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Middleboro Review 2

NEW CONTENT MOVED TO MIDDLEBORO REVIEW 2

Toyota

Since the Dilly, Dally, Delay & Stall Law Firms are adding their billable hours, the Toyota U.S.A. and Route 44 Toyota posts have been separated here:

Route 44 Toyota Sold Me A Lemon



Friday, May 31, 2013

Always Amazing!


with Bernie Sanders

Veruca.

How the religious right plans to turn the United States into a theocracy

This subject is too frfequently ignored....

How the religious right plans to turn the United States into a theocracy

28 Democrats!

28 Democrats opposed Food For The Poor!

Disgraceful!

They deserve to be condemned! Please add your name --

Last week, the U.S. Senate voted down an amendment by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to restore $4.1 billion in food stamp cuts—by reducing corporate welfare to a handful of crop insurance companies, mostly based overseas. Only 26 senators voted “yes.”

But we can’t blame obstructionist Republicans. *Twenty-eight Senate Democrats* joined with all voting Republicans to defeat this crucial amendment. If these cuts are allowed, around 500,000 low-income households will lose an average of $90 in monthly benefits.

Please join Daily Kos and Campaign for America's Future by signing our petition to these 28 Senate Democrats, demanding they put low-income families ahead of corporate welfare—and to oppose draconian cuts to food stamps.

Shame on the 28 Democratic senators who voted to cut food stamps!

Last week, the U.S. Senate voted down an amendment by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to restore $4.1 billion in food stamp cuts—by reducing corporate welfare to a handful of crop insurance companies, mostly based overseas. Only 26 senators voted “yes.”
But we can’t blame obstructionist Republicans. Twenty-eight Senate Democrats joined with all voting Republicans to defeat this crucial amendment. If these cuts are allowed, around 500,000 low-income households will lose an average of $90 in monthly benefits.

Food Stamps are already being cut as the federal stimulus dries up, and these proposed new cuts—from both parties—will only make it worse. Given that so many people are working for fewer hours or lower wages, now is not the time to cut such essential benefits.

Please join Daily Kos and Campaign for America's Future by signing our petition to these 28 Senate Democrats, demanding they put low-income families ahead of corporate welfare—and to oppose draconian cuts to food stamps.

Dear Sens. Baucus, Bennet, Cardin, Carper, Coons, Donnelly, Durbin, Feinstein, Franken, Hagan, Harkin, Heinrich, Heitkamp, Johnson, Kaine, Klobuchar, Landrieu, Manchin, McCaskill, Mikulski, Nelson, Pryor, Rockefeller, Shaheen, Stabenow, Tester, Mark Udall and Warner:

Please put low-income families who rely on food stamps ahead of corporate welfare, and vote against draconian cuts to such needed benefits!
 
Please add your name:
 
 

Stop Ethanol Trains through Densely Populated Neighborhoods

Middleboro just got blind-sided by high-speed rail on a track previously used for slow-moving freight, mostly in the middle of the night.

There are no limits for where these trains might eventually travel - this makes us all vulnerable.

Please add your name --  


Stop Ethanol Trains through Densely Populated Neighborhoods

  • Target: Governor Deval Patrick
  • Sponsored by: Jovanna Garcia Soto
  • I am a tax-paying stakeholder and am deeply concerned about Global Petroleum’s proposal to bring large volumes of ethanol by train to their Revere facility (60-120-car trains, two to three times per week, 280.8 million to 468 million gallons annually).

    There are hundreds of thousands of residents, businesses, organizations, churches, health care institutions, schools and other important community resources along the proposal's routes. More than fifty cities and towns are likely to be affected including Cambridge, Somerville, Everett, Chelsea, East Boston, and Revere.
     
