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Saturday, December 22, 2012

Corporate Welfare Queens

Companies of all sizes and kinds are relying in ever increasing numbers on government giveaways for their profits.  Energy companies, telecom and mining companies' benefits are well published.  But billions and billions of subsidies, import quotas, tax breaks, beneficial regulations, etc, etc, etc feed more and more corporate welfare queens....

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/10/08/121008ta_talk_surowiecki

Friday, November 23, 2012

Iran To Push Population Growth Once Again?

Countries, when they are in conflict or war, they always think that a larger population makes them stronger.... Practically, Iran is in war with the U.S.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/14/us-iran-population-idUSBRE8AD0UZ20121114

Monday, November 12, 2012

Condemn Child Marriage

"Every year hundreds of Iranian girls under the age of ten are forced to marry even though it’s illegal. There is a mounting online international campaign in opposition to legislation pending in the Iranian parliament. This legislation would make it legal for girls between the ages of 9 and 13 to be married off by their parents without the consent of a court. This petition urges UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who is working to end the practice of child marriage, to publicly oppose the proposed Iranian law."

Comment: If this bit of legislation passes in Iran, it shows how backwards they really are.

"Fundamentalism means never having to open your mind".


Sign here:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Ask_UN_Secretary_General_to_condemn_child_marriage_in_Iran/?ejnFdab

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Blocking Unwanted Calls

My prayers about an efficient and effective way to deal with phone solicitors and predictive dialers have been answered.

Through Amazon.com, order for $59:
T-lock Incoming PRO Call Blocker with LCD Display and Blacklist:
    Blocks up to 1,500 telephone & fax numbers (up to 16 digits each)
    Stores up to 100 telephone numbers as incoming calls
    Stores up to 50 telephone numbers as outgoing (dialed) calls
    LCD display has 4 levels of brightness
    Line-powered (no external power or batteries needed ** Please ignore battery compartment).

Since plugging it in (took 2 minutes), no more predictive calls have rang my phone & outfits that do call are easy to thwart by pressing the call block select button.

Also read:
http://samslair.blogspot.com/2011/11/telemarketer-predictive-dialer.html

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

How Long The Economic Stagnation?

Q: Is the end of the yield famine still far away?

A: Yes. Very far away. We’re in a long-term slump due to massive over indebtedness. We’ve simply got too much debt for the economy to return to normal growth. Worse, none of the usual policy fixes — like debt-funded government spending — will work. Washington is likely to make our economic problems worse, not better, because the only “cure” is time — time for the burden of debt to decline.

Read:
http://www.statesman.com/news/business/is-the-end-of-the-yield-famine-still-far-away/nSsSg/?nmredir=true

Monday, October 1, 2012

T.E.D. (Technology, Entertainment and Design) talks about bacteria

Bacteria "talk" to each other using a chemical language that lets them coordinate defense and mount attacks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVfmUfr8VPA

Also on:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/01/gut-bacteria-on-fat-absorption.aspx?e_cid=20121001_DNL_art_1
Briefly:
Research reveals that bacteria may have social structures similar to plants and animals. Certain bacteria have the ability to produce chemical compounds that inhibit the growth and/or kill off other bacteria, while not harming their own kind or closely related microbes that are immune to the “biological warfare agents” produced
    Researchers are increasingly looking at the cascading ill effects of antibiotic drugs. Fluoroquinolones, a class of fluoridated antibiotics, are particularly dangerous. Serious side effects include potentially blinding retinal detachment, kidney failure, permanent tendon damage, psychotic reactions, and injury to your central nervous system
    Optimizing your gut flora includes avoiding sugar/fructose and processed foods, antibiotics (including conventionally-raised meats), chlorinated water, antibacterial soaps, agricultural chemicals and pollution. It’s also wise to reseed your gut with probiotics. Ideally, you’ll want to include traditionally fermented foods such as fermented vegetables in your diet, to protect and enhance your beneficial intestinal microflora...

More topics:
http://www.ted.com/talks

http://www.youtube.com/user/tedtalksdirector?feature=results_main

Quantum Mechanics, Backward Causality and Living Universe


"A series of quantum experiments shows that measurements performed in the future can influence the present. Does that mean the universe has a destiny — and the laws of physics pull us inexorably toward our prewritten fate?" or does the interplay of past, present and future simply follow the "laws of absolute cause and effect" aka "God's Manifestation Process".
Discover Magazine; April 2010; "Back From The Future":
http://discovermagazine.com/2010/apr/01-back-from-the-future

Rochester Experiment:
http://physics.aps.org/articles/v2/32

Electromagnetic Science and the Universe

Electromagnetic radiation is a stream of photons, which are 'massless' particles each traveling in a wave-like pattern and moving at the speed of light. Each photon contains a certain amount of energy, and all electromagnetic radiation consists of these photons. The only difference between the various types of electromagnetic radiation is the amount of energy found in the photons. Radio waves have photons with low energies, microwaves have a little more energy than radio waves, infrared has still more, then visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, and ... the most energetic of all ... gamma-rays.

Actually, the electromagnetic spectrum can be expressed in terms of energy, wavelength, or frequency. Each way of thinking about the EM spectrum is related to the others in a precise mathematical way. So why do we have three ways of describing things, each with a different set of physical units? After all, frequency is measured in cycles per second (which is called a Hertz), wavelength is measured in meters, and energy is measured in electron volts.

Note:
Electromagnetic radiation from space is unable to reach the surface of the Earth except at a very few wavelengths, such as the visible spectrum, radio frequencies, and some ultraviolet wavelengths.

Read:
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html
More about the Electromagnetic Spectrum:
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/emspectrum.html

Now read:
The Multiwavelength Universe
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/multiwavelength.html

Imagine the Universe Science:
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/science.html

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Double Rainbow: (downtown Austin, TX)

Late Saturday afternoon 9/29/2012, I was at my favorite coffee shop when, Lo and Behold, a most glorious sight appeared.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2597/3863356789_d340045cfd_z.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2597/3863356789_d340045cfd_z.jpg

When you see a primary rainbow, you are seeing light that has been refracted and reflected through water droplets, however the red color does not come from exactly the same droplets of water as the violet color. If you were able to isolate one particular water drop that produced some of the red color you saw, the violet light from this drop would not meet your eyes - it would travel over your head.

A secondary rainbow is produced when there is one extra reflection of light within the water drop. As some light is lost each time it hits the edge of the drop, the secondary rainbow is fainter than the first. It appears higher in the sky because the light exits the drop at a larger angle (50-53 degrees) than the primary rainbow (40-42 degrees).

