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Thursday, August 25, 2011

47

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"There's Justice In The Universe"


Some Of USA Intelligence Community’s Bloopers: 
-- Told President Truman the Soviet Union wouldn't have nuclear weapons for four more years just three days before Truman found out they already had them. Then predicted China would not enter the war just before 300,000 Red Chinese troops crossed the border and almost drove American forces into the sea.
-- Missed the Suez Crises (the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Gamar Abdul Nasser of Egypt, followed by an invasion by Israel, England and France to get it back.)
-- Misjudged Castro in both directions, first in his Communist affiliations, then in his ability to hang on.
-- Missed the Yum Kippur War.
-- Predicted that the USSR would never invade Afghanistan, lied that they'd missed it, and then failed to know when the Soviets decided to pull out. They didn't even think about what would happen when the Russians left, the rise of the Taliban.
-- They didn't anticipate the fall of the Shah and the rise of the Ayatollah.
-- They didn't believe that Gorbachov wanted to end the Cold War.
-- They completely overestimated the stability, success and prosperity of the Soviet Union. They had no clue that it had rotted from within and that it was going to fall. They didn't predict the collapse of the Eastern Bloc symbolized by the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.
-- They thought Saddam Hussein was too weak from the Iran-Iraq War to invade Kuwait. They believed the dissidents and encouraged revolts against him that failed miserably. They believed the same dissidents when they said democracy would spontaneously arise after Gulf War II. They helped massage the intelligence about WMDs to justify that war. They failed to predict Iraqi resistance to the occupation and even now, barely understand whom we're fighting.

--- And there’s many more … Does Pakistan’s nuclear ascendance ring a bell?
[ Does ‘cholesterol of the brain’ sound like a plausible excuse?]
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/28820


Iran’s Next Nuclear Gambit?:
      Keeping in mind that chess was ‘invented’ in the ancient land of Iran  & remembering Saddam Hussein’s ‘bluff and pretense’ over WMDs (a failed strategy), we need to be more than just “moderately confident” that the NIE has gotten their latest report right that Iran has suspended its nuclear weapons program.  Assuming it has, the conclusion drawn by some -- that this means Iran has abandoned its nuclear ambitions -- is not just wrong but also contradicted by the NIE itself.  Suspension does NOT mean abandonment.  The program can be restarted at any time.  The fact that huge amounts are still being spent on uranium enrichment and missile development--the other essentials for a nuclear-weapons program--while the weaponization part remains dormant is overwhelming evidence of a country that wants to go nuclear but is being restrained by international pressure. 
        We also need to take heed of ‘when’ the uranium enrichment and weaponization were halted: Fall 2003--before the rise of the Iraqi insurgency and while the shock and awe of the U.S.'s three-week conquest of Baghdad was still reverberating throughout the Middle East, scaring WMD pursuers, like Gaddafi's Libya, into giving up their nuclear programs altogether. Timing suggests that the American military option exercised in Iraq contributed to Iran's suspension of weaponization… and though the military option may not be necessary right now, there is no reasonable argument for taking military action completely off the table if the Iranians refuse to negotiate seriously.
       [ My Comment: Knowing that the US cannot single-handedly maintain an effective on-the-ground military deterrent & national resolve indefinitely, Iran will play this game of international gambits on as long as they have the strength.  Sooner or later, they’ll have nuclear weapons – unless they collapse from within before they can pull it off.  They (and other Middle East countries) have a burgeoning population with diminishing petroleum reserves, so they’ll likely implode anyway.]
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1692061,00.html




Classifying Iran’s Revolutionary Guard As Terrorists:  The number of “terrorists” targeted by the U.S. grew by 125,000 when we branded this elite group of ‘rogues’ as bonafide terrorists.  And although such an action dilutes the hard-won international consensus against such groups as alQaida, it does allow renewed pressure to be put on European banks and businesses that continue to do business with Iran.  Even though the Revolutionary Guard is part of the armed forces of a sovereign government, it has kidnapped and humiliated British sailors, armed and financed Ebola terrorists, and directly contributed to the killing of U.S. soldiers and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.  As long as Iran continues denying the Holocaust and working on building atomic weapons, this provides us with a tactic that doesn’t involve taking military action against Iran.  The Week (08-31-2007 issue)

Getting Real About Terrorist Threats:  The purpose of terrorism is to get us to overreact and put fear in our hearts.  But, let’s keep it in perspective.  Between 2001 and 2006, nearly 3,000 Americans died from terrorism, but 30,000 died from food poisoning, 240,000 died on our highways, and nearly 600,000 died from medical mistakes…. and regarding the fact that we want to put gates, guards, guns, and gadgets around things, the more important measures are about resilience in our infrastructure, doing a better job controlling loose nuclear material, and preparing for a disaster.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070826/3qa_2.htm


Saboteur Breeding Program:  North Korea kidnapped many Japanese nationals in past decades.  They were trying to breed anti-Japanese saboteurs.  In 1971, members of the leftist terrorist group (Japanese Red Army) defected to North Korea.  Delighted with this nest of Japanese supporters, Kim Sung II instructed them to “continue the revolution by giving birth to the next generation”… to be raised as saboteurs who’d foment communist revolution in Japan.  THE WEEK


Anthropologists Deployed In Afghanistan:  In an isolated Taliban stronghold in eastern Afghanistan, Americans are deploying a crucial new weapon in counterinsurgency operations: anthropologists and other social scientists. Their ability to understand subtle points of tribal relations - in one case spotting a land dispute that allowed the Taliban to bully parts of a major tribe - has won the praise of officers who say they are seeing concrete results.  The commander of the 82nd Airborne Division unit working with the anthropologists said that the unit's combat operations had been reduced by 60% since the social scientists arrived in February, and that the soldiers were now able to focus more on improving security, health care and education for the population.
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1601962007

Pentagon Deploys Culture Warriors In Iraq:  The U.S. military is utilizing what is perhaps the most controversial weapon in its counterinsurgency arsenal today: civilian anthropologists… christened with a classic military appellation — “human terrain system” ---  the teams act as advisers to brigades, mapping the relationships (human terrain in military parlance) of the power players and the local people.  The military has come late to appreciate the role that social connections play in Iraqi society, where divisions are not just geographic or religious but also familial and tribal. Understanding those kinds of connections, a key aim of anthropology, can be critical to forging alliances, assessing intelligence—and, military officials add, avoiding unintended consequences. [ My Comment: It’s about time!]
http://tinyurl.com/2z7hyw

Rampant Corruption In Iraq: Iraq is the world’s 3rd most corrupt country according to Transparency International.


Iraqi Journalist Silenced Baghdad Style:  Journalist Ali Al-Moussawi was killed during an Iraqi raid on his neighborhood in Sadr City. Iraqi National Guard forces raided the street where Ali’s house is.  One of the neighbors heard a gun firing after 15 minutes from the arrival of the Iraqi National Guard convoy to the street.  After Ali didn't answer his telephone, his neighbors called his cousin Amar who lives one block away.  Amar arrived in Ali’s house and found Ali shot 32 times, thus sending a very clear message.  Ali was a journalist for the very poignant and generally excellent Iraqi video blog/show, Alive in Baghdad.  They are collecting donations for his family via Paypal, but they themselves are also in desperate need of funding to continue the important work that they're creating.
Please help if you can:
http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/12/15/ali-shafeya-aib-special-correspondent-killed-at-home/


Kurds’ History Of Setbacks:  When the Ottoman Empire collapsed after WWI, the Kurds were promised their own country by the victorious Allies.  But their hopes were dashed in 1923 at the Treaty of Lausanne when Turkey's nationalist leader, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, secured much of what would have been Kurdistan for Turkey, in exchange for handing over Iraq to Britain.  Since then Kurdish aspirations to statehood have been resisted throughout the region.  After Lausanne, the British in Iraq launched a ferocious airborne bombing campaign against a Kurdish rebellion.  Successive Iraqi rulers used similar y brutal tactics, culminating in Saddam Hussein's notorious Anfal campaign of 1987-89, when at least 100,000 Kurds perished.  In one incident alone, at the town of Halabja, 5,000 were killed by poison gas.  When a Kurdish rebellion incited by America at the end of the first Gulf War was brutally put down by Saddam, the Kurds regarded it as just one more betrayal in their tragic history,  As the Kurdish expression goes, they are a people with "no friends but the mountains.   The Week
More:
http://www.theweekdaily.com/news_opinion/briefing/28977/briefing_the_stateless_kurds.html

U.S. Military Asks Wounded Soldiers To Return Signing Bonuses:  The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.  Now men and women who have lost arms, legs, eyesight, hearing and can no longer serve are being ordered to pay some of that money back.  One of them is Jordan Fox who was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle. He was knocked unconscious. His back was injured and lost all vision in his right eye.  A few months later Fox was sent home. His injuries prohibited him from fulfilling three months of his commitment. A few days ago, he received a letter from the military demanding nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus back.   But Fox feels like he's already given enough. He'll never be able to pursue his dream of being a police officer because of his wounds and he can't believe he's being asked to return part of his $10,000 signing bonus.
http://kdka.com/local/military.signing.bonuses.2.571660.html
Bill proposed to rectify the above situation:
http://jasonaltmire.com/article.asp?ArticleId=33

U.S. Troops Are Anthrax Vaccine Test Subjects?:  A recent report from the General Accounting Office (GAO) confirms that about 1-2% of individuals immunized against anthrax may end up with severe adverse reactions, including disability, chronic disease and death.  Even at that ‘seemingly low’ risk, when calculated across the 2.2 million in the military service, an estimated 44,000 enlisted could potentially end up in the morgue.  One U.S. soldier in Iraq is being punished for refusing an anthrax vaccine that has a questionable safety record.   Concerned about the questionable safety of the vaccine, he became even more concerned after he discovered the military wasn’t even handling the vaccine under the rules for storing it at the correct temperature.  The vaccine BioThrax, manufactured by BioPort (now called Emergent Biosolutions) is the only FDA-licensed anthrax vaccine available in the U.S.  Note that even BioPort’s own insurance company, Evanston Insurance, has sued BioPort, alleging “material misrepresentations about incidents, conditions, circumstances, defects, or suspected defects in the vaccine.” 
http://tinyurl.com/2cts5p
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54958

120 War Vets Commit Suicide Each Week:  Earlier this year, using the clout that only major broadcast networks seem capable of mustering, CBS News contacted the governments of all 50 states requesting their official records of death by suicide going back 12 years.  They heard back from 45 of the 50. From the mountains of gathered information, they sifted out the suicides of those Americans who had served in the armed forces.  What they discovered is that in 2005 alone -- and remember, this is just in 45 states -- there were at least 6,256 veteran suicides, 120 every week for a year and an average of 17 every day.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/68713/