     
     

    Disturbing News About Monsanto's Unapproved GMO



    DISTURBING NEWS: When a farmer in Oregon discovered a patch of wheat growing where it wasn't supposed to, he sent a sample to a lab and found shocking results: the wheat was a genetically engineered Monsanto variety that had never been approved in the US or any other country: http://ow.ly/ly4ir

    The USDA is now investigating the matter to determine how the wheat got there, since the mere presence of GMO wheat would cause many countries to turn away American exports. Unsurprisingly Monsanto is not concerned, saying the presence of the renegade wheat is probably "very limited."

    Click SHARE or LIKE to spread the news. TELL US>> How worried are you that unapproved GM crops might end up in our food stream? Do you trust Monsanto's assurances that this is not a big deal?
    DISTURBING NEWS: When a farmer in Oregon discovered a patch of wheat growing where it wasn't supposed to, he sent a sample to a lab and found shocking results: the wheat was a genetically engineered Monsanto variety that had never been approved in the US or any other country: http://ow.ly/ly4ir 

The USDA is now investigating the matter to determine how the wheat got there, since the mere presence of GMO wheat would cause many countries to turn away American exports. Unsurprisingly Monsanto is not concerned, saying the presence of the renegade wheat is probably "very limited."

Click SHARE or LIKE to spread the news. TELL US>> How worried are you that unapproved GM crops might end up in our food stream? Do you trust Monsanto's assurances that this is not a big deal?

    NIMBYism? Cheap Shot? Not Exactly

    Southeastern Massachusetts suffers from deteriorating air quality for a variety of reasons that Cape Wind will help improve once past the conspicuous NIMBYism and vested interests.  

    This was recently issued:
    Code Orange Alert Day for Southeastern counties

    Why should the region continue to endure Dirty Air, elevated childhood asthma rates and other respiratory illnesses because of a few with deep pockets?

    Bowles vs. O'Connell

    Cape Wind showdown pits two former Patrick cabinet secretaries against each other

    BY: Bruce Mohl
    Two of Gov. Deval Patrick’s former cabinet secretaries are squabbling over Cape Wind, the proposed offshore wind farm that has been a high priority of the governor since he took office.

    The fracas began last week when the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, a group of the state’s most powerful business executives, took out full-page ads in three newspapers saying Bay State businesses cannot afford the wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound. The Competitive Partnership, headed by Dan O’Connell, Patrick’s former secretary of housing and economic development, said in its ads that “Cape Wind does not make sense.”

    The ads prompted an immediate backlash from members of the state’s environmental community, who accused the executives of being more concerned about the views from their oceanfront summer homes than the competitiveness of Massachusetts businesses. A check of real estate records and press reports indicates 10 of the 16 members of the Competitive Partnership own homes on the Cape, Martha’s Vineyard, or Nantucket, but property could not be found under the names of the other six members. O’Connell says he has a vacation home in New Hampshire.

    Ian Bowles, the governor’s former secretary of energy and environmental affairs, said he believes NIMBYism (for Not In My Backyard) is what is driving the concerns of the Competitive Partnership.

    The argument that Massachusetts businesses can’t afford Cape Wind is preposterous, Bowles says. He says electricity prices are way down now thanks to the plunge in natural gas prices, which has made it easier for the state to support investments in more expensive renewables such as wind and solar. He acknowledges some types of renewable energy would be less expensive than the electricity generated by Cape Wind, but he says the state needs all the renewables it can find to meet its goal of reducing emissions 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. (He notes solar power is more expensive than Cape Wind electricity, yet the Competitive Partnership is not campaigning against solar power development.)

    Bowles also rejects the notion that Cape Wind makes Massachusetts unfriendly to business. He says Cape Wind developer Jim Gordon has invested 10 years and more than $65 million in the project, yet the executives from the Competitive Partnership want to pull the plug on that investment. “That’s business friendly?” he asks.

    “What is this about?” Bowles asks. “It must be about NIMBY.”

    O’Connell calls the NIMBY accusation “a cheap shot.” He admits many of the Competitive Partnership members have homes looking out on Nantucket Sound, but says that’s not why the executives are opposing Cape Wind. He says the group has been voicing opposition to Cape Wind since 2011, noting testimony by former ad executive Jack Connors before a legislative committee on Beacon Hill and private meetings EMC chief executive Joe Tucci held with Gov. Patrick at about the same time.