Understanding optics:
http://www.mrscienceshow.com/2010/07/science-of-double-rainbows-omg-what.html

Friday, September 28, 2012

Psychosomatic: Interplay of Mind and Body

Generally speaking, psychosomatic illnesses are caused (or aggravated) by a mental factor such as internal conflict or stress because of the interaction of mind and body.

A psychiatric social worker told me the story of working with a client who had a psychosomatic illness. Once it was determined that it was a psychosomatic cause, they explained in specific detail how the mind and body work together. Once the client recognized and accepted the validity of what he was being told, his "illness" instantly disappeared. This encouraged him to accept that the root causes were emotional and thus became willing to pursue the counseling that he'd previously rejected. The followup psychological counseling was a success.

The key was accepting that the mind is distinct from the body. There's an interplay -- but they're not one and the same.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Countdown to Taxmageddon

Read:
http://theweek.com/article/index/229851/countdown-to-taxmageddon

Americans had approved government bond issues one after another for many years based on the popular premise of "growing out of debt". [Fancy talk for pushing the day of fiscal reckoning into the future. And why wouldn't we -- after all, that's the American infomercial way of going from rags to riches.]

Our nation is now running a $1 trillion annual deficit. The U.S. public debt is now up to 70% of the gross domestic product -- and growing. If the bubble doesn't burst, it'll be 200% in one generation. We need to reform entitlements and eliminate tax breaks. Otherwise our voters are no better than those in Greece.

My advice for individuals is the same now as it's always been:
Get out of debt no matter what it takes. Then learn to live within your means while saving 15% of your net income for emergency use only. A hillbilly living in poverty now is better prepared for "taxmageddon" than someone who's mortgaged to the hilt.

Taoistic Noninterference

Never force things to happen, but rather, let them happen naturally. Do not seek to interfere with or control nature; do not seek to interfere with or to control other peo­ple.
http://www.allsoulsuuindy.org/ser20090419.htm

Appropriate action is taken only at the opportune moment and on the right occasion. For what at first sight appears to be good fortune may ultimately prove to be to our detriment; whilst what seems bad fortune at the outset, may eventually turn out to be to our advantage.
http://www.nembutsu.info/hsrnonin.htm

Taoism (pronounced Dowism) is an ancient Chinese religion founded in the third or fourth century B.C. by Lao Tzu. Taoism also is called the water course way, for it believes that life flows in much the same way as a river. And like the river, though we are able to have influence over our lives, we are never able to take total control.
The Taoist prefers to look at life events without judgment or interpretation. According to Taoism, the true significance of events can never be understood as they are occurring, for in every event there are elements of both good and bad. Furthermore, each event has no specific beginning or end and may influence future events for years or even centuries to come. An excellent example of the Taoist view of life is found in the following parable of the Taoist farmer.
http://www.pediatricservices.com/prof/prof-47.htm

 “The highest form of human intelligence is to observe yourself without judgement.”
 Jiddu Krishnamurti

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Parking On A Hill: Engage Emergency Brake First


If you are parking a car that has an automatic transmission on a hill, apply the parking brake first -- thus allowing the brakes to do the job of holding the wheels in place so that the car does not push the "parking pawl" (ratcheting mechanism that locks the output shaft of the automatic transmission when it's engaged) ... to the point where it's difficult to disengage.  [I suggest first putting the transmission in neutral while holding your car in position with the main brakes using the right foot and only then fully engaging the emergency brake. Slowly ease up your right foot to test the holding power of the emergency brake. If it's holding the car firmly in position, then put the car in Park... ].

http://www.lowellsun.com/autos/ci_21541868/click-clack-talk-cars-can-mom-be-right

http://www.cartalk.com/

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Understanding The Road Ahead For Obamacare


The Affordable Healthcare Act was cobbled together to address two huge problems with our existing health care system -- 50 million Americans with no health insurance who rely on emergency room care (thus forcing others to assume the cost of that) & overall health care costs ballooning (driven by our "fee-for-service" system...
http://theweek.com/article/index/230357/the-road-ahead-for-obamacare-a-guide

Also read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fee-for-service

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Darwin's Antithesis

Extreme right wing Republicans are calling for a constitutional amendment outlawing abortions without specific exemptions for rape or incest. Congressman Todd Akin remarks that he opposes abortion because somehow women's bodies are able to block unwanted pregnancies. With these and many other examples of retrograde thinking (e.g., anti-contraception beliefs) manifesting itself in partisan politics, I sardonically reconsider what once seemed laughable -- that humans are de-evolving. [Do I hear the gathering sound of furry footed bipeds congregating in Tampa?]

http://www.kchronicles.com/comics/2012-07-14_deevolution-68179b28.gif

Monday, August 20, 2012

Downy Fabric Softeners: Healthy Fragrance or Asphyxiating Toxins?

Whenever someone uses Downy fabric softener sheets in their dryer upwind in our neighborhood, I can tell immediately . The chemically produced scented fragrance ingredients are designed to attach themselves to the receptors in your sinuses to create a lingering effect. They're also designed to attach for long lasting embedded effect on the clothing fibers as well. Since the product label does not include all ingredients because there are so many, I decided to look and see what my malodorous neighbors are inflicting me with (both those that I can and cannot smell). Those who use the liquid don't offend me until I get trapped in an enclosed space with them. I am not 'chemical sensitive', so I can only imagine the effects of this stuff on people who are.

It seems to me that baking soda or white vinegar would make more sense as fabric softeners.

According to the Allergy and Environmental Health Association, both liquid and dryer sheet fabric softeners are “the most toxic product produced for daily household use.”  Most of the popular brands of fabric softeners contain many neurotoxins (substances that are toxic to the brain and nervous system) and other types of toxins.

Search:
fabric softeners + health risks

Sunday, August 19, 2012

A Silently Growing Middle Class Tax

Social Security benefits are taxable at highly variable rates, with the poor and the rich benefiting the most. The middle class tax burden has been doubling each ten years -- and will triple in the next decade. Why? Because this tax is not 'inflation-indexed' -- means that more and more retirees at lower levels will be sending some of their SS benefits back to the Treasury. It's a silent tax increase that keeps on growing and growing.

http://www.statesman.com/business/personal-finance/the-middle-class-tax-that-keeps-on-rising-2437978.html?printArticle=y

http://www.statesman.com/business/personal-finance/the-middle-class-tax-that-keeps-on-rising-2437978.html

Thursday, August 16, 2012

One Bacteria Kills As Many Americans As Auto Accidents

"Clostridium difficile', "c. diff", is infecting a number approaching a half million Americans annually and currently killing 30,000+ annually.
Symptoms begin with severe diarrhea. It's spread easily by tough to kill bacterial spores that can survive for months on surfaces. Once they're on a person's hands, it's a short trip to the mouth. And now a hyper-virulent strain has evolved ans spreading through hospitals, etcetera.

