inspect the inspectors


"The Los Angeles Fire Department failed to conduct annual inspections of at least one-third of the city’s hazardous materials storage sites in recent years, state environmental protection officials said Friday.

The California Environmental Protection Agency found 19 deficiencies during a recent audit of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s hazardous materials program, including one in which 66 percent of regulated sites were given inspections in the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

The audit also found that in 2011, the department’s Fire Prevention Bureau’s inspectors looked at 69 percent of the sites, and 48 percent in 2010.

Sites inspected by the bureau include industrial sites where chemicals are manufactured, refineries, auto repair shops and paint stores.

The fire department has also failed to do reports for all inspections and does not require facilities to submit testing and leak detection documents.

Fire department staff also have not followed up with sites where problems such as leaks have been detected and are sometimes not physically present at hazardous materials storage sites when they do their inspections."



Really? The Los Angeles Fire Department failed to inspect 30% of the hazardous material in my area? If the inspectors are not inspecting, what ARE they doing all day??? And we're paying taxes for this bullshit? As a government agency, I thought the fire department was supposed to be protecting me. Turns out fire inspectors are not doing their job--and putting everyone at risk from hazardous material. WHY?






the undriveable car


I rented a new car yesterday. It was a technologically advanced vehicle.

I had to learn how to operate the car. Before I could drive it.

Here's what happened:

The rental rep brought the car over and parked it in a parking lot near my residence. After signing the rental agreement, he handed me the car fob. I fiddled around with it and couldn't figure out how to start the car. There was no key. No car key? I asked the rep how to start the car. It turns out that there was no entry/ignition key. Then how the heck do you turn on the ignition? You push the Start button. Ah. I got in and pushed the Start button. Nothing happened. He said, "You also have to step on the brake at the same time." How on earth would you know that intuitively???

The rental rep left. I was on my own. No problem. I'm a smart guy, I can read an Owner's Manual. At least the things I want/need to know. I looked in the glove compartment for the Owner's Manual, so I could quickly find out the basic things I needed to know before I drove the car.

There it was, the Owner's Manual, in the glove compartment. But it was an Owner's Manual for another style of the Ford Fusion, a low-tech Ford Fusion. I was driving a high-tech version, with lots of bells and whistles. There was a little 5-page booklet that mostly explained how to synch the entire car to my cellphone. But the booklet contained nothing about the things I needed to know in order to basically DRIVE the car. Uh oh. Now I had to figure out how this hi-tech car operates, how to drive it, by guessing. Guessing? This car had all kinds of advanced stuff: parallel parking by itself, lane alert, auto immediate anti-crash stop, auto seat position memory, synching with cellphone, navigation system and lots of other advanced stuff. I understood none of those things, was unfamiliar with all of them, and did not know how they worked. Plus, I was scared that I might cause the car to do things I didn't want it to do, like parallel park itself--when I wasn't parking the car!

And I was forced to GUESS how this complicated beast worked?

I entered the beast, put my foot on the brake, pushed Start, and held my breath. The car started. And the driver's seat started moving, all by itself. My seat started going backwards, all by itself. I got scared! It finally stopped moving and I re-adjusted it to my desired position. Whew. OK, I am now in position to drive the beast. But first, I had to familiarize myself with the gadgets and symbols on the dashboard. What were they, what did they do, how do you work them? There were dozens of things on the dashboard: buttons and switches and other shapes, all symbols, many of which I was unfamiliar with. And I couldn't look up what I needed to know, what they did, because I had no Owner's Manual to this car!

I looked at the middle dashboard console containing a number of symbols. Dozens of symbols. I recognized only a few. It seemed to be the entertainment system and the climate control system. I could not figure out how to use the heat and a/c but, luckily, I didn't need either one. At the moment. As for the synching of the car to my phone, and navigation and other apps, I could drive without needing to use them. At the moment. And, as for the radio controls, I was clueless but could live without listening to music while driving. At the moment. I then looked at the gas gauge and guessed that the gauge showed less than 1/4 of a tank. Or more than 3/4 of a tank. It was hard to tell. I went with my guess of 1/4 of a tank.