    [Private meetings for which Massachusetts is famous?]

    What prompted the ads last week was frustration, O’Connell says. He said Cape Wind hasn’t been able to arrange financing for the project even though state regulators have locked in customers for 77 percent of the project’s power. So now Cape Wind is going to the federal government asking for an estimated $300 million in loan guarantees. “That’s what really got the group saying enough is enough,” O’Connell said.

    Cape Wind’s initial price is currently forecast at 18.7 cents per kilowatt hour, and it rises 3 percent a year. O’Connell says onshore wind power and hydropower from Canada can be purchased for less than half that amount. He also doubts the project will spur much economic development in Massachusetts, noting that most of the equipment will be manufactured out of state or out of the country.

    The state is moving ahead with plans to invest $100 million in a marine commerce terminal in New Bedford, which would serve as a staging area for Cape Wind and other offshore wind projects as well as a container facility. But O’Connell worries that the state is pushing ahead with the terminal with no guarantee that Cape Wind will end up using it or that other offshore wind projects will ever get built. “What’s the business plan for that investment?” he asked.

    Mark Rodgers, a spokesman for Cape Wind, said the wind farm would like to use the New Bedford terminal but has to keep its options open in case the terminal is not completed on time. “We would like to use it for Cape Wind and for future offshore wind farms we hope to develop,” he said in an email. “Our ability to use it specifically for Cape Wind will depend upon their completing the facility in time for our use.”

    Bowles said O’Connell is now raising concerns about some of the same policies he supported as a member of the governor’s cabinet. “It’s somewhat surprising and discordant with the positions he took as a public official,” Bowles said.

    O’Connell says Bowles took the lead in the administration on Cape Wind, but he adds that he was in the cabinet to carry out the governor’s initiatives. He suggested he has some different priorities at the Competitive Partnership “We haven’t disagreed on many issues with the administration and the Legislature,” O’Connell says. “But we disagree with the governor on this.”

    http://www.commonwealthmagazine.org/Voices/Back-Story/2013/Spring/009-Bowles-vs-OConnell.aspx

    Surrendering Everything to the Koch?

    Great coverage by DemocracyNow of the sale of Democracy to the Dirty Energy Kochs ----

    NARRATOR: This stretch of Park Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan is the wealthiest neighborhood in New York City. This is where the people at the top with the ladder live, the upper crust, the ultra-rich. But this street is about a lot more than money. It’s about political power. The rich here haven’t just used their money to buy fancy cars, private jets and mansions; they have also used it to rig the game in their favor. Over the last 30 years, they’ve enjoyed unprecedented prosperity from a system that they increasingly control.


    Did Public Television Commit Self-Censorship to Appease Billionaire Funder David Koch?





    Filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal say plans for their new documentary to air on public television have been quashed after billionaire Republican David Koch complained about the PBS broadcast of another film critical of him, "Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream," by acclaimed filmmaker Alex Gibney. Lessin and Deal were in talks to broadcast their film, "Citizen Koch," on PBS until their agreement with the Independent Television Service fell through. The New Yorker reports the dropping of "Citizen Koch" may have been influenced by Koch’s response to Gibney’s film, which aired on PBS stations, including WNET in New York late last year. "Citizen Koch" tells the story of the landmark Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court that opened the door to unlimited campaign contributions from corporations. It focuses on the role of the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity in backing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who has pushed to slash union rights while at the same time supporting tax breaks for large corporations. The controversy over Koch’s influence on PBS comes as rallies were held in 12 cities Wednesday to protest the possible sale of the Tribune newspaper chain, including the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, to Koch Industries, run by David Koch and his brother Charles.

    Transcript here: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/30/did_public_television_commit_self_censorship

    Thursday, May 30, 2013

    2013 Toyota Prius Complaints

    Below are complaints regarding 2013 Toyota Prius that are posted on the NHTSA web site.

