Checked Your Headlights Lately? Cloudy Or Yellow Ones Can Be Dangerous After Dark
Headlights often do not provide an adequate amount of light to illuminate a dark roadway, and when they become cloudy or yellowed, obscuring the bulb, this further reduces light, compounding the dangers of nighttime driving. When used on low beam, headlights that have declined in efficiency provided only about 22 percent of the amount of light new headlights did when operating at full capacity. Signs of deterioration can begin when headlights are only three years old, but most commonly by five years. Replacing headlights with original parts offered the most improvement in the amount of light produced, the report found. Professional and DIY restorations returned light output back to about 70 percent; these were the most cost effective option, but they offered less improvement in light output than replacement, and produced more glare than is considered acceptable.
Source:Forbes
December 15, 2018 01:18 UTC
Federal Judge In Texas Rules Against Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act could be headed back to the Supreme Court for the third time after a federal judge in Texas ruled Friday that the law is unconstitutional. Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued the opinion in a lawsuit brought in February by Republican officials in 20 states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In short, this ruling would deal severe damage to the American health care system. In another Trump wrote, “Great news for America!”As I predicted all along, Obamacare has been struck down as an UNCONSTITUTIONAL disaster! The ruling will be appealed, however, making it unlikely that the law’s health insurance markets, funding and regulations will immediately go away.
Source:Huffington Post
December 15, 2018 01:16 UTC
Potential 2020 hopeful Swalwell declares Trump’s days of ‘presidential immunity’ are over
Pointing to the current GOP controlled House and Senate, Swalwell said Trump “has enjoyed for two years presidential immunity. The iconic eatery is a must-stop for White House hopefuls. I understand that American struggle of want and grit.”“Day by day I’m going to keep coming to New Hampshire, I’m going to listen, I’m going to learn, and they’re (voters) going to see someone who wants to not only be for them but is one of them,” he emphasized. At 38, Swalwell would be one of the youngest candidates in a field that could eventually include up to 20 contenders. But Swalwell, who’s 39 years younger than Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, said his age is a calling card.
Source:Fox News
December 15, 2018 01:07 UTC
The week ahead in SoCal dance, Dec. 16-23: 'Great Russian Nutcracker' and more
The Jeweled Isle: Art from Sri Lanka — Opening Ceremony Event tied to a new exhibition includes traditional dance and drumming by the Sri Lanka Foundation Performing Arts and Thath Jith Dance Company. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Smidt Welcome Plaza, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Sun., 10 a.m. Free. (323) 857-6010.
Source:Los Angeles Times
December 15, 2018 00:56 UTC
Cop Demoted After Dumping His Retired K-9 Partner At Animal Shelter
A Mississippi police officer has been busted down to patrol duty after ditching his retired K-9 partner, Ringo, at an animal shelter, according to police officials. The Jackson Police Department assumed that officer Carl Ellis, who was Ringo’s handler, had continued to care for the former K-9 officer at his home after the dog’s retirement in October. Officials were later surprised to learn otherwise after Ringo’s initial trainer, Randy Hare, spotted the dog up for adoption on the shelter’s website. “You get into this business because you appreciate dogs and what they’re able to do,” Hare told WAPT-TV. Ringo should never have landed in the shelter, added the trainer, who said dogs can often be treated like “equipment” by police departments.
Source:Huffington Post
December 15, 2018 00:56 UTC
AP Explains: Why is Sri Lankan prime minister resigning
Supporters of ousted Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe celebrate outside the supreme court complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. (Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press)COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Supporters say disputed Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to resign in an attempt to end the country’s political crisis. The decision Friday came a day after the Supreme Court ruled that President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve Parliament and appoint Rajapaksa as prime minister was unconstitutional. Wickremesinghe said that Sirisena didn’t follow the constitution in removing him and claimed to still be the lawful prime minister. Rajapaksa asked the Supreme Court to end the suspension, but it rejected the request on Friday.
Source:Washington Post
December 15, 2018 00:56 UTC
Controversial Ex-Louisiana Sheriff Accused Of Sexually Abusing Teens
ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. ― Former sheriff Rodney “Jack” Strain, who received national scorn after making racist comments on TV, is reportedly facing allegations he sexually abused teenagers while in office. “This is very disturbing and shocking to me, but not only to me but this whole parish,” current St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith told New Orleans’ WWL-TV. St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Warren Montgomery issued a statement about the accusations to New Orleans’ WVUE News. Slammany.”While in office, Strain was criticized multiple times for allegedly being a party to or ignoring the racist incidents.
Source:Huffington Post
December 15, 2018 00:45 UTC
The NBA's longest-tenured teammates embody the spirit of their team
“We were on a young team, full of guys who wanted to show that they could play and that they were worth something. Marc and myself, we just were worried about how we were going to win a game,” Conley told the Times. “We felt like we were on the same page. We didn’t care about how many shots we were getting. We were just trying to do the right things to win.
