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Thursday, August 25, 2011

13

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"There's Justice In The Universe"
Reminiscent of Somalia, in Yemen women have an average of 6 children apiece.  Unemployment is 35+%.  Their scant oil reserves are running dry --- and their water supplies are dwindling.  The 'imams' blame the West for the Arab world's poverty and preach that violent struggle will restore Islamic dominion / a message many of the disaffected young men in Yemen harken to.

Note: Imam, Anwar al-Awlaki (who exchanged e-mails with Nidal Hasan), is being protected by tribal warlords.

Note:  Yemen may be the most heavily armed society in the world.  There are 60 million guns for a population of 28 million.

Source: The Week
http://www.theweek.com/article/index/105058/Terrorisms_new_hideout

For more, use search parameter:
al qaeda yemen
Elders from the dominant Mehsud tribe of South Waziristan (currently a Taliban stronghold) have tentatively agreed to hand over wanted militants, not to aid terrorism and to not allow entry to foreigners or Pakistanis from outside the tribal agency.  The Pakistani army will stay and protect the tribes and reconstruct the region.  The agreement will be formalized Feb. 10.
Note: When Mehsud tribal leaders failed to prevent the rise of militancy after U.S. forces invaded neighboring Afghanistan in 2001 and forced the Taliban into Pakistan, thousands of Mehsud men joined the Taliban and 'scores' of pro-government tribal leaders were murdered.

http://www.wealth.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aFK0lzAHdmiQ
On Wednesday (Jan. 13), an object called 2010 AL30 flew by Earth at a distance of just 76,000 miles. That's one-third the distance from Earth to the moon.  Its relatively small size (about 36 feet wide) would not have had "serious" consequences unless it had hit a densely populated area.  What is "significant" is that planetary scientists suggest that the asteroid gave us a new standard: it's 'possible' for a 10-meter-wide asteroid to be detected two days before it potentially hits Earth.

http://www.universetoday.com/2010/01/13/images-and-videos-of-2010-al30/

And this, after Oct 6, 2008 ... when a small asteroid was actually predicted to hit northern Sudan.  Our astronomists are looking sharp.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/meteorite/
If your car's tires are over six years of age, you need to monitor their condition because aging tires can be hazardous:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24390155/

Since 2000, the week and year the tire was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.
Read:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=172

Take Action:
www.congress.org

After typing in your 'zip code', select 'federal officials' --- then type in your commentary in subject box.
My example:
"Because the age of a tire is relevant to safety concerns, I want that the date that a tire was manufactured should be clearly stamped in an easy to read fashion (not a code) on the surface facing out (whitewall side) for effective access."
Once again, during the winter months, global warming skeptics like to point to heavier snowfalls and stronger winter storms as "proof" that our Earth's climate is not gradually warming.  However, as a kid living in the Rocky Mountain region, I knew that colder temperatures reduced the amount of snowfall that we could expect.  This was important for my friends and I because we loved to ice skate -- colder temperatures and less snow meant better ice skating conditions.

Read:
http://tinyurl.com/y85pn9j

http://www.statesman.com/news/world/yes-it-s-cold-but-globe-is-still-166243.html

Google:
*global warming precipitation changes*

As for our current cold conditions, lots has been printed in the Statesman lately relating to El Nino and jetstreams, etcetera. In short, "Don't mistake 'regional weather' as being the same as 'global climate'"
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Watch (0:41):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbuq0YEIPNU&feature=popular

"A Japanese whaling ship 'collided' with a environmental group’s boat in waters near Antarctica yesterday.... the collision  damaged the Ady Gil, a powerboat that is part of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society protest against the Japan’s annual whaling expedition to the Southern Ocean. Six crew members were rescued by another protest vessel and the boat may sink.

"Sea Shepherd boats routinely dog the Japanese whaling vessels, which operate under a loophole in the international moratorium on whaling that allows a certain amount of whale killings for research purposes..... but American scientists indicate that killing whales isn’t necessary for the research Japanese scientists are conducting, and also the stealthy killings of other cetaceans, like bottlenose dolphins.

"While the Japanese claim whaling as an important cultural tradition, it’s also a lucrative business.... adult minke whales can sell for more than $100,000 each.... large numbers of minkes are incidentally caught in commercial fising boats’ nets while they’re pursuing other fish.... with minke prices being what they are you have to wonder how many of these whales are in fact killed intentionally. Researchers suspect the high numbers of minke by-catch may be more than accidental. Japan and South Korea are the ONLY International Whaling Commission members that allow whales snagged as by-catch to be sold commercially."

