To correct the original summary, it's the City of Takoma Park, MD. For the most part the road network dates from before the Civil War. Until sometime around WWII the area was served by a streetcar network, passenger rail, and bus service. The roads were paved with brick and were designed to handle pedestrian and equestrian traffic. Today the city is served by a metro station and most residents do not commute by car. Maintenance of the road network is paid for with city taxes. Commuters passing through the city contribute nothing to the maintenance of infrastructure.
I tend to agree that people shouldn't be allowed to close off public roads but sometimes it's not so simple. We have people driving in to work in DC from their homes in Frederick and even West Virginia. These old communities are being destroyed so that people can have their 3 bedroom townhouse in the suburbs. People are leaving for work at 5 am in Gaithersburg to get downtown by 8. If you wait until 5:10 you won't get to work before 9. If I'm not mistaken the average commuter in the DC area now spends nearly 4 hours a day driving.
As someone whose roots in DC pre-date the Revolutionary War these are sad changes. My extended family used to own a house two doors down from Thomas Jefferson's in Georgetown. It was lost to fire during the crack epidemic. One of the cornerstones of DC was on a property owned by my family. It was the first property registered after Montgomery County was carved out of Frederick County. In fact at one time our family owned a tract of land that extended from the state line to the north border of Rockville. It was called Valentine's Folly and it didn't stay in the family for very long.:-) We lived through the civil war, the riots in the 1960's and then the crack war. The Capitol City is finally starting to recover and many of the old neighbourhoods have become liveable again. But for my family the traffic was just too much. Over the last ten years almost every one of us has moved away.
This guy lost. Even if the plaintiff didn't get his $30k he probably would have gotten his $40 back. Loser pays would have the defendant stuck with the $30k plus the plaintiff's legal bills.
I don't know if pricing data is public domain or fair use but it cannot be both. Fair use is a term applied to the lawful use of material that is otherwise protected by copyright.
Another anecdote: I have a rare and very serious autoimmune disease called Poly Arteritis Nodosa. I lost my health insurance after the Maryland high risk insurance program was transferred to CareFirst. They "lost" all the records from the previous management company and failed to renew my insurance. Once I lost my insurance I had a "preexisting condition" and was ineligible for coverage. Unfortunately Federal law makes it nearly impossible to sue a health insurance company. Even if they commit outright fraud, even if their actions cost you hour life, you have little recourse.
Remicade cost about $90k per year so I had to take out a home equity loan to pay my medical bills. After I blew through my savings I lost access to medication I desperately needed. Multiple visits to the Maryland State House and television interviews were not sufficient to get CareFirst to remedy their error.
I am alive today for two reasons. The first is that Abbot Labs provided me with Humira for free. Thanks to the drug company's donation my doctors were able to stop the progression of the disease. Ultimately I did regain the use of my left arm and partial use of my vocal chords. I have since lost the use of my left shoulder but it has minimal impact on my ability to function.
The second reason I'm alive is due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA required insurance companies to accept patients with pre-existing conditions. I have since been able to get coverage and have kept the disease in remission. In fact, I just got the good news that the disease is in complete remission and for the time being I no longer need to take any medications to control it.
Now on to evidence that is not anecdotal.
Many people don't know that, or if, they are benefiting from the ACA. Health expenditure per capita in the US as of 2013 was $9000 per person. For a single person that's $9k. For a family of three that's $27k. I pay about $6k per year and I'm grateful for the subsidy I receive. How many people, how many family's are paying their share?
The cost of health insurance does continue to rise. But since the reform act it has risen at a slower pace than it did before the reform. Between 2000 and 2010 the cost of coverage rose on average by 7.1 percent. Between 2010 and 2014 it rose by 5.2 percent. In 2015 it rose by 4.2 percent. When you consider those cost increases you should also consider that a lot of very sick people are getting treatment today.
Personally I had misgivings about the ACA. I had concerns that reform would reduce incentive for pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs. I also had concern that the ACA was so complex that it would collapse. Health finance companies simply act as a middle man taking a cut of every transaction. If you're going to reform I think the financial management of health care should be nationalized. But so for the ACA has not collapsed. Millions of people are getting medical care who did not have access before 2010.
As another poster said, the OS will slow down over time. As far as speed goes the biggest difference between 7 and 10 is how they use hybernation to restore a powered down computer. The computer loads the hybernation file and powers on much more quickly in Windows 10.