20,000 Vets Not Listed As Brain Injured In Pentagon Tally:  At least 20,000 U.S. troops who were not classified as wounded during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have been found with signs of brain injuries, according to military and veterans records… the data, provided by the Army, Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs, show that about five times as many troops sustained brain trauma as the 4,471 officially listed by the Pentagon. These cases also are not reflected in the Pentagon's official tally of wounded, which stands at 30,327.  A survey of four military installations and the Department of Veterans Affairs, where combat veterans are routinely screened for brain injury, has found that about 20,000 people show signs of damage. The military lacks "a standardized definition of traumatic injury or a uniform process to report all TBI (traumatic brain injury) cases," Assistant Secretary of Defense Ellen Embrey wrote in a memo last month. As a result, it is hard to determine the scope of the problem.  [My Comment: This & other skewed data smacks of Agent Orange, etcetera.]
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2007-11-22-braininjuries_N.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2007-11-22-tbiinsinide_N.htm

About one in four of the nation’s homeless population is a veteran of the military.  Philadelphia Inquirer

Of the 2 million soldiers the U.S. sent to Europe to fight in WWI, only one remains alive --- Frank Buckles, 106, of West Virginia.  “It kind of startles you,” he says of outliving all his comrades.  The New York Times

Interesting Statistics Somehow Missed By The Media :
Below is some interesting data regarding deaths in the military. It's likely, you will not have read this in your local newspaper nor will you have seen it on the evening network news broadcast.
Deaths in the Military
1980 .......... 2,392
1981 .......... 2,380
1982 .......... 2,318
1983 .......... 2,465
1984 .......... 1,999
1985 ........... 2,252
1986 .......... 1,984
1987 .......... 1,983
1988 ........... 1,819
1989 .......... 1,636
1990 .......... 1,508
1991 ........... 1,787
1 992 ......... 1,293
1993 .......... 1,213
1994 ........... 1,075
1995 .......... 1,040
1996 ............. 974
1997 ............. 817
1998 ............. 826
1999 ............. 795
2000 ............. 774
2001 ............. 890
2002 ........... 1,007
2003 ........... 1,410 [534*]
2004 ........... 1,887 [900*]
2005 ............. [919*]
2006 ............. [920*]

Figures noted with an asterisk [*] indicates deaths as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Please note that more military people died in Bill Clinton's terms of office due to accidents and Somalia than have died in OIF/OEF.

What will be apparent with regard to the figures for 1980, during the term of President Jimmy Carter, there were 2,392 US military fatalities. This suggests that the network media and politicians pick and choose, presenting only details that support an
agenda-driven reporting.

Another issue that the media and politicians try to slant is that the brave men and women losing their lives are primarily minorities. The following, latest census shows quite the opposite:

European descent (white)......... 69.12%
Hispanic................................. 12.50%
African American..................... 12.30%
Asian........................................ 3.70%
Native American......................... 1.00%
Other........................................ 2.60%

And the fatalities for the past three years in Iraqi Freedom are:
European descent (white)........ 74.31%
Hispanic................................. 10.74%
African American...................... 9.67%
Asian........................................ 1.81%
Native American........................ 1.09%
Other......................................... 2.33%

Read in greater detail at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf

~We will defeat you because you love life; we love death.~ Osama bin Laden


Cornyn & Hutchinson Have Yet To Vote For Clean Energy:  In order for the Senate to move forward with a vote on the House-passed energy bill that raises fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon and implements a renewable electricity standard of 15%, 60 Senators must vote for a cloture motion. Unfortunately the Senate rejected the first attempt at passing this motion with a vote of 53-42 on Friday.  Tell your Senators to support a cloture motion necessary to move America toward a clean energy future.
Take Action:
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/VoteCenter?page=voteInfo&voteId=7722






“Panties For Peace” Movement Targets Burma’s Machismo Junta: 
Launched by the Lanna Action for Burma Committee, based in Thailand, this creative group learned that the thuggish military men oppressing the people of Burma are not only brutal, but also very, very superstitious. It turns out that one of their phobic beliefs is that they must never, ever come into contact with female undies, because even to touch a pair of knickers would sap them of their strength.  Thus, the Action for Burma group has invited women everywhere to ship their undergarments to Burmese embassies throughout the world as a calculated cultural insult to the ruling junta of General Than Shwe, who is said to be especially superstitious. One group of women sent 140 pairs of their dainties to Burma's embassy in Geneva, and Burmese embassies in England, Australia, Singapore, and several European countries are also under underwear siege.  In case you want to send your own message, the address of Burma's U.S. embassy is 2300 S Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/67239/

Pre- Old Testament Laws Sentence Gang Rape Victim To 200 Lashes+ In Saudi Arabia:  A court in the ultra-conservative kingdom of Saudia Arabia is punishing a 19-year-old female victim of gang rape with 200 lashes and six months in jail.  Her six armed attackers have been sentenced to 1-5 year jail terms.  Saudi Arabia enforces a strict Islamic doctrine known as ‘Wahhabism’ and forbids unrelated men and women from associating with each other.  Her lawyer, also a human rights activist, says the court has banned him from handling the rape case and withdrew his license to practice law because he challenged the verdict.  Note: The Saudi King Abdullah last month approved a new body of laws regulating the judicial system in Saudi Arabia, which rules on the basis of sharia, or Islamic law.
Furthermore:  More ominously, the court has said that if the woman appeals the sentence and continues to use the media to raise awareness of the case, it is possible that the sentence will be increased, giving the clear message that the Saudis also consider it a crime to shed light on their deeply misogynist laws.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071115145104.rykb7bub&show_article=1
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/68042/
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/68910/

Homosexual ‘Bias’ In Dubai:  There's the Dubai you usually hear about -- ultra-modern towers, luxury hotels, and fantasy playgrounds of the rich and famous.  And then there's the Dubai revealed by cases like the rape of a 15 year-old French boy named Alex, who was lured into a car by an acquaintance and taken to the desert where he was sodomized by three men.  Bad things can happen anywhere, but in Dubai when that bad thing is rape, and especially homosexual rape, the laws are a throwback to the Middle Ages…. the authorities not only discouraged Alex from pressing charges, he, his family and French diplomats say; they raised the possibility of charging him with criminal homosexual activity, and neglected for weeks to inform him or his parents that one of his attackers had tested H.I.V. positive while in prison four years earlier.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/world/middleeast/01dubai.html

African Fetish Priests & Sex Slaves:  The practice is believed to have started with offerings of animals to shrines to appease the gods for a crime committed by a family member. When a family had to atone for a murder, tradition goes, a fetish priest said an animal was not enough and demanded a virgin.  Families who do not atone are believed cursed, suffering disease, famine and death.  If a slave dies or a priest tires of her, the family must send a replacement.  It can go on for generations…. figures are hard to come by, but it is estimated there were about 5,000 fetish slaves in Ghana in 1999 and as many as 35,000 in the region.   A U.N. report says some 87% of the 2,000 sex slaves freed between 1997 and 1999 have returned to the shrines.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/life/stories/faith/08/04/0804slavetogods.html

Stop Rape In Congo:  Hundreds of women are brutally raped, beaten and killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) every day. In the coming weeks, Congress is expected to introduce the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA)– legislation that will increase protection and services for women and girls facing gender based violence, and will direct more U.S. funding to violence prevention abroad.  The IVAWA will increase U.S. leadership in responding to the violence suffered by women and girls in the DRC and around the world. Please urge your representatives to support the IVAWA today.  NOTE: In 2006, 27,000+ sexual assaults were reported in war-ravaged Congo… 60% of combatants in the Congo are infected with HIV.
Take Action:
https://my.care.org/campaign/iwdaction

CARE Provides Answers To Women Worldwide:  When girls living in poverty receive a basic education, they have lower rates of HIV infection.  Children of educated women are more likely to live past their fifth birthdays and have lower rates of malnutrition.  No country has reached sustained economic growth without achieving near universal primary education for girls as well as boys.  For more than 60 years, CARE has been a leader in the fight against global poverty.  Every day, they work with local partners around the world to enable girls to get the education they need to lift themselves out of poverty. 
Take Action:
https://my.care.org/campaign/iwdaction_alt
http://www.care.org/careswork/whatwedo/index.asp
CARE’s Charity Rating:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/3568.htm

End “Global Gag Rule”:  Legislation repealing Bush's “global gag rule” has been added to the FY '08 Foreign Operations spending bill.  Your support right now could help pass the important bill and reinstate healthcare and family planning services to millions of women around the world.
Take Action:
http://prochoiceaction.org//campaign/cong_globalgag_091407/

Garlic An AIDS Treatment?!:  South African Health Minister, Ms. Tshabalala-Msimang tells those with HIV to eat garlic and beetroot.  Her boss, President Mbeki, is supporting her.  Meanwhile, Johannesburg’s Sunday Times reports that she’s received an emergency liver transplant after her liver failed because of heavy drinking…a liver that was intended for someone else.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5319680.stm
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL20192885


STD Rates On The Rise In USA:  Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis infections rose again in the United States in 2006, the second year in a row that rates of these sexually transmitted bacterial infections increased.  The rate of chlamydia increased by 5.6 percent between 2005 and 2006, with more than 1 million reported
chlamydia cases in 2006 -- the highest number of annual U.S. cases ever for any sexually transmitted disease. According to the CDC, the reported cases of chlamydia are likely less than half the actual occurrence. The rate of gonorrhea rose 5.5 percent in 2006, with more than 350,000 cases reported, and the rate of syphilis rose 13.8 percent, with nearly 10,000 cases.  About 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year in the U.S., almost half among people ages 15 to 24.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/12/6/u-s-std-rates-on-the-rise.aspx

~Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.~  Douglas Casey



40% Deaths Worldwide Linked To Environmental Pollution:  A study has found that nearly half of deaths worldwide are caused or exacerbated by environmental pollution, including water pollution…. A Cornell professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who conducted the research, links 62 million deaths each year to organic or chemical pollutants.
http://cornellsun.com/node/23801

Chinese Bottled Water Proves Deadly:  A member of a Chinese family living on the southern island province of Hainan began vomiting blood after drinking some bottled water, so the family decided to test the rest of the water on a chicken.  The chicken drank the rest of the water from the bottle, and died within a minute, according to the Beijing News.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070910/od_nm/china_safety_chicken_odd_dc;_ylt=AszN2a7aGD5pHVx214txCv.s0NUE

Voting With Your Dollars:  We are not powerless consumers.  We're sovereign citizens who can send a potent message to corporate profiteers by voting with our dollars.  Buy Made-in-the-USA products this holiday season... and throughout the year!  Do such products exist?  Yes, again - though you wont find many at your local MegaMart.  Your best bet is to try local stores and Internet shops, where you can find a cornucopia of U.S.-made goods.  For example, a web site called toysmadeinamerica.com lists dozens of internet locations for all sorts of gifts you can buy for the tykes on your list - dolls, doll houses, wooden trains, space-age action toys, playscapes, puppets, puzzles, banjos, books, board games, tutus, marbles, pogo sticks, skateboards, wiffle balls, play kitchens, and so much more, made right here by Americans. Also check out usmadetoys.com, shopforamerica.com and madeinusa.org to point you in the right direction.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/69046/

