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Philippines leader calls US ambassador 'gay son of a whore' prompting summons The Guardian / August 10, 2016 Rodrigo Duterte has sparked a fresh diplomatic row with Washington who asked for clarification about his comments The Philippines’ firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte has sparked a fresh diplomatic row with his colourful language, calling the US ambassador “gay” in comments that prompted Washington to summon Manila’s envoy to complain. In the latest of series of tirades, Duterte used a local Tagalog language homophobic slur to express his displeasure with US Ambassador Philip Goldberg in televised comments made Friday. “As you know, I’m fighting with (US Secretary of State John Kerry’s) ambassador. His gay ambassador, the son of a whore. He pissed me off,” Duterte said. Duterte, 71, surged to power with a landslide in May following an incendiary campaign in which he gleefully used foul language to disrespect authority figures, from his local political rivals to the pope. He first came into conflict with US envoy Goldberg on the campaign trail, after he said he wanted to rape a “beautiful” Australian missionary who was sexually assaulted and murdered in a 1989 prison riot in Davao, the city he ran for two decades. Goldberg and the Australian ambassador both strongly criticised these comments. “He meddled during the elections, giving statements here and there. He was not supposed to do that,” Duterte said Friday. The US State Department said that the Filipino charge d’affaires, Patrick Chuasoto, had been summoned Monday to discuss Duterte’s comments. “We had that conversation,” department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said. “I think what we were seeking is perhaps a better understanding of why that statement was made,” she added. Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose confirmed the meeting but said Manila’s envoy had been “invited to the State Department to discuss the entire breadth of Philippines-US relations.” “Philippine-US relations remain strong,” he told AFP Wednesday. A former US colony, the Philippines and the United States have long shared a military treaty.

Laboratory-confirmed Zika virus disease cases reported by U.S. state or territory (as of August 3, 2016)..........http://www.cdc.gov/zika/intheus/maps-zika-us.html Zika - What you need to know..........http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/index.html .

Matt Wood, Trade Trucks AU / August 10, 2016 There was a time when Australia depended on the best of British commercial vehicles for everyday freight. Matt Wood finds a big old Bedford still singing for its supper in South Australia Asthmatic engines, questionable brakes and appalling electrics. Sound familiar? Yep, I’m talking about any old British banger that I’ve had the misfortune to spend more than a couple of minutes in over the years: Commer, Morris, Thames, basically anything clagged together with tack welds, devilled ham and mustard in the British isles and, of course, how could I leave out; Bedford. I learnt to drive in a J3 Bedford at the age of 10 and it was more than 5 years before I found out that not all trucks jump out of second gear. Driving my Uncle’s Ford F600 tipper a few years later was a revelation! A little Bedford background The J series was a hugely popular truck in Oz. Apparently both Pakistan and Australia were the biggest markets for the bonneted Beddie. Here they delivered milk, groceries, building products and were found on farms everywhere. A 3-litre Vauxhall petrol six provided just enough power to turn the back wheels on a good day, if you were facing downhill. I’m sure you could measure the power rating with the fingers on one hand. The lights were appalling, and could randomly wink out for no apparent reason. Same goes for the dash lights; and the indicators had all the effectiveness of a candle in a beer bottle. But, like so many things that have given me grief over the years, I can’t help but love an old Bedford. Yep, that’s right, regardless of all the swearing and busted knuckles; I have a soft spot for these draughty, wheezy old jiggers. I did recently get to indulge my unreasonable fondness for Bedfords. Not just any old TK or J series though, this one was the mighty KM. The KM Bedford was a heavy-duty diesel-powered behemoth that could be found as a trailer-hauling prime mover or a heavy rigid. On its release back in 1967 the esteemed British transport magazine, Commercial Motor, had this to say about the KM Bedford in a delightfully concise road test: Visibility and the general features of the cab on the KM — as users of the Bedford TK will know, since it is virtually the same unit — are very good. Differences on the KM are that a Bostrom-sprung driver's seat, a second mirror on the offside (giving a wide spread) and windscreen washers are standard. Impressive stuff indeed! I mean standard windscreen washers! Be still my beating heart! Gilbert Motors and its classic KM The KM in question belongs to Gilbert Motors, which is a John Deere and Foton dealership based in the Adelaide Hills town of Strathalbyn. The Gilberts have a lot of history on this site. The business has been here since the early 1900’s while the business itself has been around since the late 1800’s. Dealer principal Chris Gilbert now runs the show, which was started by his Great-Great-Grandfather back in 1898. The Gilbert ancestor was a riverboat engineer who used to sell bicycle parts as he chugged up and down the Murray. It wasn’t long before he started making his own bicycles using the brand name Treblig. Is it just me or does that sound a lot like the slang term ‘Treadly?’ Hmmm, I wonder. "In fact he was one of the early adopters of hire purchase, people used to be able to pay their push bikes off," says Chris. The business evolved from bicycles to cars, trucks and farm machinery. But in the early automotive days it was the Chevrolet and Buick brands that kicked the dealership off. "We then sold Chev Maple Leaf trucks, Bedford trucks and we were one of the original Holden dealers appointed both here and Mt Barker," continues Chris. "Now we’re Toyota in Mt Barker and John Deere and Foton here in Strathalbyn." The one-time Holden dealership was also a Chamberlain tractor dealer as well, but when John Deere took over the Chamberlain sales network, Gilberts became a John Deere dealer; an arrangement that’s been in place since 1967. While an Isuzu tilt tray now handles tow truck duties for the RAA accident and breakdown side of the business, I’m more interested in the KM Bedford that the dealership still uses as a tractor delivery unit. I ask Chris why he still uses the old Bedford as a tractor hauler. "It’s a nice old truck and it does the job very well," he says. "We sold a lot of Bedfords new." It seems the GM powerplant in the Bedford also has other advantages. "We also get 5 minutes’ notice to open the gates when he’s on the way back." I have to agree, that exhaust note is hard to miss. In this day and age of sat nav, the GM exhaust note also provides another interesting function. "When I’m out delivering a new tractor I can always tell if he’s taken a wrong turn in the truck, or if I’ve given him the wrong directions. "I can always follow the sound and go and get him," Chris says with a chuckle. "I always know where he is." Driving the Bedford KM "So don’t let her drop below 2000, it glazes up the bores." I nod concentrating on the sage advice offered. "Each gear is 500rpm and listen to the supercharger note, it’ll tell you what the engine wants gear wise." I nod again, "No worries". Dick Parker, mechanic and part-time truck driver for Gilbert Motors, is giving me a run down on how to drive the John Deere dealership’s delivery truck. If it was a generic white Japanese truck made within the past couple of decades I may have been tempted to yawn quietly. And it’s not equipped with an asthmatic pommie six, or even one of GM Holden’s finest bent eights. This old banger’s cab is perched atop a Detroit 6V53N and mated to a 10-speed roadie. And it’s in such good nick, I want to make sure I drive it how it’s meant to be driven, which, when it comes to 653’s, means full-noise. Hard workin’ Beddie This truck doesn’t sit in a museum, or run to shows on a weekend. The old Beddie is a working truck that delivers tractors throughout the Adelaide Hills and as far south as Cape Jervis. It’s also been known to cart the odd 12-tonne excavator or dozer on its beaver-tailed back. And, according to Dick, "it seems to go the same loaded or empty". I watch the tacho needle dance at idle as I grab a gear and roughly idle away from a standstill. The 2-stroke V6 immediately lets me know that it needs a firm hand so I sink the hoof to give it a drink. The answering 6-cylinder scream is joined by a supercharged whine that lets me know that both atmosphere and dinosaur juice are being sucked down the gullet of the screamin’ demon in just the right quantities. I grab another gear, the clutch pedal is a waste of time, just snatch and grab. The old Pommie lorry leaps forward hungrily demanding another cog. As per usual I’m grinning like a four-year old at Christmas time, this thing is a riot. Of course, it’s an ergonomic nightmare. Today, the outside temperature can be measured in single digits and it’s alternating between hail, side-ways rain and the occasional patch of wilting sunlight. Inside the cab I’ve had to drag my sleeve across the inside of the windscreen to see, and the single speed wipers are ... well … turned on. The Bedford could never really be called a comfy truck. The seat upholstery could have been made by Laminex for one thing. But if you opted for the Detroit diesel option your seating position options dwindled away very quickly. The extra room needed to accommodate the V6 raised the driver’s seat to a point that leaves the driver kind of hunching forward over the wheel to see where they’re going. It’s kind of similar to the position that someone reading a magazine on the loo might adopt. Adding to this is the mirror brackets which are set well back on the doors, meaning that you almost have to look over your shoulders to check the mirrors while in motion. Oozes character However, all of this is just surface stuff. This old girl just oozes character. The driveline reaches its crescendo at 2,600rpm before I grab another cog, and this KM really knows how to get its skates on when asked to. It’s not long before I’ve reached the highway limit with the 2-stroke yammering gleefully through a single side exhaust pipe. The green V6 was treated to a specialist rebuild a while back which saw an injector upgrade. This means the Detroit should be good for about 220hp at 2,600rpm and 470 lb/ft at 1,600rpm. I wouldn’t be relying on the torque much at all really. Interstate runner This truck has been working for Gilbert’s for 25 years. It was traded on a tractor by a local produce grower. Before that, almost unbelievably in this day and age, it was running produce interstate to the Melbourne markets from Murray Bridge. I wonder what it must have been like to be thundering down the Pentland Hills in the wee hours of the night in this old Bedford, swinging the wheel, no jake brake, dash lights flickering and a rag on the dash to keep the inside of the screen clean. A radio of any description would have been useless for entertainment. Though I reckon you’d be kept busy enough just piloting the beast. I blip the throttle and down change as we come into town. It takes a couple of goes as I’m really not used to asking those sort of revs from any truck engine these days. This KM is a single drive/lazy axle sitting on steel springs, something Dick reminds me of as we approach the railway crossing on the way into town. I roll steadily over the track saving the backs and heads of both driver and passenger. I climb out of the driver’s seat of the Bedford and contemplate the old yank-powered pommie. The words of Chris Gilbert still echo in my ears along with the GM’s engine note, "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." Specifications: 1973 KM Bedford Engine: Detroit 6V53NA two-stroke Power: 220hp (est)/470Nm Transmission: 10-speed Roadranger Drive: 6x2 GVM: 22,500kg .