The problem is that in my experience hybernation doesn't work any better in 10 than it has since Windows Vista. The hybernation file sometimes gets corrupted. When it's powered up you get a message that "Star menu and Cortana aren't working. We'll try to fix it the next time you sign in". It then forces a reboot which tries to load the corrupted same hybernation file. Rinse and repeat.
The easiest way out of the loop is to deliberately cause an "unscheduled shutdown". The next boot will start without using the hybernation file. The only permanent solution I've found is to disable hybernation. This problem was reported at least as far back as June of 2015. To my knowledge Microsoft has not yet found a fix.
A third party is a person or group besides the two primarily involved in a situation. In this case the first party and the second party are conversing by phone.
http://legal-dictionary.thefre...
The difference between a copper line phone call and a cellular signal is frequency and strength. In fact it is much easier to tap a copper line than it is to break encryption or to collect phone call metadata.
The legal principle should be whether the parties have a reasonable expectation of privacy. If you make an encrypted phone call do you expect a third party to be able to listen to your conversation? Is it lawful for you to intercept an encrypted phone call? Can a third party casually intercept and decrypt your conversation? Can law abiding citizens intercept and decrypt the government's communications? If a government official made an encrypted phone call could a third party collect metadata about the government's communications and publish it without permission?
What the court has ruled is that because it is technically possible it is lawful for the government to spy on law abiding citizens Citizens are not permitted to use technological means to create a private space.
The major question here is if the judge has the jurisdiction to issue this order.
Apparently you've not been keeping up with the degree of unethical behavior by the DoJ in this case.
That's correct. I had not read the order or examined the issues of the case. I was not commenting on whether the president has the authority he claims to have. Nor was I not commenting on whether the DOJ attorney's involved in this case deserved sanction. I was commenting on the unlawful overreach of the judges order. In claiming the power to sanction every DOY lawyer in 26 states the judge provides the following justification:
The Court does not have the power to disbar the counsel in this case, but it does have the power to revoke the pro hac vice status of out-of-state lawyers who act unethically in court.
In his own order the judge claims the authority to sanction attorneys under his jurisdiction who have acted unethically. Where does he get the authority to sanction attorneys who have never been the subject of a complaint?
Even IF he doesn't have the authority to do so, he has fired a beautiful warning shot across the bow of the DoJ and given serious ammunition to each of the 26 states fighting the unlawful amnesty which can & will be used in state courts given the behavior of DoJ lawyers before this judge.
No American should be pleased to have a judge exercising powers that are not granted to him under the law. How can anyone be outraged about the president's actions but applaud a judge who abuses his power?
So finally, you acknowledge that this is in your opinion... which unlike that of the judge, has zero legal authority.
Of course it's my opinion. If my opinion is wrong it is of little consequence. A federal judge's actions are of great consequence.
How exactly do you envision that happening? The republican controlled House & Senate (which for the most part agree with the State's suit) impeaching them?
I don't know if you've been following the election this year. A large turnout among Democrats could alter the balance in congress. The Democratic Party could end up with control of the executive branch and both houses of Congress. A Democratic Party nominee to the Supreme Court is likely to change the balance there as well.
So yes, any decision in this case could be reversed. And this could end up being the first federal judge impeached for abuse of power in over 100 years.
What I provided was a link to a widely known publisher that confirmed the basic assertions presented in the summary. My link made it clear that it pointed to an editorial, and the article itself was clearly marked. Anybody interested in thinking critically about an issue will recognize the need to explore alternative views.
In my opinion, a summary should include a link to a non-paywalled article hosted by a reputable publisher. By reputable I do not mean that the publisher is free of bias. I mean that the publisher has a history of correcting factual errors.
It is incumbent on the reader to recognize that editors, publishers and reporters all have biases. We should evaluate those biases and seek out alternative views. Neither the original poster nor anyone else has a responsibility to provide a link to the perfect article. You are welcome and encouraged to do your own independent research.
So far I have not found any articles with detailed analysis of the topic. Considering that this story broke on Friday it may be late next week before we see the topic explored in depth.
The major question here is if the judge has the jurisdiction to issue this order. He does not. Considering the implications of a judge barring every justice department lawyer from any courtroom in 26 states, I'd say he has overstepped his authority. This judge should be removed from the bench.
For those who don't have a dictionary handy it means "hard to understand".
But the law isn't hard to understand. Here's the section that applies:
A person may stop, stand or park a vehicle alongside or in a manner which obstructs a pedestrian ramp not located within such crosswalk, unless otherwise prohibited.