Modern Chemicals Brought On Epidemic Of Cancer:  The increase in cancer is caused in large part by the daily allotment of poison that is the price of admission to our 21st-century world.  Cancer-causing agents, including asbestos, benzene, vinyl chloride, tobacco, the ADD drug Ritalin, aspartame, and untold pesticides, cleaning agents, and cosmetics found frequently in our homes. Even tests conducted routinely in emergency rooms, like CT scans of the chest, deliver as much radiation as 400 X-rays.  Skeptics will point out that the evidence against many of these potential risks is meager. But most of the real evidence may never come to light because scientists have been strong-armed into silence by companies who fund their work, and because, the human evidence as a condition of any settlement, lawyers have kept sealed. To keep us in the dark, she says, industry experts are framing the debate about radiation and chemicals using the same terms and PR strategies they used with tobacco.
http://tinyurl.com/yohjsw

Hidden Hazards of Air Fresheners:  Could the floral scent of your air freshener contain toxic chemicals known to cause birth defects?  NRDC recently tested 14 different air fresheners and found that 12 contained chemicals called phthalates (pronounced thal-ates), chemicals that can cause hormonal abnormalities, birth defects, etcetera… in addition to phthalates, air fresheners may contain allergens, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde.
http://www.simplesteps.org/content/view/0/147/37
http://www.nrdc.org/health/home/airfresheners/fairfresheners.pdf
http://www.nrdc.org/health/home/airfresheners.asp

Mind Control Through Your Nose:  The practice of ‘scent marketing’ (injecting fragrances into the air customers  breathe) is on the rise... because smell has an unrivaled power to evoke emotion, and this power can be harnessed to boost sales.  Hundreds of companies already set your mood with piped-in aromas, in everything from real estate show rooms to shoe stores.  ScentAir, a producer of aroma-marketing systems, stated their business quadrupled between 2005 and 2006… up to $80 million is being spent on scent marketing in 2006 alone in order to entice people to make quicker decisions, be willing to pay more, and be so emotionally engaged that they are removed from the rational part of their behavior. [ My Comment: I don’t appreciate being forced to breathe in molecules of artificial chemicals.  I call that ‘air pollution’.]
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/09/29/mind-control-through-your-nose.aspx
http://tinyurl.com/27yd28

Teflon Sticks To Us Forever:  For decades, DuPont has sold the answer to crud, gunk, and grime.  What the company didn't advertise was that its nonstick wonder sticks—to us.  DuPont has always known more about Teflon than it let on. Two years ago the EPA fined the company $16.5 million—the largest administrative fine in the agency's history—for covering up decades' worth of studies indicating that ‘pfoa’ could cause health problems such as cancer, birth defects, and liver damage.  Breathing in dust from Teflon-treated rugs or upholstery as they wear down is one way we may be ingesting ‘pfoa’.  Food is another: Pizza-slice paper, microwave-popcorn bags, ice cream cartons, and other food packages are often lined with Zonyl, another DuPont brand.  Technically, Zonyl does not contain pfoa, but it is made with fluorotelomer chemicals that break down into pfoa.  Regardless of how it gets into our bodies, once there, pfoa stays—quietly accumulating in our tissues, for a lifetime.   Teflon is not the only nonstick, non-stain brand that has turned out to be stickier than advertised.  Scotchgard and Gore-Tex, to name just two, are also made with pfoa or other perfluorochemicals (pfcs).
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/05/teflon_is_forever.html?src=email&link=id_20071031_ss1_teflon_is_forever

Methyl Bromide: Ozone-depleting & Cancer-causing Pesticide --  The continued use of methyl bromide on fruits and vegetables across the country compromises both public health and the environment by exposing many to a chemical that is carcinogenic.  Methyl bromide is an ozone-depleting chemical that was supposed to have been phased out by 2005, according to the Montreal Protocol, which President Reagan signed in 1987.  For the past several years, the Bush administration has requested exemptions from the phase-out for a variety of agricultural uses.  The European Union has already banned methyl bromide and proven the efficacy of a number of alternative products, evidence the United States has ignored while manufacturing more of the chemical and building large stockpiles.
[Copy & paste this into a letter to your representatives:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/ ]
Read more:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_7218.cfm
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=112
Take Action:
http://action.panna.org/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=693

Is Hydroponic Produce Organic?:  Watch and listen ---
http://www.enviroblog.org/2007/07/ask_ewg_hydroponic_produce.htm

Use Unfluoridated Water For Infants:  The American Dental Association and the CDC are now suggesting that parents of newborns may wish to consider using unfluoridated water when mixing infant milk formula for their babies
http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/safety/infant_formula.htm#1
Note: Overfluoridation diminishes IQ as well… though to what extent is still under study.

Fluoridated Babies aka ‘Fluorosis’ (and some adults):  The recommended dosage level for babies is zero.  What do they receive in reality?  And older kids and adults are also impacted when the application of fluoride is systemic and not topical.  We’re not just talking about teeth.
09:12  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DTQlflYHnY

The Truth About Fluoride:  This is a short one & should NOT be missed!
02:24 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpjpHJEgjDw&mode=related&search=

Fluoride Action:
http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=8276
http://www.fluorideaction.net/
http://asiseeit.statesmanblogs.com/entry.aspx?q=d1a6b543-b714-4187-96ff-99a500ebd71a

Labeling Milk For Artificial ‘rGBH’ Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone:   The Governor of Pennsylvania is trying to make it illegal for dairies to label their milk as "hormone-free."  Consumers have a right to know what's in their milk, and dairies have a right to tell them.   This isn't just a Pennsylvania issue. This ban applies to all dairy products sold in the state, so it affects dairies all over the country.  Moreover, if this labeling ban goes into effect, it could be the first domino to fall, setting off a chain reaction in other states.
Take Action:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1185/t/741/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=21868

~I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. ~  Will Rogers





My Editorial -- People Who Feed Deer create problems both for their neighbors & for the deer.  After having had to keep my dog indoors because of the increased tick population in our area caused by roving deer, I’m writing this after talking with a pest control technician who verified what I’d suspected.  Namely, that the ticks (Ixodes scapularis),  plaguing dogs are being extensively spread by the deer.  These are the same large ‘hoofed ruminants’ who have led to the ‘totaling’ of two friends’ cars and ‘inflicted’ personal injuries.  [ Note: Nationwide, there are annually 1½+ million reported car crashes and an unspecified number of human fatalities and injuries / and this doesn’t include the suffering experienced by the deer]. 

Deer have become pests that destroy young native trees and bushes as well as devour yard plants (their “habitat destruction” of the understory needed by other flora and fauna is notorious).  And let’s not forget that deer serve as hosts for Lyme disease, West Nile virus, ‘blue tongue’, etcetera…. anytime there’s an increased population density of a species, disease will serve to help limit their numbers.  Starvation is also an ‘ironic’ and negative long term effect of humans feeding deer.  The deer population in the US is 40+ times greater than it was in the days of old when natural predators kept their population in check and forests were more prevalent (modern conditions provide them with more brush upon which to forage). Note: A lack of predators allows the deer to graze things closer to the ‘nib’ and helps to decrease forest growth.

So, if you’re buying a bag of cracked corn at the grocery store to take home for your “pet” deer & someone like me is giving you an “Oh No” kind of look, remember that deer are wild creatures… and you’re only compounding the variety of problems experienced because of their overpopulation.  If you want to attract wildlife to watch, then water the birds… leave the deer and squirrels alone / they’re better off without human ministrations.
http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/Extension/DiagnosticLab/IDLFS/DeerTicks/DeerTicks.html
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/lyme/information/statistics/
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/preserves/whatis.htm
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Odocoileus_virginianus.html
http://www.nhptv.org/Natureworks/whitetaileddeer.htm
http://www.snopes.com/photos/accident/durango.asp
http://urbangrounds.com/2005/11/08/deer-stats/
http://www.car-accidents.com/deer-car-auto-accidents.html
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=106854
Watch Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv6d4Wc6B6M

Texas Injustice Needs Remedy:  In Texas, when you run a red light (and where there is no signs of impairment or speeding) and someone is killed or injured, it is not a criminal case / in other words, a person who is otherwise driving prudently who runs a red light is NOT a criminal offender.  To illustrate, David Finch of Round Rock, a driver who ran a red light and killed two people last February, was never tested for alcohol or drugs, was never forced to surrender his license,& never was charged with a crime.... and, now,  it looks like he will walk — without even a ticket…and he has not yet apologized for his misdeed.  It’s not a question of innocence or guilt in this case… there were witnesses.  It’s a question of the law in a state where there are still people who (for some arcane reasons) resist even the idea of having cameras put at intersections to discourage the running of red lights. [Note: My brother was killed by someone who did as Finch did.]
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/11/20/1121phillips_edit.html
Take Action (write to your state representative, senator, and governor)… just enter your zip code to start):
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

Military Sonar Tests Endanger Whales:  High-intensity sonar blasts whales with noise billions of times more intense than levels known to disturb them and can cause their internal organs to hemorrhage.  Scientists have linked the use of mid-frequency military sonar to hundreds of whale strandings and deaths around the world.
For more reading & video:
http://www.savebiogems.org/whales/
Take Action:
http://www.nrdc.org/action/

 

Hutchison & Cornyn Blocking Renewable Energy:  Powerful energy companies are trying hard to get renewable energy, like wind and solar power, stricken from the energy bill coming up for a vote any day now. And they've recruited Texas Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn.  With oil prices at an all-time high and with daily reminders of global warming, America desperately needs to move toward a new energy future today.  Sign the petition asking Sens. Hutchison and Cornyn to drop their opposition to renewable energy.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/energy/stories/110707dnbuswindpower.3339828.html
Take Action:
http://www.environmenttexas.org/action/energy/renewable-petition?id4=ES

Ethanol Is NOT The Answer:  Ford & GM vehicles were responsible for over one-fourth of the carbon emissions from cars in the United States in 2004.  Both companies continue to resist a rise in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, and both promote ethanol as a viable part of the solution to global warming and energy security.  However, ethanol-fueled cars are less fuel-efficient and using current technologies can even produce more global warming emissions than gasoline-fueled cars The corn that goes into ethanol takes massive amounts of energy, water, and land to produce, and using it for fuel takes away food.  Instead of promoting ethanol, automobile manufacturers need to improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicles to 40 mpg by 2012 and 55 mpg by 2020, and increase their production of hybrid and plug-in vehicles.
Take Action:
http://www.coopamerica.org/takeaction/fordandgm/index.cfm

SAVE Act (Secure America with Verification and Enforcement Act)….  is an important, bi-partisan attempt to remedy our immigration crisis by enforcing our immigration laws. HR 4088 has over 90 co-sponsors, equally supported by Democrats and Republicans. The impressive amount of initial support makes this a unique effort to restructure immigration policy.  It will:
>Stipulate that no deduction shall be allowed for any wages paid to illegal aliens;
>Provide for additional border patrol agents and new surveillance and communication technology;
>Authorize additional officers for the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service to protect sensitive, borderlands.
Click on ‘fax congress free’@
http://www.numbersusa.com/interests/attrition.html
http://www.numbersusa.com/hottopic/shuleralertnov07.html