Trade Trucks AU / August 10, 2016 Trailer manufacturer Vawdrey Australia (www.vawdrey.com.au/) has unveiled its latest design for its semi-trailer portfolio, launching the new LatchLiner buckle-less curtain system this week. Removing traditional curtain buckles, the new patented system will offer efficiency and safety gains for its customers according to national sales manager Paul Vawdrey. "It’s a very quick and user-friendly system, and operates with the same ease as using the hand brake in your car," Vawdrey says. While avoiding the need for pneumatics, hydraulics or motors to power the system, Vawdrey says the LatchLiner replaces the 68 buckles that are traditionally found on B-double curtain-siders with a quick-release solution. "Instead of having 34 buckles on each side, the LatchLiner only requires several quick release handles in total," he says. "Compare the differences between manually unhooking 68 buckles, as opposed to a simple push and pull of specially fitted handles, and the LatchLiner productivity is significantly increased." That efficiency corresponds to operator safety, Vawdrey says, "as the operator does not have to exert force to use it." He says it also tightens enough to eliminate bellowing and curtain flapping while out on the road. With tests already under way in a number of fleets, the new LatchLiner has been a six month project for the trailer maker and one that Vawdrey says has "exceeded our own expectations." "We are excited about the system and believe it fulfils a major need in the transport and logistics sector," he says. The new system is available for flat deck, drop deck and double drop deck configurations, and can be retrofitted to existing curtain-sider trailers. Vawdrey says a demo trailer is on site for customers to trial. .

There's A Windows PC Helping Control Fleet Trucks -- Any Idiot Can Start Hacking It In 30 Seconds Forbes / August 5, 2016 Got access to a freight truck? In case you do, have a look at the telematics system on board. That’s the computer-looking thing attached to the dash. It’ll be running a special version of Microsoft MSFT +0.23% Windows. Now, poke around the side and see if you can peel away a plastic panel to reveal an SD card slot. Plug in your own SD card, maybe running some malware. Turn on the system and watch as it runs whatever programs you have on there without even questioning what you’re doing. Ta-da! You just started hacking a truck in 30 seconds. This is just one of many security problems found in America’s freight fleets in recent months by DARPA-funded researchers Andrew and James (they preferred to keep their family names private). As part of their work, they’ve created what they believe is the first ever rootkit (a kind of malware that has almost complete control of the victim system) designed for trucks. During a demo, in a somewhat messy hotel room, they showed how they could cut a truck’s maximum speed to 30mph and hide what it’s doing from the driver; heavy-lifting automobiles are, fortunately, smart enough to not allow any setting below that. That’s not as dramatic as, say, hacking and killing the brakes, but imagine wiping out a whole business’ fleet. If so inclined, you could download the rootkit to that telematics system via the SD card – a hack they called the Evil Lot Lizard, named after ladies of the night who sell services at truck stops – and have the malware uploaded to computers controlling the trucks. That could then disseminate the malicious software to every other fleet vehicle, crippling them all. “Imagine shutting down Walmart,” said Andrew. “There’s very little security on trucks and it’s terrifying.” They were able to show me the attacks from a hotel room with equipment that simulates a heavy vehicle. That technology is built on top of their “Truck-in-a-Box ” designs, which mimic the real electric internals of a freight vehicle. They were produced for the defense department’s research arm DARPA after a $100,000 grant, which was on top of a $150,000 award for their truck hacking research. They haven’t been able to get access to a real truck to test their hacks yet, but see no reason why their experiments wouldn’t work on actual vehicles. And their malicious designs could be put to use from anywhere on the planet. Those telematics systems have been exposed before. Earlier this year at least 733 of those telematics units were left open on the internet. None required a username or password to access, making the possibility of remote attacks on trucks all too real.

