>Dough
What part of Jeep was sold to China?
>You need a car with a mechanical or hydraulic clutch
https://www.autoblog.com/2022/07/30/china-why-jeep-is-pulling-out/
Jeep pulls out of China over government meddling in its business
And with Taiwan threatened, Stellantis doesn't want to be stuck like automakers in Russia
Stellantis NV shuttered its only Jeep factory in China because local politicians are increasingly meddling in business in the world’s biggest car market, Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares said Thursday.
The carmaker is implementing an “asset-light” strategy in the country because of concerns that rising political tensions could lead to sanctions in a conflict between China and the rest of the world, the CEO said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
“We have been seeing over the last few years more and more political interference in the world of business in China,” Tavares said. “We don’t want to be a victim of cross-sanctions as has been the case for other companies in other regions of the world recently.”
The CEO’s candid comments offer an explanation for Stellantis’s announcement last week it’s leaving a 12-year manufacturing partnership with state-owned Guangzhou Automobile Group. The exit raises uncomfortable questions about what the future may hold for foreign manufacturers in China.
The war in Ukraine has disrupted supply chains in Europe, and the lengthening list of sanctions targeting Russia is a grim reminder of what could happen if China were to assert itself in Taiwan. Business for carmakers including Stellantis, Volkswagen AG and General Motors in the country is becoming more challenging as local manufacturers including BYD Co. Li Auto Inc. and Nio Inc. are catching up fast, including with a slew of fully electric offerings.
Tavares acknowledged that the Jeep joint venture was racking up losses but said the company’s reasons for leaving run deeper.
While Stellantis had signed a deal to raise its stake in the venture, its local partner GAC “did not do what it was supposed to do,” Tavares said. “So we considered that it was better to unwind.”
The venture had produced the Jeep Cherokee, Renegade, Compass and Grand Commander models primarily for the domestic market. Stellantis will instead ship an electrified lineup of different Jeep vehicles to Chinese dealers.
>Jeep pulls out of China over government meddling in its business
Toledo-built?
https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1558938268246351873
The first known case of human to dog #monkeypox transmission has been documented in medical journal, the Lancet. The dog caught it from its owners, a non-monogamous gay couple in Paris. The greyhound developed an anal ulceration & mucocutaneous lesions.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01487-8/fulltext
https://nypost.com/2022/08/14/sen-chuck-schumer-eyes-22m-in-fight-against-invasive-spotted-lanternfly-that-threatens-ny/
Schumer eyes $22M in fight against invasive spotted lanternfly that threatens NY
Sen. Chuck Schumer wants to squash the spotted lanternfly with the help of an extra $22 million in federal funds.
As swarms of the invasive species have been spotted across New York, the local Democrat outlined a plan Sunday for the United States Department of Agriculture to receive the extra dough to target invasive pests such as the lanternflies, with at least some of that money going to New York to help swat and stomp the plant-sucking bugs out of existence.
Spotted-lanternfly swarms have been spotted in Central Park in the Big Apple, at wineries on Long Island and on upstate farms. The lanternfly deprives plants of sap, which could result in the vegetation facing a heightened danger of contracting other diseases and pests.
Schumer, speaking at a press conference near Central Park, warned if the species isn’t controlled, New York’s economy could take a major hit.
“The spotted lanternfly is no longer just a threat to New York, it’s here, and it’s ready for its closeup,” Schumer said in a statement. “For years now, I have warned about the pest, but today, we are here demanding action because pockets of New York City, Long Island and upstate are now infested by the invasive bug that wreaks havoc on trees, vineyards and crops.
“This is a multi-million-dollar threat to New York’s economy — both tourism and agriculture are now at risk if the spotted lanternfly goes unchecked,” he said. “But the good news here is that we have federal funds already in place, that I secured, to help New York contain the bug, and that we will be pushing for more.”
The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation is conducting trapping surveys and monitoring spotted-lanternfly populations while educating the public on the lanternflies and how to report them to the state and kill them.
The Department of Agriculture and Markets also issued a quarantine that would restrict goods brought into New York from affected areas in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.
Twenty New York counties are part of a protective zone set up by the state connected to the war on the spotted lanternfly, including Bronx, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties.
The zones allow the state DEC and other stakeholders to quickly respond to the spotted lanternfly threat in those areas.
https://nypost.com/2022/08/14/long-island-town-blocking-construction-of-loud-trump-supporters-home-over-politics-1m-suit/
Long Island town blocking construction of ‘loud’ Trump supporter’s home over politics: $1M suit
A resident of Amityville, Long Island claims the town turned his life into a nightmare by allegedly blocking construction on his home because he’s a “loud” Donald Trump supporter, according to a new $1 million lawsuit.