Humans Eating Apes:  Great apes -- gorillas, chimpanzees, and booboos -- are being hunted to extinction for commercial bush meat in the equatorial forests of west and central Africa.  A ragged far flung army of a few thousand commercial bush meat hunters supported by the timber industry infrastructure will illegally shoot and butcher more than two billion dollars worth of wildlife this year, including as many as 8,000 endangered great apes.  People pay a premium to eat more great apes each year than are now kept in all the zoos and laboratories of the world.  If the slaughter continues at its current pace, the remaining wild apes in Africa will be gone within the next fifteen to fifty years. Along with them will vanish most of the equatorial rain forest, and the cultures of indigenous people who have lived there for millennia.
http://bushmeat.net/about.html
TAKE ACTION:
http://www.bushmeat.org/promise.html

TV E-waste Accelerating:  Last year 45.5 million TVs were sold around the world.  Americans will buy 30 million digital TVs in 2007 alone.  With the popularity of flat screen and hi-definition TVs replacing older boxes, the sheer volume of electronic waste has gotten out of control.  Only 12% of “e-waste” is recycled because there are simply too few options for convenient recycling. It’s time to hold TV manufacturers responsible.  Despite making billions in profits importing and selling TVs, manufacturers currently play no role in safely dealing with the waste.  But recently, Sony has taken a leadership role by launching the first “TV Take-Back Program” in the United States. The gateway is now open for others to follow.
http://takebackmytv.com/page/content/resources/
Take Action:
http://takebackmytv.com/page/speakout/TakeBackMyTV?js=true

Fight ‘Binding Mandatory Arbitration’:  We all sign confusing contracts written in tiny print whenever we get a new credit card, cable service, insurance or even when we take a new job. Unfortunately, companies have started to slip Binding Mandatory Arbitration (BMA) clauses into the legalese. It may sound benign, but it’s not.  Binding mandatory arbitration essentially privatizes the judicial process. By signing your name on the dotted line, you forfeit your right to a trial by jury. Just consider: If someone steals your identity to buy a $4,000 plasma TV and the credit card company want you to pay for it, the dispute completely bypasses the courtroom and goes straight to a for-profit arbitrator. 
These arbitrators make their exorbitant salaries from repeat business by the credit card companies - so it is no surprise they find in their favor nearly all of the time.  But, there is something you can do about this! 
Take Action:
http://tinyurl.com/2lo2e6
Take More Action:
http://action.citizen.org/content.jsp?content_KEY=654&t=GiveNoNav.dwt

~ Honor can only earned by living honorably.~  everyman



Utilize TV Watching To Improve Your Older Children’s Reading:  Mute the TV and turn the scripting on.

Fox Has Biggest Objectionable Content On TV:  2,246 is the number of instances of violent, profane or sexual content in 180 hours of TV programming between 7 pm and 9 pm.  Fox, the worst offender, had 21 instances of objectionable material per hour & the cleanest channel, CW, had 9.  [ I thought Fox was the favorite channel of the ‘moral majority’.]   U.S. News & World Report


Select Movies With Educational Value:  Even though www.TeachWithMovies.com offers movie lessons plans and learning guides for teachers to 280+ movies, parents can use the index of the movies as a source to select more meaningful movies to show at home for family viewing. 
http://www.teachwithmovies.org/indexes-main.htm

Remember “School House Rocks”:  Access the written lyrics and let your kiddos enjoy the videos on YouTube by clicking on their icon at:
http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/

Help Your Children Eat Better:  Good nutrition is important for good learning.  Research has shown that children who regularly ate breakfast had better standardized test scores, better behavior, and were less hyperactive than children who skipped breakfast.  When comparing low glycemic index (GI) breakfasts to high GI breakfasts eaten by 9- to 12-year-old children, research also shows that children who eat high GI breakfasts (sugary breakfasts) tend to eat more at lunch.  Breakfast Is Important.  What makes a good breakfast for children? One good example would be an egg, a slice of whole grain toast with nut butter, a piece of fruit and a glass of low-fat milk.  Tofu, lean meat and whole grain cereals are also good choices at breakfast. The protein and fiber from the whole grains will keep your child satisfied until lunchtime.
http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutritionforchildren/a/dietandlearning.htm

Health Detriments Of ‘Not Enough Sleep’:  Many people have no idea that getting enough sleep is essential for helping them stick to a diet, making their workouts more productive, or boosting their immune system in general.  When it comes to dieting, leptin and ghrelin are the two hormones that regulate appetite, and are adversely affected by sleep deprivation. Ghrelin, which is produced in the stomach, signals to the brain when it’s time to eat.  Leptin, on the other hand, is secreted by fat tissue and has the reverse effect, signaling when you are full.  Chronic lack of sleep increases ghrelin, making you feel hungry when you don’t really need to eat, and decreases leptin, urging you to keep eating although you’ve already gotten all the calories you need.  Making a habit of sleep deprivation comes with a heavy price tag. A nine-year study found that those who routinely slept six or fewer hours a night had a 70% higher risk of dying (in the same age groups) than did those who slept seven or eight hours per night. 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/02/CMR2RF6AK.DTL&hw=diet&sn=006&sc=231

Drugging Our Children:  The number of prescriptions for psychotropic drugs for children more than doubled between 1995 and 2000.  The attached film focuses on children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), even though evidence to verify such a diagnosis is often lacking.  Instead, kids are often labeled with ADHD simply for acting like kids: fidgeting, speaking out of turn, not wanting to sit still, and being hyper.  The diagnosis of ADHD is all too often made based on insufficient anecdotal evidence and standardized assessments from parents and teachers, without giving consideration to other potential factors like home life, diet, and environmental toxins.  The end result for kids diagnosed with ADHD, as the video shows, is almost always medications. 
http://tinyurl.com/3c55w5

The Autistic Don’t Catch Yawns:  The autistic are seemingly resistant to ‘contagious yawning’ - perhaps as a result of their reduced social awareness.  Yawning is mysterious: no one really knows why we do it, but we do know it's reliably 'contagious'.  Seeing someone yawn, or indeed, just thinking about someone else yawning, makes us more likely to do the same. For example, this article may well be enough to trigger a yawn in some people.  One of the three key aspects of autism is a difficulty with social interaction (the other two being difficulties with certain types of abstract thinking and a restricted or repetitive range of interests or behaviors)…. the researchers don't have any easy answers for why yawn contagion is reduced in autism, but suggest, without committing, that known differences in viewing faces, possible differences in mirror neurons or problems with imitating others might be linked.
http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2007/09/autistic_children_im.html

Biometrics In Schools:  In an age when everything's faster, faster, faster, students at an increasing number of schools are buying their on-campus meals in speedy fashion using fingerprint technology that, at first breath, sounds eerily Big Brotherish.  Biometric technology measures characteristics, such as a fingerprint, and uses that information as identification.  Officials in school districts say that the technology they use does not store fingerprints and that benefits far outweigh any negatives. Long lunch lines move more quickly, and finger scanning eliminates the possibility of students losing a lunch card or cash.
http://www.oregonlive.com/education/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1191984902137200.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

Parental Influence Determines Student Success:  Whether low-income, urban students attend a public or private high school matters less to their academic success than whether their parents take part in their education, earn enough money to offer enriching experiences and have high aspirations for their kids… the researchers found that private school students did not perform significantly better in math, reading, science or history than did their public school peers….and were no more likely to go to college or be more satisfied with their jobs.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-10-09-public-private_N.htm?csp=34


How ‘NOT’ To Raise A Genius:  There are no shortcuts when it comes to learning.  Popular videos such as the Brainy Baby series have attracted millions of parents eager to give their babies an intellectual leg up.  But a recent study shows that these products may be doing more harm than good…. for every hour each day that infants watched the kaleidoscope of changing images and music on these DVDs, they understood an average of seven fewer words than babies who did not use such products.  The assumption is that stimulation is good, so more is better.  But all the research to date shows there is no such benefit.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants under 2 not watch anything on a screen and just interact with their parents.  [ My Comment:  For those parents who can afford it and are so inclined, I suggest they enroll their young child(ren) in a Montessori school.  Discovery learning that’s tied into Mortensen math, etcetera will give them the grounded beginning that they can both use and enjoy.  Half days are nice.]
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1653640,00.html


Pre-school Educators See Stress In Their Academic Schools:  These days a premier academic nursery school is seen as the gateway to classroom glory.  More than forty states have now authored academic curriculum standards for pre-schools that receive state funding.  California's proposed standards lay out goals for literacy, math and socio-emotional skills for 3- and 4-year-olds… the pressure to push even young children to meet such benchmarks on a national emphasis on standardized testing.  ‘No Child Left Behind’ has put a lot of pressure on schools to be pushing further and further… and neglecting what children are all about developmentally.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_7305921

Recess Needs Rescuing:  Schools are playing a game of tug-of-war with children's time, with teachers and advocates...pulling for children to have recess, while "state and federal academic policies pull every minute to the classroom.  More than forty percent of schools nationwide have eliminated recess from their schedules, with many citing a need for more classroom time to prepare students for standardized tests.  In response, the National Parent-Teacher Association has launched a "Rescuing Recess" campaign.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/recess_6247___article.html/schools_students.html

Texas To Require 30 Minutes P.E. Daily:  According to the National Institutes of Health, the life expectancy of Americans could drop by two to five years in future decades.  The main reason: Obesity.  In one state, they're trying to buck the trend by returning to mandatory gym class…. Texas will become the first state in the nation to require at least 30 minutes a day of PE, and require all four million 3rd through 12th graders to undergoing a series of annual fitness tests to see how they compare now and later to other kids their age.
http://tinyurl.com/2mjrmt



Americans Speak Out: “Failing Our Smart Kids”
*In a “no-child-left-behind” conception of public education, lifting everyone up to a minimum level is more important than allowing students to excel to their limit.  It's no wonder we're witnessing a proliferation of charter schools, home schooling and private schools.
**We have ignored bright students for as long as I can remember, to our detriment as a nation.  Slow learners receive most of the attention, and huge sums of money are allotted to educate them.  If students are bright, they are left pretty much on their own. In integrated classes, they are forced to learn at the pace of the slowest.
***There are two ways of raising average test scores: assist those at the bottom, and empower those at the top. Our society needs to do both.
****It's not just the highly gifted who are forgotten. There are bright children who don't learn study habits when they're young because they have no need for them. When a child scores perfectly on tests, how does one instill the need for hard work and study skills? These kids can coast through school without reaching their potential because they are never challenged properly. It's the child who has to work for grades who does the best later on, whereas those for whom it comes easy falter. If we don't teach bright children to face challenges early, how can we expect them to do so later in life?
*****Money spent educating students with the highest IQs is a paltry 10% of the money spent educating students with the lowest IQs comes as no surprise to parents of gifted children. Gifted youth who have the potential to find a cure for cancer or get the U.S. back to the moon and beyond deserve special curriculums. Because federal and state governments neglect the needs of gifted students financially, the opportunities for our best and brightest are diminished.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1657829,00.html
The above comments are in response to the following article:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1653653,00.html



