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Swedish Homestead – NEW Stihl MS500i – Chainsaw Review

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The world's first saw without a carburetor is here. Meet the Stihl MS500i. The "i" stands for innovation and injection. The acceleration is extremely fast and the power to weight ratio is amazing.

This is one impressive saw, for professionals, or at least people where money isn't a limit. Fuel-injection is the future everywhere, and probably will lead to a much longer life to the saw, and easier starting for sure.

NPR

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Assange’s Cat Has Left The Ecuadorian Embassy : NPR

But what about the asylum of Assange's cat?

The WikiLeaks founder, who was arrested Thursday, has been charged with conspiring to hack into a Pentagon computer network. Presumably, Assange's alleged illegal interactions with former Army intelligence officer Chelsea Manning are the main interest of law enforcement.

Then there is the matter of paw enforcement. (Sorry.)

While holed up, Assange famously acquired a cat. The cat, named Michi, is more well known by its social media moniker, Embassy Cat. More than 30,000 Twitter followers, and 6,000 on Instagram, followed the self-described master of "counter-purrveillance."

NPR

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Arkansas Panhandling Law Struck Down, Violates First Amendment, Judge Rules : NPR

When a panhandler approaches a car in the intersection — his hand out, his eyes wide — that physical interaction is protected by the First Amendment, a federal district judge ruled Monday when he threw out an Arkansas city's panhandling ban.

It's the latest such ban to be found unconstitutional since a 2015 Supreme Court decision made it harder for the government to pass laws having to do with the content of speech. That case, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, had to do with regulating church signs, but courts around the country have cited the case as they strike down panhandling laws.

In recent years, you see a lot more pan handling in Downtown Albany and not only in poor neighborhoods. It seems like panhandlers nowadays are more white, working class folk like you might see working construction years ago. I wonder if it has more to do with the heroin epidemic and people loosing their jobs and their homes, getting left behind on the street in the city.

My Neighbors Truck.

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Though shall not covet other people stuff. But I tell you I really like my neighbor’s lifted 4×4 F-250 on 40 inch wheels with a Cummins engine swap. Every time I look at it, I feel like I’m looking at pornography. Super nice truck, especially as it rumbles in the driveway.

How climate change could disrupt maple syrup production in Upstate NY – syracuse.com

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How climate change could disrupt maple syrup production in Upstate NY – syracuse.com

"Doug Thompson, 68, has been tapping maple trees since he was a kid growing up in the North Country. Like many long-time maple producers in Upstate New York, Thompson says things are changing."

"We’ve been making syrup here my whole lifetime,” said Thompson, who taps about 9,000 trees in and around Gouverneur, in St. Lawrence County. “In general, we’re seeing the maple season starting two weeks earlier than when I was a kid."