Vincent Franco, 62, says he’s stuck in a real-life horror story, as he and his wife are forced to live in a small part of their old house while the new structure being built around it remains in limbo and open to the elements.
“All the squirrels and raccoons are getting in,” he told The Post. “My wife went to grab something from the attic and a raccoon jumped out and almost bit her.”
The massive and costly home expansion was halted by politicians and residents of Amityville “because they did not want an individual who supported Trump to build such a large house in the neighborhood, or be in the neighborhood at all,” Franco claims in a Brooklyn federal court lawsuit filed last week.
Ever since Franco, a construction contractor, began the renovations in January 2020, he’s been met with repeated dubious obstacles, the suit states.
Residents, for instance, allegedly filed bogus complaints that the size of expansion led them to believe it would be improperly used for commercial storage or a three-family home.
But the complaint was actually a “veiled attempt to discriminate against a Trump supporter who flew Trump flags from his car, in front of the single family construction dwelling,” the lawsuit alleges.
Franco also claimed that the town mayor “openly said that he did not like having contractors and builders living in his community,” according to the suit.
“The people that live there have been there for 10, 15, 20 years,” Franco told The Post. “I was a nobody coming into their town and they didn’t give me a chance.”
Franco met multiple times with the town to “dispel false allegations that a larger, beautiful home that would improve the neighborhood was being built for nefarious purposes,” the suit said.
His permits were finally approved in August 2021 and he started construction, including raising the roof by over three feet.
A since-fired building inspector told Franco that September that the additional height to his roof wouldn’t be a problem as they would “make an exception,” the suit claims.
So Franco spent $100,000 to finish the roof, which included electrical and plumbing work on the second floor and in the attic, according to the court papers.
But a different building inspector in March 2022 disregarded the promise and said the roof was too high, “shutting the entire construction down, sending [Franco] back to planning,” the lawsuit alleges.
The new inspector, “made it extremely clear that this was due to personal biases on behalf of the trustees, mayor, personally, and professionally,” the suit claims.
Meanwhile, Franco claims he can’t even put plastic or siding on the exposed plywood and open rafters of the structure, which means rain and animals are getting inside, he told The Post.
The new structure is being build around the old house, leaving Franco and his wife confined to three rooms that are part of the old home, he said.
“When it rains everything comes through the ceiling and we get decimated,” Franco said.
The project is still being stonewalled despite the fact that the town “regularly approves variances,” – including to at least four other homes, the court papers say.
“For no reasonable purpose whatsoever, except for annoyance and discrimination, did defendants deny [Franco] the variance which in at least four cases had been approved,” the court papers charge.
Franco says he even agreed to pay $40,000 to bring the roof down most of the way, but couldn’t get it down to code height of 30 feet without totally redoing the whole project, he told The Post.
He also says they town continues to blame him for the issues, and refuses to take responsibility for the flub of the old inspector.
“You are saying you don’t like contractors, you don’t like his political views, you’re not going to speak to him, you’re saying he’s a trouble maker when he’s not,” Franco’s lawyer, Victor Feraru told The Post.
“What’s the harm in the community by allowing the guy to adjust [the roof] by several feet?” the lawyer added. “You don’t have an aesthetic issue, you don’t have a health and safety issue – you have a problem with our guy.”
Franco is suing for $1 million in damages.
The town lawyer didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
https://www.ngaus.org/newsroom/adjutant-general-vaccine-mandate-threat-readiness
Adjutant General: Vaccine Mandate a ‘Threat’ to Readiness
The adjutant general of Florida says the Defense Department’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate seriously threatens military readiness.
Maj. Gen. James O. Eifert adds making American troops get the vaccine endangers national security.
“I’ve never been more worried about the future of the U.S. armed forces than I am right now,” he said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published last week.
“One of the military’s most foundational duties is to recruit and retain men and women willing to defend their country,” Eifert added. “Unfortunately, current federal policy is rendering that goal unobtainable.”
Eifert is thought to be the first general officer to speak out on the vaccine mandate, doing so in his capacity as a state official.
Eifert's byline didn't include his rank. He decried the DoD requirement’s potential impact on Guardsmen across the U.S.
“The Army secretary’s deadline for all reserve component soldiers to be vaccinated expired on June 30, leaving almost 40,000 National Guard members and 20,000 Army Reservists nationwide at risk of involuntary termination,” he argued.
“My Florida National Guard formations face the potential loss of about 1,000 unvaccinated guardsmen out of 12,000 total airmen and soldiers,” Eifert continued. “That leaves us shorthanded as our state enters hurricane season, while more than 1,000 soldiers and airmen are also deployed on federal missions around the world.”
Eifert claimed the vaccine policy comes amid domestic recruiting and retention struggles and rising global tensions.