~It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.~   Robert G. Ingersoll



Greenies Not Being Totally Honest:  Overpopulation is the major cause of environmental degradation…and common sense tells us that if the planet’s resources are being grossly depleted, then it’s that there are simply too many people.  Yet none of the major environmental lobbying groups will mention this obvious fact -- because we’d either have to limit family size (fears of “authoritarianism”) and/or limit immigration (fear of sounding “racist”).  So many of the ‘greenies’ naively insist that if we all just recycle more and drive less, we can all ‘live together’ in greater numbers.   The Guardian

Rising Oceans, Vanishing Coastlines:  Ultimately, rising seas will swamp the first American settlement in Jamestown, as well as the Florida launch pad that sent the first American into orbit… global warming, through melting ice and warmer waters expanding, is expected to cause oceans to rise by 3 feet.  It will happen regardless of any future actions to curb greenhouse gases.  Rising waters will swamp big city airports and major interstate highways as well as threaten the farm-rich San Joaquin Delta in California with saltwater flooding.   Storm surges worsened by rising seas will flood waterfronts.   [ My Comment:  The biggest news yet to come is that the rising waters will become catastrophic once the atmosphere’s temperature increase finally migrates down through to the bottom of the mile+ thick Antarctic ice sheet.  It’ll take a long time, but the inevitable result will be an increase in rate at which the ‘continental ice sheet’ naturally spreads.  I’m not talking about the ‘ice shelves’ that are already melting, though their absence will be a factor in allowing the continental ice sheet’s spreading to accelerate.  I am referring to the “massive” continental ice sheet.  After that’s finished playing out, your great-great-grandkids’ drive to the beach will be a lot shorter.]
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/insight/09/23/0923risingseas.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2007/11/06/scidoom106.xml

Thames River Floodgates Soon To Be Inadequate:  The most visible example of British commitment to adaptation is the Thames Barrier, a set of hulking but beautiful silver floodgates that stretch across the namesake waterway about 11 miles downriver from central London. When the Barrier became operational in 1983, 30 years after the massive flood that motivated its construction, planners expected that it might have to close once or twice a year to keep ocean-storm surges from inundating London. In the past decade, however, the Barrier has been closing an average of 10 times a year. "The Barrier was initially designed to offer a 1-in-2,000-years level of protection," says West of the UK Climate Impacts Program. "But sea-level rise is projected to reduce that to a 1-in-1,000-years level by 2030."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1604879-2,00.html
View image:
http://tinyurl.com/yp5xh9

Floods Of Lava & Water:  Roughly 15,000 years ago, Ice Age glaciers blocked swollen rivers and created enormous lakes in western Montana and northeastern Washington.  When the glacial dams broke, flood waters rushed across Eastern Washington and the Columbia River Gorge helping carve the region's topography. Geologists estimate these catastrophic floods happened up to 100 times…. this, however, was preceded by ‘floods’ of lava that flowed over 63,000 square miles of the Pacific Northwest between 17 million and 11 million years ago, covering the Columbia Basin with basalt up to two miles thick. To read this geologic narrative, click on:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw09302007/2003905120_pacificpice30.html




Habitable Planet 20 Light Years Distant:  Scientists have discovered a warm and rocky "second Earth" circling a star, a find they believe dramatically boosts the prospects that we are not alone.  The planet is the most Earth-like ever spotted and is thought to have perfect conditions for water, an essential ingredient for life.  Researchers detected the planet orbiting one of Earth's nearest stars, a cool red dwarf called Gliese 581, 20 light years away in the constellation of Libra.  Measurements of the planet's celestial path suggest it is 1½ times the size of our home planet, and orbits close to its sun, with a year of just 13 days. The planet's orbit brings it 14 times closer to its star than Earth is to the sun.  But Gliese 581 burns at only 3,000C, half the temperature of our own sun, making conditions on the planet comfortable for life, with average ground temperatures estimated at 0 to 40C. Researchers claim the planet is likely to have an atmosphere.  "We wouldn't be surprised if there is life on this planet," said Stephane Udry, an astronomer on the project at the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/apr/25/starsgalaxiesandplanets.spaceexploration

Discovery Channel/BBC’s 11-part “Planet Earth”:  The groundbreaking, high-definition TV event Planet Earth returns to television on Sunday, November 11th at 8pm ET/PT on the Discovery Channel.  Also available to purchase (new or used via Amazon.com) or rent (as 5 DVD set from Netflix / Blockbuster), this stupendous production simply must be experienced in order to be believed!!  It’s the premiere wildlife nature film.  It’s both enthralling and provoking.
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/planet-earth/planet-earth.html?dcitc=w99-502-ah-1017


Mass Migration Worldwide:  Nearly one in five people living in the United States speaks a language at home other than English… the number of immigrants nationwide reached an all-time high of 37.5 million in 2006 reports the U.S. Census data.  America is indeed a nation of immigrants, but the trend of mass population movements is not unique to the United States, as millions who have struggled in poor rural farming areas crowd into booming industrialized centers, seeking steady employment.  China is a prime example, as its teeming masses flock to Shanghai and other metropolises.  Great Britain is becoming home to ethnically and religiously diverse millions from the lands that were its former colonies.  Mexico City has become a magnet attracting poor people from across rural Mexico and Central America.  Note: Currently, this is economically driven.  As world climate changes increase, it’ll be agriculturally driven.
http://tinyurl.com/2ly34z

How Are Your Representatives In Congress Doing Energy-wise?!:  Are they blocking or supporting increasing the fuel economy of our cars and using more renewable energy to produce electricity? Can they be counted on to make our cars go farther on a gallon of gas and to insist that renewable energy sources like wind and solar power generate 15 percent of our electricity?  Ask your elected officials to get serious about global warming by supporting the shift to the fuels and technologies of the future .
Check them out:
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/VoteCenter?page=voteList
Take Action:
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TakeAction

Hillary Clinton Stakes Out Her Energy Policy… by explicitly endorsing an 80% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050, with 100 percent auction of all emission permits. She called for 55-mpg fuel-economy standards for cars, trucks, and SUVs by 2030; demanded that we put efficiency first, and that before we build new coal-fired power plants, state PUCs be required to make sure that there are not cost-effective efficiency alternatives; promised to reduce electricity consumption by 20 percent through a series of efficiency measures; and urged the creation of five million new jobs as part of the package, which would reduce imports of oil by two thirds.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-pope/a-nation-called-tomorrow_b_71263.html

States Must Be Allowed to Reduce Global Warming Pollution from Vehicles:  Twelve states, representing a third of the U.S. auto market, have adopted clean car standards to reduce global warming pollution from vehicles—and even more are considering doing so.  Yet, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has, for years, delayed a decision on the waiver states need to implement these crucial standards.  Despite overwhelming public support for the waiver, in the next few weeks, the EPA may attempt to quietly introduce conditions that would undermine states’ ability to implement their clean car standards.  It’s imperative that EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson be reminded that the U.S. public is awaiting a decision and that he has the responsibility to unconditionally approve the clean car standards waiver.
Take Action:
http://ucsaction.org/campaign/10_16_07_EPA_Clean_Car_Waiver?rk=41s8h0FqC1WSE

Electric Dryers Use 5-10% Of Residential Electricity: And yet, there are many communities that prohibit clotheslines.  Here are some reasons to use a clothesline:
1. Save money (more than $100/year on electric bill for most households).FN1
2. Conserve energy and the environment.FN2
3. Clothes and sheets smell better.FN3
4. Clothes last longer. Where do you think lint comes from?FN4
5. It is physical activity which you can do in or outside.FN5
6. Clothes dryer fires account for about 15,600 structure fires, 15 deaths, and 400 injuries annually. The yearly national fire loss for clothes dryer fires in structures is estimated at $99 million.FN6
http://www.laundrylist.org/actioncenter/index.htm

If You Must Burn Coal, Do It Right:  The poor coal plant: not only does it emit environment-damaging compounds, but even the newest (which can cost as much as $3 billion to build) lose more than half the heat generated when the coal is burned. But in co-generation power plants, that excess heat is captured and reused for domestic and industrial heating, nearly doubling a plant’s efficiency.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/environment/article/0,28804,1602354_1603074_1603744,00.html

Tell Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart To Stop Selling Cypress Mulch:  Corporate pirates are cashing in on cypress forests needed to protect our Gulf shorelines.  State governments aren’t taking action yet, but consumers can.  Don’t buy cypress mulch & send notice to the corporate interests to plant cypress plantations if they want to use it for mulch.  Take Action:
http://tinyurl.com/2xu9yn
http://saveourcypress.org/index.php

~Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.~ Benito Mussolini






FBI (etc.) Can Even Listen To You When Cell Phone Is Turned Off:  The technique is called the “roving bug”…. a cellular telephone can be turned into a microphone and transmitter for the purpose of listening to conversations in the vicinity of the phone…  mobile providers can remotely install a piece of software on to any handset, without the owner's knowledge, which will activate the microphone even when its owner is not making a call.  Nextel and Samsung handsets and the Motorola Razr are especially vulnerable to software downloads that activate their microphones.
http://www.news.com/2100-1029_3-6140191.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G1fNjK9SXg


Obama Commits Political Blunder: Though some might choose to call it a political ‘faux pas’, it's still what I call it a very significant revelation… and a politically fatal one.  Both read the text & watch the YOUTUBE video ---
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/anthem.asp

Social Security For Illegal Aliens Via Totalization Agreements:  In 2004, the U.S. Commissioner of Social Security and the Director General of the Mexican Social Security Institute signed a "totalization" agreement which would coordinate the Social Security programs of both countries.  The Social Security Protection Act prohibits aliens (and their spouses and dependents) from claiming social security credit for work performed while in the United States illegally unless the alien obtains legal status at some point… this does not close the loophole that permits benefits to be paid on the basis of work performed by illegal aliens…. individuals who begin working illegally and later obtain legal status could still use their illegal earnings to qualify for Social Security benefits.
[The Democratic leadership is currently working to add an ‘AgAmnesty’ to the Farm Bill which will add to the numbers of illegals who’ll eventually qualify for legal status. Note that Fred Thompson is the only candidate to address BOTH  the illegal immigration problem & the ‘snowballing’ problem of entitlement benefits.]
Read More:
http://www.numbersusa.com/hottopic/totalization.htm
Take Action:
http://www.numbersusa.com/actionbuffet

Fred Thompson’s ‘The Man’:
07:01 Fred On The Issues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sagvVMfAUa4&mode=related&search=
02:42 Fred On Illegal Immigration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQLFfTd2l44&mode=related&search=
03:25 Fred Thompson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae7EfXqNO4Q&mode=related&search=