Far more could be done to stop the deadly bacteria C. diff:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-08-16/deadly-bacteria-hospital-infections/57079514/1

One hospital wins a round against C. diff:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/usaedition/2012-08-16-hospital-infections-sidebar_st_u.htm?csp=obinsite

Sunday, August 12, 2012

The Prince Who Kept The Saudis In Line

Obituary:
Nayef bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, 1934–2012

"Even within the ultraconservative Saudi royal family, Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud was regarded as a hard-liner. During his four decades as interior minister, he cracked down on even the smallest real or imagined threat to the ruling House of Saud, arbitrarily imprisoning thousands of dissidents—including liberals, women’s-rights campaigners, and religious minorities. But in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., his ruthlessness made him a crucial ally of Washington, which looked on approvingly as he crushed Islamic militants inside Saudi Arabia....

"As overseer of Saudi Arabia’s internal security, he confronted three of the gravest domestic challenges the monarchy has ever faced. In the late 1970s, his security forces crushed a wave of protests by the country’s marginalized Shiites, and played a key role in ending the two-week takeover of Mecca’s Grand Mosque by Iranian-backed extremists. Following the attacks of 9/11, Nayef peddled the theory that the attacks were a Jewish plot, and denied that 15 of the 19 hijackers could have come from Saudi Arabia. But his attitude changed in 2003, after al Qaida bombed government facilities and targeted members of the royal family.
http://theweek.com/article/index/229668/nayef-bin-abdul-aziz-al-saud-1934ndash2012

"Prince Nayef, who could be equal parts charming and irascible, had long used his close alliance with the more traditional elements of Saudi Arabia’s puritan brand of Islam, Wahhabism, to block any movement toward political change. Political activists said they believed that his death would allow for greater openness in the kingdom because there is no other prince who wields such broad authority with such conviction."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/world/middleeast/saudi-crown-prince-nayef-dies-led-crackdown-on-al-qaeda.html?pagewanted=all

Comment: Remember that al-Qaeda and the Taliban are Sunni fundamentalists.

Fracking Made Legal Via Loopholes

596 chemicals are used in hydraulic fracturing, "fracking" -- 65 of these are known to be hazardous to organic life forms aka 'us'. Millions of gallons of this chemical laden water is forcefully injected into rock formations to crack shale layers and release trapped oil and gas. The modern fracking technology uses chemicals not previously used with the old fracking methods that also only used thousands, not millions, of gallons of water.

The oil and gas industry enjoy special exemptions and loopholes that would prevent other industries from operating in similar ways. The frackers are exempt from the Resource Conservation Act which would regulate the hazardous water from fracking. The Halliburton loophole exempts drillers from revealing what chemicals are being injected, thus bypasssing water safety laws. And yet another loophole bypasses the Superfund lw which requires polluters to remediate for carcinogens released into the environment.

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/insight/the-case-against-fracking-2434266.html?printArticle=y

Comment: Perhaps the word 'frackin' can be used as slang to express when something is vulgar and especially 'venile' (giving false comfort and false sense of security , usually caused by falling into a ruse and lies).

Additional easy to understand information:
http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/josh-fox/

Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phCibwj396I&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/613/index.html

Friday, August 10, 2012

July 2012: Hottest Month Ever in USA

July was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-08/july-hottest-month-on-record-in-lower-48-states.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-heat-julybre8770y2-20120808,0,1794675.story

http://www.weather.com/news/noaa-report-july-20120808

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/us-has-hottest-month-on-record-in-july-2012-noaa-says/2012/08/08/0fae675c-e169-11e1-98e7-89d659f9c106_blog.html

Fat: Preferred Fuel For Your Body

During the Paleolithic period, many thousands of years ago, our ancestors ate primarily vegetables, fruit, nuts, roots and meat—and a wide variety of it. This diet was high in fats and protein, and low in grain- and sugar-derived carbohydrates.

The average person’s diet today, on the other hand, is the complete opposite, and the average person’s health is a testament of what happens when you adhere to a faulty diet. Humans today suffer more chronic and debilitating diseases than ever before.

http://tinyurl.com/8nj8qz3

Deaths Of 10,000+ Londoners Caused By Volcano

Thousands of 13th-Century Londoners May Have Been Killed By A Distant Volcano
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/08/09/thousands-of-13th-century-londoners-may-have-been-killed-by-a-distant-volcano/

The Mysterious Missing Eruption of 1258 A.D.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/02/the-mysterious-missing-eruption-of-1258-a-d/

Graph of global temperatures:
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/02/MFRFigu2d.jpg

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Truisms: Wisdom?

PicklesB.C.





The Official Dilbert Website featuring Scott Adams Dilbert strips, animations and more

Rose is Rose


Pickles Cartoon for Aug/10/2012
Things that you cannot get back in life:

  1. The stone ...after it's thrown,
  2. The word ...after it's said,
  3. The occasion ... after it's missed
  4. The time ... after it's gone
  5. Human beings ...after they die
Pickles


Morality Vs. Ethics


Live Life Quotes:
http://www.livelifehappy.com/
http://www.livelifehappy.com/live-life-happy-quotes-live-life-quotes-live-happy/

The Wonder-ful Life:
http://anetizen.blogspot.com/

Thoughts Are Things:
http://michers.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog


Google: 'funny truisms'
              'life quotes'
              'comic life quotes'

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Obamacare: Not A Mandate

"The health-care law does not truly compel Americans to have health insurance; it simply levies a tax on those who refuse to get it, with no other means of enforcement. As a result, millions of people may decide that it's cheaper to pay that tax penalty than to buy a policy. Even with subsidies from the government, for example, it will likely be cheaper for a family of four living on $45,000 a year to pay the penalty than to get the most basic and cheapest plan offered on the exchanges. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that 4 million people will opt to pay the tax instead of buying health insurance by 2016..."

http://theweek.com/article/index/230357/the-road-ahead-for-obamacare-a-guide

Monday, July 16, 2012

Sleeplessness & Our Primal Blue Light Sensitivity

Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate and promote sleep, It's produced less of during daylight conditions -- however, any artificial lighting can dampen melatonin production (especially those high energy saving devices such as smart phone and computer screens and energy saving fluorescents, etcetera that produce 'blue light'). Blue light is part of the daylight spectrum and is detected by novel light sensitive cells in the eye (not rods or cones) that contain a photo pigment called "melanopsin" that is especially sensitive to blue light.
[This light detecting mechanism, intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (ipRGC) which regulates our inner sense of night and day, evolved before the ability to see.]