Transport Engineer / August 9, 2016 Scottish waste management business Billy Bowie Special Projects has expanded its tanker haulage fleet with six Renault Range Ts, after experiencing good fuel performance on an existing Range T. Supplied by Renault Trucks Scotland, the 44-tonne T460 mid-lifts are on a six-year R&M contract and join the 125-strong fleet, which already features a Range T and 32-tonne Range C430 8x4 Day and Night cab with Atlas Hooklift. The operator’s fleet operations director Douglas Bowie says: “We’ve been running the Range C for about a year and the Range T since January, and we’ve found them to be great assets to the company.” He adds: “The Range T has given us good fuel returns, which is crucial for our haulage operation and so this, plus the very high levels of driver acceptance, made us look to Renault Trucks once again.” The drivers particularly like the “terrific” cab on the Range T, says Bowie, and they are giving him good feedback on the trucks’ performance. .

Transport Engineer / August 5, 2016 Demolition and recycling business J Mould (Reading) has taken delivery of two Renault Range C 8x4 trucks, after a multi-marque trial in which the Range C “performed head and shoulders” above the rest. Supplied by Renault Trucks South, the two 32-tonne Range C440 8x4s are fitted with Abba Predator tipping bodies and sport J Mould’s distinctive red and black livery. The Range Cs are new additions to the 30-strong fleet – and the first new Renault trucks the operator has acquired. “The time was right for our business to see what other vehicles were on the market,” says Jay Mould, general manager. “We trialled the Range C against some of its leading competitors and, for us, it performed head and shoulders above them. The Range C ticked all the boxes; it’s a solid, robust lorry which is also really nice to drive and the extra payload it’s delivering is an added bonus.” The truck is “a fantastic all-rounder”, he adds – “in fact, we have been so pleased we already have another two on order”. .

Scania takes on Super Quads Scania Group Press Release / August 9, 2016 Scania in Australia has just built its biggest ever truck, an R 730 V8 8×8 converted to 10×8 specification by adding a tag axle. Qube Bulk, Australia’s leading mine to market logistics provider, will utilise the truck in its Quad Road Train fleet in Pilbara, Australia. These are the largest on-road vehicles in the country and the new Scania will be able to haul up to 220 tonnes. At present, a standard Quad Road Train can pull 175-tonnes, or 200 tonnes under the Australian Performance based standards scheme. “We have designed this truck to give us the flexibility to take advantage of further payload improvements,” says Todd Emmert, Director of Qube Bulk. “We anticipate that in the near future we should be able to raise this to 220 tonnes.” Improved productivity and efficiency The new truck will be used to haul bulk iron ore around the clock from various mine sites to the terminal at Port Hedland in Western Australia. The truck will be in operation 6.5 days a week. A one way trip from the mine can be as far as 450 km, so the Scania truck can be expected to clock up close to one million km over the first three years of its working life on the job. Qube Bulk states that the new truck will improve productivity and efficiency. “This will allow us to provide a better service to our customers. Boosting efficiency is critical for our clients, while for us safety is the priority,” says Todd. One of the benefits of the higher payload is ultimately a reduction in the number of truck movements on a given piece of road. “Reduced interaction between cars and trucks, and having trucks with higher levels of safety will all combine to make these roads safer for all road users,” says Todd. Scania 10×8 specification The Scania CA8x8EHZ specification includes 4700 mm axle and 1450 mm bogie distances. The hub-reduction bogie-drive axles deliver impression traction, running a 4.27:1 ratio. The fifth axle is a tag unit fitted at the very rear. Braking is by drums all round backed by traction control, ABS/EBS, while suspension is all steel multi-leaf. The fifth wheel is a heavy-duty Jost DR38C-1 rated to 260 kN. Photo gallery - https://www.scania.com/group/en/scania-takes-on-super-quads/

Keith, if I'm understanding your thought correctly, I think the idea is that one wouldn't want to "knowingly" bring a child into the world inflicted with the Zika virus (microcephaly), as it would have extremely serious irreparable issues. The brain is prohibited from developing properly, causing a wide range of serious issues. The child would have no quality of life. As the CDC says, Microcephaly is a lifelong condition. There is no known cure or treatment. Keith, I'm confident that I value human life as much as you. Innocent children are perhaps the biggest victims of the cultural decay and declining standards of behavior in our country.......... http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/43501-the-face-of-america-in-year-2016/?page=2http: Zika Virus Information: //www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/microcephaly.html http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/microcephaly/basics/definition/con-20034823 .

Wisconsin mother strangles 2-year-old son to death The Associated Press / August 9, 2016 A Wisconsin mother was arrested after police responded her Sheboygan Falls home last week to find the body of her 2-year-old son stuffed in a cardboard box. According to WITI, police said an initial investigation revealed 27-year-old Katlyn Kinateder may have strangled her son. A criminal complaint says she suffocated him with a plastic bag. The criminal complaint states that Sheboygan Falls police responded to the woman’s home on Woodiew Avenue last Thursday afternoon after receiving a 911 call that the child had been strangled and killed. When police arrived, they were confronted by Kinateder who was armed with a knife. Officers drew their weapons and ordered the woman to drop the knife. She allegedly ignored the command and began to approach the officers with the knife for a short distance before she finally put down the weapon. Kinateder was tased and taken into custody. Officers searched the apartment and inside a hallway closet found 2-year-old Dexter Kinateder, stuffed into cardboard box that had been stacked beneath two other cardboard boxes. The child was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Kinateder was interviewed by police, and admitted to killing Dexter by placing a plastic bag over his head — suffocating him. She told police she had “lost my mind” and wanted to die, adding she had stopped taking her anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication. The 911 call, which was placed by Kinateder, was later released: 911 Operator: “You what?” Mother: “I killed my son.” 911 Operator: “How did you kill your son?” Mother: “I strangled him.” The woman says her child had been dead inside her home for a half hour. 911 Operator: “Can you tell me what led up to this?” Mother: “I have no idea. I feel like I have lost my mind.” After several minutes passed, the caller was suddenly quiet. 911 Operator: “Are you still here?” Mother: “I have a knife.” In the background, police shout, “drop the knife, drop the knife.” Kinateder has been charged with one count of first degree intentional homicide, and one count of moving, hiding, burying the corpse of a child. She was placed under a $750,000 bond. .