So, my first order of driving was to go get some gas. By now, it was dark outside. But, being the smart, fearless, experienced driver that I was, I was ready to go.

I noticed that my dashboard light was dim. Very dim. Too dim. I could not see the gauges and the readings. Hmm. No problem, I will simply increase the lighting. However, I could not find the switch or dial or button to increase the dashboard lighting. Where was it? I don't know. I looked everywhere, but couldn't find it. It was dark and I couldn't figure out how to increase the dashboard lights. Oh, well, not a critical thing, just an annoying impediment to driving at night. At least my headlights came on, automatically.

I put the car in reverse and was treated to a rear camera view on the dashboard console, a rear camera view of a dark parking lot. The rear camera screen was quite dark, too dark to clearly see what was behind the car. I backed out the old-fashioned way, by looking through the back window and using the side mirrors. I put the car in D and was on my way! To the gas station. And maybe the supermarket.

I made it to the gas station and put gas in the car. Then I drove over to the supermarket and bought some groceries. In the supermarket parking lot I decided to try again to see if I could figure out how the radio worked and where the dashboard dimmer switch was located. After 15 minutes, I finally found the dashboard dimmer switch. It was located way down on the left, somewhat behind the steering wheel. I increasing my dashboard lights and was finally able to see all the gauges and symbols.

It took me over an hour to figure out how the radio worked.



Today's vehicles are incredibly complicated and incredibly user unfriendly! Here's an idea for all the car designers and manufacturers. Put in a "voice activated" electronic Owner's Manual. Then, we drivers can simply ask the car things. Things we want to know. Things like, "How the hell do you turn on the radio!?"

When consumers spend $25,000, or $50,000, or $100,000 (or more) to buy a vehicle, and then can't figure out how to drive the damn thing, is that too much to ask?






head transplant



awaiting a new head


From Time.com

Sergio Canavero, a doctor in Italy, has drawn up the plans for a human head transplant

A surgeon says the first human head transplant could take place within the next two years.

Sergio Canavero, a doctor in Turin, Italy, has drawn up the plans for the radical surgery and hopes to begin assembling a team this June ...."




Really? I'll be able to get a new head? Or transplant my head onto another body? Okay, I want Albert Einstein's head, including his brain. Or better yet, put my head on the body of an 18-year-old male. An 18-year-old male with a ten-inch penis. Hell, yes!

Science will be able to transplant my old head onto a young body? Wow! That means no more old age. No more old age ailments. No more viagra!

Sign me up!






deadly doctors



Who wants to die next?


"(CNN)The Centers for Disease Control is raising a red flag that a potentially deadly bacteria may be lurking in your doctor's office.

The bacteria, C. difficile, is typically found in hospitals, but a study out Wednesday reports a substantial number of people contracted the bug who hadn't been in a hospital, but had recently visited the doctor or dentist.

The bacteria can cause deadly diarrhea, according to the CDC, with infections on the rise. The new report shows nearly half a million Americans infected in various locations in one year, with 15,000 deaths directly attributed to C. diff.

In the meantime, patients should wash their hands after visiting the doctor's office -- with soap and water, because alcohol-based gels don't get rid of C.diff.

The CDC study, published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, said 150,000 people who had not been in the hospital came down with C. diff in 2011. Of those, 82% had visited a doctor's or dentist's office in the 12 weeks before their diagnosis."




Are you kidding me? Deadly bacteria lurking in my doctor's office? Deadly diarrhea? Gee, I go to the doctor when I feel sick. Now, I'm going to go to the doctor and GET sick? Now, you can go to the doctor and DIE??? Now we have to worry about dangerous deadly bacteria lurking in the doctor's office? Are you kidding me?

OMG, I have a doctor's appointment next week, for a follow up visit. Maybe I shouldn't go! Ever.






wrong again



The President of the United States, Barack Obama, in a town hall meeting at Florida International University in Miami said:

"Our country is strong because of generation after generation of immigrants who embraced the ideals of America and then fought for those ideals, and fought in wars to defend our country, and built companies that employed people, and helped to build the railroads and the highways. And all the things that we take for granted in this country, those were built by immigrants. We’re all immigrants. That’s who we are. Unless you’re one of the first Americans -- Native Americans. And so we have to recognize that."



