jbluhm86

BBC World News: Gulf of Oman tanker attacks: US says video shows Iran removing mine Reuters: 'Flying objects' damaged Japanese tanker during attack in Gulf of Oman Not to sound like our resident conspiracy wonks here, but it does seem odd to me that a supposed magnetic mine laid out underwater could "fly" into a tanker, attach itself and explode well above the water line. Perhaps some of our Navy vets on here could help clarify.

Partially true: Jefferson's Religious Beliefs

People who live in the proverbial stomach of glass whales should hesitate before throwing stones and accusing others of being science deniers... CDC: Abortion Data and Statistics; Abortion Surveillance—Findings and Reports "In 2015, 638,169 legal induced abortions were reported to CDC from 49 reporting areas. The abortion rate for 2015 was 11.8 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years, and the abortion ratio was 188 abortions per 1,000 live births. Compared with 2014, the total number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions for 2015 decreased 2%. Additionally, from 2006 to 2015, the number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions decreased 24%, 26%, and 19%, respectively. In 2015, all three measures reached their lowest level for the entire period of analysis (2006—2015). Women in their twenties accounted for the majority of abortions in 2015 and throughout the period of analysis. The majority of abortions in 2015 took place early in gestation: 91.1% of abortions were performed at ≤13 weeks’ gestation; a smaller number of abortions (7.6%) were performed at 14–20 weeks’ gestation, and even fewer (1.3%) were performed at ≥21 weeks’ gestation. In 2015, 24.6% of all abortions were early medical abortions (a non-surgical abortion at ≤8 weeks’ gestation). The percentage of abortions reported as early medical abortions increased 114% from 2006 to 2015, with an 8% increase from 2014 to 2015. Source: Abortion Surveillance". Page last reviewed: November 19, 2018

Some atheists, it's true. I believe that's more of the antitheist-bent to say they are opposed to the belief in the existence of God/gods. However, being an atheist isn't really a "belief" in anything; i.e. there's no such thing as a "non-alchemist", there's just a chemist, or no such thing as a "non-astrologer", there's just an astronomer. Atheism arises once one rejects the notion of basing things like ideals of morality and governance upon theistic God/gods on bad or no evidence.

The newest trend is that criticizing the source material someone uses in a debate is synonymous with a direct personal attack, if you wanted a small taste of what goes on over there.

Peruse the pol board if civility is starting to get stale. You'll get called a browshirt communist or "ngr fgt" in no time.

I think I'm right up there with you, Hoorta. I live in Butler County, and I'm the only Browns fan in a huge family of Bengals fans, lol. I used to have the attitude of "if the Browns don't succeed, I hope the Bengals do" because of my family and the Bengals being an Ohio team, but obnoxious Bengals fans and bandwagoners really soured me on the team a few years ago back when they started like 10-0 and got beat by the Steelers in the playoffs The Browns have probably the most loyal fans in the NFL, while the Bengals have one of the highest percentages of homers in their fanbase. At least they can't blame Marvin this year, lol.

Just a smidge...

John Dorsey right now:

The Weekly Standard: A Show About Nothing - Analyzing the trade "deal" Trump made with the European Union.

The Hill: Trump offers $12B in aid to farmers hit by tariffs I wonder why they need financial aid in the first place?

Just like the above article mentioned, China will go to other countries like Brazil to pick up lost US agricultural production, and at a cheaper price than what the US was selling them.

Dayton Daily News: China tariffs sink prices for Ohio soybean farmers New tariffs start today on U.S. soybeans imported to China, but Ohio farmers have already been feeling the pinch. The price for a bushel of soybeans sank 14 percent in June and as of Friday had fallen to $8.40 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, with the soybean futures market tumbling down in anticipation of the 25 percent tariffs on U.S. soybean imports. That’s below the break even price for producing soybeans, which is about $9.70 a bushel, said Sam Custer, Darke County OSU Extension educator. “If they don’t have soybeans sold ahead of time and if the market doesn’t come back up, you’re looking at being a dollar and a half under production cost on every bushel they produce,” Custer said... ...Ohio agricultural groups worked for decades to build up a market in China. Nearly a third of Ohio’s $2.5 billion soybean crop gets exported directly to China, but that supply chain could be disrupted by the tariffs that make U.S. soybeans more expensive than soybeans from other countries, particularly in South America. And once competitors like Brazil move in and start supplying those buyers with soybeans at a cheaper price, it could be hard for U.S. farmers to win back those carefully built relationships, said Allen Armstrong, president of the Ohio Soybean Association... ...The tariff could drop China’s imports of soybeans by 69 percent on average. That would mean instead of a third of U.S. soybean crop being exported to China, only about a fifth would be. For Ohio, this would account for a decrease of roughly $241 million in the value of soybean exports, according to a report from Ohio State University.

The Hill: US pork producers prepare for steep tariffs: 'I don't want to be the patriot who dies at the end of the war' "U.S. pig farmers are bracing for another round of steep tariffs this week from China and Mexico following President Trump's decision to impose hefty tariffs on the two countries. According to CNBC, some major U.S. pork producers fear they will lose a significant amount of money once China and Mexico implement the tariffs, forcing some to move their investments overseas. China is expected to begin fetching a 25 percent tariff on U.S. pork imports on Friday. Mexico, which imposed a 10 percent tariff on pork imports last month, is expected to double its import tax to 20 percent on Thursday. CNBC reported that China's taxes will exceed 70 percent when combined with previous import taxes. "We put a halt on all investment, not just because we will be losing money, but because we don't know if growing in the U.S. is the right move if we won't be an exporting country," Ken Maschhoff, chairman of Maschhoff Family Foods and co-owner of the nation's biggest family-owned pork producer told CNBC. Maschhoff told the outlet that the farm industry has been "asked to be good patriots." "We have been. But I don't want to be the patriot who dies at the end of the war," he continued. "If we go out of business, it's tough to look at my kids and the 550 farm families that look us into the eye and our 1,400 employees."