    You will note there is an accident reported that the driver attributes to SUDDEN UNITENDED ACCELERATION. Is this an indication that Toyota has failed to correct those problems? What does this do to our insurance premiums?



    Date Complaint Filed: 05/20/2013
    Component(s): ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Date of Incident: 05/20/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10512891
    Date Complaint Filed: 04/24/2013
    Component(s): SEATS
    Date of Incident: 03/15/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10509383
    Date Complaint Filed: 04/05/2013
    Component(s): VISIBILITY/WIPER
    Date of Incident: 04/03/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10507269
    Date Complaint Filed: 03/26/2013
    Component(s): VISIBILITY
    Date of Incident: 03/01/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10504630
    Date Complaint Filed: 03/19/2013
    Component(s): VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    Date of Incident: 01/21/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10503606

    2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser Complaints

    Below are the 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser Complaints posted on the NHTSA web site.
    Since only 13% of people file complaints, this seems to represent only a small portion of problems.  

    Date Complaint Filed: 04/24/2013
    Component(s): STRUCTURE , VISIBILITY/WIPER
    Date of Incident: 04/15/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10509449
    Date Complaint Filed: 04/19/2013
    Component(s): STEERING , SUSPENSION , WHEELS
    Date of Incident: 03/02/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10508791
    Date Complaint Filed: 04/03/2013
    Component(s): ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Date of Incident: 02/12/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10506123

    All Products Associated with this Complaint expand

    Date Complaint Filed: 12/21/2012
    Component(s): VISIBILITY/WIPER
    Date of Incident: 12/17/2012
    NHTSA ID Number: 10489446

    2013 Toyota Corolla Complaints

    Below are complaints posted on the NHTSA web site for 2013 Toyota Corollas.
    Remember that only 13% of people file complaints so this represents only a small portion of Toyota problems.



    Date Complaint Filed: 04/20/2013
    Component(s): STEERING , SUSPENSION
    Date of Incident: 04/13/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10508890
    Date Complaint Filed: 04/08/2013
    Component(s): VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    Date of Incident: 04/04/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10507434
    Date Complaint Filed: 03/24/2013
    Component(s): STEERING
    Date of Incident: 03/18/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10504320
    Date Complaint Filed: 03/05/2013
    Component(s): STEERING
    Date of Incident: 02/12/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10501381
    Date Complaint Filed: 01/29/2013
    Component(s): VISIBILITY
    Date of Incident: 01/28/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10495045

    2013 Toyota Camry & Hybrid Complaints

    2013 Toyota Camry complaints posted on the NHTSA web site are below.
    Does it seem as if Toyota is unresponsive?
    How can you feel comfortable in a vehicle that accelerates suddenly?
    Please remember that only 13% of people file complaints so this represents only a small portion of Toyota owners experiencing problems.

    What does this do to our insurance rates when Toyota's problems cause accidents and injuries? Airbags that don't deploy?  



    You gotta love "OPERATING AS DESIGNED"
    to explain Toyota malfunctions as NEW cars terrorize their owners.

    Date Complaint Filed: 05/28/2013
    Component(s): ELECTRICAL SYSTEM , UNKNOWN OR OTHER

    Date of Incident: 04/16/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10513973


    Date Complaint Filed: 05/28/2013
    Component(s): ELECTRICAL SYSTEM , ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL , STEERING

    Date of Incident: 03/30/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10513971
     



    Date Complaint Filed: 05/28/2013
    Component(s): STEERING

    Date of Incident: 05/21/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10513767
     




    Date Complaint Filed: 05/27/2013
    Component(s): UNKNOWN OR OTHER

    Date of Incident: 05/24/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10513621
    Vehicle MakeModelModel Year(s)



    Date Complaint Filed: 05/13/2013
    Component(s): VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

    Date of Incident: 03/27/2013
    NHTSA ID Number: 10511721