For those people who have a hard time falling asleep or suffer from sleeplessness in the middle of the night, this is relevant information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosensitive_ganglion_cell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin
Article source:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/15/156223/cant-sleep-it-could-be-the-ipad.html
 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/09/too-much-night-light-causes-depression.aspx
 http://theweek.com/article/index/231028/does-sleeping-with-a-night-light-cause-depression

Gadgets For Naturally Maximizing Melatonin:
https://www.lowbluelights.com/index.asp

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Fructose Corn Syrup Saps Memory...

Drinking corn fructose sweetened soda (and eating foods sweetened likewise) disrupts synapse communication in the hippocampus, a brain center devoted to memory and learning.  Conversely, omega-3 fatty acid foods (fish, nuts, seeds) benefit these synapses.

Studies also show that people with a genetic propensity towards dementias should minimize intake of all foods that produce glucose. Type III diabetes is popularly known as "diabetes of the brain" / the brain produces its own insulin.

Read:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/20838.php
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/alzheimers-diabetes-brain
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4315609.stm
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1673236,00.html

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Medicaid Expansion and Health Insurance Subsidies

On January 1st of 2014, insurance companies must offer "everyone" health insurance and charge all the same rates. Those without health insurance will pay a tax penalty; income based subsidies will help middle-income people afford health insurance. Lower income people will qualify for Medicaid.

Beginning January 2014, a single person earning less than $14,856 annually will be covered by Medicaid.... Despite conservatives' political posturing (e.g., Texas governor Perry), the U.S. federal government will always pay 90% of this program More at the beginning).

It should be noted that Medicaid runs with lower administrative costs and slower increases in overall costs than private insurance companies. The crux of the issue relates to levels of quality care.

My Comment: It's time to cut the jelly donuts and sodas and reduce the amount of time spent sitting. Get healthy.

Read:
http://tinyurl.com/7rnh3yj

Friday, July 13, 2012

Our Lord's Prayer in Aramaic

Our Lord's Prayer in Aramaic

Our Lord's Prayer in Syriac Aramaic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTRfUHIXBNc&feature=related

Abwoon d'bwashmaya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=KejGKjSYD6w

Galilean transliteration of the Lord's Prayer:
Avvon d-bish-maiya, nith-qaddash shim-mukh.
Tih-teh mal-chootukh. Nih-weh çiw-yanukh:
ei-chana d'bish-maiya: ap b'ar-ah.
Haw lan lakh-ma d'soonqa-nan yoo-mana.
O'shwooq lan kho-bein:
ei-chana d'ap kh'nan shwiq-qan l'khaya-ween.
Oo'la te-ellan l'niss-yoona:
il-la paç-çan min beesha.
Mid-til de-di-lukh hai mal-choota
oo khai-la oo tush-bookh-ta
l'alam al-mein. Aa-meen.
   

Matthew 6:9-13

"(Therefore, this is how you shall pray:)
Our heavenly Father, hallowed is your name.
Your Kingdom is come. Your will is done,
As in heaven so also on earth.
Give us the bread for our daily need.
And leave us serene,
just as we also allowed others serenity.
And do not pass us through trial,
except separate us from the evil one.
For yours is the Kingdom,
the Power and the Glory
To the end of the universe, of all the universes." Amen!

http://www.v-a.com/bible/prayer.html

Lord's Prayer in Jewish Aramaic / must listen to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8IJOgMVE1Q&feature=related
Then, google:
lord's prayer in jewish aramaic

CONTROL BLACK TURPENTINE BEETLE (BTB)

CONTROL BLACK TURPENTINE BEETLE (BTB)(Dendroctonus terebrans). This beetle readily responds to fresh pine sap (resin) associated with injured trees... are not usually a serious problem. They are most commonly found in stumps and injured residual trees following logging... the attacks of this beetle are usually limited to the bottom six to eight feet of the trunk of the pine tree and a large mass of pitch or resin will usually form where they attack... the first sign of attack by engraver beetles is the presence of boring dust in the crevices of the bark or on the ground. Also, it is a good idea to remove some bark from a recently-attacked tree to look for the distinct gallery pattern made by the adult bark beetle.

Treatment:
Use a Hand Pump Sprayer to saturate the bark as high up as you can reach, at about 3-month intervals.
1. PERMETHRIN: a. Brand name “Astro”  --  36.8% Permethrin;  Can provide protection for 3-6 months IF you saturate the bark well.  It’s probably best to spray in 3-month intervals. 
b. It’s easier to find than the other chemical listed below…

2. BIFENTHRIN:  Generally available Online; may be hard to find locally…
a. Brand name “Onyx” --  23.34 % Bifenthrin; also “OnyxPro” = 23.34%
b.“Talstar” = *** 7.9% Bifenthrin  ***
“BaseLine” insecticide  --  23.4%  Bifenthrin.

3. WHERE TO BUY:
a.Permethrin is generally available @ Lowe’s, HomeDepot, & even Walmart,but their products may NOT be labeled for use for Pine Beetles, so the correct concentration to mix may not be on the label.  So, it may be better to try a Farm Supply, or Feed & Seed.
b. Bifenthrin is available online…

http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/popup.aspx?id=1235
http://www.barkbeetles.org/pbb/pbbbtb.html
http://www.walterreeves.com/insects-and-animals/homeowner-qa-about-pine-beetles/
http://www.nypestpro.com/beetles/blackturpentinebeetle.html
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/trees/beetles/black_turpentine_beetle.htm

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

Be sure to watch at least from 09:45 for addictive qualities.... and from 07:30 relating to cancers.
14 minute video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9MH_tks_wE

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Countdown to Taxmageddon

Read:
http://theweek.com/article/index/229851/countdown-to-taxmageddon

Americans had approved government bond issues one after another for many years based on the popular premise of "growing out of debt". [Fancy talk for pushing the day of fiscal reckoning into the future. And why wouldn't we -- after all, that's the American infomercial way of going from rags to riches.]