Hillary aide was ordered by Clinton Foundation to open State Department doors The Associated Press / August 9, 2016 According to emails* released on Tuesday by Judicial Watch, a Clinton Foundation official pressed Hillary Clinton's top aide Huma Abedin to give special State Department access to a major donor who was accused of laundering money from Nigeria. * http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-uncovers-new-batch-hillary-clinton-emails/ Doug Band, a top official at the Clinton Foundation, emailed Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin in April 2009 and asked her to connect Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigeria-born billionaire Lebanese businessman who pledged $1 billion to the Clinton Global Initiative, with the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman. Chagoury, a former confidante of Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha, was convicted in 2000 of laundering Nigerian money to Switzerland in connection with the Abacha regime. Under a plea deal, he agreed to pay Nigeria $66 million, and the Swiss government later expunged his conviction. According to U.S. diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks, Chagoury has also been a key financial backer of pro-Hezbollah Lebanese politician Michel Aoun. At the time of Band's request to connect Chagoury with the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Aoun was running for parliament in Lebanon on the Hezbollah-aligned bloc. In an October 2007 cable, the prime minister of Lebanon noted Chagoury's ties to Aoun and 'suggested that the U.S. deliver to Chagoury a stern message about the possibility of financial sanctions and travel bans against those who undermine Lebanon's legitimate institutions.' In 2010, it was discovered that Chagoury had been added to the U.S. “No-Fly” terror list and barred from boarding a private jet in New Jersey. He was able to obtain a 'waiver' to fly, and was later removed from the list and received a written apology from the U.S. government. Chagoury pledged $1 billion to the Clinton Global Initiative in 2009 and has contributed between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In another email released by Judicial Watch, top Clinton Foundation official Doug Band asked Abedin to help look for job openings for an 'important' associate, whose name is redacted from the message. Band forwarded an email to Abedin from the unnamed individual that was headlined 'A favor…' 'Hi Doug,' said the April 22, 2009 email. 'I really appreciated the opportunity to go on the Haiti trip; it was an eye-opening experience seeing both the depravity and promise of that island.' The rest of the email is redacted. Band passed on the message to Abedin with the noted 'Important to take care of [redacted name].' Abedin responded that the individual was 'on our radar' and 'Personnel has been sending him options.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a third email, Clinton fundraiser Lana Moresky emailed Hillary Clinton and asked her about finding a State Department job for an individual whose name is redacted. '[Redacted] is looking for an opportunity to meet with a knowledgeable [Department of State] person to learn more about the structure and positions available,' wrote Moresky in the April 29, 2009 email. Clinton forwarded the message to Abedin with the note 'Can you pls followup and help [redacted]?' Judicial Watch said in a press release that the State Department favors “seem in violation of the ethics agreements that Hillary Clinton agreed to in order to be appointed and confirmed as Secretary of State.” “No wonder Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin hid emails from the American people, the courts and Congress,' said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton in a statement. 'They show the Clinton Foundation, Clinton donors, and operatives worked with Hillary Clinton in potential violation of the law.” .

Kenworth Truck Company Press Release / August 9, 2016 When you’re in the business of hauling recyclables and trash, every pound counts. And, for Ecology Recycling and Transportation Services, lightweight specs are a recipe for success. The latest example is a transfer dump contract the company received in the Phoenix area. “Contract waste hauling is a very competitive business, which requires very accurate cost accounting and revenue projections,” said Greg Evans, equipment maintenance manager for Ecology. “It comes down to who can haul the most trash at the lowest cost.” Ecology, with a fleet of more than 600 trucks, is the largest company west of the Mississippi that provides trucking and transportation services for bulk waste and recyclables. The company has purchased 450 Kenworth trucks since 2010 through Inland Kenworth in Montebello, Calif. To help get the contract hauling waste from transfer stations in Phoenix to landfills between 80 and 120 miles away, Ecology has done more with less by reducing weight in its new Kenworth T880s and trailers. “All told, we decreased weight by about 2,000 pounds, as compared to other combinations we’ve run in the past,” said Evans. “The biggest contributor was going with the Paccar (DAF) MX-11 engine, which is 400 pounds lighter than a 13-liter engine. We have always been believers in the Paccar (DAF) MX-13 engine, and run those with great success in California with our Kenworths. But, with the new MX-11 engine, we can save weight and have comparable performance.” Ecology’s MX-11 engines are rated at 430 hp with 1,550 lb-ft. of torque in its 61 Kenworth T880s with 116.5-inch BBC short hoods. “The MX-11 has the same horsepower rating as we’re running with the MX-13 engine, but with a different torque rating,” said Evans. “We’re not seeing any difference in top-end performance, and in Arizona, we’re able to run up to 75 mph. Since we gross out on nearly every load at 80,000 pounds, we’re finding the pulling power to be excellent. The smaller engine is working well and we expect it to have the same life as our bigger Paccar engines. Adding to the weight savings was the decision to go with super single tires on the tractors and on the 48-foot trailers. “We really looked at all areas to cut weight,” said Evans. “We even took out the passenger seat on the trucks since they’re not needed, and went with two batteries instead of three.” According to Evans, it all adds up and helps the bottom line. “When you consider that some of our drivers will make two trips to the landfill and put on close to 500 miles a day, it means our productivity is up since we’re paid by the ton.” Evans also expects continued high fuel economy numbers. “We’ve seen a marked improvement in fuel economy with the MX-13 in our California operation, and we expect similar performance, if not better with the MX-11 once the trucks are broken in,” he said. “The combination of a lightweight vehicle, low maintenance costs – quite a bit lower than other brands of trucks we’ve run – and top fuel economy, are all what’s helping to drive new business for our company. What’s more, our drivers really love being behind the wheel of the T880.” Evans first saw the Paccar MX six years ago during a visit to the Kenworth R&D Center in Renton, Washington, and he left impressed of what he saw and heard. As a result, Ecology became one of the first fleets to begin using the MX engine when it was introduced in 2010, and continue to operate with the MX-13 engine ever since. “I knew the MX engine platform had been used in Europe for years, and it had been thoroughly tested here. It gave us the confidence to move forward and I'm glad we did. It's been a great business decision, and it’s only getting better with the implementation of the MX-11.” .

Volvo Trucks USA / August 9, 2016 .

One of Jay's best update videos yet.