FoxNews 5 Cleveland: Steel tariffs starting to take toll on manufacturers in Northeast Ohio CLEVELAND - The cost of doing business with one commodity is creating a lot of concern in Northeast Ohio as the price of steel soars. One local manufacturer is painting a grim picture as the U.S. holds its position on imposing metal tariffs. "That type of cost increase is not built into our profit model," said Bill Adler, the owner of Stripmatic Products. Adler said he is now paying a lot more for the material he needs to make automotive parts. "The markets we currently supply are probably 90 to 95 percent automotive," Adler said. Adler is worried about the fallout he’s already seeing and what it means long term if these tariffs stick around. “Our prices have increased from 25 to 50 percent depending upon the product we're buying," Adler said. The tariffs on steel are not only eating into profits, but stunting plans to diversify Adler’s business. "We have not been all that successful." A recent opportunity to start making parts for a different industry didn't pan out. "The cost of stainless with the import tariffs just disqualified us from really being one of the players and being able to make that food processing equipment," said Adler. That lost opportunity, along with soaring production costs, is poised to do long-term damage according to Adler. "It's going to affect our profits, our employee's profit sharing, their ability to get pay increases, our ability to add new people and invest in new equipment," said Adler. With the clock ticking, Adler is hopeful the over-saturation of foreign steel can be reigned in, and the tariffs will be rescinded. "The key to this is how do we find the right tool to get China to not overproduce? The import tariffs are keeping every manufacturer awake at night," said Adler. A recent estimate from a consulting firm predicts about 179,000 U.S. jobs could be lost, versus the 33,000 created as a result of the metal tariffs. The last time the U.S. imposed tariffs on steel was back in 2002. Adler said it took his company four years to fully recover.

CBS MoneyWatch: Canada tariffs on $12.6B of U.S. goods take effect Canada has begun imposing tariffs on $12.6 billion in U.S. goods as retaliation for the Trump administration's new taxes on steel and aluminum imported to the United States. The tariffs went into effect Sunday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government released on Friday the full list of items that Canada is targeting. Some U.S. products, mostly steel and iron, face 25 percent tariffs, the same penalty the United States slapped on imported steel at the end of May. Other U.S. imports, from ketchup to pizza to dishwasher detergent, will face a 10 percent tariff at the Canadian border, the same as America's tax on imported aluminum. President Donald Trump infuriated U.S. allies -- from Canada to Mexico and the European Union -- by imposing tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday they had no other choice and will not escalate the dispute, but also will not back down. She called the tariffs regrettable. Trudeau on Sunday spoke in Leamington, Ontario, where he thanked Canadians for standing united against President Donald Trump's sanctions. He urged Canadians to "make their choices accordingly" in considering whether to buy American products. The selection of Leamington, known as Canada's tomato capital, was deliberate. The town is home to a food-processing plant that supplies tomato paste and other products to French's, a major competitor of Kraft Heinz. Heinz left Canada and sold its Leamington plant in 2014, after 105 years of Canadian operations.

WOSU: Chinese Tariffs Could Cut Ohio Farmers' Income By More Than Half An Ohio State study finds that some Ohio farmers could lose more than half of their annual income if a threatened 25 percent tariff goes into effect on soybeans and corn sent to China. Ohio State researchers compiled data from six Ohio corn and soybean farms to create a representative Ohio farm that grows corn and soybeans. They estimate that the proposed 25 percent tariff on exports to China would mean a 59 percent loss in annual net income to a typical Ohio farmer. Projections show income would drop from $63,577 to $26,107, under the tariffs. That is based on historical trends in yields on corn and soybeans, and projections for price drops in both commodities. Soybeans are Ohio’s largest crop and the state’s top agricultural export. China threatened the tariffs after President Trump proposed 25 percent tariffs against Chinese exports like washing machines and medical products. Earlier, China retaliated against tariffs on steel and aluminum with limits on U.S. pork. That move also hit hard at Ohio farmers, who producce $600 million in pork products annually. But soybean tariffs would prove more devastating: They're Ohio's top crop, and China is the state's best buyer. The study predicts that, across Ohio, the loss of soybean exports to China would be an estimated $241 million annually. Every year, Ohio exports about 31 percent of the soybeans and 2 percent of the corn it produces to China. Ohio State says this is the first study on the impact of soybean and corn tariffs on the state. "There are farmers who are struggling across the state," said Ben Brown, manager of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, in a press release. "If the proposed tariffs go into effect, we're going to have farmers who will have to exit the industry." The financial losses come from an expected drop in Chinese demand for U.S. soybeans and corn, under the proposed tariff.

Daily Wire: Trump SAVAGES Harley Davidson For Moving Jobs Overseas In Response To His Tariffs: 'They Surrendered, They Quit!'

Bloomberg: India Joins China, Europe in Hitting Back at Trump on Trade

Bloomberg: Next Move Is Trump's After China Hits Back in Trade-War Opener