News and views from the USA this week that didn’t make the headlines.Trump and grass-gate.Some people love Donald Trump’s bombastic nature; others condemn it. Witness his four years battling a hostile mainstream media, which revelled in calling him un-presidential..Whatever. Trump will always be capable of causing controversy, even on the golf course, which he did this week in Florida..A video posted on Instagram by Zire Golf shows The Donald pulling a major no-no in the links world, as The Daily Caller reported:.“Heading his way towards the hole to make his putt, Trump happened to be driving his cart on the green, not giving a single (bleep), pissing off golf traditionalists everywhere and making people giddy at the sight of him doing whatever the hell he wants.”.It’s been pointed out it probably happened on Trump’s own golf course, so he’s not breaking someone else’s rules..If he wants to drive on his own putting greens with his own golf cart, so be it. Another infraction is the daredevil standing on the back of the cart..It reaffirms Trump drives his own cart his own way, so to speak. .Regardless, two-stroke penalty..https://www.instagram.com/p/Co73EhejNOj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again.Strike 1: Sexism. Strike 2: Lousy apology. One strike left..This was in the headlines, but what the heck. .TMZ says it learned Don Lemon is one strike away from getting the boot permanently at CNN and he knows it..“Sources with direct knowledge about Don's situation tell us when the veteran anchor spoke with upper management this week to discuss his sexist comments and the path forward, it was communicated to Don in no uncertain terms the next time he insults his co-hosts or creates a toxic environment (on or off-air) will be his last with the network.”. Don LemonDon Lemon .TMZ also reports Lemon signed off on participating in formal training of some sort, adding it has heard from people in Lemon’s world he's not happy at CNN. .Another spectre looms in Lemon’s life: His ratings. Lemon’s numbers for his former primetime slot got him demoted to the CNN morning show, where his ratings have also soured. .As TMZ says, “Eggshell city at the Cable News Network, it seems.” .The Charger didn’t roar no more, until the ‘fratzonic’.There’s some irony that one of the highest-octane, gas guzzling muscle cars of the 70s was called a Charger, built by Dodge. Now, the company introduced an EV concept Charger at the Chicago Auto show, called the Daytona SRT Banshee.. ChargerCharger .According to Fox News, the car resembles the original, with a sporty, and yet mean look. Apparently, at first glance, die-hard muscle fans like the car, until they learn it’s an EV. Electric cars are quiet. Muscle cars from the 70s had a throaty roar from those gas engines that enhanced their appeal..Dodge believes it has solved the problem by adding what it calls a fratzonic (be careful where you put the ‘a’ and the ‘r’) chambered exhaust, which is a fake exhaust, that generates a more authentic sound like muscle cars..Muscle Cars & Trucks says “the fake exhaust creates a 126 dB roar by generating a series of engine notes through tubes, kind of like an organ.” The notes go through “an amplifier and tuning chamber located at the rear of the vehicle.”.Shift a gear and listen up here..You must heed the poppy seed plead.The latest enemy threatening U.S. soldiers is the feared poppy-seed, including the known bagel and bread variant, according to a memo from a senior Pentagon official, reports Vice News.. Poppyseed donutPoppyseed donut .Gilbert Cisneros Jr., the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, planted a warning to troops of the effect: “If you don’t want to test positive on a drug test, you should avoid poppy seeds” as some varieties could contain trace amounts of morphine and codeine due to agricultural practices..“Out of an abundance of caution, I find protecting service members and the integrity of the drug testing program requires a warning to avoid poppy seeds,” Cisneros wrote in the memo, released on Tuesday. “As more information becomes available, we will revise this policy accordingly.”.CNN says the concerns over poppy seeds resulting in positive drug tests are not new, as Cisneros pointed out in his memo. A 1998 study said drug screen cut-offs had been questioned because of the positive results “following the ingestion of poppy seed containing food products.”.Cisneros said recent data suggests some poppy seed variants have higher codeine contamination than previously thought..“Consumption of poppy seed products could cause a codeine positive urinalysis result and undermine the department’s ability to identify illicit drug use,” Cisneros wrote..But Elaine knew. She just knew..One step forward, two steps back.Slow, Joe. Go slow.