Right now I think lawmakers are leaning toward a system where the manufacturer will assume responsibility. However, liability for accidents would be handled on a case by case basis. An accident would be treated just as it would if a human driver were behind the wheel. If the automated vehicle ran a red light the automaker would be responsible. If it passed through an intersection on green and another car ran a red light, the other vehicle would be at fault.
It could be fifty years before self-driving cars completely replace the current transportation networks. I expect the vehicles will make significant inroads in contained areas within five years. Airports are probably already testing automated vehicles for use on the tarmac. Facilities like seaports and factory complexes won't be far behind. Anywhere that you can easily separated human drivers from robotic vehicles should be easy to convert.
I expect the second stage to happen within 15 years. This will involve interconnecting the ports and manufacturing facilities. I expect to see a great many airparks closed to human driven vehicles. We can also expect to see the construction/conversion of some closed road networks for public use. For example. you may see a closed lane on I-95.
At some point the closed networks will be pervasive. We will reach a tipping point when it just makes sense to connect all the closed networks. That stage will take place at different times in different areas. Urban areas might see this happen within 25 years. Rural places will take much longer.
The more I think about this thread the more it bugs me. Why did my post get five points? It's not because it's especially insightful. It's because I crafted the post to score points. I made it short. I phrased it so it was slightly confrontational. And, I left out the answer I would like to have given:
Whether the tax reflects the government's contribution to delivering fuel is irrelevant. In many parts of the country people have voted to impose taxes on themselves to cover the cost of building and maintaining infrastructure. That is not gouging. That's taxation WITH representation.
But the post that gave that answer was too long and too late. It's buried in this thread having garnered a single point.
We are living in an age where people are persuaded by tiny bits of information. We don't take the time to consider nuances. We don't think through complex problems. We just toss little arguments back and forth to score popularity points.
The US EIA doesn't break down the costs to sufficient detail. The Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing claims that the markup on a gallon of gas is approximately 2 to 3 cents per gallon averaged over a five year period across all retail outlets. Even so, that 2-3 percent markup is not profit. The retailer still has to cover utilities, staff, rent, etc.
It's unusual for gas prices to consistently vary by 40 cents between two stations in close proximity. Most stations will vary by less than 10 cents. The most significant cost variation is driven by variations in rent. Higher traffic=higher rent. The next most significant factor is the retailer's strategy. Some stations will accept a lower margin in the hope they will make money on other products and services. A station with a lower price can sell more lottery tickets, cigarettes, and beer. Those stations make less per gallon but more total sales may add up to the same return on gas.
It's not ideal but it's better than the status quo. I can already limit bandwidth on the router but users will just switch to mobile data. If you're trying to keep kids from running up a big bill this will help.
A battery is a collection of cells. A cell is a container for material that can hold an electric charge. It's the equivalent of a gas tank for electricity. You have to put energy into it if you want to take energy out. The fuel in this case is sun light.
That's not the least of it. Montgomery County, Maryland has lots of these camera's posted in "school zones". They put a 25 mph speed limit sign up. A few hundred feet further they put a 35 mph speed limit sign. Just beyond the 35 mph sign they put a camera that gives out tickets for driving over the 25 mph speed limit. State law says that the school zone speed limit overrides the posted speed limit so if you see the 35 mph sign and think you're driving the speed limit you still get a ticket.
Maryland law says that the ticket is actually just a tax, so you don't get a court date and have no right to confront your accuser.
One of these speed traps was put up by the city of Gaithersburg. The only little problem was that it was actually handing out tickets outside city limits, and outside the city's jurisdiction. After it handed out millions of dollars worth of tickets it finally did get to a judge. One ticket was refunded and the trap was quietly moved. The other tens of thousands of people illegally ticketed got nothing back. In the meantime the revenue from camera's gives the locality little incentive to enforce traffic laws. Pretty much the only time you see a police officer handing out a ticket is when there's an accident.
If you think Maryland is the only state with these school zone traps look a bit more closely. I've found them in North Carolina too.
It's not for lack of trying. I've seen all variations on slashdot, from top to bottom. Fuck you. Fuck me. Fuck all of you. Fuck off. Fuck that. Nobody ever seems to respond agreeably. I've heard that's fucked up but I don't know who the fucker was. I've also heard that we're all fucked in the end. All I can say is that I have no fucking clue.
The amount of electricity required to cause an arrhythmia is small, but the electrical impulses used in the brain are minute. What about seizures? IFIRC the tongue has the densest concentration of nerve endings in the human body and it's awfully close to the brain. The downsides may be outweighed if millions of people reduce intake of sodium. But I think it's worth studying the risks.