I believe that all those immigrants he was referring to were LEGAL immigrants. Didn't the older generations of immigrants come here LEGALLY and THEN build America? My own grandparents were among them, coming to America over 100 years ago, from Lithuania, to escape religious persecution and death. They came here legally. Don't insult them, and the millions of other immigrants who came to America--legally--and who then built America and fought for it. Do not lump these patriots together with the millions of today's illegal immigrants, and those who continue to cross the border in violation of U.S. federal law, or continue to come here by other means and overstay their legal welcome.

In the real world, illegal is NOT the same as legal. That's the reality. That's the truth. That's the law. Even an idiot knows there is a difference between legal and illegal.






ban dishwashers



The old way is the new way


"Doing dishes the old-fashioned way — by hand — might help curb a modern-day problem: rising rates of childhood allergies, a new study suggests.

Researchers in Sweden found that children living in families that hand-washed their dishes were about 40 percent less likely to develop allergies compared with kids in homes that used a dishwasher, said study researcher Dr. Bill Hesselmar, an allergist at the University of Gothenburg Department of Pediatrics.

The researchers said they suspect that hand-washing dishes doesn't get them as clean as the dishwasher does, which is actually a good thing because it can help protect against allergies by exposing family members to more bacteria...."




That being the case, the government will probably ban dishwashers. And force us to wash our dishes by hand. Or use paper plates instead. Or eat with our hands.

I wonder if this "hand-washing-is-better" concept also applies to washing machines. Maybe hand washing our clothes is healthier. Maybe, for health reasons, the government will not only ban dishwashers but also ban washing machines.Then, like olden times, we can take our dirty clothes down to the river and beat them on a rock to get them clean. No thanks, I'd rather not. Maybe I'll just wear dirty, disgusting clothes instead, it's probably healthier!






birthday dancing banned



From Associated Press:

"RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia's morality police detained a group of young men for dancing at a birthday party and referred them to prosecutors, according to a state-linked media report.

The news website Ayn al-Youm reported Saturday that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice raided a private property in the city of Buraydah, arresting the men inside for "loud music and inappropriate dancing."

Buraydah is the provincial capital of Saudi Arabia's Qassim province, which is home to some of the kingdom's most conservative clerics, who practice a strict interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism.

An unnamed official told the website that when members of the morality police raided the private property, they found the young men in "a comprising situation in their dance and shameful movements." The official said there was also a cake and candles to celebrate one of the men's birthdays.

No details were released about how many men were arrested or their ages. The official did, however, say that the young men's hairstyles and dress were not traditional, and urged parents to monitor this kind of behavior "because it can lead to immorality and even homosexuality."

A hashtag on Twitter quickly went viral about the arrest, with many Saudis ridiculing the raid and pointing out that the men were not caught drinking alcohol or partying with women — both crimes in Saudi Arabia.

Wahhabi clerics view Western music as sinful and birthday celebrations as un-Islamic. The morality police are empowered to enforce Islamic law as practiced in Saudi Arabia, including enforcing dress codes.




Really? in 2015? For a moment I thought I was in the 8th century.

And liberals think AMERICA is a bad place? Anyone in America who thinks it's such a bad place, go attend a birthday party in Saudi Arabia. But don't play loud music. And don't dance. If you do, the morality police might arrest you. And God help you if you're gay.

Here's to America, the land of opportunity and freedom. Where birthdays, music, and dancing ARE allowed.






Pet Dental Health Month


It's National Pet Dental Health Month!

"Like humans, pets require regular dental care, too. The SPCA of Texas recommends that pets have their teeth brushed daily or as recommended by their pets’ veterinarian to remove any tartar or bacteria that they may have in their mouth."

I can see it now:

"Fido, did you brush your teeth today?"

"Woof!"

"And did you floss, too?"

"Woof!"

"That's a good doggie!"






Diet Police




FoxNews:

Gov't panel urges ‘plant-based’ diet, taxes on sweets


By Elizabeth Harrington, Published February 20, 2015

"The federal committee responsible for nutrition guidelines is calling for the adoption of "plant-based" diets, taxes on dessert, trained obesity "interventionists" at worksites, and electronic monitoring of how long Americans sit in front of the television.

