEPCO officials say the company has fulfilled its compensation responsibility under government guidelines.

https://www.rt.com/news/502171-japan-high-court-fukushima/

Trump fires off ‘told you so’ tweet as 100,000 NYC residents sent INVALID absentee ballots

Nearly 100,000 New Yorkers have received defective absentee ballots, the latest in an improbable series of screwups by the city Board of Elections that have the government scrambling to restore faith in the mail-in voting process.

Due to a printing error, the names and addresses on an entire print run of ballots and the secondary envelopes they’re supposed to be sealed in don’t match, the NYC Board of Elections (BOE) admitted on Tuesday, promising to send the affected voters new ballots.

A total of 99,477 voters, mostly in Brooklyn, got the faulty mailing, which the Board blamed on Phoenix Graphics – a long-time contractor with the department. The same company will be tasked with printing and mailing new ballots, complete with an insert explaining why they’re receiving a second ballot, and New Yorkers have been warned not to mail in the defective ballots.

Further complicating the mess, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo attempted to stop the city Board of Elections from sending out replacement ballots on Tuesday, calling them up at the last minute and urging them to send out only replacements for the misprinted envelopes. Sending all new ballots would be an “overcorrection,” senior Cuomo adviser Richard Azzopardi told the New York Post on Tuesday – while another source suggested the real reason Cuomo didn’t want new ballots sent was that President Trump might claim it meant New Yorkers were being encouraged to vote twice.

Other state officials who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity called Cuomo’s response “twisted” and “a horrible mistake,” and State Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn) eviscerated the governor’s plan in a tweet as “straight-up disenfranchisement and an affront to our democracy.”

If Cuomo was worried about being accused of fraud by the president if the board sent out new ballots, however, he can rest easy – it’s already happened before a single replacement ballot was delivered. Trump responded to the news of the snafu with a characteristic ‘I told you so,’ taking to Twitter on Wednesday to declare “Mail In Ballots in New York City a total MESS.”

https://www.rt.com/usa/502173-nyc-invalid-absentee-ballots-trump/