Larry's Place

Smart Balance is one manufacturer of packaged foods that is contributing to the rise in non-GMO foods. Sales of GMO-free food an beverages rose at a projected 15% compound annual growth rate through 2017. However, that is still small potatoes considering the near dominance over the food chain by large seed suppliers like Monsanto, Dow Chemical and Dupont.

Between Monsanto, DuPont, and Swiss-based Syngenta , the three biotechs control 53% of the world’s seed production. Some 94% of all soy, for which DuPont is the world’s dominant producer, is genetically modified. More than half of our sugar comes from sugar beets, 95% of which is grown from Monsanto’s GM, and 86% of all corn grown in the U.S. is from lab-altered seed. And where 87% of canola is also genetically modified, 80% of wild canola, or rapeseed, has been contaminated because of the escape into the wild of these genes.

via Smart Balance Melts GMO Option – DailyFinance.

At some point, though, the growth in demand for GMO-free foods is going to hit those big seed producers in the purse and they will have to find ways to provide what the consumer wants.

Looks like we are getting tough with Putin on this Ukraine thing. One of our leading House committees has approved a symbolic resolution on the issue:

The House Foreign Relations Committee’s resolution condemns Russia for its occupation of the Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and called on the Obama administration to enact tough financial and trade sanctions against Russia.

via Congress steps up action on Ukraine.

Personally I think Congress is wussing out on Russia’s invasion of the Crimean peninsula. Historically speaking, Russia has given us enough provocation for us to start an aerial bombardment of their troops and ships and place boots on the ground as soon as aerial superiority is achieved.

Don’t believe me? Russia flooded Crimea with troops and stationed troops on their border with Ukraine. Iraq flooded Kuwait with troops. Numerous treaties and documents spell out Ukraine’s sovereignty and the Crimean’s relationship with Ukraine. Numerous treaties and documents spelled out Kuwait’s sovereignty. Russia has oil. Iraq has oil. Russia has weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was only suspected of having weapons of mass destruction.

The precedent is clear. We must invade Russia.

Saw this on Twitter:

RT @Hendems: Please Share & Tweet this ….

As far as I know all you need to do to buy a car is show your money. If the title is signed over you legally own the car whether the title is registered to the DMV or not and that is perfectly legal as long as the car doesn’t make an appearance on a public road. If you buy a gun from a dealer you must pass a background check in all states and in some states you must get a permit to just purchase a gun.

In all but three states; Arizona, Alaska and New Hampshire; you must have a permit to carry a gun in public. The requirements for receiving range from passing a background check only to passing a background check, having a certificate proving completion of an approved safety course and approval of the local sheriff.

The analogy that Lt. Col. Bateman is trying to draw here is inaccurate. It’s comparing apples to oranges. In every state buying a firearm is at least as regulated as buying a car and in almost every state carrying a firearm in public is at least as regulated as driving a car. In every state the usage of a firearm is far more heavily regulated than the usage of a motor vehicle.

Make your argument with facts. Don’t just make up an argument.

“Gun violence drastically increases during the ages of around 15 to around 29. You are much more likely to be shot either fatally or nonfat ally when you’re in that period,” said Chelsea Parsons, associate director of crime and firearms policy at the center.

via Gun Violence in U.S. Disproportionately Affects People Under 30 – News – Politics – Voice of Russia – US Edition.

Really?! I would imagine if you studied it you would also find out that fist violence drastically increases during the ages of around 15 to around 29 and I would imagine that these findings would also hold true regardless of the nation and regardless of the overall gun violence rate of the country. It’s called growing up.

My comments have nothing to do with gun control here. Regardless of your views on guns if you have one bit of common sense you have to agree with me.

My first razor was a Schick injector. I loved that simple razor.  It had no moving parts, just a spring steel clamp that was opened with a tool on the blade package that was inserted in a slot in the razor head. The blade was then injected from the package into the head with a pusher in the package tool.

The razor was brass colored with a plastic imitation ivory handle and the blades gave about a weeks worth of shaves before starting to pull. I used it and a shaving mug and brush for about fifteen years before the blades got too hard to find and I started using the Bic throwaway razors instead.

Somewhere along the way I started using a Gillette Fusion five bladed razor. I bought one out of curiosity and discovered about the smoothest shave anyone could ask for with a blade that with the proper care would last for a couple of months before pulling set in and a blade change was necessary.

I was tickled to death with this razor until about a year ago when the price of a pack of four blades reached $18.00 in the local stores. I started thinking about the $1.50 price on the package of seven injector blades and I decided that there should be a more affordable shave out there.

I came up with two possible alternatives. One being offered by The Dollar Shave Club and the other is Harry’s. After some recommendations by friends I settled on The Dollar Shave Club’s $6.00 four bladed razor. I received the razor this past Friday. This morning I gave it a try.

Brand new the razor gives a very acceptable shave. I can’t rate it as high as the Gillette Fusion in comfort but it is very close to it. At a 66% discount over the Gillette it is definitely a better value brand new. I’ll report back in a month to let you know about long term value.

Venture capitalist Tim Draper has a plan to split California into six separate states. This plan is now closer to reality now that a ballot measure has been approved for signature gathering. I’m still not too confident of its eventual success.

I think the plan has merit but I’m shuddering to think of how the plan will be implemented. Two of the states, Silicon Valley (SF Bay area) and West California (L.A. and Santa Barbara) would be two very wealthy and liberal states, each with two US senators and twelve or more congressional seats each. South California (San Diego) and North California (Sacramento) would both be wealthy states but perhaps more moderate leaning with a toss up as to which party would capture their senate seats. Central California (Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley) might be in the same economic league with much of the Southern states and my bet would be on it being a Red State.

Then you have Jefferson, the rural counties in far northern California. This section of California has been wanting to secede for a long, long time with currently three of those counties in support of secession. This part of the state is very rural and feels that the urban centers of the state are insensitive to their needs. I think you might find a lot of Republicans in this part of California.

But this is California and I don’t really have a dog in this fight except for one thing. If California does split into six new states it will add ten new senate seats that weren’t there before. The number of congressional districts should remain the same but the makeup of those districts will change dramatically. There are fifty-three congressional districts in California. I’m assuming there will still be fifty-three districts should California split up. With twelve US Senators that will make sixty-five electoral votes that will no longer be committed to the victor of a single state.

Oh, there is something else, also. Because California is such a huge economy as a single state and because of the stringent environmental laws that the state has enacted how will a break up of the state affect the auto industry? Will Jefferson and Central California continue to enforce restrictive emission standards in automobiles?

If California does break up it is going to affect all of us. Tell me if you think it will affect us for better or worse.

Volkswagen is building a new SUV for the US market and my hometown of Chattanooga is in the running to be the plant to build it. Employees at VW Chattanooga are also voting on whether or not to be represented by the UAW.

Now, personally, I don’t care to be represented by a union but if the majority of the people working for a company want union representation I’m all for them getting it. It’s something that is between the workers and their employer to work out, not government. That’s why I’m extremely disappointed that one of Tennessee’s U.S. Senators would weigh in on the topic by spreading a little FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt).

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker said Wednesday night that based on conversations he had, VW will produce the new SUV in Chattanooga should workers vote against the United Auto Workers.

via VW’s Frank Fischer says no link between Chattanooga UAW vote and SUV | Times Free Press.

Okay, Bob, but you wouldn’t say that one is dependent upon the other and with VW denying that the union vote has any bearing on their decision I tend to believe that you were told that VW would produce their new SUV without any conditions so if the workers reject the UAW the SUV will be built in Chattanooga but it will also be built in Chattanooga if the workers approve the UAW.