Car & Driver / August 9, 2016 The Ford Raptor‘s Fox shock absorbers were perhaps its single best feature, even ahead of the brawny V-8 and the grille-mounted clearance lights. Knowing their capabilities, you sped up for any obstacle—speed bumps, curbs, Mount Kilimanjaro. Now, they offer even more wheel travel for the all-new 2017 model. The new Raptor’s three-inch-diameter shocks are a half-inch burlier than before. Maximum wheel travel increases to 13.0 inches up front and 13.9 inches in back (compared with the previous Raptor’s 11.2 and 12.0 inches). Within the shocks, nine internal bypass zones let the hydraulic fluid flow at varying damping rates, allowing the suspension to be as firm or as soft as necessary with minimal risk of bottoming out completely. Ford also mentioned greater approach and departure angles, although it made no mention of actual numbers. .

Those dual headlamp assemblies were readily available from the parts bin. They were used on the G-Model.

DNC staffer murdered for revealing e-mails to Wikileaks ? The Washington Post / August 9, 2016 The speculation started within days of Seth Rich being gunned down in what D.C. police believe was an attempted robbery near his townhouse in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Northwest Washington. Some wondered if Rich was killed because of his work as a staffer with the Democratic National Committee, even suggesting he had handed WikiLeaks the 20,000 emails that embarrassed the DNC and forced the ouster of its chairwoman. Others suggested he was helping the FBI expose wrongdoing in the presidential election, and that made him a target. On Tuesday, WikiLeaks shoved those conspiracy theories into the mainstream when it announced on Twitter a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in Rich’s killing on July 10 in the 2100 block of Flagler Place NW. The reward adds to a $25,000 reward offered by D.C. police, customary in all District homicides. Rich’s father, Joel I. Rich, said he was offended by what he termed “bizarre” reports that are circulating on Internet discussion and message boards. Rich and his wife, Mary Ann, who live in Nebraska where their son grew up, visited the location of the shooting last week and appealed for help in finding the killer. On Tuesday, Joel Rich said that the WikiLeaks reward seemed to legitimize the rumor mill. “I don’t think I want to comment,” he said at first, then added, “I hope the additional money helps find out who did this.” But, he said, “I don’t want to play WikiLeaks’ game.” Assistant D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said that “at this time we don’t have any information to suggest” a connection between Rich’s killing and the WikiLeaks data or other theories raised online. Newsham also said, “We are very pleased if anyone is going to assist us with the giving of reward money.” Rich was shot twice in the back as he walked to his townhouse about 4:20 a.m. Nothing was taken, but police have said attempted robbery is their leading theory for a motive, noting a spike in robberies in the neighborhood in the preceding weeks. WikiLeaks released the trove of emails later that month, on July 22. Rich, 27, had worked for the DNC for two years and helped develop a computer program to make it easier for people to find polling places on Election Day. After his death, the DNC’s then-chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), attended a vigil for Rich in front of his home, and Hillary Clinton, before she was nominated in her run for president, evoked his name during a speech in which she advocated for limiting the availability of guns. A spokesman for the DNC refused to comment on WikiLeaks or the speculation about Rich. Wasserman Schultz, who was ousted as DNC chair after the embarrassing emails became public on July 22, did not respond to questions given to her spokesman. An official with Clinton’s campaign and some cybersecurity experts have alleged that Russia may be behind the email hack. WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange said that he would not confirm or deny whether Rich was a source for the organization, which over the years has obtained and released massive amounts of internal emails and other documents from the military, the State Department and other agencies. He said that policy “also covers alleged sources who were deceased.” “We treat threats towards any suspected WikiLeaks sources with extreme gravity,” Assange said. “This should not be taken to imply that Seth Rich was a source to WikiLeaks or that his murder is connected to our publications. We hope our efforts will contribute to the family’s calls for information and to the separate reward issued by police. We have a history of obtaining information that has significantly contributed to many legal proceedings, including successful prosecutions.” .

Philippines president calls US ambassador S.O.B. & gay, Washington demands clarification RT / August 9, 2016 The US summoned the Philippines’ envoy after its president, Rodrigo Roa Duterte attacked America’s ambassador with expletives. Giving a speech in front of servicemen in Camp Lapu-Lapu in Cebu City on Friday, Duterte described his attitude towards US officials. The Philippine president said “I am okay with him,” referring to US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had visited the country in late July. However, he then lashed out at the US ambassador to the Philippines, Philip Goldberg, saying “I had an argument with their ambassador, that ‘bakla’ [gay]. Son of bitch, he really annoys me.” Goldberg has never publicly identified himself as gay. Duterte also accused Goldberg of “interfering in elections, giving statements here and there… He was not supposed to do that.” On Monday, US Press Office director Elizabeth Trudeau said that the remarks made by the Philippines’ president concerning Goldberg were “inappropriate,” while refusing to quote them. “We have asked the Philippines charge [d’affaires] to come into the State Department to clarify those remarks,” she said. A feud between the two goes back to before the country’s June 2016 election, when Goldberg commented on a gross joke made by Duterte regarding the 1989 murder of Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill, who was gang raped and killed during a jail riot in the city of Davao, where Duterte was mayor at the time. Back in April, then-presidential candidate Duterte effectively said that he had been mad about the Australian being raped at the time because “she was so beautiful. The mayor should have been first.” The remark prompted outrage in Australia; Amanda Gorely, the country’s ambassador to the Philippines, said that violence against women must not be “trivialized.” Goldberg also commented on the issue. “I can only agree with the colleague from the Australian Embassy,” the US ambassador said in April. “Any statements by anyone, anywhere that either degrade women or trivialize issues so serious as rape or murder, are not ones that we condone.” Presidential hopeful Duterte slammed Goldberg over what he called interfering in the Philippine’s national elections, while threatening to sever all diplomatic ties with Washington if Goldberg did not “shut [his] mouth.” Rodrigo Duterte won the Philippine presidency in May, securing 38.9 percent of the vote.

U.S. taxpayers give $50 million of military hardware to Lebanon Reuters / August 9, 2016 The United States delivered 50 armored Humvees, 40 M198 155mm howitzers with 1,000 tons of ammunition and 50 grenade launchers to the Lebanese army on Tuesday, part of its efforts to bolster Lebanon against a threat from militant groups in neighboring, conflict-ridden Syria. The equipment, worth $50 million [actually more], is part of an aid package that has now topped $220 million this year, making Lebanon the fifth-biggest recipient of American military assistance, U.S. ambassador Elizabeth Richard said during the delivery. Fighting between Islamic State and other Islamist militant groups in Syria often flares in the mountains along Lebanon's northern frontier and the violence has periodically spilled across the border. Eight Islamic State suicide bombers targeted a Christian village in Lebanon near the Syrian frontier last month, killing five and raising fears of a new campaign of attacks. Fighters from Islamic State and other groups also stage regular incursions across the poorly demarcated border around the northern Lebanese town of Arsal, which they briefly overran in 2014 before the army drove them out. Lebanon has a weak government and a number of countries support its armed forces as a bulwark against destabilization in a country where around a quarter of the population are Syrian refugees. This year Saudi Arabia, traditionally an important financial backer of Lebanon, suspended a $3 billion aid package for Lebanese security forces because of what it called Beirut’s failure to condemn attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in January. The move has raised concerns in the US, prompting it to discuss the issue with the Saudis in early March. Syria once dominated its smaller neighbor, whose own sectarian fissures fueled a 15-year civil war from 1975-90. Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement has fought alongside Syrian government forces in Syria's civil war since 2013. .