... The report is open for public comment for 45 days, and will be used as the basis by the government agencies to develop the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines are used as the basis for government food assistance programs, nutrition education efforts, and for making "decisions about national health objectives."

DGAC proposed a variety of solutions to address obesity, and its promotion of what it calls the "culture of health."

"The persistent high levels of overweight and obesity require urgent population- and individual-level strategies across multiple settings, including health care, communities, schools, worksites, and families," they said.

In response, DGAC called for diet and weight management interventions by "trained interventionists" in healthcare settings, community locations, and worksites.

"Government at local, state, and national levels, the health care system, schools, worksites, community organizations, businesses, and the food industry all have critical roles in developing creative and effective solutions," they said.

DGAC also called for policy interventions to "reduce unhealthy options," limit access to high calorie foods in public buildings, "limit the exposure" of advertisements for junk food, a soda tax, and taxing high sugar and salt items and dessert.



"Trained interventionists"? I can see it now:

Interventionist: "Excuse me, sir, I'm a government diet officer. Please put down that donut."

Me: "What?"

Interventionist: "If you don't put down the donut I'm gonna have to arrest you and take you to jail."

Me: "What? What are you talking about? Who ARE you???"



The government is going to actively intervene in all my food choices? Government is going to dictate what I can, and can't, eat? Tax my Pepsi? Tax my dessert? We're going to have local, state and federal "Diet Police"?

Welcome to the new America.

I have one thing to say to all that. Freedom of choice. MY choice, not the government's. As for the government and it's brilliant idea of regulating and controlling my food choices and my food intake: STAY THE FUCK OUT OF MY STOMACH!






the new New Jersey


"A retired teacher is facing 10 years in prison and the loss of his state pension for possessing a flintlock pistol that may not have been fired since George Washington was alive, his attorney told FoxNews.com on Wednesday.

In a case that underscores the Garden State's strict gun laws, Gordon Van Gilder, a retired English teacher and collector of historical items, has been charged with criminal possession of a handgun and faces up to 10 years in prison. If the 72-year-old is convicted, the charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 3.5 years and the pension Van Gilder earned as an educator could be revoked, penalties attorney Evan Nappen called "outrageous."

“It’s crazy," Nappen told FoxNews.com. "The gun was unloaded and strictly possessed as a historical relic. We’re hoping the prosecutor will exercise discretion and dismiss his case.”

Van Gilder readily acknowledged the unloaded gun was in his glove compartment and wrapped in cloth when he was pulled over for a traffic violation in Cumberland County in November 2014, according to Nappen. He had recently bought the gun and was planning to add it to his collection of antiques, which includes other old firearms, the lawyer said.

“This is a Queen Anne flintlock, which is a very pretty gun," Nappen said. "The barrel looks like a cannon and it has a single shot – you have to actually untwist the barrel to load it – it’s pretty involved to even attempt to load it. But the craftsmanship is from the 1760s, and it’s just magnificent to think that every piece of it was handmade.”

But New Jersey law does not exempt antique firearms...."



Really? They're going to send a 72-year-old retired teacher to prison for possessing a 250-year-old historic antique, a relic? Because the antique is a firearm? A gun, from the 1760's? A firearm from BEFORE America became America, in 1776?

Send a 72-year-old antique collector to prison because of a stupid, badly written state gun law? Are you kidding me? No.

Welcome to the new America. Welcome to the new New Jersey.






let there be light



Let there be light

"And on the 785th day, there was light."

It took 2 years for Public Works to fix a streetlight in L.A. "Not that anyone on this quiet cul de sac in Sherman Oaks (an upscale suburb of Los Angeles) actually remembers the exact date when it happened. After all, it was a bit less than a Biblical-like miracle when their solitary streetlight stopped flickering, dimming and going dark night after night for more than two years and was restored to full strength."

It took 2 years to fix a streetlight?

"The Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting disputes the time-frame for fixing Streetlight No. 18546, even though their official logs show the complaint for the requested repair was logged on Dec. 8, 2011, and the date the ticket was closed was Jan. 31, 2014." - dailynews.com


Let there be light and, finally, after 2 years, there WAS light. For these residents of Los Angeles, thanks to L.A.'s wonderfully attentive government, they were literally living in the Dark Ages.