Slashdot Mirror
To correct the original summary, it's the City of Takoma Park, MD. For the most part the road network dates from before the Civil War. Until sometime around WWII the area was served by a streetcar network, passenger rail, and bus service. The roads were paved with brick and were designed to handle pedestrian and equestrian traffic. Today the city is served by a metro station and most residents do not commute by car. Maintenance of the road network is paid for with city taxes. Commuters passing through the city contribute nothing to the maintenance of infrastructure.
I tend to agree that people shouldn't be allowed to close off public roads but sometimes it's not so simple. We have people driving in to work in DC from their homes in Frederick and even West Virginia. These old communities are being destroyed so that people can have their 3 bedroom townhouse in the suburbs. People are leaving for work at 5 am in Gaithersburg to get downtown by 8. If you wait until 5:10 you won't get to work before 9. If I'm not mistaken the average commuter in the DC area now spends nearly 4 hours a day driving.
As someone whose roots in DC pre-date the Revolutionary War these are sad changes. My extended family used to own a house two doors down from Thomas Jefferson's in Georgetown. It was lost to fire during the crack epidemic. One of the cornerstones of DC was on a property owned by my family. It was the first property registered after Montgomery County was carved out of Frederick County. In fact at one time our family owned a tract of land that extended from the state line to the north border of Rockville. It was called Valentine's Folly and it didn't stay in the family for very long. :-) We lived through the civil war, the riots in the 1960's and then the crack war. The Capitol City is finally starting to recover and many of the old neighbourhoods have become liveable again. But for my family the traffic was just too much. Over the last ten years almost every one of us has moved away.
This guy lost. Even if the plaintiff didn't get his $30k he probably would have gotten his $40 back. Loser pays would have the defendant stuck with the $30k plus the plaintiff's legal bills.
I don't know if pricing data is public domain or fair use but it cannot be both. Fair use is a term applied to the lawful use of material that is otherwise protected by copyright.
Another anecdote: I have a rare and very serious autoimmune disease called Poly Arteritis Nodosa. I lost my health insurance after the Maryland high risk insurance program was transferred to CareFirst. They "lost" all the records from the previous management company and failed to renew my insurance. Once I lost my insurance I had a "preexisting condition" and was ineligible for coverage. Unfortunately Federal law makes it nearly impossible to sue a health insurance company. Even if they commit outright fraud, even if their actions cost you hour life, you have little recourse.
Remicade cost about $90k per year so I had to take out a home equity loan to pay my medical bills. After I blew through my savings I lost access to medication I desperately needed. Multiple visits to the Maryland State House and television interviews were not sufficient to get CareFirst to remedy their error.
I am alive today for two reasons. The first is that Abbot Labs provided me with Humira for free. Thanks to the drug company's donation my doctors were able to stop the progression of the disease. Ultimately I did regain the use of my left arm and partial use of my vocal chords. I have since lost the use of my left shoulder but it has minimal impact on my ability to function.
The second reason I'm alive is due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA required insurance companies to accept patients with pre-existing conditions. I have since been able to get coverage and have kept the disease in remission. In fact, I just got the good news that the disease is in complete remission and for the time being I no longer need to take any medications to control it.
Now on to evidence that is not anecdotal. Many people don't know that, or if, they are benefiting from the ACA. Health expenditure per capita in the US as of 2013 was $9000 per person. For a single person that's $9k. For a family of three that's $27k. I pay about $6k per year and I'm grateful for the subsidy I receive. How many people, how many family's are paying their share?
The cost of health insurance does continue to rise. But since the reform act it has risen at a slower pace than it did before the reform. Between 2000 and 2010 the cost of coverage rose on average by 7.1 percent. Between 2010 and 2014 it rose by 5.2 percent. In 2015 it rose by 4.2 percent. When you consider those cost increases you should also consider that a lot of very sick people are getting treatment today.
Personally I had misgivings about the ACA. I had concerns that reform would reduce incentive for pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs. I also had concern that the ACA was so complex that it would collapse. Health finance companies simply act as a middle man taking a cut of every transaction. If you're going to reform I think the financial management of health care should be nationalized. But so for the ACA has not collapsed. Millions of people are getting medical care who did not have access before 2010.
As another poster said, the OS will slow down over time. As far as speed goes the biggest difference between 7 and 10 is how they use hybernation to restore a powered down computer. The computer loads the hybernation file and powers on much more quickly in Windows 10.