Read:
www.tinyurl.com/ycp5uk9
www.tinyurl.com/y8tq3fk

In addition:

For over two decades, Japanese ships have butchered thousands of whales taken from the icy waters around the Antarctic in the name of research. Measurements taken from more than 4,500 minke whales slaughtered since the late 1980s reveal the animals have lost significant amounts of blubber, and are getting thinner at a worrying speed. This is a big change in blubber (whales rely on their thick layer of blubber for energy and as insulation against the cold water) (the 9% of blubber lost is roughly equivalent to a not insignificant equivalent 36 fewer days of intensive summer feeding) and will make it more difficult for the whales to reproduce and to survive.

This indicates there have been some big changes in their ecosystem. Krill numbers in the water around the rapidly-warming Antarctic peninsula have collapsed by about 80% since the 1970s... krill are the tiny crustacean at the base of the food chain.  This is blamed on the loss of sea ice, which provide shelter and food for krill. Part of the problem is warming waters, but over-fishing for krill to use at fish farms and the ozone layer hole have contributed to the drop as well.

[It should be noted that shark populations and shark behaviors have also been impacted. And if we think that none of this effects humans, then we're in even more of a predicament than I'd thought.]

http://tinyurl.com/skinnywhales
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/26/whaling.conservation

Take Action:
http://tinyurl.com/4s57lw

Trace elements trapped in ancient plankton reveal that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels had been stable over the past 2.1 million years.  However, today's sky-high readings are anomalous.  Researchers are now preparing to drill deeper below the seafloor.

Fact: Plankton shells show that CO2 levels have never been so high in at least 2 million years.
Read:
http://discovermagazine.com/2010/jan-feb/085



Fact: The greenhouse effect is a reality.  Increasing greenhouse gases can only strengthen it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_effect


The holiday season triggers lots of 'buttons' that fuel various addictions that then prompt resolutions which are not usually realistic enough.  Most people who try to change these problem behaviors — whether it's overeating, overspending or boozing, smoking cigarettes etcetera — will slip... so what should you do instead?  For starters, don't berate yourself for being weak.  Instead, tell yourself, "I made a mistake. What can I do differently next time?  How can I learn from this?"  A resolution made to last for a year to stop drinking is almost certainly doomed to fail; but, a daily resolution made to not take a drink today stands a chance of succeeding.  A resolution to NOT use a credit card 'today' will more likely succeed if you cut it up. 

Read more:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1868965,00.html#ixzz0bOcJ6PeS

In the above article, pay special attention to the acronym SOBER (Stop, Observe, Breathe, Expand, Respond) to help resist relapse and deal with the aftermath when one does slip up:
  • Stop – Pause for a moment and consider what you are doing.
  • Observe – Think about what you are sensing, feeling and experiencing, and what events led to the situation.

  • Breathe – Pause for a few deep breaths in order to assess your situation in as calm a manner as possible.

  • Expand – Expand your awareness and remind yourself of what will happen if you keep repeating the unwanted behavior (and how you will feel afterward).

  • Respond mindfully / remember that you have a choice, that you are not powerless and that you don’t have to continue the undesired behavior.
Accepting responsibility for your actions is essential, as is acknowledging that one relapse does not signal a return to addiction or a failure of your efforts to stay clean.

The key is to be fully 'conscious' of your actions.  And if you 'choose' to smoke that cigarette, take that drink (or whatever your battle is), then do nothing else while you're indulging.  Make yourself fully aware.  Experience every sensation.  This will allow you to take fuller responsibility.

The steps in the S.O.B.E.R. acronym can be used relating to any negative behavior (lying, procrastinating, maliciously gossiping, egotistical oneupmanship, etcetera) if one remembers that there is the 'pleasure principle' tied to all behavior patterns.  The pleasure may be perverse, but it's pleasurable in some way to the person exhibiting the behavior.  If you want to change your personal behavior, then you need to become aware of why you find it pleasurable.
These 3 articles show that birds did indeed evolve from dinosaurs.  The third article may be the most telling.  Enjoy:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/12/22/study-velociraptor-like-dinosaur-had-a-venomous-bite/

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/09/28/four-winged-dino-clinches-the-case-for-bird-evolution/

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/30/elephant-sized-dinosaur-had-bird-like-lungs/

Supplemental reading / dinosaur lungs:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/08/dinosaur_lungs.php
"Xmas­ isn't a modern convention at all. It was used commonly in 16th-century Europe, when many people began using the term "Christos," the Greek translation for Christ, to refer to Jesus. The letter chi in the Greek alphabet is symbolized by an X and translates to "ch." So along with the Greek letter rho for "r", the term Xmas was used to refer to the birth of Jesus as an informed abbreviation, not an offensive one. Xmas was a way for Christian scholars to refer to Jesus respectfully in an ancient language -- not to disrespect his name with a harsh symbol. In fact, variations of "Xmas" date back to 1021."