The Farm Bill gives a few American farmers huge subsidies – while leaving many small farmers out in the cold and hurting poor communities around the world.
http://www.watershedmedia.org/foodfight_overview.html
Take Action:
https://donate.oxfamamerica.org/02/oaaf_farmbill_oct
http://act.oxfamamerica.org/campaign/farmbill_senate?rk=xp%5f1oC41lbf6E

00:30 Make The Farm Bill Fair
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3QfPmFP-r0
02:10  Too Much Of A Bad Thing
http://tinyurl.com/37shus
05:51 Reform the 2007 Farm Bill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwLTsE0rVeo

Mexican Flag In Reno Taken Down By Vet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ6cCPbA8jo

An Immigration Related Murder:  Melanie Goodwin would be alive today if Immigration and Customs enforcement had deported Ernesto Reyes after he was convicted of burglary!  Reyes is on the run.  If he makes it to Mexico, they will not extradite him back to U.S. authorities as he may face the death penalty.  If he reaches Mexico, he is home free!  People on visas are supposed to be deported when they commit crimes!
http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2607

Sugar’s Historic Dark Side:  Other than gold, no single substance has had a bigger hand in shaping the history of the western hemisphere than sugar. These videos explore the history and modern power of the world's reigning sugar cartels.  Using dramatic reenactments, they reveal how sugar was at the heart of slavery in the West Indies in the 18th century AND continues to be at the heart of a present-day health epidemic: consumers who are slaves to a sugar-based diet.  [Note: Tobacco’s role in slavery and in current outrageous farm subsidies parallels sugar’s history.  And let’s not forget Cuba’s history involving imperialism’s giving birth to Castro’s rise.]
Click on link then click ‘play’ 45 & 45 minutes of ‘excellent quality video’:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/10/02/the-hidden-story-of-big-sugar.aspx

Bush’s Conservative Religious Prophecy Based Thoughts?:  Many wonder what Bush might be thinking.  If he’s indeed influenced by conservative based religious thought, then the following links might help:
http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/cgi-bin/tw/commentary/tw-comm.cgi?category=Commentary1=item=1188885679
http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/cgi-bin/tw/booklets/tw-bk.cgi?category=Booklets1&item=1104355314

New Nuclear Policy Needed:  U.S. nuclear weapons policies are outdated, dangerous, and misguided. The United States still maintains thousands of nuclear weapons on high alert, ready to fight a nuclear war. The Bush administration is planning to replace the entire U.S. arsenal with a new generation of nuclear weapons. These policies do not reflect the threats the United States faces.  The Union of Concerned Scientists is calling for a fundamental re-examination of the role of these weapons and for bold action that will lead to a world free of nuclear weapons.
http://ucsaction.org/campaign/8_11_07nuclearreview

Trinity Broadcasting Network Iniquitous “Prosperity Gospel”:  TBN’s creed is that if viewers send them money, God will repay them with riches and good health… even people deeply in debt are encouraged to put donations on credit cards. [My  Comment: This is a clear distortion & violation of Spiritual Law.  TBN is clearly in the wrong here.]  Los Angeles Times

 ‘Separation Of Church And State’ A Myth?:  The debate over the Separation of Church and State stretches far beyond the political arena.  [ My Comment: ‘Ideologues’ and ‘Christian Fundamentalists’ who point out that the Constitution does not specifically provide for the separation of church and state and who vehemently declare the USA to be a Christian nation are as rigidly biased as the rabid ‘secularists’ who force the removal of The Ten Commandments from courthouses and demand that the words ‘Under God’ be taken out of the pledge of allegiance.  They both have more in common with Islamic extremists than they do with rationality.  May God save us from the likes of all of the above.]
How well do you know the history of God and government in the United States? Learn about it below:
http://www.law.emory.edu/cms/site/index.php?id=3080
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/funddocs/billeng.htm
http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danbury.html
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0330_0001_ZS.html

Sources For News Have Shrunk Drastically:  In the last 15 years, your sources for news have shrunk drastically.  Whereas in 1983, 50 corporations ruled the U.S. news media, by 2004 this number decreased to a minuscule six corporations.  When Ben Bagdikian predicted this more than 20 years ago in his book The Media Monopoly, he was called "alarmist".  But when he updated his book in the 1990's, there were already fewer than two dozen media corporations controlling almost all of America's newspapers, magazines, TV stations, radio stations, books, records, movies, videos, wire services and photo agencies. He predicted that the number would fall even farther, and was greeted with skepticism. But his critics have been proven wrong as an increasingly small number of corporations control an increasingly huge percentage of the media market.  [Also note that many newspapers are reducing the size of their pages thus reducing the number of words printable.  They’re also reducing the number on on-the-ground reporters who actually do the real reporting of the news.  This is bad news for bloggers like me who depend on verified facts.]
http://www.corporations.org/media/
Take Action:
http://tinyurl.com/23tftx

S.O.S. & Austin City Council:  The city council will hold a public hearing and possibly vote on November 8th on an amendment to the ‘Save Our Springs’ ordinance that would make it easier for redevelopments to happen in the fragile Barton Springs watershed. The proposed amendment - as drafted - would make it too easy and lead to pollution increases from construction, more traffic, and more density over the Barton Springs watershed.  Let the council know that you want changes as recommended by the Planning Commission, Environmental Board, and local environmental groups.
Take Action:
http://www.sosalliance.org/?alerts&id=253

~The Farm Bill is directly linked to America’s Obesity & the inequities of NAFTA.~  everyman





November 6th -- 16 Proposed Amendments: 

Prop 1 - The "Easy Yes" Amendment
Essentially, this amendment updates the constitution to reflect that Angelo State University, once a part of the Texas State University System, is now part of the Texas Tech University System.

Prop 2 - The "More Money for More Students" Amendment
Why Vote For Prop 2 - This is a self-supporting loan program that provides more favorable rates than other sources thereby making higher education more affordable to students and providing Texas with a better educated future workforce.  With rising tuition and fees, there is greater demand for student loans.

Prop 3 - The "My House is Worth How Much?" Amendment
Why Vote For Prop 3 - If approved, this amendment would insure that the appraised value of a residence homestead for property tax purposes won't increase by more than 10% in any year no matter how long it has been since the last appraisal. Homeowners who don't have annual appraisals avoid large, unexpected increases in appraisal values and taxes.

Prop 4 - The "Hodge Podge Construction" Amendment
The facilities covered in this amendment are in need of maintenance and repair. Delaying this work will result in greater expense down the road. Some repairs and renovations are necessary for health and environmental reasons -- such as asbestos abatement in state buildings. Some projects are necessary for homeland security and public safety, including maintenance at readiness centers for emergency response, repairs and maintenance at the Texas National Guard’s Camp Mabry, and Department of Public Safety crime lab expansions. Provides for construction of a badly needed Texas Youth Commission facility. Using bonds to pay for this work allows the state to pay for these projects over an extended period of time.

Prop 5 - The "Small Town, TX" Amendment
Why Vote for Prop 5 -  If approved, Proposition 5 creates incentives for property owners to improve downtown property and buildings which, in conjunction with other revitalization projects, improves the economic growth and tourism for the city.

Proposition 6 - Motor Vehicle Exemption Amendment:
Why Vote Against Prop 6 - Goes Too Far: Other types of personal property used to produce income are taxable.  A motor vehicle used to produce income should not be exempt simply because sometimes it is used for personal purposes.

Proposition 7 - Eminent Domain Amendment
Why Vote for Prop 7 - Allowing the previous owner to take back property taken from them, possibly against their wishes, for the same price they were originally compensated is a matter of fairness.  Proposition 7 would encourage governmental entities to only exercise eminent domain when there is a specific and immediate plan for use of the property. It would help protect property owners from excessive use of eminent domain.

Proposition 8 - Home Equity Loans Amendment
Why Vote for Prop 8 - Current home equity lending practices need clarification in order to circumvent legal technicalities and mistakes that could invalidate a loan. Homeowners living homesteads in a declared disaster area would be able to get a second home equity loan to take care of repairs and other expenses within a one year period instead of waiting a full year.

 Proposition 9 - Disabled Vet Tax Amendment
With this amendment, a disabled veteran with a service-connected disability with a disability rating of 100 percent or totally disabled may be exempted from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of their residence homestead. It also adds some clarifications regarding exemptions for disabled veterans with less than 100 percent disability.

Proposition 10 - Inspector of Hides and Animals Amendment
This amendment cleans up the wording of the constitution to remove references to the former office of Inspector of Hides and Animals.

Proposition 11 - Legislative Vote Records Amendment
By voting yes, Texans would add a requirement that lawmakers’ final votes on a bill would be recorded and accessible via the internet in an effort to increase the openness of our state government.

Proposition 12 - Highway Improvement Bonds Amendment
The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of general obligation bonds by the Texas Transportation Commission in an amount not to exceed $5 billion to provide funding for highway improvement projects.  If passed, proceeds from the sale of bonds authorized by this amendment can be used to pay for authorized highway improvement projects, costs associated with issuing the bonds, and making payments on related credit agreements.
[ We need to utilize all of the taxes collected on gas for highways / not the 40% now used… which would make this alternate form of delayed increase in “taxation” totally superfluous.]

Proposition 13 - Family Violence Amendment
With this amendment, any person in Texas accused of a felony or of family violence can be taken into custody and have their bail denied pending trial if they violate certain conditions related to the safety of a victim or the community, violate an order for emergency protection or an active protective order in connection with a family violence case, or engage in other conduct as outlined in the amendment.

Proposition 14 - Justice and Judge Mandatory Retirement Amendment
If an elected state justice or judge reaches mandatory retirement age during the first four years of the 6 year term to which they were elected, the expiration of that term would be on December 31 of the fourth year of the term.

Proposition 15 - Cancer Research Amendment
This amendment requires that the legislature establish the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and authorize up to $3 billion in bonds. The agency would be tasked with distributing funds and providing support to institutions of learning and advanced medical research facilities for conducting scientific research into all kinds of human cancer. [Sounds like ‘payola’ for Perry’s ‘companeros’.]
Quote “P. Stern”: Bear in mind that ANY proposition that plans to offer a bond package simply translates into an increase in your taxes somewhere in the near future and also becomes a long-term debt for the state and its taxpayers.  Do you really want one or more tax increases?
http://pstern.statesmanblogs.com/entry.aspx?q=1c59d764-6f09-4c70-8f3b-99ce016f955e

Proposition 16 - Sewer and Water Supply Amendment
Why against: The water development board has received more than $500 million in state and federal funds for the program, and the problem has not gone away. Extending water lines to unincorporated areas could encourage people to move into regions that are costly to serve. [My Comment: In the early 80s in the Rio Grande Valley in the Donna ISD area, I'd subdivided a piece of land to sell as individual lots. During the process, the state changed the water allotment system such that I wouldn't be able to provide water meters, so I cancelled the whole project. I was the only one who did. The other subdivisions proceeded. These are the types of shysters that this proposition wants to fund.  NOTE: The  county commissioners in the problem counties facilitate the perpetuation of this problem by refusing to apply building restrictions when approving new subdivisions / they often receive kickbacks and political rewards.]


