Coffee and Provocation

Give That Clone a Bone
A dachshund created through cloning is now expecting naturally-conceived puppies.

The 1,000 Mile Hedge
The British once built a 1,100-mile hedge through the middle of India in order to be able to raise taxes on salt for those who lived on one side of the Inland Customs Line. Britain’s Salt Acts prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, a staple in the Indian diet. It was to protest this salt tax that Mohandis Gandhi initiated the Salt March in 1930.

Misanthropic Marmots Live Longer
A study shows that social yellow-bellied marmots live an average of two years LESS during their maximum-15-year lifespan than less social ones.

Chinese Philanthropist Gives $1.5 Billion to Conservation
A Chinese woman who made her fortune running the world's largest landscape architecture company is giving away $1.5 billion to help save the world's largest big cats -- Snow Leopards, Tigers, and Jaguars. He Qiaonv gift is the largest wildlife conservation donation ever made in world history.

NRA Took Millions from the Russians to Help Elect Trump?
It now appears that the National Rifle Association took many many millions of dollars from the Russians to help elect Donald Trump whom they apparently control through Kompromat linked to both massive money laundering and shady business deals, but also video tapes of his dalliances with Russian prostitutes. If that sounds far-fetched, be aware that the NRA has taken millions from Alexander Torshin, the deputy governor of Russia’s central bank who is known for his close relationships with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and the NRA. The NRA spent a record $55 million on the 2016 presidential elections, including $30 million to support Trump – triple what teh NRA spent backing Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race. Most of that was money was spent by an arm of the NRA that is not required to disclose its donors. As for the Trump money laundering operation, it is centered on fake Russian "straw buyers" of pre-development Trump condos, and vast sums of money loaned from the "private banking" side of Deutsche Bank, almost certainly put up buy the Russians and their satellite partners in the Ukraine. And the Russian hookers? Does anyone seriously doubt they exist after it has come out that Trump paid blackmail to porno actresses Stormy Daniels and Jessica Drake in exchange for Non-disclosure Agreements?

First We Kill All the Americans
Michael Gove, the UK Environmental Secretary, plans to kill scores of thousands of American grey squirrels in order to help to reforest large areas of England. He might take a clue from the eastern U.S., however, which is thick with forest: squirrels PLANT trees, they do not slow forest growth. Instead of focusing on squirrels, I would suggest Mr. Gove read up on the history of the land clearances in his own country, and start buying land and creating tax schemes in order to encourage the planting of trees for tax write-offs. Perhaps Mr. Gove could import an American to show him how that works?

Trump Whinery Wants Slave Labor
Trump's Virginia Winery is whining that they cannot find workers for low wages and have asked the Trump administration for permission to hire foreign workers for the second time in three months.

Montana Gold Rushers Threw Away a Fortune
Montana gold miners literally threw away a fortune in sapphires back during the gold rush days.

There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather
There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes say Scandinavian moms who insist their kids go outside every day.

84 MPG Minivan?
The Chrysler Hybrid premium minivan claims it gets the equivalent of EPA estimated 84 MPG. Can that possibly be true?