The Kentucky Primary You Didn’t Hear About

Wow, wasn’t it really exciting and newsworthy that Hillary Clinton won the Kentucky primary, just like she was expected to do.

Not so newsworthy, apparently: Nearly 30% of Republican voters in that primary did not vote for John McCain. What does this bode for the general election, if so many Republicans would prefer that someone else were their candidate?

Before Everyone Starts Freaking Out About Carbon Nanotubes

One of the more popular stories on Yahoo! News right now is an AFP piece about the evils of carbon nanotubes:

Scientists delivered a warning Tuesday about nanotechnology after tests on lab rodents found that microscopic, needle-like fibres that are already in commercial use led to lesions similar to those caused by asbestos.

In experiments, researchers led by Ken Donaldson of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, exposed the mesothelium lining that swathes the lungs, the abdomen and the heart to fibres measuring billionths of a metre.

The fibres resulted in the same kind of inflammation and scarring, called granulomas, that are caused by exposure to asbestos, their study said.

“The granulomas and the inflammation are extremely strong indicators of mesothelioma,” the cancer that attacks the body cavity’s lining, said co-author Andrew Maynard.

If the mice had been allowed to carry on living, cancer would most probably have developed where the fibres were present, he told AFP.

Sounds scary, right? Well, here’s a passage that’s in the SF Gate coverage of that same subject that didn’t make it into the Yahoo! News story:

The main concern, however, is the effect on people processing carbon nanotubes and manufacturing the materials containing them.

In other words, you’re not going to get lung cancer from your fishing rod or solar cell, but you might if you were to handle the graphite fibers used to make it without protection.

The SF Gate story goes on to mention that companies working with nanotubes are already taking precautions against this:

At Unidym, a Menlo Park company exploring the possibilities of using carbon nanotubes in such items as touch screens, precautions already have been taken.

“This is what we expected. It fits with the paradigm that long and skinny fibers can cause asbestosis. It does not really matter if they are made of carbon or asbestos. The key is not getting them into the body,” said Ken McElrath, vice president for product development materials at Unidym’s facility in Houston, which manufactures the carbon nanotubes.

To protect employees from breathing nanotubes, the manufacturing is conducted in closed ventilated systems. People working with the nanotubes also are protected by dust masks with respiratory filters.

McElrath said he found the study to contain some positive news: Shorter carbon nanotubes might not be harmful.

“We are using these kinds of findings in our product design,” he said. “We try to stay away from things that potentially cause problems.”

In other words, it looks like sensible measures are already in place.

We Can Solve It

Yes, we can:

http://www.wecansolveit.org/

Some examples therefrom:

— A trucking firm that uses biodiesel from restaurant grease to fuel its trucks.

— A group that’s bringing solar energy systems to low-income residents of California.

— Citi, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley investment banks have announced that they will henceforth be using environmental considerations when determining whether to fund new coal plant projects.

Once Again, Republican = Hypocrite

Debbie Schussel freaks out over Barack Obama’s meeting with an imam in Michigan:

Schlussel went on to accuse Qazwini, without proof, of being “an agent of the Iranian government,” and a supporter of “Palestinian homicide bombings, HAMAS, and Hezbollah.” She added that the Wednesday meeting “says a lot about the company Obama keeps … and why he shouldn’t be President.”

Schlussel also quoted the Detroit Times Free Press article noting the Obama meeting, but omitted the one sentence that undermined her vacuous smear.

The article concluded, “Qazwini has also met several times with President Bush and other elected officials.”

Yep, this allegedly radical, terrorist-supporting agent of Iran is so dangerous, he’s been able to hang out with George W. Bush.

That’s right, folks: Debbie Schlussel doesn’t mention that George W. Bush not only met with this same imam, but kissed him as well:

Here is George W. Bush at an event with Qazwini in April of 2003 in Dearborn, Michigan: (pic of Bush with Qazwini)

And even more damning, here’s Bush giving Qazwini a kiss on the cheek: (pic of Bush embracing and kissing Qazwini; see above)

Using the logic of absolute morons like Debbie Schlussel, we can only surmise that President Bush is a secret agent of Iran who wants to force us to gay marry while converting to Sharia law.

Qazwini also recently met with Pope Benedict.

Debbie Schlussel is a mainstream voice on the right. What she says, many of them believe. This is why the rest of us in the real world cannot have a rational conversation with these people.

Exactly. What’s really sad is to see the “respectable” press propping up these wackaloons.