Zika virus could be linked with 'whole spectrum' of disorders The Guardian / August 9, 2016 Study linking virus with severe joint deformities leads experts to say that Zika could be associated with range of problems A study by scientists in Brazil that suggests a possible link between the Zika virus and rare, but severe, joint deformities in babies has led experts to warn that the virus could be linked to a host of other problems in babies, some of which might only become apparent as they get older. Experts say the study opens up the possibility that microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads, could just be one facet of a congenital Zika virus syndrome. The Zika virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes and is currently present in more than 50 countries and territories worldwide, including many in Latin America. While the implications of Zika virus infection for unborn babies have yet to be fully unravelled, the virus has already been declared to be a cause of the birth defect microcephaly. But now experts say the virus appears to be linked a severe joint condition seen at birth. Known as arthrogryposis, the condition is characterised by problems with joint movement and muscle weakness, with joints often fixed in abnormal, curved positions. The condition is thought to have a number of possible causes, including problems with the movement of the foetus in the womb, which can itself have several origins. But, if the link with Zika is confirmed, it will be the first time the condition has been associated with an infection in the foetus. “I think this is part of the move from describing microcephaly, which is just really a component of the congenital Zika syndrome, to starting to describe the whole spectrum of the Zika syndrome,” said Laura Rodrigues, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who was not involved in the study. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he was not surprised by the findings of the new study and believes many more Zika-linked conditions will be discovered. “As opposed to linking Zika just to microcephaly there is a whole spectrum which they are now referring to as the [congenital] Zika syndrome, within which is included microcephaly but it is not limited to microcephaly,” he said. “This [research] is just a very good example of the broadening spectrum of the abnormalities that can occur in children,” he added. “I can predict to you now that it is likely that the children who look reasonably normal, don’t have any gross formation defects, might later on have issues that relate to subtle things like visual defects, or hearing defects, or intellectual landmarks children get as they develop. So I think the syndrome is going to continue to broaden.” The research, published in the BMJ, followed up on two previous reports that hinted at a link between Zika and arthrogryposis, and involved the study of seven children born during the autumn of 2015, all of whom had the joint condition and displayed a similar pattern of limb abnormalities. Six of the children had been diagnosed with microcephaly, while all showed brain imaging results consistent with congenital Zika infection, including abnormal brain development, reduced brain volume and a build-up of calcium in certain regions of the brain. Four of the children also showed spinal cord thinning, while some of the children also showed eye or ear abnormalities. For all of the children, other causes of the microcephaly such as HIV, syphilis and rubella were ruled out by tests, suggesting that the likely cause was the Zika virus. “The pattern of [the] brain images are typical of congenital infections and we excluded other causes of congenital infections,” said Vanessa van der Linden, lead author of the research from the hospital Barão de Lucena in Recife, Brazil. Three of the children have so far been found to have antibodies for the Zika virus, two at the time of writing the study and one since, she adds. The clustering of the cases in space and time is also suggestive says Rodrigues. “Arthrogryposis is extremely rare, and suddenly there are seven cases and all happened during the [Zika] epidemic,” she said. “I think that it is reasonable to assume that it is part of the [Zika] syndrome.” When the scientists carried out ultrasound imaging on the children they found that all seven showed no abnormalities in the tissue, cartilage, joint fluid and structures around the joints. That, the authors say, suggests that the arthrogryposis was caused not by a disorder of the tissues, but rather a problem with the nervous system that prevented the foetus from moving around normally in the womb – a mechanism by which foetuses develop their joints and tissues correctly. “It is damaged nerves that has lead to this rather than muscle damage or joint damage so it links to brain and nervous infection by Zika during pregnancy,” said Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. While Whitworth says the evidence for a link between the Zika virus and arthrogryposis is not yet conclusive, he believes that the results of the new study are “compelling”. “It needs to be added to things that doctors think about when they see arthrogryposis – could this be congenital Zika infection that has occurred?” he said.