For more, read:
http://austin.about.com/od/government/tp/Constitutional_07_Election.htm
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/09/19/nov6props.html
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/2007novconexp.shtml
http://www.hro.house.state.tx.us/focus/amend80.pdf

It’s all too likely that Texans will approve the bond related propositions.  It’s a national trend related to our “buy now, pay later” mentality. 

The next election in Travis County are the Constitutional Amendment and Special Elections on Tuesday, November 6, 2007.  

Early Voting in Person for this Election:
Monday, October 22, 2007 through Friday, November 2, 2007


More Upcoming Election Dates:
Tuesday, March 04, 2008 -- Primary Election
Tuesday, April 08, 2008 -- Primary Runoff Election
Saturday, May 10, 2008 -- Joint General & Special Elections
Tuesday, November 04, 2008 -- Presidential Election


~Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.~
Pericles (430 B.C)


Texas DPS On The ‘Wrong Side Of The Law’:  In an effort to verify the coming into the capitol building of San Antonio multimillionaire, James Leininger,(who had arrived on the morning of May 23, 2005 to pressure lawmakers into voting to establish a pilot voucher program for public school students), the Texas Observer requested the release of the video of the hallway to verify such.  Both the Attorney General Greg Abbott and a state district judge concurred and requested that this be honored…. but the DPS refused.  Instead they have, thus far, spent $166,000 fighting the request.  In reality, such censorship of the cameras enables wealthy special interests with access inside the capitol to lobby and strong-arm our legislators into approving their pet legislation, needs and wants without the public being privy to the attempts.  That recalcitrance is costing taxpayers a pile of money and usurping the public’s right to know what goes on in their state Capitol.
http://pstern.statesmanblogs.com/entry.aspx?q=5eb816ea-1959-440a-99df-99b500b59243
http://texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2585
http://www.texasobserver.org/web_feature.php?oid=main&aid=2508
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/TX_FOI_Capitol_Video.html

Selling Christmas Mountains?:  The Mellon Foundation gave the Christmas Mountains to Texas in 1991 “to use wisely”.   The first auction was cancelled & a second will be on November 6th.  The General Land Office indicates that all covenants and restrictions applied to the land when it was originally donated to the State in 1992 will pass to any subsequent buyer.  The covenants are quite restrictive, and therefore, the land is not at risk for being developed by any owner.  The covenants preclude most future uses for the land, other than a wildlife preserve or similar conservation uses.  [ I say give it to The Nature Conservancy, if they’ll have it.] 
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/09/21/21/0924brinkley_edit.html
Have an opinion?:
Contact your governor and state senator & representative
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/?lvl=L
    
Texas Legislature Triples Parks Funding:  New funds set for public approval in November.  The conservation community won a major victory for Texas parks this spring thanks to a considerable public outcry.  The Legislature more than tripled the funding for the Texas parks system, appropriating an additional $180 million over two years. After decades of neglect, our parks are back on the path back to excellence.  The additional funds will allow the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to rehire laid-off park rangers, re-open campgrounds, repair decaying facilities, and acquire sensitive lands to create a new state park.
http://www.environmenttexas.org/newsletters/fall07

Fair Elections Action Week (Nov. 12-16th):  People who care about clean and fair elections are taking action now so that we can show Congress that Americans want an end to pay-to-play politics.  The “Fair Elections Now Act”  is gaining support in the Senate and we anticipate the introduction of the companion bill in the House to happen very soon!  A voluntary system of public funding for congressional elections would allow members of Congress to serve without taking huge sums of special interest money.  Elections should be about voters, not campaign cash.
Here's how: 

Sign the Petition
http://action.citizen.org/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=762&t=CleanUpWashington2col.dwt#sign


It's time to reform the 1872 Mining Law and reclaim our public lands for future generations. Please send a message to your Member of Congress today to give modern mining a modern law by supporting H.R. 2262, The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007. Take Action:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/mining_october07_vote?rk=k7afxG71H0HBE



Petiton To Congress:

"As if any agreement expanding NAFTA is not offensive enough, it's absolutely outrageous that the proposed U.S.-Peru 'free trade agreement' contains provisions that could make it difficult for Peru to reverse its failed social security privatization.
Americans overwhelmingly rejected the Bush administration's proposal to privatize our Social Security system here in the United States. It would be hypocritical - and a very bad precedent - to lock in Peru's failed social security privatization by allowing such provisions to remain in the proposed Peru FTA.
No trade agreement should ever have rules that affect government policy on social security. I urge you to vote against the Peru NAFTA Expansion." http://action.citizen.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=11998




~ Never argue with an idiot; they ' ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ~ anonymous



Study Confirms Human-to-human Spread Of Avian-Flu:  Researchers confirm that the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus spread between a small number of people within a family in Indonesia in 2006.  Using a computerized disease-transmission model that took into account the number of infected cases, the number of people potentially exposed, and the viral-incubation period, the researchers produced the first statistical confirmation of humans contracting the disease from each other rather than from infected birds.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_05_23/en/index.html
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47720

Green Blood Shocks Surgeons:  A group of Canadian surgeons were surprised to find that the 42-year-old man they were operating on had ‘dark-green blood’.  Analysis revealed that the blood discoloration was caused by  ‘sulfhemoglobinaemia’, which happens when a sulfur atom becomes attached to the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin protein present in blood.  The condition was likely caused by the patient's migraine medication, sumatriptan, which contains a sulfonamide group.  After going off sumatriptan, his blood returned to normal within five weeks. Sulfhemoglobinaemia usually goes away as red blood cells regenerate, but can necessitate a transfusion in extreme cases.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn12024&feedId=online-news_rss20

Synthetic Blood On The Way:   ‘Plastic blood’ isn’t as outlandish as it sounds…we’ve used polymer chemistry to try to mimic what nature does.  In the end, we get a synthetic molecule that has the same size, shape, and function as hemoglobin.  It reversibly binds oxygen, is soluble in water, and is made from polymer units that are known to be safe in the body.  The plastic product still needs to undergo biological testing, and the hemoglobin replacement polymer is not yet a total blood substitute, but it is a crucial first step…the substance can be stored as a dehydrated paste and then quickly reconstituted with water.  Soldiers could carry it with them, and then if they needed blood quickly, they could add water.  A lot of people die from relatively minor injuries—they just bleed to death. This really has the potential to save lives.
http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/the-future-of-blood

“Hand-to-mouth” Mentality Of Hospital Administrators:  Intensive cleaning is a bargain compared with the cost of treating infections.  By nearly doubling cleaning-staff hours on one ward, a hospital reduced the spread of MRSA by 90%, saving 312 times the added cleaning costs.  Hospitals once tested surfaces for bacteria, but in 1970, the CDC and the American Hospital Association advised them to stop, saying testing was unnecessary and not cost effective.  MRSA infections since then have increased 32-fold, and numerous studies have linked unclean hospital equipment and rooms to infections.  Yet the CDC's latest guidelines still deem routine testing for bacteria unnecessary. "If you culture on a regular basis, you're always going to find something," says Denise Cardo, who runs the CDC's division of healthcare quality promotion. "You don't want the labs to be used for that instead of tests on patients."  Are we to believe that it is less important to test for bacteria in operating rooms than in hot dog factories?
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070715/23clean_2.htm

Why Aren’t Hospitals Cleaner:  Sad to say, cleanliness is not a priority for hospital administrators or ‘most’ medical professionals.  A new University of Maryland study shows that 65% of physicians and other medical professionals admitted they hadn't washed their lab coat in at least a week, even though they knew it was dirty.  Nearly 16% said they hadn't put on a clean lab coat in at least a month. Lab coats become covered in bacteria when doctors lean over the bedsides of patients who carry the organisms. Days later the bacteria are still alive, repeatedly contaminating doctors' hands and being carried to other patients.
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070715/23clean.htm
Take Action:
https://secure.npsite.org/cu/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1645

Hand To Mouth Contamination: Stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and EKG wires are used on successive patients without being cleaned. Studies published as long ago as 1978 warn that blood pressure cuffs frequently carry live bacteria, including MRSA, and are a source of infection… one third of blood pressure cuffs were found to be contaminated with Clostridium difficile, a germ that can cause lethal diarrhea if it enters via the mouth.  It's a short trip from a cuff to a patient's bare arm, then to the fingertips and into the mouth.   At a hospital in Galveston, where a burn patient became infected with VRE, molecular typing traced the bacteria to an unclean EKG wire. The VRE on the wire had been left behind by a patient discharged 38 days earlier.
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070715/23clean.htm

Fecal Transplants Save Lives:  Trials in a Scottish hospital have shown patients suffering from the ‘Clostridium difficile’ bug can be cured using ‘donor stool' administered via a tube through the nose into their stomach.  ‘Clostridium difficile’ is a particular problem among patients who have been prescribed strong antibiotics as they also wipe out the so-called 'friendly' disease-fighting bacteria in the intestine.  Fecal 'transplants', as they are known, are believed to restore the bacteria to levels at which they help the recovery process.  Doctors involved in the trials admit there are "obvious aesthetic problems" in the treatment, which involves patients ingesting a liquidized sample of feces from a partner or close relative.  However, the treatment has the potential to save the lives of hundreds of patients infected with one of Britain's most serious hospital-acquired infections.
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1641252007

Coming Universal Health Care Coverage:  While Washington is slow to move on health care reform, states are moving ahead.  3 states already provide full universal coverage for all.  7 states have proposed such.  And numerous others are inching closer.  For a full article, click on:
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070506/14health.htm

Texas’ Women’s Health Rankings:
50th (dead last!) of non-elderly women with health insurance
35th in access to adequate prenatal care
44th in women aged 40+ who receive mammograms
47th of women aged 18+ who receive pap smears
45th in access to family planning
1st in teen pregnancy

http://www.prochoicetexas.org/news/headlines.shtml

Health Care Costs:  Of the $440,000 the average American spends on health care in his lifetime, $280,000 is spent after the age 65.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/

America’s Deadly Secret:  The Comptroller General of the United States proclaims that our current standard of living is unsustainable unless drastic action is taken.  He warns that funding shortfalls for the Medicare program are five times worse than Social Security, and it will take $8 TRILLION to pay for what is promised today to beneficiaries, of which we have ZERO!   This unrealistic "promise" is fiscally irresponsible and is mortgaging the futures of our children and grandchildren.   Watch as the federal government's dirty little secret is revealed!
http://tinyurl.com/27a7em

Colon Cancer Linked To Alcohol:  Cancer researchers in the United Kingdom have concluded that drinking as little as one glass of alcohol a day increases your risk of developing bowel cancer by about 10 percent. And, the more you drink, the more your risk of cancer increases.  The study included almost 480,000 people who were questioned about their level of alcohol intake, with follow-ups over the course of six years. In that period, 1,833 developed colon cancer.  The study showed that those who drank more than 30 grams of alcohol per day (less than two pints of strong lager) raised their cancer risk by about 25 percent… research also shows that by far the biggest risk for life threatening diseases is the combination of smoking together with drinking alcohol.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6921998.stm