Los Angeles City Council members earn a whopping $185,000 a year. Hmm. I bet THEY get the lights on THEIR street fixed--fast.






seasons


On February 14, it was 84 degrees in L.A.

Most places have four seasons: summer, fall, winter, and spring.

Los Angeles has only two seasons: hot and hotter.






highway safety




The auto industry recalled almost 64 million vehicles for safety problems last year, a record, according to figures released Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

What do we do about it?

from consumerist.com:

"...Just a month into his new gig as the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Mark Rosekind unveiled his vision for the future of the agency, including increasing staff and creating two new divisions to help step up efforts to identify defects and alert motorists about issues and recalls.

The Detroit News reports that Rosekind’s plan hinges on the President’s proposed budget, which calls for tripling the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation funding from the current $9.7 million to $31.3 million. Under Rosekind’s proposal the current NHTSA defect team would increase staff from 28 to 56.5 full-time equivalent positions.

The agency would also use funds to hire a mathematician, two statisticians, 16 engineers and four new investigators, bringing the total team to more than 100 employees.

“We need people, technology and authority,” Rosekind said. “It’s not just about the money — it’s about what it gets us....”



Yeah, just what we need: more government spending, more government employees, and more government bureaucrats. Instead of adding more government employees, and increasing the government agency's budget by 300%, I've got a faster, simpler and NO COST way to fix the problem. Pass a new law. "Any vehicle manufacturer making a defective vehicle gets an automatic $1 billion fine. Per defect." THAT will stop the bastards from knowingly making--and selling--defective cars!






government pianist



The State of California has a pianist?

There are 3,666 state job classifications in the State of California. One of them is state government pianist.

"Page 77 of the state civil-service pay scale shows state pianists earn $13.67 to $26.53 per hour. According to the job description website, the position was established in 1931 and revised in 1972.

“Under direction, in a part-time capacity, to provide piano music for regular and special occasions at a State institution; may also play an organ; and do other related work,” according to the job description.




A state government piano player position? Since 1931? Really? So it's possible for state workers and legislators in California to be serenaded with live piano music while they sit in their ass and waste taxpayer money?






cardboard thieves



FONTANA, Calif. (AP) — Investigators wearing bulletproof vests sit in unmarked cars outside a Southern California recycling center, swapping license plate details over two-way radio before dawn.

A truck emerges, and they follow, hoping to learn where drivers pick up what to many looks like trash but turns out to be treasure: cardboard.

"It's big, big money — for somebody," said Steve Rivera, a senior investigator with the San Bernardino County District Attorney's office who has been conducting sunrise surveillance to track, educate and cite the culprits. "People don't recognize the fact that it's actually theft."




Stealing cardboard? Really? Local government is spending taxpayer money and time fighting "cardboard thieves"? And cops have to wear bulletproof vests to do it? What will they think of next--staking out and arresting people who don't wash their hands after using the restroom?






California Prostate Law


California Law



My ass? Are you kidding me?


"Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California. Existing law requires a physician and surgeon examining a patient’s prostate gland during a physical examination to provide the patient with specified information if certain conditions are present.

This bill would exempt from this requirement a physician and surgeon working on a trauma case, defined as any injured person who has been evaluated by pre-hospital personnel according to policies and procedures established by the local EMS agency and who has been found to require transportation to a trauma facility."

Huh. If it's a trauma case, i.e. injury, perhaps even life and death, why would a doctor be sticking his finger up a guy's ass and checking his prostate? Seems like the doctor would have better things to do, like saving the guy's life!!!






don't picket my funeral



I'm gonna picket

Yes, there is a law in California that prohibits picketing a funeral. Really? Yes.

594.37. (a) It is unlawful, except upon private property, for a person to engage in picketing targeted at a funeral during the time period beginning one hour prior to the funeral and ending one hour after the conclusion of the funeral.



Yeah, I got news for you, California, I'm going to picket a funeral. My OWN! That's right, I'm going to picket my own funeral, even though I'll be dead. What are you going to do, arrest me?






scary words


The scariest 10 words in the English language: "We're from the government and we're here to help you".





crappy cafe



From HuffPost

"Usually, it takes time for a new restaurant to end up in the toilet, but the Magic Restroom Cafe was already there before it opened.