“Only 23% of recruitment-age Americans meet eligibility requirements, and fewer still are even interested,” he noted. “Why should we further damage military readiness by discharging honorably serving military members and shunning unvaccinated new recruits?”
“Our world is only becoming more dangerous,” Eifert concluded. “I’m hopeful than an open-minded self-assessment leads to a solution that addresses this most serious threat to force readiness - before it’s too late.”
Army Guardsmen and Army Reservists had until June 30 to get fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19.
Since July 1, the unvaccinated members of both components have been forbidden from federally funded drills, trainings and other duties.
Unvaccinated Army Guardsmen and Army Reservists have also been barred from receiving payment or retirement credit.
Army data released last week shows 88% of the Army National Guard is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while another 1.6% has received one dose of the vaccine.
While 9,795 Army Guardsmen have refused the vaccine, the service hasn’t separated anyone.
As of August 4, the Army National Guard has approved 8,533 temporary exemptions for the vaccine, including requests for permanent exemptions.
Of 58 requests for permanent medical exemptions, six have been granted and 38 disapproved.
The Army National Guard hasn’t approved any permanent religious exemptions out of 1,444 requests, but 43 applications have been rejected.
The Air Force National Guard had a Dec. 2, 2021, vaccination deadline.
Air Force data published July 12 states 94.1% of Guard airmen are fully vaccinated, while 0.2% more have gotten one vaccination dose.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Eifert the Florida adjutant general in 2019.
https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2022-08/BBP%20on%20Novavax%20COVID-19%20Vaccine_cao%2015%20Jul%2022.pdf
https://www.novavax.com/science-technology/recombinant-protein-based-nanoparticle-vaccine-technology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sf9_(cells)
>Karmadick Islands
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4e7fc538-18dc-11ed-b1f4-627a202c7457
Tavistock gender clinic ‘to be sued by 1,000 families’
The Tavistock gender clinic is facing mass legal action from youngsters who claim they were rushed into taking life-altering puberty blockers.
Lawyers expect about 1,000 families to join a medical negligence lawsuit alleging vulnerable children have been misdiagnosed and placed on a damaging medical pathway.
They are accusing the gender identity development service [GIDS] at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust of multiple failures in its duty of care.
This includes allegations it recklessly prescribed puberty blockers with harmful side effects and adopted an “unquestioning, affirmative approach” to children identifying as transgender.
Last month NHS England announced it was shutting the Tavistock clinic over safety concerns following a damning external review. Care will be handed to regional children’s hospitals.
The Grossman Burn Center, a large world-famous medical facility considered one of our foremost burn centers, was established in 1969. The name associated with it is its founder, Dr. Richard Grossman, whose son, the medical director at the facility, is Dr. Peter Grossman.
Dr. Grossman, 59, and his wife live in a $9.5 million house in nearby Hidden Hills. It’s on the same street as “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin who — along with her husband, Mossimo Giannulli — did prison time for buying their daughters into a prestigious university.
Just as friends now say goodbye to Anne Heche, Dr. Peter Grossman’s blond wife Rebecca, 58, is — right now, even as I write, at this very moment — herself on trial.
Felony counts. The charges are two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death in connection with the accident.
https://nypost.com/2020/12/30/socialite-rebecca-grossman-charged-with-murder-of-two-young-boys/
Allegedly Sept. 29, 2020. 7:10 p.m. Mrs. Grossman’s Mercedes-Benz — herself at the wheel — was doing 81 mph. The police have stated that Mrs. Grossman was then driving to a house party.
At a crossing in Westlake Village there is a three-way intersection. That’s along Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive. The Iskander family — mother, father, children — was crossing the street. Mrs. Grossman’s car struck and killed two of their little boys. Brothers. One, 8, one 11.
Mark, age 11, died at the scene. His brother Jacob, 8, died hours later at the hospital.
As Anne Heche was being rushed to the Grossman Burn Center, Mrs. Grossman’s case was on the docket in a Van Nuys, Calif., courtroom. If convicted, she faces 34 years to life in prison. She pleaded not guilty.
The children’s agonized parents have repeatedly claimed that court proceedings are excessively slow. They question why.
There already exists 50,000 signatures on local petitions demanding to know why the wife of the Grossman Burn Center’s Dr. Peter Grossman has been allowed to stay out on $2 million bail.
Suggested is that, being a socialite, her money, her position, her connections have made this possible.
Rebecca Grossman’s attorney Tony Buzbee has stated publicly and been quoted as saying that his client is being “overcharged.” That “this is the DA’s effort to force her to plea.” That her legal team “will not allow her to be bullied.” And that “the crosswalk was poorly lit and unguarded.”
Lawyer: “To hire me we start with a $10,000 retainer which entitles you to two questions.” Possible client: “Isn’t that high for just two questions?” Lawyer: “Yes, now what’s your second question?”