Science, Time, and Spirit

INSINKERATOR, LLC V. JONECA COMPANY, LLC, No. 25-286 (9th Cir. 2025) :: Justia Garbage Disposal Horsepower Claims Under Legal Scrutiny: What Consumers Need to Know The Bottom Line: A federal appeals court has ruled that Joneca Company must place disclaimers on its garbage disposals after finding the manufacturer's horsepower ratings mislead consumers about actual grinding power. The December 2025 decision highlights confusion over how motor power is measured and what those numbers really mean for performance—important information if you're shopping for a disposal or troubleshooting problems with one you already own. SIDEBAR: Who is Joneca Company? Understanding the Brand Portfolio Company Background Joneca Company, headquartered in Anaheim, California, has been in business for more than 35 years and manufactures WasteMaid brand disposals, the third-largest garbage disposal brand in the United States. Founded in 1985, Joneca began as an international marketing company pio...

The San Diego County Administration Center and Waterfront Park on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) San Diego County Sales Tax Push: After Voters Approved Pension Reform, Courts Blocked It—Now Taxpayers Face the Bill TL;DR San Diego County unions are pushing a permanent half-cent sales tax increase to generate $360 million annually, primarily to cover pension costs and unfunded liabilities totaling $3.1 billion. This comes after courts struck down voter-approved Proposition B (2012), which sought to transition future employees to 401(k)-style plans. Meanwhile, American households carry record debt ($17.94 trillion nationally), private sector workers have lost pension security (only 15% have defined benefit pensions vs. 86% of government workers), and AI threatens to displace half of all jobs—yet it's these struggling private sector workers being asked to fund guaranteed lifetime pensions for government employees through regressive sales tax...

  As Turkey's Dams Hold back Tehran's Water When Geopolitical Leverage Meets Existential Desperation, the Desperate Actor Has One Final Card TL;DR Tehran faces evacuation within weeks as reservoir levels hit 11-13% capacity. Iran's water crisis—caused primarily by IRGC corruption and mismanagement, not climate change—could trigger unprecedented military escalation. Turkey controls 88-90% of Euphrates flow through its GAP cotton project (a deliberate Aral Sea-style disaster), while international law and organizations remain powerless due to sovereignty principles. Iran possesses both conventional missiles capable of destroying Turkish dams (potentially killing 50,000-500,000) and proven cyber capabilities to hack dam SCADA systems—a reversible, deniable alternative demonstrated when Iranian hackers penetrated a U.S. dam in 2013. Western media buries the story under "climate change" framing that obscures IRGC responsibility and prevents accountability. The inter...