Our nation is now running a $1 trillion annual deficit. The U.S. public debt is now up to 70% of the gross domestic product -- and growing. If the bubble doesn't burst, it'll be 200% in one generation. We need to reform entitlements and eliminate tax breaks. Otherwise our voters are no better than those in Greece.

My advice for individuals is the same now as it's always been:
Get out of debt no matter what it takes. Then learn to live within your means while saving 15% of your net income for emergency use only. A hillbilly living in poverty now is better prepared for "taxmageddon" than someone who's mortgaged to the hilt.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Political Outlook: Genes & Moral Values

From THE WEEK, June 1, 2012:

"Here's a simple definition of ideology: "a set of beliefs about the proper order of society and how it can be achieved." And here's the most basic of all ideological questions: Should we preserve the present order or change it?

"Political theorists long assumed that people chose ideologies to further their self-interest. The rich and powerful want to preserve and conserve; the workers want to change things. But that link has been largely broken in modern times, when the rich go both ways (industrialists mostly right, tech billionaires mostly left), and so do the poor (rural poor mostly right, urban poor mostly left). So for most of the late 20th century, political scientists embraced blank-slate theories in which people soaked up the ideology of their parents.

"But then came the studies of twins in the 1980s, which found that genes contribute to just about every aspect of our personalities. We're not just talking about IQ and basic traits such as shyness. We're talking about the degree to which you like jazz, your likelihood of getting a divorce, your religiosity, and your political orientation as an adult. Whether you end up on the right or the left of the political spectrum turns out to be just as heritable as most other traits.

"Researchers have found several genes that differ between liberals and conservatives. Most of them relate to the functioning of neurotransmitters, particularly glutamate and serotonin, both of which are involved in the brain's response to threat and fear. Other studies have focused on genes related to receptors for the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is tied to sensation seeking and openness to experience. Even though the effects of any single gene are tiny, these findings are important because they illustrate one pathway from genes to politics: The genes (collectively) give some people brains that are more (or less) reactive to threats and that produce less (or more) pleasure when exposed to novelty, change, and new experiences. Many studies have shown that conservatives react more strongly than liberals to signs of danger, while novelty seeking and openness to experience are among the best-established correlates of liberalism......"

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Conventional Fruit and Vegetable Pesticide Loads

Certainly helpful to your decision about which vegetables should be purchased organic and which conventional veggies may be safe, is the measured pesticide loads found on conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables.

    Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested by the Environmental Working Group and included in their Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce, these 12 fruits and vegetables had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organic:

        Peaches
        Apples
        Sweet bell peppers
        Celery
        Nectarines
        Strawberries
        Cherries
        Lettuce
        Grapes (imported)
        Pears
        Spinach
        Potatoes

    In contrast, these foods were found to have the lowest residual pesticide load, making them the safest bet among conventionally grown vegetables:

        Broccoli
        Eggplant
        Cabbage
        Banana
        Kiwi
        Asparagus
        Sweet peas (frozen)
        Mango
        Pineapple
        Sweet corn (frozen)
        Avocado
        Onion

    So if you need to work within a certain budget, use this information to help guide you to the best choices when it comes to lowering your overall pesticide exposure.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/29/recommended-vegetable-list.aspx

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Chen Guangcheng: Wife's Life Threatened

Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist in China, forced Chinese authorities to reveal the true nature of China's authoritarian government when Chinese officials forced him to leave the American embassy in Bejing by warning him that his wife would be "beaten to death" if he stayed. [The Chinese autocrats feel that they've lost face -- but it wasn't Chen who stole it / the brutishness of Chinese elites that revealed itself spontaneously in very clear terms].

http://theweek.com/article/search?keywords=chen+guangcheng

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Cohabitation: A Slippery Slope

Couples who cohabitate tend to think of it as a safe first step before marriage.... "auditioning" their partners while the slippery slope of postponing commitment slides them past the trial phase into shared leases and contracts, furniture, pets, friends, etcetera... drifting into marriage while leaving them secretly wondering in they consciously chose their mate or not.
Search: "cohabitation"

Then realize that mentally and emotionally 'healthy' human animals tend to bond strongly with their sexual partners in a hard wired manner.
http://evolbiol.ru/large_files/naked_ape.pdf

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

7 Worst Days On Planet Earth

"Earth may seem like the most hospitable planet in the solar system. But look again. Startling new discoveries reveal the blue planet has been plagued by more chaos and destruction than scientists once imagined. Stand on the Earth billions of years ago as a primitive planet slams into it. Shiver as our entire globe is frozen over like a gigantic snowball. Feel the heat as mammoth volcanoes scorch the landscape and darken the sky. From a cosmic gamma ray burst frying away the ozone layer to an Everest-size asteroid slamming into the ocean, we'll reveal new information about how these unparalleled events drove life to the brink of total extinction. Out of this continuous devastation, how has our planet--and life--got to where it is today? Are the worst days behind us--or lurking in the distant future?"
http://www.history.com/shows/the-universe/videos/the-universe-worst-days-on-planet-earth#the-universe-worst-days-on-planet-earth

(44:00)YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mNMex76stE
This History channel video is loaded with much interesting information. For example:
We have about 500,000 years left on planet Earth where we will experience tolerable temperatures (about like the last 500,000 / includes ice ages). That's because solar radiance increases about 10% each billion years.

Related Videos:
http://tinyurl.com/cgzt49z

http://www.history.com/shows/the-universe/videos/playlists/full-episodes#the-universe-alien-galaxies

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Head Lice: Natural Treatment Products

As a retired public school teacher, I can attest to the need for naturally safe and effective treatments for head lice. Therefore, the following statement is significant:
"Researchers have compared the effectiveness of a coconut oil and anise spray versus the commonly prescribed permethrin lotion for the treatment of head lice. The coconut oil/anise spray was significantly more effective at treating head lice, successfully curing 82 percent of cases, compared to the 42 percent cure rate of permethrin lotion."

Neem oil as cure and preventative:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4431021_treat-head-lice-neem-oil.html

http://zaplicenotkids.com/en/faq.php

Product:
http://zaplicenotkids.com/en/

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZmHQXcQWUo

Friday, April 13, 2012

Humane Society & United Egg Producers...

.... joined forces to support new federal standards that would provide more space for hens. However, some factory farms are staunchly opposed -- fearing federal concern for animal welfare.