The Magic Restroom Cafe in L.A.'s City of Industry is America's first toilet-themed eatery. All the dishes, seats and food items are all focused on toilets, bathrooms and human bodily functions.

Customers hoping for a crappy dining experience sit on stools topped with toilet seats and order appetizing menu items like "golden poop rice," "black poop" (actually a chocolate sundae), "smells-like-poop" (braised pork over rice)," and "bloody number two" (vanilla-strawberry sundae).

Those defecation-themed dishes are then served in miniature toilet bowls, according to Eater L.A., which recommends the Stinky Tofu as the most appropriate food choice."



Really? Yeah, there's no doubt, it's a "crappy" cafe. Welcome to loony Los Angeles, where you can't even make up shit like this!






government fireplaces


The Government Regulates Fireplaces


Los Angeles, California

"A residential no-burn alert will be in effect Wednesday in the South Coast Air Basin — which includes the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County and the Inland Empire — due to a forecast of fine particle air pollution.

Under the alert issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, residents are barred from burning wood in fireplaces until midnight."

Under California law, Title 17 Section 80110, the ARB (Air Resources Board) shall specify each day of the year as a permissive burn day, or a no-burn day for each air basin or other specified area.

You need permission from the government to use your fireplace? The government, once again, is controlling people's private lives, this time it's their fireplaces. What's the point of buying a nice home, with a nice wood burning fireplace, if the government bans you from using it? Or, to put it in other words, why is the government in my living room?

UPDATE
They issued a no-burn day for 5 straight days! In the middle of winter! Are they serious? Why don't they just BAN wood-burning fireplaces permanently and be done with it. And also ban everything else that contributes to air pollution. Like smoking. And driving. And breathing.






working hard in America



According to the Gallup Poll, Jan 2015

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Six in 10 Americans are satisfied with the opportunity for a person in the U.S. to get ahead by working hard. This is up from 54% last year, which was similar to satisfaction levels measured in the prior three years. However, from 2001 through 2008, Americans' satisfaction with the ability to get ahead by working hard was higher, ranging from 77% to 66%.



In 2001 it was nearly 80%.

In 2014 it was 54%.

Welcome to the new America. Where people no longer believe in hard work.






texting while flying



The Ultimate Selfie

"Selfies" likely contributed to a single-engine plane crash east of Denver last May that killed two people, federal investigators said in a report released last week.

The National Transportation Safety Board said a GoPro video camera was found near the plane's wreckage in Watkins, about 25 miles east of Denver. Recordings on the device showed several flights where the pilot and his passengers were taking "self-photographs" with their cellphones.

Really? We've all heard of taking "selfies". That's dangerous while driving and can even be deadly. Now, there's "selfing" while flying? Also obviously dangerous. Almost as dangerous as "sexting" while driving. Or piloting an airplane.






slow internet



how's your internet speed?

From engadget.com:

"FCC commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of upping the broadband threshold, and pretty dramatically too: Now service providers will have to offer speeds of 25 Mbps down/3 Mbps up if they want to apply that label. Need a little perspective? The average American home broadband connection pulls down around 11 Mbps ...."

25 Mbps download speed, minimum? I'll take it!

I currently have AT&T "high" speed internet. Right now, according to the AT&T online speed test, with my blazingly slow AT&T broadband, and Google Chrome browser, I'm getting a pathetic download speed of 5.21 Mbps. Half the national average! Hey, AT&T, and all the other available local broadband suppliers, I live in L.A., the second largest city in America, how come the internet is so freaking slow here???

Do I want a 5x faster internet speed? Hmm. How fast do you want my answer?





delete it



Wouldn't it be nice to be able to delete shit, not just virtually but in real life?

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to delete people you don't like, taxes you owe, slow loading websites, TV commercials, fugly people--or anything else that you don't like, anything that bugs you.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could just delete shit in real life? Not have to deal with stuff, just delete it?

What would I delete? I'd start with politicians. And stupidity. And old age. And erectile dysfunction.