My 2 cents: It’s funny how this damning and discrediting news about Kissinger, and I’m not saying it isn’t true, is declassified at the same juncture that Kissinger refused to be a signatory of the anti-Trump letter (above). Full of suspense, mystery and drama, the “elections show” is sure to win a Grammy this year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kissinger hindered US effort to end mass killings in Argentina, according to files The Guardian / August 9, 2016 Newly declassified files show the former secretary of state jeopardized efforts to crackdown on bloodshed by Argentina’s 1976-83 military dictatorship Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger jeopardized US efforts to stop mass killings by Argentina’s 1976-83 military dictatorship by congratulating the country’s military leaders for “wiping out” terrorism, according to a large trove of newly declassified state department files. The documents, which were released on Monday night, show how Kissinger’s close relationship to Argentina’s military rulers hindered Jimmy Carter’s carrot-and-stick attempts to influence the regime during his 1977-81 presidency. Carter officials were infuriated by Kissinger’s attendance at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina as the personal guest of dictator Jorge Videla, the general who oversaw the forced disappearance of up to 30,000 opponents of the military regime. At the time, Kissinger was no longer in office after Carter defeated Gerald Ford in the 1976 presidential election, but the documents reveal that US diplomats feared his praise for Argentina’s crackdown would encourage further bloodshed. During his years as secretary of state, Kissinger had encouraged Argentina’s military junta to stamp out “terrorism”. In contrast, Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski, his national security adviser, made human rights a cornerstone of US foreign policy and were exerting pressure on Argentina’s military regime by withholding loans and sales of military equipment. The newly declassifed cables show how Kissinger lauded Videla and other officials for their methods during his 1978 visit. “His praise for the Argentine government in its campaign against terrorism was the music the Argentine government was longing to hear,” says one of the documents. Another diplomatic cable describes how, during a lunch with Videla, “Kissinger applauded Argentina’s efforts in combatting terrorism” and lamented that “it was unfortunate many Americans thought Argentina was a soft drink. He said this indicated that Americans are not aware of Argentine history nor of its struggle against terrorism.” Kissinger even held a private meeting with Videla without the presence of the US ambassador to Buenos Aires, Raúl Castro, at which human rights and Carter’s foreign policy were discussed. “Videla prearranged it so Kissinger and the interpreter would meet with him privately half an hour before ambassador’s arrival,” one cable shows. In another off-the-record meeting with the Argentinian Council of International Relations (CARI) – a group of conservative and highly influential Argentinian diplomats – Kissinger went even further, stating that “in his opinion the government of Argentina had done an outstanding job in wiping out terrorist forces”. US ambassador Castro was shocked by Kissinger’s behaviour. “My only concern is that Kissinger’s repeated high praise for Argentina’s action in wiping out terrorism ... may have gone to some considerable extent to his hosts’ heads,” the ambassador said in a lengthy cable to Washington. “There is some danger that Argentines may use Kissinger’s laudatory statements as justification for hardening their human rights stance.” Officials in Washington were furious. “[Kissinger’s] praise for the Argentine government in its campaign against terrorism was the music the Argentine government was longing to hear,” National Security Council official Robert Pastor wrote in a summary of Kissinger’s visit for Brzezinski. “What concerns me is his apparent desire to speak out against the Carter administration’s human rights policy,” Pastor fumed. The newly released documents show that at one stage the Carter administration considered asking Pope John Paul II to intervene with Argentina’s military rulers. A lengthy September 1980 cable marked “confidential” said that “the Church and the Pope have far more influence here than the US government and can be the most effective advocates of a full return to the rule of law”. The cable – to US officials in Rome – says that “the Vatican may be the most effective advocate” before the Argentinian authorities, for whom “disappearance is still the standard tactic”. The documents do not reveal if US diplomats did approach the Vatican, and the exact role of the Catholic church during those dark years remains an issue of debate: many reports indicate that priests were present during torture sessions. It was not until 2000 that the Argentinian Catholic church finally apologized for turning a blind eye to the repression. The cables also give a frightening picture of the delusional antisemitism prevalent among Argentina’s generals, who were convinced that Brzezinski (a Polish-born Catholic) headed a worldwide Jewish conspiracy against Argentina. To fight against this perceived conspiracy, the regime kidnapped the successful Jewish newspaper publisher Jacobo Timerman. Thanks largely to strong pressure from the Carter administration, Timerman was finally freed, although he was stripped of his Argentinian citizenship and expelled to Israel, where he spoke to US diplomats about the torture he had endured. “Timerman said that the main focus of questioning during his imprisonment was his role as the Argentine ‘leader’ of an alleged world Zionist conspiracy,” states a declassified cable from the US embassy in Tel Aviv. Another report from Pastor to Brzezinski – headed “You don’t look Jewish” – relates incredulously how Timerman told US diplomats that “much of the Argentine military believe that a world-wide Jewish conspiracy is at the heart of the terrorist problem in Argentina, and that you (Brzezinski) are at the head of that conspiracy”. When Timerman pointed out to his captors that Brzezinski was Catholic, they told him it was simply a ruse, Pastor wrote. “They ‘know’ you are Jewish because they studied the New York City phone book and found that a number of ‘Brzezinskis’ had Jewish first names!” he wrote. The documents’ release – which had been announced by Barack Obama during a visit to Argentina in March – was welcomed by Argentina’s human rights secretary, Claudio Avruj. “We’re surprised by the speed with which the US has delivered this documentation,” he told reporters. “We thought it would take longer.”

Summer Fed lull has investors ‘whistling past the graveyard’ The Financial Times / August 9, 2016 August has a history of turning ugly, but there could be deeper trouble further ahead Periods of calm across markets rarely last long and August has a history of turning decidedly ugly for investors. The summer has been distinguished by very supportive central banks, with the Bank of England’s kitchen sink effort in the wake of the Brexit vote just the latest example of the “central bank put” pumping up asset prices. With many central banks still looking to ease policy, one stands apart and holds the key to whether global equities can keep climbing, led by US share prices setting a record pace. In the wake of last week’s robust employment data, the shadow of tighter US Federal Reserve policy and, by extension, that of a firmer dollar remains faint with little prospect of a sharper outline emerging over the coming weeks. For now, complacency reigns, with the US bond market and many investors convinced the Fed will stick to the policy sidelines and keep interest rates low for a long time. Two solid months of job gains in June and July falls into the camp of constituting the best of both worlds for markets. US equities are rising on the idea that second-half activity may gather pace and hopefully ignite earnings growth, while the bond market shrugs off a strong jobs print and continues to expect no action from the Fed. Market expectations of a US interest rate tightening only rise above 50 per cent by March of 2017. The current two-year Treasury note yield of 0.72 per cent remains below last December’s level of 1 per cent, when the Fed finally began tightening policy. Such a belief in the mantra of “lower for forever” against the backdrop of aggressive bond purchases by other central banks has compressed global bond yields and spurred a stampede into emerging market sovereign debt that sport higher fixed returns because they also reflect a greater degree of risk. As measures of market volatility compress ever tighter and the search for yield embraces risqué areas of bond land, investors are largely viewing the world through the lens of secular stagnation. The idea that the US economy will shift into a higher gear and trigger a reappraisal of the dollar with dangerous consequences for elevated EM prices, let alone US assets, notably expensive looking bond proxies — the shares of high dividend paying companies — appears a dim prospect to investors. One can’t blame them for whistling past the graveyard at this juncture, however. Playing a role is the calendar, with the Fed not meeting until well into next month. As Lou Crandall at Wrightson Icap notes: “There is still plenty of time for events to undermine the case for a rate hike, as they have done repeatedly in recent quarters. It is much too early to say with confidence that the data will line up in favour of a rate hike on September 21.” The annual gathering of central bankers at Jackson Hole in late August, with a speech from Janet Yellen, will probably offer little new information about the policy outlook. Not until we see the tone of the August jobs data early next month, does the potential beckon for a stronger reaction from investors and the dollar. This is when things might become interesting. Based on employment and inflation considerations, a tightening of US policy from a meagre 0.25 to 0.5 per cent range is warranted. Longview Economics makes the point that two forces — growing wages via a tightening jobs market and accelerating credit and money supply growth — support higher US service sector inflation. “The risks to the consensus view are therefore skewed to the upside, with the growing likelihood that the Fed is forced, at some stage, to once again begin talking up the prospect of rate hikes,” says Chris Watling at Longview. Such talk, however, raises the prospect of a stronger dollar, and as we have often heard, Fed officials do worry about financial market turmoil stemming from a rejuvenated reserve currency tightening financial conditions. At some point and perhaps sooner than the market thinks, US policy officials need to break this impasse. The longer the Fed stays on the sidelines, the more distorted markets become, storing up a much more painful outcome for investors.