The problem is that in my experience hybernation doesn't work any better in 10 than it has since Windows Vista. The hybernation file sometimes gets corrupted. When it's powered up you get a message that "Star menu and Cortana aren't working. We'll try to fix it the next time you sign in". It then forces a reboot which tries to load the corrupted same hybernation file. Rinse and repeat.
The easiest way out of the loop is to deliberately cause an "unscheduled shutdown". The next boot will start without using the hybernation file. The only permanent solution I've found is to disable hybernation. This problem was reported at least as far back as June of 2015. To my knowledge Microsoft has not yet found a fix.
A third party is a person or group besides the two primarily involved in a situation. In this case the first party and the second party are conversing by phone. http://legal-dictionary.thefre...
The difference between a copper line phone call and a cellular signal is frequency and strength. In fact it is much easier to tap a copper line than it is to break encryption or to collect phone call metadata.
The legal principle should be whether the parties have a reasonable expectation of privacy. If you make an encrypted phone call do you expect a third party to be able to listen to your conversation? Is it lawful for you to intercept an encrypted phone call? Can a third party casually intercept and decrypt your conversation? Can law abiding citizens intercept and decrypt the government's communications? If a government official made an encrypted phone call could a third party collect metadata about the government's communications and publish it without permission?
What the court has ruled is that because it is technically possible it is lawful for the government to spy on law abiding citizens Citizens are not permitted to use technological means to create a private space.
That's correct. I had not read the order or examined the issues of the case. I was not commenting on whether the president has the authority he claims to have. Nor was I not commenting on whether the DOJ attorney's involved in this case deserved sanction. I was commenting on the unlawful overreach of the judges order. In claiming the power to sanction every DOY lawyer in 26 states the judge provides the following justification:
In his own order the judge claims the authority to sanction attorneys under his jurisdiction who have acted unethically. Where does he get the authority to sanction attorneys who have never been the subject of a complaint?
No American should be pleased to have a judge exercising powers that are not granted to him under the law. How can anyone be outraged about the president's actions but applaud a judge who abuses his power?
Of course it's my opinion. If my opinion is wrong it is of little consequence. A federal judge's actions are of great consequence.
I don't know if you've been following the election this year. A large turnout among Democrats could alter the balance in congress. The Democratic Party could end up with control of the executive branch and both houses of Congress. A Democratic Party nominee to the Supreme Court is likely to change the balance there as well.
So yes, any decision in this case could be reversed. And this could end up being the first federal judge impeached for abuse of power in over 100 years.
What I provided was a link to a widely known publisher that confirmed the basic assertions presented in the summary. My link made it clear that it pointed to an editorial, and the article itself was clearly marked. Anybody interested in thinking critically about an issue will recognize the need to explore alternative views.
In my opinion, a summary should include a link to a non-paywalled article hosted by a reputable publisher. By reputable I do not mean that the publisher is free of bias. I mean that the publisher has a history of correcting factual errors.
It is incumbent on the reader to recognize that editors, publishers and reporters all have biases. We should evaluate those biases and seek out alternative views. Neither the original poster nor anyone else has a responsibility to provide a link to the perfect article. You are welcome and encouraged to do your own independent research.
So far I have not found any articles with detailed analysis of the topic. Considering that this story broke on Friday it may be late next week before we see the topic explored in depth.
The major question here is if the judge has the jurisdiction to issue this order. He does not. Considering the implications of a judge barring every justice department lawyer from any courtroom in 26 states, I'd say he has overstepped his authority. This judge should be removed from the bench.
As requested: This is the order
And this is an editorial by the Washington Post
For those who don't have a dictionary handy it means "hard to understand".
But the law isn't hard to understand. Here's the section that applies:
A person may stop, stand or park a vehicle alongside or in a manner which obstructs a pedestrian ramp not located within such crosswalk, unless otherwise prohibited.
Right now I think lawmakers are leaning toward a system where the manufacturer will assume responsibility. However, liability for accidents would be handled on a case by case basis. An accident would be treated just as it would if a human driver were behind the wheel. If the automated vehicle ran a red light the automaker would be responsible. If it passed through an intersection on green and another car ran a red light, the other vehicle would be at fault.
It could be fifty years before self-driving cars completely replace the current transportation networks. I expect the vehicles will make significant inroads in contained areas within five years. Airports are probably already testing automated vehicles for use on the tarmac. Facilities like seaports and factory complexes won't be far behind. Anywhere that you can easily separated human drivers from robotic vehicles should be easy to convert.