Blueberries Help Prevent Colon Cancer:  Adding blueberries (in moderation) to your diet may be a natural way to prevent colon cancer…In a study of rats with colon cancer, those fed a diet supplemented with the blueberry compound pterostilbene had 57% fewer pre-cancerous lesions… ‘pterostilbene’ also inhibited genes involved in inflammation, which is thought to be a risk factor for colon cancer.  A past study has also found that blueberries are beneficial; when blueberry skins were fed to animals, their cholesterol was lowered. It’s thought that pterostilbene may prevent colon cancer by lowering lipids in your body.  Blueberries are rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins, and are a good source of ellagic acid, which is known to block metabolic pathways that may lead to cancer.
http://www.newstarget.com/021951.html

Avoiding Prostate Cancer?:  In the United States, cancers grow better because we feed them better.  Here are some foods to seek out -- Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts… tomatoes, watermelons, pink grapefruit, papaya.  Avoid lots of fats, especially animal fat is associated with an elevated risk of prostate cancer.  [ My Comment:  I’d suggest also adding 4 ounces of aloe vera juice daily / buy by the quart or the gallon).]  Read more:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2007/09/07/a-lifestyle-for-survival.html

~If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free. ~  P.J. O'Rourke
  Oil Spill Under NYC Dwarfs ‘Exxon Valdez’ Spill:  Beneath New York City lies an ‘oil spill’ of anywhere between 17 million and 30 million gallons, a spill bigger than that of the Exxon Valdez.  But unlike the Exxon Valdez, this one has been allowed to fester for half a century, directly below a residential area.  Even in the effected boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, many people don't know why the air smells like gasoline on rainy days.  No one had any inkling that it was even there until a massive explosion ripped through the city's sewer system in 1950.  City officials blamed gasoline leaking from what was then Mobil's Brooklyn refinery.  That was pretty much the extent of the investigation, and for a couple of decades the oil quietly continued to drip into the soil and groundwater under the refinery…. then, in 1978, a Coast Guard helicopter spotted an oil slick.  Investigating further, the Guard discovered the 55-acre monster.  Chemical analysis fingered Mobil as the source.   The Coast Guard, having spent half a million dollars investigating the spill, decided it had done enough; the case was turned over to the state of New York, which wanted no part of it.  Believing that the spill, while regrettable, posed no immediate hazard (no one drank the groundwater anymore, and the manhole-launching explosions had long ago subsided), officials decided not to apply their recently established oil spill fund to what was by far the state's largest oil spill, on the grounds that the spill “predated the fund”.  So the buck was handed down to New York City—which, still reeling from its financial near-meltdown in the 1970s, chose not to do battle with a brace of oil company lawyers.  For a decade, nothing happened.  And the lake of oil quietly grew as other small spills added to the source problem…. and the saga continues.
[Since then, litigation and minimal cleanup efforts have haltingly started and stopped.  It’s an unknown & unsung catastrophe in slow motion.]
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2007/09/witness.html

One More Reason NOT To Use Exxon:  Global warming pollution is on the rise, gasoline prices are skyrocketing, and our elected officials are looking to open pristine wilderness areas for oil drilling. These are all symptoms of a failed energy strategy. The United States has only 3% of the world's oil supply, but uses 25%.  Ignoring this fact is having profound negative consequences on America’s national security, consumer costs of energy, and the environment.  ExxonMobil is a chief architect and supporter of this failed energy policy. Check out the fact sheets, reports, and links below for more information:
http://www.exxposeexxon.com/facts/

Darfur & Sudanese Oil To China:  Chinese wells pump oil in the former killing fields of southern Sudan, and Chinese workers refine it north of the capital, Khartoum.  China has invested an estimated $6 billion plus in Sudan's oil infrastructure, including a 900-mile oil export pipeline to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.  Linked to this assistance, China buys Sudanese crude oil at a substantial discount from market prices.  In the southern oil regions, where hundreds of thousands died during Sudan's 21-year civil war, Chinese companies use extraction methods that are poisoning waterholes and killing livestock.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070729/6china.africab.htm
P.S. – China & India have played a role in the ongoing Burmese/Myanmar tragedy:
http://tinyurl.com/272har

Only 13% Republican Congressmen Currently ‘Admit’ Human Activity Influences Global Warming:  National Journal has released a new “Congressional Insiders Poll,” which surveyed 113 members of Congress. Only 13 percent of congressional Republicans say they believe that human activity is causing global warming, compared to 94 percent of congressional Democrats.  NOTE: Surveys currently show that 40% of Americans will only vote for a candidate if he’s willing to take meaningful action against global warming.  Even conservative talk show hosts are reluctantly accepting the reality that mankind influences global warming. [ My Comment: Many years ago a survey that completely protected the identities of those surveyed was given to all of the professors who were all members in good standing at a church university that I attended.  The results indicated that 90%+ did ‘not’ take the scriptures literally.  Also indicated was that none of them would admit to this publicly.  Question: How many of the Congressmen denying humanity’s contributions to global warming are being forthright about their personal beliefs?  Only a genuine ‘flat earther’ could deny that man’s activities contribute to global warming.]
http://digg.com/political_opinion/POLL_Only_13_Of_Congressional_Republicans_Believe_In_Global_Warming
http://syndication.nationaljournal.com/images/203Insiderspoll_NJlogo.pdf

My Take On Global Warming:  It’s been known for decades that CO2 and other gases increase atmospheric temperatures on Earth and other planets. The fact that Earth has been in an overall warming trend for thousands of years does NOT explain the exponential increase in our biosphere's temperature during the last generation.  And though many of us knew this before Al Gore got the word out in a big way, he should be appreciated for also providing hope in his message ... that is, hope based on appropriate actions.  And the ‘flat earthers’ don't have to believe in the greenhouse effect in creating 'global warming' in order to appreciate the value of home insulation, increased mileage in autos, alternative energy sources, etcetera.  Anyone should be able to understand the economic necessities of alternative energy sources other than fossil fuels & implementing conservation measures.


The Mentality That ‘Killed Off’ Tucker Automobile ‘Lives On’:  In June the Senate passed an Energy Bill requiring a 35 miles-per-gallon fuel economy standard for our automobiles. Industry, however, is busy trying to undermine the Senate-passed 35 miles-per-gallon fuel economy standard. Automakers even hired PR firms to orchestrate "made for TV" auto worker rallies in Missouri and Illinois designed to scare consumers about the new fuel economy regulations!  Fuel economy has been stagnant for 20 years. The truth is that a 35 miles-per-gallon fuel economy standard would save consumers over $24 billion at the pump each year.  Now that Congress is back in session, tell them that auto industry propoganda must NOT dissuade them from making the choices America needs!
Take Action (copy & paste URL):
http://ga3.org/campaign/september_energy_alert?rk=hpeCutY1SeOYE


The Worst Alternative Fuel: 
Coal-to-liquid fuel’ has its fans -- primarily airlines, the military, and the coal industry -- but it's also environmentally disastrous on many levels, generating twice the greenhouse-gas emissions of gasoline. To learn more about why CTL is such a terrible idea, read "A Patriotic Pall" in Sierra magazine's "Lay of the Land."  And for background on the coal industry that's pushing this bad idea, download the report "The Dirty Truth About Coal: Why Yesterday's Technology Should Not Be Part of Tomorrow's Energy Future."
Note: Barak Obama has signed on with CTL.  So, when a headline reads “Is Barak Too Green?”, you know the reporter is either clueless or a ‘shill’.

Summer Heat Raises Gasoline Costs At The Pump:  Gasoline in a fuel tank expands in the heat.  This physical phenomenon pumps a nearly $2 billion annual windfall into oil company coffers…a device—a temperature-sensitive chamber for fuel—that, if affixed to gasoline pumps across the country, would return that money to consumers and help relieve some of our storied gas-price pressures. The device—and others like it—is simple, functional, and, in fact, already in widespread use at gas stations all across Canada.  Temperature is just one of the many variables that determine how much energy one tank of gasoline contains, and therefore how many miles it will propel your car. But the effects of temperature change are easier to calculate than, say, ethanol content or petroleum grade—and are therefore also easy to correct for.  [My Comment: Does winter cold reduce costs?]
http://tinyurl.com/yvtncm

Welcome To Cheney’s CAFE:  Vice-President Cheney's staff and high-level White House officials bullied the Department of Transportation into hatching a plan to end fuel economy as we know it by replacing the corporate average approach with a complex free-for-all that bases public policy not on public need but, instead, on industry-biased cost-benefit bean-counting… Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE).
http://www.citizen.org/autosafety/fuelecon/articles.cfm?ID=17054
http://www.citizen.org/autosafety/fuelecon/

Take Action:

http://www.citizen.org/action/index.cfm?sectionID=112

Bush Weakening Ozone Standards:  Ozone or "smog" pollution can trigger asthma attacks and harm even the healthiest lungs. But the Bush administration's EPA has proposed air quality standards for ozone that are weaker than what the agency's own scientific advisers say are needed to protect public health. Electric utilities, the chemical industry, Big Oil, and automakers are pushing the EPA to issue weak standards.
Take Action:

http://ga3.org/campaign/ozone_alert?rk=b1eCutY1blIRE

Nuclear Energy Loan Guarantees:  The nuclear industry is seeking more than $50 billion in loan guarantees in the next two years for the construction of new nuclear power plants in the United States. These loan guarantees would put you – rather than investors – on the hook to pay back the loans should any of the plants default.  According to a May 2003 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, the risk of default on loan guarantees for new nuclear plants is “very high – well above 50 percent.”  Tell your Senators and Representative that neither Section 124(b) of the Senate bill, nor Sections 9201 and 9202 of the House bill should be part of the final energy report / No loan guarantees for nuclear energy.

Take Action:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

World’s Largest Underwater Turbines:  Twin underwater turbines are set to generate 1.2 megawatts of electricity off the coast of Northern Ireland by year's end.  The world's largest tidal power project will use underwater turbines that look and work like wind power turbines, with blades up to 60 feet wide.  Tidal currents will rotate the rotors at 10 to 20 revolutions per minute — a speed that Marine Current Turbines of the UK claims is too slow to affect marine life.  The turbines will drive a gearbox that will drive an electric generator. The resulting electricity will be transmitted to the shore via an underwater cable.  Eventually, MCT intends to build farms of turbines consisting of 10 to 20 pairs each. . .
http://tinyurl.com/27f8h5

Danes' Wind Turbines In Asia:  The Philippines is poised to become the leading wind power producer in Southeast Asia with the potential of up 70,000 MW of clean renewable energy from the wind.  The value of the global market for wind turbines is predicted to expand from the current 8 billion "Euros" to an 80 billion Euro market by 2020.  [ My Comment:  Do we wonder why the Euro is gaining strength and the dollar is slipping? Americans are losing ground to those with more initiative.]
http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/starpower/petition

~ Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.~  Buddha