Read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/opinion/kristof-is-an-egg-for-breakfast-worth-this.html

Read and Take Action:
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2012/04/investigation_kreider_farms_041212.html

Look for UEP Certified logo:
http://www.uepcertified.com/

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

HPV: A Danger At Any Age

Oral cancers (oropharyngeal cancers) not related to smoking or drinking have reached near epidemic levels in America. Spread by oral sex, adult males are twice as much at risk as women. The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the causal agent....

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/02/how-can-you-get-hpv/index.htm

Note: As today's teens mature, the incidence rates will skyrocket. Teens don't think of having oral sex as serious in any way.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Racism: Rooted In Fear?

'Propranolol', a beta-blocker that treats high blood pressure and anxiety, reduces "unwitting racial bias", by altering nerve centers in the brain that govern panic.

http://tinyurl.com/dygfcop

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Causes of Oil Co$t Increases

The cost of a barrel of oil is determined by global, not domestic, commodity markets. Prices may surge because of increasing global demand (especially India and China / who also keep buying Iranian oil) and the threat of war with Iran  (which would disrupt oil shipping).

For naysayers: During Obama's presidency, domestic production increased 13%, while imported oil dropped to 45% of total consumption (down from 60% in 2005). What we need to remember is that the era of easy oil is over -- increased drilling and extraction costs in addition to increasing demand assures of us of continuing price increases.

Read: "The Week" weekly magazine

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Overfed Yet Undernourished...

"Hunter-gatherers consumed foods with high nutrition and low calories. Today, most Americans are getting the converse—high calories and low nutrition. Many are overfed, yet starving to death. Their bodies are accumulating fat and pollutants from intentional AND unintentional contaminants in our food supply, causing their biological systems to shut down and be vulnerable to a variety of chronic diseases...."

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/24/hungry-for-change.aspx?e_cid=20120324_DNL_art_1

Monday, March 5, 2012

Doonesbury's 'myFACTS': Funning Conspiracy Theorists

Irrational people can be a source of amusement after all:

Begin here:
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/archive/2012/02/06
and click forward one page at a time through to February11th
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/archive/2012/02/11

Now test your refurbished sense of humor:
Some people believe that "chemtrails" contain chemicals or biological agents purposely sprayed on the population by governments or other authorities.

http://contrailscience.com/
(includes good video)

Chemtrails Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5--Iq4FPyGU

Chemtrail conspiracy theory:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_conspiracy_theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conspiracy_theories#Chemtrails

Psychological Origins:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory#Psychological_origins

Examples of 'dangerous' conspiracy theories are the "International Jewish Conspiracy" and the "Holocaust Denial".

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Bill Gates: 'Do-Gooder' With A Dark Side

"It might appear as if he's trying to make a difference in the poverty and disease-stricken third world. But his collaboration with this evil company (including the purchase of 500,000 shares) suggests he has signed up as a lackey for the Dark Side..."

ABC's "Nightline (05:04)
http://tinyurl.com/7s7d5t9

YouTube Video (11:14):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnU5YaxOjuw

Special Chart: Monsanto and Fed Players
http://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2012/january/study1-big.jpg

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

U.S. Privatized Welfare State

"The U.S. does not have a significantly smaller welfare state than the European nations. We’re just better at hiding it. The Europeans provide welfare provisions through direct government payments. We do it through the back door via tax breaks.        

"For example, in Europe, governments offer health care directly. In the U.S., we give employers a gigantic tax exemption to do the same thing. European governments offer public childcare. In the U.S., we have child tax credits. In Europe, governments subsidize favored industries. We do the same thing by providing special tax deductions and exemptions for everybody from ethanol producers to NASCAR track owners.

"These tax expenditures are hidden but huge. Budget experts added up all the spending-like tax preferences and found that, in 2007, they amounted to $600 billion. If you had included those preferences as government spending, then the federal government would have actually been one-fifth larger than it appeared."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/opinion/brooks-america-is-europe.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Iran's Major Nuclear Sites Are...

If the U.S. attacks Iran, the following 4 major nuclear sites will be highest on the 'strike list':
1) the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and at Fordo;
2) the heavy water water reactor at Arak; and,
3) the yellow-cake conversion plant at Isfaham.

In order to hit them would involve the use of at least 100 planes (including tankers for mid-air fueling) to hit multiple targets a thousand miles away. They'd most likely fly over Iraq because Iraq has no air defenses and the United States no longer has the obligation to defend Iraqi air space. Penetrating the deeply buried Natanz and Fordo sites might be the biggest hurdle unless the U.S. provides Israel with the 30,000 pound "Massive Ordinance Penetrator" that was specifically designed for use against Iran and North Korea.

Read:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/avantgo/2017551929.html

Monday, February 20, 2012

Korean Novellas: "Boys Over Flowers" & more

"Boys Over Flowers" is an excellent South Korean 'romantic drama' television series (25 one hour episodes that has a meaningful and happy ending). If you watch the first episode and like it, you'll be hooked. Before you finish the series, even the most stoic of persons will have experienced deep soulful emotions. It's what I'd call a well written "Korean Novella".

Plot: Shinwa School is a school for rich people, attended by Junpyo (the heir of the global corporation Shin Hwa Group),  Jihu, Yijeong, and Woobin / who form a 'gang' called F4. Junpyo, the leader of F4, is the main ruffian.

Female student, Jandi, who is not from rich family, ends up attending Shinwa School when she saves a boy from jumping off the rooftop and is given a scholarship to quiet down all the publicity the incident has caused. The entire school worships the F4 except for Jandi. However, she holds a certain soft spot for Jihu, who appears to be different from the other three. Jandi finally speaks up against F4 to defend her friend, Minji. From then on, she becomes Junpyo's main rival. Almost every time Jandi is bullied, she is helped by Jihu in some way. Jandi and Junpyo's rivalry intensifies, but at the same time it is a source of amusement for him as Jandi has now caught his attention.

The story develops and Junpyo slowly starts falling for Jandi. On the other hand, Jandi's attention is on Jihu, her savior, but ultimately, as the story progresses, her heart is with Junpyo..... 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys_Over_Flowers_%28TV_series%29
It's viewable from many sources because of its high ratings. To watch online:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/boys-over-flowers
NOTE: Make sure your computer's ad blocker's in place.