I expect the second stage to happen within 15 years. This will involve interconnecting the ports and manufacturing facilities. I expect to see a great many airparks closed to human driven vehicles. We can also expect to see the construction/conversion of some closed road networks for public use. For example. you may see a closed lane on I-95.
At some point the closed networks will be pervasive. We will reach a tipping point when it just makes sense to connect all the closed networks. That stage will take place at different times in different areas. Urban areas might see this happen within 25 years. Rural places will take much longer.
The more I think about this thread the more it bugs me. Why did my post get five points? It's not because it's especially insightful. It's because I crafted the post to score points. I made it short. I phrased it so it was slightly confrontational. And, I left out the answer I would like to have given:
Whether the tax reflects the government's contribution to delivering fuel is irrelevant. In many parts of the country people have voted to impose taxes on themselves to cover the cost of building and maintaining infrastructure. That is not gouging. That's taxation WITH representation.
But the post that gave that answer was too long and too late. It's buried in this thread having garnered a single point.
We are living in an age where people are persuaded by tiny bits of information. We don't take the time to consider nuances. We don't think through complex problems. We just toss little arguments back and forth to score popularity points.
The US EIA doesn't break down the costs to sufficient detail. The Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing claims that the markup on a gallon of gas is approximately 2 to 3 cents per gallon averaged over a five year period across all retail outlets. Even so, that 2-3 percent markup is not profit. The retailer still has to cover utilities, staff, rent, etc.
It's unusual for gas prices to consistently vary by 40 cents between two stations in close proximity. Most stations will vary by less than 10 cents. The most significant cost variation is driven by variations in rent. Higher traffic=higher rent. The next most significant factor is the retailer's strategy. Some stations will accept a lower margin in the hope they will make money on other products and services. A station with a lower price can sell more lottery tickets, cigarettes, and beer. Those stations make less per gallon but more total sales may add up to the same return on gas.
http://www.eia.gov/energyexpla... http://www.nacsonline.com/your...
no one in the gubmint got their hands dirty supplying oil
Are you joking? Did you not see the price tag on the second gulf war?
It's not ideal but it's better than the status quo. I can already limit bandwidth on the router but users will just switch to mobile data. If you're trying to keep kids from running up a big bill this will help.
Laws don't have to be written badly. But I'll gladly go to jail if it saves someone's life.
A lot of this texting and chatting would stop if the other person would cut off the conversation. I have this conversation all the time:
"Are you driving?". "Yes". "Call me back when you can talk"
I've had bosses carry on meetings while their subordinate was driving. I see that as criminally irresponsible behaviour. It should be prosecutable.
A battery is a collection of cells. A cell is a container for material that can hold an electric charge. It's the equivalent of a gas tank for electricity. You have to put energy into it if you want to take energy out. The fuel in this case is sun light.
You'd think for $20 million they could've bought some gas.
That's not the least of it. Montgomery County, Maryland has lots of these camera's posted in "school zones". They put a 25 mph speed limit sign up. A few hundred feet further they put a 35 mph speed limit sign. Just beyond the 35 mph sign they put a camera that gives out tickets for driving over the 25 mph speed limit. State law says that the school zone speed limit overrides the posted speed limit so if you see the 35 mph sign and think you're driving the speed limit you still get a ticket.
Maryland law says that the ticket is actually just a tax, so you don't get a court date and have no right to confront your accuser.
One of these speed traps was put up by the city of Gaithersburg. The only little problem was that it was actually handing out tickets outside city limits, and outside the city's jurisdiction. After it handed out millions of dollars worth of tickets it finally did get to a judge. One ticket was refunded and the trap was quietly moved. The other tens of thousands of people illegally ticketed got nothing back. In the meantime the revenue from camera's gives the locality little incentive to enforce traffic laws. Pretty much the only time you see a police officer handing out a ticket is when there's an accident.
If you think Maryland is the only state with these school zone traps look a bit more closely. I've found them in North Carolina too.
It's not for lack of trying. I've seen all variations on slashdot, from top to bottom. Fuck you. Fuck me. Fuck all of you. Fuck off. Fuck that. Nobody ever seems to respond agreeably. I've heard that's fucked up but I don't know who the fucker was. I've also heard that we're all fucked in the end. All I can say is that I have no fucking clue.
The amount of electricity required to cause an arrhythmia is small, but the electrical impulses used in the brain are minute. What about seizures? IFIRC the tongue has the densest concentration of nerve endings in the human body and it's awfully close to the brain. The downsides may be outweighed if millions of people reduce intake of sodium. But I think it's worth studying the risks.