Wednesday Toon Roundup 1- Elections and Repubs

2012


Repubs

Luckovich Toon- Sitting Elephants

Hemp industry thrives amid boom in natural foods

Andrew S. Ross
Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Ten years ago, John Roulac was fighting the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration over a banned shipment of hemp seeds he needed for his embryonic health food business in Sebastopol.

This week, Roulac is moving into a 200,000-square-foot building in Point Richmond to accommodate his fast-growing company, Nutiva, which sells hemp-infused protein powder, shakes and seeds, plus non-hemp coconut oil and chia seeds.

"Being in the heart of the organic food industry in Northern California is desirable," said Roulac, citing the new space's proximity to highways, railroads and ports.

Hemp, in its non-psychoactive cannabis form, has long since entered America's food chain, and Nutiva's products are on store shelves all over the Bay Area, including Whole Foods, Safeway and GNC's chain of vitamin shops. Its Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil ranks No. 8 on Amazon.com's list of best-selling grocery and gourmet food items.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/11/BU9I1OUOMD.DTL

Dead obese woman's excess body fat sets crematorium on fire

Graz - Austrian fire officials have blamed a fire that gutted a crematorium facility in the city of Graz, southern Austria in April, on the excess body fat of an obese woman that blocked an air filter.

According to Fox News, the fire at the facility in Graz was caused by the body of a 440-pound woman (200kg) that reportedly overheated the crematorium's filter system and caused it to burst into flames.

Gizmodo notes that anyone who has handled a barbecue would notice that animal fat is very flammable being a source of combustible fuel for the animal body.

According to Gizmodo, fat from the dead woman's body sizzled in the oven and caused the inside of the crematorium to rise as high as 300C. Daily Mail reports officials realized there was problem when thick black smoke began billowing out of the oven. They switched off the device immediately but the filter had already caught fire.


Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/326141

'Last Moments Robot' Comforts You To Death

Man. Man oh man oh man. This is a video of Dan Chen's 'Last Moments Robot', a robot designed to comfort a person as their final bars of life-force flow out of them. You know, because that's not the saddest thing I've ever heard. WARNING: crippling depression follows.

Airline Offers Wealthy Passengers Luxury Suites Complete with Double Beds and Armchairs

Even when you’re in business class, long flights can get pretty uncomfortable. For some it’s the leg space, others are annoyed by noisy passengers, but now Singapore Airways offers a very simple-yet-expensive solution to any problem – luxury private suites.


That’s right, from now on, wealthy passengers flying on the company’s A380 jets will be able to relax in their very own cabins in the sky, complete with double beds and comfy Italian-stitched armchairs. No more having your legs squashed in that tiny space between chairs, or having to endure a total stranger’s snoring or loud obnoxious voice. Instead of trying to watch the in-flight movie on a tiny screen, with a headset in your ears, you can sit back and enjoy whatever film you like on your private 23-inch TV. From now on, rich business types will have their own little oasis of privacy and luxury even when they’re flying.



And just in case your very own private cabin, complete with a large double bed, reclining leather seat and window blinds isn’t enough, Singapore Airlines also offers a gourmet menu and a selection of fine wines. It all sounds like a dream, but wait till you her the price. If you want to book one of these private suites, you’ll have to fork out some serious cash. For example, a round flight from New York to Singapore costs $15,750 per person. And these luxurious cabins don’t even have their own bathrooms.

http://www.odditycentral.com/news/airline-offers-wealthy-passengers-luxury-suites-complete-with-double-beds-and-armchairs.html

Tuesday Toon Roundup 2- The rest

Economy
















Fukushima

Tuesday Toon Roundup 1- 'One of Us'

Luckovich Toon- Adopt a Highway!

The Macroeconomics of Chinese kleptocracy

by John Hempton


China is a kleptocracy of a scale never seen before in human history. This post aims to explain how this wave of theft is financed, what makes it sustainable and what will make it fail. There are several China experts I have chatted with – and many of the ideas are not original. The synthesis however is mine. Some sources do not want to be quoted.

The macroeconomic effects of the Chinese kleptocracy and the massive fixed-currency crisis in Europe are the dominant macroeconomic drivers of the global economy. As I am trying a comprehensive explanation for much of the world's economy in less that two thousand words I expect some kick-back.

China is a kleptocracy. Get used to it.

I start this analysis with China being a kleptocracy – a country ruled by thieves. That is a bold assertion – but I am going to have to assert it. People I know deep in the weeds (that is people who have to deal with the PRC and the children of the PRC elite) accept it. My personal experience is more limited but includes the following:

(a). The children and relatives of CPC Central Committee members are amongst the beneficiaries of the wave of stock fraud in the US,


more

http://brontecapital.blogspot.com/2012/06/macroeconomics-of-chinese-kleptocracy.html