Source:Los Angeles Times
December 15, 2018 00:45 UTC
1947 best-picture Oscar sells for nearly $500,000 at auction
One Academy Award trophy sold for nearly $500,000 and the second for well over $200,000 in a rare auction of Oscars that ended Friday in Los Angeles. A best-picture Oscar for "Gentleman's Agreement," the 1947 film starring Gregory Peck that took on anti-Semitism, sold for $492,000. A best picture statuette for 1935's "Mutiny on the Bounty" fetched $240,000. The "Mutiny on the Bounty" Oscar price came close to auction-house projections, but the "Gentleman's Agreement" statuette brought in more than twice what was expected, for reasons that are not clear. Neither of the Oscars sold this week approached the record of $1.5 million paid by Michael Jackson to acquire David O. Selznick's "Gone With the Wind" Oscar in 1999.
Source:ABC News
December 15, 2018 00:44 UTC
Emergence of Lab-Grown Meat Poses New Questions for Religious Leaders
Lab-grown meat is becoming closer to a reality. Several start-ups are already developing cell-cultured meat -- meat based on animal cells grown in a Petri dish. Although no product is yet commercially available, companies have produced prototypes for chicken nuggets, burgers, and most-recently steak, that resemble conventional meat on the cellular levelBut this new technology poses new questions for people who typically avoid meat for religious or ethical reasons. Lab-grown meat has sparked a debate among rabbis in Israel about whether cell-cultured is the same as conventional meat and should fall under the same guidelines for keeping kosher. Also, definitely, there are new questions about lab-meat,” says Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, an expert on kosher tradition and bioethics.
Source:Wall Street Journal
December 15, 2018 00:33 UTC
Schiff says House Intelligence panel will examine possible foreign funding of Trump’s inaugural committee
“Whenever a foreign nation uses its financial wealth to violate the laws of our country, it undermines our democracy,” Schiff said in a statement. The line of inquiry already resulted in one charge: In late August, an American political consultant, W. Samuel Patten, admitted steering $50,000 from a Ukrainian politician to the inaugural committee through a straw donor. Patten pleaded guilty to failing to register as a foreign lobbyist and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Among those questioned was Los Angeles investor Tom Barrack, a close Trump friend who chaired the inaugural committee. This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that federal prosecutors in New York are examining whether the inaugural committee misspent some of its funds.
Source:Washington Post
December 15, 2018 00:33 UTC
WNYC: Ivanka Trump involved in negotiations for Trump Hotel rentals during inauguration
(CNN) President Donald Trump's inaugural committee spent funds on hotel rooms and meals at the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC and also rented space there at rates negotiated partly by Trump's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump, WNYC and ProPublica reported Friday. Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating the committee for possible financial abuses related to the more than $100 million in donations it raised, people familiar with the matter have told CNN. Inauguration organizers held events at the Trump International, then newly opened in a federally owned property just blocks from the White HouseThe hotel, a favorite hangout for Trump administration officials and associates, has lately been the focus of renewed scrutiny. The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia have subpoenaed the Trump organization and related entities for tax and business records relating to the hotel's business as part of a suit claiming that Trump, who has retained his interest in the Trump Organization, is in violation of a constitutional ban on the President receiving payments from foreign or domestic governments.
Source:CNN
December 15, 2018 00:33 UTC
Army Charges Special Forces Soldier in 2010 Killing of Afghan
WASHINGTON — The Army has charged a Special Forces soldier with premeditated murder in a shooting that happened nearly nine years ago in southern Afghanistan, according to military documents obtained by The New York Times. Lt. Col. Loren Bymer, a spokesman for Army Special Operations Command, confirmed the charges on Friday and said a preliminary hearing date had not been set. Task and Purpose first reported the charges. The military opened an initial investigation into the 2010 shooting after Major Golsteyn admitted to it to the C.I.A. The Army closed the case in 2013 without charging Major Golsteyn, but later stripped him of a Silver Star, one of the highest awards for valor, and an elite Special Forces tab.
Source:New York Times
December 15, 2018 00:22 UTC
Kelsey Berreth's fiancé's home searched in Colorado
(CNN) Colorado investigators trying to find Kelsey Berreth, a 29-year-old mother who went missing on Thanksgiving Day, have started searching her fiancé's home and property, authorities said Friday. About 75 officers are combing the 30-plus acres outside Woodland Park, Colorado where Patrick Frazee lives, a law enforcement source told CNN. Frazee was at the home, which he does not share with Berreth, when officers arrived, but later left, the source said. Kelsey Berreth hasn't been seen since November 22. De Young urged Frazee to consent to a face-to-face interview with police instead of communicating through his lawyer.
Source:CNN
December 15, 2018 00:21 UTC
California Requires New City Buses to Be Electric by 2029
Sign up here for Climate Fwd:, our email newsletter. California on Friday became the first state to mandate a full shift to electric buses on public transit routes, flexing its muscle as the nation’s leading environmental regulator and bringing battery-powered, heavy-duty vehicles a step closer to the mainstream. Starting in 2029, mass transit agencies in California will only be allowed to buy buses that are fully electric under a rule adopted by the state’s powerful clean air agency. The agency, the California Air Resources Board, said it expected that municipal bus fleets would be fully electric by 2040. Environmental groups said the new regulation was an important step in cutting tailpipe emissions, which are a major contributor to global warming and California’s notorious smog.
Source:New York Times
December 15, 2018 00:20 UTC