Rasta Rants

In car racing we have a time in each season affectionately called the "Silly Season". For it is a time when all the trading and movement for the following season takes place. Driver switch teams or get fired, teams change suppliers or engines, teams switch leaders or engineers and race schedules and venues get selected or dumped. For racers it is time we expect to see massive change and sometimes surprises. Well it appears we are in the Silly Season in American politics. Yes we expect every 4 years that we will elect a President and it gets even sillier when we have a lame duck in the White house. (sorry no disrespect the President Obama although the title seems to fit). This time around it is the worst Silly Season I have ever seen. Actually we might want to rename it the Ridiculous Stupid Season. Have you been paying attention to the political circus in since late last year? Of course you have you can't avoid it no matter what you do. That right there is part of the...

I have not posted in a very long time. Basically been too busy trying to make a living and feed my family. But recent events have been weighing heavy on my mind and I felt compelled to post. Have we totally lost our way as a society/country? What has happened to our priorities? Where are we headed? Am I the only one that sees this problem? Lets start with the trigger that forced me to write this post - Bruce Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair as a woman and Target Transgender Bathroom Policy. No I don't care that Bruce is becoming Caitlyn. No I am not against transsexuals, gays, transgender, lesbians or bi-sexuals. I believe what people do with their sex life is their business and we should allow them that freedom as long as they are not hurting anyone. So no child porn or human trafficking. Bruce is not the first and nor anything special. Heck I remember as a teenager in Jamaica a guy went abroad and came back a girl. No big deal. So what is bothering me? Why is it news...

Well the circus comes to Las Vegas tonight. Two sets of Republican debates are slated for later today. The undercard promises to be combative as usual, as these candidates try to find a way to shock their way to the adult table. The main event will feature the usual suspects and Trump will be center stage. So why am I even blogging about this? Well it is to raise some issues that I hope will be discussed tonight but that I doubt will be handled honestly. We unfortunately are mired in political waste and the true issues and their possible resolution does not seem to rise from the muck. Every candidate on both sides of the aisle is so focused on their political careers (or desired careers), election or reelection, or party directives, that they forget why they are there. When did we lose sight of the motto - "We the People". So here is some truth and some controversy for folks to think about. ISIS and Terrorism We face many terror threats and while I think our military,...

Original Post America is in trouble. Anyone who does not believe this needs to take a serious look around. This Ferguson Missouri event is very alarming on a number of levels. I'm going to attempt to analyze two of them. First lets review the actual event in Ferguson. No not the shooting of young Mr. Brown but the aftermath. In the US legal system a grand Jury is used as an impartial community body that carefully studies evidence around a crime at the behest of the presiding DA. Their primary responsibility is to decide whether that evidence is sufficient and compelling enough to warrant charges being brought against a suspect. They are not a regular jury and they do their work in complete privacy. So was it appropriate for the Missouri DA to call a grand jury to investigate this event/crime? Some say it was not but I disagree. In light of the fact that our President overreacted to this event and involved the Federal Justice department I think the DA was left with no other...

I am confused and sad. All the polls for the last three years have shown the growing frustration and dislike the American people have for Congress. Actually, the approval rating for Congress is at 15% as of June. 9% was the lowest it has been in history and that happened late last year. Since 2012 we have averaged about 13% approval rating. I am one of those angry and frustrated Americans. The Congress has shown complete inability to conduct the business of the country and has bickered non stop since Obama took power. The have shown that their primary interest is their own political careers and not the will of the people. We are a laughing stock worldwide and this gridlock has affected our economy and foreign policy negatively. So here is the hypocrisy. If we hate the job the Congress is doing and we all agree that parties aside they are not performing to standards we the people have set, why don't we fire them? I just don't understand. We are a Democracy (really a republic...

What a glorious time it is in automotive history? Of course if we exclude the horrid sounding new F1 cars. Yes, this is a time of new design and propulsion. It is a time of new materials and manufacturing methods. A time of extreme electronics and aerodynamics. It is a grand time at the top of the automotive food chain. Three amazing cars have been launched in limited production. The La Ferrari, the McLaren P1 and the new Porsche 918. All are very expensive and very fast. Some are sexier than others but as I always say taste is in the mouth. Lets take a look at each. Porsche 918 The Porsche 918 is the most "pedestrian" of the three with a price tag of approximately $850,000. I happen to think it is a beautiful car. The design is aggressive but not in a flashy way. It seems stout yet balanced. In a strange way it appears manly and who does not love the mufflers coming out up top of the engine cover - cool! The Porsche is actually called the 918 Spyder. This...

I know this is a strange title but I think it is time we chat about this. Men and women have very different feelings about this common tool of life and some of our mores are hilarious. Billions of people use a toilet multiple times a day. We actually have an interesting relationship with toilets. Here are some facts about toilets before we go any further: There is strong debate over who invented the first toilet - the Greeks or the Scots Nearly 2 billion people still don't have normal sanitation (toilets) In 1596 Sir John Harrington invented the water closet - precursor to the modern toilet Some 200 years later Alexander Cummings developed the S shape to keep foul odors out In the 1880's Thomas Crapper installed many toilets in royal palaces - he did not invent the modern toilet - oh Crap - I thought he did! In 1775 Joseph Bramah modified Cummings design and developed the hinged flap and the float valve system which he patented in 1778 In the nineteenth century flush to...