If you like the above, then also consider:
Coffee Prince---
http://www.crunchyroll.com/coffee-prince


Attic Cat ---
http://www.dramafever.com/drama/35/1/Attic_Cat/


What Planet Are You From?, also known as What Star Are You From?:
http://www.dramafever.com/drama/31/1/What_Planet_Are_You_From%3F/


My Lovely Samsoon ---
http://www.crunchyroll.com/my-lovely-samsoon

Also, a really good one --
The Greatest Love:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/the-greatest-love

I Am A Flower Too --
http://www.crunchyroll.com/i-am-a-flower-too

Couple or Trouble:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/couple-or-trouble/videos

Fireworks:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/fireworks

The Secret Lover:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/the-secret-lover


Two Outs in the Ninth Inning:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/two-outs-in-the-ninth-inning

Queen of Reversals:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/queen-of-reversals/episode-1-573666

Dandelion Family (50 episodes):
http://www.crunchyroll.com/dandelion-family 

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Strait of Hormuz Shootout?

Reality: If the Iranians block the Strait of Hormuz, the United States will initiate a broad military offensive against specific targets in Iran -- conversely, if the U.S. or Israel bombs Iran's nuclear facilities, Iran will block the narrow strip of water separating Iran from Oman.

Question: What will happen if Iran merely says that they've mined the Strait of Hormuz? It'd be enough to stop all big oil tanker traffic. But would this trigger a U.S./Israeli military response simply because we might be looking for a justifiable cause to bomb their nuclear facilities?

To better understand this, read:
The Week Weekly Magazine:
http://theweek.com/article/index/223677/iran-the-showdown-over-the-strait-of-hormuz

Google:
Strait of Hormuz

YouTube (03:11)
A Threat Assessment in the Strait of Hormuz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXMhvPMyEho

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Iranian Clients & Our Best Approach???

"The alliance with Syria is the centerpiece of Iran's expanding sphere of influence... such as Iranian armed and directed Hezbollah, now the dominant power in Lebanon; and Hamas, which controls Gaza and threatens to take the rest of Palestine (the West Bank) from a feeble Fatah. Additionally, Iran exerts growing pressure on Afghanistan to the east and growing influence in Iraq to the west. Tehran has even extended its horizon to Latin America.

"Of all these clients, Syria is the most important. It's the only Arab state openly allied with non-Arab Iran. This is significant because the Arabs see the Persians as having had centuries-old designs to dominate the Middle East. Indeed, Iranian arms and trainers, transshipped to Hezbollah through Syria, have given the Persians their first outpost on the Mediterranean in 2,300 years.

"But the Arab-Iranian divide is not just national/ethnic. It is sectarian. The Arabs are overwhelmingly Sunni. Iran is Shiite. The Arab states fear Shiite Iran infiltrating the Sunni homeland through (apart from Iraq) Hezbollah in Lebanon, and through Syria, run by Assad's Alawites, a heterodox offshoot of Shiism.

"Which is why the fate of the Assad regime is geopolitically crucial. It is, of course, highly significant for reasons of democracy and human rights as well. Syrian Baathism, while not as capricious and deranged as the Saddam Hussein variant, runs a ruthless police state that once killed 20,000 in Hama, and has now killed more than 5,400 during the current uprising.

"Human rights -- decency -- is reason enough to do everything we can to bring down Assad. But strategic opportunity compounds the urgency. With its archipelago of clients anchored by Syria, Iran is today the greatest regional threat -- to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states terrified of Iranian nuclear hegemony; to traditional regimes menaced by Iranian jihadist subversion; to Israel, which the Islamic republic has pledged to annihilate; to America and the West, whom the mullahs have vowed to drive from the region.

"No surprise that the Arab League, many of whose members are no tenderhearted humanitarians, is pressing hard for Assad's departure. His fall would deprive Iran of an intra-Arab staging area and sever its corridor to the Mediterranean. Syria would return to the Sunni fold. Hezbollah, Tehran's agent in Lebanon, could be next, withering on the vine without Syrian support and Iranian materiel. And Hamas would revert to Egyptian patronage.

"At the end of this causal chain, Iran, shorn of key allies and already reeling from economic sanctions over its nuclear program, would be thrown back on its heels. The mullahs are already shaky enough to be making near-suicidal threats of blocking the Strait of Hormuz. The population they put down in the 2009 Green Revolution is still seething. The regime is particularly reviled by the young. And its increasing attempts to shore up Assad financially and militarily have only compounded anti-Iranian feeling in the region.

"It's not just the Sunni Arabs lining up against Assad. Turkey, after a recent flirtation with a Syrian-Iranian-Turkish entente, has turned firmly against Assad, seeing an opportunity to extend its influence, as in Ottoman days, as protector/master of the Sunni Arabs. The alignment of forces suggests a unique opportunity for the West to help finish the job.

"How? First, a total boycott of Syria, beyond just oil and including a full arms embargo.... Third, a Security Council resolution calling for the removal of the Assad regime. Russia, Assad's last major outside ally, should be forced to either accede or incur the wrath of the Arab states with a veto....

"Make clear American solidarity with the Arab League against a hegemonic Iran and its tottering Syrian client. In diplomacy, one often has to choose between human rights and strategic advantage. This is a rare case where we can advance both..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-syria--its-not-just-about-freedom/2012/02/02/gIQAYVhVlQ_story.html

Map of Hellenistic World:
http://virtualreligion.net/iho/map2.html

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Movie: Jodhaa Akbar

I recently watched an excellent Hindi foreign film entitled "Jodhaa Akbar". Though the description is that it's a "sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa", it's much more than that. What I most appreciated was the spiritual awareness that though "the paths to God may be many, the Light is One". Or, as my paternal grandfather believed -- Different religions may think that theirs is the one true god, but there is only One God.

The movie very clearly shows what made Emperor Akbar a historically very great leader very much worth emulating. If you are aware of today's events in India and Pakistan, you'll especially appreciate what this movie brings to the international scene -- and why some in India were upset by it.

The movie is 209 minutes long -- and I'd have enjoyed it if it'd been even longer. I rented it via Netflix, but I think it's available online for free.

NYTimes Review:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/02/16/movies/16akba.html
..."they may not make 'em like they used to in Hollywood, but sometimes in India they still do..."

Official Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B_X2xOBpFc
Story:
http://www.jodhaaakbar.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodhaa_Akbar

Sunday, January 29, 2012

01-29-2012: Solar Flare Storms

"A string of massive solar storms have unleashed their fury on the Earth in the last 48 hours, just the first set of strong solar storms expected to hit our planet in the coming months. NASA scientists report that the most solar flare — the strongest one to date this year — erupted Friday from the same active region of the sun that triggered a raging solar tempest earlier this week... the latest coronal mass ejection (CME) was moving at almost 1,553 miles per second, warning that it could cause a number of disruptions."