Norfolk, Virginia-based Turkish rear admiral seeking asylum in United States Reuters / August 9, 2016 A Turkish military officer on a U.S.-based assignment for NATO is seeking asylum in the United States after being recalled by the Turkish government in the wake of last month's failed military coup, U.S. officials told Reuters. The asylum bid is the first known case involving a Turkish military officer in the United States as Turkey purges military ranks after mutinous soldiers commandeered fighter jets, helicopters and tanks in an unsuccessful attempt to oust President Tayyip Erdogan. The case has the potential to further strain ties between the United States and Turkey, which is already demanding Washington hand over a U.S.-based Turkish cleric it alleges was responsible for the failed coup. The two U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the Turkish officer was working at the headquarters of NATO's Allied Command Transformation, located in Norfolk, Virginia. They did not name him or offer his rank. However, an official at Turkey's embassy in Washington said Turkish Navy Rear Admiral Mustafa Ugurlu had failed to report to authorities after Turkey issued a detention order for him last month. "On July 22, on that day he left his badges and his ID at the base and after that no one has heard anything from him," the official said, also speaking on condition of anonymity. The Turkish official said he was unaware of a subsequent asylum request. An April news article on the NATO website identified Ugurlu as the Norfolk-based command's assistant chief of staff for command and control, deployability and sustainability. The Turkish official said two other lower-level officers had also been called back from the United States to Turkey. "But there's no detention order for them," the official said. "One of them has gone back, and the other will go back shortly." MILITARY PURGES The purges within Turkey's military, which has NATO's second largest armed forces and aspires to membership in the European Union, has resulted in thousands of soldiers being discharged, including around 40 percent of generals. There are concerns within the Turkish opposition that the restructuring lacks parliamentary oversight and is going too far. Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis refused to comment. The Norfolk mission where the Turkish officer was assigned is the only NATO command in North America. It directs Allied Command Transformation's subordinate commands, including the Joint Warfare Center in Norway and the Joint Force Training Center in Poland. A spokeswoman at the Norfolk-based mission said 26 Turkish military personnel were assigned there, and she [being politically correct] praised Turkey's contribution, including hosting U.S. and allies at its Incirlik Air Base, an important staging area for the U.S. forces fighting ISIS militants in Syria. "We want to state that Turkey is a valued NATO ally that continues to make important contributions to the fight against ISIS," said [a politically correct] U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Karen Eifert said, while refusing to comment on questions about an asylum request. A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkey's internal reorganization of its military has not had a practical impact on NATO-led commands. "Turkey has notified NATO about the changeover of a number of Turkish military personnel. There has been no impact on the implementation of NATO-led operations and missions or on the work of NATO commands," the official said, refusing to comment on any asylum request. "I would refer you to the Turkish authorities for any further details on their staffing." U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services refused to discuss the case. The State Department has refused to comment. ANTI-U.S. SENTIMENT RISING The case comes as Turkey presses Washington to hand over U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen, an ally of Erdogan in the early years after his Islamist-rooted AK Party took power in 2002, has denied any involvement in the coup, which came at a critical time for a NATO state facing Islamist militant attacks from across the border in Syria and an insurgency by Kurdish rebels. Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said anti-American feeling among Turks was on the rise and "turning into hatred" and could only be calmed by the United States extraditing Gulen. Still, the U.S. and Turkish militaries have long had extensive ties, extending beyond the NATO alliance. One U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, estimated there were around 160 Turkish military personnel on assignment in the United States, including those at NATO in Norfolk and others at exchanges at prestigious U.S. military institutions. Navy Lieutenant Commander Patrick Evans said 123 Turkish military personnel were participating in the U.S. International Military Education and Training Program in the continental United States as of August 9. Asked how many of those participants had been recalled to Turkey, Evans said: "We are aware of one student currently at the Army War College who received a recall notice to return to Turkey." The status of the student at the War College, located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was not immediately clear. Evans refused to comment on any individual cases.

Ford Starts Shipping Super Duty Pickups From Kentucky Factory Bloomberg / August 9, 2016 Ford Motor Co. has begun shipping its new aluminum-bodied Super Duty pickup, one of its most profitable models, from a Kentucky factory, the automaker’s top North American executive said. “This is one of the strongest products in our portfolio,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, said in a presentation Tuesday at a JPMorgan Chase & Co. conference in New York. “This is the first all-new Super Duty in 18 years.” The second-largest U.S. automaker said last month that its profit goals for the year are at risk because it no longer sees the U.S. vehicle market growing. The cost of introducing the new Super Duty pickups, such as the F-250, was already going to pressure margins in the year’s second half, Ford had said. But rising incentives and slowing sales are also taking a toll, as Ford’s North American pretax profit slid 4.8 percent in the second quarter to $2.7 billion. The Super Duty, which began shipping this past weekend, will eventually provide some relief, once Ford gets through the costly launch phase when it’s spending to overhaul the factory in Louisville, Kentucky, and market the new truck. The automaker rolled out an aluminum-bodied version of its smaller F-150 pickup over the last two years, which can be seen as a guide to how Super Duty will eventually improve profit, Hinrichs said. “There certainly are costs associated with the launch period,” he said. “Once we got past the F-150 launch, we set a record for every quarterly profit.” Ford rose 1.2 percent to $12.32 at 1:17 p.m. in New York. The shares declined 14 percent this year through Monday. Market Leader The Super Duty accounts for 43 percent of the U.S. heavy-duty pickup market, making it the leader of that segment, Hinrichs said. The new version, with its lightweight aluminum body, will have the best fuel economy in its class. It also will have 17 new features, including driver-assistance technologies, he said. “Super Duty is a very, very important product,” Bob Shanks, Ford’s chief financial officer, told analysts last month. “It’s high volume. It’s very high margin.” The U.S. auto market slowed sooner than Ford anticipated. The automaker now sees U.S. industrywide sales of 17.4 million to 17.9 million vehicles, down from an earlier forecast of about 18 million. Excluding medium-duty and heavy trucks, the new projection translates to a light-vehicle market of 17.1 million to 17.6 million, compared with last year’s record 17.5 million. Although Ford’s incentives have risen this year, Hinrichs said the company will remain “very disciplined” in its pricing. The restructuring during the last recession, in which Ford closed factories and cut jobs, has left the company prepared for the next downturn, he said. “We feel good about where the North American business is,” Hinrichs said. “We still believe we can be profitable in a downturn.”

Ohio man arrested for rape of 3-year-old ABC News / August 9, 2016 An Ohio man has been arrested on sexual assault charges after a woman caught him raping a 3-year-old girl inside an abandoned garage. Charles Sadler, 34, of Columbus, was taken into custody Friday in connection to the alleged assault. According to police, a woman was driving in west Columbus when she heard a scream and saw a man, later identified as Sadler, raping a little girl in the 300 block of South Richardson Avenue. The Good Samaritan, who has children of her own, called 911 and followed Sadler for several blocks until officers responded to the scene and arrested him. Sadler's family told WSYX they thought the 34-year-old was 'passed out drunk somewhere' at the time of the incident. He is currently being held in the Franklin County Jail on $200,000 bond. The child provided testimony to investigators after being examined in the hospital. The victim’s mother expressed her frustration with the judge's decision to set bond for his release. Sadler has been released, and is due back in court August 15. .