Read more: http://www.thestatecolumn.com/science/focus-on-solar-storms-takes-priority-at-nasas-goddard-space-weather-center/#ixzz1ksufpsno

http://www.space.com/14387-biggest-solar-flare-2012-radiation-storm.html

Solar flares hit Earth with 3 effects at different times. First comes "electromagnetic radiation" which is mostly a concern for satellite disruption and astronauts in space. Next, radiation in the form of protons arrives @ 93 million m.p.h. -- followed by the "coronal mass ejection" of plasma from the sun itself (travels from one-to-four million m.p.h. It's the plasma that causes much of the noticeable problems on Earth's surface, such as the 1989 electrical grid outage in Quebec.

Note: Auroras are the visual effects we most commonly associate with solar flares.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_%28astronomy%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection

Solar storms and us:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30TXQkNBB9k&feature=related
1989 Quebec Outage:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1989_geomagnetic_storm
Austin outage Jan. 28 -29th???:
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2012/01/29/austin_energy_expects_to_have.html
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/power/

Thursday, January 26, 2012

New Germany: Economic Role Model

Germany is thriving because its companies make high quality products that people value. With a population of 82 million, its export revenue nearly equals China's. Germany annually exports $1.3 trillion in goods -- over $200 billion than it imports.

German workers log in less hours than workers in Italy or Greece -- Germans work 'smarter'.  Germans save 11% of their disposable household income -- twice that of Italians or Americans.

For the rest of the story, google "Kurzarbeit" and also click on link:
http://theweek.com/article/index/223191/the-german-economic-colossus

Magnetic Poles Moving

Earth's magnetic field extends from the Earth's inner core to where it meets the solar wind emanating from the Sun. Earth's field orientation changes over time because it is generated by the motion of molten iron alloys in the Earth's outer core. The Magnetic North Pole wanders, fortunately slowly enough that the compass is useful for navigation. At random intervals ("averaging" several hundred thousand years) the Earth's field completely reverses (the north and south geomagnetic poles change places with each other). These reversals leave a record in rocks that allow 'paleomagnetists' to calculate past motions of continents and ocean floors as a result of plate tectonics.
Note: The region above the ionosphere, and extending several tens of thousands of kilometers into space, is called the magnetosphere. This region protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_magnetic_field

The rate of reversals in the Earth's magnetic field has varied widely over time. 72 million years ago (Ma), the field reversed 5 times in a million years. In a 4-million-year period centered on 54 Ma, there were 10 reversals; at around 42 Ma, 17 reversals took place in the span of 3 million years. In a period of 3 million years centering on 24 Ma, 13 reversals occurred. No fewer than 51 reversals occurred in a 12-million-year period, centering on 15 million years ago. Two reversals occurred during a span of 50,000 years. These eras of frequent reversals have been counterbalanced by a few "superchrons" – long periods when no reversals took place


Magnetic North Change:
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/pole-shift-2/alarming-noaa-data-rapid-pole-shift/

Magnetic South Change:
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/pole-shift-2/pole-shift-north-races-south-crawls/

Magnetic Declination:
http://www.compassdude.com/compass-declination.shtml

Magnetic Pole Record:
http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/tour/AAmag.html

Magnetic Pole Reversals:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Geomagnetic_polarity_0-169_Ma.svg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Geomagnetic_polarity_late_Cenozoic.svg

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Haredim: ultra-Orthodox Jews

"Haredim", the black-clad ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews, number over one million in a country of 7.8 million people. The Haredim are the only group in Israel having more children today than 30 years ago.  They have much in common with their fundamentalist Muslim Middle Eastern counterparts. They're vehemently anti-feminist. They're also poor (because they're economically underproductive and living off of government subsidies that allow a 60% male unemployment rate). They do not serve in the military and they focus most of their attention on studying the Torah. Furthermore, they are even ambivalent about the existence of the state of Israel -- because the Messiah has not yet returned.    

Israelis Facing a Seismic Rift Over Role of Women:
http://tinyurl.com/77omr3a

Population Demographics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel#Total_population
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Population_of_Israel.png

Poverty In Israel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_Israel

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Rick San'i'torium: Right to Choose

"Over the years, Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum has made his stance on abortion clear: he doesn’t believe it should be legal for any reason. Rape? Incest? The mother’s imminent death? Apparently, none of these circumstances warrant the slightest amount of understanding or sympathy. His views are so extreme that he thinks states should have the right to outlaw birth control. What’s really frightening about this lack of empathy is the fact that, in 1997, his own wife nearly died due to complications from her second-trimester pregnancy."

http://www.care2.com/causes/rick-santorums-right-to-choose.html

New Anti-Choice Movement:
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=34c8251342e0f59c19bee1935&id=a7eab17ae0&e=efed61ba49

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Double Whammy => Dark Ages

Krakatoa is a volcanic island in Indonesia that dramatically exploded in 1883.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa#535_AD_event
Video Clip (03:25)
http://www.history.com/shows/how-the-earth-was-made/videos/the-krakatoa-volcano#the-krakatoa-volcano

As huge as the 1883 explosion was, it was dwarfed by an earlier 535 A.D. eruption that was so huge that the emissions into the atmosphere caused such serious climatic disruptions that historians have known for centuries that a cataclysmic event somewhere had occurred. Worldwide records from cultures all over the world describe the same thing:
http://www.flixya.com/blog/98639/Days-of-Darkness-AD-535-AD-546
The sun dimmed for 18 months which caused famines that toppled governments and upset the status quo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_weather_events_of_535%E2%80%93536

The "birth of the Dark Ages" began in 540A.D., when tree rings show that a global event occurred that stopped the trees from growing.  The Gauls and the Chinese recorded fiery skies & the sun only shone 4 hours a day for over a year.  The resultant Justinian Plague ensued and thwarted the reunification of the Roman Empire. The plague weakened the Byzantine Empire at a critical point, when Justinian's armies had nearly wholly retaken Italy and the western Mediterranean coast. This evolving conquest could have credibly reformed the Western Roman Empire and united it with the Eastern under a single emperor for the first time since the year 395.

 540 A.D. Comet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Baillie
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1354622/Comet-caused-Dark-Ages-says-tree-ring-expert.html